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? They’re kind of always involved in each other’s verses.’ You see this with a lot of hip-hop, so we were definitely playing with that idea. What’s weird is that Brendan and I have very different perspectives and voices. When I listen back [to Oh! Calcutta!] our voices have this weird blend, where there’s certain times we’re singing together and it’s actually difficult to pick out who is who.”
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This vocal unity would become one of Calcutta’s defining qualities. But, when The Lawrence Arms went into the studio, producer and engineer Matt Allison was skeptical of the band being able to pull it off. Kelly explains, “We were talking to Matt and he was like, ‘I don’t know if it’s a good idea for you guys to sing every word together.’ And I was like, ‘No, no. It is. This is the record we’re making.’ And listen, Matt did a fucking awesome job. He’s a great friend and collaborator. I’m so proud to be able to work with him. But there was a moment to get him on board with it. I remember being like, ‘If you don’t think this is a good idea then you shouldn’t do the record.’ And he was like, ‘Oh no, no, no. I’m just suggesting that it’s highly unusual.’ I was like, ‘Well, we’re either going to fuck this up terribly or it’s going to turn out awesome. This is the paradigm. The form has to follow the spirit of the record.’”
What is noticeable from the very first notes on the album is just how punchy it is compared to the rest of The Lawrence Arms discography. Opener “The Devil’s Takin’ Names” sees Kelly introducing the record with a quick eight-count on his bass and, once the song kicks in—with staccato guitar, choppy drums, and an endless amount of attitude—what remains is a supercharged version of The Lawrence Arms. The band’s songs had never been this short, fast, or traditionally punk. Pair this with the band’s new, dual-vocal approach, and it felt like an awakening, both for the band and for the punk scene as a whole.
Kelly and McCaughan had long been great songwriters, but until Oh! Calcutta! they never carried with them this kind of combustive energy. When discussing his approach to songwriting, Kelly makes a comparison that is far too apt:
Whenever I write any song I always want it to strike the exact point where happiness turns to sadness. That is the ultimate bull’s-eye. I love a super happy song where all of a sudden there’s just one phrase and you’re like, “Oh, this is actually heartbreaking.” You know that episode of The Simpsons when they freeze Ralph Wiggum on the TV and they’re like, “Look. You can actually pinpoint the moment when his heart breaks.” That’s what I’m going for every time; that moment. And you miss it a lot, right? But when you hit it, it really feels good.
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That moment, where Ralph Wiggum’s face contorts in sheer agony after Lisa Simpson bellows, “I don’t like you! I never liked you!”, is captured time and again on Oh! Calcutta! Whether it‘s “Recovering The Opposable Thumb” shifting from an uproarious rallying cry to an ode of defeat, or the Judy Blume-referencing “Are You There Margaret? It’s Me, God” showcasing the disillusionment of adulthood, the songs routinely see the band finding strength within itself. It’s what makes the propulsive stomp of songs like “Cut It Up” and “Key To The City” burst forth with all the urgency of sweaty, beer-soaked shows in a tiny club. And the subject matter, which focuses heavily on celebrating failures as if they were triumphs, makes it a sing-along record that gives hope to even the most disenfranchised punk fan.
A record as immediately grabbing as Oh! Calcutta!, The Lawrence Arms didn’t have to wait long for positive feedback. After years spent playing second fiddle to its Chicago peers, The Lawrence Arms finally found acceptance. “That record changed everything,” says Kelly. “Our shows got exponentially bigger. The amount of respect we got from people went from, like, none to some. The reviews for Oh! Calcutta! were overwhelmingly positive in punk-rock circles and it was the first time we’d ever gotten good reviews. And so many of them started out with, ‘I never really liked this band before.’”
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While critics were rallying in support of Oh! Calcutta!, what proved its merit was the number of well-intentioned imitators it launched. While the tandem vocalist approached had long been employed by other greats of the punk scene—such as Dillinger Four and Hot Water Music—Oh! Calcutta! put wind in the sails of a newly emerging scene. Says Kelly, “That is something that is, like, interesting and unexpected. Shit, I’m just in a dumb, fuckin’, mid-tier punk band. We’re the scrappy little brothers of the Alkaline Trio. We’re the little friends of Rise Against. But it felt like, to me, that record had a humongous influence on the next crop of Fest bands.” It would become a sound that would be aped throughout the country, and as Kelly notes, helped shape the sound and style at the yearly punk-leaning music festival, Fest. The bands that once aped Alkaline Trio were now stealing moves from The Lawrence Arms.
But none of this would have happened without Oh! Calcutta!. It’s the product of a band that, by all accounts, shouldn’t have been the ones to make a record that galvanized the punk scene. But that’s exactly what so much of the album is about: Triumphing over circumstance. Up against insurmountable odds—a broken knee, an indifferent label, and the lack of a supportive fan base—The Lawrence Arms simply made a record for themselves. And, in doing so, they made a record that’s still resonant. Especially with the Ralph Wiggums of the world.The open pit around 1780-1800. Pen drawing by Elias Martin
The Dannemora mine (Dannemora gruvor) at Dannemora in Uppsala County, Sweden was once one of the most important iron ore mines in Sweden. The mine was closed by its owners SSAB in 1992. It may have been open since the 13th century, but the first documentary reference was in 1481. [1]
The mine has a depth of 640 metres and supplied oregrounds iron by the Walloon process (Vallonsmide) using a blast furnace and finery forge. Ironworks making sites included Österbybruk and Lövstabruk). Their products were particularly pure iron, due the manganese content of the iron ore. This made it the best material for conversion to blister steel, the main variety of steel made in Great Britain between the 1610s and the 1850s. [2]
The new pithead gear at Dannemora, built in 1952
Mårten Triewald's engine house
Site office at Dannemora mines
Dannemora mining area
History [ edit ]
Joachim Piper renewed the mining privileges at Dannemora in 1532 and devoted substantial resources to the mine, mainly producing iron but also other minerals. the ownership structure changed in 1545, and a dozen wealthy individuals entered as the owners, so that a number of Germans and even King Gustav Vasa took part. The Germans were most interested in the export of pig iron but the king persuaded them to start production of wrought iron. It lasted only a few years and following a related bankruptcy, the king took over the operation fully. [1]
Under 17th century, Dannemora iron had an uncontestedly high status among Swedish iron localities, especially in England where it was used in the steel raw material for tools, weapons, springs and other special purposes. A large part went to Sheffield, England. Thus Dannemora contributed to Sheffield's worldwide reputation as a steel city.[1]
Around 1700 there were about sixty workers at Dannemora residents of the neighbourhoods around the mine. The number of workers who obtained their support from the mine is likely to be several hundred. In each mine large quantities of wood would used in mining, a method not abandoned until the 1730s. The reason for this was partly because gunpowder would be more expensive than wood, but also for danger's sake.[1]
Throughout the mine's history, it had problems with water being situated by a lake. A pile-dam was built during the 17th century, and water- and wind-powered pumps were used. In 1728, at the initiative of Mårten Triewald (1691–1747), a steam-driven pump was installed, a Newcomen atmospheric engine, the first in Sweden, but it was never a success. The failure was probably due to the technology, which worked flawlessly in England, being new to Sweden and was run by inexperienced staff. During blasting to remove two waterfalls in the 1750s, water swept away a blast furnace, a mill and two sawmills. Despite a newly built dam, the mines were flooded in the spring flood of 1795 and it took until 1815 before the situation became normal. In 1805 a new steam engine of 10 horsepower was installed.[3]
During the century 1770-1870, production was between 15,000 and 20,000 tonnes. In the 1870s, it rose to 40,000 tonnes and exports of pig iron from the Österby ironworks became significant. In order to facilitate shipments of ore Dannemora Hargs Railway (Dannemora–Hargs Järnväg) was built between Dannemora mines and Hargshamn in 1878. During the 20th century, production was 50,000 tonnes, but a strike in 1927 stopped operations entirely. Only in 1935 was it resumed. 1955 a new facility, with sorting plant and concentrator was finished and the annual production reached 600,000 tons. During the latter part of the 1970s, output decreased but still amounted to about one million tonnes of crude ore, of which the bulk was exported. [4]
Shareholders of Dannemora mines had declined since the late 19th century through closures and mergers. In 1937 the four remaining owners (Fagersta Bruk, Iggesunds Bruk, Hargs Bruk and Stora Kopparbergs Berglag) formed AB Dannemora Mines. In 1974 Stora Kopparberg became the sole owner of the Dannemora mine. Only four years later, during the crisis that hit the Swedish steel industry in the late 1970s, however, the state-owned SSAB was forced to take over the mine.
Current Status [ edit ]
The current owner is Dannemora Mineral AB, which was listed May 25, 2007. The initial stock placement was heavily oversubscribed. In 2008, preparations began to resume mining of iron ore as well as other more precious metals. The mine was emptied of water and a new sorting mill and loading terminal was built. The railroad to the port at Hargshamn was refurbished. An opening ceremony featuring H M King Carl XVI Gustaf was held on 13 June 2012.[5]
The main access ramp is being extended down to the 350 m level, and a new ore elevator is being put in. The estimated ore reserves have been revised up to 35 million tonnes, sufficient for at least 14 years production.
References [ edit ]
This article is based mainly on the Swedish Wikipedia article, whose sources are given as:
B. Boethius: Gruvornas, hyttornas och hamnarnas folk (1951)
(1951) J. O. Carlberg: Historiskt sammandrag om svenska bergverkens uppkomst och utveckling (1879)
(1879) Svante Lindqvist: The impact of the Introduction of Steam Engine Technology on the Society of Dannemora Mines (in Svensson, Nils Eric, Strandh, Sigvard: Tekniska Museet Symposium on the History of Technology, No. 1 (1977)
, No. 1 (1977) K. C. Barraclough, 'Swedish iron and Sheffield steel' History of Technology 12 (1990), 1-39 - originally published in Swedish in A Attman et al., Forsmark och vallonjärnet [Forsmark and Walloon iron] (Sweden 1987)
Coordinates:In one of television’s most confusing finales in recent memory, Dan Humphrey was revealed to be Gossip Girl’s titular cyber-stalker throughout the show’s six seasons. How is this possible? The power of imagination! The timeline doesn’t line up, and if we’re being frank, Lonely Boy just wasn’t the a-ha! reveal we were hoping for at the time. Someone who would’ve been an apt replacement: Dorota, the delightful Polish maid who dutifully served the Waldorf family for decades, as she was privy to the many secrets of the show’s leading characters for years. Zuzanna Szadkowski, the actress who portrayed Dorota, also agrees with this. “I totally did [think Dorota was Gossip Girl] and I also kind of hoped it would be, and then I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t,” she explained in a new Cosmopolitan interview. “It was funny because in the final episode there’s a scene where Mayor Bloomberg says, ‘I thought it was Dorota.’ That was my favorite thing, that the mayor actually mentioned my name.”
In fact, Szadkowski revealed how the majority of people on set didn’t know who Gossip Girl was until that scene was actually filmed, which caused a lot of annoyance among the actors: “They were just handing us pages with big, blacked-out blocks and being like, ‘Well, we’ll get to it!’” Well, at least Dorota and Vanya got a lovely ending.Composable End-to-End tests for React Apps
Joel Griffith Blocked Unblock Follow Following Jul 11, 2017
So, you’ve finally arrived at the place where you must write an end-to-end test suite for your React project. You’ve probably looked at things like Selenium or even just Chrome headless, but aren’t sure if you’re willing to buy in to them. You should know that you aren’t alone, and that many developers face a difficult choice as well.
Before we start exploring what I’m about to prescribe, I’d like to outline the current reasons why I’m dissatisfied with the ecosystem. These are likely the same points that lead you here.
1. Expensive and complex setup
Lots and lots of libraries out there are incredibly bulky and complex to setup. Mature libraries, especially, are victim of this due to the high amount of use-cases they have to support, plus the general lack of tools that were available on the onset (Selenium especially). Many issue their own DSL or some other opaque medium for interacting with the browser. If you you’re driving a headless unit with lots of $ or xml then something isn’t right.
2. General sluggishness and hard to scale
End-to-end tests are already painful to write, but why do they have to be so doggone slow? Obviously there’s costs to starting up and driving a web browser, but new technologies like headless-chrome should help expedite execution. Clearly there’s room for improvement here.
3. Painful API with no way to compose workflows
What do you do if, before anything else, you have to login to an application before doing any test what so ever? Right now, at least as far as I’m aware, it’s either difficult or impossible to compose tests with various behaviors. I, personally, would love to define a library of user-interactions and compose them on-the-fly at test time.
It was these challenges (and a few more) that lead me to develop Navalia, which is an open-source project for painlessly driving, scaling, and automating headless browsers. As of this writing it only supports Google Chrome, but I will slowly be adding more browsers over time.
Let’s take a look at how this tool can help us with tests.Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer Charles (Chuck) Ellis SchumerBrady gun control group gets rebranding Brennan fires back at'selfish' Trump over Harry Reid criticism Trump rips Harry Reid for 'failed career' after ex-Dem leader slams him in interview MORE (D-N.Y.) is making an 11th-hour appeal to Republicans, urging them to reject Betsy DeVos's nomination to lead the Department of Education.
"We need just one more vote, and we can get a lot better secretary of Education than the one who was nominated," Schumer said from the Senate floor on Monday.
A final vote on DeVos is expected on Tuesday with Democrats pledging to pull an all-nighter late Monday to protest her nomination.
Schumer said that Republicans should "look into their conscience and cast their votes not based on party loyalty, but based on whether or not Ms. DeVos is qualified to be our nation's leader on education policy."
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Schumer praised the two GOP senators, calling them "courageous" for becoming the first Republican lawmakers to buck a President Trump Cabinet pick.
Unless Democrats can peel off a third Republican senator, Vice President Pence is expected to break a 50-50 tie to confirm DeVos. It would mark the first time a vice president has cast the deciding vote on a nomination.
DeVos, a GOP mega-donor, has been the subject of fierce opposition from teachers unions and other liberal groups over her support for charter schools and tuition vouchers using public funds.
Schumer blasted DeVos on Monday, calling her the "least qualified" of Trump's Cabinet picks.The FOX31 Problem Solvers and Colorado’s Own Channel 2 break down everything you need to know as a Colorado voter in Election 2016.
DENVER — Election Day is Nov. 8. In Colorado, 2016 is the first presidential election year with all vote by mail ballots.
Registering to Vote
You must register by Oct. 31 to get a ballot by mail. After that date you’ll need to get your ballot in person. Check your ballot status here.
Online: You can register to vote on the Colorado secretary of state’s website
By mail: You can print this PDF and mail it in to your county office. Find addresses by clicking on your county on the list at the bottom of the page.
In person: You can register in person through election day, Nov. 8. Find locations by clicking on your county on the list at the bottom of the page.
You can check your registration status online here.
Voting
All ballots must be revived by 7 p.m. on Nov. 8 (postmarks don’t count for mail-in ballots).
By mail: Ballots will be mailed to registered voters starting Oct. 17. You can follow the instructions and mail in your ballot, but it must be received by 7 p.m. on Nov. 8 (postmarks don’t count).
Drop off: You can take the ballot you receive in the mail and drop it off in person at a location in your county. You can also get in-person help. Find locations by clicking on your county on the list at the bottom of the page.
In person: Vote in person on Election Day. Find your polling location on the secretary of state’s website.
County Election Offices in Colorado
Get details on the 2016 election by visiting the county clerks and recorders office websites below.
There’s more election and voting information on the Colorado secretary of state’s website.You just can’t keep a good Canadian down. By that I mean: We all knew that Wolverine wasn’t really dead, and by Wolverine I mean Logan. The reason we all knew that is because Wolverine is because A) he’s the most popular mutant character in Marvel’s arsenal. 2) He is Marvel’s Batman – if Batman was more willing to kill and had regeneration capabilities. Δ ) The character has sold well for the company on a regular basis. And true to form, there is a Logan back in Marvel. Specifically Old Man Logan.
Right off the bat, I was hesitant about this comic. Old Man Logan by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven was its own complete story with a very well written ending, gorgeous artwork, and I was willing to leave it there. Then Secret Wars happened, and we learned that Logan was coming back. And All-New, All-Different Marvel was going to feature the character in more than one book. Not something I was looking forward to. Enter Jeff Lemire, Andrea Sorrentino, and Marcelo Maiolo. Everyone should read this book.
Old Man Logan #1 opens up right after Secret Wars, and Logan finds himself naked in Times Square New York. He’s considered a crazy person, and rightly
so. He’s naked, rambling about things not being right, and generally disturbing the peace. Some beat cops take umbrage with Logan and tase him. With that pain, Logan’s memories come crashing back and he realizes what’s happening just in time to get shot in the chest. But in typical Logan style, he survives and he gets away. Amid flashbacks to his old life with his wife and children, Logan decides what he’s going to do with himself. If he’s back in New York, before the rise of the villains…why not prevent the world he knows from ever happening in the first place? How does he do that? Well….he is the best he is at what he does.
I’ve said this before, Jeff Lemire can do very little wrong when it comes to the comic books that he writes. As such, I’ll give anything he does a chance, even if he decides to write a comic that would have probably been just fine being left alone. But through this new Old Man Logan, I think Lemire said, “Y’know I’m gonna write the shit out of this story, because no one’s gonna expect it to be amazing.” And he did. The over-arcing plot and action of the comic is awesome, but where Lemire truly shines is during Logan’s flashbacks to his old life. Little character decisions and his relationship with his son really makes this…..New Man Logan (?) feel like its own book. And the way this first issue ends….it’s Fan. Tas. Tic!
Andrea Sorrentino has wowed me since I first read his Green Arrow comics in The New 52 – interesting point he also worked with Jeff Lemire on that comic as well – and Sorrentino has only gotten better as an artist. The way he can visually tell a story through his use of panels, such as having smaller panels dynamically overlap with larger background panels, or his work with two-page collages. Everything this guy touches is great. Don’t believe me? Check out when Wolverine first pops his claws in this new #1. Go ahead, I’ll wait.
Yes, Andrea Sorrentino is awesome. But I don’t think his work would have the impact it does if not for Marcelo Maiolo’s colors. Maiolo’s colors add tone and excitement to Sorrentino’s panels and together they reach a synergy that is probably best described as cinematic. And who else noticed the homage to Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns, those deep blues and the lightning strike seem real familiar don’t they?
Old Man Logan #1 was like going into the theater to see The Matrix for the first time – low expectations, sounds like it could be “alright,” isn’t this just like that other movie Dark City? – and coming out with your mind blown. I am entirely immersed in the story this team has created and whether it’s a limited series or an ongoing, I’m definitely finishing it. Let’s just hope they don’t pull a Matrix: Reloaded or Revolutions …
Josh
You think this will be better than Before Watchmen?
6 0 22Some oBike bikes in London. Business Insider/James Cook Local councils and the mayor's office have expressed concern to Business Insider over bike-sharing startup oBike, after it left hundreds of yellow bicycles on the streets of London without properly notifying boroughs that it was launching.
oBike is a startup from Singapore that announced earlier this month that it plans to deploy at least 5,500 bikes across London.
Users pay a deposit of £49 to access the bikes, and rides are then billed at 50p every 30 minutes.
The sell is that oBike's bicycles are "dockless," meaning you don't need to return them to a dedicated parking station at the end of your ride. The bicycles work with a wireless wheel locking mechanism, but unfortunately that means a rider could just leave them anywhere.
Business Insider tracked down some of the oBikes which had been left on Whitechapel Road. We were joined by two local council employees who were concerned about the oBikes after hearing complaints about them being left on the pavement.
Hammersmith & Fulham Council published a blog post on Friday in which it criticised the way oBike launched its service. It said that around 400 bikes "appeared" on Thursday morning "without any consultation at all." It went on to say that "most [of the bicycles] had been left at right angles to the kerb, partially obstructing the footpath, and creating a potential hazard for pedestrians - particularly the disabled."
Hackney Council also expressed its concern over the launch of oBike in London. Feryal Demirci, cabinet member for neighbourhoods, transport and parks, said in a statement that "we are disappointed that Obike have not tried to contact us to tell us the scheme is happening." She went on to reference issues with bikes being left on pavements, and said that Hackney Council was unaware of how the bikes would be redistributed.
Demirci also said that there were communication issues with oBike. "At the moment there is no way of telling them" about misplaced bikes, she said. You can read the full Hackney Council statement below.
Many London residents tweeted complaints about the way oBike had launched and the fact that its bikes had ended up littering the streets.
And it appeared that Hammersmith & Fulham Council had served obstruction notices for blocking the pavement.
Hammersmith & Fulham Council claimed in its blog post that oBike had agreed to remove its bikes in the borough and would meet with the council.
oBike sent the following statement to Business Insider about its London launch:
"We're working with councils across London to ensure the roll-out is as smooth as possible, and that oBikes are positioned in places that are convenient for the public, but do not cause an unnecessary obstruction. Where councils ask us to move or reposition bikes, we will comply with those requests."
Another problem raised with oBike is that the bikes' seats detach from the body of the bike. Jo Wood reviewed the bikes and said that a "dangerous" problem was that he could "easily... remove the entire seat post from the frame."
A Twitter user also complained about the seats of the bikes coming away from the frame.
London transport regulator Transport for London declined to comment and referred Business Insider to the Mayor's office.
London's walking and cycling commissioner Will Norman said in a statement that "we need dockless bike operators to work with TfL and borough councils to ensure that these bikes work for all Londoners and don't impact negatively on other cyclists, road users and pedestrians. These schemes have real potential to make cycling more accessible for many more Londoners, but it is vital that they are introduced in a way that suits our capital."
Here's the full statement from Hackney Council:
"We support the principle of bike sharing and welcome any scheme that could make it easier and cheaper for our residents to cycle. A dockless bike share scheme will ensure that there is greater coverage of bikes available for sharing in Hackney. However, we are disappointed that Obike have not tried to contact us to tell us the scheme is happening as we have a few concerns that we need to speak to them about: Firstly, bikes could be left in locations that cause obstructions and problems for pedestrians particularly the elderly, disabled and parents with prams. This could also undermine the public's perception of the scheme. Secondly, we need to know how the bikes will be redistributed as it is likely that there will be clusters of bikes left around locations like train stations and high streets. Thirdly, we need a way of easily communicating with Obike. If a bike is left in the middle of a pavement or road we may have to remove it - at the moment there is no way of telling them. We want to enter into a dialogue with companies to agree the way bike share schemes should work in the same way that we do for car clubs. Users need to be given information on locations where they can park their bike to prevent issues such as obstructing the footway and parking in areas of high pedestrian flows on narrow pavements. Operators need to show how they will ensure bikes are parked in the best locations and share the data with us so we can understand journey patterns and make sure the bikes are properly distributed from an early stage. They should employ staff on the ground and work alongside councils to make sure the schemes work well for users without causing problems for local residents."Lasers are the secret weapon of science - they're incredibly powerful, super versatile, and they can travel across incredible distances. But as this simple experiment shows, for all that power, it's actually possible to 'trap' a laser beam in water. And, yes, you can try this at home (as long as you keep that laser away from everyone's eyes).
As the University of Utah's Department of Physics and Astronomy shows in the video above, all you need is a plastic bottle filled with water, a pin, and a laser pointer (once again again, not for eyes).
Just poke a hole in the side of your bottle, allowing a stream of water to smoothly shoot out, and then aim your laser through the bottle, and you'll see it get caught up in the cascading waterfall and curve downwards with it, interrupting its usually straight path.
"Placing one's hand into the stream should reveal the laser light shining on your skin, and mixing in a little scattering agent (such as Pine-Sol or milk) can make the beam more visible," writes the department's YouTube channel.
So what's going on here, other than a bad-ass party trick?
This is an example of total internal reflection, which occurs when a beam of light hits a medium boundary (the edge of the water spout) at a particular angle, so it reflects, rather than passes straight through. This happens over and over again as the light hits each boundary, so the laser remains caught in the waterfall.
From a physics perspective, there are two requirements for total internal reflection to happen. First of all, the light must be inside a more dense medium, and also approaching the boundary of a less dense medium - so travelling from water into air, for example.
And secondly, the light must hit that medium boundary at an angle greater than something called the 'critical angle'. That angle changes depending on what type of mediums you're working with, but you can see a diagram of how that works below. (For those who are really keen, you can calculate the critical angle of a particular medium boundary using Snell's law.)
Josell7/Wikimedia
That's all fascinating, but the coolest part about this whole experiment is that it's actually a perfect demonstration of how optical fibres work - you know, the fibres that're inside those cables that give us the internet.
Because they're made up of long fibres of glass or plastic, these fibre optic cables can trap beams of light, just like the waterfall does in the video above, and can guide it anywhere its needed. And that's useful, because we can encode things like the latest episode of Game of Thrones in that light.
So next time you stream something on your computer or download (legally, of course) an episode of your favourite TV show, remember to thank the poor laser that got stuck inside your cable to deliver that information to you.
Physics, you're awesome.
Aladdin/Walt DisneyStardew Valley has sold over a million copies, publisher Chucklefish Games confirmed to Polygon. That makes the farming simulator one of Steam's biggest releases of 2016 thus far, according to SteamSpy.
"It's actually at 1,007,000 [copies sold] as of now," a representative for Chucklefish Games told Polygon in an email. That figure has yet to be reflected on SteamSpy, a third-party tracking platform that keeps tabs on how games on Steam are selling. Based on the updated number, its list of 2016's biggest commercial hits finds Stardew Valley sitting just under the free-to-play Ark: Survival of the Fittest and H1Z1, whose sales numbers comprise both free and paid versions.
Must Read How did indie farming sim Stardew Valley top the Steam sales chart?
Stardew Valley ranks among Steam's top paid releases of 2016 thus far. The indie game, produced by a single developer, hit the marketplace on Feb. 26, following years of beta releases and updates. It neared half a million copies sold in March, after two weeks on sale.
"It's been really exciting for us to help bring this game to people's attention," the Chucklefish representative said, "and the success really couldn't have come to a more deserving person!"
Eric Barone, Stardew Valley's creator, hasn't commented on the game's recent milestone. He's continued to update the game since its February release; the latest build offers several changes meant to improve the quality of married life in Stardew Valley, as well as reducing the effects of dying in a mine.
The game is currently limited to Windows PC. Barone is currently in talks to bring the game to consoles, according to MCVUK.Note: Videos may contain authoring issues that have been fixed, and are for preview purposes only. Video recording courtesy of Lowlander.
C3 releases for March 28, 2014:
New! C3 Retrospective C01 5-pack
Aerosmith – “Woman of the World” (ws54)
(ws54) Culture Club – “I’ll Tumble 4 Ya” (farottone)
(farottone) iwrestledabearonce – “The Cat’s Pajamas” (Gigakoops)
(Gigakoops) Rammstein – “Links 2-3-4” (RyanHYK)
(RyanHYK) Simple Plan – “Grow Up” (RyanHYK)
New! Images and Words (full album) (farottone)
Dream Theater – “Pull Me Under” M
Converted from GHWT, kind of
Dream Theater – “Another Day” M
Dream Theater – “Take the Time” M
Dream Theater – “Surrounded” M
Dream Theater – “Metropolis—Part I: “The Miracle and the Sleeper”” M
Dream Theater – “Under a Glass Moon” M
Dream Theater – “Wait for Sleep” M
Dream Theater – “Learning to Live” M
A red X denotes Pro Guitar/Pro Bass, a blue M denotes full multitracks, and a blue K denotes a “karaoke” multitrack (separated vocals).
One of our driving goals at C3 is to author popular songs, even if they’re not necessarily our favorites, but our authors also have free rein to author whatever they like. Many of us have released packs by our favorite artists or sought out our all-time favorite singles, and there’s still plenty to go. (Can YOU imagine authoring every one of your favorite songs?) This week we revisit some of our authors’ previous “personal releases” by adding another song by each of those artists to our catalog. ws54 brings Aerosmith’s “Woman of the World” to follow his June 28 release of “Seasons of Wither” (and TrojanNemo’s 3-pack a few months later); farottone chose Culture Club’s “I’ll Tumble 4 Ya” to beef up his previous 4-pack and two single releases; Gigakoops authored “The Cat’s Pajamas” as a sequel to October’s iwrestledabearonce 3-pack; and RyanHYK revives two artists, with “Links 2-3-4” for the collaboration-authored Rammstein song “Amerika” and “Grow Up” for his Simple Plan 3-pack from August.
This week’s bonus content is a real bonus. How does the phrase “the first ever fully multitracked full album of Rock Band customs” sound to you? Does it sound good? Is it the audible equivalent of a foot massage? Then check out Images and Words, Dream Theater’s second album, in its entirety. Dream Theater is pretty big in the RB community, and this multitrack release is simply colossal.
Week 1 (March 7): Great Covers C02
Week 2 (March 14): St. Patrick’s Day
Week 3 (March 21): FtV FTW!
Week 4 (March 28): C3 Retrospective C01
Week 5 (April 4):???
The 1-Year Anniversary Week (April 11):???
Why should you download these songs?
Images and Words – I’ll let farottone handle this one:
Images & Words is a watershed album for metal and progressive music. It redefined two genres at once: heavy metal and progressive music. There’s a before I&W and an after, and boy am I glad I was smack in the middle of it. I caught Dream Theater 5 times in the Images & Words and in the Awake tour because I HAD to see how good they were. And man, did that leave an impression on a young farottone. Images & Words is perfect: you have the best prog-metal line up ever (with Kevin Moore, that is), you have a mindboggling influx of genres (funk, pop, soul, heavy metal, hard rock, pure progressive), you have flawless execution… I feel incredibly proud and honoured that I could deliver this album in all its multitrack glory and I sincerely hope I did it justice. Some notes.. – All songs are multitracks from the same source. Pull Me Under has GHtoRB3 charts for the most part but completely new audio. (The original GHtoRB3 release has been removed from our database; this is effectively an upgrade.)
– All songs that originally had a fadeout have been graciously remixed *with original material only* to have a proper ending. This means you’re gonna hear an original ending for Take the Time and Learning to Live that was never released before.
– I want to thank a few people. First of all narutostar |
Citroën presented the iconic 2CV sixty-four years ago at the Paris Motor Show. The car’s roots go back even further than that: the project began in about 1935 when the car was called the TPV, an acronym which stood for Très Petite Voiture (very small car). Its development was nearly complete and 250 pre-series examples were built but production came to a screeching halt with the outbreak of World War II. Most of the pre-series examples were destroyed, though three of them were hidden in the attic of a barn and found in the middle of the 1990s.
When it made its debut the 2CV generated a rather negative response. It didn’t look like anything else on the road at the time and was dubbed the “ugly duckling”, among other similar nicknames. The press questioned what purpose a car with a 375cc flat-twin engine could serve and most laughed when they took a peak inside and saw how basic everything was.
When journalists took a spin in the 2CV for the first time they started using kinder words to describe the car. As spartan as everything was inside, the 2CV was actually a very comfortable car to drive thanks in part to an unconventional but brilliant independent suspension design that used horizontal coil springs. The air-cooled flat-twin was bolted to a four-speed manual transmission in a time when most other French manufacturers were still fitting three-speed units in their economy cars. Another novel concept for the era was that the aforementioned four-speed spun the front wheels.
The tide soon turned in its favor and in 1949, the waiting list for a 2CV was several years long. It was not a car for everyone, but for those whose needs it suited it marked a great step forward. Its low price meant that almost everyone could afford one and it was a true people’s car in this manner. Much like the Fiat 600 and the Volkswagen Type 1, the 2CV provided a basic, point A to point B form of transportation in an era where cars were all but an everyday commodity. For the first time French families from the working class could leave the city on their own for the weekend or for vacation. The car also served as an efficient way to move about the countryside for farmers, doctors, and all walks of life in between.
The launch of a commercial version of the 2CV called the AU (and later the AZU) and the fact that the car had no direct French rivals helped its success grow exponentially over the course of the 1950s.
Renault took the first stab at the 2CV when they launched the 3 and the 4 in 1961. The 3 was aimed squarely at the 2CV while the 4 was better equipped, more powerful and generally more upscale. Citroën was scared at first and they even threatened to sue Renault, claiming that their rival had copied several aspects of the 2CV’s design.
For a multitude of reasons the Renault 3 was an phenomenal fiasco and it was given the axe in 1962 after just over 2,500 of them were built. The end of the 3 took a big weight off of Citroën’s shoulders. As for the 4, in 1961 Citroën launched the Ami 6 which used a 2CV chassis, a more powerful 602cc flat twin, a more modern body and a more comfortable (some will even argue luxurious) interior. The 4 was a huge success but the Ami 6 beat it and became the best-selling car in France for a significant part of the 1960s.
The 2CV was slightly redesigned in the early 1960s and finally got doors that opened in the proper way as opposed to the old-fashioned suicide doors. A panoply of new models made their appearance, including a top-of-the-line AZAM model. In 1969 the 2CV lineup was split in two: the 2CV 4, powered by a 435cc flat-twin, and the 2CV 6, fitted with a larger 602cc unit.
The 1973 Oil Crisis was almost welcomed by companies selling cars with small-displacement engines and gave the 2CV what would perhaps be remembered as its final significant boost in sales.
In 1979 the 2CV 4 was phased out and subsequent 2CVs were only available with the larger, freeway-capable 602cc.
A year prior to that the 2CV celebrated its 30th birthday but all was not well under the surface. With the exception of minor aesthetic changes the car’s basic design was generally seen as outdated and many wondered just what it was still doing in production. Sure, people bought them, but every year more and more buyers switched to more modern compact cars like the Renault 5 and the Peugeot 104. Even in Citroën’s own lineup the 2CV had weathered decades of competition from the Ami 6, the Ami 8, the Visa, the LN/LNA and the Dyane.
Throughout the 1980s Citroën launched a series of special editions to keep the 2CV’s head above the water, including the Charleston in 1980, the 007 in 1981, the France 3 in 1983, the Dolly in 1985, the Cocorico in 1986 and the Perrier in 1988. These were finished in specific paint jobs and often limited in number, increasing their desirability.
The last 2CV rolled off of the Mangualde, Portugal assembly line on July 27th, 1990, at precisely 4:30pm. It was a gray and black Charleston model that was sold to the factory’s director. Citroën could have kept the 2CV in production for a couple more years and perhaps whipped up another special edition but they chose to quit while they were ahead. Looking back over twenty years later, they made the right choice: the onslaught of new regulations that the EU passed in 1992 would have killed the 2CV like they did away the Renault 4. The laws made catalytic converters mandatory and banned dash-mounted shifters on the grounds that they were dangerous.
All photos copyright Ran When Parked 2008-2012.
AdvertisementsEd Miliband’s internal critics used to complain that he had a 35 per cent strategy. They claimed that his unambitious plan was to eke out a technical victory by adding a chunk of left-wing Liberal Democrats to the 29 per cent of voters who stayed loyal to Labour in 2010. Those close to Miliband were infuriated by this attack, insisting that their election strategy was far more expansive. Today, however, 35 per cent would sound pretty good to Labour, now becalmed in the low thirties in the polls.
Miliband might never have had a 35 per cent strategy. But he did have a strategic insight that makes Labour’s current predicament all the more striking: he was determined to keep the left united. He realised that the coalition gave Labour a chance to realign British politics; to reunite the left in support of a single party. Add to this the split on the right between the Tories and Ukip, and it was possible to see how Miliband could have the same electoral advantage that Thatcher had in the 1980s when her opponents’ vote was divided. Miliband, who is as ideologically certain as Thatcher was, saw this as his great opening.
But look at the numbers and Miliband’s grand plan to unify the left is in deep trouble. A recent poll that had Labour down as low as 29 per cent put the Greens on 6 per cent. Now this Green advance is far less dramatic than the Ukip surge. But it is important electorally, particularly given that Miliband has been a darling of green groups. He courted them hard when he was energy and climate change secretary and carried on the relationship as Labour leader. Indeed, even when he announced his plan to freeze energy prices in 2013 — a thoroughly un-green idea — they bit their tongues out of admiration for him. Miliband, for his part, used his most recent conference speech to commit himself again to decarbonising Britain’s electricity supply by 2030, a foolhardy and expensive proposition beloved of environmentalists. But Miliband’s personal commitment to the green agenda has not been sufficient to stop the rise of the Greens.
The Greens, though, are only one part of Milband’s flank problem. In Scotland, the SNP — whose move to the left will only pick up pace under Nicola Sturgeon’s leadership — are threatening to knock over a slew of Labour seats in 2015.
So, how did this 50p tax rate-supporting, anti-Iraq war, pro-green politician end up with a problem on his left? Well, one answer is that this is all part of the great turn away from the established parties. Those close to Miliband do not deny that they face a crisis. Yet they argue, quite reasonably, that the disaggregation of politics is a crisis for all the established parties. After all, the same poll that had Labour on 29 per cent put the Tories on just 30 per cent; other surveys have Labour ahead, and Cameron is heading for his second by-election loss of the autumn to Ukip in Rochester. Indeed, both Labour and the Tories console themselves with the thought that the other party’s position is even worse.
But the worry for Labour is that this trouble on the left is, in part, a reaction to their leader. Public opinion about him seems to be calcifying. It is particularly alarming for Labour to find their leader with worse ratings in some polls than Clegg, a man who they have gleefully mocked for the last four and a half years for his unpopularity.
This is not all Miliband’s fault, by any means, even if he has been the author of some of his own misfortune. He is bearing the brunt of the anti-politics tide that is buffeting Westminster. Cameron is protected from the worst of this by his office, but Miliband gets the full force of it. Even some of who sympathise with the Labour leader worry that criticism of him has gone from being a political thing to a cultural meme.
I understand that Miliband is planning to respond to this crisis as he has previous ones: by making a speech. In the past, Miliband has delivered addresses good enough to silence his critics — albeit temporarily — and help him regain the political initiative. But with only six months to go to polling day, it is debatable whether another oration is what Miliband needs. This is especially true as it was this year’s conference speech that marked the beginning of his awful autumn.
Nevertheless, in previous difficult times speeches have got Miliband out of trouble. There is also something ironic in his current predicament in that Miliband was aware before many other Westminster politicians of several of the forces that are riling British politics. In the Labour leadership contest he talked eloquently about how the constant focus on swing voters had left many feeling alienated from politics. He was determined to make arguments from first principles again, to make sure that no one could say that the main parties are all the same. Yet the left seems unresponsive to Miliband’s determination to put clear water between Labour and the Tories.
One cause for hope for the Milibandites is that the Americans are coming. David Axelrod, a guru to Barack Obama who was signed up by Labour to much fanfare earlier this year but has not been much in evidence recently, will be heading to these shores soon. Arnie Graf, the community organiser whose work has so impressed Miliband, is also due to return to Britain shortly.
But what is alarming for Labour is that it is not obvious how they pull out of this downward spiral. Opposition parties rarely put on votes in the last few months of a parliament and Miliband has already fired several of his best policy shots.
‘The pieces have all been thrown up in the air and we don’t know where they are going to land,’ admits one member of Ed Miliband’s inner circle. The great challenge for the Labour leader is to seize this moment of flux to reshape politics to his advantage. Favourable constituency boundaries and the Tories’ Ukip problems mean that Miliband is not in as dire trouble as a first glance at the polls suggests. But he won’t find the answers to his problems on Hampstead Heath or Primrose Hill. He needs an electoral proposition, not an anecdote.Donald Trump is facing questions about the raid of an al Qaeda compound in Yemen that resulted in the deaths of U.S. Navy Seal Chief William "Ryan" Owens and multiple civilians. In a stunning bit of detail, the White House revealed that Trump was not even in the Situation Room during his first military raid as Commander-in-Chief.
Donald Trump’s first counter-terrorist military action as Commander-in-Chief was a raid on an al Qaeda compound in Yemen that tragically resulted in the death of U.S. Navy Seal Chief William “Ryan” Owens, as well as other injuries to service members and, reportedly, double-digit civilian casualties.
Already, military sources have been saying that the raid was the product of insufficient intelligence, and one Democrat has already called for a briefing on the raid. The raid was planned under the Obama administration, but approved by Trump during a dinner meeting during the first week of his presidency.
As the details on the ground during the raid become clearer, so do those of Trump’s actions during the raid, and they are disturbing. At the White House briefing, NBC’s Hallie Jackson asked White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer where Trump was during the operation, and received this stunning reply (emphasis mine):
JACKSON: Where was the president the night of the raid? How did he learn about Chief Owens’ death? And do you still stand by your characterization that it was successful? SPICER: The president was here in the residence. He was kept in touch with his national security staff. Secretary Mattis and others had kept him updated on both the raid and the death of Chief Owens, as well as the 4 other individuals that were injured. So, he was kept apprised of the situation throughout the evening. And again, I think I would go back to what I said yesterday: It’s hard to ever call something a complete success when you have a loss of life or people injured.
That is quite a contrast from our last popularly-elected president and our most recent popular vote winner, both of whom were famously present for this raid on an al Qaeda compound in Pakistan:
3:30 pm EDT – @POTUS watches situation on ground in Abbottabad live in Situation Room#UBLRaid pic.twitter.com/59KPF7eUTr — CIA (@CIA) May 1, 2016
Even more disturbing is the realization that while this heavy responsibility was unfolding, Trump was otherwise occupied. A look at his Twitter feed shows what was on Trump’s mind between the time he was briefed on the raid Saturday evening, and the release of his statement on Chief Owens’ death Sunday afternoon:
Somebody with aptitude and conviction should buy the FAKE NEWS and failing @nytimes and either run it correctly or let it fold with dignity! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2017
Just after releasing that statement, Trump was back on Twitter attacking two of his primary campaign opponents:
The joint statement of former presidential candidates John McCain & Lindsey Graham is wrong – they are sadly weak on immigration. The two… — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2017
…Senators should focus their energies on ISIS, illegal immigration and border security instead of always looking to start World War III. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2017
That the Commander-in-Chief chose to spend those fraught hours, during a dangerous counter-terrorism action, slinging insults on Twitter at a media outlet and Members of Congress is yet further proof of Trump’s manifest unfitness for the job.I just got back from San Francisco Monday. I went up to join in a protest of the Scientology rally against the American Psychiatric Association convention at Moscone Center. Along with a march down Market Street, the Scientology front group, Citizens Commission on Human Rights, was hosting a traveling roadshow entitled, "Psychiatry, Industry of Death."
Approximately 400 Scientologists from all over the country showed up for this march, waving pre-fab signs and chanting pre-fab slogans provided them by the mother ship.
The 'Industry of Death' exhibit has a permanent museum in Hollywood, and this road show travels around the country spreading lies and misinformation about the psychiatric profession.
Did you know psychiatrists were behind the Holocaust?
(they weren't)
Did you know that Saddam Hussein was under the influence of a pychiatrist?
(he wasn't)
They blame the mental health industry for society's woes, and claim that mental illness is a mere fabrication crafted to sell drugs.
If Christianity has Satan and demons, Scientology's evil entities are psychiatrists, psychologists, and Big Pharma.
Now, if a few consenting adults want to eschew treatment, that is their business and, if harmless, their right. But Scientology wants to impose its beliefs on contemporary society, in order to advance their goal of creating a perfect Scientology planet.
The APA has tried to ignore Scientology's attacks, but this year, in a stunning turn of events, the President of the American Psychiatric Association, Dr. Nada Stotland, addressed this issue from the podium.
Dr. Stotland says, "There is no other medical specialty I know of that has its own particular, dedicated hate group." Yes, that's right, hate group. CCHR's own website is full of vile accusations against psychiatry and psychiatrists. Their videos have graphic images of "psychs" being machine-gunned, and offices being blown up with hand grenades.
When I returned to San Diego, it was to hear that Fat Actress Kirstie Alley has begun a Twitter campaign against a bill written to help mothers understand and deal with Post-Partum Depression. Of course, Alley is merely a celebrity puppet being used by the Scientology organization to further its goal of denying citizens any access to mental health help.
The MOTHERS Act was introduced by Senators Robert Menendez (D-New Jersey) and Richard Durbin (D-Illinois) in 2006.
The Mom’s Opportunity To Access Help, Education, Research, and Support for Postpartum Depression (MOTHERS) Act seeks to improve education, access to treatment, and research into PPD.
This bill has been passed by the House of Representatives, and the Scientologists are working furiously to derail it; using misleading information, fear-mongering and flat-out lies to influence the public.
Senator Menendez' website explains the bill further,
"Specifically, the MOTHERS Act will help new moms by:
Providing important education and screening on postpartum depression (PPD) that can lead to early identification and treatment. A major part of prevention is informing new mothers about the symptoms and providing them with the services that are available in their community. Thus, this legislation includes two grants to help health care providers educate, identify and treat PPD. Awards grants to States so that local health care providers (physicians, nurse midwives, and other licensed health care professionals) can educate women who have recently given birth and their families about PPD before the mothers leave the birthing center and offer the opportunity for new mothers to be screened for postpartum depression symptoms during the first year of postnatal check-up visits. Awards grants to States and local governments, public or non-profit hospitals and community based organizations for the delivery of essential services to individuals with postpartum depression and psychosis and their families, including enhanced outpatient and home-based health care, inpatient care and support services."
Nowhere does this bill suggest that women or their children will be forcibly drugged, but this is one of the fearmongering "factual statements" put forth by Scientology, CCHR, and its celebrity mouthpieces like Kirstie Alley.
Look at some of the absurd statements in Kirstie Alley's Twitter feed:
"I have to get you all info on THE MOTHER’S ACT. this is this lousy BILL that would give BIG BROTHER the right to force you to drug ur kids AND MANDATE that when you are pregnant, YOU MUST take drugs if a Dr. tells you to. THIS is BIG BROTHER at his finest. More on this soon moms I am organizing a MILLION MOM MARCH to protest this BILL. It just keeps rearing it’s head. BACKED 100% by BIG PHARMA. MOMS UNITE!! BABIES HAVING PROZAC squirted in there eyes at birth to prevent depression later on. HELLO 1984.. I will keep you informed. It is brutal! @scarrieann I am serious. PROZAC in babies eyes! And this is not a FUTURE scene, it is done right now every day."
Well, no, it isn't "done right now every day." In fact, outside of Kirstie's source of "information," nobody has ever heard of this practise. Furthermore, the MOTHERS Act has nothing to do with "drugging babies." It is solely an attempt to establish a better system of education, access to treatment, and research of PPD.
This legislation incorporates a House bill, the Melanie Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act. Melanie Stokes was a new mother who looked forward to being a mom. Her story is a tragic example of why this legislation is so desperately needed. Caught up in a cycle of post-partum psychosis, she failed to respond to treatment and, after a few weeks of mental and physical decline, she ended her life.
It is absolutely irresponsible and reprehensible for Scientology, its front groups and celebrity mouthpieces to spew this fearmongering load of pure falsehoods to the public. Scientology's history is littered with shattered minds fallen victim to L. Ron Hubbard's ignorant garbage. Anyone who depends on a college dropout pulp fiction hack for medical advice is doomed to a life of insanity, as Hubbard's own mental deficiencies are imposed upon Scientologists in hours of mind-numbing hypnotic drills. People's personalities change. They are taught to rely solely on Scientology teachings rather than research things for themselves. They trust Scientology to provide them with correct information. In a blatant betrayal of this trust, the Scientology organization has no problem lying to them, assured that they will not seek a second opinion.
Be assured that Scientologists nation-wide are flooding their elected representatives' email inboxes, mailboxes and voicemails with their opposition to the MOTHERS Act. Don't let them win! Write your representative now if you support this bill! Make your voices heard!
Remember, the only way stupidity can prevail is if good people do nothing.Republican Presidential Candidate Donald J. Trump has announced the formation of a new organization called the Second Amendment Coalition. It is to be composed of women and men who are grassroots leaders, and elected officials with a record of fighting for the Second Amendment.
This is the first time in history that a candidate from either side of the aisle has put together any such coalition to defend our right to keep and bear arms.
Trump Announces Second Amendment Coalition
Coalition Chairman Donald J. Trump, Jr. tells us the following.
“My father defends the Second Amendment, so that you and I and your spouse and your children can take care of themselves when someone much stronger, much meaner and much more vicious than them tries to break into their home. It’s not just a hobby or something I do on the weekends. It’s a lifestyle; and as my father often says, ‘this is about self-defense, plain and simple.’ This election isn’t about the next four years. It’s about the next forty years, so voting for Hillary Clinton, or not voting, is simply not an option,” said Coalition Chairman Christopher Cox. “The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that we have a fundamental, individual right to protect ourselves and our families with a firearm in our own homes. Clinton said‘the Supreme Court is wrong on the Second Amendment.’ A Clinton Supreme Court means your right to own a firearm is gone. The Second Amendment Coalition for Trump-Pence includes joint Chairmen Donald J. Trump, Jr. and Christopher Cox, and 62 co-chairs. These leaders will continue to advise Mr. Trump and Governor Pence as they protect our Supreme Court and our right to keep and bear arms.”
You can read more here.
SECOND AMENDMENT COALITION
Chairman Donald J. Trump, Jr.
Chairman Christopher Cox
Co-Chairs:
The Honorable Jim Gilmore
U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop
U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer
U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson
U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer
U.S. Rep. Tom McClintock
U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise
Ron Adams
Thomas Alibrando
Paul Babaz
Diane Bahnson
Ronnie Barrett
B. Dan Berger
John Boch
Eli Bremer
Dave Butz
Bob Callan
Bill Chapman
Richard Childress
Allan Cors
Marty Daniel
Carrie-Lee Early
Kelli A. Emerick
Daniel Fabricant, Ph.D.
Dennis Feldpusch
Casey Flack
Alex Flint
John Green
Matthew Haller
Donna Head
Antonio Hernandez
Graham Hill
Kevin Hogan
Susan Howard
Jesse James
Larsen Jensen
Brad Johnson
Michael Kassnar
Doug Koenig
George Kollitides
Willis Lee
Brian V. McCormack
James B. “Jay” McDonald, III Esq.
Wally McLallen
Carolyn Meadows
Dale A. Miller
Craig Morgan
Don Peay
Judson W. Phillips
Kim Rhode
Barbara Rumpel
Michelle Scott, Esq.
Reinhard Seipp
Christopher Shields
Kevin “Kip” Talley
James W. Tobin, III
Rob Unkovic
Theresa Vail
Daniel Volkmuth
Joshua Waldron
Linda Walker
Tom Yackley
More from Second Amendment Coalition Chairman Donald J. Trump, Jr.
“Hillary Clinton will appoint radical Supreme Court justices that will virtually abolish the Second Amendment. Hillary Clinton will overturn the Supreme Court ruling that affirmed the Second Amendment as an individual right, so that any city or state in this country can in turn ban private gun ownership. Donald Trump will appoint Supreme Court Justices that will abide by the rule of law and the Constitution of the United States; and that includes upholding the Second Amendment. The people have a clear choice.”
We have to say, the list is impressive. It carries the names of some titans in the industry and some of our personal friends. Donald Jr. has, thus far, impressed us with his knowledge and love of the Second Amendment. Let’s hope this becomes a reality. Maybe we can see more regulations turn in our favor.It's a TARP! BK and long-time listener Josh join forces to discuss LARPing (live action role-playing) and TARPing (tabletop games that incorporate LARP elements) for the old World of Darkness. Josh is the Lead Storyteller for Madison Under Siege, a GenCon TARP event that has grown to incorporate not just Vampire, but also Werewolf, Mage, and Hunter - all at one venue.
They discuss LARPing from the GenCon and Camarilla perspectives, with a focus on storytelling, making new players feel welcome, and the types of activities that make LARPing a great experience.
Drop by our Forum, the podcast Facebook page, and remember to leave an iTunes review.
The next episode will return to the White Wolf Magazine archive with a medical plot hook for Vampire.
Madison Under Siege uses a collaborative and open development, so Josh has shared links for listeners who would like to find out more.
The Madison Under Siege Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/MadisonUnderSiege/
Hosts: BK & Josh24 Pages Posted: 27 Mar 2016
Date Written: March 25, 2016
Abstract
Public fear has driven legislation designed to identify and exclude sexual offenders from society, culminating in sexually violent predator (SVP) statutes, in which a sex offender who has served his prison sentence is hospitalized indefinitely if a jury determines he is likely to reoffend as a result of a mental disorder. Jurors rarely vote not to commit a previously-convicted sex offender as an SVP. This study tests whether the mere label of “sexually violent predator” affects these legal decisions. Venire jurors (n=161) were asked to decide whether an individual who had been incarcerated for 16 years should be released on parole. The individual was either labeled as a.) a sexually violent predator or b.) a convicted felon, and all other information was identical between the conditions. Jurors were over twice as likely to deny parole to the SVP compared to the felon, even though they did not consider him any more dangerous or any more likely to reoffend. Demographic variables did not moderate this finding. However, jurors’ desire to ‘get revenge’ and to ‘make the offender pay’, as measured by Gerber and Jackson’s (2013) Just Deserts Scale, did significantly relate to decisions to deny parole. These findings suggest that jurors’ decisions in SVP hearings are driven by legally impermissible considerations, and that the mere label of “sexually violent predator” induces bias into the decision making process.Last year, the Marvel character Ghost Rider burst onto the small screen in ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for seven episodes of the series. The fiery effects required to bring Ghost Rider (played by Gabriel Luna) to life were orchestrated by FuseFX. In this special vfxblog breakdown, FuseFX visual effects supervisor Kevin Lingenfelser dives into how the character’s fire effects and transformations were achieved.
Ghost Rider tests
Over 100 hundred heavy fluid simulations were tested and refined to eventually setup an efficient FX pipeline that could handle nine layers of fire, smoke, and ember elements necessary for the character design of Ghost Rider. For Look-Development purposes we utilized a live action shot from season 3 with Brett Dalton walking that we match-moved and composited the CG skull, FX flames and smoke renders onto before any plates for ep401 were even shot.
Concept design
Marvel’s in house concept artist, Joshua James Shaw, did initial designs with input from Production VFX Supervisor Mark Kolpack and myself. FuseFX CG Artist Matt Lefferts built the Skull from Marvel’s drawing and refined it during Production. We did reference the feature films, the 2nd being the more useful. But, ultimately since this was the Robbie Reyes version of Ghost Rider, and not Johnny Blaze, we took inspiration from the current run of comics and Robbie Reyes’ unique look.
Shooting methodology
Upon talking with Mark Kolpack it was decided that it would be in everyone’s best interest not to limit or hinder in any way Gabriel Luna’s range of motion while playing Ghost Rider. We also knew in advance that once transformed into Ghost Rider he would not speak, which was a creative choice (partly based on it not working that well in the films) and the lack of voice made him more menacing as he stalked his prey.
On-set
Two masks were created by Production for Gabriel to wear. Both had four strips of LED lights for interactive glow and falloff onto his leather jacket. It also only had his eyes and partial forehead and nose exposed. Mark added tracking dots to his facial features to help facilitate match-moving which was done by long time FuseFX collaborators YANNIX. A second mask was created once we saw the lack of facial expression that was visible when using the first mask. So the mask was cut to allow all of Gabriel’s facial features to be seen and used to facilitate Ghost Rider’s expressions.
Fire sims
The Ghost Rider character necessitated heavy CG fluid simulations to create his distinctive pyrotechnic features. Each of his Fire, Smoke and Ember layers could take up to 10 hours to compute. The skull, neck, spine and eyes each required a specific FX rig to account for art direction from myself, CG Superviors Chad Wanstreet and John Decker and finally Mark Kolpack and the shows EPs. And those were all able to be refined on a shot by shot basis to accommodate for massive range of motion, from the simplest of stances, to a walk, to the most extreme and complex fight sequences.
Additional CG and 2D techniques were utilised to allow for the skull’s facial features to emote, as well as additional FX elements for precisely timed flame flareups erupting from the jaw. Directing a fire simulation carried by a dynamic character is an extremely arduous and tedious task. In order to force the fluid to follow certain paths for artistic factors like the the fire flaring around each side of the face, we sculpted in space, directional vector fields with the sole purpose to contain and direct the fluid that passes through as artist sees fit.
Transforming into Ghost Rider
With at least one transformation shot every episode a system to burn the flesh off Robbie had to be created to be highly, and easily art direct-able in terms of the direction and areas he would burn the skin off from. A custom tool was created by FX Supervisor Slim Ghariani and FX artist Bruce Coy to allow the creation of a gradient that had multiple points of origin and weighted strengths to control the timing.
This gave us the ability to pick where and when the transformation would occur, and how far and fast they would spread using a combination of procedurally generated and painted values. We were able to visualize these attributes in real time for quick iterations based off feedback from the client. Once the timings were approved we were able to create multiple attributes from these gradients that were used to drive all the various components of the FX from the generation of the smoking smoldering skin, the fire of the burning flesh and finally the disintegration and tearing of the skin.
Once the skin tearing simulation was complete it was sent to be lit and shaded. Vertex color information from the sim was passed through to shaders and rendered as numerous AOVs for the compositing team to use as animated holdouts for each stage of the reveal. Varying degrees of damaged face were rendered including irritated skin, puss-filled blisters, as well as face muscles and charred skin.
These vertex colour channels were also used to drive blister fade, embers, and cracking skin patterns. Lighting also created RGB mattes for veins and sub-surface glowing elements. CG hair was created to match that of Gabriel Luna’s and was eaten away using an animated texture sequence of reveal based on the unwrapped UVs of the head mesh.
See more of Fuse FX’s work at their website.
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FacebookThe Montgomery County Council narrowly approved a bill Tuesday that would raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by the year 2020 but the measure faces a veto threat from the county executive.
WASHINGTON – The Montgomery County Council approved a bill Tuesday that would raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by the year 2020 but the measure faces an uncertain future.
The legislation passed on a narrow vote of 5-4. Several members said they believed the council was moving ahead too quickly.
“I’m concerned that we are literally on the verge of voting for a wide sweeping economic policy without the benefit of any economic data that involves the unique situation of Montgomery County,” said Councilmember Sidney Katz. “We need to accomplish raising the minimum wage by considering all aspects of our actions.”
The four members who voted against the bill were hoping to delay action on the minimum wage so the council could first study the effects of recent minimum wage hikes in the county as well as possible effects of further increases.
“Why would you not want to do as much due diligence as you could possibly do to understand what this will mean for our county before we act, rather than after?” asked Montgomery County Council President Roger Berliner.
But supporters said they felt a study would not necessarily help them learn any new information.
“I am simply skeptical,” said Councilmember George Leventhal of a study. “There is no consultant we could hire who could tell us with certainty what will happen in the future.”
“I honestly don’t believe the study is going to answer any questions,” the bill’s sponsor, Councilmember Marc Elrich said.
Although the minimum wage bill had enough votes to pass, it is not clear what will happen next.
For months, Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett has said he might veto the legislation because of possible negative impacts on the business community. However, he has said he could be open to supporting the idea if the wage increase were rolled out in 2022 rather than 2020.
In response to Leggett’s concerns, the bill’s supporters passed amendments providing an extra two years for businesses with 25 or fewer employees to comply with the wage changes.
If Leggett vetoes the measure, proponents would need to convince at least one additional council member to support the bill as six votes are needed to override a veto.
Montgomery County’s minimum wage is $10.75 and is set to rise to $11.50 in July. Under the new legislation, it would increase to $12.50 next year, $13.75 in 2019 and $15 in 2020.
The council has debated an increase in the county’s minimum wage for almost a year and held public hearings last summer.
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© 2017 WTOP. All Rights Reserved.Sydney Leroux slides her manicured nails across her phone and pulls up a text she got from Kobe Bryant two days ago. I was willing to sacrifice anything but not compromise, it reads. He sends her stuff like that all the time. It’s part of their ongoing dialogue about greatness and the makings thereof.
A few weeks ago, Kobe sent her another one. Question I want you to think about in detail: Why are you going to be great and how are you going to get there? Leroux pondered that one for a few days. Then, on a plane, she scribbled four pages of notes in her journal, snapped pictures of the sheets and sent them back to Bryant. You have to do what must be done and sometimes happiness doesn’t always come from that, but greatness does, she wrote, among other things. The thoughts aren’t all original — she borrows some quotes from others — but they all underscore an unmistakable single-mindedness.
The veteran Lakers star has become something of a mentor to the 24-year-old United States women’s national team striker. She got an email from him a year or two ago, telling her his two daughters, 11 and 8, were fans. He hadn’t identified himself until his sign-off, but Leroux never questioned that it was really him. Since then, he has brought his daughters and their entire soccer team to one of her games and she has signed on as a spokesperson for the Body Armor sports drink Bryant has invested in. In the meantime, they have become close.
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"When I have a question, I go to him," Leroux says. "I get to pick his brain on how he became who he was and what it took to get there. We have a really cool relationship. I look up to him so much |
hybrid word that originated in the late 1980s, just as the Japanese property and stock market bubbles reached their zenith. It combines the English “free” and the German “arbeiter,” or worker, and describes a lifestyle which is radically different from the buttoned-down rigidity of the permanent-employment economy: freedom to move between jobs.
This absence of loyalty to a company is totally alien to previous generations of driven Japanese “salarymen” who were expected to uncomplainingly turn in 70-hour work weeks at the same company for decades, all in exchange for lifetime employment.
Many young people have come to mistrust big corporations, having seen their fathers or uncles eased out of “lifetime” jobs in the relentless downsizing of the past twenty years. From the point of view of the younger generations, the loyalty their parents unstintingly offered to companies was wasted.
They have also come to see diminishing value in the grueling study and tortuous examinations required to compete for the elite jobs in academia, industry and government; with opportunities fading, long years of study are perceived as pointless.
In contrast, the “freeter” lifestyle is one of hopping between short-term jobs and devoting energy and time to foreign travel, hobbies or other interests.
As long ago as 2001, The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare estimates that 50 percent of high school graduates and 30 percent of college graduates now quit their jobs within three years of leaving school.
The downside is permanently downsized income and prospects. Many of the four million “freeters” survive on part-time work and either live at home or in a tiny flat with no bath. A typical “freeter” wage is 1,000 yen ($10.25) an hour.
Japan’s slump has lasted so long, that a “New Lost Generation” is coming of age, joining Japan’s first “Lost Generation” which graduated into the bleak job market of the 1990s.
These trends have led to an ironic moniker for the Freeter lifestyle:
Dame-Ren (No Good People). The Dame-Ren get by on odd jobs, low-cost living and drastically diminished expectations.
The decline of permanent employment has led to the unraveling of social mores and conventions. Many young men now reject the macho work ethic and related values of their fathers. These “herbivores” also reject the traditional Samurai ideal of masculinity.
Derisively called “herbivores” or “grass-eaters,” these young men are uncompetitive and uncommitted to work, evidence of their deep disillusionment with Japan’s troubled economy.
A bestselling book titled The Herbivorous Ladylike Men Who Are Changing Japan by Megumi Ushikubo, president of Tokyo marketing firm Infinity, claims that about two-thirds of all Japanese men aged 20-34 are now partial or total grass-eaters. “People who grew up in the bubble era (of the 1980s) really feel like they were let down. They worked so hard and it all came to nothing,” says Ms Ushikubo. “So the men who came after them have changed.”
This has spawned a disconnect between genders so pervasive that
Japan is experiencing a “social recession” in marriage, births, and even sex, all of which are declining.
With a wealth and income divide widening along generational lines, many young Japanese are attaching themselves to their parents, the generation that accumulated home and savings during the boom years of the 1970’s and 1980’s. Surveys indicate that roughly two-thirds of freeters live at home.
Freeters “who have no children, no dreams, hope or job skills could become a major burden on society, as they contribute to the decline in the birthrate and in social insurance contributions,” Masahiro Yamada, a sociology professor wrote in a magazine essay titled, Parasite Singles Feed on Family System.
This trend of never leaving home has sparked an almost tragicomic counter-trend of Japanese parents who actively seek mates to marry off their “parasite single” offspring as the only way to get them out of the house.
An even more extreme social disorder is Hikikomori, or “acute social withdrawal,” a condition in which the young live-at-home person will virtually wall themselves off from the world by never leaving their room.
What we’re seeing in Japan is the confluence of three dynamics: definancialization, the demise of growth-positive demographics and the devolution of the consumerist model of endless “demand” and “growth.”
Japan is the leading-edge of the crumbling model of advanced neoliberal capitalism: that consumerist excess creates wealth, prosperity and happiness.
What consumerist excess actually creates is alienation, social atomization, narcissism,and a profound contradiction at the heart of the consumerist-dependent model of “growth”: the narcissism that powers consumerist lust and identity is at odds with the demands of the workplace that generates the income needed to consume.
Japan and the Exhaustion of Consumerism
The Hidden Cost of the “New Economy”: New-Type Depression
The Future of America Is Japan: Stagnation
The Future of America Is Japan: Runaway Deficits, Runaway Debts
The younger generation of workers raised in a consumerist “paradise” are facing an economic stagnation that reduces opportunities to earn the high income needed to fulfill the consumerist demands for status symbols. Given the hopelessness of earning enough to afford the consumerist lifestyle, they have abandoned traditional status symbols such as luxury autos and taken up fashion and media as expressions of consumerism.
But the narcissism bred by consumerism has nurtured a kind of emotional isolation and immaturity, what might be called permanent adolescence, which leaves many young people without the tools needed to handle criticism, collaboration and the pressures of the workplace.
Narcissism is the result of the consumerist society’s relentless focus on the essential project of consumerism, which is “the only self that is real is the self that is purchased and projected.”
Narcissism, Consumerism and the End of Growth (October 19, 2012)
In my analysis, this is the direct consequence of the supremacy of a consumerism that is dependent on financialization: an economy dependent on debt-fueled consumption to power its “endless growth” is one that will necessarily implode from its internal contradictions: debt and leverage eventually exceed the carrying capacity of the collateral and the national income, and the narcissism of consumerism leads to social recession, a crippling state of “suspended animation” adolescence and great personal frustration and unhappiness.
The ultimate contradiction in this debt-consumption version of capitalism is this: how can an economy have “endless expansion and growth” when pay and opportunities for secure, high-paying jobs are both relentlessly declining? It cannot. Financialization, consumerist narcissism and the end of growth are inextricably linked.
This leads to a dispiriting no exit:It’s as if there is a split in the road and no third way: some young people make it onto the traditional corporate or government career path, and everyone else is left in part-time suspended animation with few options for adult expression or development.
We need a third way that offers people work, resilience and authentic meaning. In my view, that cannot come from the Central State or the global corporate workplace: it can only come from a relocalized economy in revitalized communities.
For more on this topic:
Generational Wealth and Upward Mobility (October 24, 2012)
Priced Out of the Middle Class (June 28, 2012)
Do We Have What It Takes To Get From Here To There? Part 1: Japan (November 8, 2012)
Degrowth, Anti-Consumerism and Peak Consumption (May 9, 2013)
Tune In, Turn On, Opt Out (May 17, 2013)
Will Crushing Student Loans and Worthless College Degrees
Politicize the Millennial Generation? (May 31, 2013)
The Recession That Never Ended: 2008 -2013 (and Counting) (August 26, 2013)When we look at the people who are now household names for one reason or another, do we ask the question, how? Many of these men are people of industry. Some inherited the wealth, others worked towards it. Even by today’s standards, they would be people we would look up to.
Names synonymous with wealth might drive us to envy, nonetheless when we look at the effort it took for them to reach where they are, it should encourage us to work towards the same aspirations. Most of them lived in a time where the world of commerce was changing, and needed change. Here are some of those men.
John D. Rockefeller
Born in Richford, New York on July 8, 1839, John Davison Rockefeller was the second of six children of William A. Rockefeller and Eliza Davison. His greatest influence was his mother Eliza. Young John was behaved properly and seriously attended to his studies without fail. Some of his friends saw him as being earnest, religious, methodical, and reserved. At one time, he had considered music as a profession. The family moved to Strongsville in 1853, a suburb in Cleveland, Ohio. At the age of sixteen, he worked as an assistant bookkeeper. He had a knack for numbers and accounting. He received fifty cents a day during his first three months. He tithed ten percent to his Baptist church and donated six percent to charity. He had been quoted as saying, “It was the day that determined my career.” He found himself in the center of post-war prosperity along the expansion to the west made possible by the new railroads and an economy based on fuel. He is recognized as the first American to have worth more than a billion dollars. He not only set the standard for the petroleum industry, he helped push the envelope in the area of philanthropy. He was faithful in participating in church where he served as clerk, a trustee, taught Sunday school, and janitorial work as needed. He was married in 1864 to Laura Celestia Spelman, with whom he had four daughters and a son. Adjusted for inflation, John D. Rockefeller’s net worth is reportedly upwards of USD$ 663 billion. To Mr. Rockefeller, his belief in God guided him throughout his career and life, to him; it was the source of his great fortune. He once said, “God gave me money.” which was why he followed an exhortation by John Wesley, “gain all you can, save all you can, and give all you can.”
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie, business magnate, steel tycoon, and philanthropist. How would you like those words to be part of your resume? This man born in Dunfermline, Scotland has those words that oft follow his name. Born on November 25, 1835, Andrew and his family migrated to the United States when he was just a child. Allegheny, Pennsylvania became home to the Carnegie household. Young Andrew took on all types of jobs; the first one was as at a bobbin factory, then as a logger, and as a messenger boy. He later he moved up the ranks at a telegraph company. He made investments into the railroad industry, bridge building, and later accumulated more wealth by selling bonds to fund American businesses in Europe. Because Pennsylvania is known as a steel town, he became a co-founder along with other steel companies and created U.S. Steel. He was generous with his money, he helped build libraries, gave to schools in America and England. Seen as the second richest man, puts his net worth at USD$ 293 billion.
Cornelius Vanderbilt
The patriarch of the Vanderbilt family, Cornelius Vanderbilt gained his wealth through railroad and shipping enterprises and is seen as one of the richest men in American history. Cornelius was born on May 27, 1794 in Staten Island, New York. At the age of 11 he dropped out of school and worked for his father’s ferry along the New York harbor. When he was sixteen years old, he began his own ferry service in which he parlayed into moving freight and people to and from Manhattan and Staten Island. He soon became a steamboat entrepreneur servicing businesses in New Jersey, New York, and Philadelphia in collaboration with other people or on his own. He later started a steamship line that serviced ports in South America. This love for the boats earned him the nickname of “Commodore”. The Vanderbilt Empire was built on the commercial transportation industry, which was why he added the railroads as part of that empire. His worth at the time of his death was at USD$ 167 billion.
William Henry Vanderbilt
Inheriting wealth isn’t so bad either. William Vanderbilt’s father, Cornelius Vanderbilt, was known as a railroad and shipping mogul at the time and when he did in 1877, was known as the richest man in the world. William was born 1821 in New Brunswick, New York. He received early training in business through the help of his father. He worked as a clerk at the age of 19 for a New York bank. He later served for as an executive for several Railway companies. He also helped grow the railroad business for the family. When he retired in 1883, his older sons were given top positions in the railroad empire. He and his wife, Maria Louisa Kissam, had eight children. William was known as an active philanthropist and an art enthusiast. His worth at the time of his death was USD$231 billion.
John Jacob Astor
John Jacob Astor made his fortune through real estate, fur trading, and opium. He was born on July 17, 1763 in Waldorf, Germany. He arrived in the United States at the end of the revolutionary war in 1784. He opened a fur goods shop in the late 1780s in New York City. After the fur trade business, he got involved with real estate in New York City. At the time of his death in 1848, his net worth of USD$20 million dollars (today is worth 116 billion) made him the first multi-millionaire in the USA.
Henry Ford
Who doesn’t know the name Ford? Henry Ford developed the concept of using an assembly line to achieve mass production. Born on a farm near Detroit, Michigan, Henry was born on July 30, 1863. Using $28,000 dollars as capital, the Ford Motor Company was born in 1903. Among Henry Ford’s accomplishments; he introduced in 1914 the “wage motive”, giving five dollars per day to workers (equivalent to $111.00 per day in today’s economy) at his plant, introduced the Model T in 1908. The Ford legacy continues, today, Ford has a net worth of USD$ 188 billion.
Marcus Licinius Crassus
Reaching back through the sands of time, you have Marcus Licinius Crassus. His fame is not only being recognized as one of the richest men of all time, but he is also a Roman general and a politician. As general he defeated slaves, led by Spartacus, in a revolt. This is one instance wherein someone profited from the woes of others. The man was ruthless. You might say he was in the real estate business. He bought homes and other types of property from victims of his boss Sulla’s plunder of Rome for almost nothing. Seen as the richest Roman in today’s value is worth USD$ 169 billion.
Basil II
Basil II or Basil the Bulgarslayer) had been a Byzantine emperor who reigned from 976 to 1025 AD. As emperor of the Macedonian dynasty, he represented the height of the Middle Byzantine Empire. He increased the territories of the empire by the annexation of Bulgaria. This made the empire one of the largest and strongest in five centuries. In today’s equivalent, Basil II was worth USD$ 169 billion. Because he did not have children, within one hundred years, the Byzantine Empire did not survive.
Frederich Weyerhäuser
Frederich Weyerhäuser emigrated to the United States of America at the age of eighteen from Germany. He was born on November 21, 1834 in Nieder-Saulheim, Rheinhessen. He worked at a sawmill in Rock Island, Illinois. He is recognized as a timber tycoon and founded the Weyerhäuser Company. His net worth reached, in today’s equivalent, which would be $77 billion dollars. He bought 900,000 acres in 1900 of prime Pacific Northwest timberland. The company continues to be the biggest seller of timber.
Alain RufusThe long-awaited report by Lord Penrose into patients being infected by contaminated blood supplies in the 1970s and 1980s has been published.
While thousands of people across Britain were infected with Hepatitis C and HIV through NHS blood products, the inquiry was focused on victims in Scotland.
It has been described as the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS.
Background
The report looked at people in Scotland who were infected with blood-borne viruses - HIV and Hepatitis C - in the course of medical treatment on the NHS.
The period scrutinised by the inquiry began on 1 January 1974 and ended on 1 September 1991, when screening of donated blood for the Hepatitis C virus was introduced throughout the UK.
The infections came from blood which had been donated by people who had the viruses.
Some were infected during blood transfusions for illness, injury or during childbirth or surgery.
In the case of haemophilia therapy it occurred as a result of transfusions of blood products made from large pools of donations and given to remedy the deficiency of clotting factor in a patient's blood.
Numbers infected
About 2,500 people are thought to have been infected with Hepatitis C by blood transfusion on the NHS in Scotland. At least 18 were infected with HIV.
The report said a further 478 bleeding disorder patients (haemophiliacs) are thought to have been infected with hepatitis C, and 60 with HIV, from blood products.
Knowledge at the time
A statement from Lord Penrose read out at the publication of the report said: "The state of knowledge of each virus informed the inquiry's assessments of the acting of doctors."
HIV was first identified in 1983 but international acceptance did not "crystalise" until 1984.
The report said testing for HIV in blood products was not possible before the virus was identified.
The Lord Penrose's statement said: "Some commentators believe that more could have been done to prevent infection in particular groups of patients.
"Careful consideration of the evidence has however revealed few aspects in which matters should or, more importantly, could have been handled differently.
"In relation to HIV/Aids it appeared to the inquiry that when actions in Scotland were subjected to international comparison they held up well.
"Once the risk had emerged all that could reasonably be done was done in the areas of donor selection, heat treatment of products and screening of donated blood.
"Other than by a general cessation of therapy with concentrates, the infection of haemophilia patients with HIV over the period 1980-1984 could not have been prevented."
It said the science of the hepatitis C virus was not understood in the 1970s and identification of the "causative virus" did not take place until 1988.
Lord Penrose's statement said: "As with HIV it was not possible to test the native blood for the virus until the virus had been discovered, although alternatives including testing for other indicators of infection were adopted in some countries."
The first test kits for hepatitis C virus only became available in November 1989.
Delay in screening
The inquiry did point to a delay in the introduction of the screening of donated blood for the hepatitis C virus.
It said a decision on screening should have been taken by middle of May 1990 rather than in November 1990. It then took 10 months to implement. Issues in England and Wales led to a delay in Scotland, despite it being ready to implement the screening.
Blood from prisoners
The last year that blood donations were collected from prisoners in Scotland was 1984. By this time only a small proportion of blood was coming from prisons.
The report said the Home Office in the 1970s liked blood donations from prisoners as it was thought they were making "restitution" for their crimes.
But there was little information on how many prisoners were drug users and thus a risk of having infections.
The inquiry heard from Scottish National Blood Transfusion experts that "with the benefit of hindsight" taking blood from prisoners was "inadvisable and should have stopped earlier".
Risk of transmission
Heat treatment ended the transmission of HIV by NHS blood products in Scotland by October 1985, and from commercial products by about the same time.
The report said there may subsequently have been "isolated" infections from donors who had the virus but had not created antibodies.
Further developments in heat treatments also made blood products safe against the hepatitis C virus by 1987.
Recommendation
The inquiry's single recommendation is that the Scottish government takes all reasonable steps to offer a hepatitis C test to everyone in Scotland who had a blood transfusion before September 1991 and who has not been tested for the disease.Calls by 2016 Republican presidential candidates and others for the United States to send ground troops to defeat the Islamic State group have elicited mixed reactions from the public and the Pentagon. But one group has responded enthusiastically over the past year to the prospect of a more aggressive war posture: For private defense contractors, a U.S. military invasion of Syria and Iraq presents a lucrative business opportunity.
Last week, the Intercept reported that Lockheed Martin Executive Vice President Bruce Tanner had told a group of investors that the aerospace manufacturer expects to see “indirect benefits” from the conflict in Syria. The firm, which is the single-largest recipient of U.S. defense contracts, is not alone in suggesting that more war could boost its bottom line.
In late October, the CEO of defense contractor Fluor Corporation said in an earnings call that the military is “probably going to have a few more people in Iraq, and potentially, Syria” -- a situation that “creates some opportunity for us.”
During a corporate earnings call by Kratos Defense & Security Solutions in August, an official of the Wisconsin state pension system (which is a shareholder in the firm) asked CEO Eric DeMarco if Kratos foresaw increased market opportunities in the areas of "unmanned aircraft and railgun, hypersonic, missile radar, satellite-com, and electronic warfare."
“Yes,” DeMarco responded. “On every one that you just mentioned, it has changed in a positive way in the past three to six months. And it is happening industrywide because of the shift or the pivot of the DOD [U.S. Department of Defense] from asymmetric warfare or warfare fighting ISIS or fighting terrorists, to nation-state warfare.” (ISIS and ISIL are alternative names for the Islamic State group.
Stuart Bradie, CEO of the technology and engineering firm KBR Inc., told shareholders in April that his firm was already receiving new government business and could get more if the military becomes more active in the Middle East.
“We’re seeing some growth in the services in Iraq as we support the U.S. military and what’s happening with ISIS,” he said. “We expect that to grow a little bit further and with opportunities to grow even further going forward.”
In an earnings call Nov. 12, the day before the Paris attacks, the CEO of Griffon -- parent company of a defense technology contractor -- predicted that defense spending is going to rise.
“We believe that we are at more of a bottom in the cycle and that defense spending over the next five years is more likely than not going to look better than what it’s looked like over the last five years,” CEO Ronald Kramer told investors. He added that “we’ve stuck to our intelligence surveillance, reconnaissance mission” and that “the international opportunities are all ahead of us.”
Over the last year, big money flowed to lawmakers from defense contractors seeking larger Pentagon budgets and looking to shape proposed reforms to the military procurement process. The top two political action committees for federal lawmakers this year have been those run by Lockheed Martin and Honeywell, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
The defense industry has been responsible for more than $23 million in donations to members of Congress since the 2014 election cycle -- with top recipients including prominent proponents of a ground invasion such as Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and John McCain of Arizona.
The industry has also spent $95 million on lobbying in 2015 alone, as contractors have pushed for an end to budget caps passed by Congress in 2013. As the debate over an invasion has intensified, the Center for Public Integrity reported that lobbying expenditures by major defense contractors in 2015 were “more than 25 percent higher than the amount they spent in the same quarter of 2014.”I've noticed something both encouraging and discouraging about a lot of the comments to my 2013 season previews, both in the threads themselves and at other sites.
Good : More people seem to be talking about and reacting to the Adj. Scores measure, one I like quite a bit.
Bad : Nobody really understands what Adj. Scores are.
That's my fault. Communication is key, and if this many people are misunderstanding something, then I haven't explained it well enough. So let's talk a bit more about it.
The short version
Adj. Score takes your performance in a game and adjusts it for pace, quality of opponent, and general luck. Instead of gauging your performance versus the opponent at hand, it looks at how you would have done -- how many points you would have both scored and allowed -- against a perfectly average opponent.
The long version
1. If you are reading this, you probably know by now that my go-to measure of choice is the S&P+ system of ratings I house at Football Outsiders. Teams are officially evaluated by their full-season S&P+ ratings, which encompass every non-garbage time play from every game. Each game and category also have single-game S&P+ scores. They are adjusted for the opponent at hand and calibrated to the same "+" scoring system as the full-season version, where 100.0 is perfectly average, anything lower is below average, and higher is above average.
2. Back in 2010, I decided to play with single-game S&P+ scores to perhaps make them a bit more accessible and interesting. I calibrated the single-game scores so that they would land on the same scale as regular, old points scored. The average number of points scored in an FBS college football game in 2012 was about 28, so a single-game offensive S&P+ score of 100.0 would be the same as about 28.1 Adj. Points.
3. Since your offense and defense end up with single-game S&P+ scores (and, therefore Adj. Points scores), and since 100.0 = perfectly average, then I decided it would be interesting to see which teams played good enough to beat a "perfectly average" team each week of the season. If the Adj. Points you "scored" were greater than the Adj. Points you "allowed," then you got an Adj. Win.
4. Single-game scores can skew averages, and these are in no way part of the overall ratings system, but I realized pretty quickly that you can get a pretty nice look at in-season trends by using Adj. Scores. For instance, look at today's Kansas State preview. For the season as a whole, KSU fielded both a top 20 offense and defense according to F/+ (the combination of my S&P+ and Brian Fremeau's FEI) and a top 40 offense and defense according to S&P+. Breaking S&P+ out into passing, rushing, down/situations, red zone, etc., tells us quite a bit. And with Adj. Points, we can learn a bit more.
Adj. Points Per Game (first 4 games) : KSU 35.9, Opponent 29.0 (plus-6.9)
Adj. Points Per Game (next 5 games) : KSU 39.9, Opponent 22.5 (plus-17.4)
Adj. Points Per Game (last 4 games) : Opponent 24.6, KSU 24.2 (minus-0.4)
From this, we see that KSU's offense was about eight points better than average in September, 12 points better than average in October(ish), and four points worse than average down the stretch. That's not necessarily something we can get just from looking at yardage numbers. KSU's opposition level improved down the stretch, too, but this shows us that opponents alone aren't the only reason KSU's offensive stats regressed. The KSU offense itself played at a lower level, too.
Trends are really about the best use for this number. The overall ratings are more accurate for overall evaluations, but we learn a lot about the flow of the season from Adj. Score, and that's what I use it for in the previews.
5. Because of the small number of data points in college football, this is basically only a measure I use in the offseason. Since it's comparing your performance to your opponents' season averages, it makes no sense to use this in Week 4 or something, when your opponent's averages haven't been fleshed out enough. So it's a pretty good retrospective tool, but that's about it.
6. Adj. Score is also about the only measure I use that doesn't eliminate garbage time. My thought was, if we're pretending to see how you would do against an "average" opponent, then it doesn't make sense to only use the plays against some OTHER opponent (the real one) for only 2.5 quarters or so. This is a different measure used for different purposes, so every play from a game is used.
7. Because Adj. Score is comparing your performance to that of an average opponent, it is possible for both you and your opponent in a given game to get an adjusted win or loss. This makes sense if you think about it. When Texas A&M and Alabama faced off, both played at a level that would have smoked an average opponent. That was a high-level game. At the same time, when Wyoming beat New Mexico, 28-23, that same day, neither team played well enough to have beaten an average team. That is reflected in the Adj. Scores.
Alabama Adj. Score (vs. Texas A&M) : Alabama 37.7, Opponent 21.7 (plus-16.0)
: Alabama 37.7, Opponent 21.7 (plus-16.0) Texas A&M Adj. Score (vs. Alabama) : Texas A&M 48.2, Opponent 24.6 (plus-23.6)
: Texas A&M 48.2, Opponent 24.6 (plus-23.6) Wyoming Adj. Score (vs. New Mexico) : Opponent 36.4, Wyoming 26.3 (minus-10.1)
: Opponent 36.4, Wyoming 26.3 (minus-10.1) New Mexico Adj. Score (vs. Wyoming) : Opponent 35.1, New Mexico 31.3 (minus-3.8)
Two good teams played well, and two bad teams played poorly. In real life, there is a winner and a loser for every game. But with Adj. Score, you're playing against an absent, imaginary average team. There can be two adjusted wins or losses for a given game.
8. Here are the 10 best offensive performances of 2012 based on Adj. Score:
Wisconsin vs. Nebraska (12/1): 72.3 Adj. Points (70'real' points) Georgia Tech vs. Virginia (9/15): 61.3 (56) Oregon vs. USC (11/3): 58.5 (62) Georgia vs. Florida Atlantic (9/15): 58.3 (56) Ball State vs. Ohio (11/14): 58.3 (52) Baylor vs. SMU (9/2): 56.5 (59) West Virginia vs. Oklahoma (11/17): 56.5 (49) Oregon State vs. BYU (10/13): 56.3 (42) Texas vs. Ole Miss (9/15): 56.1 (66) Georgia vs. Vanderbilt (9/22): 55.4 (48)
9. Here are the 10 worst offensive performances of 2012 based on Adj. Score:
UMass vs. UConn (8/30): -4.7 Adj. Points (0'real' points) Colorado vs. Stanford (11/3): -1.3 (0) UMass vs. Bowling Green (10/20): -1.2 (0) Tulane vs. UL-Monroe (9/29): 1.6 (10) Minnesota vs. Michigan State (11/24): 3.3 (10) Rutgers vs. Virginia Tech (12/28): 3.5 (10) Hawaii vs. Air Force (11/16): 4.4 (7) Tulane vs. Ole Miss (9/22): 4.7 (0) South Florida vs. Pittsburgh (12/1): 5.2 (3) Memphis vs. Duke (9/22): 5.5 (14)
(The negative scores are strangely satisfying.)
10. Here are the 10 best defensive performances of 2012 based on Adj. Score:
UConn vs. UMass (8/30): -3.4 Adj. Points (0'real' points) Stanford vs. Colorado (11/3): -1.1 (0) Michigan State vs. Minnesota (11/24): -0.3 (10) Bowling Green vs. UMass (10/20): 1.3 (0) Virginia Tech vs. Rutgers (12/28): 2.5 (10) Alabama vs. Missouri (10/13): 2.8 (10) Florida State vs. Wake Forest (9/15): 3.4 (0) SMU vs. TCU (9/29): 4.0 (24) Alabama vs. Arkansas (9/15): 4.1 (0) Pitt vs. South Florida (12/1): 4.1 (3)
11. Here are the 10 worst defensive performances of 2012 based on Adj. Score:
Army vs. Wake Forest (9/22): 64.9 Adj. Points (49'real' points) New Mexico vs. UNLV (11/3): 63.4 (35) Army vs. Temple (11/17): 62.6 (63) Nebraska vs. Wisconsin (12/1): 60.1 (70) UAB vs. Tulane (10/27): 59.2 (55) Miami (Ohio) vs. Akron (9/29): 58.0 (49) Colorado vs. Arizona (11/10): 57.2 (56) Kent State vs. Kentucky (9/8): 54.8 (47) Toledo vs. Eastern Michigan (10/13): 54.5 (47) UTEP vs. Southern Miss (11/17): 53.9 (33)
I really enjoy using this measure, as I think it can play a pretty specific role in both identifying a team's high and low points and figuring out which teams were consistent or highly variant from week to week. It is imperfect but useful, and I wanted to try to bridge the gap between people reacting to the measure (since it's right there near the top of a given team's preview) and the people understanding it. My bad. Hopefully this helps.In this photograph provided Monday, Aug. 26, 2013, by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an undersea diver lights the paddlewheel from the ship, USCS Robert J. Walker, which sank June 21, 1860, ten miles off the New Jersey coast. More than 153 years after it was lost in a collision at sea, government and university maritime investigators say they have identified the wreck of the steamer that served in the U.S. Coast Survey, a predecessor of NOAA. ( AP Photo/NOAA)
The hulking wreck has been a regular destination for divers but a riddle to historians: What ship came to rest in 85 feet of water 10 miles off New Jersey's coastline?
Now, federal officials have an answer.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Tuesday that it has confirmed that the ship is the Robert J. Walker, an iron-hulled steamer doing mapping work for the U.S. Coast Survey that sank 153 years ago after a violent collision with a 250-ton schooner.
Twenty sailors aboard the Walker died, making it the worst accident in the history of the U.S. Coast Survey or its successor, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The wreck was discovered by fishermen in the 1970s but its identity was a mystery until June when a NOAA ship conducting surveys for navigation safety in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy made a positive identification. Retired NOAA Capt. Albert Theberge and Joyce Steinmetz, a Ph.D. candidate in maritime archaeology at East Carolina University, provided impetus for the project.
"It's estimated there are 3 million shipwrecks in the waters of the world," said James Delgado, director of maritime heritage for NOAA's office of national marine sanctuaries. "You can't go out and look for every one, but sometimes the situation arises when you have an opportunity to do that. This was a perfect convergence of opportunity."
Delgado said the Walker could be one of the last remaining shipwrecks to be identified off the New Jersey coast. According to NOAA, the ship's unique engines and rectangular portholes were key identifying features. It was still pointed toward Absecon lighthouse, where it likely was trying to head before it sank.
Built in 1847, the Walker did survey work charting the waters of the southern United States and contributed to the opening up of many ports on the Gulf Coast to increased commerce, according to NOAA. Its work also helped chart harbors that would become strategically important for the Union Navy in the looming Civil War.
On the night of June 21, 1860, the Walker was heading north to New York when it collided with the schooner Fanny, headed from Philadelphia to Boston. In a newspaper interview, the ship's quartermaster described the scene as the steamer sank within about 30 minutes.
"The men stayed by the steamer until she was sinking, and then, without confusion, such of them as could took to the boats," Charles Clifford told the New York Herald. "Many of the crew went down with the steamer, however, clinging to the spars and portions of the wreck.... The captain stayed on board until the steamer went down, and just before she disappeared from sight jumped into the water, and was picked up by one of the boats."
Perhaps due to the approaching Civil War, the U.S. Coast Survey didn't |
June 26, 2015 in Washington, D.C. The high court ruled 5-4 that the Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage in all 50 states. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Obama also reflected on his winning week during the press conference, joking that it didn't top other momentous weeks in his life.If you were a fan of the original Star Trek television series, you probably remember lots of little details about the show. And you might even feel sorry for the people who don't get the clever references you make to things from the show. If you're that person, then you'll love this infographic - it summarizes the most memorable things from all the episodes of the original series!
But first, to get you into the mood for a nostalgic trip down Star Trek's memory lane, here's a picture of a clever shirt, making reference to one of those Star Trek-isms. (Thanks for the picture, David!)
I want to start by saying that I am not the original designer of this infographic. All the data collection, design, layout, etc was done by sophie-the-vampire-slayer on tumbler. Here's her note describing her infographic: "A Star Trek Infographic AKA The Numbers of How This Show Ruined My Life. An infographic I did for a uni assignment, researched by sitting down in front of the box set and keeping tally marks." I was so impressed by her work, that I had to try to imitate it with our SAS software!
Here's a snapshot of my SAS version - I encourage you to click it, to see the full-size interactive version, so you can see all the details. It also has HTML mouseover-text, and when you click items in the infographic, it will drill-down to various web pages about that topic (some are direct links to specific pages, and others launch Google searches - note that the Google searches could potentially return images/etc that are not safe for work, so you might want to explore the drill-downs from your home compuer). Other than the pie chart, everything else was done using annotate on a blank GSlide. Here's a link to the code, if you're curious about that.
If you compare my version to the original, you'll notice that I hardly made any changes to Sophie's original design/layout (this speaks very highly of Sophie's work!) Below are a list of the few minor changes I made in my version:
I used a checkmark instead of an 'x' for the items in Kirk's Love Story.
In Kirk's Love Story, I left-justified the text, so it's closer to the checkbox.
I used the same font for all the numbers, so they would be consistent.
I leave off the leading zero in the Deaths by Shirt Color summary (the leading '0' could be mistaken for an '8').
I used a cleaner/simpler graphic for the dna.
I hope you enjoyed this infographic - feel free to leave a comment, if it has sparked a memory of a favorite Star Trek episode!Let Freedom Ring! Illinois Enacts Nation’s Final Concealed-Gun Law
Guest Post By EdBigCon
“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.” Second Amendment
After the state legislature resoundingly overrode Governor Quinn’s amendatory veto, Illinois enacted the nation’s final concealed-gun law.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois became the last state in the nation to allow public possession of concealed guns as lawmakers rushed Tuesday to finalize a proposal ahead of a federal court’s deadline.
Both chambers of the Legislature voted to override changes Gov. Pat Quinn made to the bill they approved more than a month ago. Even some critics of the law argued it was better to approve something rather than risk the courts allowing virtually unregulated concealed weapons in Chicago, which has endured severe gun violence in recent months.
The Senate voted 41-17 in favor of the override Tuesday afternoon after the House voted 77-31, margins that met the three-fifths threshold needed to set aside the amendatory veto. Quinn had used his veto authority to suggest changes such as prohibiting guns in restaurants that serve alcohol and limiting gun-toting citizens to one firearm at a time.
Read More KMOVSo. We're finally here. 4 years of on and (very much) off development, good times and bad, and a tremendous experience that i'm glad i stuck with later; and HHF is in a position that i feel happy with releasing to the public.
Posted by V3LO on Dec 3rd, 2011
So. We're finally here.
4 years of on and (very much) off development, good times and bad, and a tremendous experience that i'm glad i stuck with later; and HHF is in a position that i feel happy with releasing to the public.
It's fitting that we're choosing to release this now, obviously MOTY is in full swing, but we're also officially in the festive season, 3 (or 4) days into the advent calendar. It seems the best time to finally let what for so long i've kept quite tightly wrapped up and secure out into the wilds of the internet.
I'm aware the above is very focused on my self, and i'm going to give some time to the other people who probably deserve more credit than my self for bringing you what you'll be playing today, but i'd like to take a short time to express how much this means to my self - to finally release something i've thought about and worked on pretty much daily for the last 4 years, and just generally be a bit more personal about HHF.
4 years ago (When i was 15 and had silly hair), i started HHF with a few users off the Halowars forums - no doubt they will pop up in the comments below and stake their claims to credit. We loved Halo with a passion, we'd all played Homeworld 2, it seemed to us silly that no one had ever combined the two. What should have seemed sillier is that a group of people who'd never modded or really been involved in any modding communities decided they could create what was becoming a more and more ambitious mod on an engine which even then was half a decade old.
Still, we were ambitious - For some reason i assigned my self the role of 3D modelling, something that before i started HHF i had always thought of as some sort of black art that only other people could understand while i hid away doodling on paper and making forum signitures. Not only that, but i'd also unconciously made my self leader of the entire project with a team that were all very independant and half under the impression they were also in charge.
We were recieved warmly by the moddb community, and ever since have made our home almost exclusively here - I thank the staff here immensely for creating such a great community, which was integral to us continuing the project even through the harder times, and the community it's self for supporting us for so long and after so many broken promises from us.
Months turned to years, things went from bad, to great, to worse, we had alot of great people join and leave, until last christmas i was ready to give up. I have to thank Insanelymatt for stopping that from happening, he kept the mod afloat for long enough for Zero to join, bringing with him something we never really had before - Good quality textures, as well as the will to simply learn what ever he could to help out. With solid models and solid textures, we managed to attract a more than solid coder - Aliah, who brought the other element we never really had before; the ability to change fundamental things in homeworld such as AI behaviour, ship mechanics, and general gameplay. With both of them, we finally had a team capable of making a real mod, one with great visuals as well as great gameplay, which you'll see a glimpse of with this release.
So, thank you to both of you, everyone else who has contributed to HHF over the years (Even NT.), the members of various other mod teams who have helped immensely, the moddb staff, and the moddb community and fans. A massive <3 to you all.
Now, don't take that as a "Cool, we're finished with this now". What you're playing is still very unfinished, but unlike previous builds you may have played, this build will be completely supported, constantly patched and updated - We're releasing this fully aware of the problems with it, but we're happy with it in it's current state, and in the belief that this is simply a foundation for what we have to come.
We have a lot to show off in this build that you probably haven't seen before unless you stalk Zero's majhost, as stated, there's no Covenant currently in - We're leaving them until we feel happy with the UNSC as a stand-alone faction, and then devoting our full time to them. This build is also lacking something that we really did want to include, and all blame for not including it falls upon my self, however we will hopefully patch it in some time around or after Christmas - Along with a new miner ship and the Marathon.
Bundles of fury - A miniature Marathon with twice the attitude, the Talos is a class of ship designed to bridge a gap you will most likely notice - the massive gap between the power of Cruisers and Destroyers. While right now our best cure for that is the Kindjal bomber as a counter to Cruiser firepower, the Talos and the other light cruisers, when implimented, should hopefully make the game a bit less cruiser-end heavy.
Also to come is a complete research tree and a fully fleshed out resourcing system designed to stretch your economy accross a large portion of the map, and bring harrassment and map control into the spot light in terms of strategy. These will take longer to include, but we consider them top priority. All the while, we'll be fleshing out the unit roster with newly designed ships, modules, etc.
You'll find the download links below - Please use the adfly link, it's safe, and it contributes a bit of cash towards the developers through no cost of your own - However, we've also set up a Donations link (We've looked at the Microsoft rules, it's perfectly legitimate) in case there's any of you who would like to help out a little more. While we'd like to make it clear we don't expect you guys to give us money, the money will go towards supporting the mod either by paying for a new domain name, or paying for all the caffeine products that fuel mod development.
Download
It's in.rar format, simply extract it and install the.big file to your homeworld 2 data folder, then modify the start up targetline. If you're unsure, there's a more detailed readme file inside.
And our forums for now:
Z13.invisionfree.com
Keep an eye out for events which may or may not happen such as live streams or developer matches - Remember, we made this for multiplayer, and while the AI we have is pretty good, you're going to enjoy it so much more playing with your friends and other fans. Using Hamachi or other similar services is a great way to connect, and Cas has set one up that hopefully should facilitate some games for you guys, but we encourage you to set up your own and organise your own matches with other fans, preferably via PM. We're working on setting up forums for this purpose, and if anyone has any experience with things like setting up IRC chats we'd appreciate them to get in contact with us about setting one up.
Have fun.I am returning to this article to add the final, and potentially most important, point. It appears that a propensity to obsession, depressive states and anxiety are all implicated in infatuation/limerence, but these states cannot exist without uncertainty.
Most of us who experience limerence are relatively introspective, dreamy and often spiritually-inclined. The way that we experience romance is intense; when infatuation is unrequited or impossible we typically feel like we're losing a soulmate and missing out on a truly authentic existence.
Right now, you probably feel that you've been shown a wonderful, exciting dreamlike world that has been taken away from you. The pull that you feel towards this person is colossal, and due to shared values and beliefs, it may seem like cosmic madness that you two are not together and something totally, spiritually wrong.
This has always been the way that I have experienced limerence. As someone prone to spiritual thinking and magical ideation, I always struggled to overcome the notion that I would be settling for life if I didn't end up with that person, and that the powers of the universe wanted us to be together.
The best way to counter this illogicality and find peace is to realize that this person has seen your soul, and has still decided that they don't want to be with you. They have spent time around you and, consciously and subconsciously, have formed a clear opinion of you through your not only your behaviour but also your aura. There's nothing more that you can do and there's no real uncertainty.
You might argue that they don't know you yet, convinced that if only you could have shown them your intelligence, your softer sides, etc., that they'd have loved you back. You might be thinking "my situation is unique - they do like me, but they don't want to be with me". However, they aren't feeling the same way towards you, and nothing that you could possibly do will make them return your incredibly strong, unstable feelings.
Perhaps I won't be able to convince you otherwise, but I can guarantee you that you will look back in years, see this situation objectively and understand what I mean. Even if this person gives you mixed signals and is hot and cold, that behaviour alone is enough proof that they don't truly want you. If they did, they would make it known. They wouldn't occasionally ignore your messages for weeks, they wouldn't snap at you and seem bored of conversation at times and they wouldn't date other people and tell you about it. It's horrible to face the truth, but this person isn't interested, at least not in a way that matters.
They may be attracted to you, which is a recurring trope in infatuation... do they sometimes seem to meet your eyes with a glimmer and seem interested? If so, that is still irrelevant - they don't love your mind like you love theirs and they never will. They aren't trying to be a part of your life.
When limerent, it's so very easy to enjoy dancing in the uncertainty. After all, doing so gives you access to the highs. We're addicted to the euphoria that this state lets us swim in, all of us - you might deny it, but a small part of you knows that you would get better if you truly treated this like a drug addiction. If you cut all contact and ignored the good traits of this person, it'd fade, and you know it. You just don't want to let go of the hope that you'll end up with them, and the blissful feelings associated with that.
But, since this is disrupting your life, it's time to do just that and to focus on obtaining closure. How? Realign yourself with reality; take their silence as rejection, because that is what it is. Take their short replies, distant smiles and their dates with other people as rejection, not as uncertainty. Are they asking you about your childhood, trying to separate you from a group of people (e.g. trying to organise coffee/drinks/anything), or sharing secret details with you?
If not, take that as rejection. It'll shatter you initially, but then you'll stand up, pick up your pieces and will move on from them in a matter of weeks/months, I promise you that. Once the fantasy is out the window and you're focusing on the way that this person actually treats you/prioritises other people, infatuation just won't be sustained and you'll recover.
It goes without saying that if someone wants to look into your soul, go on adventures and create long-lasting memories with you, you'll know. Keep living authentically, find happiness in being alone and the right people will come along who will be begging to stay in your life. You can't have a soul who isn't meant for you, nor can you make them want you. Stop lying to yourself, stop settling for uncertainty and let yourself see the truth.Iran’s supreme leader claimed Saturday that Islamic nations were being manipulated into internal strife by the world’s “bullies” and urged Islamic unity in the face of what he identified as the Umma’s two greatest enemies: the US and Israel.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the US had long sought to incite “third-party” states against Iran but “such third parties are only deceived puppets,” the Islamic republic’s Fars news agency reported.
“The root cause of the problems returns to their real enemies, the US and Israel,” he said.
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The bullying powers, as he called them, are conspiring “against the Quran and not Shiism and Iran, because they know that the Quran and Islam are the center of awakening nations.”
Iranians, he said, “have realized that their real stubborn enemy is the world arrogance and Zionism and that’s why they chant slogans against the US and Zionism.”
Khamenei was speaking to Iranian officials in charge of the Hajj — the annual pilgrimage to Mecca that Muslims from all over the world undertake.
He explained to them that the pilgrimage to Mecca was a prime opportunity for Iranians to convey their aforementioned insights to other Muslims and thus encourage Islamic unity against its true enemies.
“The world bullies are fully, seriously seeking to stir violence and discord under the name of Islam and are trying to disrepute the religion of Islam, foment internal fights among Islamic nations and even among the people of one nation to weaken the Muslim Ummah, and transferring the Iranian nation’s experience about unity and recognition of the enemy to other nations in the Hajj season can defuse these plots,” he said.
Since the signing of the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers in July, Khamenei has repeatedly spoken out against Tehran’s main negotiating partners in Washington.
Earlier this week he strongly impugned the motives of the US in the talks, saying “their intention was to find a way to penetrate into the country.
Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters in Iran, has not publicly approved or disapproved the deal, though he repeatedly offered words of support for Iran’s nuclear negotiators during the course of the talks.
Last Saturday a prominent Iranian hard-liner, journalist Hossein Shariatmadari, said he believed Khamenei was in fact opposed to the accord. However, an editorial appearing Sunday in the Tasnim news agency, thought closely tied to the Iranian regime, derided Shariatmadari for claiming to speak for Khamenei.In yet another sign that the line between real news and fake news is getting thinner, one of CNN’s main anchors during the 1980s and 1990s, Bobbie Battista, has taken a step through the looking glass and can now be seen anchoring reports online for ONN, The Onion News Network.
In the report below, “Prague’s Franz Kafka International Named World’s Most Alienating Airport,” Ms. Battista reports the fictional news with the same aplomb she brought to the real thing during her 20-year career at CNN:
Prague’s Franz Kafka International Named World’s Most Alienating Airport
In a recent interview with the blog CNN Observations, Ms. Battista said she enjoyed the fake reports, though she admitted: “I wasn’t sure I should do them at first.” She also advised aspiring journalists to “practice journalism, not blogging,” and had some harsh words for her former employer for cutting back on international news:Federal prosecutors in Manhattan announced on Wednesday that one current and two former correction officers at Rikers Island have been charged in connection with the 2012 beating death of a 52-year-old inmate and a conspiracy to make it appear that the use of force was warranted.
The government charged that while the inmate, Ronald Spear, who had kidney problems and walked with a cane, was being held face down by guards on the floor of a unit for prisoners with serious medical needs, one officer, Brian Coll, repeatedly kicked him in the head and then knelt down, saying, “Remember that I’m the one who did this to you.”
Mr. Coll and other officers then proffered a false story that Mr. Spear had first attacked Mr. Coll with a cane, the government said. Officers lied in official reports about the assault; there was no mention of Mr. Coll’s brutal assault of the inmate; and evidence was planted to bolster their account, the authorities added.
Mr. Coll, 45, of Smithtown, N.Y., who the Correction Department said left its employ last year, was charged with deprivation of rights under color of law, obstruction of justice and other counts. A second officer, Byron Taylor, 31, of Brentwood, N.Y., who prosecutors said had helped restrain Mr. Spear during the beating, was charged with conspiring to obstruct justice and obstructing justice by lying in a federal grand jury. Mr. Taylor has been suspended indefinitely, the Correction Department said.I forgot to post about yesterday’s live-streamed debate between Richard Dawkins and Deepak “Quantum” Chopra at the Ciudad de las Ideas conference in Puebla, Mexico. Fortunately, it’s now been put on YouTube, and I’ve embedded it below.
The first five minutes are plenty weird (and superfluous), with a bunch of harlequins and pirates prancing about onstage. WHY? Then Dawkins, Chopra, and moderator (and organizer) Andrés Roemer enter through a picture frame. Andrés introduces them in Spanish at length. If you don’t speak Spanish and want to skip the pyrotechnics and introduction, the English part starts at 13:10.
There’s roughly an hour of discussion, and I must confess that I haven’t had time to watch it. I’ve listened to bits, and it’s the usual Chopra blathering. At about 26 minutes in, The Deepak goes on about the purpose of evolution being the “production of maximum diversity” for “that is what we see.” I suppose the purpose of tsunamis is death, then, for “that is what we see”. Deepak needs to learn the difference between “purpose” and “effect”! Richard calls him out for using a “word salad” of scientific terms that Chopra doesn’t understand.
Okay, I have to stop watching this and get to work.
For those of you who do watch it (or saw it live-streamed yesterday), weigh in below.
Chopra is an intensely irritating man, and willfully stupid—indeed, duplicitous—because his errors have been pointed out to him many times. Of course he has a right to blather as much as he wants, but thank Ceiling Cat that people like Dawkins, Shermer, and Harris call him out for his obscurantism. Of course some of you may feel that such debates are pointless, and I’m on the fence about that.LONDON (Reuters) - Former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Bob Weston has died at the age of 64 in London.
Weston’s official website said on Friday he was found dead at his home in north London by police on Tuesday after friends became concerned that they had not heard from him for several days.
“Cause of death has been attributed to a gastrointestinal hemorrhage,” said a message posted by the website’s webmaster and Weston friend Steve Fairhead.
London police confirmed Weston’s death, and said they were not treating it as suspicious.
Weston joined Fleetwood Mac in 1972 as a replacement for Danny Kirwan, and played on the albums “Penguin” in 1973 and “Mystery to Me” later the same year.
But according to online biographies, during an American tour Mick Fleetwood discovered Weston was having an affair with his wife, Jenny Boyd, and Weston was sacked in 1974.
He went on to release several solo albums and played with musicians including Long John Baldry and Murray Head.
“My family and I have lost a dear friend; the world has lost an enormously talented musician, with unfinished business,” Fairhead wrote on the website.Featuring superior ergonomics, the new KBD Series switches are ideal for gaming, industrial & workstation keyboards
C&K Components, a leading global manufacturer of electromechanical switches, smart card interconnect devices, and high reliability connectors, has introduced a new series of high reliability, ergonomic keyboard switches for applications that require long operating lifetimes, including gaming, industrial, professional, and workstation keyboards. Rated for an extended operating life of 50,000,000 cycles, the rugged KBD Series switches are available with two haptic responses and operating forces designed to meet various OEM customers’ design specifications and end-users’ needs.
“Our new KBD Series keyboard switches are the ideal solution for applications that require a robust keyboard switch capable of reliable operation in the millions of cycles,” said Norman U, product manager at C&K. “These applications range from mechanical gaming keyboards to ruggedized industrial keyboards.”
KBD Series switches are top-actuated, single pole/single throw (SPST) devices with a pre-travel distance of 1.5 – 2mm, and total travel distance of 4mm. Featuring a range of operating forces color-coded to the knob and one of two haptic responses: linear actuation for 60 ± 20gf black and 45 ±20gf red knobs, and click-pressure-point actuation for 60 ±20gf blue and 55 ±20gf brown knobs, all KBD Series switches deliver a 50,000,000-cycle operating life. Supplied with gold contacts rated for 10mA at 12VDC and lead-free, RoHS compliant, tin-plated terminals, the switches are designed for use in operating temperatures spanning -10°C to +70°C.
Attached File | KBD catalog pages - PDF (385.14 Kb)Though Harvey and Irma did less catastrophic damage on the mainland, that damage was more costly because of the value of the homes, businesses, and public infrastructure there. “We’re going to have to rebuild everything,” Bonnie Stephenson, the mayor of the tiny town of Rose City, Texas, told me when I visited, with mold growing up the sides of homes and heaps of mucked-out garbage lining the streets, six weeks out. The whole town would have to be gutted, reframed, and rebuilt, like much of southwest Texas and western Florida. The government estimates the damages from the storms and floods at $131 billion.
Then, there were the wildfires that lit up a number of dry western states this year, and some of them continue to rage today. Fires in California alone have caused at least $9.4 billion in damages. “These numbers not only represent staggering losses to tens of thousands of Californians,” Dave Jones, the state’s insurance commissioner, said in a statement. “The October wildfires that devastated whole communities and tragically cost 44 people their lives have now proven to be the most destructive and deadliest in our state’s history.” That number is likely to prove a fractional estimate, not taking into account the damages from the uncontained fires still alight in southern California and not accounting for uninsured losses.
All told, there were at least 15 weather events costing at least a billion dollars each in 2017, the second-most since 1980, the government estimates. To be fair, weather gets costlier over time because the value of America’s homes and businesses and the economy itself gets bigger over time, as noted by Roger Pielke Jr., a political scientist at the University of Colorado Boulder. Still, tallying up the damages, the winds, floods, and fires are likely to end up wiping away 0.2 or 0.3 percent of the nation’s wealth—causing as much of a hit in percentage terms, in other words, as the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 or the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. This year really was different.
Another, related way of looking at the toll is in terms of the costs to the government to fight fires, move families, save stranded individuals, and rebuild. There are the significant direct costs for disaster relief, for one. Congress has provided more than $50 billion in emergency spending related to storms and floods, including emergency nutrition assistance for Puerto Rico, debt relief for the federal flood-insurance program, and new funds for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The forest service has also spent $3 billion on firefighting, and state and local governments have committed similar sums.
But that does not fully capture the way that storms, fires, and droughts act as a drain on public resources. There is also the cost of cuts to other agencies to free up money for disasters, and the burden of increased spending on social insurance and safety-net programs, such as food stamps. Consider this analysis of the California fires—just one catastrophic event among many this year: “The cost to contain and fight the fire and deal with the aftermath will be in the billions,” wrote Joel N. Myers, the chairman of the forecasting firm AccuWeather. “The loss in tax revenue from businesses no longer around, including the vineyards; the workers who have lost their jobs and can no longer pay taxes as well as other impacts will be quite costly. This will create a hole in the California budget, which may necessitate an increase in taxes. If California has to borrow more this might negatively impact its bond ratings and it will have to pay higher interest rates on all borrowings.” He estimates the impact at $70 billion to $100 billion.Israeli is making it increasingly more difficult for the international community to help Palestinians living in Gaza, the UN said. (AFP)
The United Nations says Israel has blocked humanitarian aid worth USD 110 million from reaching Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip.
The UN Undersecretary General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman made the comments at the UN Security Council (UNSC) session on Tuesday, March 18.
“The implementation of UN projects has not been renewed, though it was agreed upon with the Israeli authorities. Fifteen projects worth $14 million are currently on hold. 42 more projects worth USD 96 million are awaiting Israel’s permission,” the UN official said.
The UN Undersecretary General for Political Affairs said Palestinians in the besieged strip were living in harsh conditions.
Feltman warned that the humanitarian situation for Palestinians is deteriorating as it is becoming “harder and harder for the UN to help the population of Gaza because of limited access.”
He also said that the growing unemployment rate of Palestinians in Gaza was of great concern, with nearly 40 percent people now being jobless.
Since June 2007, Gaza has been blockaded by Israel in an act which has caused a decline in the living standards as well as unprecedented levels of unemployment, and poverty.
Tel Aviv denies about 1.7 million people in Gaza their basic rights, such as freedom of movement, jobs that pay proper wages, adequate healthcare, and education.
There has been a new round of tensions between the Israelis and Palestinians since March 11 when an Israeli airstrike killed three members of the Palestinian resistance movement Islamic Jihad in Gaza's southern town of Khan Yunis.
The attacks against Gazans continue despite an Egypt-brokered truce in 2012.7 years ago
(CNN) - A megachurch pastor and supporter of Texas Gov. Rick Perry stood firm Saturday on his stance that Christians should vote against presidential hopeful Mitt Romney because of his Mormon faith.
"Those of us that are evangelicals have every right to prefer and select a competent Christian over a competent non-Christian," Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of First Baptist Church Dallas, told CNN on Saturday.
Jeffress stirred controversy Friday when he told reporters at the Values Voter Summit in Washington that he believes Mormonism is a "cult."
The pastor hailed the Texas governor - who is vying for the Republican nomination and the chance to face off against President Barack Obama in 2012 - as a superior candidate to Romney because of his Christian faith.
His comments drew ire from former Education Secretary Bill Bennett on Saturday, who associated Jeffress' remarks with "bigotry" while speaking at the summit.
"Do not give voice to bigotry," Bennett said. "You stepped on and obscured the words of Perry and Santorum and Cain and Bachmann and everyone else who has spoken here. You did Rick Perry no good sir, in what you had to say."
While Romney didn't directly address the comments during his summit appearance Saturday, he praised Bennett for his speech.
Jeffress himself fired back later in the day, arguing that his statements were not bigoted. He cited John Jay, the first chief justice in the United States, who said that Christians have a "duty" to select other Christians as the country's leaders.
"I hardly think John Jay was a bigoted person," Jeffress said.
When asked about Article 6, paragraph 3 of the Constitution, which bans a religious test for the presidency, Jeffress said the clause only applies to the government, not individuals.
"We have every right to impose a litmus test on the kind of person we prefer," he said. "You can show preference without being a bigot and certainly without violating the Constitution."
CNN's Kyra Phillips on Saturday pressed Jeffress on whether religious beliefs should trump competence in presidential candidates.
"Yes," Jeffress said. "To religious people, religion matters."On 28 May this year, a bench of the Delhi High Court dismissed a PIL which urged the Court to direct the state to enact a Uniform Civil Code (UCC). In its judgement, the Court harped upon the need not to act upon considerations of expediency or on the basis of reformist zeal to remedy what the judges felt are flaws in the religious laws of different communities. Rather, gradual changes and granting agency to the particular community is an indispensable part of the rule of law in a pluralist, democratic and secular society. Democracy and secularism are catechisms of the court’s jurisprudence, but the emphasis on pluralism was indeed a rare occurrence.
For it has always been the reverse. In the matter of personal laws, the court’s uneasiness with legal pluralism has always been evident. In the contest between legal universalism, and especially in numerous cases regarding the UCC, judges have always sided with the latter. Not only that, in matters of Muslim personal law, a strain of Islamophobia has always lurked behind the courts’ ostensibly altruistic motivations and reformist zeal.
The Shah Bano case, in which Justice Chandrachud criticised disparate loyalties to personal laws having conflicting ideologies with those of the majority’s Hindu law and slammed the state for lacking political courage to enforce reform, stands out as the most infamous.
Justice Badar Durrez Ahmed’s critique of the Shah Bano judgement is telling. “The honourable Judges of the Supreme Court are men of great learning and legal acumen however they do not possess a complete knowledge of Arabic, of the Qur’an, the hadis and amal of the companions of the Prophet. The Supreme Court in its role of a qazi can certainly apply the Shariat. It cannot however change it or interpret the Qur’an on its own. … What the Supreme Court has done is to have expressed its ‘ra’y’ or private opinion or interpretation of the Aiyats. This is highly arbitrary and extremely dangerous. If this is permitted then the entire Shariat, nay, even the meaning of the Qur’an could be twisted. It is this act of the Supreme Court that has caused such a stir amongst the Muslims of India.” (emphasis supplied).
But these sagacious words were lost on the judiciary, many of whose members have played the role of what is commonly criticised as theologians in robes. There have been more egregious instances than Shah Bano. The sheer contempt for religious plurality and diversity, and the majoritarian strand of making the personal laws a sort of Tebbit Test visible in some judgements have contributed in no small measure to the onslaught against secularism. On 27 August 1947, Vallabhbhai Patel, speaking in the Constituent Assembly, minced no words in condemning those demanding separate electorates for the purpose of representation- they have no place in India and must go to Pakistan, he said. These judgements though not as strident, do no less.
One of the most notorious of cases is Rahmatullah and Khatoon Nisa (1994). The Allahabad High Court’s Justice Hari Nath Tilhari, in what was a dispute over an interpretation of the UP Land Ceiling Act, thought it fit to pronounce on the constitutional validity of triple talaq. The UP law in question was heavily loaded in favour of men, as most land ceiling legislations are, but Justice Tilhari’s profound concern for gender justice was limited to Muslim women only. It could have been a sort of a fig leaf if only he had relied upon theology instead of a random assortment of romantic couplets and novels. Not surprising, because immediately after the demolition of the Babri Masjid, the same judge allowed public worship of the Ram idols in the makeshift temple at the site on the ground that the revered god of the Hindus was a “constitutional identity”.
The Sarla Mudgal (1995) was another case in point. It was a case challenging the practice of Hindu men converting to Islam to circumvent the criminal law of bigamy. Holding that the UCC was imperative "both for the protection of the oppressed and promotion of national unity and solidarity”, Justice Sahai directed the government to bring in the legislation without dragging its feet. When the court dons the mantle of protecting the oppressed in such cases, it snatches away a community’s agency- treating it as incapable of handling its own matters. Worse, making the promotion of national unity and solidarity contingent upon the UCC militates against every tenet of secular jurisprudence and governance. The naked communalism was on display in the very next pronouncement: "Those who preferred to remain in India after the Partition fully knew that the Indian leaders did not believe in the two-nation or three-nation theory. They were also aware that in the Indian Republic there was to be only one nation- the Indian Nation.” One would have to tilt at windmills in order to defend Justice Sahai if he is accused of espousing the cause of religious nationalism or the ‘Hindu Rashtra”, in simpler and more recognisable terms.
In the immediate present, when the demands for “uniformity” get shriller, the onslaught against “minority status” gathers steam and when “Hindu Nationalism” is worn as a badge of honour by the country’s Prime Minister, the Delhi High Court sets a fine example for both India’s judiciary and polity.Santos Become First Club Ever to Score 12,000 Goals
Santos of Brazil became the first club ever to score 12,000 goals as they beat Botafogo-SP 5 |
Thank you all for your help. Onward and upward!Brig Gen Hartmann was appointed to provide impartial legal advice
A military judge has barred a US general from the second war crimes trial at Guantanamo Bay.
The judge, Col Steve Henley, ruled that Air Force Brig Gen Thomas Hartmann, legal adviser to the tribunal, had compromised his objectivity.
Brig Gen Hartmann allegedly "pushed" for Afghan detainee Mohammed Jawad to be charged because of the "gripping" details of his case.
However, moves to dismiss the charges against Mr Jawad were rejected.
Col Henley ruled that the legal adviser's public statements aligning himself with prosecutors and defending the Pentagon's system for prosecuting terrorists suspects had compromised his objectivity.
Brig Gen Hartmann, who was appointed to supply impartial legal advice to the Pentagon appointee overseeing the proceedings, was also barred from the first Guantanamo Bay war crimes trial against Osama Bin Laden's former driver.
'Bullying'
In the current trial, Mr Jawad is accused of throwing a grenade into a US military jeep at a bazaar in Kabul in December 2002. He is charged with attempted murder.
Former chief prosecutor, Air Force Col Morris Davis told the hearing: "The guy who threw the grenade was always at the top of the list."
It was also alleged that Brig Gen Hartmann was "abusive, bullying and unprofessional".
It is now expected that there could be further legal challenges concerning the legal adviser's role in other cases.
Lawyers for the five men accused of involvement in the 11 September attacks - including the alleged ringleader Khalid Sheikh Mohammed - are also challenging Brig Gen Hartmann's involvement in the preparation of charges.
Brig Gen Hartmann supervises the chief prosecutor at Guantanamo Bay, which is in Cuba, and has extensive powers over the tribunal system.MotoGP spec tire supplier Michelin caused a major controversy at the Argentine GP when it unexpectedly brought a new "fourth option" front tire to the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit—that many accused of being specially made for Valentino Rossi. Photo courtesy of Michelin
A huge uproar exploded at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit when Michelin unexpectly brought an additional front tire to the Argentine GP. The move from the MotoGP spec tire supplier divided the riders, paddock, and even the press room into two factions that held opposing views...but they weren’t the only villains.
Was the decision by Michelin to include an unexpected fourth front tire among the available options lamentable? And was this a glimpse into the lack of organization the championship management has in dealing with unexpected situations?
Before getting into these questions, I’ll list the facts so that everyone can form their own opinion. And as I write this I know it won’t be easy, because not even the order of what happened is clear. The declarations from those involved at the time were supposed to be "the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth," but they ended up being confusing and later, even contradictory.
THE FACTS
In our last Qatar GP article where we discussed the front tire problems that had plagued Valentino Rossi throughout the preseason, we wrote that in a single supplier championship like MotoGP the solution would not come from the supplier but would be found in the team box. In earlier free competition times, an individual manufacturer like Michelin would have manufactured a tire in a matter of hours with a more rigid carcass that would likely have solved Rossi's problems. I think there is no question about that.
Valentino Rossi complained loud and hard to Michelin about its spec front tire construction that was causing him major problems with front end feel during the preseason. Although it's hard to argue with two podium finishes in two races so far in 2017... Photo courtesy of Michelin
By unexpectedly bringing a tire to Argentina that on paper benefited Rossi, Michelin forgot about the maxim: "Caesar's wife must be above suspicion.”
Upon arrival to Termos de Rio Hondo, Michelin announced to the riders that the GP would have an additional tire option outside of the three they usually have. This "special" tire, the #70 Michelin, is the one that the French manufacturer retired after pre-season testing in late 2016 after the riders—especially Yamaha's riders—complained that it generated front end chatter.
In view of these problems, Michelin decided to keep the new profile that came with this tire, but return to the less rigid carcass used throughout the 2016 season, the #6, and there began Rossi’s problems with a lack of feedback with his Yamaha M1’s front end.
"We decided to bring back the #70 after several riders in addition to Valentino Rossi complained about the front tire after the Qatar GP," Michelin's chief of staff Nicola Goubert stated in defense of the company’s decision to bring the additional front tire. But this statement contradicts what he said at a midnight meeting on Sunday at Qatar, when he said that only Rossi and Iannone had complained about the #6 front tire. In Termas, this morphed into a group of 7 or 8 riders, among whom included Marc Marquez, Aleix Espargaró, Cal Crutchlow, Dani Pedrosa and others, who complained about that tire.
Although he says he still lacks front end feel with the current spec construction front tire from Michelin, Valentino Rossi was still able to go quick enough to eventually catch up to and pass Cal Crutchlow for second place at Termas de Rio Hondo. Photo courtesy of Michelin
"Since we didn’t have time to make a #70 tire with a compound for Termas, what we did was pull from those that had already been made before the decision to change the carcass,” continued Goubert. “We knew that we wouldn’t be able to run with them here, but they would help us evaluate in which direction to continue evolving our tires.” That is, the #70s were sent out not to be used in the race, but as a test..."unless the temperature on Sunday morning fell a lot," added the French engineer. Granted, this recovered tire has characteristics that not only supposedly benefit Rossi, but other hard braking riders as well, such as Cal Crutchlow, Marc Márquez, or Aleix Espargaró.
Since the recovered #70 was not in Michelin’s forecast, the French manufacturer had to make an extraordinary shipment—and certainly a very expensive one—which, apparently due to customs problems, did not arrive in time for the start of the weekend. That is, on Friday the #70 which was on the list of Michelin options was not at the circuit. It only arrived on Friday night with planned availability to the riders on Saturday.
THE SAFETY COMMISSION’S VETO
But that availability never happened because in an unprecedented decision, the Safety Commission on Friday afternoon decided to veto that extra front tire. Claiming the next day’s weather forecast, the short time available and the confusion that could be caused by having so many combinations possible—four fronts and three rears—the riders forced the Race Commission to accept the decision.
The number of riders attending that Safety Commission meeting isn’t clear, since the figures given to us ranged between 13 to 17. In any case, it was approximately half of the starting grid that made the decision. Rossi was not present at that meeting, and from what some of those there told us, no one objected to it. This is an important nuance: none opposed is different than all in favor.
Michelin MotoGP race boss Nicolas Goubert was left with a lot of explaining to do when the disagreement regarding the unexpected "fourth option" front tire exploded into a full-blown controversy that enveloped the whole paddock at Termas de Rio Hondo. Photo courtesy of Michelin
By vetting a tire proposed by Michelin, the Safety Commission imposed a technical decision that in truth had nothing to do with safety—which is the reason for the commission’s existence.
And while some of the opposition, led by Pol Espargaró, were clearly and vindictively against it, others, as was the case with Márquez, preferred to adopt a position of "no intervention.” Be that as it may, in the end the tire that on paper could have helped Rossi leave his current crisis behind was rejected.
These were the pure and hard facts; Now to the "conspiracies".
But before that, one detail: the Race Commission learned of that available fourth tire only when the riders requested the commission’s presence to announce their decision about it.
THE CONSPIRACY
A decision that immediately divided the paddock into good and bad. And who was on one side or the other depeded on the speaker. It’s not easy to explain, but here goes:
On one side were those who saw Michelin's decision to casually bring a front tire that matched Rossi’s demands as a move favoring the immensely popular nine-time world champion. Those same people explained that it wasn’t a well-known front tire, and he "already has enough here to do what he wants.”
On the other side were those who saw the Safety Commission as a council of anti-Rossi forces, an organized group that one of these supporters dared to call the “Andorra Clan,” referring to the group of riders who have residency in that tiny country in the Pyrenees. A group that includes the Espargaró brothers, Bradley Smith, Héctor Barberá, Maverick Viñales and others.
Both sides understood that their positions were nothing more than a consequence of the given situation. And the schism was not only opened between the riders, but throughout the paddock and even among journalists, where there was a moment when the objectivity that we are supposed to have was lost by some. A strange situation without a doubt.
The Bridgestone vs. Michelin Method
Memories fade quickly, so the comment that was heard in Termas that "These things didn’t happen with Bridgestone," is, again, a half-truth. Of course there were problems with Bridgestone, some of them serious, but it’s no less true that there is a substantial difference between how each is managed.
The Bridgestone management never gave room for discussion because the tires were manufactured in Japan, or in the Japanese style, with Bridgestone deciding what tires were to be used at a particular GP a month or two ahead of time, and those were the tires they had, period. In fact, hard compounds were more unusable than usable, so the riders had no alternatives.
In Michelin’s case, it seems that the French manufacturer is constantly attempting to prove their production prowess and speed of reaction that Bridgestone could never even think of. Michelin has proven over time on this return to the championship they can produce new tires and send them to the other side of the world in almost a week. And it seems that with this strategy they complicate things for themselves. An “insecurity” that seems unnecessary, because after some understandably doubtful beginnings, Michelin supplies a material that allows the riders to go faster and faster with a rate of crashes that is more than acceptable. Something on which all the riders currently agree... Photo courtesy of Bridgestone Motorsport
QUESTIONS
And who was right? The answer is neither. To understand this let’s look at the half-truths and partial facts one by one.
Indeed, in spite of all the explanations, it is unquestionable that Michelin was inappropriate in introducing an unknown and unauthorized tire that was—if I may—"Rossi intended.” I’m honestly not able to say if it was a subterfuge move, or a consequence of the post-Qatar study by the Michelin engineers in Clermont Ferrand. So, in this case, allow me to resort to that of "Caesar's wife must be above suspicion"—and that was not the case at Termas.
In the same way, I don’t believe the "official" reasons the riders alleged to reject the availability of that front tire, and even less the attributions that were given as reasons for the decision over a technical aspect of such magnitude from a commission that oversees rider safety. The given reasons should have been discussed between Michelin and the teams, as well as the Race Commission. The number of tires available has nothing to do with safety. Were four too many to be tested on Saturday? The answer seems obvious: there was no obligation to test them all.
And finally, how is it possible that the management of the entire show was not “aware of what was cooking until the food burned?” How does Michelin decide to change the number of available tires and management finds out only on Saturday, when at the collective press conference on Thursday the issue had already been put on the table?
THE FUTURE
If anyone thinks that the topic of the #70 tire ended at Termas last weekend, they are mistaken. Goubert's nebulous answers to the question regarding if the already famous tire was going to be introduced again at COTA as an option to test only fueled the half-truths theory.
"We are evaluating it," was his vague answer, and when asked if there was a chance that the tire brought to Argentina was in Austin, his response was "not the compound used here"—leaving the door open to the possibility that the #70 is in Texas, but with a rubber that suits that track’s characteristics. We heard all this after asking and re-asking the same things in twenty different ways. It is precisely this lack of clarity that ends up generating and fueling the polemics and conspiracy theories.
Michelin’s lack of clarification on whether or not the vetoed tire will be in Texas in 15 days didn’t help dissipate the sensation of vagueness in this matter...why not explain things as they are?Published online 19 December 2008 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news.2008.1326
News
Hundreds of companies falsely registered to receive higher subsidies.
Almost 4,200 photovoltaic installations in Spain are not producing the power they have promised. Getty
Many of the solar parks that stretch across vast tracts of the Spanish countryside are guilty of fraud, Spain's National Energy Commission (CNE) has found.
In the past two years, Spain's solar industry has grown by a spectacular 900%. The country now has the third largest solar capacity in the world, behind the United States and Germany.
But an ongoing investigation by Spanish authorities has so far unearthed nearly 4,200 photovoltaic installations that were falsely registered as being online by a 30 September deadline in order to receive higher levels of subsidy from power companies. According to the CNE report, however, none of the questionable installations, which are located in 1,447 or 13.3% of the country's solar parks, is actually producing any power.
Spain's Photovoltaic Industry Association (ASIF) has cautioned that not all of the 4,200 suspect installations are necessarily guilty of fraud. "We can talk about three kinds of installations that have received subsidies," says ASIF spokesperson Tomás Díaz. "Those that are 'in the light' — that is, they're producing; those that are 'in the shade', which means they are finished but are not connected yet; and those that are 'in the dark', which aren't finished. The ones that are in the dark are fraudulent, and they should be punished. But some of the ones in the shade aren't online because the local infrastructure isn't ready for them."
Firms rushed to register after the Spanish government agreed in July to reduce its 'feed-in' tariffs for solar panels not operational before 30 September. Under the scheme, companies failing to register active installations before the deadline would receive €320 ($460) per megawatt-hour of capacity for 25 years compared with the original €450 for companies that did. The government also made moves to cap the subsidies by declaring that it would only subsidize a total of 500 megawatts of new installations.
Many solar companies — both fraudlulent and legitimate — have also taken advantage of another loophole in the law. This allows installations to be divided into many smaller units, each of which is eligible for subsidy, explains Francesco d'Avack, an analyst at New Energy Finance in London. "It made it so incredibly profitable," he says.
Cashing in
The boom in the solar sector has coincided with the bursting of Spain's real-estate bubble.
With the state assuring returns of at least 12% over the next 25 years for solar installations, developers have continued to buy up rural lands, only instead of filling them with cookie-cutter housing, they have laid down rows and rows of photovoltaic panels.
"It's true that the real-estate sector has entered the solar industry," says Díaz. "In some cases, it makes sense — most solar panels are going to go on rooftops, and that means involving construction companies. But there are also speculators."
Spain's real-estate industry has a long history of paying kickbacks to officials who ignore zoning laws or grant preferential treatment. Already there are signs that some of the same practices have crept into the solar sector. Earlier this year, six functionaries in the provincial government of Castilla y León resigned after evidence emerged that they had granted installation permits to family members.
"You see a lot of the same practices," says Luis García, of OpciónDos, a company that specializes in urban photovoltaic installations. "Anyone can buy a point-of-connection permit and start receiving payments. It's a piece of paper, it's smoke."
Cleaning up
Among industry analysts, there is concern that the fraudulent installations will effectively use up the government's 500-megawatt cap for 2009. Although a spokesperson at CNE said that those found guilty of fraud will not be eligible for subsidies on their installations if they come online next year, d'Avack worries that another loophole in the law could unfairly allow these firms to benefit.
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"There's a provision in the law that says that if you have the paperwork complete, you'd have significant priority in the next round," he says. "We're going to see the pipe already clogged with those trying to get in under the old feed-in tariff."
That prediction seems to have been accurate. On 17 December, the Industry, Tourism and Commerce ministry announced it would postpone the January award of tariffs to new installations until 1 March. The reason, according to the ministry, was "the elevated number of applications presented".This is a friendly reminder that the Flock submission deadline is less than a month away, on April 8th 2016. If you have been thinking of submitting a talk or workshop, now would be a great time to get that sent in.
Flock talk ideas
The Council is particularly interested in talks that address any of the current Council Objectives as well as discussions around new Objectives people would like to see. Of course, innovation happens outside of Fedora itself and we’d love
to hear about that as well. If you’ve been using Fedora as a foundation for other interesting Free and Open Source software and/or community work, consider submitting a talk or workshop around it.
Get Flock talks submitted!
Remember, without your contributions we cannot have Flock. Let’s work together to make it great.
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Like this: Like Loading...Google wants even third-party Android apps to be able to do searches using "Ok, Google" voice commands, so it's now making it easier for developers to integrate the feature. Now, all devs have to do is add a few lines of code to their AndroidManifest.xml -- they can even copy and paste those lines straight from the company's post in the Android Developers Blog. After that, users can issue vocal commands to make a query (for instance: "Ok Google, search for hotels in Maldives on TripAdvisor") from within the app. They can even do that from any screen on their phones, so long as they activate hot-word detection. Cool, right? Unfortunately, this feature also has limitations: it will only work for folks with phones running Jelly Bean and above, and only for those in English-speaking locales.Friday night events that prompted a series of petitions over rowdy behaviour of visitors and their impact on animals replaced by family-friendly Sunset Safaris
London Zoo has retired its alcohol-fuelled Friday night Zoo Lates parties in favour of more sedate, family-friendly events.
The move follows the Guardian revealing last year that sources at the zoo were concerned at the impact of visitors’ rowdy behaviour on animals after a series of incidents including a man pouring a beer over a tiger.
The revelations prompted a series of petitions signed by tens of thousands of people calling on the zoo to end the parties, and an investigation by Westminster council.
The new format, rebranded as Sunset Safaris, begins this Friday. Unlike the previous events, the gorilla kingdom, one of the zoo’s main attractions, will be off-limits to visitors due to the birth of a baby gorilla. The Guardian last year saw crowds at a Zoo Lates event in the gorilla area shouting beneath a sign asking visitors to be quiet.
Man pours beer over tiger as London zoo Lates parties get out of hand Read more
The zoo said the events manager who oversaw the Zoo Lates resigned in November last year. Sources at the zoo who raised the initial alarm over the evenings said they were “delighted” and the change of format “speaks volumes”.
However, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) said the move was not enough. Elisa Allen, the group’s associate director, said: “The fact that animals in zoos have no way of escaping their day-to-day confinement is bad enough, but allowing visitors in the zoo outside normal business hours interrupts the animals’ usual sleep schedule and can cause them fear, distress and even physical harm.
“Whether they call them Zoo Lates or Sunset Safaris, London Zoo has made it perfectly clear that it doesn’t give a monkey’s about the individuals in its ‘care’.” The zoo denies the events impact on animal welfare.
Zoo Lates were marketed an as “after party with the animals” and attracted a young party crowd including hen parties and hundreds dressed in animal onesies. “Thought the zoo was for kids?” one article sponsored by the zoo said under the headline of “Release your wild side”, outlining the specially-chosen wines on offer.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Animal welfare organisations had complained to ZSL that Zoo Late parties were a threat to animals. Photograph: Andy Hall for The Guardian
By contrast, the Sunset Safaris are advertised as for “friends, couples, and families alike invited to experience the magic of the zoo after-hours” and invite visitors to hear “tales from the field” by the zoo’s conservationists. Alcohol will still be sold at the events.
A spokeswoman for Zoological Society of London said the changes were part of a regular review of its events to ensure it was delivering new experiences for visitors: “Zoo Lates was an incredible success, but after five years was due for review and we’re now looking forward to our new series of summer events, including Sunset Safari.”
The incidents at the former Zoo Lates parties included a man stripping off and attempting to enter the penguin pool, forcing staff to intervene, and unconfirmed reports that a drunken woman tried to enter the lion enclosure. One group on a night out cracked the glass on a snake enclosure, forcing the snakes to be moved.
The RSPCA, Peta and five other animal charities wrote to the zoo’s director last year asking him to shut down Zoo Lates as they were threatening animal welfare.
Westminster city council, which licenses the zoo, investigated the parties but later cleared them, finding “no evidence of any animal welfare implications as a result of the Zoo Lates events”.
The events are an important source of fundraising to pay for the pioneering conservation work by the world’s oldest zoo, raising £800,000 a year. The Sunset Safaris run each Friday until 17 July.
• This article was amended on 5 June 2015 to clarify the zoo’s former events manager resigned and was not sacked.WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Any further cost increase or problems with the $382 billion F-35 Joint Strike Fighter would mean reduced Pentagon purchases of the new warplane, being developed and built by Lockheed Martin Corp, U.S. Air Force Secretary Michael Donley told a Senate committee on Tuesday.
Donley said the latest restructuring of the program should allow the F-35 to continue with the “least risk.”
But he said the Pentagon’s F-35 program office and Lockheed had been told there was “no more money to put against contract overruns or problems.”
“To the extent that there continue to be cost growth or challenges... We’ll have to take down the number of aircraft that we have planned in procurement to pay for that work because no more money is going to be migrating into this program,” Donley told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The Pentagon’s fiscal 2013 budget calls for postponing production of 179 F-35 planes to save $15.1 billion over the next five years, as the U.S. military begins to implement $487 billion in spending cuts over the next decade.
Slowing development would also avert costly retrofits if further issues arise during flight testing.
Donley said the decision to slow down production would probably add some cost to the program, but he said it would also save money if additional problems came up during testing, necessitating retrofits of planes already produced.
“It adds time to the program and that usually means costs,” he said.
He said the Pentagon was working on an adjusted cost estimate for the program, with details to be shared with Congress later this spring.
Pentagon leaders have said they are not scaling back their plans to buy a total of 2,443 F-35s for the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, but Donley’s comments indicate the procurement target may not hold indefinitely if additional issues arise.
Current plans call for the Air Force to acquire 1,763 of the stealthy fighter planes, while the Navy and Marine Corps would get a combined total of 680.
Lockheed is building three variants of the radar-evading supersonic warplane for the U.S. military and eight countries that are helping to fund its development — Britain, Australia, Canada, Turkey, Italy, Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands. Israel and Japan also plan to buy the new fighter.
U.S. officials last week sought to allay concerns over delays and escalating costs for the F-35, telling the eight partner nations at a meeting in Australia that there would be no further delays on the program.Deep machine learning algorithms can help government agencies analyze satellite imagery.
WASHINGTON — For all the hype and promise around artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies in military applications, it always comes down to what specifically can be done with it.
The industry keeps rolling out new gee-whiz artificial intelligence tools but the defense and intelligence communities still are trying to figure out how to use them and whether they really work as promised.
According to a new study, there is one area where deep machine learning algorithms can definitely help the government, and that is to analyze satellite imagery.
Officials from the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency have called on the private sector to bring forth machine learning tools to automate repetitive and time-consuming image analysis tasks. They want to free up skilled analysts to spend more time on hard intelligence problems that can’t be turned over to a computer.
Researchers from the Center for Geospatial Intelligence at the University of Missouri used a deep learning neural network to assist human analysts in visual searches for surface-to-air missile sites over a large area in southeastern China. The results showed that the computer performed an average search time of only 42 minutes for an area of approximately 90,000 square kilometers. By comparison, North Korea is about 120,000 square kilometers.
“This was more than 80 times more efficient than a traditional human visual search,” the center’s director and University of Missouri electrical engineering and computer science professor Curt Davis told SpaceNews.
The software achieved the same overall statistical accuracy as human analysts — 90 percent — for correctly locating the missile sites.
“I’ve been doing this research for almost 20 years, and I do believe the application of deep machine learning technology to satellite imagery reconnaissance is revolutionary,” he said. “I never expected this type of performance that we’ve been able to see both in the lab and the study. The metrics we’re seeing, the applications to larger-scale data sets to me is revolutionary.”
Historically, machine learning algorithms haven’t performed well when they have been applied to large satellite imagery data sets, he said. The breakthroughs came in the last couple of years. The computer used in the study searched the 90,000 square kilometer area in less than an hour.
Information overload
U.S. defense and intelligence agencies are drowning in high-resolution imagery they need to analyze every day to monitor events unfolding around the world. “There is simply not enough manpower to effectively analyze all the image data collected today, and the problem is only getting worse,” Davis said.
And the technology is only going to get better, he said. “The ultimate goal is to recognize dozens and hundreds of different types of objects very quickly,” said Davis. “I believe that goal is achievable in the near future.” Researchers will be training networks to search for things military analysts typically look for, including bunkers, aircraft shelters, radar sites, antennas, satellite dishes, launch pads and tank formations.
The study used commercially available remote sensing satellite imagery of one-meter resolution. With new generations of satellites soon to be launched by commercial firms, including some with sub-meter resolution, the data deluge will continue. “It has taken a while for the remote sensing community to evaluate these deep machine learning methods,” said Davis. “Most of the studies I’ve seen were only experiments against limited data sets,” he continued. “Now we’ve been able to apply deep learning models to a large data set.”
The research was published in the SPIE Journal of Applied Remote Sensing in a special issue on deep learning in remote sensing applications. Readers can search for Chinese surface-to-air missile sites on a demonstration website that uses the same high-resolution satellite imagery and deep learning algorithms used in the study.
If and when these tools start replacing human analysts remains to be seen. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Director Robert Cardillo said recently he wants to automate 75 percent of the repetitive tasks analysts perform so they can focus on the “25 percent that require the most attention.”
Deep learning methods can help do that, said Davis. The tough threat posed by North Korea is a case in point. The computer can find most of the fixed-site missiles but it takes human skills to track Pyongyang’s notoriously elusive mobile ballistic missile launchers. “That’s a harder problem. They can be hiding in a cave, pop out and launch a test missile.”
Pentagon interest
The Pentagon years ago identified machine learning and artificial intelligence as central elements to the military’s modernization strategy for weapons and information systems. Clearly the industry is progressing quickly, but the Defense Department has not moved as fast in applying the technology.
“One of the challenges DoD faces in this area is that we are too often in this position where we discuss something in an abstract or theoretical way,” said Shawn Steene, senior force planner for emerging technologies at the Defense Department. He spoke Oct. 19 at a CNA panel discussion on artificial intelligence.
In recognition of the growing role of these technologies in defense, CNA, a federally funded nonprofit think tank in Arlington, Va., announced the opening of a “Center for Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy.”
“To some degree we’re limited by our creativity in the application of these capabilities,” Steene said.
He recalled when the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation put out an open-source challenge offering a prize to whoever would come up with the best algorithms to take overhead imagery and identify the buildings in the picture. “The point was to remove from the analysts the first cut layer,” he said. “Just having that program to do that, having the machine doing the first layer, I can pass that to an analyst. And instead of spending time doing basic tasks, now they can do the ‘value added’ work.”
Using artificial intelligence for data mining also could help prioritize information so networks are not clogged by data that may not be valuable, said Steene. “Instead of needing a giant pipe, if I have some screening at the front end, I can constrain the data flow,” he said. This technology offers infinite applications but the Defense Department needs to define the problems it is trying to address and “we need to use more creativity.”(Victor Yuzo Kitayama / Spin )
O ex-presidente do Banco Central Gustavo Franco disse nesta quinta-feira, 27, que, mesmo com a aprovação do novo regime fiscal e da reforma da Previdência, a dívida pública vai se estabilizar em 80% do Produto Interno Bruto (PIB), o que ele considera ser ainda um patamar absurdo a um País como o Brasil.
Ao participar de congresso no Insper, o economista fez uma comparação da situação brasileira com a dos Estados Unidos, uma das nações mais endividadas do mundo, mas onde a dívida, equivalente a 107% do PIB - no maior nível desde a Segunda Guerra -, representa apenas cerca de 20% da riqueza financeira privada americana.
No Brasil, a dívida, comentou Franco, chegará a uma menor proporção do PIB, mas num País, em termos de riqueza privada, cinco vezes mais pobre do que os EUA. Citando estimativas de um estudo de 2005 feito pelo colega Fabio Giambiagi, ele destacou que a dívida saltaria para 270% do PIB se somado o pesado passivo previdenciário - entre 95% do PIB vindo das aposentadorias do funcionalismo público e outros 95% da previdência do setor privado (INSS).
"Acho que isso traz para nós uma dimensão de conflito distributivo intergeracional que o País jamais teve. Os meninos que estão nas escolas talvez estejam com a ideia errada do que deveriam protestar", disse Franco, numa provocação aos estudantes que ocupam escolas em protesto contra temas como a reforma do ensino e a proposta que limita os gastos públicos, a PEC 241. "Quem vai pagar a conta da Previdência são eles (...) E eles não sabem disso", acrescentou, mais tarde, já durante a sessão de perguntas do painel em que foi um dos debatedores.
Ao abordar os estragos da política econômica adotada durante o governo Dilma Rousseff, Franco elencou seis erros do que chamou de "furacão Dilma": "minicongelamento" de preços públicos para camuflar inflação; protecionismo, com intervenção excessiva no mercado de câmbio; política de financiamentos do BNDES a "campeões nacionais"; não cumprimento da meta de inflação; reversão do superávit primário; e escândalo de corrupção na Petrobras.
O ex-presidente do BC considerou que, embora o impacto financeiro tenha sido trágico, o prejuízo institucional causado pela gestão Dilma foi pequeno. "O problema foram as dúvidas em razão dessa imensa malversação e desse furacão."
Mais tarde, em entrevista ao Broadcast, sistema de notícias em tempo real do Grupo Estado, Franco considerou que as aposentadorias vão pressionar as demais despesas da União se a aprovação da PEC 241, agora no Senado, não for seguida pela reforma da Previdência, cuja tramitação ainda nem foi iniciada no Congresso.
"A própria lógica do teto é que haja uma espécie de competição de prioridades, como é saudável em toda democracia. E a prioridade previdenciária está um pouco exagerada da forma como está na Constituição. Talvez ela precise voltar a nível onde há espaço a outras demandas sociais", afirmou o economista.Nine questions into a phone interview, we ask Matt Schaub about his ear. The ear. The most famous ear since Mike Tyson took a bite out of Evander Holyfield's.
"I was wondering when you were going to get to that," the Houston Texans quarterback said. "I thought I might skate this time..."
Schaub laughs. His ear was bloodied and gashed two Sundays ago on an illegal hit by Denver Broncos linebacker Joe Mays, who drew a one-game suspension, and he laughs. But he also considers the whole incident to have been "blown out of proportion." In other words, it's no van Gogh.
"It's almost as if people think I lost all of my ear," Schaub said. "Really, it was a bad cut, a little gash. A little piece out of my earlobe is missing, that's all."
Oh, sure. That's all.
We should provide this fairly important reminder here: The ear gash -- which initially appeared to be a serious injury as Schaub lay helmetless on the field, hands to the side of his head -- caused Schaub to miss just one play.
One single play.
"His toughness," wide receiver Andre Johnson said, "is not a question."
From afar, David Carr took note. Now a backup to Eli Manning with the New York Giants, Carr quarterbacked the Texans for their first five seasons, playing in 75 of 80 games and enduring a staggering 249 sacks. When Carr and the Texans parted ways following the 2006 season, Houston had won a total of 24 games. Yes, Carr relates well to tough hits.
"It might be just the jersey number eight in Houston," said a good-natured Carr.
In his sixth season since inheriting No. 8 from Carr, Schaub and the Texans are sending notice that they, finally, have arrived. New York Jets linebacker Bart Scott called the Texans "arguably the best team in the AFC," and his team will get an up-close view on Monday night, when the Texans visit MetLife Stadium. Houston has never defeated the Jets in five games and has never won on the road in primetime.
"I've never really thought about that," Schaub said, "but we're trying to accomplish a lot of 'firsts' around here this season."
Oh, yeah, the Texans are 4-0 for the first time in their history, and their record tells only part of the story. The defense has been dominant, allowing a league-low 56 points and quite simply punishing its opponents. Defensive end J.J. Watt has more sacks (7.5) than 11 teams, including the Jets (5).
And then there's Schaub, who is 8-0 with a 68.4 completion percentage in his last eight starts, logging 12 touchdowns and two interceptions. And he hasn't been winning on |
depths these barrels pose a high potential for danger. And it’s not for nothing that dumping in the ocean has been forbidden in the last 20 years,” Sylvia Kotting-Uhl, a Green Party member of parliament and nuclear policy spokesman, told SWR.I came home from a nice walk with my rescue pup, River, and noticed the Cafepress box by my door. Of course, River had to investigate it as well. I didn't remember ordering any shirts from them recently, but was still excited because knowing me I had just forgot about ordering something... And then I remembered, "HEY! MY GIFT EXCHANGE!" and was even MORE excited I almost dropped the stuff I was carrying!
The box label reminded me of a funny story... When I was very little, my Mom taught me to always be thankful for any gifts that I received and to act excited, even if I wasn't. Once I remember unwrapping a box that on the outside appeared to be a hot plate for putting coffee mugs to keep warm. (wtf is a 7 year old going to do with that??) Nonetheless, I exclaimed how awesome it was and how excited I was to heat up drinks and thanked the family member that gave it to me. My Mom nudged me, shaking her head, and told me to open it up first. I believe it ended up being a really cool doll toy of some sort - but I was an odd kid and I think I was actually looking forward to the warming plate because I hyped it up so much while pretending to like it. Given my enjoyment of teas and coffees now, I can see why!
I loved the personal note with the story behind the selection and the best ways to make them. Thanks, that'll really come in handy!...
The Philadelphia Eagles have already begun their 2015 NFL roster cuts. The Eagles have until 4:00 PM EST on Saturday, Sept. 5 to get their roster down to the 53-player limit.
Stay tuned to this thread for lives updates on Eagles cuts today, Friday, Sept. 4. The Eagles might not officially confirm their roster moves until Saturday but some of the moves will slowly leak out through media reports until then.
Cuts and updates
Based on these reports, the Eagles roster currently stands at around 57. That leaves 4 more moves to be made. In case you were wondering, the waiver period for the weekend ends at noon on Sunday.
[9:20 AM EST] - New thread! Click here.
[9:45 PM EST] Howard Eskin reports a few things: 1) Kenjon Barner is not being shopped, 2) Najee Goode is being shopped, and 3) Jaylen Watkins has been cut.
Despite multiple reports #Eagles r not trying to trade RB Kenjon Barner but are shopping LB Najee Goode. Im told DB J. Watkins has been cut — Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) September 5, 2015
[9:40 PM EST] Safety Ed Reynolds has reportedly been cut which seems like a good sign for Jerome Couplin.
[8:00 PM EST] It sounds like the Eagles are trying to trade Jaylen Watkins. If Philadelphia can't find a trade partner, he might be released.
[7:00 PM EST] Eagles release rookie undrafted free agent tight end Eric Tomlinson. Definitely a practice squad candidate.
#Eagles have informed UDFA TE Eric Tomlinson that they're planning on releasing him, source said. — Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) September 4, 2015
[5:20 PM EST] Raheem Mostert's agent says the Eagles waived him. Seems like a potential good sign for Kenjon Barner.
[5:00 PM EST] I'm reporting that ESPN's report about the Eagles turning down a trade offer from the Dolphins earlier this offseason isn't true.
[4:00 PM EST] Matt Barkley has reportedly been traded to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for a conditional seventh round pick. This seems to bode well for Tim Tebow's chances of making the final roster.
[1:45 PM EST] Another pick from the 2015 NFL Draft class has been cut: Randall Evans. This means the Eagles will only have three of their six picks from this year's draft on the active roster (Nelson Agholor, Eric Rowe, Jordan Hicks). Evans could be a PS candidate.
Eagles cut sixth-round pick Randall Evans, according to a source — Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) September 4, 2015
[1:25 PM EST] Here's a surprise: Chris Prosinski cut. The Eagles signed the veteran halfway through last season and he played well on special teams. This seems to bode well for Ed Reynolds and/or Jerome Couplin.
The #Eagles have released Chris Prosinski, per source. — Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) September 4, 2015
[1:10 PM EST] Eagles cut Malcolm Bunche, who is a practice squad candidate if he clears waivers. With Moffitt, Vandervelde, and Bunche gone... maybe Josh Andrews will make the roster.
#Eagles to release OL Malcolm Bunche from Newark HS #delhs, source says. Definite candidate for practice squad if he clears waivers. — Martin Frank (@Mfranknfl) September 4, 2015
[12:50 PM EST] - Undrafted rookie Travis Raciti has been cut. No surprise.
DE Travis Raciti has been released by the #Eagles, source says. #NFL — Matt Lombardo (@MattLombardo975) September 4, 2015
[12:30 PM EST] Undrafted rookie free agent Brett Boyko has reportedly been waived. The Eagles gave Boyko a decent signing bonus so he could be practice squad material.
UFA OL Brett Boyko has been informed of his release according to a league source. #Eagles #NFL — Matt Lombardo (@MattLombardo975) September 4, 2015
[12:15 PM EST] Running back Kenjon Barner is reportedly available for trade, via NJ.com. Maybe a good sign for Raheem Mostert?
[11:41 AM EST] The Eagles are reportedly trying to trade Najee Goode. If they can't move him, it would seem the team plans to cut him.
[11:40 AM EST] No surprises here: depth linebacker Deontae Skinner and rookie tight end Andrew Gleichert have been waived.
Recently signed Deonte Skinner has been released by the #Eagles according to team source. — Matt Lombardo (@MattLombardo975) September 4, 2015
Tight end Andrew Gleichert has been released by the #Eagles, source says. — Matt Lombardo (@MattLombardo975) September 4, 2015
[11:22 AM EST] Backup offensive lineman Julian Vandervelde and wide receiver Quron Pratt have been released. Pratt spent last year on the team's practice squad.
Per source the #Eagles have released Julian Vandervelde and Quron Pratt. #NFL — Matt Lombardo (@MattLombardo975) September 4, 2015
[11:20 AM EST] Eagles waive rookie wide receiver Rasheed Bailey. The Division III home-town product had a good summer but got caught up in a numbers game. Expect to see him back on the practice squad if no one else claims him.
#Eagles have informed UDFA rookie WR Rasheed Bailey that they intend to release him, source said. — Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) September 4, 2015
[11:10 AM EST] Eagles waive backup punter Kip Smith. No surprise.
No surprise here... #Eagles have waived K/P Kip Smith, per source. — Matt Lombardo (@MattLombardo975) September 4, 2015
[10:55 AM EST] The Giants cut their trash-talking punter, Steve Weatherford.
The #Giants have released punter Steve Weatherford, a source says. — Rand Getlin (@Rand_Getlin) September 4, 2015
[10:45 AM EST] John Moffitt is gone. The veteran struggled this offseason.
John Moffitt has been cut by the #Eagles, according to team source. — Matt Lombardo (@MattLombardo975) September 4, 2015
[10:40 AM EST] The first cut is the deepest here. NJ.com reports Eagles 2015 seventh round pick Brian Mihalik has been cut. He's an ideal practice squad candidate.
Per team source, the #Eagles have cut Brian Mihalik. It has begun. — Matt Lombardo (@MattLombardo975) September 4, 2015
Live Twitter feed
Tweets from https://twitter.com/BleedingGreen/lists/eagles-newsAllyn West hasn't added a story.
On March 13, a 21-year-old drunk driver trying to evade arrest sped the wrong way on a one-way street and plowed through a police barricade at the annual SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. He injured dozens of people. He killed three.
Evan West is one who was injured, and Jamie West, his wife of two years, one who died. She was just 27.
Leaving the festival early, as Jamie had to be up for work the next morning, they were struck on their motorcycle near the intersection of Red River and 11th Street. Witnesses said that the driver, whose blood-alcohol level would later be measured at 0.114, accelerated as he fled, peeling through the crowds on Red River, which festival organizers had blocked off for pedestrians only.
Jamie was pronounced at the scene. Evan was rushed to Brackenridge, a trauma hospital near UT. He had been severely injured, breaking his leg in three places, fracturing two ribs, lacerating his spleen and liver, and sustaining trauma to his brain.
We need your help. Whatever we receive through this fund will help us with the many costs related to Jamie's funeral and Evan's recovery.DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland anticipates a 10-fold increase in the number of customs declarations made by local companies after Brexit, a senior official at the government agency responsible for customs checks said on Tuesday.
A man works on a container ship in Dublin, Ireland February 24, 2016. A general election will take place in Ireland on February 26. REUTERS/Darren Staples
With close trading links to Britain and the only land border with the United Kingdom, Irish businesses fear that their neighbour’s departure from the European Union will lead to a costly rise in tariffs, paperwork and transit times.
Ireland’s Office of the Revenue Commissioners said its plans assume that Britain will leave the EU’s single market and will “almost certainly” be outside the bloc’s customs union, meaning companies would have to deal with two different customs regimes.
“The volume of customs declarations would clearly increase, possibly by a factor of 10. A lot of those would be cross-border in Ireland, small in value but big in number,” Liam Irwin, commissioner at the agency, told a parliamentary committee.
“The reality, assuming the UK is outside the customs union, is that all trading transactions will be subject to customs declaration. That doesn’t necessarily mean customs duty but there is a cost clearly.”
Irwin said the majority of declarations would likely be made electronically - perhaps via a mobile phone app - and most would be approved immediately. Some 6-8 percent, primarily container traffic, would require a physical inspection, he predicted.
BORDER ISSUE
For trade between the Irish Republic and the British province of Northern Ireland, such customs controls could be carried out at stations near but not on the border, possibly 10-15 kilometres from the frontier, Irwin said.
The Irish and British governments want to avoid the return of a hard border with customs checks and border posts. The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier challenged Dublin last week to help him find “imaginative” solutions.
Government research shows that smaller, rural-based firms are the most exposed to trading changes. Britain accounts for around 17 percent of Irish exports, but that figure leaps to 44 percent when foreign-owned firms are excluded. Over two-thirds of Irish firms also access continental markets through the UK.
Acknowledging those risks, the government said this month that it would make a strong case to fellow member states that it may require EU support to mitigate the “serious disturbance” Brexit represents to the Irish economy.
Ireland’s top civil servant overseeing Brexit planning told the committee that one of the areas being examined was a potential exemption from EU state-aid rules to provide financial support to some companies adversely affected by Brexit.
However such a request would not yet be made “as long as we’re in the realm of wanting to see the closest possible trading relationship” between the EU and UK, John Callinan, second secretary at the prime minister’s department, said.By Michael Martinez and Mariano Castillo, CNN
Los Angeles (CNN) - Jonathan Larios hears it all the time: Someone walks into his Honduran restaurant and they think it's a Mexican place.
"Oh, I hate that. That bothers me a lot," said Larios, 21, general manager of two Los Angeles-area restaurants called Honduras Kitchen. "They always ask, 'How's the Mexican food?' It gets frustrating over time.
"It's like the most race that people always see is black, Mexican and American. They don't see anything else," said Larios, whose mother is Honduran and father Salvadoran.
His first-hand experience shows that some Americans confuse all Hispanics as being Mexicans. While it's true that Mexicans make up the largest segment of the Hispanic population in the United States, a new Brown University study that shows Latinos are hardly a monolithic group.
The demographic has wide differences in nationalities that are becoming more salient, the study said.
"When studies are done of Hispanics, the results mostly reflect the experience of Mexicans, who are more than 60% of the total," the study says. "But observers would be mistaken if they thought they knew Hispanics in the U.S. by looking only at Mexicans."
The large percentage of U.S. Hispanics of Mexican descent, an overwhelming majority, inadvertently hides distinct trends among Hispanics with origins in other countries, according to the report released Wednesday.
The differences extend to cuisine, too, Larios added.
His parents own both restaurants, in Long Beach and Huntington Park, the latter being in business for 20 years, making it the oldest Honduran eatery in the state, he said.
"I tell them our food is very different," he said of customers who confuse Honduran food with Mexican dishes. "Most of our food doesn't have anything hot and spicy. Our food will never be spicy."
Hondurans are proud of their heritage and often emblazon the flag on their soccer jersey, whether they're playing in a neighborhood league or cheering for the national team, he said.
Many non-Mexican groups are growing at a faster rate, and doing better economically, the study found. In another telling figure, Hispanics other than Mexican are much less segregated than often assumed.
While the number of Hispanics who identify as Mexican has increased 137% between 1990 and 2010, those with other origins have grown at a much faster rate. During that 20-year span, it is estimated that the Honduran population in the U.S. increased by 383%, Guatemalans by 289% and Peruvians by 204%.
"Mexicans are not losing their weight, but some groups who were small and not on the radar now number in the millions," said John Logan, one of the report's authors. "South Americans are now everywhere, and if you add them up, they are a huge number."
The three largest groups of Hispanics - Mexicans, Puerto Ricans and Cubans - make up 62%, 9%, and 4%, respectively, according to Census data. Central Americans make up 8% of the Hispanic population, and South Americans 5%.
In 1990, only three Hispanic largest groups had more than a million residents in the United States. By 2010, Dominicans, Guatemalans and Salvadorans had joined that club.
One of the findings seemed to show that the national perception of the Hispanic population is closely tied in with the Mexican community. There is the persistent idea, for example, that Hispanics in the United States are insular and segregated from other non-Hispanic communities.
"The very stable trend of high segregation is one attributed to Hispanics, but it turns out it is mainly a characteristic of Mexicans," Logan said.
According to a measure known as the Index of Dissimilarity, every Hispanic group except Mexicans has become substantially less segregated since 1990.
Half of all South Americans used to be located in Los Angeles, New York and Miami, but by 2010, only 34% lived in these cities, the study says.
Other generalizations persist.
"There may be a general assumption that Hispanics are immigrants, which was never true for Puerto Ricans," Logan said. "There may be a generalized assumption about relatively low education and skill levels, which does not fit average Cubans and South Americans, and increasingly not Puerto Ricans."
The data indicates that below the surface, there is a great deal more change within the Hispanic population than commonly thought, Logan said.
These differences could be important to advertisers who target Hispanics, or politicians who seek their votes.
"I suspect that on the whole, their view of the Hispanic community is that of it as one community (the Mexican community) and that's probably not a strategy that will be really helpful," Logan said.
Logan conducted a similar study in 2000, and his most recent research was a continuation of that to see if the differences he spotted 13 years ago remained. The patterns and trends have become even clearer in the past decade, he said.
The report also took a look at certain social and economic characteristics of the different groups that showed various degrees of economic success. One measure examined were the median wages of each group.
While the median annual wage for Mexicans in the United States was $20,200, wages were much higher for Argentines and Venezuelans, both with median wages of $30,300.
This finding wasn't surprising, as social scientists have long noted that those with roots in Cuba and South America tend to have different economic backgrounds.
But one group that is sometimes assumed to be insular and employed in lower wage jobs, Puerto Ricans, are actually doing quite well, the study found. Puerto Ricans have increasingly integrated with the rest of the population and have a median wage of nearly $30,000.Welcome to the latest horror of the world wide web, Potential Prostitutes.
The website allows users to label any woman a "potential prostitute" by submitting her photo, phone number and location. This information is then posted on the site without the woman's consent. If someone wishes to be removed from the site, they are asked to pay a one-time fee of $99.95.
According to the website, Potential Prostitutes "operate[s] based on the efforts from motivated members of their local community who have at one point or another come into contact with a potential prostitute online and feel they can be a threat." The mission statement goes on to thank "brave visitors for stepping forward to tell the world what it should already know, that exposing online prostitute discourages other potential offenders from doing the very same thing." Yes, this website actually exists.
The FAQ section makes it clear that the founders of Potential Prostitutes -- who have yet to make themselves known, Boing Boing reported -- do not care whether the accusations of prostitution are libelous and state that the profiles will remain published unless someone pays to remove them.
Boing Boing also reported that the website was only registered in October 2012, and to a P.O. box in Stockholm, Sweden. This means that it's hard to know whether the women listed are even real women or whether anyone has in fact paid the exorbitant fee to be removed. Weighing in over at The Gloss, Amanda Chatel wrote that Potential Prostitutes "seems to be less about'saving' the world from sex workers and more about extorting money from the falsely accused."
Real or not, the idea behind the site is pretty sick. Don't women already get shamed enough for their sexual choices? And even if the women on the site were actual prostitutes, how are they "threats" to those invited to participate in this site?
[H/T The Gloss]
RELATED ON HUFFPOST WOMEN: The 35 Best And Worst Moments In Sex, 2012Position Description: Operations Manager
DiscNY Inc. is hiring an Operations Manager. This is DiscNY’s first and only employee. As such, the role is ultimately flexible and will grow with time. The aim is to continue building a supportive, efficient, and sustainable organization for ultimate frisbee in the greater New York area.
A successful candidate will facilitate efficient communication and logistical coordination; profitable adult events that allow us to reinvest in youth programming as the future of our community; and positive public relations, community development, and volunteer management.
Through these, we hope to build a world-class ultimate scene for players of all ages and goals.
Communication
As the Operations Manager, positive and efficient communication is crucial. Your responsibilities will encompass community management, public relations, marketing, social media, contact database management, and basic website editing.
These include:
Meeting & connecting with the community: chatting with teams, attending leagues and community meetings, building volunteer lists, supporting all teams at all levels of play and community members, promoting events, etc.
Being friendly and professional in all interactions.
Providing information to the board, volunteers, and community quickly, accurately, and professionally.
Maintaining the DiscNY website with accurate information that is accessible to beginners and long-time community members alike.
Assisting media volunteers with monthly newsletters and social media content such as facebook, twitter and youtube.
Growing mailing list and social media followers.
Creating community events for community members to connect, socialize, and/or send us feedback.
Volunteer Management
As the Operations Manager, you will oversee 40+ volunteers and all our events. Your responsibilities will encompass volunteer, event, operations, infrastructure, and logistical management.
These include:
Recruiting, training, overseeing, supporting, and retaining volunteers.
Ensuring all events have the support, guidance, and resources they need.
Creating consistent ways to communicate and share resources.
Enabling volunteers to easily understand, follow, and build on your work.
Filling in wherever/whenever needed
Long-Term Vision
As the Operations Manager and DiscNY’s only employee, it is crucial you understand our community and maintain a big-picture focus. Your responsibilities will encompass growth, budgeting, administration, and new ventures.
These include:
Getting to know our community and understanding its priorities needs and priorities.
Putting in place processes to continuously improve organizational efficiency.
Sustainably growing events and creating new ones.
Maintaining profitable budgets for adult programming and a sustainable company.
Connecting with the global ultimate community to research new ideas.
Commitment & Salary
We are looking for an applicant who is committed to investing at least 2 - 4 years in the role. Salary and benefits are to be negotiated. DiscNY would like to fill the position by the start of the 2018 but it will remain open until filled. The Operations Manager will report to the DiscNY board at each monthly meeting. The position requires spending an extensive amount of time within the greater New York area. Some weekends and night work required as well as occasional travel.
Desired Candidates
The ideal candidate is flexible, community-focused, and incredibly self-motivated.
They should:
Know and love the New York ultimate community.
Have 2 - 10 years organizational experience within ultimate as an employee, captain, commissioner, or other capacity.
Have 2 - 10 years management experience within nonprofits, sporting organizations, and/or community organizations.
Be comfortable with all of the above tasks.
Be comfortable with Google Drive, Facebook, Twitter/Tweetdeck, Mailchimp, and preferably QuickBooks.
Have familiarity with USAU event, team and player registration processes
Be comfortable committing to 2 - 4 years with DiscNY.
DiscNY is incredibly excited about this opportunity. We look forward to hearing from you.
Should you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us at. Applicants should submit their application - to include a cover letter, resume, and contact information for two recommendations - to.
Good luck!Cybersecurity workers face many challenges on the job. Here are 10 bad habits they must avoid in order to be most effective.
Video: Are Girl Scouts your future cybersecurity professionals? The Girl Scouts of the USA are adding cybersecurity badges to the achievements young girls can learn. Could programs like these help shrink the cybersecurity skills gap?
Demand for cybersecurity professionals continues to rise, with the projected talent gap in the field reaching 1.8 million jobs by 2022. Those that take on these roles play a key role in the enterprise, as the average cost of a data breach worldwide is now $3.62 million.
A number of common mistakes arise in the field that can make your job more difficult and put your company at risk. Here are 10 bad habits cybersecurity workers must break to be most effective in their role.
1. Overconfidence
The most common mistake made by cybersecurity professionals is overconfidence, and a false sense of security, said Bahram Attaie, assistant professor of practice at the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University. "They believe that they have implemented all the right controls, and as a result they think they are un-hackable," Attaie said.
Overconfidence that a single or few selected layers of protection is also a mistake, said Andrey Pozhogin, cybersecurity expert at Kaspersky Lab North America. "In a strategy game, every unit, no matter how powerful or agile it is, can be defeated by another unit," Pozhogin said. "The same is true for security. There's no silver bullet, and that's exactly the reason why security has to be multi-layered."
SEE: Cyberweapons are now in play: From US sabotage of a North Korean missile test to hacked emergency sirens in Dallas (free PDF)
2. Bypassing corporate controls
When corporate controls prevent cybersecurity experts from doing their job efficiently, they often bypass these controls or turn them off, Pozhogin said. "As security layers need to be put in place, there will be incompatibilities between different technologies, so workarounds will be found, competing technologies will need to be turned down or off, repetitive settings will have to be changed and will be forgotten to be changed across different policies," Pozhogin said.
Disabling or removing protections such as antivirus, network security protocols or two-factor authentication for convenience can lead to an exposed system with deliberately bypassed protections and unencrypted documents, said Travis Farral, director of security strategy at Anomali. "Any click on a phishing email or successful drive-by attack on exposed systems will give attackers access to them and anything that can be accessed through them," he added.
SEE: A winning strategy for cybersecurity (ZDNet special report) | Download the report as a PDF (TechRepublic)
3. Negligence toward false positives
Some cybersecurity professionals are negligent toward false positives—situations when a security solution labels a benign file as malware, and blocks it. The potential outcomes of this are corruption of data, interruption of operation or complete inability to operate, Pozhogin said. "Some security experts downplay the risk of high false positives and choose solutions for the security stack that are tuned to paranoid levels, thus producing false positives," he said.
4. Failing to review the environment as a whole
Security experts are constantly responding to fires and urgent drills, but often do not go back and review if the environment itself is becoming less secure, said Ashwin Krishnan, author of Mobile Security for Dummies. For example, someone may escalate privileges for a senior admin to super admin to do super admin tasks for the day, filling in for her boss on vacation, but not go back and revoke those privileges because other issues came up.
It's also important to do a holistic systems review after a penetration test, said Dale Meredith, cybersecurity and ethical hacking instructor at Pluralsight.
"Once the security professional secures their network infrastructure, either via a penetration test or a thorough examination, they have a tendency to relax and assume, that the infrastructure is and will continue to remain secure from attacks," Meredith said. "Instead we should be looking at our penetration test as a baseline or starting point." Networks are very dynamic, and installing a new piece of equipment or software, or even patching software or applications, can change your security posture overnight, he added.
SEE: How to make your employees care about cybersecurity: 10 tips
5. Disregarding the user
Although most security professionals realize the user is the weakest link, many disregard users as part of the solution, claiming "there is no patch for stupidity," said Corey Nachreiner, CTO of WatchGuard. "The truth is, user training can be a key aspect of your security strategy if you're willing to make education a priority," he said. "Even small changes in employee behavior will improve your security posture."
Even if your technology is best-in-class, if users aren't educated on how to act and think with respect to security, there will always be problems, said Andrew Hamilton, CTO of Cybriant.
6. Letting your skills lapse
Assuming you have all the skills you need in the field is a dangerous habit, said Andrew Newman, CEO and founder of Reason Core Security. "In this line of work, you need to keep refreshing your skills or you can and will fall behind," he said.
7. Not patching immediately
Companies often spend thousands of dollars on security solutions, only to have them bypassed by something as simple as not applying a security patch right away, Meredith said. Take the recent WannaCry and GoldenEye attacks: Companies that had implemented a complete security configuration management system weren't affected, because Microsoft had already patched these vulnerabilities. However many companies fail to apply critical security updates until at least a week after they are released, putting them at risk, Meredith said.
8. Alert fatigue syndrome
Alert fatigue syndrome is the term coined to explain the phenomenon of cybersecurity analysts not responding to security alerts because they are flooded with so many, said Matt Warner, director of security services at NetWorks Group. "As a result, important ones get missed and threats are not detected on time," he said. "There is no easy fix for this other than ensuring that systems are tuned to ensure that only the most important security alerts, based on severity and confidence, are forwarded to an analyst for taking appropriate actions."
9. Relying too heavily on third-party vendors
Companies sometimes rely too heavily on hardware and software vendors to protect them from security incidents, Meredith said. "As cybersecurity professionals it's our job to stay ahead of the attackers," he said. "While security hardware and software solutions are a cog in our security environment, they are simply that: One cog in a massive amount of resources."
With so many offerings on the market, cybersecurity professionals may also fear missing out on the latest artificial intelligence or machine learning alternatives to their current tools, said Christopher Ensey, COO of Dunbar Security Solutions. "I would advise anyone buying cybersecurity products to make sure they are getting the most out of their current assets before taking a leap on the next-gen something or other," he added.
SEE: Why traveling CEOs and coffee shops are your company's greatest security risks
10. Ignoring the business side
Cybersecurity is an industry full of acronyms, such as IPS, GAV, XSS, and SQLi, said Nachreiner. While these are helpful when talking to fellow industry professionals, you need to remember that many business owners do not use this language. "Know your audience," Nachreiner said. "How you speak to the C-level about security is quite different than what you'd cover with the IT managers and administrators."
If your security organization has to explain an incident, request budget, or advocate for a particular action, chances are that the decision maker is not deeply technical, said Sandy Carielli, security technologies director for Entrust Datacard. "We need to be able to communicate with business leaders in business terms," she said. "Bringing a technical argument to business leaders is bringing a knife to a gunfight."
Gaining a wider understanding of an organization's business needs is also key for cybersecurity professionals, said Joe Partlow, CTO of ReliaQuest. "Focusing too closely on the security side, without the larger context of what a business needs to be successful and how fast it needs to move, will render even the best security tactics useless," he said. "At the same time, it is equally important that C-suite business leaders understand the role and capabilities of a security team."
Image: iStockphoto/wutwhanfoto
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Also seeMeet Laura Siegemund.
After a strong start, Laura Siegemund’s year of many firsts continues tonight in Palm Springs; in 2016, she’s checked off her first time in the Top 100, her first time in the third round of a Grand Slam, and now her first time in the main draw of Indian Wells. After defeating Irina-Camelia Begu in three sets on Wednesday, the German booked a very special date on Friday evening — a meeting with Serena Williams. René Denfeld introduces his compatriot in this TTI Beginner’s Guide.
Breakthrough seasons can come at all ages. Some players race into the upper echelons of the rankings at the young age of 16 or 17, others take a little longer to put all the pieces together. Laura Siegemund certainly belongs into the latter group, although success at the junior levels came pretty early. After she spent her first few years in Saudi Arabia and Indonesia — where her father worked as an engineer — and just over a year after Steffi Graf concluded her career, the now 28-year-old from Swabia won the prestigious Orange Bowl in the girls’ 12 and under category.
“The new Steffi – what is she made of?”
After winning tennis’ most cherished fruit basket back in December 2000, attention from the German media and the “hype-train” began chugging along rather quickly. As a result, she found herself with the same albatross around her neck as every other German in an era after Becker and Graf — incredible levels of expectations that very few can really live up to and advanced praise that turned into a burden.
Siegemund’s transition from juniors to seniors turned out to be a struggle and it wasn’t until 2010 that the tennis prodigy made her debut on the WTA Tour in Båstad. Her ranking continued to sit around No. 200, putting her just about on the edge of WTA Tour, as well as Grand Slam qualification draws and ITF appearances.
At the age of 24, the German tore both her ligaments in the summer of 2012 and decided to shift her priorities, putting her tennis career on the back burner. Siegemund began studying for a bachelor’s degree in psychology and her trainer certification, which she completed in 2013 as the best of her class.
“I thought it was great,” Siegemund told the German tennis federation about the process of getting her license. “I really enjoyed it. I kept looking forward to the next week because I knew I would be able to absorb new knowledge. We had a good vibe in our group — both in class and on court.”
When asked about her goals a little over two years ago, the German didn’t think she’d head back to a full-time tennis career.
“I’m not really sure yet; two years ago [in 2011], I decided not to play as much anymore. I really couldn’t have anticipated my results and how much I’m enjoying the game again. If things go on the way they do, I can totally imagine myself playing for another three or four years — however, not in full-time, more in combination with studying and coaching.”
In 2014 and 2015, Siegemund climbed back up the rankings — slowly but surely — and entered the Top 100 for the first time in her career after a quarterfinal appearance at the BGL BNP Paribas Luxembourg Open last autumn. In addition, the 28-year-old won the biggest title of her career at the ITF $100,000 event in Biarritz, France, finally qualified for a Grand Slam main draw in singles and picked up three WTA doubles titles.
During the last offseason, the German was busy writing her bachelor thesis — on a topic all too familiar within tennis.
“I’m studying psychology but it is pretty wide-ranging and covers all areas of psychology,” she said. “Still, I can transfer a lot of the foundations from my studies to sports and connect the dots, which is really helpful…I’m currently writing my bachelor thesis about “choking under pressure,” or failing to cope with a public pressure situation — something each athlete and coach is familiar with. Knowing the theory behind sports phenoms like these helps me get a better understanding of them and optimize them — in case of emergency.”
At this year’s Australian Open it certainly worked for Siegemund when she stunned Jelena Jankovic in three sets to book a spot in the third round in Melbourne — and didn’t hold back in her celebration afterwards.
When an absolute bop comes on the radio pic.twitter.com/CmlzcImAXj — WTA Reactions (@WTAreactions) January 21, 2016
When Siegemund faces Williams later tonight in Indian Wells, it’ll be another arrival of sorts for the 28 year-old — as she plays the World No. 1 in one of the biggest stadiums of the world. It might be 10 years later than anticipated by many, but the German eventually got to the big stage and might yet become a household name in the Top100 — even if her path to get there was.
The Basics
DOB: 03/04/1988
Hand: Right (two-handed backhand)
WTA titles: None (11 ITF)
Career High Rank: No. 77 (02/15/2016)
Best Slam Result: 3R (Australian Open 2016)
Biggest Win: Timea Bacsinszky (No. 10, Luxembourg 2015)
Best Quote: “As a player — I’m a double-edged sword!”
Twitter: @laurasiegemund
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the 3Q shortfall on operational disruptions from a recent technology systems transition, which Wells Fargo’s Tom Nikic views as "a major risk into the back half."
Even international's 34% constant currency growth represents "significant deceleration" from 2Q’s 54% growth, Nikic writes in note. Gross margin (GM) continue to come under pressure (down 130bps y/y in 3Q), and 4Q forecast implies even worse margin erosion: GM implied down 350-400bps, which would be 4th straight year 4Q GM declined >150bps, would result in 1,000bps of cumulative erosion since 4Q13. UAA business continues to come under pressure due to macro headwinds, off-trend product assortment (focus on technical/performance rather than casual/lifestyle), internal operational issues warranting underperform rating.
We are sure that Steph Curry shoe will solve all these problems.WEST HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (TheStreet) -- If you stare at the Thomas Kinkade painting on your wall each day thinking "There's my retirement fund," prepare to pour skim lattes until you're 90. Collecting as a hobby can be a fun, worthwhile and potentially lucrative way to pass time. Amassing collectibles as investments, however, can be a disappointing endeavor yielding nothing but piles of devalued tchotchkes for the next of kin to sort through. Collecting as a hobby can be a fun, worthwhile and potentially lucrative way to pass time. Amassing collectibles as investments, however, can be a disappointing endeavor yielding nothing but piles of devalued tchotchkes for the next of kin to sort through. The founder of comic book industry bible Wizard, Gareb Shamus, said a year ago that the best advice a collector could heed was to buy what they liked and do their homework. Then again, he's also a Spider-Man collector who paid $1,700 for an issue with a cover drawn by artist Todd MacFarlane featuring the villain Sandman. The book's value jumped to between $30,000 and $40,000 when the Sandman appeared in the latest Spider-Man film. The founder of comic book industry bible, Gareb Shamus, said a year ago that the best advice a collector could heed was to buy what they liked and do their homework. Then again, he's also acollector who paid $1,700 for an issue with a cover drawn by artist Todd MacFarlane featuring the villain Sandman. The book's value jumped to between $30,000 and $40,000 when the Sandman appeared in the latestfilm. Collectors such as Shamus have entire industries helping them along, with the Certified Guaranty Co. determining comic book quality and grading criteria. Wine aficionados have such resources as Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and Bordeaux market forecasts. Art collectors have the big houses such as Sotheby's ( Collectors such as Shamus have entire industries helping them along, with the Certified Guaranty Co. determining comic book quality and grading criteria. Wine aficionados have such resources as Robert Parker'sandmarket forecasts. Art collectors have the big houses such as BID ), Christie's and Freeman's and their sales trends. "Collectibles" investors, however, are beholden to a very subjective, eBay ( "Collectibles" investors, however, are beholden to a very subjective, EBAY )-driven market in which their precious knick-knack can be worth $800 or less than $50. While sites such as Kovels.com offer some guidance, "collectibles" and the companies that make them are slaves to demand and market forces -- and the realization that their mass-produced product is only worth as much as a buyer will pay for it. "I tell people that keeping collectibles is like storing money under your mattress," says Lou Kahn, head of the Bakerstowne Collectibles appraisal and consignment service in West Hempstead, N.Y. "You're going to have the same amount of money next year, but it's going to be worth a lot less." "I tell people that keeping collectibles is like storing money under your mattress," says Lou Kahn, head of the Bakerstowne Collectibles appraisal and consignment service in West Hempstead, N.Y. "You're going to have the same amount of money next year, but it's going to be worth a lot less." We took a look at several collector niches and came across five where the products rarely appreciate in value and have questionable worth even when new: We took a look at several collector niches and came across five where the products rarely appreciate in value and have questionable worth even when new:
HUMMEL FIGURINES Your grandmothers' collection of rosy-cheeked tots cowering below umbrellas or playing "ring around the rosie" aren't worth the crates you're packing them in? Blame Germany. Your grandmothers' collection of rosy-cheeked tots cowering below umbrellas or playing "ring around the rosie" aren't worth the crates you're packing them in? Blame Germany. This saccharine-sweet ceramic cherubs first appeared in 1935 as physical manifestations of drawings by German nun Maria Innocentia Hummel. When U.S. soldiers returned from Germany after World War II, they brought these keepsakes home for their wives and children. The German company that created them, Goebel, ratcheted up production and began selling them at dime stores such as Woolworths for $4 to $5 a pop. That low purchase price led to a huge secondary market, high-priced Hummels and manufacturers who wanted a piece of the action. This saccharine-sweet ceramic cherubs first appeared in 1935 as physical manifestations of drawings by German nun Maria Innocentia Hummel. When U.S. soldiers returned from Germany after World War II, they brought these keepsakes home for their wives and children. The German company that created them, Goebel, ratcheted up production and began selling them at dime stores such as Woolworths for $4 to $5 a pop. That low purchase price led to a huge secondary market, high-priced Hummels and manufacturers who wanted a piece of the action. In the '60s and '70s, the figurines made their way into Hallmark stores and airport gift shops and prices skyrocketed, with the "Umbrella Boy" figurine retailing for $1,500. As more were produced and countless "special editions" cranked out, Hummels' resale value sank like a ceramic anchor. In the '60s and '70s, the figurines made their way into Hallmark stores and airport gift shops and prices skyrocketed, with the "Umbrella Boy" figurine retailing for $1,500. As more were produced and countless "special editions" cranked out, Hummels' resale value sank like a ceramic anchor. "People were buying them looking at what they sell for at retail, but they could be 50% to 70% less on the secondary market," Kahn said. "The bubble burst on Hummels because a lot of the old collectors became dinosaurs -- they're not with us anymore -- and the new collectors don't appreciate them, so it's the old supply and demand problem, where there's more supply than demand." "People were buying them looking at what they sell for at retail, but they could be 50% to 70% less on the secondary market," Kahn said. "The bubble burst on Hummels because a lot of the old collectors became dinosaurs -- they're not with us anymore -- and the new collectors don't appreciate them, so it's the old supply and demand problem, where there's more supply than demand." That supply just keeps growing as the generations that collected Hummels die off and leave behind thousands of their diminishing-value dust-collectors. Goebel shut down in 2008, but Manufaktur Rodental GmbH bought the brand last year and began producing more in limited supply. Though Kahn's firm sold a Hummel for more than $1,100 on eBay earlier this year, Kahn says most go for $50 or less -- with prices continuing to plummet as estate sales add to the stockpile. That supply just keeps growing as the generations that collected Hummels die off and leave behind thousands of their diminishing-value dust-collectors. Goebel shut down in 2008, but Manufaktur Rodental GmbH bought the brand last year and began producing more in limited supply. Though Kahn's firm sold a Hummel for more than $1,100 on eBay earlier this year, Kahn says most go for $50 or less -- with prices continuing to plummet as estate sales add to the stockpile. "The only way a Hummel passes away, so to speak, is when it gets broken or chipped," Kahn says. "So 60% to 70% of all the Hummels ever made are still out there." "The only way a Hummel passes away, so to speak, is when it gets broken or chipped," Kahn says. "So 60% to 70% of all the Hummels ever made are still out there."
BEANIE BABIES There are three kinds of items antiques dealers and consignment shops simply refuse to accept: Norman Rockwell plates, Precious Moments figurines and Beanie Babies. While those last two items have become synonymous with American kitsch, the latter symbolizes the perils of using collectibles as commodities. There are three kinds of items antiques dealers and consignment shops simply refuse to accept: Norman Rockwell plates, Precious Moments figurines and Beanie Babies. While those last two items have become synonymous with American kitsch, the latter symbolizes the perils of using collectibles as commodities. "The difference between old comic books or Beanie Babies -- and they're worthless -- is that people were buying Beanie Babies for a retail price of $4 to $6 and were hoping to sell them on eBay for $40 to $50," Kahn says. "They thought it would be worth a lot of money, but some of these people were crazy and went to Toys R Us and bought $4,000 worth of Beanie Babies that ended up not being worth what they retailed for." "The difference between old comic books or Beanie Babies -- and they're worthless -- is that people were buying Beanie Babies for a retail price of $4 to $6 and were hoping to sell them on eBay for $40 to $50," Kahn says. "They thought it would be worth a lot of money, but some of these people were crazy and went to Toys R Us and bought $4,000 worth of Beanie Babies that ended up not being worth what they retailed for." While there are certain exceptions -- misprinted versions of Iggy and Rainbow that sold for a combined $5,000, a Coral Casino bear for $2,800 and in-box third-generation bear for $900 -- most Beanie Babies only enrich Ty Warner, the founder of Beanie Babies producer Ty Inc. who turned the toys into a $4.4 billion fortune and luxury hotel empire. While there are certain exceptions -- misprinted versions of Iggy and Rainbow that sold for a combined $5,000, a Coral Casino bear for $2,800 and in-box third-generation bear for $900 -- most Beanie Babies only enrich Ty Warner, the founder of Beanie Babies producer Ty Inc. who turned the toys into a $4.4 billion fortune and luxury hotel empire. The overwhelming majority of Beanie Babies end up in large lots that sell for $2 or less per plush beanbag. That's a price Kahn places on par with the resale value of collectible plates containing Norman Rockwell illustrations, but still more than the return on the pastel, pink-and-purple Precious Moments figurines. The overwhelming majority of Beanie Babies end up in large lots that sell for $2 or less per plush beanbag. That's a price Kahn places on par with the resale value of collectible plates containing Norman Rockwell illustrations, but still more than the return on the pastel, pink-and-purple Precious Moments figurines. "Precious Moments are worth precious nothing -- they have no value," Kahn says, noting he refused to consign a woman's collection of 7,000 such statuettes that she'd insured for $110,000. "I gave her some advice: Leave your door open, your lights on and your back windows open." "Precious Moments are worth precious nothing -- they have no value," Kahn says, noting he refused to consign a woman's collection of 7,000 such statuettes that she'd insured for $110,000. "I gave her some advice: Leave your door open, your lights on and your back windows open."
FRANKLIN MINT COLLECTIBLES From die-cast cars to Marilyn Monroe dolls to the official coin sets of the world, the Franklin Mint sure knows how to make items with absolutely zero resale value. Sure, the Franklin Mint gets plenty of buyers to pay $260 for its silver medallions struck with the faces of every U.S. president, but it can't make them sell for more than $65 on eBay. From die-cast cars to Marilyn Monroe dolls to the official coin sets of the world, the Franklin Mint sure knows how to make items with absolutely zero resale value. Sure, the Franklin Mint gets plenty of buyers to pay $260 for its silver medallions struck with the faces of every U.S. president, but it can't make them sell for more than $65 on eBay. "They produced a lot, they advertised, but their items don't have much value," Kahn says. "Like Rockwell Plates, it's hard to get anything for them -- you could sell them in a 99-cent store and you'd have a hard time getting it to sell." "They produced a lot, they advertised, but their items don't have much value," Kahn says. "Like Rockwell Plates, it's hard to get anything for them -- you could sell them in a 99-cent store and you'd have a hard time getting it to sell." If collectors are lucky, they'll get the "melt value" of their coins, which is the exact worth of the small amounts of precious metal the coin actually contains. In fairness, the mint doesn't guarantee or allude to an increase in value and isn't the only such organization to peddle perfectly useless items to potential collector investors. If collectors are lucky, they'll get the "melt value" of their coins, which is the exact worth of the small amounts of precious metal the coin actually contains. In fairness, the mint doesn't guarantee or allude to an increase in value and isn't the only such organization to peddle perfectly useless items to potential collector investors. The Danbury Mint also stocks keepsakes such as Michelle Obama inaugural dolls, Department 56 holiday homes and $99 Elvis TCB diamond pendants that, Kahn says, depreciate significantly once they are bought thanks to overproduction and a distinct lack of secondary interest. The Danbury Mint also stocks keepsakes such as Michelle Obama inaugural dolls, Department 56 holiday homes and $99 Elvis TCB diamond pendants that, Kahn says, depreciate significantly once they are bought thanks to overproduction and a distinct lack of secondary interest. "To go to a store and buy one of these items at retail price... you're losing money," Kahn says. "Cars used to depreciate 10% when you drove them off the lot, but when you take collectibles like these out of the store, you lose about 80%." "To go to a store and buy one of these items at retail price... you're losing money," Kahn says. "Cars used to depreciate 10% when you drove them off the lot, but when you take collectibles like these out of the store, you lose about 80%."
HESS TRUCKSThere are certain collectibles whose increasing popularity killed their potential value. Comic books suffered this fate within the past few decades as the number of titles and editions available outstripped collector demand -- leaving old 10-cent titles with the most inherent value. There are certain collectibles whose increasing popularity killed their potential value. Comic books suffered this fate within the past few decades as the number of titles and editions available outstripped collector demand -- leaving old 10-cent titles with the most inherent value. The same holds true for East Coast gasoline company Hess' (HES) toy trucks. The company began selling plastic versions of its tanker trucks in 1964, but as the toys became more popular in the 1980s and production increased to include not only more trucks, but minitrucks, resale prices plummeted. The same holds true for East Coast gasoline companytoy trucks. The company began selling plastic versions of its tanker trucks in 1964, but as the toys became more popular in the 1980s and production increased to include not only more trucks, but minitrucks, resale prices plummeted. "Early Hess trucks are good, if you have them from the early '60s and 1970s," Kahn says. "If you have them from the '80s, '90s and on, they're a flea market item." "Early Hess trucks are good, if you have them from the early '60s and 1970s," Kahn says. "If you have them from the '80s, '90s and on, they're a flea market item." An original 1964 truck recently sold for $1,500 on eBay, but versions of the same truck have sold for $620 or even $300 without the box. With the exception of a rare in-box 1993 truck that sold for $500, the overwhelming majority of Hess trucks sold after the 1970s resell for less than $50. While not a ripoff, it's not a great investment. An original 1964 truck recently sold for $1,500 on eBay, but versions of the same truck have sold for $620 or even $300 without the box. With the exception of a rare in-box 1993 truck that sold for $500, the overwhelming majority of Hess trucks sold after the 1970s resell for less than $50. While not a ripoff, it's not a great investment. "I tell these people that they should sell their collection and put it in gold or put it in the bank and get 1.5% a year," Kahn says. "It beats losing money every year." "I tell these people that they should sell their collection and put it in gold or put it in the bank and get 1.5% a year," Kahn says. "It beats losing money every year."
THOMAS KINKADE PAINTINGS The self-proclaimed and trademarked "painter of light" was so popular among fans of pastels and candlelit windows that his company, Media Arts Group, went public with a $110 IPO in 1994. Kinkade was MDA on the NYSE until January 2004, when he bought in back for $32.7 million after the stock had lost more than 80% of its value. It was kind of like buying a Kinkade painting that may have had some nonsentimental value in the pre-Internet '90s, but when the Internet hit and the markets were flooded with Kinkades selling for much less than they were in stores, investment value plummeted. The self-proclaimed and trademarked "painter of light" was so popular among fans of pastels and candlelit windows that his company, Media Arts Group, went public with a $110 IPO in 1994. Kinkade was MDA on the NYSE until January 2004, when he bought in back for $32.7 million after the stock had lost more than 80% of its value. It was kind of like buying a Kinkade painting that may have had some nonsentimental value in the pre-Internet '90s, but when the Internet hit and the markets were flooded with Kinkades selling for much less than they were in stores, investment value plummeted. "He has gorgeous stuff, but they QVCed it to death," Kahn says. "They sell beautiful Kinkade prints in galleries and on cruise ships, but the frames are worth more than the prints." "He has gorgeous stuff, but they QVCed it to death," Kahn says. "They sell beautiful Kinkade prints in galleries and on cruise ships, but the frames are worth more than the prints." Thomas Kinkade Signature Galleries, which peaked at 350 sites in the 1990s, were half that number by 2005. The next year, former Thomas Kinkade Signature Gallery franchise owners Karen Hazelwood and Jeffrey Spinello were awarded $2.8 million and legal fees after successfully arguing that they were pressured to open more franchises, take on inventory they couldn't sell and keep prices lofty while discounters and independent sellers unloaded their Kinkades for less. Thomas Kinkade Signature Galleries, which peaked at 350 sites in the 1990s, were half that number by 2005. The next year, former Thomas Kinkade Signature Gallery franchise owners Karen Hazelwood and Jeffrey Spinello were awarded $2.8 million and legal fees after successfully arguing that they were pressured to open more franchises, take on inventory they couldn't sell and keep prices lofty while discounters and independent sellers unloaded their Kinkades for less. His company's assistant controller testified that Kinkade earned $53 million off the enterprise through 2005. More recently, Kinkade's reproduction company filed for bankruptcy in 2010 after defaulting on payments to Hazelwood and Spinello and says it plans to outsource its color-by-numbers operations. Unless collectors are desperately in love with paintings of houses essayist Joan Didion described as "lit, to lurid effect, as if the interior of the structure may be on fire," they should invest with the knowledge that only one person was ever guaranteed to profit off of a Thomas Kinkade painting: Thomas Kinkade. Since Kinkade's death in 2012, the odds of turning a profit off of his countless reproductions and "limited editions" have only decreased. His company's assistant controller testified that Kinkade earned $53 million off the enterprise through 2005. More recently, Kinkade's reproduction company filed for bankruptcy in 2010 after defaulting on payments to Hazelwood and Spinello and says it plans to outsource its color-by-numbers operations. Unless collectors are desperately in love with paintings of houses essayist Joan Didion described as "lit, to lurid effect, as if the interior of the structure may be on fire," they should invest with the knowledge that only one person was ever guaranteed to profit off of a Thomas Kinkade painting: Thomas Kinkade. Since Kinkade's death in 2012, the odds of turning a profit off of his countless reproductions and "limited editions" have only decreased.
PRECIOUS MOMENTS FIGURINES Few collectibles milk their rabid followers with such impunity that they almost insure fans will lose money with each passing year. Wide-eyed, innocence-embodying Precious Moments porcelain figurines have no such qualms about their greed. Few collectibles milk their rabid followers with such impunity that they almost insure fans will lose money with each passing year. Wide-eyed, innocence-embodying Precious Moments porcelain figurines have no such qualms about their greed. It's bad enough that Precious Moments collectors have to watch as figurines they paid $45 for at retail sell on eBay for 99 cents to $5 apiece, but Precious Moments Incorporated (PMI -- yes, it's a corporate entity based on figurines) has no problem making fans bank accounts depreciate as quickly as their collectibles. For $36 to $39 a year, PMI offers collectors access to its "Collectors Club," with benefits including the opportunity to buy "collectors only" statuettes, a "member's kit" and a free figurine thrown in for good measure. PMI also partners with Bank of America on a Precious Moments MasterCard for the cutest debt imaginable and Precious Moments checking and savings accounts, so accountholders always remember where their expendable income is going. It's bad enough that Precious Moments collectors have to watch as figurines they paid $45 for at retail sell on eBay for 99 cents to $5 apiece, but Precious Moments Incorporated (PMI -- yes, it's a corporate entity based on figurines) has no problem making fans bank accounts depreciate as quickly as their collectibles. For $36 to $39 a year, PMI offers collectors access to its "Collectors Club," with benefits including the opportunity to buy "collectors only" statuettes, a "member's kit" and a free figurine thrown in for good measure. PMI also partners with Bank of America on a Precious Moments MasterCard for the cutest debt imaginable and Precious Moments checking and savings accounts, so accountholders always remember where their expendable income is going. Also, through a link on the PMI Web site, Collectibles Database Online will "value" collections for $30 in the first year and $19 each additional year. Collectors Club members are spared such indignities by getting a $10 discount in the first year. Most antiques dealers will tell collectors these statues are worth next to nothing for much less than that. Also, through a link on the PMI Web site, Collectibles Database Online will "value" collections for $30 in the first year and $19 each additional year. Collectors Club members are spared such indignities by getting a $10 discount in the first year. Most antiques dealers will tell collectors these statues are worth next to nothing for much less than that. PMI's former business partner Enesco discovered as much the hard way in 2004, when it severed the relationship due to faltering sales. Even PMI hasn't been immune, as it was forced to scale back its Precious Moments Chapel theme park in Carthage, Mo., three years ago after "increases in gas prices and the general decline in tour bus activity" and a "reduction in paid admissions to the park." Kahn places the pricing of Beanie Babies and their ilk on par with the resale value of collectible plates containing Norman Rockwell illustrations, but that's still more than the return on the pastel, pink-and-purple Precious Moments figurines. PMI's former business partner Enesco discovered as much the hard way in 2004, when it severed the relationship due to faltering sales. Even PMI hasn't been immune, as it was forced to scale back its Precious Moments Chapel theme park in Carthage, Mo., three years ago after "increases in gas prices and the general decline in tour bus activity" and a "reduction in paid admissions to the park." Kahn places the pricing of Beanie Babies and their ilk on par with the resale value of collectible plates containing Norman Rockwell illustrations, but that's still more than the return on the pastel, pink-and-purple Precious Moments figurines. "Precious Moments are worth precious nothing -- they have no value," Kahn says, noting he refused to consign a woman's collection of 7,000 such statuettes that she'd insured for $110,000. "I gave her some advice: Leave your door open, your lights on and your back windows open." "Precious Moments are worth precious nothing -- they have no value," Kahn says, noting he refused to consign a woman's collection of 7,000 such statuettes that she'd insured for $110,000. "I gave her some advice: Leave your door open, your lights on and your back windows open."
NORMAN ROCKWELL PLATES There's no one company responsible for the proliferation of these ceramic slices of Americana, which is just one reason they're not worth very much. There's no one company responsible for the proliferation of these ceramic slices of Americana, which is just one reason they're not worth very much. Whether they're made by Goebel, The Bradford Exchange, The Danbury Mint or The Knowles/Rockwell Society, the plates all have one thing in common: They're all replicating the work of an artist who died in 1978 and whose illustrations were widely distributed through magazines like the Saturday Evening Post before then. If it's not one of Rockwell's original oil paintings of "The Four Freedoms" it's not exactly a scarce commodity. Whether they're made by Goebel, The Bradford Exchange, The Danbury Mint or The Knowles/Rockwell Society, the plates all have one thing in common: They're all replicating the work of an artist who died in 1978 and whose illustrations were widely distributed through magazines like the Saturday Evening Post before then. If it's not one of Rockwell's original oil paintings of "The Four Freedoms" it's not exactly a scarce commodity. EBay's offerings bear this out, as "limited edition" Rockwell plates from the 1980s and 1990s list for 99 cents each - with plates from the 1970s fetching $4 to $6. Though the occasional piece - like a 1975 Lincoln Mint sterling silver Rockwell Plate - will sell for $90 to $132, it usually has more to do with the surface it's on than the image itself. Even a "rare" set of 12 Knowles China "Rediscovered Women" plates fetches only $95... or less than $8 per plate. EBay's offerings bear this out, as "limited edition" Rockwell plates from the 1980s and 1990s list for 99 cents each - with plates from the 1970s fetching $4 to $6. Though the occasional piece - like a 1975 Lincoln Mint sterling silver Rockwell Plate - will sell for $90 to $132, it usually has more to do with the surface it's on than the image itself. Even a "rare" set of 12 Knowles China "Rediscovered Women" plates fetches only $95... or less than $8 per plate. In an attempt to vindicate collectors who hold on to Norman Rockwell Mother's Day and Christmas plates from their children's birth years, this article's researchers travelled to the Norman Rockwell Museum in Mendon, Vt., to see how they value the plates. In the museum's foyer was a table stacked high with plates valued at $39.50 - selling for $19. In an attempt to vindicate collectors who hold on to Norman Rockwell Mother's Day and Christmas plates from their children's birth years, this article's researchers travelled to the Norman Rockwell Museum in Mendon, Vt., to see how they value the plates. In the museum's foyer was a table stacked high with plates valued at $39.50 - selling for $19.
LLADRO STATUES The great news for Lladro collectors is that their porcelain figurine may resell for $1,000 or more. The bad news? They likely purchased it for roughly $3,000. The great news for Lladro collectors is that their porcelain figurine may resell for $1,000 or more. The bad news? They likely purchased it for roughly $3,000. Unlike the other collectibles mentioned above, Lladro figurines can start from a lofty price point. A Christmas-themed 20-inch figurine called "Santa, I've Been Good" sells on the Lladro Web site for $3,000. That's a bargain compared with an 18-inch statue called "Koi" that retails for $4,800. Unlike the other collectibles mentioned above, Lladro figurines can start from a lofty price point. A Christmas-themed 20-inch figurine called "Santa, I've Been Good" sells on the Lladro Web site for $3,000. That's a bargain compared with an 18-inch statue called "Koi" that retails for $4,800. In the secondary market, however, it's a different story. A mint-condition "Mermaid On The Wave" figurine purchased at retail for nearly $3,000 was purchased on eBay for $1,480 and $14.72 shipping. A figure of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza that warrants a $2,300 asking price and had one seller initially setting a $1,300 reserve went for $977. An image of Lord Ganesha commonly priced at $1,100 sold for $600. In the secondary market, however, it's a different story. A mint-condition "Mermaid On The Wave" figurine purchased at retail for nearly $3,000 was purchased on eBay for $1,480 and $14.72 shipping. A figure of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza that warrants a $2,300 asking price and had one seller initially setting a $1,300 reserve went for $977. An image of Lord Ganesha commonly priced at $1,100 sold for $600. Why the more than 50% depreciation in value? As with many "limited edition" collectibles, the supply isn't so limited. The Ganesha figure, for example, had a "limited edition" of 2,000 figures. Even a $9,500 new release like the "Alexander Nevski" statuette is sold in editions of at least 500. The figurine maker takes pride in its "retired" pieces, but like many retirees, they're not hard to get ahold of once they leave the shop. Why the more than 50% depreciation in value? As with many "limited edition" collectibles, the supply isn't so limited. The Ganesha figure, for example, had a "limited edition" of 2,000 figures. Even a $9,500 new release like the "Alexander Nevski" statuette is sold in editions of at least 500. The figurine maker takes pride in its "retired" pieces, but like many retirees, they're not hard to get ahold of once they leave the shop.Share this article:
The year was 2008. I was a 20-year old virgin starting my second year of university in Ontario, living on residence: away from my family, and in search of love. As a Pakistani Canadian immigrant, I had a checklist of everything my Prince Charming would be: Muslim, Sunni, fair-skinned from a good (aka rich) family, and ideally pursuing an education in either medicine or some other revered STEM field. This list was, of course, subtly conveyed to me throughout my teenage years by my parents. It wasn’t a list I had made consciously, but like all good desi girls, it’s what I knew I had to look for if I didn’t want to make trouble for myself.
That fall, as school started up again, I found ‘The One’ I had been searching for, and he came with bonus features as well – he was a Lahori Pakistani (just like my family) and was even from the same rich neighbourhood in the city we used to live in. Talk about hitting the jackpot! He was studying to be a doctor, was a year ahead of me at our university, and if all that weren’t perfect enough, his dad was also a doctor. I had struck gold!
We started dating and within the first month had planned our entire life together, like good desi children do who have been brainwashed by their families and culture. I was so convinced that this was it, that I never thought to think about his individual qualities as a person, and whether or not they meshed well with my own, and the kind of life I had envisioned for myself. I overlooked so many red flags in the two years we were together. I almost question my sanity thinking back on it now, nearly a decade later.
For starters, he said he didn’t want to have sex ‘till after marriage, and I agreed (because otherwise I’d be labeled a slut and unworthy of love or respect). However, we ended up having sex in the second month of dating anyway. He justified it by saying that since we were eventually going to get married, it didn’t really matter. I went along with whatever moral hoops he had to jump through in order to justify his actions. My family and I weren’t religious or devout Muslims. My parents were more culturally Muslim, and had raised us in a laissez-faire style of Islam. We didn’t have any issues eating non-Halal food (no pork though, of course). My dad drank and my mother wore skirts. I was even more ‘liberal’. Having sex, and losing my virginity wasn’t a big deal in my eyes. I was more afraid of the social stigma of it all, knowing how judgemental and unforgiving Pakistani people can be about premarital sex.
When I moved into my university residence, my parents hung up a small, framed ‘Allah’ above my study table to keep me safe from the evil eye. I never thought much about it, but Abdul (let’s call him that), would always pull that picture down and tuck it away in my study drawer whenever we’d have sex. He was so overcome with guilt that several times during intercourse, he would stop and say, ‘Wow, we’re such bad Muslims,’ before continuing on with the act. Afterwards he’d retrieve the frame and hang it back up on the wall, a look of deep pain and remorse across his face.
Then, there was the issue of him becoming a doctor: in short, he didn’t want to be one. Most of our conversations in the first year of dating were about him not having the courage to study law (as he had wanted) which would go against his father’s wishes of having him and his two younger brothers all go to medical school. His study routines around exam time would consist of finding others in his classes who’d be willing to let him cheat off their exams. I thought this was quite cowardly and insincere of him. I questioned many times if he’d ever have the spine to stand up for himself (and eventually for us) if he couldn’t even pursue what he wanted to study. This idea made me uncomfortable, because I knew on some level that when push comes to shove, he wouldn’t have the balls to put us first in our life. I didn’t entertain these thoughts much.
What was most telling about him was the group of friends he kept. He had two very close friends (also Pakistanis) who were in the exact same boat as him – totally whipped by their parents and forced to study medicine. Seeing all three of them hang out together was an eye-opening experience. Both his friends didn’t drink (because haram), but they would smoke weed everyday. When I questioned them about this hypocrisy, they explained that since it doesn’t explicitly say in the Quran that you shouldn’t smoke up, it was okay. They would openly berate other Pakistani women who were dating their friends and call them sluts (I wondered if they said the same things about me when I wasn’t around). They’d also make fun |
authors such as Godwin and Priestley in the eighteenth century and Spencer in the nineteenth—thought education was best left a private matter.
England’s self-styled “Voluntaryists” in the 1840s and 1850s produced a particularly lively episode in the education debate. Fearing that governments would use state-supported schools as a way of controlling the minds of their subjects—a fear that was of course gruesomely realized throughout the twentieth-century world—the Voluntaryists argued that education should be treated like religion, private conscience, and the press: a freely chosen practice more likely to improve through trial and error than through the rigidities inevitable once the state assumes control. Diversity, pluralism, and self-correction were their insistent themes. As one of their number, Ed Baines, defiantly put it, “we have as much right to have wretched schools as to have wretched newspapers, wretched preachers, wretched books, wretched institutions, wretched political economists, wretched Members of Parliament, and wretched Ministers. You cannot proscribe all these things without proscribing Liberty.” (166-72, quote at 169)
These four themes, and others, make The System of Liberty a welcome contribution to the perennial discussion of that subject. Like all such books, this one has its limitations. It is not really a work of history, but a set of personally chosen episodes from that history. Although it is a learned book, it is not one that engages recent trends in scholarship on the history of political thought; readers looking for engagement with the works of Pocock or Pierre Manent are likely to be disappointed. Too, although the topic is classical liberalism, the focus is on Anglo-American authors, with special emphasis upon Locke, Bentham and Spencer as the chronological anchors and most frequent thematic reference points for the book. Indeed, there is more coverage of the relatively obscure English libertarian anarchist Thomas Hodgskin than of Montesquieu and Tocqueville combined (159-66).
There is also a notable absence of broader historical context; the treatment of the decline of liberalism as a political force in the nineteenth century omits any reference to factory industry, to take one example. There is little coverage of institutions; this is pretty much a straight study of authors and ideas. And the ideas mostly concern constitutional and political subjects rather than economic or social ones. But even those who do not share precisely George Smith’s geographical or chronological or thematic priorities will learn much of value, or at least will think more clearly about what they imagine they already know, from reading The System of Liberty.From an article by Gateway News, published a year ago:
St Thomas High School in Gelvandale, Port Elizabeth has been transformed by a move of God over the past two months during which hundreds of learners have committed their lives to Jesus Christ and a number of miracles have been reported.
The revival began at a school assembly on Monday, March 5 when about 500 learners put up their hands when former St Thomas learner, Shannon-Leigh Barry, 25, asked for a response from anybody who wanted to know the Jesus that she had been speaking about. Shannon-Leigh was leading the assembly at the invitation of her father, Mark Barry, a teacher at the leading Northern Areas school which has more than 1 000 learners.
Since the March 5 assembly, several hundred more learners had turned to Jesus, and there were regular manifestations of spiritual gifts such as healings, prophecy and speaking in tongues at the ongoing revival meetings at the school during breaks and after school, said Shannon-Leigh in an interview yesterday.
[…]
Shannon-Leigh said that after she prayed a prayer of salvation with around 500 learners she heard God say to her: “Now show them what purpose and destiny is — prophesy!”
She said she protested to God that she felt that she was “just a baby” and “not mature enough”.
“But God said: ‘Just Go. Speak. I am with you’ “
And so she obeyed. In one of four prophetic encounters, she called out a Grade 9 boy, saying:” Morne, would you please stand.” She said people around the boy called out that his name was Muneer. But God told her to carry on speaking. Later she learnt that the boy’s original name — the name which was on his birth certificate — was Morne. When he was in Grade 4 he had converted to Islam and his name became Muneer. Her words had impacted him because it showed that God knew him by name. Since then the boy had testified that Christ has now changed his life. […]
Shannon-Leigh described several healing testimonies from the revival. At the initial assembly, a young Christian girl came forward and asked her to pray for her unbelieving brother who had cancer. The next day the brother went for medical tests and was amazed to learn that all trace of the cancer was gone, she said. […]
She said that in her ministry at St Thomas she was fully accountable to her church.
“I am just an ordinary girl doing extraordinary things because of Christ Jesus in me. I give Him all the Glory. When you love someone you do anything to please them and make them happy. This is why I do what I do because of the love I have for Christ. That makes it so easy to show the love of God because He first loved us. “
AdvertisementsTo the uninitiated, going green and natural living may have the appearance of extremism. But is it really? Whereas we might term our actions going green or naturalistic, much of the same type of behavior would have simply been commonplace 200 years ago. Go figure.
Below are five mindsets, actions, or behaviors that are thought of as going green or naturalistic in the modern-day sense of those words, but would have been simply “normal” or otherwise par for the course for our ancestors.
Labor and Delivery – What whackos ever go through the process of labor and delivery at home! At least that’s what folks who are more “conservative” tend to believe. Why go through the hassles of childbirth at home when there’s a perfectly good hospital for that?! That is the current mindset of many in the healthcare industry as well as in the general populace who don’t factor in that their great-great-grandmother was born at home. And she lived – they’re here as proof of that.
Birthing at home isn’t for everybody, especially for those who have known medical conditions that would prevent it, but for those who wish to birth at home and understand the risks, it’s quite a natural setting to do so. Thousands of home births happen successfully each year. Preparation for pregnancy as well as a healthy pregnancy with no known increased risks, and a regimented and outlined program for accomplishing the home birth (with an emergency back-up plan) should be in place along with a certified midwife or attending physician. Much of the concern in birthing at home has to do with elevated risks due to modern-day lifestyles.
Organic Gardening – Less controversial than the above, organic gardening can be fun and challenging. If you’re an organic gardener, you may think of non-organic gardening as not only “cheating”, but also much less healthy in terms of the resulting produce achieved. Without all of the chemical treatments of a modern day, and the less nutritive soil, it’s no wonder many are turning to the type of gardening that their forefathers did. Ironically, our ancestors would never have considered their gardening activities as organic gardening, but just regular and traditional gardening. No extremism here, move along…
Diet - Today those who are uber-health conscious like to consume the type of organic produce as discussed above. The Farmer’s Markets that showcase organic produce are making a “comeback”, and the non-juiced (rBST injected) cows are en vogue for the “natural lifers”. The GMO (genetically modified) foods are a big tsk, tsk, but would our ancestors have ever had to worry about these things? The “Farmer’s Markets” back then weren’t anywhere close to a novelty, but instead a regular occurrence. Fruit stands with organic produce were the norm – no need for any certifications. And farmers would have bristled at even the suggestion of injecting hormones into their livestock. But today, those who are health conscious and careful in their food selections can find themselves a bit ostracized as being somewhat extremist. Funny, the farmers and regular folk of yesteryear would have thought of the methods that are used in our modern-day as being unconscionable.
Transportation - Transportation such as the bicycle is also making a comeback. Although its technology has advanced, it is still minus the carbon footprint of an automobile, and more and more people are taking up bicycling, racing, and mountain biking as a hobby. Since the bicycle has been around since 1869, and is often used for leisure, this is not an object that is often seen as extreme. And biking a 20-mile round trip to work and back every day isn’t as strange, especially because of our country’s rate of obesity and the need for exercise. Though, if you do have a car and you bike (or walk for that matter) to work on a daily basis, you might get some raised eyebrows, especially if you are doing it to lessen your carbon footprint.
Upcycling – Some pretty creative things can be made from upcycling. But our ancestors wouldn’t have called it upcycling. In fact this term wasn’t even around until 1994. Our ancestors’ mantra was, “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.” This sentiment carried over into their use of all materials, and they just methodically took used materials and made new uses for them. It was considered smart and economical. Today you might be seen as a tightwad, miser, or cheapskate if you upcycle something, but it was a perfectly natural thing to do for your great grandparents.
All of the above activities are “a day in the life of” our ancestors, whereas they are things most of us have to consciously make an effort to do. Jump aboard the going green wagon and see what it was like for your ancestors! You’ll find these behaviors and activities aren’t that extreme after all.
-Written by Michelle Gordon
Michelle Gordon is a fan of living life to the fullest by living it as nature intended. She writes for LatexMattress.org.Hi all, this is Andrew again, a Localization Director at Capcom Japan. Hope everyone had a great holiday season! I spent most of my holiday playing the Japanese version of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate. Over the holiday break I was trying to build an Azure Rathalos armor set, but those jewels... they just wouldn’t drop! I might have to talk to the director and see what we can do about those darn drop rates... ^^; After clearing a bunch of Quests with other players online, I finally got the jewels that I needed for my set, plus I got an awesome talisman to boot.
Here’s the armor set and weapon that my hunter has, a lightning-based sword made from the new Lagiacrus subspecies (we’ll talk about his name later!) and my Azure Rathalos armor set, with a talisman that gives me +5 to Attack and +7 to Critical Draw. I also have Earplugs, Mind’s Eye and a small Attack Power Up skill with this set.
I wanted the Critical Draw skill pretty bad, so I forged a couple of Jewels to bring me over the maximum needed, but those jewels also brought my Critical Eye skill down one level (Azure Rathalos’ full armor set gives you Critical Eye +3 naturally). It’s a downside I’m willing to take though, because now I have arguably the three best Blademaster skills for my hunter!
I’m going to start off the New Year by writing about a trio of monsters that made their debut in the Japan-exclusive Monster Hunter Portable 3rd, as well as the poster boy for Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate! If you haven’t read my first blog entry about the localization of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate yet, you can check it out right here!
Great Wroggi
Daring importers who sunk their teeth into Monster Hunter Portable 3rd must have been thinking that we were going to localize this new monster into “Froggi”. Well, those people thought wrong! Since we already had Great Jaggi and Great Baggi in Monster Hunter Tri, this name was relatively easy to localize. We were vehemently against using the name “Froggi” because people would automatically visualize a frog in their minds, which this monster obviously is not! The Monster Hunter team agreed with us on this point, so we instead settled on a unique name that sounded like the original Japanese name.
Duramboros/Rust Duramboros
The Japanese name for this monster is Doboruberuku, which is a combination of multiple words from different languages. You can imagine that creating such a combination would be pretty difficult in Japanese or in any other language for that matter!
For the localized version, we wanted to do our best to follow the Japanese name, so we based Duramboros’ name around three words: Duro (Italian for “hard”), Ambulat (Latin for “walk”) and Oros (Greek for “mountain”) to create the mighty Duramboros! Rwaaaar! Lucky enough, Duramboros also wields a pair of rock-hard horns similar to a ram, so the “ram” part also emphasizes what makes this monster so fearsome!
We named the subspecies Rust Duramboros due to the darkish red hue of the monster, and also because its tail looks more like a rusted axe compared to the hammer-like tail of the main species. Some of our other proposed subspecies names included “Redcloak Duramboros” and “Gritstone Duramboros”, both of which take inspiration from not only the color of the monster, but also the Sandy Plains locale that it usually inhabits.
In the European-language localizations, Rust Duramboros is translated as Duramboros rouille in French, Rost-Duramboros in German, Duramboros rugginoso in Italian, and Duramboros herrumbroso in Spanish.
Nibelsnarf
Like Lagombi, which I wrote about last time, the voracious Nibelsnarf was a difficult name to settle on. We initially wanted a name that’d be loosely related to Gobul, since they have similar characteristics, such as “swimming” through locales and being able to shoot projectiles from their mouths. We thought up some synonyms for “gobble” (everyone knows that Gobul is supposed to be pronounced like “gobble”, right?), and settled on Nibel (“nibble”) as our first choice. We thought it was an ironic name because this monster does anything but nibble at its food! At first, the Monster Hunter team felt it didn’t sound quite right, so we added the word “snarf” at the end, which, for you non-native English speakers out there, is slang for devouring something rapidly. Nibble nibble, snarf snarf! This was something that the team felt was a good fit for the monster, so we went with that.
The other name we came up with for this monster was Boccavore, which took the Italian word for mouth and added the –vore suffix to the end, but that name didn’t exactly convey what we wanted it to; it inferred that the monster ate mouths instead of having a gigantic mouth. After talking with our in-house European localization staff – specifically our Italian translators -- we agreed that the Boccavore name sounded a bit odd, and stuck with Nibelsnarf.
Brachydios
The localized name for Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate’s poster boy hasn’t changed significantly from the original Japanese name. The name is a combination of the Latin word for arm (Bracchium) and Obsidian, which we thought was the perfect match, so all we did was slightly alter the spelling so that it’s easier to read for an international audience. I wish I could talk more about this monster, but naming this big boy was fairly easy. As they say, don’t mess with a good thing!
Aside from naming Brachydios, we also had to come up with a new name for the status associated with this beast. If you check out some of the CG trailers for Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, you’ll notice that the green substance on Brachydios has a thicker consistency than most liquids but it’s not quite solid, and that it sticks to surfaces very well. Given these properties, we decided to call the new status Slime/Slimeblight. It doesn’t have the immediate impact that the Japanese term does (literally translated as “Blast”) but we feel that new hunters will immediately understand what Slimeblight is as opposed to something like Blastblight.
For the European localizations, Slimeblight is localized as Fléaupoisse in French, Schleimschaden in German, Imbrattamento in Italian, and Plaga de baba in Spanish.
That’s it for now! Please leave your comments below or post them on the official Monster Hunter forum!
Thanks!Trump senior adviser was at the center of the troubled first attempt, and his comments hint that the new Muslim ban’s underpinnings are one and the same
As Donald Trump’s second attempt at introducing a controversial Muslim travel ban neared its scheduled start on Wednesday, few would have been hoping for its success as anxiously as his senior adviser Stephen Miller.
Miller was the policy’s 31-year-old architect and was at the center of the troubled first attempt to introduce a travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries in late January.
Trump travel ban: revised order blocked nationwide by Hawaii federal judge – live Read more
Hardly a household name, Miller hit the airwaves at the time to explain the rationale for what many dubbed as a scaled-back version of the Muslim ban upon which Trump campaigned – his TV appearances juxtaposed with chaos at airports across America.
It was not the first brush with the spotlight for the Capitol Hill staffer turned speechwriter to an unlikely president. Miller, a former aide to then senator Jeff Sessions, often warmed up the raucous crowds who flocked to Trump rallies during the presidential campaign.
But in batting down the charges against one of the administration’s earliest and most prominent controversies, the young adviser cemented himself as the public face of a new worldview taking hold in the highest office of the US government.
Miller was removed from the process of writing the revised travel ban because of the legal challenges that mired the initial policy, and officials at the agencies tasked with implementing the order made a more concerted effort to avoid such legal problems this time.
US travel ban questions answered: what has changed and what's next? Read more
But an interview Miller gave to Fox News late in January was used by legal opponents to prove that the underpinnings were one and the same, and was even cited in a temporary restraining order (TRO) that a federal judge in Hawaii placed on the revised travel ban on Wednesday night.
“Fundamentally”, Miller said, “you’re still going to have the same basic policy outcome for the country, but you’re going to be responsive to a lot of very technical issues that were brought up by the court, and those will be addressed.”
“But, in terms of protecting the country, those basic policies are still going to be in effect.”
Ideological warfare is nothing new to Miller, who as a native of Santa Monica, California, quickly grew accustomed to defending his isolationist and hard-right inclinations against the multiculturalism that has come to define America for decades.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Stephen Miller, far right, watches Donald Trump sign an executive order. Photograph: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
Although he was born to a liberal-leaning family, Miller turned to conservatism upon reading Guns, Crime, and Freedom, the 1994 book penned by National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre.
He went on to write dozens of columns for his college newspaper, The Chronicle, while attending Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, a decade ago. Majoring in political science, Miller focused in his writings on culture wars and downplayed systematic racism in America. He also tellingly referred to multiculturalism as “segregation”, providing an early glimpse of the hardline approach to immigration that would later occupy much of his tenure as the communications director for Sessions, the first sitting senator to endorse Trump in the Republican primary.
It was no surprise that Miller assumed the role of chief antagonist to a bipartisan immigration reform bill in 2013 while working for Sessions, co-authored by a group of senators that became known as the “Gang of Eight”. The legislation provided a pathway to citizenship for the roughly 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the US after a strenuous process that began with border security.
As aides to proponents of the bill presented it to their colleagues, Miller took the unusual step of delivering a rebuttal. His argument, much like the rhetoric that later dominated Trump’s campaign, cast immigration as bad for America, with a target placed not simply against those who entered illegally but even those employing the legal channels to gain permits.
At the time, Republican leaders were emphasizing the need to address immigration reform in the wake of Mitt Romney’s crushing loss in the 2012 election, prompted in part by a record low performance among Hispanic voters. Miller’s musings, which he further detailed in hundreds of emails to staffers, reporters and other stakeholders near daily attacking the 2013 immigration bill, were then outside his own party’s mainstream.
“Stephen is very passionate about what he believes in. He’s fearless about advocating for his positions even when they’re unpopular,” said Alex Conant, who served at the time as a spokesman for senator Marco Rubio, one of the co-authors of the so-called Gang of Eight compromise.
An annotated guide to Donald Trump's revised travel ban Read more
The legislation ultimately passed the Senate in a rare and overwhelming bipartisan vote, only to die in the Republican-led House of Representatives amid stiff opposition from conservatives.
In retrospect, the battle was prescient of the competing factions among Republicans when the party set its sights on retaking the White House just four years later – and of the ongoing power struggle within the new administration, as those with Trump’s ear mull whether to make good on his anti-immigration promises.
“Donald Trump and Stephen Miller have a different view on immigration that is very different from Republicans have traditionally believed,” Conant said.
“The last several Republican presidents have tried to improve our legal immigration system to better meet our economic needs... Donald Trump has turned that on its head.”
The extent to which Miller will prove influential remains unclear. Although he and Bannon are credited with shepherding nationalism into the White House, more traditional Washington figures such as chief of staff Reince Priebus and press secretary Sean Spicer have sought to maintain at least some dominance of the Republican establishment.The DTM champion René Rast is the “ADAC Motorsportsman of the Year” in 2017. With this honor, the Audi driver has been recognized by the biggest German motor club for his strong season in motorsport, which he completed by winning the DTM title at Hockenheim just under three weeks ago.
“Being chosen as the ‘Motorsportsman of the Year’ by the ADAC is a great honor for me,” says Rast. “It is special to succeed Formula One world champion Nico Rosberg, who won this title last year.” The judges in the form of high-profile sports journalists and ADAC representatives based their decision on Rast’s hard work, dedication, mental strength and ability to keep a cool head in one of the hardest-fought motorsport championships.
René Rast took part in his first full DTM season in 2017, driving for Audi Sport Team Rosberg. Right from the beginning of the season, the 31-year-old featured at the sharp end of the standings. He celebrated his first DTM race win in Hungary. Rast began the final race of the season as one of four Audi pilots who still had a chance of winning the title. In the end, he achieved a sixth place and a runner-up result, which was enough for him to clinch the drivers’ title.
The ADAC and Rast have a long history together since the early years of his motorsport career. In 2003 and 2004, he took part in the Formula BMW ADAC. He won the ADAC Volkswagen Polo Cup title in his rookie year in 2005. Thanks to his success, the driver from Minden was promoted to the development program of the “ADAC Stiftung Sport.” In 2014, he won the overall drivers’ title in the ADAC GT Masters with an Audi R8 LMS. With the GT3 sports car from the brand with the four rings, Rast has achieved many successes in recent years, including victories in the 24-hour races at Spa, the Nürburgring and Daytona. In addition, he also raced for Audi in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
The “ADAC Motorsportsman of the Year” has been awarded since 1980. René Rast has added his name to the list of title winners that includes rally legend Walter Röhrl (1980), Hans-Joachim Stuck (1990), who won the DTM title in the first year of Audi’s factory participation, and the seven-time Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher (1992 and 2000). With Martin Tomczyk (2011) and Mike Rockenfeller (2013), DTM champions from Audi have also been named as the “ADAC Motorsportsman of the Year.”Preparing For A Fight
It all started with a Ping going out alerting everyone that a Fleet was forming to defend the Fortizar in Brave’s staging system of DO6H-Q. Previously PL dropped an enormous fleet on the Fortizar and despite Braves best efforts the shield was destroyed and the Fortizar entered its Reinforcement period.
The fleet forms but Morale is not great, Maelstrom numbers are not quite as high as leadership are hoping and the request for more is constantly going out and request for Huginns along with it.
The EWAR frigate fleet is smaller then usual at around 50-60 Pilots in T1 Frigates with mainly Maulus frigates present followed by Griffins and Crucifiers. The numbers are far from the 100 man ewar fleets we have formed recently.
Rumor has it that PL are bringing in a smaller fleet in order to get a fight so that lightens the mode a bit. However PL usually form with Capitals and Super Capitals to ensure there objectives are met. We however have the firepower of the Fortizar on our side.
First Contact
With the main fleet docked up in the fortizar waiting to go the Ewar fleet is out on grid burning around setting up tacticals to warp to in order to increase the chances of survival.
Suddenly 3 Phoenix Dreadnoughts show up setting up out of the Fortizar’s engagement range they begin launching Torpedo’s at the Fortizar and the battle begins.
The Maulus numbers warp within 50km of the 3 dreadnoughts and apply range dampening to break the locks and prevent damage. A small chuckle is given on comms as this plan is working for a minute or so.
The rest of the EWAR fleet has broken off and warped to a perch ready to engage if needed. However they are immediately landed on by an Initiative Mercenary snatch fleet. A large portion of the EWAR Fleet is immediately doomed whilst the rest manage to warp off. Those left behind begin to reship.
The Escalation
With the Phoenix dreadnoughts damped out the Maelstroms line up to engage, Suddenly a massive PL subcap fleet appears on grid with a similar set up along with Minokowa’s, Rorqual and a Chimera.
The Maulus wing which is dampening the dreadnoughts are immediately taken out of the fight and also return to the station to begin reshipping. The rest of the ewar fleet is being annihilated multiple frigates at a time are falling.
Continuing my addiction to jamming Capital ships I attempt to jam the Dreadnoughts, Quickly realizing I cant do this since they are Sieged I turn to the Minokowas. With my Blackbird loaded up with Blue Jams and ECM str modules/rigs I apply jams one at a time to one of the 3 locked up Minokowas. The 3rd Jam lands so I do the same on the next Minokowa and the 2nd jam lands.
expecting more jams on the next cycle the modules simply deactivate and I attempt to reapply them manually but they are no longer vulnerable as they have activated Triage. I target the next 2 Minokowas and manage to jam one and then next cycle the last minokowa is jammed. No recycles are landed again and the Minokowas have now all engaged Triage. Down to the jams or just coincidental timing? I dont know but I am happy to have jammed them out for a cycle each. (Would jams really pressure FAX Capitals to Triage or was it just timing?)
My next target is the chimera throwing caution to the wind I apply all 6 jams and the Chimera is immediately locked out making him lose control of what his fighters do. The griffins have been instructed to Jam the fighters on field as well. My blackbird gets aggressed and before I even notice I am taken out of the fight.
A call is made over comms and the Maelstroms also pull back. With damage slowly being applied to the Fortizar it looks like they may take the Armor down without us being able to fight back or do any major damage. The hold is issued and we wait patiently, People start to discuss our lack of options in comms and in the background FC/Leadership are discussing options in private.
Brave Goes All In
With a few minutes left on the timer and the Fortizar down to about 25% armor the call is made and we are going in, A insanely quick rundown is given and we engage. The Maulus wing descends ontop of the Phoenix gang again and out of nowhere the Maelstroms land and engage the Subcap fleet of PL.
Whilst this is going on Brave Dreadnoughts are counter Deployed and with the PL dreadnoughts dampened out to hell they begin to get cleaned up. Meanwhile Initiative mercenaries are still warping around the field killing anything at the edge of the field aggressing both Brave and PL.
The timer is now down to under a minute and comms is going wild everyone is on edge as to whether or not the fortizar will be reinforced again or manage to survive. The fight continues and another PL dreadnought falls. EWAR is taking absolutely massive losses and many pilots are just taking what ever they have and putting it on field to keep numbers up. I myself undock a Magnate fitted with jams because I had no Griffins or Blackbirds in the station ready to go.
The Final push is made and the last Dreadnought is down from PL Brave have sustained capital losses as well and the fight begins to fizzle out. The Timer ticks to 0 seconds and the Fortizar is defended people start going wild and the joy on comms is overwhelming. The Fortizar finished at around 12-16 % Armor
The thanks begin to come in for Logistics who have saved Maelstroms in structure which have then been able to continue to fight on. The Maelstrom fleet had guns split into 2 so that 2 targets at a time could be called and fired upon. Since I was in the EWAR comms I cannot imagine the chaos and difficulty they had keeping track of all the target calling combined with the calls for fire.
The Thanks start trickling into the EWAR comms with so many newbro’s in the fleet the thanks go along way and it is repeated over and over again it was massively down to the EWAR fleet and the damps that the Fortizar survived.
In Local all parties begin posting the final propoganda, only its not propoganda everyone is announcing Good Fights all round and no shit talking is present. Everyone agrees the fight was excellent content for all those involved and another epic battle begins for Brave Newbies.
The looting frenzy begins and the battlefield is swiftly cleaned up. Some new players are upset that MTU’s are being destroyed but it is repeated constantly that there are no MTU’s on battlefields for loot or salvage purposes and this is in the WIKI which is in the welcome mail.
Everyone gathers for a Debrief in comms still overjoyed at the defense that was pulled off in the last possible moments.
We all know PL could have dropped endless Super Capitals on us but instead chose to make the fight an interesting one. Massive thanks go out to PL for this keep up the fun fights!
I know all the Newbros in Brave in the last week or so were thrilled by the fight and be warned there is more to come!
Battle Reports Come In
The battle report shows the actual losses sustained. Brave took huge losses totaling over 40 Billion isk according to the incoming reports but the Fortizar did survive so the whole situation is considered a win.
PL suffer roughly 20 Billion isk in losses and Initiative Mercenaries suffer 2 Billion. Given the War footing between Brave an IM this was a definite win for IM who dealt massive damage and losses to both sides and sustained minimal. Their Snatch fleets are definitely something to be feared.
The EWAR Fleet run by TheReverend Arnst despite losing huge numbers is considered a massive success, With an iffy start but constant reshipping and no one giving up the fight was won.
139 Maulus
14 Crucifier
54 Griffin
1 Celestis
19 vigils
The numbers above show just how many EWAR ships were destroyed by the oposition but an endless onslaught helped to ensure the Fortizar’s survival.
Battle Report
AdvertisementsThe Dallas Stars announced today that the club has signed goaltenderto a three-year entry-level contract. Campbell was Dallas’ first-round selection (No. 11 overall) in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.Campbell, 18, is currently playing for the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League, having appeared in 12 games so far this season with a 6-5-0 record, a 3.81 goals-against-average (GAA), and an.882 save percentage.“Jack is a very promising player for the future of our organization,” said Stars General Manager Joe Nieuwendyk. “He has a strong work ethic and we are looking forward to watching him develop as his career progresses.”The 6-3, 175-pound net-minder played for the U.S. National Development Team last season, going 6-3-1 with a 2.21 GAA and a.917 save percentage. He also represented the U.S. at the 2010 Under-20 Championships, as well as both the 2010 and 2009 Under-18 Championships. Campbell led the Americans to gold in all three tournaments.Campbell will continue playing for Windsor this season and is expected to participate in the Stars’ 2011 Summer Development Camp and the team’s 2011 Training Camp.While the company initially wanted a higher rate, they settled at one percent due to the size of the market: “We told them we could compensate price for volume, said Doss. "All companies want to enter Egypt because of the huge market, but we are not letting them in unless they offer good prices. We hope to treat a million patients in Egypt.”
The company’s reduced prices came after the World Health Organization worked with Gilead directly to help spread the drug's usage. So what determines who gets a discount and who doesn't? It's simple. Gilead admits their “global pricing model is based on a country’s ability to pay.”
While the countries that most need and cannot afford the drug were greatly helped, many other nations may not be able to negotiate such as low price. Isabelle Meyer-Andrieux, an advisor at Doctors Without Borders, finds that “a major concern for us is the price for middle-income countries,” such as Ukraine and China. Meyer-Andrieux believes that the wealthier countries, which had a lower rate of hepatitis C infection, will earn Gilead enough to subsidize the reduced price in developing countries: “They don’t have to treat so many patients to reimburse the $11 billion.” Of the 130 million to 185 million people in the world with hepatitis C, about ninety percent of them reside in the world’s poorest nations, as this 2013 article from the journal Science shows.
The World Health Organization hopes that with the price will be further deceased for middle income countries through tiered pricing and generic versions of the medication. So far the tiered pricing has set the British cost to $57,000 for a full treatment, Germany to $66,000 and Canada to $55,000. Though the tiered pricing certainly offers some reduction in cost, many health leaders are left unimpressed by the so-called discounts. “When you're starting from such an exorbitant price in the U.S., the price Gilead will offer middle-income countries like Thailand and Indonesia may seem like a good discount. But it will still be too expensive for many of these countries to scale up treatment”, said Rohit Malpani of Doctors Without Borders.
As for the $1,000 a day American price for the extremely effective (and life-saving) medication, Gilead is holding firm that they “think the price is fair. It’s a one-time cost that is your lifetime cost.” In a letter on March 20, Representative Henry Waxman called for Gilead to explain their United States pricing structure to Congress, as part of an inquiry that remains ongoing.
This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.Andreas von Bülow says he's never feared for his life. This is despite the fact that he harbors suspicions that the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks were not the work of 19 "suicide Muslims," as he calls them, but rather an ingenious, cold-blooded operation in psychological warfare organized by the United States itself; and despite the fact that he has published this view in book form.
Bülow doesn't commit himself definitively to the position, but he feels fairly certain that either the Bush administration or other, far more powerful groups operating behind the scenes allowed more than 3,000 people to die in order to construct an unassailable argument supporting geopolitically desirable military operations such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan.
These are astonishing theories on the part of a former German government minister, one who spent 25 years representing the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) in Germany's federal parliament, the Bundestag. He's not saying his theories necessarily represent what really happened, Bülow explains, he's simply posing questions. "This is just another way of thinking," he says. But, the former minister adds, it's a way of thinking that appears quite plausible to |
in the US and Canada shrank by 5% last year.
To be clear, these figures refer to all movies, i.e. not jut those made by the big Hollywood studios, but also domestic ones. That said, the highest grossing movie in China last year (and ever) was a Hollywood film. Transformers: Age of Extinction.
The movie market is absolutely booming in China, yet another example of how its rising middle class is becoming an increasingly important purchasing cohort. It is also changing the way movies are made. As I’ve written previously, this globalization dynamic is killing off the Hollywood comedy, which typically does not translate well to global audiences. Blockbusters, and sequels often do, however. Particularly ones, like the latest Transformers installment, that cleverly include Chinese actors and settings.
Whether Asian markets continue to surpass the US (and Canada) remains to be seen.The Hollywood Reporter says the Chinese box office alone actually surpassed the US in February. Yet with a promising summer of high profile releases ahead, many are tipping a rebound in the US this year. Either way, the globalization of movies, like everything else, appears inexorable.Winter is in full swing, which means nights spent doing anything but watching television from your couch have quickly lost appeal. Luckily, you can keep the hibernation fresh with all the new titles hitting Netflix come February. Happy snuggling!
Films and Specials
"Bleach the Movie: Hell Verse"
"Dark Ride"
"Gimme Shelter"
"Gucci: The Director"
"Hot Pursuit"
"Houseboat"
"Into the Blue 2: The Reef"
"Joe"
"King Arthur"
"Naruto Shippuden: The Movie"
"Now: In the Wings on a World Stage"
"Proof"
"The Brothers Bloom"
"We Could Be King"
"We're No Angels"
"Zapped"
"The Little Rascals Save The Day" (Feb. 5)
"Ever After High: Spring Unsung" (Feb. 6)
"Danger 5" (Feb. 6)
"Dead Snow: Read vs. Dead" (Feb. 7)
"Elsa & Fred" (Feb. 7)
"Blood Ties" (Feb. 8)
"Catch Hell" (Feb. 8)
"Dwight Howard: In the Moment" (Feb. 10)
"Mr. Peabody & Sherman" (Feb. 11)
"Young Ones" (Feb. 12)
"The Two Faces Of January" (Feb. 12)
"Scary Movie 5" (Feb. 12)
"Save the Date" (Feb. 16)
"The Overnighters" (Feb. 17)
"Earth to Echo" (Feb. 18)
"In Secret" (Feb. 18)
"The Fluffy Movie" (Feb. 18)
"White Bird in a Blizzard" (Feb. 19)
"RoboCop" (Feb. 21)
"1,000 Times Good Night" (Feb. 24)
"Open Windows" (Feb. 26)
"Russell Brand: Messiah Complex" (Feb. 26)
"Ralphie May: Unruly" (Feb. 27)
"Boys" (Feb. 27)Download part paragon_Shield for free to check the printability and test the quality before buying all STL files of the 3D model.
This 3d model consists of files in StereoLithography (.Stl) format that have been optimized for 3d printing.
Paragon Steel character is known in the video game world for his high durability. When engaged in battles and fights, he deploys close-range combat skills and is able to protect his teammates from foes with his powerful force shield.
His shield is actually the main weapon that Paragon Steel makes use in all dangerous situations, knocking down the enemies and passing through them. His shield is also a good protection against enemy projectiles.
The Paragon Steel model for 3D printing reproduces accurately the power and durability of the fighter. The 3D designers have modeled an impressive force shield with accurate detailing of game graphics.
Paragon Steel 3D printable model is 121.78mm deep,122.44mm wide, and 140.1mm tall. It will take you 42h 20 min. and 24.49m or 194g of filament to have it 3D printed.
The model comes in static form and is mounted on a support base, to facilitate its display on the shelf or desktop. The 3D model’s downloadable 3D files are provided in STL format, adapted for SLA/SLS and FFF printers. The files have been repaired and corrected in Netfabb and executed in CURA 15.06 and Repetier Host, and are error-free.
Buy Paragon Steel 3D model by clicking on the “Buy” button in the top-right corner of the page. Proceed to checkout, enter your PayPal account or credit card details and download the STL files.
Want to see more heroes? Check Lara Croft 3D model.STL and share your thoughts with us in the comments below.Azuchi
5★ Ranged Anima
Stats:
Max/MLB ATK: 11000/13126
Max/MLB HP: 8000/9546
Skill:
Dazzling Inferno (max): Deals 1852/2210 DMG to all enemies, with a low chance of inflicting burn.
Ability1:
Grand and Luxurious (lv 70): Moderately increases Crit Rate and Crit DMG.
Ability2:
World Famous Castle (lv 85): All Anima team members take slightly less DMG.
Opinion:
Nice base stats for ranged 5 star. The AoE skill damage doesn’t seem much to start, but at LB0 you have access to increased Crit rate and Crit DMG, making the AoE damage much better. Comparing her effective AoE skill damage to others, she has the second highest in game.
Ignoring the passives and comparing Lb0 skill damage of other AoE 5 stars, Mjolnir hits 1951 at base; QSH Tomb 1664; Gilles (a joke of a comparison in most cases) 1773. Gilles proves a surprisingly significant comparison because he similarly has an increase Crit Rate passive, but that was locked at lv 78, requiring LB2 (and 300 Mochis for trade), which also came with a increase damage taken disadvantage.
At LB3 Azuchi reduces damage taken by Animas, good if you are running a pure Anima team. Full anima teams tend to be either melee heavy teams (going without healer) or crit stacking teams. Azuchi would fit nicely in both. For the melee teams, Azuchi’s reduce damage passive for Anima would synergize well with Juzumaru and the other Five Swords Under Heaven, allowing them to take more damage without needing healers. Azuchi would also benefit in a Crit stacking team together with Pearl/Mayflower (leader) and Antikythera (crit booster).
He Shi Bi
4★ Melee Anima
Stats:
Max/MLB ATK: 5900/7234
Max/MLB HP: 5700/6988
Skill:
Rare Jewel: Deals 4064/4982 DMG to the enemy with the lowest HP.
Ability1:
Perfect Jade (lv65): Moderately increases battle reward drop rate.
Opinion
(Stats ignored, although the single target skill damage is fair for a 4 star). Farming Daemon. (My favourite. Love drop rate boosters.) Unfortunately she needs to be LB1 to unlock her ability. However, her main highlight is that she bestows a ‘moderate’ increase to drop rate, as opposed to the ‘slight’ increase of other drop rate boosters. This is unprecedented, as even Sakuya, who is currently the best drop rate booster, only has a slight (7%) drop rate boost. The release of He Shi Bi finally means we’re getting a daemon with a drop rate above 10%.
Azi Dahaka
5★ Ranged Phantasma
Stats:
Max/MLB ATK: 11500/13723
Max/MLB HP: 7600/9070
Skill:
Dragonese: Deals 2575/3072 DMG to enemy target. Target receives 50%/60% more DMG for a limited time.
Ability1:
Snake Dragon God (lv68): Sharply increases Crit Rate.
Ability2:
Imprisoned Dragon (lv83): Significantly increases Crit DMG when Angra Mainyu is on the team.
Special Bond: Increases Angra Mainyu’s skill DMG.
Opinion:
Wow. Just wow. The power creep just got real. Azi is essentially a whale (or very lucky player)’s upgrade to TE or Amanojaku, and outclasses Titanium on almost every front (her Crit rate boost is even unlocked at LB0). Perhaps the only way in which Titanium is better is accessibility- Azi’s Crit DMG boost requires not only LB3, but also requires Angra Mainyu, another JS 5-star, to be on the team, whereas Titanium is F2P friendlier as an exchange daemon and only requires a 2-star Elf to activate her ability.
That said, if you have both Azi and Angra, they make a terrifying combo. They have mutual special bonds, both increasing each other’s skill damage by a massive 17% (5% from Skill DMG bond, 12% from special bond). At MLB with Angra Mainyu on team or in reserve, Azi deals the highest true auto-attack damage in game at 2566, which is higher than the previous #1 Leonardo da Vinci at 2217. If you think Titanium Elf is good, Azi is even better- she’s 17% stronger than Titanium Elf and 15% stronger than Leonardo da Vinci.
The ideal setup for Azi requires 2 copies of Angra, 1 for the special bond, and 1 on team/reserve to trigger her crit damage boost. Azi will function in a team the same way Titanium Elf or Amanojaku would. To further boost Azi’s damage one can place other phantom team damage and crit damage boosters, like Titania New Years, Astaroth, Philosopher’s Stone, Zhuge Ling, Poison S Brew and Katsushika on the team or reserve.
All in all, if you are a whale with lots of JS daemons (ie Angra) in inventory, Azi is worth going for. She is a significant upgrade over the existing debuffers and is highly desirable, especially if you joined late and didn’t exchange for Titanium Elf in time and/or didn’t exchange for Amanojaku. Azi’s potential is astronomical, but to unleash her fully one needs many other specific daemons to be available for use.
Camellia the Ninja
3★ Melee Divina
Stats:
Max/MLB ATK: 4000/5,090
Max/MLB HP: 4600/ 5,853
Skill:
Incomplete Fire Release: Deals 3009/3828 DMG to an enemy (ranged priority).
Opinion:
3 star, with appropriate 3 star stats, and a single target skill. Nothing spectacular here. For collection until MLB then to be sold for mochis.Reality: Actually, it’s been a “real thing” longer than you’ve been alive. The term dates back something like a century ago (and was, even then, being used to refer to feminists). The only reason it was “supposed to be a joke” was because you and people like you desperately try to mock the concept in order to delegitimize it (and MRAs). In other words, you tried to turn it into a joke, and failed.
Did you ever actually look up misandry in a dictionary? Did you not notice that the origin date is older than the modern MRM, much less tumblr, by decades? Did you notice that it includes contempt and prejudice against men? Do you know that many people seriously believe that lolmisandry tumblrfems actually hate men, including people who actually hate men themselves? Come to think of it, isn’t that exactly the same argument feminists often make for rape jokes? That they encourage actual rapists? Except that, wherps, Western society has generally viewed M>F rape as one of the worst crimes imaginable for longer than anyone on Earth has been alive, while “boys are stupid, throw rocks at them” is a bestselling piece of merchandise.
Ironically, feminism’s efforts to suppress MRAs just keep bringing more attention to them. They’ve done more for the visibility of MRAs than MRAs have.Does this school best fit your college needs? Receive a personalized ranking provided by U.S. News College Compass and find out. Try it now »
Drexel University is a private institution that was founded in 1891. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 13,272, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 96 acres. It utilizes a quarter-based academic calendar. Drexel University's ranking in the 2019 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 102. Its tuition and fees are $52,002 (2018-19).
Students at Drexel University can get a mix of in-class education and extensive on-the-job experience before graduation. Drexel operates a cooperative education program, sending students to more than 1,600 employers worldwide for six months at a time. Most co-ops are paid, and the average salary a Drexel student will take home is more than $16,000. Students who complete three co-ops generally graduate in five years. Students who participate in a single co-op experience or no co-op experience can graduate in four years.
When students aren’t working, there is plenty to do on the school’s main campus in Philadelphia’s University City. They have more than 300 student clubs and organizations to get involved in, including more than 30 fraternities and sororities. The Drexel Dragons compete in the NCAA Division I Colonial Athletic Association. The neighborhood is also home to the University of Pennsylvania and the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. The city's central hub of public transportation, 30th Street Station, is two blocks from campus, and Center City Philadelphia is a 10-minute walk away. In total, more than 70 percent of Drexel students commute to school.
Drexel offers well-regarded programs through the College of Engineering, and it has a medical school and a law school. Notable alumni of Drexel University include Michael Anderson, a former professional basketball player, and Earle I. Mack, a former ambassador to Finland.GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida defensive end Justus Reed has announced that he will transfer from the program.
Reed, a redshirt junior, has appeared in just 11 games in three years at Florida after redshirting in 2014. He played in just two games in 2016 during an injury-plagued season, failing to record any tackles but picking up two quarterback hurries.
"First and foremost I'd like to thank the University of Florida for everything that it has done for me since I've been here," Reed wrote on Twitter. "I'd like to thank coach (Will) Muschamp for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to come here, and I'd also like to thank coach (Jim McElwain) and his coaching staff for everything that they have done for me since they've been here.
"But with that being said I think it is in my best it is in my best interest (sic) after talking it over with my family that I transfer and try to find a new home for the next few years. Thank you GatorNation you've been nothing but great."
Reed finishes his Florida career with nine tackles and two tackles for a loss.
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Contact Thomas Goldkamp by 247Sports' personal messaging system or on Twitter at @ThomasGoldkamp.Kara Danvers is struggling with a fear of abandonment on Supergirl for a very good reason — as an alien, her loved ones are often living or dead on other planets. The latest departure is her boyfriend, who left in a pod at the end of Season 2, but Mon-El will be be back at some point in the future. When he does return to Earth, however, don't expect the goofy, privileged prince to be the same. In an interview with Bustle, actor Chris Wood reveals that Mon-El's return to Supergirl will change both the character and the show.
"He's carrying the baggage of where he's been and what he's been through," says Wood about the character in Season 3. The details of his return and what he's up to are, of course, "shrouded in mystery" and Wood can't discuss them. However, he does reveal that when Mon-El returns, it's going to mix things up quite a bit.
At the end of Season 2, Mon-El was forced to leave Earth after Kara dispersed lead into the atmosphere to fight off invading Daxamites — and his pod was immediately sucked into a wormhole upon departure. While the character has appeared to Kara in dreams and motivational visions, he's not fully back on the show yet in Season 3. He told Kara that she made him want to be a better person, but space is big and we know he has enemies out there.
Bettina Strauss/The CW
"You know [his return] affects everyone," Wood says. Whatever agenda or personality change he comes with is going to shake things up. "This guy who was one thing is now another thing and what he carries with him — it provides a different perspective to what [the other characters are] doing and it sort of changes the dynamic of the group in another way. It definitely creates a domino effect."
Whether he comes back as a fully-fledged hero or, an alien rights activist, or maybe, a hardened criminal, it's going to be interesting. Like him or not, Mon-El has a sort of refreshing innocence on Earth that it's difficult to imagine how that would change.
When exactly is he coming back? How will he deal with that tricky lead problem? That's all part of the mystery. Right now, the rise of Reign on Supergirl is occupying quite a bit of Kara's time. Plus, Lena Luthor is taking over CatCo, and having your best friend become your boss is rife for conflict opportunities. Dynamics are shifting all over Supergirl. By the time Mon-El does return, he might not even recognize everybody himself.
Kevin Smith, who directed the Mon-El centric Season 2 episode "Distant Son," is back directing Season 3, Episode 5. That could be a clue as to when he'll return. Perhaps he'll return as part of the next Arrow-verse crossover event. Mon-El isn't mentioned in the episode descriptions for upcoming episodes "The Faithful," or "Far From The Tree." It seems like Supergirl is going to keep fans and Kara waiting for quite some time, at least until after Season 3, Episode 4.
Diyah Pera/The Cw
As for fan reception of the character, which has been mixed since Mon-El first crash landed on Earth at the end of Season 1, it doesn't really bother the actor. People are entitled to their own opinions and interpretations. "At the end of the day," Wood says, "I'm just doing my job."
Maybe this changed Mon-El will spark a different response in fans. It certainly sounds like his return is going to be something exciting. At least his story is not over, something that at the end of the day, we can all appreciate.Police conducting a raid at a suspected drug dealer’s home south of Boston made an unusual discovery — a stolen 2004 Red Sox World Series ring.
Quincy police had been watching the home for several months, and on Tuesday they executed a search warrant after witnessing a drug deal.
Article continues below...
Capt. John Dougan says they found a ”significant” number of oxycodone pills, money-counting machines, police scanners, $9,000 in cash and the ring.
Dougan says the ring belongs to a team employee, not a player or coach. The Red Sox broke an 86-year World Series championship drought in 2004.
The man who lives in the home and two men to whom he allegedly sold pills are expected in court Wednesday.
Dougan says it’s unclear how the ring ended up in the home.The introductory adventure zone, Korthos, ends in the lonely spires of Misery's Peak. The quest has a well-deserved reputation for being the first real challenge for players new to Dungeons and Dragons Online. Dungeonraider explored Misery's Peak in search of the white dragon that had been menacing the populace of Korthos. At stake for Korthos was eternal winter, and for our hero, a great opportunity to thin out the ranks of the seemingly endless number of cultists.
The story line that brings players to this adventure continues inside the mountain. There is an obvious effort being made to keep curious explorers from areas that will allow them to activate levers that bring down the magical barriers. Organized bands of humans normally have in their company a cultist necromancer, who can raise dead into zombies. The majority of these zombies were formerly elves and dwarves, a grim reminder of the brutal tactics employed by the Devourer cult.
Among DDO players that have been playing awhile, Misery's Peak is already a classic adventure. It's such a huge place, with so much freedom to go wherever you want to go (careful you don't get lost in the process), that it gets people excited about what they might find after they're done with the Korthos stories. As expected, DDO delivers in the next adventure area, Stormreach Harbor. Misery's Peak delivers realistic elements in this dark, cold cavern system, and players will take what they've learned here with them to the more advanced quests awaiting them in Stormreach.The lineup for Lollapalooza’s 10th year Aug. 1-3 in Grant Park won’t be announced until next week, but industry sources confirm that the headliners will include Eminem, Skrillex, Kings of Leon and Arctic Monkeys.
Lollapalooza, which last year drew a capacity audience of 300,000 to the three-day festival, will mark return visits for all four bands. Additional headliners and the complete lineup will be announced next week.
Eminem previously headlined the festival in 2011 and late last year released “The Marshall Mathers LP 2,” which debuted at No. 1 and has sold about 2 million copies.
Skrillex has been at the leading edge of the EDM (electronic dance music) movement for several years, and has been a Lollapalooza regular, first performing there in 2011 and returning last year with his Dog Blood side project. His rapid ascent coincides with Lollapalooza’s increasingly large role in advancing dance-music artists; in past years, electronic acts such as Daft Punk, Deadmau5 and Avicii have played high-profile sets.
Kings of Leon used the festival circuit as a springboard over the last decade to becoming an arena rock band, and they headlined Lollapalooza in 2009. Arctic Monkeys last appeared at Lollapalooza before a huge late-afternoon crowd in 2011, but this year marks the U.K. quartet’s first headlining slot there.
The festival will once again spread more than 100 bands and artists across eight stages. It became a destination festival in 2005, based in Chicago and promoted by Austin-based C3 Presents, after launching in 1991 as a multi-band touring event centered on Jane’s Addiction’s farewell tour.
Tickets are scheduled to go on sale next Tuesday.The New York Times public editor Liz Spayd took a parting shot at the establishment media just days after the paper announced it was eliminating her position.
The Times created the position in the aftermath of the Jayson Blair scandal. But apparently publisher Arthur Sulzberger, Jr. feels that an in-house watchdog is no longer necessary, according to a memo he sent to the staff:
“The public editor position, created in the aftermath of a grave journalistic scandal, played a crucial part in rebuilding our readers’ trusts by acting as our in-house watchdog. We welcomed that criticism, even when it stung. But today, our followers on social media and our readers across the internet have come together to collectively serve as a modern watchdog, more vigilant and forceful than one person could ever be. Our responsibility is to empower all of those watchdogs, and to listen to them, rather than to channel their voice through a single office.”
Spayd, who was the sixth person to hold the position and was under contract until 2018, decided to leave early. She let readers know that she had doubts about the Times’ and other legacy newspaper’s ability to hold themselves accountable without a public editor, reader advocate or ombudsman:
“Mike Morell, former acting director of the C.I.A. and a backer of Hillary Clinton, earlier this week likened the U.S. media’s reaction to Donald Trump to the Venezuelan media’s reaction when Hugo Chávez became president nearly 20 years ago. With little political opposition to Chávez, the media assumed that role, Morrell said, and ultimately lost its credibility with the Venezuelan people. The U.S. isn’t Venezuela but the media here shouldn’t fall into the same trap. I don’t worry that The Times, or The Washington Post or others with the most resources will fail to pursue ripe investigative targets. And I hope they do. But in their effort to hold Trump accountable, will they play their hands wisely and fairly? Or will they make reckless decisions and draw premature conclusions? And who will be watching, on this subject or anything else, if they don’t acquit themselves well? At The Times, it won’t be the public editor. As announced on Wednesday, that position is being eliminated, making this my last column. Media pundits and many readers this week were questioning the decision to end this role, fearing that without it, no one will have the authority, insider perspective or ability to demand answers from top Times editors. There’s truth in that. But it overlooks a larger issue. It’s not really about how many critics there are, or where they’re positioned, or what Times editor can be rounded up to produce answers. It’s about having an institution that is willing to seriously listen to that criticism, willing to doubt its impulses and challenge the wisdom of the inner sanctum. Having the role was a sign of institutional integrity, and losing it sends an ambiguous signal: Is the leadership growing weary of such advice or simply searching for a new model? We’ll find out soon enough.”
To answer Spayd’s question, the Times had grown weary of the criticism that she and her predecessors heaped upon the paper, and for their admission that the paper had a liberal bias.
With Spayd’s departure the Times can pursue it’s anti-Trump agenda without being criticized from within for its biased coverage.Jeremy Corbyn again laid bare the deep Labour divisions on Brexit today as he slapped down a call by Barry Gardiner to reject a customs union agreement with the EU.
The Shadow International Trade Secretary this morning reiterated his stance that remaining in the customs union would be bad for Britain and leave it a “vassal state”.
But a spokesperson for Mr Corbyn said it was wrong to “sweep options off the table” - something the leadership team has already done on single market membership.
The customs union sets import tariff rates on all its member states and allows goods to be traded tariff-free between them.
On Sunday night Mr Gardiner said customs union membership would create an “asymmetrical relationship” between the UK and nations the EU does deals with.
“The EU could do a deal with another country, let’s say America, which we would be bound by in the UK,” he explained.
“We would have to accept the liberalisation of our markets, we would have to accept their goods coming into our markets on the terms agreed by Europe, which could be prejudicial to us.
“But we would not have the same access into America’s markets. We would be bound to try to negotiate it but why would America give us that access when it’s got all the liberalisation of our markets that it wants? It’s a disaster.”
But a spokesperson for Mr Corbyn today said the party would not be ruling out customs union membership.
"We need to be flexible in our approach and not sweep options off the table," the spokesperson said.
"As we spelled out in our election manifesto, Labour believes that the Brexit negotiations should put jobs and the economy first, with the priority of tariff-free access to the European single market.
"We want to see a new partnership with the EU that maintains the benefits of both the single market and the customs union."
SINGLE MARKET ROW
But Mr Corbyn has sparked anger by categorically ruling out Britain staying in the single market after Brexit - arguing it is “inextricably linked” to EU membership.
Backbencher Chuka Umunna said the party needed to put “clear red water” between itself and Ukip on Brexit, while Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones insisted there was “no need” to leave the single market.
The TUC, the umbrella organisation representing the UK’s biggest unions, today renewed its call for Labour not to rule out remaining part of the single market.
The single market allows the free movement of goods, services, labour and capital.Boy arrested in Saudi Arabia for dancing in street freed with road safety warning
Boy arrested in Saudi Arabia for dancing in street freed with road safety warning The youngster was detained after a clip went viral of him grooving to a 1990s hit in a busy Saudi Arabian street.
Image: The boy performed his dance routine in front of five lanes of cars stopped at traffic lights
A 14-year-old boy arrested after dancing the Macarena on a Saudi Arabian street has been released with a warning about road safety.
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The child went viral on social media as he was filmed moving to the popular 1990s hit song by Los Del Rio in front of five lanes of cars stopped at traffic lights.
Police said the youngster, who wore shorts, a striped t-shirt and headphones in the video, was held because he had shown "improper public behaviour" and caused disruption.
The boy, whose name and nationality have not been given, was later released without charge, after he and his legal guardian were summoned for questioning, said the interior ministry.
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It said: "They signed a written pledge that the teen will not engage in behaviour that could endanger his life and the life of others again.
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"The notification was solely intended to warn the boy about potential consequences for his own safety, as well as to safeguard the overall safety of motorists and pedestrians."
In the clip, which has been shared thousands of times, the child can be seen dancing back and forth amid heavy traffic in the background.
The video was believed to have been first posted in July 2016.
Some on social media have hailed him a hero - while others have condemned him as "immoral".Braeburn Capital is investing the cash Apple has amassed thanks to the global appetite for its consumer electronics
It is one of the world's largest hedge funds, with $121bn under management, but its name is virtually unknown in financial circles. Braeburn Capital is not operated from the top floor of a Manhattan skyscraper or a plush Mayfair townhouse. It is located in a quiet suburb of Nevada's capital, Reno, and it belongs to Apple.
In a nondescript building opposite an abandoned restaurant, a small number of advisers have been charged with investing the cash pile Apple has amassed thanks to the seemingly insatiable global appetite for its consumer electronics.
That pile has grown from $9bn when Braeburn was established in 2006 to more than $120bn (£75bn), according to Apple's financial results on Thursday. That is a shade less than the $130bn Bridgewater Associates, the largest hedge fund in America and probably the world, has under management.
Much of Apple's money is trapped overseas, sheltered from the US taxman, who would demand a 35% cut were the money to be repatriated. But it can be invested at home. Apple's financial reports show it holds $21bn of US government debt – a vast sum for a single private investor. Foreign governments like investing in US securities, but Apple owns more than the $19bn held by Malaysia, and just $4bn less than Spain.
Apple's largest investment category is corporate securities. It has $44.5bn in company shares, more than the entire $39bn managed by Man Group, the UK's largest hedge fund. It is also a big holder of other nations' debt, with $7bn invested in sovereign securities abroad.
Little is known about which companies Apple invests in. It occasionally owns stakes large enough to be declared: Apple was a founding investor in British chip designer ARM, but has sold out, and owns 9% of Hertfordshire-based Imagination Technologies, which designs video and audio chips.
Braeburn does not file a record with the American stock market regulator, or the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure register; it is not an independent adviser but a division of a private company.
It is free to hold any assets – for all anyone knows they could be short positions on the shares of its major rivals such as Samsung and Google, or the sub-prime mortgages of American homeowners, lumped together and traded on the financial markets. Indeed, it declares ownership of nearly $9bn of mortgage and asset-backed securities, according to filings.
The decision to locate Braeburn in Nevada rather than Apple's home state of California makes sense because Nevada does not collect corporation tax or capital gains tax. California, by contrast, has a corporate tax rate of 8.84%, a rate of contribution to the public coffers that has not been enough to prevent a school funding crisis in a state that houses some of the world's most valuable companies. Managing its money from Nevada also allows Apple to lower its tax bills in other states. Florida, New Jersey and New Mexico discount taxes when a company's financial management is in another jurisdiction.
In 2006, Apple listed only cash and short term investments in its filings, but Braeburn's managers are expected to take the long view. Apple now holds nearly $90bn of its money in "long-term marketable securities".
According to analysis by the New York Times, since founding Braeburn, Apple has earned more than $2.5bn in interest and dividend income on its cash reserves and investments around the globe.
Apple declined to comment on Braeburn's activities, but in the year its investment arm was established, an Apple spokesman explained that it would function as a regional treasury office, on a par with existing offices at its Cupertino headquarters, in Singapore and in Cork, Ireland.
The Nevada Annual Report, a register of companies located in the state, lists three Braeburn officers: Apple attorney Gene Levoff, Michael Shapiro and Gary Wipfler, who as Apple's treasurer is the person officially responsible for the management of the technology titan's billions.
Various Braeburn employees have filled in pared down profiles on LinkedIn, the corporate networking site, including Steve Johnson, who claims to be chief investment officer, and Rhys Gray, a chartered financial accountant previously employed by investment management firm Payden & Rygel.
Ted Mulvaney describes himself as a portfolio manager at Braeburn, and is also linked to Magrathea Financial Services, a Reno based investment firm named after a Hitch-Hiker's guide to the Galaxy planet, known as one of the wealthiest in the universe due to its extraordinary trade – building customised planets to order.
Braeburn's team may be modest, but its scope is galactic.Research article 03 Mar 2016
Research article | 03 Mar 2016
Abstract. The surface energy balance and meltwater production of the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) are modulated by snow and ice albedo through the amount of absorbed solar radiation. Here we show, using space-borne multispectral data collected during the 3 decades from 1981 to 2012, that summertime surface albedo over the GrIS decreased at a statistically significant (99 %) rate of 0.02decade−1 between 1996 and 2012. Over the same period, albedo modelled by the Modèle Atmosphérique Régionale (MAR) also shows a decrease, though at a lower rate ( ∼ −0.01decade−1) than that obtained from space-borne data. We suggest that the discrepancy between modelled and measured albedo trends can be explained by the absence in the model of processes associated with the presence of light-absorbing impurities. The negative trend in observed albedo is confined to the regions of the GrIS that undergo melting in summer, with the dry-snow zone showing no trend. The period 1981–1996 also showed no statistically significant trend over the whole GrIS. Analysis of MAR outputs indicates that the observed albedo decrease is attributable to the combined effects of increased near-surface air temperatures, which enhanced melt and promoted growth in snow grain size and the expansion of bare ice areas, and to trends in light-absorbing impurities (LAI) on the snow and ice surfaces. Neither aerosol models nor in situ and remote sensing observations indicate increasing trends in LAI in the atmosphere over Greenland. Similarly, an analysis of the number of fires and BC emissions from fires points to the absence of trends for such quantities. This suggests that the apparent increase of LAI in snow and ice might be related to the exposure of a "dark band" of dirty ice and to increased consolidation of LAI at the surface with melt, not to increased aerosol deposition. Albedo projections through to the end of the century under different warming scenarios consistently point to continued darkening, with albedo anomalies averaged over the whole ice sheet lower by 0.08 in 2100 than in 2000, driven solely by a warming climate. Future darkening is likely underestimated because of known underestimates in modelled melting (as seen in hindcasts) and because the model albedo scheme does not currently include the effects of LAI, which have a positive feedback on albedo decline through increased melting, grain growth, and darkening.Seventy-one days after Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared, the first book about the disaster will go on sale on Monday with a theory about what might have happened.
And as the international search continues for the aircraft Irene Burrows, the Queensland mother who lost her son and daughter-in-law on the flight, said it was too soon for a |
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Fleischmann (NC) 11/09/07: Matt LaCrosse (ME) 11/02/07: Justin Gaines (GA) 10/20/07: Lee Cutler (WI) 09/30/07: Chris Melancon (WI) 07/07/07: Brian Sullivan (NY) 06/21/07: Anthony French (ND) 06/02/07: John Pike (MA) 03/31/07: Abel Bolanos (IA) 03/17/07: Josh Kaneaukua (MN) 03/16/07: Dustin Willis (MA) 01/20/07: Brad Olsen (IL) 01/15/07: Joseph Zahornacky (CT) 01/13/07: Wade Steffey (IN) 12/16/06: Nick Rossini (MN) 11/21/06: Jesse Ross (IL) 09/30/06: Luke Homan (WI) 07/26/06: Max Walker (WI) 04/01/06: Brian Shaffer (OH) 02/02/06: Scott Radel (MN) 01/28/06: Kenji Ohmi (WI) 01/11/06: Buddy Roberts (MN) 12/23/05: Matt Kruziki (IL) 12/06/05: Matt Soumakis (IL) 10/07/05: Albert Campbell (NY) 09/23/05: Patrick Kycia (MN) 07/04/05: Tony Luzio Jr. (OH) 06/15/05: Todd Geib (MI) 06/12/05: Josh Snell (WI) 06/05/05: Simeon McCarty (KY) 04/29/05: Frank DiMattia (NY) 04/25/05: Dan Pirfo (NY) 04/15/05: Patrick Welsh (NY) 04/13/05: Keith Ryan (IL) 01/12/05: Chris Thiem (IN) 11/13/04: Adam Falcon (NY) 10/02/04: Chris Olberding (OH) 09/28/04: Nate Williams (MN) 09/12/04: Jesse Miller (WI) 07/18/04: Kevin Martin (IA) 04/17/04: Marlon Blue (IL) 04/10/04: Jared Dion (WI) 12/05/03: Gordon Stumlin (WI) 11/01/03: Matthew Schiess (IL) 10/31/03: Matthew Schiess (IL) 03/01/03: Jeremy Houk (LA) 04/04/02: Lon Dowdle (KY) 02/08/03: Glen Leadley (IL) 01/19/03: Jeremy Steinkeoway (MN) 01/10/03: Nathan Herr (WI) 12/12/02: Chad Sharon (IN) 11/09/02: Josh Guimond (MN) 11/06/02: Michael Noll (WI) 10/31/02: Chris Jenkins (MN) 09/29/02: Craig Burrows (WI) 04/05/02: Albert Papandreou (IL) 04/04/02: Lon Dowdle (AL) 03/11/02: James Rowe (IL) 03/03/02: Brendan McNelis (NY) 11/07/01: Christopher Nordby (MN) 10/20/01: Eric Blair (MI) 04/13/01: Ken Christiansen (MN) 04/11/01: Branson Perry (MO) 03/10/01: Justin Hayduk (WV) 03/09/01: Michael Jansson (IL) 03/01/01: Patrick Runningen (WI) 01/14/01: Immanuel Tharrington (PA) 01/01/00: Brian Welzien (IL) 04/14/99: Nathan Edberg (MN) 04/13/99: Jeff Geesey (WI) 09/17/98: Robert Kovak (VA) 08/26/98: Jimmy Tsui (NY) 05/12/98: Joshua Bender (NY) 04/25/98: Keith Noble (OH) 03/07/98: Trevor Hoheisel (IL) 02/22/98: Nathan Kapfer (WI) 01/01/98: Larry Andrews (NY) 12/31/97: Ryan Getz (MI) 10/05/97: Anthony Skifton (WI) 09/28/97: Charles Blatz (WI) 07/11/97: Richard Hlavaty (WI) 02/16/97: Patrick McNeil (NY) 02/02/97: Franklin Gottschalk (MI) 06/03/95: Blair Grandstrom (WA) 03/12/94: Morgan White (MI) 10/01/93: Kevin Mahoney (ND) 01/01/93: Vernon Jones (NY) 11/19/90: Dale Shields (MI) Canada and Abroad 03/17/12: David Christian (BC) 01/12/12: Angelo Packo (MB) 12/16/11: Matthew Huszar (BC) 09/18/11: Matthew Sloan (NB) 03/13/11: James Bubear (UK) 03/10/11: Christopher Faulkner (BC) 02/26/11: Austin Bice (ES) 12/19/10: Matthew Besner (QC) 10/02/10: Arsim Leku (BC) 08/14/10: Owen Rooney (BC) 02/27/10: Matthew LeClair (ON) 02/21/10: Greg Wry (NB) 01/18/10: Lachlan Cranswick (ON) 11/27/08: Geoffrey Meisner (BC) 11/09/09: Tyler Walton (BC) 08/09/09: Zeyu Qu (BC) 08/08/09: Braden Andersen (MB) 05/26/09: Mason MacPhail (ON) 05/16/09: Shane Fair (ON) 11/03/08: Sahil Sharma (BC) 10/11/08: Dylan Koshman (AB) 04/10/08: Michael Scullion (BC) 03/19/08: Kellen McElwee (BC) 01/31/08: Camilo Slusher (BC) 01/17/08: Bradley Worobeck (AB) 01/08/08: Derek Kelly (BC) 11/04/07: John Kahler (BC) 08/30/07: Kyle McDonald (BC) 07/20/07: Asim Chaudhry (BC) 06/29/07: Louie Urso (ON) 04/29/07: Jeffrey Surtel (BC) 10/04/06: Brandyn Dirienzo (BC) 09/30/06: Aaron Derbyshire (BC) 08/13/06: Robert Barrington Leigh (AB) 07/25/06: Patrick Ratto (BC) 03/30/06: Manvir Sidhu (BC) 01/10/06: Michael Bosma (BC) 08/22/05: Mark Kraynak (QC) 08/22/05: Steve Wright (QC) 08/15/05: Andrew Lathrop (JPN) 10/26/03: Greg Cyr (BC) 10/21/03: Joseph Grozelle (ON) 12/28/01: Martin Balfour (BC) 08/02/99: Rashad Burnley (ON) 11/01/96: Pierre Mercon (ON) 05/26/89: Charles Horvath Allen (BC) 09/22/87: Geoffrey Dowding (BC)Nand Gopal Gupta, also known as Nand Gopal Nandi,[1] (born 23 May 1974) is a Minister of Stamp and Civil Aviation in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of Uttar Pradesh, India.
Political career [ edit ]
In 2007, Gupta was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh from the Allahabad constituency as a candidate of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). In the 2012 assembly elections, he was defeated by Samajwadi Party candidate Haji Parvej Ahmad in the Allahabad South seat. In the national elections of 2014, he sought election to the Lok Sabha as an Indian National Congress candidate from Allahabad but lost. In 2017, he was elected to the Uttar Pradesh assembly from Allahabad constituency for the BJP.[citation needed]
At present he is Cabinet Minister of Stamp and Civil Aviation in the BJP-led Government of Uttar Pradesh.[2]
Gupta is married to Abhilasha Gupta, who is also a politician.[3] He was seriously injured in a 2010 bomb attack in Allahabad, for which fellow MLA Vijay Mishra is among those who have been charged.[1]
References [ edit ]The authenticity of the video is currently unclear but it appears to show Islamic State jihadis, known for their improvisations on the battlefield, have wrapped the tiny animal’s torso with explosives before sending it across the front line.
The horrifying video was apparently uploaded online by fighters with the Iraqi Popular Mobilisation Units.
The PMU, or Al-Hashd Al-Sha'abi, is a group of militia, brought together and state-sponsored to battle with jihadis in Iraq.
In 2014 the group was incorporated into the country’s armed forces to help fight on the battlefield as major cities were overtaken by terrorists.
Three PMU fighters crouch over the small animal in the video, one resting a knife on the ground as they speak to the camera about the find.
They tell the camera the dog is strapped to four bottles, likely filled with shrapnel.
Accoring to the men, if detonated it could kill three of four people.UCLA researchers have explained the puzzling disappearing act of energetic electrons in Earth's outer radiation belt, using data collected from a fleet of orbiting spacecraft.
In a paper published today in the journal Nature Physics, the team shows that the missing electrons are swept away from the planet by a tide of solar wind particles during periods of heightened solar activity.
"This is an important milestone in understanding Earth's space environment," said lead study author Drew Turner, an assistant researcher in the UCLA Department of Earth and Space Sciences and a member of UCLA's Institute for Geophysics and Planetary Physics (IGPP). "We are one step closer towards understanding and predicting space weather phenomena."
During powerful solar events such as coronal mass ejections, parts of the magnetized outer layers of sun's atmosphere crash onto Earth's magnetic field, triggering geomagnetic storms capable of damaging the electronics of orbiting spacecraft. These cosmic squalls have a peculiar effect on Earth's outer radiation belt, a doughnut-shaped region of space filled with electrons so energetic that they move at nearly the speed of light.
"During the onset of a geomagnetic storm, nearly all the electrons trapped within the radiation belt vanish, only to come back with a vengeance a few hours later," said Vassilis Angelopoulos, a UCLA professor of Earth and space sciences and IGPP researcher.
The missing electrons surprised scientists when the trend was first measured in the 1960s by instruments onboard the earliest spacecraft sent into orbit, said study co-author Yuri Shprits, a research geophysicist with the IGPP and the departments of Earth and space sciences, and atmospheric and oceanic sciences.
"It's a puzzling effect," he said. "Oceans on Earth do not suddenly lose most of their water, yet radiation belts filled with electrons can be rapidly depopulated."
Even stranger, the electrons go missing during the peak of a geomagnetic storm, a time when one might expect the radiation belt to be filled with energetic particles because of the extreme bombardment by the solar wind.
Where do the electrons go? This question has remained unresolved since the early 1960s. Some believed the electrons were lost to Earth's atmosphere, while others hypothesized that the electrons were not permanently lost at all but merely temporarily drained of energy so that they appeared absent.
"Our study in 2006 suggested that electrons may be, in fact, lost to the interplanetary medium and decelerated by moving outwards," Shprits said. "However, until recently, there was no definitive proof for this theory."
To resolve the mystery, Turner and his team used data from three networks of orbiting spacecraft positioned at different distances from Earth to catch the escaping electrons in the act. The data show that while a small amount of the missing energetic electrons did fall into the atmosphere, the vast majority were pushed away from the planet, stripped away from the radiation belt by the onslaught of solar wind particles during the heightened solar activity that generated the magnetic storm itself.
A greater understanding of Earth's radiation belts is vital for protecting the satellites we rely on for global positioning, communications and weather monitoring, Turner said. Earth's outer radiation belt is a harsh radiation environment for spacecraft and astronauts; the high-energy electrons can penetrate a spacecraft's shielding and wreak havoc on its delicate electronics. Geomagnetic storms triggered when the oncoming particles smash into Earth's magnetosphere can cause partial or total spacecraft failure.
"While most satellites are designed with some level of radiation protection in mind, spacecraft engineers must rely on approximations and statistics because they lack the data needed to model and predict the behavior of high-energy electrons in the outer radiation belt," Turner said.
During the 2003 "Halloween Storm," more than 30 satellites reported malfunctions, and one was a total loss, said Angelopoulos, a co-author of the current research. As the solar maximum approaches in 2013, marking the sun's peak activity over a roughly 11-year cycle, geomagnetic storms may occur as often as several times per month.
"High-energy electrons can cut down the lifetime of a spacecraft significantly," Turner said. "Satellites that spend a prolonged period within the active radiation belt might stop functioning years early."
While a mechanized spacecraft might include multiple redundant circuits to reduce the risk of total failure during a solar event, human explorers in orbit do not have the same luxury. High-energy electrons can punch through astronauts' spacesuits and pose serious health risks, Turner said.
"As a society, we've become incredibly dependent on space-based technology," he said. "Understanding this population of energetic electrons and their extreme variations will help create more accurate models to predict the effect of geomagnetic storms on the radiation belts."
Key observational data used in this study was collected by a network of NASA spacecraft known as THEMIS (Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms); Angelopoulos is the principal investigator of the THEMIS mission. Additional information was obtained from two groups of weather satellites called POES (Polar Operational Environmental Satellite) and GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite).
A new collaboration between UCLA and Russia's Moscow State University promises to paint an even clearer picture of these vanishing electrons. Slated for launch in the spring of 2012, the Lomonosov spacecraft will fly in low Earth orbit to measure highly energetic particles with unprecedented accuracy, said Shprits, the principal investigator of the project. Several key instruments for the mission are being developed and assembled at UCLA.
Earth's radiation belts were discovered in 1958 by Explorer I, the first U.S. satellite that traveled to space.
"What we are studying was the first discovery of the space age," Shprits said. "People realized that launches of spacecraft didn't only make the news, they could also make scientific discoveries that were completely unexpected."
###
This project received federal funding from NASA and the National Science Foundation. Other co-authors include Michael Hartinger, a UCLA graduate student in Earth and space sciences.
UCLA is California's largest university, with an enrollment of nearly 38,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The UCLA College of Letters and Science and the university's 11 professional schools feature renowned faculty and offer 337 degree programs and majors. UCLA is a national and international leader in the breadth and quality of its academic, research, health care, cultural, continuing education and athletic programs. Six alumni and five faculty have been awarded the Nobel Prize.
For more news, visit the UCLA Newsroom and follow us on Twitter.Note: To make this work, your system needs three things: Bash 4+
Python (with python defaulting to Python 2)
defaulting to Python 2) Tkinter The first two are fulfilled out of the box on most modern Linux distributions, the last two are default in OS X. Therefore, on Linux you need to install Tkinter, while on OS X a recent version of Bash has to be installed (e.g. via Homebrew) because OS X still ships with Bash 3.2. Note 2: I am well aware that toucans have nothing to do with the content of this post, but I could not think of a tangible metaphor for shell scripting and I just love how these birds look :)
The ubiquitous and venerable Bash can be quite a flexible tool once one gets past its idiosyncratic scripting environment and many quirks. As an example of what is possible, add the following to your.bashrc (Linux) /.bash_profile (OS X):
select_files() { local files="$(python -c 'import Tkinter, tkFileDialog; Tkinter.Tk().withdraw(); print(" ".join(map(lambda x: "'"'"'"+x+"'"'"'", tkFileDialog.askopenfilename(multiple=1))))')" READLINE_LINE="${READLINE_LINE:0:READLINE_POINT}$files${READLINE_LINE:READLINE_POINT}" READLINE_POINT=$((READLINE_POINT + ${#files})) } bind -x '"\C-g":select_files'
From now on, whenever you are in a graphical terminal emulator typing a command, press Ctrl+G at any time to bring up a system file picker dialog supporting multiple selections which will insert the full paths of all files you picked right back into the command line you were working on! Python does the heavy lifting here, while Bash's readline features provide the glue that ties everything together. If X11 forwarding over SSH is enabled, this might even work for remote systems (not tested yet).
Note that changing the keyboard shortcut to something else is not as straightforward as it may seem. Many other key combinations can not be bound with the -x flag although workarounds do exist. Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of shell scripting...
Cover image: Olaf Oliviero Riemer (Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY-SA)Air West Flight 612 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight operated by Air West between Khartoum, Sudan and Al-Fashir.[3] On January 24, 2007, with 103 people on board, the flight, operated by a Boeing 737, was hijacked shortly after takeoff by a male individual.[3][4] The plane landed safely at N'Djamena, Chad, where the hijacker surrendered.[3]
Hijacking [ edit ]
On the day of the hijacking the plane had an entirely Sudanese passenger complement, the only exceptions being a British citizen and an Italian military attaché. Mohamed Abdu Altif (also referred to as Mohamed Abdelatif Mahamat[5]), a 26-year-old from Al-Fashir, in North Darfur, entered the cockpit of the aircraft at 09:00 local time (0600 UTC), approximately half an hour after takeoff from Khartoum International Airport. He ordered the pilot to fly to Rome, Italy and then on to London, England.[4][6] It was originally mistakenly reported that his weapon was an AK-47 assault rifle,[7] but subsequent reports stated that the weapon was in fact a handgun.[6]
After the pilot explained that there was not enough fuel on board to reach London, he agreed to fly to Chad.[6] He made no threats or other communication to the passengers, none of whom became aware the aircraft had been hijacked.[6] When the aircraft entered Chadian airspace it was met by French Mirage F-1 fighter jets stationed in N'Djamena,[8] which escorted the plane until it landed at N'Djamena International Airport at 0830 UTC, where it was immediately surrounded by Chadian troops.[4] Twenty minutes of negotiations followed,[4] after which the hijacker allowed all the occupants of the aircraft to leave before surrendering.[8]
Subsequent events [ edit ]
The passengers and crew subsequently re-boarded the aircraft, which then returned to Khartoum International at 22:00 local time (1900 UTC).[8] The Sudanese Minister of Justice requested that Interpol hand over Muhammed, a Sudanese national, so that he could be charged with terrorism, posing a threat to passenger safety, and illegal possession of arms.[9] Chad further announced an intention to prosecute him.[6]
Chad's infrastructure minister, Adoum Younousmi, later said: “Chad is not a terrorist haven. He is a terrorist and we will take him to court”.[10] A Chadian official subsequently identified him as being “close to” the Justice and Equality Movement rebel group.[8] Sudan's Civil Aviation Authority also formed a separate committee specifically to investigate how Muhammed was able to pass through security undetected.[8]
Motives [ edit ]
After Mohammed's arrest, he was taken to the headquarters for the National Security Agency for interrogation.[8] There, he revealed his motives for the hijacking. He wanted to draw attention to the conflict in Darfur, stating: “I wanted to attract national and international opinion to what's happening in Darfur." He said that wanted to go first to Rome, and then to the United Kingdom to seek asylum.[8] “I'm neither a rebel nor in the opposition, but the Sudanese government is exterminating the population by creating conflicts among different communities and saying that it's just an internal, communal problem,” he said.[8]
See also [ edit ]0 SHARES Facebook Twitter Google Whatsapp Pinterest Print Mail Flipboard
According to Time reporters Alex Rodgers and Zeke Miller, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul introduced a budget amendment on Wednesday, to increase military spending by 190 billion dollars over the next two years. The 16 percent increase proposed by the Kentucky Senator on Wednesday marks a stunning reversal from Senator Paul’s 2011 plan, which called for making cuts to the military budget.
Senator Paul’s 2011 proposal which he called the ”draw-down and restructuring of the Department of Defense”, distinguished him from many other Republicans as a true fiscal conservative, willing to make cuts even to budget “sacred cows” like the Pentagon.
Wednesday’s decision to increase the military budget continues Rand Paul’s trajectory away from his past ideology, towards advocating a more hawkish foreign policy. He was also one of the 47 Republican Senators to sign the Tom Cotton letter to Iran’s leaders.
Senator Paul is still committed to reducing other parts of the budget, even though he is no longer a fiscal conservative on defense spending. Senator Paul plans to offset the costs of the military increase by cutting $212 billion dollars in other areas. His proposal calls for reducing funding for aid to foreign governments and cutting spending for climate change research. In addition, it also calls for slashing the budgets of the EPA, HUD, and the Department of Education.
By proposing an amendment to increase military spending on Wednesday, the Kentucky Senator has abandoned his previous principles. He has signaled that as a presidential candidate, he intends to follow GOP orthodoxy and to get in line with all the other military hawks in the race.
While Rand Paul’s about face may help GOP donors take him more seriously as a presidential candidate, it also largely eliminates the rationale for his candidacy. What made Rand Paul a threat to perform well in the Republican primaries and caucuses, was that he was a “different kind of Republican” on military spending and civil liberties issues.
By drawing distinctions between himself and neo-conservatives on foreign policy, as well as social conservatives on domestic policy, Paul had the opportunity to attract young voters and Libertarians. Now he merely comes across as another right-wing political opportunist, willing to do the bidding of military contractors and pseudo-Patriots to further his own political ambitions.
By reinventing himself as a military hawk, Senator Paul has undermined the only compelling rationale for his candidacy. Now that he is just parroting the party line on military policy, he will fade into presidential campaign obscurity, offering nothing that sets him apart from the other Republican candidates.
If you’re ready to read more from the unbossed and unbought Politicus team, sign up for our newsletter here! Email address: Leave this field empty if you're human:Needless to say, I was surprised to see the recent headline in The Wall Street Journal: "Meditation Has Limited Benefits, Study Finds." I've been researching the effects of meditation on health for 30 years and have found that it has compelling benefits. Over the past year, I have been invited by doctors in medical schools and major health centers on four continents to instruct them on the scientific basis of mind-body medicine and meditation in prevention and treatment of disease (especially cardiovascular disease).
Research on Transcendental Meditation, for example, has found reduced blood pressure, increased insulin resistance (useful for preventing diabetes), slowing of biological aging and even a 48 percent reduction in the rates of heart attack, stroke and death. I would consider those to be benefits. And so does the American Heart Association, which last year released a statement saying that decades of research indicate TM lowers blood pressure and may be considered by clinicians as a treatment for high blood pressure.
Research on meditation has also shown a wide range of psychological benefits. For example, a 2012 review of 163 studies that was published by the American Psychological Association concluded that Transcendental Meditation had relatively strong effects in reducing anxiety, negative emotions, trait anxiety and neuroticism while aiding learning, memory and self-realization. Mindfulness meditation had relatively strong effects in reducing negative personality traits and stress and in improving attention and mindfulness. Using an index that integrates both positive and negative factors related to psychological health from these studies, Transcendental Meditation scored significantly better.
The review concluded that "the effects found in the current analyses show that meditation affects people in important ways."
Why, then, did The Wall Street Journal report that meditation has limited benefits? The article was summarizing a review published in a specialty journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA Internal Medicine) that examined 47 studies. That review was narrowly focused on research showing that meditation alleviates psychological stress, so objective benefits such as reduced blood pressure were outside its scope. In addition, the review only looked at studies in which the subjects had been diagnosed with a medical or psychiatric problem. The authors excluded studies of otherwise normal individuals with anxiety or stress as well as any study that wasn't on adults.
These selection criteria resulted in the omission of many rigorous studies, which, when taken as a whole, show that there are indeed benefits for reducing stress and anxiety. A 2013 meta-analysis (a type of rigorous review) of 10 controlled studies found that at least one meditation, Transcendental Meditation, significantly reduced anxiety. And the greater the starting level of anxiety in the test subjects, the greater was the reduction with meditation.
In a commentary that accompanied the article published by the AMA, Allan Goroll, MD, states, "The modest benefit found in the study by Goyal et al begs the question of why, in the absence of strong scientifically vetted evidence, meditation in particular and complementary measures in general have become so popular, especially among the influential and well educated."
I can answer that. Complementary and alternative approaches (now called integrative healthcare) have indeed been shown in rigorous scientific studies to have some major effects on mind and body health. But what is equally important is that people who use natural approaches are taking a more active role in their health. This is called self empowerment. This is what medical professionals should desire for their patients and themselves. This is the grail. We want people to adopt healthier behaviors and outlooks and attitudes, to take more responsibility. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that the majority of chronic diseases could be prevented by proper self care. That is, by people managing their own stress and lifestyle.
In addition, think for a moment about acupuncture. There's been extensive research on its effectiveness in treating pain. Some of that research shows it to be better than a placebo; much of it shows it to be about the same as a placebo. But most of the research shows that it's better than no treatment. It is astounding that people can reduce their own pain, yet medical journals are typically fixated on the fact that it's often no better than a placebo.
Finally, people meditate because it can fundamentally change their self perceptions and sense of suffering. And, yes, research also supports this. In studies on long-term and even short-term practitioners of Transcendental Meditation, subjects report the experience of a fundamental level of unity and wholeness in their awareness. This gives them a deep feeling of peace, connectedness and relief from stress. EEG and brain imaging research shows that meditators' brains actually function differently than those who haven't learned the technique.
So to Dr. Goroll and all those who wonder why anyone would meditate, my observation, based on decades of published scientific research, is that meditation greatly contributes to a healthy, balanced mind and body. To ignore the evidence is to ignore the scientific basis of medicine.
As can be seen in the presentations on meditation at the world economic summit in Davos and the cover story of Time magazine last week, the benefits of meditation are coming to be widely accepted by health professionals, business leaders and the media. It's now time for the medical profession to catch up and provide this information to those who depend on them for the most advanced advice for mind and body health.Yesterday was ECB President Mario Draghi’s birthday, but today he unveiled another gift for markets. As I predicted, the ECB today announced a further rate cut and unveiled a broad purchase programme of private sector assets – asset backed securities (ABS) and covered bonds (CB) in this case. However, the move certainly seemed to surprise markets.
The EUR/USD broke through recent lows and tested the 1.30 level off the back of the rate cut, although it eventually stabilised around this level despite Draghi’s quite dovish press conference.
Below are some initial thoughts and questions arising from Draghi’s presser, of which there are plenty, not least because the programmes released remain quite vague and lacking in specific modalities.
Why did the ECB bother to cut rates?
As I have explained previously, interest rates are so low in the Eurozone that the cuts no longer have much, if any, impact. Furthermore, a variety of market rates (particularly in the periphery) are largely detached from the ECB’s main rate, making changes mostly insignificant from an economic or financial perspective. The main motivation was symbolic. This cut shows a clear change from the ECB’s previous position that, “for all practical purposes, we have reached the lower bound”. This highlights the ECB’s ability and willingness to overturn entrenched positions and respond to weaker than expected data. Markets have periodically questioned the ECB on this front, and as such, it is a useful and important message for the ECB to send.
What impact will the ABS and CB purchase programme have?
The market in this area remains small in Europe. Clearly the motivation is to expand it and help drive funding channels outside banks – as Draghi pointed out, over 80% of funding to non- financial firms still comes through traditional bank funding channels in the Eurozone. Despite being a purchase programme, the focus remains on credit easing – the aim is to encourage banks to lend more by making it easier for them to sell on repackaged loans as securities.
The key point to all this though is that the asset purchases will be wider than originally thought and will include securities such as Residential Mortgage Backed Securities (RMBS). As the charts below, courtesy of Nomura, show, there is a much larger pool of RMBS than other types of securities. While this will increase the potential size of the programme, it is still unlikely to be large enough to generate any significant inflation or credit easing – banks remain hesitant to lend in the periphery due to a number of risks, while demand remains hampered by the economic weakness across the Eurozone.
The lack of unanimity highlights obstacles to full blown Quantitative Easing (QE)
Draghi did admit that the decision was not unanimous (yes, we’re all looking at you Germany) and that the current decision was a middle way given that some members wanted to go further, even to QE. Despite votes being taken on majority, the decision making process at the ECB has always sought to be as consensual as possible – with good reason as well, given that its largest member is often the main dissenter. Pushing ahead to QE with such staunch opposition in Germany remains a tough task. Furthermore, there are clear indications that the ECB itself has some hesitation over the suitability and effectiveness of QE. Draghi was at pains to express that, without further structural economic reforms, there is little that the ECB can do but buy time.
Could there be conflicts between these policies and previous announcements?
I’m thinking here of the conflict between the negative deposit rate (now at -0.2%) and the upcoming liquidity injections from the target lending operations and asset purchases. The latter will (in theory) significantly increase the amount of excess liquidity on bank’s balance sheets. However, the former is meant to detract banks from holding this excess liquidity at the ECB. As I have noted before, unless this liquidity is removed from the banking system (primarily by being invested in assets not held by banks) then it will end up on some banks’ balance sheet and back at the ECB. Despite Draghi’s protestations that all measures are complementary, this seems to me to be a contradiction.
The outcome of this will likely be a further compression in asset yields and a jump in prices, despite yields being at record lows. Banks will seek to find any liquid assets where they can hold excess cash to avoid the penalty ECB deposit rate. There will also likely be many taking advantage of the euro carry trade to access higher returns elsewhere – this may at least help weaken the euro further. But the hope remains that banks will increasingly lend to each other and to the real economy, thereby pushing up the velocity of money and easing the flow of credit more broadly – sadly this is yet to happen with previous injections of liquidity, but who knows, this time could be different (it rarely is).
The ECB is near the end of its tether, and it knows it
Draghi has now used most of the tools at his disposal, bar the largest last resort option of QE. As mentioned above, he made a very clear point of saying that “there is no fiscal or monetary stimulus that will produce a significant effect” without serious and comprehensive structural reform. He again stressed his desire to see more reforms and also a clearer system at the Eurozone level. He recommended this take a similar form to budgetary oversight, where powers are “shared” not given up. I can safely say, few countries see it like that when it comes to control over their economic reform programme.
In summation, Draghi surprised the markets with some bullish action. That said, I remain unconvinced that these programmes will do much to boost inflation, growth or even credit supply in the Eurozone. Importantly, the ECB is near the end of the actions it can take and it is very aware of this. The onus has now once again been shifted to governments, with the expectations rising for action. For the first time since 2012 pressure is now really increasing for Eurozone governments to reassess the Eurozone’s institutional structures and take action to pool further sovereignty. Draghi may have come bearing gifts for markets but he came with further warning for governments.The above spoof of an advertisement by pro-Israel group the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has gone viral after its creator, activist Daniel Sieradski, posted it on Twitter.
Here is the original ad Sieradski mocks, calling the ADL’s campaign to justify the bombing of Gaza “just the latest act in a storied history of shameful behavior”:
The point of the original ADL ad is to encourage the target audience – Americans – to identify with Israel and see Israel’s brutal violence that targets Palestinian family homes and kills children – as natural, reasonable and justified “self-defense.”
S |
a stream of values, or a sequence of events, or more relevantly, an observable.
An observable is a collection of values over time.
Just like with an array, you can map, filter, and more over these values to create and compose new observables. Finally, you can subscribe to these observables and do whatever you want with the final stream of values. This is where RxJS comes in.
Getting Started with RxJS
The easiest way to start using RxJS is to use a CDN, although there are many ways to install it depending on your project's needs.
<!-- the latest, minified version of RxJS --> <script src="https://unpkg.com/@reactivex/rxjs@latest/dist/global/Rx.min.js"></script>
Once you have RxJS in your project, you can create an observable from just about anything:
const aboutAnything = 42; // From just about anything (single value). // The observable emits that value, then completes. const meaningOfLife$ = Rx.Observable.just(aboutAnything); // From an array or iterable. // The observable emits each item from the array, then completes. const myNumber$ = Rx.Observable.from([1, 2, 3, 4, 5]); // From a promise. // The observable emits the result eventually, then completes (or errors). const myData$ = Rx.Observable.fromPromise(fetch('http://example.com/users')); // From an event. // The observable continuously emits events from the event listener. const mouseMove$ = Rx.Observable.fromEvent(document.documentElement,'mousemove');
Note: the dollar sign ( $ ) at the end of the variable is just a convention to indicate that the variable is an observable. Observables can be used to model anything that can be represented as a stream of values over time, such as events, Promises, timers, intervals, and animations.
As is, these observables don't do much of anything, at least until you actually observe them. A subscription will do just that, which is created using.subscribe() :
// Whenever we receive a number from the observable, // log it to the console. myNumber$.subscribe(number => console.log(number)); // Result: // > 1 // > 2 // > 3 // > 4 // > 5
Let's see this in practice:
See the Pen
const docElm = document.documentElement; const cardElm = document.querySelector('#card'); const titleElm = document.querySelector('#title'); const mouseMove$ = Rx.Observable.fromEvent(docElm,'mousemove'); mouseMove$.subscribe(event => { titleElm.innerHTML = `${event.clientX}, ${event.clientY}` });
From the mouseMove$ observable, every time a mousemove event occurs, the subscription changes the.innerHTML of the titleElm to the position of the mouse. The.map operator (which works similar to the Array.prototype.map method) can help simplify things:
// Produces e.g., {x: 42, y: 100} instead of the entire event const mouseMove$ = Rx.Observable.fromEvent(docElm,'mousemove').map(event => ({ x: event.clientX, y: event.clientY }));
With a little math and inline styles, you can make the card rotate towards the mouse. Both pos.y / clientHeight and pos.x / clientWidth evaluate to values between 0 and 1, so multiplying that by 50 and subtracting half (25) produces values from -25 to 25, which is just what we need for our rotation values:
See the Pen
const docElm = document.documentElement; const cardElm = document.querySelector('#card'); const titleElm = document.querySelector('#title'); const { clientWidth, clientHeight } = docElm; const mouseMove$ = Rx.Observable.fromEvent(docElm,'mousemove').map(event => ({ x: event.clientX, y: event.clientY })) mouseMove$.subscribe(pos => { const rotX = (pos.y / clientHeight * -50) - 25; const rotY = (pos.x / clientWidth * 50) - 25; cardElm.style = ` transform: rotateX(${rotX}deg) rotateY(${rotY}deg); `; });
Combining with.merge
Now let's say you wanted this to respond to either mouse moves or touch moves, on touch devices. Without any callback mess, you can use RxJS to combine observables in many ways. In this example, the.merge operator can be used. Just like multiple lanes of traffic merging into a single lane, this returns a single observable containing all of the data merged from multiple observables.
const touchMove$ = Rx.Observable.fromEvent(docElm, 'touchmove').map(event => ({ x: event.touches[0].clientX, y: event.touches[0].clientY })); const move$ = Rx.Observable.merge(mouseMove$, touchMove$); move$.subscribe(pos => { //... });
Go ahead, try panning around on a touch device:
See the Pen
There are other useful operators for combining observables, such as.switch(),.combineLatest(), and.withLatestFrom(), which we'll be looking at next.
Adding Smooth Motion
As neat as the rotating card is, the motion a bit too rigid. Whenever the mouse (or finger) stops, the rotation instantly stops. To remedy this, linear interpolation (LERP) can be used. The general technique is described in this great tutorial by Rachel Smith. Essentially, instead of jumping from point A to B, LERP will go a fraction of the way on every animation tick. This produces a smooth transition, even when mouse/touch motion has stopped.
Let's create a function that has one job: to calculate the next value given a start value and an end value, using LERP:
function lerp(start, end) { const dx = end.x - start.x; const dy = end.y - start.y; return { x: start.x + dx * 0.1, y: start.y + dy * 0.1, }; }
Short and sweet. We have a pure function that returns a new, linearly interpolated position value every time, by moving a current (start) position 10% closer to the next (end) position on each animation frame.
Schedulers and.interval
The question is, how do we represent animation frames in RxJS? Turns out, RxJS has something called Schedulers which control when data is emitted from an observable, among other things like when subscriptions should start receiving values.
Using Rx.Observable.interval(), you can create an observable that emits values on a regularly scheduled interval, such as every one second ( Rx.Observable.interval(1000) ). If you create a tiny interval, such as Rx.Observable.interval(0) and schedule it to emit values only on every animation frame using Rx.Scheduler.animationFrame, a value will be emitted about every 16 to 17ms, within the animation frame, as expected:
const animationFrame$ = Rx.Observable.interval(0, Rx.Scheduler.animationFrame);
Combining with.withLatestFrom
To create a smooth linear interpolation, you just need to care about the latest mouse/touch position on every animation tick. To do that, there is an operator called.withLatestFrom() :
const smoothMove$ = animationFrame$.withLatestFrom(move$, (frame, move) => move);
Now, smoothMove$ is a new observable that emits the latest values from move$ only whenever animationFrame$ emits a value. This is desired -- you don't want values emitted outside animation frames (unless you really like jank). The second argument is a function that describes what to do when combining the latest values from each observable. In this case, the only important value is the move value, which is all that's returned.
Transitioning with.scan
Now that you have an observable emitting the latest values from move$ on every animation frame, it's time to add linear interpolation. The.scan() operator "accumulates" the current value and next value from an observable, given a function that takes those values.
This is perfect for our linear interpolation use-case. Remember that our lerp(start, end) function takes two arguments: the start (current) value and the end (next) value.
const smoothMove$ = animationFrame$.withLatestFrom(move$, (frame, move) => move).scan((current, next) => lerp(current, next)); // or simplified:.scan(lerp)
Now, you can subscribe to smoothMove$ instead of move$ to see the linear interpolation in action:
See the Pen
Conclusion
RxJS is not an animation library, of course, but handling values over time in a composable, declarative way is such a core concept to ReactiveX that animation serves as a great way to demonstrate the technology. Reactive Programming is a different way of thinking about programming, with many advantages:
It is declarative, composable, and immutable, which avoids callback hell and makes your code more terse, reusable, and modular.
It is very useful in dealing with all types of async data, whether it's fetching data, communicating via WebSockets, listening to external events from multiple sources, or even animations
"Separation of concerns" - you declaratively represent the data that you expect using Observables and operators, and then deal with side effects in a single.subscribe() instead of sprinkling them around your code base.
instead of sprinkling them around your code base. There are implementations in so many languages - Java, PHP, Python, Ruby, C#, Swift, and others you might not have even heard of.
It is not a framework, and many popular frameworks (such as React, Angular, and Vue) work very well with RxJS.
You can get hipster points if you want, but ReactiveX was first implemented nearly a decade ago (2009), stemming from ideas by Conal Elliott and Paul Hudak two decades ago (1997), in describing functional reactive animations (surprise surprise). Needless to say, it's battle-tested.
This article explored a number of useful parts and concepts of RxJS - creating Observables with.fromEvent() and.interval(), operating on observables with.map() and.scan(), combining multiple observables with.merge() and.withLatestFrom(), and introducing Schedulers with Rx.Scheduler.animationFrame. There are many other useful resources for learning RxJS:
If you want to dive further into animating with RxJS (and getting even more declarative with CSS variables), check out my slides from CSS Dev Conf 2016 and my talk from JSConf Iceland 2016 on Reactive Animations with CSS Variables. For inspiration, here's some Pens that use RxJS for animation:Now that the 2015 NHL Winter Classic is in the books, fans and analysts alike are throwing their proverbial hat in the ring in form of suggestions for next year’s event. A particular match-up has gained momentum in the past week. There seems to be growing enthusiasm surrounding an outdoor meeting pitting the Boston Bruins against the Montreal Canadiens. As the most recognizable, oldest and bitterer rivalry in hockey, it is seen as a no-brainer, a sure-fire success, a classic for the Winter Classic, but is it?
So Late, So Soon
Whether it’s the sport of hockey or the business of hockey, timing is everything. In the salary cap era, parity rules and team’s window of success keeps getting narrower and narrower. Teams commit long term to a core of 5 or 6 players and the rest is a carousel of supporting cast that change almost yearly. This year’s classic saw the Chicago Blackhawks visit the Washington Capitals in what was a decent hockey game. This particular match-up could’ve gone a lot differently had it been held last year. The Capitals were going adrift under coach Adam Oates who just couldn’t get his message and philosophy through to his players. A change in coaching along with better goaltending and the addition of supporting players turned Washington’s fortune around and they are now in contention for a playoff spot. Who knows what’s in store for the Caps next year.
The Boston Bruins are merely a shadow of their 2011 Cup winning team. Burdened with heavy contracts, the Bruins are underachieving while having one of the heaviest payrolls in the league. Captain Zdeno Chara is 37 years old and being 6’9, 255lbs in the fastest sport not requiring a engine is catching up to him. Injuries are starting to come out and his ice time is dwindling every year since he won the Norris. The Bruins still have $24,750,000 committed to him until the end of the 2017-18 season Milan Lucic can’t justify his $6 million/year salary now that linemates Nathan Horton and Jarome Iginla are gone, and that centre man David Krejci has been on the sideline for most of the season. Marc Savard is still on the Bruins’ payroll for this season and the next two at the cost of $4 million a year. This has resulted in the Bruins’ blueline being decimated yearly. Boston’s prospects on defence are having hard time carrying their workload which leads to Tukka Rask taking too many shots, allowing too many goals, and that leads to the Bruins losing too many games. Last year’s playoff run was a swan song for the Bruins as we know them. Things will get worse before they get better in Boston. Claude Julien’s club is in a tough position, in a tough division, to make the playoffs this year. They will need to do some heavy retooling in the off-season, if not a full-on rebuild, on about enough cap space to buy a cup of coffee. While the Canadiens seem to get better each year. The Habs already have a 3-0 record against the B’s this season. This could be a mismatch ending in a blowout.
Location, Location, Location
The outdoor game can’t be held in Montreal. There are simply no venue in the city that could hold that kind of event. The Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League play in an outdoor stadium at McGill University, but even with the recent renovations, still hold only 25,000 people. The Montreal Impact of Major League Soccer play at Saputo Stadium that can seat 20,000 people. Even the two venues combined barely meet the seating capability the NHL is looking for that type of event. The Olympic Stadium has been pointed to as a possible site but that’s just not realistic. First, it’s inside, hard to market and outdoor game held inside. Second of all if you’ve lived in Montreal or know a bit about the city then you are aware that the Big O has been a curse on the city. A gigantic, poorly designed, poorly constructed billion dollar mess. The roof was designed to be retractable but broke and was never fixed due to costs and was instead replaced by a Kevlar tarp. Turns out the tarp isn’t as solid as imagined. It ripped 3,400 times in 2013 alone (you read that right, it’s not a typo). Two inches of snow is enough to cancel an event in the winter and the Quebec population is hesitant to invest the 300 million necessary for roof reparations to the 1.47 billion dollar already poured in the Big Owe over the past 40 years and even if they did, the roof would be nowhere near ready for next year’s game.
So Boston it is. The Gillette Stadium was penciled in for a possible venue. Their 70,000 seats no doubt has NHL brass salivating. This would mean that the Patriots would have to play their last game of the season on the road. It is hard to believe that the Bruins would dislodge the mighty Patriots out of their home when they have to yield their own barn to the Celtics and play afternoon games when both teams are in the playoffs. So Fenway would be the logical site for the game. The NHL already held a Winter Classic on Red Sox turf in 2010 and with the novelty of the outdoor game wearing off, the league won’t help the criticism they receive of going to the same well too many times. With a possibility of 14 teams, only 9 teams took part in the classic. Boston would join the Flyers, Penguins, Capitals, Red Wings and Blackhawks in the 2-time club.
It’s About Tradition… Right?
An idea that was tossed around was to post-pone Montreal – Boston game by one year and have them play the 2017 Winter Classic, on the league’s 100th anniversary. Having two Original Six teams meet in the Winter Classic. The NHL loves banking on tradition they totally made up. Starting with the original six, the Canadiens (founded in 1909) playing against the Bruins (founded 1926) on the 100th anniversary of the NHL (founded 1917). In the same setting the game originated, right? Wrong, the first ever official hockey game was played in 1875 at the Victoria skating rink in Montreal, an indoor rink. In fact, you have to fast-forward 79 years for the first NHL outdoor game when the Detroit Red Wings faced the Pirates Athletic Club of the Marquette Branch Prison in 1954. Such a rich history.
The Winter Classic is an occasion to grow the sport’s viewership in the United States (advertising) which is totally fine. The NHL owes it to it’s investors and team owners to turn a profit and it’s one of the way the league chose to make money. This is why the Canadiens are one of the worse choices for this event. There aren’t many people that have yet to be convinced that hockey is fun in Montreal. The outdoor game won’t help growing the league’s viewership in Canada. Viewership in America could suffer too. The Winter Classic is more often than not the most watched hockey game of the year in the United States. A lot has to do with teams like the Blackhawks, Red Wings and Rangers. Teams that have huge followings outside of their markets. Adding to the mix, the repeated appearance of the Penguins with Sidney Crosby constantly being billed as the best hockey player in the world. The Bruins and Habs are very well liked in their market but not so much outside of it. The Canadiens, with their history of beating everyone else’s favorite team and the french-canadian factor are not the ideal candidate to win over American hockey fans.
Zero-Sum Game
The Canadiens can’t bring anything to the Classic and the Classic can’t bring anything to the Habs. Anyway you choose to see it, it’s right. Fan favorites surrounding the outdoor game are throwback jerseys (like this year’s Capitals jersey that was a throwback to never) and the behind the scenes TV show, 24/7, road to winter classic, whatever you want to call it. The Canadiens already have 24CH, a season-long behind the scenes show. There might be production and rights issues. The league produced show is televised in Canada on Sportsnet/TVA Sports while the Canadiens produced show is on the rival TSN/RDS. One of the two will have to cede to the other and money will be lost.
In their centennial season, the Montreal Canadiens released 5 jerseys worn throughout their history. All very historically accurate but none of them particularly eye-pleasing. The Habs would have to rehash one of the jersey, that wasn’t selling that well to begin with, from 5 years ago or completely invent a new one. Something that I can’t imagine a team so proud of it’s history, like the Canadiens, doing. Even if the Canadiens organization has been doing a better job at keeping up with the 21st century under the new management, the team hasn’t had so much as a third jersey since that centennial season.
The Winter Classic is a modern day circus, an giant attraction to try to cash in on the sport’s popularity in the northeast of the U.S. while trying to grow its fanbase for the future. Months of promotion, tv show, sports panels lead to that 3 hour-long infomercial with bad weather and worse ice that hopefully lead to a big pile of money. Putting the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL Winter Classic would be like putting a fine wine in a soda vending machine. Sure, some people would appreciate it but it’s not what the machine was designed for.Fancy Farm, an annual picnic in Kentucky, has been held every year since 1880. | AP Photos McConnell, Grimes face off
Democratic Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes used her speech at Kentucky’s Fancy Farm picnic Saturday to argue that “Mitch McConnell doesn’t care.”
Her face reddened as she yelled into the microphone over boosters and booers, claiming at various points that the Republican senator doesn’t care about working people, seniors, women, students, unions and coal miners.
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“One of us represents the Washington establishment; one of us represents Kentucky,” Grimes said. “One of us represents the past; one of us represents the future.”
( Also on POLITICO: What if McConnell loses?)
The minority leader used his speech to nationalize the race and paint Grimes as a tool of national Democrats.
“Barack Obama only needs one thing to keep his grip on power. He needs to keep the U.S. Senate,” McConnell said. “There’s only one way to change America in 2014. That’s to change the Senate and make me the leader of a new majority — to take America in a different direction.”
In the most expensive and highest-profile Senate race of the year, not to mention the tightest in the polls, both sides tried Saturday to frame the race going into the final three months before Election Day.
Fancy Farm, an annual picnic in rural western Kentucky, has been held on the grounds of St. Jerome Catholic Church every year since 1880. Thousands of people come for barbecue and politicking, especially in an election year.
( Also on POLITICO: The Do-Little Congress heads home)
It’s the rare event where a politician addresses a throng of screaming partisans from both sides, meaning cheers run even with jeers. Republicans wore red McConnell shirts; Democrats wore blue Grimes shirts. Statewide and local officials also get to speak. This year most everyone else played the part of surrogate and talked about the Senate race — including junior Sen. Rand Paul, who wrote a limerick making fun of Grimes.
A coin toss determined the speaking order. Grimes won and spoke first.
Grimes unveiled an endorsement from the United Mine Workers of America. “They are standing shoulder to shoulder with me because they’re tired of the hot air from Sen. McConnell,” she said. “They’re waiting for a senator that will fight for their jobs and their black-lung benefits.”
( Also on POLITICO: Why Cantor really resigned)
McConnell, elected to the Senate since 1984, repeatedly compared Grimes, elected Kentucky ecretary of state in 2011, to the president. He noted that both sought higher office with limited experience, raised a lot of money from liberals and relied on Bill Clinton for help. The former president is making a second trip to campaign for Grimes in Kentucky this week.
“Barack Obama has been a disaster,” said McConnell. “I guess that’s what we get for electing someone with no experience. He was only two years into his first big job when he started campaigning for the next one. Sound familiar? … Well, lesson learned. We’ll never make that mistake again.”
With people in the crowd holding signs that said “Grimes = Obama,” the Democrat mentioned Obama just once, at the end of her speech.
“Senator, you seem to think the president is on the ballot this year,” Grimes said. “He’s not. This race is between me and you!”
McConnell is believed to have a slight structural advantage because of the power of incumbency, his fundraising prowess and the increasing redness of the Bluegrass State in federal elections. But the race will stay very tight until the end. Just ask Tom Daschle and Harry Reid how hard it is to run for reelection as a Senate leader.
Highlighting the national importance of the race, the Democratic Senate Majority PAC unveiled a $900,000 ad campaign against McConnell on the morning of the event. The 30-second ad is built around video footage of the now 72-year-old senator from when he was first elected, including as a much younger man in a tuxedo.
Grimes argued that McConnell is the embodiment of everything wrong with Washington. “Thanks to you, D.C. stands for Doesn’t Care,” she said.
Her newest ad attacks McConnell for voting against the Violence Against Women Act and equal pay legislation, and she hammered on those two themes Saturday.
“When it comes to being a woman and being treated equally here in the commonwealth of Kentucky, well, Mitch McConnell doesn’t care,” she said. “I do.”
“Senator, the women of Kentucky and nationally are here today to send a message: The barriers for women have not all been lowered because you are standing in our way,” she added. “Seventy-six cents on every dollar is not acceptable, and equal pay for equal work is not preferential treatment.”
Perhaps reflecting the culture, the local Republican state Sen. Stan Humphries said the contrast in the election is between a “seasoned veteran” who could become majority leader and “a young lady who has never passed one single piece of legislation [and] who is a novice to foreign policy.”
The Democrats booed especially loudly at the reference to Grimes as “a young lady.”
“Our nation’s future is at stake,” said Humphries.
Kentucky elects its governors the year before the presidential election. Jack Conway, the Democratic attorney general who lost to Rand Paul in the 2010 Senate race, is already running and talked up his accomplishments over the last eight years — including working with Florida’s Republican Attorney General Pam Bondi.
His potential Republican opponent next year, state Agriculture Commissioner James Comer, used the event to formally announce his plan to run, too. But he will definitely have competition. One potential rival, Matt Bevin, lost to McConnell in May’s Republican primary. He gathered supporters and was working his way around the event.
Outgoing Gov. Steve Beshear, a Democrat who unsuccessfully ran against McConnell in 1996, started his speech by walking toward the senator and taking a selfie. Then he laced into him as the “chief obstructionist” in Washington.
“I had to get one last picture with the senator before Kentucky voters retire him in November,” Beshear said, “and retire him they will.”Dear, deviantart fellow artists
Sometimes we tend to feel unmotivated and uninspired to do anything... but there are also those blissful moments of creativity, when inspiration strikes and time goes by unnoticed. Not getting distracted, going with the flow, so merged in the process, that there is no need to do anything else until the work gets done. But how to get in that mood more often..? Here are some ways/tips that helped me over the time.
1. Prepare your work space
Make the place you work as comfortable and useful as possible. Clean the desk from all the clutter, gather your tools in a most accessible way, organize in order to avoid mess. Set the according light, have some inspiring quotes, goals written around.
2. Avoid distractions
Turn off the internet. Or close all the tabs, you don’t need. Especially, social media sites. Don’t check the news/e-mail/mobile phone all the time. Get in the place where nothing and no-one can distract your attention. Focus fully on the task and procrastinate only on certain amount of time in the breaks.
3. Set creative triggers
Whether it’s a cup of tea/water/coffee, the scent of your favorite candle, walk outside or couple of minutes of sketching. Be aware of what helps you to focus better, which activities get you in the creative mindset, what motivates you the most. Then use them when you need to get in the zone.
4. Music
Maybe It’s silence, or maybe it’s the music that helps you to get inspired. Choose the songs that are similar to what you want to create – movie soundtracks for epic landscapes, disney songs for cute characters – whatever mood you want to achieve. Or listen to new playlists in order to not sing along your already favorite songs.
Also listening to talks/podcasts/audiobooks can help to stay focused. There are in additions such lovely websites as rainymood and coffitivity with relaxing sounds that help to be more productive.
5. Just start
It may sound really obvious, but that’s the main way to get in the mood, to create and get things done. It’s not easy to start – there are so many possibilities to fail, to not exceed the expectations, to make a crucial mistake.. but how can you ruin something that you not have created yet? Just do it. Get the paintbrush/pencil, get the paper, open that painting software etc. Prepare, so there would be nothing that would stay in your way of creating.
Don’t wait for magical moment of inspiration.
Choose one thing. Only one - and focus on it.
Do something for 5 minutes. That’s really not that much... And then do that for another 5, then more and more. You’ll be less aware of how much time has passed by and how difficult that task have really been and it will seem more possible to do. And when you won’t even notice that you’ll be in the zone, being productive and making amazing artworks. So... just start.
So, how about you - what are your thoughts/tips about getting into the creative zone?
(first of all – thank you so much for faving/commenting my previous journal ----- it means so much to me and it helps more struggling artists to find these articles and help in their creative journeys) J
This week I found some lovely resources – wonderful article - The Ultimate Guide to the “Don’t Break the Chain” Productivity Method, beyond amazing artworks by Craig Mullins - www.goodbrush.com/, inspiring Facebook group - Daily Spitpaint (been posting some speedpaintings there an they are also posted in my tumblr blog), various references by KatePfeilschiefter on www.pinterest.com/katiepf/, insightful interviews with beyond amazing fantasy artists by kirileonard on kirileonard.com/category/inter… and stunning and captivating movie about the world we live in – Samsara.
P.S. I quite frequently post some sketches and artworks in my art tumblr - snowmarite.tumblr.com/. and I have a weekly Music Sunday post on aerismade.blogspot.com/ and weekly 8 song playlist
Have a wonderful week!Looking for news you can trust?
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Several years ago I was visiting with some friends and happened to get into a conversation with their four-year-old daughter. I don’t remember why, but we got to talking about numbers, and as adults will do, I started quizzing her. Do you know what two plus two is? She did. How about four plus three. No problem. Six plus five? Nine plus four? Eight plus seven? Yes, yes, and yes. That was about as far as she could go, but I was pretty impressed. That’s not bad for a four-year-old, is it?
A year later she was in kindergarten and I was visiting again. And I was curious about how her mathematical prowess had progressed. Answer: it hadn’t. She couldn’t even answer the questions she had gotten correct the year before.
Now, this happened over two decades ago (the daughter in question graduated from college a couple of years ago) and I’ve long wondered if it even actually happened. I clearly remember it, and yet it all seems so unlikely. Did I just imagine the whole thing?
Maybe not. A few days ago I wrote about a Los Angeles Times project to post an online database that measures the performance of LAUSD teachers based on how their kids do on standardized tests. I approved: “Either you believe that the press should disseminate public data or you don’t,” I said, but there were some unspoken words in that sentence. What I really meant was, “Either you believe that the press should disseminate meaningful public data or you don’t” — since, needless to say, nobody believes the press should randomly disseminate useless and misleading data, public or otherwise.
So do standardized tests provide meaningful data? Millions of barrels of ink have been spilled on this question, but here’s an interesting take on the question from a study done a few years ago. Paul Camp, a physics professor at Spelman College, in the course of investigating how students learn Newtonian concepts, came across an interesting result: they don’t learn in a straight line. They learn things, then they get confused, and then they learn them again for good. Learning, in other words, follows a U-shaped pattern, and not just for university level physics:
U-shaped developmental patterns appear to be a general feature of human cognition….Competencies, once learned, do not disappear but they are unusually fragile while understanding reorganizes into a more mature form, and this fragility is reflected by variability in performance…. In short, achieving a new state of organization requires passage through a state of apparent disorganization. ….The existence of U-shaped development [] has important implications for student evaluation. It directly implies that single point assessments are unfair and inaccurate.
There’s evidence that this U-shaped pattern is common (this paper, for example, compares 7-year-olds and 9-year-olds on certain kinds of math problems and finds that 7-year-olds do better). So is this what happened with my four-year-old friend? Did she learn simple arithmetic, then get confused about it during kindergarten, and then learn it for good in first grade? Maybe. Maybe I didn’t imagine the whole episode after all.
If this is true, it obviously has disturbing implications for the use of standardized tests in primary schools to evaluate teacher performance. If students routinely go through U-shaped learning curves, it means that a terrific third grade teacher might produce mediocre test scores if her kids tend to be in the trough of the U at year-end, while the fourth grade teacher who gets the kids the following year reaps the benefits.
I don’t have anywhere near the chops to evaluate this evidence, and it’s certainly not the end of the story. What’s more, I remain in favor of the Times project: standardized tests clearly aren’t the be-all-end-all of teacher evaluation, but if we’re going to use them at all we need to take them seriously. And for now, we’re using them. So let’s shine some sunlight on them.
Besides, if the tests really are poor indicators of short-term student performance, perhaps this project will make that clear. Parents, principals, and fellow teachers probably have a pretty good sense already of who the good and bad teachers are, and if the value-added testing metric used by the Times turns out to be wildly at variance with this sense, it should provoke a serious rethink. Either way, then, it’s likely to have a net positive effect. It’s worth a try.Whore of the Orient cancelled: Producer details game’s demise
Chris Stead 24 June 2016 NEWS
After the incredible success of Team Bondi’s L.A. Noire, the gaming world waited eagerly for its follow-up, Whore of the Orient, but sadly it will never come.
In this week’s Gamehugs podcast – which is put together by PAX Australia content manager Guy Blomberg – the industry veteran spoke to prolific local producer Derek Proud. Proud has worked for a number of big name publishers since hitting the scene in 1991, including Sega, Electronic Arts and THQ, but was also part of Australian film company Kennedy Miller Mitchell (KMM) when it began branching into gaming in 2010.
KMM first made Happy Feet 2 (DS, 3DS, iOS), but then looked to expand when it acquired L.A. Noire developer Team Bondi and set it on a course to creating a follow-up, dubbed Whore of the Orient (Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC), with Proud as producer.
During the lengthy conversation around Proud’s career he opened up about that period, about the exciting potential for Whore of the Orient, what the game was going to be like and ultimately its demise. While not using the word “cancel” explicitly, Proud makes it clear that Team Bondi fought to keep the project alive to the bitter end and failed. He admitted that the team was ultimately disbanded and that the game will not come out.
Even more frustrating, it sounds like Team Bondi was acquired from the outset with a mindset that it could be killed off at any time without any major financial repercussions. KMM did not appear to be overly convinced owning a triple-A studio was even worth its time.
It’s sad, sad news, and finally puts a full stop at the end of a tumultuous period for Team Bondi. The studio was heavily criticised for its working conditions during the completion of the Rockstar published L.A. Noire, and – it would seem – was given false-hope of a rebirth by KMM. In the end, many Australians lost their jobs.
While it’s not impossible that the game will get a Duke Nukem Forever like revival years from now, it’s clear the project is currently dead – confirming what many fans had suspected. The setting certainly sounds fascinating and for now, at least, we can only dream of how this talented team could have brought Shanghai to life with its incredible technology and storytelling techniques. Will someone pick up the IP and the technology?
Here is the relevant transcript from the interview.RipShaDe 41 wrote: Edwyrd wrote:
I would seriously enjoy not getting a match at all than searching with a fireteam of 6 and end up losing (which nobody WANTS to lose) because the other half of my team lacks the skill or motivation to win the match.
That is the tradeoff that you and 343i refuse to acknowledge. We've had this for about 8 months now and it is seriously ruining the game for many.
Please figure out a way to match fireteams of 12 against the largest fireteams currently searching or something because the game is getting stale. Couldn't agree more. Just force teams to match teams if they can't find a match then oh well. Atleast larger fireteams wouldn't ruin the game for smaller lobbies or solo players.
Maybe those 12 man teams would actually decide to not Plat with full teams all day every day which would great improve matchmaking from being lopsided.
Are you serious?? Your encouraging people NOT to play with their friends???? That isn't right, nor is that Halo. Your way makes it so someone playing by themselves can play without problems, but people playing with friends might not be able to play at all. That's ridiculous!!! and all that would do is make those people leave the game (or maybe worst, leave Xbox) and last time I checked that's not what 343I or Microsoft wants.I agree with what Edwyrd said in the one part of his post. I would have it so if you have say a Fireteam of 12, it tries to match you up with another fire team of 12. After X time it tries to match you up with the next biggest fire team that's available with the remaining spots filled |
to the display as fast as frames can be drawn (so multiple rendered frames affect a single displayed frame, each in its own horizontal strip – a form of racing the beam).
In the case where vsync isn’t waited for, you won’t see lines slant for reasons that may already be obvious to you – because each horizontal strip is drawn at the right location based on the most recent position data; we’ll return to this later. However, in this case it’s easy to see the problem with not waiting for vsync as well. If vsync is off on your monitor, grab a screen-height window that has a high-contrast border and drag it rapidly left to right, then back right to left, and you’ll see that the vertical edge breaks up into segments. The segments are separated by the scan lines where the copy to the screen overtook the raster. If you move the window to the left and don’t track it with your eyes, the lower segments will be to the left of the segments above them, because as soon as the copy overtakes the raster (this assumes that the copy is faster than the raster update, which is very likely to be the case), the raster starts displaying the new pixels, which represent the most up-to-date window position as it moves to the left. This segmentation is called tearing, and is a highly visible artifact that needs to be carefully smoothed over for any HMD racing-the-beam approach.
In contrast, if vsync is waited for, there will be no tearing, but the slanting described above will be visible. If your monitor waits for vsync, grab a screen-height window and drag it back and forth, tracking it with your eyes, and you will see that the vertical edges do in fact tilt as advertised; it’s subtle, because it’s only about a degree and because the pixels smear due to long persistence, but it’s there.
In either case, the artifacts are far more visible for AR/VR in an HMD, because objects that dynamically warp and deform destroy the illusion of reality; in AR in particular, it’s very apparent when artifacts mis-register against the real world. Another factor is that in an HMD, your eyes can counter-rotate and maintain fixation while you turn your head (via the combination of the vestibulo-ocular reflex, or VOR, and the optokinetic response, or OKR), and that makes possible relative speeds of rotation between the eye and the display that are many times higher than the speeds at which you can track a moving object (via smooth pursuit) while holding your head still, resulting in proportionally greater slanting.
By the way, although it’s not exactly the same phenomenon, you can see something similar – and more pronounced – on your cellphone. Put it in back-facing camera mode, point it at a vertical feature such as a door frame, and record a video while moving it smoothly back and forth. Then play the video back while holding the camera still. You will see the vertical feature tilt sharply, or at least that’s what I see on my iPhone. This differs from scenario 4 because it involves a rolling shutter camera (if you don’t see any tilting, either you need to rotate your camera 90 degrees to align with the camera scan direction – I had to hold my iPhone with the long dimension horizontal – or your camera has a global shutter), but the basic principles of the interaction of photons and motion over time are the same, just based on sampling incoming photons in this case rather than displaying outgoing ones. (Note that it is risky to try to draw rolling display conclusions relevant to HMDs from experiments with phone cameras because of the involvement of rolling shutter cameras, because the frame rates and scanning directions of the cameras and displays may differ, and because neither the camera nor the display is attached to your head.)
Scenario 3 results in a vertical line for the same reason as scenario 1. True, the line is moving between frames, but during a frame it’s drawn as a vertical line on the display. Since the eye isn’t moving relative to the display, that image ends up on the retina exactly as it’s displayed. (A bit of foreshadowing for some future post: the image for the next frame will also be vertical, but will be at some other location on the retina, with the separation depending on the velocity of motion – and that separation can cause its own artifacts.)
It may not initially seem like it, but scenario 4 is the same as scenario 2, just in the other direction. I’ll leave this one as an exercise for the reader, with the hint that the key is the motion of the eye relative to the display.
Rolling displays can produce vertical effects as well, and they can actually be considerably more dramatic than the horizontal ones. As an extreme but illustrative example (you’d probably injure yourself if you actually tried to move your head at the required speed), take a moment and try to figure out what would happen if you rotated your head upward over the course of a frame at exactly the same speed that the raster scanned down the display, while fixating on a point in the real world.
Ready?
The answer is that the entire frame would collapse into a single horizontal line, because every scan line will land in exactly the same place on the retina. Less rapid motion will result in vertical compression of the image. Vertical motion in the same direction as the raster scan will similarly result in vertical expansion. Either case can cause either intra- or inter-frame brightness variation.
None of this is hypothetical, nor is it a subtle effect. I’ve looked at cubes in an HMD that contort as if they’re made of Jell-O, leaning this way and that, compressing and expanding as I move my head around. It’s hard to miss.
Racing the beam fixes everything – or does it?
In sum, rolling display of a rendered frame produces noticeable shear, compression, expansion, and brightness artifacts that make both AR and VR less solid and hence less convincing; the resulting distortion may also contribute to simulator sickness. What’s to be done? Here we finally return to racing the beam, which updates the position of each scan line or block of scan lines just before rendering, which in turn occurs just before scan-out and display, thereby compensating for intra-frame motion and placing pixels where they should be on the retina. (Here I’m taking “racing the beam” to include the whole family of warping and reconstruction approaches that were mentioned in the last post and the comments on the post.) In scenario 4, HMD tracking data would cause each scan line or horizontal strip of scan lines to be drawn slightly to the left of the one above, which would cause the pixels of the image to line up in proper vertical arrangement on the retina. (Another approach would be the use of a global display; that comes with its own set of issues, not least the inability to reduce latency by racing the beam, which I hope to talk about at some point.)
So it appears that racing the beam, for all its complications, is a great solution not only to display latency but also to rolling display artifacts – in fact, it seems to be required in order to address those artifacts – and that might well be the case. But I’ll leave you with a few thoughts (for which the bulk of the credit goes to Atman Binstock and Aaron Nicholls, who have been diving into AR/VR perceptual issues at Valve):
1) The combination of racing the beam and compensating for head motion can fix scenario 4, but that scenario is a specific case of a general problem; head-tracking data isn’t sufficient to allow racing the beam to fix the rolling display artifacts in scenario 2. Remember, it’s the motion of the eye relative to the display, not the motion of the head, that’s key.
2) It’s possible, when racing the beam, to inadvertently repeat or omit horizontal strips of the scene, in addition to the previously mentioned brightness variations. (In the vertical rotation example above, where all the scan lines collapse into a single horizontal line, think about what each scan line would draw.)
3) Getting rid of rolling display artifacts while maintaining proper AR registration with the real world for moving objects is quite challenging – and maybe even impossible.
These issues are key, and I’ll return to them at some point, but I think we’ve covered enough ground for one post.
Finally, in case you still aren’t sure why the sprites in the opening story vanished from the bottom up, it was because both the raster and the sprite rendering were scanning downward, with the raster going faster. Until it caught up to the current rendering location, the raster scanned out pixels that had already been rendered; once it passed the current rendering location, it scanned out background pixels, because the foreground image hadn’t yet been drawn to those pixels. Different images started to vanish at different altitudes because the images were drawn at different times, one after the other, and vanishing was a function of the raster reaching the scan lines the image was being drawn to as it was being drawn, or, in the case of vanishing completely, before it was drawn. Since the raster scans at a fixed speed, images that were drawn sooner would be able to get higher before vanishing, because the raster would still be near the top of the screen when they were drawn. By the time the last image was drawn, the raster would have advanced far down the screen, and the image would start to vanish at that much lower level.The opposition continues to hammer away at Prime Minister Stephen Harper over his apparent refusal to directly intervene in the plight of Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy, who is on trial in Egypt.
Opposition Leader Tom Mulcair asked Harper about the case twice in question period Tuesday.
"Has the prime minister of Canada spoken with President el-Sissi of Egypt about getting Mr. Fahmy back to his home in Canada?" asked Mulcair, pointing out that Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott spoke to the Egyptian president on a number of occasions on behalf of an Australian journalist involved in the same case (who was subsequently released).
"We've raised this at all levels and will continue to do so in the ways that we believe are effective," answered Harper.
"So it's a no," retorted Mulcair, before moving onto another line of questioning.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper deflects NDP Leader Tom Mulcair's questions about whether he has spoken with Egypt's president about Mohamed Fahmy's case. 1:57
Fahmy was arrested and jailed in Cairo on Dec. 29, 2013, along with two other Al-Jazeera English colleagues. They were covering protests against the ouster of then president Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood. The Australian, Peter Greste, was eventually deported home.
Fahmy was accused of broadcasting "false news" and supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, which had been declared a terrorist group. He spent 411 days in jail before being released on bail last week to face a retrial.
Calls for a direct appeal
Whether Harper has spoken to el-Sissi remains unclear, though there are indications he has written letters to the Egyptian president about Fahmy's predicament.
Fahmy's case is just the latest case of a Canadian or dual citizen whose situation abroad has led to loud calls for Harper's intervention. But in the case of Abousfian Abdelrazik, for example, the prime minister has remained reticent about any involvement on his part.
But why would Harper be so reluctant to reveal what he has done, leaving the impression of a leader who doesn't care about Canadians in trouble abroad?
The opposition only has theories.
"Maybe he has a lack of confidence in his relationship with these leaders or he is just not interested in doing that," said NDP foreign affairs critic Paul Dewar.
Liberal foreign affairs critic Marc Garneau notes things have changed since Fahmy was first arrested.
"The excuse that Fahmy was a dual citizen was valid until he was no longer a dual citizen," said Garneau. Fahmy gave up his Egyptian passport at the beginning of the month in hopes of being immediately deported to Canada. That didn't happen.
Garneau is at a loss to understand why the prime minister hasn't followed the Australian prime minister’s example, because, he said, all other options have been exhausted.
But other observers aren't so sure.
"I never quite believe everything I read. There's always another shoe that's going to fall somewhere," said Keith Beardsley, a former senior adviser and deputy chief of staff to Harper.
Because there are such large gaps in the publicly available information about cases like Fahmy's, it is hard to know what goes into Harper's calculations, he said. The prime minister is briefed by diplomatic and security officials about these types of incidents and much of what he hears is classified.
"There's going to be all sorts of stuff in there that you and I would have no clue about. And some of it could be, if you go to high profile, what are the negative consequences for the guy over there?" said Beardsley.
On top of that, Beardsley added, Harper isn't a micro-manager when it comes to issues with foreign governments.
Ferry de Kerckhove agrees with Beardsley on that point.
Hand's-off approach
"It's in keeping with his kind of a low-key approach to those kinds of issues. Leaving others to do their jobs," said the former Canadian ambassador to Egypt, who has also acted as Harper's sherpa at the Francophonie summit.
In Fahmy's case, according to de Kerckhove, his dual citizenship complicated matters and reduced Harper's influence.
"He probably doesn't want to get involved in the nitty-gritty of an issue in which there's not much to gain, because he knows at the end of the day that the system of the country involved will prevail over whatever he may be saying," he argued.
And now that the impediment of dual citizenship is gone?
"I think maybe there's a sense that [Harper] respects, however wacko it may be, the justice system of another country," said de Kerckhove.Gochujang Recipe
Make Gochujang At Home
Here is my home made gochujang recipe, as requested. It took me about a day and half to make but there is probably a year’s supply of gochujang for a light user, about 3-4 months for a Korean. I remember when I was young my Grandma spending one day a year making gochujang, she would make enough for a year and keep it in traditional Korean pots which helped it to age.
Korean Red pepper paste is a staple sauce used throughout Korean cooking, It is used in most Korean dishes that are spicy such as Jeyuk bokkeum, Bibimbap and ddukbokki. It is warm, sweet and spicy and goes well with most meats and also has a lot of health benefits to.
This Recipe makes about 5-6 Kg of Gochujang Sauce, it is easier to make it in this sort of quantity than say 500g amounts.
Homemade gochujang recipe Ingredients:
6 Litres of water
450g of Malt Powder
450g of Glutinous Rice Powder
450g of Soy Bean Powder
1kg of Fine Red Pepper Powder
350g of Salt
600g of Honey
Start by filling a large Saucepan (I have used a pasta one) with 6 litres of boiling water. Let the water cool a bit so it doesn’t burn but you want it to be hot, place 450g of malt powder in to a tea towel or Muslim cloth and make this in to a ball. You will need to put this ball in to the water and start swirling it around, every 30 seconds or so you will need to squeeze the tea towel ball hard. Continue doing this until the water is light brown in colour about 10 to 15 squeezes.
Once complete the malt powder ball can be binned, add the glutinous rice powder to the water and bring to boil whilst stirring, keep on boil for a couple of minutes then turn off the heat and leave to stand for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.
After about 30 minutes come back to the mixture and bring to boil, you need to reduce it by about half to 3 litres. Keep the heat as high as you can, if it bubbles up remove from heat for a couple of seconds and then put back on again, Keep stirring occasionally so the mixture doesn’t settle and it should reduce is about 45 minutes, don’t worry if it takes longer.
Turn off the heat and leave to cool down for a couple of hours or overnight, once cooled it is time to add the soy bean powder and red pepper powder, mix this well. The mixture will go quite thick and stiff like glue, keep stirring and it should start to resemble a red pepper paste. Leave again for about 30 minutes.
Finish the sauce of by adding the salt and the honey, the salt helps with preservation and the honey gives it its unique sweetness. Mix this all together well and your home made gochujang is complete, you can use it straight away and I would leave it to stand in your saucepan for another 24 hours before bottling it up.
In South Korea gochujang is stored in our famous pots which help it to breath and age, but you can keep it in whatever you have spare I have used old jars and sauce pots that I have left over. The sauce should keep for well over a year and the taste will improve in time as well, Keep in a cool dark place and have an open jar in the fridge when in use.
I would love to hear from you if you have successfully used this gochujang recipe!
Return from Gochujang Recipe to Korean FoodsThe Liberal government's first budget is less transparent than Conservative budgets under Stephen Harper and overestimates the number of jobs that will be created, Ottawa's non-partisan fiscal watchdog says.
The Parliamentary Budget Officer takes issue with the budget's claim that its package of tax cuts and spending measures will create or maintain 100,000 jobs by 2017-18. It notes that these estimates were created entirely by the government, while the previous Conservative government subjected similar estimates to an outside review in its 2009 stimulus budget.
According to the PBO's own analysis, the jobs estimate should be 60,000, not 100,000.
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The PBO report is unwelcome news for a government that came to power with a pledge to be more open, particularly when it comes to how budget numbers are presented.
On fiscal transparency, Mostafa Askari, the assistant Parliamentary Budget Officer, says the 2016 budget is a step backward on several fronts.
"What they have provided is not sufficient. It's certainly much less than what was produced over the last 15 budgets that I remember," he said, referring to a period that covers both the Harper and past Liberal governments.
In the report, the PBO takes issue with several points related to how the budget numbers are presented.
The removal of key financial data from this year's budget has limited the office's ability to report to MPs and makes it harder for parliamentarians to review government spending, according to the PBO.
The PBO is critical of the government's decision to add $6-billion a year in risk adjustments to its forecasts, concluding that this is "excessive" and is not presented in a clear and transparent way. As a result, the PBO says the forecast deficit of $29.4-billion for 2016-17 will likely end up being smaller than that, barring unforeseen events.
Budget forecasts for revenue and expenses are based on an average of private-sector growth forecasts for the economy. Previous budgets have often reduced revenue forecasts by about $3-billion as an adjustment for risk.
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The 2016 budget does not have a clear line that shows any adjustment for risk. Instead, the growth forecasts for Canadian GDP were reduced by $40-billion a year, which has the effect of reducing revenue forecasts by $6-billion a year.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was elected on a campaign platform that specifically promised to "raise the bar on fiscal transparency."
Speaking in Montreal Wednesday, Mr. Trudeau defended the government's approach. He said private-sector forecasts have frequently overestimated economic growth and the budget aims to take that into account.
"We want to be transparent and open about this," he said.
The PBO does acknowledge the 2016 budget contains an element of additional transparency by showing how changes in economic growth would change the projected bottom line.
The office, however, criticizes the fact that the budget ended the previous practice of projecting the cost of various policies over five years. Instead, the cost of specific budget measures are presented over a two-year horizon. The budget does project the cost of the government's overall program over five years.
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The Liberal platform promised to improve transparency by increasing the PBO's budget and making the office fully independent of government. However, the issue was not mentioned in the March 22 budget.
"We have not heard anything in terms of what their plans are for the PBO yet," Mr. Askari said.
Conservative finance critic Lisa Raitt said the Liberals are not living up to their own promises.
"I'm very concerned with a significant 40-per-cent drop in terms of how many jobs that PBO thinks they're going to create," she said. "So let's see the real plan for creating the jobs because that's what Canadians do care about. If they're going to spend $30-billion and [have] a deficit, let's see what they're going to get out of it."There's been a lot of flaming back and forth on the forums about female objectification. This thread is not meant to convince anyone or to discuss why more variety of body types would be desirable. I'll even admit that I think that LoL is years ahead of the curve when it comes to female portrayal in video games. That said, I think there's a lot of room for improvement, and to support my beliefs I'm going to put my money where my mouth is.
From now on I will purchase, with RP, every female champion whose default skin falls outside of riot's sexualized female molds.
That is to say I will purchase any female champion who is of a non-standard body type, non-youthful age, or whose armor has not been made impractical (think akali vs shen or kennen) in order to increase *** appeal. I will do so regardless of whether or not I actually like their play style.
I can't stop trolls from posting, but I would like to keep this a supportive thread. I'm not against attractive champions, I'm simply for a variety of champions. If you agree with me please feel free to say as such in this thread so that we can show Riot that a real market exists for these champions.By: Aly Semigran
Feline Immunodeficiency Virus Infection (FIV) in Cats
The feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection is a complex retrovirus that causes immunodeficiency disease in domestic cats.
Immunodeficiency is the medical term used to describe the body’s inability to develop a normal immune response. As a result of immunodeficiency, most infected cats do not show symptoms and have normal life expectancy, however they are prone to developing other infections and certain types of cancer.
A retrovirus, such as FIV, inserts a copy of its genetic material into the DNA of a host cell, where it can replicate. FIV is a lentivirus. a specific type of retrovirus that can take months, or even years to incubate, so the virus is slow moving, capable of lying dormant in the body before causing symptoms. “It is in the same class of viruses as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the causative agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in people.” (1)
There is no genetic susceptibility for infection, although genetics may play a role in the progression and severity of the disease. The average age is five years at the time of diagnosis, and the likelihood of infection increases with age. “FIV is a transmissible disease that occurs more often in males because of their tendency to be more aggressive, and because they are more likely to roam, thereby increasing their exposure to the virus.” (2)
Symptoms
Diverse symptoms owing to the decreased ability to develop a normal immune response. Associated immunodeficiencies cannot be distinguished clinically from feline leukemia virus (FeLV)
Recurrent minor illnesses, especially with upper respiratory and gastrointestinal signs
Mild to moderately enlarged lymph nodes
Inflammation of the gums of the mouth and/or the tissues surrounding and supporting the teeth is seen in 25 percent to 50 percent of cases
Upper respiratory tract disease is seen in 30 percent of cases - inflammation of the nose; inflammation of the moist tissues of the eye; inflammation of the cornea (the clear part of the eye, located in the front of the eyeball); often associated with feline herpes virus and calicivirus infections
Eye disease - inflammation of the front part of the eye, including the iris; disease of the eye in which the pressure within the eye is increased (glaucoma)
Long-term (chronic) kidney insufficiency
Persistent diarrhea seen in 10 percent to 20 percent of cases
Long-term, nonresponsive, or recurrent infections of the external ear and skin resulting from bacterial or fungal infections
Fever and wasting - especially in later stage
Cancer (such as lymphoma, a type of cancer that develops from lymphoid tissue, including lymphocytes, a type of white-blood cell formed in lymphatic tissues throughout the body)
Nervous system abnormalities - disruption of normal sleep patterns; behavioral changes (such as pacing and aggression); changes in vision and hearing; disorders usually affecting the nerves in the legs and paws.
Causes
"Cat-to-cat transmission; usually through bite wounds and scratches" (3)
Occasional transmission of the virus at the time of birth
Sexual transmission is uncommon, although FIV has been detected in semen
Diagnosis
Your veterinarian will perform a thorough physical exam on your cat, taking into account the background history of symptoms and possible incidents that might have precipitated this condition. A complete blood profile will be conducted, including a chemical blood profile, a complete blood count, and a urinalysis. Your doctor will need to rule out bacterial, viral, or fungal infections, and will also test for parasites and tumors before settling on a final diagnosis.
A complete blood profile will be conducted, including:
a chemical blood profile
a complete blood count
and a urinalysis.
Your doctor will need to rule out bacterial, viral, or fungal infections, and will also test for parasites and tumors before settling on a final diagnosis.Cow carcasses line the Gatos Mortos beach after a livestock carrier, loaded with some 5,000 cows, capsized in Barcarena, Brazil. (Tarso Sarraf/Reuters)
Forget what you've seen on shows like "Dirty Jobs." Being a dockworker in the Brazilian port of Barcarena is almost certainly the worst occupation in the world right now.
Last week, a freighter bound for Venezuela with 5,000 head of cattle sank into the murky depths of the Amazon river, spilling hundreds of gallons of diesel fuel and dooming the animals to a watery death.
What happened next is like something, well, out of a Gabriel García Márquez novel. Local residents pulled dead animals out of the river, loading them on carts and dragging some of them home through the dusty streets tied to their bumpers. It was a feast of free beef.
But since then, the partly submerged ship has been spitting out the rest of the herd, fouling the town with a horrific stomach-turning stench. Carcasses that didn't wash downriver have floated to the surface and lodged along the docks and riverbanks, putrefying in the tropical sun.
The cause of the sinking is under investigation, according to Brazilian authorities, who have taken the 28 crew members of the Lebanese-flagged "Haidar" into custody. Port officials cited by Venezuelan media said the boat could have been overloaded, or sank because of a leak in the hull.
The disaster has been the subject of ongoing media fascination in Venezuela, where soaring inflation and economic mismanagement have led to chronic food shortages.
Beef is scarce, and the owner of the cattle, Brazil's Minerva Foods, is one of Venezuela's major providers.
Venezuela, which derives more than 90 percent of its income from petroleum exports, is heavily dependent on imported food.
The sunken cattle shipment was said to have already been paid for by the Venezuelan government, but the loss would likely be covered by the shipping company's insurance.
If quickly replaced, the effect on Venezuela's supermarkets would be minimal. With the country's parliamentary elections scheduled for Dec. 6, the government is under added pressure to keep the shelves stocked and the imported beef flowing.
Of more immediate concern in Barcarena, a town near the mouth of the Amazon and the city of Belem, is getting the stench to go away.
Brazilian authorities have attempted to contain the fuel spill and sent divers to the area to try to push the dead animals downstream. Health officials are warning residents that the free-steak party is over and that they must stop scavenging.
"People are eating meat that hasn't passed through a certification process and consuming a dead animal in the process of decomposition," said health official Melanie Castro.
Photos of the mess are here, but are not advisable for vegetarians and animal lovers.“Chrome will never be as good as Safari,” many lamented upon Chrome’s iOS debut, “It doesn’t have access to Apple’s private Nitro Javascript Engine.” If your device isn’t jailbroken, that still rings true, but if it is, then not so much anymore.
That’s because Nitrous — a new jailbreak tweak available on Cydia — unlocks the Nitro Javascript engine for alternative browsers like Google Chrome. Does it make a difference? Yes. Check inside and see for yourself.
[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5cnIekbnYM[/tube]
The only way to really determine whether or not this tweak lived up to its claim, was to break out a Javascript benchmarking tool.
I decided to use SunSpider’s Javascript Benchmark tool, since that’s what most people seem to be using these days. First I tested out Safari to garner some sort of baseline, then I tested Google Chrome without Nitrous enabled.
The difference was pretty startling. I’d always heard people talk about how much faster Safari is than Chrome, but I never really bought into it. In real world usage, Chrome never seemed like it was that much slower. Sure, it was a tad less peppy, but it wasn’t anything to raise a fuss about.
But then, I saw the insane difference in benchmark results. Chrome by itself is insanely slower if you take into account pure statistics coming from the benchmarks. Notice this:
Safari vs Chrome (stock):
(Safari is denoted by blue highlights, Chrome, green.)
That’s an incredible difference in Javascript rendering speed. Although that doesn’t always translate well into real world usage, if you’re lifting some heavy javascript, then no doubt Safari would be significantly faster.
Now let’s enable the Nitrous jailbreak tweak, and compare the two browsers.
Safari vs Chrome (nitro):
(Safari is denoted by blue highlights, Chrome (nitro), red.)
That’s a lot more comparable. Safari is still faster in some areas, but it’s nowhere near the landslide that it was with Chrome devoid of Nitro engine access.
Now let’s try one last test.
Chrome (stock) vs Chrome (nitro):
(Chrome (stock) is denoted by green highlights, Chrome (nitro), red.)
The results don’t lie. As you can see, there’s simply no doubting that Nitro access makes Chrome a whole new browser when it comes to Javascript rendering.
If you’d like to see the actual benchmark readout for yourself, then you can access Safari here, Chrome (stock) here, and Chrome (nitro) here. You can then compare each for yourself, or run your own benchmark and compare the two.
Not only do the hard line figures speak volumes for this tweak, but I can actually attest to the fact that the tweak makes Chrome more responsive as well. Pages load faster, and you’ll notice an overall boost in snappiness and response as a result.
The great thing about Nitrous, is that it’s not a tweak designed exclusively with Google Chrome in mind. No, it can assist any webkit browser and make it faster. It can even speed up apps that render web views. For instance, Tweetbot is listed as a supported app in the tweak’s settings panel.
Enabling and disabling Nitrous is as easy as flipping a toggle switch. You don’t even have to respring to feel the benefits, just kill the app in question, and the benefits are immediate.
At $0.99 on Cydia’s BigBoss repo, this purchase is a no brainer. Chrome can finally compete with Safari on Javascript rendering speed. If that was what was holding you back from using what is otherwise the best browser on iOS, you now have no excuse.
Convinced?Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) talks about Trumpcare on CNN (Screen cap).
Jason Chaffetz returns from foot surgery to go after Obama’s pension — instead of Trump’s Russia connection.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, recently signaled his intention to leave office early.
The decision means that despite years of grilling former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton over her role in the Benghazi terror attack and use of an unsecured email server as Secretary of State, the Utah Republican is keen on shying away from what is potentially the biggest political scandal in decades—namely, that associates of Donald Trump may have colluded with Russian operatives during the 2016 presidential election.
On Wednesday, Chaffetz responded to reports that Barack Obama was offered $400,000 for a Wall Street speech, prompting suggestions the House Oversight Committee chairman may look into the former president’s pension. Chaffetz—who indicated he doesn’t want to be in government so he can focus on the private sector—appears to once again be interested in what’s going on in the government.
Naturally, the internet had words for Chaffetz’s blatant hypocrisy:
I’ll answer that for him; Chaffetz’s problem is he’s engaged in petty, partisan hate-mongering.
— Patch Zircher (@PatrickZircher) May 4, 2017
No matter what you do or say @jasoninthehouse, you have to wake up every single day and be Jason Chaffetz which has to be fucking awful. https://t.co/UEK2pU0Bz2 — andy lassner (@andylassner) May 4, 2017
don’t you have a foot to get surgery on before you take away everyone else’s health care?
shut up @jasoninthehouse fuckwit chaffetz! 🙄 https://t.co/BMhCe9ou0G — Kevin Allred (@KevinAllred) May 4, 2017
And here is Jason Chaffetz chiming in as GOP destroys healthcare and Trumps ties to Russia remain unknown. https://t.co/vZrwWhT3NI — Isaac Saul (@Ike_Saul) May 4, 2017VISTA (CBS 8) - Anger erupted at a town hall on the repeal of the Affordable Care Act in North County Tuesday night as Rep. Darrell Issa, R- Vista did not now show, but hundreds of his constituents did.
Earlier on Tuesday, Congressman Issa released an initial draft of proposed legislation Tuesday that would repeal and replace the Affordable Healthcare Act, as demonstrators on both sides rallied outside his North County office.
"The Access to Insurance for All Americans Act" put forth by Issa would allow the public to buy in to the same insurance plans provided to federal employees and their families.
He said his plan would give Americans access to affordable, high quality, privately-run health insurance plans that guarantee coverage for pre-existing conditions and allow for coverage for dependents until age 26.
"I hear every day from constituents who've lost their health insurance plans or who've seen their costs rise because of `Obamacare,"' Issa said. "Yet, with repeal before us, I also hear from constituents who are worried about losing coverage for pre-existing conditions or who have been saved from financial hardship by the prohibition on lifetime caps.
"The plan I'm proposing frees us from Obamacare's burdens, while focusing on what works, to create a simpler, patient-centered, market-based health care alternative that puts patients back in the driver's seat of their health care," he said.
Issa said that while the ACA was complicated, his 10-page proposed law "is simple, short, and will be posted online for all to read and review."
He said he encourages feedback so that a solution can be passed "that protects patients" and puts their needs first.
Meanwhile, opponents of repeal who've been regularly demonstrating outside Issa's office in Vista were met by a group of people who support Issa and President Donald Trump - and want Obamacare to go away.
While they faced off and displayed signs, the two groups remained on opposite sides of the street from each other.
Later, Issa came outside to answer questions from the demonstrators.
"My hope is this morning we will find a way to bridge these two groups," Issa said.
Protester Linda Breen told CBS8 she was surprised that Issa came out to speak to them, but added it made sense because his supporters were there. Breen said Issa's refusal to attend a town hall meeting organized by repeal opponents that was scheduled for Tuesday night in Vista "made him look bad."
At 5....demonstration outside @DarrellIssa's office today. His response and the town hall meeting being held tonight @CBS8 @News8 pic.twitter.com/dyVLdGv2gO — Shannon Handy (@ShannonCBS8) February 21, 2017
RELATED COVERAGEAdvice to aspiring filmmakers: If you can’t be good, be delusional
I’m not sure how I wound up there, but this morning I found myself reading Jonah Weiner‘s thoughts about James Nguyen’s “Birdemic: Shock and Terror,” the latest “so bad it’s good” production to find some success as a midnight movie and to get more than its share of coverage for so doing. Then I watched the ABC News video which I will present without further comment, except to apologize for the small size of the image. (ABC’s player won’t permit altering the size, for whatever reason.) You might also want to check out this amusing BBC item about it as well.
Okay, so now it’s time to talk about something I’ve learned about the movie world and frequently expressed verbally, but never online.
In my travels around the very lower rungs of the film world, I’ve noted that there are exactly two ways to have a career as a filmmaker. Be extremely well focused, productive and hardworking — being hard working to the point of actual madness won’t hurt, if you and your loved ones survive it — be very smart, passionate, creative, thoughtful, and lucky and you might have a decent-to-g |
reform draconian sentencing laws that we have enacted over the last several decades. A Democratic governor would no doubt be attacked as "soft on crime" and be hard-pressed to garner significant GOP support for such an effort. A Republican governor, however, can make the case as an ally to his party's legislators and supporters about the need for such reform.
Let us hope that the public discussion about the need to address the aftermath of our tragic racial history continues, and that Southern Republican officeholders continue to help lead that discussion. Let's also hope that the discussion -- and action -- moves beyond flags and monuments to schools, economic opportunity, justice and the encouragement of the civic participation of all of our citizens, regardless of their ethnicity. Then -- and only then -- will we really begin to make the past the past, even here in the South.This summer, rumors flew that Ilya Bryzgalov was being courted by one of the teams of Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League teams. But instead of returning home, he signed a nine-year contract with the Philadelphia Flyers for $51.5 million and became the highest-paid goaltender in the NHL. This summer, Ilya Zubko and Ilya Sobolev from Rossiyskaya Gazeta met with Bryzgalov in Moscow, where he was holding coaching clinics for boys.
Rossiyskaya Gazeta: It’s summer, the time for vacation. You could be lying on the beach, resting up before the season begins, but instead you’re busy with kids. Why?
Ilya Bryzgalov: I’ve rested enough. I was able to lie on the beach. I stayed with my family and my friends all came to visit. Why do I spend time on these clinics? I heard that there was a problem and I came to solve it, one way or another. Or at least to try.
R.G.: Do you wish you’d been able to attend these kinds of clinics as a child?
I.B.: Of course. It would have been better if I’d had a coach to constantly give me advice. Maybe I would have played for the NHL at the age of 22 instead of 25, for example. Who knows? I didn’t have that opportunity.
R.G.: It’s a paradox: conditions [in Russia] are better, but we still have problems in children’s sports. Why is that?
I.B.: I grew up in the Soviet Union. Everyone was paid 120 rubles. For some people, let’s say it was 140 rubles. But in general, it was equal. Coaches had fixed wages. Now there is a tremendous division in society. It’s very difficult for a coach receiving a salary of 10,000-15,000 rubles [$345-$520 per month] to survive in any city in Russia, let alone in Moscow. So what does the coach have to do to survive? [That’s why] there’s corruption in children’s hockey. And that’s why many players with the potential to become stars quit.
R.G.: Would you be interested in establishing not just a training camp, but an entire school under your patronage?
I.B.: If I do, it will just be me, because I don’t trust anyone. There are these nuances that can
play a huge role, and I prefer to explain them to the children myself. Handing it over to someone else and just using your name as a guise is wrong. If you want to do it, you should do it yourself.
R.G.: When you look back on your journey from being just a kid in Togliatti to an NHL star, how do you feel about it all?
I.B.: I don’t look back. I have to move forward and reach new goals.
R.G.: You are now the highest paid goaltender in the NHL. What does money mean to you in general?
I.B.: Money is just paper. Right now they’re predicting a crash in America, and [if that happens] you’re poor. The most important thing in life is knowing what you have and what you can do. If you know how to do something, you’ll always be able to feed yourself and do some kind of work. And there are always people out there who will support your ideas and help you apply your skills and knowledge.
R.G.: You’re now the goalie for the Philadelphia Flyers, a team that has traditionally not treated Russians very well. [Player Nikolai] Zherdev complained that they “stifled” him there. Does this bother you?
I.B.: Look, there was Zherdev and [Sergei] Bobrovsky. They speak very well of Bobrovsky. They don’t judge people by their passports, they treat you by how well you do the job they pay you for. They look at how you interact with the team, since it’s a united entity, and at how you behave. And they treat you accordingly. If you’re a good person and do your job, they will love you. If you have some kind of problem, it makes no difference whether you’re a foreigner or not.
R.G.: But few Russians have ever played for Philadelphia. It’s not like the Detroit or Washington teams. That can hardly be a coincidence.
I.B.: Each team has its own playing style, its own signature. That’s what brings players together.
R.G.: How do you like the city of Philadelphia? What has surprised you there?
I.B.: The city is beautiful. It’s the former capital, how can it be bad? For the most part, I haven’t had much time to explore Philadelphia. I was only there for two days. Even then I was basically just in the practice arena. I know there’s the Liberty Bell and the building where the Declaration of Independence was signed. There is a lot to see and a lot of history. It’s where America was created.
R.G.: We’ve already touched on your victories. You’ve had two in your career so far: winning the Stanley Cup and the gold medal at the World Championships. Which is more valuable to you?
I.B.: The Stanley Cup.
R.G.: Even though you basically pulled off the win for your team at the 2009 World Championships?
I.B.: They are two different things. The World Championships is a fleeting tournament. In the NHL, you have to play a lot of matches and put in a lot of work. The work is a lot of wear and tear. Everything is significant: the prestige of the trophy, the fact that your name is inscribed in the Cup… And most importantly, the best of the best play in the NHL, so winning this tournament means that you are truly the best in the world.
R.G.: After winning the Stanley Cup, did you have the sense that you had joined the ranks of the greats?
I.B.: To be great, you just need to win a lot. When your whole chest is covered in medals and you have rings on all your fingers, then you’ll be great… I think I still have a long road ahead of me.
R.G.: Speaking of great victories, do you plan to hold onto your rank among the best until [the 2014 Winter Olympics in] Sochi?
I.B.: You know, I can’t claim I won’t decline. I will try and then we’ll see where life takes me. I hope that I’ll be worthy of an invitation to join the national team. But I have to prove myself every day. It’s a right that has to be earned.
Ilya Bryzgalov was born June 22, 1980 in Togliatti. He learned the basics of hockey playing at the local hockey club “Lada.” He was with the team for one-and-a-half seasons, and was awarded Best Newcomer for the 1999-2000 season.
Before making it to the first team of the Anaheim Ducks, he spent five years in the lower leagues. In the 2006-2007 season, he won the Stanley Cup. In 2007, he was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes, where he set a team record for the most victories in a regular season (42). Thanks to Bryzgalov’s efforts, the Coyotes made it to the NHL playoffs two years in a row after a nine-year break. Ilya was nominated for the Vezina Trophy, an award for the best goaltender in the NHL.
At the end of the 2010-2011 season, Bryzgalov signed a nine-year contract with the Philadelphia Flyers for $51.5 million. In the next season, Bryzgalov will be the highest paid goaltender in the NHL, making $10 million per year.
Since 2000, he has regularly been invited to play with the Russian national team. With his help, the team won the bronze medal at the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, and became world champions in 2009.
All rights reserved by Rossiyskaya Gazeta.Introduction
My previous article, Depth Camera Capture in HTML5, introduced a web application API to capture and manipulate depth stream data from cameras like the Intel® RealSense™ Depth Camera in the Chrome* browser (with no need for additional extensions). This pushes the boundaries of what JavaScript* apps can do and enables application developers to innovate new features and web apps. The tutorial here shows you how to use the API and the same camera to implement a specific case of gesture recognition and provides links to code you could run and reuse.
The first time I showed this typing in the air demo to my friend, Babu, he said something along the lines of, “That’s not convenient.” Although I might be able to input the text faster this way than scrolling through the character grid, I agree that this method is not convenient on its own. However, it is a good illustration for a tutorial that demonstrates the potential of gesture recognition with depth cameras.
Setup
Plug the Intel® RealSense™ SR300 based camera into a USB 3.0 port of your Linux*, Windows*, or Chrome OS* machine. Since it is a near-range camera, the SR300 fits the use case here well. The camera should point towards you, as seen in the photo below. Once you get your hands closer to the camera, you’ll notice that they become visible over the keyboard. Then, the closest fingertip movement is analyzed as the code checks if there is a down-up movement that should be interpreted as a keystroke.
Get your fingers close to the camera and attempt to type, and eventually you’ll manage to type something without many mistakes. I made the Delete key a bit larger and easier to hit to help you fix any mistakes. Typing like this is a matter of practice. The captured screenshot animation below shows how it works.
This approach could be improved, but that would be out of scope for this tutorial.
The algorithm and the API used
This approach has two steps: First, we preprocess every pixel on the GPU to identify potential keystroke candidates, and then we process them on the CPU. Different use cases are expected to use algorithms that are highly tailored for each use case, but the general idea should be the same:
Step 1 on GPU
Process every pixel or tile. Map depth to color. Sample around both depth and color textures, and try to recognize features in the shader. Prepare the output result, either as transform feedback output or render to texture followed by readPixels.
Step 2 on CPU
After selecting the interest area from the GPU step output, process and handle the results. It is essential that the GPU (shader code) reduces either the number of candidates or the area to postprocess on the CPU, but that it is still robust enough to avoid missing the feature.
API
The WebGL* API used for this demonstration is presented on the picture below.
It starts with a <video> tag and WebGL texImage2D. I described that part of the API in a previous tutorial. In short, we follow these steps:
Create HTML <video> tag. Call getUserMedia(constraint_to_depth_stream) to get the depth stream. If the algorithm requires it, get the color stream, too. Set the stream as the video source. For example: video.srcObject = stream; Upload the latest captured depth video frame to texture. For example: gl.texImage2D(gl.TEXTURE_2D, 0, gl.R32F, gl.RED, gl.FLOAT, video);
For some use cases, like in rendering 3D point cloud, it is not necessary to read back the data from GPU. When needed, use WebGL 2.0 transform feedback or readPixels.
Step 1: GPU part of algorithm
This tutorial describes the transform feedback path. In the example we follow here, vertex shader code detects the points that are the centers of the area, as described by the picture:
So, using only depth texture, we sample around and increase the distance of samples to the point. The idea is that on distance D (the green dots on the picture), all of the samples are inside the finger area, but on the distance D + 3, three or four out of total four samples (the red dots) are outside the area.
The part of vertex shader code doing this is shown below:
// Vertex shader code; transform feedback returns |depth|. // We have previously checked that the point is at least 3 // pixels away from the edge, so start from i = 4.0. float i = 4.0; float number_of_dots_inside = 4.0; for (; i < MAX_DISTANCE; i += 3.0) { // Sample the texels like on the picture on the left. d_0 = texture(s_depth, depth_tex_pos + vec2(i, 0.0) * step).r; d_90 = texture(s_depth, depth_tex_pos + vec2(0.0, i) * step).r; d_180 = texture(s_depth, depth_tex_pos - vec2(i, 0.0) * step).r; d_270 = texture(s_depth, depth_tex_pos - vec2(0.0, i) * step).r; if (d_0 * d_90 * d_180 * d_270 == 0.0) { number_of_dots_inside = sign(d_0) + sign(d_90) + sign(d_180) + sign(d_270); break; } } // > 7.0 serves to eliminate "thin" areas. We pass depth > 1.0 through // transform feedback, so that CPU side of algorithm would understands // that this point is "center of fingertip" point and process it further. if (number_of_dots_inside <= 1.0 && i > MIN_DISTANCE) { // Found it! Pack also the distance in the returned value. depth = i + depth; }
The value of texture(s_depth, sample_position).r is 0 if it is outside the captured area. Otherwise, the value is positive and as sign() returns 1, we use sum of sign() values to count the number of dots inside. Inline comments explain the returned value.
Step 2: CPU part of algorithm
We start this by getting the transform feedback buffer data. The code includes the calls issuing Step 1 and getting the buffer data using getBufferSubData, and looks like:
gl.bindTransformFeedback(gl.TRANSFORM_FEEDBACK, gl.transform_feedback) gl.bindBufferBase(gl.TRANSFORM_FEEDBACK_BUFFER, 0, gl.tf_bo) gl.beginTransformFeedback(gl.POINTS); gl.drawArrays(gl.POINTS, 0, tf_output.length); gl.endTransformFeedback(); gl.bindBufferBase(gl.TRANSFORM_FEEDBACK_BUFFER, 0, null) gl.disable(gl.RASTERIZER_DISCARD); gl.bindBuffer(gl.TRANSFORM_FEEDBACK_BUFFER, gl.tf_bo); gl.getBufferSubData(gl.TRANSFORM_FEEDBACK_BUFFER, 0, tf_output, 0, tf_output.length); gl.bindBuffer(gl.TRANSFORM_FEEDBACK_BUFFER, null);
As tf_output size is video.videoWidth * video.videoHeight, we run the vertex shader and read the data through transform feedback for every pixel of depth video frame.
After that, on the CPU side, we do the following:
Let’s start with the data we get from the GPU in Step 1. White dots are identified as centers of the area and the fingertip candidates. The red dot is the one among them that is the closest to the camera. The animation below displays them.
In the CPU side step, we take only that red dot and try to further stabilize it by calculating the center of mass (this is the yellow dot on the pictures) of the shape around it. This step helps to reduce the noise that is intrinsic to the infrared based depth sensing camera technology. Roughly speaking, the yellow dot is then the calculated center of mass of all points connected to the red dot within the selected radius. When the finger is not moving, the yellow dot is more stable than the red dot, like on the animation below.
The algorithm implementing this is given in the extractMinumums() function. Starting from the red dot, we enumerate the surrounding points on the same distance, as if spreading waves of concentric circles. For each point of the circle, we access the elements that is towards the center (the red point) to check if the point is connected to the red point. This way, we enumerate all the connected points to the red and calculate the average coordinate (meaning, the center of mass).
Summary
This approach could be improved by tracking all of the fingers. That not only would enable simultaneous key presses, but the click detection would be more robust, as we would not only analyze the one point closest to the camera.
Instead of improving this, it makes more sense to use this demo as an illustration and instead spend time on different gesture recognition. For example, a low latency hand gesture click made of a quick contact between your thumb and index finger, like the one used in VR/AR demos. The next tutorial should be about that kind of gesture recognition implementation.
FootnotesRand Paul: 'Big Government's Not A Friend To Those Who Are Trying To Get Ahead'
Following President Obama's State of the Union there was the customary response from the Republican Party, and for the second year there was another response from the Tea Party. Sen. Rand Paul delivered that response and joins Robert Siegel to talk about his differences with the Republican establishment.
ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:
Following President Obama's State of the Union Address, there were actually two responses made by freshman Republican senators. Marco Rubio of Florida gave the official GOP response and Rand Paul of Kentucky gave the Tea Party response. They didn't sound radically different. Both speeches took off from the theme of American exceptionalism.
Here's Senator Rubio.
SENATOR MARCO RUBIO: America is exceptional because we believe that every life, at every stage, is precious and that everyone everywhere has a God-given right to go as far as their talents and hard work will take them.
SIEGEL: And here's Senator Paul.
SENATOR RAND PAUL: America is exceptional because we're founded upon the notion that anyone - in fact, everyone - should be free to pursue life, liberty and happiness.
SIEGEL: And both went on to decry the size of the federal government.
Well, Senator Rand Paul joins us now. Welcome to the program, Senator.
PAUL: Glad to be with you.
SIEGEL: And if you could point me to an idea that distinguishes your speech from, say, Senator Rubio's and that illustrates the rationale for a distinct Tea Party response, what would that one idea be?
PAUL: Well, I don't think there is one idea. I think both the speeches were complementary. I think we were lucky to have two responses. And if you add them up, I think they're a great response to the president's speech. And they both seem to indicate that, you know, big government is not a friend to those who are trying to get ahead because big government's massive debts are causing prices to rise - which, if you're struggling to pay your bills makes it difficult to have anything left at the end of the month.
SIEGEL: You spoke of the impending across-the-board cuts, the federal spending cuts called the sequester, that President Obama and many Republicans say must be avoided. You said this...
PAUL: Not only should the sequester stand, many pundits say the sequester is far short; that we need $4 trillion in cuts.
SIEGEL: Are you saying bring on the sequester as is or would you support, say, a reduction in defense cut?
PAUL: No, I'd bring on the sequester as is. The sequester, a lot of people don't realize, is not really cutting spending at all. It's cutting the rate of growth of spending. Even with the sequester, over the next 10 years, government spending will grow between seven and $8 trillion and will add nearly that much in debt. So there are as really not sufficient cuts.
Bowles-Simpson, which the president appeared to embrace somewhat in his speech, would cut at least four trillion. And, really, if you had a freeze in spending, that would be a $9 trillion cut and would balance the budget. But it wouldn't be any cuts at all because in reality, none of these are cuts, they're just slowing the rate of growth of government.
SIEGEL: But the U.S. in the fourth quarter of last year saw its GDP contract, surprisingly, and many analysts blame a big drop in defense spending; some of it anticipating the sequester. If there were deep cuts in the...
PAUL: Yeah, that probably is a fallacy and - because if you look at spending in the fourth quarter, spending didn't go down. We've never had a cut in spending in recent history. We may have slowed the growth in spending but spending goes up every year.
SIEGEL: You know, one reading of the two State of the Union responses - which you've been at pains here to say were more similar and complementary than different, in your view - one reading of them is that you and Senator Rubio have begun the 2016 GOP presidential nominating season here. We've seen two of the frontrunners speak on the same night. You're interested?
PAUL: Well, you know, I've said I am interested. And we are thinking about it but probably would make a decision until 2014. I do want to be part of the national debate. I think the Republican Party is in danger of becoming a permanent minority party if we don't adapt.
And I think part of that adapting means we need to embrace more Libertarian-Republican ideas. That means a less aggressive foreign-policy. It means more tolerance on some other issues of other people's opinions. It means we need to embrace immigrants and let the public know that we see immigrants as assets, and that if you want to work, we're going to find a place for you in society.
So there are a lot of Libertarian-type ideas that I think would help the Republican Party to grow.
SIEGEL: Senator Paul, I just have one other question for you. In this season of Republican self-scrutiny after the November election, given your view of how President Obama has handled the economy, how do you understand his victory? How do you understand his winning the majority of...
PAUL: Well, we live in a democracy and people are choose - are free to sometimes choose the wrong leader.
SIEGEL: But how do you understand the majority getting it wrong, is what I'm asking.
PAUL: Well, I don't know if I have an explanation other than that it is much easier to offer people something for nothing, than it is to tell people that in reality hard work and sweat equity is how a country gets rich.
But I think when you bring in people and you make it personal, as far as their family budget, people realize the way you get rich as an individual family is you don't spend more than you take in. You save money and you have money left at the end of the month, and you slowly accumulate that. And a country needs to do that also.
SIEGEL: But we've all had household budgets for the past year and we all know these things. I mean, just personality, skill at speechmaking - how do you understand the Republican loss at the White House?
PAUL: Well, I don't know if there's one explanation. But there has been some polling that shows that many in the public actually judged Governor Romney as being more competent to run the country, but they like President Obama better. On likeability, the president wins. He communicates well with his audiences.
And he also gave them the message that he was going to take from the rich and give to the poor. And there's always more poor than there are rich. So, you can see in a democracy it's easier to sell that message. Our message is harder but I think it's accurate and true.
PAUL: Our message is that he really is hurting the poor because when he borrows so much money he raises prices and he steals the savings of those on Social Security. Their check doesn't go as far, they don't get the cost of living raises and it's more difficult when you're an elderly citizen who relies on Social Security when prices rise. But they're rising because of big government debt.
So that took me four or five sentences and he would respond by saying, I'm going to go get some money from the rich and give it to you. His is a simpler message but its simplicity also is full of fallacies. And we have to promote and explain our message better.
SIEGEL: Well, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, thanks for sharing your views with us.
PAUL: Thank you.
SIEGEL: Senator Paul gave the Tea Party response to President Obama's State of the Union this week.
Copyright © 2013 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.Republican lawmakers in Congress are starting to come out of the woodwork and draft up new bills on cannabis. Last Friday, while most of the nation was focused on President Trump’s controversial immigration order, Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Virginia) quietly introduced two new bills on cannabis reform—including one that would de-schedule CBD entirely.
The bills are H.R. 714, “Legitimate Use of Medicinal Marijuana Act” or the “LUMMA,” and H.R. 715, the “Compassionate Access Act.” The full text of the bills is embedded below.
LUMMA’s main point is to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule II. Moving cannabis to Schedule II would redefine cannabis as a drug with a “high potential for abuse” but with an accepted medical use.
Rescheduling would give scientists easier access to cannabis for research purposes.
The bill would also put in place a mechanism for physicians to prescribe medical marijuana to their patients. Currently medical practitioners may only recommend cannabis, not prescribe it. Under the Controlled Substances Act, Schedule I drugs may not be prescribed.
H.R. 715, the “Compassionate Access Act,” also sets up the process in which to reschedule cannabis, having several agencies give their recommendation to reschedule. It also completely de-schedules cannabidiol, or CBD.
The bill calls on the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, to submit a recommendation to the Drug Enforcement Agency to transfer cannabis from Schedule I to a lower schedule.
H.R. 715 calls for CBD to be excluded from the definition of “marihuana,” and states that CBD “shall not be treated as a controlled substance under this Act.”
CBD is defined in the bill as, “derived from marihuana or synthetically formulated, that contains not greater than 0.3 percent delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol on a dry weight basis.”
This isn’t the first time the Virginia conservative has introduced a cannabis bill.
In 2014, Griffith introduced a very similar bill, the “Legitimate Use of Medicinal Marijuana Act.” In 2015, Griffith and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) introduced a similar bill, the “Compassionate Access Act.”
“There are countless reports of marijuana’s medicinal benefits in treating conditions including cancer, epilepsy, and glaucoma,” Griffith said in 2015. “It is time to research this further, and, where legal, to allow real doctors and real pharmacists to prescribe or dispense marijuana for legitimate medical reasons for real patients.”
HR 714: “Legitimate Use of Medical Marijuana Act (LUMMA)” by Ben Adlin on Scribd
HR 715: “Compassionate Access Act” by Ben Adlin on ScribdA consortium of oil companies is to invest more than $500m (£330m) in an appraisal drilling programme which could lead to further development of a giant Atlantic field.
The BP-led consortium said drilling had already started on the first of five wells planned over the next two years at Clair, west of Shetland.
Up to 12 wells could be drilled, depending on initial results.
The news came as the UK government unveiled a new oil and gas strategy.
BP's partners in the appraisal drilling programme are Shell, ConocoPhillips and Chevron.
It is the latest in a series of announcements, aimed at transforming the Atlantic's role as an oil-producing region.
Clair is already known as a "monster" field, holding eight billion barrels of oil.
However, it has been technically difficult to bring ashore.
Although the field was discovered more than 35 years ago, production did not start until 2005.
Analysis The offshore oil and gas sector is enjoying a second wind. For governments at Westminster or Holyrood seeking growth, it's a powerful global industry and one worth cultivating. Similar to the Scottish government's approach, the UK government strategy has identified a skill shortage as a key challenge, along with ensuring the supply chain is strengthened in the UK, exploiting extensive export opportunities. The strategy's stress on fiscal stability is what the industry most wanted to see, reflecting the two years spent by ministers repairing relations with the industry, which were badly damaged by the surprise raid on offshore profits in the 2011 Budget. There also needs to be work done on links with the finance sector. Despite big investment in known assets, the recent drilling success rate has not been good in UK waters, making financiers wary. The news today from North Sea drilling firm Trapoil regarding offshore fracking plans demonstrates the tension between the potential of huge new reserves from offshore fracking of shale oil and the struggle for small operators to get funding.
Last year, BP announced a further huge expansion.
The company and its partners hope the appraisal programme will lead to a third phase, taking production well beyond 2050.
New oil would continue to be pumped by pipeline to Shetland.
BP North Sea regional president Trevor Garlick said: "This is a major milestone and a further big commitment to the west of Shetland by BP and its co-venturers.
"If successful, the appraisal programme could pave the way for a third phase of development at Clair - this is now a real possibility."
Analysts believe that Clair - along with other developments in the area - could lead to the Atlantic overtaking the North Sea as the UK's biggest oil-producing region within 20 years.
Meanwhile, the new oil and gas strategy aimed at securing thousands of jobs and billions of pounds of investment was unveiled by UK Business Secretary Vince Cable in Aberdeen, which is known as the oil capital of Europe.
He addressed business leaders alongside Scottish Secretary Michael Moore and UK Energy Secretary Ed Davey.
The three secretaries of state outlined plans for "tax certainty", supply chain support and skills development.
Skills shortage
The government also announced a £7m commitment to help establish the Neptune offshore technology centre of excellence in Newcastle.
Mr Cable, who opened a facility at offshore specialists Expro in Aberdeen, said: "I want us to consider what barriers are stopping British companies bidding for and winning work in the North Sea. This is an expanding industry. We can either help create more jobs and opportunities across the UK if we get this right, or see work going overseas if not."
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Business Secretary Vince Cable: "We anticipate record levels of investment"
The oil and gas industry employs about 400,000 people and provides nearly half the UK's energy needs, the government said.
The strategy states that government will work with the industry to tackle a looming skills shortage, partly by re-training military leavers to fill some of the 15,000 new jobs expected to be created in the oil and gas sector over the next five years.
It also says that perceptions of the industry are "out-dated and inaccurate", and the government will back a campaign to highlight its significance.
It pledges to encourage more technological advancement through research and development, and also to improve the ability of small and medium-sized businesses to access finance.
'Strong collaboration'
Malcolm Webb, chairman of industry body Oil and Gas UK, said: "The strategy fosters strong and meaningful collaboration between the government and industry and will help to focus efforts on addressing particular areas such as skills, technology and exports.
"It will further strengthen the oilfield services sector across the country, boost investor confidence, safeguard jobs and help to maximise recovery of Britain's oil and gas reserves."
I welcome their view that there will be a long term future for the oil and gas industry well beyond 2055 Fergus Ewing, Scottish energy minister
The future of the oil industry is key in the debate about Scottish independence.
The Scottish National Party, which forms the Scottish government, argues that the country can look forward to an oil boom in the early years of independence, assuming a Yes vote in September 2014.
Opponents warn against over-reliance on a volatile resource, prone to fluctuations in revenue.
Commenting on the publication of the strategy, Scottish Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said: "I am delighted that the UK government are following the Scottish government's lead in recognising the strength and importance of the oil and gas industry by launching their own oil and gas strategy.
"I am pleased that the UK government highlight the positive future of the industry for years to come, the extent of reserves, and the benefit to the balance of payments, and production taxes.
"I welcome their view that there will be a long term future for the oil and gas industry well beyond 2055."Tesla's Semi has a famous new customer: Budweiser.
Anheuser-Busch, which makes the über patriotic lager, just announced it had reserved 40 of Elon Musk's all-electric big rigs. So it looks like the company's famous Clydesdales will have to make some extra room in the stables for the all-electric trucks.
The company claims the order is one of the largest placed for the trucks since reservations were opened on Nov. 17, when Musk unveiled the design. The all-electric fleet is meant to help Anheuser-Busch in its efforts to cut its carbon footprint by 30 percent by 2025.
Anheuser-Busch joins other corporate clients like Walmart and J.B. Hunt, which were among the first to announce their orders. Jalopnik compiled a more complete list of companies that have declared reservations of the $150,000 rigs. More will likely come before production is slated to begin in 2019.
Tesla isn't the only advanced freight solution that could transport Budweiser in the future. In its announcement the company also mentioned futuristic truck companies Nikola and Otto, and highlighted its part in the Oct. 2016 trip that saw 2,000 cases of Budweiser shipped in one of Otto's self-driving trucks.Investigators are sifting through conflicting stories as they work to find out who shot a 9-year-old at a Tuscaloosa housing complex Monday night.
The 9-year-old was recovering at Children’s of Alabama in Birmingham on Tuesday with injuries that were not life-threatening. He was struck by bullets fired as he fled Hay Court with his cousin, 17, on Monday night.
The cousins were hanging around the basketball court around 9 p.m. when a 26-year-old approached, said Tuscaloosa County Metro Homicide Unit commander Sgt. Dale Phillips. The 26-year-old mentioned a dispute between his brother and the 17-year-old, Phillips said.
“At some point, the 17-year-old thought that the situation was going to get dangerous, so he turned and ran,” he said. “The 9-year-old followed, and as they ran, shots were fired.”
The boy was struck on his left arm and lower left side.
Investigators spoke with everyone involved and some bystanders on Monday night and Tuesday.
“The stories don’t match up. Someone isn’t telling the truth. I don’t know who yet, but we’re going to find out today,” he said. “It’s a tragedy when anyone gets shot, but when its a 9-year-old child, that is something that’s going to be dealt with very aggressively.”
The boy lives in Birmingham, but is spending some time this summer with his aunt who lives in nearby Creekwood Apartments, Phillips said.Commonwealths, according to a U.S. State Department manual, exist under U.S. law as self-governing territories with their own constitutions whose right of self-government cannot be unilaterally withdrawn by Congress. There are two commonwealths in the U.S.: the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean and Puerto Rico.
The book is told through the eyes of the character Darin Fraser, an architect who is showing a friend from Damascus, Syria, how Belle Isle has become the "Midwest Tiger," rivaling Singapore as an economic miracle.
If an architect at the center of a book is reminiscent of Howard Roark of Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead, it's not accidental. The currency island residents use is called the Rand -- and not in imitation of the South African currency of the same name.
On Jan. 21, Lockwood, who is a member of the board of theand immediate past chairman of the, has organized an invitation-only lunch and presentation for area business and civic leaders and politicians at theto pitch his idea.
Speaking on behalf of Lockwood's plan are David Littmann, the former chief economist atand an adjunct scholar at the Midland-based, a free-market think tank; Hal Sperlich, the former president of; Larry Mongo, a longtime Detroit developer and owner of thein downtown Detroit; and Clark Durant, founding chairman of
"I support this 100 percent," Mongo told Crain's. He knows the project's backers will be hit with an oft-repeated criticism.
"For that segment that is saying, 'You're stealing our jewels,' I'd say: 'It's not recognizable as a jewel. We're in the 21st century now. We must develop models for the 21st century.'
"It might sound crazy, but I guarantee |
Shortly after Tupolev’s arrest, Lavrentiy Beria established the Special Technical Department of the NKVD (STO), which was effectively a research and design bureau within the Gulag prison system. In 1938, Tupolev was sent to the newly-established Experimental Design Bureau 29 (TsKB-29), an STO prison camp which focused on aircraft design and production. Accompanied by many of his colleagues who were arrested the previous year, Tupolev was transferred from Butirskoi to the prison camp near Bolshevo – a former labor camp for the homeless – northeast of Moscow. TsKB-29 was comprised of three buildings: the first was the prisoners’ barracks, the second a kitchen, and the third was a work area equipped with desks and drawing boards. The small camp was surrounded by a barbed wire fence and miles of thick forests on all sides.
The NKVD proceeded to split the prisoners into four teams in charge of four separate development projects. The first, officially designated Project 100, sought the development of a twin-engine high-altitude fighter. Led by Vladimir Petlyakov, a colleague of Tupolev’s at TsAGI, Project 100 eventually evolved into the Petlyakov Pe-2 light bomber, which would have a tremendous impact on the War on the Eastern Front. Project 101, headed by Dmitry Tomasevich, was tasked with designing a modern single-engine fighter. Project 102, led by Vladimir Myasischev, was to design a twin-engine high-altitude bomber. The final team, Project 103 and led by Andrei Tupolev, was told to design a four-engine heavy dive bomber.
Project 103 specifically sought the development of a high-altitude long-range four-engine dive bomber that would be able to destroy land-based fortifications, ships, and other heavy targets. The STO envisioned the bomber flying at an altitude of 10,000 meters, which meant the aircraft required a pressurized cabin and powerful high-altitude engines. The Project 103 team members were told the aircraft should be able to dive at an angle of 50-70 degrees at a speed of 900 km/hour. Tupolev’s team, which by April of 1939 had grown to 24 members, were unanimous in their assessment that the design and construction of such an aircraft was virtually impossible. A four-engine dive bomber that had all the characteristics sought after by the STO would be very complex structurally, and extremely difficult to maintain. Project 103 determined that a new twin-engine dive bomber would be able to fit the needs set forth by the STO, but it would be impractical to pursue such a project with more than two engines.
In September of 1939, after witnessing the destruction wrought by the Luftwaffe’s Ju-87 Stuka dive-bombers during the German invasion of Poland, the Soviet leadership acknowledged the need to develop medium dive-bombers of their own that would be capable of effectively attacking key ground targets. While at the time Soviet designers were working on what would become the Il-2 Sturmovik ground attack aircraft, which was comparable to the Stuka, Moscow saw the need for a multi-role dive-bomber that had a speed similar to that of German fighters, namely the Bf-109.
In the fall of 1939, Tupolev’s team thus received the order to develop a high-speed, twin-engine dive-bomber that could carrying a heavy bomb load and be capable of operating both during the day and at night. Project 103 quickly turned out designs per the specifications set forth by the STO. Throughout 1940, Tupolev’s team explored different possibilities and combinations that would give the new aircraft the required speed and bomb load. Moscow’s decision to pursue such an aircraft was reaffirmed in 1940 after witnessing the destructive capabilities of Germany’s new twin-engine multi-role aircraft, the Ju-88, during the Battles of France and Britain. Tupolev’s first prototype flew in January of 1941, and after a series of trials and fatal errors, Project 103’s aircraft 103B was accepted for state trials. Powered by two Shvetsov M-82 engines, the new aircraft had a top speed of 528 km/hour, a range of 2,000 km, and could carry a bomb load of 3,000 kg. Armed with two 20mm ShVAK cannons and five 7.62mm machine guns, the new high-speed dive-bomber was well equipped to play a variety of roles.
Though Project 103’s aircraft, now designated Tu-2, passed state trials and was officially introduced in March of 1942, the dive-bomber proved too complex for the conditions on the frontline. Nevertheless, a small number of Tu-2s reached the front in 1942, and VVS crews were generally enthusiastic about the armament, speed, and range of the new dive-bomber. After a series of further modifications and the stabilization of the aviation industry following the wholesale evacuation eastwards in 1941-1942, the Tu-2 serial version made its first flight in August of 1943 and was send to forward VVS units. However, it was not until June of 1944 that the VVS received large enough numbers of Tu-2s to have an impact on the Eastern Front. By this time, the Wehrmacht was retreating westwards, and the Western Allies had opened up the second front that Moscow had been requesting for more than two years. Consequently, the impact of the Tu-2 on the outcome of the war was less than some contemporary Soviet aircraft, such as the Il-2 Sturmovik.
While the Tu-2’s ultimate contribution to the victory over Germany was limited due to the fact that it did not arrive in large numbers at the front until 1944, its contribution to the Soviet aircraft industry as a whole cannot be understated. Tupolev would go on to lead the project to reverse-engineer U.S. B-29 Superfortress bombers, resulting in the Soviet Tu-4 heavy bomber that was in service from the late 1940s to the 1960s. Tupolev also spearheaded the Tu-95 bomber project in the 1950s, bombers which are still in use today. Following his death in 1972, the Tupolev Design Bureau continued Andrei’s work designing and producing heavy bombers for the Soviet VVS. The Russian Federation’s supersonic strategic bombers, the Tupolev Design Bureau’s Tu-160, is today one of the most lethal weapons in the VVS’ aresenal. Despite designing the aircraft under the incredibly adverse conditions of a Soviet prison camp, Andrei Tupolev’s team designed a dynamic multi-role aircraft whose impact can still be felt today.
-Patrick KinvilleFor the fourth time in as many years, they were confronted with the problem of what birthday present to take to a young man who was incurably deranged in his mind. Desires he had none. Man-made objects were to him either hives of evil, vibrant with a malignant activity that he alone could perceive, or gross comforts for which no use could be found in his abstract world. After eliminating a number of articles that might offend him or frighten him (anything in the gadget line, for instance, was taboo), his parents chose a dainty and innocent trifle—a basket with ten different fruit jellies in ten little jars.
At the time of his birth, they had already been married for a long time; a score of years had elapsed, and now they were quite old. Her drab gray hair was pinned up carelessly. She wore cheap black dresses. Unlike other women of her age (such as Mrs. Sol, their next-door neighbor, whose face was all pink and mauve with paint and whose hat was a cluster of brookside flowers), she presented a naked white countenance to the faultfinding light of spring. Her husband, who in the old country had been a fairly successful businessman, was now, in New York, wholly dependent on his brother Isaac, a real American of almost forty years’ standing. They seldom saw Isaac and had nicknamed him the Prince.
That Friday, their son’s birthday, everything went wrong. The subway train lost its life current between two stations and for a quarter of an hour they could hear nothing but the dutiful beating of their hearts and the rustling of newspapers. The bus they had to take next was late and kept them waiting a long time on a street corner, and when it did come, it was crammed with garrulous high-school children. It began to rain as they walked up the brown path leading to the sanitarium. There they waited again, and instead of their boy, shuffling into the room, as he usually did (his poor face sullen, confused, ill-shaven, and blotched with acne), a nurse they knew and did not care for appeared at last and brightly explained that he had again attempted to take his life. He was all right, she said, but a visit from his parents might disturb him. The place was so miserably understaffed, and things got mislaid or mixed up so easily, that they decided not to leave their present in the office but to bring it to him next time they came.
Outside the building, she waited for her husband to open his umbrella and then took his arm. He kept clearing his throat, as he always did when he was upset. They reached the bus-stop shelter on the other side of the street and he closed his umbrella. A few feet away, under a swaying and dripping tree, a tiny unfledged bird was helplessly twitching in a puddle.
During the long ride to the subway station, she and her husband did not exchange a word, and every time she glanced at his old hands, clasped and twitching upon the handle of his umbrella, and saw their swollen veins and brown-spotted skin, she felt the mounting pressure of tears. As she looked around, trying to hook her mind onto something, it gave her a kind of soft shock, a mixture of compassion and wonder, to notice that one of the passengers—a girl with dark hair and grubby red toenails—was weeping on the shoulder of an older woman. Whom did that woman resemble? She resembled Rebecca Borisovna, whose daughter had married one of the Soloveichiks—in Minsk, years ago.
The last time the boy had tried to do it, his method had been, in the doctor’s words, a masterpiece of inventiveness; he would have succeeded had not an envious fellow-patient thought he was learning to fly and stopped him just in time. What he had really wanted to do was to tear a hole in his world and escape.
The system of his delusions had been the subject of an elaborate paper in a scientific monthly, which the doctor at the sanitarium had given to them to read. But long before that, she and her husband had puzzled it out for themselves. “Referential mania,” the article had called it. In these very rare cases, the patient imagines that everything happening around him is a veiled reference to his personality and existence. He excludes real people from the conspiracy, because he considers himself to be so much more intelligent than other men. Phenomenal nature shadows him wherever he goes. Clouds in the staring sky transmit to each other, by means of slow signs, incredibly detailed information regarding him. His in- most thoughts are discussed at nightfall, in manual alphabet, by darkly gesticulating trees. Pebbles or stains or sun flecks form patterns representing, in some awful way, messages that he must intercept. Everything is a cipher and of everything he is the theme. All around him, there are spies. Some of them are detached observers, like glass surfaces and still pools; others, such as coats in store windows, are prejudiced witnesses, lynchers at heart; others, again (running water, storms), are hysterical to the point of insanity, have a distorted opinion of him, and grotesquely misinterpret his actions. He must be always on his guard and devote every minute and module of life to the decoding of the undulation of things. The very air he exhales is indexed and filed away. If only the interest he provokes were limited to his immediate surroundings, but, alas, it is not! With distance, the torrents of wild scandal increase in volume and volubility. The silhouettes of his blood corpuscles, magnified a million times, flit over vast plains; and still farther away, great mountains of unbearable solidity and height sum up, in terms of granite and groaning firs, the ultimate truth of his being.In introducing the "New York Values" segment of his speech in Buffalo's First Niagara Center on Monday night, Donald Trump inadvertently referred to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks as "7-11" -- the name of a national convenience store chain -- instead of "9/11."
"I want to talk just for a second. I wrote this out, and it's very close to my heart, because I was down there, and I watched our police and our firemen, down on 7/11," Trump said as he began talking about "New York values."
News and video of the Republican presidential candidate's gaffe has already spread as far as CNN, Gawker, Slate and the New York Daily News.
Here's the video clip, courtesy of CNN:
You can check out the rest of The News' Trump coverage at the live blog, which is rich in social media updates from the scene. See also a photo gallery from Trump's speech as well as photos of protesters.
The resulting memes from Trump's blunder -- most of which are inappropriate to embed here -- can be found easily on Twitter and Facebook.Are you comfortable with your naked self? It’s an interesting question that a lot of people struggle with.
Men and women alike are susceptible to low body image and low self-esteem. Even individuals who we often see as “attractive” can hold a negative perception of their bodies that affects their everyday life.
Our naked self is an important part of who we are. Nudity is a natural state, but it’s often seen as something vulnerable and personal. Many cultures teach us that nudity is something to hide and to be ashamed of.
This makes us create a prison surrounding who we really are. It’s also the main reason why so many people are disconnected to their physical bodies and sexual nature.
Back in 1967, there was a small, underground movement in psychology that was called “nude psychotherapy.” The central concept was that by becoming more comfortable with our own nudity, we also become more comfortable with ourselves.
There’s a great review of the history of the movement in the Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences – the full article is available in PDF format if you want to read more about it.
The humanistic psychologist Abraham Maslow also reflected a keen interest in nude therapy. He saw it as a way for people to become more free, more spontaneous, and less guarded – an important part of “self-actualization,” which he saw as the ultimate goal of living a happy and satisfying life.
Loving our naked self is important, so how do we do it? The key is to become more comfortable with being naked, which means practicing being naked more often (not just when we need to take a shower or change clothes).
How to Practice a Naked Meditation
Naked meditation is a great way to become more comfortable with your naked self.
One of the main goals of meditation is to accept ourselves exactly as we are, so practicing a simple meditation while being completely naked can help us become more familiar and accepting of our naked self.
Here are steps to follow to practice a form of naked meditation on your own:
Find a comfortable time and place where you can have alone time. This way you won’t be interrupted or distracted, and you can let yourself become fully engaged in the meditation without any worries.
Make sure you are completely 100% naked. Once you’re ready, take off all clothes, make-up, and accessories before the meditation.
Sit down in a comfortable posture that isn’t going to irritate you if you sit for a long period of time.
Start with 5-10 minutes of deep, slow breathing until you feel more relaxed and centered in yourself. Pay attention to the sensations of your breathing and any other sensations you feel in your body.
Practice repeating small affirmations associated with a positive body image. For example: “I love myself and my body. “Nudity is a natural state of existence.“ “There are no such thing as ‘imperfections’ just differences.” “Everyone has beauty in them.” “I am secure with my body and sexuality.”
Try doing this meditation in front of a full-length mirror with your eyes open to fully accept your body as it is. Look at your body honestly without making judgmental statements like, “I hate that part.” or “That looks weird.”
If you begin to feel too insecure or judgmental while looking at your body, go back to the positive affirmations. The main goal is to begin to associate more positive thoughts and feelings with how you see yourself.
This meditation can help you become way more comfortable with your naked self. Try practicing it just 2-3 times a week and you’ll begin seeing long-term benefits in less than a month.
To make the exercise more effective, write your own “positive affirmations” that resonate with you more. The ones I provided are only suggestions.
More tips for improving body image
Here are some more suggestions you can use in combination with the Naked Meditation to improve body image and body acceptance:
Exercise. Working out your body is a great way to improve self-esteem and body image. One recent study published in the Journal of Health Psychology found that just 6 sessions of a 40 minute exercise significantly improves body image, even if it leads to no physical changes in our appearance.
Working out your body is a great way to improve self-esteem and body image. One recent study published in the Journal of Health Psychology found that just 6 sessions of a 40 minute exercise significantly improves body image, even if it leads to no physical changes in our appearance. Eat healthier. Diet is just as important as exercise to feeling good about yourself and your body. It’s simple – the more you take care of your body, the more respect you’re going to have for it. You’re going to feel better about yourself after eating a healthy meal rather than eating a whole bag of chips.
Diet is just as important as exercise to feeling good about yourself and your body. It’s simple – the more you take care of your body, the more respect you’re going to have for it. You’re going to feel better about yourself after eating a healthy meal rather than eating a whole bag of chips. Keep positive people around you. Associate with people who like you for you, and not just how you look. People’s positive attitude can be very contagious. We should hang around with more people who make us feel good about ourselves.
Associate with people who like you for you, and not just how you look. People’s positive attitude can be very contagious. We should hang around with more people who make us feel good about ourselves. Cut out negative culture. The more you expose yourself to pop culture that spreads stereotypes of “perfect-looking people” in movies, TV, and magazines, the more harshly you’re going to judge yourself. Check out one study here published in Women’s Health Issues.
These positive suggestions are a great way to start the path of completely accepting your self and body. Take them seriously, try them out, and see if they work for you.
Stay updated on new articles and resources in psychology and self improvement:"We become legal again!" said LGBT activist Frank Mugisha. But Ugandan LGBT activists are bracing for a violent backlash to the decision.
ISAAC KASAMANI/AFP / Getty Images Anti-LGBT activist Martin Ssempa (right) in Constitutional Court on July 30, with his son (center).
Uganda's Constitutional Court struck down the country's Anti-Homosexuality Act on Friday, giving new hope to the country's embattled LGBT people and human rights activists.
Kasha Jacqueline, one of the activists who brought the petition, tweeted her delight at the news: FINAL JUDGEMENT: Iam nolonger http://t.co/ekOD5G8eQO we have made history for generations to come.speak OUT now. #AHA scraped.EXCRUCIATING. Kasha Jacqueline@KashaJacquelineFollow FINAL JUDGEMENT: Iam nolonger http://t.co/ekOD5G8eQO we have made history for generations to come.speak OUT now. #AHA scraped.EXCRUCIATING. 11:14 AM - 01 Aug 14ReplyFavorite
In the five months since Uganda adopted the law, which imposes a sentence of up to life in prison for homosexuality and criminalizes advocating LGBT rights, LGBT Ugandans have lived under the constant threat of arrest or mob violence. The court's decision paves the way for organizations to again begin operating openly and to allow LGBT people to resume normal lives. But that change will come slowly — homosexuality remains a crime in Uganda under a provision of the penal code on the books before the Anti-Homosexuality Act was passed last December, and there is a chance of a surge in anti-LGBT violence in reaction to today's ruling. The decision could also significantly ease international pressure on President Yoweri Museveni, who has been under pressure from the United States, the World Bank, and other important donors to get rid of the law or at least substantially weaken it through enforcement.
Ugandan journalist Andrew Mwenda tweeted from the packed courtroom: The retrogressive anti homosexuality act of Uganda has been struck down by the constitutional court - it's now dead as a door nail. Andrew M. Mwenda@AndrewMwendaFollow The retrogressive anti homosexuality act of Uganda has been struck down by the constitutional court - it's now dead as a door nail. 6:16 AM - 01 Aug 14ReplyFavorite
The courtroom became something of a circus during the three-hour recess the judges called before issuing the ruling, according to people in the room. Anti-LGBT activist Pastor Martin Ssempa prayed loudly and got into arguments with multiple petitioners. Security eventually approached Ssempa to request he sit down. The court struck down the law on procedural grounds, saying it was invalid because there was no quorum in Parliament when the legislation was passed on Dec. 20. (A quorum is the requirement that at least one-third of members are present when a vote is held.) The court was ruling on a petition brought by a group of 10 human rights activists, legal scholars, and opposition politicians. The court did not rule on the underlying question of whether anti-LGBT laws violate basic human rights, and so the pre-existing sodomy code, which was imposed when Uganda was a British colony, remains in place. Two men are currently awaiting trial under this provision. Since the vote last year, there has been a 20-fold increase in incidents of anti-LGBT harassment, including blackmail, eviction, and torture, according to a study by Sexual Minorities Uganda. The country's largest human rights organization, the Refugee Law Project, has also had many of its activities shut down by the government, which alleges it was involved in "promoting homosexuality." With the court's nullification of the law, "we become legal again," said Sexual Minorities Uganda Director Frank Mugisha, one of the petitioners. But this ruling won't make life better for LGBT people right away, he said. "Society won't give in," though there is "an open space and a [chance for] dialogue with the government" now that the law is gone. Mugisha and other LGBT activists said before the ruling they were braced for a surge in violence. The law's supporters, like Ssempa and the leadership of the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda, had been whipping up their supporters during the two days of hearings before the ruling, and LGBT activists expected a backlash if they won. "Many people are going to retaliate and attack community members," said Kasha Jacqueline of the organization Freedom and Roam Uganda, another of the petitioners. "People are going to retaliate — not just the members of Parliament and anti-gay groups and religious leaders, but in the community as well." By dismissing the law on procedural grounds, the Constitutional Court sidestepped ruling on the question of whether LGBT rights are protected by fundamental rights protected by the Ugandan constitution. It also does nothing to stop Parliament from passing the law again with a quorum present.
Ssempa told BuzzFeed outside the courtroom that he suspected the court had been corrupted, and would demand an appeal of the ruling to the Supreme Court and an investigation by Parliament into the independence of the judiciary. "This decision is a legal travesty. It is an insult to all family-culture-loving people in Uganda," Ssempa said. "Is there possibility that the president traveling to Washington next week could be the reason why this case was hurried at lightning speed?... We just wonder if indeed our country is independent, and we want to ask the parliament to investigate the independence of the judiciary."
Listen to Martin Ssempa's full remarks on the ruling. View this track on SoundCloud w.soundcloud.com / Via via Mujuni Raymond
In a press conference Friday afternoon, the bill's sponsor, MP David Bahati, expressed confidence that the attorney general will appeal the ruling. "Our competent legal team will continue to petition the Supreme Court and I believe we will win," Bahati said. "The court case ruling is no victory at all, the morals of the people of Uganda will prevail." Bahati also could try to get another vote on the bill in Parliament with a quorum present. But the law's opponents think the chances he'll succeed are slim. Re-passing the law would require starting the legislative process from the beginning, including committee hearings and receiving certification of its financial impact from the finance ministry. If the government of President Yoweri Museveni does not want the bill to pass again, the finance ministry could silently kill the bill simply by withholding certification. "Someone will try," said Nicholas Opiyo, one of the attorneys who argued against the law before the Constitutional Court. "I don't think it will come back immediately. It will take some time. But the dynamics here change quite rapidly and it might not come back at all." The speed with which the court moved to reach a ruling had many speculating that it was acting on orders from Museveni to dispose of the legislation. The court wasn't scheduled to take up the challenge to the law until September, but then abruptly announced last week that it would begin hearings this Wednesday. It began hearing arguments despite the objections of the representative of the attorney general, Patricia Mutesi, who may still appeal the order to proceed to the Supreme Court. But if political pressure had been put on the court to strike down the law, the same pressure could likely be used to get the attorney general's office to quietly drop its efforts to uphold the law.
This is the third important ruling from the Ugandan judiciary in support of LGBT rights, and it could reverberate throughout the region, where several other countries are considering similar laws. It shows that courts are willing to support LGBT rights even in east African countries where politicians have concluded being anti-LGBT is good politics. It also comes shortly after a Kenyan court ordered government officials to allow a trans rights group to officially register their organization. Other LGBT rights cases are pending in Kenya, as well as in Malawi and Botswana. The law's defeat could quickly unlock important funding streams for the Ugandan government, which relies heavily on foreign aid. The health ministry had made a concession to the World Bank in June in an attempt to get access to a $90 million health care loan that had been on hold since Museveni signed the Anti-Homosexuality Act in February, releasing guidelines that attempted to ensure LGBT patients would not be endangered by access to health services. It is not immediately clear how Friday's ruling will affect U.S. sanctions announced in June, which include denying entry to Ugandan officials who have been involved in human rights abuses. Some human rights advocates were already critical that the U.S. immediately undermined that decision by inviting Museveni to participate in an African Leaders Summit being hosted by the Obama administration in D.C. next week. LGBT activists now turn their work to the much harder job of rolling back the colonial-era sodomy law and trying to undo the anti-LGBT sentiment stirred up over the four years that the bill has been under consideration. That will not fade quickly. But, said Kasha Jacqueline, "It's a big step forward if the law is scrapped, because many people are taking the law into their own hands." "If the law is gone, it's easier, then the police are obliged to protect," said Frank Mugisha. But, he said, "the struggle is still long."
Listen to Justice Steven Kavuma give the order striking down the Anti-Homosexuality Act: View this track on SoundCloud w.soundcloud.com / Via Mujuni RaymondWhen visiting different parts of the world, one generally notices the local popular food item. New York is full of street hot dogs, South Florida is full of latin food, England is full of tea and meat pies, and the Chinese city of Dongyang is full of eggs soaked in the urine of boys under the age of ten. They’re called “virgin boy eggs,” the urine is collected from primary schools, and they’re a local delicacy.
The vendors who sell the virgin boy eggs claim the eggs have decent health properties, because that probably makes it easier to sell eggs soaked in young boy urine that is collected from schools. A vendor of a popular virgin egg stall claimed eating the eggs creates better blood circulation, reinvigorates the body, and would prevent heat stroke. You could also just drink water, if you’re afraid of heat stroke.
The juicy details of the cooking procedure are simple: Soak the eggs in a pot of urine, then boil the eggs in said pot of urine. After they soak and boil, the shells of the eggs are cracked, then the eggs are simmered in urine for the rest of the day. In order to keep the urine eggs from overheating, the street vendors pour fresh urine over the eggs throughout the day.
One urine egg street vendor said he’s been making and selling the eggs for over two decades, and the eggs are currently priced at around $0.24, double the price of normal eggs sold by the same vendors.
Even creepier, local residents who aren’t vendors of urine eggs are said to actually collect boys’ urine from schools themselves for personal egg use. Not all people of Dongyang are fans of the eggs, however, but enough people seem to be fans for there to be multiple street vendors that have stayed in business for years selling the them.
(story via Reuters, images via Amusing Planet)
Relevant to your interestsThe Pentagon has reportedly notified Congress of plans to procure new spy planes from Northrop Grumman, in a deal worth approximately $3.9bn.
An undisclosed source was quoted by Reuters as saying that the five-year deal, which could be confirmed by the end of June, will provide $369m in savings.
It will cover 25 E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft, which are to be used on aircraft carriers, the source added.
"An undisclosed source was quoted by Reuters as saying that the five-year deal, which could be confirmed by the end of June, will provide $369m in savings."
Aimed at replacing the E-2C aircraft deployed by the US Navy, the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye integrates a new radar, theatre missile defence capabilities, multi-sensor integration and a Northrop Grumman tactical-glass cockpit.
The aircraft will also incorporate Lockheed Martin’s AN/APY-9 solid-state, electronically steered UHF radars, which are being supplied under the E-2C radar modernisation programme.
The US Navy received its first E-2D Advanced Hawkeye production aircraft in July 2010, under a $432m low-rate production contract for four aircraft, awarded in June 2009.
Furthermore, Northrop also received a $795m contract for the design, manufacture and supply of five LRIP E-2D Hawkeye aircraft, together with long-lead materials, in 2011.
With the successful launch of the E-2D through a prototype electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) in September 2011, its initial operational capability is scheduled for October.It's no secret that Selenium has problems
Some of the well known offenders include...
- It's slow
- Tests are brittle
- You get false positives & finicky results
- It's a real maintenance nightmare
But what most people don't realize is this: Selenium has a bigger problem, and these are just symptoms of it.
The BIG Problem With Selenium
The problem is simple, and yet, a real challenge to solve -- INFORMATION.
Did you know that all of the problems mentioned above are solvable? Well, they are. And most people don't know that. There's either too much information to sift through, not enough for your context, it's out of date, nobody knows about it, or someone solved for it and never shared their experience.
The future is already here, it's just not very evenly distributed.
-William Gibson
Information Overload
Unfortunately there are more resources to dig through than you have time or know what to do with.
With blogs, videos, documentation, forums, meetups, conferences, books, and mailing lists, the signal to noise ratio is all out of whack. This is because none of these resources were designed to help you use Selenium successfully.
They may help you cobble together parts of a solution, solving short term problems. But odds are what you come up with will ultimately turn into something slow and brittle that is rife with false positives that is hard to maintain and untrusted by you and your team.
Wouldn't It Be Nice To Have Reliable Test Results You And Your Team Could Trust?
It's not your fault that this is the end result of your hard work. You were set up for failure before you even started. So let's level the playing field.
In order to use Selenium effectively, here is a list of what you need to do:
Decompose an existing web application to identify what to test
Identify which browsers to test with
Pick the best language for you and your team
Setup Selenium to work with each browser you care about
Write maintainable and reusable Selenium tests that will be cross-browser compatible and performant
Build an integrated feedback loop to automate test runs and find issues fast
Setup your own infrastructure or connect to a cloud provider
Dramatically improve test times with parallelization
Navigate the Selenium landscape to find information on your own
How do you stack up? Odds are you have some of these points nailed down. But wouldn't you rest easier knowing you had all of them?
You Can Make This Happen and "The Selenium Guidebook" will teach you how
Write tests that you and your team can trust with the techniques in "The Selenium Guidebook". With them you will be able to release software with confidence, knowing that your application has stable, fast, and working tests that cover everything that matters.
Who This Is For
The Selenium Guidebook, Video Walkthroughs, and Cheat Sheets are all designed with Testers in mind -- primarily focusing on helping you get started on the right foot. But it's also perfect for the Tester who is in the midst of an automation implementation, and likewise, for Developers who are interested in learning about Selenium and how to implement it well.
You Don't Need To Be A Developer To Do This
In order to do automated testing well you don't need to be a Developer, but you do need to write some code. But don't worry, I'll show you the bits you need to know along with some simple examples to help you get comfortable with these concepts and quickly put them into practice.
See What People Are Saying
Quick browse through the "Selenium Guidebook" tells me it's def. worth it, and I don't know a thing about ruby. Thanks, @TourDeDave — ken pace (@kennypace) December 19, 2013
@kevindewalt @TourDeDave I'd love to eventually incorporate this with the new Selenium docs. — uǝsɟloʇ sɐǝɹpuɐ (@tolfsen) December 18, 2013
(Andreas is a core committer of the Selenium project)
Buy this book. NOW. "Selenium Guidebook - A step-by-step guide on how to use Selenium successfully" by @TourDeDave https://t.co/GVYTNWXZ75 — Jason Huggins (@hugs) December 19, 2013
(Jason is the creator of Selenium)
Get A Free Sample Of The Book!A bribes scandal in Venice started when investigators found corrupt accounts written out on edible paper to be consumed in case of a police raid, Italian media reported on Friday.The documents were found hidden in the home of the parents of an official from the Venezia Nuova consortium overseeing the construction of a 5.5-billion-euro ($7.5 billion) flood barrier to save the canal city from rising sea levels.The papers contained a list of officials getting kickbacks of tens of thousands of euros for construction contracts with the amounts received, Venice's Il Gazzettino daily reported citing documents from the investigation.La Nuova Venezia earlier published a police wiretap in which another consortium employee is heard telling a consultant: "Write it on different paper. Edible paper. You can swallow it if someone arrives one day. I'm not joking".The other man was reported saying: "They came to my house in the evening and told me they were arresting everyone tomorrow. If they get me, they'll throw away the key".Investigators documented bribes in the millions of euros which were allegedly used for illegal party financing.The flood barrier was started in 2003 but has been badly delayed and is scheduled for completion in 2016.A zoo doesn’t sound like the obvious place to start an architecture tour.
Yet by a happy quirk of fate, when Budapest Zoo was given a makeover in 1910, some of the best architects in town were hired for the job.
That’s why it has some of the most striking buildings in a city already renowned for its architecture.
So one of the finest collections of animals in the region is held in a setting with few rivals anywhere in Europe -- two good reasons to visit.
Another reason is that the zoo, just off Heroes Square behind the Museum of Fine Arts, is a haven of calm in the city.
Stepping through its monumental gateway, with great stone elephants supporting an archway topped with a ring of polar bears, you’re immediately surrounded by a curtain of tall trees offering enticing glimpses of what lies beyond.
Mosque-see building
Animal house... Ottoman style.Rising above the trees to the right is the breathtaking Elephant House.
With its shiny blue domes and minaret-like spire, the building resembles an Ottoman mosque.
Glazed |
Humorless Mutts on Facebook. Can you tell me a little bit how and why it came about?
Celine: This hit very close to home, as I have been an observer of the tech world for many years—I've been following these issues very closely, and have many female friends in tech as programmers, scientists, and researchers. My boyfriend of many years is very involved in these issues as well (he was in the room when dongle-gate happened).
These women are working in an industry that actively *does not want them there* despite all the hand-wringing over the leaky pipeline. The abuse these women endure ruins lives, and the tech industry sees their presence as a threat. This is so, so much more complex than a red dress and heels. The only way women can affect real, lasting change in any industry is by pooling their resources and sharing information.
At some point while Steve Brodner's thread was in full swing, a veteran female illustrator who was my mother's age privately messaged me to say that I could expect to be shouted down and abused by these men for as long as I kept working. That there were huge costs to speaking out, and that the best thing was to keep your head down and just try to make good work and just hope the men wouldn't take credit for your ideas. I saw my entire life stretch before me, a career of swallowing shit and saying thank you just in the hopes that the boys would let me play in their club house. That is not acceptable to me, and that is thankfully not our only option any more. I have seen women in tech survive by creating safe spaces for each other, so why shouldn't we?
Anita: I have to say that ultimately I read very little of the feedback on Steve Brodner's thread. I read some of it and then stopped. I knew what was going to happen. I've seen it happen too often. Plus it was a bit of a trigger for me, and frankly I didn't want to be depressed and upset yet again.
Alice: In the middle of the thread, other illustrators who were supporting my comments started private-messaging me and discussing the topic with me. With all these different private threads coming to me at once, I figured it would be great if we could consolidate it and have a place to discuss these topics as a group. Since I've already had experience and involvement in secret women's-only support groups in other male-dominated industries (comic books, tech), I decided to reach out to Celine and confirm whether or not this also existed in the illustration industry. And if not, I said we should create one. Her guidance and moderation in the group has been an extremely positive and inspirational one.
How do you all use this group? What role does it play for you?
Celine: A big part of it is to warn each other about who not to trust. Who not to waste our time on. When things happen in real time, we screen cap it so there will be a record. It's a way of holding our male colleagues accountable, even if it's strictly to ourselves. It's a safe space for women to ask "am I crazy for feeling uncomfortable with this?" without a dozen men jumping in to say, well I don't experience this so actually yes! you are crazy, why do you hate men? Without men's voices to disrupt and talk over us, we have space to re-examine our lived experiences together.
It's incredible to watch women go from thinking they are the only ones with a problem to realizing this is a shared experience. This is basic women's lib 101, but for many women in our group this is the first time they are realizing that their anger, discomfort, anxiety, and fear is a well-studied phenomenon that is larger than themselves. I think HMC's existence would be justified even just on those grounds, but it is also a place for us to share resources, collaborate, and mentor each other.
Finding mentors is so important, but often established male professionals want to mentor people that they can see themselves getting beers and hanging out with, and if you’re unlucky enough to find yourself in the company of men who can’t quite take women seriously as colleagues but can only understand women in the context of desire or annoyance, you won’t qualify as someone worth mentoring.
On the other hand, I know female illustrators have had a really hard time getting their male colleagues to even speak to them if they fail to meet their standards of attractiveness—I found that once I grew my hair out and started wearing lipstick, men who wouldn’t give me the time of day were suddenly interested in what I had to say. So building connections in an environment where our performance of femininity or lack thereof doesn’t factor in is really important.
Jaleen: The group is the first one that I know of to bring women together and to openly discuss and identify sexism in illustration, which is a long overdue corrective given that the industry mantra has usually been that the field is equal-opportunity. You can’t fix a problem until you admit you have one. I too value being able to talk about my own experiences over 25 years (like being fired because my male coworkers were hitting on me, and feeling guilty for having been friendly to them and “causing” it to happen) without worrying about being told I’m whining or blaming some of the roadblocks I faced on others.
Shannon: I think the group is also important because illustration is such an isolated profession. So many of us are working alone in our homes or studios, with very little community or support. Illustration is a scary field to begin with, and when all these negative sexist comments start flying all over Facebook, it gets even more isolating (god forbid you speak up about it!). It's been amazing to see people sharing their experiences in the Humorless Mutts group and to witness the outpouring of support from and for women illustrators, art directors, and teachers at all levels of their careers. It's nice to know there are other people out there, people like you, and you are not crazy, or alone.
Anita: As probably the most senior artist in the group I want to say how impressed I am at the level of discourse I see in the discussions. I've been working for almost four decades, and I've finally been able to speak out about my experiences without having to defend myself ad nauseum. Much of the time in the past I was the only woman in certain situations, and I wasn't in any position to complain about anything because I felt so isolated. I learned to just shut up. I think I've seen it all, from my experience with the agent who wouldn't represent women, to losing jobs to men even when I was more qualified, to earning less, and even to a full-out sexual attack by a client.
Sarah: As an illustrator at the beginning of her career, the group has been a real sense of comfort. While it can be disheartening to hear the horror stories, also knowing that we’re not alone in it is oddly empowering. You know the metaphor—a single stick can be easily snapped, but sticks in a bundle can’t be broken. It’s cheesy, but honestly, it’s great.
Alice: Aside from exposing the real face of sexism in our industry to fellow woman illustrators and giving us all a place to vent about our experiences, it's been an extremely positive safe space where we're able to foster a supportive network professionally as well. Too often, when women "make it" in male-dominated industries, they show a reluctance when it comes to helping other women in their industry.
They can feel protective of their accomplishment in navigating the sexism thrown their way, so why should they make it easier for other women? This, of course, fosters a competitiveness in vying for the token female role in the boys' club, and makes the environment less friendly to women overall. From what I've seen and experienced in the HMC, we're working to abolish that by making sure that the atmosphere is supportive and collaborative rather than competitive.
How has the dawn of new technology shifted the paradigm of illustration? In terms of both aesthetic and perhaps gender dynamics as well? Has it improved things or just complicated things further?
Celine: Before Photoshop, there was definitely a big demand for oil painting in illustration. I can't stress enough how hard it has always been for women to be taken seriously as oil painters. My own oil painting teacher took particular delight in undermining his female student's confidence—if you really wanted him to teach you how to paint, you had to work so much harder than the boys, who of course had no idea what has happening. Thankfully, teenage girls today can find incredibly welcoming communities for learning how to use Photoshop.
I am so grateful that art directors now are thirsty for fresh perspectives, but I will say—I’ve noticed a tendency for guys with really fresh, startling work to be given way more credit as wunderkinds than girls who are making comparable work. Our industry is also over-saturated with dudes who think they should be able to paint the female form any way they please without having to explain themselves or deal with the politics of what they're doing, but women who make work that is honest about their experiences with misogyny, racism, etc. are opening themselves up to a lot of male outrage and dismissal.
Women always, always know there is a male audience for their work—we've spent our whole lives internalizing the male gaze; we hardly know what it would be like to live without it—and we know what we risk if we fail to place that audience's needs at the center of our work. That audience grows larger and more pressing with every marginalized community a woman belongs to. Pissing women off is a game for so many male artists—they think it's a mark of making truly "edgy" work. Pissing men off is a luxury few female artists are in a position to enjoy.
Jaleen: A funny thing happens with technology—when something new comes along, it hasn’t yet got a gender identity, but it quickly acquires one. With the advent of mass magazine publishing, photography, comics, modern design, animation, computer graphics, and computer gaming, you will find women pioneers. But once technologies get turned into industries, the exigencies of educational systems, employment practices, publicity, and business customs force women out. I don’t think the latest technologies have altered this pattern at all.
Shannon: The Internet has definitely changed the field a bit, though I’m not sure it has changed the gender dynamics at all. In the pre-Internet age, an illustrator had to physically show up at an art director’s office and show them their portfolio, whereas now we can just shoot an email saying, “Hey, check out my portfolio website.” I feel like this has in some ways democratized the field, since anyone with Internet access can reach out to an art director and potentially get a job. But it has also made the field more competitive (you’re now competing with the whole world, versus just “Illustrators in New York”). So there’s more diversity in the work, I think.
Alice: I'm generally optimistic and embracing of technology, so I can see the benefits. But I don't think it's a cure-all either. It's exposed the world to more "feminine" styles, but it's still obvious that the focus tends to rest primarily on the male names, like James Jean, who execute those feminine styles.
If anything, it's the shift in the overall culture spawned by technology that has infiltrated illustration. If the sum effect of more people educating themselves about social justice on Tumblr and Twitter is that there are greater numbers of young female and male illustrators who are vocalizing their dissent at the sexist establishment, then yes—this is an improvement. If technology has given us a platform like the various Facebook and Twitter threads surrounding Edel's illustration to make our arguments heard, then maybe there is hope for the future of the industry after all.
Some of the stories and assertions made about Silicon Valley are downright despicable. Shocking. Even though we all know this kind of behavior transpires all the time.
How do you think the illustration industry compares with other industries in terms of sexism? How does it manifest itself?
Celine: A lot of it is just petty power games, but there's also a lot of shameless plagiarism. I told a class full of students "you know men will always steal your ideas, right?" They looked a little taken aback, as if I was saying something outrageous. Anyone who is going to argue that point is not paying attention. Men do it because they know they can get away with it, and if women complain they're seen as troublemakers. In Steve Brodner's thread, it was our professionalism on the line.
We were all treated like amateurs no matter how many years we'd been working, and one man went so far as to suggest that if I wanted my criticisms to be taken seriously, I should be willing to work for free by posting my own alternatives to the cover. Men thought nothing of calling us "crazy" and "overly pathologizing." And then of course, we were called "humorless mutts" and had caricatures drawn of one of our members. Apparently being called ANIMALS was Steve Brodner's limit of decency, at which point he declared a line had been crossed. Thanks, Steve, A+ moderation job. And yet none of these men could accept that any unseemly misogyny had been on display.
Why does it surprise anyone that these men were scratching their heads when we said there are better ways to illustrate sexism in the workplace? They can't see it happening under their noses. They literally do not have enough empathy to discuss this.
Shannon: In some ways I think it manifests less because many of us are our own bosses. We need clients, sure, but ultimately we don't report to anyone but ourselves. This means that there isn't some huge company of 80% men constantly questioning our value. The flipside is that, instead, we get the fathomless Internet... which we all know is just as sexist, if not more so, than that huge company would be. Also, there’s an increasing number of amazing women art directors who are maybe less gender-biased than their male counterparts would be, but the entire industry does still feel like a “boy’s club.” But there’s more and more amazing work coming from women illustrators and art directors, so there is hope!
Anita: I have to say that for many years I was so busy that I just kept my head down and worked. I didn't really have much to do with the politics of illustration. It wasn't until I began volunteering with ICON (I was on the board of directors twice) and the Society of Illustrators (again on the board, and as museum chair) that I really began to see how some artists, women in particular, were treated. I saw a fair amount of bullying and disrespectful treatment. Becoming involved in the politics of the field really opened my eyes, sadly in a negative way. And of course with the Internet, and people anonymously posting whatever's on their minds, the level of civility has reached an all-time low in my opinion.
Sarah: I once had a guest speaker in an illustration class tell me that my work was very feminine, and that I should consider taking on an “androgynous” pen name, like changing “Sarah Green” to “S. H. Green.” I was very upset and insulted, because that’s not really androgyny, it’s the removal of femininity to present the assumption of masculinity. He was essentially telling me that my work wouldn’t appeal to men unless they thought I was a man. And I think that’s really the crux of the problem in our industry. The first most successful (editorial) female illustrators that come to mind have “androgynous” names. Their work is phenomenal and speaks for itself—but I have to ask myself if their “genderless” names are what allows the work to speak for itself.
Jaleen: Because a lot of illustrators think that there is no sexism in the field, a great many act accordingly—they’ll look at a woman’s portfolio any time. But this denial of sexism is equally a problem. People’s implicit biases are as insidious as outright discrimination. The most difficult thing we are facing is that people who are acting in sexist ways (like the guy who once introduced Anita to an audience as “the best woman illustrator,” for instance) don’t realize it and get offended when it’s pointed out, which just perpetuates and antagonizes the issue. We have to figure out how to get folks to examine themselves honestly without shutting us feminists down as a squawky minority.
I imagine some female illustrators wanted to outwardly lambast Rodriguez’s illustration but didn’t for being of being blacklisted. How real is this fear?
Celine: I certainly heard from a lot of them. Is lambasting the right word, though? Most of us, I think, at worst felt lukewarm about it—though a few women were honest about the painful memories the illustration called up for them. Steve later edited his post, but it initially asked women specifically to weigh in. But whenever women speak up, our voices are interpreted as shrill, even if our feedback is relatively mild.
The lambasting came when Edel and the other men responded to our feedback with over-the-top histrionics—judging by how upset they were you’d think we had accused them of being Imperial Wizards in the KKK. I personally only stepped in to express my disappointment at how little respect these women were given when their feedback had been specifically requested. I honestly don't know how real that fear is—Edel will swear up and down he has no influence.
Everyone knows that's horseshit, but I think a bigger question is whether it matters or not. It obviously matters a great deal to some of us, and I don’t want to minimize that at all—the whole point of HMC is to recognize the vulnerable position many of us are in. I'm willing to be the public face of HMC because I risk so little by pissing off these people.
Shannon: I think it’s a delicate situation. I, for one, wouldn’t want my own work lambasted in that way, and ultimately I felt it wasn’t the appropriate response. But illustration is such a networking/word-of-mouth profession, it can be intimidating to speak up about something for fear of the repercussions (that person never hiring you, that person saying to an influential art director they shouldn’t hire you, etc. etc.).
This is especially true when the person you’re criticizing is well-known and established. And the threat can feel very real: I was once told by a male illustrator (who I had reached out to for advice and support): “You’ll never work in this town again” after I refused to have sex with him. As a fresh young illustrator, that scared the shit out of me. What if he starts bad-mouthing me to art directors and I never get another freelance assignment? My career could’ve been ruined. I don’t know if he actually followed through with his threat or not, but I continued to get assignments and have been relatively successful. Even so, the fear of speaking up can be very real.
Anita: I think it's a fear that does have merit. The field is so competitive these days that any perceived slight might indeed work against you. In my experience I know for certain that I've been ostracized, yet I have no way of knowing what it actually cost me in the long run. It's subtle and insidious.
Sarah: Again, I’m less than a year out of school, so it definitely intimidated me. I’ve always been very upfront and outspoken about my opinions, but I was hesitant to say anything particularly strong-worded. I mean, especially with a thread like that one, where I really felt like it represented more than a debate over a single image. In the daily world, you can say that anyone who doesn’t respect your opinion isn’t someone you want in your life, and you can walk away from them. But in the professional world, you can’t, because it’s your livelihood and there’s a risk that it would negatively follow you around for who knows how long.
Jaleen: I’ll admit to worrying about it, because I’m on the job market right now for teaching positions, and I don’t want potential employers to think I’m “difficult.” Also, because I myself sometimes paint naked women that may or may not be dealing with sexuality, I know that I am inviting someone to pick a fight because they think I’m maybe a hypocrite. Well guess what: The issue is not simply “you’re with us or against us”—the complexities of gender identity and visual communication cannot ever be boiled down to simple rules. Everyone’s going to have to tolerate nuance and paradox.
We always ask. What’s your relationship to feminism? How does being a women affect your work? (Or not!)
Celine: Feminist theory saved my life as a child—I was intensely aware of my status as second class and feminism gave me the tools to survive that experience. I'm by no means as educated about it as I'd like to be—even after almost 15 years of study (this is why you can imagine how frustrating it is when men think they're qualified to talk to me about it despite having next to no knowledge about the subject) and I am in a constant process of unlearning all the toxic shit I've internalized as a woman, and also as a white, able-bodied, upper-middle class straight person. Being a woman inherently affects my work; I can no more divorce my status as a woman from my work than a man can divorce his status as a man from his.
Anita: Well of course I'm a feminist. Being female permeates everything I am and everything I do. In the past 10 years I've been doing much more personal work along with my illustration work. I'm doing a lot art having to do with gender. I'm showing in galleries much more now than before. And, dare I say it, the fine art world seems to be even more outrageously and unapologetically sexist.
Sarah: Being a woman will always inform my work, subconsciously or consciously. If I had to vocalize it, I think a lot of it has to do with color palette; girls are more encouraged to play with color in the way they present themselves, and I think that also makes us a little bit bolder in that regard. I notice a lot of male work is darker and more subdued. The flip of that is that it’s more “serious” and thus taken more seriously. As far as subject matter, I’m very drawn to fairytales. They were so formative for me in my childhood, and there’s something about them that’s always relevant and relatable to children. But they also carry a lot of problematic themes and language, so right now I’m focusing on reinterpreting those stories to reflect the changing culture around gender norms and expectations.
As far as the word feminist, I love and embrace it. My mother was part of the 2nd wave of feminism in the '60s and '70s and I always am appreciative for her headstrong and unapologetic female perspective. She told me, “I burned bras and fought for your rights so you wouldn’t have to.” She fought for herself and for her future daughters, and I want to do the same thing. I’m so grateful to how far previous generations of women have carried the movement, but there’s still work to be done. We have to keep carrying it forward.
Jaleen: I’ve always been comfortable with the word feminist. My mother was too, and always told me to beware of gender stereotypes, and I’ve often challenged them. But I’ve also been wary of hardline positions too—in the '90s, for instance, it was taboo in art school to depict the female body lest it invoke the dreaded Male Gaze. I never subscribed to that point of view because I felt that removing women from their share of visibility was worse.
As a professional who regularly has to socialize with men over 65, I’ve also found that it is not in my interests at all to react to all the dated, inappropriate, and unintentionally insulting things they say and do—sometimes, it’s more empowering to play the part, because how else are you going to gain admittance to the boys’ club? Once you’re there, you can prove yourself, although certainly it takes more effort and impeccable work than I daresay a guy has to face. So I tend to take all theory—even if I agree with it—with a grain of salt, checking it against my personal circumstances at a given moment. Feminism is thinking for yourself and getting the best possible outcome from a given situation.
Is the landscape shifting in illustration? Are female voices growing in numbers and volume? What’s the value in creating a balance?
Celine: Every year our art schools are dominated by female students, but of course society being what it is, it is harder for them to make it professionally—especially if they want kids later on. All that said, it's a fantastic time to be a woman in the indie comics community, especially with the rise of print-on-demand services. I don't have any personal experience with this, but I think it's also a lot easier to do product design these days with Etsy and so many resources now marketed toward women who want to start their own small businesses. Editorial has so many talented young women working now, of course. I think that with every new crop of graduates, our industry becomes a little more diverse, and because of that a little more open to the experience of empathy.
Anita: I hope it's getting better. When I teach, I try to be very honest about what the students can expect. I explain that the illustration field is a microcosm of the bigger world and that of course there's racism and sexism and anti-Semitism, etc. etc. But I'm very optimistic about what I've been seeing, and this group in particular gives me hope.
Sarah: I’d say 8 out of 10 of my graduating illustration class were female, but it feels like that 20% of men will always be 100% successful. Additionally, the majority of teachers in my department were male, and I can recall a few times where I’ve brought up a problem with a work I find sexist and made my teacher very uncomfortable and the discussion was subtly tabled. My department also only offered one class on gender, and it was during the winter session, so only 5 weeks long—hardly enough time to properly explore the subject. I’m hopeful though. I see friends who have been uncomfortable with the word feminism now consciously trying to unlearn their internalizations. I feel like as long as we keep talking about it, we can only keep moving forward.Jonathan Bachman/Associated Press
In desperate need to shed payroll, the New Orleans Saints released three players Monday: offensive guard Jahri Evans and linebackers David Hawthorne and Ramon Humber, per ESPN's Field Yates on Feb. 8. Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com confirmed the report.
Evans was released after refusing to take a pay cut, his agent, Jerrold Colton, told radio station WWIP, (via Woodberry):
"The Saints came to us for the second year in a row about doing a little contract adjustment and pay cut this year. We weren't going to do it again. He's healthy and hungry and looking forward to the next chapter of his career."
The Saints confirmed Evans' release on Friday.
According to Spotrac, the Saints were set to be a little more than $3.6 million over the 2016 salary cap heading into this offseason. Not only does general manager Mickey Loomis have to decide whether to re-sign potential free agents such as tight end Benjamin Watson, defensive tackle Kevin Williams and cornerback Kyle Wilson, but he could also want to make necessary upgrades to the roster.
By cutting Evans, Hawthorne and Humber, the Saints are only adding to their significant amount of dead money they'll be paying out next year, per Shane Richardson:
The timing means New Orleans won't have to pay Evans his $3 million roster bonus, which was set to kick in Wednesday, per ESPN.com's Mike Triplett.
According to NOLA.com's Katherine Terrell, the 32-year-old offensive lineman expected to be back in New Orleans next year but was already planning for a future with a different team:
Evans is a six-time Pro Bowler and a four-time first-team All-Pro. His skills are unquestionably diminishing, though; Pro Football Focus graded him the 27th-best guard in the league. He should still have plenty of suitors this offseason based on his reputation.
Hawthorne and Humber, on the other hand, will have more trouble finding new homes. Neither featured heavily in the Saints defense through the entirety of the 2015 season. The latter appeared in 14 games, making four starts and recording 47 combined tackles. The former finished with 33 combined tackles in 11 appearances—five of which were starts.
For New Orleans, more moves are likely to come. Cornerback Brandon Browner might be the next veteran out of the door after ESPN's John Clayton reported Friday the Saints are likely to release him following his first year with the team. Browner seemingly confirmed his departure as well:
Writing for Grantland in 2014, ESPN.com's Bill Barnwell explained in thorough detail how the Saints' short-term outlook was resulting in severe long-term consequences with regard to the salary cap. Loomis has done well in the past to get New Orleans under the cap, but that becomes more and more difficult as he sifts through the players surplus to requirements.
The Saints will have their finances sorted out by the time next year kicks off, but in order to do so, Loomis may have to abandon any hope of putting together a contending team.The HP Chromebook 11 is displayed at a Google event in New York. (Photo11: Mark Lennihan, AP)
I don't care what all those headlines are telling you, Google Chromebooks did not account for 21% of US notebook sales this year.
Anyone who tells you otherwise has no appreciation for details or fine print.
Wait, what are we talking about here?
On December 23, market research firm NPD issued a press release detailing computing device trends, the most compelling of which was a boom in Google Chromebook sales.
Year-to-date through November, Chromebooks accounted for 21% of notebook sales and 8% of overall computer and tablet sales, up from basically nothing in 2012.
Twenty-One Percent of... Come Again?
I won't name names here, but I'm seeing a lot of cheap headlines floating around that are flat out declaring that Chromebooks took 21% of the notebook market.
What most tech reporters don't bother to explain is that NPD clearly says its measurement base is what it calls "US commercial channels." I emailed an NPD representative to ask exactly what this means, and was told that it's comprised of "US B2B sales using distribution partners."
That, my friends, is not exactly the global notebook market, or even the US one for that matter.
Interestingly enough, in its opening sentence, NPD noted that it had tracked sales of 14.4 million desktops, notebooks, and tablets through US commercial channels.
That's a very small piece of the overall PC and tablet pie.
There were 16.1 million US PC sales in Q3 alone, according to Gartner. US tablet sales data is not easy to come by, but you get the point -- this is not a comprehensive data set. But it is clearly labeled for what it is, and thus a lot of the headlines you're seeing are completely out of whack.
I'm not a Google Chromebook hater. To the contrary, I'm very supportive of the concept and have highlighted its success in the past.
And make no mistake about it, I do think the NPD report is actually very good news for Google, but only because of what it actually represents: business-to-business sales.
I've always thought that the Chromebook would succeed with consumers open to a "so cheap it's almost disposable" alternative to the traditional PC.
After all, since computing activities increasingly revolve around browser/app-based activities like Web surfing, Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, and email, the need for a full-featured computer simply isn't what it used to be.
But businesses buying Chromebooks means a whole new market opening up, and could also mean...
Scroogling Back
With its Scroogled campaign, Microsoft took on the task of telling the world about every allegedly bad thing Google's ever done.
The limited functionality of Chromebooks and the Chrome OS are front and center on Scroogled.com, which is chock full of statements like these:
Get ready for some weird-looking documents on Chromebook.
Chromebook can't install Office and that's where the problems begin. Many of your documents (like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) will often appear with wacky formatting because Chromebook uses cheap imitations of Office. So the user gets poor substitutes for the real thing. Which describes Chromebook in a nutshell.
With Chrome OS, you're restricted by design.
Here's yet another thing you don't get with Chrome OS: the ability to connect directly to most printers and scanners, and the ability to sync with many smartphones, MP3 players, and cameras. All of which adds up to a giant, Chrome OS design flaw.
While Microsoft's having some fun here, Google has more evidence that Chromebooks are having some success out in the marketplace, and it also fuels the idea that the real foundation of Scroogled is sour grapes.
The Truth Is Still Out There
So how much of the PC market do Chromebooks actually have?
More than last year, yes, but that's all we know. In short, ignore the snappy but simplistic headlines.
This story originally appeared on Minyanville.
SECURITY: Hackers Can Watch You Through Your Webcam -- Even on Newer Computers
GOOGLE'S CHROMECAST: My Favorite Gadget of 2013
SMARTPHONES: BlackBerry Users Can't Stop, Won't Stop
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1ckrsuGTACOMA — Students are being provided bottled water at two Tacoma elementary schools after officials discovered unreviewed tests from last year showed higher than acceptable levels of lead.
Tacoma Public Schools discovered late Friday that test results from May 2015 showed higher than normal levels of lead in the water at Mann and Reed Elementary Schools. The levels were higher than 15 ppb which is the action alert level as mandated by the EPA, officials said.
Dave Wilkins, a spokesman for the district, said t wasn’t immediately known why earlier action was not taken on the test results, which found “higher than accepted” levels of lead.
Drinking fountains and faucets have been restricted at the schools and bottled water is being provided to students, staff and visitors.
Officials pulled new samples over the weekend but those test results are not yet available.
Tacoma Public Schools notified parents Monday morning.
UPDATE: Tacoma schools now testing all 56 facilities district wide after high levels of lead found in 2 elementary schools #Q13FOX — Steve Kiggins (@Q13FOXKiggins) April 25, 2016
This is a developing story and will be updated. Follow Q13 News reporter Steve Kiggins for updates.
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Here is the message from Tacoma Public Schools:
Water quality message to Reed/Mann staffs The public attention on lead found in some Tacoma homes last week caused the district to review water testing records. Tacoma Public Schools contracts for tests of water supplies at several elementary schools each year, on a rotational basis. Late Friday night, this review uncovered two test reports from May 2015 that showed higher than acceptable levels of lead at Mann and Reed elementary schools. These reports had not previously been reviewed. As a result, the district has taken the following steps: Retested the water systems at both schools this weekend. We expect the results back soon.
Blocked access to drinking fountains.
Ordered bottled water for staff and student use at both schools to use indefinitely until the district can determine the quality of the water and take steps to fix any issues that are uncovered. In addition, under the leadership of our Chief Operations Officer and our Assistant Superintendent for K-12 Support, for the safety of our students and staff members, the district will be conducting an immediate, complete audit of all past water quality test results, testing procedures, maintenance practices and communications to ensure – moving forward – there is a much better system in place. As more information comes in about this issue, the district will provide more updates and information.Julian Assange has used a speech at the Hay Festival to confirm that WikiLeaks is willing to break super-injunctions.
Julian Assange is happy to break super-injunctions (PA)
The founder of the controversial whistle-blowing website was subjected to some tough questioning about his organisation’s behaviour from the audience at the literary event, with some angry members asking how he intended to help Bradley Manning, the US soldier charged with leaking military documents.
Assange insisted the site would continue to leak secrets online, saying that could involve defying UK courts and publishing details of the gagging orders that have dominated the headlines in recent weeks.
He claimed WikiLeaks had already published details of ‘five or six’ super-injunctions and vowed to repeat the process if he gets his hands on legal documents relating to a case of ‘ethical and historic significance’.
However, Mr Assange indicated he is not against using the law to guard privacy in all circumstances and suggested WikiLeaks may consider applying for a court order to protect its sources in the future.
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‘We make sure we never keep records of our sources. If we did collect that information and it was about to be revealed, would we expend every effort to stop that? Yes we would,’ the Australian said.
Mr Assange, who is currently preparing his appeal against the decision to extradite him to Sweden where he is wanted for questioning in connection with two alleged sexual assaults, also attacked the British attitude towards WikiLeaks’ work.
‘What I really detest about the UK is there is a certain mid-brow squeamishness in the population,’ he said, as he answered a question about the revolution in Egypt.
‘It would rather destroy an entire revolution and keep a country in dictatorship, than risk being blamed for the tiniest thing.’Donate - Contribute to KeePass
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I am an old school man, and I feel disgusted.”
Most Russian-American Trump supporters I spoke to also did not support Putin and rejected claims about Trump-Russia links as possible fake stories spread by the “lying liberal media” and the “Democratic establishment.”
Sputnik Photo Agency / Reuters Interestingly, many Russian-Americans who support Trump don't feel the same way about Putin.
For example, Sergei said:
I do not support Putin because he suppresses the normal political life in Russia. But I do not trust the information that allegedly Trump was assisted by the Russian hackers. I did not see persuasive evidence of intelligence service about the hackers, and I do not trust simple words. Rather, I think it is an attempt to damage Trump by the Democrats and the political establishment for their goals. Plus hacking the Democrats and showing all their dirty laundry is not really breaking the election, just a petty prank maybe illegal yet quite moral. Therefore, the whole story about hackers is like a story about Obama’s birth certificate ― a cover operation and yanking your chain.
Similarly, many Russian-Americans from Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach neighborhood, known for its large Russian-speaking community, I surveyed said they support Trump and the GOP, but do not like Putin.
‘I do not support Putin because he suppresses the normal political life in Russia. But I do not trust the information that allegedly Trump was assisted by the Russian hackers.’ Sergei
The only two people I spoke to who were supportive of Vladimir Putin’s policies and hoping that Russia-U.S. relationship will improve in the near future, were both employed in the international organizations with connections to the Russian state.
Aleksandra Efimova, a 39-year-old Russia-American, who is a vice president of the Midwest region of the U.S.-Russia Chamber of Commerce and a chairman at Moscow Committee of Chicago Sister Cities International, described Obama’s eight years as disastrous with regards to relationship with Russia. She said she expects Trump to find common ground with Putin on solutions to terrorism and to promote U.S.-Russian collaboration on trade, culture and science.
Sean Gallup via Getty Images There are some Russian-Americans with high hopes for the Putin-Trump relationship.
Elena Branson, a Russian-American who is a president of the Russia Center New York (which organizes events in the Russian Consulate in New York) called the allegations of Russia backing Trump during the election a campaign to discredit Russia and Trump, yet indicated she was hoping for U.S.-Russia relations to improve under the new president.Finatra is an open-source project by Twitter that can be used to build REST APIs in Scala programming language. Finatra builds on top of Twitter’s Scala stack — twitter-server, finagle, and twitter-util.
Finagle: It can be used to construct high performance servers. Twitter Server: It defines a template from which servers at Twitter are built. It uses finagle underneath. Twitter-Util: A bunch of idiomatic, small, general purpose tools for Scala.
In this step-by-step tutorial, we will cover how to build a Scala REST API using Finatra version 2.13.
Prerequisite
Scala 2.12.1 IntelliJ Idea Community Edition JDK 8
Building an application from scratch
In this blog, we will build a simple application called fitman. The goal of this application is to track weight of an individual. Every week, a user enter his/her weight and a status message describing how they are feeling. This will allow them to view a timeline of their body weight.
Step 1: Create a Scala SBT project using IntelliJ Idea
Open IntelliJ Idea and select Scala > SBT project. You will see screen as shown below.
After selecting, press Next button. Enter the project details and press Finish button.
This will create a Scala based SBT project that we will use.
You can use any other IDE or tool as well to scaffold a Scala SBT project.
Step 2: Adding required dependencies to build.sbt
Your build.sbt should look like following:
name := "fitman" version := "1.0" scalaVersion := "2.12.1" lazy val versions = new { val finatra = "2.13.0" val logback = "1.1.7" val guice = "4.0" } libraryDependencies += "com.twitter" %% "finatra-http" % versions.finatra libraryDependencies += "ch.qos.logback" % "logback-classic" % versions.logback
Please be patient it takes time to download all the dependencies.
Step 3: Fitman says Hello
A finatra app consists of an http server, a list of controllers, and zero or more filters. Let’s create a simple Scala class that extends finatra’s com.twitter.finatra.http.HttpServer as shown below.
import com.twitter.finatra.http.HttpServer object FitmanApp extends FitmanServer class FitmanServer extends HttpServer
In the code shown above, we created a server FitmanServer that extends com.twitter.finatra.http.HttpServer. HttpServer extends TwitterServer and adds configuration specific to an http server. TwitterServer is a template using which other types of servers can be created. FitmanApp is an object that is used to launch the server. The above code will not compile as we have to override configureHttp method of HttpServer
From the documentation,
The reason for having a separate object is to allow server to be instantiated multiple times in tests without worrying about static state persisting across test runs in the same JVM.
Also, according to documentation Finatra convention is to create a Scala object with a name ending in Main. I prefer to use convention where name ends with App so I am using that.
Let’s write our first controller — HelloController in the FitmanApp.scala file as shown below.
import com.twitter.finagle.http.Request import com.twitter.finatra.http.routing.HttpRouter import com.twitter.finatra.http.{Controller, HttpServer} object FitmanApp extends FitmanServer class FitmanServer extends HttpServer { override protected def configureHttp(router: HttpRouter) { router.add[HelloController] } } class HelloController extends Controller { get("/hello") { request: Request => "Fitman says hello" } }
In the code shown above, we created HelloController which extends finatra Controller abstract class. HelloController is defined with one endpoint – /hello. When an HTTP GET request is made to /hello then the associated callback function will be called. The callback function has callback: RequestType => ResponseType signature. It accepts a com.twitter.finagle.http.Request and returns back a response of any type that can be converted to com.twitter.finagle.http.Response. The callback function in this case just returns a string.
To make server aware of the controller, we registered HelloController with FitmanServer by overriding its configureHttp method. The configureHttp exposes HttpRouter that is used to register an instance of HelloController.
You can run the application just like you will run any Scala main program.
This will launch the netty based server at port 8888. As there is no route configured, so you will not be able to do anything useful.
If you want to use any other port that 8888 then you can use -http.port flag and set the it to your preferred value like -http.port=:8080
Now, when you make an HTTP GET request to http://localhost:8888/hello you will receive Fitman says Hello message in the response.
$ curl -i http://localhost:8888/hello HTTP/1.1 200 OK Content-Length: 17 Fitman says hello
Admin Interface
Every Finatra by default exposes an admin interface at http://localhost:9990/admin that you can use to get system level details like CPU usage profile, heap profile, server information, and many other. To learn about all admin features refer to Twitter Server documentation.
Overriding default server configuration
There are two ways you can override default server configuration values. One way is to use flags as discussed previously with admin and http ports. The other way you can override default server configuration is by overriding fields in the FitmanServer as shown below.
class FitmanServer extends HttpServer { override protected def defaultFinatraHttpPort: String = ":8080" override protected def defaultHttpServerName: String = "FitMan" override protected def configureHttp(router: HttpRouter) { router.add[HelloController] } }
Step 4: Let’s write feature test for HelloController
One of the feature of Finatra that impressed me most was its inbuilt support for feature testing. Feature testing is a form of blackbox testing that tests a particular feature from outside.
Let’s add dependencies to build.sbt file.
libraryDependencies ++= Seq( "com.twitter" %% "finatra-http" % versions.finatra, "ch.qos.logback" % "logback-classic" % versions.logback, "com.twitter" %% "finatra-http" % versions.finatra % "test", "com.twitter" %% "finatra-jackson" % versions.finatra % "test", "com.twitter" %% "inject-server" % versions.finatra % "test", "com.twitter" %% "inject-app" % versions.finatra % "test", "com.twitter" %% "inject-core" % versions.finatra % "test", "com.twitter" %% "inject-modules" % versions.finatra % "test", "com.google.inject.extensions" % "guice-testlib" % versions.guice % "test", "com.twitter" %% "finatra-http" % versions.finatra % "test" classifier "tests", "com.twitter" %% "finatra-jackson" % versions.finatra % "test" classifier "tests", "com.twitter" %% "inject-server" % versions.finatra % "test" classifier "tests", "com.twitter" %% "inject-app" % versions.finatra % "test" classifier "tests", "com.twitter" %% "inject-core" % versions.finatra % "test" classifier "tests", "com.twitter" %% "inject-modules" % versions.finatra % "test" classifier "tests", "org.mockito" % "mockito-core" % "1.9.5" % "test", "org.scalacheck" %% "scalacheck" % "1.13.4" % "test", "org.scalatest" %% "scalatest" % "3.0.0" % "test", "org.specs2" %% "specs2-mock" % "2.4.17" % "test" )
Let’s write our first feature test that will test the /hello endpoint. To create a feature test, you have to extend a trait called FeatureTest. You have to provide implementation for server definition as shown below. We created an instance of EmbeddedHttpServer passing it our application server — FitmanServer.
import com.twitter.finagle.http.Status._ import com.twitter.finatra.http.EmbeddedHttpServer import com.twitter.inject.server.FeatureTest class HelloControllerFeatureTest extends FeatureTest { override protected def server = new EmbeddedHttpServer(new FitmanServer) test("Server#Say hello") { server.httpGet(path = "/hello", andExpect = Ok, withBody = "Fitman says hello") } }
This test will start an embedded http server and will make an actual HTTP GET request to the /hello endpoint. We asserted that HTTP status code returned by our service is 200 i.e. OK and response body contains text Fitman says hello. If you change the body text to something other than Fitman says hello then test will fail with detailed message outlining the difference between texts as shown below.
"Fitman says hello[]" did not equal "Fitman says hello[123]"
This allows you to test the externally visible features of the API.
Step 5: Let’s capture weight
Let’s first write the feature test for our WeightResource. The feature test will test that when an HTTP POST request is made to /weights endpoint then weight will be stored in some database. In today’s blog, we will use a mutable Map to act as a database. Later in this series, we will cover how to work with databases in Scala. We will update our blog then.
import com.twitter.finagle.http.Status import com.twitter.finatra.http.EmbeddedHttpServer import com.twitter.inject.server.FeatureTest class WeightResourceFeatureTest extends FeatureTest { override val server = new EmbeddedHttpServer( twitterServer = new FitmanServer ) test("WeightResource should save user weight when POST request is made"){ server.httpPost( path = "/weights", postBody = """ |{ |"user":"shekhar", |"weight":85, |"status":"Feeling great!!!" |} """.stripMargin, andExpect = Status.Created, withLocation = "/weights/shekhar" ) } }
When you will run the test case then this test will fail as we have not yet added functionality for WeightResource.
Our data model looks like as shown below. It should have same field names as JSON.
case class Weight( user: String, weight: Int, status: Option[String], postedAt: Instant = Instant.now() )
Now, let’s write our WeightResource.
import com.twitter.finatra.http.Controller import scala.collection.mutable class WeightResource extends Controller { val db = mutable.Map[String, List[Weight]]() post("/weights") { weight: Weight => val weightsForUser = db.get(weight.user) match { case Some(weights) => weights :+ weight case None => List(weight) } db.put(weight.user, weightsForUser) response.created.location(s"/weights/${weight.user}") } }
Update FitmanServer with new Controller
router.add(new WeightResource)
In the code shown above, we did the following:
We created a mutable Map to store weight for a user. In the post("/weights") callback, we are directly using our case class Weight instead of using Finagle request. Finatra automatically converts the request body to the case class. In the post method callback, we first check whether the user exists in the db or not. If user exists, then we add weight to its existing weights collection else we create new List with weight. Finally, we return the response back to the user. response.created makes sure that HTTP status 201 is set. We also set the location header to point to a new resource.
Run the test case and it should be green now.
Step 6: View user weight
Now, let’s write our second operation that will return all captured weights for a user. We will start with a feature test as shown below.
test("WeightResource should list all weights for a user when GET request is made") { val response = server.httpPost( path = "/weights", postBody = """ |{ |"user":"test_user_1", |"weight":80, |"posted_at" : "2017-09-14T23:16:06.871Z" |} """.stripMargin, andExpect = Status.Created ) server.httpGetJson[List[Weight]]( path = response.location.get, andExpect = Status.Ok, withJsonBody = """ |[ | { | "user" : "test_user_1", | "weight" : 80, | "posted_at" : "2017-09-14T23:16:06.871Z" | } |] """.stripMargin ) }
Add the following method to WeightResource
import com.twitter.finagle.http.Request get("/weights/:user") { request: Request => db.getOrElse(request.params("user"), List()) }
Step 7: Getting logging right
In step 2, we added logback-classic dependencies to the classpath so that we can effectively log in our application. finatra uses SLF4J api for framework logging. SLF4J provides an API abstraction for various logging framework like log4j, logback, etc. Developers are free to choose their favorite logging library that works with SLF4J. finatra documentation recommends to use Logback as an SLF4J binding as it is much more superior and performant than other logging libraries.
To log in your application, you have to mixin com.twitter.inject.Logging trait into your application’s object or class. Let’s add some log statements to WeightResource.
import com.twitter.finagle.http.Request import com.twitter.finatra.http.Controller import com.twitter.inject.Logging import org.joda.time.Instant import scala.collection.mutable class WeightResource extends Controller with Logging { val db = mutable.Map[String, List[Weight]]() post("/weights") { weight: Weight => val r = time(s"Total time take to post weight for user '${weight.user}' is %d ms") { val weightsForUser = db.get(weight.user) match { case Some(weights) => weights :+ weight case None => List(weight) } db.put(weight.user, weightsForUser) response.created.location(s"/weights/${weight.user}") } r } get("/weights/:user") { request: Request => info( s"""finding weight for user ${request.params("user")}""") db.getOrElse(request.params("user"), List()) } } case class Weight( user: String, weight: Int, status: Option[String], postedAt: Instant = Instant.now() )
Step 8: Validations
Finatra comes with validation annotations that can be used to add validation support. Out of the box Finatra comes with following validation annotations.
CountryCode FutureTime Max Min NotEmpty OneOf PastTime Range Size TimeGranularity UUID
All these annotations are defined in finatra-jackson module. It is already in our class path so we don’t have to do much to use it.
Let’s write a test case
"Bad request when user is not present in request" in { server.httpPost( path = "/weights", postBody = """ |{ |"weight":85 |} """.stripMargin, andExpect = Status.BadRequest ) }
If you run the test now, it will fail with Http status code 500 i.e. Internal server error.
To make it work first we have to register a filter in the FitmanServer.
class FitmanServer extends HttpServer { override protected def defaultFinatraHttpPort: String = ":8080" override protected def defaultHttpServerName: String = "FitMan" override protected def configureHttp(router: HttpRouter) { router.filter[CommonFilters].add[HelloController].add[WeightResource] } }
Now test will pass.
"Bad request when data not in range" in { server.httpPost( path = "/weights", postBody = """ |{ |"user":"testing12345678910908980898978798797979789", |"weight":250 |} """.stripMargin, andExpect = Status.BadRequest, withErrors = Seq( "user: size [42] is not between 1 and 25", "weight: [250] is not between 25 and 200" ) ) }
Update the Weight case class
case class Weight( @Size(min = 1, max = 25) user: String, @Range(min = 25, max = 200) weight: Int, status: Option[String], postedAt: Instant = Instant.now() )
That’s it for this post.
Conclusion
You saw that Finatra has many powerful features that will make it easy for you to build your applications. For more information, you should refer to the documentation.In her campaign memoir What Happened, published this week, Hillary Clinton makes a startling revelation about what might have been the central policy plank of her US presidential election campaign.
Clinton relates how, before the campaign, she had read a book called With Liberty and Dividends for All: How to Save Our Middle Class When Jobs Don’t Pay Enough, by entrepreneur and environmentalist Peter Barnes.
In it, Barnes called for the creation of “a new fund that would use revenue from shared national resources to pay a dividend to every citizen, much like how the Alaska Permanent Fund distributes the state’s oil royalties every year”.
Hillary and her husband Bill Clinton were fascinated by this idea and, exploring whether it could be put in her campaign, spent weeks working with their policy team to see if it was viable.
They explored ways to build a fund to pay for such a basic income. They looked at how earnings which the state obtained by shared national resources including oil and gas extracted from public lands could be used and how fees for use of the public airwaves by broadcasters and mobile-phone companies would also be included.
Raising real money from the financial system by imposing a financial transactions tax was also examined, as were additional carbon and other environmental taxes.
Alaska for America
They would have called it “Alaska for America”. Once you capitalise such a fund, Clinton writes, “you can provide every American with a modest basic income every year”.
As well as being a floor against poverty, Clinton says it would also be “a way of making every American feel more connected to our country and to one another – part of something bigger than ourselves”.
The Clinton campaign ultimately decided against making a universal basic income a campaign plank because they couldn’t make the numbers work.
“To provide a meaningful dividend each year to every citizen, you’d have to raise enormous sums of money, and that would either mean a lot of new taxes or cannibalising other important programmes. We decided it was exciting but not realistic, and left it on the shelf,” she writes.
While that was the responsible decision at the time, now, in light of her defeat, Clinton wonders whether “we should have thrown caution to the wind and embraced Alaska for America as a long-term goal and figured out the details later”.
A universal basic income has the potential to transform how we organise the State’s role in our society and economy
In an interview on Wednesday with Vox’s Ezra Klein, Clinton said: “We dug deep, tried to explain it to some people, and it just was hard for people to grasp what we were talking about because most Americans... didn’t have any idea about what was going on in Alaska”.
She added that the taxes and funding lines from which a pot to fund a base income would be built would ideally be left to be decided by the legislature, on the basis of a cross-party consensus; but she, as the establishment candidate, would have been pressed for precise details and costings.
Pilot schemes
The idea of a basic income is not new. It has been tried in Manitoba in Canada and is currently being piloted in Finland and the Netherlands. A previous Brazilian government introduced a basic family payment as an incentive to getting children into education.
The International Monetary Fund has developed similar income payments in various African countries.
The scale of what Clinton considered was even more ambitious, however, and, as Klein put it, “the fact that a major-party [US] presidential nominee seriously considered basic income as a proposal is nonetheless a huge sign of the idea’s progress and increasing influence”.
The idea has been a slow-burner in Ireland also. Since the late 1980s Fr Seán Healy and Sr Bridget Reynolds of Social Justice Ireland have argued for such a basic income. They have shown in repeated publications how combining funding currently used for welfare payments and tax credits would get us to a modest payment to all.
They have gone further and identified the incremental steps that could be taken to that end by extending the State pension to all and making tax credits refundable. In 2002 they were part of the process by which the then Fianna Fáil government published a Green Paper on how it might be done.
There has been little progress since but the proposal re-emerged in Fianna Fáil’s last manifesto.
The debate around the future of work, increasingly vulnerable forms of employment and the rise of artificial intelligence has given urgent momentum to the debate, as has growing middle-class alienation from political systems.
The introduction of a universal basic income has the potential to transform how we organise the State’s role in our society and economy, and to shore up the support base for moderate politics.
Championing it in her 2016 campaign may have been a step too soon for Clinton, but universal basic income is an idea whose time has almost come.But extracting gas from shale relies on a method called hydraulic fracturing that has stirred broad concerns. Water, laced with chemicals, is blasted down gas wells at high pressure to break the rock and allow gas to flow out more easily. The technology has vigorously expanded in recent years, allowing for enormous growth in the nation’s natural gas reserves.
But the concerns include the use of chemicals, the disposal of wastewater and the danger of leaks and spills into groundwater and deep aquifers. There also has been a string of explosions from Wyoming to Pennsylvania.
Under energy legislation passed in 2005, the industry won an exemption from the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.
Chesapeake acquired 5,000 acres in the watershed when it bought Columbia Natural Resources a few years ago, and it is currently the only leaseholder in the area.
Over all, Mr. McClendon said, the company’s holdings in the watershed are “a drop in the bucket” compared with the Marcellus field’s potential. He suggested that Chesapeake had more to lose by drilling there than by forgoing it, even though he contended such drilling would do no harm.
“How could any one well be so profitable that it would be worth damaging the New York City water system?” he said.
Photo
But Chesapeake and other companies are still expected to drill for gas in areas of the state outside the watershed.
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State officials have been eager to embrace the drilling because of its potential economic benefits, especially in the current downturn. This month, the state’s environmental agency said it would allow companies to drill throughout the state, imposing few specific limits on operations.
The proposed regulations, which were requested last year by Gov. David A. Paterson, do not ban drilling in the watershed, as many New York City officials and environmental advocates had urged, but would require buffer zones around reservoirs and aqueducts.
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Gas industry representatives say the rules, if enacted, will be among the most restrictive in the country. Opponents say they would be inadequate to prevent contamination.
The New York watershed is an area of about one million acres, representing 4 percent of the state’s total surface. Thanks to gravity, water from the region’s rivers and streams flows to six reservoirs in the Catskills, and then, through a series of aqueducts and tunnels, to the taps of New Yorkers. This system provides unfiltered drinking water for half the state’s population, including 8.2 million people in New York City and about one million people in Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess Counties.
Some New York City politicians welcomed Chesapeake’s decision and said they hoped it would have a broader impact. “To proceed with drilling doesn’t make any business sense and doesn’t make environmental sense, and I think Chesapeake understands this, and I am happy they have come to that decision,” said James F. Gennaro, chairman of the City Council’s Committee on Environmental Protection. “If only we could get the state government to come to the same realization. It is strangely ironic.”
Chesapeake’s announcement was also praised by environmental advocates. They said the company’s position should encourage the state to reverse its decision and impose an outright drilling ban throughout the watershed.
“When the industry says it will not drill in the watershed, it sends a strong message to state regulators that drilling there is inappropriate,” said James L. Simpson, an attorney at Riverkeeper, an environmental group.
Hydraulic fracturing pumps huge volumes of water laced with chemicals like benzene into the shale to break it and release the natural gas. The process has been linked to contamination of water wells and the death of livestock exposed to potassium chloride, one of the chemicals used.
State environmental regulators have said they saw no “realistic threat” to water quality that would warrant a drilling ban in the two watersheds in the Catskills region. Their review noted that the city controlled a large amount of the land surrounding the reservoirs and could deny permission to drill in those areas.
In addition to the forum on Wednesday, hearings on the state’s proposed regulations are scheduled Nov. 10 in New York City, Nov. 12 in Broome County and Nov. 18 in Steuben County.
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Chesapeake said it had started to publicize the chemical components of the fluids it uses during drilling, down to the percentages for each chemical used since last year, acknowledging criticism that companies had not been transparent enough. “The industry is moving quickly to complete disclosure," Mr. McClendon said.This is not good. At all. As New York Times reporter Neil Irwin notes today: "From 2011 through 2015, the government's official labor productivity measure shows only 0.4 percent annual growth in output per hour of work. That's the lowest for a five-year span since the 1977-to-1982 period, and far below the 2.3 percent average since the 1950s."
American Enterprise Institute
So basically productivity growth has flatlined. And without fast rising productivity growth, you aren't going to get fast rising living standards. So what's happening? Irwin offers three possible explanations (these may be familiar to long-term readers):
First, the US is not as innovative as in the past, plus there's been less business investment (which may be related to weak innovation). Irwin: "Moreover, if you believe the theory mentioned above about low-productivity workers being more likely to lose their jobs during the recession, the people returning to the labor force now may be less effective at boosting economic output for each hour they put in."
Second, we are mismeasuring productivity in the tech economy,and things are better than they seem. (Written a lot about this.) But Irwin focuses on research suggesting this problem is no worse than ever. Irwin: "That said, the tools that statistics-keepers use to measure the economy are never perfect, so there could be problems not yet understood that are creating a false impression of a productivity drought."
Third, be patient. Things are ready to improve as new innovations comes on line, and business figures out how to best use them. Again, Irwin has his doubts:
Business investment spending on equipment, intellectual property and structures is low relative to the size of the economy. You'd expect those numbers to be higher if this was just a productivity lull as the economy waits for big investments in the future to pay off. Still, there could be enough going on below the surface of those overall numbers that the optimistic case remains plausible. To use one example, engineers at several companies are hard at work trying to perfect driverless cars. At present, they are a sap on productivity — they put in many thousands of hours of work with no economic output to show for it. But if successful, their work could radically increase the nation's productivity in the decades ahead.
Which is correct? I hope it's #2 and #3, but policymakers should act like it's #1 and start obsessing about innovation policy. What should government be doing more of/less off to create a better ecology for invention and innovation? By the way, the recent Economic Report of the President has a nice chapter on innovation.If there were ever a group of individuals not to piss off, it’s drag queens. These personalities and performers have fought too long and too hard for acceptance, let alone stage time, to go down without a fight. Yet Facebook is doing just that: blocking performers from using their assumed names rather than their legal ones. Performers including Sister Roma.
Sister Roma, a widely known LGBT personality and member of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, was targeted by Facebook on Wednesday for having her stage name, rather than her legal one, appear on her personal Facebook profile. “I was automatically logged out and told my account was suspended because it appears that I’m not using my real name,” Sister Roma told the Daily Dot. “I was instructed to log in and forced to change the name on my profile to my “legal name, like the one that appears on your drivers’ license or credit card.'”
Until Roma conformed to the site’s demands by adjusting the page to reflect her legal name, Michael Williams, her account was suspended. Having been on the site as Sister Roma since 2008, this was the first time she had ever been prompted to change her name.There's been a fair bit of discussion around RubyGems lately, and some suggestions about what the core problems with RubyGems are.
People have the general sense that there's something wrong with dependencies, and that it might have something to do with multiple versions being installed in one repository. It also seems (to people) that having require do magical things is Bad(tm). And in general, people like knowing exactly what versions of things are being loaded.
To some degree, all of these concerns are valid, and led to the rather hackish solution that we distributed with Merb called merb.thor. What we did:
Created a manifest for your application that would describe the gems and versions you wanted to use. That same manifest was used at runtime to load those gems.
Create a virtual environment just for your application, with the one-version-per-environment rule. This meant that it was always possible to see what versions and gems were being used.
Make it reasonably easy to update the local environment when the manifest changes. Make such changes *not* require knowledge of the dependencies and versions of either the old or new gems.
What we did not do:
Put all the gems in a single directory, so normal Ruby require would work.
At first glance, this seems like a very good idea. Instead of relying on magical runtime load-path manipulation, just take, for instance, the merb-core gem, and stick it in a top-level. Then add that top-level to the load path and you don't need Rubygems at runtime.
The problem with this fabulous idea is that there isn't a consistent way that people use Rubygems. Consider the following scenario:
A gem called "bad-behavior" that has a lib loadpath, but puts server.rb, initializer.rb, and omg.rb at the top-level. In omg.rb, the gem does Dir["#{File.dirname(FILE)}/*"].each {|f| require f }. This works fine when the gem actually owns the entire directory. But if you drop the gem into a larger file structure (similar to how other package managers handle the problem), its top-level is now everyone else's top-level.
Another scenario: A gem called rack-silliness that puts its files in rack/, and then calls Dir["#{File.dirname(FILE)}/ "].each {|f| require f } from rack/silliness.rb. Again, this works fine if the gem owns the entire directory, but if multiple gems put things in rack/*, moving everything to a shared structure will fail.
With all that said, if we could use a shared structure, things would automatically fall into place. We wouldn't need rubygems at runtime. It would be easy to have separate environments with the one-version rule. It would be easy to have local environments. All within the existing Rubygems structure.
The solution I promised
So how do we solve this problem? We need to agree to deprecate everything but the following structure for Rubygems:
Given a gem foo, there should be a foo.rb at the top-level, and optionally, a foo directory underneath. No other files or directories are allowed
Update:What I meant here was lib/foo.rb and lib/foo/..., which will be the directory that gets added to the load path. As a result, the vast majority of existing gems would not need to change.
Other solutions that work with Rubygems but use a single shared directory structure assume well-behaved gems only. If we could enforce well-behaved gems, we would both have an excellent solution in Rubygems proper, and make it easier for people to build additional solutions and plugins around the gem format.
So here's my proposal: For the next version of Rubygems, print a warning if installing a gem that does not comply. Over the next few months, get the few existing gem authors who have non-complying gems to release new versions that comply.
At the same time, I will release a gem plugin that provides virtual environments and local environments for Rubygems (I have already been working on this). It will support the one-version rule, named virtual environments, a gem manifest for applications, and gem resolution (thanks to the hard work by Tim Carey-Smith on gem_resolver).
In the interim, we have a slightly clunky solution that will work well. Instead of putting all gems into a single load-path and using that, we leave the current structure (each gem has its own space). Then, when a gem is installed into an environment, we preresolve all load-paths, and keep a list of them. When you switch into an environment, we add those load-paths to the default set of Ruby load-paths, which will behave exactly the same, but still support misbehaving gems.
In the long-term, all gems will be able to live side-by-side in a single load-path, which will allow us to create a cleaner version of the virtual environments (and will improve startup times, especially on JRuby and Google App Engine, but won't have any user-facing implications).
So, are we up for finally getting our gem packaging format under control?
P.S. I am aware that rip was just announced, and is attempting to do a lot of the same things. This blog post has been a long time coming (the ideas were hatched a year ago, and many are available today as part of Merb). What I'd like to do here is take the good ideas that exist in Merb, rip, and the Python community and make them native to Rubygems, addressing the problems I outlined above that are inherent to the transition. It's perfectly fine for rip to simply require well-formed gems, but a solution that gets us from here to there as a community is important.Going to Bluesfest in Byron? The team at iKegger loves music festivals, between us we have been to more than 100 across 15 countries. Below we have complied our top tips to make your next festival the best event of your life.
1. Do eskies the right way!
Get 2 (or more depending on how many people in your group) eskies. In one esky put about 3-5 kg of dry ice (frozen co2, can be bought on this link from Mr Iceman) and your frozen meals (see cryovac section) use the other one for drinks and fresh fruit etc. Here’s the amazing part of this setup… YOU CAN MAKE NORMAL ICE IN THE DRY ICE ESKY ALL WEEKEND. Forget the warm cider everyone else is stuck with after the first day... you can be chillin by the fire with a Scotch on the rocks on Sunday evening. Just bring ice trays and use them as usual, water will freeze quickly in your homemade portable freezer!
2. Beer, glorious beer!
Forget trying to keep all your beer cold for the whole weekend… Wait let me explain! I’m not suggesting drinking warm beer. You |
was Maeve Binchy, lord rest her. And so they expressed their views in the same fashion, but not with the same panache and verve and strength.”
On his own spirituality, the veteran broadcaster said he “is looking for certainty and looking for something to hang on to. And I’ve been brainwashed with all the other lovely Catholic people in Ireland, with the Christian Brothers. You don’t come through 10 years of the Christian Brothers … without that making an impression on you.
“It requires a very, very, very strong will to say, I am finished with all that, I am casting it aside and I’ll have nothing further to do with it. I haven’t got to that stage yet,” he said.
The veteran broadcaster strongly criticised the Government and the European Union. “I’m exasperated by the fact that Enda Kenny and Michael Noonan… they’re telling everyone that we’re grand in Ireland, we’re grand! We’re paying off our debts and we’re grand, wonderful Irish people,” he said.
“They should be in Brussels beating down doors to try to alleviate their situation. My reaction the other day was, are these people living in Ireland, are they living in the same country I’m living in?”
Byrne, who began his 37-year run on the Late Late Show in 1962, expressed regret that he didn’t have more fun as a young man.
“We didn’t marry until we were in our 30s, and before I met Kathleen, I missed out on… as Larkin said about sex and the Beatles, which was far too late for me.”
“People of my generation would probably have that kind of regret, that we didn’t sow our wild oats, to put it genteelly. More sex, basically, and a bit more wild living.”Sixers special advisor Jerry Colangelo spoke on the SiriusXM Radio show last night. He began with news about Joel Embiid’s lingering health issues. He said:
And fortunately the news about his recent surgery on his knee, it was much more minor than it could’ve been. And so, you know, the anticipation is that he will go through the normal healing process and we’re hopeful that he will be at full bore going into next year’s training camp.
The elder Colangelo also said that when healthy, Embiid is a “very, very special package” as a player.
On the topic of forward Dario Saric, Colangelo had nothing but praise for the rookie:
But Saric, I saw before he was signed by Philly and I saw him in Rio more importantly during the Olympics. And I saw him as a contributor, a potential rotation guy but the year he’s had he’s much better than that. Not blessed with great athletic ability but he’s smart, he’s tough, he’s hungry, he plays below the rim, but he knows how to play the game. And he’s much better than anticipated in my mind and with a healthy Simmons next year, a high pick, and maybe, who knows, a free agent, that is yet to be determined, I think Philly can make a big jump next year.
When asked about which of the Sixers’ two rookie success stories was more deserving of the Rookie of the Year award, Colangelo hedged his bets a bit, saying that Embiid and Saric should be “co-Rookies of the Year,” a feat that has occurred four times in league history, most recently in 2000 with the Clippers’ Elton Brand and the Rockets’ Steve Francis.
A brief audio clip of Colangelo’s radio appearance is available on SoundCloud here.Image copyright AP Image caption Alois Brunner is accused of sending thousands of Jews to their deaths in concentration camps
The chief investigator pursuing Alois Brunner, one of the world's most wanted German Nazi war criminals, has told the BBC that he is "99% sure" that he died four years ago in Syria.
"We cannot prove it forensically, but we are certain that is the case," Nazi-hunter Efraim Zuroff said.
SS captain Brunner, who would now be 102, is accused of deporting more than 128,000 Jews to death camps in WWII.
For many years there has been uncertainty as to whether he is dead.
Image copyright AP Image caption Brunner (pictured) was right-hand man to the Gestapo's 'technician of death' Adolf Eichmann
Dr Zuroff - director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Jerusalem - told the BBC that new information had recently come to light about Brunner's death and burial in Damascus from a "reliable" former German secret service agent who had served in the Middle East.
He said that the new evidence revealed that Brunner was buried in an unknown location in Damascus around 2010 and was unrepentant of his crimes.
In April Brunner was removed from the Simon Wiesenthal Center's most wanted list, in a move signifying that it considered him to be dead. Dr Zuroff - who is also a Holocaust historian - said that the latest information provided more concrete evidence to support that conclusion.
"[Brunner] played a key role in the implementation of Hitler's 'Final Solution' to murder Jews," Dr Zuroff said, "and was a monster."
He said that Brunner sent 47,000 Jews in Austria, 44,000 in Greece, 23,500 in France and 14,000 in Slovakia to camps where most were murdered.
Torture tactics
In the 1950s Brunner is believed to have fled to Syria. He reportedly later served as an adviser to President Hafez al-Assad and is thought to have instructed his government on torture tactics.
Alois Brunner
The Austrian-born SS chief was once described by Adolf Eichmann - the architect of the 'Final Solution' - as one of his best men
Eichmann dispatched Brunner wherever he felt round-ups of Jews were proceeding too slowly
From June 1943 until the liberation of France, he sent thousands of Jews to their almost certain deaths
He waged a reign of terror on the French Riviera, hunting down Jews who had sought refuge in the relative safety of the Italian occupied zone
It is widely believed that he fled to Syria in the 1950s - living under the false name of Georg Fischer - and that successive regimes offered him protection
Syria has repeatedly denied harbouring him
In 2001 he was sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment by a court in France.
Brunner was in charge of the Drancy internment camp outside Paris where Jews rounded up in France were held before being sent to the death camps. An estimated 345 children were among his victims.
Dr Zuroff said that Brunner survived at least two Israeli intelligence assassination attempts while in Syria in 1961 and 1980.
He said that the Syrian civil war made it impossible to know the precise location of Brunner's grave.Fraudster Bernard Madoff 'to serve 150 years'
Sentence: Bernard Madoff is awaiting his judgment for massive fraud
Prosecutors have demanded fraudster Bernard Madoff should receive a 150-year jail sentence.
The crooked financier is due to be sentenced tomorrow for swindling investors out of billions of dollars.
A statement issued by the US Attorney’s office said the 150-year sentence was ‘reasonable’.
But Mr Madoff’s defence lawyer wants him to serve just 12 years.
The 71-year-old American admitted masterminding a massive ‘Ponzi’ pyramid scheme that duped thousands of investors.
Madoff, who previously enjoyed a respected, high-profile Wall Street career, pleaded guilty in a New York court in March to 11 charges of fraud, perjury and false reporting.
Most of the missing money has not been located although prosecutors have set about seizing assets such as property and boats. On Friday night a judge ordered that Madoff must forfeit £102billion.One of Donald Trump Donald John TrumpREAD: Cohen testimony alleges Trump knew Stone talked with WikiLeaks about DNC emails Trump urges North Korea to denuclearize ahead of summit Venezuela's Maduro says he fears 'bad' people around Trump MORE's former advisers, Roger Stone, said in a radio interview on Tuesday that the Republican presidential nominee has run a historically poor campaign in the state of Nevada.
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"Nevada, I think, is problematic," Stone told the Boston Herald radio morning program "Boston Herald Drive." "Frankly, Trump has run one of the worst campaigns in modern political history in the state.”
Trump needs to win other states such as Ohio, North Carolina and Florida in order to get within striking distance of 270 electoral votes. Trump is narrowly leading in the Silver State, 46.2 percent to 43.3 percent, over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonREAD: Cohen testimony alleges Trump knew Stone talked with WikiLeaks about DNC emails County GOP in Minnesota shares image comparing Sanders to Hitler Holder: 'Time to make the Electoral College a vestige of the past' MORE, according to the RealClearPolitics average of state polling.
President Obama won Nevada's six electoral votes in 2008 and 2012.
"The crew there is really left over from the primary, these old Americans for Prosperity folks," Stone explained on Tuesday in an attempt to underscore Trump's organization on the ground the Nevada. "Nice people just don't argue about politics and actually get elected.
"So I'm disappointed with the campaign there. On the other hand, if we have a tide, even Nevada could sweep for Trump."
Stone was an adviser to the Trump campaign until August 2015 but remains a longtime confidant of Trump.SEOUL (Reuters) - A Chinese fisherman was killed on Friday in a South Korean coastguard operation to apprehend his vessel which was operating illegally off South Korea’s west coast, the South Korean coastguard said, drawing an angry response from China.
Coastguard officers fired eight bullets when they raided the boat in the Yellow Sea. While the coastguard said no bullet wound or bleeding was found on the crew member, a hospital official said he appeared to have been killed by a bullet to his right lung.
The coastguard said an autopsy would determine the cause of death.
The killing will irritate relations between the two countries but is unlikely to derail efforts to forge a stronger economic partnership. China is South Korea’s biggest trading partner.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said the government was “shocked” and “extremely dissatisfied” at what had happened and had lodged a formal protest.
“We demand that South Korea immediately carry out an earnest and thorough investigation and severely punish the person responsible, and report to China in a timely manner the result of the probe,” Hong told a daily news briefing.
South Korea’s foreign ministry notified China and offered condolences to the fisherman’s family, a ministry official said.
South Korea’s coastguard regularly chases Chinese fishing boats out of its western seas and violence does sometimes occur.
“It appears that the today’s situation was more serious than usual,” one coastguard official told Reuters by telephone.
A South Korean coastguard officer was stabbed to death by a Chinese fisherman in 2011 and the following year a Chinese fisherman died from injuries in a confrontation with the coastguard. That led to a Chinese government complaint.Feb 7 (Reuters) - A senior U.S. State Department officer and the ambassador to Ukraine apparently used unencrypted cellphones for a call about political developments in Ukraine that was leaked and touched off an international furor, U.S. officials said in Washington on Friday.
In the call, Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland used an expletive in apparently disparaging the idea of relying on help from the European Union in negotiating a political solution in Ukraine.
The U.S. officials said the conversation between Nuland and ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt was likely intercepted at the Ukraine end and that they believe both Ambassador Pyatt and Nuland were speaking on cellphones.
An official familiar with the matter said State Department employees, including officials at a senior level, are not issued cellphones that use encryption.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki confirmed this at a regular briefing. “All Department of State government-owned BlackBerry devices have data encryption. However, they don’t have voice encryption,” she said.
The U.S. officials said Pyatt was in Ukraine at the time of the call, although it was not clear where Nuland was.
They did not give the date of the call, although they said it was recent. The issues that Nuland and Pyatt discussed occurred in the last few days of January.
The audio clip was first posted on Twitter by Dmitry Loskutov, an aide to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, a diplomatic source said. A second intercepted audio conversation, between senior European Union diplomats, was posted on YouTube around the same time.
The Obama Administration has not formally acknowledged the authenticity of the audio clip or accused any specific party of recording it.
“IMPRESSIVE TRADECRAFT”
Nuland, who met President Viktor Yanukovich in Kiev on Thursday, described the bugging and leaks as “pretty impressive tradecraft” but said it would not hurt her ties with the Ukrainian opposition.
In the call, apparently made at a time when opposition leaders were considering an offer from President Viktor Yanukovich to join his cabinet, she suggested that one of three leading figures might accept a post but two others should stay out. In the end, all three rejected the offer.
The leak coincided with accusations from Moscow of U.S. interference in Ukraine. Washington and European countries back those opposing Yanukovich, a close Kremlin ally.
On Friday one senior U.S. official in Washington said: “The quality of the recording would certainly indicate that this was not the work of simple hackers, but rather an intelligence service with an interest in distracting from the efforts of the people of Ukraine to recover their own government.”
The posting of the conversation surfaced as the U.S. faces international uproar over its own electronic eavesdropping disclosed by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden last year.
One document leaked by Snowden appeared to indicate that the U.S. had tapped the cellphone of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, prompting President Barack Obama to announce that spying on foreign leaders was being curtailed.
Mark Weatherford, a former deputy under secretary for cybersecurity with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said that some senior government officials were issued mobile handsets that are capable of encrypting conversations but typically do not use them.
“It is expensive. They are different phones. They are cumbersome,” said Weatherford, now a principal with the Chertoff Group, a Washington-based consulting firm led by former senior U.S. security and intelligence officials.
He said that the conversation that was intercepted would have remained private had the two officials used encrypted devices.
Chris Morales, research director with the cybersecurity firm NSS Labs, said hacking into an unencrypted mobile phone line does not require a lot of training and can typically be done using equipment and software that is widely available. (Additional reporting by Arshad Mohammed and Jim Finkle; editing by David Storey and David Gregorio)Not sure what went down in the shipping process — but I sure was surprised to find this package waiting for me in my mailbox this week! Sorry for the delay, Santa — it definitely wasn't your fault, so hopefully this post makes up for it.
My husband and I are fans of all thing spicy, so this haul of spices and spicy sauces unique to Buffalo, NY made us EXTREMELY excited. We cannot wait to use these — and being native Californians, we haven't heard of any except for Frank's Red Hot! (Santa, you might like to know it's one of our favorite pizza condiments.)
We live in Japan, so the types of spicy condiments here are a bit different than the spicy condiments you'd find in the States. Aside from Tabasco, it's difficult to find traditional hot sauces and things like mustard are slightly different. This is going to take our condiment game to a whole new level!
My husband loves hot dogs (lol) so he's stoked to try the Hot Dog Sauce especially. We've never been to Buffalo, but we hope this spice-stravaganza makes us feel like we've got a taste of NY here in Tokyo. Thank you Santa for such a unique and thoughtful gift! It totally gets the "perfect haul" approval from both of us!Image caption The protesters' placards carried demands about a range of causes
At least 80 people have been arrested during an anti-Wall Street march in New York's financial district.
Several hundred people took part in Saturday's march, which was intended to draw attention to "corporate greed and corrupt politics" in the US.
Participants carried banners supporting a range of other issues, including healthcare reform, an end to US wars and the scrapping of the death penalty.
The march came after a week of protests by the Occupy Wall Street campaign.
The loosely organised group says it is defending 99% of the US population against the wealthiest 1%, and had called for 20,000 people to "flood into lower Manhattan" on 17 September and remain there for "a few months".
Protesters, who are mostly young, initially numbered some 1,500 but their numbers had fallen to about 200 by Saturday's march.
There was a heavy security presence in the district, with police deploying nets to block off major roads including Fifth Avenue and to protect the New York Stock Exchange.
Corporate 'enemy'
One protester, 21-year-old Ryan Reed, said he joined in "because what I see - and what I feel most people in this country see - is an economy and a system that's collapsing".
Image caption Police said most of the arrests were for disorderly conduct
"The enemy is the big business leaders of Wall Street, the big oil company leaders, the coal company leaders, the big military industrial leaders."
A number of placards also called for "justice for Troy Davies", the US man executed in Georgia last week amid widespread criticism.
Police said most of Saturday's arrests were for disorderly conduct and blocking traffic, but one person was charged with assaulting a police officer. One officer also suffered a shoulder injury, said police.
They have not commented on protest organisers' comments that there had been an "unprecedented level of police aggression" on display.
A statement on the Occupy Wall Street website said the protesters have "an interest in returning the US back into the hands of its individual citizens".
"Our nation, our species and our world are in crisis. The US has an important role to play in the solution, but we can no longer afford to let corporate greed and corrupt politics set the policies if our nation."
Inspired by urban occupations in cities including Madrid, Cairo and Tunisia, they have said they will camp out in Zuccotti Park, a private park near the financial district, until their demands are met.Pachelbel's music enjoyed enormous popularity during his lifetime; he had many pupils and his music became a model for the composers of south and central Germany. Today, Pachelbel is best known for the Canon in D, as well as the Chaconne in F minor, the Toccata in E minor for organ, and the Hexachordum Apollinis, a set of keyboard variations. [6]
Johann Pachelbel [1] (baptised 1 September 1653 [2] [3] – buried 9 March 1706) [4] was a German composer, organist, and teacher who brought the south German organ schools to their peak. He composed a large body of sacred and secular music, and his contributions to the development of the chorale prelude and fugue have earned him a place among the most important composers of the middle Baroque era. [5]
Johann Pachelbel died at the age of 52, in early March 1706, and was buried on 9 March; Mattheson cites either 3 March or 7 March 1706 as the death date, yet it is unlikely that the corpse was allowed to linger unburied as long as six days. Contemporary custom was to bury the dead on the third or fourth post-mortem day; so, either 6 or 7 March 1706 is a likelier death date. [24] He is buried in the St. Rochus Cemetery.
Pachelbel lived the rest of his life in Nuremberg, during which he published the chamber music collection Musicalische Ergötzung, and, most importantly, the Hexachordum Apollinis (Nuremberg, 1699), a set of six keyboard arias with variations. Though most influenced by Italian and southern German composers, he knew the northern German school, because he dedicated the Hexachordum Apollinis to Dieterich Buxtehude. Also composed in the final years were Italian-influenced concertato Vespers and a set of more than ninety Magnificat fugues.
In his three years in Gotha, he was twice offered positions, in Stuttgart and at Oxford University; he declined both. Meanwhile, in Nuremberg, when the St. Sebaldus Church organist Georg Caspar Wecker (and his possible former teacher) died on 20 April 1695, the city authorities were so anxious to appoint Pachelbel (then a famous Nuremberger) to the position that they officially invited him to assume it without holding the usual job examination or inviting applications from prominent organists from lesser churches. He accepted, was released from Gotha in 1695, and arrived in Nuremberg in summer, with the city council paying his per diem expenses.
When former pupil Johann Christoph Bach married in October 1694, the Bach family celebrated the marriage on 23 October 1694 in Ohrdruf, and invited him and other composers to provide the music; he probably attended—if so, it was the only time J.S. Bach, then nine years old, met Johann Pachelbel. [23]
He was employed in less than a fortnight: from 1 September 1690, he was a musician-organist in the Württemberg court at Stuttgart under the patronage of Duchess Magdalena Sibylla. That job was better, but, unfortunately, he lived there only two years before fleeing the French attacks of the War of the Grand Alliance. His next job was in Gotha as the town organist, a post he occupied for two years, starting on 8 November 1692; there he published his first, and only, liturgical music collection: Acht Chorale zum Praeambulieren in 1693 ( Erster Theil etlicher Choräle ).
Although Pachelbel was an outstandingly successful organist, composer, and teacher at Erfurt, he asked permission to leave, apparently seeking a better appointment, and was formally released on 15 August 1690, bearing a testimonial praising his diligence and fidelity. [22]
Ten months later, Pachelbel married Judith Drommer (Trummert), daughter of a coppersmith, [21] on 24 August 1684. They had five sons and two daughters. Two of the sons, Wilhelm Hieronymus Pachelbel and Charles Theodore Pachelbel, also became organ composers; the latter moved to the American colonies in 1734. Another son, Johann Michael, became an instrument maker in Nuremberg and traveled as far as London and Jamaica. [16] One of the daughters, Amalia Pachelbel, achieved recognition as a painter and engraver.
Pachelbel married twice during his stay in Erfurt. Barbara Gabler, daughter of the Stadt-Major of Erfurt, became his first wife, on 25 October 1681. The marriage took place in the house of the bride's father. Unfortunately, both Barbara and their only son died in October 1683 during a plague. Pachelbel's first published work, a set of chorale variations called Musicalische Sterbens-Gedancken ("Musical Thoughts on Death", Erfurt, 1683), was probably influenced by this event.
Johann Christian Bach (1640–1682), Pachelbel's landlord in Erfurt, died in 1682. In June 1684, Pachelbel purchased the house (called Zur silbernen Tasche, now Junkersand 1) from Johann Christian's widow. [19] In 1686, he was offered a position as organist of the St. Trinitatis church ( Trinitatiskirche ) in Sondershausen. Pachelbel initially accepted the invitation but, as a surviving letter indicates, had to reject the offer after a long series of negotiations: it appears that he was required to consult with Erfurt's elders and church authorities before considering any job offers. [20] It seems that the situation had been resolved quietly and without harm to Pachelbel's reputation; he was offered a raise and stayed in the city for four more years.
In June 1678, Pachelbel was employed as organist of the Predigerkirche in Erfurt, succeeding Johann Effler (c. 1640–1711; Effler later preceded Johann Sebastian Bach in Weimar ). The Bach family was very well known in Erfurt (where virtually all organists would later be called "Bachs"), so Pachelbel's friendship with them continued here. Pachelbel became godfather to Johann Ambrosius' daughter, Johanna Juditha, taught Johann Christoph Bach (1671–1721), Johann Sebastian's eldest brother, and lived in Johann Christian Bach's (1640–1682) house. [17] Pachelbel remained in Erfurt for 12 years and established his reputation as one of the leading German organ composers of the time during his stay. The chorale prelude became one of his most characteristic products of the Erfurt period, since Pachelbel's contract specifically required him to compose the preludes for church services. [18] His duties also included organ maintenance and, more importantly, composing a large-scale work every year to demonstrate his progress as composer and organist, as every work of that kind had to be better than the one composed the year before.
Prentz left for Eichstätt in 1672. This period of Pachelbel's life is the least documented one, [11] so it is unknown whether he stayed in Regensburg until 1673 or left the same year his teacher did; at any rate, by 1673 Pachelbel was living in Vienna, where he became a deputy organist at the famous Saint Stephen Cathedral ( Stephansdom ). At the time, Vienna was the center of the vast Habsburg empire and had much cultural importance; its tastes in music were predominantly Italian. Several renowned cosmopolitan composers worked there, many of them contributing to the exchange of musical traditions in Europe. In particular, Johann Jakob Froberger served as court organist in Vienna until 1657 [12] and was succeeded by Alessandro Poglietti. [13] Georg Muffat lived in the city for some time, and, most importantly, Johann Caspar Kerll moved to Vienna in 1673. [14] While there, he may have known or even taught Pachelbel, whose music shows traces of Kerll's style. Pachelbel spent five years in Vienna, absorbing the music of Catholic composers from southern Germany and Italy. In some respects, Pachelbel is similar to Haydn, who too served as a professional musician of the Stephansdom in his youth and as such was exposed to music of the leading composers of the time.
Pachelbel was also permitted to study music outside the Gymnasium. His teacher was Kaspar ( Caspar ) Prentz, once a student of Johann Caspar Kerll. Since the latter was greatly influenced by Italian composers such as Giacomo Carissimi, it is likely through Prentz that Pachelbel started developing an interest in contemporary Italian music, and Catholic church music in general.
Johann Mattheson, whose Grundlage einer Ehrenpforte (Hamburg, 1740) is one of the most important sources of information about Pachelbel's life, mentions that the young Pachelbel demonstrated exceptional musical and academic abilities. He received his primary education in St. Lorenz Hauptschule and the Auditorio Aegediano in Nuremberg, then on 29 June 1669 he became a student at the University of Altdorf, where he was also appointed organist of St. Lorenz church the same year. Financial difficulties forced Pachelbel to leave the university after less than a year. In order to complete his studies he became a scholarship student, in 1670, at the Gymnasium Poeticum at Regensburg. The school authorities were so impressed by Pachelbel's academic qualifications that he was admitted above the school's normal quota.
During his early youth, Pachelbel received musical training from Heinrich Schwemmer, a musician and music teacher who later became the cantor of St. Sebaldus Church ( Sebalduskirche ). Some sources indicate that Pachelbel also studied with Georg Caspar Wecker, organist of the same church and an important composer of the Nuremberg school, but this is now considered unlikely. [10] In any case, both Wecker and Schwemmer were trained by Johann Erasmus Kindermann, one of the founders of the Nuremberg musical tradition, who had been at one time a pupil of Johann Staden.
Johann Pachelbel was born in 1653 in Nuremberg into a middle-class family, son of Johann (Hans) Pachelbel (born 1613 in Wunsiedel, Germany), a wine dealer, [7] and his second wife Anna (Anne) Maria Mair. The exact date of Johann's birth is unknown, but since he was baptized on 1 September he may have been born in late August. [8] Among his many siblings was an older brother, Johann Matthäus (1644–1710) who served as Kantor in Feuchtwangen, near Nuremberg. [9]
Pachelbel's Canon, a piece of chamber music scored for three violins and basso continuo and originally paired with a gigue in the same key, experienced a surge in popularity during the 1970s. This is due to a recording by Jean-François Paillard in 1968, [26] which made it a universally recognized cultural item. Its visibility was increased by its choice as the theme music for the film Ordinary People in 1980. [26] One of the most recognized and famous Baroque compositions, it become popular for use in weddings, rivaling Wagner's Bridal Chorus. [27] Despite its centuries-old heritage, the Canon's chord progression has been used widely in pop music in the 20th and 21st centuries. [ citation needed ] It has been called "almost the godfather of pop music". [28]
As the Baroque style went out of fashion during the 18th century, the majority of Baroque and pre-Baroque composers were virtually forgotten. Local organists in Nuremberg and Erfurt knew Pachelbel's music and occasionally performed it, but the public and the majority of composers and performers did not pay much attention to Pachelbel and his contemporaries. In the first half of the 19th century, some organ works by Pachelbel were published and several musicologists started considering him an important composer, particularly Philipp Spitta, who was one of the first researchers to trace Pachelbel's role in the development of Baroque keyboard music. Much of Pachelbel's work was published in the early 20th century in the Denkmäler der Tonkunst in Österreich series, but it was not until the rise of interest in early Baroque music in the middle of the 20th century and the advent of historically-informed performance practice and associated research that Pachelbel's works began to be studied extensively and again performed more frequently.
Pachelbel was the last great composer of the Nuremberg tradition and the last important southern German composer. Pachelbel's influence was mostly limited to his pupils, most notably Johann Christoph Bach, Johann Heinrich Buttstett, Andreas Nicolaus Vetter, and two of Pachelbel's sons, Wilhelm Hieronymus and Charles Theodore. The latter became one of the first European composers to take up residence in the American colonies and so Pachelbel influenced, although indirectly and only to a certain degree, the American church music of the era. Composer, musicologist and writer Johann Gottfried Walther is probably the most famous of the composers influenced by Pachelbel – he is, in fact, referred to as the "second Pachelbel" in Mattheson's Grundlage einer Ehrenpforte. [25]
Apart from harpsichord suites, this section concentrates only on the works whose ascription is not questioned. For a complete list of works which includes pieces with questionable authorship and lost compositions, see List of compositions by Johann Pachelbel.
During his lifetime, Pachelbel was best known as an organ composer. He wrote more than two hundred pieces for the instrument, both liturgical and secular, and explored most of the genres that existed at the time. Pachelbel was also a prolific vocal music composer: around a hundred of such works survive, including some 40 large-scale works. Only a few chamber music pieces by Pachelbel exist, although he might have composed many more, particularly while serving as court musician in Eisenach and Stuttgart.
Several principal sources exist for Pachelbel's music, although none of them as important as, for example, the Oldham manuscript is for Louis Couperin. Among the more significant materials are several manuscripts that were lost before and during World War II but partially available as microfilms of the Winterthur collection, a two-volume manuscript currently in possession of the Oxford Bodleian library which is a major source for Pachelbel's late work, and the first part of the Tabulaturbuch (1692, currently at the Biblioteka Jagiellońska in Kraków) compiled by Pachelbel's pupil Johann Valentin Eckelt [ca], which includes the only known Pachelbel autographs). The Neumeister Collection and the so-called Weimar tablature of 1704 provide valuable information about Pachelbel's school, although they do not contain any pieces that can be confidently ascribed to him.
Currently there is no standard numbering system for Pachelbel's works. Several catalogues are used, by Antoine Bouchard (POP numbers, organ works only), Jean M. Perreault (P numbers, currently the most complete catalogue; organized alphabetically), Hideo Tsukamoto (T numbers, L for lost works; organized thematically) and Kathryn Jane Welter (PC numbers).
Keyboard music Edit
Much of Pachelbel's liturgical organ music, particularly the chorale preludes, is relatively simple and written for manuals only: no pedal is required. This is partly due to Lutheran religious practice where congregants sang the chorales. Household instruments like virginals or clavichords accompanied the singing, so Pachelbel and many of his contemporaries made music playable using these instruments. The quality of the organs Pachelbel used also played a role: south German instruments were not, as a rule, as complex and as versatile as the north German ones, and Pachelbel's organs must have only had around 15 to 25 stops on two manuals (compare to Buxtehude's Marienkirche instrument with 52 stops, 15 of them in the pedal). Finally, neither the Nuremberg nor the southern German organ tradition endorsed extensive use of pedals seen in the works by composers of the northern German school.
Only two volumes of Pachelbel's organ music were published and distributed during his lifetime: Musikalische Sterbens-Gedancken (Musical Thoughts on Death; Erfurt, 1683) – a set of chorale variations in memory of his deceased wife and child, and Acht Choräle (Nuremberg, 1693).[29] Pachelbel employed white mensural notation when writing out numerous compositions (several chorales, all ricercars, some fantasias); a notational system that uses hollow note heads and omits bar lines (measure delimiters).[30] The system had been widely used since the 15th century but was gradually being replaced in this period by modern notation (sometimes called black notation).[30]
Chorale preludes Edit
Chorale preludes constitute almost half of Pachelbel's surviving organ works, in part because of his Erfurt job duties which required him to compose chorale preludes on a regular basis. The models Pachelbel used most frequently are the three-part cantus firmus setting, the chorale fugue and, most importantly, a model he invented which combined the two types. This latter type begins with a brief chorale fugue that is followed by a three- or four-part cantus firmus setting. Chorale phrases are treated one at a time, in the order in which they occur; frequently, the accompanying voices anticipate the next phrase by using bits of the melody in imitative counterpoint. An example from Wenn mein Stündlein vorhanden ist:
Example from "Wenn mein Stündlein vorhanden ist" of Pachelbel's chorales, bars 35–54. The chorale in the soprano is highlighted.
The piece begins with a chorale fugue (not shown here) that turns into a four-part chorale setting which starts at bar 35. The slow-moving chorale (the cantus firmus, i.e., the original hymn tune) is in the soprano, and is highlighted in blue. The lower voices anticipate the shape of the second phrase of the chorale in an imitative fashion (notice the distinctive pattern of two repeated notes). Pachelbel wrote numerous chorales using this model ("Auf meinen lieben Gott", "Ach wie elend ist unsre Zeit", "Wenn mein Stündlein vorhanden ist", etc.), which soon became a standard form.
A distinctive feature of almost all of Pachelbel's chorale preludes is his treatment of the melody: the cantus firmus features virtually no figuration or ornamentation of any kind, always presented in the plainest possible way in one of the outer voices. Pachelbel's knowledge of both ancient and contemporary chorale techniques is reflected in Acht Choräle zum Praeambulieren, a collection of eight chorales he published in 1693. It included, among other types, several chorales written using outdated models. Of these, "Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren" is based on the hymn by Johann Gramann, a paraphrase of Psalm 103; it is one of the very few Pachelbel chorales with cantus firmus in the tenor. "Wir glauben all an einen Gott" is a three-part setting with melodic ornamentation of the chorale melody, which Pachelbel employed very rarely. Finally, "Jesus Christus, unser Heiland der von uns" is a typical bicinium chorale with one of the hands playing the unadorned chor |
as “buffers” to keep partisan interference at a distance. In both Sweden and Britain, public media are essentially owned by non-governmental trusts. Just as important is how the members of these trusts or administrative boards are selected. In many countries, the terms of members are staggered to help assure diversity of viewpoints. And the power to appoint is spread out among many parties and branches of government.
Public media should be strengthened
Congress should draw on these successful examples to strengthen both the autonomy and broad public-service missions of NPR and PBS.
Do public media work perfectly? Of course not. They have their blind spots just as do commercial media. What’s clear is that the Internet and commercial media, increasingly oriented toward niche audiences, cannot replace public media in informing the entire citizenry.
National debt ceiling 101: Is a crisis looming?
At a time when many commercial media are cutting back on the kind of journalism that holds public officials accountable, public media in many democracies – such as Denmark, Canada, Germany, and Britain – continue to make substantial investments in investigative reporting. Public media in other democracies also make special efforts to provide programming for low-income and minority publics that is difficult to monetize for commercial media. This type of programming is essential if government of, by, and for the people is to have any real meaning.
Because our system of government works better with a well-funded, autonomous public media, lawmakers should think twice before defunding the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The vitality of our democracy should not be diminished to shave a miniscule amount of money – or to settle political scores.
Rodney Benson is associate professor of media, culture, and communication at New York University and the co-author of “Public Media and Political Independence.”Reporter
If you want to succeed in business, there's one thing, just one thing, you need to do. That isn't making money — how quaint! — but rather adding the word “blockchain” to your company's name.
Don't believe me? Just ask the biotech firm Bioptix, which saw its stock price nearly double after it announced it was changing its name to Riot Blockchain and shifting its focus — or “pivoting,” as CEOs like to say — to cryptocurrencies. Or the Long Island Iced Tea company, whose market value increased 500 percent after it rebranded itself as the Long Blockchain Corp., and said it would move beyond just making soft drinks to start looking for “an investment in opportunities that leverage the benefits of blockchain technology.”
To be honest, though, you don't even have to use the word “blockchain” in your name as long as you say you'll be using it in your business. That was all it took for a failing Chinese juice company to make its stock shoot up 150 percent last week, or for a small financial tech firm to send its shares on almost a straight line up 2,600 percent during that same time.
If this sounds like the most obvious bubble ever, even more so than the tulip, Beanie Babies or dot-com manias, well, that's because it is. And it might already be popping.
Now, for the uninitiated, a blockchain is just a record of every transaction a cryptocurrency like bitcoin has ever been used for. The important thing to understand, though, is that it's also a public record. The way it works is that every time a new bitcoin is “mined" — that is, someone wins it by solving computationally-complex math problems — everyone who's a part of the bitcoin network updates their list of who owns what. This might not sound like that big a deal, but it's potentially revolutionary. It means that, unlike with, say, dollars, you don't need a bank to tell you who has bitcoin to send and who doesn't. Everybody already knows that. It's right there in the blockchain. So there's a chance, then, that we might eventually be able to transfer things online without having to pay anyone to do it.
But it's only that: a chance. Bitcoin isn't actually good at these things right now, and it might never be. The most immediate problem is that bitcoin has artificially given itself a very limited amount of bandwidth to process transactions that, guess what, isn't sufficient to process even its very limited number of transactions. That's created a long line of people waiting for their bitcoin deals to clear — a line that you have to pay an average of $50 to get to the front of today. Now, as easy as that would be to fix technically, it's hard politically. You'd need to get bitcoin's many medium-sized players to go against their own interests by making the coins hold more data and harder for them to “mine.” Although even that might not be enough to keep bitcoin from being useless. Nobody wants to spend a currency they think is going to make them rich. They'd rather use something that isn't acting like their 401(k) for their day-to-day purchases, even if that means still having to pay the 2 percent transaction fees they do when they buy things online. After all, it's not like people really mind those. Credit card companies actually give them something they want for them — the ability to undo transactions if they've been hacked or scammed — that bitcoin doesn't.
Which is to say that bitcoin isn't getting any closer to working as a currency or a payments system. Not that investors seem to care. They've pushed the price up from around $900 last year to as much as $19,500 last week for no apparent reason at all. Which is as good a description as there is for why it then promptly lost half its value and even more promptly bounced back to almost $16,000.
Bitcoin is Schrödinger's bubble: It is simultaneously inflating and deflating, depending on how quickly an observer can click refresh.
The only thing bitcoin is actually good for is getting people excited that it will be good for something. It excels at that. How? Well, it's the best type of technological marvel: one we haven't figured out yet. That lets people project whatever utopian fantasy they want on to it. And from there, it quickly acquires a momentum of its own. Just look at the past couple of months. It's been rising because it's been rising. People, in other words, have been buying it because it's been going up, and not because there's any rational reason to do so. Some, of course, are true believers, but a lot aren't. They see people being rewarded for, let's say, their less than sound decisions — like selling everything they own to buy bitcoin, and then moving to a campground while they wait to become dynastically wealthy — and want to get their share before the whole thing collapses. And so they gobble up anything that sounds remotely related to bitcoin. That's all the research they need to do.
It was the same thing during the tech bubble. And it's as sure a sign as there is that markets have graduated from a little speculative excess to full-on mass delusion. Back then, adding the word “dot-com” to a company's name was enough, researchers found, to send its shares up an average of 74 percent from the five days before the change to the five days after. But perhaps even better for all of our newly christened blockchain businesses is that what worked on the way up did on the way down, too. Getting rid of the “dot-com,” you see, made these one-time tech stocks rebound an average of 64 percent amid all the doom and gloom of people figuring out that having a website wasn't a substitute for having a profitable business.
So don't be surprised if, a few years from now, all of these erstwhile blockchain companies decide that they're really machine learning ones, or whatever other buzzword CEOs are using at the time to finish their sentences that begin with the words “disrupt,” “innovate” and “leverage.”
Jumping on a bubble is the quickest way to become a business genius — at least for a little while.It seems almost silly, but British researchers at the University of Hertfordshire have announced they have designed a room that they say gives its stressed out occupants a feeling of relief - if only for 15 minutes. Billed as the most relaxing room in the world, the main elements in the environment are: the smell of lavender, deep green lighting to simulate deep green nature, and a "sky-like" screen to "turn thought inward." Why not just go outside and get some nature...the real thing?
"The pace of modern-day life, credit crunch, and financial crisis is making many people feel very stressed and so we have created this space to help them relax", noted Professor Richard Wiseman, creator of the room.
The University hopes to take its findings - including the fact that green light helps increase dopamine to the brain - on what works best and relay them to industry and businesses that want to make their environments more pleasing, reduce work-place absenteeism and combat stress. But it seems like a much better idea than green and blue lights might be actual TRUE greening of our home and work spaces - erecting more living green walls and green roofs, letting in enough natural light, reducing toxic materials around us, and cleaning up indoor air. Duh. Via: AlphaGalileo
Read more about green offices
The Green Office: Sustainable Everything for Work
The Office: Flexible, Green Office Space for All
Making Your Office a Greener Place: A PrimerThe big fish keep swimming away.
The latest investigation into the overt politicization of the Department of Justice has meticulously documented how a handful of young political appointees blatantly violated federal laws and Justice Department policies by hiring career employees based on the extent of their devotion to Republican dogma.
But the report doesn't address who is responsible for creating the culture of corruption in which these aides thrived.
Who asked them to behave this way? Or, barring an explicit request, how did they come to conclude that this was what their superiors expected of them? Who twisted the Justice Department, designed to operate with a large degree of independence, into a political adjunct of the White House?
And is it really just a coincidence that Monica Goodling, the central culprit of this latest report, held the title of White House liaison?
A June report by the same two Justice Department offices that produced yesterday's findings concluded that over a five year period, aides stocked a prestigious hiring program with young conservatives, intending to reshape the department's ranks. Two more internal reports are in the works, one about political interference with the Civil Rights Division and the other about the role of politics in the administration's controversial firings of nine U.S. attorneys in 2006.
Whether the eager, young politicos who carried out these policies are held accountable is one question. But who was pulling their strings is another.
It's unlikely that former absentee landlord Alberto Gonzales was a key player here. Not only did some of these practices pre-date him, but his primary task, which he bungled, appears to have been to conceal the fact that he wasn't the one calling the shots.
Indeed, it's hard to reach any conclusion other than that White House political operatives masterminded a plan to defile the Justice Department's mission in the short run and to seed its ranks with people who will be in a position to continue the corruption for a long time to come.
The Coverage
Carrie Johnson writes in The Washington Post: "For nearly two years, a young political aide sought to cultivate a 'farm system' for Republicans at the Justice Department, hiring scores of prosecutors and immigration judges who espoused conservative priorities and Christian lifestyle choices.
"That aide, Monica M. Goodling, exercised what amounted to veto power over a wide range of critical jobs, asking candidates for their views on abortion and same-sex marriage and maneuvering around senior officials who outranked her, including the department's second-in-command.
"An extensive report by the department's Office of the Inspector General and Office of Professional Responsibility concluded yesterday that Goodling and others had broken civil service laws, run afoul of department policy and engaged in'misconduct,' a finding that could expose them to further scrutiny and sanctions....Xvfb or X virtual framebuffer is a display server implementing the X11 display server protocol. In contrast to other display servers, Xvfb performs all graphical operations in virtual memory without showing any screen output. From the point of view of the client, it acts exactly like any other X display server, serving requests and sending events and errors as appropriate. However, no output is shown. This virtual server does not require the computer it is running on to have any kind of graphics adapter, a screen or any input device. Only a network layer is necessary.
An alternative to Xvfb is Xorg with dummy devices. Xvnc can also create a virtual display.
As of 2016, Xvfb was slated to be replaced by xf86-video-dummy in X.org 7.8.[1]
Usage scenarios [ edit ]
Xvfb is primarily used for testing:
Since it shares code with the real X server, it can be used to test the parts of the code that are not related to the specific hardware. It can be used to test clients in various conditions that would otherwise require a range of different hardware; for example, it can be used to test whether clients work correctly at depths or screen sizes that are rarely supported by hardware. Background running of clients. (the xwd program or a similar program for capturing a screenshot can be used to actually see the result) Running programs that require an X server to be active even when they do not use it. (e.g. Clover HTML reports)
Usage examples [ edit ]
Screenshot example [ edit ]
As an example, the following sequence of commands runs a virtual framebuffer X server as display :1, runs a program on it, and captures the virtual screen in the file image.png using the import command of ImageMagick:
Xvfb :1 & xv -display :1 & import -display :1 -window root image.png
The result can be shown by running the ImageMagick display program ( display image.png ) or xv ( xv image.png ). The program xvfb-run is often used to automate the process of finding an available display and managing authentication.
xvfb-run command
Remote control over SSH [ edit ]
Xvfb is also used for remote control. VNC over SSH is slightly[vague] faster than X11 over SSH. In this case, Xvfb is often combined with a lightweight window manager (such as Fluxbox or Openbox) and a VNC server such as X11vnc. A possible sequence of commands to start this on the server is:
export DISPLAY = :1 Xvfb :1 -screen 0 1024x768x16 & fluxbox & x11vnc -display :1 -bg -nopw -listen localhost -xkb
The next step is to fire up a SSH client such as PuTTY with tunneling to localhost port 5900 enabled. A vncviewer can then connect to localhost to get remote control over the server.
ssh -N -T -L 5900 :localhost:5900 user@remotehost & vncviewer -encodings 'copyrect tight zrle hextile' localhost:5900
x11vnc's man page also contains instructions.
Xvnc (not to be confused with x11vnc) is very similar to Xvfb.
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]The oxygen level in J0811+4730, a star-forming dwarf galaxy in the constellation Lynx, some 630 million light-years away, is the lowest yet discovered in any star-forming galaxy, according to an international team of astronomers from the University of Virginia and the Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences.
Astronomers know that the first galaxies during their forming stages were chemically simple — primarily made up of hydrogen and helium, elements made in the Big Bang during the first 3 minutes of the Universe’s existence.
Oxygen came later, as massive stars formed and made heavier and more complex elements by nuclear fusion in their interiors and also in their explosive deaths, ultimately creating a universe of countless oxygen-rich galaxies like our own Milky Way Galaxy.
The earliest oxygen-deficient galaxies are so far away and so faint as to be nearly undetectable, but relatively close-by star-forming dwarf galaxies, with very little oxygen like early galaxies, may be easier to detect and offer the same clues.
Unfortunately, these nearby tiny galaxies with little oxygen, which currently produce many massive blue stars, are very rare.
Discovered by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, the star-forming dwarf galaxy J0811+4730 has 9% less oxygen than any other so far discovered.
“We found that a considerable fraction of the stellar mass of J0811+4730 was formed only a few million years ago, making this one of the best counterparts we’ve found of primordial galaxies,” said University of Virginia Professor Trinh Thuan.
“Because of its extremely low oxygen level, this galaxy serves as an accessible proxy for star-forming galaxies that came together within one to two billion years after the Big Bang, the early period of our nearly 14 billion-year-old Universe.”
J0811+4730 also is of interest because it provides clues to how the early simple Universe became re-ionized by early star formation, moving it from the so-called cosmic Dark Ages of neutral gases to the development of the complexly structured Universe now in existence, where the gas between galaxies is ionized.
“The SDSS data indicate that J0811+4730 is rapidly producing new stars at a quarter of the rate of the Milky Way — yet its mass in stars is 30,000 times smaller,” Professor Thuan said.
“80% of its stellar mass has formed in just the past few million years, marking this as an exceptionally young galaxy, producing copious amounts of ionizing radiation.”
The findings will be published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (arXiv.org preprint).
_____
Y.I. Izotov et al. 2017. J0811+4730: the most metal-poor star-forming dwarf galaxy known. MNRAS, in press; arXiv: 1709.00202SAN ANTONIO -- The Sixers will get more leaders back on the court once their injured players are cleared. The statuses of Joel Embiid and Robert Covington are uncertain for Saturday’s game against the Heat in Miami.
Embiid was not with the team in Dallas or San Antonio. Whether or not he joins the Sixers for the remaining two games of the road trip has yet to be finalized.
“It’s still up in the air,” Brett Brown said after the Sixers’ 102-86 loss to the Spurs. “I think it’s going to be a challenge. I feel like we will know categorically more in the next few days. But in my mind, I’m really trying to take the team that’s in that locker room and move them along and treat Joel that he will be just a really great addition if we do see him in Miami. But it’s not something I’m completely planning on at all.”
Embiid, who was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for a third straight time on Thursday and named a participant in the Taco Bell Skills Challenge for All-Star weekend, has missed six of the Sixers’ last seven games.
Covington said the swelling in his hand has gone down. He attempted to shoot on Thursday and felt pain in the joints. Covington said once that discomfort is gone, he will have a better sense of when he can play.
Covington injured the hand during the Sixers’ home win over the Kings on Monday. He stayed in the game and recorded a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds to go along with four steals.Who killed Laura Palmer? Was it James Hurley? Bobby Briggs? Leland Palmer? Or was it the demonic entity, Bob? The question has occupied fans of the dark and quirky drama series since it went off the air in 1991. Perhaps we’ll finally learn who killed Laura Palmer when the series returns in 2016.
One fan nagged by the identity of Laura Palmer’s killer was none other than Mikhail Gorbachev, the last president of the Soviet Union. Twin Peaks aired in Russia in 1993. According to a new oral history of the series, Brad Dukes’ Reflections: An Oral History of Twin Peaks, Gorbachev pressed President George H. W. Bush to ask the series’ creators about Laura’s killer. This is what Jules Haimovitz, then President and Chief Operating Officer of Spelling Entertainment Inc, recalled:
“Twin Peaks aired in Russia and Mikhail Gorbachev was a big fan of the show...One day Aaron [Spelling] gets a call from Carl Lindner who wants to know who killed Laura Palmer. Aaron was not that involved with the show on a day-to-day basis, so he calls me up and he said, “Who killed Laura Palmer?” I said, “No clue.” He said, “It’s really important.” I called David [Lynch] and he says, “I can’t tell you.” I don’t want to press David, so I call Aaron back to say, “David won’t tell me, who wants to know?” and he says “President Bush.” What happened was Gorbachev called Bush, who called Carl, who called Aaron, who called me. So I called David back and I said, “This isn’t going to go anywhere, it’ll be a secret. You have to tell me who Laura’s killer is.” That’s when I realized David had no idea who killed Laura Palmer.”
Gorbachev made HW Bush try and get Lynch to admit who killed Laura Palmer pic.twitter.com/Bb1E1yNEGu — Ryan Hamilton Walsh (@JahHills) November 16, 2014
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsJohn Prescott's son David has returned to work in Jeremy Corbyn's office a fortnight after being suspended over sexual harassment allegations.
David Prescott, a communication's manager for the Labour leader, was not the subject of a formal complaint to party HQ.
Because no complaint was made, his membership was not suspended at any point, MailOnline understands.
Details of the accusation against Mr Prescott have not been disclosed.
John Prescott's son David (pictured campaigning in 2015) has returned to work in Jeremy Corbyn's office a fortnight after being suspended over sexual harassment allegations
Mr Prescott (pictured with his father and former Deputy PM) is a communication's manager for the Labour leader. He was not the subject of a formal complaint to party HQ.
When the claims first emerged on November 8, a Labour Party spokesman refused to confirm the suspension saying they do not comment on staffing matters.
Speaking more generally, he added: 'The party takes all complaints of sexual harassment, abuse and discrimination extremely seriously.
'We ask that anyone with a complaint comes forward so that allegations can be properly investigated.
'When evidence of misconduct comes to light, all appropriate disciplinary action is taken in line with the party's rule book and procedures.'
The revelation comes just days after John Prescott wrote an article for a national newspaper entitled 'How I'd sort out the MPs sex pest scandal'.
An email to staff from Richard Simcox, a spokesman for Mr Corbyn, said: 'With apols for the short notice, as David's not in today, the weekly comms meeting is cancelled.
'Can you message/email me separately if there are any issues you want/need to flag, or if there's anything you need from us. Cheers.'
Mr Prescott works in Jeremy Corbyn's office and was suspended on November 8. He has since returned to work
Mr Prescott used to work directly for Mr Corbyn as a speechwriter before being given the communications manager role.
It involves giving all the members of the Labour leader's frontbench team media and strategy advice, and speech writing.
Parliament has been rocked by a string of sex abuse and harassment claims over the past month.
Earlier this month, Welsh Labour politician Carl Sargeant, 48, was found dead in an apparent suicide after he was sacked by the Welsh government and suspended by his party over'shocking' claims of sexual misconduct made by three women.
In the Tory Party, Sir Michael Fallon sensationally quit as Defence Secretary following allegations of sexual misconduct.
Other ministers Damian Green and Mark Garnier are under investigation following claims about their behaviour.
Mr Prescott has repeatedly tried to follow in his father's footsteps and get a seat in the House of Commons.Sony has finally managed to come clean about updating its Xperia range of smartphones to Android 4.3, which was announced months earlier but did never really show up. Today Sony has announced that it will provide Android 4.3 updates starting next month and the devices that shall receive it are listed below.
Xperia Z1
Xperia Z Ultra
Xperia Z
Xperia ZL
Xperia ZR
Xperia SP
Xperia Tablet Z
This was the list of smartphones that are going to receive an update to Android 4.3 starting next month and there are also a few more Xperia devices ( The Xperia T, Xperia TX and Xperia V ) that Sony plans to update to Android 4.3 but that shall happen after a while (Maybe in Jan~February 2014).
However the more sweeter part of Sony’s announcement is that Android 4.4 Kitkat will be coming to the Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia Tablet Z, Xperia Z Ultra and Xperia Z1. The time span is still “In future” but an official announcement is always welcome, additionally it puts Sony in line with Motorola and HTC, as they have already announced the Android 4.4 KitKat update for their devices (HTC promised to deliver it in 90 Days for the HTC One). Google has mentioned that Android 4.4 Kitkat is a well optimized OS and it can also work smoothly on devices with 512MB RAM hence considering a “later update” for mid-ranger devices like the Xperia M, Xperia L and Xperia C might not be wrong.
Sony Mobile Blog
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Tea party activists, gun-rights fanatics, and others on the right have recently stepped up their calls for President Obama to fire Attorney General Eric Holder over his handling of the Operation Fast and Furious gun scandal. They’ve persuaded 52 members of Congress, a couple of senators, and many GOP presidential candidates to call for his ouster. Mitt Romney joined the chorus over the weekend, telling reporters in New Hampshire, “Either Mr. Holder himself should resign or the president should ask for his resignation or remove him…It’s unacceptable for him to continue in that position, given the fact that he has misled Congress and entirely botched the investigation of the Fast and Furious program.”
Romney’s comments came just a few days before Holder is expected to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday, where Republicans are promising a full grilling over his handling of the botched anti-gun smuggling program.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) cooked up Operation Fast and Furious in an effort to capture high-level Mexican gun runners who were buying guns in the United States with the help of straw buyers. ATF officials watched as individuals connected to drug cartels illegally bought copious amounts of high-powered weapons in Arizona gun shops that were cooperating with the government. Then, using a technique dubbed “gun walking,” they planned to track the guns up the food chain to ensnare the big-time crime bosses.
From the outset, the program was controversial within the ATF, where agents were unaccustomed to letting criminals walk away with lethal weapons. Then, hundreds of those guns went missing, and some later turned up at grisly crime scenes in Mexico, where they’d been used by members of the Sinaloa drug cartel. The guns have been linked to about 300 deaths in Mexico. When a border agent named Brian Terry was killed in Arizona last December, guns traced to Fast and Furious were discovered at the scene.
In late January 2011, the US Attorney’s office in Arizona unsealed a host of indictments against alleged gun runners caught in the operation, including Jaime Avila, who allegedly bought the weapons found at the scene of Brian Terry’s murder. That’s when mentions of the Fast and Furious operation first surfaced, and it wasn’t long before Terry became the poster child for all that Republicans and tea partiers see wrong with the Obama administration.
In March, the GOP’s designated Obama watchdog, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, launched an investigation into the scandal. With the help of ATF whistleblowers, he has relentlessly attacked the administration and Holder over the bungled gun op.
In May, Holder told the House Judiciary Committee that he didn’t know about the ATF plan to let the guns “walk” into Mexico until shortly after Terry was killed. But Republicans claim that documents unearthed by Issa’s committee indicate that Holder knew about the operation much earlier and allege he lied to Congress in his May testimony. Holder has said that the documents, which are essentially weekly briefings that include short summaries of matters of interest from various agencies, don’t show that he was fully briefed about what the ATF field agents in Phoenix were up to. His answers have failed to satisfy Republican investigators.
Almost since taking the helm of the Justice Department, Holder has been a target of conservatives. Activists have hammered him regularly over the past three years, over everything from the Department of Justice’s refusal to investigate the community activist group ACORN to his handling of the New Black Panther voting rights noncontroversy to his attempts to try terrorism suspects in US civilian courts.
But the drumbeat for his ouster has increased substantially of late. With the help of the National Rifle Association, Fast and Furious has become one of the right’s latest conspiracy theories. It goes something like this: Fast and Furious was actually a scheme by Holder to promote gun control. The NRA claims that Holder allowed American gun dealers to sell AK-47s and other powerful assault rifles so that they would be used to kill people in the Mexican drug war, thereby creating the political will for more restrictions on gun ownership in the United States.
The NRA did not respond to a request for comment, but Wayne LaPierre, the organization’s CEO, told Newsmax in October that Fast and Furious was designed “so they could stick more gun legislation on honest American gun owners of the United States.”
The NRA has set up a website called FireHolder.com and has run TV ads accusing Holder of committing perjury. Even without the NRA fanning the flames, the rhetoric over Fast and Furious has been heated. In Phoenix, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, who’s considering a run for Congress, went on CNN to suggest that Holder and other federal officials involved in Fast and Furious were accessories to murder. That accusation was echoed by Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), who told the Daily Caller in October, “When you facilitate that, and a murder or a felony occurs, you’re called an accessory.”
Gosar is one of 52 members of Congress who have asked for Holder’s resignation. Last Thursday, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), who has also been investigating the scandal, dressed down Holder and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, saying that their claims of ignorance about the operation are implausible. From the Senate floor, Grassley said, “Two of these guns showed up at the murder scene of Agent Terry. And, if that’s not serious enough to brief up to the top of the department, then I don’t know what is.”
Tea party activists are happy to see the issue gathering official attention. “You don’t have to be a right-wing conspiracy nut to say, what’s going on?” says Trent Humphries, the founder of the Tucson Tea Party.
Glen Davis, a member of Arizona’s Williams Tea Party said in an email: “Although you would probably get a variety of answers from various TEA party members, I feel confident in stating that the attitude of most TEA party members is that he should be removed from office with the additional statement, ‘You have the right to remain silent.'”
Holder hasn’t said much about Fast and Furious, largely because he asked the Justice Department’s inspector general to review program and the inquiry is ongoing. In addition, Brian Terry’s murder is still an active criminal investigation, and all of the files related to the prosecution have been sealed so that not even his family, apparently, knows what’s going on with it.
But after Gosar accused Holder of being an accessory to murder, the attorney general fired off a letter to Issa’s committee (PDF) complaining about his treatment. He wrote in October: “I simply cannot sit idly by as a Majority Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform suggests, as happened this week, that law enforcement and government employees who devote their lives to protecting our citizens be considered ‘accessories to murder.’ Such irresponsible and inflammatory rhetoric must be repudiated in the strongest possible terms…I call on you to denounce these statements.”
Holder dinged the GOP House members for making such a big deal out of Fast and Furious even as they continue to block efforts that would aid federal officials in cracking down on gun smuggling to Mexico, including a rule that would require the reporting of “multiple long gun purchases in a short period of time.” Noting that it was unacceptable for ATF agents to lose track of a single gun during the bureau’s interdiction efforts, he said, “Equally unacceptable, however, is the fact that too many in Congress are opposed to any discussion of fixing loopholes in our laws that facilitate the staggering flow of guns each year across our border to the south…[i]t seems clear that some in Congress are more interested in using this regrettable incident to score political points than in addressing the underlying problem.” Expect the real duel to come on Thursday, when Holder faces off with the GOPers who are gunning for him.At least six mosques and a Muslim organization in Japan have received threats since the hostage crisis that saw two Japanese men killed by the Islamic State militant group.
There are between 70 and 80 mosques in Japan, according to the Tokyo-based Japan Muslim Association. Among 16 mosques that responded to queries, six reported having received abusive telephone calls or emails.
Mosques in Sapporo, Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Ichinomiya, Aichi Prefecture, and Niihama, Ehime Prefecture, reported receiving abuse, as did the Japan Muslim Association.
The association and mosques in Japan have condemned Islamic State as a terrorist group committing acts of brutality that are out of line with the teachings of Islam, and have emphasized that ordinary Muslims should not be equated with the group.
After the release of video footage by the militant group on Feb. 1 showing that freelance journalist Kenji Goto had been decapitated, the mosques received abusive messages such as “Die,” “Religion of murderers” and “I hate even the sight of Muslims,” as well as threats such as “Get out of Japan right now if you don’t want to be killed.”
Some of the mosques, concerned about the safety of children attending prayers, contacted local police and were advised on security measures.
Staff at a mosque in Sendai said that while they were not directly harassed, a Muslim student attending a local graduate school was turned away by an apartment landlord who vowed to refuse to rent to Muslim students. Another landlord offered an apartment to the student in response.
“There is very little contempt for Muslims in Japan. We feel contented living here,” staff at the Sendai mosque said in response to queries.
After a mosque in Nagoya reported receiving abusive calls, it was inundated with messages of support. It also received a bouquet of flowers with a note that said, “Hoping there will be no more prejudice.”A Camp Lejeune Marine has been accused of engaging in sexual behavior with dogs in Jones County, officials said Tuesday.
Updated at 5:47 p.m.
A Camp Lejeune Marine has been accused of engaging in sexual behavior with dogs in Jones County, officials said Tuesday.
Staff Sgt. Marc David Harpel, 30, of Emmett Lane in Maysville, was charged Monday by the Jones County Sheriff�s Office with seven counts each of felony crimes against nature and misdemeanor solicitation for crimes against nature, according to a press release from the Jones County Sheriff�s Office.
On Nov. 15, the Jones County Child Protective Services Deputy received information from a concerned citizen accusing Harpel of engaging in sexual behavior with neighborhood dogs, as well as viewing internet pornography in front of his minor children, according to the release.
The accusations against Harpel were investigated by the sheriff�s office, which said they found enough evidence to support multiple felony charges of crimes against nature. Harpel is accused of sexually assaulting at least two dogs,including one female pit bull,and using the Internet to ask other individuals to join him in committing sexual acts with dogs, Capt. J.T. Eimer of the JCSO said.
The Marine Corps had previously issued a military protective order on Nov. 20, followed by the issuance of an N.C. Domestic Violence Protective Order on Nov. 21, to protect Harpel�s spouse and children after he allegedly made threats against them, according to the release. Marine Corps authorities ordered that the Marine staff sergeant be temporarily confined to the base brig aboard Camp Lejeune as a precautionary measure, according to the release.
Base officials turned Harpel over to the sheriff�s office on Monday and he was placed in the Jones County Jail under a $14,000 secured bond, according to the release.
�The Marine Corps has been cooperating with the authorities as soon as it learned of this incident,� 2nd Marine Division officials said in a statement. �The actions of Staff Sgt. Harpel are contrary to the high standards of personal conduct and performance expected of Marines and will not be tolerated. The overwhelming majority of Marines conduct their duties with honor and compassion that brings credit upon the Marine Corps and the United States.�
Harpel is an infantry unit leader assigned to 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines, 2nd Marine Division. He joined the Marine Corps in July 2001 and was promoted to his current rank in January. He has deployed multiple times, most recently in support of Operation Enduring Freedom from December to May, according to a press release from 2nd Marine Division.
The Jones County Animal Crimes Unit will be pursuing additional animal cruelty charges against Harpel, and as the investigation is ongoing, additional criminal charges may follow, according to the release.
Eimer said the sheriff's office is not expecting to make additional arrests, and Harpel does not appear to own any dogs of his own at this time.
The Jones County Sheriff�s Office is working in conjunction with Camp Lejeune�s Provost Marshal�s Office Criminal Investigation Division, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, as well as other base authorities.
Contact Daily News Military Reporter Amanda Wilcox at 910-219-8453 or amanda.wilcox@jdnews.com. Follow her on Twitter @Awilcox21.
--
Updated at 2:28 p.m.
A Camp Lejeune Marine has been accused of sexual behavior with dogs in Jones County, officials said Tuesday.
Staff Sgt. Marc David Harpel, 30, of Emmett Lane in Maysville, was charged |
life and the mysteries of the heart, the spirit, and the soul, was never asked to speak to the congregation. If she and other "mothers" and "sisters" of the church had been asked to speak, if it had been taken for granted that they had vision and insight to match their labor and their love, would the church be alive today? And what would the women have said? Would they have protested that the Eve of the Bible did not represent them? That they had never been that curious? But of course they had been just as curious. If a tree had appeared in their midst with an attractive fruit on it, and furthermore one that they were informed would make them wise, they would have nibbled it. And what could be so wrong about that? Anyway, God had told Adam about the forbidden fruit; He hadn't said a word directly to Eve. And what kind of God would be so cruel as to curse women and men forever for eating a piece of fruit, no matter how forbidden? Would they have said that Adam was a weak man who evaded personal responsibility for his actions? Would they have pointed out how quickly and obsequiously he turned in his wife to God, as if she had forced him to eat the fruit, rather than simply offered him a bite? Would they have said Adam's behavior reminded them of a man who got a woman pregnant, and then blamed the woman for tempting him to have intercourse, thereby placing all the blame on her. Would they have said that God was unfair? Well, he was white, His son was white, and it truly was a white man's world, as far as they could see. Would they have spoken of the God they had found, not in the Bible, but in life, as they wrestled death while delivering babies, or as they worked almost beyond, and sometimes beyond, capacity in the white man's fields? I remember my mother telling me of a time when she was hugely pregnant and had an enormous field of cotton, 25 or 30 acres, to weed and thin. Her older children were in school, from which she refused to take them; her youngest trailed behind her and fell asleep in the furrows. My father, who was laborer, dairyman and chauffeur, had driven the boss lady to town. As my mother looked out over the immense acreage still to be covered, she felt so ill she could barely lift the hoe. Never had she felt so alone. Coming to the end of a row, she lay down under a tree and asked to die. Instead, she fell into a deep sleep, and when she awakened she was fully restored. In fact, she felt wonderful, as if a healing breeze had touched her soul. She picked up the hoe and continued her work. What God rescued my mother? Was it the God who said women deserve to suffer and were evil anyway, or was it the God of nonjudgmental Nature, calming and soothing her with the green coolness of the tree she slept under and the warm earth she lay upon? I try to imagine my mother and the other women calling on God as they gave birth, and I shudder at the image of Him they must have conjured. He was someone, for all we knew, who actually had said black people were cursed to be drawers of water and hewers of wood. That some people enslaved and abused others was taken for granted by Him. He ordered the killing of women and children, by the hundreds of thousands, if they were not of his chosen tribe. The women would have had to know how little they and their newborns really mattered, because they were female, poor, and black, like the accursed children of Hagar and Ham; and they would have had to promise to be extra good, obedient, trusting, and so forth, to make up for it. Life was so hard for my parents' generation that the subject of heaven was never distant from their thoughts. The preacher would gleefully, or so it seemed to me, run down all the trials and tribulations of an existence that ground us into dust, only to pull heaven out of the biblical hat at the last minute. I The author's parents, Minnie Lou and Willie Lee Walker. was intrigued. Where is heaven? I asked my parents. Who is going to be there? What about accommodations, and food? I was told what they sincerely believed: that heaven was in the sky, in space, as we would later describe it; that only the best people on earth would go there when they died. We'd all have couches to lounge on, great food to eat. Wonderful music, because all the angels played harp. It would be grand. Would there be any white people? Probably. Oh. There was not one white person in the county that any black person felt comfortable with. And though there was a rumor that a good white woman, or man, had been observed sometime, somewhere, no one seemed to know this for a fact. Now that there's been so much space travel and men have been on the moon, I wonder if preachers still preach about going to heaven, and whether it's the same place. The truth was, we already lived in paradise but were worked too hard by the land-grabbers to enjoy it. This is what my mother, and perhaps the other women knew, and this was one reason why they were not permitted to speak. They might have demanded that the men of the church notice Earth. Which always leads to revolution. In fact, everyone has known this for a very long time. For the other, more immediate and basic reason my mother and the other women were not permitted to speak in church was that the Bible forbade it. And it is forbidden in the Bible because, in the Bible, men alone are sanctioned to own property, in this case, Earth itself. And woman herself is property, along with the asses, the oxen, and the sheep. I can imagine some latter day Jezebel in our community (Jezebel apparently practiced a Goddess-centered, pagan religion one of those the God of the Old Testament is always trying to wipe out) having the nerve to speak up about being silenced. And the smugness with which our uninspiring and indifferently trained minister, Reverend Whisby, might have directed her to a passage from the New Testament that is attributed to Saint Paul: "Let women keep silence in the churches." He would run his pudgy finger underneath the sentence, and she would read it and feel thoroughly put down. For God wrote the Bible, she would have been persuaded; and every word, even every word about murdering the suckling babies of your enemies and stealing all their worldly goods, was Truth. I remember going with my mother to get water from the spring. What is a spring? Many will ask, just as I did. It is a place in the earth where water just bubbles up, pure and sweet. You don't ask for it, you don't put it there. It simply appears. There was one down the hill from our house, in a quiet grove of trees. Someone years before had put a piece of a terra-cotta culvert around it, with a notch in the lip for overflow. We'd dip our battered aluminum buckets in the shallow well, always careful to spot where the crawfish might be hiding, and perhaps sit for a minute before trudging back up the hill. How on earth did the crawfish get in there? I'd ask. They are always in healthy springs, was the answer. Yes, but why? I don't know, that's just the way it is. But why is that the way it is? Where did they come from? There were no other crawfish for miles around. I never saw them in the creek, for instance, where my brothers and I waded. This was a mystery that was not explained by my mother's final exasperated "God brought them." I was happier with my father's explanation: "Well you see, these crawfishes used to live over 'round Buckhead, but it just got too goldarn hot on account of all them fires the lumber company makes cleaning up the slag...so they held a crawfish convention, kinda like our revivals, and they resolved to move East. So they traveled and they traveled and one day they came to this place where there was this pretty little girl sitting looking down in the water. And you know crawfish love to be looked at, so..." In fact, neither of my parents knew how the crawfish got into the spring. On the one hand I could strain to imagine a large white man in a white robe unfortunately real-life white men in robes belonged to the Ku Klux Klan lovingly carrying two tiny crawfish down the hill to place them in our spring, or I could fantasize about the stouthearted crawfish pioneers leaving Buckhead with their Sears Roebuck Catalog, crawfish-size, suitcases. Because of the criminal exploitation inherent in the sharecropping system-in which the landowner controlled land, seeds, and tools, as well as records of account, sharecroppers were often worse off than slaves, which was the point. Sharecropping was the former slave owners' revenge against black people for having attained their freedom. It is no wonder that under such complete subjugation and outright terrorism that included rape, beatings, burnings, and being thrown off the land, along with the entrenched Southern custom of lynching, people like my parents sought succor from any God they were forced to have. The idea that as descendants of Africans and Native Americans and Europeans Scottish and Irish on both my mother's and my father's side, they might have had their own ancient Gods, or that as free human beings they might choose a God uniquely perceived by themselves, never entered their minds, except negatively. The "heathen" from whom they were descended knew nothing of salvation, they were warned in church, and any God except the one in the Bible was just another illusion produced by Satan, designed to keep them out of heaven. Satan: always described as evil, in color, black or red. African or Native American? Never admitted to be also a son of God, made also in the image of his creator, just the shadow side of him. And yet everyone in our family and in our church understood instinctively who Satan was. He was the other side of "the son of God" we always saw in the white people around us. Never did we see"Jesus" among those who insisted we worship him. Only Judas, and every day. "Pagan" means "of the land, country dweller, peasant," all of which my family was. It also means a person whose primary spiritual relationship is with Nature and the Earth. And this, I could see, day to day, was true not only of me but of my parents; but there was no way to ritually express the magical intimacy we felt with Creation without being accused of, and ridiculed for, indulging in heathenism, that other word for paganism. And Christianity, we were informed, had fought long and hard to deliver us from that. In fact, millions of people were broken, physically and spiritually, literally destroyed, for nearly two millennia, as the orthodox Christian Church "saved" them from their traditional worship of the Great Mystery they perceived in Nature. IN THE SIXTIES MANY OF US SCARED OUR PARENTS profoundly when we showed up dressed in our "African" or "Native American" or "Celtic" clothes. We shocked them by wearing our hair in its ancient naturalness. They saw us turning back to something they'd been taught to despise, and that by now they actively feared. Many of our parents had been taught that the world was only two or three thousand years old, and that spiritually civilized life began with the birth of Jesus Christ. Their only hope of enjoying a better existence, after a lifetime of crushing toil and persistent abuse, was to be as much like the longhaired rabbi from a small Jewish sect in a far-off desert, as possible: then, by the Grace of His father, who owned Heaven, they might be admitted there, after death. It would be segregated, of course. Who could imagine anything different? But perhaps Jesus Christ himself would be present, and would speak up on their behalf. After all, these were black people who were raised never to look a white person directly in the face. I think now, and it hurts me to think it, of how tormented the true believers in our church must have been, wondering if, in heaven, Jesus Christ, a white man, the only good one besides Santa Claus and Abraham Lincoln they'd ever heard of, would deign to sit near them. The water we collected had many uses. We drank it, we washed dishes, clothes, and ourselves with it. We watered our livestock and my mother's vegetable and flower gardens. On Saturday night everyone in my family bathed from head to toe, even though this meant half a day spent carrying pails of water up a steep hill. The water was heated in the big black wash pot in the yard. On Sunday morning we rose, washed our faces, had a hearty breakfast, and went off to church. As the smallest, I was bathed by my mother, dressed by my mother, fed by my mother, and wedged into the front seat of our secondhand blue-and-cream Packard between my mother and father. They had worked hard all week for the landowner's benefit; this was their only time of pleasure, of rest, other than an occasional Saturday night film at the local picture show. We spent most of the day in church, listening to the minister, who stood on the carpeting my mother had laid and read from the Bible I had dusted. Sometimes there were wonderful stories: Daniel in the Lion's Den. The Three Wise Men. David and Goliath. The Life of Christ. Everybody loved Jesus Christ. We recognized him as one of us, but a rebel and revolutionary, consistently speaking up for the poor, the sick, and the discriminated against, and going up against the bossmen: the orthodox Jewish religious leaders and rich men of his day. We knew that people who were really like Jesus were often lynched. I liked His gift for storytelling. I also loved that, after Moses and Joshua, he is the greatest magician in the Bible. He was also, I realized later, a fabulous masseur, healing by the power of touch and the laying on of hands. Much later still I learned he could dance! This quote from The Acts of John, from the Gnostic Gospels, is worth remembering: "To the Universe belongs the dancer. He who does not dance does not know what happens. Now if you follow my dance, see yourself in me." But basically, according to the Scriptures: We had sinned. I did not know then that the root of the word "sin" means "to be." Woman was the cause. All of our life we must suffer just because we existed. Worthless, worthless us. Luckily enough, we would die, but even then only a very small number of us would get into heaven. There was hell, a pit of eternally burning fire, for the vast majority. Where was hell? I wanted to know. Under the ground, I was informed. It was assumed most of the white people would be there, and therefore it would be more or less like here. Only fiery hot, hotter than the sun in the cotton field at midday. Nobody wanted to go there. I had a problem with this doctrine at a very early age: I could not see how my parents had sinned. Each month my mother had suffered from what I would later recognize, because I unfortunately inherited it, as bad premenstrual syndrome. At those times her temper was terrible; the only safe thing was to stay out of her way. My father, slower to anger, was nonetheless a victim of sexist ideology learned from his father, the society and the church, which meant I battled with him throughout childhood, until I left home for good at 17. But I did not see that they were evil, that they should be cursed because they were black, because my mother was a woman. They were as innocent as trees, I felt. And, at heart, generous and sweet. I resented the minister and the book he read from that implied they could only be "saved" by confessing their sin and accepting suffering and degradation as their due, just because a very long time ago a snake had given a white woman an apple and she had eaten it and generously given a bite to her craven hearted husband. This was insulting to the most drowsy intelligence, I thought, noting that my exhausted father often napped while in church. But what could I do? I was three years old. When I was in my 30s, I wrote this poem: SUNDAY SCHOOL, CIRCA 1950 "Who made you?" was always
The question,
The answer was always
"God."
Well, there we stood
Three feet high
Heads bowed
Leaning into
Bosoms. Now
I no longer recall
The Catechism
Or brood on the Genesis
Of life
No. I ponder the exchange
Itself
And salvage mostly
The leaning. IT IS IRONIC, TO SAY THE LEAST, THAT THE VERY WOMAN out of whose body I came, whose pillowy arms still held me, willingly indoctrinated me away from herself and the earth from which both of us received sustenance, and toward a frightful, jealous, cruel, murderous "God" of another race and tribe of people, and expected me to forget the very breasts that had fed me and that I still leaned against. But such is the power of centuries-old indoctrination. We know now with what absolute heartlessness the male leaders of the orthodox Christian church not unlike those of orthodox Judaism and Islam stamped out, generally after robbing them of their land and enslaving them, pagans and heathens, our ancestors and theirs, around the globe: a campaign of such unspeakable cruelty which has lasted for so long, and which still continues, that few have had the heart to encounter it in art, politics, literature, or consciousness until the present era. Thanks in large part to feminism and feminist scholarship, and to a resurgent belief in the sacredness of the feminine, which has been deliberately erased, demonized and disparaged in all major religions. But thanks also to indigenous peoples who, though a mere remnant of their former selves, before being invaded by conquerors professing Christianity, have risen up to speak in defense of the ancient Goddess/God of all pagans and heathens, Mother Earth. IN THIS CONNECTION, HAILLE GERIMA'S EXTRAORDINARY film, "Sankofa," has much to teach us. While being photographed, dancing and carefree, inside the walls of a "slave castle" in contemporary Africa, a black fashion model for a white, Western magazine, finds herself trapped inside the castle's dungeon, from whose loading tunnels millions of enslaved Africans, from the 15th to the 19th century, began their soul shattering journey to the New World. The woman is horrified to discover she has somehow slipped back into the past and is, in fact one of her own enslaved ancestors. We follow her spiritual development as her own beliefs are denied her and the imprint of Christianity is literally beaten and branded into her flesh. People of color have been so successfully brainwashed to believe white orthodox Christianity has given us something we didn't already have that we rarely think of what it has taken away. "Sankofa" speaks to this. It also, perhaps for the first time in cinema, graphically depicts the process by which sadists who purport to be Christian have forced their religious ideology on the cultures they destroyed. IN THE BLACK CHURCH WE HAVE LOVED AND leaned on Moses, because he brought the enslaved Israelites out of Egypt. As enslaved and oppressed people, we have identified with him so completely that we have adopted his God. But here is another look at Moses, whose wife Zipporah was a Midianite, two of whose children were Midianites, and whose kindly father-in-law, Jethro, was also a Midianite. From the Book of Numbers, Chapter 31: And the children of Israel took all the women of Midian captives, and their little ones, and took the spoil of all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods. 10 And they burnt all their cities wherein they dwelt, and all their goodly castles with fire. 12 And they brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, unto Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and unto the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by Jordan near Jericho.... 14 And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, with the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle. 15 And Moses said unto them, have ye saved all the women alive?... 17 Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man. 18 But all the women children, that have not known a man, keep alive for yourselves... 25 And the Lord spoke unto Moses saying, 26 Take the sum of the prey that was taken, both of man and of beast, thou, and Eleazar the priest, and the chief fathers of the congregation:... 31 And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses. 32 And the booty, being the rest of the prey which the men of war had caught was six hundred thousand and seventy thousand and five thousand sheep, 33 And threescore and one thousand beeves, 34 And threescore and one thousand asses, 35 And thirty and two thousand persons in all of women that had not known man. These miserable, grieving, orphaned young women and children ended up as sex slaves, concubines and drudges in the service of the soldiers and the priests. Women have little voice in the Bible, and what voice they do have is given them only to illustrate the deviousness, silliness, untrustworthiness, and general insignificance of their sex. The only thing that makes them worthwhile is the birth of a son; they expend much of their energy trying to bring this about. In the whole of the Old Testament, only Deborah, the judge; Vashti, the dignified wife of a foolish king; and Esther, who saves her people; and Naomi and Ruth, the devoted mother and daughter-in-law, stand out as women of substance. One cannot help but feel empathy for the Jewish women of the Bible, however, who had no rights under the law of Moses and indeed were told to stand back when he came down from the mountain with the ten commandments, which, after all were not written for them and were forced to share their husbands and homes with strange, weeping women abducted from other lands. As to why my mother and grandmother rarely spoke of their spiritual connection to the Universe, we have only to read in Deuteronomy, Chapter 17: 2 If there be found among you...man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the Lord thy God, in transgressing his covenant 3 And hath gone and served other gods, and worshiped them, either the sun, or the moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded... 5 Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman unto thy gates...and shalt stone them with stones, till they die. This is A GOD WHO DOES NOT RECOGNIZE YOU AS His unless you are circumcised. I don't believe the men in the congregation I grew up in realized this; they were definitely not circumcised. On the other hand, reading the Old Testament, and noting how readily this God would kill you if you were uncircumcised, (Zipporah, the non-Jewish wife of Moses, circumcises one of their "heathen" sons with a rock prior to entering Egypt) I am inclined to believe that the circumcision of women (genital mutilation) women who wanted to belong, to be accepted by God has some of its roots here. Certainly the slaughter of nine million "witches" over from three to five centuries in Europe has its root in Leviticus Chapter 20, Verse 27: "A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: They shall stone them with stones; their blood shall be upon them." Under this order the "wizards" Moses, Joshua and Jesus, especially Jesus, who raised people from the dead and changed water to wine, would have been burned at the stake in the Europe of the 15th throughout the 18th century. It is chilling to think that the same people who persecuted the wise women and men of Europe, its midwives and healers, then crossed the oceans to Africa and the Americas, and tortured and enslaved, raped, impoverished, and eradicated the peaceful, Christlike people they found. And that the blueprint from which they worked, and still work, was the Bible. BAPTISM Baptism
They dunked me in the creek'
a tiny brooklet.
Muddy, gooey with rotting leaves,
a greenish mold floating;
definable.
For love it was. For love of God
at seven. All in white.
With God's mud ruining my snowy
socks and his bullfrog spoors
gluing up my face. This is the poem of a seven year-old pagan. The "God" of heaven that my parents and the church were asking me to accept, obscured by the mud, leaves, rot, and bullfrog spoors of this world. How amazing this all is, I thought, entering the muddy creek. And how deeply did I love these who stood around solemnly waiting to see my "saved" head reappear above the murky water. This experience of communal love and humble hope for my well-being was my reality of life on this planet. I was unable to send my mind off into space in search of a God who never noticed mud, leaves, or bullfrogs. Or the innocent hearts of my tender, loving people. IT IS FATAL TO LOVE A GOD WHO DOES NOT LOVE YOU. A God specifically created to comfort, lead, advise, strengthen, and enlarge the tribal borders of someone else. We have been beggars at the table of a religion that sanctioned our destruction. Our own religions denied, forgotten; our own ancestral connections to All Creation something of which we are ashamed. I maintain that we are empty, lonely, without our pagan-heathen ancestors; that we must lively them up within ourselves, and begin to see them as whole and necessary and correct: their earth-Centered, Female-Reverencing religions, like their architecture, agriculture and music, suited perfectly to the lives they led. And lead, those who are left, today. I further maintain that the Jesus most of us have been brought up to adore must be expanded to include the "wizard" andthe dancer, and that when this is done, itbecomes clear that He coexists quite easily with pagan indigenous peoples. Indeed, it was because the teachings ofJesus were already familiar to many ofour ancestors, especially in the Newworld they already practiced the loveand sharing that he preached that theChristian Church was able to make asmany genuine converts to the Christianreligion as it did. All people deserve to worship a God who also worships them. A God that made them, and likes them. That is why Nature, Mother Earth, is such a good choice. Never will Nature require that you cut off some part of your body to please her; Never will Mother Earth find anything wrong with your natural way. She made it, and she made it however it is so that you will be more comfortable as part of Her Creation, rather than less. Everyone deserves a God who adores our freedom: Nature would never advise us to do anything but be ourselves. Mother Earth will do all that she can to support our choices, whatever they are. For they are of Her, and inherent in our creation is Her Trust. We are born knowing how to worship, just as we are born knowing how to laugh. THERE IS A SPECIAL GRIEF FELT BY THE children and grandchildren of those who were forbidden to read, forbidden to explore, forbidden to question or to know. Looking back on my parents' and grandparents' lives I have often felt overwhelmed, helpless, as I've examined history and society, and especially religion, with them in mind, and have seen how they were manipulated away from a belief in their own judgment and faith in themselves. It is most painful to realize they were forever trying to correct a "flaw" that of being black,female and human that did not exist, except as "men of God," but really men of greed, misogyny and violence, defined it. What a burden to think one is conceived in sin, rather than in pleasure; that one is born into evil rather than into joy. In my work, I speak to my parents and to my most distant ancestors about what I myself have found as an Earthling growing naturally out of the Universe. I create characters who sometimes speak in the language of immediate ancestors, characters who are not passive, but active in the discovery of what is vital and real in this world. Characters who explore what it would feel like not to be imprisoned by the hatred of women, the love of violence, and the destructiveness of greed taught to human beings as the "religion" by which they must guide their lives. What is happening in the world more and more is that people are attempting to decolonize their spirits. A crucial act of empowerment, one that might return reverence to the Earth, thereby saving it, in this fearful-of-Nature, spiritually colonized age. AN EXAMPLE OF THIS DECOLONIZATION occurs in The Color Purple: Shug, the pagan, discusses the nature of God with Celie, the confused Christian: Dear Nettie, I don't write to God no more, I write to you. What happen to God? ast Shug. Who that? I say. She look at me serious. Big a devil as you is, I say, you not worried bout no God surely. She say, Wait a minute. Hold on just a minute here. Just because I don't harass it like some peoples us know don't mean I ain't got religion. What God do for me? I ast. She say, Celie! Like she shock. He gave you life, good health, and a good woman that love you to death. Yeah, I say, and he give me a lynched daddy, a crazy mama, a lowdown dog of a step pa and a sister I probably won't ever see again. Anyhow, I say, the God I been praying and writing to is a man. And act just like all the other mens I know. Trifling, forgitful and lowdown. She say, Miss Celie. You better hush. God might hear you. Let'im hear me, I say. If he ever listened to poor colored women the world would be a different place, I can tell you. She talk and talk, trying to budge me way from blasphemy. But I blasphemy much as I want to. All my life I never care what people thought bout nothing I did, I say. But deep in my heart I care about God. What he going to think. And come to find out, he don't think. Just sit up there glorying in being deef, I reckon. But it ain't easy trying to do without god. Even if you know he ain't there, trying to do without him is a strain. I is a sinner, say Shug. Cause I was born. I don't deny it. But once you find out what's out there waiting for us, what else can you be? Sinners have more good times, I say. You know why? she ast. Cause you ain't all the time worrying bout God, I say. Naw, that ain't it, she say. Us worry bout God a lot. But once us feel loved by God, us do the best us can to please him with what us like. You telling me God love you, and you ain't never done nothing for him? I mean, not go to church, sing in the choir, feed the preacher and all like that? But if God love me, Celie, I don't have to do all that. Unless I want to. There's a lot of other things I can do that I speck God likes. Like what? I ast. Oh, she say. I can lay back and just ad mire stuff. Be happy. Have a good time. Well, this sound like blasphemy sure nuff. She say, Celie, tell the truth, have you ever found god in church? I never did. I just found a bunch of folks hoping for him to show. Any God I ever felt in church I brought in with me. And I think all the other folks did too. They come to church to share God, not find god. Some folks didn't have him to share, I said. They the ones didn't speak to me while I was there struggling with my big belly and Mr. children. Right she say. Then she say: Tell me what your God look like, Celie. Aw naw, I say. I'm too shame. Nobody ever ast me this before, so I'm sort of took by surprise. Besides, when I think about it, it don't seem quite right. But it all I got. I decided to stick up for him, just to see what Shug say. Okay, I say. He big and old and tall and gray bearded and white. He wear white robes and go barefooted. Blue eyes? she ast. Sort of bluish-gray. Cool. Big though. White lashes, I say. She laugh. Why you laugh? I ast. I don't think it so funny. What you expect him to look like, Mr. ____? That wouldn't be no improvement, she say. Then she tell me this old white man is the same God she used to see when she prayed. If you wait to find God in church, Celie, she say, that's who is bound to show up, cause that's where he live. How come? I ast. Cause that's the one that's in the white folks' white bible. Shug! I say. God wrote the bible, white folks had nothing to do with it. How come he just like them, then? Only bigger? And a heap more hair. How come the bible just like everything else they make, all about them doing one thing and another, and all the colored folks doing is gitting cursed. I never thought bout that. Nettie say somewhere in the bible it say Jesus' hair was like a lamb's wool, I say. Well, say Shug, if he came to any of these churches we talking bout he'd have to have it conked before anybody paid him any attention. The last thing niggers want to think about they God is that his hair is kinky. That's the truth, I say. Ain't no way to read the bible and not think God white, she say. Then she sigh. When I found out I thought God was white, and a man, I lost interest. You mad cause he don't seem to listen to your prayers. Humph! Do the mayor lis ten to anything colored say? Ask Sofia, she say. But I don't have to ast Sofia. I know white people never listen to colored, pe riod. If they do, they only listen long enough to be able to tell you what to do. Here's the thing, say Shug. The thing I believe. God is inside you and inside everybody else. You come into the world with God. But only them that search for it inside find it. And sometimes it just manifest itself even if you not looking, or don't know what you looking for. Trou ble do it for most folks, I think. Sorrow, lord, Feeling like shit. It? I ast. Yeah, It. God ain't a he or a she, but a It. Maybe a "us." But what do it look like? I ast. Don't look like nothing, she say. It ain't a picture show. It ain't something you can look at apart from anything else, including yourself. I believe God is everything, say Shug. Everything that is or ever was or ever will be. And when you can feel that, and be happy to feel that, you've found It. Shug a beautiful something, let me tell you. She frown a little, look out cross the yard, lean back in her chair, look like a big rose. She say, My first step for the old white man was trees. Then air. Then birds. Then other people. But one day when I was sitting quiet and feeling of being part of everything, not separate at all. I knew that if I cut a tree, my arm would bleed. And I laughed and I cried and I run all round the house. I knew just what it was. In fact, when it happen, you can't miss it. It sort of like you know what, she say, grinning, and rubbing high up on my thigh. Shug! I say. Oh, she say. God love all them feel ings. That's some of the best stuff God did. And when you know God loves' em you enjoys' em a lot more. You can just relax, go with everything that's going, and praise God by liking what you like. God don't think it dirty? I ast. Naw, she say. God made it. Listen, God love everything you love and a mess of stuff you don't. But more than anything else, God love admiration. You saying God vain? I ast. Naw, she say. Not vain, just wanting to share a good thing. I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it. What it do when it pissed off? I ast. Oh, it makes something else. People think pleasing God is all God care about. But any fool living in the world can see it always trying to please us back. Yeah? I say. Yeah, she say. It always making little surprises and springing them on us when us least suspect. Your mean it want to be loved, just like the bible say. Yes, Celie, she say. Everything want to be loved. Us sing and dance, make faces and give flower bouquets, trying to be loved. You ever notice that trees do every thing to get attention we do, except walk? Well, us talk and talk bout God, but I'm still adrift. Trying to chase that old white man out of my head. I been so busy thinking bout him I never truly no tice nothing God make. Not a blade of corn (how it do that?) not the color pur ple (where it came from?) Not |
was announced at the E3 trade show shortly after the end of the financial year, receiving a very positive response from the public and press. The transitional phase is expected to complete in 2016 with the launch of Planet Coaster. In January 2015 the Group consolidated its development activity in Cambridge and took the opportunity to align the mix of skills in the business. The office in Canada was closed, leaving the subsidiary operating as a home based project support function. The cost of the re-organisation was £0.3 million. In August 2014 Frontier Developments inc, a US subsidiary incorporated in Delaware, was set up and began trading in May 2015 to distribute Frontier's video games into the US market. The Group also set up an Employee Benefit Trust in December 2014, at 31 May 2015 the Trust had an interest in 24,455 ordinary shares. Cash and Cashflow The Group's operating cashflow was £7.3 million, supported by the public release of Elite Dangerous. The Group invested £4.4 million in non-current assets, being development costs for the franchises of Elite and Planet Coaster plus the continued investment in our underlying COBRA technology. Working capital was relatively static as the Group switched revenue streams, and debt repayment of £0.2 million was made to repay the Group's (Canadian subsidiary) interest-free loan from the federal-backed Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, thus bringing the Group back to a debt free position. The overall impact was an increase of £2.1 million in net cash and cash equivalents to £10.5 million, continuing to support the Group's investment and growth plan. Frontier's simplified cash movements can be represented as follows: Movement in cash balances £ million 2015 2014 Sources of cash
Customer receipts 21.1 9.5 Funding and other sources 0.3 5.9 Incoming funds 21.4 15.4 Use of cash
Salaries 11.3 9.6 Overhead, Other expenses, Tax and currency differences 8.0 4.6 Outgoing flows 19.3 14.2
Movement in net cash balances inc borrowings 2.1 1.2 Revenue The public release of Elite Dangerous prompted a significant change in the Group's revenue composition and value. Group revenue more than doubled to £22.8 million, and Elite Dangerous represented 84% of total revenue including associated merchandise. Revenue £'000 2015 2014 % 2013 Revenue 22,766 9,541 139% 12,072 Self-published revenues consisted of sales of the game and digital in-game purchases. An element of revenue from the sale of 'lifetime expansion passes' remains as deferred income and is expected to be released over the useful economic life of the franchise. External publisher revenue was lower as planned with the Group switching focus to self-publishing projects. Frontier worked on three projects of varying sizes for two key clients, and two of these games were released in the financial year 2014-15. The other project was cancelled at the client's request. At the financial year end we had no further contracted work. Royalty income continued to accrue from our agreements on Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 and Kinect Disneyland Adventures. Within the prior year revenue included 'one off' releases from Atari Interactive Inc. stemming from its re-organisation and a catch up royalty on Kinect Disneyland Adventures. Revenue mix £'000 2015 2014 % change 2013 Self-published 18,558 424 4,276% 511 External publishers 3,429 7,707 (56%) 11,355 Royalties 322 1,366 (76%) 203 Merchandise & Other 457 44 939% 3
22,766 9,541 139% 12,072 Gross Margin and Segmental Contribution Overall gross margin improved to 27% from 17%. Gross margin is stated after amortisation and expensed research and development costs. The Group has a number of revenue and cost streams where it is able to identify contribution towards gross profit: Contribution for the year ending May: 2015
2014
£'000 Revenue Cost Contribution Revenue Cost Contribution Self Published 18,558 (9,218) 9,340 428 (1,026) (598) External Publishers 3,429 (2,452) 977 7,707 (4,591) 3,116 Other income and unallocated costs 779 (4,969) (4,190) 1,406 (2,297) (891) Total 22,766 (16,639) 6,127 9,541 (7,914) 1,627 Self published Revenue: The video game Elite Dangerous represents 98% of self-published revenue recognised in the year (2014: 77%). Revenue recognised included a release of £1.5 million of deferred revenue from the balance at the beginning of the year. Deferred revenue of £0.7 million (2014: £2.2 million) was carried forward, which is expected to be released over the estimated useful economic life of the franchise, estimated at eight years. Costs: Staff costs incurred were £5.2 million (2014: £2.7 million), overheads incurred including sub contract and server costs were £2.1 million (2014: £0.1 million), and external marketing costs were £2.5 million (2014: £0.2 million). Costs capitalised into intangible assets were £3.7 million (2014: £2.8 million) and amortisation charged was £3.1 million (2014: £0.3 million for pre release amortisation and £0.5 million of amortisation and impairment of the Coaster Crazy game). Internal development costs of £5.8m are to be amortised over a period up to six years on a straight line basis, as adjusted for assessments of useful economic life. Incremental development costs for releases on additional platforms will be amortised over their useful economic life upon release. Amortisation for the acquired royalty streams of £5.1m commenced on a straight line basis from December 2014 over the expected useful life of the franchise, estimated at eight years. Self published work represented 45% of our man month development work in the year. External publishers Publisher revenues were mainly derived from completion of milestones on Scream Ride with Microsoft Game Studios and Tales from Deep Space with Amazon Game Studios, being £3.3 million (2014: £7.4 million) recognised in the year. The remaining revenue stems from sub contract recharges (which are passed on at nil margin) of £0.1 million (2014: £0.3 million). There were no work in progress balances at year end as contracts had been completed (2014: £0.3 million of deferred income). External publisher cost of sales includes staff costs of £2.4 million (2014: £4.4 million) and sub contract costs of £0.1 million (2014: £0.3 million). External publisher work represented 45% of our development work as measured in man months in the financial year. Other income and unallocated costs - Royalties, Technology & Project support The Group receives royalties from Atari for Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 on a quarterly basis and Microsoft for Kinect Disneyland Adventures on a monthly basis. Revenue is accrued upon receipt of royalty reports. Merchandise revenues of £0.5 million (2014: £0.04 million) were recorded and those for royalties of £0.3 million (2014: £1.3 million). Royalty income in 2014 was supported by a one off promotional campaign for Kinect Disneyland Adventures and some catch up royalties from Atari as they emerged from Chapter 11 administration. Technology costs are represented by the continued development costs of our COBRA technology. Project support includes the functions of senior management (including Executive Directors), marketing and customer support. The Group invested in this area during the year to support the self publishing plans. In the full year to 31 May 2015 the costs were staff costs of £3.0 million (2014: £2.0 million) and overhead of £1.2 million (2014: £0.4 million). Overhead includes third party commissions, merchandise costs and software subscription costs. Depreciation was £0.2 million (2014: £0.2 million), costs of £0.7 million (2014: £1.2 million) were capitalised, and amortisation charged represented £1.2 million (2014: £0.9 million). Of the development resource available to Frontier 10% of man months was used in the COBRA's Tools and Technology. Profitability Frontier is currently delivering a planned transition to become a sustainable self-publishing business. The Board monitors performance on an adjusted operating profit basis (replacing adjusted EBITDA) in order to focus on the cash value drivers of the business. For adjusted operating profit the adjusting items were depreciation and amortisation, R&D capitalised, share-based compensation, and tax credits due, offset against administration costs and (in the prior year) funding costs associated with the IPO. It has also been decided to include fair value adjustments on currency forward contracts and financial assets as an adjusting item. The measures of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA have been shown as sub totals for comparative purposes. As expected, Frontier has incurred additional costs and lower revenue because of the transition, but despite this, the Group has already become a profitable operation. Operating profit was £1.6 million compared with a loss in the prior period of (£1.7 million). EBITDA was £6.1 million compared with £0.3 million in the prior year. Adjusted Operating profit increased to £2.5 million from a loss in the prior year of £1.3 million. The public release of Elite Dangerous led to a significant increase in amortisation. An increase in share-based compensation was principally due to a one off share option grant to Directors and senior employees issued in September 2014 and vesting between 1 and 3 years. The reconciliation is as follows:
2015 2014
2013
£'000 £'000 % £'000 Operating result 1,566 (1,705) 192% 1,052 Depreciation 271 225
151 Amortisation and impairment 4,246 1,802
1,650 EBITDA 6,083 322 1,790% 2,853 Share-based compensation 767 286
416 Fair value adjustments 72 32
- (Loss)/gain on sale of investment 1 (21)
- Funding costs/listing expenses - 217
308 Dilapidations provision 37 36
37 Subsidiary set-up fees 7 -
10 EBITDA adjusted 6,967 872 699% 3,624 R&D capitalised (4,338) 4,035
(1,708) Tax credits deducted from Administration costs (163) (307)
(86) Adjusted Operating Profit/(loss) 2,466 (3,470) 171% 1,830 Finance Income Interest receivable from the Group's cash resources was relatively flat at £0.1 million, and continues to be at low levels due to the current interest rate environment worldwide. Income Tax The Group had no current tax liability and in the prior year the Canadian operation incurred a £0.04 million charge. There was a release of £0.03 million in the deferred tax credit (2014: charge £0.07 million) for tax, due to the temporary difference over R&D tax relief and a local digital media tax. The parent company continues to hold unused tax losses of £5.9 million to set against future taxable profits generated in the UK (2014: £6.7 million). Frontier are able to take advantage of cash based tax credits in both the UK and Canada; in the year we accounted for £0.2 million (absorbed as a reduction in Administrative costs) (2014: £0.3 million). Earnings per Share The basic earnings per share for 2015 was 4.9 pence per share compared to loss per share of (5.8) pence for 2014 based on a weighted average number of shares of 33.5 million (2014: 33.3 million). On a diluted basis, earnings per share was 4.7 pence compared to diluted loss per share in the prior year of (5.8) pence based on a weighted average number of shares of 35.3 million (2014: 33.3 million). The adjusted basic earnings per share is based on the adjusted operating profit. The adjusted basic earnings per share were 7.4 pence compared to the prior period's adjusted loss per share of (11.4) pence. On a diluted basis the adjusted earnings per share is 7.0 pence (2014: loss (11.4 pence)). Non-current Assets and Research and Development Expenditure Investment in the Group's own IP capitalised in the year was up 8% in line with our transition plans at £1.3 million, reflecting Frontier's commitment to a strategic software development programme in respect of Elite Dangerous and COBRA technology. Including the acquired rights, £8.2 million of self-published net book value is represented by the Elite Dangerous franchise. Investment in intangibles was focused on developing self-published titles (Elite Dangerous, with the first public release in December 2014), continuing expansion of platform versions (Mac & Xbox One) and Planet Coaster, (scheduled for Q4 2016) and further multi-platform work on COBRA. Research and development expensed was higher at £0.8 million, up from £0.4 million. Additions for tangible assets mainly comprised computer equipment for staff and durable marketing materials, for example, a model of the Cobra space ship, Share Issues Employees remain confident in the Company and converted 0.5 million share options into ordinary shares up to the end of May 2015; exercise proceeds were £0.4 million, and of these conversions 0.3 million of ordinary shares were transferred under arrangements with the newly formed Employee Benefit Trust, representing exercise proceeds of £0.2 million. The Group granted 1.5 million share options in the year (2014: 0.4 million) under CSOP and unapproved plans. This included one off grants to Directors of 0.5 million shares (2014: nil). The Employee Benefit Trust operates by way of a loan under a drawdown facility of up to £10.0 million dated 9 December 2014. At 31 May the loan balance drawn down was £0.6 million, and the trust owned 24,255 ordinary shares. Current Assets Trade and other receivables were unchanged at £3.1 million, as a reduction in publisher amounts owed was offset by amounts owed from sales made via the PC distribution platform 'Steam'. Investments held for sale include shares in Atari SA provided as part of the Chapter 11 creditor agreement for pre-petition balances; these were sold in the year at a small loss. Current Liabilities Trade and other current liabilities decreased by £0.5 million to £3.2 million, mainly as a result of deferred income release. The Group's Canadian subsidiary repaid an interest-free loan from the federal-backed Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency of £0.2 million. Deferred income was £0.7 million (2014: £2.5 million). Deferred income not released at the launch of Elite Dangerous comprised income for lifetime expansion passes, which is expected to be released over the expected useful economic life of the Elite franchise. In the prior year £0.3 million of deferred income was for external publisher work. Non-Current Liabilities The Group fully utilised deferred tax assets (losses and provisions) to offset UK deferred tax liabilities (timing differences on fixed asset) resulting in a nil balance. An overseas deferred tax liability of £0.1 million is provided against federal investment tax credits due. Deferred income is represented by amounts expected to be recognised on lifetime expansion passes during the franchise period and more than one year. Dilapidation provisions are ongoing following the renewal of the leases in 2015 with a termination date of 2020. Consolidated statement of cashflows For the year ended 31 May 2015
31 May 2015 £'000 31 May 2014 £'000 Operating activities
Cash generated from operations (see below)
7,334 342 Finance income
(53) (63) Taxes received/(paid)
23 (1) Cashflow from operating activities
7,304 278 Investing activities
Purchase of property, plant and equipment
(289) (254) Expenditure on intangible assets
(4,385) (4,182) Proceeds from disposal of non-derivative financial assets
36 21 Employee benefit trust investment
(551) - Interest received
53 63 Cashflow from investing activities
(5,136) (4,352) Financing activities
Proceeds from convertible loan notes
- 1,580 (Repayment)/Proceeds from interest-free loan
(158) 175 Proceeds from issue of share capital
159 4,145 Cashflow from financing activities
1 5,900 Net change in cash and cash equivalents from continuing operations
2,169 1,826 Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period
8,612 7,155 Exchange differences on cash and cash equivalents
(303) (369) Cash and cash equivalents at end of period
10,478 8,612 The following non-cashflow adjustments and adjustments for changes in working capital have been made to profit before tax to arrive at operating cashflow: Cash generated from operations
31 May 2015 £'000 31 May 2014 £'000 Profit/(loss) after tax 1,647 (1,754) Depreciation, amortisation and impairment 4,517 2,027 Atari shares - (33) Fair value adjustments 31 (32) Profit on disposal of fixed assets and available for sale assets 1 (5) Proceeds from the sale of non-current assets 16 - Share-based payment expenses 767 286 Taxation (190) (70) Foreign exchange 242 336 Operating cashflow before changes in working capital 7,031 755 Net changes in working capital:
Change in inventories 2 (15) Change in trade and other receivables 74 (882) Change in trade and other payables 190 447 Change in provisions 37 37 Cash generated from operations 7,334 342 Consolidated income statement For the year ended 31 May 2015
Notes 31 May 2015 £'000 31 May 2014 £'000 Revenue 5 22,766 9,541 Cost of sales
(16,639) (7,914) Gross profit
6,127 1,627 Administrative expenses
(4,561) (3,332) Operating profit/(loss)
1,566 (1,705) Finance income 23 53 63 Profit/(loss) before tax 6 1,619 (1,642) Income tax 24 28 (112) Profit/(loss) for the period attributable to the equity holders of the parent
1,647 (1,754) All the activities of the Group are classified as continuing. Earnings per share 25
Basic earnings/(loss) per share
4.9p (5.8)p Diluted earnings/(loss) per share
4.7p (5.8)p Consolidated statement of comprehensive income For the year ended 31 May 2015
31 May 2015 £'000 31 May 2014 £'000 Profit/(loss) for the period 1,647 (1,754) Other comprehensive income:
Items that will be reclassified subsequently to profit and loss
Exchange differences on translation of foreign operations (57) (30) Total comprehensive income for the period attributable to the equity holders of the parent 1,590 (1,784) Consolidated statement of financial position For the year ended 31 May 2015 (registered no: 02892559)
Notes 31 May 2015 £'000 31 May 2014 £'000 Non-current assets
Intangible assets 7 11,101 10,962 Property, plant and equipment 8 333 328 Total non-current assets
11,434 11,290 Current assets
Inventories 12 13 15 Trade and other receivables 13 3,046 2,964 Other short-term assets 14 50 106 Cash and cash equivalents 15 10,478 8,612 Total current assets
13,587 11,697 Total assets
25,021 22,987 Equity and liabilities
Equity
Share capital 16 168 167 Share premium account
13,963 13,805 Equity reserve
633 790 Foreign exchange reserve
(57) (30) Retained earnings
6,180 4,160 Total equity
20,887 18,892 Liabilities
Current
Trade and other payables 19 3,107 1,207 Deferred income 20 96 2,456 Borrowings 21 - 14 Total current liabilities
3,203 3,677 Non-current
Provisions 22 260 223 Borrowings 21 - 121 Deferred income 20 627 - Deferred tax 11 44 74 Total non-current liabilities
931 418 Total liabilities
4,134 4,095 Total equity and liabilities
25,021 22,987 Consolidated statement of changes in equity For the year ended 31 May 2015
Share capital £'000 Share premium account £'000 Equity reserve £'000 Foreign exchange reserve £'000 Retained earnings £'000 Total equity £'000 At 31 May 2013 127 1,847 643 3 5,775 8,395 Increase in equity in relation to options issued - - 286 - - 286 Share-based payment transfer - - (139) - 139 - Issue of share capital less expenses 40 11,958 - - - 11,998 Transactions with owners 40 11,958 147 - 139 12,284 Loss for the year - - - - (1,754) (1,754) Other comprehensive income:
Exchange differences on translation of foreign operations - - - (33) - (33) Total comprehensive income for the year - - - (33) (1,754) (1,787) At 31 May 2014 167 13,805 790 (30) 4,160 18,892 Increase in equity in relation to options issued - - 767 - - 767 Net loss on EBT shares - - (495) - - (495) Own shares held by the EBT - - (56) - - (56) Share-based payment transfer - - (373) - 373 - Issue of share capital less expenses 1 158 - - - 159 Transactions with owners 1 158 (157) - 373 375 Profit for the year - - - - 1,647 1,647 Other comprehensive income:
Exchange differences on translation of foreign operations - - - (27) - (27) Total comprehensive income for the year - - - (27) 1,647 1,620 At 31 May 2015 168 13,963 633 (57) 6,180 20,887 Selected notes to the financial statements 1. Corporate information Frontier Developments plc ("the Group") develops non-game applications and video games for the interactive entertainment sector. The Company is a public limited company and is incorporated and domiciled in the United Kingdom. The address of its registered office is 306 Science Park, Milton Road, Cambridge CB4 0WG. The Group's operations are based in the UK and its North American subsidiaries, Frontier Developments Inc, based in Canada and Frontier Developments Inc in the US. 2. Basis of preparation and statement of compliance The principal accounting policies applied in the preparation of this financial information are set out below. These policies have been consistently applied to all the periods presented, unless otherwise stated. Change in accounting policies The Group adopted IFRS 10, 'Consolidated financial statements', IFRS 12, 'Disclosure of interests in other entities' and IAS 27, 'Separate financial statements' on 1 June 2014. This resulted in the Group changing its accounting policy for the basis of consolidation and definition of control but has had no further impact on the 2015 financial statements. Basis of preparation The financial information of Frontier Developments plc has been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the European Union (IFRSs as adopted by the EU) and the Companies Act 2006 applicable to companies reporting under IFRS. The financial information has been prepared under the historical cost convention, except for financial instruments held at fair value. The financial information is presented in Sterling, the presentation and functional currency for the Group and Company. All values are rounded to the nearest thousand pounds (£'000) except when otherwise indicated. The preparation of this financial information requires the Directors to make critical accounting estimates and judgements that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. The areas involving a higher degree of judgement or complexity, or areas where assumptions and estimates are significant to the financial statements, are disclosed in note 4. Going concern basis The Group's forecasts and projections, taking account of current cash resources and reasonably possible changes in trading performance, support the conclusion that there is a reasonable expectation that the Group has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future, a period of not less than 12 months from the date of approval of these financial statements. The Group therefore continues to adopt the going concern basis in preparing its financial statements. The Group maintains a revolving credit facility to support its plans, and remains cash positive. 3. Principal accounting policies Basis of consolidation and business combinations Basis of consolidation The consolidated financial statements incorporate those of the Group and all entities controlled by it, after eliminating internal transactions. Control is achieved where the Group is exposed or has rights to variable returns from its involvement with the investee and has the ability to affect those returns through its power over the investee. Subsidiaries are consolidated from the date on which control is obtained by the Group and cease to be consolidated from the date on which control is transferred out of the Group. The entities' results are adjusted, where appropriate, to conform to Group accounting policies. a) Business combinations Business combinations are accounted for using the acquisition method under the revised IFRS 3 "Business Combinations" (IFRS 3R). The consideration transferred by the Group to obtain control of a subsidiary is calculated as the sum of the acquisition-date fair value of assets transferred, liabilities incurred and the equity interests issued by the Group, which includes the fair value of any asset or liability arising from a contingent consideration agreement. Acquisition costs are expensed as incurred. The Group recognises identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed, including contingent liabilities, in a business combination regardless of whether they have been previously recognised in the acquiree's financial statements prior to the acquisition. Assets acquired and liabilities assumed are generally measured at their acquisition-date fair values. Goodwill is stated after separate recognition of identifiable intangible assets. It is calculated as the excess of the sum of a) fair value of consideration transferred, b) the recognised amount of any non-controlling interest in the acquiree and c) acquisition-date fair value of any existing equity interest in the acquiree, over the acquisition-date fair values of identifiable net assets. If the fair values of identifiable net assets exceed the sum calculated above, the excess amount (i.e. gain on a bargain purchase) is recognised in profit or loss immediately. b) Intangible assets Intangible assets are measured at historic cost and are amortised on a straight line basis over their expected useful economic life. They comprise three categories: • development tools; • software (self-published games) and royalty rights acquired in connection with jointly held IP; and • software (third party). An internally generated intangible asset arising from the Group's development activities is recognised only if all of the following conditions are met: • completion of the intangible asset is technically feasible so that it will be available for use in developing games (in respect of development tools) or for sale of games (in respect of self-published software); • the Group intends to complete the intangible asset and has the ability to use or license it as indicated above, thus generating probable future economic benefits; • the expenditure attributable to the intangible asset during its development, mainly salary costs, can be measured reliably; and • the Group has adequate technical, financial and other resources to complete the development and to use or sell the intangible asset. Internally generated intangible assets, consisting of direct labour costs, other specific direct project costs and attributable project support costs, are amortised on a straight line basis over their useful economic lives. The estimated useful lives of current development projects are between three and five years. When a self-published game is intended for release on multiple platforms without material content change, amortisation is based on the length of time in which that game is expected to be supported in an unchanged format with a limit of up to six years. Acquired rights are assessed for the useful 'franchise life'. For Elite Dangerous this is prudently estimated at eight years; within the sector successful franchises normally have useful lives of over ten years. Until completion the assets are subject to annual impairment testing. In most circumstances amortisation commences upon completion of the asset and is shown within cost of sales in the income statement. Where no internally generated intangible asset can be recognised, development expenditure is recognised as an expense in the period in which it is incurred. c) Impairment of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets At each balance sheet date, the Group reviews the carrying amounts of its property, plant and equipment and individual intangible assets for any indication that these assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss, if any. The recoverable amount is the higher of the fair value less costs to sell or value in use. Fair value is measured for self-published games by discounting future cashflows. For all other assets a review of the expected useful economic life is undertaken and compared to that implied in the amortisation rate. d) Financial instruments Financial liabilities and equity instruments are classified according to the substance of the contractual arrangements entered into. An equity instrument is any contract that evidences a residual interest in the assets of the Group after deducting all of its financial liabilities. Equity instruments do not include a contractual obligation to deliver cash or other financial assets to another entity. Any instrument that does have the obligation to deliver cash or another financial asset to another entity is classified as a financial liability. Financial liabilities are presented under liabilities on the statement of financial position. Financial assets Loans and receivables comprise trade receivables, other receivables, derivative financial instruments and cash and cash equivalents. Financial assets are recognised initially at fair value and measured subsequent to initial recognition at amortised cost using the effective interest method, less provision for impairment. Any change in their value through impairment or reversal of impairment is recognised in the income statement. Provision against trade receivables is made when there is objective evidence that the Group will not be able to collect all amounts due to it in accordance with the original terms of those receivables. The amount of the write down is determined as the difference between the asset's carrying amount and the present value of estimated future cashflows discounted at the financial asset's original effective interest rate. Financial assets at FVTPL Derivative financial instruments are financial assets measured at fair value through the profit and loss (FVTPL) and are financial assets that are either classified as held for trading or that meet certain conditions and are designated at FVTPL upon initial recognition. All derivative instruments fall into this category. Assets in this category are measured at fair value with gains or losses recognised in profit or loss. The fair values of financial assets in this category are determined by reference to active market transactions or using a valuation technique where no active market exists. Financial liabilities The Group's financial liabilities include trade and other payables. Financial liabilities are initially measured at fair value and are subsequently measured at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method, except for financial liabilities designated at fair value through profit and loss (FVTPL). All derivative financial instruments that are not designated and effective as hedging instruments are accounted for at FVTPL. Fair value measurements recognised in the balance sheet Financial instruments that are measured subsequent to initial recognition at fair value have been classified using a fair value hierarchy that reflects the significance of the inputs used in measuring the fair value of those instruments. The fair value hierarchy has the following levels: • Level 1 fair value measurements are those derived from quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities; • Level 2 fair value measurements are those derived from inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly (i.e. as prices) or indirectly (i.e. derived from prices); and • Level 3 fair value measurements are those derived from valuation techniques that include inputs for the asset or liability that are not based on observable market data (unobservable market inputs). e) Revenue recognition Revenue represents amounts derived from the design, production and sale of computer games software and related technology which fall within the Group's ordinary activities, exclusive of value added tax and other similar sales taxes. Revenue is measured by reference to the fair value of consideration received or receivable. Revenue includes income from the design and production of computer software contracted for customers, royalties from published games, income from the release of self-published games, and crowd-sourced funding pledges to support the development of self published games. Revenues on project contracts are mapped against the expected profile of costs. In most circumstances these are closely correlated. Where there is close correlation between the revenue and cost profile, the milestones within the project contracts are considered to approximate the stage of completion of the obligations under the contract and therefore recognition of revenue based on these milestones provides a sufficiently accurate approximation of recognition of revenue on a stage of completion basis, except for where there are significant acceptance requirements. Under such arrangements, revenue is recognised when the Group has substantially met all its performance obligations and the customer has approved the relevant milestone. Where there is less correlation between the revenue and cost profile, revenue from customer specific contracts recognised on the stage of completion of each assignment (milestone) at the period end date compared to the total estimated service based on the estimate of labour and other costs to be provided over the entire contract where the outcome can be estimated reliably. If a contract outcome cannot be estimated reliably, revenues are recognised equal to costs incurred, to the extent that costs are expected to be recovered. An expected loss on a contract is recognised immediately in the income statement. Additionally, project contracts may contain provision for the pass through of subcontract cost, these are recharged on a matching basis in the same period as the underlying cost. Revenue earned from royalties under distribution agreements are recognised in the period that the sales to the end customer are made, estimated on an accruals basis as royalty reports are received on a monthly or calendar quarter basis. Revenue from released self-published titles is recognised on download of the game or upon purchase of in-game digital items. Revenue from crowd-funding for self-published titles is normally deferred, then recognised when the Group meets its performance obligations. Where there is no clear performance obligation, for example, membership of a development forum, this is taken as revenue over the expected development period of the game on a straight line basis. f) Share-based payment transactions Share options are periodically granted to staff. Share options are measured at fair value at the date of grant and recognised over the vesting period of the option. Fair value is measured using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The expected life used in the model is an estimate of the likely average expiry date of the options by reference to the current rate of exercise by employees. The share-based payment is recognised as an expense in profit or loss, together with a corresponding credit to an equity reserve. This expense is recognised on a straight line basis based on the Group's estimate of the number of shares that will vest. Estimates are subsequently revised if there is any indication that the number of share options expected to vest differs from previous estimates. Any cumulative adjustment prior to vesting is recognised in the current period. No adjustment is made to any expense recognised in prior periods if share options ultimately exercised are different to that estimated on vesting. Upon exercise of share options, the proceeds received up to the nominal value of the shares issued are allocated to share capital with any excess being recorded as share premium. Upon the exercise or lapsing of the grant a transfer of the cumulative value of the grant is made from the equity reserve to the profit and loss reserve. g) Foreign currencies Transactions denominated in a foreign currency are translated at the rate of exchange ruling at a month-end rate in order to approximate to actual rate for the relevant transaction date. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated at the rate of exchange ruling at the statement of financial position date. Foreign exchange differences are charged to the income statement in the period in which they arise. The assets and liabilities in the financial statements of foreign subsidiaries are translated at the rate of exchange ruling at the statement of financial position date. Income and expenses are translated at the actual exchange rate. The exchange differences arising from the retranslation of the opening net investment in subsidiaries are recognised in other comprehensive income and are accumulated in the foreign currency reserve in equity. On disposal of a foreign operation, the cumulative translation differences are transferred to the profit and loss as a reclassification adjustment as part of the gain or loss on disposal. 4. Significant accounting estimates and key judgements The key assumptions concerning the future and other key sources of estimation uncertainty that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities within the next financial year are discussed below: a) Intangible assets The Group invests heavily in research and development. The identification of development costs that meet the criteria for capitalisation is dependent on management's judgement and knowledge of the work done. Development costs of software tools within a project that can be utilised generically are separately identified. Judgements are based on the information available at each period end. Economic success of any development is assessed on a reasonable basis but remains uncertain at the time of recognition as it may be subject to future technical problems and therefore a review for indicators of impairment is completed by product at each period end date. The net book values of the Group and Company intangible assets including rights acquired at 31 May 2015 are £11,100,568 (2014: £10,961,795). Intangible assets are subject to amortisation and reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable, for example, a decision to suspend a self-published title under development. An impairment loss is recognised for the amount by which the asset's carrying amount exceeds its recoverable |
anged himself in his cell with a bedsheet. Both men have worked for the prison system for nearly six years.
That brings to four the number of state corrections officers on paid suspension because of high-profile suicides.
Billy Slagle, 44, a convicted murderer from Cleveland, was found hanging in his cell on Death Row at the Chillicothe Correctional Institution early on Aug. 4, just hours before he was to go on 24-hour suicide watch and three days before his scheduled execution. Clay Putnam, 19, and John McCollister, 30, remain on paid administrative leave pending the conclusion of that investigation.
Castro, 53, who held three women captive in his Cleveland home for nearly a decade, was found hanging in his cell at 9:20 p.m. on Sept. 3. Prison medical staff performed CPR before taking him to Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 10:52 p.m.
The three women Castro kidnapped disappeared separately between 2002 and 2004, when they were 14, 16 and 20 years old. They escaped on May 6 when one broke part of a door and yelled to neighbors for help. Castro was arrested that evening.
Castro’s suicide was the seventh in an Ohio prison this year. However, another inmate death yesterday could push that to eight. James Blackburn, 31, of Trumbull County, was found in his cell at the Lebanon Correctional Institution in Warren County at 2:09 a.m. and was pronounced dead about 20 minutes later. Smith said the State Highway Patrol is investigating Blackburn’s death as a potential suicide. He was serving a 21-year sentence for multiple rape convictions.
There have been 35 inmate suicides in Ohio prisons since 2008, a total about in line with the national average for similar-size prison systems. A review team appointed by prisons director Gary Mohr, drawn from the agency’s legal, medical, mental-health, security and operational divisions, is to complete a report on Castro’s death by the end of the month.We’ve played Guild Wars 2. It’s tough. It’s good. Here’s a little feature about how it is coming together, including some thoughts on that newly-revealed Engineer profession, and underwater combat.
Okay, so you know Ascalon? Noble, quaint kingdom, lovely people, delightful taste in continent-spanning walls? Crushed by the Charr at the beginning of Guild Wars, and so forth? Population massacred, people scattered, a last stand frozen in time by the desperate actions of King Adelbarn? Hmm, yes, them. Tragic story. Sad.
Did you ever think that they may have been the baddies?
Guild Wars 2 certainly thinks they were. Adelbarn’s victory at all cost may have obliterated the attacking Charr (giant cat people, don’t ever call them furries) army, but it turned his people into deluded deadly ghosts; it’s also worth remembering that Ascalon was actually built on conquered Charr land, so the Charr were justified in wanting it back.
We’re plunging into the depths of the ruined city to stop an ignorant Norn heroine from foolhardily unleashing all the spirits trapped therein; very similar to the plot of the official novel by lead writer Jeff Grubb. We are a brave (read; hugely imbalanced) party of brash young fools consisting of me (Cheery, the Charr Engineer), a couple of mages (necromancer and elementalist), a human thief, and an AI Charr leader who spends most of his time lying down, whimpering. We’re playing through the easy story first, so we can unlock the harder exploration mode for a challenge later.
HA. Did I say easy? I mean MFing difficult. On the face of this mid-game instance, Exploration is going to be tougher than John’s iron skin that allows all those jokes about poor healing to just *bounce* off it.
We almost wipe immediately, after a ten-minute stalemate with three ghostly defenders of Ascalan. It takes us that long to realise that the ghosts are class-based just like us (indeed, they’re the classes from the first game!) and are better at playing together than us. Their monk keeps healing their warrior, who keeps drawing our attention (aggro) by hitting us, whilst their Mesmer distracts us with his projectile-reflecting shield every time the warrior needs to heal himself. We’re all just looking after ourselves and we drop one by one until I’m the only one left, backing off, dropping turrets and health packs. When the ghosts back off, I inch forward and ressurrect the party, one by one.
The reason it takes so long for us to succeed against these (admittedly veteran) ghosts is that each class in Guild Wars is actually pretty self-sufficient. For example, I’ve been playing as the engineer for most of the afternoon, and he can drop a healing turret and medkits to keep himself and team members alive; anyone can resurrect anyone else as well, but if they die again with a given time frame they have to respawn at the beginning of the instance. At least in story mode, this doesn’t spawn any more enemies and isn’t far away, so progress is a straightforward task of just keeping yourselves alive, slowly resurrecting as people fall, and hoping that no-one drops in a area surrounded by bads.
Slowly pushing on through the fairly linear dungeon, we make it through several more packs of ghosts (though the dungeon gives you room to breath, unlike many WoW instances), before catching up with Mrs Norn. My only problem with these fights, exciting as they are, is that I can’t really tell what’s going on; there’s so many super-powered flashes and bangs from all my teammates, it’s hard to know what everyone’s doing; for example, I never actually noticed if anyone was healing me or not, and my healing turret proved to be bugged, only healing me once and no-one else.
Mrs Norn is after King Adelbarn’s sword, Magdaer, a great old lump of magic, which he used to raise all the ghosts and is at the top of the ruined tower we’re fighting through; she manages to persuade us that grabbing it is a Good Idea. Heading up there, we clear out a mass of ghosts and lay hands on the sword… and up pops Adelbarn. Before we can deal with him though, we need to go off and diddle his mini-bosses, who are all archetypes of high classes from the first game. Once we’ve nobbled them, we head back and do for Adelbarn too.
I have to say, just from this play session, the engineer’s proved to be one of my favourite quirky MMO classes, up there with LOTRO’s burgular and WAR’s Squig Herder. Unlike most actual engineers I know, he isn’t concerned with minimising measurement errors, but rather with using one of his many gadget sets to alter his role. Basically, most Guild Wars 2 characters have two weapon sets that they can swap between in-combat; the engineer has one, a kind of rifle-shotgun combination, with five attacks, all solid (especially the one that knocks both him and the enemy back a huge distance), but not particularly special.
However, he also has alternate tool kits; a flamethrower, a pack of mines, a pack of medkits, a pack of bombs… all of which also have five special powers. He also has other gadgets that he has to slot in somewhere; a range of three turrets (healing, rifle and a thumper), rocket-boots that fling him far, far away from the enemy, and more gadgets as he climbs the levels. Of course, he can only have three equipped at any time, plus his basic gun, but he can swap between them outside of combat, and that still gives him around 25 hugely distinctive and different moves to try; the playstyle change between the flamethrower and the bombs is just great.
As with all the classes, he also has an additional weapon set for underwater combat (a trident and a basic aqualung) and a weapon set for when he’s downed – consisting of a nice selection of his powers, including a mine field, a bomb, the ability to throw junk, and the ability to borrow a random downed power from an ally.
I also tried him out in a wider roaming area of the game (around level 30) which included open quests, which worked as well as Rift’s do – a bit confused but perfectly enjoyable and nicely fluid.
Finally, we had a go at the Norn intro area which, like all intro areas, feels a bit like the suburbs; once you’ve picked your heroic backstory and created your character, you’re straight into tutorials. You’re suitably high-powered from the off, killing a giant worm-thing called Isilmir but there’s that weightless feeling of Rift’s beginning – if I’m so amazing, how come I can only use this single power? There are a nice variety of challenges in this area, based around the four Norn spirit animals, with the Snow Leopard letting you shapechange into one, the Bear asking you to protect its young and the Raven asking you hundreds of riddles. Also, very simple open quests like defend the beer delivery, just to introduce you to the world.
In that area, I also had a very limited go at underwater combat – there was only one pond that really allowed it. It’s fluid (haw) and the alternate weapon sets are a nice touch, but it had that Descent problem of directional confusion, especially in underwater caves. We’ll be intrigued to see how it’s handled in instances and with large parties – and how players and the engine will cope with multiple enemies moving quickly in three dimensions.
So did I enjoy Guild Wars 2? Mechanics-wise, it’s not a great leap forward, despite everything; there are so many standards expected of an MMO that the freedom of movement is very limited. That said, the general design is second to none, the stories are presented quickly and compellingly, and the combat is flexible and enjoyable. It’s going to be quite the contender come that beta test later this year.
Guild Wars 2 does not yet have a release date.In many cities, it's become popular to hate "gentrifiers," rich people who move in and drive up housing prices — pushing everyone else out. But what's going on in these rapidly-changing urban spaces is a lot more complicated than that.
Photo by Bulent Kilic/Getty
We Call Them Aliens
Gentrification is a form of immigration, though almost nobody calls it that. People who gentrify are usually new transplants to a city, changing it to suit their particular cultural needs and whims. That's why the criticism of gentrification often sounds like a distorted version of anti-immigrant sentiment: "They have changed our neighborhoods; their shops and homes are repulsive; we no longer feel welcome here." The difference is that the people we call immigrants are usually not rich. Gentrifiers are.
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These days, my hometown of San Francisco is the most famous example of gentrification in the United States, and maybe even the world. This is thanks entirely to the insanity of the tech bubble, which has sent the city's cost of living into the stratosphere and transformed working class, immigrant neighborhoods like the Mission into upper class immigrant neighborhoods.
Photo via Affordable Housing Institute
In the Mission, Latin American grocery stores and dive bars have become boutiques devoted to selling exotic sodas, organic chocolate, and high-end stereo equipment cunningly disguised as hip, retro low-end stereo equipment. Markets where people once spoke Spanish have become cafes where people from many countries use English to talk about mobile apps and cloud storage. Scrawled on sidewalks in the Mission you'll see graffiti that says things like "die techie scum," or that blame "trendy Google professionals" for making the area too expensive.
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San Francisco's transformation came to the world's attention due to a powerful essay by Rebecca Solnit in the London Review of Books. In it, she wrote about how techies have destroyed the immigrant Mission neighborhood she once loved, and depicts the big, white Google buses as mini Death Stars, disgorging their techie workers like "alien overlords." Though she is on the side of displaced immigrants in this essay, Solnit's language nevertheless echoes anti-immigrant rhetoric — the word "alien" is the same, only instead of being illegal, these aliens are overlords.
Photo via Kevin Montgomery
Either way, the message is clear. Locals want the immigrants to get the hell out.
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It's easier to blame the aliens for what's happened to your city rather than face up to the complicated reality of urban life. City planner Spiro Kostof writes that cities are not static — they are "a process," always changing over time. Today's Mission district in San Francisco, for example, was once a working class Irish and German neighborhood. And some of those "alien" techies invading it now come from the same Central and South American countries that its current residents do.
The Skyscrapers of Istanbul
Recently I visited Istanbul, a city of over 17 million in Turkey that is undergoing a form of gentrification far more radical than anything in San Francisco. Government-sponsored "urban transformation" projects have led to the destruction of entire neighborhoods, their informally-built homes razed to make way for gleaming collections of high-density towers. Residents are forced out of their homes with eminent domain laws, and are sometimes left with an insignificant financial stake in the new developments — or sometimes with nothing at all.
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Urban activist Yaşar Adanali told me about visiting a man who was being displaced from his home in the immigrant Tarlabaşı neighborhood near the city center. This area, once a thriving and diverse neighborhood, has been almost entirely leveled to make way for a new housing development. The man Adanali met was one of the last people still living there, his home precariously balanced next to a massive pit full of construction materials.
He told Adanali that his family had come from the Black Sea coast near the Georgian border and moved into the house in 1955. Housing costs in the neighborhood were cheap at that time because anti-Greek riots in the city were driving its previous residents out. Fleeing the attacks, many Greeks sold their homes at below-market rates to new immigrants, allowing this man's impoverished family to gain a home. Gentrification, in other words, is not a simple story of bad guys displacing good guys. Cities are made up of wave upon wave of such morally gray displacements, some violently coercive, and others eerily quiet.
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We Know It When We See It
In the latest issue of Boom, an academic journal devoted to California studies, social geographer Rachel Brahinsky explains, "Gentrification is capitalism playing out in the landscape. It is essentially our economy's urban form." She's talking about San Francisco, but she could just as easily be describing Istanbul — or many other cities that are changing as flows of money translate into flows of immigrants.
And yet, gentrification unfolds differently depending on where it's happening and when. Politics can be more important than money. In previous eras, gentrification would have been the result of military conquest or regime change. The broad boulevards of Paris, built in the 19th century over the top of so-called "unhealthy" older neighborhoods, were created at the whim of Emperor Napoleon III. When you walk along these beautiful thoroughfares near the Seine, you tread upon the crushed homes of the poor from centuries ago.
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A gentrified street in Paris, L'Avenue d'Opera, painted by Camille Pissarro in 1898.
Gentrification is only visible to people who know the context where it's taking place. A visitor to San Francisco might not realize that she was walking through contested terrain, recently changed by gentrification, just by visiting the Mission. But for longterm city residents, gentrification is obvious. We always know it when we see it.
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Anti-Development in San Francisco
That said, we don't always understand it. In San Francisco, residents who resist gentrification do it by blocking the development of new, high-density housing projects. They imagine that the city's parks and neighborhoods will be destroyed to make way for gated communities of gleaming skyscrapers full of condos. Yet without new housing, as architect Mark Hogan remarks in another essay in Boom, the city's housing prices will remain "staggeringly high."
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Photo of Noe Valley, a low-density, high-income neighborhood, by Allan Ferguson
Indeed, San Francisco's anti-development policies are actually harming the low-income communities they were originally designed to protect. Hogan writes:
The glacial pace of infrastructure projects in San Francisco benefit very few people and risk turning it into a caricature of its former self for tourists and residents rich enough to live in a fantasy, not a living city.
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By preventing the city from transforming to meet the needs of new residents, San Francisco risks turning into a place where only the rich can live.
Fearing the kind of rampant high-rise development that people see on a daily basis in Istanbul, activists in San Francisco have gone to the other extreme. And the results are the same: the poor are pushed out to make way for the rich. Our cities need to find another path, somewhere between the trashed ruins of Tarlabaşı and the fantasy city of the high-priced, low-density Mission.
Immigrant City
No matter how much you contextualize it, gentrification is often forced on a city by its wealthiest immigrants. Sometimes the government pushes for these urban transformations, which is the case in Istanbul. And sometimes the government tries to thwart them, as in San Francisco. But either way, you've got an immigrant class that uses its financial power to buy up real estate by paying prices that current residents can't afford. Money remakes the city.
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But so do immigrants. When different immigrant groups struggle with each other to reshape the city, gentrification is one possible outcome. There are other possible outcomes, too. City planners can manage development so that there is enough room for neighborhoods to grow without kicking anyone out. A recent study revealed that creating income-segregated neighborhoods leads to less social mobility for everyone, cementing us into a rigidly class-divided society. More than anything, we need to prevent neighborhoods from becoming divided by class.
A first step would be to revise our attitude toward immigration in cities. Instead of seeing immigrants as aliens, we should welcome their fresh perspectives, their wealth of new cultural traditions — and yes, their cash infusions. As twentieth century cities swell into twenty-first century megacities, we must make room for all our immigrant populations, rich and poor alike. The only crime is in sacrificing one to make way for the other.
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Annalee Newitz is the editor-in-chief of io9, and this is her column. She's the author of Scatter, Adapt and Remember: How Humans Will Survive a Mass Extinction. Follow her on Twitter, or email her.MINNEAPOLIS - Although Doc Rivers and Kevin Garnett showered each other with praise before Monday's game between the Clippers and Timberwolves, Austin Rivers wasn't as complimentary late in the fourth quarter, when both players received double technicals for jawing at each other.
With 3:23 left in the game and the Clippers leading the Minnesota Timberwolves 102-97, Rivers looked like he intentionally bumped Garnett as he walked back to the Clippers bench. Garnett then elbowed him and pointed at him, and Rivers got in Garnett's face before both were given a technical foul.
"I thought Austin should have punched him, personally," Doc Rivers said with a smile after the game.
Austin Rivers, however, wasn't smiling and sported a welt on his forehead that he said came as a result of a Garnett elbow earlier in the game.
Kevin Garnett is on good terms with Doc Rivers, but not so much with his former coach's son. David Sherman/Getty Images
"He elbowed me in my head, and that's not going to fly, really," Rivers said. "I have all the respect in the world for him. He's one of the best players to ever play the game, but at the end of the day, I'm a man just like he is, and that's all there is to it."
Rivers said Garnett was physical with him the entire game before they both received technicals in the fourth quarter.
"I let it go, and then we went and I didn't have the ball, and he just hit me in my stomach and knocked the wind [out of me], and Chris [Paul] threw me the ball, and I wasn't prepared for it because I had just lost my wind, and I threw it back to him," he said. "The play went on and just because I bumped him a little bit, he turned around and did all that stuff."
When asked if he bumped Garnett intentionally, Rivers said, "I was walking to my bench, and he was in my way, and I wasn't moving."
Garnett played for Doc Rivers in Boston for six seasons, but Austin Rivers said he doesn't have much of a relationship with Garnett. He grew up in Orlando and went to Duke before being drafted by New Orleans after one year of college.
"I don't really know him like that," Rivers said. "I was around a little bit growing up, and I still have respect for him. He's a competitor, man. That's what KG does. He knows I am too, so I'm not going to dislike him or say anything bad about him because he would do it to anybody, whether it was D.J., Matt, Chris, C.J. -- it doesn't matter. That's who he is. He's a competitor.
"To be honest, growing up I really wasn't around him that much. My little brother and my sister and my older brother were there all the time. I was kind of the one that spaced out and did my own thing but I think he respected that I was working on my game."
Rivers wasn't the only one who got a technical in the game. J.J. Redick got hit with two technical fouls with 1:06 left in the game and the Clippers holding on to a 105-101 lead. Redick and Flip Saunders were originally hit with double technical fouls before Redick got hit with a second and was ejected.
Editor's Picks Doc: Garnett ended up in 'perfect spot' Doc Rivers was hoping for one more title run with Kevin Garnett, but he admits KG is in a "perfect spot" with the Wolves, Arash Markazi writes.
"I think there was a foul on the play, and I was just kind of walking to get to my spot on the free throw line, and Flip was out on the court," Redick said. "I'm not sure why he was out on the court, but he was yelling and stuff, so I said to the ref, 'Man, get him off the court.' And Flip turned to me and said, 'Man, shut the f--- up.' And he said it like three times, and I just walked to my spot, and I got a double technical for that. So I shouldn't have kept talking, but all I said to Josh [Tiven] was, 'I'm going to get my money back,' and he threw me out for that.
"If I'm going to get thrown out, man, at least let me say some stuff. Flip cusses me out, and I say, 'I'm going to get my money back,' and I get thrown out for that? Whatever."
It was an odd sequence that was a mystery to many coaches and players, including Redick, after the game.
"To me, if an owner or a coach goes after a player for no reason, there should be some repercussions for that," Redick said. "I don't know why the player would receive a double technical. I didn't say anything to Flip. I said something to the ref: 'Get him off the court.' He shouldn't have been on the court in the first place.
"If somebody charges you up, it's hard to remain silent, and I thought I kept my composure in check. I would love to say something back to Flip, and I didn't cuss at the referee. I thought it was a little ridiculous. I don't know what else I could do other than shut up."With the recent dumping by three successive storm cells, the City of Santa Barbara’s Gibraltar Reservoir is poised to spill, meaning runoff water should soon start pouring downstream and into Lake Cachuma in significant quantities for the first time since 2011.
As of Tuesday evening, Gibraltar — by far the smaller of the two reservoirs from which the city draws — is about two feet from spillage, meaning it could overflow anytime. With Gibraltar overflowing, all the water it had previously short-stopped — thick with sediment from recent fires — can now run towards Cachuma, which is reportedly 11 percent full. Last week, it was at nine percent of storage capacity.
Once Gibraltar spills, Cachuma can impound inflow and runoff at a much faster rate. But as usual with this year’s rains, the news looks rosier than it immediately is. First, the most recent storm proved substantially less bountiful than predicted. Second, none of the water flowing into Cachuma can be used by the member water agencies drawing from the dam until there’s a live stream flowing from the base of Cachuma down the main stem of the Santa Ynez to the ocean. Even then — according to byzantine water accounting rules — another 4,000 acre-feet worth of water will have to be set aside for downstream users, and another 2,000 acre-feet set-aside to replenish accounts created for steelhead restoration efforts, before South Coast water agencies can start availing themselves to the accumulated run-off now collecting in Cachuma.
Since this year’s rains, about 5,000 acre-feet have accumulated in Lake Cachuma. “Lake Cachuma was a lot better off last year at this time than it is now,” said city water Czar Joshua Haggmark. “We still have a long way to go.” Haggmark said the drought won’t be officially over until Cachuma spills again. If it fills halfway, he said, the city might consider rolling back the lawn watering ban and other drought inspired restrictions.
Haggmark noted that about half the watershed that feeds Cachuma has to go past the pinch point of Gibraltar first. Imagine a land mass ten times the size of the City of Santa Barbara feeding into Gibraltar. Once the water starts moving, Haggmark said, “It gets pretty explosive.” Haggmark expressed both chagrin and relief that the heavier rains passed the city by. “I hate to be the guy who says, ‘’Where’s my three inches?’ But where are my three inches?” But had the rains hit much harder, he cautioned, they could have inflicted a lot more damage given how parched and splashy the landscape is.
In the meantime, Haggmark and other South Coast water managers are scrambling to save 30,000 acre-feet of state water they stored in the San Luis Reservoir by Los Banos, now approaching capacity. Once that happens, all water banked there is lost. Santa Barbara agencies are pursuing a possible deal with the Metropolitan Water District in which the Santa Barbara agencies give MWD three acre-feet for every two acre-feet MWD provides.
Haggmark, meanwhile, said there’s no rain forecast for the next ten days. “Anything beyond that is strictly Voodoo.” After the rainy season runs its course — usually sometime in March — local agencies will have a better idea how to proceed. Even though Santa Barbara County has received far more than average rainfall this year, federal forecasters continue to predict less than average precipitation.Chatting With Data Scientist Amanda Dobbyn About Analyzing Beer Styles
Earlybird Blocked Unblock Follow Following Dec 14, 2017
Earlybird data scientist Amanda Dobbyn presenting at a recent R Ladies Chicago meetup.
This is the latest installment in our occasional series of interviews with Earlybird technologists on a variety of issues relevant to our work. Have any questions or ideas for topics you’d like to see us cover? Drop us a note at hello@earlybird.co.
Eddie VanBogaert, Partner: Alright! We’re here with Amanda Dobbyn, a data scientist here at Earlybird, and before we dig into one of your latest projects, let’s start with your role here at Earlybird. What did you do before joining us, and what’s a typical day or week in the life like?
Amanda Dobbyn, Data Scientist: Sure. So I came to Earlybird from UChicago where I did statistical analyses on experimental data in a cognitive neuroscience lab. There I had the chance to get steeped in cognitive psych and neuroscience literature — lots of cultural relativity, linguistic relativity, experiments testing how the language you speak influences the way you think — that sort of interesting academic stuff. Through this, I was able to get a solid foundation in responsible statistics: I did a lot of checking assumptions, making plots of residuals, measuring skew, that kind of thing. And you know your methods are going to be scrutinized by other academics in the journal space, so you better make sure you’re doing it right and anticipating criticism of your process and biases. If you’re going to [take the natural logarithm of] your data you’d better be able to back up why that was the right choice.
Anyway, academia was great — met tons of super smart and passionate people who are still my good friends — but it moved a little slowly for me, and I wanted to do something in quicker iteration cycles and have a more practical impact. And that’s when I found Earlybird. My last year and a half or so here has been an interesting mix of data science, some project management under [Earlybird co-founder Vlad Jornitski], and generally learning a lot about the tech industry and the data software tools being used in the private sector.
The data science that I do tends to be a good bit of hypothesis testing — both our clients’ hypotheses about their data and hypotheses we generate ourselves — as well as more exploratory stuff generally starting with visualizations and then branching off into things like network analysis and predictive modeling. Modeling, for instance, can help us expect when a certain customer might return to a service department or retail location, based on their past history, known demographic details, and even factors like what day of the month it is and other market trends. I generally like joining on third party data like that as a control to give us indications of how much of the effect we see is actually attributable to business decisions our clients have made, and how much is probably a result of external factors beyond their control.
We’re generally allowed good degree of creativity, a wide berth to suss out the parts of the data that seem odd or don’t make sense, and dive into them to see if it’s a situation where our insights can add some value. So I’ll do that type of end-to-end analysis, polish it up, and then present what I’ve found to our clients along with our prescriptive recommendations for how the client can use the data to inform their decisions in a particular functional area.
As for my day-to-day? Well, it always starts with morning stand-ups along with the rest of the crew where I wear my PM hat and get a sense of where everyone is, what they’re blocked on, where the bugs are, what’s the most pressing, what might be lower priority. Then, depending on the day, there’s a smattering of meetings mixed in with bursts of coding where I fit in work on client-facing data projects and sometimes analyses internal to our production operations here at Earlybird. During these I’m coding or bouncing ideas off other members of the team. In my PM role, at different stages of different projects, I might be in the conference room with a certain project’s team, whiteboarding out a kink in our business logic and brainstorming the best possible workarounds or fixes for it. Other times I’ll be talking to our clients to get a clearer sense of their vision for a certain feature, or checking people’s work in reviews and making sure things look good functionally, ensuring we’re on-track to put together a product that we’re going to be proud of.
Eddie: Cool. So, beer — beer is a different story… we have beer here sometimes. And you shared a project recently — a personal project, not an Earlybird project — with the R Ladies group here in Chicago as part of their Oktoberfest meetup. Tell me about that. What were your overarching questions, or what were you looking to discover?
Amanda: So, funny enough, this did actually start in the office. Our good friend [senior developer Kris Kroski] and I were having a talk after work one day — may or may not have been over some beers — and Kris shared a beer app he’s been building as a side project.
I’ll spare you the exact details, but a lot of what the app is trying to do is identify people’s ideal flavor palettes based on their ratings of different types of beer. As you know, there are a lot of different styles of beer, and we were discussing how you’d want to go about objectively measuring the intensity of flavors in a way that makes sense across these different styles. This is sort of an interesting problem because, for example, what might be quite hoppy for a wheat beer might be considered average or even low hoppiness for an IPA (India Pale Ale) — that sort of thing. So you want to set up some sort of [Bayesian] prior that’ll tell you what distribution of hoppiness you should expect from a wheat beer and that’ll be different from the distribution among IPAs.
That discussion led me to ask a bit of a different question: do styles meaningfully define true flavor boundaries in beer? A reason we might think they don’t is that a lot styles seem to emerge as an accident of circumstance or history, right — take the impact of German purity laws, for instance. So is the labeled style of a beer actually a useful construct for understanding what you’re about to drink, or is it a bit more random than that? And somewhat secondarily, I was also interested in more fully discovering what the craft brewing space looks like today, and seeing what patterns or trends I might be able to find in the data.
Kris showed me how he had access to some beer data through an online beer website called BreweryDB. It has a public API (application programming interface) and so all you have to do is create an API key and you can request their data back as JSON. So, instead of just stealing Kroski’s data, I set about writing a few scripts that would get me all the data I was interested in, built up my own MySQL database locally, and then just dove in.
I’ve been into beer for the past few years, home-brewed a bit — brewed some of President Obama’s White House Honey Ale with an old [ultimate frisbee] coach — and so I’ve been interested in how beer is brewed, the chemistry of it (at a very high level), and what makes various styles of beer taste so different. So, again, the main crux of my analysis was to see, across this wide range, whether styles do a good job of defining and classifying different kinds of beer.
Eddie: That’s great. Tell us how you started your analysis.
Amanda: So first I wanted to do a bit of factor-level reduction on my outcome variable to condense all these styles that had slightly different names but really were under the umbrella of a broader style, grouping them all into that main style heading. I did that by defining those broader categories — and you can certainly take issue with how I chose to define them, and please do — and then I looked for styles that contained the name of that category within them and lumped them under the broader heading. There was a little more nuance than that so I was able retain the difference between, for example, a Double India Pale Lager and an India Pale Lager, but that was a fun bit of string munging acrobatics.
Then, when I started trying to answer the main question, the first way I went at it was by using what’s called unsupervised clustering. I often like to begin with clustering because it lets you look at the data without biasing yourself by labeling it with the thing that that you’re interested in. So stepping back for a sec — what an unsupervised machine learning technique will do is approach a problem agnostic to what you’re looking to find, which in my case was the relationship between style and the different measurable dimensions of beer available through BreweryDB: ABV (alcohol by volume), IBUs (international bitterness units), and SRM (standard reference method), a standardized color system used by brewers. Then, once you cluster your datapoints using a set of input variables, you can see how those clusters map onto the outcome variable you’re interested. If they line up well, then you’re more inclined to believe that there is a meaningful relationship to be defined between your input variables and your response variable.
I should mention that the predictor variables I chose were a deliberate subset of the possible variables I could have used. This is actually the type of thing I have to think about at work quite a bit, and it really requires logic and reasoning more than anything else. Reason being that, instead of always blindly throwing all possible features into a model, it’s better to think things through and say, okay, what really belongs in this model and what doesn’t and why? If you’re not thorough, your model can be, at best, hard to interpret, and, at worst, just wrong or misleading.
So in the beer case, I came up with a way to reason about which variables were good candidates for being predictors (and which weren’t) by thinking up some heuristics for classifying variables as either beer inputs, outputs, or style-defined attributes. I consider outputs the best, and I’ll try to give some reasons why — I define inputs as things a brewer can directly control, like the temperature a beer is brewed at or the amount of a certain malt that’s added. An output would be something that a brewer can’t directly touch or affect, like ABV or IBU. Once the beer’s brewed, it’s brewed, and you can’t bump up the ABV of a beer without doing something it, something that no young beer should have to go through, like adding vodka or whatever. I considered outputs better candidates for these models because they’re what we as the drinkers interface with. If you’re a brewer and you’ve brewed something of indeterminate style and you’re trying to put a label on it, these are the cues that you use.
Inputs are problematic because you’ve got a chicken-and-egg problem of which direction the causality goes in — a brewer might have a certain style |
-Obamacare Medicaid rules and "came out of the woodwork," so to speak, during the last three months of 2013. This means they did not suddenly gain "access to health care for the first time" due to Obamacare, which was the standard Obama used in his speech to the governors’ group.
The number also includes some people who simply renewed lapsed Medicaid coverage -- people who also wouldn’t be getting "access to health care for the first time."
So how many people actually got health coverage due to the Medicaid expansion? That’s a tougher nut to crack, because the data is scattered among different states and different categories.
Two private-sector efforts to estimate the number produced divergent figures.
Charles Gaba, a website developer and blogger in Michigan, has been tracking enrollment figures at his ACASignups.net site. His most recent estimate from late February shows 2.6 million Medicaid sign-ups once you subtract those falling into three categories -- those who signed up in states that didn’t expand Medicaid, those who were previously eligible and who "came out of the woodwork" to sign up, and an estimate of the typical "churn" for Medicaid sign-ups in those states.
Meanwhile, Avalere, a health-care consulting firm, concluded that over the three-month period, between 1.1 million and 1.8 million people newly enrolled for Medicaid due to Obamacare. Avalere developed its estimates in part by comparing the CMS data on new enrollments to enrollment rates from the summer of 2013. The idea is to see how much of a "bump" in enrollments materialized due to the Medicaid expansion.
There’s a significant difference between 1.1 million and 2.6 million, but the important factor for our fact-check is that both numbers are well short of Obama’s 7 million figure (and CMS’ 6.3 million figure).
Our ruling
Obama said, "We’ve got close to 7 million Americans who have access to health care for the first time because of Medicaid expansion."
Obama’s 7 million figure was a stretch even compared to his own administration’s 6.3 million figure. But more problematic is a disconnect between what he said and what the administration data is showing.
The administration’s 6.3 million figure includes a lot of the "churn" in Medicaid that has nothing to do with the new law’s Medicaid expansion, as well as new sign-ups of people who were previously eligible for Medicaid -- and thus were not granted "access to health care for the first time because of Medicaid expansion," in Obama’s words.
The actual number is estimated to be between one-seventh and two-fifths of what Obama said it was. We rate the claim False.If you thought western fans were the only ones excited for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, think again. Japan is just as hyped for the film, and My Hero Academia is particularly pumped for the sequel.
After all, Shueisha just confirmed the popular series will be doing a collaboration with Star Wars this year.
Earlier today, scans of the latest issue of Weekly Shonen Jump hit the Internet, and fans were met with a big My Hero Academia surprise. Over on Twitter, Yonkou Productions shared a picture from the issue which confirmed Kohei Horikoshi’s manga will be getting a crash-course on the Force this winter.
My Hero Academia Popularity Poll 3 Results and Collaboration poster with Star Wars to be unveiled in Jump Issue 2/3. Merry ChriSMAAASH!!! pic.twitter.com/XCArnB2rmk — YonkouProductions (@YonkouProd) November 30, 2017
The new issue revealed the results of My Hero Academia’s popularity poll, and Star Wars was also mentioned in passing. The franchise will reveal a Star Wars collaboration poster in February. The magazine’s special release in December will house the special promo image.
Of course, fans are excited to see the promising mash-up. My Hero Academia is quickly becoming one of Japan’s most popular manga titles, and Star Wars still stands as a sci-fi monolith. The collaboration will help draw in continued interest in Star Wars: The Last Jedi following its debut, and the honor is a big one for Horikoshi. Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece had collaboration for Star Wars: The Force Awakens a few years back.
So far, there is no telling what fans can expect from the crossover poster, but they do have their wishes. Audiences are eager to see Gran Torino done up as Yoda while All Might steps up as Obi-Wan Kenobi. Izuku would make a killer Luke Skywalker, and Tomura Shigaraki would be a perfect stand-in Kylo Ren. Horikoshi is a diehard fan of Star Wars, so this mash-up’s potential is endless. And, if fans get to see Ochaco dress up as Princess Leia, then the anime fandom will just about lose its mind.
What do you want to see from this My Hero Academia mash-up with Star Wars? Hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to let me know and talk all things comics and anime!Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption UK Information Commissioner on ACS:Law
The personal details of a further 8,000 people alleged to have shared music or films illegally have appeared online.
A list of more than 8,000 Sky broadband subscribers and a second of 400 PlusNet users surfaced following a security breach of legal firm ACS:Law.
It comes after a database of more than 5,000 people suspected of downloading adult films emerged on Monday.
The UK's Information Commissioner said ACS:Law could be fined up to half a million pounds for the breaches.
The two new lists, produced by ACS:Law, contain the names, addresses and Internet addresses (IP addresses) of users suspected of illegally sharing music.
In addition, they contain details of how much compensation infringers paid ACS:Law, along with internal case notes.
The BBC has also seen e-mails which contain credit card details of people who have paid the firm compensation. Others contain responses from people claiming their innocence.
One user whose name appeared on the list said he was "very angry" about the leak and believes "ACS should be shut down immediately, and that everyone on the list should be compensated".
I've never uploaded or downloaded pornography in my life Claire, Alleged file-sharer Read Claire's interview in full
He told BBC News that he was innocent of illegal file-sharing and had refused to pay the money demanded by ACS:Law.
The UK's Information Commissioner (ICO), speaking after the initial leak, told the BBC that ACS:Law had a number of questions to answer.
"The question we will be asking is how secure was this information and how it was so easily accessed from outside," said Christopher Graham.
"We'll be asking about the adequacy of encryption, the firewall, the training of staff and why that information was so public facing.
"The Information Commissioner has significant power to take action and I can levy fine of up to half a million pounds on companies that flout the [Data Protection Act]," he added.
Privacy expert Simon Davies called the leaks "one of the worst breaches" of the Data Protection Act (DPA) he had ever seen.
Data breach
The documents appeared online after users of the notorious message board 4chan attacked ACS:Law's site in retaliation for its anti-piracy efforts, as part of what its users called Operation Payback.
How could my details end up one of these lists? Anti-piracy firms partner with music and film right's holders
Firm uses software to track file-sharing sites and identifies the IP (internet protocol) addresses of the net connections used to share clients' content
Armed with the list of IP addresses, ACS:Law can apply for a court order to obtain the physical address of suspected file-sharers from ISPs whose network has been used
ACS:Law compiles its own lists cross-referencing the content that is alleged to have been shared with the personal details of ISP customers. Several of these lists were leaked
A letter is sent to the alleged pirate, asking them to either pay a one-off fee of around £300 per infringement or face court
Many targeted by ACS:Law contend that IP addresses can be spoofed
Others say that the IP address does not identify a PC, merely a connection, which could be shared between many people, hijacked or used without the owner's knowledge if not secured dot.Rory: Leaks and the Digital Economy Act
ACS:Law has made a business out of sending thousands of letters to alleged net pirates, asking them to pay compensation of about £500 per infringement or face court.
A BBC investigation in August found a number of people who said they were wrongly accused by ACS:Law of illegal file-sharing. The firm is under investigation by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) over its role in sending letters to alleged pirates.
The leaks consisted of about 1,000 confidential e-mails and attachments. It is thought documents may have also been acquired from the company's servers.
The collection was then uploaded to file sharing website The Pirate Bay, where it is being shared by hundreds of users.
The confidential messages include personal correspondence between Andrew Crossley - who runs ACS:Law - and work colleagues detailing a number of cases and how much money the firm had made from the letters.
Campaigners, who have long accused the firm of bullying tactics, have seized on the e-mails.
Speaking to BBC News, Mr Crossley said there were "legal issues" surrounding the leak.
"We were the subject of a criminal attack to our systems. The business has and remains intact and is continuing to trade," he added.
Image caption A web poster encouraging users to target Mr Crossley and his firm was posted on the 4Chan message boards
Mr Crossley said he would not comment directly on the contents of individual e-mails.
"All our evidence does is identify an internet connection that has been utilised to share copyright work," he told BBC News when pressed about the lists of personal data.
What do I do if my name is on one of these lists? People can lodge a request with ACS:Law called a Subject Access Request, says privacy expert Simon Davies
Results will disclose all personal information held on a person, including e-mails, memos, documents and files
A person can ask for this information to be deleted if it is excessive, out of date, or wrong
Removing details from the lists circulating on the internet is almost impossible, said Mr Davies, as there are so many copies in multiple locations
"In relation to the individual names, these are just the names and addresses of the account owner and we make no claims that they themselves were sharing the files," he added.
Mr Crossley said he had no further comment when asked why the Excel documents was unencrypted, but said he had notified the police, the ICO and was in communication with the SRA.
A spokesperson for Sky told BBC News that they were investigating the new leaks and said they were "very concerned at the apparent security breach".
"Like other broadband providers, Sky can be required by court order to disclose information about customers whose accounts are alleged to have been used for illegal downloading. We only ever provide such data in encrypted form."
Sky said they have "suspended all co-operation with ACS:Law with immediate effect" and that the suspension would "remain in place until ACS:Law demonstrates adequate measures to protect the security of personal information".
Mr Graham told BBC News that while he did not have the power to put ACS:Law "out of business" a large fine could have serious repercussions for the firm.
"I can't put ACS:Law out of business, but a company that is hit by a fine of up to half a million pounds suffers real reputation damage," he said.Ball State University in Indiana is facing scrutiny for hiring a science professor who wrote a book on intelligent design, a move that comes after another professor at the state college was accused of teaching creationism.
Ball State defended the hiring of Guillermo Gonzalez and said it does not support the teaching intelligent design in science classes. Proponents of intelligent design contend life is too complex to have evolved through evolution alone.
"This is a disturbing pattern and it could be a serious blow to the science curriculum at Ball State," said Andrew Seidel, attorney for the Freedom from Religion Foundation, a group from Madison, Wis., that promotes separation of church and state. "Their reputation is on the line."
Gonzalez gained notoriety in 2004 when his book about intelligent design, "The Privileged Planet: How Our Place in the Cosmos is Designed for Discovery," was published. He was later denied tenure at Iowa State University.
Ball State spokeswoman Joan Todd said the university offered Gonzalez a job on June 12 as a tenure-track assistant professor of astronomy to teach in the department of physics and astronomy. Gonzalez will teach undergraduate and graduate courses in physics and astronomy, starting with introductory level astronomy courses in the fall semester at the state university in Muncie, about 60 miles northeast of Indianapolis, she said.
The hiring was approved by dean, provost, and university president, which is normal university procedure, Todd said.
The hiring comes after Freedom From Religion wrote the university in May complaining that Eric Hedin, an assistant professor of physics, was teaching an honors course exploring the nature of the universe that it contended was actually religion disguised as science. The university announced last month it had appointed a review panel to investigate the allegations. Provost Terry King has received the panel's report, reviewed it with Hedin, and is determining what to do next, Todd said.
Robert Kreiser, senior program officer for the American Association of University Professors, said he found it surprising that a university would have two cases that appear similar in such a short span, although he said he doesn't know what discussions went on in each instance.
The Gonzalez hiring appears to pit professional competence against academic freedom, Kreiser said.
"He has the freedom to carry out the research that he judges to be appropriate, but his colleagues have the freedom as well, and indeed the responsibility, to assess his research in terms of norms of the profession," Kreiser said.
Gonzalez declined a request for an interview Tuesday, but in an email he said he never taught intelligent design at a university. He later released a statement through the Discovery Institute, a Seattle-based, proponent of intelligent design, saying he plans to continue research on astrobiology and stellar astrophysics and will not be discuss intelligent design in his classes.
"In my opinion, the controversy surrounding my hire is artificial - largely generated by one activist blogger who is not an astronomer. Lastly, I need to reiterate that I was denied tenure at ISU not because of poor academics on my part, but for idealogical and political reasons," he wrote.
Critics contend Gonzalez book isn't based on science and more than 120 Iowa State faculty members signed a petition renouncing it.
Todd said Ball State University agrees that intelligent design is not appropriate for science courses, "although it might find its place in appropriate classes and contexts including - but not limited to - religion and philosophy courses," she said.
Jerry Coyne, an ecology and evolution professor at the University of Chicago who said he first complained to Ball State about Hedin's class, said during an interview Tuesday that he doesn't think either Hedin or Gonzalez should lose their jobs.
"I just think they need to keep religion out of science class. That's my only mission," he said.WASHINGTON — A 23-year-old bank robber named Shon R. Hopwood stood before a federal judge in Lincoln, Neb. He asked for leniency, vowing to change.
Judge Richard G. Kopf had no patience for promises. “We’ll know in about 13 years if you mean what you say,” he said. It was 1999.
Judge Kopf reflected on the exchange this month. “When I sent him to prison, I would have bet the farm and all the animals that Hopwood would fail miserably as a productive citizen when he finally got out of prison,” he wrote on his blog. “My gut told me that Hopwood was a punk — all mouth, and very little else.”
“My viscera was wrong,” Judge Kopf went on. “Hopwood proves that my sentencing instincts suck.”
Judge Kopf had just heard the news that Mr. Hopwood, now a law student, had won a glittering distinction: a clerkship for a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which is generally considered the second most important court in the nation, after the Supreme Court.MAY is Aussie wine month, an entire 31 days dedicated to celebrating everything great about our local drop. From wine tastings to festivals and dinners, the industry says it is better than ever as our wines soar in popularity around the globe.
Corinna Wright is a sixth generation winemaker in McLaren Vale, South Australia, who has been making her own wines since 1994 at her vineyard Oliver’s Taranga.
As a woman in the industry, she has faced her challenges — only eight per cent of winemakers in Australia are women.
“People assume I’m the sales girl or the marketing girl. If I'm with a male sales rep they’ll assume he’s the winemaker,” she laughs.
But that’s not the only misconception.
“Aussies tend to think, if it’s French, it’s better. But that’s not the case, even at the really high end Australia is still up there in terms of quality,” says Wright.
While shiraz is the most well known variety in Australia, Wright says alternative varieties are starting to become popular.
“The regions are starting to work with Spanish and Italian varieties including vermentino, fiano and tempranillo.”
Of course, working at a cellar door has its fare share of funny encounters.
“A younger couple came in from England and I asked them where they were staying, they said they were off to Alice Springs that afternoon then Darwin tomorrow. I looked at them perplexedly and said ‘You must be flying’
“‘Oh no’, they said, ‘we’re driving’,” recounts Wright.
“Or the woman who grabbed a handful of olive pips that other people had sucked on thinking they were sugared almonds, she shoved them in her mouth, crunching on them, trying to eat them.”
And then there’s the serial wine wanker.
“We get a lot of people who like to drop words (like) malolactic — you know they're just saying it for their mates,” she laughs.
So what’s her favourite wine? “Well”, she says, “it’s actually champagne.”
Everything you didn’t know about Aussie wine:
• 30 million glasses of Aussie wine are drunk every day around the world
• Australia has 65 wine regions with different geography, topography, soils and climate
• The Australian continent has the oldest soils on the planet and there are more than 100 different grape varieties planted throughout the various regions
• The first grapes were planted in Australia in 1788
• There are approximately 600-800 crushed grapes in one bottle of wine
• The highest (and some of the coolest) vineyards in Australia are in the Granite Belt region of Queensland
• Australia has 25 vineyard areas colder than Bordeaux in France
• The wine region of Orange is renowned for its cherries, apples and pears
• Chardonnay and shiraz are grown in all of Australia’s 65 wine regions
• Malbec has more than 50 synonyms
• Australia has the oldest shiraz vines on the planet. Many that were planted in the mid-1800s are still producing today
• One barrel of wine equals 20 cases which equals 1,200 glasses
• Wine should be stored at a constant temperature between 10-15 degrees Celsius
• The oldest vineyard in Australia is Langmeil’s Freedom vineyard in the Barossa Valley, planted in 1843
• The newest designated wine region is Mount Gambier in South Australia’s south east
• Top 10 grape varieties grown in Australia are: shiraz 26 per cent, chardonnay 25 per cent, cab sav 15 per cent, merlot 8 per cent, sauvignon blanc 6 per cent, semillon 5 per cent, muscat 4 per cent, pinot gris/grigio 4 per cent, colombard 4 per cent, pinot noir 2
• Cenosillicaphobia is the fear of an empty glassNow that the first week of the 2016 college football season is here, it's time to revise my list of the top 100 players to watch this season -- and add 50 more to the list -- based on what I've seen on their tapes over the summer.
Make sure to check out these stars of the CFB gridiron this fall.
Note: All listed heights and weights are school measurements.
1. Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson (6-foot-3, 215 pounds)
Watson has the mobility, arm strength and calm demeanor you want from a quarterback. He makes throws from the pocket, as well as outside of it. If he sticks in the pocket to find his second or third option on the route, defenses will have no chance against him.
2. Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU (6-1, 235)
Everything that is said about Ezekiel Elliott right now goes for Fournette. The "five-tool back" has speed, power, agility, can catch the ball and block. His Heisman Trophy chances went by the wayside with his 43-yard performance against Alabama last season, but a strong finish to his 2016 season should lead to an invitation to the ceremony in December.
3. Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M (6-5, 262)
Opponents know Garrett's coming on every pass play, yet he's managed 26 sacks in his first two seasons with the Aggies. His burst, flexibility, length and acceleration make him a tough ask for any left tackle.
4. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford (6-0, 197)
In many other years, McCaffrey might have run away with the Heisman Trophy after breaking Barry Sanders' single-season all-purpose yardage mark (3,864) in 2015. Much like Sanders, McCaffrey's combination of toughness and agility makes you hold your breath every time he gets the ball.
5. Jonathan Allen, DE, Alabama (6-3, 291)
Allen returned to Tuscaloosa for his senior year despite earning first-team All-SEC honors (12 sacks) in 2015. His versatility as a three- or five-technique at the next level will make him a coveted prospect.
6. Tim Williams, OLB, Alabama (6-4, 252)
Explosive. That's pretty much all you need to say about Williams, whose 10.5 sacks ranked second on the Tide behind Allen. He has elite get-off, plays with physicality, and will only add strength to his 252-pound frame.
7. Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State (5-11, 213)
Cook averaged 7.4 yards an attempt last year, with only a lingering hamstring injury preventing him from reaching the 2,000-yard mark. Cook's low center of gravity helps him make sharps cuts, and his ability to accelerate instantly out of the cut makes him a home-run threat. If he can stay healthy, there'll be no stopping him in 2016.
8. Brad Kaaya, QB, Miami (Fla.) (6-4, 215)
This Los Angeles native improved in his second year as a starter for the Hurricanes. If this tall pocket passer's accuracy, poise and decision-making continue to ascend, the sky is the limit.
9. Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA (6-4, 210)
Rosen is the best freshman quarterback I've seen since Andrew Luck. Like Jared Goff, he'll need to get stronger, but there's no issue with his arm strength now. He's mobile, keeps his eyes downfield and is very accurate. Even with some of his top targets heading to the NFL after last season, Rosen will lead the Bruins down the field during 2016.
10. Teez Tabor, CB, Florida (6-0, 201)
Is Tabor another excellent corner in the Joe Haden-Vernon Hargreaves mold coming out of Florida? Absolutely. While he's not the tallest corner in the country, there are none more competitive. His four interceptions and 14 pass breakups in 2015 portend big things this year, even if teams look away from him a bit with Hargreaves out of the picture.
Follow Chad Reuter on Twitter @chad_reuter.I talk about access a lot, and the mechanics of making environments accessible to as many people as possible. Concepts like universal design, and the idea that starting from the premise that all spaces should be accessible results in more powerful, useful, flexible design. One thing I don’t address as much is the other side of access. Access is not just a physical need, it’s also an emotional and social one. In order for a space to be accessible, people need to feel welcome in it. This is not as easy as slapping a ramp up at the front door.
This second aspect of access, the need to welcome people into spaces, seems much harder for people to grasp. As the pushback to attempts to make spaces physically accessible clearly illustrates, there’s a lot of resistance to the idea that people with disabilities belong in public. Access is associated with resentment and anger in many cases, and these are things that people can read. It is easy to tell when you are not welcome; even if the door is open and the person standing there is smiling and saying ‘come in,’ the body language says otherwise.
In ‘Service Dog Etiquette for Dog Lovers,’ Andrea highlighted the twofold access issue when she talked about being part of a service dog team. It’s not enough for spaces to be physically safe for her and Beowulf or Sid, although this is important; aisles need to be clear, floors need to be free of sharp objects, people need to be careful about bags to avoid injuring her dogs. She needs people to not bother her dogs while they are working because it could physically endanger her. A distracted service dog is not able to focus on tasks and while a huge part of public access training involves teaching dogs to ignore distractions, no dog is perfect.
But it goes deeper than that. A space can be completely physically safe for her; people are being careful around her dogs, the ground is suitable for her to walk on, there are no bags or carelessly placed chairs in her way, but it’s still not accessible. Because people are pointing and staring. Because everyone’s going ‘look at the doggie!’ They may not personally bother her or the dog, but they are still making the space inaccessible by remarking on her, reminding her that service dog teams are alien and strange and must be commented upon.
They have failed the twofold access test. The space is safe, but it is not welcoming. Just like anyone else, Andrea wants to be able to go to work, visit the grocery store, go to class, hang out with friends, perform tasks. When spaces are not accessible, it makes these things hard to do, which translates into making it harder to leave the house. It becomes isolating. Do you want to meet your friend at the coffeehouse? Can you deal with the fact that it may be physically and/or emotionally inaccessible? That while you may not be hassled by the counter staff, someone will point and stare and talk about the dog in a loud voice? Or would you rather just stay home and drink tea on the couch?
Remarking on disability is only one of the ways people can make a space inaccessible. There are so many subtle cuts people can use to make it clear that the crips are not welcome, whether it’s talking in a patronising voice to a wheelchair user, or facing an interpreter instead of a Deaf person, or telling your children not to point and stare[1. I can’t speak for other disabled people, but when I’m out being visibly disabled, I don’t mind answering questions from children. And in fact vastly prefer a kid coming up to me and saying ‘why are you wearing an eyepatch’ to overhearing ‘hush, Sally, that nice lady (double cringe, here, thanks to casual misgendering) doesn’t want to be bothered.’ I’d rather curious children get information from the source than a garbled version tinged with fear or possibly hatred of disability.] because that’s rude while talking in a loud, penetrating voice about ‘the disabled.’
Accessibility is a social responsibility; we collectively must address the twofold aspects of accessibility, whether we are tucking our bags under our chairs at the coffeehouse so a person using a walker doesn’t have to ask us, or ignoring a service dog in the grocery store. It is, as Andrea points out, not enough to not actively pester or bother people about their disabilities. That is a good start, but the second level requires not making disability into a big production. Not telling a wheelchair user hailing a taxi that she’s ‘brave.’ For, what, hailing a taxi at rush hour? It’s not gazing thoughtfully at the service dog team. Not even if you mean well. Not even if you really just want to go over and say that you think it’s so great that someone is using a service animal.
Resistance to disabled people makes the world inaccessible for us. The most beautifully physically accessible space can be so hostile that we don’t want to be there. And then everyone can talk about how they built a ramp and no crips came, so what’s the point. Everyone, every person in society, has a role to play when it comes to accessibility and making people feel welcome. Making disability unremarkable, not making a point of pointing or staring or commenting when it comes to people who may think, move, and behave differently from you, is a critical part of hanging out the ‘crips welcome’ sign. Considering the fact that the people around you may be disabled in ways that are not apparent to you, that they hurt when you express hostility about disability. This, too, is part of accessibility.
Imagine, if you will, having your every move in public closely scrutinised by people. Some of whom will point, or talk about how brave you are, or say that they think it’s so sweet that ‘the disabled’ go to the grocery store just like everybody else. Imagine that it never lets up, everywhere you go, not for one minute, that leaving your house requires turning yourself into an object on public display.
And then, ask yourself if there is, just possibly, something you personally can do to make the world a more accessible place.The government should want rape victims to show up at the hospital. Photo by VlLevi/Shutterstock
In 2005, the Violence Against Women Act was amended to provide free medical forensic exams to sexual assault victims who go to the hospital—whether or not they choose to file a police report. These exams—often known as SANE exams, or rape kits—are essential tools for medical and legal professionals to collect evidence of sexual assault and assess the physical effects of the crime. But throughout Louisiana, as Rebecca Catalanello of NOLA.com and The Times-Picayune reported yesterday, rape victims are still returning from the ER with medical bills totaling in the thousands of dollars. The exorbitant price tag for showing up at the hospital as a rape victim may point to some hospitals’ failure to follow the letter of the law—but it also speaks to the limitations of VAWA itself.
VAWA’s provision, as Catalanello reports, covers costs related to “an examination of physical trauma, a determination of penetration or force, a patient interview and collection of evidence.” What it doesn’t necessarily cover are all the other procedures typically offered alongside the exam, like tests for pregnancy and STIs, emergency contraception, post-exposure prophylaxis for HIV, or treatment for injuries sustained during the attack. Some Louisiana victims who spoke with Catalanello said they were even billed for the cost of the emergency room visit itself; others say that it was never explained to them that while some portions of the process were free, others were costly: One victim was shocked to get a bill for $600 to cover her share of HIV drugs and another $860 for the ER visit. It doesn’t help for the state to cover the cost of the victim’s rape kit if she has to pay just to show up. And while Louisiana ostensibly offers reimbursement for these associated costs to assault victims, “the victims have to file a police report,” Catalanello writes. “They can’t have had any felonies in the past five years. They can’t have behaved in a way that, in the opinion of the board, ‘contributed to the crime.’ They can’t have been involved in other illegal activity at the time they were victimized. Statistically, that closes out a lot of people.”
Paying for the forensic examination of rape victims is the least that the government can do. As one advocate told Catalanello, victims of burglaries don’t have to pay the cops to take fingerprints of their homes. But it’s in the government’s best interest to offer rape victims additional assistance here. It’s difficult enough to convince victims of rape to submit to a forensic exam at all—this particular investigation plays out on the victim’s body, and it is both invasive and time consuming. So if victims expect that they’ll need to pay up for certain elements of the exam (like appearing in the ER, or finding out if they’ve contracted an STI), they may be far less likely to report at all.
The degree of funding offered to cover rape victims’ ER visits varies by state and hospital. In April, the Urban Institute completed a comprehensive study of how states are coming into compliance with the changes to VAWA, and found that state coverage of the exams “often includes facilities, fees, emergency room triage, emergency room doctor fees, SANEs’ fees, colposcopy and endoscopy, and other photographic imaging.” (Often is the operative word here, and may even be an overstatement, as evidenced by the stories of the Louisiana victims.) The six states that the Urban Institute used as case studies for the report (the study doesn’t name the states) all covered testing for pregnancy and STIs, but only five covered emergency contraception, and only two covered prophylaxis for HIV (one only “under certain circumstances”). Whether or not a victim’s ambulance fees or drug testing is covered also varies. In one state, the report found, “testing for drug-facilitated rape requires approval from a prosecutor in order to be covered by the designated payer.” That means that when a rape victim reports to the hospital concerned that she may have been administered a date-rape drug, she’ll need to wait for a prosecutor to tell her if she has to pay for the test to find out herself. By that time, the drugs may have already passed through her system, and the evidence would have been lost. Law enforcement should want to collect this evidence as soon as possible, not haggle over its cost.
In Louisiana, at least, Catalanello’s report has already spurred local lawmakers to advocate for the state to go above and beyond the bounds of VAWA. “I had no idea that was happening,” state representative Helena Moreno told Catalanello. “Talk about being traumatized twice.”Inverness manager Terry Butcher has signed Norwegian forward Torbjorn Agdestein on a six-month contract.
The 21-year-old was released by Brighton, despite signing a new deal until 2014 in March 2012.
Butcher told the Inverness website: "We like the look of Toby, he's young and strong and willing to learn.
"We're happy he has agreed to sign until the January window to boost our attacking resources and we can make a decision at that point."
Agdestein joined Brighton from Stord in 2007 and was loaned to Bath City in 2011.
And Butcher believes the Norway Under-21 international will give Inverness a different type of attacking option.
"He is six feet one inch tall and gives us the option of height up front - quite a contrast with wee Billy McKay, our top striker," the manager suggested.Get the biggest football stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email
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England legend Paul Scholes says Luis Suarez has embarrassed his club, country and family by biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini.
Controversial Uruguay striker Suarez faces a lengthy ban from Fifa after appearing to sink his teeth into Chiellini's shoulder during Tuesday night's Group D clash.
It initially looked as though Suarez had tried to head-butt the Italy defender as the pair tussled in the Italy penalty area, with the score 0-0 and Uruguay 12 minutes from going out of this World Cup.
TV replays showed Suarez's had bitten Chiellini, while the Italian confirmed he had been bitten, pulling down his shirt to reveal fresh teethmarks in his skin.
This is the THIRD time Suarez has bitten an opponent, following an episode in Holland when he was playing for Ajax, and the infamous April 2013 incident with Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic, for which the Anfield forward received a 10-match ban.
Writing about the incident on his Paddy Power blog, Scholes said Suarez had "embarrassed his club, country and family."
"He will feel terrible tonight, and the entire incident is such a shame because he’s a tremendous player.
"But people will remember Suarez now for his biting antics at this World Cup rather than his supreme footballing ability."
Scholes said banning the Liverpool player for the rest of the World Cup was not enough.
Stay up to date with all the reactions to the incident by following our live blog here:Postbox’s exit from the Mac App Store should sound very familiar to anyone who buys Mac software. If you read between the lines a bit, I think the real story there is one we’ve seen a lot since June 1: they tolerated the App Store’s lack of paid upgrade mechanics before, but sandboxing — and more accurately, needing to remove important app features because of their incompatibility with the current set of sandboxing entitlements — was the last straw.
How many good apps will be pulled from the App Store before Apple cares?
The problem with sandboxing isn’t that any particular app is incompatible with the current entitlements. It’s a deeper problem than that: Apple is significantly reducing the number of apps that can be sold in the Store after people have already bought them.
Apple’s stance seems to be pretty typical of them: comply with the new rules or leave. This usually works for them, but this time, they’ve made a critical strategic error: leaving is often a better option, or the only option, for the affected developers. Many of them have already left, and many more will.
In the first year of the Mac App Store, before sandboxing, I bought as much as I could from it. As a customer, the |
Still, the bitcoin bull run of today, at least, appears to have developed a far stronger foundation than the legendary surge of three years ago.On Twitter, Gordon Hayward’s dad, Gordon Scott Hayward, has been mostly silent for the majority of the time he has been on Twitter. On an account that has existed for seven years, he only has 1,046 tweets. Compare that to a person who actively tweets, and that is almost nothing. For comparison, in two years on Twitter, I myself have racked up 4,648 tweets. So when Gordon Scott Hayward tweets, it inevitably carries a little more weight.
Gordon Scott Hayward tends to “retweet” a lot about his son (for those unfamiliar with Twitter, a re-tweet is basically sharing a tweet that somebody else posted). A dad understandably loves to brag about his son’s accomplishments. However, he has stayed away from tweets about his son’s decision until just recently....
Today there was a video campaign posted by the same guy who organized the #Stayward billboards.
A free agency pitch from the best fanbase in the NBA: pic.twitter.com/0h3ADkGNmK — Stayward (@UtahJazz6Man) July 3, 2017
The video was of fans thanking Gordon Hayward for his contributions to the Jazz, and urging him to stay. Gordon Scott Hayward retweeted this. He also retweeted the Jazz fan version of a song from Moana, which also urges Hayward to re-sign with the Jazz. Methinks Gordon Scott Hayward may just be on the Jazz’ side.
So Gordon, do what your dad says, and stay.Over the past year Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Madonna and Jay-Z each each earned more than $50 million. But Michael Jackson earned more than all four--combined.
Fueled by a bonanza of interest following Jackson's death, his estate raked in $275 million over the past 12 months, by our estimates. That's more than enough to earn the King of Pop the top spot on our annual Dead Celebs list; in fact, it's more than the rest of the artists on the list put together, and more than any living artist or group.
"The cash flow on an annual basis is tremendous," says Donald David, an estate lawyer who handled the postmortem finances of rapper Tupac Shakur. "Sure, it's going to decline eventually, but it's going to be a huge amount in the foreseeable future. [Jackson's] kids are going to have grandkids before that money's gone."
Video: Michael Jackson's LA Palace For Sale
The Gloved One's long-term earnings prospects in the afterlife have been bolstered by the deals arranged since his death. His estate received a $60 million advance for last year's film This Is It; sales of a Jackson-themed videogame, memorabilia and a re-released autobiography brought in an additional $50 million. The estate still owns the rights to Jackson's music, which took in nearly $50 million on heavy radio play and album sales over the past year. The funds have been used to put a significant dent into the roughly $500 million in debt Jackson left.
There's more cash on the horizon for the Jackson estate: A deal with Sony Music to put out unreleased recordings will bring in another $200 million to $250 million over the next seven years. Adam Kluger, chief of product-placement outfit The Kluger Agency, expects new Jackson releases to include collaborations with popular artists like Akon and Will.i.am, both of whom worked with Jackson shortly before his death. He believes the current surge of interest in Jackson will prove sustainable.
"Michael Jackson will definitely have staying power for years to come," says Kluger. "There is a strong demand for Michael Jackson's music and merchandise, and that will only increase as more material surfaces in the years following his death."
Perhaps the most lucrative asset in Jackson's estate is a set of songs recorded by other artists. In 1985 Jackson made a brilliant financial move by shelling out $47.5 million to buy a catalog that included rights to 250 Beatles songs. Ten years later, crippled with personal debts he's incurred through extravagances--from $10,000-a-night hotel stays to Rolls Royce convertibles purchased as gifts for his lieutenants--Jackson sold a 50% interest in the catalog to Sony for $90 million, forming a joint venture called Sony/ATV.
Today Jackson's estate still owns half the catalog, which now contains half a million songs, including titles by Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Lady Gaga, Eminem and Beyoncé. Industry insiders estimate that the catalog throws off $50 million to $100 million per year, giving it a total value of about $1.5 billion. That means an annual $25 million to $50 million for the estate's coffers, on top of the considerable sums coming from Jackson's own music and merchandise.
"His earning potential will only increase year after year, as his legacy continues to be cemented," says Susan Blond, who served as Jackson's publicist during the Thriller days. "When our great-grandchildren are talking about music, it will be Michael Jackson over Elvis Presley."
Video: Michael Jackson's LA Palace For Sale
For full coverage of the 2010 Top-Earning Dead Celebrities list, click here.Signup to receive a daily roundup of the top LGBT+ news stories from around the world
A leading gay rights campaigner in Honduras was arrested and assaulted in a raid on a bar frequented by LGBT people, reports suggest.
On Sunday 13 January Erick Martinez was in a bar in Honduran capital city, Tegucigalpa, when police arrived, demanded that the bar close earlier and conducted a raid.
According to the Petrelis Files blog, the Honduran national police arrived at the bar, which is often visited by members of the LGBT community, and told it to close, much earlier than the legal closing time of 2.30am.
Mr Martinez, who witnessed the raid, took photographs using his mobile phone to show that detainees were subject to police beatings, homophobic verbal abuse and intimidation.
He said he and two others were then illegaly arrested by the police and assaulted. He had his mobile phone confiscated, and while he was detained, the photgraphs were erased.
His car was also searched, he said, with several items being illegally confiscated before he was released.
Erick Martinez is considered a leader of the LGBT and human rights campaigns in Honduras, and is a coordinating member of the Honduran Resistance Movement. He is also anopenly gay primary candidate for congress under the LIBRE party, reports Petrelis.
Another gay rights activist, Walter Trochez, 25, was well-known for campaigning for equality in the country, had reportedly been harassed and beaten, and was shot dead in a drive-by shooting in 2011.
In January 2011, LGBT campaigners called on Honduran authorities to fully investigate the murders of six transgender women in just 60 days.Published: March 23, 2016 at 04:53 p.m.
NFL draft: Best, worst top-five picks since 2012
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One thing is clear heading into the 2016 NFL Draft -- there's a lack of clarity about the top five.
Just look at NFL.com's Mock Draft Central. The only consensus opinion is that the Jags should take Myles Jack fifth overall. Otherwise, the names and order of the first handful of picks vary significantly.
The thing is, picking in the top five hasn't been a slam dunk since 2011, when the draft led off with the impressive quintet of Cam Newton, Von Miller, Marcell Dareus, A.J. Green and Patrick Peterson. In all four drafts since then, drafting in that range has been a very hit-or-miss proposition.
As we continue to grapple with the upper echelon of NFL prospects, I thought I'd look back over the first five players picked in each of the past four drafts and rank them, counting down from 20 to 1. The results show the pitfalls and possibilities of highly coveted draft slots.
20 Photos TotalWe've already gotten a pretty good look at both the Droid 2 and Droid X and some of their purported specs, and it looks like we can now fill in a few more gaps thanks to a set of leaked slides for some new Droid commercials. The most interesting of the lot is the slide / script for a Droid 2 commercial pictured above, which not only confirms an expectedly sci-fi-themed ad for the phone (Gattaca-esque, to be specific), but Exchange support and a 1GHz processor (not 750MHz, as previously rumored ). There's comparatively fewer details in the pair of Droid X commercials, but they do offer yet more confirmation of a 4.3-inch screen, and our first indication of a new EyeCon app that will apparently come pre-loaded on the phone and let you access and control media on your home network -- the script for the ad actually mentions a "720 dpi" screen, but we're going to chalk that up to adspeak rather than Motospeak. Hit up the link below for a closer look at the complete set.[Thanks, Kellen]Claims about the role of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) in Turkey's failed coup attempt on July 15 are not "total nonsense", a senior European official said, as Turkish officials criticize Europe for failing to take a determined stance against the coup attempt and siding with Turkish democracy.
Frans Timmermans, first vice-president of the European Commission, was quoted in an interview with a Belgian magazine published on Tuesday saying U.S. investigations had pointed to "growing indications that the [Gülen] movement certainly played a role".
"It is now clear that what [Turkish] President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan says about the role of the Gülen movement in the coup is not total nonsense," Timmermans added.
The European official also said: "I think the Turks have a point when they say that there was very little empathy from the outside world in the foiled coup."
He also said Europe could have been "more generous in our support" and said it "underestimated what took place" in Turkey.
Timmermans' statement is the first time a senior European Commission official has spoken of Gülen's involvement in the coup attempt.
However, Gülen's role in the coup was acknowledged by senior American and European officials in the past.
During a visit to Turkey in late September, British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Boris Johnson said: "The incidents in July were absolute violence, anti-democratic and ill-minded and the best approach would be suppressing this. Now, we must take a serious look in our own country for any signs of the Gülen organization."
Additionally, U.K. Ambassador to Turkey Richard Moore said in an interview last July that FETÖ, led by Fetullah Gülen, who lives in self-imposed exile in the U.S., might have staged the July 15 failed coup attempt.
In an interview with Hürriyet daily in August, former U.S. Ambassador to Ankara James Jeffrey said: "We are still waiting – the entire public world – [for] specific evidence but the majority of indicators, not just statements from the Turkish government, point to the Gülenist movement's [involvement]."
On July 15, a small military junta linked to FETÖ attempted to topple the democratically elected government in Turkey and bring martial law into effect. The attempt was prevented by the military loyal to the government along with police units and millions of people in favor of democracy. A total of 246 people, mostly civilians, were killed and nearly 2,200 people were injured. The government and opposition parties have united in condemnation of the coup attempt, denouncing it in the harshest terms and underscoring their determination to preserve democracy and rule of law in Turkey.
The group led by Fetullah Gülen is said to be behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.
Ankara has stepped up demands for Gülen's extradition from the U.S. state of Pennsylvania since July 15.Did you ever see those simulation games they use for training police officers in firearms? There’s a realistic urban setting of crowded buildings in which bad guys are hiding. Images of people pop up and you have a split second to decide before you shoot – is that a bad guy with a gun or a kid with a lollipop? A crazed terrorist in an explosive vest or a pregnant woman?
Give that test to the No campaign in the marriage equality referendum and they just go Blam! Blam! Blam! They want to shoot their bad guys – gay men and lesbians – but they end up blasting away at everybody else as well. Kill them all and let God sort them out. The big problem for the No campaign is that it can’t say what it actually thinks.
The core of that campaign is made up of conservative Christians who sincerely believe that gay men and lesbians should never, ever have sex. This view seems to me to border on the blasphemous, since it suggests that God is a sadist who created people with sexual desires that cannot, under any circumstances, be fulfilled.
Recognition
But as a political argument, “Keep your drawers on and pray” doesn’t cut it. You have to rationalise your distaste by coming up with some general principle that takes the bare look off mere revulsion. And this is where the No campaign has come to grief. For the general principle it has come up with is one that manages to insult, not just gay men and lesbians, but huge numbers of straight people as well.
That principle is that the Constitution must recognise only those marriages (and hence only those families) that are, in the words of the Catholic primate, Archbishop Eamon Martin, “the union between a man and a woman which is open to life” (ie open to the conception of a child).
I am married to a woman – full marks there. But I had a vasectomy 25 years ago, so our “union” has not been “open to life” for a quarter of a century. We’re not a proper family.
My late mother-in-law married again (after the death of her first husband) when she was in her 60s. Her new husband was a delightful man and they were enormously happy together. But they apparently weren’t a family either because God in his wisdom invented the menopause and she was not “open to life”.
On the other hand, my lovely young niece has two gorgeous little daughters who, apart from everything else, brightened up my mother’s last years with the joy of new life. But, sorry, she’s not married so she and her babies and her boyfriend are not a family either.
This is the problem with the No campaign. In order to get to the tree it wants to chop down, it has to lay waste to a whole forest. In order to find an apparent principle on which it can reasonably deny equality to gay men and lesbians, it has to tell huge numbers of other people that their relationships are just not up to scratch.
It has set a gold standard for constitutional approval of a family relationship – a man who is not sterile having licensed sex with a woman who is still fertile, with neither of them using contraceptives. (Otherwise their pleasures would not be “open to life”.)
It hits the target all right – gay men and lesbians in same-sex couplings don’t meet this standard. But it’s not an arrow, it’s a multibore shotgun. It hits people who were not in its sights – at least not for now.
Any married woman who is using contraceptives or who cannot conceive is not really a proper married woman. Any man who is using contraceptives or who is infertile or who is married to such a woman is not a proper married man. Any single parent with his or her kids is not a family.
Abomination
As a campaign strategy, telling straight people that their relationships are illegitimate is, shall we say, brave. But for most actual couples in Ireland, all of us fallen people whose families fall short of a narrow ideal, it has turned a Yes vote from an act of altruism to one of plain self-interest.Earlier this month, the Toronto Star reported on the United Church of Canada’s announcement that one of their most popular ministers, Gretta Vosper, is “unsuitable to continue serving” the church and could be defrocked. Her crime? Vosper has declared herself an atheist – she no longer believes in God. Despite this, she continues to preach every Sunday. In lieu of references to God, her messages from the pulpit invoke love, kindness and human connection. The well-liked pastor has been with the church for almost 20 years, and enjoys strong support. Although her congregation stands behind her, the church committee will have the final say in deciding her fate. Their decision is expected to be released in several weeks.
Mixed Reactions
Vosper’s defenders are concerned that reprimanding her may seriously halt discussion in the church about shifting beliefs. They think defrocking her may lead other pastors or laypeople who have doubts about their faith to simply stay silent — thus bottling up their feelings instead of confronting them honestly. To this group, it would be counterintuitive to punish someone for expressing their true opinions at the pulpit.
Others demand that Vosper be removed immediately. They fear the consequences of letting an outspoken atheist preach from the Christian pulpit. In their mind, it severely undermines the church’s message, and could negatively influence its membership going forward. If Vosper doesn’t believe in God, they insist, she should leave and go start her own church.
Diversity of Beliefs
Of course, faith is a complex subject. Individual followers may identify with some aspects of their religion, but not with others. Although there are specific foundational doctrines of every faith, there exist plenty of nuances as well. It’s fair to say that every congregation holds some diversity in its views, and that not every member completely supports every tenet of the faith.
It’s also worth considering how beliefs can shift over time. All of us have changed our minds about something during our lifetimes. For certain people, that something is faith. Whether it be specific life experiences, an intense moment of clarity, or simply the course of time, there are many forces at work which can cause our beliefs to grow or evolve. As Gretta Vosper’s story shows, even religious leaders are not immune to reaching a new understanding of their personal faith.
Changing Faith
Vosper has made no secret about her changing faith. After joining the church way back in 1997, her beliefs gradually began to shift. In 2008, she published a book titled, “With or Without God: Why the Way We Live Is More Important Than What We Believe.” In it, she identified herself as a non-theist. She then went on to publish a second book titled, “Amen: What Prayer Can Mean in a World Beyond Belief.” It wasn’t until she fully embraced atheism a few years ago that church leaders resolved that something must be done.
Unique Case
By nature, people trust and respect the leaders of their faith. These leaders guide the members of the congregation and help to shape their ideals and religious interpretations. In this sense, it’s certainly possible that a pastor rejecting a basic tenet of the faith could create a negative ripple effect throughout the congregation. Interestingly, though, Gretta Vosper’s congregation appears to be stronger and more united that ever. In fact, by all accounts, church members go to hear her sermons precisely because of the unique perspective they offer. Their support for Vosper is reflected in an online petition which now has well over 1,000 signatures.
The United Church of Canada is known for being open-minded and inclusive. However, Vosper admits to pushing the limits of the church’s tolerance. Her progressive movement is not alone, though. According to the Toronto Star, there is currently a movement within the organization that seeks to put a greater emphasis on social justice and environmental causes.
Where’s the Balance?
To what extent should the church and religion change to meet people where they are? Here in the United States, we’re guaranteed religious freedom – but each religion has the ability to set rules for its members and its leadership. Some groups have chosen inclusivity. The Episcopal Church, for example, has made a complete change from the traditional, conservative Christian beliefs regarding same-sex marriage.
On the other hand, the United Methodist Church has fired ministers who are openly gay. They’ve even fired ministers simply for choosing to marry a same-sex couple. But those are just the publicized cases. Since pastors often step down before facing the possibility of being terminated, we have no way of knowing how frequently this happens.
A Question of Allegiance
Ultimately, religious leaders who no longer support tenets of their faith (or have changed their views entirely), must decide where their allegiance lies. Do they have a responsibility to suppress their true feelings and faithfully serve the church – or are they morally obligated to listen to their hearts and act accordingly?
Change is never easy, especially if it’s on a personal and spiritual level. But people change. Pastors change. It’s a fact of life. This issue boils down to whether or not religious leaders should be allowed to question their faith without losing their ministry. Both sides of the argument present good cases, but we’d like to hear where you stand.
What should happen when a pastor, priest, imam, rabbi (or any other religious leader) changes their faith?MADRID (Reuters) - Spain’s borrowing costs shot up at a bond auction on Thursday and its troubled banks suffered a double blow, with shares in part-nationalized Bankia diving and 16 lenders - including the euro zone’s biggest - having their credit ratings cut.
Official data confirmed Spain was back in recession and a newspaper reported a big outflow of deposits from Bankia, but the government said it had taken a fundamental step to strengthen Spain’s credibility by agreeing big budget cuts with the country’s free-spending regions.
Moody’s Investors Service cut the long-term debt and deposit ratings of the 16 Spanish banks, including Banco Santander, the euro zone’s largest, saying the government’s ability to support some banks had weakened.
Spain’s banks, saddled with bad loans after a property boom collapsed, lie at the heart of the euro zone crisis as markets fear any major rescue would strain Madrid’s already stretched finances and possibly require an international bailout.
Gary Jenkins, credit analyst at Swordfish Research, said Spain had problems which went beyond the risk of contagion from the crisis in Greece, whose future in the euro is in doubt
“Whilst the attention of the world is on Greece, the fact is that Spain faces many challenges irrespective of how the Greek situation is finally resolved,” he wrote in a note.
Moody’s cut the rating of BBVA, Spain’s second largest lender, as well as Santander even though both are generally regarded as sound, unlike some of their smaller peers.
Nicholas Spiro of Spiro Sovereign Strategy said the government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy was not handling the crisis well. “Sentiment towards Spain is deteriorating with each passing day, mainly because of a loss of confidence in the Rajoy government’s approach to tackling the problems in the banking sector,” he said.
ATTRACTING BUYERS
At Thursday’s debt auction, the Treasury had to pay around 5 percent to attract buyers of three- and four-year bonds. The latter sold with a yield of 5.106 percent, way above the 3.374 percent the last time it was auctioned.
“This... fits the pattern of recent sales, with the Spanish treasury successfully getting its supply away but at ever-higher yields,” said Richard McGuire, rate strategist at Rabobank in London. “This unfavorable trend looks set to remain firmly in place... Ultimately, this ratcheting up of yields will likely require some form of outside intervention.”
Spain officially slipped into recession in the first quarter this year, final figures confirmed on Thursday, leaving the country threatened with a prolonged slump as the turbulent euro zone struggles to balance austerity with growth.
The European Commission warned last week that high debts of the 17 regions, which account for about half of overall public spending, and the welfare system would prevent Spain meeting its goal of cutting the budget deficit to 5.3 percent of gross domestic product this year from 8.5 percent in 2011.
However, the government said the regions - most of which missed their deficit targets last year - had agreed to cut their spending by 13 billion euros and increase revenues by 5 billion euros.
After weeks of negotiations, Treasury Minister Cristobal Montoro approved the plans presented by every region except for the small northern one of Asturias, which will have to produce a new budget within 15 days. “We’ve taken a fundamental step for Spain’s credibility,” Montoro told a news conference.
Overspending by the regions caused Spain to miss its deficit reduction target badly last year. Moody’s agency downgraded on Thursday its ratings of four regions including two of the biggest, Catalonia and Andalucia.
Regions which meet their targets will get help from the state to cover their financing needs through a new mechanism which will be introduced by July. The government has been working for weeks on a new instrument called “hispanobonos” allowing the regions to issue debt underwritten by the Treasury.
WORRY LIST
Spain’s 10-year debt yields have risen back above 6 percent, which investors view as a pivot point that could accelerate a climb to 7 percent, a cost of borrowing widely seen as unaffordable even though Madrid has raised well over half its needs for this year.
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said on Wednesday his government could soon find it difficult to fund itself affordably on the bond market unless the pressure eases.
Bankia bank small shareholders take part in an assembly to discuss actions to take against the bank in Madrid May 17, 2012. REUTERS/Susana Vera
However, the government source said the Treasury could refinance itself at the current high yields for several months, although the country saw it aiss vital that funding costs fall.
Top of the country’s worry list is a banking sector beset by bad loans, the result of a property boom that bust in 2008.
El Mundo newspaper reported that customers at Bankia had taken out more than 1 billion euros, equivalent to around 1 percent of the lender’s retail and corporate deposits, over the past week. The government denied there had been an exit of funds, but the bank’s shares closed down 14 percent on Thursday on top of steep losses over the past week.
“It’s not true that there is an exit of deposits at this moment from Bankia,” said Economy Secretary Fernando Jimenez Latorre. Bankia itself said that deposit activity was normal.
The government last week took over Bankia, the fourth-largest lender which holds around 10 percent of Spanish deposits, in an attempt to dispel concerns over its ability to deal with losses related to the 2008 property crash.
“The majority of outflows came after the chairman resigned last week, but I think once the bank was taken over by the government, depositors calmed down a bit,” said one Madrid-based trader. “The share price fall has to do with disappointed retail investors dumping the stock.”
Some savers were reassured by the deposit guarantee fund which covers 100,000 euros per customer.
“I have two accounts with Bankia and up to now I have not closed them. I’m not even considering it,” said Jose Ignacio Gonzalez, 42. “It must be more secure with the backing of the state, it has a guarantee.”
The problem for Madrid is that the property losses which banks face are not yet quantifiable, as prices are likely to fall further.
The government told the banking sector last week to set aside another 30 billion euros in provisions, prompting some analysts to say much more would need to be done.
Slideshow (5 Images)
RECESSION AND CONTAGION
While Greece, facing fresh elections which could hasten its exit from the euro zone, has dominated headlines, uncertainty over the final cost of Spain’s banking reform has raised the prospect that it could also require an international bailout, a bill the euro zone would be stretched to cover.
Official data confirmed the Spanish economy shrank 0.3 percent in the first quarter, putting it back into recession. Unemployment is already running close to 25 percent, rising to around 50 percent among the young.
Even if it puts its house in order, Madrid faces the threat of contagion from Greece if it elects an anti-bailout government next month, a move which could hasten a hard default and exit from the euro zone.
“It’s not Greece leaving the euro that is the major issue,” said John Bearman, chief investment officer at Thomas Miller Investment, which manages roughly 3 billion pounds ($4.8 billion) of assets. “It’s the domino effect.”Image caption Perry Sutcliffe-Keenan and Jordan Blackshaw were jailed for four years for incitement on Facebook
The major social networks have been called to the home office next Thursday to discuss the English riots.
So far only Facebook has confirmed its attendance, although Blackberry has suggested it will also be there.
Facebook, Twitter and Blackberry have all been criticised after it emerged that some rioters may have used them to plan trouble or encourage others.
David Cameron has said the government would look at limiting access to such services during any future disorder.
Twitter was asked by the BBC whether it planned to attend the Home Office meeting, but did not respond.
Facebook said that it welcomed the opportunity to discuss the matter with Theresa May.
"We look forward to meeting with the home secretary to explain the measures we have been taking to ensure that Facebook is a safe and positive platform for people in the UK at this challenging time," it said in a statement.
...we are working with the police, the intelligence services and industry to look at whether it would be right to stop people communicating via these websites and services when we know they are plotting violence, disorder and criminality. David Cameron, Prime Minister
Jailed
A number of suspects have appeared in court charged with online incitement, including Jordan BlackShaw from Marston and Perry Sutcliffe-Keenan from Warrington. Both were jailed for four years.
Facebook pointed out that the site's users had effectively policed such misuse, reporting comments to the authorities and Facebook's own moderators.
Blackberry, whose BBM instant messaging system is believed to have been used by many rioters to co-ordinate their movements, did not directly confirm that it would meet the Home Secretary.
In a statement, its owner Research in Motion (RIM) said: "Further to the statements made on the 11th August by the British Prime Minister and home secretary, we welcome the opportunity for consultation together with other companies in the technology and telecommunications industry."
Shutdown
Prime Minister David Cameron sparked controversy when he suggested that the government might look at disconnecting some online and telecommunications services in the event of further civil disorder.
Addressing Parliament he said: "...we are working with the police, the intelligence services and industry to look at whether it would be right to stop people communicating via these websites and services when we know they are plotting violence, disorder and criminality."
Police in London said that they managed to thwart attacks on the Olympic site and on Oxford Street based information gathered from Twitter and BBM.
Communications networks that operate in the UK can be compelled to hand over individuals' personal messages if police are able to show that they relate to criminal behaviour.
The rules gathering such queries are outlined in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA).Los Angeles – The Anaheim Ducks and Prime Ticket/FOX Sports San Diego announced today the club’s local television schedule for the 2017-18 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season. All 82 regular season games will be televised locally for the seventh consecutive season and eighth time in franchise history. Seventy four games will be carried live on FOX networks, including Prime Ticket and FOX Sports West as well as four games on KCOP-TV locally. Fans in the San Diego market will be able to watch all games on FOX Sports San Diego and FOX Sports West. Four additional games will also air nationally on NBC Sports Network.
John Ahlers returns for his 16th season as the Ducks television play-by-play voice, having called 984 regular-season games since joining the club in 2002. An original member of the team (1993-94), Brian Hayward opens his 25th consecutive season as the Ducks’ color analyst, having called 1,469 regular-season games with the franchise.
“Ducks Live” returns prior to and immediately following all home and road telecasts on Prime Ticket, FOX Sports San Diego and FOX Sports West. Mike Pomeranz will join the show to serve as host – sharing duties with returning Host, Kent French – while sitting alongside Guy Hebert and Hayward to offer viewers in-depth analysis. In addition, French will offer updates and reports throughout each telecast on the regional sports networks. Connected original, fast-paced and fun, the half-hour program brings fans closer to the team with player and coach interviews, game analysis and much more.
From the production truck, Bob Sipowich will split time in both the producer and director chairs throughout the season. Max Michalak will serve as producer when Sipowich is directing; and Tom Connole will direct when Sipowich produces.
Additionally, Prime Ticket and FOX Sports San Diego will deliver the following original Ducks programs to start the season: “Ducks Season Preview Special” debuts Friday, September 22 at 10PM on Prime Ticket, and on Sunday, September 24 at 8PM on FOX Sports San Diego; while an all new season of “Ducks Weekly” will air every Friday throughout the regular season starting October 13 on the two FOX regional sports networks.
All Ducks games airing locally on Prime Ticket, FOX Sports San Diego and KCOP-TV will also be available on FOX Sports GO. The FOX Sports GO app is currently available for iOS, Apple TV, Android, Android TV, Chromecast, Fire tablets and Fire phones, Roku players and Roku TV, select Windows devices, and online at FOXSportsGO.com. Fans can download the mobile app for free from the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Amazon App Store and Windows Store.
Click here for the complete 2017-18 Anaheim Ducks television schedule, which is subject to change.
About Prime Ticket and FOX Sports San Diego
Together, Prime Ticket and sister networks FOX Sports San Diego and FOX Sports West, present more live, local sports programming than any other network or broadcast system in the market. Serving sports fans in Southern California, San Diego, Nevada, Hawaii, the regional networks produce over 800 live sporting events and telecast over 2,500 hours of live and original programming every year. For complete regional sports news, telecast schedules and updated statistics, visit www.FOXSportsWest.com and www.FOXSportsSanDiego.com.
# # #The Russian Foreign Ministry believes that Islamic State could be used to “aggravate the situation in Russia,” a department head told Kommersant. He also questioned the aim of US-led strikes in Syria, which had spared IS oil trade until Russia intervened.
“All of the threats targeting Russia’s security are taken seriously,” the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department for New Challenges and Threats, Ilya Rogachev, said in an interview with the Kommersant newspaper.
“Today there is a possibility of renewed attempts to aggravate the situation in Russia with the help of ISIL [Islamic State, IS/ISIS],” he stressed, noting that the Russian Security Service has been actively addressing the potential threat.
READ MORE: 3 ISIS field commanders in Aleppo province killed in Russian airstrikes – General Staff
Rogachev stressed that Russia’s airstrikes in Syria are aimed at containing the terrorists pre-emptively – before Islamic State militants “come knocking at our door.” He also stressed that Russia’s fight against terrorism in the North Caucasus region is “the only successful example of its kind” resulting in a population being “successful de-radicalized.”
“We need to carve out this cancer while it has ‘only’ consumed half of Syria and nearly half of Iraq,” the official stressed.
Russia has been conducting dozens of sorties against Islamic State and other extremist targets in Syria on a daily basis since September 30 after an official request was made by President Bashar Assad.
It is possible that the terrorist attack on the Russian A321 plane in Sinai, Egypt, which killed 224 people, was carried out by IS as “revenge” for Russia’s fight against terrorism in Syria, Rogachev said. The US has passed along certain information to Russia about the crash that is currently being investigated, according to the foreign ministry official.
“As far as I know, the American partners have passed to us certain information about the plane, and the competent agencies are working with it,” he said. “The circumstances of this tragedy are constantly being discussed at different levels with the British side.”
‘US rushed to strike ISIS oil network only after Russia intervened’
Commenting on the effectiveness of the US-led coalition’s efforts to fight IS in Syria thus far, Rogachev stressed that, despite an air campaign lasting over a year, their airstrikes had caused almost no damage to oil fields controlled by IS. “There were almost 8,000 military flights. Almost quarter of the time the jets came back without striking, taken to mean that they found no targets to attack. Meanwhile, ISIL continued to receive oil … thousands of tanker trucks drove all across the region.”
Rogachev noted that Russia has been calling on UN member-states to adhere to UN Security Council Resolution 2199, which calls for strong opposition to illegal oil trade by terrorist groups, adding that “we have not abandoned various attempts to offer certain measures that would urge [UN] states to approach their responsibilities in that respect more thoroughly.”
“If one year ago experts were talking about ISIL extracting 30,000 barrels a day, now there is talk of 40,000-50,000 barrels. Meanwhile UN Security Council Resolution 2199 recognizes that illicit oil trade is the main source of ISIL income and obliges all states to oppose it in the strongest terms,” Rogachev stated.
On Monday, the US said they had bombed over 100 IS oil trucks – for the first time in a year and following weeks of daily Russian sorties.
“It’s impossible not to notice, that even this [US move to bomb IS tankers] was compelled by the decisive and effective actions of the Russian Air Force. Taking [the Russian strikes] into account, one can’t help but wonder: has the US-led coalition actually set a task of militarily defeating ISIL?” Rogachev wondered.
Russia’s General Staff said on Wednesday that some 500 IS tanker vehicles have been destroyed by Russian bombers over the past few days, resulting in the disruption of the terror group’s oil trade.
Rogachev then pointed out that only after Syrian ground troops had begun to make progress against Islamic State did the French take it upon themselves to attack the terrorists’ existing Syrian oil infrastructure, citing self-defense after the Paris attacks.
“We cannot support such actions” because they are being done without the approval of the Syrian government, Rogachev said.
READ MORE: No peace can come to Syria without |
to deal with injuries, but Liquori had more than his fair share. His competitiveness, seen from today’s perspective, was a double-edged sword: while he benefited from this quality enormously in conditioning and in competition, it also led him to compete too much. For too many years he tried to be in track-racing condition for eight or nine months a year, running because he did both indoor and outdoor seasons. No wonder his legs tended to break down at crucial times.Sharing is caring!
It’s strange to admit when sharing a bread recipe that I don’t miss bread.
That’s a serious statement from a gal who would often eat a mini loaf of french bread a day. What I miss is the convenience of bread. I miss the ability to sop up the juices from a meal.
Yes, I can still get them with my spoon but it’s different. Anyway, I’ve been trying like mad to come up with a paleo bread recipe that has a nice texture, rise and flavor. I hit two on the money with this recipe – texture and flavor.
I did find that making sure the eggs are at room temperature and mixing this up in the blender really helps to give it volume.
One day I hope to share something with a little more poof but for now you get a yummy paleo cornbread recipe using coconut flour. You could use this recipe as the bread for any type of meal but it really reminds me of cornbread. For that very reason I decided to create a keto thanksgiving stuffing recipe with this bread.
We’ve discovered that this is excellent grilled and if you eat dairy, smothered in butter.
Paleo Cornbread Print Ingredients 4 eggs
1 cup water
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup coconut oil melted
1/4 teaspoon sea salt course
1/2 teaspoon baking soda Instructions Take out your 4 eggs and bring to room temperature. I crack mine in the blender and let them sit for 20 minutes or so. Add the apple cider vinegar, water and 1/4 cup of melted coconut oil(not hot so you don't cook the eggs) blend on low for 30 seconds. Then add in the coconut flour, garlic power, salt and baking soda and blend for one minute. Grease your baking tin with the 1 tsp coconut oil. I used two small mini loaves for this recipe. Pour the batter in your pans and bake at 350 degrees for 40 - 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Optional - if you want to get that nice golden look - 1 minute before you take the bread out of the oven, rub a small tsp of coconut oil on the top and broil on low until you get the color you want. Enjoy! Nutrition Facts Paleo Cornbread Amount Per Serving Calories 98 Calories from Fat 63 % Daily Value* Total Fat 7g 11% Saturated Fat 6g 30% Cholesterol 65mg 22% Sodium 151mg 6% Potassium 24mg 1% Total Carbohydrates 3g 1% Dietary Fiber 2g 8% Sugars 0g Protein 3g 6% Vitamin A 1.9% Calcium 1% Iron 2.6% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
If you liked this post, Don’t miss out on these free Paleo bread recipes!
© 2011-2012, A Girl Worth Saving. Feel free to pin my posts but do not repost my full recipe on your blog, Tumblr, or any other website.A new study has drawn an apparent connection between a rise in mortality among middle-aged white American men and increased trade with China.
A “statistically relevant relative increase in suicide… concentrated among white males” is detectable in U.S. counties where local industries were affected by competition from China, said Federal Reserve economist Justin Pierce and Yale economist Peter Schott in the Wall Street Journal.
Their research was inspired by an earlier study that showed that while mortality rates among all ethnic groups were improving, those among whites were worsening at a startling rate.
Between 1999 and 2014, death rates in the 45 to 54 year-old demographic increased by 134 deaths per 100,000 people. “Only H.I.V./AIDS in contemporary times has done anything like this,” said Nobel-laureate Angus Deaton, who co-authored that study with Princeton economist Anne Case.
They discovered that the rise in mortality was due to unprecedented increases in suicide and drug overdoses.
“The thing about that paper that we noticed was that the trend started in 2000, when you see a big jump in U.S. imports from China and a huge loss in manufacturing jobs,” Schott told the Journal.
Areas where there was heavy manufacturing were most affected. But even those areas with merely average levels of trade competition with China saw suicide increases of 3.5% and a 24% leap in the numbers of overdoses for the demographic.
The issue of foreign trade taking U.S. jobs was a major element of Donald Trump’s campaign, which promised to bring back jobs and roll back economic ties with China.
The Washington Post said of voting majorities that Trump was strongest “in states where middle aged white mortality rates were high”
In his first 100 days outline, released on social media last week, one of Donald Trump’s plans was to “negotiate fair bilateral trade deals that bring jobs and industry onto American shores.” He promised that Obama’s legacy Trans Pacific Partnership deal, which has not yet been ratified, will be the first thing to go when he takes over the White House on January 20, 2017.
For more on U.S.—China relations, watch this Fortune video:
“Whether it’s producing steel, building cars, or curing disease, I want the next generation of production and innovation to happen right here,” Trump has said.
However, Schott did not recommend ceasing to liberalize global trade, telling the Journal that such a move “hurts everyone. We want the increases in productivity and reductions in prices that trade brings.”
Instead, his recommendations emphasize more training for disenfranchised workers, with a focus on helping them move into growing areas of the economy.
Schott also pointed out that increased trade with China could improve people’s lives by bringing cheaper (and therefore increased) access to goods and services across the board, from healthcare to tangible everyday items.Islands of Chaos
Islands of Chaos is an strategic island adventure multi-player game of survival and strategy. Set amidst a sea of beautiful wildlife and shipwreck grave yards players will engage in a competitive struggle to conquer minigames and each other.
The game takes place on your mobile device and will be supported by the Apple App store for iPads, iPhones, and iPod Touch as well as Android tablets and phones. The game will be FREE to download - if you think you have what it takes to prevail in an original and unpredictable chess match with people all over the the world then you can download the finished app and get started!
Structure - How does it work?
Islands of Chaos has a simple but unique structure. After downloading the mobile app players must create a player profile; simply enter your in game name, email (for security purposes), and upload a photo. This is your Personal Player Profile. It holds all your stats after playing a few games!
Then you can either start a new game or join an already in progress game. When you start a new game you will choose a game name (example: Erik's Game) pick which island setting the game will take place at, how many players are allowed to join, and the game duration. 16 - 24 players can join a game.
After your game is set up it loads that information into the Games Que. Players looking to join a game will be able to join it based on the criteria you have entered,.. some people want a short game as opposed to a huge mega 40 days 40 nights game! When they find a game they like they will join it.
Who you are, in an active game, needs to be anonymous to provide a fair and level playing field for everyone. Once you have selected a game to join you must create a Character for that game. Using the Character Creator you can design a character that will fit your gameplay style.
The Character Creator Mock-up
Looking to flirt your way to the top? Make a cute girl avatar. Looking to be a competitive beast? Create the perfect Brad or Chad to score a touchdown! Whatever you decide, everyone will have a made up character to play as and hide their true identity. You could be playing alongside your grandpa and never suspect a thing!
Now, you are ready to play your first game...
Social - Everyone Plays Differently
Rather then facing computer opponents, each game is driven by the chemistry between the individual players assembled, making each game completely unpredictable (and difficult) to win!
Every game begins with players divided into opposing teams (2 - 5 teams depending on the individual game rules). The Islands of Chaos host, Jabony Bones Cryptoff (Bones for short) will guide players through the game.
Bones, our guide through the Islands
Players will compete against one another in a series of mini-game challenges. Some are Award Minigames, where you win benefits and supplies for your team. Others are Elimination Minigames where the losing team will have to vote one of their own out of the game.
The Game Cycle generally has three major events:
Award Minigame : Both teams compete in a minigame for an award. Winners get the Award, while losers get shame and ridicule!
: Both teams compete in a minigame for an award. Winners get the Award, while losers get shame and ridicule! Elimination Minigame : Both teams compete in a minigame for elimination. Losers will have to vote off one of their members at the Elimination Ceremony.
: Both teams compete in a minigame for elimination. Losers will have to vote off one of their members at the Elimination Ceremony. Elimination Ceremony : The losers attend an Elimination Ceremony where they will cast votes to determine who will leave the game. Depending on how many teams and players are playing multiple teams will attend the ceremony.
The difficulty of this game becomes apparent after the first Elimination Minigame ends; someone needs to go, but how do I guarantee it isn't me? You can choose to form new friendships, gather allies, or utilize lies and deceit on your way to the end. This all becomes part of the social game. Only one player can win in the end, but you need allies in order to get there. Trust becomes an invaluable resource!
When there are two players remaining active in the game the players voted out after the halfway point will determine the winner at a final Island Champion Ceremony. The remaining players left (2-4) will explain the way in which they played the game and why they deserve to win. The remaining half of voted out players will ask questions and have an open conversation with the finalists to determine a winner by vote.
After 1/3 of the players have left the game the Game Director Algorithm will decide when to combine the teams and turn everything on its head. When the teams combine it will change from a team vs. team game into and every man for himself scenario with only two to four players making it to the very end. Rather then Awards and Elimination Minigames won by a whole team, there will only be 1 winner (usually) for each minigame.
So, what are these awesome challenges you speak of?
Skill - Killer Minigames
All the minigames (Award or Elimination) are randomly selected from a pool of minigames that will come with the mobile app. They can be played on their own in a Minigame Practice Arena option as well,.. so even if don't want to join a full fledged game you can still practice and play them!
Some examples of Minigames for challenges will include:
Deep Sea Fishing - using a hook you'll guide it deeper underwater to retrieve fish for points.
- using a hook you'll guide it deeper underwater to retrieve fish for points. Coconut Launch - Launch Coconuts as far as possible
Launch Coconuts as far as possible Crab Dig - Dig through the sand with your hermit crab to reach the finish in time, while avoiding buried bones, rocks, and seashells.
Dig through the sand with your hermit crab to reach the finish in time, while avoiding buried bones, rocks, and seashells. Steady Hands - balance a collection of balls for the longest amount of time
balance a collection of balls for the longest amount of time Mis-Map - A slide puzzle with a tribal design or shape to be solved
A slide puzzle with a tribal design or shape to be solved Roll Maze - Roll your ball to the finish through a dizzying maze
Roll your ball to the finish through a dizzying maze Favorite Fish - Bet on an aquatic animal of your choice to win a race (Kentucky Derby Style)
Deep Sea Fishing
A Roll Maze level
A Mis-Map Level
All challenges are based on time or score - so on a designated day in which an Award Minigame or Elimination Minigame occurs any player can log on at any time and play the challenge. All the scores will be tallied by the end of the day and team scores will all be added together to determine the winning team.
Strategy - Making the Tough Decisions
Everyone who picks up this game will bring their own unique personality, background, and style to way in which they choose to play this game. That really is the beauty IOC; there are limitless possibilities and differences that make each game unique.
Character Strength and Weaknesses
One aspect of this game that greatly effects the gameplay is our Item System. Each player has a pack that can store a variety of in-game Items. Items can be played at specific pivotal points in the game to increase your chances of winning.
Islands of Chaos Items
The 1st six items listed above are Food. When searching around your team camp you may come across coconuts, pineapples, starfruit, or other various plant life. If you eat a fruit prior to playing a minigame challenge it will multiply your score and give you a better chance at beating your competitors (example: Green coconuts add 1/8 of your total score onto your points, while yellow coconuts add 1/4 of you points onto your score).
In the second row you can see the Chicken. A chicken (when caught) will continually produce eggs which offer your team a constant food advantage in the minigames, or you can cook the chicken later for an even better meal advantage!
Sand Dollars are the currency for the Islands. They purchase new island maps, new characters, and extra bonus features. You can also find them when searching around your team camp.
Talismens are a super important item, as they can be used by individual player at Elimination Ceremonies to grant them protection from being sacrificed (voted off their team). Each island has its own special Talismen with its own specific rules and is usually hidden somewhere around the island by the Game Director Algorithm.
In the last Item row you can see the Giant Clam and various colors of Coral. The Giant clam is both a food item and possibly a currency item in that it provides food (clam muscle) and a small percentage of the time it provides a Pearl (worth 100 Sand Dollars!) The various Coral colors represent rarity and price. White Coral is only worth about 1 sand dollar while red coral is worth 50.
Items can be traded between players, so this adds a layer of complexity to the social game. Prior to the halfway point players must coordinate their item usage to win minigames for their team, while deciding when to keep certain items for personal use in the later individual game.
Also some items can be used to ruin other players; take the Rotten Coconut. If you find a Rotten Coconut only you know it's rotten. If you trade it to another player and they use it it will make them sick subtracting minigame points for the next two minigame challenges.
Statistics - Best of the Best
One of the best parts about IOC is the Leader Boards. Following each game you participate in your individual profile will log your statistics and build up a comprehensive Stat Pack of your points, achievements, and aquaintences. Some factors that will be logged include:
Place - What place you finished in the games you've played
- What place you finished in the games you've played Votes Against - How many times someone has voted against you
- How many times someone has voted against you Minigames Won - Team or Individual minigames you have been on the winning side of
- Team or Individual minigames you have been on the winning side of Votes to Win - How many votes you have had in your favor at the Island Champion's Ceremony
All these stats will be compiled to give an overall profile stat as well, which can be viewed on the leader boards. You can see your average, highest, and lowest in each category as well as review past games you've played. You can also review how highly you are ranked as a player regionally, nationally, or internationally! If you only play around in the Minigame Practice Arena you can still set a new record for the minigames that are available. Each minigame will have its own high score recorded every time its played.
One excellent feature is the Social Stats which will show up when you look at other player's profiles. These stats will show if you have interacted with another player before in a game and if they voted against you or with you.
If funding goes well enough each year will see a Top 16 Champion's Game, in which the top 16 players in the country will be invited to compete in a final end of year game to see who is the Player of the Year.
I could go on, but the stats alone make this game incredibly fascinating and fun!Google, which has been looking for new ways to deliver Internet connectivity, has bought Titan Aerospace, a New Mexico-based company known for making solar-powered drones.
The deal slips the drone maker out of Facebook's grasp.
The news of Google's acquisition comes a little more than a month after reports that Google-rival Facebook was planning on acquiring Titan for $60 million.
Google said it has acquired Titan Aerospace, maker of the Solara drone. (Image: Titan Aerospace)
Today, Google confirmed to Computerworld that it was acquiring Titan Aerospace but did not disclose a purchase price.
"Titan Aerospace and Google share a profound optimism about the potential for technology to improve the world," a Google spokesman said in an email. "It's still early days, but atmospheric satellites could help bring Internet access to millions of people, and help solve other problems, including disaster relief and environmental damage like deforestation. It's why we're so excited to welcome Titan Aerospace to the Google family."
Google has been looking at different ways to bring Internet connectivity to the two out of three people around the world who don't have access to a fast and affordable connection.
With Project Loon, Google has been testing high-altitude balloons, launching 30 balloons above the Canterbury area of New Zealand as part of a pilot test last summer with 50 users trying to connect to the Internet via the balloons.
Earlier this month, Google announced that one of its balloons circled the Earth in 22 days. Now in its second lap around the world, the balloon marked the project's 500,000th kilometer.
It had been expected that Facebook would jump into the fray by using Titan's drones to bring Internet connectivity to remote or impoverished areas.
Now it appears that Google has added another technology to its arsenal, leaving Facebook out of the equation at least for now.
"Google and Facebook are in an arms race for more data and more analytics," said Zeus Kerravala, an analyst with ZK Research. "For Facebook, this is another step that they're falling behind Google. When it comes to information, Facebook is dwarfed by Google."
Kerravala added that Facebook would have been smart to ante up and pay what it needed to in order to keep Titan Aerospace away from Google.
Titan Aerospace builds lightweight, high-flying drones that can take off at 20 mph and remain aloft for five years. The company's Solara 50 drone, for instance, can fly as high as 65,000 feet above Earth.
Google and Facebook, though, have some company in using high-flying technology.
Amazon announced last December that it plans to use drones to deliver merchandise to customers. Amazon said with drones, some customers could get their purchases within half an hour.
This article, Sorry, Facebook, Google snatches up drone maker, was originally published at Computerworld.com.
Sharon Gaudin covers the Internet and Web 2.0, emerging technologies, and desktop and laptop chips for Computerworld. Follow Sharon on Twitter at @sgaudin, on Google+ or subscribe to Sharon's RSS feed. Her email address is sgaudin@computerworld.com.
See more by Sharon Gaudin on Computerworld.com.UN chief Antonio Guterres said that he was horrified by video footage showing African migrants being sold at a Libya slave market.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday that he was horrified by video footage showing African migrants being sold at a Libya slave market, saying the auctions should be investigated as possible crimes against humanity.
US television network CNN aired the footage last week of an apparent live auction in Libya where black men are presented to North African buyers as potential farmhands and sold off for as little as $400.
"Slavery has no place in our world and these actions are among the most egregious abuses of human rights and may amount to crimes against humanity," Guterres told reporters.
"I am horrified at news reports and video footage showing African migrants in Libya reportedly being sold as slaves," he said, adding: "I abhor these appalling acts."
Guterres called on "all competent authorities" to investigate the slave auctions without delay, adding that he had asked the "relevant United Nations actors to actively pursue this matter."
Libyan Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed Metig said his UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) would investigate the allegations, in a statement posted Sunday on the Facebook page of the GNA's press office.
The images have triggered outrage internationally and from African leaders, who have called for an inquiry.
Guinean President Alpha Conde, who is also chairman of the African Union, on Friday called for an inquiry and prosecutions relating to what he termed a "despicable trade... from another era."
Burkina Faso recalled its ambassador to Tripoli after expressing "shock" at the images, said Foreign Minister Alpha Barry.
President Roch Marc Christian Kabore has demanded information from Libya about the fate of some 30 Burkinabe migrants detained in the camps, said Barry.
Senegal's government expressed "outrage at the sale of Sub-Saharan African migrants on Libyan soil" that constituted a "blight on the conscience of humanity."
Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou said the issue had made him "deeply angry" and urged Libyan authorities and international organizations to do "everything possible to stop this practice."
The UN Security Council will on Tuesday discuss human trafficking during a special debate expected to focus on the treatment of migrants in Libya.Martijn.org screenshot A Dutch court has ruled that the pedophile club Martijn cannot be outlawed, Michael van Poppel of BNO news reports.
Martijn is a Dutch association that advocates the social acceptance of pedophilia and the legalization of sexual relationships between adults and children.
In June 2012 a Dutch court deemed the group to be illegal and ordered it to disband immediately. Prosecutors had successfully argued that the club's work and ideas were contrary to public order and morality — especially since the harmful effects of child sexual abuse infringe upon the rights and interests of children.
On Tuesday the court found, on appeal, that "the activities of the association are contrary to public policy, but that there is no threat of social disruption."
The ruling echoes a June 2011 decision that the club's activities were not illegal under Dutch law because even though men associated with the club — including its former chairman — have been charged with possessing child pornography, the crimes weren't committed in connection with the club.
Tuesdya's ruling noted that the club does not provide any "tips and tricks" for adults to have sex with children.For those who paid attention to the Kermit Gosnell trial in Philadelphia, with its revelations about the horrific conditions inside the clinic and the 17 years of official indifference to his practices, the question arises as to how many Gosnells we have murdering live infants that survive abortion procedures. Do we have any in our communities, and do our local and state authorities even care if we do? In Minnesota, as my friend Teresa Collett pointed out in the Star Tribune this week, the answer to the first question is we don’t know — because the answer to the second question is a very pointed no:
So what would happen if Gosnell’s clinic had been in Minnesota? The Philadelphia jury was convinced that three infants survived Gosnell’s attempts to abort them. One of the babies was so large, Gosnell joked that “this baby is big enough to walk around with me.” The second was breathing for more than 20 minutes, and the third was delivered in a toilet and tried to use swimming motions to get out. All three died after Gosnell or a member of his staff “snipped” the newborns’ spinal cords. Gruesome as the practice of snipping is, it is hard to distinguish from the dismemberment involved in the most common method of abortion practiced in Minnesota during late second- and third-trimester abortions. In addition to the murder counts, Gosnell was convicted of performing abortions on women who were more than 24 weeks pregnant. That conviction would not be possible in Minnesota, because it is not a crime here. In 1974, the Minnesota Legislature attempted to prohibit abortions after the baby was viable (capable of living outside the womb) except when the pregnancy threatened the mother’s life or health. However, the law was immediately challenged by a Minnesota abortion doctor and was struck down by a federal court in 1976. In 2011, the Legislature voted to prohibit late-term abortions, but Gov. Mark Dayton vetoed the law. This means that it is legal for a woman to obtain an abortion in Minnesota at any time up until birth.
How about the conditions of the clinic for the women who seek treatment in these abortion mills? Gosnell’s clinic was a nightmare of filth, trophies, building-code violations, and murder — at least as defined in Pennsylvania. If Gosnell had set up shop in Minnesota, would he still be going to prison? No, Collett explains, he’d still be laughing all the way to the bank:
Minnesota offers no regulations to protect the health and safety of women seeking abortions. In 1974, the Legislature passed a law (which is still on the books) requiring the health commissioner to license and promulgate rules for abortion clinics. The commissioner adopted clinic regulations in 1974, but a federal district court struck them down. The Legislature attempted to remedy this dangerous omission by passing a clinic regulations bill in 2012, but Gov. Dayton vetoed the bill. He claimed the regulations were unnecessary because Minnesota clinics are adequately monitored by the National Abortion Federation, a national trade association of abortion clinics.
The NAF denied Gosnell certification for his Philadelphia clinic — but Gosnell also worked at an NAF-accredited Delaware clinic. He referred women ineligible for abortions under Delaware law to the Philadelphia clinic instead, and at least a few of the witnesses for the prosecution of Gosnell worked in that NAF-accredited clinic.
Besides, what happens if the NAF declines or rescinds accreditation of a clinic in Minnesota? Does the state shut the clinic down, or do they just continue to operate independently? I’d guess it’s the latter, since the law doesn’t have any way right now for the state to intervene. Also, in what other industries do liberals like Mark Dayton approve of the elimination of state regulation in favor of industry-based certification? This seems like a first to me.
So yes, it seems as though we may very well have a Gosnell in Minnesota, or maybe a whole lot more than just one. Clearly, Governor Dayton and the state has no interest in stopping a Gosnell either from murdering live infants that survive an abortion, or protecting women from the conditions found in Gosnell’s clinic. Without any penalties for committing these kinds of atrocities, it’s not hard to imagine that they occur more often than Minnesotans think they do, right here in our own back yard.
Gosnell flourished because he knew the state took no interest in what happened behind the doors of his clinic, even when women died as a result of his actions. Mark Rienzi wrote earlier this week about the moral implications of law and lack of law in USA Today, and how that forms our communities — and how the latter produces Gosnells:
The law can be a potent moral teacher, which is a good thing. Laws against slavery and discrimination have helped reduce prejudice. Laws requiring accommodations for people with disabilities have helped them gain visibility and greater acceptance in society. Many people on both sides of the gay marriage debate argue their position in terms of the important teaching power of the law. It would be naive to think that our abortion laws do not carry a similar teaching power. Our abortion system undeniably treats small, dependent human fetuses in the womb as only conditionally valued. They are to be loved, protected and welcomed if wanted by their mothers, but can be killed and discarded if unwanted.
The last 40 years of Roe v Wade have certainly formed our public morality, Rienzi argues, and in a horrifying direction:
It could be that the teaching power of abortion law is eroding more than the moral sense of doctors. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, infant homicide is shockingly common. Its most recent 2002 report suggests that the day a person is born is, by far, the most likely day for them to be killed. Although more recent statistics concerning day-of-birth homicides are unavailable, a look at homicide rates during the first year of life suggests that infant homicides have become considerably more common since Roe v Wade constitutionalized the right to abortion. According to the Child Trends Databank using data from the CDC and the NCHS, children less than a year old are roughly twice as likely to be victims of homicide today as in 1970 (a few years before Roe). In 1970, there were 4.3 homicides for every 100,000 children under age one. The rate peaked at 9.2 in 2000 and was at 7.9 in 2010.
It’s time to recognize the pattern and walk back from the dehumanizing public morality of Roe, Rienzi concludes:
A far better choice exists. As a society, we could agree that there really is little difference between killing a being inside and outside the womb. We should admit that our system of abortion law is dehumanizing. The better course is to protect even small voiceless human beings from more powerful people who would rather see them dead, whether that killing happens inside or outside the womb.
Let me close with an anecdote from my previous career in loss prevention and retail security. I worked with a brilliant visionary on the retailer side of this industry whose specialty was reforming internal operations and creating turnkey systems for loss-prevention departments, and then moving on to another challenge. He liked to work with our company because we delivered on enforcing strict discipline and oversight, even when personnel in the stores screamed at us for doing so. He could save retailers millions of dollars within a short period of time by cracking down on internal loss due to employee theft.
He visited us at the end of one particularly difficult implementation to thank us for our work, and to share with us some of the highlights of his investigations, including amazing confessions, surveillance videos, and the staggering amounts of money saved by his changes (and our work). Toward the end, the LP specialist stopped for a moment and asked us, “Who was morally responsible for these losses?” Most of us, myself included, said the employees that stole or their supervisors who didn’t pay attention. No, he responded; the company was responsible for these thefts in a moral sense, because they never bothered to show that the thefts were wrong. In fact, that was really the driving force behind his passion in loss prevention.
Now, that sounds absurd on its face. Of course theft is wrong, but … did the company stop anyone from robbing them blind? When employees stole merchandise and then cash with no consequences at all, what were the other employees to think? When store managers joined in the spree, and the chain did nothing and put no processes in place to stop the thefts, what lessons did that teach the underlings? If the company didn’t bother to express some sort of moral code for behavior through its rules and enforcement, why would anyone bother to act morally as agents within that organization — especially when the rewards went to those who acted immorally?
That was a powerful lesson about the moral impact of law and how it shapes communities. How are we shaping our own when we send a signal that we will not act to protect the most vulnerable among us in any degree whatsoever? What exactly are we rewarding? In Minnesota, the answer’s pretty clear.With the Stanford game now two days away, it's time for our weekly "Five questions, five answers'' look at the opponent.
And as we often down when it comes to Stanford, we turn to one of the deans of the Pac-12 media corps, Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News, who runs the popular and indispensable College Hotline blog.
As always, our questions and his answers.
Question 1: I know many fans around the conference figured Stanford might be a pretty beatable team after the way Cardinal played against San Jose State. Obviously the Cardinal has looked like a different team since. How do you explain the San Jose State game and is there any lesson there for future opponents?
A: First off, San Jose State isn't awful. Second, Stanford had a series of malfunctions related to game management and communication that can be attributed to not having Andrew Luck as the coach on the field. But the Cardinal got those issues solved and has found an early-season rhythm. It's a different team than the 2010-11 versions even though the philosophy (physical, run-oriented) hasn't changed: This edition is more likely to win games 21-14 than 41-31. The defense is very good, with an elite front seven and a talented, albeit young, secondary.
Q2: What were 2-3 keys to Stanford's win over USC?
A: I'd offer a few explanations: 1) Stanford is in USC's head; 2) USC was without center Khaled Holmes, and that had a huge impact on the Trojans' efficiency; 3) Stanford's defense, and defensive gameplan, were terrific. The Cardinal stuffed the run - again, no Holmes was a big reason why - and forced USC into passing situations. Matt Barkley's not Mr. Mobility, and Stanford was able to pressure him with four- and five-man rushes. And the secondary was physical with receivers Robert Woods and Marqise Lee.
Q3: How has Josh Nunes (pictured in an Associated Press photo) developed as the successor to Andrew Luck?
A: He's done as well as Stanford could have hoped. Spotty in the opener, not much of a factor in the second game and mediocre against USC until it mattered: In the fourth quarter, he had a key first-down run and a touchdown pass that turned the game. Nunes (pronounced Noon-es) is, like many first-year starters, being asked to manage the game. Of course, that's code for: Don't screw up! But with Stanford's defense and running game, all he has to do is complete basic passes and the Cardinal should be formidable.
Q4: How has David Shaw been able to apparently keep the same physical approach and dominance on both lines that was begun by Jim Harbaugh?
A: As much as any team in the conference, with the possible exception of Oregon, Stanford has a guiding philosophy that determines how it recruits, how it practices, how it prepares for games and how it executes. Shaw coached in the NFL for years and is the son of a longtime NFL coach: he believes in running the football, like Harbaugh. And frankly, for socio-economic reasons, it's easier for Stanford to recruit fullbacks and tight ends than receivers who run 4.4 40s.
Q5: The USC game also seemed to make clear that Stanford's defense may not get enough attention. What are the keys to making the defense work, either in terms of personnel or scheme?
A: The front seven is experienced and tough. It has terrific leadership and a handful of high-round NFL draft picks, especially at linebacker. It is able to generate pressure on the quarterback without having to devote more than four/five players to the pass rush. And they have a lot of options: The players are smart and have been in the system for years, which gives the coaches the option to use multiple fronts, blitzes and coverages. The place to attack Stanford has always been in space. If Washington can get Keith Price outside the pocket and get its receivers (and Austin Seferian-Jenkins) in 1-on-1 situations, it has a chance to move the ball. The one thing UW cannot afford is relentless series of second/third-and-long situations. If Stanford knows a pass is coming, the Huskies are in trouble.'Buffett Rule' Becomes A Bill, And Congress Bickers
toggle caption Pete Marovich/Getty Images
At last week's State of the Union address, the secretary of billionaire investor Warren Buffett was seated prominently with first lady Michelle Obama.
President Obama invited Debbie Bosanek to a seat in the spotlight to underscore a complaint her boss has widely made: that she pays a much higher tax rate than the 17 percent Buffett himself pays.
Speaking to a joint session of Congress, Obama proposed what he called the "Buffett Rule": Anyone making more than $1 million a year should pay no less than 30 percent in taxes.
"You can call this class warfare all you want. But asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary in taxes? Most Americans would call that common sense," Obama said.
Sen. Mike Johanns, R-Neb., said Obama was simply trying to score political points in an election year.
"When he picks out one item — rich vs. poor — that's class warfare," said Johanns. "And I know he says, 'Well, you can call it what you want.' But the truth of the matter, he knows what he's doing."
New Legislation
This week, Obama's Buffett Rule took the form of a bill introduced on the Senate floor.
"I rise today to introduce legislation that would address some loopholes in the tax codes, which provide for super high-income Americans ways to pay lower tax rates than are paid by regular, hard-working, middle-class families," said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.
The bill is aimed at the wealthiest of all taxpayers — the highest-earning one-tenth of 1 |
very useful for covering large distances quickly.
When playing the game, I quickly found that I would naturally start to use all of the movement systems together. Having gained my very strong VR legs after years of gameplay, the FPS movement was fine for me, but even so I found when walking in a straight line I would warp step often to speed things up a little and then stop and arc teleport for finite positioning. It really is a nice combination of locomotion systems that will allow players to use what works for them or perhaps do as I did and use a bit of all of them in conjunction.
The Game:
The game’s story puts you on the side of the Justicar who are being threatened by the aggressive expansion of Emorian Empire. The Emorians have taken over a number of planets in free space and are now on the Justicar’s boarders. Your Colonel has decided against his usual ‘all guns blazing’ tactic and is sending you in undercover to fight alongside the planets resistance fighters to help them win back their worlds.
Features:
5 Solar Systems.
11 planets of varying tech levels (low, steampunk & cyberpunk).
Mission driven game-play (on planet and in space).
Planet & Space combat.
Disable enemy ships in space and board them.
Explore & fight through abandoned space stations.
Move between solar systems and planets via space warp gates.
Create mining facilities on resource gathering planets and defend them.
Fly/Drive a great selection of vehicles (if you can see it in game, you can get in it).
Works on both a Monitor and Virtual Reality Headsets.
Supports Monitor / Oculus CV1 / HTC Vive.
The resistance needs you. Join Today!
Upon getting your first mission from the Colonel and making your way planet side finding your resistance contact is your first job when landing on the new world. They have already made a recon sweep of the planet and have mapped out a course of action which will require your specialized skill set. They may also have weapons and vehicles for you to use in order to aid your liberation attempt.
A nice little run around.
Each solar system is of a different tech level. Vehicles representative of the planets advancement will be available for you to use. One of the great things about this game is being able hop into different rides and go exploring. If you see something in game that looks like it might be used as a vehicle, there is a good chance you will be able to get in it.
Emorians Routed!
Once the local populous is safely under the protective wing of the Justicar, players must deploy a base to help keep them from harm. We wouldn’t want those nasty Emorians to come back now would we?
To Infinity….
Push For Emor allows you to freely travel between planets via unlocked warp gates whilst fighting pirates and Emorians along the way. Take out a ship and board the wreck, but make sure you lock and load first. Wreck survivors tend to be a tad prickly about having their ship blasted and even less happy that you are now aboard trying to loot their cargo holds for weapons and plunder. Get in, clear the ship, grab the swag and exit for a well deserved space beer.
Lowtek, Steampunk, Cyberpunk
The further away from Emor, the lower the tech level of the solar system. The first system you encounter is so Low-Fi that the game describes one of it’s planet’s inhabitants as ‘still throwing rocks at the moon’. Steampunk planets and Sci-Fi cyberpunk planets are in the works, each with its only brand of weapons and vehicles and space craft unlocks.
War! What is it good for?!
The Justicar war effort needs raw materials to keep moving forwards. As luck would have it, each solar system has a dedicated resource planet that can be processed for the minerals needed. Players can build mining facilities and get harvesting those resources, but will want to make sure they invest in some turrets and a barracks because you never know if the planets population is going to attack, or if the Emorians are going to drop in for a not so friendly chat!
Push For Emor launches into Early Access on the October 24th 2016. You can grab a copy here:
Early Access will include the first 4 planets, space combat, boarding of pirate ships and your home space station and a bunch of vehicles and ships to ride and fly.
Garry Hamer is the developer of Push For Emor and is a good friend of the VRSpies… We are excited to see Push for Emor launch into Early Access after watching the game grow from its earliest release. I will be keeping an eye on its further development and look forward to seeing the finished game.MONTREAL – The Montreal Alouettes announced on Friday that national defensive end Jesse Joseph has agreed to a two-year deal with the club.
Joseph (6’3″, 262 lbs.) will suit up for his third campaign with the Alouettes, after playing four seasons for the University of Connecticut Huskies. He was then drafted in the third round (21st overall) by the Alouettes in 2013 CFL Canadian Draft. The 28-year-old athlete recorded ten defensive tackles, including a sack in 30 regular season outings with Montreal. He also added four special teams tackles.
“Jesse really managed to establish himself with the club and made his presence felt with solid performances during his two first years with us. He is a hard-nosed, versatile asset with a very high football IQ and we are happy to be able to count on him for the next two seasons,” stated Alouettes General Manager Kavis Reed.
Joseph played 37 career-games in four seasons with the University of Connecticut Huskies, recording 118 tackles and 13 sacks. His most dominant performance came against North Carolina on September 8, 2012 where he picked-up eight tackles in a single game. He completed his senior year in 2013 with 40 tackles, including six for losses and a sack. The former Vanier Cheetah took part in the Chicago Bears rookie mini-camp in 2014.-- Posted Friday, 1 October 2010 | Digg This Article | | Source: GoldSeek.com
You may be asking yourself, did the central banks ever control the gold market? Yes, indeed they did! The gold Standard was the ultimate system of control they had until it was dropped. Then President Roosevelts Administration took control of the U.S. gold market when he confiscated all U.S. citizens held gold. Ownership of gold was only re-permitted in the early seventies. Even then the powers that be declared that gold ownership was a privilege, not a right. That still holds. Few really appreciate the extent of central bank control over the gold market and gold price. We believe it is a critical aspect of the gold market and gold price, without which one cannot really understand the gold market. A brief history of Central Bank control of gold When Eurodollars appeared in Europe, European central banks were not happy and sold them for U.S. gold. Then President Nixon, in his infinite wisdom closed the gold window [After Europe had boosted their reserves after sending around 12,000 tonnes of gold across the Atlantic into European vaults]. In a mutually beneficial but clandestine accord, the world then saw the U.S. dollar rise to be the sole global reserve currency. It has continued to reign supreme because it is the only currency that is used to buy oil, oil that we all need. Control lost After 1971, gold began to rise in earnest as every man and his dog bought some, taking the gold price from $42.35 to $850. This was a public statement that the global investing public did not accept paper currencies with no gold to back them. These had become simply government obligations with no settlement date. Central banks had to act to ensure the public accepted these currencies and were moved away from gold as money. To do that, the U.S. and by extension the I.M.F. decided on limited [limited because central banks still wanted it in their vaults as an important reserve asset] gold sales through auctions. All the gold sold there was snapped up. The reality of central banks wanting to keep gold then kicked in and the auctions were halted. Control regained Another tactic was then used. This time the central banks, lent gold to gold miners who used it to finance gold production. This caused a huge acceleration in the tonnage of gold coming to the market, too much for the market to absorb. The gold price fell right back to its 1999 low of $275. But the central banks technically still owned the gold as producers repaid their loans with gold from their mines. At the same timed central banks supplied a well orchestrated campaign that implied central banks may well sell all the gold they owned over time. Markets and analyst swallowed the bait. The job of ensuring the U.S. dollar was the only solid, global reserve currency was then achieved without the interference of gold. Then the time came for the Euro to enter the market in place of the European currencies, such as the French Franc, the Deutschmark, and the Italian Lira, etc. With the task made easier by the anti-gold campaign that ensured the acceptance of the U.S. dollar, the Euro was quickly established as the worlds number two currency. Nevertheless, the fear remained that Europeans would prefer gold, so the European central bankers made, to date, three agreements to sell a limited amount of gold over the next fifteen years [four years still to go]. Unexpectedly this removed the fear that central banks were selling the gold price down still. The gold price turned around, miners over time bought back all their hedged positions [matching central banks sales in the process] and last year both the miners and the central banks let their sales and de-hedging dwindle to almost nothing [AngloGold Ashanti will still buy 131 tonnes of gold to close its hedge book]. Until last year [2009] there is no doubt that the gold market reacted to central bank policy on gold and moved the price accordingly. Lets face it if they did really get rid of over 30,000 tonnes of gold the gold price would collapse. Central banks knew full well the implications of fears that they may sell gold. It would effectively ensure that hardly any investment in gold took place. This was control too! Have Central Bank lost control again? Close to the beginning of 2009 the European central banks let their gold sales dwindle. It became clear to all that there was no more appetite in the signatories to sell gold. The Euro was then fully accepted by all. Central bankers re-established the importance of gold by the cessation of gold sales. But European central bankers had made this clear in the first central bank gold agreement, called the Washington Agreement, which made it clear that all the signatories regarded gold as an important reserve asset. Consequently, they have been happy to see the gold price rise too. As Axel Weber, the head of the German Bundesbank said in the past, gold is a useful counter to the swings in the dollar. By then the credit crunch had endangered the banking sector and spread into the Sovereign Debt crisis. The currency world did not seem so solid and gold was holding its highs and looked like rising even more. The attraction of gold to central bankers re-confirmed itself in such a climate. Why is gold an important reserve asset? In times of international financial stress, gold will settle international financial obligations, when government promises wont. We have now entered the time when financial stress underlies the entire global monetary system. Right now we are at the door of potentially major, global currency strife. This means that central bankers are no longer in a mood to sell their rainy day gold. But they dont control the supply of gold anymore. Their control since 1985 only went as far as to undermine the gold price. They have placed themselves in a position where they cant even buy gold for their reserves. To do so may imply that they have accepted that they too are losing faith in paper currencies. That must never happen. So they sit with a firm grip on the 30,000 tonnes they now have, but have lost control over the gold price. That went the moment they stopped selling. Control dispersed As the rest of the world emerges and drains wealth and power from the West taking their foreign exchange reserves to unimagined heights, they now see the need to diversify away from the near total dependence they have on developed world currencies. They have so little gold in their reserves that in their citizens savings that they have embarked on a campaign to build up Chinese gold holding. India has already done that and topped up their reserves with 200 tonnes from the I.M.F. China in particular has a very long way to go before their gold reserves are adequate for reserve asset requirements. Russia was the first to announce the intention to increase the gold component of their reserves. Mr. Putin then announced Russia s intention to accumulate 10% of all its reserves in gold. It has taken a long time to even get part of the way there [see the Table Below]. China has made no announcement that it intends to achieve any particular level but is acquiring locally produced gold into an agency that, in time, will pass it to the Peoples Bank of China and only then will an announcement be made as to what they have bought. This appears reasonable for if China were to announce any target level it would put a rocket beneath the gold price, so, in true inscrutable style they have simply announced increases in gold reserves well after the event. We do believe they are buying gold internationally too. Retail demand in China is way over local production levels [we guess-estimate, around 150 to 200 tonnes is being imported if not more, as the number of importers has been widely extended. We also know that China began buying gold around 2004 if not before then. In addition, since last year, the number of central banks that have been buying gold has increased steadily. From the Middle East eastwards central bankers have come to the gold market. This new tide of demand is unlikely to subside for a decade if not far longer. Eastern demand is in the hands of half of the worlds population and the half that has always loved and respected gold as money. Central Bank Control lost! The developed world central banks were able to control the gold market in the days of the gold standard, because they acted in unison and legislated that control nationally [and by extension, internationally]. They nearly lost it when Europe was buying it from the U.S. until President Nixon closed the gold window. Then they lost control of the gold market after 1971 until around 1985. Control was then re-imposed by assisting in accelerating production and discouraging demand until 1999. Thereafter, central bankers had limited control through limited sales, which allowed for a steady rise in the gold price, right through to 2009 [$1,200]. The major breakdown of central bank control over the gold market and the gold price came when emerging markets came to the gold markets to buy gold. Eastern central banks are unlikely to cooperate in holding the gold price down because they need gold in their reserves. Central bankers of the world [developed and emerging nations] have vastly different interests. These are unlikely to meet in any accord over gold. Now, with faith in developed world currencies on the wane, gold is becoming a vital [not just important] reserve asset. The skill will be in acquiring sufficient volumes of gold, without skyrocketing the gold price. Global central bankers are divided on gold, with some buying, others holding but almost no central bank selling. Without unity of intent, central bankers cannot control the gold market or its price, any longer. They are almost in competition with each other. Non-central bank investors are jostling central bank buyers for any available gold. Central bankers have now lost control of the gold market. Can they get it back? How can they and will central bankers regain control of the gold price? Subscribers only Subscribe through www.GoldForecaster.com Legal Notice / Disclaimer This document is not and should not be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to purchase or subscribe for any investment. Gold Forecaster - Global Watch / Julian D. W. Phillips / Peter Spina, have based this document on information obtained from sources it believes to be reliable but which it has not independently verified; Gold Forecaster - Global Watch / Julian D. W. Phillips / Peter Spina make no guarantee, representation or warranty and accepts no responsibility or liability as to its accuracy or completeness. Expressions of opinion are those of Gold Forecaster - Global Watch / Julian D. W. Phillips / Peter Spina only and are subject to change without notice. Gold Forecaster - Global Watch / Julian D. W. Phillips / Peter Spina assume no warranty, liability or guarantee for the current relevance, correctness or completeness of any information provided within this Report and will not be held liable for the consequence of reliance upon any opinion or statement contained herein or any omission. Furthermore, we assume no liability for any direct or indirect loss or damage or, in particular, for lost profit, which you may incur as a result of the use and existence of the information, provided within this Report.
-- Posted Friday, 1 October 2010 | Digg This Article | Source: GoldSeek.com
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Previous Articles by Julian D. W. Phillips, The Gold Forecaster - Global WatchApplication of nanoparticles for controlling plant pathogens is a rapidly emerging area in plant disease management, and nanoparticles synthesis methods that are economical and ecofriendly are extensively investigated. In this project, we investigated the potential of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) synthesized with aqueous extract of Artemisia absinthium against several Phytophthora spp., which cause many economically important crop diseases. In in vitro dose-response tests conducted in microtiter plates, 10 µg ml−1 of AgNPs inhibited mycelial growth of P. parasitica, P. infestans, P. palmivora, P. cinnamomi, P. tropicalis, P. capsici, and P. katsurae. Detailed in vitro dose-response analyses conducted with P. parasitica and P. capsici revealed that AgNPs synthesized with A. absinthium extract were highly potent (IC50: 2.1 to 8.3 µg ml−1) and efficacious (100%) in inhibiting mycelial growth, zoospore germination, germ tube elongation, and zoospore production. Interestingly, AgNP treatment accelerated encystment of zoospores. Consistent with in vitro results, in planta experiments conducted in a greenhouse revealed that AgNP treatments prevented Phytophthora infection and improved plant survival. Moreover, AgNP in in planta experiments did not produce any adverse effects on plant growth. These investigations provide a simple and economical method for controlling Phytophthora with AgNP without affecting normal plant physiology.Bloom Filters by Example
A Bloom filter is a data structure designed to tell you, rapidly and memory-efficiently, whether an element is present in a set.
The price paid for this efficiency is that a Bloom filter is a probabilistic data structure: it tells us that the element either definitely is not in the set or may be in the set.
The base data structure of a Bloom filter is a Bit Vector. Here's a small one we'll use to demonstrate:
Each empty cell in that table represents a bit, and the number below it its index. To add an element to the Bloom filter, we simply hash it a few times and set the bits in the bit vector at the index of those hashes to 1.
It's easier to see what that means than explain it, so enter some strings and see how the bit vector changes. Fnv and Murmur are two simple hash functions:
Enter a string: fnv:
murmur: Your set: []
When you add a string, you can see that the bits at the index given by the hashes are set to 1. I've used the color green to show the newly added ones, but any colored cell is simply a 1.
To test for membership, you simply hash the string with the same hash functions, then see if those values are set in the bit vector. If they aren't, you know that the element isn't in the set. If they are, you only know that it might be, because another element or some combination of other elements could have set the same bits. Again, let's demonstrate:
Test an element for membership: fnv:
murmur: Is the element in the set? no Probability of a false positive: 0%
And that's the basics of a bloom filter!
Advanced Topics
Before I write a bit more about Bloom filters, a disclaimer: I've never used them in production. Don't take my word for it. All I intend to do is give you general ideas and pointers to where you can find out more.
In the following text, we will refer to a Bloom filter with k hashes, m bits in the filter, and n elements that have been inserted.
Hash Functions
The hash functions used in a Bloom filter should be independent and uniformly distributed. They should also be as fast as possible (cryptographic hashes such as sha1, though widely used therefore are not very good choices).
Examples of fast, simple hashes that are independent enough3 include murmur, the fnv series of hashes, and HashMix.
To see the difference that a faster-than-cryptographic hash function can make, check out this story of a ~800% speedup when switching a bloom filter implementation from md5 to murmur.
In a short survey of bloom filter implementations:
Chromium uses HashMix. (also, here's a short description of how they use bloom filters)
python-bloomfilter uses cryptographic hashes
Plan9 uses a simple hash as proposed in Mitzenmacher 2005
Sdroege Bloom filter uses fnv1a (included just because I wanted to show one that uses fnv.)
Squid uses MD5
How big should I make my Bloom filter?
It's a nice property of Bloom filters that you can modify the false positive rate of your filter. A larger filter will have less false positives, and a smaller one more.
Your false positive rate will be approximately (1-e-kn/m)k, so you can just plug the number n of elements you expect to insert, and try various values of k and m to configure your filter for your application.2
This leads to an obvious question:
How many hash functions should I use?
The more hash functions you have, the slower your bloom filter, and the quicker it fills up. If you have too few, however, you may suffer too many false positives.
Since you have to pick k when you create the filter, you'll have to ballpark what range you expect n to be in. Once you have that, you still have to choose a potential m (the number of bits) and k (the number of hash functions).
It seems a difficult optimization problem, but fortunately, given an m and an n, we have a function to choose the optimal value of k: (m/n)ln(2) 2, 3
So, to choose the size of a bloom filter, we:
Choose a ballpark value for n Choose a value for m Calculate the optimal value of k Calculate the error rate for our chosen values of n, m, and k. If it's unacceptable, return to step 2 and change m; otherwise we're done.
How fast and space efficient is a Bloom filter?
Given a Bloom filter with m bits and k hashing functions, both insertion and membership testing are O(k). That is, each time you want to add an element to the set or check set membership, you just need to run the element through the k hash functions and add it to the set or check those bits.
The space advantages are more difficult to sum up; again it depends on the error rate you're willing to tolerate. It also depends on the potential range of the elements to be inserted; if it is very limited, a deterministic bit vector can do better. If you can't even ballpark estimate the number of elements to be inserted, you may be better off with a hash table or a scalable Bloom filter4.
What can I use them for?
I'll link you to wiki instead of copying what they say. C. Titus Brown also has an excellent talk on an application of Bloom filters to bioinformatics.
References
Network Applications of Bloom Filters: A Survey, Broder and Mitzenmacher. An excellent overview.
Wikipedia, which has an excellent and comprehensive page on Bloom filters
Less Hashing, Same Performance, Kirsch and Mitzenmacher
Scalable Bloom Filters, Almeida et alOn September 2, 1944, as the Second World War was in progress in Europe and the Pacific, some strange happenings were reported in the small town of Mattoon, Illinois. The front page of the town’s newspaper described a mysterious attack by an “Anesthetic Prowler” the previous evening. A young housewife named Aline Kearney had been laying in bed reading the newspaper when she noticed a strong, sweet odor seeping into the room. The smell made her and her three-year-old daughter feel ill, but when Aline tried to get out of bed, she found that she couldn’t move her legs.
Aline’s sister was staying at the house, and upon learning of the strange odor and its ill effects, she dashed to a neighbor’s house to have them contact the police. When the police investigated they found nothing out of the ordinary, but when Aline’s husband arrived at home at 12:30am from his job as a cab-driver, he discovered a prowler outside the bedroom window. He gave chase, yet the unknown lurker escaped. When the police were summoned back, they again found nothing. Real or imaginary, the dark figure would soon come to be known as the Mad Gasser of Mattoon, and this ambiguous individual would be blamed for dozens of such attacks in the following weeks.
Such is how the story was told in the Daily Journal-Gazette the following day, under the headline “‘Anesthetic Prowler’ on Loose.” The subheading ominously declared, “Mrs. Kearney and Daughter First Victims.” In using the term “first,” it seems that either the Gazette reporters had an uncanny predictive ability, or they had a flair for the dramatic. In the days following the news report, three other citizens came forward claiming that they had been the victims of “gassings” before the event at the Kearney house. People spoke of lightheadedness, paralysis, upset stomach, and vomiting, accompanied by a sickly-sweet odor.
A few days later on September 5, Mrs. Carl Cordes reported finding a small wet cloth on her porch, and when she picked it up she was overcome by an odor. “It was a feeling of paralysis,” she reported, “My husband had to help me into the house and soon my lips were swollen and the roof of my mouth and my throat burned. I began to spit blood and my husband called a physician. It was more than two hours before I began to feel normal again.”
Other newspapers quickly picked up the story, and soon the entire country was reading about Mattoon’s rumored mad gasser. For months, U.S. newspapers had been warning Americans that the Nazis might employ poison gas in attacks against civilians, so this sort of story sold a lot of newspapers to jittery citizens.
Reports of “gassings” continued, and increased daily. On September 8, the Gazette published an editorial criticizing police for not taking Aline Kearney’s report seriously. Shortly thereafter, ten Illinois state police officers were assigned to the case, as well as two agents from the FBI.
Before long, police began to receive reports of several attacks each night. Many victims reported a tall figure dressed in black fleeing from their property immediately after the attacks, as well as blue vapors and buzzing sounds. The Gazette continued its coverage as people throughout the country read of the events unfolding in Mattoon. Soon, large groups of armed citizens were roaming the town at night, following any police cars that were speeding off to investigate another attack. Police officers were ordered to start arresting the chasers, and tensions mounted.
On September 13th, eight days and three dozen victims later, the reports of attacks abruptly halted. Investigators were at a complete loss for an explanation. Careful searches found no chemical evidence of harmful gasses, and all of the victims were completely free of any lingering symptoms.
The only suspect ever investigated in the attacks was a man named Farley Llewellyn. He was a student of chemistry, and he was bitter because he had been ostracized by the community as a suspected homosexual. He seemed a compelling suspect because he had the means and the motive, and most of the alleged attacks occurred near his home. But even after he was placed under constant surveillance, the reports of the attacks had continued.
To this day, it is unclear who was responsible for the attacks, if anyone. Some have postulated that pollutants from nearby factories and industrial plants may have been the cause, but each report was so localized as to cast that possibility into doubt. The official investigation ultimately dismissed the Mad Gasser as an artifact of mass hysteria fed by the newspapers, which is certainly not outside the realm of possibility. It wouldn’t be the first nor the last time that human imagination and embellishment conjured a threat from nothing.If You’re Not Vegan, You May Be Deficient in This Nutrient
Travis King Blocked Unblock Follow Following Aug 10, 2015
My fellow vegans, raise your hands if you’ve been asked this question: “Where do you get your protein?” Everyone else, just picture a stadium full of wildly waving arms.
Many people still picture vegans as malnourished waifs that must be missing out on something, no matter how many vegan athletes there are or how many times we point out that half a cup of beans has as much protein as an ounce of meat.
There are some nutrients vegans should watch, but it’s not so often we talk about what omnivores might be missing. It turns out that those beans (and almost all plant foods) contain something that’s sorely lacking in the average American diet. So, now that the tables have turned, let me ask you: where do you get your fiber?
Fiber is found only in plants, as part of what makes them fibrous, crunchy, or in the case of oatmeal, gummy. Even if animals eat plants, fiber isn’t found in their meat. This means that people who eat a lot of animal products, and eat vegetables as an occasional side dish, may not be getting enough.
How much is enough? 25–38 grams per day for most adults, according to the USDA. How much does the average American eat? About 16 grams.
It’s not a problem for vegans, though, as most eat more than 40 grams each day, thanks to a plant-filled diet that’s often high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and our friend the bean. Can vegans also struggle to get enough fiber? Absolutely, but those who eat whole grains and legumes will find it difficult to get too little fiber.
What’s the problem with not getting enough fiber? There are different kinds of fiber, but generally speaking, meeting the dietary fiber recommendation can lower your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and colon cancer. Soluble fibers, like those in oatmeal, can keep you full longer while helping you digest your meal more slowly, keeping your blood sugar from spiking too quickly. Some fibers are also food for the healthy bacteria in your gut.
One of the best reasons to get fiber is a little more sensitive, though: it helps prevent constipation and keep you regular, which is why grandma drinks prune juice (side note: no ageist stigma can keep me from my love of prunes).Tracy Beaker star Dani Harmer stars as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz at The Ipswich Regent ahead of giving birth to her first baby
Dani Harmer as Tracy Beaker
Enchanted Entertainment bring their Easter pantomime to The Ipswich Regent on Tuesday, April 5 with pregnant Dani Harmer taking the lead role alongside Bobby Davro.
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Actress Dani Harmer as Dorothy and the rest of the cast of Enchanted Entertainment's Easter pantomime The Wizard of Oz Actress Dani Harmer as Dorothy and the rest of the cast of Enchanted Entertainment's Easter pantomime The Wizard of Oz
“Yeah, give birth,” Harmer laughs when, midway through our chat, I stupidly ask what she’s got planned after playing Dorothy in Enchanted Entertainment’s Easter pantomime The Wizard of Oz, writes Wayne Savage.
The Tracey Beaker and Strictly Come Dancing star, six months pregnant when I call, exclusively revealed to HELLO! magazine she and boyfriend Simon Brough were expecting their first child together earlier this year.
It crops up a bit during the show her co-star Bobby Davro - interviewed here - tells me later.
“We’re laughing because Dani’s tummy is getting bigger and bigger - she looks like a Weeble. We’re all giving her our chairs and sitting her down,” says the comedian and impressionist, who plays the brainless Scarecrow.
Dani Harmer and Vincent Simone in Strictly Come Dancing Dani Harmer and Vincent Simone in Strictly Come Dancing
“It’s a family show but we do make reference to a little bit of a bump, something like ‘come on home there Dorothy, Aunty Em is baking fresh bread and I heard there’s a little bun in the oven’,” he laughs.
The very excited Harmer, who spends her downtime shopping and getting the new arrival’s nursery ready, doesn’t care. She told HELLO! she and Brough were over the moon at the prospect of becoming parents, describing it as an “amazing, clever thing to be going on inside my body”.
She doesn’t have to worry about picking the wrong wall colour paint.
“It’s girl which is very exciting and exactly what I wanted. My little princess. I’m looking forward to meeting her, hopefully all this backache will be worth it,” she laughs.
Tracy Beaker star Dani Harmer, coming to the Regent Ipswich for panto Tracy Beaker star Dani Harmer, coming to the Regent Ipswich for panto
The actress is doing fine, assuring me she’s taking it easy as much as she can, sitting down an awful lot when she’s not needed on stage.
“I’m kind of used to it, this is my job, so my body is used to it and stuff; it’s slightly harder obviously trying to grow a human being and do a show at the same time with baby brain as well. Weirdly I can still remember my lines, I can’t remember my own name sometime but I can remember how to play Dorothy so that’s good.”
Harmer admitted to the magazine she was nervous and was just taking each day as it comes, adding wedding plans are on hold for a little while. While she and Brough had joked about starting a family early on she didn’t want to get married just because they were; preferring to have their little one walk up the aisle with them later.
She does hope she and her daughter have the same bond she has with her mum.
“My mum’s one of my best friends and I can literally tell her anything and that’s the sort of relationship I’d like as well.”
Harmer’s lost count of how of many times she’s played Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. She likes the fact she’s quite feisty rather than the usual Disney princess type.
“There’s no love story, it’s just about her trying to find her way back home and find herself,” she says. “She’s the glue that holds the story together, really. She’s the one that drives it and it’s all about her.”
Spoken like a true parent, she feels there aren’t enough family shows so it’s really nice to be able to do something over Easter that all ages can enjoy. Being such a classic that everybody knows and loves adds to the fun.
“You can just bring your entire family, right up to grandparents... There’s something for everyone and we’re going to have a laugh and try to entertain you,” she says of the show. “It’s such a lovely story just with a slight modern panto twist to it.”
Harmer, looking forward to putting her feet up and getting on with being a mum until panto beckons at the end of the year, clearly loves what she does. But would she encourage her daughter to follow in her ruby slippered footsteps?
“She’s already been in Cinderella as well over Christmas, so yeah the baby will have been on stage a fair few times before she’s even born so we’ll see what happens. I don’t know, it’s so hard. It’s kind of whatever makes her happy really. I’d rather she got a proper job,” she laughs.
“Because this is hard work. You never really know what you’re doing from one minute to the next and you know I love having a bit of stability every now and again. Again it’s whatever makes her happy, if she’s good at it and that’s what she wants to do then I’ll support her 100%.”
Enchanted Entertainment’s Easter pantomime sees Dorothy and Toto picked up by a tornado and carried off to the magical Land of Oz. Once there, they make new friends in the shape of the Munchkins, a Scarecrow in need of a brain, a Tin Man who wants a heart and a Cowardly Lion looking for courage. Following the Yellow Brick Road, they hope the wonderful Wizard of Oz will be able to help them before the Wicked Witch of the West captures them.
Packed with well-known pop songs, dance routines, laughs and lots of audience participation, The Wizard of Oz is at the Ipswich Regent at 2pm and 5.30pm, April 5.News
Porter Robinson learnt on Saturday night that clearly, not everybody is an EDM fan as his headlining set at Santa Barbara’s Matador Music Festival got cut short 35 minutes by the local police. When Porter did what seems to be the proper thing and let the ravers know that the show would be ending in five minutes, and that he’d be playing his very own Language as the last track, the Santa Barbara police informed him that he was “inciting a riot” and that they would be seizing his equipment as “evidence.”
What the actual fuck?
It’s unfortunate situations like this that keep creating the wedge that is constantly dividing fans who are trying to enjoy themselves, and the authorities who are trying to keep them safe.Illegal streaming service Popcorn Time has been the bête noire of the movie studios every since it emerged last year.
Now the UK’s High Court has ruled that the country’s five biggest broadband providers must block five websites that host the app download.
It’s a hollow victory for the copyright holders. The order means Sky, BT, EE, Talk |
Victor draws on Rajnikanth to explain his decision.
"Even the Superstar took some time before the masses accepted him. Similarly, these newcomers into politics also should be patient. If they are good, we will vote for them. Everyone likes to vote for the winner. We would not like our vote to go waste, you see,'' he said.
The consensus on the street is that it is certainly a good beginning. Mainstream parties like the Congress feel that if the new candidates poll a significant number of votes, established political parties will realise the merit in fielding professionals and clean candidates and might do so the next time round.
Five years ago, Karnataka was seen as the BJP's gateway into south India. In 2013, well-meaning professionals are hoping to use Karnataka as a gateway to a democracy.
Firstpost is now on WhatsApp. For the latest analysis, commentary and news updates, sign up for our WhatsApp services. Just go to Firstpost.com/Whatsapp and hit the Subscribe button.LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL — Joe Torre and Sandy Alderson just announced that the MLB Rules Committee has voted to outlaw collisions at home plate. The decision is now subject to approval by the players. If the players do not approve the rule change it will not go into effect in 2014, but MLB would be able to unilaterally implement it in 2015. It is expected, however, that the players will approve the change.
The rule has yet to be formally defined or drafted, but the upshot of all of this will be that base runners will be required to slide into home plate, not initiate contact with the catcher. Likewise, catchers will not be able to block home plate. Rather, they must tag runners — and allow runners a path to the plate — just as any other fielder does at any other base. Players who violate the collision rules will be subject to discipline in all likelihood, though exact sanctions will be determined once the rule is finalized.
This rule change has been a long time coming. Recent public understanding of the seriousness of concussions has helped spur it on, as has high-profile injuries to players in collisions such as Buster Posey. Indeed, it was Posey’s manager Bruce Bochy and Cardinals manager Mike Matheny, whose own catching career was cut short due to concussions, who spearheaded this rule change.Please find links to 30+ McKinsey presentations which are publicly available online. Many of these are from conferences, or governmental / non-profit organizations clients who have chosen to make them available online. Yes, Google is useful.
I selected the ones which as less than 10 years old have more than 15 pages. Have more to say at the bottom of the post, but take a look at a few:
A couple of thoughts:
In true McKinsey style, there is a lot of analysis and data
Titles are written in sentence-form with a “takeaway”
Standardized color, font, layout, and kicker-boxes
Frameworks to simplify the complex: timelines, value chain, bubble charts, histograms, maturity models, waterfall charts, and ROE analysis
Diverse topics ranging from Big data in Mining to Polish insurance
Use of experts, quotations, and inferences for more qualitative data
Use of large surveys (n=20K+) to create voice of customer data
What is your major takeaway from viewing these presentations?
Related posts:On Sunday California police foiled a bomb plot on the Los Angeles Gay Pride Parade.
It looks like suspect James Howell, from Indiana, is a Bernie Sanders supporter.
Do you think this will make any headlines?
Red Alert Politics reported:
A would-be mass shooter was thwarted on his way to the Los Angeles gay pride parade on Sunday when he was stopped by law enforcement agents.
According to a Santa Monica Police report, James Howell was arrested with three assault rifles, high capacity magazines, and five gallons of chemicals capable of creating an explosive device — but this 20-year-old wasn’t a religious fundamentalist. He was a supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
Howell’s Facebook page had several posts telling his friends to vote the Sanders and bashing Hillary Clinton, even comparing the former First Lady to Hitler.
He even wrote in a post that Sanders was the only candidate running for office who didn’t remind him of the former German fascist.
“Looks like if you aren’t voting just pick Bernie, because he looks like he isn’t a charismatic Hitler…”Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC spoke to ordinary Chinese investors in Shanghai
Markets in the US and Europe have finished lower, despite a rally on Chinese markets and stronger than expected US jobs figures.
In the US, the Dow Jones closed down 167.65 points at 16,346.45.
London's FTSE 100 fell 0.7%. Germany's Dax index was down 1.31% at 9,849.34 while France's Cac 40 lost 1.59% to 4,333.76.
Shares in Europe had opened higher and returned to positive ground after the US jobs number.
The US economy added 292,000 jobs last month, while the unemployment rate held at a seven-and-a-half year low of 5%.
Earlier, Chinese markets had risen on the first day of trade since a "circuit breaker" mechanism was lifted.
Trading in China was halted twice this week by the circuit breaker, before the authorities suspended the measure.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Traders in New York assess market conditions on Friday
The Shanghai Composite rose 2% on Friday, but was still down 10% for the week.
Analysis: Andrew Walker, BBC World Service economics correspondent
The direct financial impact of lower share prices in China is moderate. There is not enough foreign investment in the Chinese market for it to be a major problem. The London consultancy Capital Economics has said foreigners own just 2% of shares.
The issue is about whether the financial turbulence shines a light on wider issues about the economic slowdown in China: is the economy heading for what's called a "hard landing", too sharp a slowdown?
China is now such a big force in the global economy that it would inevitably affect the rest of the world. It is the second largest economy and the second largest importer of both goods and commercial services.
Read more from Andrew.
On Thursday, the suspension of China's stock markets within the first 30 minutes of trading triggered a big sell-off in global markets.
Trading in China was volatile again on Friday, the first day since the suspension of the circuit breaker.
The Chinese central bank also took steps to strengthen the yuan after the currency's weakness was taken as a sign of problems for the economy.
The BBC's Steve Evans in Beijing said the reason for the volatility in China's mainland markets is that "there's a class of share buyer who treats it almost like the dog track".
But these investors cannot fight gravity, and an enormously expensive share market has been brought to heel, he says.
Anne Richards, chief investment officer at Aberdeen Asset Management, told the BBC she was "seeing inexperience" in some parts of the regulation of Chinese markets.
The addition of inexperienced investors did not help, she said. "That's not a good setup... but over time it will improve."
Dr Nikos Paltalidis, a lecturer in Finance at Durham University Business School, added the lack of experience among investors was highlighted by the fact that the first six months of 2015 saw the Chinese stock market soar by about 50%, adding that this rise was "disconnected from economic fundamentals".
"Investors borrowed heavily to speculate on stocks, inflating a short-lived asset bubble."
Analysis: Karishma Vaswani, Asia business correspondent
The People's Bank of China sets the yuan rate every day - its depreciation caused many in the markets to speculate that China is trying export its way out of a slowdown. This Friday, the currency's midpoint was set higher and that brought relief to investors, who see this as a sign that China won't allow the yuan to depreciate too quickly.
How much the yuan is worth shouldn't really have much to do with the stock market. But the direction in which it trades certainly does show whether there's confidence in the economy.
What are China's 'circuit-breakers'?How to hit the ground running with AngularJS on ASP.NET MVC: Part 2
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Articles in series:
In Part One, we got the ball rolling with a basic AngularJS/ASP.NET MVC application containing the following:
The boilerplate code needed to build a fully fledged Single Page Application
Some basic routing, including a route containing parameters and another which is only accessible to authenticated users (using cookie based authentication)
Login and register forms, including the angular Javascript code needed to make these functional
For the lazy/time constrained, I have attached the Visual Studio solution as it was at the end of part one to this article. However, I have removed the packages directory to make this smaller, so you will need to use Nuget package restore to get them back.
Our Awesome application still has a lot of problems, some of which we are going to solve in part two. This article is shorter (and less exciting) than part one, but will get everything in place for part three.
Source Code
The source code accompanying this article can be found here.
Problems we are going to solve in part two
Ugly URL's - As we navigate between views, we get this ugly scotch (#) in our URL's. We will fix this in part two by using HTML5 mode (pushstate)
Ugly views - We didn't even try to apply any styling to our application in part one, let's add Twitter Bootstrap and Angular UI Directives for Bootstrap for added functionality, without the need for jQuery
Very basic routing - In part one we used ngRoute, which is fine for basic routing, but falls short when we have more advanced requirements. In part two, we will replace this with Angular UI Router
Ugly URL's
Right now our URL's look like this:
Everything after the scotch (#) is ignored by the web server. ngRoute, which we added in part one, currently takes this part of the URL, checks to see if it matches any of the patterns we setup, and if so loads the correct view into the container div on our landing page.
We can have nicer URL's if we instead use AngularJS' HTML5 mode. This will cause Angular to use the HTML5 history API, handling all of that complexity, with just a couple of lines of code on our end (a single line of Javascript, and a couple of lines of C#).
Javascript first, we need to modify our apps config function, it now has Angular's $locationProvider module as a dependency, and we call it's hashPrefix and html5mode functions. That's it.
var configFunction = function ($routeProvider, $httpProvider, $locationProvider) { $locationProvider.hashPrefix( '!' ).html5Mode( true ); $routeProvider. when('/routeOne', { templateUrl:'routesDemo/one' }).when('/routeTwo/:donuts', { templateUrl: function (params) { return'/routesDemo/two?donuts=' + params.donuts; } }).when('/routeThree', { templateUrl:'routesDemo/three' }).when('/login', { templateUrl:'/Account/Login', controller: LoginController }).when('/register', { templateUrl:'/Account/Register', controller: RegisterController }); $httpProvider.interceptors.push('AuthHttpResponseInterceptor' ); } configFunction.$inject = ['$routeProvider','$httpProvider','$locationProvider' ];
The links on our landing page need to be updated as well to remove the scotch:
<ul> <li><a href= " /routeOne" >Route One </ a > </ li > <li><a href= " /routeTwo/6" >Route Two </ a > </ li > <li><a href= " /routeThree" >Route Three </ a > </ li > </ ul > <ul> <li><a href= " /login" >Login </ a > </ li > <li><a href= " /register" >Register </ a > </ li > </ ul >
Great, now let's debug the site and have a browse:
Our URL's look better, but hit refresh:
HTML5 mode is working, but only in a very superficial way. A refresh of the page is sending the full URL to the server (as we have removed the scotch) which doesn't know what to do. We can fix this by reconfiguring MVC's RouteCollection properly. We need to be explicit about the route for each of our views, and then add a catch-all which sends all other URL's to our landing page, to be handled by Angular.
Update the RegisterRoutes method inside App_Start => RouteConfig.cs like so:
public static void RegisterRoutes(RouteCollection routes) { routes.IgnoreRoute( " {resource}.axd/{*pathInfo}" ); routes.MapRoute( name: " routeOne", url: " routesDemo/One", defaults: new { controller = " RoutesDemo", action = " One" }); routes.MapRoute( name: " routeTwo", url: " routesDemo/Two/{donuts}", defaults: new { controller = " RoutesDemo", action = " Two", donuts = UrlParameter.Optional }); routes.MapRoute( name: " routeThree", url: " routesDemo/Three", defaults: new { controller = " RoutesDemo", action = " Three" }); routes.MapRoute( name: " login", url: " Account/Login", defaults: new { controller = " Account", action = " Login" }); routes.MapRoute( name: " register", url: " Account/Register", defaults: new { controller = " Account", action = " Register" }); routes.MapRoute( name: " Default", url: " {*url}", defaults: new { controller = " Home", action = " Index" }); }
Debug the site again, browse around, and test the back/refresh buttons, everything should be working properly now.
Ugly views
Right now out site has no styling at all applied. Let's fix this with Twitter Bootstrap, which I will add from Cloudflare, in the <head> section of our landing page, along with Angular UI Directives for Bootstrap, which I will add just before the closing </body> tag.
By simply applying a couple of CSS classes, and adding a few elements, we can transform the appearance of our entire web application. Update the your landing page like so:
<!DOCTYPE html > < html ng-app =" AwesomeAngularMVCApp" ng-controller =" LandingPageController" > < head > < title ng-bind =" models.helloAngular" > < /title > < link rel =" stylesheet" href =" //cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/twitter-bootstrap/3.2.0/css/bootstrap.min.css" > @Styles.Render("~/Content/css") < /head > < body > < div class =" navbar navbar-default navbar-fixed-top" role =" navigation" > < div class =" container" > < div class =" navbar-header" > < button type =" button" class =" navbar-toggle" ng-click =" navbarProperties.isCollapsed =!navbarProperties.isCollapsed" > < span class =" icon-bar" > < /span > < span class =" icon-bar" > < /span > < span class =" icon-bar" > < /span > < /button > < a class =" navbar-brand" href =" #" > Awesome Angular MVC APP < /a > < /div > < div class =" navbar-collapse collapse" collapse =" navbarProperties.isCollapsed" > < ul class =" nav navbar-nav" > < li > < a href =" /routeOne" > Route One < /a > < /li > < li > < a href =" /routeTwo/6" > Route Two < /a > < /li > < li > < a href =" /routeThree" > Route Three < /a > < /li > < /ul > < ul class =" nav navbar-nav navbar-right" > < li > < a href =" /login" > Login < /a > < /li > < li > < a href =" /register" > Register < /a > < /li > < /ul > < /div > < /div > < /div > < div class =" container mainContent" > < div ng-view > < /div > < /div > < script src =" //cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/angular.js/1.2.20/angular.min.js" > < / script > < script src =" //cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/angular.js/1.2.20/angular-route.min.js" > < / script > < script src =" //cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/angular-ui-bootstrap/0.10.0/ui-bootstrap-tpls.min.js" > < / script > @Scripts.Render("~/bundles/AwesomeAngularMVCApp") < /body > < /html >
Add the following to Content => Site.css
.mainContent { margin-top: 60px; }
Now, we need to register the Angular UI Directives for Bootstrap module with our Angular Application module, we do this in AwesomeAngularMVCApp.js:
var AwesomeAngularMVCApp = angular.module('AwesomeAngularMVCApp', ['ngRoute','ui.bootstrap' ]);
Finally, our Angular Landing Page controller needs updated with the default state of the mobile navigation menu (which will initially be collapsed):
var LandingPageController = function($scope) {... $scope.navbarProperties = { isCollapsed: true }; }
Twitter Bootstrap is an entire topic by itself. The point of this section was to show you how to properly add it to any AngularJS application.
Setting the mobile navigation menu up to expand and collapse properly, without the use of jQuery, is something that throws a lot of people, as does registering Angular UI Directives for Bootstrap with your Application module properly, so I made a point of covering these here.
You can now build on this to fully style your site with Twitter Bootstrap.
Very basic routing
We are currently using AngularJS' own ngRoute module, which is fine for basic routing, but we might find outselves a bit constrained if we have more advanced routing requirements.
Let's replace this with Angular UI Router. This is a fully fledged routing framework for Angular which provides us with such awesomeness as nested, multiple and named views.
We will do enough now to get up and running, but if you plan on using this to build a full single page application, you will need to read the In Depth Guide, and keep the API reference in a nearby tab to refer to.
Update your landing page, replacing the Javascript tag which adds ngRoute with one for Angular UI Router instead:
< script src =" //cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/angular-ui-router/0.2.10/angular-ui-router.min.js" > < / script >
Now we need to register Angular UI Router with our Angular Application module, removing the registration for ngRoute:
var AwesomeAngularMVCApp = angular.module('AwesomeAngularMVCApp', ['ui.router','ui.bootstrap' ]);
Angular UI Router is state based. It is based on the mathemetical concept of the Finite State Machine, and transforms your web application into the same. Instead of navigating from URL to URL, you transition from state to state, and setup a route to represent every state that your application can be in.
With UI Router, we can have multiple container views on our landing page, whereas with ngRoute we could only have one. We will now add two views to our landing page and setup our application to have four states:
When the application is in State One, we will load route one into our first container div, and route two into our second
When the application is in State Two, we will load route one into our first container div, and route three into our second
When the application is in State Three, we will load route two into our first container div, and route three into our second
When the application is in the LoginRegister state, we will load our login form into our first container div, and the register form into the second
Update the landing page so we now have two container divs, remove the container div we were using previously with ngRoute:
< div class =" container mainContent" > < div class =" row" > < div class =" col-md-6" > < div ui-view =" containerOne" > < /div > < /div > < div class =" col-md-6" > < div ui-view =" containerTwo" > < /div > < /div > < /div > < /div >
Now let's modify AwesomeAngularMVCApp.js to tell it what views to place where, in which states. We no longer have a dependency on ngRoute's $routeProvider service, and instead have a new dependency on UI Router's $stateProvider:
var configFunction = function ($stateProvider, $httpProvider, $locationProvider) { $locationProvider.hashPrefix( '!' ).html5Mode( true ); $stateProvider.state('stateOne', { url:'/stateOne?donuts', views: { " containerOne" : { templateUrl:'/routesDemo/one' }, " containerTwo" : { templateUrl: function ( params ) { return'/routesDemo/two?donuts=' + params.donuts; } } } }).state('stateTwo', { url:'/stateTwo', views: { " containerOne" : { templateUrl:'/routesDemo/one' }, " containerTwo" : { templateUrl:'/routesDemo/three' } } }).state('stateThree', { url:'/stateThree?donuts', views: { " containerOne" : { templateUrl: function ( params ) { return'/routesDemo/two?donuts=' + params.donuts; } }, " containerTwo" : { templateUrl:'/routesDemo/three' } } }).state('loginRegister', { url:'/loginRegister?returnUrl', views: { " containerOne" : { templateUrl:'/Account/Login', controller: LoginController }, " containerTwo" : { templateUrl:'/Account/Register', controller: RegisterController } } }); $httpProvider.interceptors.push('AuthHttpResponseInterceptor' ); } configFunction.$inject = ['$stateProvider','$httpProvider','$locationProvider' ];
We also need to update our AuthHttpResponseInterceptor to go to the loginRegister state whenever a 401 response is returned from the server. To achieve this, we will need to inject UI Router's $state service. However, due to a bug in this library, we can't inject this directly. Instead we inject AngularJS' $injector service and use this to resolve an instance of $state:
var AuthHttpResponseInterceptor = function ($q, $location, $injector) { return { response: function (response) { if (response.status === 401 ) { console.log( " Response 401" ); } return response || $q.when(response); }, responseError: function (rejection) { if (rejection.status === 401 ) { $injector.get('$state' ).go('loginRegister', { returnUrl: $location.path() }); } return $q.reject(rejection); } } } AuthHttpResponseInterceptor.$inject = ['$q','$location','$injector' ];
Our LoginController also needs updated, as it now pulls the return URL from UI Router's $stateParams object, as opposed to ngRoute's $routeParams object:
var LoginController = function ($scope, $stateParams, $location, LoginFactory) { $scope.loginForm = {...etc returnUrl: $stateParams.returnUrl,...etc };...etc } LoginController.$inject = ['$scope','$stateParams','$location','LoginFactory' ];
Finally, we need to update our links. What's interesting is that our hyperlinks no longer center around the URL, now we link directly to the state itself, and provide any parameters for that state using JSON. Update the links on your landing page to look like this:
< div class =" navbar-collapse collapse" collapse =" navbarProperties.isCollapsed" > < ul class =" nav navbar-nav" > < li > < a ui-sref =" stateOne({ donuts: 12 })" > State One < /a > < /li > < li > < a ui-sref =" stateTwo" > State Two < /a > < /li > < li > < a ui-sref =" stateThree({ donuts: 4 })" > State Three < /a > < /li > < /ul > < ul class =" nav navbar-nav navbar-right" > < li > < a ui-sref =" loginRegister" > Login / Register < /a > < /li > < /ul > < /div >
Now let's it debug and have a browse. Navigating to State One should return routes one and two, side by side:
If we try and navigate to States two or Three, our interceptor will kick in as before, and transition us to our loginRegister state. If we login at this point, we will be able to view states two and three also.
Nested Views
One thing we haven't covered yet is nested views. Let's add another C# action method to our RoutesDemo controller called Four, and use Visual Studio to create the view. Add some content to this view to uniquely identify it. Also remove the Authorize attribute from Route Three for now, this was only there to demonstrate a concept.
We are going to nest route four inside route one, so update the view for route one like so:
Route one <div ui-view= " nestedView" > </ div >
Now let's update our routing configuration in Angular to reflect this. When we are adding a nested view to a state, we using the naming configuration viewName@stateName. So to configure nestedView for stateOne we give it the name nestedView@stateOne, like so:
$stateProvider.state('stateOne', { url:'/stateOne?donuts', views: { " containerOne" : { templateUrl:'/routesDemo/one' }, " containerTwo" : { templateUrl: function ( params ) { return'/routesDemo/two?donuts=' + params.donuts; } }, " nestedView@stateOne" : { templateUrl:'/routesDemo/four' } } }).state('stateTwo',...etc
We have just added a new view, so we need to update RouteConfig.cs to reflect this:
routes.MapRoute( name: " routeFour", url: " routesDemo/Four", defaults: new { controller = " RoutesDemo", action = " Four" });
Now let's test it out:
Recap
Ok so in part two we achieved the following:
Enabled HTML5 mode (pushstate) in AngularJS and configured MVC as neccessary to make this work
Added Twitter Bootstrap, and Angular UI directives for bootstrap. Everything is now in place for us to add components from either of those libraries as we need to moving forward
Replaced ngRoute with Angular UI router, and added named, multiple and nested views to our application.
Coming in Part Three
SignalR integration
Directives
Anti forgery tokens
Comments/Criticism/Questions etc
Feel free to comment on the article with any comments/criticisms/questions etc and I will always reply. Thanks for reading :)Tales From The Yawning Portal - 7 Classic Dungeons Updated To 5E!
When the shadows grow long in Waterdeep and the fireplace in the taproom of the Yawning Portal dims to a deep crimson glow, adventurers from across the Sword Coast spin tales and spread rumors of lost treasures.
Within this tome are seven of the deadliest dungeons from the history of Dungeons & Dragons. Some are classics that have hosted an untold number of adventurers, while others are newer creations, boldly staking a claim to their place in the pantheon of notable adventures.
The seeds of these stories now rest in your hands. D&Ds deadliest dungeons are now part of your arsenal of adventures. Enjoy, and remember to keep a few spare character sheets handy.
For use with the fifth edition Players Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Masters Guide, this book provides fans with a treasure trove of adventures, all of which have been updated to the fifth edition rules. Explore seven deadly dungeons in this adventure supplement for the worlds greatest roleplaying game:
Against the Giants
Dead in Thay
Forge of Fury
Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan
Sunless Citadel
Tomb of Horrors
White Plume Mountain
When the shadows grow long in Waterdeep and the fireplace in the taproom of the Yawning Portal dims to a deep crimson glow, adventurers from across the Sword Coast spin tales and spread rumors of lost treasures.Within this tome are seven of the deadliest dungeons from the history of Dungeons & Dragons. Some are classics that have hosted an untold number of adventurers, while others are newer creations, boldly staking a claim to their place in the pantheon of notable adventures.The seeds of these stories now rest in your hands. D&Ds deadliest dungeons are now part of your arsenal of adventures. Enjoy, and remember to keep a few spare character sheets handy.For use with the fifth edition Players Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Masters Guide, this book provides fans with a treasure trove of adventures, all of which have been updated to the fifth edition rules. Explore seven deadly dungeons in this adventure supplement for the worlds greatest roleplaying game:
"We're announcing a new D&D product, a book coming out this spring. It is called Tales from the Yawning Portal(out March 24th in local game stores and April 4th everywhere else) It's a collection of seven of the most famous dungeons from Dungeons & Dragons history. They're all collected in one hardcover book. The idea behind it is not only do you want to capture some of the most famous dungeons from the game's history, but we also wanted to give a selection of adventures that you could in theory start at Level 1 with the first dungeon and play all the way up to Level 15 by playing the adventures one after another."
Cover Image
Gibbering Mouther
Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan
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Save Save Cover ImageGibbering MoutherHidden Shrine of Tamoachan
Coming in April is WotC's next official D&D product,. This hardcover book contains seven classic dungeons updated to 5th Edition, from adventures such asand. This is, presumably, the product previously codenamed. It's set for an April 4th release, for $49.95.Find it on WotC's site here. Forbes has an interview about it here. Mearls saysXY-Einzelfall, a German Facebook page listing and mapping all migrant and asylum-seeker committed crimes, as reported in police reports and media, seems to have been shadowbanned by Facebook.
Shadowbanning, sometimes known as “Stealth Banning” or “Hell Banning,” describes a tactic employed by forums and social media: Instead of banning the targeted user and alerting them to the fact, posts and messages are secretly hidden from public view so that the user doesn’t realize they’ve been censored.
The Facebook’s page followers reported not seeing the any of the page’s posts on their timelines after liking it and sometimes the page never loading when accessed directly, the former which we could reproduce.
Breitbart Tech spoke to the page’s owner, who reported that he noticed a sharp, sudden decline in their traffic last week, halving it after weeks of strong continuous growth.
As Breitbart have previously reported, Facebook have long been open about their collusion with the German government to censor discussion critical of immigration. Twitter and Google have also announced similar plans.
The social media giant’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg fell under scrutiny earlier this year for praising German refugee policies as inspiring and wishing the US would follow suit. This statement came a few months after the German government hired ex-Stasi employees to patrol Facebook for ‘xenophobic’ comments.
Following Twitter, Facebook is beginning to turn their pledge to combat “hate speech” into censorship of anti-immigration discussion and it is speculated they are relaying information to the German government – as evidenced by the police raids on Facebook users who left behind ‘hate posts’ publicly.
Facebook have denied that the company took any action against the page, and have also denied that the company uses “shadowbanning” on their platform.
Marc Geppert tweets as @Darian_WolfTwo seismic events happened on TV this week. Will Emmy take a closer look at Vera Farmiga or Emilia Clarke?
Naturally, all spoiler warnings apply if you haven’t caught up with this week’s Bates Motel or Game of Thrones. If you haven’t, then bookmark this page, watch both right now, and come back for the update. We’ll be waiting… OK, welcome back (or thanks for being patient if you never left). Both hours of television saw some significant character progressions for actresses Vera Farmiga (Norma Bates on Bates Motel) and Emilia Clarke (Daenerys / Khaleesi on Game of Thrones). No matter how deserving they are, both actresses have been somewhat on the periphery of the awards race this year. So, how will these significant developments play for Emmy voters.
In the case of Vera Farmiga, Bates Motel hasn’t been this hot since it first premiered. A series that progressively increases in quality with each passing season, Bates Motel committed to the event that most fans have long anticipated / dreaded: Norman Bates finally killed his mother. Norma’s season four death capped a very, very strong season for Vera Farmiga. Personally, I’m not sure the character topped last season’s “Norma Louise,” but Farmiga’s Norma character arc was more consistently great and varied this season. Norma struggled with committing Norman to a mental hospital, fought with insurance, and made further sacrifices for Norman’s benefit. If there’s a mother in the Television Academy, then it would be impossible for them to ignore Norma’s plight.
Aside from Farmiga’s well-practiced brilliance where Norman is concerned, she was also given a huge gift by the writing team. She was allowed to fall in love and, shock, be happy. She was legitimately happy and hopeful for the first time in several seasons. These episodes, no matter how short lived they were, were not ironic distances for Farmiga. They were moments of genuine bliss. Moments that saw her share her darkest secrets with husband-of-convenience Romera (Nestor Carbonell). And he didn’t run away. He embraced her. And she melted. Farmiga radiated happiness in a way that Bates Motel has seldom allowed her. Vera Farmiga’s season four performance is a far different performance than she’s given in the series to date. Unfortunately, it’s probably her last lead performance for the series. She’ll undoubtedly be back as “Mother” in season five, but this is really Vera Farmiga’s big shot at Emmy glory.
So, who stands in her way?
House of Cards‘ Robin Wright and How To Get Away With Murder‘s Viola Davis are the lockiest of locks if ever there has been a lock. There’s literally no way they’re not getting back into the nominees’ circle this year. Presuming six slots, that leaves us with four openings. Honestly, perennial nominee Claire Danes (Homeland) is the most likely next nominee with Michelle Dockery, Taraji P. Henson, and Julianna Margulies nipping at their heels. Vera Farmiga has the opportunity to knock any one of those actresses out of contention, in my opinion, although buzz for The Good Wife‘s last season will probably carry Margulies forward. The same could be said for Michelle Dockery, although both were omitted from last year’s Drama Actress race in favor of Tatiana Maslany and Elizabeth Moss. Maslany *could* repeat, but I’m not getting a great deal of love for Orphan Black‘s latest season. Moss isn’t eligible this year.
So, Farmiga leaps ahead of Michelle Dockery for the moment on the Emmy Tracker. Recent buzz for the series and a widespread recognition by critics’ and fans for the impeccable quality of the fourth season should push her forward more than recent years. Earlier in the week, I’d have said it wasn’t possible, but with internet and print buzz at a fever pitch and with Farmiga’s starring turn in The Conjuring 2 coming out just before Emmy voting… You never know. She just may pull off the nomination.
Emilia Clarke has a less complicated path forward. If anything, her recent recent to Daenerys badassery (re: nakedness) has solidified her place among the Drama Supporting Actress six. Downton Abbey‘s Maggie Smith may be knocking at the door, but I suspect Clarke is going to shut the door, nail it, burn down the house, and walk out of the ashes clutching an Emmy in one hand and Smith’s bloodied head in the other. Okay, maybe not the bloodied head piece, but it is Game of Thrones.
Kidding aside, the top six for Drama Supporting Actress feels nearly solidified at this point. Game of Thrones‘ other big badass female Lena Headey has kept her season premiere heat going, and the rest of the season feels promising. You can never bet against Uzo Aduba for Orange is the New Black as she tends to carry the acting love for the entire series. Plus, she’s just great on the show. Joanne Froggatt has been a perennial nominee for Downton Abbey, recently taking Smith’s place in the category where Emmy has before made room for two. The Good Wife‘s final year should see Christine Baranski continue in the category, and it would be foolish to bet against her. She’s never missed out on a nomination for the show. Better Call Saul‘s Rhea Seehorn would be the new nominee in the category, but it just feels so right this year given Kim Wexler’s increased importance in the show and her late season choice between Jimmy and Chuck.
Emilia Clarke is likely to benefit from overall love for the show. I’m convinced to this day that’s why she was nominated last year. There was no other justifiable reason. She simply wasn’t given enough to do other than fawn over Emmy-winner Peter Dinklage. Last season, she was the damsel to be dragon rescued. This season, she’s got the girl power vibe again, standing against the Dothraki herd that kidnapped her and, in the end of episode four, burning down the Dothraki temple of oppression, killing their patriarchal system with one fatal blow. Everyone loves it when Daenerys makes bold moves, particularly Emmy. The scene of her emerging (again) triumphantly from the fires is hard to get out of your head. Plus, she’s naked, so there’s something for the steak eaters in the Television |
can not keep drugs out of a high security prison they certainly can not keep them out of your children's school.
Isn't this the very thing we were supposed to protect our families from In pursuit of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness?
In '06 we voted out the republican congress to end the war, and yet, instead we got a surge. We dutifully called our Senators during the first bailouts in opposition 100 to 1, and yet, instead we got even more bailouts for automakers.
Our 'leaders' have gone so far as to sell us out to China. They have quite literally put our security, self-sustainability, and thereby our lives at risk by their treasonous covert activities.
You put a Democrat in the White House to end the war and yet we are still in Afghanistan and Iraq and now we're in Syria too, with no hope of ever leaving.
Here's yet another election and again, you are lined up like trained seals, giving your money and your votes to one of these rich c*%@ s*ck*rs.
Well F' this. I don't want you and I don't need you. You come here and steal my labor every damn day. Turning me into a slave. I keep hoping for something, anything and get nothing. The last comment left on this blog was from an FBI (contract employee/lawyer) agent.
You can't even leave me a damn comment for my hard work. WTF?
Go get your news from: Hi, my name's Alex Jones and I'm insane.
Blog has been shifted to:Oh, hello. Are you like me? Do you find college football’s year-round obsession with the Heisman Trophy tedious and bizarre? Are you tired of the endless array of watch lists based on just a few games? Are you frustrated by the politics, the misplaced hype, and the unspoken rules that ensure only a very small handful of very similar players have a chance to win? Do you cringe at the impulse to interpret every great performance through the narrow Heisman framework?
Do you still find it slightly embarrassing for the sport that Jason White was enshrined into the “fraternity” in 2003 over Larry Fitzgerald? Did you hope against all available precedent in 2009 that the trophy would go to a defensive tackle named Ndamukong? Deep down, do you suspect the entire conversation exists primarily to facilitate an “organic” platform by which to “integrate” the logo for Nissan or whatever into something you already welcome enthusiastically into your subconscious brain?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, have I got the Heisman candidate for you. His name is Shaq, and this is his weekend.
Ostensibly, Saturday’s Washington-Oregon game in Eugene is another showcase for the Ducks’ front-running quarterback, Marcus Mariota, whose Heisman campaign is back in full swing this week after a temporary lull following the Ducks’ loss to Arizona on October 2. As a candidate, Mariota was cast from the classic Heisman mold: In his third year as a starter for a recognizable contender in the thick of the playoff race, he’s a known quantity, and he puts up great numbers without a scintilla of off-the-field turmoil. He’s won 28 of 32 career starts and has kept Oregon’s offense afloat despite well-chronicled upheaval on the line and a greatly diminished ground game. He’s the Hillary Clinton of the Heisman field. Personally, I picked Mariota to win the award in the preseason and doubled down on that projection earlier this week, because he’s the only person on the midseason short list who can check off every box: great guy, great player, great touchdown-to-interception ratio. Vote Mariota 2014.
On the other sideline, though, will be a flash point for the nascent campaign of Washington linebacker Shaq Thompson, which is so underground it barely exists. (The “campaign” at this point consists of an informal poll of national experts — not all of them Heisman voters — by Athlon, which ranked Thompson sixth in the race earlier this week. He doesn’t appear anywhere on ESPN’s list or among the top 15 candidates listed by the betting site Bovada. Of course, the bandwagon was launched right here in August, when we named Thompson one of our preseason Triangle All-Stars and one of the most likely heirs to Johnny Manziel’s mantle as the most watchable player in the nation, so we’re a little ahead of the curve on Shaq hype.)
But if there’s any player capable of crashing the perfunctory cabal of humble, clean-cut quarterbacks over the second half of the season, it has to be Thompson, a defensively oriented, dreadlocked hybrid who represents the last, best chance in 2014 for an outside-the-box dark-horse candidate who’s too good to be denied by the status quo. He’s the closest thing college football has this season to the dynamic Tyrann Mathieu, and every season deserves its own Honey Badger.
Elaine Thompson/Getty Images
As with Mathieu, who finished fifth in the 2011 Heisman vote, Thompson’s statistics are entirely beside the point, although it’s worth noting for the sake of comparison that he already has more total tackles (46) and touchdowns (5) through six games than the only defensive winner, Charles Woodson, had in his entire Heisman season in 1997. Thompson is a perfectly reliable down-to-down cog in Washington’s defense, which ranks second and third, respectively, in the Pac-12 in yards and points allowed against FBS opponents.
Still, it’s important to stress that if the numbers somehow fail to confirm the totality of Thompson’s impact, that’s the numbers’ problem. What sets Thompson apart is his capacity for quite literally making plays where none existed. Of Thompson’s five touchdowns, only one — a 57-yard run against Eastern Washington — came on a designed play, which is a boon to his chances of actually getting noticed, because, like, wow he plays offense, too? (He does, kind of: Aside from the long run against an FCS defense, Thompson has eight carries for 27 yards, but he hasn’t touched the ball on offense more than three times in any game.) But his cameos on offense aren’t as impressive as what he’s done with the ball on defense, where he’s already scored four times: twice in the Huskies’ 44-19 win over Illinois, on a 36-yard interception and a 52-yard fumble return; on a coast-to-coast fumble return to open the scoring in last week’s 31-7 win over Cal; and on a 34-yard fumble return in a 20-13 loss against Stanford, as pure and personal a theft as the rules allow:
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That was one of two fumbles Thompson forced against the Cardinal, the second thwarting a potential scoring drive inside the Washington 20-yard line. Stanford held the Huskies to a miserable 179 yards of offense and one offensive touchdown in that game, but only managed to score the decisive points in the final five minutes of a stalemated second half. With any kind of consistency from the offense, the defense is good enough to carry U-Dub to a special season, with no. 7 handling much of the heavy lifting.
Which brings us back to Saturday night, when Washington will kick off as a 21-point underdog to the resurgent Ducks. No. 9 Oregon has won 10 in a row in the series, including six in a row in Autzen Stadium. As the cliché goes, to be the man, Thompson has to beat the man: A dominant, season-defining effort against Mariota would be the litmus test for whether Thompson can be taken seriously down the stretch as anything more than an especially gifted curiosity. It’s a long shot, perhaps, but it’s undeniably a shot. A big, SportsCenter-worthy play in a Washington win — on offense or defense, and preferably both — will cement him into the national consciousness as the reliable merchant of havoc that he is, and will spice up a middling Heisman race by orders of magnitude.
The most important ingredient in that scenario is the win. Before Thompson’s arrival, in 2012, Washington hadn’t been relevant in the Pac-10/12 in a decade, and was stuck in a rut of 7-6 campaigns under coach Steve Sarkisian. Last year, though, the Huskies turned in a 9-4 record, their best since 2000, and they have the look of an awakening power under Sarkisian’s successor, Chris Petersen. For the program, breaking the losing streak in Eugene would mark another crucial turning point in that trajectory; and as the current face of the program, Thompson’s profile would elevate dramatically as one of the drivers of that success. Defenders with Heisman pretensions thrive on these narratives as much as quarterbacks.
Look at the handful of defensive finalists in the past 20 years. Although Woodson could not have won the trophy in 1997 without his contributions as a wide receiver and return man, he also could not have won had he not played on a Michigan defense that led the nation in total defense en route to a national championship. In his breakthrough season, Ndamukong Suh was the anchor of a Nebraska defense that led the nation in scoring defense and came within one second of winning the Big 12. Mathieu was the leading tackler on a team that ended the regular season ranked second nationally in both yards and points allowed and ranked first in the polls. Ditto Manti Te’o, who served as the face of a Notre Dame defense that held half of its regular-season opponents in 2012 out of the end zone en route to the BCS title game. Like all potentially transcendent players, Thompson’s star power will rise and fall with the ebbs and flows of his team.
If it rises high enough, of course, Thompson will likely come in for the usual round of overexposed, soft-focus smarm that made so many of the familiar favorites so boring and/or unpalatable in the first place, and then by December we’ll all be sick of him, too. Maybe you’re about to learn more about Thompson’s hilariously failed stint in minor league baseball than anyone would ever want to know. But if it does unfold that way, maybe that’s also a sign of progress. In 2014, more than ever before, it’s possible for the Heisman to overhype and over-sanitize everyone who really deserves it.I’ll start off with this: Please refactor your code!
Now that I got that off my chest, what exactly is refactoring?
Def: “Code refactoring is the process of restructuring existing computer code—changing the factoring—without changing its external behaviour. Refactoring improves nonfunctional attributes of the software.” – wikipedia
Now in layman’s terms. Refactoring is the ongoing process of changing your code – whether by code you focus on methods, classes or the whole code base all together – that does not alter the result. If programing is a journey, and the result is the destination then the code is the method of travel. Whether you go by boat (slow and boring) or by plane (fast and exciting) so long as you arrive at the same destination it is irrelevant.
But first let me show you why refactoring is possible in the first place. To help you better understand think of it this way.
The way we program is by setting a result and then charting a way to achieve that result. You always know what you want to code, the programing part is where you find out how you do it.
Imagine that the result is 20. How do you go about achieving this result. The first and most straightforward way is:
def twenty 20 end 1 2 3 def twenty 20 end
Which is perfect, so long as you understand that the “twenty” method can only ever return 20 as a result.
But what about this:
def twenty 10*2 end 1 2 3 def twenty 10 * 2 end
Same thing you might think, but not quite. As far as the machine is concerned, it is the same thing. As far as the user is concerned, it is the same thing because it returns the same result. But you as the author know differently.
You could well have reached 20 by division, subtraction, square root or by employing a secondary method. So why is this important since so long as you get the desired result it should be irrelevant how you go about it, shouldn’t it?
No, it shouldn’t and it isn’t. How you go about it makes all the difference, since you want to have as much reusability as possible. You want to squeeze out of this method all the juice it has. And to do so you want it to be as simple and abstract as possible.
Now that you know why refactoring is possible in the first place, let’s see why we should even bother doing it.
Take a second to understand how programmers work. We are humans, and as humans we have an intrinsic need to achieve the goals we have set our eye on. Knowing that, we will do all we can and work in such a manner to achieve this as fast as possible. This might be unnecessary when starting off with a new or “green field” project, but when working with legacy code we want to have a working model as soon as possible. First off to see that it actually works. Once we know that a). the desired functionality works and b). it integrates well with the rest of the application flow then it is time for clean up. Cue crickets.
Almost no one wants to be stuck with clean up duty. But to understand why refactoring is so important, think of it this way.
You are a 3 star chef. You have reached the pinnacle of your art and craft and you run a tight kitchen. A client walks in, sits down and places an order. You jump at the occasion, take out your ingredients, take out your tools and start cooking. 30 minutes later it is a masterpiece worthy of praise.
Then a new client walks in. He orders something new. You receive his request and start working. The pots are dirty from the previous use. Some ingredients that were necessary before but are not needed now are on the table. Your workspace is cluttered. Somehow you pull through but this time it takes you 40 minutes. No big deal.
Lunch time comes. A group of 10 people enter together and order together, each a different menu. Now you are in trouble.
The kitchen is a mess, everything is dirty and your workspace is cluttered. You cannot find your knives and you find yourself pressed for time. It is now 1 hour into lunch break and your group of “not so friendly anymore” clients are frustrated. They are invested in the waiting time and as such they have to stay, but they cannot understand why their food is still not ready. Rinse and repeat for all subsequent customers and you have a perfect nightmare recipe.
Now, even an amateur chef, or a non-kitchen staffer can quickly identify the problem and offer a solution. Just clean up your work space. Make sure that you can start with as clean a slate for each and every customer. And in case of ongoing traffic, just divide your tasks into cooking and cleaning. While the stock boils put back the ingredients. While the pan is frying, wash some pots and dishes. Always work on keeping your workspace clean.
Now if you substitute chef for programmer, cooking for coding and cleaning for refactoring then you can start to contour a better picture of why refactoring is such a big deal.
Imagine that like that poor tormented chef you had just one user, or customer that wanted only one application, only one design and you knew for sure that it will forever stay that way, unchanging as the day and night cycle. You could just fix him up his order and worry not about cleanup. But reality hits us, and hits us hard. Requirements change over time, the client finds out he wants or needs some other functionality, or even in the best case scenario where he knew exactly what he wanted and you serviced him fast and efficient, he will happily come back to you later on and ask for more development, more improvements and more expansions.
Now you find yourself sitting in that “dirty kitchen”, surrounded by bad and “smelly code”. Now suddenly you have twice the job to do but still the same alloted time.
Or worse yet, you work in a company that has a big app and the “client” is your boss. For sure you will have to churn out new functionality and design month after month. You have to work day in day out in the same “kitchen”.
We established why refactoring is possible and also why you should do it. So now let’s see what makes up good refactoring, what it is composed of.
You refactor or “clean up your code” to make sure it is in-line with the guiding principles of good programing. To make sure it ends up being SOLID code. You refactor your methods by extracting extra functionality to make sure it abides by the Single Responsibility Principle and thus has just “one job”. You do the same with the code in your classes. You separate Public from Private functionality. Hide off sensitive info and if necessary you can make more methods. 5 abstract and resusable methods are way better than 2 hugely complex ones. The choice between a couple of mega methods that are chock-a-block full of block statements, if clauses and complex functionality and a whole page full of simple – one or two line – methods tucked away neetly in the private part of you class all designed to send simple messages to your public interface.
You want to “DRY” up your code to make sure you get the absolute most from the most abstract and simple code base as possible.
And you want to do this not only for your code. Say you work in an already established application – you work with Legacy code. Please always leave the code better than you found it. You do this not only for yourself (in case you have to work on the same patch of dirt later on in the future) but also for your colleagues, both present and future. Think of it like a “pay it forward” type situation but amongst programmers.
So keep it clean and work will be a pleasure. Leave it dirty at your own peril.
Now the best way to efficiently refactor you code in a steadfast and seamless manor is by employing Test Driven Development or TDD for short. By employing this extremely powerful development tool you will soon come to understand that not only is refactoring simple and straightforward, but your whole code base more stable and scalable. But more about Test Driven Development, and how you should go about employing it, will be discussed at a later time.Wisden's ten moments in time
And the game changed for ever
Batting was never the same after WG Grace, seen here with the Prince of Wales in 1908
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Which of W. G. Grace's feats was the most resounding? And which aspect of Twenty20's gold rush best captured its impact on the modern game? These were the kinds of questions to which Wisden hoped to find a convincing answer when it chose the ten most seminal moments in the years spanning the Almanack's 150 editions. The list that emerged contains some that will come as a surprise: among readers who entered our competition to guess the ten, no one managed more than six. But then consensus would have spoiled the fun.
We stipulated that a moment could not be an era - though an era could be sparked by a moment, which we interpreted loosely, to avoid the reduction of everything ad absurdum and so awarding pride of place to the Big Bang. So West Indies' 15-year reign didn't count, but the series which triggered it - their thrashing by Australia in 1975-76 - did. And we made a plea for "lasting resonance". Don Bradman's duck in his final Test innings in 1948 felt like a one-off shock; Bodyline, a tactic designed to tame him, reached beyond the skeleton of statistics and deep into cricket's bone marrow. Few entrants were brave enough to omit it.
Otherwise, the Wisden team were guided by judgment and a little gut instinct. Who changed batting for ever: Grace in 1871 or Bradman in 1930? We went for Grace, who - as Ranjitsinhji explained - invented an entire methodology, of which Bradman would become the most ruthless exemplar. Was the first Gillette Cup in 1963 more significant for one-day cricket than India's 1983 World Cup win? We thought so, but only just.
Or did this clash with the choice of the Indian Premier League's first auction, in 2008, ahead of Twenty20's appearance on the county scene in 2003? We deferred to impact: in 1963, part of an otherwise forgettable decade for cricket, the Gillette Cup stood out; but the gates to Twenty20 mega-wealth opened widest at the IPL auctions, rather than five years earlier around the shires. After Bodyline, readers' most common picks were Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket, the Oval Test of 1882 that spawned the sport's greatest and oldest rivalry (though it seems Wisden did not refer to the "Ashes" until the late 1920s), the Basil D'Oliveira affair, and the exposure as a cheat of Hansie Cronje. Many others failed to make the cut, though no individual wore more hats than Sachin Tendulkar (Old Trafford 1990, the first double-century in one-day internationals, 100 hundreds, and so on). In fact, Tendulkar does feature - as the victim of the first TV run-out - but, for our purposes, individuals were secondary to moments, not vice versa.
1871: W. G. Grace rewrites the record books
At first, bowlers held the upper hand in first-class cricket, helped by rough, almost unprepared pitches. Then came WG. He had hinted at exceptional talent, but in 1871, the year he turned 23, Grace reshaped the game. No one had previously made 2,000 runs in a season. Now he made 2,739, a record that stood for 25 years. The next-best was Harry Jupp's 1,068, and of the 17 first-class centuries that year, WG made ten. Batting was never quite the same again.
Grace buried the quaint notion that scoring on the leg side was ungentlemanly. He batted in a way we would recognise today: usually a decisive movement forward or back, bat close to pad, although he was also a master of what Ranjitsinhji called a "half-cock stroke", which we would probably term playing from the crease. In his Jubilee Book of Cricket, Ranji wrote: "He revolutionised cricket, turning it from an accomplishment into a science... He turned the old one-stringed instrument into a many-chorded lyre, a wand... Until his time, a man was either a back player like Carpenter or a forward player like Pilch, a hitter like E. H. Budd or a sticker like Harry Jupp. But W. G. Grace was each and all at once." STEVEN LYNCH
From Wisden 1872: MCC and Ground v Surrey at Lord's
In cold dry weather this match was played out in two days, MCC and G the winners by an innings and 23 runs. There was some superb batting by both Mr W. Grace and Jupp; in fact, it is the opinion of many that the 181 by Mr Grace and the 85 by Jupp in this match are their most skilful and perfect displays of batting on London grounds in 1871. Mr Grace was first man in at 12.10; when the score was 164 for four wickets Mr Grace had made exactly 100 runs; when he had made 123 he gave a hot - a very hot - chance to short square leg, but he gave no other chance; he was much hurt by a ball bowled by Skinner when he had made 180, and at 181 Southerton bowled him, he being fifth man out with the score at 280. Mr Grace's "timing" and "placing" the ball in this innings was truly wonderful cricket; he appeared to hit "all round" just where he chose to, and placing a field for his hit was as useless as were the bowler's efforts to bowl to him. Mr Grace's hits included a great on-drive past the pavilion for six, four fives (all big drives), and 11 fours.
1882: The Ashes are born
The history of England v Australia, the mother of all Test series, was first distilled into a minuscule urn-shaped vessel, then pressure-cooked to create a hyper-contest for the 21st century. But time and distance cannot diminish the role played in the creation myth by a single game. The Oval 1882 was a microcosm of the tension that has never left the Ashes.
Australia's indomitability was summed up by their first-day recovery from 30 for six and Fred Spofforth's demonic bowling - inspired, legend has it, by W. G. Grace's caddish run-out of Sammy Jones. More than 2,000 Tests have taken place since, but Australia's seven-run victory remains in the top ten tightest wins.
THE TEN MOMENTS W.G. Grace (1871)
The Oval (1882)
Bodyline (1932-33)
The Gillette Cup (1963)
Basil D'Oliveira (1968)
Australia 5 West Indies 1 (1975-76)
World Series Cricket (1977-78)
Technology's entrance (1992-93)
Hansie Cronje (2000)
The IPL auction (2008)
The paroxysms of the umbrella-gnawing spectator resonate with fans on all sides of all sporting divides, as does the Sporting Times's mock obituary shortly afterwards, the first truly memorable example of English cricket's gallows humour. England had lost to Australia before, but only ever while out of sight, out of mind, on the other side of the globe. This was an awakening in every sense. A rivalry that, according to the newspaper, was dead as soon as it began would attain a life of its own. ANDREW MILLER
From Wisden 1883: the run-out of Jones in Australia's second innings, leaving them 114 for seven and with their overall lead 76...
Jones was run out in a way which gave great dissatisfaction to Murdoch and other Australians. Murdoch played a ball to leg, for which Lyttelton ran. The ball was returned, and Jones having completed the first run, and thinking wrongly, but very naturally, that the ball was dead, went out of his ground. Grace put his wicket down, and the umpire gave him out. Several of the team spoke angrily of Grace's action, but the compiler was informed that, after the excitement had cooled down, a prominent member of the Australian eleven admitted that he should have done the same thing had he been in Grace's place. There was a good deal of truth in what a gentleman in the pavilion remarked, amidst some laughter, that "Jones ought to thank the champion for teaching him something".
...and England's run-chase
England, wanting 85 runs to win, commenced their second innings at 3.45 with Grace and Hornby. Spofforth bowled Hornby's off stump at 15, made in about as many minutes. Barlow joined Grace, but was bowled first ball at the same total. Ulyett came in, and some brilliant hitting by both batsmen brought the score to 51, when a very fine catch at the wicket dismissed Ulyett. Thirty-four runs were then wanted, with seven wickets to fall. Lucas joined Grace, but when the latter had scored a two he was easily taken at mid-off. Lyttelton became Lucas' partner, and did all the hitting. Then the game was slow for a time, and 12 successive maiden overs were bowled, both batsmen playing carefully and coolly. Lyttelton scored a single, and then four maiden overs were followed by the dismissal of that batsman - bowled, the score being 66. Only 19 runs were then wanted to win, and there were five wickets to fall. Steel came in, and when Lucas had scored a four, Steel was easily caught and bowled. Read joined Lucas, but amid intense excitement he was clean bowled without a run being added. Barnes took Read's place and scored a two, and three byes made the total 75, or ten to win. After being in a long time for five Lucas played the next ball into his wicket, and directly Studd joined Barnes the latter was easily caught off his glove without the total being altered. Peate, the last man, came in, but after hitting Boyle to square leg for two he was bowled, and Australia had defeated England by seven runs.
1932-33: Bodyline divides two nations
Lucky was the young sheep-station owner, Ian McLachlan senior, who spent the Sunday after Bodyline's fever-pitch Adelaide Saturday in the company of Douglas Jardine and others. A beach excursion to Victor Harbour; that night, McLachlan and Jardine roomed together. "It's going to muck up cricket," said McLachlan, as lights went out, "because you're going to have cricketers playing in things like baseball masks."
"Oh, don't be silly, laddie."
Bumper bombardments and throat-side field settings did not become the new normal, nor did baseball masks (nor, yet, helmets). Spin bowling survived as cricket's guileful art. Even Don Bradman - as exotic as a nine-legged octopus, his fast yet failsafe 1930 mega-scoring having triggered Bodyline's genesis - half-faltered only briefly. He put ointment on his bruises and for the rest of his days averaged 100.12.
What lingered was psychological, a suspicion of the English gentleman, a sense that, while Australians wish to win, the English will break bones / rules / morality to win, a slow-blooming independence. Australia's ride through our current decade's economic travails is something Treasurer Wayne Swan attributes partly to "an enduring determination for our country never again to be at the whim of anyone". That determination's cause, Mr Treasurer? "I believe, Bodyline." CHRISTIAN RYAN
From Wisden 1933: Notes by the Editor (Stewart Caine)
The ball to which such strong exception is being taken in Australia is not slow or slow-medium but fast. It is dropped short and is alleged in certain quarters to be aimed at the batsman rather than at the wicket. It may at once be said that, if the intention is to hit the batsman and so demoralise him, the practice is altogether wrong - calculated, as it must be, to introduce an element of pronounced danger and altogether against the spirit of the game of cricket. Upon this point practically everybody will agree. No one wants such an element introduced. That English bowlers, to dispose of their opponents, would of themselves pursue such methods, or that Jardine would acquiesce in such a course, is inconceivable.
To the abuse of this Law may fairly be traced the trouble which has arisen in Australia during the tour now in progress. In suggesting, as has the Australian Board of Control, that bowling such as that of the Englishmen has become a menace to the best interests of the game, is causing intensely bitter feelings between players and, unless stopped at once, is likely to upset the friendly relations between England and Australia, the Commonwealth cricket authorities seem to have lost their sense of proportion. The idea that a method of play to which, while often practised in the past by Australian as well as English bowlers, no exception had been taken in public could jeopardise the relations of the two countries, appears really too absurd.
From Wisden 1934: The MCC team in Australasia
Suffice it to say here that a method of bowling was evolved - mainly with the idea of curbing the scoring propensities of Bradman - which met with almost general condemnation among Australian cricketers and spectators and which, when something of the real truth was ultimately known in this country, caused people at home - many of them famous in the game - to wonder if the winning of the rubber was, after all, worth this strife.
Bert Oldfield goes down to a short pitched ball during the Bodyline series
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1963: The Gillette Cup is launched
Like sex (according to Philip Larkin, at least) one-day cricket, in the manner in which we now know it, began in 1963. The year before, a pilot competition - the four-team Midlands Knock-Out Cup - had attracted some attention, but now all the counties were involved. In a 65-over-a-side knockout format (just imagine: 130 overs a day) was born the great-great-grandfather of all the World Cups, Premier Leagues and Big Bashes we see today.
So too, simultaneously, came the notion that county cricket could attract sponsorship. The story has it that those from Gillette charged with negotiating a deal arrived at their meeting at Lord's with a substantial figure in mind, and departed having apparently financed the competition from the petty-cash box.
But it was a beginning. Crowds flocked to the matches, ponderous though the first format was, and the Lord's final was established as the county game's day out. Such success spawned new competitions: the Gillette (still the name many think of when speaking of county one-day cricket) was reduced to 60 overs a side; then came the 40-over John Player League, the 55-over Benson and Hedges Cup, and finally Twenty20. The genie was out of the bottle. MIKE SELVEY
From Wisden 1964: The Knock-Out Cup
The new Knock-Out competition aroused enormous interest. Very large crowds, especially in the later rounds, flocked to the matches and 25,000 spectators watched the final at Lord's, where Sussex narrowly defeated Worcestershire by 14 runs in a thoroughly exciting match. It says much for the type of cricket that tremendous feeling was stirred up among the spectators as well as the cricketers, with numerous ties being decided in the closest fashion. At Lord's, supporters wore favours, and banners were also in evidence, the whole scene resembling an Association Football Cup Final more than the game of cricket, and many thousands invaded the pitch at the finish to cheer Dexter, the Sussex captain, as he received the Gillette Trophy from the MCC President, Lord Nugent.
There were two points which invite criticism. Firstly, the majority of counties were loath to include even one slow bowler in their sides and relied mainly on pace; and secondly the placing of the entire field around the boundary to prevent rapid scoring - Dexter used this tactic in the final - became fairly common. The success of the spinners at Lord's may have exploded the first theory.
There is no doubt that, provided the competition is conducted wisely, it will attract great support in the future and benefit the game accordingly.
1968: The D'Oliveira Affair exposes apartheid
The story of Basil D'Oliveira is one of the most romantic in the history of sport. A non-white man is prevented by apartheid from displaying his exceptional cricketing talents in his native South Africa. So he travels to Britain, where he endures a period of misery and loneliness before his genius is fully recognised and he is selected to play for England.
This part of the story is a fairytale come true. But D'Oliveira's selection for England was more than a dream: it was also a political statement, because it smashed the apartheid myth about the superiority of the white race. Elements of the British cricketing establishment were sympathetic to the apartheid regime, and he was initially omitted by MCC's selectors from the tour party for South Africa in 1968-69, despite having made 158 against Australia in the final Test of the summer. But when seamer Tom Cartwright pulled out of the trip, D'Oliveira was chosen to replace him. South Africa cancelled the tour.
The consequences of the international row that followed were enormous. Large sections of the British public were educated about the brutality and ugliness of racism. South African sporting links with England were broken off. The isolation of the apartheid regime deepened. Through it all, D'Oliveira maintained his integrity, and displayed a palpable decency in a crisis that transcended sport and helped bring an unspeakably evil social system to an end. PETER OBORNE
From Wisden 1969: The D'Oliveira Case, by Michael Melford
To the non-cricketing public, D'Oliveira's omission immediately after his innings at The Oval was largely incomprehensible. It was easy for many to assume political motives behind it and a bowing to South Africa's racial policies.
Basil D'Oliveira sparked a crisis that transcended sport
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More knowledgeable cricketers were split between those who agreed that on technical grounds D'Oliveira was far from an automatic choice and who were doubtful if he would be any more effective in South Africa than he had been in the West Indies, and those who thought that after his successful comeback to Test cricket, it was "inhuman" not to pick him.
Some holding the latter opinion were also ready to see non-cricketing reasons for the omission... Much was said which was regretted later - four out of 19 members of MCC who resigned in protest applied for reinstatement within a few days - and Lord Fisher of Lambeth, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, was prompted to write to the Daily Telegraph condemning a leader "which appeared to cast doubt on the word of the selectors".
A group of 20 MCC members, the number required to call a special meeting of the club, asserted this right, co-opting the Rev. D. S. Sheppard as their main spokesman. For three weeks the affair simmered like an angry volcano.
1975-76: Defeat in Australia sparks West Indies' pace revolution
Their heaviest and most humiliating defeat created the philosophy that led to West Indies' domination through the 1980s and beyond. The 5-1 thrashing in Australia, inflicted mainly by the menacing pace of Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson, supported by Gary Gilmour |
logo, along with a branded code which can be used for downloads and previews.[52]
To promote the game, Activision held a two-day event called Call of Duty: Experience 2011 (Call of Duty: XP for short) which took place in Los Angeles from September 2–3, 2011. It featured many things including the reveal of the new multiplayer which attendees were able to play for the first time. In addition, all attendees received the Hardened Edition for free as a gift for attending.[53] At a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 VIP party in Amsterdam, Dutch porn star and avid fan of the series Kim Holland was originally invited to attend the event until she was suddenly uninvited when Activision discovered her profession. In her blog, she shared her opinion and feelings towards Activision's sudden decision: "People murdering people is neat, [...] but love-makers are dirty?" she wrote. Activision did not respond to any comments about the subject.[54]
Activision had planned to set up an official website to promote the game, however the domain name "ModernWarfare3.com" had already been taken and was used for an anti-Call of Duty website and redirecting users to Electronic Arts's game Battlefield 3. Activision filed a US$2,600 complaint against the site with the National Arbitration Forum.[55] On September 8, 2011, Activision won the complaint and acquired the rights to the domain name.[56] In November 2011, actors Jonah Hill and Sam Worthington (who voiced the main character Alex Mason in Black Ops, the previous game to Modern Warfare 3), and NBA athlete Dwight Howard starred in commercials advertising the game.[57]
Release [ edit ]
Two weeks before the release of the game, it was reported that half of the PC version had been uploaded online after being stolen from a warehouse in Fresno, California. Investigators working on behalf of Activision searched torrent websites for traces of the game as well as visited people who had downloaded a copy across the United States and requested that they remove it or they would face a fine of US$5,000.[58]
As early as late October, reports were already surfacing about copies being sold early to people with gameplay videos uploaded online.[59] On November 3, 2011, it was reported that copies of the game were already being sold early in the United States. K-Mart had already started selling copies of the game before its scheduled release date with copies already appearing on eBay and Craigslist. This was due to an error made by one the shipping companies that told K-mart to sell copies of the game immediately after receiving the shipments. However, Activision contacted K-mart about this and had the issue resolved.[60]
French site TF1 News reported that a truck suffered a collision with a car on November 6, 2011 in Créteil, south Paris, before two masked individuals emerged from the car. The criminals reportedly used tear gas to neutralise the truck drivers before hopping in and making off with the video game shipment said to be worth 400,000 Euros. A separate report said the truck contained a delivery of 6000 copies of Modern Warfare 3.[61]
Shortly after the game's release, a man from Aurora, Colorado who did not receive a copy of the game at his local Best Buy, despite pre-ordering it, claimed to be so angry that he "could blow this place up". He was also reported as having threatened to shoot employees once they left the store. Lomon Sar, age 31, was issued a citation and court summons by police responding to the disturbance.[62]
Retail versions [ edit ]
Hardened Edition for Xbox 360 The contents of thefor Xbox 360
Modern Warfare 3 was released in two different retail versions across the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms: Standard and Hardened. The standard version consists of the game and an instructional manual, and is the only version available for the Microsoft Windows platform. Contents within the Hardened Edition include the game disc with "unique art", one year membership to Call of Duty: Elite, "special founder status" on Call of Duty: Elite which includes an exclusive in-game emblem, playercard, weapon camouflage, clan XP boost, and more exclusive benefits, premium collectible Steelbook case, exclusive animated timeline theme for PS3 only, exclusive Spec Ops Juggernaut Xbox Live avatar outfit for Xbox 360 only, and a limited edition, collectible field journal, which chronicles "the entire saga with 100+ pages of authentic military sketches, diagrams, and written entries."[63]
Robert Bowling of Infinity Ward confirmed that there will be no Prestige Edition of Modern Warfare 3. In the past, the Prestige editions of previous Call of Duty games have included physical items such as a remote-controlled car for Black Ops, and a pair of night vision goggles and a life-sized plastic head to put them on for Modern Warfare 2.[64]
On August 19, 2011, UK retailer Game announced an Intel Pack of Modern Warfare 3. It comes with a British special forces avatar for both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions, as well as a Brady strategy guide.[65] On September 3, 2011, Activision and Microsoft jointly announced a special, limited Modern Warfare 3 version of the Xbox 360 with a 320GB hard disk. The unit is designed by the Call of Duty team and includes two custom wireless controllers, a copy of Modern Warfare 3 and features custom sounds when the console is turned on/off or when the disc tray is ejected. A one-month subscription to Xbox Live Gold is also included, as well as exclusive avatar items.[66]
Reception [ edit ]
Critical response [ edit ]
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 received "generally positive" and "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[67][68][69][70]
The Daily Telegraph gave the game's Xbox 360 version 5 stars out of 5, stating that even as "the series has always been renowned for elements like the excellent sound design, the gloss, polish and compulsion of its gameplay," it is "a game that not only lives up to the brand hype but exceeds it. A game where the mass appeal is justified, and the expectations are met."[81] Gaming Evolution gave the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions a 9.0 out of 10, stating "Modern Warfare 3 lives up to the hype. It is proving itself the one of the best FPS the genre has to offer."[82] IGN gave the game's Xbox 360 version a 9.0 out of 10.0, pointing out that the game offers "great multiplayer, [a] fun campaign, tons of content, but [also] a forgettable story."[77]
GameSpot qualifies its review, stating that "the series' signature thrills have lost some of their luster. Modern Warfare 3 iterates rather than innovates, so the fun you have is familiar", but concludes by affirming that "fortunately, [the game is] also utterly engrossing and immensely satisfying, giving fans another reason to rejoice in this busy shooter season".[74] Eurogamer gave the game an 8/10 noting that it is a "ferocious and satisfying game that knows exactly what players expect, and delivers on that promise with bullish confidence" but with "an outmoded single-player campaign".[72]
Reviews for the Wii version of the game have been less favorable. IGN rated it only 4.5 out of 10, blaming the lacking graphics and poor friend code system for bringing it down.[78]
Sales and revenue [ edit ]
Activision has said that it believes Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 day-one shipments were the largest for any game ever. "The record number of pre-orders from Modern Warfare 3 drove the largest day-one shipments in our history, and in the industry's history," said Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg during an earnings call on November 8, 2011. Hirshberg said more than 1.5 million people queued at 13,000 shops at midnight on Monday to buy Modern Warfare 3, "making it the largest retail release in Activision's history and in the industry's history".[83]
Activision reported sales figures for Modern Warfare 3 in the U.S. and UK being more than 6.5 million copies sold on launch day and grossed $400 million in the US and UK alone in its first 24 hours, making it the biggest entertainment launch of all time.[84] It is the third year in a row that the Call Of Duty series has broken the same record. 2010's Black Ops grossed $360 million on day one; in 2009, Modern Warfare 2 brought in $310 million.[85] Activision Blizzard president and CEO Robert Kotick stated that "the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is the biggest entertainment launch of all time in any medium, and we [Activision] achieved this record with sales from only two territories."[7]
The title grossed more than $775 million globally in its first five days of availability, exceeding the $650 million record set by 2010s Call of Duty: Black Ops and the $550 million one achieved by 2009's Modern Warfare 2.[86] To be exact, it has beaten theatrical box office, book, and video game sales records for five-day worldwide sell-through in dollars.[87]
Modern Warfare 3 went on to gross $1 billion throughout the world in 16 days of availability, beating Avatar's record of 19 days, according to Activision.[88]
According to NPD Group, Modern Warfare 3 was November's biggest selling game of the month in the U.S. Modern Warfare 3 sales surpassed first-month sales of 2010s Black Ops by 7 percent, and sales for November sit at around the 9 million unit mark.[89][90] In November 2013, IGN confirmed that Modern Warfare 3 sold 26.5 million copies, becoming the highest selling game in the Call of Duty series.[91]
Modern Warfare 3 topped the UK video game sales chart in its first week, becoming the biggest video game launch in history by revenue.[92] By November 21, 2011, the game remained the bestselling title in the United Kingdom, despite sales dropping by 87%.[93] Modern Warfare 3 held the top spot on the UK charts for four weeks running.[94][95] It was replaced by The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim in its fifth week on the market.[96]
The PlayStation 3 version of Modern Warfare 3 also topped the Japanese chart in its first week on sale, shifting 180,372 copies, while the Xbox 360 version sold around 30,000.[97]
Awards [ edit ]
Modern Warfare 3 received the Best Shooter award at the 2011 Spike Video Game Awards, it was also nominated for the Best Multiplayer Game in 2011 as well. At the Interactive Achievement Awards or DICE awards, Modern Warfare 3 won the award for Action Game of the Year and was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay, Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design and Outstanding Achievement in Connectivity.
Notes [ edit ]
^ Raven Software developed the multiplayer component, single-player elements, downloadable content, and user interface of the game and the Wii version of the game was developed by Treyarch ^ [1] The game was released by Square Enix in Japan.R ustam Azhiyev, better known as Abdul Hakim, rarely left his apartment building in the Basaksehir district of Istanbul. Originally from Chechnya, Hakim has spent almost his entire life at war, and he is now the head of Ajnad al Kavkaz, or Soldiers of the Caucasus, the largest of the Muslim factions from the former Soviet Union fighting in Syria.
It was the fall of 2015, and I wasn’t given our meeting location until I got in the taxi in Istanbul. “Basaksehir, where the big bazaar is located,” my contact told me in Russian over the phone. “You will find it for sure.”
I was supposed to call again when I got there and then wait, apparently long enough to make sure that I wasn’t being watched.
Istanbul is like a giant waiting hall in a train station. It’s easy to remain anonymous in that constant churn of people entering and exiting the city, and that’s what jihadis intent on going to Syria have done here. Though the exact number is hard to know, there are believed to be thousands of Chechens living in Istanbul, and even more Uzbeks, Kazakhs, and Tajiks. And some of them are on their way to Syria, where they take up arms with factions fighting the Assad regime.
In the West, relatively little attention has been paid to the Chechens traveling to Syria; they were regarded until recently as just another small ethnic group among the foreign fighters. But the June bombing of the Istanbul airport, which was blamed on a Chechen mastermind, has brought new scrutiny to fighters from the Caucasus, and other militants from the former Soviet Union crossing through Turkey.
Photo: Tomasz Glowacki
had first
met Abdul Hakim in 2014. We had been in contact through an intermediary for months before he agreed to speak to me in person. At that time, we met in Aksaray, a neighborhood in Istanbul known for being a hub for traders and migrants from the former Soviet Union. Chechens felt comfortable there — unnoticed among Russians, Central Asians, and other foreigners.
But by the fall of 2015, when he agreed to meet again, there were more police on the streets, and the Chechens preferred to avoid the center of the city. The fighters from the former Soviet Union passing through Istanbul have taken a liking to Basaksehir, an outlying district of the city.
When the taxi driver heard, “Basaksehir please,” the response was: “It’s very far away,” as if he feared his client couldn’t afford the bill. Tourists looking for the bustle of the Grand Bazaar and the sound of the muezzin don’t come to Basaksehir, which is filled with soulless apartment blocks, straight, wide streets, and modern shopping areas. There’s little greenery, much less trees. In the summer the heat is unbearable. In winter, it is difficult to find a place sheltered from the wind and driving rain.
The bazaar where I’m told to meet Hakim’s men turned out to be an ordinary shopping center. I finally saw them from a distance — three of them — walking through the rain at a slow pace.
The Chechens and other jihadis I met in Istanbul on their way to Syria, tried to keep a low profile, but they often had a specific look: young men with mustaches and beards trimmed short, and dressed as if they were going on an outdoor adventure. Among the over two dozen such fighters I met there, I noticed a particular style: they tended to favor loose sportswear, particularly Gortex, and lightweight sports shoes, which were ideal for sun-scorched deserts or walking across rubble in the streets of Syrian cities. Their favorite clothing brands were The North Face, Columbia, and the German clothing manufacturer “Jack Wolfskin.”
Hakim’s men took me to the seventh floor in a large anonymous apartment building with a single elevator. The area was closed and monitored, with a watchman at the gate. The view from the window was of another identical-looking apartment building and a playground for children.
Train stop in Istanbul. It’s estimated that thousands of Chechens are living in the city. Photo: Alessandro Digaetano / LUZphoto/Redux
The apartment itself was almost entirely unfurnished: no ornaments, pictures on the walls, or even flowers in pots. In one room was a sofa and coffee table. In the second, white walls, and some cushions and rugs on the ground. The windows had no curtains, and the glass was covered with dust and sand. A few men in their early 20s milled about, all from Chechnya. For them, Abdul Hakim, who is in his mid-30s, was almost a veteran.
Like other militants I had met in Syria and Turkey, Hakim likes to dress in outdoor clothing, particularly camouflage. His right hand is missing three fingers — the results of an injury while fighting in Chechnya.
“I am an Islamist,” Hakim said with a smile, knowing this statement would make an impression. “The goal is to establish the religion of Allah, and to live according to the precepts of Allah everywhere,” not only in Chechnya.
Hakim and his colleagues are part of a new generation of fighters. They aren’t like the militia their fathers fought in during the first Chechen war, nor like the fighters from the Free Syrian Army in the first years of the civil war in Syria. Those men dressed in whatever clothing they had at hand, not Western sports brands. Their weapons were often outdated, heavily used surplus equipment discarded by a professional army. For those men, war was a temporary condition. They defended their families, homes, towns, and villages, hoping that when things died down, they would return to their former lives.
These young people, in their 20s and 30s, are already professionals. They’ve grown up with war and don’t have any other life to go back to, nor do they expect their lives will ever change. They are largely better equipped than their fathers. Most spend their savings on the best in the wartime survival equipment, clothing, and weapons. They fight frequently on foreign soil.
Many of these younger men are known as “freelancers,” waging jihad from time to time. They join different groups; internationally and locally. They set aside money for a good weapon and ammunition. When they feel tired after a few months of combat — or they get sick — they go back to families they may have left behind in Turkey. They come back and earn some money, for example, by buying and selling weapons, and then return to Syria to fight.
Hakim is indignant that jihad is treated by the West as an evil that must be destroyed. If America and Russia have the right to send troops to Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Chechnya, Georgia, and Ukraine, then why, he asks rhetorically, is it wrong to carry out jihad around the world, especially if you’re not fighting for some fleeting interest, like money? “We went for jihad to defend our land, because enemies came to us,” he said.
The first war broke out in Chechnya in 1994 when Abdul Hakim was 12 years old. “I saw everything,” he said. “I saw how our nation was murdered, and not because we were terrorists. In the first war, there was no such thing as terrorism. I saw planes bombing villages, killing men and women.”
Photo: Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images
After the first war ended, and Chechnya was nominally independent, relative calm prevailed. There were murders, kidnappings, but at least there was no war. He lived in the countryside. Like most boys his age, he liked sports, particularly those that involved fighting. Before they went to the forests to fight, many young Chechens won prizes in wrestling, judo, or karate. Most recently, mixed martial arts has become popular in Chechnya. Hakim’s younger brother, Anzor Azhiev, is now one of the most famous mixed martial arts fighters in Poland.
In 1999, the second Chechen war began and Hakim’s friends from school went into battle. For more than two months they defended Grozny, the ruined capital of Chechnya. Then they fled to the mountains. Hakim joined them in 2000. Over time, however, the ranks of these fighters melted away. By 2007, only one or two friends from Abdul Hakim’s childhood were still alive.
In August 2009, Chechen militants were preparing a military operation to kill a traitor, when an explosion severely wounded Hakim’s hand and damaged his eyesight. Hakim escaped to Istanbul, and then was essentially trapped there; he couldn’t return to the Caucasus, because the Russian government wouldn’t allow him to come back, so he went on jihad to Syria.
He is now the “emir,” or leader, of Ajnad al Kavkaz, a militant faction of about 100 men — mostly Chechens — based in the Latakia mountains in Syria.
What most worried him these days was money, and that’s why he had come to Istanbul, straight from the Syrian front. “To solve their problems,” as he put it. His fighters in Syria needed to be fed, they needed weapons and ammunition, and he had to help the families of the dead and wounded. He’s responsible for the fate of those who fight, and for those who get caught and detained by Turkish authorities on the border with Syria.
He is resentful that most of the money for jihad goes to the Islamic State, and other factions. The Chechens get nothing, he says. He complains that the Islamic humanitarian organizations accused of supporting jihad don’t help the Chechens. “They just say they will help, they will do something, but it ends always with promises,” Hakim says.
Photo: Mahmoud Taha/AFP/Getty Images
In the fall of 2015, the Russians began to bomb Syria, and Abdul Hakim went from Syria back to Turkey, hoping to raise money. He mistakenly believed that it would be easier to get support for his faction when Russia joined the conflict. He was wrong, it was just worse. There were now terrorist attacks in Istanbul, Ankara and cities near the border, and to the east, the Turks were bombing the Kurds. There were more police on the streets, and meetings in central Istanbul were no longer possible.
Like other fighters in Syria, Hakim’s faction has no weapons to defend themselves against Russian air force strikes. Hakim claims he doesn’t care; he says that back in Chechnya, fighters coped with the Russians with even less equipment.
To be hunted by the Russians was expected; but what bothers Abdul Hakim is being called “terrorists,” an allegation that was made after the battle over Idlib, where his faction fought alongside Jabhat al-Nusra, which at the time was allied with al Qaeda, Jund al-Aqsa and other militants recognized as terrorists.
He still doesn’t understand why his small faction would be labeled as terrorists; they didn’t kill women, children, or the elderly. They fight only against the army of Assad, he says. “We want to overthrow tyranny,” he said. “That’s all.”
A bdul Hakim says his aim is to liberate Chechnya. He ultimately wants the Chechens to return from Syria to the Caucasus and rise again united against Russia. That goal is difficult, however, because Russia controls the border. Leaving is not hard, but Russia does not allow suspected militants to return. The exodus of fighters from Russia to Syria has had a clear benefit for the authorities there: Since the beginning of the civil war in Syria, especially since the announcement of Islamic State, militant activity in the Caucasus has decreased by nearly half, according to one estimate. For most, the trip to Syria is one-way.
In the West, experts debate the reasons foreign fighters join the Islamic State, or other jihadi movements in Syria. For the Chechens going to Syria, the goal is clear. Hakim believes sooner or later, there will be a global war with Russia, and that this conflict will allow him a chance to regain his homeland. He recalls the words of the first president of Chechnya, Dzhokhar Dudayev, who in the mid-1990s warned that the Russians would not stop in the Caucasus. But no one would listen to him then.
“Georgians thought that they would not come. … Ukrainians thought they would not come. Europeans have only now started to think about this,” Hakim said. “We hope the Russians come for you. We will be glad if they do. But then it will be too late. Then you will begin to look for us and we will say to you, ‘There are no people of the Caucusus anymore, just international terrorists.’”Get the biggest politics 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
Theresa May’s leadership team was thrown into further chaos this morning, as it emerged her head of policy was quitting.
Moments before the Queen’s Speech unveiled floundering Mrs May’s scaled back vision for the next two years, it was confirmed top advisor John Godfrey will leave Downing Street.
Godfrey, who heads up the influential Number 10 Policy Unit, is leaving the Prime Minister’s inner circle after less than a year in the role.
It’s a further blow for the beleaguered Prime Minister, who has already lost six key aides since she called the election in April.
A Number 10 source told BuzzFeed News: “He’s off to explore new opportunities, and leaves with our best wishes.”
(Image: PA)
Godfrey’s departure comes just weeks after May’s joint chiefs of staff, Fiona Hill and Nick Timothy, were forced out over their botched election campaign.
Shortly after Mrs May called the snap election, both her head of communications, Katie Perrior, and her spokesperson Lizzie Loudon also quit.
And yesterday it was reported that Chris Brannigan, Number 10’s head of government relations, is leaving to pursue opportunities in the private sector.Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., said on Sunday that he is “embarrassed and ashamed” about the allegations by multiple women of sexual harassment against him, but that he is “looking forward to getting back to work tomorrow.”
“I’ve let a lot of people down, and I’m hoping I can make it up to them and gradually regain their trust,” Franken told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “I know I have a lot of work to do to regain the trust of the people I’ve let down, the people of Minnesota, my friends and colleagues, everyone who counts on me to be a champion for women.”
The comments are the first Franken has made publicly since the initial allegations were made against him. Earlier this month, radio host Leeann Tweeden accused Franken of forcibly kissing her during a 2006 holiday USO war zone tour and having a picture taken of himself with his hands over her chest while she was asleep on a transport military plane.
Three other women came forward with accusations that Franken groped them as they posed with him for photographs on three separate occasions between 2007 and 2010.
The 66-year-old senator and former “Saturday Night Live ” star said that he has taken “tens of thousands” of photos since first running for office and doesn’t recall the alleged encounters.
“I don’t remember these photographs, I don’t,” he said. “This is not something I would intentionally do.”
Franken told the Star Tribune that he has been “thinking about how that could happen” and needs “to be more careful and a lot more sensitive in these situations.”
The newspaper also asked Franken if he expects more women to come forward.
“If you had asked me two weeks ago, ‘Would any woman say I had treated her with disrespect?’ I would have said no. So this has just caught me by surprise,” Franken said. “I certainly hope not.”
In a Nov. 16 blog post, Tweeden said that Franken “mashed his lips against mine and aggressively stuck his tongue in my mouth” during a rehearsal for a skit the pair were performing for U.S. troops in Afghanistan in 2006. Tweeden told Franken she didn’t want to rehearse the kiss, but he insisted.
“I felt disgusted and violated,” Tweeden wrote.
Tweeden also posted the photo of Franken apparently pretending to grab her breasts as she slept aboard a military transport plane.
(KABC) More
Franken apologized in a statement the same day.
“I certainly don’t remember the rehearsal for the skit in the same way, but I send my sincerest apologies to Leeann,” Franken said. “As to the photo, it was clearly intended to be funny, but wasn’t. I shouldn’t have done it.”
Shortly after Franken’s apology, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called for the Senate Ethics Committee to look into the allegations. Franken agreed, and said he would cooperate.
“While I don’t remember the rehearsal for the skit as Leeann does, I understand why we need to listen to and believe women’s experiences,” the senator said.
Read more from Yahoo News:In addition to exclusive offers from Kachelle Kelly International, Inc. and a chance to win a $250 Gallery Furniture giveaway, patrons will be treated to entertainment from DJ Supastar, Nik The Hummingbird and The King MC. Couture Kitchen and Abbia’s Delights will provide refreshments and the bar will be serving a special Hustletini Cocktail in honor of the occasion.
Get Fit Or Get Fat CEO Iriel Franklin will be a vendor at the inaugural Activate Your Hustle Holliday Soiree Thursday at Houston’s Sugarhill Bar & Lounge.
HOUSTON, December 10, 2013 – Fresh off of being honored as the top fitness blog or vlog in the nation at the 2013 Black Weblog Awards, Get Fit or Get Fat founder and CEO Iriel Franklin is proud to announce the premiere fitness destination – anchored by her own signature inspirational fitness line for women and men of all ages – will be a vendor at the inaugural Activate Your Hustle Holiday Soiree.
“This is going to be a great event. Not only is it bringing entrepreneurs of all walks of life together to discuss their successes, failures and how better to prepare themselves for a prosperous 2014,” Franklin said. “It will also be a chance for businessmen and women like myself to interact on a personal level with customers as well as show our goods to a new audience in person and create that intimate connection that shopping on the Internet sometimes lacks.”
The event, to be held at Houston’s Sugarhill Lounge Thursday, is hosted by celebrity business and empowerment coach Kachelle Kelly and was designed as a “Non-stuffy, anti-pretentious” networking event” to bring together Houston’s entrepreneurial community.
“We encourage, admire and support one another on social media but I, personally want the opportunity to meet you in person, chat a bit about your business and how I can help you grow,” said Kelly, extrapolating on reasoning behind the symposium. “I am a firm believer that competition, intimidation and non support is an attitude of lack and insecurity. [Together] we can create a powerful network to market our services to the world!”
Admission to the event is free and it runs from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. In addition to exclusive offers from Kachelle Kelly International, Inc. and a chance to win a $250 Gallery Furniture giveaway, patrons will be treated to entertainment from DJ Supastar, Nik The Hummingbird and The King MC. Couture Kitchen and Abbia’s Delights will provide refreshments and the bar will be serving a special Hustletini Cocktail in honor of the occasion.
###
About Get Fit Or Get Fat
Get Fit Or Get Fat is a fitness lifestyle website and motivational center began by Iriel Franklin following her own struggles with weight loss. In an effort to make fitness both rewarding and fun, Franklin has built a hub on the Internet where like-minded individuals can share recipes, encouragement and workouts. After successfully building a strong Internet presence and buoyed by her supporters, Franklin launched the Get Fit Or Get Fat clothing line for men, women and children of all ages. Designed by Franklin, the line is made of high quality materials and made to make the wearer not only look good, but feel good as well with many items boasting some of her favorite motivational sayings.
For additional information about Iriel Franklin and Get Fit or Get Fat, call 800-859-3010, email customerservice@getfitorgetfat.com or visit www.getfitorgetfat.com.A conservative legal group asked a judge Monday to order Hillary Clinton to face deposition under oath about her role in creating the secret email account she used as secretary of state at the State Department.
Judicial Watch had previously won the right to question her top aides, but the group says it now wants to question Mrs. Clinton herself about her decision to use a non-State.gov account to conduct all of her official business.
“Mrs. Clinton’s testimony will help the courts determine whether her email practices thwarted the Freedom of Information Act,” Tom Fitton, Judicial Watch’s president, said in a statement after his group filed the request with Judge Royce C. Lamberth.
Judge Lamberth is one of two judges who have granted Judicial Watch discovery — a rare procedure in open-records cases, and one that’s only approved when a judge finds evidence of “bad faith” on the part of the government in answering an open-records request.
In the other case, Judge Emmet G. Sullivan has allowed depositions of top Clinton aides, but said he would decide later if Mrs. Clinton needs to be deposed, based on what is learned from her assistants.
Mrs. Clinton has said her use of a secret account, which shielded many of her communications from all public scrutiny for six years, was probably a mistake — though she’s insisted she broke no laws.
SEE ALSO: 538 founder Nate Silver gives Donald Trump 25 percent chance of beating Hillary Clinton
She said she choose to use the secret system out of convenience — though at least some of the messages that have come to light seem to indicate her aides were also worried about her communications becoming public.
Her use of the secret account was known to high-level State Department officials, and to President Obama and his top aides at the White House, but none of them ever alerted the lower-level staffers responsible for responding to open-records requests.
The FBI is investigating the server, though there have been competing reports about whether Mrs. Clinton is in danger of facing charges.
Copyright © 2019 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.Donald Trump interview (Photo: Screen capture)
President Donald Trump gave a long, rambling interview to the New York Times on Wednesday in which he mangled facts about French history.
Reflecting on his time in France earlier this month, the president talked about the downfall of Napoleon and showed a high level of historical illiteracy.
“Napoleon finished a little bit bad,” the president began. “His one problem is he didn’t go to Russia that night because he had extracurricular activities, and they froze to death. How many times has Russia been saved by the weather?”
Trump then reflected that Hitler made the same mistake in his decision to wage war in Russia during the winter.
“Same thing happened to Hitler,” he said. “Not for that reason, though. Hitler wanted to consolidate. He was all set to walk in. But he wanted to consolidate, and it went and dropped to 35 degrees below zero, and that was the end of that army.”
As MSNBC host Joe Scarborough pointed out, the German army didn’t instantly freeze to death upon entering Russia in the winter, as “the Battle of Stalingrad itself was six months long.”
"It dropped to 35 below and that was the end of that army." The Battle of Stalingrad itself was six months long. https://t.co/XHp0hCVO86 — Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) July 20, 2017
Trump finished up his reflections on history by talking how tough Russian soldiers are in the cold before pivoting to talking about the economy.
“But the Russians have great fighters in the cold,” he said. “They use the cold to their advantage. I mean, they’ve won five wars where the armies that went against them froze to death. It’s pretty amazing. So, we’re having a good time. The economy is doing great.”A Dallas woman filed suit against Halliburton last week claiming she was fired after her supervisors learned she was pregnant. In court documents filed on December, 21, Lynda Darden alleges she was fired in the summer of 2009 when "she was sexually discriminated against and terminated as a result of her pregnancy." Per the court docs, which indicate Darden was hired in Colorado and then transferred to Texas:
"In 2008, she was transferred to Texas and worked as an administrative associate in the dispatch office at the Alvarado Camp. Although a good, dedicated and productive employee, she was terminated on June 3, 2009, when she apparently violated the company's policy against procreation."
If you detect a hint of snark in that wording, you're picking up what Darden's attorney, Todd Kelly, is putting down: He's become high-profile in recent years for suing the energy contractor.
Continue Reading
The Houston-based attorney presently represents Jamie Leigh Jones, the woman who sued former Halliburton subsidiary KBR alleging that she was gang-raped in 2005 by one known and several unknown co-workers and locked in a shipping container to prevent her from reporting the crime. Her case caused Al Franken to sponsor a defense bill amendment stipulating that defense contractors can't force people not to sue them if they get raped on the job. Kelly also represents several other women with sexual assault and/or harassment cases against KBR and Halliburton.
Kelly tells Unfair Park that Halliburton is a less-than-ideal place to work for women: "I don't believe that Halliburton treats its women as they should." He says Darden told her supervisors she was pregnant even though she "had already been told by co-workers that she would be fired if she reported her pregnancy."
According to Kelly, that was the general office scuttlebutt: Get pregnant, get fired. In court documents, Darden says she first told her supervisor of her pregnancy in March 2009 and was told on June 3, 2009, that she was losing her job as part of a general lay-off, but Darden says she was the only person let go at the time:
To her knowledge, Lynda was the only employee "laid off" in her area even though there were five employees who had less experience in that position than she did. None of those employees was pregnant. Thus, the company retained employees in the same or similar positions with less qualifications who were not in the protected class. The Defendant's proferred reason for termination was a pretext for discriminatory purpose.
For a brief time, Kelly says Unfair Park, his client's job was even advertised on the Internet after she was laid off, though he says Halliburton "took it off pretty quickly." Darden is seeking damages for back pay and "front pay in lieu of reinstatement, which would not be feasible under the circumstances."
Read Darden's complaint in full below.
Darden v. HalliburtonThe U.S. Department of Homeland Security today took aim at widespread media reports about a hacking incident that led to an equipment failure at a water system in Illinois, noting there was scant evidence to support any of the key details in those stories — including involvement by Russian hackers or that the outage at the facility was the result of a cyber incident |
Question You Should Be Asking
Now that you know how SEO has changed and that you want leads and sales from your SEO firm rather than just rankings, the question you should be asking is “How long will it take for SEO to start generating leads and sales?”
How Long It Takes For SEO To Start Working
Now we’re ready to answer the right question. And the answer is...it depends. Frustrating, isn’t it? But it’s the truth. What does it depend on? It depends on how long your website has been around, how much SEO has been done on it previously, what shape the website is in, how much content is on it, its link profile, and many other SEO factors (see infographic below). No two websites are starting from the same place, even if they’re in the same industry and competing for the same customers. However, here is a plausible scenario for what your SEO efforts might look like during the initial months, and the results you might expect.
Month 1 - Research and discovery, website audit, keyword strategy, and planning. If research and discovery can be done quickly, then technical changes may start being made to the website within the first month. In other cases a thorough research and discovery phase can last more than one month.
- Research and discovery, website audit, keyword strategy, and planning. If research and discovery can be done quickly, then technical changes may start being made to the website within the first month. In other cases a thorough research and discovery phase can last more than one month. Month 2 - Begin technical SEO work, that is, making modification to the website based on site audit results. In some cases the website needs to be overhauled, and this of itself can take months. Other SEO activities such as working on the link profile and building content can be done at the same time the overhaul is happening. If you find yourself in this overhaul situation, you’ll be doing “SEO” but you still won’t be seeing any results at all, since the changes being made will only start to have an impact once they’re finished.
- Begin technical SEO work, that is, making modification to the website based on site audit results. In some cases the website needs to be overhauled, and this of itself can take months. Other SEO activities such as working on the link profile and building content can be done at the same time the overhaul is happening. If you find yourself in this overhaul situation, you’ll be doing “SEO” but you still won’t be seeing any results at all, since the changes being made will only start to have an impact once they’re finished. Month 3 - Start focusing on content creation. Blogging, FAQs, whitepapers, articles, expanded product and company information, etc. Ideally you would have started on this right after the strategy and planning, but often budgets restrict what can be done at once, and so a technical overhaul needs to come first. This being the case, you might start seeing some improvements in rankings by the end of this month. If those rankings are translating into leads or sales then even better, but you wouldn’t necessarily expect them yet.
- Start focusing on content creation. Blogging, FAQs, whitepapers, articles, expanded product and company information, etc. Ideally you would have started on this right after the strategy and planning, but often budgets restrict what can be done at once, and so a technical overhaul needs to come first. This being the case, you might start seeing some improvements in rankings by the end of this month. If those rankings are translating into leads or sales then even better, but you wouldn’t necessarily expect them yet. Month 4 - Continued content creation, technical optimization of the website, and development of a healthy link profile (which may include cleaning up low quality links). By this month you could expect to see a marked increase in rankings, traffic, and lead generation. It won’t be anywhere close to the improvements you should 12 months into your SEO efforts, but it should be significant enough that you know SEO is working.
- Continued content creation, technical optimization of the website, and development of a healthy link profile (which may include cleaning up low quality links). By this month you could expect to see a marked increase in rankings, traffic, and lead generation. It won’t be anywhere close to the improvements you should 12 months into your SEO efforts, but it should be significant enough that you know SEO is working. Month 5 - By this month or perhaps earlier in the process you may have started incorporating social media management into your plan to amplify your content and increase direct traffic to your website. This can lead to a healthy, natural link profile, and of course generate leads in and of itself. You would continue with content creation and perhaps engage in some PR or media outreach. You should be seeing more and more traffic coming in from SEO at this point, and your leads should be growing as a result.
- By this month or perhaps earlier in the process you may have started incorporating social media management into your plan to amplify your content and increase direct traffic to your website. This can lead to a healthy, natural link profile, and of course generate leads in and of itself. You would continue with content creation and perhaps engage in some PR or media outreach. You should be seeing more and more traffic coming in from SEO at this point, and your leads should be growing as a result. Month 6 - If your traffic has reached 5,000 visitors per month or more by this point, you could benefit from adding conversion rate optimization to your efforts to improve how the traffic you’re receiving converts into leads and/or sales. From this point on, your activities may be consistently focused on content creation and promoting that content, or you may be doing things that are more creative. The specific activities can vary greatly depending on what type of company you are and what kind of website you have.
Many SEO firms will tell you that it takes 4 to 6 months to start seeing results. That’s generally accurate, but bear in mind this is when you start seeing results, and SEO results grow over time. Whatever results you’re getting at 6 months should be considerably less than what you’re getting at 12 months. At some point, you may see your results taper off, and then it may be a matter of maintaining results rather than growing them.
Don’t Stop Too Soon
Many companies underestimate how much time and money it takes to be successful with SEO. Success by any standard rarely comes within the first 3 months, even with a healthy SEO budget. I’ve seen companies get started the right way, but quit after 2 to 3 months and say “We just weren’t getting the results we needed to justify the cost.” This tells me they went into the exercise with unrealistic expectations. If you can’t budget for 6 to 12 months of SEO, you might be better off putting that budget somewhere else. Paying for just a few months of SEO is, in many cases, no better than throwing your money away. SEO is a long term marketing tactic, and shouldn’t be seen as a way to generate sales quickly. However, if you make the proper investment, and plan on being in it for the long haul, SEO is a marketing tactic with one of the best ROIs out there.
Joshua Steimle is the CEO of MWI, a digital marketing agency with offices in the U.S. and Hong Kong.
Infographic courtesy of Search Engine Land.Threejs Ennemy vision detection
Here is the article 11 about my series of posts about the game creation.
If you missed it, check out the previous part.
Video presentation
Here is a youtube presentation of the state of the project right now:
Ennemy vision animation
The ennemy path animation is made up by a few vertices starting from the player position to the vision direction.
A collision is made between those vertices and the environment. The vertices are then moved to the collision point, if any.
The part of the code:
collision_with_player=false; // Loop on each vertices of the vision geometry for (var vertexIndex = 1; vertexIndex < this.vision.geometry.vertices.length; vertexIndex++) { var localVertex = this.vision.geometry.vertices[vertexIndex].clone(); var globalVertex = localVertex.applyMatrix4( this.vision.matrix ); var directionVector = globalVertex.sub( this.vision.position ); var ray = new THREE.Raycaster( originPoint, directionVector.clone().normalize(),0, this.vision_distance); var collisionResults = ray.intersectObjects(obstacles); // In each update frame, we start by restoring the vision vertices values this.vision.geometry.vertices[vertexIndex].x = this.vision_orig_vertices[vertexIndex].x; this.vision.geometry.vertices[vertexIndex].y = this.vision_orig_vertices[vertexIndex].y; this.vision.geometry.vertices[vertexIndex].z = this.vision_orig_vertices[vertexIndex].z; this.vision.geometry.verticesNeedUpdate=true; // If the ennemy vision has a collision with "something" if ( collisionResults.length > 0 && collisionResults[0].distance < this.vision_distance) { // If the collision is with a wall, update the vertice position if(collisionResults[0].object.name=='walls') { var distance = collisionResults[0].distance; this.vision.geometry.vertices[vertexIndex].x *= distance / this.vision_distance; this.vision.geometry.vertices[vertexIndex].y *= distance / this.vision_distance; this.vision.geometry.vertices[vertexIndex].z *= distance / this.vision_distance; } // If the collision if with the player, if(collisionResults[0].object.name=='p') { collision_with_player=true; } } } // If there is a collision with the player, the character should run do the player position if(collision_with_player) { this.run(); }
You can get: the source code or View the demo directly.It all comes down to preferences. While there are Redis users who are familiar with the Redis command line interface (CLI) and rely on it to inspect, visualize and perform manual updates, there are those who prefer to using a Graphical User Interface (GUI) to achieve that. There are several Redis GUIs available, for different platforms, and in this article I’ll try to review a few of them.
Important: Before using any of these tools in production, keep in mind that some GUIs rely on the (“evil”) KEYS command. Should you have a large database, your Redis server might freeze and cause issues in your production applications.
Redsmin: My Go-To-Tool for the Cloud (and Below)
https://redsmin.com/
I’m starting off with Redsmin – my personal favorite. It mixes perfectly my on-the-go needs with a sane and objective way to work with my databases. It is a different kind of offering as it is a web based service that offers not only a GUI for inspecting your Redis data, but also monitoring and runtime server reconfiguration. Redsmin provides several plans, including a free one that can be used to evaluate a small dataset (up to 100,000 keys). Since redsmin is a hosted service, connection to your Redis server can be done directly over the internet, optionally SSL authenticated and encrypted, or by using a proxy service that you run on your servers that exposes your Redis instances to Redsmin in a secure way.
Redsmin has plenty of extra features, such as slowlog inspection, a list of currently connected clients that allows you to disconnect them, a multi keys editor for batch operations and great search features. With plans starting as low as 5,99€/mo, you can lift all limitations and connect to multiple Redis instances.
Pros: the most extensive features set, ease of use, no install
Cons: requires an internet connect, anything else contact Redsmin’s awesome support.
Redis Commander: A Free Node.js Powerful Choice
https://www.npmjs.org/package/redis-commander
Redis Commander is a Node.js web application that can be used to view, edit and manage your Redis databases from the comfort of your browser. It allows you to directly manipulate all of Redis’ data types. It’s freely available (although it doesn’t specify under which license) and can be easily installed via npm, provided you have a working node.js installation.
Like most Redis GUIs, Redis Commander allows you to connect to multiple database and Redis server instances simultaneously. Besides having an editor, Redis Commander also includes a terminal with auto completion (for both commands and keys), documentation and import/export functionality.
Redis Commander does require direct access to your Redis servers, but you can get around that by running it directly in your Redis servers so you can access it remotely without having to expose your Redis server over the internet.
Pros: it’s free, powerful, in your browser and runs wherever Node.js is.
Cons: requires direct connectivity, only runs where Node.js is.
Redis Desktop Manager: Cross-Platform, Pure Desktop GUI
https://redisdesktop.com/
Redis Desktop Manager is a cross-platform desktop Redis client, available for Windows, MacOSX and Linux desktops. It’s freely available under the MIT LGPL license.
Like most other Redis GUIs, it allows you to connect simultaneously to multiple Redis databases or instances, inspect and modify your data and use an interactive terminal. You can also search for keys across multiple databases and view a system console which logs all Redis commands.
However. One unique feature of Redis Desktop Manager is that it allows you to establish connections via SSH tunnels, enabling secure connections to remote servers.
Pros: free, dead simple installation, runs on the desktop, SSH tunneling a breeze
Cons: if you’re comfortable using a desktop GUI, there are none. Update: there seems to be a minor issue with OpenGL under a VM that’s fixable as instructed here (hat tip: Adam Christie).
Induction: You Can Guess By the Name That It’s for Mac OS X
https://inductionapp.com/
UPDATE: the project has been discontinued.
Induction is a Mac OS X database client. It’s not Redis specific as it also supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite and MongoDB, and therefore isn’t the the most complete Redis GUI. Nevertheless, it allows to inspect and query your Redis database. Similarly to other Redis clients, it requires a direct connection to your server.
The alpha version is free available under an open source license.
Pros: An holistic view on polyglot persistency
Cons: limited Redis-specific functionality, MacOS-specific
redis-browser: The Runner Up
https://github.com/monterail/redis-browser
This web-based explorer view of your Redis database is delivered as a Ruby gem. It is the youngest of the tools in this review and probably the simplest. Simplicity, however, is sometime a virtue, especially when you need a no-frills, dead-simple GUI. Give it a shot and encourage @Monterail to keep up the good work!
Conclusion
There are several other Redis GUI alternatives that are available, both for the desktop and ones that are web-based, with similar characteristics to the ones shown here. The ones highlighted here are the most popular and actively developed, but YMMV. They were picked as examples to allow developers that are less CLI-savvy to gain insight into their Redis databases and quickly perform some updates. If you have other favorites tell me – I’m highly available 🙂“For me, discovering this fandom was pretty much like getting kidnapped by a dragon. I didn’t expect being inducted into this world to be anywhere near as strange, wonderful or overwhelming as it has been.” – Misha Collins, in Fan Phenomena: Supernatural
We sat down for a chat with Misha Collins at the recent VegasCon. Misha wrote a chapter for our new book, Fan Phenomena: Supernatural, in which he talks about his experience joining the SPN Family and the way it changed his life, just as it has changed the lives of so many fans.
Misha had just directed his first episode, so that was foremost on our minds.
Lynn: So, directing….You’ve directed a film, you’ve directed an episode of Supernatural [which, in our humble opinions, was awesome] – do you have the bug now?
Misha: (smiling rather adorably) Yes. Yeah, I do, I enjoy it a lot. It’s challenging, it works all aspects of your brain, you have to be attentive and with it every moment of every day, which is not the case – (at this point, he leans over and dramatically stage whispers) This is a secret – is not the case with acting.
Kathy and Lynn: (laughing)
Lynn: I’ve been on enough sets to know that.
Misha: Yeah, you can dick around all day – so yes. I think it’s a measure of success for me that I did not want to crawl into a cave and never come out when we were done with production. I felt like, I would like to do that again. I had a couple of days that were really challenging…
Kathy: Like your coworkers throwing pies in your face…
Misha: (laughing) And I had a hard time sleeping a couple of nights, but in the end, on balance, I liked it.
Lynn: I had a feeling you would.
Misha: Yeah, it was fun.
Lynn: And you’re a published author again – our new book comes out in April, with the chapter you wrote in it. Congrats!
Misha: (beams)
Kathy: You wrote about harnessing the power of fandom with Random Acts in that chapter. What’s going on with RA? The new education initiative is exciting. Everything good?
“It became apparent fairly quickly that there was tremendous creative potential in Supernatural fandom. It was astonishing to me how talented and hard working people were….I started Random Acts with the ambition of harnessing those resources to playful, productive and compassionate ends.” – Misha Collins, in Fan Phenomena: Supernatural
Misha: Yeah, I think it’s finding its feet, you know? We had to go through a year and a half of reorganizing and sort of building it on a corporate foundational level but now we’re sort of figuring out what works and what doesn’t, how we can do things better, and we feel — for what we want to accomplish — well funded, and it’s kinda cool.
Kathy: Is the new education thing only K – 12?
Misha: Yes, it’s exclusive of higher education. Why we arbitrarily cut off the college campus, I don’t know…
Kathy and Lynn: [who are both university professors] Eh, we’re not important…
Misha: (laughing)
Our interviews are well known for veering off the beaten path, and Misha is known for that too (if you’ve read our interviews with Misha in Fangasm: Supernatural Fangirls, you know just how true that statement is!). So it’s not surprising that we talked a bit about what is often the elephant in the room at conventions or interviews. While Supernatural’s own Dean and Castiel just won Zimbio’s 2014 TV Couples March Madness, and half of Tumblr on any given day seems devoted to that particular pairing (known as Destiel), nevertheless there remains a taboo around talking about it.
Of course, we’ve written several books devoted to talking about things people outside fandom don’t think we should be talking about – or even doing! (Passion for something as “silly” as a television show called Supernatural; daring to be real in the supportive community that is fandom; celebrating the creativity of fanfiction, fanvids, fanart; spending our hard-earned cash on conventions and photo-ops; openly appreciating Misha’s blue eyes or Jared’s amazing hair or Jensen’s biceps….)
We wrote Fangasm because we didn’t want to be ashamed of being fans – we wanted to celebrate it! And we didn’t want anyone else to be ashamed either. Our new book, Fan Phenomena: Supernatural celebrates the Show and the fandom, in all its wonderful diversity, from multiple perspectives – including Misha’s.
“People like to imagine that I’m like the character I play on TV, or that I’m secretly screwing Jensen in my trailer…” – Misha Collins, in Fan Phenomena: Supernatural
Last weekend the Organization for Transformative Works hosted an online conversation about the “Future of Fanworks.” Guests included Sleepy Hollow star and self-professed ‘fangirl’ Orlando Jones. (He’s also a fan of Supernatural and a bit of a fandom scholar himself – in fact, we’d love to send him some of our books. And who doesn’t want the fictional but oh-so-wonderful collaboration with Robbie Thompson, spinoff “SuperSleepy”, to come true?) Orlando, like Misha, tends to talk about lots of things that aren’t usually talked about. He responded to a question posted in the chat room, saying “I admit to some confusion about the whole Destiel thing in terms of why it upsets some people. As an occasional fan of the show the potential that Dean and Cas share a deep bond (romantic or otherwise) seems cool to me. I am mindful of my own biases but it never occurred to me that this is even a problem and it confuses me when people take offense.”
Some of that offense that Jones mentioned is from non-shipping corners of fandom, or from corners with different ships. Some is around accusations of ‘queer baiting’ about innuendo not followed up in canon. In this season, which has been so emotionally draining for fans, emotions have run high about where we all desperately want the Show to go. We’ve written a great deal about ‘wank’ in fandom – with great passion also comes an intense desire to see the things that are most important to us, as fans, play out on our television screens. Of course, that’s different for each of us! And that can lead to some pretty passionate disagreements. Considering that our books are all about challenging fan shame, including the shame fans feel about fanworks and shipping and slash — and are all about validating fandom in all its glorious diversity — we touched on the subject too.
Lynn: You’re the only one who’s been comfortable getting onstage and talking about Destiel. It seemed to mean a lot to many fans, just that you were willing to talk about it.
Misha: Is that true? Really, other people don’t talk about it?
Kathy: They don’t. And when you did talk about it last fall at a convention, there were some people behind us who were very vocal that they didn’t want you to.
Lynn: Which I’m sure you know. It’s sort of like the thing that dare not speak its name (which has been the case with slash of any kind, at least until recently). Are you still feeling comfortable?
Misha: Well, I don’t feel entirely comfortable talking about it – it’s not something I feel like I can get up onstage and just sort of ruminate about, because virtually everything you say for some reason in this particular field seems to offend some faction or another.
Lynn: Well, because they sometimes seem mutually exclusive…
Misha: So when you say comfortable, no is the answer, because I feel like I have to parse my words very carefully on the subject so as not to be inflammatory or dismissive or whatever. So for me that is the discomfort, it’s not stemming from my personal reaction to the phenomenon or the material, it’s a matter of me wanting to tread lightly.
Lynn: It’s tough because it’s so polarizing and yet at the same time, so important to many fans. And if you make a misstep and say something that sounds dismissive or shaming…
Misha: Right, right. I actually mis-used the term lip service when talking about the writers and I didn’t mean that (but I said it). I meant they pay homage, they reference it, but for some reason I said pay lip service, which is not what I meant, and I got bashed — maybe rightly so — for that. But I don’t like the characterization of teasing around Destiel or around any kind of homoerotic subtext that might appear around the brothers or whatever as queer baiting. I think that that’s really unfair. Because I don’t think that – well, first of all that’s sort of a new and strange term to me, but I don’t think that’s what’s going on. I also don’t think that same kind of aspersion would be cast toward someone who is teasing a heterosexual relationship, like the tension that builds between two male and female series regular characters on any given show that’s never consummated. I understand where they’re coming from, but I don’t think it’s a fair characterization either.
Lynn: I think it’s confusing on Supernatural, because there have always been sort of nudge-nudge-wink-winks about Wincest, but there was never any possibility that the CW was going to toss the brothers into bed.
Misha: (laughing) Right.
Lynn: But the same nudge-nudge-wink-wink formula for Destiel didn’t work in the same way, because that could be a canon possibility. I don’t think anyone thought about that consciously when they were teasing that same dynamic.
Misha: I don’t think so either. I don’t think they thought about it. And frankly, I don’t think they talk about it that much either, it’s a thing that operates almost unconsciously for everybody involved in the process — writers, actors, everybody. It’s a very subtly – it’s a nuanced dynamic.
Kathy and Lynn: (are nodding)
Misha. And of course when you’re saying Wincest versus Destiel, I think that it probably makes it a little more compelling of a storyline if it’s something that one can imagine IS imaginable whereas it’s something that we know is just a fantasy. Wincest fans had to know that that was just a fantasy.
Lynn and Kathy: (are nodding)
Misha: Like, this is just our fantasy, it’s not something that’s ever going to happen.
Kathy: Yes, it made for a very different dynamic, because Wincest was just for fanworks, whereas this is canon possibility technically.
Misha: Right. But yeah, it’s interesting. So then people like me addressing it gives it a little more gravitas or makes it feel more possibly accessible and then that …. (throws up hands and looks distressed) That probably makes me an even bigger queer baiter than ever…
Lynn: But having no discussion isn’t good either. It’s what we wrote Fangasm about – challenging that sense of shame that comes with being a fan sometimes, for all kinds of reasons, and isn’t good for anyone.
“We have all absorbed these cultural norms for behavior, and there’s an interesting kind of discomfort when you don’t do what you’re “supposed to do” in a given situation.” – Misha Collins, Fan Phenomena: Supernatural
We brought some copies of Fangasm: Supernatural Fangirls for Misha to sign for a charity donation, which he generously did.
Lynn: It’s for a vampire ball that benefits Random Acts.
Misha: Oh, cool.
We’ve been honored to donate copies of Fangasm to a variety of charities (and actually have it bring in some decent donations). Misha was very sweet about it.
Misha: That’s awesome.
He even listened to our interview about Supernatural and Fangasm on NPR, which sort of totally made our day.
Misha: Yeah, I did. Congratulations.
Kathy and Lynn: Thank you! And thanks for the chapter you wrote for the new book.
Misha: Of course!
Kathy: That one comes out in April, so we’ll keep you posted.
Misha: (laughing) Wow! You’re bangin’ ‘em out!
Hey, what can we say? This Show inspires us!
We hope you’re looking forward to Fan Phenomena: Supernatural too – we wanted it to be a book celebrating Supernatural, from multiple perspectives. Fans wrote chapters about how much the Show means to them. Actors wrote about what the Show has meant to them too — Misha wrote about discovering the power of fandom. Richard Speight wrote about his journey from con virgin to convention king of karaoke. Cinematographer Serge Ladouceur took us behind the camera to share the secrets to making Supernatural look like a feature film. Jules Wilkinson, admin of the SuperWiki, wrote about the online love affair of Supernatural and fandom. Fan vidder Ash48 wrote about the motivation behind her incredible vids and helped us celebrate the creativity of fandom. Academics wrote chapters about their love for the Show and dissected its meaning. And we wrote about what Supernatural has meant to us, over the course of our eight years of researching the Show and being happily immersed in its fandom. We hope you enjoy hearing the diverse viewpoints and perspectives, as well as the passion for the Show that shines through in every single chapter. When it comes right down to it, we’re all SPNFamily.
“And I think, in a nutshell, that feeling of community is what makes fandom so powerful.” – Misha Collins, in Fan Phenomena: Supernatural
We think so too.
You can order Fangasm and Fan Phenomena: Supernatural from the links at the top of the page.
And here’s the link for the Eternal Nights Vampire Ball benefitting Random Acts – http://www.erispublishing.com/eternal_nights_vampire_ball__night_of_fear_festival
Stay tuned for more from VegasCon, including our chat with ghosthunter Chad Lindberg (which maybe scared Lynn a little, because….GHOSTS! Where are the Winchesters??)By Whatsupic with AFP
The Takfiri group's office is operating from Al-Bab, a town in Aleppo province of northern Syria, for “single women and widows who would like to marry ISIS terrorists”, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The Britain-based monitoring group, citing residents, said interested parties were being asked to provide their names and addresses, “and ISIS terrorists will come knocking at their door and officially ask for marriage”.
The ISIS has also expanded into tourism, taking terrorists on honeymoons and civilians to visit other parts of its “caliphate”.
Running twice-weekly tours from Syria's Raqa to Iraq's Anbar, ISIS buses fly the group's black flag and play Takfiri songs throughout the journey.
ISIS proclaimed a “caliphate” last month straddling the two neighbouring Arab states.
The group has been accused of responsibility for a number of atrocities, including mass kidnappings and killings, stonings and crucifixions.
During its conquest of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, ISIS fighters looted more than 500 billion Iraqi Dinar, worth about $420 million (308 million euros) at current exchange rates.
ISIS is a rebel army composed of radical jihadists that calls itself the "Islamic State of Iraq and greater Syria." Its aim is to establish a theocratic caliphate in the region.
Iraqi officials estimate that the group now has about $2 billion in its war chest. What remains controversial is where the bulk of its money comes from.
Iraqi government accuses Saudi Arabia of supporting the ISIS jihadis. Earlier Iraqi Premier Nouri al-Maliki said "we hold Saudi Arabia responsible" for the financial and moral support given to ISIS. The USA, which is Saudi Arabia’s most important ally, has accepted the Iraqi Premier’s accusation.
As ISIS takes over town after town in Iraq, they are acquiring money and supplies including American made vehicles, arms, and ammunition. The group reportedly scored $430 million when they looted the main bank in Mosul. They reportedly now have a stream of steady income sources, including from selling oil in the Northern Syrian regions they control.
But in the years they were getting started, a key component of ISIS’s support came from wealthy individuals in the Persian Gulf States of Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Sometimes the support came with the tacit nod of approval from those regimes; often, it took advantage of poor money laundering protections in those states, according to officials, experts, and leaders of the Syrian opposition, which is fighting ISIS.Patients want to trust their provider to not make mistakes and to not lie to them. Unfortunately, when it comes to guns, medical organizations have not been living up to that expectation. Medical associations have been insinuating an anti-gun political agenda into the patient-doctor relationship for decades. Patients are routinely being asked about gun ownership. Worse, many physicians commit boundary violations by pressing anti-gun messages on patients.
Frankly, medicine has an institutional bias against guns. To counter this, DRGO has launched 2Adoc.com, a referral service that will connect patients with healthcare providers who respect their second amendment rights and who won’t engage in anti-gun activism in the patient exam room.
In February of 2017, the 11th circuit court struck down key provisions of Florida’s Firearm Owners’ Privacy Act in the Wollschlaeger vs. Governor of Florida case (commonly termed “Docs vs. Glocks”). That ruling gives uninformed and anti-gun doctors legal cover to abuse the doctor-patient relationship to further a political agenda.
This was an unfortunate conclusion to a nearly decade-long saga. In 2010, Amber Ullman and her daughter were terminated from their pediatrician’s practice for refusing to tell the pediatrician whether she had a gun in her home on the grounds of privacy. Many other such instances had occurred, leading to the creation of Florida’s Firearm Owners’ Privacy Act.
This issue is a continuing nationwide problem. The case of my 90 year old, bed-ridden mother-in-law who lives in a nursing home in Los Angeles illustrates the extent of the problem: Just recently, she was taken to an off-site specialist consultation. The paperwork my wife had to fill out included questions about the presence of firearms in the home.
Personally, I would prefer that there are firearms in the nursing home where my mother-in-law stays. The patients and and their caretakers are vulnerable soft targets. That aside, what in the name of all that is sane does the question about firearms ownership have to do with an evaluation of a feeding tube in a 90 year old, non-ambulatory nursing home resident? That question is absolutely irrelevant to her care and not warranted by her history and clinical picture.
As demonstrated in a recent study from Jane Garbutt, MB published in the Journal of Pediatrics, a physician’s opinion on non-medical matters can hold a lot of sway with patients. Gun owners are unlikely to follow the advice of physicians who urge them to get rid of their guns. People who are not gun owners (and, thus, less likely aware of concerns over the validity of doctors advising about guns) are more likely to follow their doctors’ advice. The ramification of that happening on a national scale is concerning to those who care about the Bill of Rights.
DRGO believes that a patient’s gun ownership is none of their healthcare provider’s business. Only in exceptional cases, where specific clinical circumstances warrant, should a healthcare provider inquire about gun ownership or discuss any aspects of ownership.
In response to a growing number of inquiries to DRGO for recommendations of healthcare professionals who respect patient privacy and the right to keep and bear arms, DRGO conceived 2Adoc.com as a way to help patients find healthcare providers who respect their constitutional rights.
Here, then, is an explanation of how the directory and referral service will work:
What will 2Adoc.com do?
Free of charge to provider and patient, the service will provide, upon request, contact information for providers (in a requested specialty and location) who have signed up for the directory.
Who can/should sign up with 2Adoc.com?
All healthcare providers – allopathic physicians, osteopathic physicians, dentists, chiropractors, psychotherapists, psychologists, counselors, optometrists, pharmacists, nurse practitioners, etc – who respect their patients’s right to privacy and to keep and bear arms are encouraged to sign up.
What benefit does 2Adoc.com bring?
The service will allow patients to find healthcare providers who won’t badger them or penalize them for owning firearms.
The service will allow providers to add patients to their practice.
What will 2Adoc.com not do?
The directory will not be published online or anywhere else.
The service will not verify provider credentials and licensing.
The service will not screen potential patients in any manner.
A full disclaimer is available at 2Adoc.com
DRGO invites all healthcare providers who respect Second Amendment rights to join 2Adoc.com. We hope soon to start connecting patients and providers.
—Arthur Z Przebinda, MD is an imaging specialist in Southern California. He advocates for the Second Amendment in his state and nationally and since 2017 serves as DRGO’s Project Director.
All DRGO articles by Arthur Z. Przebinda, MD.Taika David Waititi ( ();[1] born 16 August 1975) is a New Zealand film director, screenwriter, actor, and comedian. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his 2004 short film Two Cars, One Night.
His feature films Boy (2010) and Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) have each been the top-grossing New Zealand film, with the latter still holding that title as of 2018.[2][3][4] He co-directed the horror comedy film What We Do in the Shadows (2014) with Jemaine Clement, which brought him further critical acclaim and recognition. Waititi later directed the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film Thor: Ragnarok (2017), which received critical acclaim.
Background [ edit ]
Waititi is from the Raukokore area of the East Coast region of the North Island of New Zealand and grew up there and in Wellington,[5] and attended Onslow College for secondary school.[6] His father is Māori of Te Whānau-ā-Apanui and his mother is Jewish (of Russian Jewish heritage).[7][8] Waititi has used his mother's surname, "Cohen", for some of his work in film and writing.[9]
Career [ edit ]
Comedy and acting work [ edit ]
While a drama student at Victoria University of Wellington, Waititi was part of the five-member ensemble So You're a Man, which toured New Zealand and Australia with some success.[10] He was half of the comedy duo The Humourbeasts alongside Jemaine Clement, which received New Zealand's highest comedy accolade, the Billy T Award, in 1999.[11]
Waititi has also acted on screen since early in his career. He won a local film award for his work as one of the students in the successful low-budget Dunedin film Scarfies (1999) and had smaller roles in the road movie Snakeskin (2001) and the TV series The Strip (2002–03). Waititi played Thomas Kalmaku in 2011 superhero film Green Lantern,[12] and took large roles in two of his own films: 2010's Boy, and 2014's What We Do in the Shadows, which he co-directed and co-wrote with Jemaine Clement. He also plays Korg, a Kronan, via motion capture in his 2017 superhero film Thor: Ragnarok.[13]
Filmmaking [ edit ]
Among a variety of |
unemployed now working laborers wages the cost of the Infrastructure catch up is not even 40% of the economic cashflow and increased consumption thus generated becomes more than 140% of the cost and just 40%_ of the federal out of pocket stimulant approval.
Read more at https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/quatitative-easing-limited-effects-in-europe-by-martin-feldstein-2016-01#DoyTwPH5ExYubSGk.99The white 4x4 vehicle owned by widower Laurent Vallier, 42, was retrieved from a pond behind his house in southern Kampong Speu province on Saturday. The family was last seen in September.
"We're still investigating the case. We can't confirm the cause of death," said Keo Pisey, provincial police chief.
An AFP reporter who visited the site saw at least four human skulls laid out on a white sheet next to the muddied vehicle, as well as an open suitcase.
Police officials and the French embassy in Phnom Penh said that it was impossible to immediately identify the victims because of the badly decomposed state of their bodies.
But Chhay Sinarith, director of the interior ministry's internal security department, said they were presumed to be Vallier and his children, aged two to 11, since four of the skulls appeared to be relatively small.
"We are still waiting for the results from the experts," he said.
"Now we are appealing for witnesses who may recognise the clothes and the shoes we found in the car. It's most likely the remains belong to the missing French family."
Chhay Sinarith initially said the bones of two children were found inside a suitcase, but a police officer close to the investigation told AFP that the case was broken and the bones might have drifted in there over time, as the car is thought to have lain submerged for weeks.
Among the dozens of onlookers gathered behind the police tape at the scene was Sar Savi, 42, the mother of Vallier's Cambodian wife, who died in childbirth in 2009. "I am in shock," she said.
Vallier's father-in-law Tith Chhuon, 69, said he believed the Frenchman and the children were murdered. "He would not commit suicide. I know his heart," he said.
Vallier, who according to his relatives worked as a tour guide, is thought to have moved from France to Cambodia around 12 years ago, arriving in Kampong Speu in 2007.Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia issued one of his trademark blistering dissents to the Court’s 6-3 ruling in King v. Burwell, accusing his colleagues of bending to political pressure.
“Words no longer have meaning if an Exchange that is not established by a State is ‘established by the State,’” Scalia writes. “It is hard to come up with a clearer way to limit tax credits to state Exchanges than to use the words ‘established by the State.’ And it is hard to come up with a reason to include the words ‘by the State’ other than the purpose of limiting credits to state Exchanges.”
“Under all the usual rules of interpretation, in short, the Government should lose this case. But normal rules of interpretation seem always to yield to the overriding principle of the present Court: The Affordable Care Act must be saved,” he writes
Scalia points out seven instances in the Affordable Care Act where the words “established by the state” means exactly what it seems to. “It is bad enough for a court to cross out ‘by the State’ once. But seven times?”
“The Act that Congress passed makes tax credits available only on an ‘Exchange established by the State.’” he continues. “This Court, however, concludes that this limitation would prevent the rest of the Act from working as well as hoped. So it rewrites the law to make tax credits available everywhere. We should start calling this law SCOTUScare.”
“[T]he cases will publish forever the discouraging truth that the Supreme Court of the United States favors some laws over others, and is prepared to do whatever it takes to uphold and assist its favorites.”
Scalia ended his opinion simply with the words “I dissent,” rather than the traditional “I respectfully dissent.”
[Image via Supreme Court]
——
>>Follow Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) on Twitter
Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.comI love including numerical calculations in my introductory and advanced physics courses. I find that including coding in the introductory physics course forces students to think in different ways to better understand physics. Numerical calculations are such an integral part of real world physics that it would be wrong to not include them in the intro courses. And at this point, I think my colleagues have run out of excuses for not including numerical calculations in these classes.
What is a numerical calculation? You might know it by another name—computational physics, numerical models, or even coding in physics. The basic idea is break a problem into many smaller problems. If you want an example, have a look at this older post on the three-body-problem. Although it's usually the easiest to create a numerical calculation with a computer, you could technically do it on paper.
This is the way things work in the "real world." Countless problems beyond the academic setting can only be solved numerically. Beyond physics, you find numerical calculations in chemistry, math, economics, meteorology—you name it. Not only are numerical calculations useful, there are great tools for implementing them into lesson plans. I like python (the programming language, not the snake) because I find it relatively easy to learn and it does all the important stuff. Even better, you can run python on your phone.
I introduce students to numerical calculations by instructing them to create their own code to solve a problem. Let me share with you what happens next.
Student Feedback at the Beginning
Picture the scene. I go over the basic principles of numerical calculations and create a program from scratch (probably a model of a mass on a spring). Then students get to make their own numerical calculation, and I don't even make them use python.
At this point, students have many concerns. Some express frustration that physics has turned into a programming course. Of course that's simply not the case, unless you also consider physics is a literature course because it involves reading. Physics draws on skills from many fields (math, communications, drawing), which is one reason physics is awesome.
Other students deflect their anxiety into another issue like claiming they are a Mac person or a PC person, but python is platform agnostic (another thing that makes it great). Some students are simply afraid. They find the task too daunting and think they'll never make progress. A few are too ambitious and want to begin with entirely too complex a program.
Sometime Later, While Working on Projects
Once students get started on their coding project (and past their initial fears), things start getting better but not perfect. Many students fall back on their tendency to start with a Google search. This isn't bad in of itself, but it can lead students to try using code they don't fully understand. I find it far better to start with a simple problem that a student could have complete mastery over.
The other big issue I see is that students find problems with vectors and scalars. This comes up more often than coding errors. What happens is a student will calculate the gravitational force on a planet due to a star, but find the scalar value of this force. When the student tries adding a scalar to a vector to update the planet's momentum, the program doesn't work. I like this because it helps students understand the vector nature of forces.
Some students see significant progress with their project during this phase They not only get something working like a moon orbiting a planet, but they can also show that momentum is conserved. Better yet, students start learning how to graphically show the total momentum in one direction as a function of time (as a graph).
Near the End of the Project
I find this to be the best part of the semester. I know students have trouble starting numerical calculations, but I find watching them progress rewarding (for them, and for me). Of course they still experience some problems. I often find that some students with experience in Java (the computer science department has students use Java) write interesting programs. These students tend to make complicated input/output algorithms but often miss the numerical calculation point. In the end, they have a program that calculates something without breaking it into many small steps. Don't worry, I let them fix their programs until they get something they are happy with.
But some students start taking things to a higher level. After making a simple falling ball, they want to make a ball bounce off a surface (trickier, but not impossible). Or after making a moon orbit a planet a student might want to add a third object to gravitationally interact with the other two.
All of which is to say I strongly encourage using numerical calculations in class. Any difficulties students experience are worth the increased understanding and skills they get from the lessons. You don't know where to start? No problem. I've started compiling some online material to walk you through a numerical calculation. It's essentially an online course at trinket.io. Yes, it's not quite finished but it should be enough to get you started.Raw content
SECRET PAGE 01 STATE 204905 ORIGIN EUR-12 INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 SS-15 SSO-00 MMO-01 SP-02 A-01 /032 R DRAFTED BY EUR/CAN:CJCLEMENT/JHROUSE,JR.:CLJ APPROVED BY EUR-RDVINE EUR/PP-MR. FEURTH ------------------080369 270023Z /62 O 262145Z AUG 77 FM SECSTATE WASHDC TO AMEMBASSY OTTAWA IMMEDIATE S E C R E T STATE 204905 STADIS/////////////////////////////////// E.O. 11652: GDS TAGS: PGEN, XX SUBJECT: GOALS AND TASKS FOR AMBASSADOR: CANADA REFS: (A) STATE 202267; (B) STATE 204581 1. REFS (A) AND (B) GIVE DETAILS WHICH HAVE GOVERNED PREPARATION HERE OF DRAFT STATEMENTS OF GOALS AND TASKS FOR EACH AMBASSADOR. DRAFT TEXT FOLLOWS BELOW FOR YOUR COMMENT. PLEASE RESPOND ASAP, BUT NOT LATER THAN SEPTEMBER 6 IN ANY EVENT. BEGIN TEXT -- I. SUPPORT CANADIAN UNITY --ACCOMMODATE FEASIBLE CANADIAN REQUESTS FOR U.S. ACTION HELPFUL IN MAINTAINING A UNIFIED CANADA, AND AVOID DESTAB- ILIZING ACTIONS. SECRET SECRET PAGE 02 STATE 204905 --RESIST ATTEMPTS BY OTTAWA AND QUEBEC TO PUBLICLY INVOLVE THE U.S. IN THEIR INTERNAL STRUGGLE. --CONDUCT OUR RELATIONS WITH PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTS AND PUBLICS IN A MANNER THAT TAKES ACCOUNT OF THE PREEMINENCE OF THE CANADIAN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. IN QUEBEC BE CAREFUL TO AVOID AN APPEARANCE OF PREJUDICE FOR OR AGAINST THE NEW TO AVOID AN APPEARANCE OF PREJUDICE FOR OR AGAINST THE NEW GOVERNMENT. --CONTINUE TO STRESS CANADA'S SIGNIFICANT INTERNATIONAL IMPORTANCE AND THE ESSENTIAL EQUALITY OF OUR RELATION- SHIP, AND AVOID CREATING THE IMAGE OF A U.S. PROTECTORATE OVER CANADA. II. ENCOURAGE JOINT COOPERATIVE EFFORTS IN ENERGY, ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC AREAS --SUPPORT ONGOING EFFORTS TO RESOLVE BOUNDARY, FISHERIES AND NON-LIVING RESOURCE ISSUES IN MARITIME BOUNDARY AREAS WITH CANADA, ESPECIALLY THE GULF OF MAINE. --ACTIVELY SUPPORT U.S. EFFORTS TO OBTAIN A CANADIAN OFFER ON FAVORABLE TERMS OF TRANS-CANADA PIPELINE ROUTE FOR ALASKA NATURAL GAS. --ENCOURAGE OTTAWA TO HOLD TO ITS SCHEDULE FOR COMPLETING ENVIRONMENT AND REGULATORY STUDIES ON KITIMAT OIL PIPELINE BY YEAR END. --STRIVE FOR COOPERATION ON OIL SUPPLIES TO NORTHERN TIER, GAS SUPPLIES, PETROCHEMICALS, AND STRATEGIC STORAGE. SECRET SECRET PAGE 03 STATE 204905 --INVESTIGATE POSSIBILITY OF U.S. INVESTMENT IN DEVELOP- MENT OF ATHABASCA TAR SANDS. --EXPLORE POTENTIAL FOR LARGE-SCALE SWAPS OF ELECTRICITY. --INDICATE TO CANADIANS THAT WE ARE PREPARED TO GIVE CANADA NATIONAL TREATMENT IN CASE OF ANY COAL SUPPLY INTERRUPTION, PROVIDED THEY RECIPROCATE ON GAS. --URGE EARLY CANADIAN INVOLVEMENT IN WINTER NAVIGATION ACTIVITIES. --SEEK TO CORRECT CANADIAN MISIMPRESSION THAT THE U.S. HAS BEEN TARDY OR LAX IN SUPPORTING GREAT LAKES ANTI-POLLUTION MEASURES. --PURSUE OPPORTUNITIES FOR INNOVATION AND COLLABORATION IN MARINE POLLUTION CONTROL, OIL SPILL CONTINGENCY PLANNING AND RECIPROCAL ACCESS TO ADEQUATE LIABILITY- COMPENSATION ARRANGEMENTS. --WORK WITH CANADA TO IMPROVE THE INTERFACE AND COMPAT- IBILITY OF THOSE ASPECTS OF OUR ANTI-TRUST LAWS AND PROCEDURES WITH FOREIGN IMPACT; SEEK TO ENSURE THAT EACH GOVERNMENT IS SENSITIVE TO THE CONCERNS OF THE OTHER IN OTHER AREAS OF EXTRATERRITORIAL IMPACT SUCH AS ARAB BOY- COTT LEGISLATION, CUBA TRADE CONTROLS. III. MAINTAIN CLOSE U.S.-CANADIAN COOPERATION ON MULTI- LATERAL ISSUES --EXCEPT WHEN SPECIFIC U.S. INTERESTS MAY NOT BE SERVED, ENCOURAGE CANADIAN INVOLVEMENT IN INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC AND ENERGY ISSUES, MULTILATERAL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS, THE SECRET SECRET PAGE 04 STATE 204905 NORTH-SOUTH DIALOGUE, NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION AND ARMS CONTROL ACTIONS, CSCE PREPARATIONS AND NATO ACTIVITIES. --ON LAW OF THE SEA, SUPPORT U.S. EFFORTS, AS APPROPRIATE, TO GET ACCOMMODATION ON DEEP-SEA MINING. --PROMOTE HIGH-LEVEL COORDINATION ON MULTILATERAL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS QUESTIONS. --PARTICIPATE IN FOLLOW-UP ON SECRETARY BERGLAND'S OVER- TURES TO CANADA FOR AVOIDING CUT-THROAT COMPETITION IN THE INTERNATIONAL GRAIN MARKET AND IN FAVOR OF CONSUMING COUNTRY SHARING IN FUNDING STOCKS. IV. PROTECT U.S. INTERESTS IN BILATERAL AREAS --TAKE AN ACTIVE ROLE IN THE PROTECTION OF U.S. INTERESTS FROM CANADIAN PROJECTS WHICH HAVE TRANS-BOUNDARY ENVIRON- MENTAL IMPACTS SUCH AS POPLAR RIVER, BEAUFORT SEA OIL DRILLING, OKANAGAN-SIMILKAMEEN STUDY, ATIKOKAN AND NANTICOKE GENERATING STATIONS. --KEEP BEFORE CANADIAN PUBLIC IMPLICATIONS FOR THE UNITED STATES OF DEVELOPMENT OF COAL RESOURCES IN THE FLATHEAD RIVER DRAINAGE. --MAKE REPRESENTATIONS ON U.S. INTERESTS, INCLUDING FIRM REQUESTS FOR COMPENSATION WHEN U.S. GATT RIGHTS ARE VIOLATED. --FOLLOW CLOSELY USE OF EXISTING CANADIAN MACHINERY FOR INVESTMENT CONTROL TO MAKE SURE THAT CANADIAN OR THIRD- COUNTRY FIRMS ARE NOT FAVORED OVER U.S. FIRMS ESTABLISHED SECRET SECRET PAGE 05 STATE 204905 IN CANADA IN WAYS CONTRARY TO OECD INVESTMENT GUIDELINES. --MONITOR CLOSELY PROVINCIAL INVESTMENT ATTITUDES AND REGULATIONS. --WORK FOR THE CONTINUATION OF THE MORATORIUM ON DELETION OF COMMERCIALS FROM U.S. TELEVISION SIGNALS USED BY CANADIAN CABLE SYSTEMS. --ENSURE CONSULTATIONS BEFORE CANADIAN CABINET CONSIDERA- TION OF ACTIONS TO PROMOTE CANADIAN PARTICIPATION IN PUBLICATIONS AND FILM SECTORS. --WATCH DEVELOPMENTS IN IMPLEMENTING LEGISLATION THAT COULD LEAD TO CANADIAN CONTROL IN PRIVATE TRANSPORT SECTOR. V. STRENGTHEN THE MILITARY RELATIONSHIP --ASSIST AND ENCOURAGE, WHERE POSSIBLE, EXISTING MOMENTUM IN CANADIAN MODERNIZATION OF DEFENSE EQUIPMENT. --URGE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT TO INCREASE FURTHER ITS DEFENSE EFFORT. --ENCOURAGE CANADA'S SUPPORT OF AND PARTICIPATION IN EFFORTS TO MODERNIZE NORTH AMERICAN AIR DEFENSE. END TEXT. CHRISTOPHER SECRET NNNEISENHOWER TUNNEL — Projects that would ease fist-pounding traffic delays on the Interstate 70 mountain corridor from Denver to the Western Slope are backing up like cars on a Saturday morning during ski season.
And with millions upon millions of dollars in projects awaiting voter approval, Colorado Department of Transportation officials say, those hours-long waits to hit the slopes amid a Denver metro population boom are likely to get worse before they get better.
“You always get what you pay for,” CDOT executive director Shailen Bhatt said Wednesday morning as traffic barreled by just outside the tunnel in Clear Creek County. “What I would say to people is: ‘Right now, everybody in Colorado is paying in an unintelligent way for underinvestment in transportation.’ So you’re sitting in traffic. You’re hitting potholes.”
He added: “When people say, ‘I don’t want to pay more in my taxes,’ what they are really saying is ‘I want to pay more with my time sitting in traffic.’ ”
Proposals to create a tolled express lane on westbound I-70 through Idaho Springs — a sibling to the new, successful lane for eastbound traffic — remain in the planning phase and are expected to be completed next year. But CDOT says it doesn’t have the roughly $70 million needed to pay for that construction right now.
The department also lacks the hundreds of millions of dollars it needs to fix the traffic-choking Floyd Hill, which CDOT just recently began eyeing for improvements sometime around 2020.
And then there’s the estimated $1 billion it would take to drill a new tunnel under the Continental Divide to alleviate congestion in the Eisenhower and Johnson tunnels.
Bhatt said CDOT doesn’t have money in its budget to pay for these projects and that the only way to fund them would be through a ballot initiative — and no such question is before voters this fall. Costs are mounting across Colorado for crisis-level road fixes, and state lawmakers have been unable to find a compromise to pay for upgrades.
CDOT says its efforts to create toll lanes and roads have helped but only pay a fraction of the bill. For example, toll revenue from I-70’s new eastbound express lane only accounts for about 30 percent of its cost.
“There is no way that we can raise revenue any other way,” Bhatt said. “We are going to have a long list of projects that are ready to go to construction when the voters decide they are ready.”
If funding doesn’t come, the projections are grim, as more and more cars each weekend travel the mountain corridor.
“Even 25 years ago, traffic would back up, but it would be for an hour or two,” said Steve Harelson, a CDOT program engineer for the area. “Now, it’s four or five hours. What we’re going to move into is six or eight hours, or 10 hours. And then people just stop going.”
That’s the fear of towns and ski resorts that rely on I-70 for business, said Margaret Bowes, executive director of the I-70 Mountain Corridor Coalition, which consists of 28 local governments, Vail Resorts and other businesses.
U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., on Tuesday toured the Eisenhower Tunnel, where he took stock of its aging infrastructure and efforts to modernize the tunnel’s fire suppression system.
CDOT says it has roughly one close call a month with regard to vehicle fires happening inside the tunnel.
“They are creating a miracle out of the budget they have,” Bennet said of CDOT. “If (President Donald Trump) were serious about this, and I hope that he will be, he could submit tomorrow an infrastructure package to the House of Representatives. … He could get a huge vote from Republicans and Democrats supporting a massive infrastructure bill for this country. That would then pass the Senate and he could stand in the Rose Garden and sign that bill.”
Bennet, standing outside the east entrance to the Eisenhower Tunnel, said politics continue to be a roadblock for Congress and projects such as funding I-70 mountain corridor upgrades.
“Can you imagine what the debate would be in the United States’ Congress today about which of these tunnels they should build first or whether should build one of these tunnels?” Bennet said, barely audible above the roar of tractor trailers rushing by. “Or whether Loveland Pass would do just fine? That would be the attitude.”A Travis County Grand Jury has decided the officer who shot and killed a man that fired at a police helicopter in February 2015 will not face charges.
The grand jury did not indict Officer Luke Serrato for fatally shooting Sawyer Flache, 27, in the early hours of Feb. 8, 2015. Authorities said Flache fired multiple rounds at the Austin Police Department’s helicopter in a southwest Austin neighborhood.
APD said last February that they started receiving calls around 10:30 p.m. Feb. 7, 2015 about a man shooting at streetlights in a neighborhood near Silvermine Drive and SH 71. Police said Flache began firing on the helicopter around 12 a.m. and continued to do so for around 30 minutes before Serrato fatally shot him.
The district attorney’s office said Serrato was one of four SWAT officers who arrived at the scene. Serrato fired the fatal shot when he saw Flache “drop to a knee and take a supported shooting position aiming toward Air1."
The grand jury met for 17 hours and heard from 12 witnesses while considering the case, according to the Travis County District Attorney’s office.
Flache's family released a statement after his shooting and talked with Police Chief Art Acevedo. Acevedo said the department may never know Flache's motive.MOSCOW — In a southern Moscow park, the newest romantic seat, courtesy of Russian officials, is a wooden bench with a back shaped like outstretched angel wings and a curved seat that encourages couples to slide closer together.
On Tuesday, Alyona Safina, 21, who works for the youth branch of Prime Minster Vladimir V. Putin’s United Russia party, scuttled around the park making preparations for an inauguration ceremony for the Bench of Reconciliation. Couples were urged to sit on the bench and work out their differences, as Ms. Safina hung tiny ribbons of white, blue and red, the colors of the Russian flag, around the rim of a nearby fountain.
It was one of many events across Russia for the first Day of Family, Love and Fidelity, a holiday that is the government’s latest attempt to help halt Russia’s population loss.
Last year, as president, Mr. Putin declared 2008 the Year of the Family. On Sept. 12, a holiday called Family Contact Day encouraged Russians to stay home and engage in marital intimacy in the hopes of producing children on Russia Day, nine months later, on June 12.
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The new holiday extends Russia’s promotion of procreation, urging couples not only to have children but also to provide those children with two-parent, stable family lives. It is a sign that the new president, Dmitri A. Medvedev, will continue the move under Mr. Putin to be more active in promoting morality and optimism about Russia’s future.
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According to the Kremlin, the day was the idea of Svetlana Medvedev, the first lady, who has taken a much more public role than Mr. Putin’s wife, Lyudmila.TORONTO — Invited to speak in London, England, last year, Terry Jones, the Florida pastor who gained notoriety for his “International Burn a Koran Day,” never made it because the British government barred him from entering the country for “the public good.”
But with Mr. Jones scheduled to speak in Toronto on Thursday to argue that “Islam is not compatible with Western society,” Canadian immigration officials are saying there is little they can do since they lack similar powers.
A bill currently before Parliament would change that, giving the immigration minister the authority to keep out foreign visitors on the grounds of “public policy considerations.”
But opposition parties have come out against it.
“It’s so vague and all-encompassing, any government for political reasons could almost keep anybody out under ‘public policy considerations,’” Jinny Sims, the NDP immigration critic, said in an interview Tuesday.
“If we’re going to have a criteria for keeping people out, to not allow people access to our country, that criteria needs to be clear, it needs to be specific and we need to see it. It should not be left to the judgment of any minister or any politician.”
[np-related]
Liberal MP Irwin Cotler has opposed the bill for the same reason, among others. He said it does not spell out what factors the minister would consider or what checks and balances would ensure the provision wasn’t abused.
Mr. Jones is scheduled to appear on the lawn of the Ontario legislature at 6 p.m. Thursday to take part in a debate about the anti-Islamic video “Innocence of Muslims,” which sparked demonstrations throughout the Muslim world last month.
It is still uncertain he will be there. Canada Border Services Agency officers could turn him back if they deem him inadmissible under the existing immigration law, which allows them to exclude visitors considered security threats.
“We won’t know that until he attempts to cross the border,” said Allan Einstoss, who is organizing the event. He said Toronto police had phoned Mr. Jones to inform him of Canadian gun laws and ask if he planned on bringing a copy of “Innocence of Muslims.”
The issue of whether the government should have the power to keep out controversial figures has surfaced repeatedly in relation to visits by U.S. neo-Nazis and radical Islamist clerics. An attempt to bar British MP George Galloway in 2009 proved embarrassing for the government and he was eventually let in.
Three years later, the Conservatives are proposing to give the federal immigration minister the power to keep any foreigner out of Canada for up to 36 months for reasons of public policy. The amendment is part of Bill C-43, the Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act.
Alexis Pavlich, press secretary to Jason Kenney, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, said the section would be used sparingly and apply only to those who may pose a risk to Canada. Cases would be “examined on their own merits to provide a carefully reasoned decision.”
“It would allow the government the opportunity to tell these foreign nationals that they are not welcome here and should not travel to Canada,” she said.
She said lobby groups, including those working to advance gay, lesbian and transgendered rights, had pressed the minister in the past to use such powers. And she said the Quebec legislature had demanded the government keep out two Muslim preachers known for promoting backward views of homosexuals and women.
“It is shameful that the NDP and Liberals are opposing the Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act despite the fact that organizations such as the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, the Canadian Police Association, and Victims of Violence strongly support it,” Ms. Pavlich said.
The second reading debate of Bill C-43 ended last week. A vote to refer it to the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration is to take place next week.
Toronto lawyer Mendel Green, who opposes many aspects of the bill because of the impact he fears it will have on immigrants, said he is not against allowing the government to keep potential troublemakers out of Canada.
“But I’d like it done with a committee, to have some sort of semi-judicial strength to the decision making. There should be a committee established of police, the public, the judiciary, that can equitably deal with these circumstances in a rational way.”
National PostNEW YORK – As the presidential race continues to heat up, the news media remain mysteriously uninterested in probing the controversial work of Anthony (Tony) Podesta, the man who could become one of America’s most influential lobbyists if Hillary Clinton wins the election.
Podesta’s brother is John Podesta, chairman of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. John Podesta previously served as White House counselor under the Obama administration and helped to direct President Obama’s 2008 transition into the White House. He is founder of the heavily influential Center for American Progress.
Besides his family ties, Tony Podesta has been a major financial bundler for Clinton’s campaign, raising $268,000 as of July.
Tony’s wife, also a lobbyist, raised $407,000 for the campaign.
One major focus of Tony Podesta’s work has been Ukraine, a policy issue of enormous consequence to U.S. national security.
On June 11, 2012, the Podesta Group registered to lobby for the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine, which has been described in numerous major news media reports as an operation heavily tied to the pro-Russian politician Viktor Yanukovych, who served as president of Ukraine from February 2010 until February 2014.
In February 2014, when Yanukovych rejected a European Union trade agreement and instead favored $15 billion in Russian financing, the Ukrainian leader was faced with mass protests and fled the country for Russia. As a result, the Ukrainian parliament voted to oust him as president.
The Podesta Group has not responded to three Breitbart News requests for comment about the specifics of its activities in lobbying for the Centre beyond the few generalities offered in previous media reports.
Eight months after the Podesta Group took on the Centre as a client, Hillary Clinton on February 4, 2012, met with Yanukovych in Munich, Germany.
The Podesta Group did not respond to a Breitbart News request for information about whether Podesta helped to set up that meeting.
In December 2013, Reuters reported that “among the high-profile lobbyists registered to represent organizations backing Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich’s government are prominent Democratic lobbyist Anthony Podesta and former Republican congressional leaders Vin Weber and Billy Tauzin.”
Reuters found that from 2012 to December 2013, Podesta’s firm was paid $900,000 to do lobby work for the European Centre.
Speaking to the news agency, Podesta described in general terms some of what he said he was his work for the Centre.
Reuters reported:
Podesta said in a phone interview that he and his counterparts at Mercury have been contacting U.S. legislators to argue that approving the pro-Tymoshenko measures would only complicate efforts to improve relations between Ukraine and the West, including the European Union.
Podesta was referring to calls from some in Washington for Ukraine to release from prison the country’s former prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko, an opposition figure who opposes Russian influence and strives for Ukrainian integration into the European Union.
At the time, John Podesta was reentering the White House as counselor. Reuters reported that Podesta “said he had never discussed Ukraine with his brother and will not talk with him about policy matters after he reenters the Obama administration.”
Reuters reported it was unclear who was funding the Centre at the time, with news reports tying it to Yanukovich’s Party of Regions:
The source of the lobbying funds from the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine is unclear. In a filing with the European Union, the group listed its budget for the financial year ending in November as 10,000 euros, or about $14,000 – a fraction of the $1.46 million it paid the Washington lobbyists.
The Centre’s managing director did not reply to two email inquiries. Sources and previous news reports described the group as tied to Yanukovich’s Party of Regions.
In March 2014, after Yanukovich was ousted as president, Bloomberg reported on Podesta’s involvement with the European Centre, including a $510,000 payment to the Podesta Group that year:
The European Centre involved Yanukovych’s government and members of his political party “because they were in the position to deliver on key reforms” needed to integrate Ukraine with Europe, the organization said in a statement to Bloomberg News. “Many of those reforms were initiated under the previous government. We hope that the current government will continue on this track. …
The Podesta Group is the third-biggest U.S. lobby firm by revenue, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The firm received $510,000 from the European group last year, Senate reports show, and Podesta said he still represents the organization.
“We think it’s in the interests of the Ukrainian people and Ukraine to join the EU,” Podesta said in a telephone interview yesterday.
“We’re happy to do anything we can to promote Ukraine’s aspirations to join the EU.”
During the uprising that removed Yanukovych from power in February 2014, the Daily Beast reported anti-Yanukovych protesters also congregated outside Podesta’s DC office to protest his firm’s representation of the Centre.
The Beast stated:
Around 60 Ukrainian protesters from across the United States gathered on February 5th to protest outside the Podesta Group and Mercury/Clark & Weinstock, which are among the largest PR and lobbying firms in America. They sang the Ukrainian national anthem, chanted “Slava Ukraini” (Glory to Ukraine) and held up placards saying, “Podesta Group Takes Blood Money,” “Return Blood Money,” and “Mercury, Stop Supporting the Bloody Regime In Ukraine.”
The two PR firms have been the subject of an extensive investigation by Ukrainian journalist Sergiy Leschenko, who has accused them of acting on behalf of president Viktor Yanukovych and Ukraine’s ruling Party of Regions to advance the government’s interests on the Hill. Leschenko’s reporting echoes a recent investigation by Reuters that found Yanukovych supporters had paid substantial amounts of money to the two firms.
Meanwhile, after Yanukovych’s downfall, Clinton reportedly described the deposed Ukrainian president as a weak leader, but one who at times appeared to value diplomacy. “It surprised everyone when he chose to be closer to Russia,” she added, at a March 2014 speech in Vancouver.
Podesta is not the only high-profile figure with ties to the 2016 presidential candidates to have represented entities close to Yanukovych. Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, was an adviser to Yanukovych’s presidential campaign. The Associated Press reported Manafort worked with a business associate to help the Centre secure Capital Hill lobbying firms, including the Podesta Group.
Much of the media scrutiny following those revelations focused on Manafort while ignoring Podesta’s more significant and longstanding ties to the Centre.
Nature of activities
Writing at the Sunlightfoundation.com in February 2014, Bill Allison spotlighted the Podesta Group’s representation of the Centre as an example of lobbying disclosure requirements that do not apply to groups that are not official political organizations or direct representatives of foreign governments.
Allison noted:
The Foreign Agents Registration Act, or FARA, requires lobbyists for foreign governments and political parties to disclose to the Justice Department detailed information about their activities on behalf of their clients. They have to disclose all contacts with U.S. government officials, any campaign contributions they’ve given, fees they receive from clients and expenses incurred in lobbying. They also have to disclose any “informational materials” (originally called propaganda) disseminated on behalf of their clients. Sunlight has digitized several years of filings under the act in the Foreign Lobbying Influence Tracker.
The ECMU, however, is not a political party. It says its donors are private individuals not connected to the Regions Party; because of that, its lobbyists have the option of registering and disclosing their activities to Congress instead — revealing far less information about their activities.
The Foreign Agents Registration Act was signed into law by Bill Clinton on December 19, 1995.
Uranium One, Russia, Podesta and the Clintons
The Centre is not the only entity represented by Podesta’s firm with questionable ties to Russia.
Podesta Group also represented Uranium One, a uranium company acquired by the Russian government which received approval from Hillary Clinton’s State Department to mine for uranium in the U.S. Podesta was first retained by Uranium One in 2012.
The New York Times bestselling book Clinton Cash by Peter Schweizer documented that money was sent to the Clinton Foundation by persons with interest in the Uranium One deal. The New York Times itself reported Uranium One’s chairman made four donations totaling $2.35 million utilizing his family charity. And Bill Clinton bagged $500,000 for one speech in Moscow from a Russian investment bank the Times described as having “links to the Kremlin that was promoting Uranium One stock.”
An extensive Times piece documented that the Uranium One deal put Russian President Vladimir Putin closer to his longtime “goal of controlling much of the global uranium supply chain.”
Aaron Klein is Breitbart’s Jerusalem bureau chief and senior investigative reporter. He is a New York Times bestselling author and hosts the popular weekend talk radio program, “Aaron Klein Investigative Radio.” Follow him on Twitter @AaronKleinShow. Follow him on Facebook.
With research by Brenda J. Elliott.Jefferson Parish President Mike Yenni insists that many of the allegations against him in a teen sexting scandal are fictional, but he remains apologetic after what he calls his stupid decision to send "off-color" messages to the boy last year.
Yenni spoke to FOX 8 television's Lee Zurik in an exclusive interview Tuesday afternoon (Nov. 22). These passages are transcribed directly from that interview.
Mike Yenni dismisses'seduced by politician' article, Fox 8 reports Embattled Jefferson Parish president says story was written for cash award
Lee Zurik (LZ): WHAT WAS YOUR INTENT?
Mike Yenni (MY): My intent?
LZ: WHEN YOU TEXT HIM?
MY: I can't... I really can't answer it. I mean, it was just... it was a stupid action. It was a stupid action to even get into this form of text messaging. It was something... something that I can't explain why I did it.
The texting scandal first spread on social media after a college student posted an online story about an encounter with a politician he called "Kevin."
LZ: IS THIS ABOUT YOU?
MY: That is a story that was |
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Disclaimer: Snipcademy is supported by your purchases of our recommended products through Amazon Services LLC and the ads posted on our website. All products listed are thoroughly researched, curated and reviewed so that viewers are given the best recommendations. Thank you and happy browsing!ESPN has suspended "SportsCenter" host Jemele Hill for two weeks after she made several tweets that were critical of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and alluded to advertisers potentially boycotting the NFL.
On Oct. 8, Hill posted several tweets about Jones after he said any Cowboys player who "disrespects the flag" will not play, according to KTLA.
"Jerry Jones also has created a problem for his players, specifically the black ones," Hill tweeted. "If they don't kneel, some will see them as sellouts."
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Later tweets from Hill suggested that people not buy Cowboys merchandise or brands which advertise with the Cowboys. She also called for advertisers to reject Jones' statement so the burden is not placed "squarely on the players."
"Just so we're clear: I'm not advocating a NFL boycott. But an unfair burden has been put on players in Dallas & Miami [with] anthem directives," said Hill's final tweet on the subject.
In a statement released Oct. 9, ESPN announced that Hill was suspended following "a second violation" of the station's social media guidelines.
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"She previously acknowledged letting her colleagues and company down with an impulsive tweet," the statement continued. "In the aftermath, all employees were reminded of how individual tweets may reflect negatively on ESPN and that such actions would have consequences. Hence this decision."
Hill's first violation of the network's social media guidelines came in September, when she posted tweets calling President Donald Trump a "white supremacist" and "the most ignorant, offensive president of [her] lifetime."
Hill apologized to ESPN for casting the network in an "unfair light" but stood by her statements against Trump, according to The Washington Post.
That didn't sit well with the White House, causing Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders to tell reporters that Hill's tweets were a "fireable" offense.
After her suspension, Trump personally attacked Hill on Twitter.
"With Jemele Hill at the mike, it is no wonder ESPN ratings have 'tanked,' in fact, tanked so badly it is the talk of the industry!" he tweeted.
CNN Money reports that ESPN had 90 million subscribers as of September 2016. The network's high-water mark for subscribers was 100 million in 2010.
Trump had previously applauded Jones for his decision requiring players to stand for the national anthem.
"A big salute to Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, who will BENCH players who disrespect out Flag. 'Stand for Anthem or sit for game!'" Trump tweeted.
Sources: KTLA, CNN Money, Donald Trump/Twitter, Jemele Hill/Twitter (2) The Washington Post, ESPN PR/Twitter / Featured Image: Algorhythm Labs/Flickr / Embedded Images: Rob Poetsch/Flickr, Robin Marchant/Getty Images for ESPN via KTLAFinal Four 2017 Media Day
Gonzaga's Nigel Williams-Goss answers questions at media day for the Final Four on Thursday, Mach 30, 2017 at the University of Phoenix Stadium.
(Sean Meagher/The Oregonian)
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- There is no doubt that Silas Melson and Nigel Williams-Goss exude home-state pride.
As the pair of talented Gonzaga guards worked to help the Bulldogs reach their first NCAA Tournament Final Four, they cheered on the Oregon Ducks from afar as UO reached its first Final Four since 1939.
"I've said if for whatever wacky reason we didn't win the national championship, I would love to see Oregon do it," Williams-Goss said Thursday. "Just because it's good for West Coast basketball."
Said Melson: "That's my state. To have my school and my state represented in the Final Four is very impressive."
But when both were high school recruits, there also was no doubt to them that their best college opportunities laid beyond Oregon's borders.
Melson, a Jefferson High School graduate who played with UO's Jordan Bell during AAU, picked Gonzaga in 2014. Oregon's interest picked up after he'd verbally committed to coach Mark Few, a Creswell native and University of Oregon grad, but his commitment didn't waver.
Williams-Goss grew up in Portland and Happy Valley before playing in high school at Nevada's Findlay Prep. He chose Washington in 2015 and ultimately transferred after two seasons and sat out last year. This winter, he became a national player of the year candidate after averaging 16.7 points per game. Together, they helped Gonzaga earn a No. 1 NCAA tournament seed.
Nigel Williams-Goss: From Portland basketball prodigy to Gonzaga star Nigel Williams-Goss' basketball roots wind back to Portland and his middle school days, when he, his father and his coach laid the foundation for his future.
By seeking their opportunities elsewhere, he and Melson were not exceptions, but the rule. Homegrown stars such as Jefferson's Aaron Miles, Lake Oswego's Kevin Love, South Medford's Kyle Singler all were past high-profile examples of those to commit to established out-of-state powers before becoming decorated collegiate stars.
But with Oregon having played in at least the Elite Eight in consecutive seasons while winning back-to-back Pac-12 titles, Melson and UO freshman guard Payton Pritchard believe future top in-state recruits might not opt to leave the state should Oregon continue to rub elbows with the country's most successful programs.
"A lot of high schoolers would love to play in-state but if you're asking a guy like me, that didn't have any contribution of where I wanted to go play basketball," said Melson, who is averaging 7.3 points as a reserve, including a West Coast Conference-leading 49.1 percent shooting from three. "It was just where my best future would be at and Gonzaga was the place. To answer your question, a lot of in-state players would love to play for an in-state school and represent their state so it would be ideal for people to start going there more.
One who did is Pritchard. The West Linn prodigy initially committed to Oklahoma, where his mother and father attended, while Oregon was recovering from the fallout of three players dismissed from school after accusations of rape.
"Oregon was in a rough stage," Pritchard said. "Oregon showed growth and I really wanted to stay home and play for the Ducks."
Pritchard hopes Oregon's success this season, and his role in it, might set off a run of stars staying home.
"I want to go back and be someone so many young kids can look up to," Pritchard said. "Someone who came through the high school system at Oregon and played at Oregon and hopefully more high schoolers who are talented can join us here."
Gonzaga plays South Carolina in a national semifinal Saturday at 3 p.m. PT, with Oregon facing North Carolina at 5:49.
-- Andrew Greif
agreif@oregonian.com
@andrewgreifKoei Tecmo has revealed new details and gameplay for their upcoming Attack on Titan game.
Featured above, you can enjoy a new trailer for the game. The new details encapsulate Eren’s Titan form:
Following the plot-twisting events of the hugely successful anime series Attack on Titan, players will be able to take control of protagonist Eren’s powerful Titan form and get up close and personal with the eerily human-like creatures! Transforming into this titanic beast replaces Eren’s ODM gear and blades with fists.
The new gameplay trailer showcasing the newly-revealed feature’s unique play-style! This action-packed new trailer features Eren’s explosive transformation, as well as the game’s main playable characters, and focuses on the fast-paced battles, towering Titans, and claustrophobic atmosphere of Attack on Titan. A variety of new screenshots were also released today, showcasing a selection of the stages where players will fight against the Titans; from the evacuated streets of the Stohess District to the open plains outside of the walls!
There’s also some new gameplay:
Attack on Titan is set to launch on August 26th in Europe and on August 30th in North America for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, PC, and PS Vita. The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game are the only retail copies to be made available.What is WhatsApp Messenger?
WhatsApp is a messaging application for mobile phones and computers that is widely used in the world for text, audio, video and picture messages. The app is available on many platforms including Android, Windows and iOS. This app can be downloaded for free for the first year, and then you will be charged 0.99 US$ per year. Now, the WhatsApp Messenger has been owned by Facebook.
What is WhatSim from WhatsApp?
The WhatSim is not from the WhatsApp or Facebook. The SIM is being offered from Zeromobile which is an Italian company, and Manuel Zanella is behind this unique idea who is founder and CEO of Zeromobile.
All of us are sick of roaming when we travel across the country or overseas and the SIM companies charge too much for roaming but this problem has been solved by WhatSim. There is all new WhatSim for WhatsApp is available in the market, so anyone can chat on WhatsApp in one of 150 countries without any extra roaming charges. It is said that the WhatSim can automatically changes or switch its network with other 400 carriers available in the roaming area. The WhatSim is worthy when we talk about its services including free text messages, picture messages, audio and video messages. The WhatSim costs €10 for a year that gives you its text, contact and location sharing services for free during that period, while charges for the multimedia messages will vary depending on zones. There are total four zones, and the company has given all charges in the form of credits for different types of multimedia messages in each zones.
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So, there are different rates for credits recharge such as €5 for 1,000 credits, and up to 10,000 credits in €50.But you are allowed to send voice and video messages that are not longer than 10 seconds.
The yearly cost of the WhatSim is also €5 in some countries, and the SIM never expires, but all you need to do is top up your WhatSim once in year whenever you need to use it. You can buy and recharge the WhatSim by using its official website (http://www.whatsim.com/en), and the WhatSim can be shipped to many countries at the time when you place an order. Note that the official website is available only in English and Italian.
The WhatSim does not give you any internet data, so cannot use any other app except WhatsApp when you do not have an internet plan.
WhatSim Price: €10 (€5 in some countries)
Must see : Coolmuster Lab.Fone : Recover your Deleted Contacts from Android PhoneEVER since an incumbent president, Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir, was indicted in 2008 for genocide and other alleged crimes, the pendulum began to swing against the International Criminal Court (ICC), at least in Africa. Some people, especially African leaders, think it biased, since all those so far convicted have been African. Earlier in October a South African deputy minister said his government was planning to leave the court. Kenya’s parliament, nettled by the indictment of the two men later elected president and deputy president for crimes against humanity following a murderously disputed election, has previously called for Kenya to quit too. Uganda’s president has urged African countries to leave en masse.
Even though more than half of the countries in the African Union (AU) are signatories to the ICC statute and were once its keenest backers, the AU has set up a rival court. Under a protocol proposed (but not yet ratified) last year this new court may exempt incumbent leaders and senior officials from being charged. That would make it a feeble substitute for the ICC, which aims to try even the loftiest of leaders if they slaughter their people. Bearing in mind the carnage in such places as Rwanda, Darfur and former Yugoslavia, the ICC insists that no one should have impunity.
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But in mid-October the AU called for the ICC to interpret one of its rules in such a way that its case against Kenya’s deputy president, William Ruto, would be weakened and even scuppered; the charges against President Uhuru Kenyatta were dropped last year. South Africa’s government also seems bent on poking the court in the eye by inviting Sudan’s president, Mr Bashir, to attend a China-Africa summit in Johannesburg in December, even though South Africa is bound by international law as a result of its ICC membership to arrest him and send him to The Hague, where he has been indicted for orchestrating mass murder and rape in Darfur. If South Africa welcomes him again, as it did in June, it would be another setback for the court.
Yet the ICC is not giving up, in Africa or elsewhere. For one thing, it is uncertain that South Africa will leave it. President Jacob Zuma has been more equivocal on the matter than his deputy minister. South Africa’s own judges, not to mention its civil society, still intend to meet its government’s obligations to the court. They guess—and doubtless hope—that the government will not in the end risk the damage to the country’s reputation for upholding international law that an exit from the ICC might entail.
The AU’s stand on the Ruto case is complicated, too. It rests on the interpretation of a rule that allows evidence to be taken into account even if the person who originally provided it later withdraws it, as has been the case in Kenya, where a clutch of witnesses have recanted; others have died or disappeared. The ICC’s chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, believes they were all interfered with. The Kenyan government and the AU both say that the court agreed not to apply the rule in Mr Ruto’s case. Not so, says the prosecutor.
Ms Bensouda, a Gambian, is particularly keen to reject the charge that the court is biased against Africans. She notes hopefully that most African governments continue to co-operate with it. In September the court set a precedent when Niger arrested Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi, a Malian jihadist, and sent him to The Hague, where he was charged with the war crime of ordering monuments and shrines in the city of Timbuktu to be sacked.
October’s opening of a full investigation into crimes committed by Russia and Georgia during their war in 2008 lends weight to Ms Bensouda’s assurance that the court is not focused just on Africa. In fact, though her team is investigating crimes in eight African countries—the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, the Ivory Coast, Libya, Mali, Sudan and Uganda—it is also conducting preliminary examinations in Afghanistan (where Americans could in theory be charged), Colombia, Honduras, Iraq (where British soldiers’ conduct is being looked at), Palestine (where Israeli as well as Palestinian behaviour is being scrutinised) and Ukraine. That is hardly an exclusively African tally of wickedness.The woman remained silent out of fear, police said
An elderly woman was allegedly raped by her son at a village in Batala sub division under the Gurdaspur district of Punjab, the police has said.The 70-year-old lodged a complaint with the police on Friday, they added. According to officials, the woman informed that she has four sons and three daughters. She had been living with her bachelor son while her other children were married and lived separately, the police officials said.The woman alleged that her 45-year-old son had been raping her under the influence of liquor for the last two years, they said.She remained silent out of fear that the crime would bring a bad name to the family, the officials said. However, after she narrated her woes to one of her daughters on Friday, her family decided to inform the police. On the basis of her complaint, a case of rape was registered against the accused, who was absconding, the police said.In March, MLB.com named the Braves farm system as the second best in baseball. The Braves have many well-known and documented prospects currently developing in their farm system. Atlanta’s minor league affiliates are littered with top prospects like Ozzie Albies, Dansby Swanson, and Sean Newcomb. While many Braves fans inevitably know all of these players, there is a certain outfielder currently playing for the Rome Braves that Braves fans may soon take notice of, and his name is Ronald Acuna.
Signed as an international free agent out of Venezuela in 2014, Acuna is a toolsy centerfielder that is currently listed as the Braves #22 prospect according to MLB.com. Still only 18 years of age, Acuna has shown some intriguing tools as well as an advanced approach at the plate that could potentially allow him to shoot up prospect lists in the years to come.
Acuna is currently one of the youngest players on the Rome Braves, and despite that he has shown plate discipline well beyond his years. In 128 at bats this year with Rome, Acuna has walked 15 times and stuck out only 20. Those marks are good enough for an 11.7% walk rate and a 15.6% K rate on the season. Acuna has produced in terms of traditional stats as well. As of May 29th he is batting an even.300 on the year with a.389 OBP and a.391 slugging percentage, although his slugging percentage is a step back from his.438 from last year.
Outside of the stats, Acuna grades out well on the eye test. Standing at an even 6 feet and weighing in at 180 pounds, Acuna currently profiles as a centerfielder, but could fill out as he matures and would most likely profile better for a corner outfield spot. MLB.com lists him as an above average runner with a slightly above average arm, meaning he could profile better as either a left or right fielder depending on how his power tool develops. Acuna showed above average power in his first professional season with 22 extra base hits in 55 games, making his isolated power percentage.169. This season Acuna has not been hitting for as much power, registering a.091 ISO, a drastic regression from last season. It should be considered that Acuna just turned 18 this past December, so he still has plenty of time to develop, and players power often takes some time to develop until it translates into games.
Acuna his displayed tools that should get Braves fans excited to see what he can develop into as he matures. He has produced well in every league he’s seen, and is preforming well this season in a league where the average player is almost four years older than him. Much of Acuna’s stock as a prospect hinges on his development in the power department, but the beginning of his professional career has plenty to be excited about already.
Follow @ACAllAmericans for quality, up-to-date sports reporting.Every year is fraught with ups and downs, but 2015 was a milestone year for downs in the technology world. From straightforward hardware blunders to simple errors in judgment that led to high-profile stumbles, it was a banner year for tech fails.
In some cases, some of those fails were so ridiculous you had to laugh, but some — like the recent spate of hoverboard fires — were tragic and dangerous. These are technology's lowest water marks for 2015... stay safe and enjoy the schadenfreude.
See also: The 100 best iPhone apps of all time
Image: FREDERIC J. BROWN, AFP
A hoverboard by any other name
Forget the blatant false advertising of so-called hoverboards. The two-wheeled contraptions that set the individual mobility market — and a few living rooms — ablaze are a major tech fail this year for a host of reasons, the top bring their ability to spontaneously combust. However, the gadgets' flammability wasn't the only reason these wheelie-boards made headlines. Segway is suing the makers of the 2015 holiday season's hottest gift for patent infringement.
And, if that wasn't enough, it's illegal to ride hoverboards on some streets and sidewalks in several countries.
Everything is vulnerable
If it wasn't clear already, 2015 firmly established that any and all digital systems can be hacked. From cars to planes to notorious websites for cheaters, security breaches became a regular staple of tech news, inspiring both individuals and organizations to embrace a more comprehensive approach to digital security and perhaps giving BlackBerry a stay of execution. As the New Year dawns, growing interest in the so-called Internet of Things is overshadowed by an even greater concern about making ALL of our devices connected to the Internet... and potential evildoers.
Image: Time Inc.
VR can't shed its nerdy image
Virtual reality is going to be huge, but if it's ever going to become mainstream technology, it needs to look cool and not dorky. Unfortunately, the first wave of VR headsets are anything but sleek looking; they all look like bulked up ski goggles. Oculus Rift creator Palmer Luckey certainly didn't help make VR any less nerdy when he gave Time the green light to use a picture of him wearing the Rift and levitating above a sandy beach for the Aug. 17 issue's magazine cover. The cover was met with so much disgust at the portrayal of the stereotypical nerd, the Internet immediately got to work photoshopping him and turning him into memes.
Image: KEVIN MAZUR, GETTY IMAGES FOR ROC NATION
Streaming into oblivion
This year should have been a banner one for music streaming— it was anything but. Spotify tried its hand at video, which made about as much noise as Nick Jonas at a Slayer concert. Jay-Z's Tidal was born of artist frustrations no one cares about, ensuring it would be D.O.A. from the first track. Rdio, Songza and Beats Music all saw their bit rates drop to zero. And what should have been the ultimate streaming service, Apple Music, ended up sputtering when people actually encountered the poor UI and its lack of differentiators. You know digital music is having a tough time when vinyl is getting better headlines.
Breaking: Apple's news app isn't so hot
It was supposed to revolutionize the news industry, but by the end of the 2015 Apple News turned out to be just another seldom-used, native operating system news aggregator. Launched in the iOS 9 update, the app was sort of a replacement for Apple's less-than-popular Newsstand. Although Newsstand had an exciting debut several years ago, the outdated skeuomorphic design and tepid engagement from users doomed it pretty early on. Apple News, with its stripped-down design and its smooth Flipboard-esque experience, was supposed to change all that. So far, it hasn't.
Image: MASHABLE COMPOSITE APPLE
Thank your lucky (Twitter) stars
I don't know what's more stupid: Twitter switching from stars to hearts or that people worked themselves into a tizzy about it. Regardless, it happened. Whether you believe in the old adage "no press is bad press" or not, there's no denying Twitter attracted a veritable metric ton of ugly, hateful press. Amazingly, the Twitterverse was so riled up about it that someone almost immediately created a Google Chrome extension that reverts hearts back to stars. The silver lining about this story is the revelation that so many people have their lives sorted and have the time and energy to spend squawking about Twitter graphics. I should be so lucky.
Snapdragon 810 chip was literally too hot
Technically speaking, the Snapdragon 810 was the fastest and most powerful mobile processor Qualcomm released this year. There was just one small problem: It was prone to overheating. The 810 chip's overheating problems were so bad it ruined several smartphones like the HTC One M9 and the LG G Flex 2; many smartphones eventually went with the slightly slower (and cooler) 808 processor instead. It was too late and the damage was already done. If there was any lesson to be learned from the 810, it's that being the most powerful processor on the block doesn't matter as much as it used to.
Image: QUALCOMM
Lenovo gives adware an even worse name
If your future PC doesn't have any bloatware, you can thank Lenovo and its dunderheaded move to not only pre-load PCs with advertising software, but to do it in a way that breaks secure connections. "Superfish" — the name of the software and the California-based company that makes it — became synonymous with all that's wrong with PC bloatware, inspiring both Lenovo and Microsoft to reconsider the previous anything-goes approach to the practice of pre-installing third-party software on Windows machines.
Aaron Sorkin's Steve Jobs film flops big-time
Following the death of Steve Jobs, a glut of books and films were rushed to market in an attempt to capture the man's legacy. None of those post-Jobs attempts failed bigger than the much-hyped film written by Hollywood luminary Aaron Sorkin, directed by veteran lenser Danny Boyle and starring Michael Fassbender as Jobs. On paper, the pairing seemed like a guaranteed hit, especially after Sorkin's successful outing with the film framing the Facebook story, The Social Network. But following the film's release, which Jobs' wife, Laurene Powell tried to block, moviegoers turned their noses up at the project, resulting in one of the biggest box-office bombs of the year. With a production budget of $30 million, the Steve Jobs racked up about $17 million two months after its release.
Seth Rogen (as Steve Wozniak) and Michael Fassbender (as Steve Jobs) in the film 'Steve Jobs.' Image: Universal Pictures
How not to design a wearable
The Puls is the perfect example of why celebrities should not design their own wearables. Designed by Will.i.am, the black wrist-shackle was extremely uncomfortable to wear, the screen was super dim and reflective, and all of the basic smartwatch functions were difficult to get at. AneedA, the voice-controlled assistant, while impressive at times, isn't as intelligent or funny as Apple's Siri.
And don't even get us started on typing on the thing; it's all but impossible. Add on how terrible the battery life on the Puls was and you've got our pick for the worst wearable of the year.
The death of VW diesel
Until September 2015, diesel was considered the eco-friendly driving enthusiast's fuel of choice. That's because it was capable of returning excellent economy while producing fewer emissions than gasoline. Turns out, at least for 11 million Volkswagens worldwide, that wasn't true at all. With emissions testing defeat devices onboard, VW diesels emitted as much as 40 times the legal limit of tailpipe emissions. Later, it was revealed no diesel engine VW has sold in the U.S. since 2009 complies with emissions regulations, enveloping other brands in the VW Group, including Audi and Porsche. While this was undoubtedly bad news for VW diesel drivers and, well, polar bears, it was great news for EV proponents who get to stick another feather in their earth-friendly cap. So, if you're keeping score at home: Dieselgate was bad for VW, good for Elon Musk.
BONUS: iPhone UtilitiesBill Clinton attacked Donald Trump in his speech Friday at the Florida Education Association Delegate Assembly, held in Orlando.
“Why is this such a crazy election?” Clinton asked, delivering rambling, slow remarks for about forty-five minutes. “I mean, it is, isn’t it?”
“We know that there are whole areas of America that have been left out and left behind,” Clinton acknowledged.
“But so has coal country, and most of them are supporting [Hillary’s] opponent because they’ve been told that President Obama and those of us who think something has to be done about climate change are responsible for the loss of those jobs.”
“Even in our own lives, there are reasons to be angry. But answers work better. There are always reasons to be frustrated. But empowerment is the only answer.”
“Conflict is fun in sports,” Clinton said, referring to being in the “empowerment business” instead of the “resentment business.”
“In the last few days, do me a favor,” Clinton said. “Don’t fight fire with fire. These people who are spreading all this division and badmouthing America and badmouthing our future. They’re against immigration reform when that’s the only thing that we got keeping us young right now. Our first-generation Americans. (43:00 Minute Mark In Video Below)
“All these old gray-haired white guys, how do they think our Social Security is going to be paid out and our Medicare is going to get funded?,” Clinton stated.
“We need you. We all need this. Everybody has got a legitimate beef. Sometimes the things that happen are unfair and unjust…What are you going to do about it and how are you going to feel about it?”
“We’ve got to be a tomorrow country again. Can’t do it without a mind,” he said, and a “heart well turned.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTMR3vlcOaoThe broad spectrum herbicide glyphosate is widely used in agriculture worldwide. There has been ongoing controversy regarding the possible adverse effects of glyphosate on the environment and on human health. Reports of neural defects and craniofacial malformations from regions where glyphosate-based herbicides (GBH) are used led us to undertake an embryological approach to explore the effects of low doses of glyphosate in development. Xenopus laevis embryos were incubated with 1/5000 dilutions of a commercial GBH. The treated embryos were highly abnormal with marked alterations in cephalic and neural crest development and shortening of the anterior−posterior (A-P) axis. Alterations on neural crest markers were later correlated with deformities in the cranial cartilages at tadpole stages. Embryos injected with pure glyphosate showed very similar phenotypes. Moreover, GBH produced similar effects in chicken embryos, showing a gradual loss of rhombomere domains, reduction of the optic vesicles, and microcephaly. This suggests that glyphosate itself was responsible for the phenotypes observed, rather than a surfactant or other component of the commercial formulation. A reporter gene assay revealed that GBH treatment increased endogenous retinoic acid (RA) activity in Xenopus embryos and cotreatment with a RA antagonist rescued the teratogenic effects of the GBH. Therefore, we conclude that the phenotypes produced by GBH are mainly a consequence of the increase of endogenous retinoid activity. This is consistent with the decrease of Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling from the embryonic dorsal midline, with the inhibition of otx2 expression and with the disruption of cephalic neural crest development. The direct effect of glyphosate on early mechanisms of morphogenesis in vertebrate embryos opens concerns about the clinical findings from human offspring in populations exposed to GBH in agricultural fields.Game Evolution Dubai event in November with LoL and Dota 2
Dubai gets its own premier eSports event in November, with League of Legends, Dota 2 and CS:GO being the three main titles.
Christoph “malnor” Helbig Malnor is former Editor-in-chief of GosuGamers.net, now a guest editor for Dota 2 and general eSports topics.
If it goes as an Emirati conferences and exhibitions organizer wants it, the eSports world will look to Dubai in November. On two days, five eSports tournaments in League of Legends, Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, FIFA 13 and Super Street Fighter IV will happen at the Dubai World Trade Centre.While LoL, Dota 2 and CS:GO will be played on PCs, the other two games are console games. The event on November 15-16 is called Game Evolution and lures teams from all over the world to Dubai with prize purses of i.e. $60,000 for League of Legends and $40,000 for Dota 2. All tournaments will have four invited teams and 16 open registration slots. Registration starts Friday, March 1.With the early announcement of the tournament, so far there are no collisions with other eSports events known. Joel Michael from INDEX Conferences & Exhibitions has confirmed that "all 20 slots for the 3 games () will be provided with PCs by Game Evolution." There will also be a main stage at the Dubai WTC to present one match at a time to a live audience. This live audience will have to buy visitor tickets which are "sold from a price range of $20 to $70", Michael explains.For the online audience, the organizers are currently still in talks with several live streaming providers. However, the Game Evolution website says "each match will be played in front of millions watching online". Two days for three tournaments with 20 teams each, that's a tight schedule, but eSports enthusiasts and pro teams willing to make the trip, might already start planning their Dubai trip in November.In their 2012 book Marijuana Legalization: What Everyone Needs to Know, Jonathan Caulkins and three other drug policy scholars identify the impact of repealing pot prohibition on alcohol consumption as the most important thing no one knows. Are cannabis and alcohol complements, so that drinking can be expected to increase along with pot smoking? Or are they substitutes, implying that more pot smoking will mean less drinking? For analysts attempting to calculate the costs and benefits of legalizing marijuana, the question matters a lot, because alcohol is considerably more dangerous than marijuana by most measures. If the two products are complements, states that legalize marijuana can expect to see more consumption of both, exacerbating existing health and safety problems. But if the two products are substitutes, legalizing marijuana can alleviate those problems by reducing alcohol consumption.
Reviewing the evidence in the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Montana State University economist D. Mark Anderson and University of Colorado economist Daniel Rees find that "studies based on clearly defined natural experiments generally support the hypothesis that marijuana and alcohol are substitutes." Increasing the drinking age seems to result in more marijuana consumption, for instance, and pot smoking drops off sharply at age 21, "suggesting that young adults treat alcohol and marijuana as substitutes." Another study found that legalizing marijuana for medical use is associated with a drop in beer sales and a decrease in heavy drinking. These results, Anderson and Rees say, "suggest that, as marijuana becomes more available, young adults in Colorado and Washington will respond by drinking less, not more."
That conclusion is consistent with earlier research in which Anderson and Rees found that enacting medical marijuana laws is associated with a 13 percent drop in traffic fatalities. That effect could be due to the fact that marijuana impairs driving ability much less dramatically than alcohol does, although the fact that alcohol is more likely to be consumed outside the home (resulting in more driving under its influence) may play a role as well.
Anderson and Rees also consider the impact of legalization on pot smoking by teenagers. Looking at data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey from 1993 through 2011, they see "little evidence of a relationship between legalizing medical marijuana and the use of marijuana among high school students." Narrowing the focus to California after medical marijuana dispensaries began proliferating, they find "little evidence that marijuana use among Los Angeles high school students increased in the mid-2000s." It actually went down from 2007 and 2009, then rose from 2009 to 2011, but that increase was mirrored in three comparison cities (Boston, Chicago, and Dallas) without dispensaries.
Anderson and Rees note that UCLA drug policy expert Mark Kleiman, who co-wrote Marijuana Legalization and has been advising Washington's cannabis regulators, recently described a worst-case scenario for legalization featuring an increase in heavy drinking, "carnage on our highways," and a "massive" increase in marijuana consumption among teenagers. "Kleiman’s worst-case scenario is possible, but not likely," they conclude. "Based on existing empirical evidence, we expect that the legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado and Washington will lead to increased marijuana consumption coupled with decreased alcohol consumption. As a consequence, these states will experience a reduction in the social harms resulting from alcohol use. While it is more than likely that marijuana produced by state-sanctioned growers will end up in the hands of minors, we predict that overall youth consumption will remain stable. On net, we predict the public-health benefits of legalization to be positive."
I noted Rees and Anderson's research on marijuana legalization and car crashes in Reason last year.Mr. Katari contends that banks have been using temporary loan modifications under the Obama plan as justification to avoid an honest accounting of the mortgage losses still on their books. Only after banks are forced to acknowledge losses and the real estate market absorbs a now pent-up surge of foreclosed properties will housing prices drop to levels at which enough Americans can afford to buy, he argues.
“Then the carpenters can go back to work,” Mr. Katari said. “The roofers can go back to work, and we start building housing again. If this drips out over the next few years, that whole sector of the economy isn’t going to recover.”
The Treasury Department publicly maintains that its program is on track. “The program is meeting its intended goal of providing immediate relief to homeowners across the country,” a department spokeswoman, Meg Reilly, wrote in an e-mail message.
But behind the scenes, Treasury officials appear to have concluded that growing numbers of delinquent borrowers simply lack enough income to afford their homes and must be eased out.
In late November, with scant public disclosure, the Treasury Department started the Foreclosure Alternatives Program, through which it will encourage arrangements that result in distressed borrowers surrendering their homes. The program will pay incentives to mortgage companies that allow homeowners to sell properties for less than they owe on their mortgages — short sales, in real estate parlance. The government will also pay incentives to mortgage companies that allow delinquent borrowers to hand over their deeds in lieu of foreclosing.
Ms. Reilly, the Treasury spokeswoman, said the foreclosure alternatives program did not represent a new policy. “We have said from the start that modifications will not be the solution for all homeowners and will not solve the housing crisis alone,” Ms. Reilly said by e-mail. “This has always been a multi-pronged effort.”
Whatever the merits of its plans, the administration has clearly failed to reverse the foreclosure crisis.
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In 2008, more than 1.7 million homes were “lost” through fore |
sey said. "There is a rapid drop off in participation in the late teenage years and second- team rugby is struggling."
Lewsey's role is to underpin the game from professional down to grass-roots level by introducing new structures aimed at tackling the concerns revealed by his report. He said: "The process has highlighted some fantastic work that is going on, as well as some challenges we face."
His initial task will be to increase participation within schools and the help forge stronger links between schools and local clubs. "[We need to] increase habitual participation, especially within schools and reinforcing the transition into adult club rugby, in addition to combating some of the misconceptions about the game," he said. "Namely that it can truly be a game for both sexes, all shapes and sizes."
© ESPN Sports Media LtdFlu jab may halve heart attack risk: study
S. CREAGH AND P. HUTCHENS, THE CONVERSATION 22 AUG 2013
Image: Nixx Photography/Shutterstock Flu shots can also help minimise the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Receiving the flu vaccine may almost halve the chance of a heart attack for middle-aged people with narrow arteries, a new study by Australian researchers has found.
Heart disease kills and disables more Australians than any other disease.
The authors of the research, published in the journal Heart, suggest policy makers should consider this new evidence in any decisions around extending the age cut-off for vaccination.
People aged between 50 and 64 are not always included in routine vaccination programs in Australia and the UK.
Before the risk of cardiovascular illness was considered, the benefits of including younger age groups into flu vaccine programs had been judged not to be worth the cost.
The authors of the study looked at 559 patients over the age of 40 who were referred to a Sydney hospital during the winter months of 2008 to 2010.
Those who were not vaccinated for flu were almost twice as likely as vaccinated subjects to have a heart attack.
The researchers also found that a recent respiratory infection was more common among those patients who had suffered a heart attack.
“The potential population health impact of influenza vaccination, particularly in the age group 50–64 years, who are at risk for acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) but not targeted for vaccination, should be further explored,” the researchers concluded.
“Our data should inform vaccination policy and cardiologists should be aware of missed opportunities to vaccinate individuals with ischaemic heart disease (coronary heart disease) against influenza.”
Professor Raina MacIntyre, a lead author of the study, said almost 10% of people admitted to hospital with heart attack had flu.
“This suggests that it is a precipitant of a heart attack,” she said.
“Inflammation of any kind makes the blood more prone to clotting.”
Minimising risk
Julie Redfern, Senior Research Fellow, Cardiovascular Division at George Institute for Global Health welcomed the finding.
“Prevention of heart attacks and cardiovascular disease is a national health priority. Improving risk factors and implementing other simple measures aimed at preventing heart attacks and reducing the burden of disease are of great importance,” said Dr Redfern, who was not involved in the study.
“The potential of this study, after further research, that found a benefit of the flu vaccination on heart disease risk is important and could be one strategy that help minimise future heart risk.”
Garry Jennings, Director and CEO, Cardiologist at Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute said the researchers had made a very interesting finding.
“It is not possible to say whether the flu vaccination was protective or whether people who have flu injections have other characteristics that lower their risk of heart attack. There is some support for the latter in that flu itself did not seem to increase the risk but people who had flu vaccination had lower risk,” said Dr Jennings, who was also not involved in the study.
“As the authors point out, this is cause for further investigation, particularly as there are some theoretical links related to inflammation that might have a role in the timing of a heart attack.”John Christopher Reilly (born May 24, 1965[1][2]) is an American actor, comedian, singer, voice actor, screenwriter, and producer. He made his film debut in Brian De Palma's war film Casualties of War (1989). Reilly gained exposure through his supporting roles in Days of Thunder (1990), What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), and The River Wild (1994). He also starred in Paul Thomas Anderson's films, Hard Eight (1996), Boogie Nights (1997) and Magnolia (1999). For his performance in Chicago (2002), Reilly was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the corresponding Golden Globe Award. He worked with director Martin Scorsese on both Gangs of New York (2002) and The Aviator (2004).
In 2007, he starred in the comedy Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, garnering him a Grammy Award nomination and a second Golden Globe Award nomination for the song performed in the film, "Walk Hard". Reilly starred with Will Ferrell and Sacha Baron Cohen in the Adam McKay-directed comedies Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006) and Step Brothers (2008). He voiced the title character in the commercially successful animated film Wreck-It Ralph (2012), and appeared in the superhero film Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), as well as Kong: Skull Island (2017). Since 2010, Reilly has been starring in the television series Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule,[3] playing the titular character that originated on Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!. In 2018 he starred as the comedian Oliver Hardy in the biopic Stan and Ollie.
Reilly performs with his band John Reilly and Friends and worked as a stage actor in True West (2000), for which he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.
Early life and education [ edit ]
Reilly was born in Chicago, Illinois,[2] the fifth of six children.[4] His father was of Irish and Scottish descent, and his mother was of Lithuanian ancestry.[4][5][6] His father ran an industrial linen supply company.[7][8] Reilly has described himself as being mischievous during his childhood, highlighting an event when he was 12 in which he and his friends stole 500 boxes of Sugar Corn Pops from a freight train.[9] Reilly grew-up in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood.[10]
Reilly was raised Roman Catholic[11][12] and attended Brother Rice High School.[13][14] He is an alumnus of DePaul University in Chicago.[4]
Career [ edit ]
Film [ edit ]
1989–2003: Career beginnings and critical acclaim [ edit ]
Reilly made his film debut in the Brian De Palma war film Casualties of War as PFC Herbert Hatcher in 1989.[15][16] Although his role was written as a small one, De Palma liked Reilly's performance so much that the role was significantly expanded.[17] He played Buck, Tom Cruise's character's NASCAR car chief in Tony Scott's Days of Thunder in June 1990.[18] That September, he played an Irish hoodlum named Stevie McGuire in the crime film State of Grace, which starred Sean Penn;[19] Reilly had previously appeared as a monk in the comedy We're No Angels (1989), which also starred Penn.[20] In 1992's Hoffa, Reilly played Jimmy Hoffa's (Jack Nicholson) associate who testifies against him at Hoffa's trial.[21] Reilly appeared in a supporting role in What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), playing one of the titular character's (played by Johnny Depp) friends.[22] His next role was in The River Wild (1994), in which Reilly appeared alongside Kevin Bacon as a pair of criminals who terrorise a family during a rafting trip.[23] In 1995, Reilly appeared in the psychological thriller Dolores Claiborne as a police constable and in the drama Georgia as a drug-addict drummer in the band Jennifer Jason Leigh's character joins.[24][25]
Reilly collaborated with filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson in his directorial debut Hard Eight (1996), playing a man in need of $6,000 to pay for the burial of his mother, who is taken under the wing of experienced gambler Sydney (Philip Baker Hall).[15][26] Reilly further collaborated with Anderson, playing pornographic actor Reed Rothchild in Boogie Nights (1997);[15] deeply religious police officer Jim Kurring, who falls in love with a drug addict in Magnolia (1999);[14][15] and a cameo in the music video for Fiona Apple's single "Across the Universe".[27] Terrence Malick's ensemble war film, The Thin Red Line (1998) featured Reilly in a supporting role that was written as a larger one, but much of his scenes were deleted along with many other cast members.[28] In 1999, Reilly starred in the independent film The Settlement alongside William Fichtner, which Variety writer Robert Koehler dismissed as a "write-off" despite praising his performance.[29] That same year, Reilly was cast in the romantic comedy Never Been Kissed, playing the role of Drew Barrymore's newspaper managing editor.[30] In Sam Raimi's sports drama For Love of the Game, released the same year, Reilly played fictional baseball catcher Gus Sinski.[31]
The box office hit The Perfect Storm was his only release of 2000 and featured Reilly as a veteran crew member on the Andrea Gail fishing vessel which was caught in the 1991 Perfect Storm.[32] In the Jennifer Jason Leigh and Alan Cumming directed comedy The Anniversary Party (2001), he played director Mac Forsyth.[33] His first release of 2002 was Miguel Arteta's comedy-drama The Good Girl, in which Reilly played Jennifer Aniston's character's stoner husband who is treated unfaithfully by his wife with a younger man, played by Jake Gyllenhaal.[34] Later in the year, Reilly appeared in three of the year's Academy Award for Best Picture nominees – Chicago, Gangs of New York and The Hours. In Chicago, he played Amos Hart, Roxanne's (Renée Zellweger) trusting husband and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, as well as the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor.[15][35][36] Zellweger remarked that "John is so often the best thing about the movies he's in" and critic Roger Ebert praised the "pathetic sincere naivete" that Reilly brought to the role.[37][38] Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York featured Reilly as corrupt 19th-century constable "Happy Jack" Mulraney, while Stephen Daldry's drama The Hours saw him play the husband to Julianne Moore's character.[37] Reilly made a brief appearance in the comedy Anger Management (2003) as a monk.[39]
2004–2011: Transition to comedy and continued acclaim [ edit ]
Reilly in February 2007
Reilly appeared in Martin Scorsese's 2004 Howard Hughes biopic, The Aviator, as Noah Dietrich, Howard Hughes' (Leonardo DiCaprio) trusted business partner. Of the role Reilly said, "Noah was almost a father figure to Hughes... Howard would have a scheme, and it was Noah who had to say, 'We don't have the money.' He was one of his few friends."[40] He played the lead role in the crime film Criminal (2004), with Diego Luna and Maggie Gyllenhaal. Based on the Argentine film Nine Queens (2000), Stephen Holden of The New York Times felt that "John C. Reilly may be one of our finer character actors, but his portrayal of Richard Gaddis, a gimlet-eyed con man, in Criminal allows too many vestiges of the duped schlub of a husband he played in Chicago to leak into his performance."[41] Reilly reportedly quit the 2005 Lars von Trier film Manderlay to protest the on-set killing of a donkey.[42] His next role was in the Jennifer Connelly-led horror film Dark Water (2005) as the manager of a mysterious hotel.[43] Reilly co-starred in Adam McKay's comedy about NASCAR drivers entitled Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby in August 2006 as Cal Naughton Jr., the best friend and teammate of the title character, played by Will Ferrell.[14] The film was successful, grossing $163 million worldwide.[44] He appeared in Robert Altman's last film A Prairie Home Companion that same year,[45] in addition to making an uncredited cameo appearance in Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny as a Sasquatch.[46]
Reilly frequently appeared on the sketch comedy program Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! from 2007 to 2010 as inept doctor and television presenter Dr. Steve Brule. The role led to the spin-off series Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule, which has aired since 2010 and is written and produced by Reilly.[47] In 2007, Reilly starred as the title character in parody bio-pic Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, singing various songs, parodying Johnny Cash, Ray Charles and others.[48] He received two Golden Globe nominations, Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and Best Original Song for the film's title song "Walk Hard".[49] The next year, Reilly reunited with Ferrell to star in Step Brothers, playing middle-aged step brothers forced to live together.[50] Also that year, he was among the many notable actors to perform in the online political musical, Proposition 8 – The Musical,[51] voiced himself in The Simpsons episode "Any Given Sundance" and co-starred alongside Seann William Scott in The Promotion.[52][53] In 2009, he played vampire Larten Crepsley in the film Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant and voiced "5" in 9.[54][55] Reilly starred in the 2010 film Cyrus as a divorcé beginning a new relationship.[56] Reilly received a Satellite Award nomination for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and an Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead nomination for his critically acclaimed performance.[57][58]
In early 2011, Reilly collaborated with director Miguel Arteta for a second time with the comedy Cedar Rapids, starring Ed Helms. New York Daily News critic Elizabeth Weizxman considered Reilly a stand out in the film and he received an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male nomination.[59] Reilly co-starred alongside Ezra Miller and Oscar-winner Tilda Swinton in the British-American drama We Need to Talk About Kevin, based on the novel by Lionel Shriver. His character in the film was Franklin, the father of the troubled Kevin;[60] his performance was described as being "heartbreakingly sweet" by Slate critic Dana Stevens.[61] Next, he co-starred in the comedy-drama Terri alongside Jacob Wysocki, playing a school principal who takes an interest in a teenage misfit.[62] His last release of 2011 was Roman Polanski's black comedy-drama Carnage, which takes place mostly in a single apartment. It also starred Oscar-winners Jodie Foster as his wife, and Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz as another married couple who engage in a conflict after their children get into a fight.[63] Reilly was approached to appear in a production of the play it was based on, God of Carnage, but he couldn't fit it into his schedule and remarked "I think I've spent enough time in that apartment".[64]
2012–present: Blockbuster films and other roles [ edit ]
Reilly at the 2012 Comic-Con International in San Diego
Reilly voiced the title character in the 2012 Disney animated film Wreck-It Ralph,[65] which follows an arcade game villain who is determined to prove himself as the hero. Reilly made contributions to the film's script.[66] The film was positively received,[67] with Los Angeles Times writer Betsy Sharkey saying, "The movie's subversive sensibility and old-school/new-school feel are a total kick."[68] Wreck-It Ralph grossed over $471 million and a sequel titled Ralph Breaks the Internet was released in November 2018.[69][70][71] Also that year, Reilly appeared in Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie as the dim-witted Taquito and made an uncredited cameo appearance in the comedy The Dictator, starring Sacha Baron Cohen.[72][73] He had a cameo in the 2013 comedy sequel Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, playing the ghost of Confederate General Stonewall Jackson in the film's fight scene.[74]
In 2014, Reilly narrated the nature documentary Bears.[75] He played Nova Corps corpsman Rhomann Dey in the Marvel Studios film Guardians of the Galaxy, released in August 2014.[76] Reilly began co-starring in the animated television series Stone Quackers on FXX in January 2015.[77] In addition to voicing the inept police officer Barry, Reilly also executive produced the series.[78][77] 2015 saw him appear in five films: the drama Entertainment;[79] Yorgos Lanthimos' comedy-drama The Lobster as Robert, a man with a lisp who is given 45 days to find a romantic partner or otherwise be turned into an animal;[80] the fantasy horror Tale of Tales, in which he played a king who tries to conceive a child with his queen–played by Salma Hayek–through an unconventional method,[81] and the English dub of the Studio Ghibli animated film When Marnie Was There.[82] Reilly also starred in and co-wrote the television special Bagboy, reprising his role as Dr. Steve Brule in a fictional television pilot for a sitcom created by Brule.[83] It aired on February 21, 2015, with Vanity Fair writer Melissa Locker saying "If you get it, the show is knockout hilarious, but truthfully, it is not for everyone and Reilly is O.K. with that."[84]
Reilly voiced a sheep in the ensemble cast of the computer-animated musical comedy Sing, which was released in December 2016.[85] Reilly appeared in the 2017 monster film reboot Kong: Skull Island, as Hank Marlow, a World War II lieutenant who has spent 28 years stranded on the titular island.[86][87] The actor, who described his character as "essentially a love-letter to Chicago", was singled out for praise for his performance out of what is generally considered to be an underwhelming ensemble cast.[88] Film critic Matt Zoller Seitz noted that Reilly "steals the film instantly and never gives it back" in playing the "wisecracking castaway", and Owen Gleiberman praised his performance for being "terrifically dry and sly" in what could have been a cliché character.[89][90]
Reilly co-starred with Steve Coogan in the 2018 biopic Stan & Ollie about the comic double act Laurel and Hardy, with Reilly portraying Oliver Hardy and Coogan Stan Laurel.[91] Also that year, he played hitman Eli Sisters in The Sisters Brothers, based on the Patrick deWitt Western novel, with Joaquin Phoenix co-starring as his brother Charlie, Jacques Audiard directing, and Reilly as a producer.[92] Reilly himself optioned the rights in 2011,[93] and production took place in the summer of 2017.[94] Later in 2018, Reilly played Dr. Watson in a comedic adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Holmes & Watson; Will Ferrell played Holmes.[95]
Music [ edit ]
In 1998, Reilly appeared, along with Giovanni Ribisi and Winona Ryder, as Jon Spencer Blues Explosion in their video "Talk About The Blues".[96] In 2002, he played the role of Amos Hart, Roxie Hart's naïve husband, in the musical film Chicago. In 2006, he performed two songs on Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys: "Fathom the Bowl" and "My Son John".[97] In 2007, Reilly starred in the biopic parody Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. In addition to his acting role, he also performed as a vocalist and songwriter on the movie's soundtrack, for which he was nominated for a Grammy.[98] Reilly went on a concert performance tour in the US, performing as his character Dewey Cox in the Cox Across America 2007 Tour.[99]
In 2011, he recorded songs produced by Jack White and released as two singles by White's Third Man Records. The first single features two The Delmore Brothers songs: "Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar" and "Lonesome Yodel Blues #2", both performed with Tom Brosseau. The second single features Ray Price's "I'll Be There If You Ever Want" as well as the country classic "I'm Making Plans", performed with Becky Stark.[100] He also appeared as "future Mike D" in the Beastie Boys' video "Make Some Noise."[101] In 2012, his current band, John Reilly & Friends, was slated to perform in the Railroad Revival Tour, alongside Willie Nelson & Family, Band of Horses and Jamey Johnson. However, the event was cancelled.[102][103]
In 2014, Reilly appeared on the music video for Mr. Oizo's song "HAM" in which he played Father. Directed by Eric Wareheim, "HAM" is an excerpt from the television comedy Rubberhead, which displays sketches from various comedians.[104] In February 2015, John Reilly & Friends performed on NPR Music's Tiny Desk Concert series.[105] In 2017, Reilly appeared in Lil Dicky's music video for "Pillow Talking". Additionally in 2017, Reilly appeared on A$AP Mob's album Cozy Tapes Vol. 2: Too Cozy as Principal Daryl Choad.[106]
Theatre [ edit ]
Reilly is known as a versatile stage actor. He has participated in numerous Broadway productions and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for the 2000 Broadway production of Sam Shepard's True West. He and co-star Philip Seymour Hoffman (after starring in Hard Eight and Boogie Nights) were both nominated, alternating between the two lead characters during separate performances.[107][108] From October to November 2002, Reilly starred as the title character in the musical Marty, a musical adaptation of the Paddy Chayefsky-penned film Marty (1955).[109] In 2005, he appeared as Stanley Kowalski in Edward Hall's production of the Tennessee Williams play A Streetcar Named Desire.[110] Reilly stated in 2010 that he would be very determined to play the lead role of Nathan Detroit if a revival of the musical Guys and Dolls were to occur.[111]
In March 2012, he was featured in a performance of Dustin Lance Black's play, 8—a staged reenactment of the federal trial that overturned California's Prop 8 ban on same-sex marriage—as David Blankenhorn.[112] The production was held at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre and broadcast on YouTube to raise money for the American Foundation for Equal Rights, a non-profit organization funding the plaintiffs' legal team and sponsoring the play.[113][114]
Personal life [ edit ]
Reilly married Alison Dickey, an independent film producer, in 1992 after their meeting on the set of Casualties of War in Thailand.[115] They have two sons, one born in late 1998, and the second born in September 2001.[116] Reilly practices Transcendental Meditation.[117][118][119]
Filmography [ edit ]
Awards and nominations [ edit ]President Barack Obama announces 23 executive actions on gun control, separately asks Congress to pass gun-control laws
Obama asks Congress to pass laws that would: require background checks on all gun sales; restore a ban on "military-style assault weapons"; ban gun magazines with capacities of more than 10 rounds; and toughen penalties on people who sell guns to those who can't have them
Below are the latest updates as they come to us. Also, you can read our full story, and check out details of Obama's plan.
[Updated at 2:32 p.m. ET] The National Rifle Association of America has issued a statement responding to Obama's announcement:
"Throughout its history, the National Rifle Association has led efforts to promote safety and responsible gun ownership. Keeping our children and society safe remains our top priority. The NRA will continue to focus on keeping our children safe and securing our schools, fixing our broken mental health system, and prosecuting violent criminals to the fullest extent of the law. We look forward to working with Congress on a bi-partisan basis to find real solutions to
protecting America's most valuable asset - our children. "Attacking firearms and ignoring children is not a solution to the crisis we face as a nation. Only honest, law-abiding gun owners will be affected and our children will remain vulnerable to the inevitability of more tragedy."
[Updated at 12:43 p.m. ET] Senate Democratic leadership sources tell CNN that passing any new legislation will be extremely difficult because more than a dozen vulnerable Democrats from conservative states will probably resist much of what the president is pushing, according to CNN's Dana Bash.
These Democratic sources say the most likely legislation to pass will be strengthening background checks, since it is the least overt form of gun control and it also appeals to gun rights advocates' emphasis on keeping guns away from people with mental health and criminal problems.
[Updated at 12:42 p.m. ET] Reaction to Obama's announcement is starting to come in. From Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy, whose state was the site of the December 14 school massacre that prompted Obama to examine gun control steps:
"In the hours after the worst of our fears were confirmed, in the midst of the grief and sorrow over the loss of 20 innocent children and six dedicated educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School, there was one question on the minds of people across Connecticut and around the nation: How do we make sure this never happens again? Today the president took the critical first step toward answering that question. The common sense measures he proposed today are something that we should all be able to agree on, and I want to commend him and the vice president for their work on this issue."
From Michael Steel, spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner:
"House committees of jurisdiction will review these recommendations. And if the Senate passes a bill, we will also take a look at that."
[Updated at 12:22 p.m. ET] The announcement is over, and Obama is signing the 23 executive actions. These actions are in addition to laws that Obama wants Congress to pass. Here, according to the White House, are the 23 executive actions that he and his administration will do:
1. "Issue a presidential memorandum to require federal agencies to make relevant data available to the federal background check system."
2. "Address unnecessary legal barriers, particularly relating to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, that may prevent states from making information available to the background check system."
3. "Improve incentives for states to share information with the background check system."
4. "Direct the attorney general to review categories of individuals prohibited from having a gun to make sure dangerous people are not slipping through the cracks."
5. "Propose rulemaking to give law enforcement the ability to run a full background check on an individual before returning a seized gun."
6. "Publish a letter from ATF to federally licensed gun dealers providing guidance on how to run background checks for private sellers."
7. "Launch a national safe and responsible gun ownership campaign."
8. "Review safety standards for gun locks and gun safes (Consumer Product Safety Commission)."
9. "Issue a presidential Memorandum to require federal law enforcement to trace guns recovered in criminal investigations."
10. "Release a DOJ report analyzing information on lost and stolen guns and make it widely available to law enforcement."
11. "Nominate an ATF director."
12. "Provide law enforcement, first responders, and school officials with proper training for active shooter situations."
13. "Maximize enforcement efforts to prevent gun violence and prosecute gun crime."
14. "Issue a presidential memorandum directing the Centers for Disease Control to research the causes and prevention of gun violence."
15. "Direct the attorney general to issue a report on the availability and most effective use of new gun safety technologies and challenge the private sector to develop innovative technologies."
16. "Clarify that the Affordable Care Act does not prohibit doctors asking their patients about guns in their homes."
17. "Release a letter to health care providers clarifying that no federal law prohibits them from reporting threats of violence to law enforcement authorities."
18. "Provide incentives for schools to hire school resource officers."
19. "Develop model emergency response plans for schools, houses of worship and institutions of higher education."
20. "Release a letter to state health officials clarifying the scope of mental health services that Medicaid plans must cover."
21. "Finalize regulations clarifying essential health benefits and parity requirements within ACA exchanges."
22. "Commit to finalizing mental health parity regulations."
23. "Launch a national dialogue led by Secretaries Sebelius and Duncan on mental health."
[Updated at 12:17 p.m. ET] Obama says he acknowledges that Americans have certain unalienable rights, but with those rights come responsibilities, and that Americans are "responsible for each other." These rights - including those to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness - were denied to victims of high profile shooting such as those at Virginia Tech last decade and the December 14 shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.
Obama called for public pressure on Congress and the gun lobby to push for stronger steps against gun violence, saying "the only way we can change is if the American people demand it."
"Let's do the right thing... for (shooting victims) and for the country that we love so much. Thank you. I'm going to sign these orders," he said.
[Updated at 12:10 p.m. ET] More details on what Obama said about the 23 executive actions he's poised to take: The actions, he said, include those that would strengthening background checks on gun sales and expand safety programs in schools.
He hasn't said what all of the 23 actions would do.
[Updated at 12:09 p.m. ET] Obama says he will nominate B. Todd Jones, acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, as its permanent chief. The agency has lacked a permanent leader for six years.
[Updated at 12:07 p.m. ET] Obama says he will sign 23 executive orders relating to this issue today.
He also will ask Congress to pass laws, including ones that would:
- require universal background checks (background checks on anyone who would buy a gun, whether in stores or at auctions and conventions)
- restore a ban on "military-style assault weapons" (the ban expired in 2004)
- ban gun magazines with capacities of more than 10 rounds
- tougher penalties on people who sell guns to people who aren't allowed to have guns
[Updated at 11:59 a.m. ET] President Obama has started to speak, and he's thanking Biden for his work to recommend gun-control steps in the past couple of weeks.
Obama also is acknowledging four children who are sitting being and to the left of his podium. These children were asked to attend the announcement because they wrote letters to Obama after the December 14 shooting at a Newtown, Connecticut, school.
The nation should be motivated to keep children such as these from harm, he said. "Their voices should compel us to change," and that's why he asked Biden to come up with recommendations that the country should execute "right now" to curb gun violence, Obama said.
[Updated at 11:56 a.m. ET] "The world has changed and it is demanding action, it is in this context that the president" asked me to come up gun-control recommendations, Biden said.
Some of the recommendations that Biden's task force gave to Obama on Monday include executive orders that the president can make without congressional approval, Biden said.
[Updated at 11:53 a.m. ET] Vice President Joe Biden has begun the event with an acknowledgement of the December massacre at a Connecticut elementary school, where 20 children and six women were killed. "It's been 33 days since (the nation's heart) has been broken" by the Newtown shooting, he said.
He's also addressing the Newtown victims' relatives who are attending the White House announcement.
[Initial post, 11:38 a.m. ET] The moment for President Barack Obama to announce his gun-control proposals is about to arrive.
Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are expected to unveil - around 11:55 a.m. ET - gun control proposals that, according to a source, will include background checks on all gun sales, a ban on assault weapons, and a ban on gun magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds.
This post will have details on Obama's proposals as they are announced. Check this page starting just before noon ET, and refresh often for updates.
The announcement at the White House comes after Biden led a task force to make gun-control proposals, partly in response to a December 14 shooting that killed 20 children and six women at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.
Details emerge on gun control proposal
NRA: Obama an ‘elitist hypocrite’
Opinion: No, hypocrisy is at the NRA
Oregon sheriff: 'Unconstitutional' gun control laws won't be enforced
GOP senator vows to fight ‘king’ ObamaIn recent years, there has been a notable concern on the safety of genetically modified (GM) foods/plants, an important and complex area of research, which demands rigorous standards. Diverse groups including consumers and environmental Non Governmental Organizations (NGO) have suggested that all GM foods/plants should be subjected to long-term animal feeding studies before approval for human consumption. In 2000 and 2006, we reviewed the information published in international scientific journals, noting that the number of references concerning human and animal toxicological/health risks studies on GM foods/plants was very limited. The main goal of the present review was to assess the current state-of-the-art regarding the potential adverse effects/safety assessment of GM plants for human consumption. The number of citations found in databases (PubMed and Scopus) has dramatically increased since 2006. However, new information on products such as potatoes, cucumber, peas or tomatoes, among others was not available. Corn/maize, rice, and soybeans were included in the present review. An equilibrium in the number research groups suggesting, on the basis of their studies, that a number of varieties of GM products (mainly maize and soybeans) are as safe and nutritious as the respective conventional non-GM plant, and those raising still serious concerns, was currently observed. Nevertheless, it should be noted that most of these studies have been conducted by biotechnology companies responsible of commercializing these GM plants. These findings suggest a notable advance in comparison with the lack of studies published in recent years in scientific journals by those companies. All this recent information is herein critically reviewed.
Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Last night I had a bottle of sake, a pint of Guinness, a martini, and a glass of wine. And this morning I feel fine! Sometimes the hangover gods just give you a free pass. -- Siduri
"Don't Worry, Driverless Cars Are Learning From Grand Theft Auto!" read a headline at Bloomberg News. And soon an urban legend took root. "Major companies such as Ford and Waymo have been using the game to teach their developing technology how to react in thousands of different driving situations," reports the British tabloid The Sun. There's just one problem with this story: it's not true.
Bloomberg described how Google's Waymo is rolling their own coolio virtual simulations of driving conditions. Much of that information came from a blog post by Waymo engineers last December. Waymo's crazy cool new technology runs millions of miles of driving simulations every day, "the equivalent of circling the equator five times, every hour." And Ford and Toyota also have their own cool virtual simulators, too.
It's just that none of them are Grand Theft Auto.
Bloomberg's article does also mention some German researchers who found a way to extract data from a game of Grand Theft Auto V. So Bloomberg's writer thought it'd be cool to say that when it comes to virtual driving simulators, Grand Theft Auto was also "in the mix." But the only people actually using the game are the apparently-underfunded Princeton Autonomous Vehicle Engineering team. (They told Bloomberg that Grand Theft Auto "is the richest virtual environment that we could extract data from.")
Okay, but they're by no stretch of the imagination a major auto manufacturer. And that's where the article gets a little confusing, reporting that Waymo "uses its simulators to create a confounding motoring situation for every variation engineers can think of: having three cars changing lanes at the same time at an assortment of speeds and directions, for instance."
But "its" means Waymo, in this case. (Though some news professionals apparently thought "its" referred to Grand Theft Auto.)
And that's how you also end up with a Time Inc. publication about driving saying that Google's Waymo and Toyota Research are using the game to teach their self-driving cars. ("Rather than emulating a caffeine-crazed teen crashing through traffic, these firms are taking advantage of the game's incredibly detailed environment to run traffic, weather, and accident-avoidance simulations.")
Do I want to see a world where the streets are infested with reckless and violent self-driving cars, concocting their own bank heists while hurtling down the highways and inflicting mayhem on undeserving passers-by?
Absolutely.
But are Waymo, Ford Motor Company, and Toyota actually using Grand Theft Auto to train the self-driving cars of the future?
No.
gable@pigdog.org
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DisqusMark Schomack — Schomack, a Franciscan friar, was working on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona at the time of the alleged abuse. But no dates are given in the lawsuit, and he previously was not known to the diocese or to his religious order as a possible abuser. He died in 2012.
William Allison — Ordained in Alexandria, La., around 1948. After allegations of abuse, he was |
that’s the best part. But is this a bad case? Hell no, it’s not even a good case, it’s great. But the minor issues such as immersion, is why it doesn’t make it up to the top 10s.
10 – Now it’s really hard to pick. I mean I had problems from the start putting stuff in order, but now it’s close to impossible. But I’ve decided to put my second favorite filler case here, because it’s not as good as I want it to be. The Lost Turnabout was something that I really didn’t like at first. This is probably due to me starting with Trials and Tribulations before Justice For All. And here we have a case that can really ride on the foundation of other games. Stuff is flashbacked, but most of the time is directly described so great you could have missed the game before and actually don’t know. I mean it didn’t really spoil Adrian thank god. But here we have interesting characters. Let’s start of with the familiar Larry. He makes a great return in this game and it’s great to see him before his huge role that I’ll come over to later in this list. This is also how you introduce a characters again. Unlike Adrian, where there is a little jump and such. But then we got the villians. MaskDeMasque and Luke Atmey. MaskDeMasque or Ron Delite is one of the most interesting characters, because he really goes an extra mile secure money to his wife Desirée, who just shrugs it of that he is a thief for her sake. When you have to maintain everything and believe in what you get, this case gets interesting confusing. And when Ron actually goes like Gumshoe did when Byrde was accused, it felt so great because you actually saw their relationship where they argued and have different views on life. Making the cast so much interesting. And then we have possible the weirdest man on the list. Luke Atmey claims to be an Ace Detective, he just didn’t get his spin off game yet… No, but Luke Atmey is a man to behold. He starts blackmailing Ron to steal stuff from him and eventually ends up in a blackmail triangle much like Tigre experienced. Kane Bullard, Ron’s former boss blackmails Luke Atmey about his blackmailing and ends up dead by murder. To secure his money and not losing his reputation, he secretly tries to pin Ron, and tricks you into believing that he is in fact MaskDeMasque. When the confession is out, you believe that you caught the man, but he just got away. Because now Ron is taken for murder. And you have to turn shit around, because you made this mess. This case is really one of the best in the series, just with how chaotic it is with an cast that doesn’t disappoint.
9 – And here comes Turnabout Reminiscence! Yeah, haven’t seen you in a while Investigations…
Turnabout Reminiscence is something special. We have been teased that the Great Yatagarasu is pulling strings for quite a while, but then we discover that the father of Kay was killed in a double murder, were both the defendant and prosecutor was killed and both being suspects of being the great Yatagarasu. Edgeworth steps in, and we don’t even get a proper introduction to Von Karma that uses you as an apprentice. But do we need so? No, because we know what he was and what he did, so there is no reason for it. That is probably one of the great things from this case, because you see old Edgeworth again, someone that doesn’t match at all to the one you are playing as. Plus points here, because we realize how much he changed over the years. But enough of that, we uncover that Gumshoe isn’t the murderer and that there was forged evidence to push the timestamps of the murder further away from the actual killing. And we meet Tyrell Badd, a man so experienced that he calls you a child that isn’t supposed to play around in the courthouse. He also changes quite a bit, and joins Edgeworth when he finds out it’s the defense attorney that killed Byrne and Mack. She is Calisto Yew, someone that also despise you because of Von Karma and believe that you are totally unworthy (hehe) of being the main prosecutor. And we even get a rebuttal from the Judge, which was pretty interesting. But this gets the higher spot from Beginnings because of the length and gameplay aspect. This feels so much better even though it’s a defeat for us, as Yew gets away.
8 – And now, another grand case to enter is Turnabout Succession. Now here we have the grand case of Apollo Justice. And damn if it’s not great. First of all, I thought the intro was going to make this as gimmicky as Rise from the Ashes, but man this is probably the best case to introduce something new of an mechanic. The time travel was done so extremely well, only problem is that sometimes it’s a little easy to get lost and remember where to go. But unlike Rises from the Ashes, this case make it’s easy to understand where you are going, without revealing what’s going on to quickly. And the suicide of Magnifi really makes the gritty theme of Apollo Justice shine. Because this case is horrible gritty. And it doesn’t hide it from being so. We have Kristoph in his final form, and we have Vera that is a wreck because of his father. And Drew is a strange man, and this is also where the time travel helps us. We understand more of Drew and why his behavior is so interesting. After all, he sketches 3 pictures from the Apollo cases because he «loves» Wright in some sense after what happened. And then we have the Gramarye. All 4 of them. And at first, it seems like they are something weird and not to significant to the story, but the way you unravel it through Phoenix is amazing. I won’t actually spoil this, because I was really shocked. And when they don’t pay you off, it makes the twist even better. Here, they knew how to keep it interesting. Too bad most people lost it during case 2.
But with everything going on, the sore thumb about this case is the same as Turnabout Trump. I felt cheated to know Phoenix Wright is planning shit ut to get Kristoph in jail and further make his mistake cleared up as a faulty mistake. I mean, this game is gritty, but why did they call it Apollo Justice? They could have called it «Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney, Featuring The new Apollo Justice» in th way they portray this. It feels so unprepared and scared when they don’t really wanna bet all this. In a way it works, but I really wished they stuck to their guns with Apollo Justice. That’s probably why don’t get a second game from Apollo Justice. Because we never really had a first one in my opinion. But make no mistake, play this game and this case. Because this is possible one of the best in the series, and they way it portrays everything is something else. If it wasn’t for some of the issues I already presented, it could beat out several more cases and been in the top 3. But unfortunately that’s not the case…
7 – Lets bring Lady Justice in again. Like Apollo Justice, JFA had some bad moments, but there a quite many good ones. Reunion and Turnabout is one of those. Probably he grittiest opening in the whole trilogy, this takes aim with a more moral dilemma. After the intro that really turns the fun factor around we meet Turner Grey. The short period we have him alive, he turns out to be a rather peculiar asshole with a personality that’s really something you don’t want around. He needs you to join into Kurain because Maya is going to channel Mimi, Turner Grey’s subordinate at the Grey Surgical Clinic. He wants a confession from Mimi that she was the one responsible for the incident that killed 14 people. But here is the twist. Because Mimi isn’t dead, so Maya can’t channel her. Why? Because she was ended up as Ini, her sister. How? Turner Grey made a car crash by drugging them, were Ini was killed. And Mimi just survived and had to undergo facial surgery, ending up mixing her to Ini to give her a new start. Holy shit, this is convoluted, but so well told. Here we really see amazing writing, because everything is done so extremely well. And the twist is horrifying to say the least.
And here we get probably most living case. Because all the cases from before had a bad guy that was really clear. This is the first case that shows the revenge part from someone that ruined the life of someone. Is Mimi doing something wrong? Of course she is, but after Grey blamed her, killed her sister and nearly her in a car accident and then want’s to blame everything on her so he get more patients, can you say that it’s she in the wrong doing? This is possible why Justice for All is so strong. Because looking at JFA, it’s the weakest in the bunch when it comes to branching storyline. But AA and TT can go to bed when it comes to themes. TT is more of a story driven game, and AA has some themes but also heavily focus on story. But you really gotta deliver Justice in this game, even if you don’t want to. And that’s why this game is so fantastic. And when we are talking of which is the best in the series, I can’t say because of this reason. Talking originality this is probably one of the most original games there is. And just to say when it comes to building cases from the ground, this one did it best. No matter what TT prepared, this game lingered it long before it was ever going to happen. And what Morgan Fey did in this trail was cruel, but it made her personality perfectly clear, that she is something to fear. And I’ll come around to this later on. But when people say JFA is a game with horrible cases, I believe they stopped before this case.
6 – And here comes the baddiest of them all, Turnabout Goodbyes. Now we are really getting tight in. This case is amazing. I don’t believe I have much to mention here, but I’ll try to get everything out there. First of all, we have Edgeworth that is suspected for murder of Robert Hammond. Gumshoe tries to prep you up and save Edgeworth and you start digging. Then you meet Larry again and Lotta, who are the eccentric cast. And Lotta is a witness that isn’t really dependent at all, and proves worthy for us during Von Karma’s case. Oh, I forgot to mention Von Karma. He haven’t lost a case. In 40 years. Which is never. Do I need to say more?
Von Karma is debatable a jerk, only beaten by Blaise. But Von Karma strives to be the best. And he doesn’t win cases for the prosecution or for the sake of court, he just fucking hate everyone. He just want to be number 0001. Like his credit card pin. And he wants to put his apprentice guilty. Miles Edgeworth seems to be doomed if you don’t step in. Maya also helps, leaving more for Gumshoe to explain and giving Edgeworth a more filling back story. And when Maya and Larry chats about Edgeworth, Phoenix doesn’t say anything. This is immersion, because we get to unravel the story of Miles through the case. And we happens to get Gourdy as a problem, until Larry debunks it to be an air tank. (Poor Lotta.)
But the cast doesn’t stop there. We have Yanni Yogi, and old man that is the happy owner of a pasta shop. Oh wait. A boat rental shop. And his parrot is named Polly. Because of his dead wife. This is also the famous scene where Phoenix cross-examine the parrot and ends up finding out that Von Karma retrained it to not respond to anything related to the DL-6. Oh, the DL6 incident. I forgot to tell you there too. It’s only the case from 15 years ago that killed Gregory Edgeworth. As you unravel more and more the case gets better and better and I felt a sting in my heart when Yanni Yogi confesses to court about killing Hammond. Seeing the pain Von Karma made during his years really perfects this case. Von Karma lives from pure revenge. He killed Gregory Edgeworth to erase the man that set a penalty onto his record. And then he takes Miles under his wing to train him to be a fierce prosecutor like Von Karma. This case builds so many cases and relationships that it’s quite a feat to be the first. The only thing that is a little problematic is the Von Karma Redd White moment. He actually tases you so he can steal your evidence. But you prove him to have given Yogi the instructions. Oh I also forgot. Yogi is an old baliff, the subject of the killings for Gregory. He was pronounced insane after oxygen shortage in the elevator where the murder took place. And he lives a life where he is found innocent because he is insane. His wife commits suicide and leaves him to be. And he kills the Attorney that did this to him, Robert Hammond.All to Von Karma’s plan. This subplot here is pretty fucked up, yet it’s so real and unnerving. Like JFA did with 2-2, this case really makes the matter in your hands stand. It feels a little easier here though, because you are trying to get Von Karma, the man behind the strings. But Yanni Yogi lost everything, to save Von Karma’s record.
And when you reveal that he killed Edgeworth and his breakdown comes around, it didn’t feel funny. It felt damn satisfying and creepy. Because you just made the truth clear. A man that suffered a penalty, killed another man to make his career seem better. And he took vacation and didn’t get his bullet removed, just to get clear from the murder. And you end up proving that Miles shot him from the elevator, finally ending Edgeworth’s nightmares. And you learn of Misty Fey, the leader of the Kurain channeling. And that she was found out to be a fraud because Von Karma couldn’t be seen due to Gregory being passed out and such. And this cases ties so much together. The whole first game leads up to this, and it doesn’t disappoint at all. It ties up the whole case except for one thing.
5 – Did you think Von Karma was an ass? Then you haven’t met Simon Keyes. Yeah, I’m putting The Grand Turnabout here. Calm down people. We are in that stretch where we are talking super small details. Grand Turnabout got everything. Themes and characters that seem so alive. We have two sets of kidnappings and we have possible a better turnabout then ever. Starting of with characters, we have John Marsh, a little kid actor playing in the new Moozilla movie by Global Studios. It’s discovered that the president of Zheng Fa is killed. Having no clear alibi, people suspect Marsh early on, even if it’s just a 13 year old boy we are talking about. He is kidnapped and Courtney suspends the trail because she believe they kidnapped Marsh to stop Roland’s trail. Turns out she is the adoptive mother and we are getting some more back story. Are people related to the case? Certainly, because Huang turns out to be Marsh’s father. But the Huang we knew is dead. Wait. We knew? Yeah. We are talking body double shit here. End we are taken back in the style of AA to investigate the SS-5 incident, where a photographer was killed. Same for the real Huang, but it was thought as a kidnapping. And then we understand that there is more going on. Because the SS-5 incident happens to include Debeste, and then we have Sebastian Debeste being kidnapped because they mistook him Marsh. And where does he end? In his own garage, because Blaise order it out. He experienced much trauma and became a prosecutor to get his fathers approval. 1 point of theme. Marsh also kidnapped as stated and Courtney suspends and believes that Blaise took Marsh. And then we find out that the case from before is related, because we were bugged by the real killer on the Yatagarasu badge. This is were it gets interesting, because we start to realize that the main antagonist for the game is related to all the cases. And he subsequently was the killer all along. Thanks to Roland finishing of Knightley, he didn’t have to interfere and we made his name clear. If you played AAI2 -2 you now by now who the villain is. And the realization is stunning, because it makes so much sense. Those cryptic hints from case to case, we get the ultimate wrap and a showdown worthy of the number 5 spot on this list. At this point I wish I could include this at the number 1 spot, but I can’t really do that. But a short memo about Keyes. He is a perfect mix of Kristoph and Engarde. He is circumspection and manipulates like Gavin. And his behavior is similar to Engarde, when he totally loses his cool under the rebuttal. It eventually leads to his downfall when everything tuns on him, similar to Engarde’s case. But let’s move on now.
4 -And so we conclude yet another game, but here you really have to hear me out. After I started writing this and took over this case I realized that I’ve had a grudge with this case because of a minor nitpick. So here we go. Turnabout Ablaze. Holy shit, this case is a something. I’ll start from the beginning here. We enter the embassy to Allebahst and Babahl, where we get to know that the countries are going to possibly reunite to Cohdopia. But enter the Yatagarasu and two people are killed on the spot. And then we uncover that half the embassy on fire and shit is all around wrong. And we now know that The real Yatagarasu is Byrne Faraday, because Calisto Yew is posing as it. And you work around the embassies and discover the weak old man that is the Allebahstian ambassador and Palaeno who is the Babahlian ambassador. And when Kay is suspected of murdershit’s gets interesting, because you don’t get investigations rights to the embassies because they have different rules, leaving it up to Lang and Shih-Na because they are from the Interpol. And then we start to unravel key figures. Manny Coachen that is the counterfeit printer of the Babahlian ink, something worth a lot of money. This lead to the discovery of the story arch in this game. The smuggling ring that Von Karma is on because of Interpol. We then learn of the real mysteries of the Yatagarasu Key, with both emblems leading to the Cohdopian years. And the key leads to a safe, where they find papers leading to the deduction of Coachen as the head. And then we meet Larry and Oldbag again and we finally deduce the old oak tree to be something of much more importance. Enter the theme, the Man that surpasses the Law. Alba, rises up and becomes a strong opponent to bring down. But this is the minor nitpick I had earlier. Alba is tough, often making the game come to a halt before you understand the contradiction. And you’ll seriously need everyone to get him into a corner. And it drags on way too long. But then I remembered the reveals they drop here. And then I understood that I was being to harsh on this case.
So major spoilers from here on out. We start to question Shih-Na and how the Yatagarasu got away and eventually leading to Kay getting framed. And then it happens. Shih-na loses it into a laughing sprite we all remember from before. And seeing it side by side, both sprites laughing that uncontrollable laugh, and every characters remembering it. And the best part? The music. Not the theme for Calisto, but confess the truth. The song that is a direct parallel to the great Thief, Yatagarasu. But she doesn’t give in, and we drag her out slowly until she finally loses it. And then in the heat, she threatens Kay and ask us : Do you know why the Yatagarasu have three legs? And then we get another reveal, possible the best one in the game. We get sent back to the second KG-8 incident where Badd again tells us why the Yatagarasu is 3 steps ahead. First, it knows the location. Second, how to disarm the security and we never got the third reason in the flashback… but then someone takes over. Because we deduced that Faraday and Yew were the Yatagarasu. And then we get the final statement, because the Yatagarasu never leaves behind any evidence. Then we hear the loading of a gun and we see Yew holding Kay hostage. Then it pans around to reveal the last leg. Tyrell Badd, the great detective that told you about the Yatagarasu years prior. And then we have the chilling moment where we don’t know if Shih-Na or Badd shot, wounding either Shih-Na or killing Kay. But everything is good, because ballsy Lang enters and gets shot in the foot. And we are at the end, putting Yew as the killer. But Yew is a crafty person, and has motives that are strong and tied to the ring. And she greets you farewell with one final hint. She didn’t kill anyone. And then Badd also bids us farewell after giving back the files from the first and revealing everything about Shih-Na and the great Yatagarasu. And we start the grand fight. This case is so amazing, even after the failures from the 2 first cases. I can go on and on, but people that doesn’t like AAI never understood this case in my eyes. It’s possible one of the best in the series, even if they dragged it a little too long. But that is not something I’ll allow to drag this case down. I inserted it at around spot number 15, but as I wrote this, I knew I was doing something wrong. This is a long case, and the best of the game. And for flacking it on the long explanations is something that really makes it shine compared to Turnabout For Tomorrow where everything happens and we never get any verification because of why. So I’ll give this case some peace, because it really deserves way more praise.
3 – Hohoho, Now we are in some serious trouble. The next on the list also closes yet another game. And here we have the reason why I’ll be the victim in the next Ace Attorney game. Farewell, my friends. And Turnabout. OH SHIT!
Now now, calm the fuck down. This case isn’t number 2!? No, as I said we are talking minor stuff here. But I tried to replay this, and realized that we might have golden it a little too much. But is this case bad? No for fuck sake, there is a reason why it’s number 3. This case barely beats Ablaze because of some minor issues with pacing there, but this is actually pretty amazing. And let’s start of with the recurring characters. We get Global Studios Will Powers and Wendy Oldbag making a pretty strong return. Unlike in Investigations third case… And then we have the new cast with Adrian and Engarde leading the case. And the way you uncover Corrida’s murder it throws in something new. Your sidekick get’s kidnapped by someone that wants you to acquit Engarde for Corrida’s murder. No problem right? Then we are on Adrian’s tail and trying to break her in court with the help of the returning Edgeworth. Seriously, it’s great and all because I got kinda annoyed with Franziska to be honest. But the case takes a while to get around to and we even get Lotta into shit again. And Adrian is about to break when we realize that we are in the wrong. Enter Engarde. While talking to him in the detention center he acts way of guard with seems weird. But is his name something? Of course, because the Engarde we meet is detached and in a showbiz persona. He then tells us to meet him, and breaks all the Psyche-locks. Is this important? Of course, because Psyche-locks are secrets, covered up with lies. Phoenix asks Engarde earlier if he killed Corrida and got no psyche-locks?
This is a mechanic gimmick done correct. Because Engarde is immune to this by that question, much like The Phantom is to the mood matrix. Why? He didn’t kill anyone. He just hired a hitman and had him take Maya so he would be saved by us. When this hit the shelves, you got a moral dilemma like Reunion and Turnabout. Because you have to acquit Engarde, who is guilty to save Maya. But then you have to go fourth and get Adrian convicted. As the title of the game implies, you really gotta deliver Justice for All, but that means losing Maya. And Pearls doesn’t seem to happy about that. And while we are at it, Adrian is flipping a card all around and Edgeworth ask where she got it. Then she confesses about that and Edgeworth loses it. We have no clue, but it turns out that it’s the deed of an assassin, called Shelly De Killer. A feared assassin that have top priority to his clients like you have. But as you continue to unravel the case it’s gets more and more frustrating. You have to push Adrian to the edge in order to get stuff underway. Here we also have Gumshoe saving the day. He doesn’t let anyone else know and start the investigation on finding De Killer. And you soon discover that Engarde’s cat leads you straight to him. But he is always one step ahead and already gone when you come back. And we get some interference with Maya so we can relate to the place.
This is also a reveal done right. Because we know how it looks, so when we find out it’s Engarde’s mansion we have all the hate for him. And then we discover the golden snitch. Engarde is secretly taping the incident in order to blackmail De Killer later on. But this proves faulty when De Killer is testifying in court over a radio. As De Killer is betrayed, he claims to kill all opposing enemies that try to play unfair game. And Matt Engarde is one of those. Having given him this information, he releases Maya and you can finally kill Engarde’s image and reputation. But this case is so great because of Engarde. Engarde really is a Von Karma reincarnated. He kills Corrida to retrieve a suicide note from his former lover, Inpax. Why? Because she said that he was a douche. And this helps him for what? Keeping his image strong. Holy shit, have you ever heard of someone this egocentric? He nearly puts Von Karma to shame after what he did. Because Von Karma at least did it at his own risk. Engarde is a selfish prick that doesn’t even want to get his hands dirty. He just calls in De Killer and THEN HE BLACKMAILS HIM! What the fuck, How!? How do you get the balls to do that!? But I’ve gone on this for long enough. We have to get moving to the next spot on the list.
2 – So who could possible beat out 2-4? I have a pretty strong fascination of repeating stories. Themes going across the game. More back story to previous cases and thing that happened. This is why I like 2-4 and 1-4 so much. But is there a game where this is more apparent? Take a look at Simon Keyes. He is arrogant and believes that he is the ultimate man with no real concerns for other people. He uses a cat as armrest and does what ever he wants. What a great villain. And then we have to call back to the DL-6 incident. A case that is sealed but ultimately gets reopened just before the statue of limitations expire. And then look at Quercus Alba. A man so powerful law enforcement can’t do much without the help of Interpol and Palaeno. Why do I bring up this? Because on the number two spot we have the best filler case in the series to date. The Inherited Turnabout.
So how do I put this? The Inherited Turnabout is having so much of everything. First of all, we have a Turnabout Succession moment, only without backtracking and such. This is a point already, because this is a filler case with final case gimmicks used. And it’s are possible the best use in the series. And then we have the case with most hype behind it. The case directly starts the DL-6 incident leading to several plot points and character development. All because of this one case. The IS-7 incident. This is a gem that you do not wanna fuck up. And they didn’t at all. The managed to save the hype here make this gem something totally amazing. That is not easy, and not something you suspect them in doing under a filler case. But we open with Piece of Cake, a show with hosts Jeffrey Master and Katherine Hall. The introduction is rather cherish. But then we understand that’s someone is watching it on a TV. And then Ray Shields enter with a monologue that is actually pretty sad. And Iwadare sure did an amazing job here, because the motif used here really drives this intro home. We see Gregory and Ray on a picture together from 2000, where both were still alive and young. And we meet up with Ray there and get a flashback straight away to the battle between Gregory and Manfred Von Karma. Names that are by now burned into our soul. And straight away we are taken back to Christmas of 2000. In the detention center we meet Gregory. And we see a tall figure of pride, with a black afro, our defendant Jeff Master. He breaks out into his theme song and even get Ray pumped. And Gregory states that he’ll bring him to justice and save him from the matter. Already we have everything laid out. This opening is just so phenomenal. Because we know Gregory won’t let Jeff down. But in the end we already know the outcome. And this is why this case is so darn impressive. We never lose immersion and the game holds us tight during the whole intro. No 5-2 or 1-2 intro here. This is one of the reasons why this case is so great. Even the theme song singing twice in a row doesn’t get old, because it’s so charming. But let’s move on to the summary.
We learn of the incident and head over to the mansion were we discover the competition. 4 people are in the finals, one of them was the victim of the case. Jeff is suspected because they found the body in his room. Jeff is clearly innocent and you start looking around. We also get to meet Badd again, who we never suspected back. We meet him with black hair and a coat that is still fully intact. And we get Ray’s little quirk, as he eats memos to make sure he doesn’t forget them. And Badd has a grudge towards defense attorneys. So he becomes your investigations partner. We also meet Dane Gustavia, a man also in the contest. Further more we have Scones and then Von Karma is on the scene. As we unravel more and more we start to understand more and more and we get to know that a falsified autopsy is in the hands of Von Karma. This can’t be possible, as Dover’s body was never found. This leads to the penalty I talked about and then the DL-6. Moving on to the present, we learn that the cast is back and Gustavia was nearly killed in a gas attack set off when he tried to retrieve the body. Turns out he is the killer, after some serious investigation. And during the present we also meet Larry again. As more and more issues come to light during the case, it’s get pretty darn deep, with Dovers body coming into the fountain of the main hall. Kate is suspected trying to kill Gustavia and with Courtney to back him he puts up a hell of a fight. But the journey is quite grand and we end up at the last knowing of his disorder. He can’t taste and had to bring his son over to taste the treats. He was also a great friend with Dover’s son. But Dover turns out to be the sculpturist Paul Holic, a man known for the sculptures in the gallery. He left the deal of being in with Gustavia in the contest and sealed away the kids in a frozen car. Gustavia ended up killing him and putting the blame on Jeff. And we also discover Holic’s kid to be Knightley.
Which means… Oh dear, Simon Keyes is Gustavia’s son. But he doesn’t show remorse for him. He was just a stupid child of no power. This leads to the game taking place, because Simon tries to kill everyone on the list because of what happened on christmas of 2000. He believed that Knightley tried to kill them, when it was actually Dover. And why is this important? Because you see the likeness of Simon in his father. Simon is true to Gustavia without even knowing it. The parenting theme in this game is really something, but the way both characters believe they are safe and golden, they make the same fatal mistake. All because they are so good and full of themselves. Speaking of Gustavia, he has possible a better moment then Alba. Because he confesses to killing Dover. Why? Because the statue of limitations is expired. Like the DL-6, the IS-7 was closed on December of 2016. And he laughs right in your face. Like Matt Engarde did years prior. This man knows that he is boss, until you prove that he is being set for his trial. Because of Von Karma. Gustavia knew that leaving for Zheng Fa would make this limitation expand, with three years. But we are still 4 months too late until we realize that Von Karma actually helped us. Making Master as an accomplice got him a guilty verdict, but expanded the expiration date further. Enough for us to use Gustavia’s confession against him. This is Tigre style, and it felt so amazing when you actually discovered that you just solved the old rebuttal that led to the death of Miles father and the start of everything. And then we end with a Ray paying his respect to Gregory, after his son finally avenged him and rescued Master. Master’s sentence had taken it’s toll on him, leading him to a weak figure with ghostly white hair. And Kate is taken into custody and the moment were Master swears that he’ll wait like she did for him, it really makes this case so great. If you haven’t play Investigations 2, I seriously suggest you do. It’s a shame that they didn’t localize it for the west. But I’ve praised this case enough. But to make one thing clear. There are two cases that made me cry afterwards. This is one of them, because you get everything wrapped up, but the relations that are established are so strong and emotional that it’s really something. Everything is here, well thought out characters and a story that not only builds, but wraps up so much. This could easily been a final case for Investigations 2, and the number 1 spot. But it’s not. So let’s close the Edgeworth curtain and return back to the main trilogy where our number spot waits.
1 – So here we have the grand case that pretty much everyone loves. And for good reason, I don’t even have to explain much here. We have the build up from all the cases from earlier and everything wrapped nice and tightly. We travel to the Hazakura Temple where we meet Iris, Bikini and Elise. And shit unravels. Elise is killed, and we understand that Dahlia is still pulling strings, even though she was killed earlier. We also meet Larry again and we get to know that some serious shit was going down. But when Phoenix tries to save Maya he falls to the bottom of lake, making the return of Edgeworth as a defense attorney to save Maya while Wright is in hospital. And things gets out of hands here. We understand that Morgan Fey and Dahlia wanted to kill Maya and reclaim the title of Master to Pearls. And to top it of we fight off Dahlia who is inhabiting Maya’s body. We eventually get Mia’s help to make Dahlia look at her failures and ends up in exorcism from Maya’s body. And then we had to take on the real killer of Elise, also known as Misty Fey. And when getting there you end up being taunted by Godot. Because you were never like Mia Trite. And then we get the moment everyone is loving. We get to hear Godot’s inner monologue for the first time and came to the understanding that he sees Mia in Phoenix. Seeing his defeat he explains everything. And then we see blood dripping from his mask, and people claim it to be the wound from earlier. But Godot is sure. Red doesn’t exist in his world so this must be my tears. And then we get the quote.
«The only time a lawyer can cry is when it’s all over.»
This section of the game is carefully planned. Here we have the best music cue in the entire series. As Godot is brought to justice, the Court Begins theme rings out.
As I wrote this I was listening to a mix of Objections, where we the remix from Gyakuten Saiban 3 is played out. And as I wrote the quote, the cue came perfectly again, just like the game. I can’t exactly describe why this case is so great. It’s just something so beautiful about the series. I’ve come to realize that these games are rather amazing, but I never expected that I would shed tears as I wrote about this case. But I did, and that says much about this case. It’s so close to my heart that I had to put it on the number one spot. And I will not continue to explain why this case is amazing. If you never played the trilogy, pick it up in the 3DS store or Appstore. I’m sure you’ll not regret doing so. Because is truly something special. And if you played this you know why.
And the amazing build up over 3 games is so elegantly put to rest, that I never want them to introduce Godot again. It’s so well tied up that nothing can make this stand so great. When it comes to series and often TV-shows, they drag the series on for too long. The trilogy is a piece of history that can expand, but not change. And they all have to except that. Mia is gone, and so |
June to bring Prince Charming. Then July. In early August, they begin to panic. They have had no visitors. That is when price-cutting begins in earnest.
This year, price cutting may begin in July.
The Federal Reserve has ceased to purchase the bonds of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Mortgage rates have begun creeping up. This may lead to home purchases in the next few weeks, because the tax credit expires on April 30. Borrowers who want to take advantage of the tax credit must sign the papers by April 30. They also want to get their loans at a low rate.
What happens if rates continue to climb, as expected, and the tax credit law is not renewed again, also as expected? The overhang of as many as 7 million houses scheduled for foreclosure is the sword of Damocles over the residential real estate market.
Robert Shiller, whose name is on the Case-Shiller index of home prices, said on April 1 that he thinks there is a 50-50 chance that the housing market will go into reverse. This is rare, he said.
We saw home prices decline between 2006 and 2009 — three years of decline. And now that [the market is trending] up, you know, it’s perfectly plausible to think we’ll have three years or more of increases. But I’m not so sure. We don’t know how much of this is transitory because of the government support. We’re in such an unusual economy now that [a double dip] has substantial probability.
He understands that at least 80% of the U.S. housing market is supported by the U.S. government. It may be as high as 90%. “Really almost the whole market now is government. And we know this can’t last.” Prices are artificially inflated.
He thinks we need another Federal stimulus. These days, what Keynesian doesn’t? They think that the Federal Government is able to stimulate aggregate consumer demand by increasing its spending, despite that fact that the government must pull the money it spends from the public, either through taxes or borrowing. The only other option is the Federal Reserve: fiat money.
As for the Federal Reserve, Shiller thinks it should have more regulatory power.
I think the Fed should have a lot of regulatory power. The central banking tradition is really one of understanding market psychology. It’s part of what central bankers do…so that’s the organization that should be in charge of systemic risk management.
In short, he is typical of academic economists everywhere. He sees government spending and central banking as the twin pillars of economic recovery. The trouble is, from the economists’ point of view, millions of voters are beginning to figure out that the government and the FED are the problem, not the solution. Shiller has described the new mood of a growing minority of voters.
One thing George Akerlof and I talk about in our book, Animal Spirits, is that the economy is driven by stories. And there’s a story at any point in time that colors people’s thinking. Right now the story is one of anger, frustration, and disillusionment — mistrust. The Tea Party movement is one result of that. And that is potentially holding back the economy.
The public has caught onto the fact that the Federal government and the Federal Reserve System have, in the immortal words of astronaut Gus Grissom, screwed the pooch. The economy is still weak, unemployment remains high, businesses are not hiring, commercial banks are not lending, the crash in commercial real estate is accelerating, the Option ARM and Alt-A mortgages re-sets are beginning their two-year acceleration. Meanwhile, politicians are not cutting taxes or cutting the deficit. They are raising both.
Now the Federal Reserve and the Federal government are pulling the plug on the housing market subsidies. Foreclosure rates are about to climb. Housing had been an engine of growth, debt, and widespread optimism until early 2007. Housing was widely regarded as the engine of the recovery out of the 2001 recession. It no longer is.
In January, about 29% of all U.S. home sales were distressed sales. This is going to rise. This is because short sales will increase. So will foreclosures. This means that the number of non-distressed sales will have to rise sharply in order to keep the distressed-sales figure at 30%. But the government has ended the subsidies.
Economist John Lounsbury has estimated that if distressed sales increase to 35% in 2010, this could sharply reduce home prices. The price discount on distressed homes three years ago was 45%. Last year, it was 20%. It is now averaging over 30%: past 12 months. Because of the increase in distressed sales coupled with an increase in discounting, he thinks that an overall housing price drop of 30% is possible this year.
I am not this pessimistic. I think 15% is more likely, January to December. But there is nothing I see on the horizon that will keep this from repeating in 2011.
The grinding reduction in household equity that began in 2007 is going to continue in 2010 and 2011. The average American family’s main source of equity has been its home. This investment is now producing losses. As this process continues, middle-class Americans will finally abandon hope in a reversal in this decline. They will hope for the stabilization of the housing markets. They will hope only not to lose any more capital.
The housing market for the rich is worse than the housing markets of the middle class. There are fewer buyers. Jumbo loans are more expensive to finance and fewer people are qualifying for them. Buyers know this is a buyers’ market. They are holding out for lower prices. They do not have to move up. They can wait for prices to move down. At some point, present owners will move out.
CONCLUSION
When the academic experts in recessions and recoveries postpone a decision to announce the end of the recession, the economy is weak.
When the engine of recovery — residential real estate — is headed for rising mortgage rates, rising foreclosures, and the end of the tax credit, the recovery looks less sustainable.
When Keynesian economists call for another stimulus, the traditional Keynesian policy is failing to deliver the goods.
The public is catching on to the games Congress plays. This will increase over the summer.
A political earthquake has begun. We have felt a few tremors. I think a major quake will hit in November. This is all to the good politically. But it does not solve the problem of the faltering recovery.
Gary North [send him mail] is the author of Mises on Money. Visit http://www.garynorth.com. He is also the author of a free 20-volume series, An Economic Commentary on the Bible.
Copyright © 2010 Gary NorthThe extremist group has been defeated before but history shows it has always survived and thrived by coming back after the liberation forces have left
This year is ending on a high note for the battle against extremism in two key countries in the region. In Iraq and Syria, the campaign to topple the so-called caliphate project that ISIL established in June 2014 has largely achieved its objective. After three-and-a-half years, the international coalition dislodged the organisation from at least 98 per cent of the territory it once seized.
In practical terms, this means the world no longer faces a threat on the same scale. The momentum that had enabled the organisation to attract thousands of foreign fighters and their families is disrupted. The group’s ability to expand and threaten other countries is seriously reduced. Countries like Iraq and Syria, which once feared the ramifications of an advancing militant group, now have a breathing space to focus elsewhere.
ISIL is currently under enormous strain. The group is in its weakest state since the summer of 2014, in terms of manpower, finance and ability to attack or defend itself from attacks. As a result, its ideology and appeal have also been undermined. Those who have seen first-hand the group for what it is, a ruthless militant organisation that was as vicious towards Sunnis — the demographic it claimed to represent — as it was against others and arguably even more, as evidenced by the massacres of people such as the Shaytat tribe in Deir Ezzor, eastern Syria.
Those gains against ISIL present an opportunity not only to kill the organisation but to prevent its resurrection. To ensure that happens, the process hinges on recognising a simple fact: the United States and its partners have won the war that began in the summer of 2014, but have not won the war that began earlier.
A key aspect of this long-running war is the notion of keeping the states in which jihadis operate weak and unable to govern, or at least not govern the whole of a country. ISIL has had a stated strategy for this aspect of the war for more than a decade, with demonstrable results in 2014. ISIL calls the war in which it is engaged the “long war”, as Americans and others often do. And a major focus for ISIL is to fuel this long war but with a clear objective, namely that its enemies in the West and in the region become ever less willing to do what it takes to truly win the war.
Unless this aspect of the war is acknowledged, western-backed forces might keep "winning" the same war countless times. Yet as they pat themselves on the back, societies suffer, towns face multiple destructions and the problem of extremism becomes wider and deeper — as we have seen since the war on terror began 16 years ago. The outcome of that includes a larger Al Qaeda as well as new threats created in the war’s aftermath, ranging from ISIL to other nascent regional and global jihadi organisations from both Sunni and Shia inclinations.
___________
Read more:
Iraq year in review: the country may be free of ISIL but lies in ruins
Year in review: Russia strengthens bid for Middle East influence
The liberation of Mosul: Victory at a price
____________
Fortunately for those seeking to defeat ISIL, they have enough to go on to tell them how. After all, the US and its allies have been fighting the same group for more than a decade; presumably they have come to know its history and nature. More importantly, ISIL itself has extensively discussed critical periods of its existence and how it bounced back before from even more thorough defeat.
It has been through weak phases before, under various circumstances, so it is possible to assess from those where the group is heading next.
In the first period, pinpointed by ISIL itself as early 2008 to late 2009 in Iraq, the group had suffered an almost total defeat. ISIL speaks about this phase of its existence in a defining document that is more timely at this point than at any time over the past three years. The document discusses similar circumstances to those it is facing today, and thus merits a close look.
In “The Strategic Plan for the Consolidation of the Political Standing of the Islamic State of Iraq”, finalised in December 2009 in Fallujah, Iraq, ISIL offers its own diagnosis of what went wrong for it after it had failed to control Sunni areas in Iraq and unify the insurgents under its ranks.
The document makes it clear that the popular uprising against it in Sunni areas, with American help, was overwhelming and devastating. It discusses how tribesmen turned against the militants as part of a tribal solidarity and does not shy away from acknowledging that the uprising was inclusive of all tribes, starting from the town of Husaybah near the Syrian border, with the Kataib Al Hamra insurgent group, to the rest of Iraq.
The UK government is considering taxing technology companies who fail to cooperate with them on removing extremist content online quick enough
Around the time the document was being drafted, ISIL began to see the reversal of the momentum that had led to its demise, referring again to tribal dynamics as a factor for the change. Unlike even shrewd analysts of the conflict at the time, ISIL saw emerging signs of new opportunities. Young people who had joined the Awakening Councils, as the American-backed Sunni units were called, began to be disillusioned with their leaders. Tribal elders became restless about the rise of new overlords from within their tribes. The Councils began to gradually crumble, and the group began to gain renewed, if quiet, relevance.
The purpose of the 55-page treatise was to “plan and prepare” for the departure of American forces in 2011. ISIL's war minister at the time, Abu Hamza Al Muhajir is quoted as saying that other parties in Iraq were preparing for the troops’ withdrawal two years later. “They shoot one rocket and store ten others.”
The preparation phase, as outlined in the document, involves various tactics to enable the group to consolidate itself within Iraq and abrade the capabilities of its rivals. The group would focus on preventing the emergence of local structures able to fill the vacuum after the withdrawal. Such tactics included the targeting of police and army units, to “maximise the cost” of joining their cadres.
This war of attrition would take years, during which the group would focus on former allies who had turned against them and would therefore be competitors for popular legitimacy in Sunni areas. Over the years, ISIL has succeeded in eliminating or absorbing its former rivals in Iraq, and that may play out in its favour as it embarks on a similar phase of attrition.
“After our emancipation from the circumstances around the Sahwat (Awakening Councils) and with the end of that phase, in which the Sahwat presented a real danger to the dawlah (ISIL),” the document stated, “this period emerges as a period of planning and preparation for what comes after the American withdrawal … the real victor of this battle will be the one who knows how to plan and prepare for the post-withdrawal period.”
The authors of the Strategic Plan then argue against allies who regard the goal of an Islamic state as unrealistic. It is in this section that another theme becomes clearer as the extremists proclaimed an Islamic state in 201 — namely the state of savagery.
They cite Ibn Khaldoun, the 14th-century Arab sociologist, saying, "Savage nations are better able to achieve superiority than others … savage groups are braver than others. They are, therefore, better able to achieve superiority and to take away the things that are in the hands of other nations.”
In 2014, two sources from inside ISIL revealed that the Management of Savagery, a 2004 jihadi book attributed to an Egyptian militant by the name of Mohammed al-Hakayma, was being read by the group. The claim was later confirmed by another insider source.
One of the book’s themes is that major victories in history, specifically naming the Muslim battle of Hattin against the crusaders, came about because of minor battles that preceded them. Attacks against enemy convoys or castles by small bands of fighters as part of a ceaseless and depleting insurgency made the final outcome more possible. By the time ISIL emerged again, its former enemies would be much weaker and the power vacuum would allow the capture of large swathes of Iraq and Syria.
After the rise of ISIL in 2014, politicians in Washington and elsewhere recognised those conditions and tried to address them first by replacing former prime minister, Nouri Al Maliki.
Sensible observers should have a sense of history. What politicians and media celebrate about the demise of ISIL was celebrated before. In 2010, the group was said to have fallen apart, its ability to conduct attacks was crippled and its ideology was undermined by its vicious tactics.
ISIL was defeated again between the spring of 2013 and the summer of 2014, and this time by the very people it claimed to represent: Syrians who rose up against the regime of Bashar Al Assad. After Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi was rejected by the man he sent to establish a Syria chapter, the group was expelled from most of Syria. It was dislodged from Idlib and the city of Aleppo, never to return. It was also expelled from most of Raqqa, Deir Ezzor and Hasaka.
By May 2014, the group appeared on the back-foot after four months of warring against various rebel groups. More critically, that period was when ISIL was most bruised ideologically. It was then that the group was attacked for its ultra-extremist, vicious and illegitimate ideology. The name “Daesh”, the pejorative Arabic name for it, was given to it by Syrians. Supporters of the Syrian rebellion also issued fatwas describing the group as “khawarij”, drawing on the name of an extremist movement that emerged in early Islamic history, which declared Muslims at the time as apostates in the same way that ISIL did.
So, the group had already been undermined before the world felt the shock waves of the rise of ISIL in June 2014. The outside world came at least six months late to the show, and under American leadership hijacked the real war that could have properly ended the group.
The same disconnect persists today. The same things are being said — that ISIL's ideology is undermined, that people have seen the group for what it is.
Those statements are true, but those accomplishments are not enough on their own to draw final conclusions. The war against the group has only taken a new shape and the underlying problems have become far more compound. The profound misery, profound hatred and profound illusions will ensure new monsters will emerge, regardless of what names or forms they will have.Aside from the fact that you can hear Simpsons’ creator Matt Groening and showrunner Al Jean doing commentary tracks on the Rick and Morty Season 1 DVD, co-creator Justin Roiland mentioned at New York City Comic Con that they’ve been approached to do a couch gag, making for a “tiny little crossover of Rick and Morty with The Simpsons.” They’ve submitted a script for it and are in the production process right now.
Additionally—and this isn’t really to do with The Simpsons at all but that’s how I’m going to spin it—earlier this year at the San Diego Comic Con panel Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland revealed that the almost entirely improvised “Rixty Minutes” episode will be a recurring thing that happens once a season. As Roiland put it, it will be their “Treehouse of Horror.” See? Sort-of Simpsons-y.
This info has been out there for some time now but I don’t see a lot of people reporting it so if you didn’t know you know now! Oh, also did you know Jim Rash, Stephen Colbert, and Werner Herzog will be guesting for episodes in the second season?? Wubbalubba--all right, that’s enough of that.
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for all news updates related to the world of geek. And Google+, if that's your thing!Ireland is reportedly considering tax reforms that would close a loophole allegedly exploited by several multinational corporations -- most notably Apple -- to reduce their tax bills.
In the face of mounting international criticism, the Irish government is considering ways to phase out the Double Irish taxation arrangement, according to a report this weekend in the financial newspaper Sunday Business Post. The technique dramatically reduces a company's tax debt by funneling profits through two linked Irish subsidiaries.
The report did not indicate what specific changes might be under consideration. CNET has contacted Ireland's Department of Finance for comment and will update this report when we learn more.
The technique has led to criticism by U.S. lawmakers who recently labeled Ireland a tax haven for U.S. companies seeking to avoid taxes in their home country. A recent report prepared by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations described how Apple has used corporate structures set up in myriad countries that allow it to exist as a resident of nowhere so that it pays very little corporate tax on its international revenue.
The Senate report noted that Apple's Irish subsidiary earned $22 billion in 2011. However, it wound up paying $10 million in taxes.
"Apple's three primary Irish entities hold 60 percent of the company's profits but claim to be tax residents nowhere in the world," Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said, adding that it was "completely outrageous" that Apple has managed to avoid paying taxes at home and abroad.
Apple is just one of several companies being investigated by the subcommittee. Last September, the group spoke with Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard.Please enable Javascript to watch this video
Illinois lawmakers are considering a bill that would tax drivers by the mile.
It’s called “I-Ride" and under the plan the state would monitor car odometer readings or install devices that track miles driven on Illinois roads.
Residents would be able to opt out by paying a 1.5-cent-per-mile tax based on 30,000 miles per year.
This proposal is from Illinois Democrat John Cullerton, who points out that car tax revenues are declining in Illinois. Cullerton says for Illinois motorists, the new fee would replace state gas taxes. Residents would get a refund on taxes paid at the pump.
The nonpartisan Taxpayers United for America blasted the proposal and is gearing up for a fight.
“It’s highway robbery,” said Jared Labell, director of operations Taxpayers United of America “It’s highway robbery saying you owe $450 for just being a driver anywhere in Illinois or be tracked anywhere you go. With 14 years of budget deficits. Over $111 billion in unfunded liabilities, they’re trying to find money anywhere they can.”
Senator Cullerton’s office says people will embrace this new way of collecting revenue once they learn about the rebate on taxes at the pump. And they say they understand privacy concerns, that’s why they would create a special commission to monitor the vehicle tracking system.So let's talk Pixel 2 XL screen burn-in. This is the latest mini-controversy affecting the display of the larger Pixel phone. In our review we talked about some earlier complaints — color tuning, off-angle color shift, and shadow detail crushing. Bottom line: The XL doesn't have the best-looking screen out there, and its LG-made display actually looks worse than the cheaper, smaller Pixel 2, which has a Samsung AMOLED panel.
But over the past couple days we've started noticing a more troubling issue with this screen: image burn-in. This is something which affects all OLED panels eventually. As the screen is used, the individual LEDs which make up each tiny pixel on the display start to get dimmer. And if the same image is shown on the same part of the screen over long periods of time, some pixels get dimmer at a different rate. As a result, you get burn-in: a kind of "shadow" or "ghost" image of what is usually on that part of the screen.
In today's video, we'll put our Pixel 2 XL's screen to the test, and try to find out if it's really experiencing screen burn-in, or whether the less serious image persistence is to blame.Last week's passage into law of the controversial anti-gay bill in Uganda puts the country among an elite club of nations noteworthy for their backpedaling on human and civil rights. Kampala has experienced widespread condemnation for its action, and funding from the World Bank and two European governments has already been suspended. President Obama and the U.S. Congress must now decide whether to restrict aid to the country, but geopolitical considerations may ultimately determine the extent to which Kampala will be penalized by Washington.
As a host of a U.S. military presence and a major contributor to the African Union Mission in Somalia, Washington has long viewed Kampala as a strategic ally in Central and East Africa. Given Uganda's geographic proximity to a range of conflicts where Western interests are at stake -- such as the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia and South Sudan -- a sophisticated military partnership with Uganda serves several of Washington's strategic interests in the region. The $1 billion in aid that Washington has provided to Uganda since Obama took office underscores the value of this alliance from Washington's perspective.
Since major oil fields have been discovered in portions of Uganda in recent years, the country will likely remain under the West's radar for the foreseeable future. Moreover, as Libya and Iraq remain destabilized, Western energy firms will likely look to Uganda as a new location for business, particularly given that the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has been weakened in northern Uganda and constitutes less of a risk for foreign investors compared to several years ago.
The West's punishment of other African countries for human rights violations (such as Nigeria, Sudan and Zimbabwe) pushed these governments closer to China during the 20th century -- for that reason it is sensitive to the notion that any move to isolate Uganda in response to human rights violations could push President Museveni closer to China. If history serves as any guide, China will not issue any criticism of Uganda's anti-gay legislation. On the contrary, business between the two countries should continue as usual, if not grow. As Washington has been cautious about taking concrete moves to punish Uganda's government, the China factor is surely a consideration in the minds of U.S. policymakers.
In recent years, China's economic footprint in Uganda has rapidly expanded. In 2011, Uganda's trade with China overtook Uganda's trade with the United Kingdom, its former colonial ruler. Chinese-Ugandan bilateral trade increased 35 percent between 2012 and 2013, reaching $538 million last year. Last September, China's state-owned oil company won a $2 billion contract in Uganda to develop the Kingfisher oil field, which holds an estimated 635 million barrels of oil and will have an initial production capacity of 30,000 to 40,000 barrels of oil per day, according to Uganda's Ministry of Energy. In 2012, China's Ambassador to Uganda estimated that nearly 200 Uganda-based Chinese firms employ 30,000 Ugandan workers.
Since the 1990s, China's government has invested heavily in Uganda, mainly in the form of infrastructure, education/technical assistance, interest-free/soft loans and debt relief. In 2012, a ceremony was held for the 22-mile long Kampala-Entebbe Expressway, Uganda's first expressway, which links Uganda's capital to the country's international airport and is financed with $350 million in soft loans from China's Export Import Bank. Chinese engineers have played a crucial role in developing railways and hydroelectric dams across Uganda, providing the country with much needed funds and expertise. In 2007, China and Uganda signed a debt cancellation protocol forgiving Uganda for all debt to China from prior to 2005.
While China's aid comes with no strings attached, Western aid often requires that Kampala modify domestic policy in order to receive assistance. In a show of defiance against the West, a spokesperson for the Ugandan government stated that his country "can't force the West to give it their money, and they shouldn't force homosexuality on Uganda." He specifically referred to the World Bank's decision to withhold aid as a "decadence trap." The reality, however, is that as one of the world's poorest countries, Uganda remains dependent on foreign aid to finance 20 percent of its annual budget. Speculation that Western nations would withhold aid has already shaken the Ugandan economy, but Mr. Museveni was well aware of the political and economic risks associated with enacting the legislation.
Across Africa, China's "soft-power" appears to have largely benefited from Beijing's tendency toward non-interventionist foreign policy. Whereas Western outrage over the anti-gay bill was dismissed by officials in Kampala as "arrogant" "social imperialism," China's neutral stance toward such domestic affairs is interpreted by Museveni and other African leaders as respect for African states' sovereignty. This, combined with China's growing economic reach in Africa and globally, implies that Uganda is no longer solely allied with the West. Although most of Uganda's aid continues to come from the West, a pivot toward China appears to be taking place.
For now, Uganda's government remains defiant of Western governments and the international human rights organizations that pleaded with Museveni to reject the law. There is no indication that any pressure from the West will prompt Kampala to rescind the legislation. The truth is that the anti-gay law received widespread support from a society that maintains ultra-conservative and intolerant views on homosexuality. If the White House determines that reducing foreign aid to Uganda will do nothing to improve the plight of Uganda's oppressed gay community, but will only serve to push Uganda closer to China while risking the loss of a strategic military partner, there is good reason to believe that the law will remain on the books and American taxpayer dollars will continue to flow into Kampala. Museveni may very well have his cake and eat it too.
--
Daniel Wagner is CEO of Country Risk Solutions, Senior Advisor with Gnarus Advisors, and author of the book "Managing Country Risk". Giorgio Cafiero is a research analyst with CRS based in Washington.Against the Odds: Squirrels
by SaffronOlive // May 12, 2016 Tweet
video Against the Odds
Hello everyone, and welcome to episode thirty-five of Against the Odds. First off, thanks to all of you for voting in last week's poll, which ended up being the closest of all time. With nearly five thousand votes cast, Squirrels in Legacy beat out Zada, Hedron Grinder/Silverfur Partisan in Standard by a single vote! Werewolves in Modern came in third and will return for another shot at glory. Eerie Interlude and Shared Fate (which was surprising, because I've had a ton of people request a Shared Fate deck) came in at the bottom and will be dropped from the ballot. As such, this week, we have a very special challenge—trying to make some of Magic's smallest and cutest creatures work in one of Magic's most powerful formats!
We'll talk more about Squirrels in a minute, but first a quick reminder. If you enjoy the Against the Odds series and the other video content here on MTGGoldfish, make sure to subscribe to the MTGGoldfish Youtube Channel.
Against the Odds: Squirrels Deck Tech
Against the Odds: Squirrels Games
The Deck
When I sat down to build a Squirrel deck, one big problem came up: there just aren't many Squirrels in Magic. We also ran into this problem in Modern when we tried to build around Swarmyard and found literally zero legal Squirrels in the format. When we go back to Legacy, things get a little better, but not by much. There are only two creatures with the type Squirrel (Squirrel Mob and Krosan Beast) in all of Magic, and there are nine cards that make Squirrel tokens, ranging from unplayable jank (even by Against the Odds standards) like Nantuko Shrine to my favorite 1/1 for six mana, Nut Collector. As a result, to actually win with a Squirrel deck, our best bet is to combo off with Squirrel Nest.
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Squirrel Nest is pretty simple. You enchant a land, and then you can tap that land to make a 1/1 Squirrel token. While Squirrel Nest forms an awesome, infinite two-card combo with Earthcraft, Earthcraft is banned in Legacy, so we need to add an extra card to the mix to build our own Earthcraft.
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Step one is Intruder Alarm, an enchantment that untaps all creatures whenever a creature enters the battlefield. With a Squirrel Nest on a land and an Intruder Alarm on the battlefield, we are halfway to building our own Earthcraft. All we need is something worth untapping whenever we make a Squirrel token to go infinite.
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Enter Arbor Elf, which can tap to untap a Forest. With a Squirrel Nest on a Forest and an Intruder Alarm on the battlefield, every time we tap our enchanted Forest to make a Squirrel token, we get to untap our Arbor Elf, which allows us to untap the Squirrel Nested Forest and repeat the process again and again. Eventually, we'll have an army of Squirrels (which, according to Squirrel Mob, is still an army). The problem with this combo is that it's slow: we have to play an Arbor Elf, wait an entire turn, and hope it doesn't die to Lightning Bolt.
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The good news is we do have a way of pulling off the infinite combo without Arbor Elf by using creaturelands. Dryad Arbor is likely the best because we can find it with a fetch land at the end of our opponent's turn, which eliminates the "wait-a-turn" problem with Arbor Elf. We simply enchant the Dryad Arbor with Squirrel Nest, and then, with an Intruder Alarm on the battlefield, every time we tap Dryad Arbor to make a Squirrel token, it untaps, allowing us to go infinite. The problem with the Dryad Arbor plan is that it not only gets disrupted by Lightning Bolt and other instant-speed removal spells, but by Wasteland as well.
Mutavault is a more resilient way to pull off the combo, since we can use the Swarmyard to regenerate Mutavault (which is technically a Squirrel). However, it does have the Arbor Elf issue of having to sit on the battlefield for a turn to combo off.
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One of the downsides of the combo is that that the Squirrel tokens do not have haste, which can lead to use getting blown out by something like Abrupt Decay on Squirrel Nest, plus Pyroclasm, Ratchet Bomb, or Toxic Deluge. That's where Squirrel Mob comes in. If we can get a copy of Squirrel Mob on the battlefield before making infinite Squirrel tokens, we can give the Squirrel Mob infinite power and toughness, which can allow us to win without letting our opponent untap.
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Green Sun's Zenith is the card that holds everything together, allowing us to search up our Dryad Arbor (as a one-mana Rampant Growth), our Arbor Elf/Voyaging Satyr, our Squirrel Mob, or one of our other Squirrel cards.
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Since we are playing Green Sun's Zenith, and because we are a Squirrel deck, it felt wrong not to include the other Squirrel-token-generating Green creatures in our deck. The issue with all of these cards is that they are extremely fragile. Four-, five-, and six-mana plays that die to Darkblast typically aren't playable in Legacy. That said, in the right matchup, it's possible that we make a bunch of Squirrel tokens with Squirrel Wrangler, pump them up with Deranged Hermit or Nut Collector, and win without comboing off.
The Matchups
All in all, Squirrels doesn't seem to have many good matchups in Legacy. We don't really have enough interaction to beat fast combo decks like Storm, Reanimator, or Infect. We can't beat more removal-heavy decks like Miracles, Delver, or BUG, and unless we get a nut draw, we aren't fast enough to beat decks like Zoo or Burn. On the other hand, at least based on the matches we played, it felt like slower decks without much interaction, like Eldrazi and MUD, are our best matchups. While I'm not sure I'd call either of these matchups good, it did feel like we at least had a chance of winning.
The Odds
All in all we won one in six matches—good for a 17% match win percentage—and three of thirteen games, making our game win percentage 23%. These numbers feel about right for the deck. We were completely overmatched in a lot of the matchups, especially against the combo decks that have the ability to kill us on turn two or three. Squirrels aren't really playable in Legacy.
That said, Wizards has an easy way to make Squirrels playable in Legacy by unbanning Earthcraft. While I have no idea how good or bad this decision would be, I have a hard time imagining that a Squirrel Nest combo would suddenly be better than all of the other broken combos that are already in the format. On the other hand, I haven't really thought through what else Earthcraft might break in the format, so maybe it's a bad idea.
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Conclusion
Anyway, that's all for today. Don't forget to vote for next week's deck! As always, leave your thoughts, ideas, opinions, and suggestions in the comments, and you can reach me on Twitter @SaffronOlive, or at SaffronOlive@MTGGoldfish.com.Nearly two months in, I thought I'd publish 10 realtime web technology predictions for 2014 based on how it developed in 2013 and the trends I've seen so far this year. I've added two additional bonus predictions for good measure.
Note: I came up with most of this list at the start of the year. I've only just got around to expanding upon the details now.
Before I go into the predictions: if you're interested in realtime technologies then you may be interested in the Realtime APIs panel that I'm putting together with Kin Lane as part of the API Strategy Conference 2014 in Amsterdam.
1. Realtime All the Apps
We're seeing increased understanding of the benefits of realtime web tech so it's not surprising that the number of apps using the technology is rapidly increasing. Common functionality includes simple data updates for notifications, dashboards (sports, finance, site analytics and anything that's stat-heavy), realtime news and activity streams. Or more complex functionality for multi-user chat, collaborative applications (like Google Docs, Office Live and numerous online IDEs), multiplayer games, interactive 2nd screen experiences, realtime mapping and GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and - hopefully - much, much more!
I'm making the obvious predication that in 2014 realtime will become a fundamental part of a significant number of new mainstream applications.
2. Commoditization of Realtime
Since realtime is becoming so fundamental to application experiences, realtime functionality will make its way into many existing frameworks. This ultimately reduces the uniqueness of existing realtime solutions. This doesn't mean that dedicated realtime solutions aren't valuable, but it may mean that the use of some types of realtime (e.g. Pub/Sub) may diminish in the initial phases of projects.
Dedicated realtime services (hosted or otherwise) will be sought when scaling becomes necessary or tightly coupled architectures result in unwanted complexity. In this situation it's likely a move to loosely coupling architecture using a dedicated piece of realtime infrastructure is will be of benefit.
I'm actually really excited about this development as it means that existing solutions will need to "up their game" in order to present a compelling reason to use |
that they would continue using the original Ethereum blockchain, the one in which marks lost their tokens and the hacker kept his spoils. Thus there was user demand for ETC (Ethereum Classic), but demand alone was not enough. The ETC chain also needed the security that miners provide.
Shortly after the Ethereum hard fork, cryptocurrency exchange Poloniex created an exchange market for ETC tokens, giving them a trading value. Because Ethereum maintains a consistent block time regardless of how much hashrate is securing the network, this meant that enterprising miners could begin mining ETC tokens as easily as they had before and sell them for profit. With the holy trifecta of miners (supply), users (demand), and a marketplace to facilitate the matching of supply with demand, ETC was able to live on as a niche off-shoot of Ethereum.
This situation will not happen when Bitcoin undergoes its first intentional hard fork. There may be a short lived effort to keep the old chain alive, but the economic equation is entirely different for Bitcoin than for Ethereum, and such a situation will not persist for very long at all.
Following the lead of Bitcoin Classic with its 75% hard-fork activation threshold, it seems most likely that the Bitcoin Unlimited fork will initiate with a similar majority of hashrate backing it, at least according to ViaBTC founder Haipo Yang:
First, under what circumstances should a hard fork be initiated? I recommend following Bitcoin Classic’s 75% threshold. In other words, a hardfork will be initiated only after more than 75% of the network hashrate is supporting Bitcoin Unlimited. If the consensus threshold is set too high then reaching consensus will be unattainable, as a single determined mining pool could veto a change for the entire network. A 75% threshold is perfectly adequate to perform a hard fork safely.
Unlike Bitcoin Classic, Bitcoin Unlimited does not have an activation threshold at which point a hard fork is automatically initiated. Rather, once a large enough majority of miners are signalling that they will accept blocks greater than 1MB in size, any miner may initiate a hard fork by beginning to produce bigger blocks. Two notes on this:
This creates a fork because the remaining miners and nodes whose software does not accept >1MB blocks as valid will ignore these new blocks and continue mining on the old chain with 1MB blocks. Yang also outlined a strategy for preventing a premature hard fork: continue to produce and accept only ≤1MB blocks until a sufficient majority of miners are already running the Bitcoin Unlimited software.
Yang’s strategy also suggests that even once sufficient hashrate is obtained, miners do not accept blocks larger than 1MB for two difficulty adjustment periods (approximately one month). This gives users, businesses, and (hopefully) Bitcoin Core ample time to upgrade their software to be in compliance with the impending hard fork, so as not to isolate themselves from the rest of the network.
We now return to the difficulty adjustment period and why a persistent minority chain is an impossibility in a Bitcoin hard fork.
Assuming that Yang’s figures are the ones that will be used to fork with, and assuming that rational miners do not switch to the more profitable chain:
Both chains will use the most recent difficulty figure, which attempts to produce one block every ten minutes. The BU chain will have 75% of the hashrate, meaning blocks will be found every 13.3 minutes on average (10/0.75), at least until the next difficulty adjustment in 2,016 blocks. The Core chain will have 25% of the hashrate, meaning blocks will be found once every 40 minutes on average (10/0.25), also in 2,016 blocks.
With these numbers we can draw some interesting conclusions. Because a miner’s operating costs will remain fixed (electricity is not priced in bitcoin), miners on the BU chain will be expending 33.3% more resource to compete for newly produced bitcoins, while miners on the Core chain will be expending 300% more resource to compete.
The field of miners competing for new bitcoin will be smaller in both instances. With ten minute blocks, there will be on average 144 blocks per day, each with a reward of 12.5 BTC, for a total daily production of 1,800 BTC. With 13.3 minute block times, the BU chain will be finding an average of 108 blocks per day, or 1,350 BTC. With 40 minute block times, the Core chain will find an average of 36 blocks per day, or 450 BTC.
Using the current price of $700 per coin, this works out to a daily economic reward of:
1,350 BTC = $945,000
450 BTC = $315,000
The current network hashrate is estimated to be 1.91 exahashes per second. (1,910 Ph/s, 1,910,000 Th/s). For a benchmark I will use the Antminer S7, arguably the most widely used bitcoin mining machine in the world. The S7 has a power draw of 273 watts per terahash, but when accounting for the PSU powering the machine, one gets about 93% efficiency, or 294 watts per terahash, or 294 kW per petahash.
1,910 * 294 = 561,540 kW total power draw.
I will estimate $0.035 USD per kWh as the average power cost. Most miners in China or Washington State have very low power costs, around this rate. This works out to $19,654 per hour to power the machines that power the bitcoin network.
$19,654 * 24 = $471,694 = electricity cost per day.
This is the electricity cost alone, and does not include paying back the massive CAPEX costs of constructing a bitcoin mining farm.
Using the 75/25 figures, the BU chain will cost $353,770 per day to maintain, while the Core chain will cost $117,924 per day to maintain. Only if each coin continues to be priced exactly the same will it make economic sense for the rational miner to remain on the Core chain. But expecting the price of both coins to maintain parity with one another is pure foolishness.
At the current rate of ~3 transactions per second, the bitcoin network is capable of processing 259,200 transactions per day on an already congested network. If block times on the Core chain are now once every 40 minutes instead of once per ten, we derive a new daily throughput of 64,800 transactions. Because the bitcoin network is already at max load, reducing the capacity by 75% acutely exacerbates the congestion problem. Not only will a single confirmation now take 40 minutes instead of ten, but one block will now be expected to handle 40 minutes worth of network activity, or ~7200 transactions. A 1MB block can process ~2000 transactions, so the network will have a permanent backlog that increases by ~5200 transactions for every ~2000 transactions that are allowed through. Inclusion into the next block and receiving a “timely” forty minute confirmation will require outbidding at least 5,200 other transactions. Of course, all of this assumes that demand for this chain will remain the same as it is now.
Meanwhile, assuming that the Bitcoin Unlimited chain initially settles on a 2MB maximum block size, the BU chain will be able to process 518,400 transactions per day. Block space will not be at a premium, and if it is, the emergent consensus mechanism used by Bitcoin Unlimited means that block size can grow in line with user demand, confirming all pending transactions every ten minutes and removing the requirement for users to outbid one another to make a payment.
Let us compare our two chains:
Core chain: 25% security of the original unified chain. 0.75 transactions per second. 64,800 transactions per day. 40 minutes per confirmation. 450 BTC produced per day. Permanent backlog that grows by 187,200 transactions per day. Must out-bid others to use.
BU chain: 75% security of the original unified chain. ≥6 transactions per second. 518,400 transactions per day. 13.3 minutes per confirmation. 1,350 BTC produced per day. Generally no backlog; any backlog created in peak times will be processed quickly. If backlog becomes a regular occurrence, limit can be increased. Fees priced fairly, using the network does not require pushing someone else off the network.
It’s easy to see which of these two chains will be valued more highly by the market. But that’s not all: recall from the beginning of this essay the “one simple reason” why Bitcoin will not split.
Bitcoin’s difficulty adjustment period is not two weeks, but 2,016 blocks. With 13.3 minute blocks, this means that the situation on the BU chain will return to the normal ten minute block times in 18.62 days. Meanwhile, the Core chain will be required to run in its crippled state for 56 days before having its first difficulty adjustment.
This all assumes, of course, that miners are “dumb” and will not move to mine on the chain that is most profitable — and we all know what they say about assuming.
Businesses dependent on making bitcoin transactions will not be able to afford to transact on the 0.75 transaction-per-second, expensive fee market chain, and will naturally be inclined to use the cheaper, faster, and more secure chain that does everything bitcoin always did.
It’s difficult to imagine any scenario in which the coins on the Core chain manage to hold their value against the coins of the BU chain. As the price of Core chain coins continue to fall, miners will be further incentivized to switch to the more profitable of the two chains, further lengthening the Core chain’s confirmation times, reducing transaction throughput, increasing backlogs, and extending the length of the difficulty adjustment period.
As all these variables continue to shift in favor of the BU chain, the total cost of maintaining both chains will continue to be at least $471,694 per day. It will cost the same amount of money to maintain one’s hashrate regardless of which chain they mine on, but one chain will recover quickly and stronger than before while the capabilities of the other continue to slowly degrade. Like the Highlander, there can be only one.
Continue reading part two.Aetna headquarters in Hartford, Conn. (Photo11: 2014 photo by Jessica Hill, AP)
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration announced Thursday it will seek to block two giant health care mergers, citing concerns that the deals could drive up health care premiums, undermine innovation and reduce competition.
The Justice Department filed lawsuits challenging Anthem's $48 billion acquisition of Cigna and Aetna's $37 billion takeover of Humana, threatening to put an abrupt stop to the insurance industry's rapid consolidation.
Eleven states and the District of Columbia joined the attempt to block the Anthem deal, which would combine the nation's second- and fourth-largest insurers. Eight states and D.C. joined the suit to block the Aetna deal, which would combine the third and fifth largest.
Attorney General Loretta Lynch told reporters the mergers would "drastically" curb competition in the insurance industry, including by reducing the number of options for people who buy insurance on public exchanges.
"If these mergers were to take place, the competition among these insurers that has pushed them to provide lower premiums, higher-quality care and better benefits would be eliminated," Lynch said.
In a show of unity, Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna and Louisville-based Humana immediately issued a joint statement vowing to "vigorously" contest the government's suit, saying their deal would improve the quality of care and lower costs while increasing insurance options for many Medicare patients.
The Anthem-Cigna alliance appears to be on shakier ground. Cigna said in a statement that the deal would no longer close in 2016 "and the earliest it could close is 2017, if at all," adding that it is "currently evaluating its options."
Indianapolis-based Anthem called the challenge an "unfortunate and misguided step backwards for access to affordable health care for America" and pledged to fight the suit in court, though it signaled an openness to a settlement, which could involve divestitures.
Marianne Udow-Phillips, director of the Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation at the University of Michigan, said that although the deals would likely reduce prices paid by insurers to health care providers, patients wouldn’t necessarily see lower bills.
“That doesn’t always get passed on to consumers,” Udow-Phillips said in an interview, adding that "it will be challenging for them to succeed in court.”
A federal judge will decide whether the mergers are anti-competitive. Although there is no guarantee the Justice Department will prevail, corporations often choose to give up instead of waging an uncertain, lengthy and costly fight against the government.
The American Hospital Association and the American Medical Association hailed the suit as critical to preserving accessible health care and fostering innovation among insurers.
"Fewer coverage options for consumers also would undermine the hospital field’s goal of keeping communities vital and healthy through continuous innovation," Rick Pollack, the association's CEO, said in a statement.
The suits mark the latest in a series of steps taken by the Justice Department's antitrust division to block corporate consolidation. The division prevented oilfield services giant Halliburton's acquisition of Baker Hughes and blocked retail and supplies company Staples' purchase of Office Depot.
Waging a fight against the insurance deals reflects another mark left by the Obama administration on the contours of an industry already dramatically reshaped by the president's sweeping health care overhaul.
Udow-Phillips, director of the Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation, said there’s a risk of less competition in the Obamacare exchanges if the deals are approved.
“More health plans are questioning whether they’re going to stay in the exchange market, and the government is very concerned because that individual market only works when there’s enough competition,” she said.
Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Bill Baer, a former antitrust chief, said the health care mergers are unnecessary.
"These insurance companies are already some of the largest, most sophisticated companies in the country," he told reporters. "They are thriving as independent firms, they do not need these deals to survive and consumers deserve to benefit from their continued competition."
Still, insurers have been aggressively pursuing consolidation sparked by the onset of Obamacare, which insurers have blamed for increasing regulatory costs.
If the deals collapse, the insurers "may take a break from mergers and acquisitions but will resume with smaller-scale transactions in the future," S&P Global Healthcare analysts said Thursday in a research note.
The government said a merger of Anthem and Cigna would reduce head-to-head competition in at least 35 major metropolitan regions and give the combined company too much bargaining leverage over health care providers such as hospitals and doctors.
The Aetna-Humana deal would combine two of the four largest providers of Medicare Advantage plans, threatening to drive up costs for certain seniors, and would undermine competition in public exchanges in Florida, Georgia and Missouri, the government said.
A combination of the two companies would create the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans, Udow-Phillips said.
Anthem and Cigna collectively serve 54 million people with combined 2015 revenue of more than $117 billion. Aetna and Human collectively serve 37 million people with $114 billion in revenue.
Follow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2adGIWGDuring an exclusive interview aired on Wednesday’s NBC Today, Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine struggled to respond to Hillary Clinton’s ongoing e-mail scandal as co-host Savannah Guthrie actually grilled him on the topic. She pressed: “This is something that dogs Hillary Clinton, whether or not people trust her. If you look at what she said over the past year or so about her e-mail, I can count at least four statements that just turned out not to be true. Has she earned that mistrust?”
Kaine lamely replied: “Savannah, if you ask somebody a question 150 times or 200 times, you're going to be able to find that they don't use exactly the same word every time, and there's going to be variations and then people are going to play on those, but – ” Guthrie interrupted him with a dose of reality: “In point of fact, though, she did use the same verbiage, it just happens to not be true.”
He asserted: “Well, here's what I've heard her say. I've heard her say, ‘I made a mistake and I've learned something from it, and I wouldn't do it again and I apologize.’” Guthrie didn’t let him off the hook: “She has acknowledged mistakes with respect to the e-mail practices. She hasn't acknowledged a mistake with regard to what she has told the American people.”
Kaine repeated: “The bottom line is this, you know, this is an area where she says, ‘I made a mistake and I've learned from it and I've improved and I'm going to do differently.’”
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Guthrie failed to use the word “lie” to describe Clinton’s dishonest statements, instead opting for gentler phrases like “turned out not to be true” or “just happens to not be true.” In her first question to Kaine on the topic, she actually teed him up to deflect from the controversy and hit Republicans:
GUTHRIE: Do you support the public release of the FBI notes and notes of interviews regarding the e-mail investigation? KAINE: Savannah, you asked the question really well, “Do you support public release?” Yes. Anything that the FBI gives to Congress, they should give to the public. Because what we've seen is this lengthy, multimillion dollar congressional investigation that has been highly partisan, where they've wanted to leak out this or that to try to make their case against Hillary Clinton. Let the public see what the FBI decides to let Congress see.
While Guthrie did put Kaine on the spot with a few challenging questions, there were plenty of softballs as well:
> I remember the President saying that Democrats ought to run scared....Is there any danger of overconfidence here?...Do you expect it to tighten up? > Donald Trump gave a speech yesterday. One of the things he said is that Hillary Clinton lacks the mental and physical stamina to be commander-in-chief. What did you make of those remarks? How do you interpret that?...What do you think is really going on, if he questions her physical stamina? > Trump is now calling for an ideological test and so-called “extreme vetting” of immigrants into this country. Do you consider that a softening of his Muslim ban, his previous position?
Turning to Kaine’s wife, Anne Holton, Guthrie wondered:
> Secretary Holton, you, up until recently, were a Secretary of Education in Virginia, a former judge, an attorney. Was it hard to leave your post as Secretary of Education? And why did you decide to do that? > Well, if the Democratic ticket is successful, your husband becomes vice president, there will be an opening in the Senate. And the Governor of Virginia appoints the senator. Are you interested?
In contrast, during an interrogation of Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence on August 5, nearly every question from Guthrie was a hardball in which she encouraged the Indiana Governor to attack Donald Trump.
Here is a full transcript of the interview with Kaine aired on August 17:“Wall Street banks have cut back on small business lending… [by] more than double the cutback in overall lending.… [Small business] options just keep disappearing.” -Elizabeth Warren, Chair of the TARP Congressional Oversight Panel,
quoted in Judd and McGhee, “Banking on America”
The Wall Street bailout of 2008 has radically altered the banking business. The bailout was supposed to keep credit flowing to Main Street, but it has wound up having the opposite effect. Small and medium-sized businesses have traditionally been the main engines for increasing employment, and they need bank credit for their working capital; but today credit to local businesses has collapsed nearly everywhere.
That’s why so many states—the total is now fourteen—are considering turning to state-owned banks to get local credit flowing again.
The Bailout that Missed Main Street
The credit collapse of September 2008 was triggered by the speculative activities of giant Wall Street banks. These profligate banks, which would have gone bankrupt without federal support, have emerged from the crisis bigger and more powerful than before. The federal government has supported and subsidized bank consolidation, resulting in the elimination of more than a thousand community banks by takeover or failure.
The five largest banks now hold 40 percent of all deposits and 48 percent of all bank assets. These banks—Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, and PNC—currently control more deposits than the next largest 45 banks combined.
State-owned banks can not only nurture and protect local lending but can provide cash-strapped states with new revenues—without raising taxes, slashing services, or selling off public assets.
They are big, they are powerful, and they have lost interest in local lending. In the past three years, the four largest banks have cut back on small business lending by a full 53 percent. The two banks that were the largest recipients of TARP funds, Bank of America and Citigroup, have cut back on local lending by 94 percent and 64 percent, respectively.
Why? In 2010, the six largest bank holding companies made a combined $75 billion; and of this, $56 billion was in trading revenues—income from speculating in derivatives, futures, commodities, and currencies. If the too-big-to-fail banks win on these bets, they win big and can pocket the proceeds. If they lose, the federal government can be relied on to bail them out. In those comfortable circumstances, why lend to risky local businesses that might go bankrupt, or to homeowners who might default?
Why Banks Aren’t Lending Locally
Another aspect of the bailout that has put a tourniquet on local lending involves interest rates. The Federal Reserve dropped the Fed funds rate (the rate at which banks lend to each other) to an extremely low 0 to 0.25 percent. It was a very good deal for the big banks—too good to be wasted on local lending. As Dirk van Dijk, writing for the investor website Zacks.com, explained in April 2010:
Keeping short-term rates low should be good for the stock market, and is particularly helpful to the big banks like Bank of America (BAC) and JPMorgan (JPM). Their raw material is short-term money, which is effectively free right now. They can borrow at 0.25% or less, and then turn around and invest those funds in, say, a 5-year T-note at 2.50%, locking in an almost risk-free profit of 2.25%. On big enough sums of money, this can be very profitable, and will help to recapitalize the banking system (provided they don’t drain capital by paying it out in dividends or frittering it away in outrageous bonuses to their top executives).
It can be very profitable indeed for the big Wall Street banks, but the purpose of the near-zero interest rates was supposed to be to get banks to lend again. Instead, they are, indeed, paying “outrageous bonuses to their top executives;” using the money to engage in the same sort of unregulated speculation that nearly brought down the economy in 2008; buying up smaller banks; or investing this virtually interest-free money in risk-free government bonds, on which taxpayers are paying 2.5 percent interest (more for longer-term securities).
How Banks Make Money
...out of thin air.
Investing in Treasury bills is an attractive alternative for banks, not just because it provides 2.25 percent of risk-free profit but because it requires no capital investment. The amount of capital a bank must hold against its assets (mainly loans) depends on how risky the assets are. Treasuries are considered “risk-free,” so there is NO capital requirement for holding them. Naturally, banks prefer investing in Treasuries under these circumstances over making risky loans, against which they must maintain capital reserves of 7 percent. The banks can borrow virtually for free and make a nice return at taxpayer expense without tying up their capital, which can be used instead to speculate in the market.
And speculation is particularly lucrative at these very low interest rates. As blogger Philip George explains:
The entities who really benefit from low interest rates are hedge funds and traders of financial instruments. Typically, they take advantage of mispricings of securities amounting to a few cents. And how do they parlay such tiny mispricings into incomes amounting to tens and hundreds of millions of dollars? By leveraging their equity ten, fifty, or a hundred times. And of course they can do that only if money is dirt-cheap. Equally important, this hurts the producers of real goods and services who are looking for loans. At present the prime rate is around 3.25%. What self-respecting bank would lend at 5% or even 10% and wait a whole year when they can earn more in just a few weeks by trading in financial instruments?
North Dakota: Banking on the Locals
Video: David Brancaccio visits a bank that is invested in its community.
Even when banks do deign to use their nearly-interest-free funds to support loans, they typically do not pass these very low rates on to borrowers. For example, the Fed funds rate was lowered by 5 percentage points between August 2007 and December 2008, but during the same period the 30 year fixed mortgage rate dropped by less than 1 percent, from 6.75 percent to only about 6 percent; today it is still at 4.5 percent.
State-owned Banks to the Rescue?
With lending to Main Street still anemic, some states are taking matters into their own hands and considering legislation that would put local credit back into the local economy. Fourteen states have now initiated legislation for state-owned banks based on the model of the Bank of North Dakota (BND), which provides liquidity for local banks and credit lines for local government. North Dakota has not lost a single bank to insolvency over the last decade.
Other ways in which the BND supports local lending are detailed in an in-depth report by Jason Judd and Heather McGhee titled “Banking on America: How Main Street Partnership Banks Can Improve Local Economies.” They write:
Alone among states, North Dakota had the wherewithal to keep credit moving to small businesses when they needed it most. BND’s business lending actually grew from 2007 to 2009 (the tightest months of the credit crisis) by 35 percent. BND accomplished this through participation loans, in which BND contributes to a community bank’s loan, in order to free up the bank’s capital for more lending. Other tools that boost bank lending power and lower interest rates include purchases of community bank stock and—together with the state’s targeted economic development programs—interest rate buy-downs. As a result, loan amounts per capita for small banks in North Dakota are fully 175% higher than the U.S. average in the last five years, and its banks have stronger loan-to-asset ratios than comparable states like Wyoming, South Dakota and Montana.
While we wait for the Fed to reform its monetary policy and for Congress to break up the banking monoliths, we can follow the lead of North Dakota and set up our own local credit engines. State-owned banks can not only nurture and protect local lending but can provide cash-strapped states with new revenues—without raising taxes, slashing services, or selling off public assets.
Interested?By Lord Ashcroft
Labour’s lead is up from one to four points in this week’s Ashcroft National Poll, conducted over the past weekend. The party’s 36% share is the highest recorded in the ANP since July, while the UKIP share of 11% is the lowest I have yet found in my national polling. The Conservatives are up two points on 32%, the Liberal Democrats down two at 7%, and the Greens and the SNP unchanged at 8% and 4% respectively.
Despite prompting for UKIP in the main voting intention question at the beginning of 2015, I have generally found lower scores for the party this year than last – indeed UKIP’s share in published polls more generally has drifted down since its height last autumn. My qualitative research suggests two possible reasons for this. Most importantly, undecided voters increasingly (and spontaneously) say they know where UKIP stand on immigration and Europe but at a general election they want to vote for someone with more to offer. Some also wonder whether unpleasant or even sinister elements lurk behind the reasonable and entertaining Mr Farage, a suspicion that may have been reinforced over the last few days. We will see as further polls are published whether this effect persists in the coming days and weeks.
On the question of which party has the best approach to different policy issues, I found the Conservatives comfortably ahead on “cutting the deficit and the debt” (by 22 points), “steering the economy through difficult times” (by 15 points), “getting the economy growing and creating jobs” (by seven points) and “reforming the welfare system to cut benefit dependency” (by eleven points). Labour had a clear lead on “improving the NHS” (by 24 points), “improving standards in schools” (by eleven points) and “tackling the cost of living” (by eight points).
The two parties were very close on “dealing with crime”, “Britain’s relationship with the European Union” (both one-point Tory leads) and “introducing practical policies that would work in the long run” (on which the Conservatives were ahead by three points).
UKIP had the lead in one policy area, “dealing with immigration”. More than three in ten (31%) said the party had the best approach here, with Labour and the Conservatives tied on 22%.
It is notable that around one fifth of Labour voters thought the Conservatives had the best approach to economic growth, steering the economy through difficult times and reforming welfare, and 27% favoured the Tories when it came to dealing with the deficit. Meanwhile, a quarter of Conservative voters thought Labour had the best approach to improving the NHS. More than three in ten Tories and more than one in five Labour voters thought UKIP had the best stance on immigration.
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This week’s focus groups with undecided voters were held in Halesowen and Taunton, where the parties’ local campaigns had begun to swing into action. Leaflets and direct mail had begun to arrive, not all of it very enlightening: “the Labour one said if you vote Tory the NHS will be privatised and the Tory one said if you vote Labour spending will be out of control”. There was also a lesson in proofreading: “I got a letter from the Lib Dems but there was a terrible typo in the main headline so I didn’t look at the rest of it.”
In Taunton, most participants knew Jeremy Browne was standing down (“he fell out with Nick Clegg. He was Under-Foreign Secretary or something and got the sack”). He was visible and well known locally, though there was some dispute as to whether this meant he was a good MP or merely “likes having his photo taken”. The Conservative challenger Rebecca Pow was also mentioned by name by several people in the groups – a rare feat for a candidate. Even so, most of those who had voted Lib Dem last time said they would probably do so again, either because they thought the party had done reasonably well in office on things like the tax threshold and free school meals, or because they were simply the local alternative to the Conservatives.
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In national news, people in all the groups had noticed the Conservative plan to require young claimants to do voluntary work in return for benefits. People largely approved of this plan, both because it would because it would be good for the young people concerned – “they need something instead of going into that rut where they are on benefits and have no idea what working is like” – and in terms of fairness to the taxpayer (“there’s a hotline where you can dob people in”, we were reminded with relish in Halesowen, where two participants had used this service to report neighbours they suspected of claiming more than their due).
People had also heard, and most supported in principle, the idea that people claiming benefits because of drug addiction or obesity should have to accept help for those problems. However, many thought there would be practical problems enforcing the policy and that it sounded rather a blunt instrument, particularly when it came to obesity. Some doubted the plan would ever be implemented: “They’re not going to take their benefits away though, are they? Then they would be on the streets, and that’s not going to happen.”
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The plan to expand apprenticeships had also been noticed, though not everyone was sure whose plan it was: “I can’t remember what party it is but someone has been promising apprenticeships for people with the right grades. I think it was the Lib Dems.” The idea was welcomed, but those who did know it had originated from Labour wondered how much it would cost and how it would be paid for – something our groups this year have done in respect of all the Labour proposals that have crossed their radar. A few wondered what was in it for them: “We are always hearing about helping the kids but what about people who have been working for twenty or thirty years? They just put your tax up.” The proposal to raise the minimum wage to £8 an hour by 2020 generated little excitement: “By then it will only be worth what it is now”.
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For our groups, the ongoing rows about HSBC, tax avoidance and political donors had melded into a single shapeless story (“there was the guy with the Swiss bank account who hadn’t paid tax for twenty years but they didn’t prosecute. Wasn’t it the Boots man?”). They had not found any of it very edifying but neither was it very surprising, and our participants did not think of it as a party political question, let alone a decisive election issue: “There are so many ways of dodging tax – invest in a film, buy a forest, it’s been going on for decades. You go to your accountant and say ‘I don’t want to pay any tax’ and he’ll come back and say ‘OK, invest in this and this.’ Did Labour really change it in the thirteen years they were in government?”
The news that a survey had revealed 77% of FTSE500 business leaders thought a Conservative government would be the best outcome for their business was also far from decisive: “they probably just think they would be better off under the Tories.”
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Views of the party leaders are now entrenched and are unlikely to change before polling day. As ever, the main question over David Cameron – usually raised by people more hostile to the Conservatives to start with – was whether he related to people from humbler origins than himself (the more open-minded saying “as long as he’s taking the right decisions for Britain, I’m not bothered about his background”); more often he was praised for standing up for the country, making difficult decisions or at least being “the best we’ve got”. Ed Miliband was for some a barrier to taking Labour seriously, and was not a strong leader despite having a steely side, if not a very attractive one: “He has got balls because he stabbed his own brother in public. That was absolutely ruthless, I wouldn’t have done it.” Nick Clegg’s attempts to make his voice heard in the coalition inspired more sympathy than admiration, and Nigel Farage was generally thought an invigorating person to have around even by those who would not consider voting UKIP (though some who regarded the party’s agenda as being too narrow treated him as a sideshow: “He’s a bit like your missus. He might have said something intelligent but you weren’t really paying attention.”)
But what, I feel you asking, if each of the leaders were a supermarket? For our groups, the answer to this important question was that Nigel Farage would be Aldi: “you know what you’re getting. Down to earth. Anyone can shop there.” Nick Clegg would be the Co-op, with “all its nice fair trade values” (if this sounds like a compliment, the tone of voice suggested it was not intended as one). David Cameron would inevitably be Waitrose, but “pretending to be Sainsbury’s”. Ed Miliband, by the same token, would “go to Waitrose but with his Lidl bag-for-life to carry round afterwards.”"People are tired of getting toys made by big companies according to a product aging policy. They want solid and lasting hardware. Sentry is definitely not a toy and people appreciate it."
Sentry External Dimensions
Cast your minds back to Autumn 2014 - Donald Trump was still a 1000-1 shot of being the next US President, Leicester City looked on course for relegation long before their Championship-winning season, and theconcept was still a big deal. Conceived as a console-esq PC for the living room, Steam Machine PCs would conform to tight size restrictions and yet have high performance components suitable for most games, in some instances offering fully configurable components.I'm sure you'll agree that both Trump and Leicester City had pretty notable 2016s, however the Steam Machine concept is now a mere footnote in an industry which has moved on to bigger things. That said, it briefly stimulated rapid development of some ideas which wouldn't have otherwise gone much further than the concepting stage, most notably in the chassis design market.One such idea is the, a brand new PC chassis designed by two Polish brothers with close ties to the games industry and a background in industrial design and machining. Kacper Zaber is a developer with Flying Wild Hog Studios (the team behind) and Krzysztof Zaber is an Automation Engineer at DR ZABER as well as self-described hardcore gamer. Their nascent Steam Machine case concept was clearly an ideal convergence of both interests and talents. Krzysztof describes the impetus for the Sentry as the following:So, what is the Sentry? Simply put, it's a 7-Litre small form factor chassis with the challenging task of housing an entire system including discrete GPU. To put that into context, a standard tower chassis is on the order of 70L, whilst ITX cases are closer to a 20L internal volume; 7L is truly exceptional. From this brief the Zaber brothers have created a small, elegant case that can adapt to multiple internal configurations and offer users who really want a discreet living room PC a genuine alternative outside the major players.Sentry itself has gone through six major prototype iterations, including one pre-production prototype that DR ZABER solicited feedback from tech. media on. This final version boasts space for a full size discrete GPU, SFX PSU and ITX motherboard, whilst still having space for a fairly meaty CPU cooler and SSD storage. Its exterior dimensions are very close to that of an XBOX One, but the hardware inside could be an order of magnitude more powerful.In |
2012 00:12 Eee wrote:
Show nested quote +
On July 17 2012 23:40 Lumi wrote:
After seeing toodming's play a few days ago in this event, I'd say he definitely has the playskill. I hadn't really seen him in SC2 yet except for maybe one event that didn't leave an impression on me, as I don't remember how he seemed then. But the other night this guy was in some pretty good form. I want to see more toodming outside of Chinese events for SURE! This guy is definitely one of the absolute best (if not the) Chinese zergs.
As much as eSports seems to be growing for China, it also seems like a bit of a blackhole that the rest of the global community doesn't get much exposure to. Sen used to be a pretty active part of our scene.. and now.. we hardly ever hear from Sen after his move to the Gamania Bears.
Sen is from Taiwan, not China. Sen is from Taiwan, not China.
Aashdjfsdf! Thanks, and sorry. I thought that the Gama Bears were in a Chinese l eague.. but it's all Taiwanese. I appreciate this! Aashdjfsdf! Thanks, and sorry. I thought that the Gama Bears were in a Chinese l eague.. but it's all Taiwanese. I appreciate this! twitter.com/lumigaming - DongRaeGu is the One True Dong - /r/onetruedong
RPR_Tempest Profile Blog Joined February 2011 Australia 7627 Posts #17 It'd be nice to see TL pick up a foreigner for the first time in about a year. Soundwave, Zerg player from Canberra, Australia. @SoundwaveSC
EAGER-beaver Profile Joined March 2004 Canada 2790 Posts #18 Get this man a contract!!! Simon and Garfunkel rock my face off
digmouse Profile Blog Joined November 2010 China 5165 Posts #19 But yeah personally I think it will be a long way to go. Translator If you want to ask anything about Chinese esports, send me a PM or follow me @nerddigmouse.
Alopex Profile Joined July 2011 Australia 32 Posts #20 Would love to see liquid picking up a Chinese player!
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next AllOn 11 December, Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered the withdrawal of Russian troops from Syria and declared victory, as the Russian military accomplished its goal of saving President Bashar al-Assad from ouster. Few hours later the White House decided to let Assad hold on to the presidency until elections in Syria are held again, contradicting a previous statements that called for Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down from his position as a precondition to a peace process.
However, some analysts show scepticism on Putin move. Bessma Momani, a professor at the Balsillie School of International Affairs and the University of Waterloo, reminds us “Putin has made similar announcements twice before, and at one point was forced to renege and redeploy Russian forces after Syria’s Bashar al-Assad lost control of territory they had helped win over”. He also added “Mr. Putin’s showboating in Syria serves to create more hollow nationalism for the Russian public’s consumption”.
Furthermore, for those soldiers who are leaving, it appears that they are being replaced by private contractors, as Associeted Press reports. The Russian campaign in Syria draws to a close but the private contractors will probably stay.
Thank you for visit The Business Globalist. Our articles are totally free and we want to continue to offer precious information for everyone, without any paywall. If you think this article has been useful you may consider to make a little donation to support free journalism. You can make a donation at the Paypal account del-gatto@hotmail.comFifteen years have passed since the first and only player from Asia was selected No. 1 overall in the NBA draft. The Houston Rockets selected Yao Ming with the first pick in 2002, and he helped bring the sport of basketball to new heights in China. India, the country with the second largest population in the world, is still searching for its first homegrown star to energize a population the way Yao did over a decade ago. (Apparently, simply writing about basketball isn’t enough.)
The NBA is going to great lengths to grow its game in the subcontinent, officially opening the NBA Academy India in May, a training center for 21 prospects who were chosen after a nationwide search. As part of its effort to grow the game overseas, the NBA also routinely sends over players for community outreach and events.
The latest NBA star to travel to India was Kenneth Faried, who visited the country in May to attend a basketball festival in New Delhi and appear on an NBA talkshow in Mumbai. Near the end of his trip, Faried caught up with The Crossover’s only Mumbai-born writer to discuss his love of traveling, working with kids and his experience in India.
Rohan Nadkarni: Did you travel a lot growing up? What’s it like being able to see the world?
Kenneth Faried: It’s a blessing to be able to travel across the world. I did travel a bit growing up, but not out of the country. College was the first time I was able to go out the country. I’ve always loved to travel. When the NBA presented me the opportunity—my first trip was China—and then they said, “Hey, want to go to India this year?,” I was 100% with it. I wanted to come, explore the culture of India. I love learning new cultures, that intrigues me. I jump at these trips. I get to come out here, be around the kids, that’s my favorite part. I love the camps. Because it’s giving back, letting the kids know, I was young once too, and I didn’t have those opportunities to learn from someone who was already there.
RN: What was the kids’ reaction when they saw you?
KF: [Laughs] They thought I was [West Indies cricketer] Chris Gayle. Cricket is huge here. We respect cricket, we love cricket, we just want to be up there with them. Maybe be the No. 2 sport if we can.
RN: How have you noticed the NBA growing in India?
KF: I’ve noticed that the kids, they’re trying. When I went to do interviews with our NBA partner in India, these guys were analyzing the game. Having a conversation with them was amazing, these guys really know what they’re talking about and can really explain the game. And then a caller calls in and he’s only been watching basketball for three months, but he’s intuitive and knows what’s going on in the playoffs. It’s seems like everybody is just learning—three months ago, or six months ago—and I love it.
RN: Have you done a lot of sightseeing?
KD: I did. I got to see the Taj Mahal, it was the most magnificent thing I’ve seen in my life thus far. Just to be able to experience that. It was very hot! But, I loved it anyway. I loved the whole journey of going there. I soaked it all up. I was sweating like crazy but I loved it.
RN: Have you tried any Indian food?
KF: What?! That’s all I’ve eaten. I love Indian food. I love different cultures of food. And especially what India has. Y’all cook curry like no other. I love spicy food. I’ll just be adding extra spices to make it even more hot. They’ll add something to make it hotter and I’ll be like, “Yes! I love this. This is amazing.” Because it tastes good. It’s not hot to the point where your mouth is burning and your throat hurts and you can’t breathe. It’s hot but flavorful hot and I love it.
Fernando Medina/Getty Images
RN: What do you hope to gain from a trip like this?
KF: Honestly, just a new culture shock, a new culture experience. For me, if I reach one kid in this whole camp, and that kid decides—he may not make it to the NBA, he may not play overseas, he may not even want to play basketball—but he wants to go make somebody else a better person or help in the community. That’s what I’m trying to do, if I reach all of them that’s great, but I want to reach at least one.
RN: How did you get involved with these overseas NBA trips?
KF: Usually they reach out to you, or you can reach out to them and ask how you can help. You get to travel the world for free or shop in all these different cities. And you get to help kids. That’s the best part. I keep reiterating it, but that’s the main goal coming out here to all these different cities and seeing all these different people and places. To me, it’s to reach the youth. That’s who’s coming up behind us, that’s who we need to grab their attention to help them later on in life. To become those leaders, those doctors, those teachers that we need to keep things going.
RN: What in your life has motivated you to work so closely with kids?
KF: I just was always like that, even in college, I worked with kids at camps. I loved helping kids get excited for camps. I was just happy to give back. I come from North New Jersey. As a kid, I didn’t really have a NBA person to look up to, as far as, this person could come visit me or I could see them in person and they’re friendly. I didn’t have none of that. When I heard about these opportunities, I jumped at them, because I want to be one of those people who touched a kid’s heart, or a touched a kid’s mind, and make them say, “Hey, I remember when I was younger. Kenneth Faried, I met him, he told me something and I’m going to tell you this same thing.” To me, everybody can learn something from somebody. I learned something from the kids today.
RN: What will be your biggest takeaway from this trip?
KF: Personally, it’s the experience of India. Going to the Taj Mahal was the most exciting moment of this whole trip. Me being Muslim, and the Taj being built by a Muslim man who believed in the Quran, and who put the writing of the Quran over the door. It’s a blessing to come all the way out here, it was a blessing to even see that. To be able to touch and feel everything up close and personal. It looks marvelous in photos, but seeing it in person is even more magnificent, something your brain couldn’t even fathom from pictures.China’s shopping malls offering ‘husband cloakrooms’ where wives can leave their other halves while they hit the stores
Husbands can doze in 'laogong jicun chu' while wives shop til they drop
Some have chairs and tables, others have wifi and bars to keep men happy
Guiyang City, Shenzen and Qiqihaer among those offering weary men rest
Shopping is fun, but dragging a reluctant man around the shops with you can diminish the pleasure somewhat.
For women in China, however, help is at hand with the introduction of 'husband storage' - fully equipped rooms where men can sit down, have a little sleep, and tut about their wives' spending habits to their hearts' content.
Shopping malls across the country are introducing laogong jicun chu (literal translation: 'husband cloakroom) which have proved a huge hit with spendthrift husbands who don't want to trail around the shops.
A trip to the shopzzzz: Husbands in China catch up on sleep at a 'husband cloakroom' while their wives shop Husband cloakrooms, as indicated by the sign above, offer free internet, chairs, tables and even wifi to men
See you later, darling: This sign shows weary men where their cloakroom is in a mall in Guiyang Province
With chairs, tables, wifi and even a bar in some of them, they are attractive places for men who would rather snooze than cruise the mall.
Some have viewing platforms or glass sides so the men can try to keep tabs on their credit card-toting other halves as they dart from shop to shop.
Judging by these pictures, however, most men use them to simply have a break and rest their feet.
One of the first husband cloakrooms appeared in Shenzen in 2010, but they are now growing in popularity across the country and found in malls in Guigang City, Qiqihaer, and Tianchang, among other places.
Not all the commenters on kotaku.com which highlighted the new trend were convinced by the innovation in husband daycare.
One said: 'Why don't you just stay HOME? Are you afraid she'll meet another man - one who likes shopping as much as she does?'
Men using this cloakroom in Qiqihaer in Heilongjiang Province, enjoy a drink while they check their emails Welcome break: This restroom offers tired men in a mall in Tianchang, in Anhui Province, a chance to sit downEric H. Holder testifies during a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. Holder faced questions about Benghazi
By Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images.
Rep. Darrell Issa was almost finished with his question to Attorney General Eric Holder when he suddenly allowed his witness a Moment. That was dangerous. Reporters like Moments. They write our stories for us, and allow us more free time to spend worrying about the stock price of our media companies or whether the hot new Web app will put us out of work again. They’re much less useful for the politicians who make them.
And yet we saw it coming with Issa. When he arrived at today’s House Judiciary Committee hearing, cameramen jumped up for fresh photos of the Benghazi star. The California Republican flashed a smile for them. Halfway through his questions, as he asked Holder to make more e-mails from labor secretary nominee Tom Perez public, Issa couldn’t resist mocking his witness’s answers.
“Our investigators have seen 34 of the 35 emails that violate the Federal Records Act,” said Issa. “They have only seen the To and From.”
Holder apologized, offering one of many surprised-sounding explanations to a question he hadn’t really thought about. “I’m sure there must have been a good reason why only the To and From parts were—”
Issa interrupted him. “Yes, you didn’t want us to see the details.” He briefly broke up with laughter, as did staffers behind him.
Holder pounced. “No, no, that’s what you typically do,” he said, talking over Issa. “No, I’m not going to stop talking now. You have characterized something as—”
Issa tried to assert his fleeting dominance of the room. “Mr. Chairman,” he asked Rep. Bob Goodlatte, “would you inform the witness as to the rules of this committee?”
Holder kept talking. “That is inappropriate,” he said, “and is too consistent with the way in which you conduct yourself as a member of Congress. It’s unacceptable, and it’s shameful.”
A little noise rose from the press and public watching this display—a little embarrassed “Ooooooh.” This wasn’t just drama, it was drama Issa must have been ready for. President Obama’s administration doesn’t like or respect the congressman, at all. Two years ago this week, the White House actually hired a communications staffer who’d been battle-hardened by Senate and presidential campaigns, and gave him a hot portfolio: “matters relating to and resulting from investigations launched by Rep. Darrell Issa.”
Since then Obama and company have treated every Issa request like an incoherent bleat from a crazy person. At a two-question press conference this week, the president derided Congress for obsessing over Benghazi. “Who executes some sort of cover-up or effort to tamp things down for three days?” he asked. Holder himself, later in 2011, had smacked back at his inquisitor by accusing him of McCarthyism. “At some point,” he’d told Issa, “as they said in the McCarthy hearings—at some point, have you no shame?”
In another time—or maybe because they haven’t got around to it yet this time—Republicans would have called these “Saul Alinksy tactics.” Another, simpler term might just be “tactics.” Democrats in the Obama era have always exploited the other side, elevating the people and arguments they can most easily deride. That didn’t quite work in 2009 and 2010. There was a brief moment when Democrats thought voter anger over the health care bill, boiling over in town hall meetings, would be good for the president, because independents would react with horror at the outbursts.
That was an easy mistake. The White House thought that voters would react to angry Tea Party activists the way they reacted to politicians, to members of Congress. They didn’t. But voters still hate members of Congress, and there are plenty of them to mock, and to ask people to mock. As the Benghazi story returned last week, the White House found an unwitting ally in Sen. Rand Paul, who kept admitting that the story was potentially damaging to Hillary Clinton. “I think it precludes Hillary Clinton from ever holding office,” he kept saying. This was supposed to be a Republican subtext. Paul kept writing it in plain old text.
The White House would like to keep running this play, if Republicans would only go along with it. Their strongest possible allies right now are any members of Congress who muse about impeachment, which they’ll be asked about as they run the circuit of conservative talk radio and conferences. Over the weekend, Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe, who’s early to jump on any administration scandal, told the conservative talker Rusty Humphries that “people may be starting to use the I-word before too long.”
Most Republicans know the game. On Tuesday, as he was talking to reporters about the less-exciting push for a select committee on Benghazi (something Sen. Harry Reid and House Speaker John Boehner keep nixing), Sen. John McCain made a clownishly disgusted face at the very idea. “Wait a minute!” he said. “ Let’s find out all the facts, before we say the I-word.”
But it had already been said, with all the expected side effects. In 1974, the conservative activist and writer M. Stanton Evans joked that scandal made him realize that the president had the right enemies: “I didn’t support Nixon until Watergate.” In 2013, the White House aims to simultaneously prove that the IRS, Benghazi, and AP stories don’t implicate the president and that the people who think it does are themselves a grave danger.
The Issa-Holder showdown helped that along. The tensest moments over the rest of the day came when Republicans tried to trap Holder in a theoretical violation of procedure. He had outsourced the investigation of media leaks to two U.S. attorneys, but he had never actually written down that he was recusing himself from the investigation. The U.S. attorneys ended up acting as if Holder were recused, going to a deputy AG to subpoena AP reporters’ information.
“Are you saying there’s no paper trail here?” asked Pennsylvania Rep. Tom Marino. “[Nothing to say] why you recused yourself and for what reasons?”
“As I’ve thought about it,” said Holder, “actually during the course of this hearing, that might be a better policy.”
“Don’t you think it would have been the best practice for you to just put it in writing?” asked Idaho Rep. Raul Labrador.
“I’m gonna go back and think about whether there’s some sort of policy I ought to put in place,” said Holder.
The hearing concluded; the White House released a trove of internal emails about Benghazi and announced a presidential press conference for Thursday. All that was needed to keep on polarizing the scandals was one more Republican going off and freelancing about them. And there, right there in the reporter’s inbox, was the manna from heaven.
Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, chairwoman of the Tea Party Caucus and former federal tax attorney, will hold a press conference on Thursday, May 16, with Tea Party leaders who will tell their stories of IRS intimidation and demand further investigation.It was January 12, 1966. By my expert calculations I was 11 and it was the day before my mother's 31st birthday, and I was in our downstair rec room with my dinner, waiting anxiously for the new Batman TV show. My father was there too, in his white leather recliner, watching with us. I loved Batman comics, and I was so excited I could barely stand it -- had been since it was announced before Christmas.
Holy eulogies, #Batman!
Adam West, thank you for the joy you brought to so many of us. Even as Mayor West on Family Guy!
KaPow! Bam! Socko! pic.twitter.com/EQjQjbZrHA — BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) June 10, 2017
I wasn't disappointed: Wayne Manor was gigantic, Alfred was a perfect British butler (at least as far as I knew, I was 11 years old and in a basement in Pueblo, Colorado), Batman was handsome and elegant as Bruce Wayne and if he wasn't quite as muscular as the comic book Batman, still, well, he was Batman.
So, today we got word that Bruce Wayne died. Um, I mean Adam West -- the real Bruce Wayne. (I'm sorry, I thought Michael Keaton was a good Batman, and Christian Bale was excellent... he even came close to being a good Bruce Wayne, but Adam West was still the best.)
So, '60s flashback over. Adam West, the actor who played Batman in the ABC TV series and was followed by the role for the rest of his life, died Friday at 88.
West had been a fairly successful contract journeyman actor who had appeared in roughly every half-hour episodic western and cop or detective show in the early '60s when he got the role of Batman in the ABC series.
At 11, I think it was just cool. BIFF BAM POW and the Batmobile, Oh my gosh the Batmobile, the coolest car ever. (George Barris had built it, by customizing the Ford Futura concept car, which was only the second coolest car ever.) But that wasn't what had my dad snickering in his white leather recliner -- it was the sly deadpan humor. Things like Batman telling Catwoman that she gave him a funny feeling in his utility belt.The number of Americans with a criminal history has risen sharply over the past three decades. Today, nearly one-third of the adult working age population has a criminal record. In fact, so many Americans have a criminal record that counting them all is nearly impossible.
According to a 2012 Department of Justice survey, state criminal history repositories contain more than 100 million records. These are popularly referred to as “rap sheets” or “criminal records” although most people who have them have never been convicted of a serious crime. These repositories chronicle nearly every arrest, regardless of whether or not it leads to an indictment or conviction. And while 100 million records do exist, this figure almost certainly overstates the true number of individuals who have been arrested at any point in their lives, since one person can have an arrest record in multiple states.
In an effort to make complete criminal histories easily accessible to all law enforcement agencies, the FBI maintains a database indexing these records known as the Interstate Identification Index (III). Whenever a suspected criminal is arrested and fingerprinted by a local, state, or federal law enforcement agency; those records are forwarded to the FBI to be included in the III. The FBI assigns each subject a unique identification number that indexes all state records existing for that person, meaning each number corresponds to a distinct individual.
As of July 1, 2015, more than 70 million people have records indexed by the III.
The Numbers in Perspective
America now houses roughly the same number people with criminal records as it does four-year college graduates.
Nearly half of black males and almost 40 percent of white males are arrested by the age 23.
If all arrested Americans were a nation, they would be the world’s 18th largest. Larger than Canada. Larger than France. More than three times the size of Australia.
The number of Americans with criminal records today is larger than the entire US population in 1900.
Holding hands, Americans with arrest records could circle the earth three times.
Large Groups of People in America
The Biggest Club No One Wants to Join
Regardless of race or gender, researchers estimate that by age 23 nearly one in three Americans will have been arrested.
In 1965, the last time published estimates for this rate were tabulated; the rate was 22%. (see Christensen (1967)
The figure below shows how arrest rate patterns have changed between the 1960s and the 2000s. The blue diamonds represent estimates of the cumulative probability of having been arrested by the age on the horizontal axis in 1965 and red squares represent the corresponding 2012 estimates. While the probability of a person being arrested by age 16 is roughly the same today as it was 50 years ago, by age 19 the probabilities begin to significantly diverge. As a result, a young adult today is 36 percent more likely to be arrested than their parents’ 1960s cohort.
Frequency of Young-Adult Arrests (1965, 2012)
Partial reproduction from: Robert Brame, Michael G. Turner, Raymond Paternoster, and Shawn D. Bushway (2012). Cumulative prevalence of arrest from ages 8-23 in a national sample. Pediatrics, 129:21-27. Click image to see the original
Every Arrest Comes With a Sentence, Guilty or Not
A 2012 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management, found that 86 percent of employers use criminal background checks on at least some candidates, with the majority (69 percent) checking all candidates. In a similar 2010 survey by the same group, 31 percent of respondents said an arrest without conviction would at least be “somewhat influential” in their hiring decision.
Before a background check is run, job applications often ask potential employees if they’ve “ever been arrested for a serious crime?” Not convicted, just arrested. It would not be unreasonable to assume that checking that box would dramatically reduce the chances of being considered. At some point, a job-seeker with an arrest record might just stop asking for applications altogether, resigning to the uncertain future of the informal labor market – more willing to suffer through financial insecurity than the embarrassment of continued rejection.
Of course, convictions are even worse for job applicants. A 2009 Justice Department study found that a past criminal conviction of any sort reduced the likelihood of a job offer by 50 percent. Moreover, the negative effect of having a conviction in their criminal history was found to be twice as large for black job-seekers as compared to their white counterparts. Clearly there is a significant stigma attached to a criminal conviction, but the overwhelming majority of Americans with a criminal history were never convicted of a serious crime; many were not even formally charged with one.
The Atlantic recently ran a sponsored feature titled “What We Don’t Mention About Unemployment: Seventy million Americans with criminal records are barred – by law or stigma – from contributing to the economy.” That would be very troubling if it were true, but it is not.
The truth is that if an arrest universally disqualified a person from employment our economy would implode. Instead, a criminal record doesn’t disqualify a candidate categorically; it just limits a candidate’s ability to attain certain positions that may be the best match for their skillset. For one to be outright disqualified a felony conviction is typically required and even then this sanction is reserved predominantly for licensed fields. Sometimes this makes good sense (security guards, nurses, bank employees), while other times it does not (barbers or cosmetologists).
Employers are justified in wanting to hire trustworthy, responsible workers. But with so many people with criminal records, it stands to reason that valuable potential employees are being overlooked. According to the Society of Human Resource Management survey, more than half of employers (52 percent) said their primary reason for checking candidates’ backgrounds was to reduce legal liability rather than to ensure a safe work environment (49 percent) or to assess trustworthiness (17 percent). These concerns lead employers to pass over qualified employees for less competent ones. Likewise, weary workers with arrest records may gravitate toward occupations that are less selective, ending up in jobs that may not ask about past arrests, but that often pay less and are a poorer match for their skills.
According to Profs. Alfred Blumstein and Kiminori Nakamura, this is an unnecessary loss for both parties. These researchers set out to learn whether it is possible to determine empirically when it is no longer necessary for an employer to be concerned about a criminal offense in a prospective employee’s past. They looked at 88,000 first-time arrestees in New York State and followed them for the next 25 years to see whether they had committed any other crimes. Their results make intuitive sense: after a sufficient amount of time following a prior offense passes without new charges, ex-offenders are no more likely to be arrested than the average citizen. At that point, asking about criminal records serves little purpose. For those who commit their first crime at a young age or whose first crime is a serious offense, it takes about eight years without another offense to “redeem” themselves. For others, such as those who commit non-serious crimes, it can take as little as three years.
Limiting the Damage
Legislators and private sector employers are recognizing the futility of chasing ghosts in prospective employees’ pasts and are beginning to adopt common-sense reforms. Seven states have adopted “fair chance” or “ban the box” laws that bar a private employer from asking about a conviction history on a job application and delay the background check until later in the hiring process.
These laws recognize that discriminating on the basis of an arrest record makes little sense. Some thoughtful employers are already taking independent action. Earlier this year Koch Industries, which employs more than 60,000, removed questions about prior criminal convictions from their job applications. Just this month President Obama signed an executive order to ban the box for federal employment applications, an action suggested by the Brennan Center in 2014. Clearly, this initiative has gained powerful support and that is a positive development for job-seekers with a criminal history.
But even a universal ban will not stop employers who wish to discriminate against candidates with criminal histories. There is no shortage of third party sources stockpiling booking photos, police reports, and all manner of public records for the curious. Trying to prevent the dissemination of information is, though of noble intent in this instance, a losing battle. Instead, we should let individuals reclaim their personal narratives.
If asking about a conviction from a decade ago almost never does anyone any good, certainly there is even less impetus to ask about an arrest from long ago. Especially given that tens of millions of Americans with arrest records were never convicted of a crime. Lawmakers should explore the implications of a uniform policy that drops arrests not accompanied by subsequent charges and wipes a record clean after a sufficient period of time (or in the case of ex-convicts, desistence from crime), which would be a pivotal step in reforming our criminal justice system. Given their role in promoting public-safety it sends a strong signal to the general public about the relevance of a prior bad act when law enforcement officials seal or expunge the associated criminal record.
Currently, there is no statute generally allowing federal criminal record expungements, and at the state level the issue is regulated by a dizzying patchwork of laws. These laws vary from state to state in the offenses they cover, as well as the process for seeking expungement, and navigating them is often difficult, time-consuming and expensive. Efforts are being made to clear these roadblocks. In March, Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced the REDEEM Act, which would allow some nonviolent criminal and juvenile offenses to be sealed or expunged. Just this month the White House announced the establishment of a National Clean Slate Clearinghouse, a partnership between the Departments of Labor and Justice to help with record-cleaning and expungement.
It is unclear whether either of these efforts will ultimately reach fruition, but at the very least they indicate that politicians from both sides of the aisle are ready to address criminal justice reform. It is time for their colleagues to similarly recognize broad social and economic benefits associated with a future wherein 70 million Americans aren’t shackled to the mistakes of their distant pasts.A taboo-breaking Russian film tackling the topic of gay love may not be seen in Russia due to the crackdown on so-called "homosexual propaganda".
A controversial new law signed in June by President Vladimir Putin makes it legal to ban events that could be seen as promoting homosexuality to minors.
Stephen Fry and US pop star Lady Gaga have publicly criticised the law, which so far has been largely used as a threat rather than enforced.
So when the makers of "Winter Journey", a passionate story of a gay classical singer falling in love with a street-wise petty criminal, pitched it to one of Russia's main summer film festivals, Kinotavr, they were surprised it was refused.
"For the organisers of the festival it was uncomfortable, because there is such a law, so they thought it was better not to get involved," director Sergei Taramayev told AFP.
"At least people who were in the jury told us that this was the reason why we were not accepted for Kinotavr."
The film's co-writer Lyubov Lvova said she believed festivals feared they could lose funding if they showed the film.
"At many festivals – Russian ones – this scared the organisers a lot. They were afraid of this law, that it could stop them getting financing for their festivals."
Taramayev said they did not even submit the film to Russia's main film forum, Moscow International Film Festival – opened by Brad Pitt this summer– because of the views of its organiser, Oscar-winning director Nikita Mikhalkov.
"He supports the government's line and is a very political director and we realised that they would not take us."
Nevertheless, Kommersant daily's film critic Lidya Maslova argued that the film would "look great at any European festival."
The film won prizes at the two smaller Russian festivals where it was shown, at the Window into Europe festival in Vyborg in northwestern Russia in August and at Moscow Premiere in September.
The film takes its title from a Schubert song cycle, Winterreise, that the hero, Erik, a music student, is anxiously practising for a competition.
His teacher slams his unemotional performance, until Erik is transformed by a chance meeting with his polar opposite: Lyokha, a manic, foul-mouthed youth from a dead-end provincial town who is frankly homophobic.
"Don't you have enough poofters already?" he asks, catching Erik's adoring gaze.
Nevertheless they click, and share a climactic kiss.
But ultimately, Lyokha is unable to accept his feelings.
The film's makers said they believed the low-budget film was awarded an 18 certificate because of the new law.
The adults-only release is perhaps justified by scenes of smoking spliffs, vodka swilling and swearing, but probably not by the film's one gay kiss.
But the film's makers expressed relief that the culture ministry permitted its release at all.
"We still can't quite believe in this miracle," said co-writer Lvova.
Only a few Russian films have featured gay characters in a country where the fear and dread of homosexuality, a criminal offence in the Soviet era, still casts a shadow.
Homosexual relationships were legalised in 1993, but Russia's medical establishment only ceased classing homosexuality as a psychiatric condition in 1999.
"The Creation of Adam" about a man falling for his guardian angel, which came out in 1993, is seen as Russia's first gay-themed film.
Later films have included the 2009 drama called "Jolly Fellows," a sympathetic but ultimately tragic story about drag queens working in a Moscow night club.
"Winter Journey" won a warm reception from critics, who nevertheless predicted it would only reach a small audience.
Kommersant praised Yevgeny Tkachuk's "natural" performance, while Vedomosti business daily called the film "a very serious and subtle artistic statement". Komsomolskaya Pravda called it "wonderfully talented."
Vedomosti critic Dmitry Savelyev praised the director for "not worrying about the danger of getting a reputation as a propagandist for influences that are alien to our people."
The actors however said they preferred not to call it a "gay film."
"This isn't a gay drama," said actor Vladimir Mishukov, who plays a paramedic in love with Erik, at a Moscow presentation.
"The world is multi-faceted, and we are the same."
President Putin
"For me it's all exaggeration calling this a gay film. It's a story about a romantic attitude to life," said actor Yevgeny Tkachuk, who plays Lyokha.
The makers said they chose to make the hero gay because this exacerbates his sense of alienation.
"It underlines his loneliness and conflict with the world. That is why we made him gay, to make him more in conflict with society," Taramayev said.
"We will put off a certain number of viewers, that is for sure. But when we made the film we were not counting on making a blockbuster for the broad public. It's not the 'Dark Knight'," he said, referring to the 2008 Batman film.
It was unclear whether the film would get a wider release.
"As for a cinema release, at the moment we are holding talks, but so far there is nothing concrete..." producer Mikhail Karasyov wrote in an e-mail to AFP on Tuesday.
Follow @TelegraphFilmWe've had several requests by the press and others to talk about the Silk Road situation today. We only know what's going on by reading the same news sources everyone else is reading.
In this case we've been watching carefully to try to learn if there are any flaws with Tor that we need to correct. So far, nothing about this case makes us think that there are new ways to compromise Tor (the software or the network). The FBI says that their suspect made mistakes in operational security, and was found through actual detective work. Remember: Tor does not anonymize individuals when they use their legal name on a public forum, use a VPN with logs that are subject to a subpoena, or provide personal information to other services. See also the list of warnings linked from the Tor download page.
Also, while we've seen no evidence that this case involved breaking into the webserver behind the hidden service, we should take this opportunity to emphasize that Tor's hidden service feature (a way to publish and access content anonymously) won't keep someone anonymous when paired with unsafe |
The cat population in the park is Malthusian in scope, Randy. We have no choice.
[while waiting in the car for Ricky and Julian to get back]
Conky: Well, well, well! What do we have here? Jim Lahey's car is at the vet! Bubbles: What's Lahey doin' here? Conky: Why don't you go find out, Bubbles? Or are you too scared? Bubbles: Conky, you better fuck off, I'm tellin' ya! Conky: Fuck off? You just remember I call the shots here, Bubbles. You got it? Bubbles: (submissively) Yes, Conky. Conky: GoodFor those filthy readers who have been playing close attention, it is no secret that I wear my love for my hometown Pittsburgh on my Iron City-soaked sleeve. While Pittsburgh is mostly known for its aggressive, nearly blind adoration for certain black and gold sports teams, Pittsburgh is also home to some incredible art spaces including the Mattress Factory, a museum of immersive installation art including Greer Lankton’s incredible final installation “It’s All About ME, Not You.”
While at the Mattress Factory this past weekend, I discovered an installation that recalled literature from Tennessee Williams to Charles Dickens to newer pop cultural surrealism from David Lynch to True Detective. In the Mattress Factory’s new building at 516 Sampsonia Way, artist Chiharu Shiota’s site-specific installation “Trace of Memory” converts the recently renovated 19th century row house into a haunting meditation on memory.
Born in Japan and currently living and working in Berlin, Shiota strikingly imbues the formerly abandoned house with a perceptible ghostly and melancholy atmosphere through her expert technique of weaving strands upon strands of black yarn throughout all three floors of the row house. Inspired by the traces left by former occupants of the building, Shiota tangles used found objects into these webs from books to chairs to an enormous stack of suitcases and even, a wedding dress that looks like it was left by Miss Havisham.
Giving memory a form and a presence through her woven technique, Shiota’s installation and consequently the house appear haunted by the memories of the former occupants. An installation straight out of David Lynch’s fascination with memories and dreams, I half-expected the rabbits from Lynch’s Inland Empire to appear at any moment, performing a terrifying sitcom for an absent audience.
Walking through “Trace of Memory” is a surreal, mesmerizing and almost magical experience as Shiota’s yarn-weaving provides a physicality to the invisible and the intangible. Raising eerie and powerful questions through a tangle of thread, “Trace of Memory” forces the viewer to wonder what remains after we leave a space. Are our experiences and memories etched into our living spaces?
Taking inspiration from the silences embedded within “Trace of Memory,” I’m going to let the photographs do most of the work rather than jabber on and on as I usually do about art.
However, as Tennessee Williams writes in The Glass Menagerie, “In memory everything seems to happen to music.” And so in deference to our filth elder TW, dear reader, may I suggest viewing this photo essay to David Lynch’s The Air Is On Fire, which contains similar ghostly remnants of memories, stories and yes, dreams.The Explanatory Gap
It is hard to recognize ourselves – our subjective experiences, thoughts, emotions, and daily activities – in this neurological description of our brains. Normally we have no conscious awareness of the cognitive modules and Rube Goldberg machines in our head. Cognitive neuroscientists and philosophers of mind refer to this the "Explanatory Gap". Our physical descriptions of the way the brain works at the level of neurons, brain anatomy, and neurological processes bear no resemblance to our subjective experiences as people with brains having complex mental and emotional states. Nor is there any neurological definition of consciousness. We have no device that can measure presence or absence of consciousness. This is also referred to as the "Hard Problem" in consciousness studies. We can study brains and learn all kinds of interesting and practical things about brains, their functions and dysfunctions, but this does not get us near to understanding what subjective conscious experience is or how the brain creates it. We know that a diseased or damaged brain may lose function or consciousness, ultimately resulting in death, but we do not know what consciousness per se is at the level of the "neural code".
Some are optimistic that we are closing this Explanatory Gap, that we will soon come to understand the "neural code" and be able to translate the "machine language" of the brain into the "software applications" of human consciousness. Indeed, a lot of progress has been made in understanding how the brain functions. Scientists have probed, prodded, tested, measured, dissected, and scanned lots and lots of brains, both human and animal. Scientists have also developed a remarkable pharmacology of new drugs to treat depression, schizophrenia, and other disorders.
Progress in the neurosciences raises lots of other interesting philosophical questions, which necessarily overlap with religious and theological concerns. First, there is the question of reductionism and how far it can go? If we can reduce certain mental phenomena, say mystical experiences of enlightenment, to neurological processes, does that mean that we have adequately explained the experience and can dismiss it? What happens if we invent ways to stimulate these peak experiences at will? If the brain is a deterministic system, then how can we talk about free will, moral responsibility, and creative choice? If personality is intrinsically linked to brain chemistry should we reject the dualism between brain and mind, body and soul? In treating mental illness should we "waste time" with talk therapy or simply treat these illnesses with medications? Do the cognitive neurosciences import assumed values and perspectives that are more ideological than empirical? And what of bioethical issues that arise in the context of neuromedicine? This is just a short list and we are going to revisit some of these questions below and in the discussion to follow. The Hard Question remains: what is consciousness? Can we fill in the Explanatory Gap between the neurosciences and subjective experience? And what in particular is the nature of religious experience from the perspective of the neurosciences?
Science does not need to solve all of these philosophical problems. That, I would argue, is not the job of science, but rather the task of scientifically informed philosophers and theologians. Science can and does continue to plod along in its methodical manner. The neurosciences move ahead by formulating small questions and then constructing experiments to try to answer them. The neurological basis of religious and spiritual experiences is certainly an interesting question and it has recently been the subject of a lot of fascinating research in laboratories and debate in the academe and in the media. There are a number of ways to tackle the question:
Disease and injury based studies Surgical studies Functional Imaging studies Psychotropics drugs studies Developmental studies
1) Disease and Injury Based Studies
As already mentioned, many insights about the brain are derived from the study of brain disease and injury. For instance, there may be a link between mental illness and religiosity, for instance in the case of schizophrenia, in which psychotic episodes often have religious content. Indeed, for many decades the psychiatric community classified all religious content as delusional or neurotic in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSMMD) (Larson 1993). That is happily no longer the case. The psychiatric community has slowly come around to recognizing that religious manifestations among patients may be a sign of strength, a resource in healing, and not necessarily pathological (Hufford 2005).
There is a lot of interest in the role of the frontal lobes in religious experience. Traumatic injuries to the frontal lobes have a profound effect on a person’s personality, impulse control, and complex thought processes. The seat of cognition, however, does not work alone. It is part of a complex network, left, right, inside out, and all around. V.S. Ramachandran, a neuroscientist at UC San Diego, has focused on Left Temporal Lobe epilepsy, which is frequently associated with religious visions during seizures and a preoccupation with religious issues between seizure episodes. Ramachandran speculates that Saint Paul, Mohammad, and other prophets and sages were afflicted with Left Temporal Lobe epilepsy (Ramachandran 1998). Ramachandran notes that "God may be the ultimate confabulation of the Left Hemisphere of the brain" (Ramachandran 2006).
There are other mental defects that manifest themselves in otherwise mentally healthy individuals. For instance, with Charles Bonnet Syndrome, people have complex visual hallucinations of people, animals, or objects not actually present. With Capgras’s Syndrome, otherwise mentally healthy individuals have delusions that people around them have been replaced by imposters.
Another, much more common mental disorder is known as Sleep Paralysis or Agoraphobia. Probably many of you have had the experience of waking up at night with an inability to move and the strong sense of someone else in the room with you. This is not a pleasant experience. The presence-in-the-room is typically perceived to be a demon of some sort and the experience is generally terrifying. This is such a common experience that it has many names, folk stories, and mythological explanations in diverse cultures around the world. Neuroscientists now have an etiology for sleep paralysis, but one could easily imagine how this experience or others would help give rise to religious beliefs in demons, ghosts, or the devil (Hufford 1982).
There is one other neurological disorder that is worth mentioning. Synesthesia is a condition that might be thought of as metaphoric thought on steroids. It typically involves things like hearing sounds and seeing colors, reading numbers and seeing colors, seeing colors and hearing sounds. Perhaps one in a thousand humans have some form on synesthesia in varying degrees. It is not necessarily unpleasant. Indeed, far from being a disorder, it can be seen as a mental strength. As we would expect, many creative artists have synesthesia.
Synesthesia may be linked to a much more common mental functions that all of us employ everyday, the ability to make and use metaphors, of which religion is an important subset. A metaphor is the combination of two unlike things to create a new meaning. Shakespeare writes that "time is a beggar" and now we have a new insight into time. You may have noticed that I have used several metaphors from the computer sciences to illuminate the neurosciences – neural "code", neural "machine language", mental "software", neural "networks", etc. Science also uses metaphors. In some sense, all human language is derived from metaphors (Ricoeur 1976). Religion can be thought of as something like the metaphoric confabulations of synesthesia, seeing nature and hearing the voice of God or the Buddha-nature in all things (Ramachandran 1998).
2. Surgical Studies
Surgical studies are much more limited, because doctors cannot ethically open up someone’s brain and start poking around, say like fixing a car or a computer. The occasion to do surgery on live humans is typically to remove a brain tumor and these are risky operations. Because the brain has no sensory nerves and cannot feel pain, brain surgery is typically done on conscious humans, which means you can ask them questions during the surgery. In the 1950s, Wilder Penfield, a Canadian neurosurgeon, electrically stimulated different regions of patients’ brains during surgery and asked patients to describe any sensations. Stimulation of the right temporal lobe caused patients to hear voices and see apparitions. Around the same time, Robert Heath of Tulane University induced intense pleasure in psychiatric patients with electrodes implanted in the septum, a minute region just above the hypothalamus. He also induced multiple orgasms in a female patient by injecting the neurotransmitter acetylcholine directly into her septal region. These kinds of studies would not be allowed today by the Internal Review Boards at medical schools, and rightly so, but they were certainly illuminating and suggestive. Certainly, every neuroscience course and textbook today still presents the work of Penfield and Heath.
Based in part on these kinds of studies, Julian Jaynes proposed a unique theory of religion in his 1976 book, The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind. Jaynes speculated that there were structural changes in the human brain some 10,000 years ago. He suggested that the bundle of nerves connecting the two hemispheres of the brain, the corpus callosum, may not have been as developed as it is today. In our ancestors’ brains, the left hemisphere, acting as the primary seat of language and identity, would misattribute signals originating from the right hemisphere to an external source, and thus imagined ghosts or gods (Jaynes 1976).
Brain surgery research continues on nonhuman animals, but alas lab rats, dogs, and monkeys cannot report to us on their subjective experience. Nevertheless, we learn a lot about how the brain functions, which is then correlated with human brain function. We are also embarking upon a new era of electrical implant machines to help patients with Parkinson or other brain disorders, as well as brain implants to help quadriplegics to control computers with their thoughts alone. All of this will have implications for our understanding of religious and spiritual phenomena, some of which may have been best prefigured in science fiction novels.
3. Functional Imaging Studies
New non-invasive technologies now allows us to look inside the brains of humans without adverse risks to the patient. Improvements in these technologies allow us measure actual brain functions while performing limited tasks or experiences and compare these states to some base-line image. These are referred to as functional brain imaging studies. The earliest form of such techniques was involved using electroencephalographs of brain waves, as well as measures of autonomic activities such as heart rate and blood pressure changes, for instance, as used in early meditation studies. You are probably familiar with the term "bio-feedback device," which were popular in the 1970s. This approach, however, has been compared to trying to understand human speech by listening to the sound of a sport stadium. The new technology is much more powerful, but not without its limitations. There are three new techniques for functional brain imaging and each has different strengths and weaknesses.
PET scans, or positron emission tomography, uses a radioactive tracer injected into blood stream of the subject to measure oxygen flow, glucose consumption, blood utilization, or neurotransmitters in different regions of the brain. This then indicates which areas of the brain are most active in any given experience or activity. The injection provides a freeze frame at a particular moment and then is followed by the actual scan of the brain. The problem with PET scan is that the tracers are only present for a few minutes, so the patient needs to be already in the scanning device before the injection occurs. Hospital scanning devices are not particularly conducive to having profound mystical experiences.
Another category of imaging technology is fMRI, which stands for functional magnetic resonance imaging. The advantage of fMRI is that it does not involve injecting radioactive tracers into the blood stream of the patient. The disadvantage is that it involves placing the patient inside a claustrophobia-inducing machine that makes loud banging noises, only slight more tolerable than listening to a jackhammer. Again, this is not an atmosphere particularly conducive to contemplative practice or religious devotion.
The functional imaging technology most suited to the kind of research proposed is SPECT scan, which stands for Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography. This involves using a longer lasting radioactive tracer. Typical research design has the patients outfitted with an IV and a button so they can self inject the tracer at what they subjectively consider to be the peak experience in meditation or prayer. This can be done in a comfortable room in the hospital near the SPECT scan machine and can involve the use of ritual objects, incense, chanting, prayer, etc. After the peak experience and the tracer’s "snapshot" record of brain activity at the time of injection, the subject can then be put into the scanning machine to measure brain metabolism from the tracer "snapshot" some minutes earlier.
Andrew Newberg and his deceased colleague Eugene D’Aquili pioneered this research with religious subjects. Their first study involved eight American Buddhist trained in the Tibetan meditation and three Franciscan nuns. They observed increased neural activity in the prefrontal cortex and decreased activity in the posterior superior parietal lobe. The latter is connected with the ability to navigate the physical self in an external world. They hypothesized that the decreased activity in posterior superior parietal lobe was linked to the experience of non-duality described by the subjects. They call this experience "Absolute Unitary Being" (Newberg 1999; Newberg 2000). They maintain that "mystical experience is biologically, observably, and scientifically ‘real’ rather than ‘wishful thinking’ (Newberg 2001) and go on to speculate:
[We] saw evidence of a neurological process that has evolved to allow humans to transcend material existence and acknowledge and connect with a deeper, more spiritual part of ourselves perceived of as an absolute, universal reality that connects us to all others (Newberg 2001)
4. Pharmaceutical Interventions
Psychotropic or psychedelic drugs have long been part of human religious practices in diverse parts of the world. The authors of the Hindu Vedas received inspiration from the drug soma, which is thought to be derived from psychedelic mushrooms, psilocybin or fly agaric, perhaps in combination with cannabis or other substances. The ancient Greek Eleusinian Mysteries also involved the use of some kind of psychedelic drug. Tribal shamans from Africa, Asia, and the Americas use psychotropic drugs as part of their rituals. The Native American Church in the United States won a Supreme Count case to ensure their right to use peyote in their religious observances. The urge for intoxication is not limited to humans. Chimpanzees, elephants, parrots, and other species ingest fermented fruit and other intoxicants. UCLA psychopharmacologist Ronald Siegel speculates that the desire for intoxication is "the fourth drive" after hunger, thirst, and sex (Siegel 1989). The suggestion in this line of research is that perhaps religion is founded on this desire to get high.
Ergot, a fungus that contaminates rye, wheat, and barley, also has psychotropic properties and is probably used intentionally as part of the Eleusinian Mysteries. It has also caused many accidental poisonings in human history. Ergot epidemics were known as St. Anthony’s Fire in the Middle Ages and may be linked to incidents of mass hysteria and hallucinations. The synthesis of LSD in 1942 by the Swiss chemist Albert Hoffman was based on an Ergot derivative.
In addition to LSD, modern science has synthesized a great number of new psychotropic and psychedelic compounds. Some prefer to use the term Entheogens, meaning "God-inducing", to describe this class of chemicals, because of their ability to induce intense mystical experiences. The most common and quite potent drugs are:
Mescaline –– 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenethylamine,
LSD -- lysergic acid diethylamide,
DMT - 5-methoxy-dimethyltryptamine, and
MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine),commonly known as Ecstasy
All of these chemicals bare some resemblance to endogenous neurochemicals in the brain like dopabite, norepinehrine, sorotoni, and opiates. DMT, a powerful psychedelic drug can also be produced naturally in the human brain. The ritual use of these drugs and others in religious ceremonies is quite extensive. In the 1950s and 1960s, these drugs had been used to treat more than forty thousand patients for a variety of illnesses and over one thousand papers describing these treatments had been published in peer review journals. But then came the excesses of Timothy Lear and the hippies and the drugs became controlled substance, their use illegal in most countries (Horgan 2003).
It is not clear what we learn about religion and spirituality by using and studying these drugs. Are they a shortcut to enlightenment or simply a drug-induced experience with no greater significance? Are other kinds of religious rituals and practice simply a different method for inducing these kinds of experiences that basically harness the brain’s capacity to hallucinate? It is worth noting that we do discover some "form constants" in these drug-induced experiences, for instance, the recurrence of mandala-like geometric patterns in hallucinations (Horgan 2003).
Psychopharmacology is powerful stuff, so we should not be too dismissive. A lot of drugs provide powerful relief for clinical depression, schizophrenia, and other ailments. Drug companies continue research and invent/discover new compounds. The implications of new spiritual drugs are intriguing and disconcerting.
One thought experiment proposed by my colleague Jeremy Sherman involved an imagined compound, Darnitol, that would disrupt the somatic nervous system, such that if you did not pay attention to your breathing and consciously will your breathing, you would soon die. This imagined drug would have no side effects and would only last for a few hours. No longer would a person need to spend years learning meditation techniques in a monastery. A few hours with Darnitol and you would achieve instant satori (or die) (Sherman 1999). Maybe mysticism, enlightenment, whatever you want to call it, is just a neurochemical state that can be induced by rigorous training in a meditative tradition or a simple pill taken on a Sunday afternoon.
5. Brain Development
It is important to remember that brains grow and evolve throughout life, but especially in childhood. In the second year of life, the brain of a human baby is only about fifty percent developed. The maximum size of a brain is reached in adolescence around the age of sixteen. Different parts of the brain mature at different stages. There are periods of high dendrite and synapse formation and other periods of pruning in which the number of neurons and synaptic connections are reduced. Some neuronal connections are enhanced through the formation of lipid sheaths around the axions that speed and strengthen neural transmissions. This process is known as myelination, the conversion of gray matter neurons into white matter neurons. Myelinated neural connections play a much more important role in mental processes, than un-myelinated neural connections.
Humans have a universal dispositions to learn language, music, and religion, but the specific language, genre of music, and religious tradition is a matter of the geography and culture of birth. Note that all religions also use music and language, so these connections may be more than incidental to the development of brains and religions.
It may be that adolescence is a particularly important time for the transmission of religion, that there is a neurological disposition and evolved expectation that cultures utilize. This can be seen in the prevalence of rites of initiation. Seventy percent of the cultures studied by anthropologists have some formal adolescent initiation practice. Some are for males only. Some are for females only. Some are for both. These rites of passage generally involve separation from family and community, seclusion, physical hardship, psychological stress, deprivation of food or water or sleep, sometimes also torture and body mutilation. These initiation rites precede marriage, reproduction, and adult responsibilities and rights within the social group (Alcorta 2006).
It may be that those cultures that do not have a formal adolescent initiation ceremony do so at great risk to their wellbeing and survival. Adolescents have a way of initiating themselves in the manner of Lord of the Flies or the Ragging rituals at Sri Lankan universities in the absence of a formal adult initiation ritual. I think of the contrast between Thai Buddhism and Sri Lankan Buddhism. In Thailand, it is the expectation and a matter of aristocratic honor that all pre-adolescent males spend a few years living and schooling inside the monastery, before returning to society. There is no similar practice in the Sri Lankan Sangha, but conceivably it would be a useful practice to institute here.
Problems and Issues
There are a number of problems inherent in these neuroscientific studies of religious and spiritual phenomena. First and foremost, religion is a complex neurocognitive experiences that include rituals, social groups, and a variety of other dimensions that are not easily replicated in a laboratory setting or isolated in individual human minds. Nor is it clear that all religious experiences are neurologically comparable. Talmudic studies, involving reading, analysis of text, and lively debate, may not be the least bit comparable to a Pentecostal experience of speaking in tongues. The contemplative practices of a Sri Lankan Buddhist may not be comparable to Hindu Bhakti devotions. Practicing Hatha yoga asanas in India may not be the same as Catholic self-flagellations at Good Friday observances in the Philippines. Listening to Bach cantatas at a Protestant Church in Berlin may not be the same as listening to Gamelan music played at a village temple in Bali. None of these phenomena are easily replicated in a laboratory. Science necessarily tries to simplify in order to pursue manageable research. Most of the neuroimaging studies focus on some kind of meditative or contemplative practice, simply because it would be hard to study anything else in a hospital radiology department.
A fuller taxonomy of religious experience needs to be developed, detailed, and correlated with different brain states. Note that the list below are not necessarily discrete experiences and can be combined in any number of ways in actual religious persons:
Interpretative experiences: understanding some event on circumstance to be religiously significant, as in serendipity, synchronicity, good or bad fortune; Quasi-sensory experiences: auditory or visual experiences of the divine; Revelatory experiences: receiving some insight about ultimate reality; Regenerative experiences: a healing or catharsis in which problems or anxiety dissipate; Ethical-moral experiences: grasped by moral obligation to act in the face of suffering or injustice; Aesthetic experiences: an intense spiritual experience of beauty in nature or art, music or ritual; Intellectual experiences: an intense engagement in learning and problem-solving that takes on a spiritual dimension, for instance, in the moment of discovery or comprehension; Ecstatic experiences: as in energetic devotional prayer, particularly in group context; Numinous experiences: an encounter with Spirit that is Wholly-Other, being in the presence of God; Oneness experiences: loss of distinction between self and world, non-dual sense of unity with God and the Universe.
Another problem in the neuroscientific study of religious and spiritual phenomena is the tendency to draw ontological conclusions from these studies, typically to either validate or disprove some religious doctrine. This is philosophically bogus; one cannot prove or disprove the existence of God by studying someone’s brain. A neurological correlation does not equal causation or ultimate explanation. So what if Mohammad or Saint Paul had temporal lobe epilepsy. If God wants to use that mechanism to transmit His revelation, than so be it. Every thought we have, including scientific thoughts, also have measurable brain states. We can study the brain of a physicist while working on equations with a SPECT scan. We would learn lots of interesting things about the brain of a physicist, maybe generalizable to all physicists, perhaps also to all equations, but we would learn nothing about whether the physics was true.
Lets use a playful analogy and imagine what the neurosciences of sports might look like. There are a lot of different sports and we cannot study them all, so we are going to simplify by only looking at cricket (this being Sri Lanka). Still cricket turns out to be really complicated, so we are going to need to simplify some more. We are not going to pay attention to the business of cricket, to the rules of the game, to the social practices and enculturation of cricket as a sport among the youth, to the fanatical fans here, or to the complicate numerology of the sport. It is just too much, so what we are going to focus on is the neurological correlates of cricket. But whose cricket brain are we going to study, that of one of the boys from the Sunday pickup game in my village, or perhaps better, that of professional player of cricket on the national team? We assume that a neuroscientific study of a cricket exemplar will be more revealing, so we select Sanath Jayasuriya of the Sri Lankan National Team to be our subject for a neuro-imaging study of cricket, assuming that this is generalizable in some way to all cricket players, indeed to all sports. Before the big match we outfit Sanath Jayasuriya with a remote control IV, so that we can inject him with radioactive tracers in the midst of batting one of his cut short shots during a big game. He swings the bat and hits a big one, but unfortunately now we have to stop the game, in order to whisk Jayasuriya away to the laboratory, and put him into the SPECT scan.
Don’t worry the game can resume in a half an hour, because we will have finished the scan and can begin our analysis comparing his base-state brain with his cricket-state brain. No doubt, we would learn something interesting about Jayasuriya’s brain, but we would be nowhere near understanding the phenomenon of cricket. We would not know whether Jayasuriya’s brain was the same as other cricket players’ brains or for that matter the brains of other athletes playing other sports, say tennis, golf, or baseball. It might be that brain scans of the fans watching the match would reveal the same neurological correlates, given the phenomenon of mirror neurons, but we would need to test this.
From a strictly neuro-reductionist point of view, we would not really know whether cricket was "real" or merely a "subjective" experience. It seems like the object of cricket is more concrete and objective than the objects of religion, but is that really so. You can take the neuroscientist to a cricket stadium and tell her behold, here is cricket. As an outsider, she probably has not acquired an appreciation of the game and will not understand the complicated rules. The object of cricket is to have fun, you might explain. Our neuroscientist would then have to ask "what is fun"? Similarly I could also take the neuroscientist to the monastery, the temple, the church, the synagogue, or the mosque, and say behold here is religion. But she would still ask what is the object of all this activity. God, enlightenment, what’s that? There is no "objective" reason, in either case, to divert so much time and energy, passion and skill, into either activity, cricket or religion. So the neuroscientist postulates that maybe it has something to do with the brain states of cricket players and fans or the brain states of the religious believers, as the case may be?
Let’s push this reductio absurdum one step farther. What is the objective reality of the brains of a neuroscientist while they do neuroscience? The British geneticist J.B.S. Haldane (1892-1964) came to the same conclusion in thinking about the brains of scientists in general:
It seems to me immensely unlikely that mind is a mere by-product of matter. For if my mental processes are determined wholly by the motions of atoms in my brain, I have no reason to suppose that my beliefs are true. They may be sound chemically, but that does not make them sound logically. And hence I have no reason for supposing my brain to be composed of atoms. In order to escape from this necessity of sawing away the branch on which I am sitting, so to speak, I am compelled to believe that mind is not wholly conditioned by matter (Haldane [1927] 1932).
As Buddhist philosopher Alan Wallace points out in his book The Taboo of Subjectivity, we still do not understand the mind:
Despite centuries of modern philosophical and scientific research into the nature of the mind, at present there is no technology that can detect the presence or absence of any kind of consciousness, for scientists do not even know what exactly is to be measured. Strictly speaking, at present there is no scientific evidence even for the existence of consciousness! All the direct evidence we have consists of nonscientific, first-person accounts of being conscious (Wallace 2000).
First-person accounts of anything do not count as adequate evidence in a court of law or in the sciences. These need to be correlated and corroborated by other evidence. The "I" cannot be trusted. Science leaves us with something like the Buddhist doctrine of anatman or no-self, but of course that is a subtle and paradoxical doctrine in Buddhism. We have sawn off the branch on which we sit. Perhaps we need to rethink science, and with it the neurosciences, from the bottom-up.
The Emergence of Mind
The problem is that science lacks an adequate metaphysics for incorporating both mind and matter. Today, an informed metaphysics and philosophy of science needs to go beyond reductionism and materialism. We cannot really talk about science anymore without discussing emergent properties of phenomena and different levels of organization. The human brain is only one example of emergence in nature, but an extraordinary one to be sure. A single neuron may be beautiful to the discerning eye of a neuroscientist, but it is pretty stupid all by itself.
The concept of emergence says simply that the whole is more than the sum of its parts. We can learn a lot of interesting things about a brain cell by studying its parts and its chemistry. A quick perusal of the typically heavy undergraduate textbook on neurosciences should be adequate to demonstrate just how much we have learned in the last century through this kind of reductionist approach. That being said, the neuron itself could not be predicted or adequately described solely on basis of its constituent components. Nor can a brain be adequately understood by listing its parts. The human brain is an emergent phenomenon, both in its ontogeny – developmental biology -- and its phylogeny – evolutionary biology.
Mind is also an emergent phenomenon. Mind cannot exist without a functional brain, but you could never predict consciousness on the basis of an exhaustive reductionistic description of the brain. Nor does mind-brain really do anything by itself. An isolated mind-brain would be a terrible waste. To reach its potential, a mind-brain requires an entire body, vocal chords, oppositional thumbs, tools, languages, families, societies, cultures, and nature.
It is not just "soft" concepts like mind-from-brain that burst the reductionist dream of a mechanistic account of complex phenomena. There are ample examples of emergent properties throughout the sciences. From the surface tension of water in a glass to superfluidity and superconductivity in a physicist’s lab, the behavior of huge numbers of particles cannot be deduced from the properties of a single atom or molecule. In accepting the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1998, Robert Laughlin notes:
The world is full of things for which one's understanding, i.e. one's ability to predict what will happen in an experiment, is degraded by taking the system apart, including most delightfully the standard model of elementary particles itself. I myself have come to suspect most of the important outstanding problems in physics are emergent in nature, including particularly quantum gravity (Laughlin 1998).
A Musical Interlude
Let’s imagine a scientific study of music, in this case of classical choral music. Our case study will be Johann Sebastian Bach. We will examine in scientific detail one of Bach’s Cantatas, BWV 99 – "Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan".
Our first approach will be to carefully examine the paper on which this cantata was written. We will study the chemical composition of the paper and the ink in which the score was written. We can also study the semiotic development of the notation system used and the music theory behind it. This is all relevant to the subject matter, but it is not likely we will discover much of interest about Bach, his Cantata, or our experience of listening to it.
Another approach will be to study the physics of acoustics and the instrumentation. This Cantata calls for string and wind instruments and of course a choir. This is going to lead us into some interesting directions, including question about how the human ear and vocal chords function, but we are still not going to learn much about Bach or this Cantata.
Another approach will be neurological. We will place you under a fMRI or PET Scan to try to ascertain through neuro-imaging analyses the effect of listening to this Cantata on your brain. Technically, we are also going to have to do a lot of comparative work here to other sound perception and music perception studies, in order to isolate what is unique, if anything at all, to listening to this particular Cantata, as opposed to other sounds, musical pieces, and genres of music. No doubt we might learn lots of interesting things, at least about your brain, because it is not clear yet that another subject, say a Chinese or Indonesian person unfamiliar with the genre or even the tonal structure, would have the same neurological experience when listening to this Bach cantata.
Another approach would be to employ a mathematical analysis of the music itself. With Bach, in particular, there is clearly not only a musical genius composing, but also a mathematical genius. So this might lead to some interesting insights, including now computer programs that can generate "original" scores in Bach’s style.
We could also take a historical approach, considering Bach’s life and time, the musical influences, his biography, his musical and perhaps mathematical genius. This may be more instructive than studying the chemical properties of the paper on which the Cantata was written or the physics and physiology of acoustics. Here the level of analysis better fits the topic, not that the physics and physiology are wrong or uninteresting in themselves.
A scientific study of the cantata would surely also reflect on the philosophical, religious and theological significance of this Cantata, compare it to the other 200 cantatas that Bach wrote for the liturgical calendar and wonder about Bach’s own religious beliefs. What does it mean to assert "Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan" – "what God does is done well". How does the music reinforce the message? What influence does Bach’s music and theology have on us today. How do we feel when we listen to this song or perform it?
Our scientific analysis of a single song by Bach can be posed on many different levels, lead us in many different directions, including into interpretative humanistic disciplines not normally thought of as scientific. Furthermore, none of these directions and levels of analysis necessarily conflict with each other. The only problems arise when we insist on a single, valid level of analysis to the exclusion of others. For instance, a neuroscientist might insist that brain science is the only valid level of understanding the phenomena of Bach’s music.
In this discussion of a new science of music, we see many intriguing parallels and problems common to the proposed new sciences of religion.
The Emergence of Transcendence
We need to employ the concepts of emergence in science in order to go further in this inquiry. There is ontological emergence in nature and with it different levels of reality and different practices appropriate at each level. Emergence should place philosophical limits on the claims of social scientists to reductionistically explain away religion (or for that matter any other complex human or natural phenomena). A scientist might find correlations, say, between the Protestant Ethic |
Legally Steal Other Artists’ Work
One of Cariou’s “Yes Rasta” images (left), and Prince’s modified version (right)
In 2000, a photographer named Patrick Cariou published Yes Rasta, a collection of black and white images he’d taken of Rastafarians in Jamaica. For Cariou, the book was the culmination of six years of hard work and dedication to his craft.
Eight years later, Richard Prince came across Yes Rasta in a bookstore and loved the images so much that he decide to photograph Cariou’s photos, slightly modify them, and call them his own. When Prince released the resulting series, “Canal Zone”, a who's-who of A-list celebrities -- Beyonce & Jay Z, Tom Brady, Robert DeNiro, Angelina Jolie, and Brad Pitt -- attended the event, and he ended up selling eight of the photos for a total of $10,480,000. Carious himself never saw a penny of this, and wasn’t even aware that Prince had appropriated his original work.
“I didn’t really even think to ask [for permission to use the images],” Prince later stated. “I don’t think that way. It didn’t occur to me to ask him and even if I did and he said ‘no’, I still would have taken them. I figured I’d do them and maybe if he objected I’d deal with that later.”
When Cariou found out, he immediately sued Prince for copyright infringement.
At first, the court ruled in favor of Cariou, determining that Richard Prince had, in fact, infringed on his copyright of the photographs. But Prince and his lawyer appealed, and the second time around, Cariou was not so lucky.
The case of Cariou v. Prince became highly contentious: while people in the contemporary art world favored Prince’s stance, photographers endorsed Cariou. Ultimately, in 2013, the Second Circuit made its ruling: Prince’s appropriation was “transformative” enough to qualify for fair use. In the words of the presiding judge: “[Prince’s] work adds new meaning...and the fair use doctrine guarantees [him] breathing space.”
The majority of copyright claims on the 22 images were dismissed, and Prince settled with Cariou outside of the court, heavily in his own favor.
“Copyright has never interested me,” Prince has said of the case. “For most of my life I owned half a stereo so there was no point in suing me, but that’s changed now and it’s interesting.”
Richard Prince’s “New Portraits” series (Instagram photos taken from other users) at the Gagosian gallery in New York
The results of Cariou v. Prince help explain why Prince is able to get away with photographing other photographers’ work and selling it: by presenting old images in a new light, he supposedly adds meaning and value. This qualifies his work as “fair use”, and he can essentially bypass the confines of U.S. copyright law.
This is precisely why he was also able to screenshot random Instagram users’ photos, blow them up, and sell them at a gallery for tens of thousands of dollars: he added a comment to each photo before printing it, and this constituted as his “transformative” contribution. As one Instagram spokesman told The Washington Post, plagiarism of images is strictly disallowed within the platform -- but outside of it, the company is powerless:
“People in the Instagram community own their photos, period. On the platform, if someone feels that their copyright has been violated, they can report it to us and we will take appropriate action. Off the platform, content owners can enforce their legal rights.”
So far, none of the women Prince stole images from have sued him -- but one of them, a user by the name of “Missy Suicide”, has done something even better: she’s begun selling (wait for it) photos of Prince’s photo of her original photo. While Prince’s version sold for $90,000, she offers hers for a mere $90; all proceeds have been donated to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit that fights to preserve digital content rights.
“Do we have Mr. Prince’s permission to sell these prints?” she quipped on Twitter. “We have the same permission from him that he had from us. ;)”
The Modern Artist
Richard Prince jousts with a Twitter critic over the integrity of his Instagram series
Ultimately, while the ethics of Richard Prince’s artwork -- and appropriation art in general -- are debatable, his methods are familiar and relevant: He copies. He pastes. He takes without asking.
In many ways, he is the contemporary art world’s incarnation of the famous Steve Jobs quote, “Good artists copy; great artists steal.” But moreover, he’s a reflection of the digital age, in which texts and images can be separated from their original sources, get twisted and reshaped, and then reach a few hundred million people in the course of a day. In a world of remixes and memes, authorship is becoming less and less relevant: it doesn’t particularly matter where something originates on the Internet.
Richard Prince has seized on this dynamic to profit handsomely. Richard Prince, who takes photographs of photographs, is the richest photographer in the world.
Our next post charts the rise of Bayesian statistics. To get notified when we post it → join our email list.
This post was written by Zachary Crockett. You can follow him on Twitter at @zzcrockettImage courtesy of SquidooGreat news! the NFL season isn’t cancelled!
Horrible news! You have to watch it on basic cable provided in your dorm that’s split 100 ways.
Though this is a dire (and fuzzy) picture, there’s hope. If you want the crisp HD image quality for all the sports and primetime network TV shows you’ve come to expect at home over the summer, a few cheap materials is all you need to build your own HDTV antenna.
Squidoo has the plans for a basic UHF antenna that requires little more than cardboard, foil, and a few odds and ends from RadioShack. They don’t price it out, but it shouldn’t cost more than $20. The site even provides a handy PDF guide to help you cut the foil (which acts as the actual antenna) into the most efficient pattern.
Unfortunately this will probably only work on campuses located near cities with strong over the air digital signals. If positioned correctly though, it should pull in your standard network broadcasts (NBC, CBS, ABC, and Fox), along with a few other local channels, or even The CW for you Gossip Girl fans. If you aren’t sure what channels are broadcasting nearby, AntennaWeb is a great resource for finding out what’s available in your area.
I know you may be thinking about old movies where they adjust rabbit ears behind the TV to improve the image to static ratio, but the U.S. is all digital now, and it’s awesome. The picture quality of over the air broadcasts far exceeds HD signals you get from cable or satellite because they aren’t compressed, and UHF antennas such as this don’t even need to be aimed very precisely.
Did you try this out? Have you used an antenna in the dorms? Let us know in the comments.
[Via Lifehacker]Over the past few months, the Nokia 9 has been subjected to a number of leaks and rumors. We have already come across a few details about the forthcoming smartphone, but now an AnTuTu listing has revealed the complete specifications of the handset.
According to the AnTuTu listing, the Nokia 9 (Nokia TA-1004) will be powered by the Qualcomm’s latest and most powerful chipset, Snapdragon 835. It suggests that the phone will sport a QHD (1440 x 2560) display and run Android 7.1.1 Nougat onboard.
The listing, however, states that the handset will be backed by only 4 gigs of RAM, which contradicts with the Geekbench listing that showed up earlier pointing to 8 gigs of RAM. Besides that, it will be packed with 64GB internal storage.
For the camera department, we have a 13MP shooter (probably a dual camera) in the back, and a 13MP sensor on the front. That’s all we know about the upcoming Nokia flagship handset so far. The uncertainty regarding RAM size hints that the Finnish manufacturer may launch the smartphone in more than one RAM variant.
You can check out the AnTuTu listing below.
Source: Antutu (Chinese)There are dozens of ways to drive traffic to your site. Social media, online ads, direct outreach, billboards, bus stops. You name it, and some marketer has probably done it.
But there’s one important, and frequently ignored, underlying force multiplier for many of these strategies.
It has helped me:
Drive over 22,000 visitors to an article with no email list Build quality backlinks (even.edu sites) Resulted in the best clients I’ve worked with.
It’s even led to connecting with prominent people:
Me and Ramit Sethi (after cutting off my lion’s mane)
So what’s the force multiplier I’m talking about?
Influencer marketing.
What is influencer marketing, you ask?
According to Kyle Wong of Forbes Magazine, influencer marketing is “a form of marketing that identifies and targets individuals with influence over potential buyers.”
This differs from word-of-mouth (or referral marketing) as the influencer doesn’t typically have a personal relationship with each person they influence.
Before we get into it, here’s what we’re going to talk about in this guide:
The Problem with Most Influencer Marketing Advice
There are a lot of articles about how to do influencer marketing. A blogger gets their first couple wins, and then immediately write about it as if they’re an expert.
Or, worse, they simply read a few articles and mash them together, trying to sell the information as if they know what they’re talking about.
The advice usually goes like this:
Subscribe to the influencer’s email list Share their posts on social media Comment on their articles
This is okay advice. It’ll probably work for b-list influencers, but not as much for the super influential ones you REALLY want to connect with (more on that in a moment).
There’s a big difference between getting a few lucky breaks, and connecting with 1,000 influencers (like Ramit Sethi, Dan Pink, and the CMO of GE) or doing the marketing campaigns for influencers like Sujan Patel and Johnathan Dane.
I’ve worked with over 1,000 influencers. That experience teaches you things like:
How do you know which influencers to connect with (and whether they’re worth reaching out to in the first place)? What do you do if the influencer does not have a blog? How do you connect with companies and get them to share your article? Why do some influential marketers hate expert roundups?
In this simple guide to influencer marketing, I’ll share the answer to these questions and more.
And be sure to stick around to the end. I’ll even share how we can help each other out and grow together.
First, a little bit of my journey from becoming a “no-name marketer” to working with some of the savviest marketers and entrepreneurs on the internet…
How I went from a no-name marketer to connecting with 1,000 influencers
12 months ago, I was virtually anonymous on the web, so I began writing guest posts.
As I improved, I had a lot of success for myself and for the people I worked with. My post 10 Tools You Need to Create A Blogging Empire skyrocketed to become the #3 most shared article on the Madlemmings site, and it now sits in the #1 spot, above an expert roundup post:
It also provided a nice traffic bump compared to his usual posts:
Surprised? I was too, until I realized I subtly used influencer marketing. The same key ingredient of expert roundups.
Don’t get me wrong: expert roundups can be effective.
But because everyone and their cousin does them, many marketers don’t promote the articles like they did back when they became popular c. 2013. It’s a bloody red ocean and impressing influencers ain’t easy to get them to help you out.
So how did I get influencers to promote the heck out of my content?
As much as we all hate it, research is your first step. Luckily, we can make it quick, easy, and painless. Here we go:
Know Who You Want to Target and Why
Before beginning an influencer campaign, I want to know three things:
Is the influencer’s audience relevant for what I’m offering? What’s the influencer’s reach? What can I do to create value for the influencer?
1. Is the influencer’s audience relevant for what I’m offering?
A non-relevant influencer’s audience won’t convert nearly as well as a relevant one (such as reaching out to a fashion blogger an email about your article on dog grooming).
Even a relevant influencer who has a non-relevant audience isn’t worth pursuing. Plus, reaching out to an influencer who’s a bad fit might cause them to ignore your emails, making it more difficult the next time you reach out to them.
Personally, I’ve only measured relevancy by observing what they share on social media.
2. What’s the influencer’s reach?
Consider these words by management consultant Peter Drucker: “What gets measured gets managed.”
There are several ways to measure reach, but I focus on the social media impact, their email list size, website Domain Authority, and likelihood of future reciprocation. To keep things simple, I’d recommend just looking at their social reach.
How can you measure social impact?
As simple as it sounds, I get an average score of the person from Klout and FollowerWonk. Using the two together allows me to weed out most you don’t want.
Let’s say you want to know Noah Kagan’s social reach.
To find out his clout on Klout, locate Noah’s Twitter handle (@noahkagan), and add this to the end of Klout.com (i.e. “klout.com/noahkagan”). You will see he has a score of 65, which is a solid score (I notice those at 50 or above are worth reaching out to).
Over on FollowerWonk, I click the “search bios” tab and again search for his Twitter handle. Looks like Noah has a score of 62. Then after averaging the two scores (i.e. (65+62)/2), you arrive at the score 63.5.
This tells me Noah is a worthwhile influencer to connect with (again, being above 50) and he probably doesn’t have fake Twitter accounts artificially inflating his score. This might be the case if Noah’s Followerwonk score was abnormally higher than his Klout score.
Keep in mind: These numbers are easy to manipulate, so it may be helpful to observe the influencer.
One way you can do this is by using social monitoring tools like TweetDeck or Hootsuite (I prefer TweetDeck), you can see who has shared your article on Twitter.
For example, I can check who has shared my guide, “A Smart Guide to Getting “Influencer” Attention Online, Even if You Are A ‘Nobody’” by plugging in the URL into a search column, leaving out “http” or “www” which can affect the search parameters.
3. What can I do to create value to the influencer?
While there are many ways to add value to influencers, here are four strategies I’ve used.
A. Read their articles, implement, and share your results
A question I often ask myself while writing an article is, “Will this actually help anyone?”
My goal in blogging isn’t to simply write fancy words. My goal is to motivate people to take action.
I want to know that my advice isn’t just falling on deaf ears. So if someone were to email me and tell me about the results they’ve seen from implementing my advice, I’d be ecstatic!
Even better, you can…
B. Be their case study
Influencers love to hear how you’ve taken massive action, but they love it even more if they have a case study to share.
Why is this?
Well, case studies show other people that this process is repeatable and that results aren’t limited to just one person who has figured the system out.
This is part of the strategy I used to land my dream job with Sujan.
So after you’ve shared your results, offer to write a guest post for them, detailing your approach.
C. Write about them in a good light
If you are about to write an article about your industry, why not refer to the influencer and give your readers reasons to follow them?
Those of you who are observant probably saw several influencers I’ve included in this article. If they choose to share or link to it, great!
But even if they don’t, that’s fine. The end goal is to add value to them.
D. Make introductions
As you begin to connect with others, one of the best ways to add value to two people all the same time is to make introductions.
You can write an email like this:
My goal was to put both parties in a great light and add context why they should connect.
Keep in mind though: What may be valuable to one influencer won’t be for another another. That’s why you must keep in mind the type influencer you are connecting with.
The 5 Flavors of Influencers (and How to Connect With Each)
Not every influencer is created equal. There are different types of influencers, and your approach with each type should differ.
I place influencers into 5 categories:
Celebrities Authorities Journalists Connectors Bloggers
Each of these influencers have different things you need do to attract their attention. If you treat a celebrity like you do a connector, your results will be limited.
Celebrities
The opportunity to connect with celebrities are rare for the everyday folk. While they have a very high reach, they also have many people reaching out to them.
Neil Patel, Rand Fishkin, and Hiten Shah fit here, the Oprah Winfreys of Internet marketing. Unless you can move mountains for them, I’d recommend starting with another category.
That’s not to say you can’t reach them. Here’s how Steli Efti at Close.io landed an interview with Gary Vaynerchuk:
“If you insist on going after a celebrity, you have to think really long-term. I tried to get in touch with Gary Vaynerchuk for years. I bought a unique domain and set up a website to get his attention. Emailed him. Again and again. Tried calling. Creatively leveraged my network and a series of follow-ups over several months to get Gary to commit to an interview. Then it took several months of persistent follow-up to actually schedule the interview. Eventually, I got my hour with Gary; and we did the interview.
Back in 2013, nobody knew who I was, nobody knew about our company. Gary? HUGE BRAND, HUGE AUDIENCE, multiple New York Times best sellers. The interview not just gave us a lot of brand exposure, but also resulted in a lot of trial signups for our sales software and thousands of dollars in monthly recurring revenue. Going after celebrities won’t be a quick win, but if you’ve got a strong follow-up hustle, it can pay off big.”
Authorities
Authorities also hold large sway over their audience, but tend to be easier to connect with than a celebrity. Their opinion is valuable to the industry. You will often see them speaking at conferences, writing books, and blogging.
Figure out what they are involved with and what you can do to move the needle. While you will have a challenge truly connecting with Neil, you may find his cousin Sujan easier to connect with.
When it comes to authorities in marketing, think of Lee Odden, Sujan Patel, and Brian Dean.
Journalists
Journalists can be anything from a celebrity to the everyday blogger.
When I connect with journalists, there’s usually two things they are most interested in: traffic to their article and exclusive information (which leads to more traffic), such as telling them about industry news and events before it’s released to the public.
Why do they value traffic? Because that’s often what their pay is based on.
Ash Read from PostReach and editor at Buffer explains:
When it comes to reaching out to journalists, the key thing I’ve learned is to think about it from their point of view. Don’t think about how they can help spread the word about your startup. Instead, ask yourself how you can help them achieve their goals. I’ve also found it helpful to show excitement in your message. Nobody will care about your launch unless you give them a reason to. So it’s essential to convey your passion, and if possible, some proof others are excited too. Things like: I’ve got 10,000 people who joined my beta.
A Tweet teasing your product that received hundreds of Retweets. Anything you have that’ll give the journalist a hint that people will want to read this story. Another key: Keep your initial message short and punchy. Instead of sending a 3,000 word pitch. I’ve also learned not to put too much pressure on a decision right away. Asking “Is this something you’d like to cover?” could feel quite pushy. On the other hand, asking if the journalist agrees to an embargo doesn’t force them to make a decision.
Some marketing journalists I’ve enjoyed reading include Murray Newlands, John Rampton, and Aaron Orendorff.
Connectors
Connectors like to connect people together to create value. They’re difficult to find because you can’t see their work explicitly. But they often are a huge boom to your bottom line when you do.
I’ve found podcasters tend to fit into this category as they enjoy those personal, 1-on-1 conversations. To get more guests for their show, they begin connecting with more and more people.
For connectors, they enjoy receiving help in whatever project they are working on. If you can, connect them to other relevant influencers worth connecting with.
I place myself into this category alongside Andy Crestodina and Jayson Gaignard.
Bloggers
Finally, there are the bloggers. While they still hold sway, their impact is often limited to their blog audience. However, they are usually the easiest to connect with.
Simple wins with them include guest posting, linking to their site, and driving traffic to them.
Here’s a strategy that has worked well for Benji Hyam of Grow and Convert:
For bloggers and for authorities, the easiest way I've found to form relationships with them is to take their advice, test it out, and when something works share the results with them. For example: They spend a lot of time writing, speaking and sharing ideas with people. They get little feedback from their audience when the advice they give others is implemented and helps someone accomplish something.
Then you reach out to them with a message like: "I read your article and implemented the advice you shared. These are the results that I achieved.”
I almost guarantee you'll get a response from them.
When people reach out to me and say they've used something that I share, those are the first people I respond to.
Big name marketing bloggers include Adam Connell, Pauline Cabrera, and Johnathan Dane.
How do you know what category an influencer falls into?
My team at ContentMarketer partnered up with Venngage and Sumo to bring you this influencer marketing cheat sheet:
Finding Tons of Influencers to Connect With
Now you are aware of the basic ways to identify the influencers. How do you find them?
I use BuzzSumo and FollowerWonk to make a good starting list, and PostReach to validate their relevancy and impact. Here is a quick, step-by-step process you can use.
Remember: Not everyone listed is an influencer worth connecting with.
BuzzSumo
Here’s how to find a ton of influencers who have shared similar articles to the one you wrote.
Type a couple keywords related to the influencer’s niche into BuzzSumo. Click on “view shares”
See all the awesome bloggers, influencers, companies, journalists, and regular ol’ folks who shared this piece.
FollowerWonk
FollowerWonk allows you to easily find influencers based on the influencers you already know.
1. Head to the “Compare Users” tab on FollowerWonk.
2. Plug in the Twitter handle of 3 of your favorite influencers
3. Click on each of the links of the followers shared by 2 or 3 of the influencers
I find this approach works best if each of the influencers aren’t following over 2,000 people, though it can still work if just one of them is following that many.
PostReach
I use Postreach to validate the relevance and impact of influencers. Here’s how to use it:
1. Login to PostReach.
2. Enter the URL of a highly-shared blog post from your niche
3. View sharers and see who all the awesome people who helped amplify this post
This is a new tool to the influencer marketing scene, but one worth checking out.
Remember that influencers are human, so they have multiple interests.
In the FollowerWonk example, Nat, Noah, and I have shared interests in various fields of internet marketing, startups, and entrepreneurship. So using this approach to find other content marketers might be a little harder.
Nat and I are also tea connoisseurs. Although this more of a secondary interest (i.e. we aren’t prolifically sharing about our tea habits on Twitter), there’s a chance we both may be following influential tea experts.
That would make your outreach very challenging if you wanted to share an article on how to grow your site from 0-10K to a tea expert.
Now that you know the right influencers to connect with, now it’s time to learn how to connect with them.
How to Meaningfully Connect with Influencers
After discovering the type of influencer you’re dealing with and how to find them, you need to learn how to connect with them to actually get results.
About a month ago, I received a tweet that I was an influencer in conversion rate optimization (CRO). Even though I don’t consider myself an expert, I decided to check out the article.
What did I find? A numbered list of 50 influencers and their respective Twitter handle. No information about who they are or why they are worth following. Please don’t do this.
Instead, you can try one of my three favorite strategies that have given me proven results time-and-time again:
1. Feature them in a quality article.
Instead of doing a large expert roundup, feature 3-5 experts that you really want to connect with. This shows the influencer you’ve done research on them and puts them in the limelight. For example, you can create an expert roundup and fill in your own thoughts about each person’s advice.
William Harris has a great example of this on the Sellbrite blog. When he switched from SaaS to eCommerce, he used this post to connect with 5 of the biggest names in eCommerce content marketing.
2. Link to them on a high profile site.
If you are just starting a new site, more than likely they won’t notice your new blog. Instead, guest post on a bigger site and mention them.
Aaron Orendorff did this with his guest post on CrazyEgg, “16 Helpful Copywriting Articles To Launch You Into Web Writing Greatness.”
By not only curating some of the best articles on copywriting, but by linking to each author, including a brief summary of why he enjoyed each piece, and a direct-quote insight, the post become more than a mere listicle.
3. Figure out what they want and give it to them.
Put yourself into the influencer’s shoes. What do they value?
Do they have a new project they are working on? Become an earlier adopter, a raving fan of the product, and share with them the results. This is how I landed dream jobs working with Sujan and Jonathan Dane (an authority influencer in the PPC and CRO space).
Another angle you can take: By helping out another influencer who knows them and start building relationships to the influencer you want to target.
Let’s say you wanted to connect with Sujan and Jonathan. You could find out what I want help with and shoot me an email. In doing so, not only would I want to help promote you, I would then vouch for you and make an introduction.
What would benefit a growth strategist? You’d be right if you guessed driving a substantial amount of traffic (i.e. 500+ visitors to an article) or create a notable backlink (i.e. DA 40+).
What if you still are not sure what they want? I’ve found making good educated guesses shows the influencer that you have given it some thought.
Consider this email I sent to Hiten Shah, Neil Patel’s co-founder:
My reason to connect was to thank him for including us in his SaaS weekly.
If you noticed, since I’ve helped other people, I gave him specific examples of people and names he would know.
You may not be able to give names in the first email you send. But by giving them specifics shows that you can take initiative.
Here’s Hiten’s response:
Now the game was on. I knew what he wanted and needed to deliver on it. It took an exchange of 8 emails, but I was able to find a way to help drive traffic to his newsletter.
Once you’ve connected with these influencers, what can you do to get them to promote your content?
5 Promotion Strategies so Influencers Share You Work for You
At the end of the day, while it’s valuable to make meaningful relationships, it isn’t a form of marketing if you never promote your work.
Here are 5 strategies you can use with those newly minted relationships:
1. Beef up articles with expert quotes
An expert quote is a quote from an influencer in your field that provides an extra boost of authority (as you see I did above with Steli, Benji and Ash in the 5 Flavors of Influencers section above.
Shanelle Mullin was one of the first I observed doing this on ConversionXL. In her article, “How to Write Copy People Will Actually Read,” you can see how she highlights Sujan Patel. If I were Sujan, I’d promote that piece because of how well it highlights me.
"There are obvious promotional benefits, but the main reason I include expert quotes in my articles is because it’s genuinely helpful to our readers. I don’t reach out to the experts who have the most social influence, I reach out to the experts who are most qualified to offer useful advice on the topic."
Focus on creating helpful, thorough content before you reach out to experts. Your quotes should complement the article, not the other way around.
Another example: The team at Orbit Media crushed it with their article 34 ways to get the most from a conference. A solid piece on it’s own, they then took things a step further by getting over 20 experts to providing their own insight.
You can also use this approach with a content upgrade, like an eBook.
Sid Bharath did this when he wrote 50 Shades of Growth for LemonStand. He connected with 40 influencers like Neil Patel, Sean Ellis and Noah Kagan. With their permission to include content they had already created, he found ways to incorporate it into the book.
The book was an instant success. It began trending on Inbound and GrowthHackers and was promoted by all the influencers.
It attracted over 3,000 new leads within the first week of its launch and continues to drive traffic, leads and links to LemonStand to this day.
2. Create a company roundup post
While individual experts may be tuckered out, many companies still seem fresh to share great content.
KlientBoost created a beautiful gifographic and article on the PPC food pyramid to help PPC marketers master paid promotion channels.
With over 50 companies listed, this provided a great opportunity for KlientBoost to:
Build relationships with companies in their industry Have those companies share their article Get the gifographic in front of those that might link to it.
LeadChat did something similar by creating an ultimate business tool roundup. I find their approach to be more effective from a promotion point-of-view.
Why is the LeadChat article more likely to be promoted? They spent time giving key insights to the reader why they should consider each of those tools. That said, both are great articles to learn from and may be worth bookmarking to reference later.
You may be thinking “Jason, how do I reach out to companies?”
There are 3 ways I have found to be most effective:
Find the press or PR email and reach out to them like you would an influencer. Use the contact box and send them a message. Tweet out a message.
I use Content Marketer to find the emails and contact box, Connector to send out the emails and automated with follow up messages, and Notifier to let them know through Twitter
Need a template to try out? Check this out:
Subject: Sending COMPANY some love on my latest post Hey COMPANY! I just created an article on TOPIC and included you guys in the article. If interested in checking it out, here’s a link to the post: LINK Keep up the great work! Would love any feedback when you get a chance. Cheers, NAME
Just replace the all caps words with what you need and make some other minor tweaks to fit your writing style.
4. Do an expert roundup without their contribution
Huh? How do you do an expert roundup without getting their help?
Well, you start with the expert’s own words.
Taking a look at Aaron Orendorff’s Top 10 Copywriting Books from the Top 10 Online Copywriters, you’d never know that his number one copywriter -- Brian Clark -- was the only person on the list who didn’t actually contribute.
Instead, the book listed as Brian’s favorite, along with the quote, was taken from a previous post of Brian’s where he answered the same question.
Another example: I was doing the digital marketing for a web hosting startup, Decibite. I needed to figure out how to drive a ton of traffic to our site.
Decibite is geared to help professional internet marketers increase traffic and conversions. So I thought writing an article on the top 100 SEO experts in the world would help attract our target audience to our fledgling startup.
I did not want it to be one of those flimsy articles that just lists the experts and just tells the reader to “go follow them on Twitter.” Like most of my articles, I want them to be truly helpful and actionable.
Nor did I have time to email all of them to fill out their profile. So I did it for them.
The result?
Over 1,800 shares in 3 days. Not to mention links from Search Engine Land, SEMRush, and some of those marketers’ personal sites. Booyah grandma.
To prove it wasn’t a fluke, I created a similar article for Maptive on the top 100 big data experts to follow for 2016.
Even though Maptive has no share bar and no email list (I know, I cringe too…), just by reaching out to the influencers, we received over 22,000 visitors and several links, including 5 between DA 50 and 85 (two from.edu sites).
Ohhhhh yeah.
5. How to get an influencer to promote an article without including them
You’re crazy Jason!
Probably. But this tactic can triple the shares after the initial buzz dies down, so the results speak for themselves.
Here’s how to get influencer love without even including them:
Use BuzzSumo to find relevant articles to your topic View everyone who shared those articles on Twitter Use ContentMarketer.io to find their email addresses (you may find success with Buzzstream and NinjaOutreach too, however I have not used these tools in this manner) Reach out to the influencers and ask for their feedback Watch the traffic come in like tweenage girls to a Bieber concert
This is how I promoted an “unsexy” article and took it from 202 to 711 shares in two weeks.
Some Parting Thoughts...
Another strategy that always does well is to involve influencers in the co-creation process itself. That’s what I did with this article, and I want to thank those who read and contributed to this masterpiece:
Aaron Orendorff of iConicontent Sid Bharath of Thinkific Ramin Assemi of Close.io Nat Eliason of Sumo Sarah Peterson of Sumo Ash Read of PostReach and Buffer William Harris of SellBrite Benji Hyam of Grow and Convert Nadya Khoja of Venngage Shanelle Mullin of ConversionXL Danavir Sarria of CopyMonk
If you feel that this information may not apply to your field or wish to add something, leave me a comment below. I’d love to hear your input, even if you read this several months down the road.
And if you notice I don’t respond after a while, shoot me an email (jason [at] thestorytellermarketer.com).
Happy connecting!A Yao woman displays her hair styled in a bun over her forehead. The Yao women believe that the fermented rice water helps keep their hair black up past the age of 80. (Tim Whiteaker)
Ancient Hair Care: Rice-Water Shampoo
You have probably never considered washing your hair with fermented rice water—the milky-colored liquid left over from washing or boiling rice.
This idea may sound strange given that we have a plethora of commercial shampoos formulated to enhance our exact hair type. And to be sure, fermented-rice hair care is not for everyone, but fermented rice water has been the secret to beautiful hair for village women and imperial princesses in the East since ancient times.
The Yao minority ethnic women from Huangluo Village, in Guangxi Province, in southern China, have one striking feature in common—their extraordinarily long hair that stays black until they are around 80 years old.
The Yao women believe that having long hair is an auspicious sign of good health, good fortune, and longevity, and they cut their hair only once, when they are old enough to get married.
With their average hair length of about 6 feet, the Yao ethnic women made it to the Guinness Book of World Records as the “world’s longest hair village.” Part of their secret to having such long hair lies in washing it with fermented rice water.
Ancient Eastern Practice
For centuries, women in China, Japan, and Southeast Asia have used rice water to wash and rinse their hair.
Imperial court women in ancient China and Japan were believed to have adopted this traditional custom to maintain their crowning glory. During the golden age of the Tang Dynasty, Chinese women had beautiful long hair.
To match their exquisite handmade silk garments—known as Han couture—Tang women wore their crowning glory coiled in an elaborate, high bun that was often described with names such as “gazing-gods bun” or the “cloud bun.”
Likewise, in the Heian period, as early as the 9th century, women at the Japanese imperial court used fermented |
rafted in 2010. He’s recorded 157 tackles, 11 interceptions, 14 passes defensed, and one forced fumble during that span. Last year, Brock finished 24th out of 78 players in Pro Football Focus’ signature coverage stat.
There’s reason to believe Brock would be an upgrade for the Eagles. The question is whether they want to be associated with a player who was accused of domestic violence. Although the case was dismissed due to a lack of evidence, Brock’s girlfriend had reportedly suffered “visible facial injuries” on the night of his arrest. The case being dismissed doesn’t preclude teams from doing their own research and finding reason to be uncomfortable with a signing. The dismissal also doesn’t prevent Brock from still being subject to discipline via the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
If the Eagles don’t end up signing Brock, they could look elsewhere to address the cornerback position. Caplan suggested as much.
“Well, I think that they’re going to add one to two corners. They’re looking heavy at the veteran market. It’s a matter of system fit.”
It would be surprising if the Eagles sat tight with their current group of corners. It feels like they’ve struggled so much that something has to be done before the season starts.
We’ll see if that’s the case.A team of biologists and chemists is closing in on bringing non-living matter to life.
It’s not as Frankensteinian as it sounds. Instead, a lab led by Jack Szostak, a molecular biologist at Harvard Medical School, is building simple cell models that can almost be called life.
Szostak’s protocells are built from fatty molecules that can trap bits of nucleic acids that contain the source code for replication. Combined with a process that harnesses external energy from the sun or chemical reactions, they could form a self-replicating, evolving system that satisfies the conditions of life, but isn’t anything like life on earth now, but might represent life as it began or could exist elsewhere in the universe.
While his latest work remains unpublished, Szostak described preliminary new success in getting protocells with genetic information inside them to replicate at the XV International Conference on the Origin of Life in Florence, Italy, last week. The replication isn’t wholly autonomous, so it’s not quite artificial life yet, but it is as close as anyone has ever come to turning chemicals into biological organisms.
"We’ve made more progress on how the membrane of a protocell could grow and divide," Szostak said in a phone interview. "What we can do now is copy a limited set of simple [genetic] sequences, but we need to be able to copy arbitrary sequences so that sequences could evolve that do something useful."
By doing "something useful" for the cell, these genes would launch the new form of life down the Darwinian evolutionary path similar to the one that our oldest living ancestors must have traveled. Though where selective pressure will lead the new form of life is impossible to know.
"Once we can get a replicating environment, we’re hoping to experimentally determine what can evolve under those conditions," said Sheref Mansy, a former member of Szostak’s lab and now a chemist at Denver University.
Protocellular work is even more radical than the other field trying to create artifical life: synthetic biology. Even J. Craig Venter’s work to build an artificial bacterium with the smallest number of genes necessary to live takes current life forms as a template. Protocell researchers are trying to design a completely novel form of life that humans have never seen and that may never have existed.
Over the summer, Szostak’s team published major papers in the journals Nature and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
that go a long way towards showing that this isn’t just an idea and that his lab will be the first to create artificial life — and that it will happen soon.
"His hope is that he’ll have a complete self-replicating system in his lab in the near future," said Jeffrey Bada, a University of California
San Diego chemist who helped organize the Origin of Life conference.
Modern life is far more complex than the simple systems that Szostak and others are working on, so the protocells don’t look anything like the cells that we have in our bodies or Venter’s genetically-modified E. coli.
"What we’re looking at is the origin of life in one aspect, and the other aspect is life as a small nanomachine on a single cell level," said Hans Ziock, a protocellular researcher at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Life’s function, as a simple nanomachine, is just to use energy to marshal chemicals into making more copies of itself.
"You need to organize yourself in a specific way to be useful," Ziock said. "You take energy from one place and move it to a place where it usually doesn’t want to go, so you can actually organize things."
Modern cells accomplish this feat with an immense amount of molecular machinery. In fact, some of the chemical syntheses that simple plants and algae can accomplish far outstrip human technologies. Even the most primitive forms of life possess protein machines that allow them to import nutrients across their complex cell membranes and build the molecules that then carry out the cell’s bidding.
Those specialized components would have taken many, many generations to evolve, said Ziock, so the first life would have been much simpler.
What form that simplicity would have taken has been a subject of intense debate among origin of life scientists stretching back to the pioneering work of David Deamer, a professor emeritus at UC-Santa Cruz.
What most researchers agree on is that the very first functioning life would have had three basic components: a container, a way to harvest energy and an information carrier like RNA or another nucleic acid.
Szostak’s earlier work has shown that the container probably took the form of a layer of fatty acids that could self-assemble based on their reaction to water (see video). One tip of the acid is hydrophilic, meaning it’s attracted to water, while the other tip is hydrophobic. When researchers put a lot of these molecules together, they circle the wagons against the water and create a closed loop.
These membranes, with the right mix of chemicals, can allow nucleic acids in under some conditions and keep them trapped inside in others.
That opens the possibility that one day, in the distant past, an RNA-like molecule wandered into a fatty acid and started replicating. That random event, through billions of evolutionary iterations, researchers believe, created life as we know it.
In a paper released this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Mansy and Szostak showed that the special membranes, fat bubbles essentially, were stable under a variety of temperatures and could have manipulated molecules like DNA through simple thermal cycling, just like scientists do in PCR machines.
The entire line of research, though, begs the question: where would DNA, or any other material carrying instructions for replication, have come from?
Many researchers have tried to tackle this problem of how RNA- or DNA-like molecules could have developed from the amino acids present on the early Earth. John Sutherland, a chemist at the University of Manchester, published a paper last year demonstrating one plausible way that RNA could have spontaneously been created in the prebiotic world.
Once such molecules existed, Szostak’s lab’s demonstrated in a Nature paper earlier this summer that nucleic acids could replicate inside a protocell (pdf).
But while many scientists agree the protocell work is impressive, not every scientist is convinced that it contributes to a reasonable explanation for the origin of life.
"Their work is wonderful inasmuch as what they are doing can be," said
Mike Russell, a geochemist with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in
Pasadena, California. "It’s just that I’m uneasy about the significance of it to the origin of life."
Russell argues that the very first life-like molecules on Earth would have been based on inorganic compounds. Instead of a fatty acid membrane, Russell argues that iron sulfide could have provided the necessary container for early cells.
But UCSD’s Bada pointed out that it as unlikely we will ever know how life actually began.
"[Szostak’s] point, and how we all view it, is that it’s a nice model, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it happened that way," he said.
Szostak suggested that even if life could theoretically or did begin some other way, his lab’s hypothesis was (at least) experimentally plausible.
"We’re now pretty much convinced that growth and division could occur under perfectly reasonable prebiotic conditions in a way that is not some artificial laboratory construction," he said.
And actually, the most intriguing possibility of all may be that the protocells in Szostak’s lab do not closely model earthly life’s origins. If that’s true, human beings, ourselves the product of evolution from the most primitive organisms, would have created an alternative path to imbuing matter with the properties of life.
"What we have in biology is just one of many, many possibilities," Szostack said. "One of the things that always comes up when people talk about life and universal qualities is water. But is water really necessary? What if we could design a system that works in something else?"
See Also:
Illustrations by Janet Iwasa. 1. A model of a protocell. 2. A movie of a vesicle, or fatty acid membrane, forming.
WiSci 2.0: Alexis Madrigal’s Twitter, Google Reader feed, and webpage; Wired Science on Facebook.Charged with discriminating against a gay couple, the owners of another Christian family-run business are being forced to shut their doors.
“We can’t pretend it’s going to get better,” Betty Odgaard told The Daily Signal in an exclusive interview. “There wasn’t enough business.”
Betty and her husband, Richard, are the owners of Görtz Haus Gallery in Grimes, Iowa. In 2002, they purchased the 77-year-old stone church and transformed it into a bistro, flower shop, art gallery and wedding venue.
On August 3, 2013, a gay couple from Des Moines asked to rent Görtz Haus for their wedding.
Because of their Mennonite faith, the Odgaards told the couple they could not host their wedding.
Within 24 hours, the couple filed a discrimination complaint through the Iowa Civil Rights Commission.
“We knew that the business was going to be in trouble almost immediately,” Richard, 69, said. “We had to get rid of the wedding business to avoid another complaint and possibly a higher penalty.”
The Odgaards never admitted to any discrimination, but agreed to a $5,000 settlement.
They also returned two non-refundable deposits for couples who, after hearing media reports, didn’t want to use their space for their weddings anymore.
“It was just the right thing to do,” Richard said.
Going On Life Support
After leaving the wedding business, Görtz Haus went on life support.
If they continued to offer wedding-related services, the Odgaards knew they could be subject to another discrimination complaint.
“We didn’t have a choice,” Betty, 63 said. “We would be targets.”
Around town, Görtz Haus became known as the business that refuses to serve gays.
If a group of ladies went to lunch and one disagreed with their opinion not to host same-sex weddings, the entire group boycotted the bistro, the Odgaards explained.
“They didn’t come in because the people who are against us are more vocal than the people who are in our court,” Richard said.
Betty said the situation drove her into a “really dark depression”—so bad, that she had to seek the help of professionals.
“I’m a melancholy artist and no stranger to depression, but this took me down to the darkest I’ve ever been before,” she said.
The case was the first of its kind in Iowa, but it didn’t receive the same sort of media attention as the bakers in Oregon, the photographers in New Mexico or the farmers in New York.
The couple says that’s because pending litigation prevented them from being able to speak out, further isolating them from their community.
“We didn’t get the Chick-fil-A response,” Richard half-heartedly joked.
Iowa’s Involvement
The Odgaards don’t blame the gay community for shutting them down, but rather, the state of Iowa.
“I think if people in Iowa would have had a chance to vote on this, it would have never have been this way. People in Iowa are pretty conservative,” Betty said.
“With the discrimination laws and the legality of same-sex marriage in this state, now you have to prove that you didn’t discriminate,” added Richard.
The Odgaards also feel they never got their day in court, and had the case turned out differently, they might not have been driven out of business.
“This was all administrative judgement,” Richard said. “The [gay couple] had a platform to file their case and we didn’t get our day in court with a jury of our peers.”
Like the other lawsuits involving charges of discrimination, complaints are filed—and judged—in the Iowa Civil Rights Commission.
“We knew what the outcome was going to be, the judge knew what the outcome was going to be, but we had to go through it,” Richard said.
Originally, the gay couple asked for $10,000, but lawyers for the Odgaards at The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty were able to negotiate a settlement for half that amount.
“Now the precedent has been set,” Richard said. “The administrative process has demonstrated what it will do if this happens, so it’s a matter of setting somebody up and collecting money. It’s that simple. It’s all they have to do.”
Moving On
Yesterday, the Odgaards spent the day calling vendors and sharing the news that by the end of August, they’ll be closed completely.
“We have to look on the positive side, but just telling our family what we are doing, telling vendors the decision that we’ve made, it’s been very tough,” Betty said.
The couple has decided to take their story and use it to advocate for Christian teachings by creating God’s Original Design Ministry.
With the ministry, they hope to promote the importance of religious liberty, “regardless of what your religion is,” Richard said.
They received their nonprofit status earlier than expected, which they took as a sign from God.
As for the future of Görtz Haus, the Odgaards hope that it will return to its original function: a church.
“That would be the most wonderful option,” Betty said.Frances D'Emilio, The Associated Press
ROME -- Heartened by recent election successes by an anti-immigrant party, Italian politicians based in the north vowed Sunday not to shelter any more migrants saved at sea, even as thousands more were being rescued in the Mediterranean from smugglers' boats in distress.
Elsewhere in the country, however, corruptions investigations have revealed that some local officials gleefully see a cash cow in the shelters.
Over the weekend, nearly 6,000 migrants were rescued by an array of European military vessels, including 2,371 who were saved on Sunday from 15 boats that ran into difficulty shortly after smugglers set off with them from Libyan shores, the Italian coast guard said.
Two German military ships brought a total of some 1,400 people to Sicilian ports Sunday, a day after they were rescued.
Mayors of Sicilian and other southern towns have warned for months they've run out of room for migrants, and thousands of the rescued are being resettled in shelters in central and northern Italy while their asylum requests are processed. The migrants flee poverty, persecution and war in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
Among the north-based Italian politicians refusing to accept more migrants Sunday was newly-elected Liguria Gov. Giovanni Toti. Toti's candidacy was backed by his mentor, former centre-right Premier Silvio Berlusconi, and by the anti-immigrant Northern League party, which was bolstered by results in balloting for governorships a week ago.
In Lombardy, whose capital is Milan, longtime League leader, Gov. Roberto Maroni, asked followers on Twitter if they agreed with him that "Lombardy mayors must refuse to welcome clandestine migrants" sent by the national government or else face regional funding cuts as punishment.
Fueling pledges to welcome no more migrants in their regions was a warning Saturday from Britain's defence secretary, Michael Fallon, that hundreds of thousands of migrants might be in Libya, poised to attempt the perilous sea crossing over the summer months.
An U.N. refugee agency official, Carlotta Sami, called such figures speculation. But Northern League leader Matteo Salvini cited the huge figure when he spoke about "an alarm" of a flood of migrants.
Also pledging his region won't accept more rescued migrants was Veneto Gov. Luca Zaia, a Northern League proponent who scored a resounding victory for a second term in the May 31 vote. "First of all, we must do away with the illusion that we can support and manage a biblical exodus," he said in an interview in Corriere della Sera daily Sunday.
Zaia contended his northeastern Veneto region, home to many family-run or medium-sized businesses, had no more room for migrants.
According to Interior Ministry figures, as of early May, Veneto was sheltering some 3,000 rescued migrants, or 4 per cent of the national total. By comparison, Sicily, where unemployment is chronic, was sheltering 16,000 migrants for 22 per cent of the total, while the more affluent region of Lazio, including Rome, had about half that number, for 12 per cent, and Maroni's Lombardy had some 6,600, or 9 per cent of the total.
While these politicians in the north were saying no to more migrants, corruptions investigations have showed that other Italian politicians and local officials see the shelters as a way to make money.
Last week, 44 people, including local politicians from the centre-left to the centre-right in the Rome area, were arrested for investigation of alleged corruption or tampering with public contract bidding. The Rome-based probe, which netted dozens of arrests a few months ago in an earlier chapter, examined public contracts for social services, including for asylum-seekers at a migrant centre in Sicily.
In intercepted phone calls, one suspect was heard referring to migrant shelters as a "cow to milk" for money.
Rome daily La Repubblica on Sunday reported that prosecutors in Florence, the Tuscan capital, and in Bari and Catania in the south were also scrutinizing contracts for feeding and sheltering migrants. It put costs this year at more than 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion), about 40 per cent more than was spent last year, when Italy rescued 170,000 migrants from smugglers' boats in the waters off Libya.
Most of the migrants want to reach family or other support networks in northern Europe. They are supposed to stay in Italy until asylum applications are evaluated, although thousands slip away from the shelters and make their way to Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands and elsewhere.It is illegal under federal law to prevent a student from attending school based on perceived HIV status, but an Arkansas school district has banned three students, all siblings, from returning to class until they submit to an HIV test, according to a local advocacy group.
The Disability Rights Center of Arkansas (DRCA) reports that the Pea Ridge School District found documentation suggesting the children's birth mother, and one of the children in the school, may be HIV-positive. School administrators then sent a letter to the children's foster family saying they would be prevented from attending classes until they submit to an HIV test.
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The children returned to school anyway, and were made to wait in a separate room until their foster parents picked them up, according to local news station KFSM.
The DRCA is charging that the school district is illegally discriminating against the children, saying in a statement: “The fact that the foster families have to provide documentation that the children are HIV negative before entering the school is unlawful and immoral... It stigmatizes individuals with disabilities -- or their 'perceived’ disabilities, as there is no indication these individuals have HIV. There is only an unlawful fear that they do.”
The school responded in a Monday statement:
The Pea Ridge School District is dedicated to providing a safe environment for our students, teachers and staff. As reported in the media, the district has recently required some students to provide test results regarding their HIV status in order to formulate a safe and appropriate education plan for those children. This rare requirement is due to certain actions and behaviors that place students and staff at risk. The district respects the privacy and confidentiality of all students. It's is very unfortunate that information regarding this situation is being released by outside organizations. Our goal is to provide the best education for every student, including those in questions, in a responsible, respectful and confidential manner.
More here:Chris Fox, cp24.com
A woman is dead after being struck by a police cruiser escorting a funeral procession in the city’s west end.
It happened near Highway 27 and Rexdale Boulevard at around 12:45 p.m.
According to one witness, about 60 people were travelling in the procession at the time.
About half of them were unable to remove their vehicles following the accident and remained on scene while 73-year-old Roland Fletcher was laid to rest at nearby Glenview Memorial Gardens.
The investigation into the accident is being handled by Ontario's Special Investigations Unit.
The SIU is an arm's-length provincial agency called in to investigate whenever a civilian is killed or seriously hurt while interacting with police.
“It’s a tragic situation in every way possible,” Carlton Brown, who was travelling in the procession, told CP24 at the scene. “Fortunately the family is strong, they are holding together and we are trying to move on.”
Brown, who will marry Fletcher’s daughter next Sunday, was travelling near the front of the procession when the accident happened.
He told CP24 that he witnessed the woman being struck through his rear view mirror and immediately slammed on his brakes and exited his vehicle to check on her, however she was unresponsive.
She was pronounced dead at the scene.
“I saw her basically flip in the air and fall behind my car,” he said. “I assume she hit her head on the ground.”
According to a news release, the SIU has assigned six investigators, three forensic investigators and a collision reconstructionist to the case.
Speaking with reporters Saturday evening Frank Phillips of the SIU said eight witnesses have already been interviewed.
Remember, for instant breaking news, follow @CP24 on Twitter.Northern Ireland’s political parties have reached a breakthrough in talks aimed at saving the power-sharing executive in Belfast and dealing with controversies hanging over from the peace process.
The five unionist and nationalist parties have agreed on a position paper on welfare reform that includes a £2bn cushion to protect the region against possible job losses in the public sector.
David Cameron told the devolved government at Stormont that he would allow it to set its own corporation tax – one of the few policies that all the Northern Irish parties agree on – if it could reach a deal on reforming the welfare system.
The £2bn package the parties are jointly proposing would be rolled out over 10 years to protect the local economy from a shrinking public sector.
Theresa Villiers, the Northern Ireland secretary, said the UK government would take “very seriously” the position paper advanced by the Democratic Unionists, Sinn Féin, the Ulster Unionists, the Social Democratic and Labour party and the Alliance party.
“There does seem to have been a degree of progress between the parties. Our response is going to have to take into account the deficit that we inherited and the limited resources we have,” Villiers said.
However, she said Cameron would not be back in Northern Ireland before Christmas.
Ireland’s foreign affairs minister, Charlie Flanagan, who is co-chairing the talks with Villiers, said: “Substantial progress has been made in negotiations over the past 24 hours. Intensive engagement continues. We remain firmly of the view that a successful and comprehensive outcome to this process will be in the best interests of the people of this island and are working to that end.”
The power-sharing executive in Belfast, which relies exclusively on financial support from the UK Treasury, faces £200m cuts to its budget this year unless changes imposed from Westminster to reduce the local welfare and benefits bill are accepted at Stormont.
There was no clear sign on Friday evening of whether the parties had reached a more comprehensive settlement encompassing other issues such as loyalist marches, restrictions on flying the union jack at Belfast City Hall, and how to deal with the violent legacy of the Troubles.
Banned marches such as an Orange Order parade in north Belfast and latterly Belfast’s city council’s decision to end its policy of flying the union flag 365 days a year have produced violent disorder and deepened sectarian division in the community.
It is understood that the parties have agreed on one key element of the discussions – the creation of an independent body investigating Northern Ireland’s recent armed conflict. The parties want a multimillion-pound institution that among other things would examine thousands of unsolved crimes from the Troubles.WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. agencies cleared Boeing Co (BA.N) to restart test flights of its grounded 787 Dreamliner in order to get more data on potentially faulty batteries, but they also demanded a closer look at how the batteries were approved, which may delay resuming delivery of Boeing’s newest aircraft.
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Deborah Hersman speaks next to John DeLisi, director of the NTSB Office of Aviation Safety; during a news conference on an investigation into the January 7 fire that occurred on a Japan Airlines Boeing 787 at Logan International Airport in Boston, in Washington February 7, 2013. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
The 50 Dreamliners in service were grounded worldwide on January 16, after a series of battery incidents, including a fire on board a parked 787 in Boston and an in-flight problem on another plane in Japan. The groundings have cost airlines tens of millions of dollars, with no end in sight.
Late on Thursday, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said it would allow test flights, under more stringent rules, to monitor the batteries in flight. That followed an earlier, one-time flight to move a 787 from Texas to Washington state.
Earlier in the day, Deborah Hersman, head of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, said regulators must review the “special conditions” used in approving lithium-ion battery technology on the Dreamliners.
“There have now been two battery events resulting in smoke, less than two weeks apart, on two different aircraft,” Hersman said. “The assumptions used to certify the battery must be reconsidered,” she added.
Boeing investors took the news in stride, pushing shares slightly higher on the day. Analysts said the market was focusing on the wrong issue: the short-term question of fixing the battery, versus the longer-term prospect that the entire battery system might need to be approved again.
If the battery needs to be re-certified, “you’re talking about changes to the 50 they’ve delivered, significant amount of engineering commitment on the 787-9. I see this as still having a significant amount of question marks,” said Ken Herbert, an analyst at Imperial Capital in San Francisco.
Boeing shares are 3 percent higher since the 787 was grounded on January 16, despite the headaches it has caused the planemaker and the demands for compensation.
Even short sellers - investors who seek out shares that are likely to fall - have largely left the stock alone. According to Markit’s Data Explorers, just 0.3 percent of shares available for borrowing were being used for short bets as of Wednesday.
“The market is focusing on the battery short circuit, which implies a simple fix,” said Carter Leake, analyst at BB&T Capital Markets. “But they’re missing the much bigger issue, which is the questioning of the certification process. Hersman is basically saying we’re questioning the original certification altogether.”
TIME TO RECONSIDER
The NTSB’s Hersman mentioned nine so-called special conditions the FAA set in 2007 in approving Boeing’s use of the battery, and its plan to allow the battery to burn itself out if it caught fire, because the risk was considered extremely remote.
Boeing’s certification tests put the chances of smoke from a 787 battery at one in every 10 million flight hours.
“The 787 fleet has accumulated less than 100,000 flight hours yet there have now been two battery events,” Hersman said.
The special conditions and the design assumptions are part of a broad review that the FAA launched last month, before the second battery incident. Hersman said the NTSB was not yet making any further recommendations.
Hersman also said on Thursday that the NTSB has isolated the source of a January 7 battery fire in Boston to one of the battery’s eight cells, but still has not found the root cause of the fire.
The NTSB plans to issue an interim factual report in 30 days, though the decision of returning the plane to regular flight rests with the Federal Aviation Administration.
In a joint statement, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and FAA Administrator Michael Huerta reiterated that the FAA’s comprehensive review was ongoing.
“We must finish this work before reaching conclusions about what changes or improvements the FAA should make going forward. The leading experts in this field are working to understand what happened and how we can safely get these aircraft back into service,” they said.
In the meantime, analysts have expressed concerns about a build-up of inventory, soaking up several billion dollars of cash, as Boeing continues to produce the 787.
“For Boeing, it is encouraging to see that there has been concrete progress in the investigation but the (NTSB’s) point that there is still a long road ahead ultimately appears more important,” said Nick Cunningham, aerospace analyst at UK-based Agency Partners, an independent research firm.
‘FERRY’ FLIGHT
As Hersman was addressing the news conference in Washington DC, the first 787 flight since mid-January left Texas, with no commercial passengers and a minimum crew, and landed safely in Washington with no visible issues. Ultimately scheduled for delivery to China Southern Airlines (600029.SS), the aircraft has not yet been handed over to the customer.
The FAA had approved the single flight separately from Boeing’s request to run a series of test flights, placing a number of conditions, mostly having to do with testing and monitoring the plane’s battery.
Slideshow (5 Images)
Later in the day, the FAA cleared Boeing to resume test flights, stating that their primary purpose “will be to collect data about the battery and electrical system performance while the aircraft is airborne.”
Boeing said it would resume limited 787 test flights soon, without specifying a date, adding that it was “confident that the 787 is safe to operate for this flight test activity.”
While the investigation continues, Boeing is pursuing a number of ways to mitigate and contain a fire, if one starts in the batteries, one source familiar with the probe told Reuters. Three or four approaches would be pursued to ensure the batteries did not breach their containment systems, even if they caught fire, said the source.Facebook has agreed to give users more notice and control over how their profiles appear in "sponsored stories" to settle a class-action lawsuit.
The company also agreed to pay $10 million for the plaintiffs' attorney fees and give an additional $10 million to charities.
The plaintiffs had complained that Facebook had used their names and profiles in sponsored stories without their permission.
Sponsored stories are advertisements that appear on the side of the Facebook page that feature a user's friends. But the friends never agreed to endorse or support the advertised products.
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In the settlement, Facebook agreed to update its terms of service to notify users that their names and pictures can appear in advertisements. The company also agreed to create a tool to allow users to see and control which actions they take that will cause them to appear in the sponsored stories.
The company would have to obtain the consent of a parent or guardian to use the profiles of children under 18 in the ads.
But the settlement does not require Facebook to abandon the sponsored story ads.
An economist hired by the plaintiffs claimed that the sponsored stories are worth as much as $103.2 million for Facebook.
A spokesman for Facebook declined to comment on the case.52% of LGBT Americans live in states that do not prohibit discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation.
LGBT-related discrimination cases are on the rise for the third year in a row, reports the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
The EEOC’s annual report reveals that, last year, the agency resolved 1,649 out of 1,768 LGBT-based sex discrimination cases and recovered $4.4 million for LGBT individuals. That’s up from 1,412 cases filed in 2015. (The commission began tracking LGBT bias in 2013.)
“[The] EEOC advances opportunity for all of America’s workers and plays a critical role in helping employers build stronger workplaces,” said commission chair Jenny Yang. “Despite the progress that has been made, we continue to see discrimination in both overt and subtle forms.”
In all, the agency resolved 97,443 charges of workplace discrimination in that same period. Nearly half (46% ) of the charges were designated “retaliation” claims.
According to the EEOC, it is unlawful to retaliate against an employee if they:
* talk with a supervisor about discrimination or harassment
* resist sexual advances or intervening to protect others
* request accommodation of a disability or religious practice
* ask managers or co-workers about salary information
* refuse to follow orders that would result in discrimination
The next largest class of charges were race-related (35%), followed by disability (30.7%), sex (29.4%), age (22.8%), national origin (10.8%) and religion (4.2%). (Some cases involve discrimination in multiple categories.)
There are still no federal laws directly protecting workers on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. Under the Obama administration, the EEOC has interpreted Title VII’s ban on sex discrimination as covering LGBT workers, as well.
Currently, 18 states and the District of Columbia prohibit employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Four states—Missouri, Wisconsin, New Hampshire and North Carolina—prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation alone, either in the private or public sector.
But 52% of LGBT Americans live in states that do not prohibit either.
And increasingly, “religious freedom” laws are being used to enshrine bias and overrule localordinances.Being able to unlock the bootloader on your Nexus or Pixel device used to be as American as apple pie. Today things are much different. Pixel 2 models sold on Verizon have the unique distinction of having their bootloaders locked down tight, while the models purchased through the Google Store were supposedly immune from these restrictions.
After Pixel 2 mixups like some devices being shipped without the OS installed, problems with the Pixel 2 trade-in program, and even unresponsive touch screens, it now seems that (surprise, surprise) some units — those purchased directly from the Google Store — have bootloaders that can’t be unlocked.
The issues originated on XDA and after gaining some attention, has made its way to Google’s Issue Tracker where more users are already chiming in with their own experiences. While most folks will never feel the need to unlock their bootloaders, for developers or those who enjoy tinkering around with the software on their Android device, this could come as a shock. So far 39 people have starred the issue and sounds like it’s unique to the smaller HTC-made Pixel 2 — not the 2 XL.
One user talked about his experience dealing with the Google Store’s customer service, mentioning they refused to RMA device. Although they said they’d refund the unit, stock is currently sold out and he’d have to wait weeks before another is shipped. And while Pixel 2 XLs don’t appear to be affected, one person reported receiving an RMA’d 2 XL from Verizon and being able to unlock the bootloader on that model. Weird.
It’s clear there’s some kind of a mix up going on, but we’ll have to wait and see exactly how Google plans on addressing. By bringing attention to it, hopefully Google can update their CSRs and avoid the headache that comes from dealing with yet another snafu. In the meantime, if you plan on ever rooting your Google Store-bought Pixel 2, first thing you should do is make sure unlocking the bootloader is even possible. You know, just in case.
via Google Issue TrackerJ.R. Smith, still wearing his ski mask from the Ohio State game, claims to have no memory of walking off the court to greet Jason Terry as Tony Snell of the Bucks takes advantage with a dunk. (1:28)
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Cleveland Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue called J.R. Smith's in-game hug with a Milwaukee Bucks bench player -- leading to a wide-open score for the opposition -- an "embarrassing moment" and met with the Cavs guard to address the mental lapse Wednesday.
"It was an embarrassing moment," Lue said. "Me and J.R. talked about it. We're just going to move forward. We had a discussion about it, he felt embarrassed about it. It was an embarrassing play. We talked about it. We're moving on."
Smith greeted Bucks reserve Jason Terry on the baseline while Milwaukee was readying to inbound the ball late in the second half of their eventual 118-101 win over Cleveland on Tuesday. When Smith removed himself from the play, Milwaukee's Matthew Dellavedova zipped a pass to Tony Snell who converted an uncontested dunk.
Editor's Picks Smith hugs Terry, allows dunk, Cavs get rolled J.R. Smith claimed he didn't remember a moment in the Cavs' blowout loss to the Bucks in which he ignored his defensive responsibilities in order to hug Jason Terry, who was on Milwaukee's bench.
Lue was sure to clarify he believed there was nothing intentional behind Smith's blunder, adding there was no "negative motive" for Smith to expose the Cavs' defense like that.
Smith said the Cavs also addressed the mistake as a team within the larger context of complacency settling in for the defending champs despite their sterling 13-3 record.
"Obviously we both know it wasn't intentional, but it was just a lack of focus," Smith said after practice Wednesday. "One of the multiple things that compounded onto the loss was just as a team we haven't been as focused as we previously were. Winning and being who we are has a lot to do with that, but we've just got to overcome that and be better as a whole. It starts as individuals and then we can collectively become a group and team and have that mindset."
Lue also took issue with Smith's explanation for the play Tuesday night, claiming he had no recollection of the mistake while wearing a ski mask-style hood covering his face during his interview with reporters.
J.R. Smith has been favoring the left knee for at least a week. Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports
"It wasn't right," Lue said. "I talked to him about that also. There's no need for that. Just address the media in the right way, move on. We got |
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(pProxy->m_UMSDebugBits & (UMS_DEBUGBIT_HANDEDTOPOLLER | UMS_DEBUGBIT_POLLERFOUNDCOMPLETION))!= UMS_DEBUGBIT_HCredit: University of Manchester For the first time, scientists have overcome the challenge of breaking down raw biomass without the need for chemical pre-treatment, and have produced record high amounts of clean liquid hydrocarbon fuel as a result. This brings us one step closer to lessening our dependence on fossil fuels, and is an important development in our shift towards renewable energy.
The ability to produce sustainable fuel from renewable biomass is becoming increasingly important as we move away from our dependency on fossil fuels. The production and utilisation of biomass, or plant material, offers an energy alternative that is almost carbon neutral, as the carbon dioxide is recycled in plant photosynthesis.
In plants, the woody material that is used to produce fuel consists of three different components: cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Lignin is a challenge to the production of biofuels, as it is difficult to break down and convert into useful fuel, often requiring high levels of energy or the use of corrosive chemicals. Therefore, up to a third of plant material can go to waste or be burned as low-value fuel.
A team of scientists from The University of Manchester and East China University of Science and Technology stewed a catalyst - made up of the metal complex niobium phosphate, with small particles of platinum dotted across the surface - with raw wood sawdust for 20 hours at 190 degrees Celsius, and a pressure of 50 atmospheres. The results, published in Nature Communications, show that the catalyst was able to directly break down and convert the lignin, which potentially offers the future development of catalysts for converting biomass into fuel.
Dr Yang used the Science & Technology Facilities Council's ISIS Neutron and Muon source - often described as a'super-microscope' - to study the biomass and catalyst at the molecular level. Using an instrument called TOSCA, Dr Yang and ISIS scientist Dr Stewart Parker used neutrons to see how a model of lignocellulose interacted with the surface of the catalyst to produce useful fuel.
"The conversion of biomass into fuels typically requires separations and pre-treatments to the raw biomass, thus suffering high energy penalties. This catalyst showed exceptionally high activity in splitting the carbon-oxygen bonds, the most challenging step in the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass. This new catalytic process can therefore directly convert raw biomass to liquid fuels without separations or chemical pre-treatments, leading to significant potential energy savings," says Dr Sihai Yang, lead author of the study.
Explore further: Scientists develop diesel that emits far less CO2* Single-party rule in 37 states paves way for big changes
* Some states weigh higher sales tax, eliminating income tax
* Critics say shift would unfairly burden poor, middle class
By Nanette Byrnes
CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Jan 13 (Reuters) - Hopes for overhauling the federal tax system are fading in Washington, but in some state capitals, tax reform experiments - some far-reaching - are fast taking shape.
Across the U.S. South and Midwest, Republicans have consolidated control of state legislatures and governorships, giving them the power to test long-debated tax ideas.
Louisiana Republican Governor Bobby Jindal, for instance, called on Thursday for ending the state's income tax and corporate taxes, with sales taxes compensating for lost revenue.
A similar plan is being pushed by Republicans in North Carolina. Kansas, which cut its income tax significantly last year, may trim further. Oklahoma, which tried to cut income taxes last year, is expected to try again.
"When it comes to getting pro-growth tax reform done this year, the only real opportunities are at the state level," said Patrick Gleason, director of state affairs for Americans for Tax Reform, the Washington-based anti-tax lobbying group headed by small-government conservative activist Grover Norquist.
His group and other conservative pressure organizations, such as Americans for Prosperity, have targeted state capitals for tax reform campaigns.
Cutting income taxes and shifting the overall tax burden to consumption through higher sales taxes is a long-standing goal of some tax theorists. Critics argue that approach is regressive and unfairly burdens the middle class and the poor, who spend more of their earnings on items subject to sales tax.
Nicholas Johnson, a state tax expert with the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, gave the chances of sweeping tax changes taking hold a low probability.
Still, he said he worried the efforts in the states could move the tax discussion in a direction harmful to middle- and low-income taxpayers and make balancing state budgets harder.
"Even if this is too radical, if it makes other radical schemes seem more reasonable, that's worrisome," he said.
SINGLE-PARTY CONTROL
But the political moment may have arrived for a test.
Thirty-seven of the 50 states now have single-party control of legislatures and governorships: 25 Republican, 12 Democratic. In those states, unlike Capitol Hill, partisan gridlock is not a big issue, making difficult projects such as tax reform easier.
In addition, new ideas look attractive in states that have suffered for years from high unemployment and tight revenue
"We have no choice but to make change," said Bob Rucho, a Republican state senator in solidly Republican North Carolina, who is leading a push in that state for major tax changes.
Rucho and other like-minded lawmakers have a plan to do away with all state individual and corporate income taxes. The plan would replace lost revenue with a new business license fee and a higher sales tax on goods and services not now taxed by the state, such as legal, accounting and spa services, and food.
In his inaugural address on Saturday, Republican North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory promised to work with business "as partners" to eliminate taxes and regulation that stifle growth.
Rucho's plan would remake the North Carolina budget, which now derives 65 percent of its $18.5 billion in total tax revenues from individual income and corporate taxes.
To make up for that much lost revenue, the state sales tax rate would have to rise to 6.53 percent from 4.75 percent, according to a supportive study done by a consulting firm run by Arthur Laffer, a former adviser to Republican President Ronald Reagan and one of the fathers of "trickle-down" economics.
SPURRING GROWTH?
U.S. states often test reforms too controversial for Washington to tackle. Although several states, including Texas and Florida, have no individual income tax, Alaska stands out in modern times for having repealed its personal income tax. It was able to replace the lost revenue with its huge state oil income.
The kind of basic shift to sales tax from income tax being eyed by Republicans is informed partly by "trickle-down" or supply-side economics - embraced by Republicans 30 years ago and still a powerful force in the party. Laffer has advised some of the states' activists.
North Carolina's Rucho acknowledged the argument that the poor would be hit disproportionately by higher sales taxes. But he said new sales taxes on services would also hit higher-income taxpayers.
He said low-income people got more government assistance that could help offset higher tax costs. Also, he added, cutting income taxes would spur economic growth, a key supply-side tenet, helping everyone.
In an interview with Reuters, Laffer said states with lower income tax burdens outperformed those with higher taxes.Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu addresses supporters during a political rally on Turkey's upcoming referendum, in Metz, France, March 12, 2017. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey may cancel a migrant readmission agreement with the European Union, and is also re-evaluating a $6 billion refugee deal with the bloc, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in a televised interview late Wednesday.
Cavusoglu’s remarks came at a time when Turkey-EU tensions are running high after several European countries prevented Turkish politicians, including the foreign minister, from holding rallies intended to drum up support for plans to give President Tayyip Erdogan sweeping new powers in a referendum.
Turkey agreed in 2013 to take back migrants who travelled illegally to the EU in return for the promise of visa-free travel. Last year it also agreed to stop illegal migrants from crossing into Greece in exchange for financial aid for those in its care and accelerated EU membership talks.
“We may cancel the readmission agreement. The EU has been wasting our time on the visa liberalisation issue. We are not applying the readmission agreement at the moment, and we are evaluating the refugee deal,” Cavusoglu said in an interview on Kanal 24.
The row escalated after the Dutch government banned a rally in Rotterdam at the weekend, fearing that tensions in Turkey over the referendum could spill over into its expatriate Turkish community.
Erdogan retaliated by branding the Netherlands “Nazi remnants”. He has also accused Germany of “fascist actions” for cancelling several planned rallies.
Erdogan, who survived a military coup last summer, has defended his plans to amass greater powers, saying Turkey needs greater stability. But his crackdown on dissenting voices among the judiciary and the media since the failed coup has drawn rebuke from the West
The EU is, however, caught between holding Erdogan accountable and guaranteeing the continuation of a deal to control the flow of refugees and migrants who pass through Turkey to Europe.Hi, I’m Chris Kohler, Kotaku’s new Features Editor. I’d like to introduce myself to you by talking about how much I love the Super Nintendo, or Ouendan. And that’s what I’d do if this were a video game website. But since it’s about snacks and anime, I will begin with Japanese curry secrets.
So below (reprinted from my personal blog) is my method for making Japanese curry rice at home and making it taste not-bad, the easy, fast, and lazy way. The answers—to this, and to so many of life’s questions—are salt, fat, and chocolate.
While my preferred method of eating Japanese curry, the world’s most perfect food, is fly to Japan and have an expert make it for me, sometimes I make it at home. In all the times I’ve ever made curry, though, I’ve actually made it from scratch—like, scratch scratch—once. And that was mostly my wife doing that. The secret to making curry at home is to just use the curry bricks they sell in grocery stores, but to do it the right way, and then to jazz it up at the end with ingredients they’d never put on the directions on the box. That’s what I’m gonna show ya.
Look, if you want to make it from scratch, go ahead. Just prepare to spend all day doing it. There’s a reason even Iron Chef Morimoto says, in his cookbook, to just use the damn bricks. Their combination of flour, fat, and spices is already perfectly proportioned, and it takes out a lot of the need for precision and timing.
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But brick curry tastes a lot like, well, brick curry—it can have a bitter aftertaste, it’s a little thin in terms of its flavor profile, and it’s just miles away from the best stuff you can have in Japan. I can’t make anything as good as the best Japanese stuff, but I can fake it, and so can you.
The best bricks to start with are Vermont Curry. You may have to go to an Asian specialty store to get these, but you can also find them on Amazon pretty easily. This has a sweeter flavor (although it doesn’t exactly taste like honey-drenched apples as the box implies) than the others. And since I like sweet curry, this is a good place to start. (The procedure below will work with all bricks, but really, try to get Vermont.)
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Bad restaurants and many Japanese moms like to put gigantic chunks of barely-cooked vegetables into their curry. No thank you! If you like huge veggies in your curry, go for it, but these would be considered an optional topping at a Japanese curry joint, not an essential ingredient.
That said, we can add some rich flavors to our curry with some finely-diced veggies that we saute well in the pan first. (If you have a Le Creuset or other enameled cast iron Dutch oven, this is the time to let it shine.)
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Butter is a delicious condiment or just as a snack by itself. Use a bunch to saute the veggies! It’ll all just go into the sauce later and make it delicious.
Don’t just “sweat” the onions and carrots. Really cook the crap out of ’em. If they start to brown too much on the bottom because your heat is too high, throw in some water to deglaze everything. Or hell, throw in some white wine. Might as well start building the flavors now!
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When everything is nice and mushy and brown, throw in some salt! Seasoning at every step is one of the things that home cooks often forget to do. My guests often comment on how good every little piece of onion tastes. It’s because they’re seasoned!
Even if you’re going to have katsu curry or other toppings, you still want a nice fatty cut of meat in there, because the fat’s gonna render out and continue to make the curry delicious. This is a chuck steak that I cut into 1-inch cubes and browned in a frying pan. You can do this in the Dutch oven too, just throwing them in once the carrots and onions are done. I just, uh, forgot.
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When the beef is brown on all sides, season it with a pinch of salt!
To your carrots, onions, and meat, add the amount of water that the directions on the brick box say to. Should be 3 cups of water for a half-size, 6-brick box, or 6 cups for a full-size 12-brick box. I always make more curry than I think I need. On the incredibly rare chance that there are leftovers, it reheats beautifully.
Bring the water to a boil. And now…
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Brick time! Break ’em up and toss ’em in. Stir until they’re dissolved. Now simmer it for about 10 minutes, and watch as the pot of thin brown water magically thickens up into curry. Curry that looks like this:
Now, the box says to just eat the curry as it is right now. And you could. And it would be… okay. Aftertaste-y. Somewhat satisfying. At this stage, try a spoonful and see what it tastes like, for comparison purposes later. Because we’re not stopping here. Note that there are many, many places you could go, but here’s where I’m gonna take you:
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Secret ingredient #1: Milk chocolate! I found out about this from a friend of a friend way back in the day, and I’ve never made curry without it since. In this case, I use one standard-size Hershey bar for a 12-brick package of curry. This doesn’t make it taste like you’re eating hot chocolate. What it does is round out the flavors, take away all that bitter aftertaste left by the bricks, and make it taste a bit more like the curry you’d get at a curry shop in Japan, many of which use chocolate in their recipes.
Melt it all in (it’ll take a bit longer than the bricks). Taste again. You’ll immediately get it.
Secret ingredient #2, which I didn’t take a picture of: Honey! As I said, I love my Japanese curry on the sweeter side, but there’s no sweetness in the bricks. You’ve got to add your own, and honey is a great way to do that. For a pot this size, I threw in 2 tablespoons. But again: taste, and try it, and maybe you’ll want more!
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Secret ingredient #3: Shredded cheddar! Now, cheese is a somewhat popular topping on Japanese curry in Japan—like, they’ll plate your curry, then throw some shredded cheese on top. Usually, this cheese wouldn’t be something with such a strong flavor as cheddar. That would overpower the taste of the curry. So they’d use something on the order of Monterey Jack—creamy and melty, but something that blends, not overpowers.
But that’s not what we’re doing. We’re melting this cheese into this curry. Do it a bit at a time, melting a pinch of it (as above) fully into the curry, then another couple of pinches. This will continue to add different flavors to the curry, while softening up the texture of the whole thing. Again, taste it after you add each pinch of cheese, and watch it transform bit by bit.
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Are we done now? Yeah, if you want to be. You’ll notice in the pic above that there are still some little flecks of unmelted cheese. This won’t be the case if you now do what I did, which was to transfer the whole pot into a slow cooker and leave it on Low for a couple hours prior to dinnertime. Everything will totally incorporate, the hanger-on bits of cheese will melt, and people will be very surprised when you tell them there’s a fistful of cheddar inside the pot, because this will be the best damn “homemade” Japanese curry they’ve ever had, guaranteed.
(Final photo is terrible because we only had a little bit left after everyone was done voraciously eating it.)
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Other potential secret ingredients: How about grating some apple into the curry? What about throwing in a cup of strong coffee to replace some of the water? Both of these are common bonus items that I didn’t use this time, but have tried in the past to great success.
A note on toppings: Of course, having the traditional pork or chicken katsu is always nice, although that doubles the complexity of your dinner plans since you have to bread and fry a bunch of cutlets. At least you can make the curry entirely ahead of time, get it into the slow cooker, and have it piping hot and ready to go as soon as the cutlets are done.
If you don’t want to bother with that, another good topping popular in Japan is gyoza, aka potstickers. You can buy frozen ones and they taste pretty good with not very much prep work needed, and they work great floating in curry.
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Good luck!The Obama administration caved to a judge’s order Friday and sent documents from the botched Fast & Furious gun-running operation to Congress, complying with a subpoena the House Oversight Committee issued years ago.
President Obama had claimed executive privilege in trying to shield the documents from Congress, but a federal judge rejected that, insisting lawmakers had a right to see the information in order to complete their investigation into an operation that saw thousands of guns trafficked into Mexico, with the administration’s knowledge.
With just hours to go before the judge’s 60-day deadline, the administration complied Friday.
“As we’ve long asserted, the committee requires and is entitled to these documents. They are critical to the committee’s efforts to complete meaningful oversight,” Oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz said in a statement after the documents were delivered to his office.
He also said, however, that the documents weren’t complete and the administration is still withholding some records, with the judge’s blessing, that he thinks Congress is entitled to see. The committee has filed an appeal of the case to try to get at those other records.
The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment on the documents, but in a letter to Mr. Chaffetz Assistant Attorney General Peter J. Kadzik said they still disagree with Judge Amy Berman Jackson’s ruling, and he insisted her decision won’t affect future cases where Mr. Obama claims executive privilege.
PHOTOS: Hottest new pistols on the market
“The balancing analysis contained in court’s order is expressly limited to the specific facts of this particular matter and will have little or no application outside of the unique factual circumstances therein,” he wrote.
Fast & Furious was begun by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) under Mr. Obama as a way to try to spot illicit gun sales in Arizona, near the U.S.-Mexico border. Agents knowingly allowed guns to be sold to traffickers who shipped them south, where they ended up in the hands of drug cartels.
The administration shut down the operation after the December 2010 death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, who was shot in an ambush. Two guns lost in the Fast & Furious operation were found at the scene of the shooting. Dozens of guns from the operation have also been recovered at crime scenes in Mexico.
The operation proved to be a severe embarrassment to Mr. Obama, whose Justice Department acknowledged misleading Congress. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. would eventually be voted in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over the documents — though his department refused to pursue the citation against him.
An internal department investigation found severe problems with the operation, but the administration hampered Congress’s own probe.
Judge Jackson ruled earlier this year that because the administration had already let its own internal investigators see the materials and write up a report, the documents must also be made available to Congress.
Mr. Kadzik said she made “factual and legal errors” in that ruling, but said the administration decided not to appeal.
Copyright © 2019 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.The truth of Gears of War has been grossly distorted over the years. Now largely perceived - perhaps most by people who haven't partaken in a great deal of Locust extermination of their own, but by this point that hardly matters - as a blunt, brash, belligerently bro-focused shooter, more concerned with gory spectacle and generic, braggartly badassery that delivering anything for the more thoughtful shooter aficionado, in actual fact Gears of War was anything but.
It's all about the maths. The maths will be running through your head during every second of a Gears skirmish. How many seconds’ sustained fire it's going to take to drop that priority enemy. How many seconds’ exposure you can take before death. How much time might be removed from or added to the equation by the actions of other, differently tooled players on both sides of the fight. The shifting importance of each potential target, taking in everything from basic threat level, to proximity and path, to any important routes, power-ups, or positions they might block or hold. Gears of War is a constant tug of war - its claustrophobic battlefields more spatial puzzle-box than slaughterhouse - in which you pay for |
murder-mystery together, his life will never be the same. They’ll cross unlikely paths with a bevy of wild and dangerous characters, each episode landing them a few random steps closer to uncovering the truth.
[Source: BBC America]
Follow me on Twitter and Instagram.Graham McKerracher.
The Dunedin City Council has denied it has ticketed a Dunedin resident for parking his vehicle over his own driveway.
The Otago Daily Times reported Caversham resident Todd Treweek had received about 10 tickets during the past two years, for parking over his driveway, but council communications and marketing manager Graham McKerracher said that was not the case.
Although Mr Treweek was parked across his driveway when issued the tickets, the actual infringements were for parking on yellow lines, parking on a fire hydrant and parking on a footpath in the street outside his house.
Mr McKerracher said Mr Treweek had received 39 tickets in the past 12 months - 34 of them were for parking overtime elsewhere in the city, and one for not having a warrant of fitness certificate.
"Of the four relating to the street where he lives, two tickets were issued for parking on yellow lines, one ticket for parking on a fire hydrant and one ticket for parking on a footpath. This is likely to be the one where he parked over his driveway.
"Nevertheless, please note that no tickets were issued for parking over a driveway,'' he said.
"Over this period, Mr Treweek has accumulated $3100 worth of parking fines, and to date, no money has been received from him.
"All bar one of these have been referred to the court for collection purposes.''
Mr Treweek did not dispute the council's comments about his tickets.
He agreed they were for parking too close to a yellow dotted line, parking too close to a fire hydrant, and parking on the footpath, but said they were all issued while his vehicle was parked across his driveway.
However, he denied the council's allegation he was not paying the fines.
"I'm paying off $50 per week through the Ministry of Justice.
"They did an attachment order on my wages, and all the fines are going to the Ministry of Justice.''
Mr Treweek said he was upset by the public backlash over the issue.
He said he only raised the issue in the Otago Daily Times to raise awareness of his struggle to communicate with the council.
"This whole thing was supposed to be about the latest ticket, which was the last straw for me. It was about what do I do next.
"I tried to call the council to deal with it, but they don't want to work with me to find a solution.
"That was my whole point of calling the ODT.
"They're [the council] just more than happy to come up here and write me tickets.''
john.lewis@odt.co.nzOver at the always excellent Not Exactly Rocket Science, Ed Yong summarizes a new investigation into the neural substrate of beauty:
Tomohiro Ishizu and Semir Zeki from University College London watched the brains of 21 volunteers as they looked at 30 paintings and listened to 30 musical excerpts. All the while, they were lying inside an fMRI scanner, a machine that measures blood flow to different parts of the brain and shows which are most active. The recruits rated each piece as “beautiful”, “indifferent” or “ugly”. The scans showed that one part of their brains lit up more strongly when they experienced beautiful images or music than when they experienced ugly or indifferent ones – the medial orbitofrontal cortex or mOFC. Several studies have linked the mOFC to beauty, but this is a sizeable part of the brain with many roles. It’s also involved in our emotions, our feelings of reward and pleasure, and our ability to make decisions. Nonetheless, Ishizu and Zeki found that one specific area, which they call “field A1” consistently lit up when people experienced beauty. The images and music were accompanied by changes in other parts of the brain as well, but only the mOFC reacted to beauty in both forms. And the more beautiful the volunteers found their experiences, the more active their mOFCs were. That is not to say that the buzz of neurons in this area produces feelings of beauty; merely that the two go hand-in-hand.
On the one hand, it's not exactly shocking that beauty can be sourced to the cortex. Where else would it be? Like disgust or delight, beauty is a visceral emotion, a pleasure that Nabokov described as being synonymous with "the the sudden erection of your small dorsal hairs." That beauty can be localized to the mOFC only reminds us that it's part of the pleasure spectrum, since that brain area has consistently been implicated in the recognition of delightful things, from the taste of an expensive wine to the luxurious touch of cashmere.
But why does beauty exist? What's the point of marveling at a Rembrandt self portrait or a Bach fugue? To paraphrase Auden, beauty makes nothing happen. Unlike our more primal indulgences, the pleasure of perceiving beauty doesn't ensure that we consume calories or procreate. Rather, the only thing beauty guarantees is that we'll stare for too long at some lovely looking thing. Museums are not exactly adaptive.
Here's my (extremely speculative) theory: Beauty is a particularly potent and intense form of curiosity. It's a learning signal urging us to keep on paying attention, an emotional reminder that there's something here worth figuring out. Art hijacks this ancient instinct: If we're looking at a Rothko, that twinge of beauty in the mOFC is telling us that this painting isn't just a blob of color; if we're listening to a Beethoven symphony, the feeling of beauty keeps us fixated on the notes, trying to find the underlying pattern; if we're reading a poem, a particularly beautiful line slows down our reading, so that we might pause and figure out what the line actually means. Put another way, beauty is a motivational force that helps modulate conscious awareness. The problem beauty solves is the problem of trying to figure out which sensations are worth making sense of and which ones can be easily ignored.
Let's begin with the neuroscience of curiosity, that weak form of beauty. There's an interesting recent study from the lab of Colin Camerer at Caltech, led by Min Jeong Kang. The experiment itself was straightforward: Nineteen Caltech undergrads were asked 40 trivia questions while in a brain scanner. After reading each question, the subjects were told to silently guess the answer, and to indicate their curiosity about the correct answer. Then, they saw the question presented again, followed by the correct answer.
The first thing the scientists discovered is that curiosity obeys an inverted U-shaped curve, so that we’re most curious when we know a little about a subject (our curiosity has been piqued) but not too much (we’re still uncertain about the answer). This supports the information gap theory of curiosity, which was first developed by George Loewenstein of Carnegie-Mellon in the early 90s. According to Loewenstein, curiosity is rather simple: It comes when we feel a gap “between what we know and what we want to know”. This gap has emotional consequences: it feels like a mental itch. We seek out new knowledge because we that’s how we scratch the itch.
The fMRI data nicely extended this information gap model of curiosity. It turns out that, in the moments after the question was first asked, subjects showed a substantial increase in brain activity in three separate areas: the left caudate, the prefrontal cortex and the parahippocampal gyri. The most interesting finding is the activation of the caudate, which seems to sit at the intersection of new knowledge and positive emotions. (For instance, the caudate has been shown to be activated by various kinds of learning that involve feedback, while it’s also been closely linked to various parts of the dopamine reward pathway.) The lesson is that our desire for more information – the cause of curiosity – begins as a dopaminergic craving, rooted in the same primal pathway that responds to sex, drugs and rock and roll.
I see beauty as a form of curiosity that exists in response to sensation, and not just information. It's what happens when we see something and, even though we can't explain why, want to see more. But here's the interesting bit: the hook of beauty, like the hook of curiosity, is a response to an incompleteness. It's what happens when we sense something missing, when there's a unresolved gap, when a pattern is almost there, but not quite. I'm thinking here of that wise Leonard Cohen line: "There's a crack in everything - that's how the light gets in." Well, a beautiful thing has been cracked in just the right way.
The best way to reveal the link between curiosity and beauty is with music. Why do we perceive certain musical sounds as beautiful? On the one hand, music is a purely abstract art form, devoid of language or explicit ideas. The stories it tells are all subtlety and subtext; there is no content to get curious about. And yet, even though music says little, it still manages to touch us deep, to tittilate some universal dorsal hairs.
We can now begin to understand where these feelings come from, why a mass of vibrating air hurtling through space can trigger such intense perceptions of beauty. Consider this recent paper in Nature Neuroscience by a team of Montreal researchers. Although the study involves plenty of fancy technology, including fMRI and ligand-based positron emission tomography (PET) scanning, the experiment itself was rather straightforward. After screening 217 individuals who responded to advertisements requesting people that experience “chills to instrumental music,” the scientists narrowed down the subject pool to ten. (These were the lucky few who most reliably got chills.) The scientists then asked the subjects to bring in their playlist of favorite songs – virtually every genre was represented, from techno to tango – and played them the music while their brain activity was monitored.
Because the scientists were combining methodologies (PET and fMRI) they were able to obtain a precise portrait of music in the brain. The first thing they discovered (using ligand-based PET) is that beautiful music triggers the release of dopamine in both the dorsal and ventral striatum. This isn’t particularly surprising: these regions have long been associated with the response to pleasurable stimuli. The more interesting finding emerged from a close study of the timing of this response, as the scientists looked to see what was happening in the seconds before the subjects got the chills.
I won’t go into the precise neural correlates – let’s just say that you should thank your right nucleus accumbens the next time you listen to your favorite song – but want to instead focus on an interesting distinction observed in the experiment:
In essence, the scientists found that our favorite moments in the music - those sublimely beautiful bits that give us the chills - were preceeded by a prolonged increase of activity in the caudate, the same brain area involved in curiosity. They call this the “anticipatory phase,” as we await the arrival of our favorite part:
Immediately before the climax of emotional responses there was evidence for relatively greater dopamine activity in the caudate. This subregion of the striatum is interconnected with sensory, motor and associative regions of the brain and has been typically implicated in learning of stimulus-response associations and in mediating the reinforcing qualities of rewarding stimuli such as food.
In other words, the abstract pitches have become a primal reward cue, the cultural equivalent of a bell that makes us drool. Here is their summary:
The anticipatory phase, set off by temporal cues signaling that a potentially pleasurable auditory sequence is coming, can trigger expectations of euphoric emotional states and create a sense of wanting and reward prediction. This reward is entirely abstract and may involve such factors as suspended expectations and a sense of resolution. Indeed, composers and performers frequently take advantage of such phenomena, and manipulate emotional arousal by violating expectations in certain ways or by delaying the predicted outcome (for example, by inserting unexpected notes or slowing tempo) before the resolution to heighten the motivation for completion.
The question, of course, is what all these dopamine neurons in the caudate are up to. What aspects of music are triggering those chills, that visceral perception of beauty? And why are these cells so active fifteen seconds before the acoustic climax? After all, we typically associate surges of dopamine with pleasure, with the processing of actual rewards. And yet, this cluster of cells in the caudate is most active when the melodic pattern is still unresolved, when the musical pattern is still incomplete.
One way to answer these questions is to zoom out, to look at the music and not the neuron. While music can often seem (at least to the outsider) like an intricate pattern of pitches – it’s art at its most mathematical – it turns out that the most important part of every song or symphony is when the patterns break down, when the sound becomes unpredictable. If the music is too obvious, it is annoyingly boring, like an alarm clock. (Numerous studies, after all, have demonstrated that dopamine neurons quickly adapt to predictable rewards. If we know what’s going to happen next, then we don’t get excited.) This is why composers introduce the tonic note in the beginning of the song and then studiously avoid it until the end. They want to make us curious, to create a beautiful gap between what we hear and what we want to hear.
To demonstrate this psychological principle, the musicologist Leonard Meyer, in his classic book Emotion and Meaning in Music (1956), analyzed the 5th movement of Beethoven’s String Quartet in C-sharp minor, Op. 131. Meyer wanted to show how music is defined by its flirtation with – but not submission to – our expectations of order. To prove his point, Meyer dissected fifty measures of Beethoven’s masterpiece, showing how Beethoven begins with the clear statement of a rhythmic and harmonic pattern and then, in an intricate tonal dance, carefully avoids repeating it. What Beethoven does instead is suggest variations of the pattern. He is its evasive shadow. If E major is the tonic, Beethoven will play incomplete versions of the E major chord, always careful to avoid its straight expression. He wants to preserve an element of uncertainty in his music, making our brains exceedingly curious for the one chord he refuses to give us. Beethoven saves that chord for the end.
According to Meyer, it is the suspenseful tension of music (arising out of our unfulfilled expectations) that is the source of the music’s beauty. While earlier theories of music focused on the way a noise can refer to the real world of images and experiences (its “connotative” meaning), Meyer argued that the emotions we find in music come from the unfolding events of the music itself. This “embodied meaning” arises from the patterns the symphony invokes and then ignores, from the ambiguity it creates inside its own form. “For the human mind,” Meyer writes, “such states of doubt and confusion are abhorrent. When confronted with them, the mind attempts to resolve them into clarity and certainty.” And so we wait, expectantly, for the resolution of E major, for Beethoven’s established pattern to be completed. This nervous anticipation, says Meyer, “is the whole raison d’etre of the passage, for its purpose is precisely to delay the cadence in the tonic.” The uncertainty - that crack in the melody - makes the feeling.
What I like about this speculation is that it begins to explain why the feeling of beauty is useful. The aesthetic emotion might have begun as a cognitive signal telling us to keep on looking, because there is a pattern here that we can figure out it. In other words, it's a sort of a metacognitive hunch, a response to complexity that isn't incomprehensible. Although we can't quite decipher this sensation - and it doesn't matter if the sensation is a painting or a symphony - the beauty keeps us from looking away, tickling those dopaminergic neurons and dorsal hairs. Like curiosity, beauty is a motivational force, an emotional reaction not to the perfect or the complete, but to the imperfect and incomplete. We know just enough to know that we want to know more; there is something here, we just don't what. That's why we call it beautiful.
Photo: Courtesy of aclintonb, via FlickrIt’s a brilliantly unconventional angle for a galaxy-spanning sci-fi adventure, but George Lucas, the writer-director of Star Wars, didn’t have to think too hard to come up with it. As he has often acknowledged, he simply borrowed the idea from Akira Kurosawa’s 1958 samurai classic, The Hidden Fortress. “The one thing that really struck me about The Hidden Fortress,” he said in 2001, “was the fact that the story was told from the [perspective of] the two lowest characters. I decided that would be a nice way to tell the Star Wars story, which was to take the two lowest characters, as Kurosawa did, and tell the story from their point of view, which in the Star Wars case is the two droids.”
Some international directors didn’t just learn from Kurosawa… they remade his films wholesale.
Kurosawa was already a big name in Japanese cinema when he caught the world’s attention with Rashomon, an intricate crime drama which won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival in 1951. The New Hollywood wunderkinds – Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg – were entranced by his artistic, philosophical, yet dynamic work. Here was a writer-director from an intriguing foreign culture, but because he was so influenced by John Ford and other American directors, his films were accessible to Western audiences. “Let me say it simply,” summed up Scorsese in 2009. “Kurosawa was my master.”
Some international directors didn’t just learn from Kurosawa’s deep-focus vistas and propulsive editing, they remade his films wholesale. The Seven Samurai (1954) became John Sturges’ The Magnificent Seven (1960). Yojimbo (1961) became Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars (1964). But it was Kurosawa’s widescreen epic The Hidden Fortress that fascinated Lucas. For one thing, it had an unusual blend of swashbuckling action and knockabout comedy, fairy-tale archetypes and war-movie grit. And for another, it showed how a civil war might look to a duo of bumbling, bickering nobodies.
A long time ago…
In Kurosawa’s film, the civil war takes place in 16th Century Japan, and the duo are ragged peasants, the tall Tahei (Minoru Chiaki), and the short Mataschichi (Kamatari Fujiwara). Like the droids they inspired, they can’t stop squabbling as they traipse miserably through a desert in the aftermath of a battle; and, like those droids, they split up, before being captured and reunited. Eventually, they are dragged back into the central conflict: they have to help a bearded general (Toshiro Mifune, the star of 16 Kurosawa films) escort Princess Uki (Misa Uehara) back to her homeland, just as the droids help Ben Kenobi escort Princess Leia to the rebel base. The difference is that Tahei and Mataschichi aren’t loyal servants, but opportunists with an eye on the princess’s gold. They may be C-3PO and R2-D2, but they’re Han Solo and Chewbacca, as well.
Lucas even considered Toshiro Mifune for the role of Ben Kenobi
Peasants aside, Lucas has said that the similarities between Star Wars and The Hidden Fortress are “more of a coincidence than anything else”, but you don’t have to peer too closely at Kurosawa’s film to spot images, settings and techniques that crop up in Lucas’s trilogies. There is the corpulent slave owner who could be a cousin of Jabba the Hutt; there are the mossy forests which anticipate the Ewoks’ Endor; and there are the horizontal wipes which both directors use to transition between scenes.
Lucas even considered Mifune for the role of Ben Kenobi, who had formerly been a general himself during the Clone Wars. And if you’ve ever been bemused by the utter pointlessness of Queen Amidala disguising herself as her handmaid in The Phantom Menace, you can trace her subterfuge back to Princess Uki pretending to be a mute commoner so that she can travel undetected through enemy territory. Besides, can it really be a coincidence that at the end of The Hidden Fortress, the heroes are saved by a facially scarred villain who has a last-minute change of allegiance, much like Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi?
Of course, Lucas’s many innovations are what make Star Wars so magical – but in one respect the 1958 film seems more modern than the 1977 one, and that’s in its emphasis on Princess Uki. Lucas has said that Leia is “more of a stand-and-fight kind of princess” than Kurosawa’s heroine, but it’s hardly a fair assessment, given that Uki does actually stand and fight: when Tahei and Mataschichi first spy her in a forest, she whips them with a stick. Later, she frees a female slave from her master, and in return the grateful woman protects the princess from the peasants’ unwanted advances. Finally, it is Uki’s bravery which prompts the enemy general to switch sides. The story of The Hidden Fortress may be seen from the peasants’ perspective, but it is fundamentally the princess’s story.
The Hidden Fortress features three times as many strong women as all three original Star Wars episodes put together
The first Star Wars trilogy, in contrast, is the story of Luke Skywalker. The most significant moments are handed to the men, whether those men are humans, Wookiees or robots, and, aside from Leia, there are no female characters with much to do. When you factor in Uki’s aged servant and the freed slave, The Hidden Fortress features three times as many strong women as all three original Star Wars episodes put together – and there’s not a single gold bikini.
That bias has been corrected in The Force Awakens. The long-awaited new instalment includes a female pirate and a female stormtrooper, and Daisy Ridley’s character is a better fighter than any of her male counterparts. In fact, her poses when she wields a staff or a lightsaber could have been lifted straight from Kurosawa’s duelling generals. It looks as if Lucas’s successor, JJ Abrams, has been watching The Hidden Fortress, too.
If you would like to comment on this story or anything else you have seen on BBC Culture, head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter.Federal prosecutors say they have no evidence that any
national security surveillance was used to investigate the armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan Knight said intelligence agents made no wiretap interceptions in the case, and he's not aware of any electronic surveillance by national security agencies targeting the 41-day occupation of the refuge in Harney County.
Knight was responding to a defense motion that asked a judge to order prosecutors to disclose whether law enforcement officers intercepted their emails, phone calls or other electronic communications using national security surveillance methods.
"The defendants' request amounts to mere speculation,'' Knight wrote in his memo.
The surveillance under question falls under what's called Executive Order 12333, a Reagan-era directive signed in 1981 to extend the powers of U.S. intelligence agencies and direct the leaders of federal agencies to cooperate with CIA requests for information.
Seventeen of 26 defendants who face federal charges in the occupation have a note in the FBI's National Crime Information Center -- a computer database available to local, state and federal agencies -- that suggests each has "possible ties with terrorism,'' defense lawyer Amy Baggio wrote in her motion seeking government disclosure.
A law enforcement officer also submitted an application under the All Writs Act to place blocks or controls on five phones used during the final days of the refuge occupation. The officer claimed on the application that he had probable cause to believe the users of the phones had committed a federal crime of terrorism, according to Baggio's motion.
Baggio represents Joseph O'Shaughnessy, indicted with 25 others on the charge of conspiring to impede federal officers from doing their work at the refuge through intimidation, threats or force.
Authorities have labeled the majority of those indicted as "domestic terrorists,'' according to Baggio's review of 24,500 pages of initial evidence shared from the case.
Knight listed the ways FBI agents and other officers gathered information about the occupation that began Jan. 2 in a protest over federal land ownership.
They monitored TV news, YouTube broadcasts and social media "while the defendants publicly incriminated themselves,'' Knight said.
They obtained criminal search warrants for vehicles, online social media accounts and digital devices that were seized at the refuge or upon arrest. They got court orders for so-called pen registers that capture phone numbers dialed on suspects' outgoing phone calls and trap and trace devices that capture phone numbers of incoming calls. They sought court orders for stored electronic communications.
The government has turned over to defense lawyers 43,700 pages and about 2 terabytes of evidence. Prosecutors also have turned over video obtained from aerial surveillance of the refuge and cameras placed on telephone poles, as well as witness statements.
Even if, for argument's safe, an intelligence agency such as the National Security Agency possessed information about the refuge occupation defendants, the prosecution team in the Malheur case doesn't have any of that material, Knight said.
Under the Brady rule, the government must disclose any and all material that could help the defendants, but not from agencies that aren't acting on the government's behalf in this case, Knight said.
"There has been no joint investigation with NSA or any other intelligence agency in this case,'' he said. "No intelligence agency collaborated with the prosecution team at any point in the investigation, and the prosecution has no reason to suspect that NSA or any other intelligence agency has any information relevant to this case.''
A hearing would be a waste of time on the subject, he said, and asked that the defense motion be denied "because there is absolutely nothing to indicate that this investigation or prosecution involved anything other than a normal, albeit high-profile, domestic criminal investigation.''
-- Maxine Bernstein
mbernstein@oregonian.com
503-221-8212
@maxoregonianEpisode 800: North Korea's Capitalists
Enlarge this image ED JONES/AFP/Getty Images ED JONES/AFP/Getty Images
Even inside North Korea, the most restrictive, socialist regime in the world, there are entrepreneurs. People are dreaming up ideas of services to offer, products to sell, businesses to start. They're called the 'donju,' and they're part of North Korea's small middle class. Kim Jong Un, North Korea's leader, doesn't throw them in jail.
This is relatively new. For a long time, even tiny acts of capitalism were thought of as 'honey-coated poison' by the North Korean government. Private business was banned. It has crept in at the edges slowly, but Kim Jong Un has set two main goals for his country: Build up the nuclear weapons program and grow the economy.
So Kim Jong Un decided to help out the donju. He started letting business experts come in from overseas and coach them. Consultants won't dare call it spreading capitalism, but they will teach North Korean entrepreneurs about management, accounting, trade.
Planet Money #800: North Korea's Capitalists #800: North Korea's Capitalists Listen · 24:25 24:25
But remember, this is still North Korea. So when a member of the donju starts a business, the government gets a cut of the profits. It's usually not a lot of money, but in North Korea's tiny economy, any money makes a big difference. Lots of that money has helped fund North Korea's nuclear program.
Today on the show, we go inside the 'Hermit Kingdom' and meet North Korea's capitalists and the westerners training them to be better business-people.
Music: "Supernova Amour" and "Proton and On." Find us: Twitter/Facebook.
Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts or PocketCasts.Back in March, prior to the start of the 2016 season, an article entitled “A Baseball Mystery: The Home Run Is Back, And No One Knows Why,” by Rob Arthur and Ben Lindbergh, noted that the number of home runs per batted ball during the 2015 season was significantly larger post-All Star Game than pre-All Star Game. They observed that the increase was accompanied by, and perhaps caused by, a small ~1 mph increase in the mean exit speed. The authors speculated about various reasons that might explain the increase.
Inspired by their article, I decided to do a bit of research on my own, comparing home runs and exit speeds for the months of June and August. I was particularly intrigued by how a small increase in exit speed could lead to a relatively larger 13 percent increase in home runs. I wrote a brief article, Home Runs and Exit Speed, and posted it on my website, explaining how this can happen without speculating on why there was an increase in exit speed.
Since then, the topic has remained of great interest. Home runs are always front and center, and have been so this season more than in most. Commissioner Rob Manfred even addressed the increase in home runs at his annual press briefing during All-Star week. So I decided to roll up the sleeves again and dig into some additional analysis, using the publicly available Statcast data for the 2015 and 2016 season, courtesy of Baseball Savant.
Specifically, I set out to compare 2015 pre-All-Star Game to 2016 pre-All-Star Game data, with no consideration of the 2015 post-All-Star data. Only three parameters were considered: exit speed v, vertical launch angle θ, and outcome (i.e., home run or not). In particular, I wanted to determine the extent to which changes in home run production can be attributed to changes in the distributions of v and θ.
First, let’s look at the raw numbers below. The last column shows the number of home runs per batted ball, normalized to be 1 for 2015. We see a whopping increase in 2016 of 24.3 percent.
PRE-ASG HOME RUN COMPARISON, BY YEAR Year (Pre-ASG) Batted Balls Home Runs Relative Home Runs 2015 61873 2439 1 2016 61707 3023 1.243
So we see a huge increase in 2016, and we will now have to drill down in our attempt to pinpoint the reason for the increase. It is by now well known that the “sweet zone” for hitting a home run is for the exit speed to be high and for the launch angle to be in the range 250-300. So my next step was to investigate batted balls in that sweet zone. This next table examines balls hit in the θ range 250-300 with v>95 mph, while the one immediately following it examines balls hit in the same θ range with no restriction on v. Both tables, taken together, suggest that the primary reason for the home run increase in 2016 is more hard-hit balls as opposed to more balls hit in the sweet launch angular zone. Let me explain.
HR COMPARISON, VLA 250-300 & V>95 MPH, BY YEAR Year (Pre-ASG) Batted Balls Relative Batted Balls Home Runs Relative Home Runs 2015 1564 1 808 1 2016 1988 1.271 1031 1.004
HR COMPARISON, VLA 250-300, BY YEAR Year (Pre-ASG) Batted Balls Relative Batted Balls Home Runs Relative Home Runs 2015 4043 1 840 1 2016 4345 1.075 1069 1.184
In the first of the two tables, we see that despite there being 27.1 percent more balls hit in the combined sweet zone in 2016, the relative number of home runs—home runs per batted ball in that zone—is identical. That seems to rule out differences due to atmospheric effects, since the probability of a ball in the sweet zone ending up as a home run is the same in both years.
In the second of the two tables, we see 27.3 percent more home runs in the angular sweet zone in 2016 (1069) than in 2015 (840). Part of the increase can be accounted for by the 7.5 percent increase in the number of balls hit in the angular sweet zone in 2016. But most of the increase comes from the higher probability that a ball hit in the angular sweet zone will result in a home run. As given in the last column, there was 18.4 percent increase in the probability that a ball hit with θ=250-300 results in a home run. Given the narrow angular range and the fact that we have ruled out atmospheric effects, that leaves exit speed as the explanation.
I repeated this analysis for other definitions of sweet zone, an example of which is shown in the next two tables. The numbers come out just a little different but the qualitative result remains: The overwhelming factor leading to the increase in home runs comes from more hard-hit balls rather than from more balls hit in the desired angular range or a change in atmospheric effects.
HR COMPARISON, VLA 200-350 & V>97 MPH, BY YEAR Year (Pre-ASG) Batted Balls Relative Batted Balls Home Runs Relative Home Runs 2015 3746 1 1862 1 2016 4796 1.28 2403 1.008
HR COMPARISON, VLA 200-350, BY YEAR Year (Pre-ASG) Batted Balls Relative Batted Balls Home Runs Relative Home Runs 2015 12033 1 2043 1 2016 12556 1.043 2598 1.219
To investigate this further, I will follow the analysis from my previous article, using the angular range θ=250-300. The relevant information is presented in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 1 shows the distribution of exit speeds falling into the angular range, normalized to the same total number of batted balls in that range in order to facilitate comparison of the two distributions. Shown are the actual data as well as a smooth curve through the data. Also shown is the probability density as a function of exit speed that a ball hit in that angular range will be a home run, taken directly from the data but smoothed. The slight shift to higher speeds of the 2016 data is very evident for speeds exceeding 100 mph. Also shown is the 2015 data shifted upward by 1.5 mph, which overlaps almost perfectly with the 2016 curve for v>100 mph. The probability curve shows that it is precisely balls hit over 100 mph that are most likely to result in home runs.
This is further apparent by the curves in Fig. 2, which were obtained by multiplying the exit speed distributions by the home run probability for each 1 mph bucket of exit speed. The resulting curves are the probability density as a function of exit speed for balls hit for a home run. The area under each curve is the expected number of home runs, labeled “Calculated Home Runs” in Table 6. While the calculation falls short of the data by about 5 percent, the excess in 2016 is evident, both in the data and in the plot. Also shown in the figure and table are the results of shifting the 2015 data by +1.5 mph, producing a curve that overlaps essentially perfectly with the 2016 curve and results in the approximately the same number of home runs.
HR COMPARISON, VLA 200-350, BY YEAR Year (Pre-ASG) Actual Home Runs (normalized) Calculated Home Runs (normalized) 2015 2043 1940 2015-shifted 1.5 mph 2437 2016 2490 2419
Let’s review what we have done. By simply looking at the numbers in the second through fifth tables, we learn that the principal factor accounting for the large increase in home runs in 2016 is likely due to exit speed. Figure 1 shows that there is indeed a change in the exit speed distribution for 2016, which is shifted to higher values relative to 2015 by about 1.5 mph. Figure 2 and Table 6 show that if the 2015 data are artificially shifted upward by 1.5 mph, the resulting home run probability for balls hit in the angular sweet zone is essentially identical to that of 2016.
Aside from this important conclusion, it is very interesting that a small 1.5 mph change in exit speed leads to a large change in home run probability, 21.9 percent from Table 5. The essential point is that the exit speed distribution falls off rapidly just in the region where the home run probability is rapidly rising. As a result, a tiny change in exit speed can lead to much larger changes in the number of home runs. A similar conclusion was reached in an analysis I did a few years ago about the possible effect of steroids on home run production.
Now comes the part that has been the topic of much speculation: Is the increase in home runs an indication that the baseball is “juiced”? Arthur and Lindbergh speculated about that in their 538 article, even going so far as to employ the Sport Sciences Laboratory at Washington State to measure the so-called Coefficient of Restitution (COR) of some baseballs. At impact speeds of about 100 mph, the COR of a major league baseball is about 0.450. In their limited sample of a dozen baseballs each from 2014 and from the 2015 postseason, they found the latter sample had a COR about 0.003 higher, which is barely at the level of statistical significance.
For those of you who like to play around with numbers, the change in exit speed is about equal to 0.8 times the change in COR times the total impact speed. The 0.8 factor is a number that is bat-dependent but is expected to be typical for major league batters. The impact speed is the sum of pitch and swing speeds. For a pitch moving at 85 mph as it crosses home plate, a bat speed of about 77 mph is needed to obtain an exit speed of 103 mph, which is about the mean value for home runs. So the impact speed is 85+77=162 mph. So to obtain a change in exit speed by 1.5 mph would require a change of COR of 0.012. Such a change would easily be observed in laboratory measurements. The preceding numerical exercise should only be considered as “intelligent |
penalty gives “closure” to victims’ families. File that under “Not-Reality”.
Reality: the death penalty is the opposite of swift and certain justice. Out of more than 900 men and women sentenced to die in California only 13 have ever been executed. Victims’ family members are dragged through decades of appeals and hearings while they wait for an execution that rarely comes.
The myth that Californians want to keep our dysfunctional death penalty is also wrong. One oft-repeated poll shows 70 percent support for the death penalty in the abstract. The same poll also shows that when given a choice, voters actually prefer life without the possibility of parole over the death penalty – a finding echoed in other polls.
Reality: a fair, functional, efficient death penalty is attractive to many voters, but is now recognized as unattainable; in other words, a myth. When people learn how much the death penalty costs, how long it takes, how bad it is for victims’ families and law enforcement and the budget, they opt for real-world alternatives. An April 2011 poll showed that 63 percent of likely voters want the governor to convert death sentences to life without parole as a budget solution.
Public support for California’s sham of a death penalty belongs firmly in the Not-Reality Column. It’s time the law caught up with reality and California cut through the myth of the death penalty once and for all. California should pass SB 490 and let the voters decide whether they can think of a better way to spend a billion dollars.
James Clark
Death Penalty Repeal Organizer
ACLU of Southern CaliforniaIt’s just that you cannot love an entire gender – unless you reduce them to a role they play in your life. And you love the role. The function. And that is demeaning.
Misnomers don’t help thinking. When in the rush of a debate, the mind takes a quick look at the name and tries to ascertain what the thing might be. When you accuse someone of misogyny, you may be perfectly right – and he may still deny it. He doesn’t hate women, you see?
It is not exactly hatred. Disregard, perhaps. Failure to recognize as a human being. Being stuck in his own head and only appreciating women for their utility. And getting inexplicably upset when women refuse to be all those things he enjoys.
Misogynistic men don’t hate women. Not all of them, anyway. For most misogynist, that’s the wrong word. They use women. And given their poor definition of the word “love”, they would even claim that they love women. This is why they deny your accusations – and honestly believe you are being unfair.
How could they not love women? They want to fuck them. Women cook their food and make their lives comfortable. Women deliver their babies and spend their lives bringing up the children these men want so much – just wouldn’t go near them. Women are comfy and pleasurable. Men would be genuinely sad without these things. For all they know this is love.
How could they not love women? They want one for home – you don’t keep a cat when you don’t like cats, right? Right? In fact, they would keep more than one if they were allowed to. They want access to women’s bodies. A lot. And they call it access. To bodies. Seriously.
How is that hatred? They love women the same way they love their right hands (gives them pleasure), their Cézanne (proud owners of something aesthetically pleasing), their car (they spend on it, hello!) and the food on the table (it is nourishing and necessary).
They want to cushion their lives with female bodies. Soft breasts and warm pussies. Wombs to carry their second coming. Mouths that sing their praise and swallow semen. Gratefully.
Women deliver a lot of unconditional service and emotional satisfaction. So called “misogynistic men” totally “love” these services. So they “love” “women” as long as these conditions are met. And when they are not, they flip out.
And not just when their chosen female refuses to play her role in their lives. Weirdly enough, they flip out when any female refuses to play this role for any male. Life is so much better when all the females just want to please – better not leave other options open. So a closet-misogynist enforces female roles by gently arguing that there’s a reason women have less resources at their disposal. (They don’t want it, and at any rate, biology makes them to.) And he is secretly happy when women don’t have much choice but to please him (or any other male) to get access to resources.
Access to body – access to resources… True love is strong with these people.
One would say that they “objectify women”, and it would be true. But truth be told, they also objectify themselves and other men. So do women, who dissolve themselves in traditional roles. People who give up being a person and reduce themselves to life roles regard other people as life roles too, that’s the real problem.
Their love is conditional – and for a function, not for a person
They “love” their mothers too. For the comfort and the food – not her person.
Not many people love their mothers as a person. When you scratch at the surface of what they call love, it will come down to the comfort of unconditional (and often un-reciprocated) support and the reliable supply of comfort. They feel cheated when their mother gets a life and spend years in therapy if their mother gets a life. Like she dares not to supply every meal on time.
How is that love for her person?
In fact, their list of desirable character traits in a female partner gives these men away.
She is humble and silent, she is not demanding, she boosts his confidence. She is low-maintenance and loves children – so that he doesn’t have to. She is nurturing, like mommy, and enjoys giving. Excels at altruism and never asks – only when she asks for his children. But that’s like asking for him, so it’s acceptable. She is not just submissive – she enjoys submission. She wants to look good. She wants to be best at providing.
But that’s not a personality. This is not a description of a person, it’s just a lot of words to describe the desire to please him. These traits serve him – they don’t tell anything about her.
Such a man loves women as things that serve his comfort and career better than a machine would. Talking, opinion, or character are from this viewpoint a necessary evil. She needs to be able to talk to provide the service. And sometimes, when she talks, it is comforting – she should do more of that.
The fact that you endure her opinion and her bitchy personality is not proof that you love her (or “women” as such) – it’s proof that you wish she wouldn’t have any. The fact that you can’t avoid having your women talk doesn’t mean you take them seriously. I have heard so many men obsessing about the awful personality of their girlfriends – but wouldn’t leave them because they fit the bill and they had long legs. But when you want legs and boobs and ignore the personality – you are asking for it. Just like the woman who wants the house and the yacht. You deserve one another.
The thing is, people have no idea what love is because they are so busy going through the checklist of Desirable Partner. But when you do that, you are not interested in who they are. You just want to know whether they fit the bill. You don’t love them. You just use them.
Mutual exploitation with an imbalance of threats
But it is not men, who use women, but traditional societies. And those traditional societies use men as well as women.
In the traditional setup men are used for bringing home money and fending off other aggressive men. And aggressive they are because 1) they are treated as such (biologism, bitches!) and 2) they are used to unconditional, birth right submission at home – they are thus less willing to behave elsewhere.
But women in this old system invariably end up on the wrong end of the dick. They depend for their livelihood. Their men depend on women for just comfort and pleasure (positive things) – women depend on men to fend off starvation, poverty, or being killed.
So the tools of blackmail are unevenly distributed. Where women have no income, where they are unemployable household serfs, their livelihood depends on the man only. Especially with children. In this beautiful, traditional family nightmare, women can only blackmail with the withdrawal of the comfort they create – but cautiously, so they don’t get beaten. Their aggression is passive.
You don’t like passive aggression? You should perhaps say goodbye to these old norms.
Submission also breeds contempt for the weak. And since they are dehumanised objects, loved for the function they serve, their dependence will also breed aggression. Aggression is coded in this mutual exploitation.
Who really hates women, in the traditional sense of the word
If anyone genuinely hates women, it’s:
A negligible minority of red pill warriors, who accelerated downhill and went past the point of no return.
The negligible minority of frustrated men, who take the teachings of their pick-up masters seriously, and actually believe that women are the source of their problems.
2. Misogynistic women.
Remember, when a society is patriarchal, so are its women. And they are the ones, who truly hate other women. As a group.
Women can’t use other women the same way men do – but they don’t want them to go unused either. Those who accept their own diminished role have an incentive to enforce it on other women – and make it look like it’s unavoidable.
I have always marveled how some people just don’t seem happy with their perfect life choices – they feel compelled to make others happy too – by making them doing the same things ASAP. They cannot wait, you must make the same life choices they made – and admit that it is not optional. That is The Only Way. But they wouldn’t need to enforce it if it were really so great.
The same way men demand the draft if they had the misfortune of being drafted when they were young (“that made me a man”) – women who made the unavoidable life choice of making themselves dependent want other women to do the same. And unlike men who just use women but don’t consciously hate them – these women are truly misogynistic.
And most importantly. You can’t love or hate and entire gender. Only a person.
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Photo: Mikko LagerstedtDerek and his team have been busy working on the sequel to Elemental: Fallen Enchantress, the sequel to last year’s War of Magic.The final release date for Fallen Enchantress hasn’t been set yet but we do expect to go into beta around Thanksgiving.
Beta and Release
The initial beta will only be available to those who already have War of Magic. A later beta will be available to anyone who wants to pre-order it. The beta will be available via Stardock’s new digital store. We plan to run the beta exclusively via our digital updater (tentatively called Stardock Central) though the final version will be available through multiple channels.
Where things stand right now
In many respects, Fallen Enchantress is a lot closer to what we had initially envisioned for the first Elemental strategy game. Specifically:
Terrain matters for city placement More differentiation between factions Much better economic system Much better magic system Much better tactical battle system Cleaner, more compelling tech tree.
Before the beta hits, we’ll be releasing some videos along with some AI vs. AI battles to show players how the new game plays.
A few highlights
There are more technologies in Fallen Enchantress for players to research. However, we’ve consolidated them into three distinct trees – Civilization, Warfare, Magic (The Empires have their own equivalent).
The display has been changed such that you can easily tell what each tech gives you. You can also choose a technology that has multiple steps to get to and it will take you through the intermediary techs automatically.
When your city levels up, it now gets to choose from a random assortment of special city improvements that it can build. The higher the city, the more powerful the selection becomes.
We have cleaned up the way armies are handled. At first, your armies will only be able to support 4 to 5 units (depending on your faction). Of course, each “unit” can be made up of many guys but the point being that researching the logistics to support larger army sizes becomes one of those strategic choices rather than a “must” to win.
This is a small thing but for grognards (like myself) every tooltip has been redone such that you get an instant display of where a given stat is derived from.
The Gameplay
While some artwork and music survived from War of Magic, not much else has. So your skills at War of Magic aren’t really going to carry over here. While Elemental: War of Magic did eventually become a fairly decent TBS game, we were never satisfied with its underlying game mechanics. Specifically, the way production, research, farming, etc. worked. Rather than tweak it, we decided to take a different path.
In addition, the way heroes were handled was something that felt too much like luck. Instead, you will find champions being powers unto themselves. They’re typically living in their fortress, keep, dungeon, or what have you. The more powerful they are, the better your recruiting skill will need to be to recruit them.
In Fallen Enchantress you are also encouraged to kill off champions that are allied with the other side to prevent them from becoming allied with an opponent.
The land is a dangerous place. Virtually all the prime spots are surrounded by serious dangers. The good news is, they won’t just run out and attack you normally. The bad news is, as soon as a city’s sphere of influence spreads to one of their enclaves, they will be all over that city.
Tactical Battles
Players have the choice to either instantly resolve a battle or go to a tactical battle screen. Once there, they can either watch the battle resolve turn by turn, fight it out themselves or just resolve it.
My personal preference right now is to handle the first few turns and then turn it over the the auto play and watch the gory results.
Fallen Enchantress combat works based on initiative. There are no “rounds”. The faster a unit is, the more turns they get. There’s no counter-attack (unless that unit has it as a special ability).
Some spells take time to cast and that spell will appear in the film strip on the left so that players know what’s coming up and can see if there’s time to counter it.
Some units are more effective than others. Mounted warriors are harder to hit via archers and thus a very effective counter.
There’s a lot of combat in Fallen Enchantress and the battles tend to be fairly quick. They visually look a lot better as well (since every fighter in a given unit will take part in a given action rather than simply the lead one as was the case in WOM).
The most obvious difference in Fallen Enchantress, imo, is that nearly every unit has some sort of special ability. You can even design them into your soldiers if you have researched the appropriate techs.
Rewards after battle tend to be more meaningful.
Now that so much of the game has been put into XML, we and modders can throw in basically as many abilities and such into the game as our imagination comes up with.
Diplomacy
This is an area that is getting a lot of attention. With each faction playing in very different ways, we needed to make sure those ways were sufficiently apparent to players. That meant having players who were effective with diplomacy and giving diplomacy more teeth. That means more treaties, more opportunity for manipulation, more tools to play the puppet master.
AI
The AI challenges in Fallen Enchantress are significant. This is the area of the game I’m focused on. I’ve written elsewhere on this but the AI is much more XML driven than anything I’ve done in the past. The less I hard-code, the more broad strokes I can take with regards to deciding what spells to cast, what special abilities to pick and use, what improvements to construct, what technologies to research.
Unlike a typical Stardock beta cycle, the first beta of Fallen Enchantress will have the first AI pass in (normally our first betas have no AI in it). So players will be able to quickly discern how we’re doing in this area.
Marketing
There will be no real marketing effort for Fallen Enchantress in 2011. Basically, the betas are going to have to speak for themselves.
In the meantime, assume it’s going to suck and give you a disease.The final question for this series is whether any of the issues brought up by the Frankfurt school still have any currency or importance. There are two distinct periods in the work of the Frankfurt school. On the one hand there is the attempt to explain and understand fascism as it was arising during the Weimar Republic. This was a period of social, economic and political dislocation that brought to the fore very real material concerns on the part of workers that could easily be channelled into a traditional search for scapegoats and simple explanations. During this period, however, there continued to exist a powerful workers' movement in the form of social democracy and communism which, had it been able to overcome the timidity of the former and the strategic incompetence of the latter, could have functioned as a bulwark against the rise of the extreme right.
The second period is that of the postwar years, in which there was a social consensus that was formed under the umbrella of the cold war and rising prosperity (what the French call Les Trente Glorieuses) and in which it was declared that class and class struggle had come to an end. Frankfurt school theories about commodification, alienation, reification and false consciousness were revived by the 1968 movement as a way of explaining away the apparent passivity of the working class. Indeed, it was during this period that the working class began to be seen as part of the problem rather than the solution. The forward march of labour was halted, social democratic and communist parties accommodated to the new consensus and, as the philosopher André Gorz had it, it was "farewell to the working class".
Since the mid-70s, however, we have again been living in a different world in which the automatic prosperity and growth of the postwar decades have disappeared. Real wages have fallen at the same time that productivity has risen, thereby transferring unimaginable wealth to the richest in society. Estimates of how much money is stashed in offshore accounts vary between $12 and $32tn – enough wealth to wipe out almost all the social problems of poverty in one fell swoop were it to be confiscated, socially invested and redistributed.
The problem now is that the two original periods that characterised the battleground for the Frankfurt school exist at one and the same time. We have the economic dislocation of the Weimar period with rates of unemployment in Europe rising constantly (Spain, for example, has reached over 50% youth unemployment), which is feeding into a rise of neo-fascist and rightwing parties from Golden Dawn to Ukip. At the same time there is a supine centre-left which is tied into the neoliberal agenda, while a fractured and fragmented "communist" movement (for want of a better word) has failed to put together a convincing alternative.
The great recession since 2008 has stripped away a lot of the illusions people have about the society they live in. When a government needs to proclaim that "we are all in this together", then it is clear what the true subtext actually is.
But perhaps even more seriously, the planet itself can no longer afford the constant expansion required by capital. We have the technological and financial means to solve pretty well all of the basic problems of humanity. What we don't have is the political will. But that is only missing because even our hopes for the future have become privatised and commodified. Our dreams have been bought up and sold back to us as glittery tat and royal weddings. It has often been said that it is easier now to imagine the end of the world than it is to imagine a better one.
But this was true at the start of the Frankfurt school. Theodor Adorno wrote:
"The prospective fascist may long for the destruction of himself no less than for that of the adversaries, destruction being a substitute for his deepest and most inhibited desires … He realises that his solution is no solution, that in the long run it is doomed. Any keen observer could notice this feeling in Nazi Germany before the war broke out. Hopelessness seeks a desperate way out. Annihilation is the psychological substitute for the millennium – a day when the difference between the ego and the others, between poor and rich, between powerful and impotent, will be submerged in one great inarticulate unity. If no hope of true solidarity is held out to the masses, they may desperately stick to this negative substitute."
That loss of hope and optimism about a better world is the most depressing outcome of the current crisis and it is no wonder that many seek refuge in the false nostalgia of an unspoiled world before the ravages of capitalism prompted "all that is solid to melt into air".
But there is no way back, not least because the golden age never existed and the golden dawn will never come. The only way is to push forward using science, reason, intelligence and hope. Weak power may be good enough for now but at some point someone is going to have to flex muscle. Let's make sure that it is the good guys and not the fascists again.Tardis iPhone Cover
This is the iPhone cover my wife knitted for me. I get comments on it all the time. And the best thing about it? It's larger on the inside than it is on the outside! Plus, you always have extra time to talk on the phone, and if you lose it, you can go back in time to see where you left it.
iPhone cover in front of the original 2005 season DVDs (shaped like a Tardis), from which she designed it. Notice how similar it is to the real thing.
Closeup of the iPhone cover, showing the "POLICE BOX" text, the windows, and the panels. She even knitted a small hole in the top, so I can plug in my headset while it is still in the sock.
There is also a pocket on the back, where I can stuff my earphones.The Satellite Utility Manifold; Object Detection Accuracy as a Function of Image Resolution Adam Van Etten Blocked Unblock Follow Following Apr 28, 2017 The expansion of commercial satellite imagery offers great promise, albeit with an implicit compromise between space and time. Established providers such as DigitalGlobe currently provide exquisite tasked imagery at 0.30–0.50 meter resolution from five satellites. The Space 3.0 company Planet promises daily revisits of 3–5 meter imagery using over 100 satellites, with 1m resolution in certain areas due to their recent acquisition of Google’s Terra Bella constellation. New constellations such as BlackSky promise to provide tasked 1m imagery with revisit rates as high as 40–70 times a day. In essence, these three paradigms occupy vastly different positions in [resolution, revisit, cost] space, which we shall call the satellite utility manifold. In this post we seek to infer the shape of the manifold along the resolution axis via an approach similar to tomography. We utilize the Cars Overhead with Context (COWC) dataset, which is a large high quality set of annotated cars from overhead imagery. In a previous car localization post we detailed object detection accuracy on this dataset with the YOLT2 framework at 0.30m resolution. In the sections below we quantify the effects of resolution on object detection, with the aim of providing a cross-section of the manifold and informing tradeoffs in satellite design. For our particular dataset we show that objects need only be ~5 pixels in size to be localized with high confidence. 1. The Satellite Utility Manifold The high revisit rates proposed by Space 3.0 constellations contribute value for many classes of problems, provided resolution remains high enough for the desired task. Many analytical methods still depend on the ability to detect and localize objects of interest, so if objects of interest cannot be detected reliably then no revisit rate can salvage the loss of spatial fidelity. Yet there may exist a sweet spot in the satellite utility manifold where analytics are maximized for a given cost. The utility and cost of a given constellation design will depend on many factors, though resolution (both spatial and temporal) is a primary driver. For this blog we adopt object detection performance as our measure of utility, though acknowledge that there are multiple possible measures (object detection performance, segmentation accuracy, change detection fidelity, crop cover recall, etc). In the plots below we illustrate the expected morphology of the satellite utility manifold.
Figure 1. Notional utility manifold as a function of resolution and revisit rate. Both utility and cost increase with revisit rate as well as sharper resolution.
For a given satellite design one can estimate a cross-section of the manifold by downsampling existing data. For instance, data from a constellation with a revisit rate of six per day can be used to simulate revisit rates of three or two per day by by only retaining every second or third image, respectively. Similarly, a high resolution dataset can be extrapolated to lower resolutions by convolution with a gaussian kernel, thereby simulating imagery from smaller imaging apertures. Repeating this process for different hardware designs will allow one to gradually deduce the surface of the satellite utility manifold.
Figure 2. Cross-sectional slices of the utility manifold along the resolution (A) and revisit (B) axes.
In this study we utilize a high resolution dataset and attempt to infer the shape of curve 2A: utility as a function of resolution. 2. Dataset As detailed in the car localization post and Mundhenk et al, 2016, the COWC dataset is a very high resolution imagery corpus of over 30,000 unique cars in six different locales. Imagery is at a nadir view angle and at 15 cm resolution. We train on five regions and reserve the largest geographic region of Utah for testing, containing over 20,000 labelled cars. Figure 3 (from the car localization post). Sample COWC image over Potsdam at native 15 cm ground sample distance (GSD) with labels overlaid. Original labels are shown by a red dot located at each car centroid, while inferred 3 meter YOLT2 bounding box labels are shown in blue. Note that large trucks and other vehicles are not labelled, only cars. Imagery courtesy of ISPRS and Mundhenk et al, 2016. 2. Dataset Augmentation COWC imagery has a resolution of 15 cm ground sample distance (GSD). To study the effects of resolution, we convolve the raw imagery with a Gaussian kernel and reduce the image dimensions to create additional training and testing corpora at [0.30, 0.45, 0.60, 0.75, 0.90, 1.05, 1.20, 1.50, 1.80, 2.10, 2.40, 3.00] meters. COWC labels consist of points centered on each car, from which we create bounding box labels by assuming a mean car size of 3.0 meters. As detailed in the car localization post, Section 3, we test on 23 images over Utah, and a total of 25,980 cars.
Figure 4. COWC training data over Potsdam convolved and resized to various resolutions from the original 0.15m resolution (top left); bounding box labels are plotted in blue. Imagery courtesy of ISPRS and Mundhenk et al, 2016.
3. Object Detection Models For object detection we apply the YOLT2 convolutional neural network object detection pipeline (1, 2, 3, 4). This pipeline trains on bounding box labels for objects of interest, and runs rapidly on arbitrarily large satellite images. One of the strengths of the YOLT2 detection pipeline is speed; image inference proceeds at 44 frames per second, which translates to less than one minute for images as large as 200 megapixels. We train a separate model for each resolution (0.15, 0.30, 0.45, 0.60, 0.75, 0.90, 1.05, 1.20, 1.50, 1.80, 2.10, 2.40, 3.00 meters), for thirteen models total. Creating a high quality labeled dataset at low resolution (2.4m GSD, for example) is only possible because we downsample from already labeled high resolution 0.15m data; typically low resolution data is very difficult to label with high accuracy. 4. Object Detection Performance The test procedure is outlined in the car localization post, Section 4. In brief, a true positive is defined as having a Jaccard index (also known as intersection over union) of greater than 0.25. The true and false positives and negatives are aggregated into a single value known as the F1 score, which varies from 0 to 1 and is the harmonic mean of precision and recall. We also compute the predicted number of cars in the scene as a fraction of the number of ground truth cars. For plotting purposes we adopt a color scheme of: blue = ground truth, green = true positive, red = false positive, yellow = false negative.
Figure 5. Object detection results on different resolutions on the same 800 x 800 pixel Salt Lake City cutout. The cutout on the left is at 0.15m GSD, with an F1 score for the entire 4000 x 4000 pixel scene of 0.94. The cutout on the right is at 0.90m GSD, with an F1 score for the entire scene of 0.84. Imagery courtesy of AGRC and Mundhenk et al, 2016.
In Figure 6 (below), we show a large urban test scene evaluated at increasing ground sample distance. At the end of the post we include attach higher resolution images for the interested reader.
Figure 6. Object detection results on different resolutions (top: 0.3m, middle: 1.2m, bottom: 3.0m) on a large 4000 x 4000 pixel urban test image. Note that the false negative rate rises dramatically with GSD. Imagery courtesy of AGRC and Mundhenk et al, 2016. Higher resolution images are included at the bottom of the page.
The plots above demonstrate the degradation of performance with increasing GSD. In the plots below we display performance as a function image resolution. We also display the object pixel size, defined as the quotient of the object size (~3 meters) and the GSD. A separate classifier is trained and evaluated at each of the thirteen resolutions. Figure 7. Object detection F1 score for ground sample distances of 0.15–3.0 meters (bottom axis), corresponding to car size of 20–1 pixel(s) (top axis). At each of the thirteen resolutions we evaluate test scenes with a unique model trained at that resolution. The 23 thin lines display the performance of an individual test scene; most of these lines are tightly clustered about the mean, denoted by the blue dashed line. The red band displays +/- one standard deviation. We fit a piecewise linear model to the data, shown as the dotted cyan line. Below the inflection point (large cyan dot) of 0.61 meters the F1 score degrades slowly with a slope of dF1/dGSD = -0.10; between 0.6m and 3m GSD the slope is steeper at -0.26. The F1 scores at 0.15m, 0.60m, and 3.0m GSD are 0.92, 0.87, and 0.27, respectively. Figure 8. Fraction of predicted number of cars to ground truth, with a unique model for each resolution (bottom axis) and object pixel size (top axis). A fraction of 1.0 means that the correct number of cars was predicted, while if the fraction is below 1.0 too few cars were predicted. The thin bands denote the performance of the 23 individual scenes, with the dashed blue line showing the weighted mean and the red band displaying +/- one standard deviation. We fit a piecewise linear model to the data, shown as the dotted cyan line. Below the inflection point (large cyan dot) of 0.86 meters the slope is essentially flat with a slope of -0.03; between 0.87m and 3m GSD the slope is steeper at -0.20. For resolutions sharper than 0.86 meters the predicted number of cars is within 4% of ground truth. Object detection F1 score and enumeration fraction are two possible measures of satellite utility, and as such Figures 7 and 8 represent possible slices in the utility manifold of Figure 1. We can also test the robustness of a single model applied across resolutions, as we demonstrate below.
Figure 9. Performance of the 0.3m model applied to various resolutions. The model peaks at F1 = 0.9 for the trained resolution of 0.3m, and rapidly degrades when evaluated with lower resolution data; it also degrades somewhat for higher resolution 0.15m data. Note that the plot is truncated at 0.9m, whereas Figures 7 and 8 extend all the way to 3.0m.
The curves of Figure 9 degrade far faster than Figures 7 and 8, illustrating that a single model fit at high resolution performs far worse than a series of models trained at each respective resolution. 5. Conclusions In this post we introduce the concept of the satellite utility manifold and illustrate how one might infer the manifold morphology via sampling of cross-sections. Assigning utility as object detection F1 score, we compute the utility cross-section along the spatial axis using the COWC dataset and YOLT2 object detection framework. For objects ~3 meters in size we observe from Figure 7 that object detection performance degrades from F1=0.92 for objects 20 pixels in size to F1=0.27 for objects 1 pixel in size, with a mean error of 0.09. Interestingly, the F1 score only degrades by only 5% as objects shrink from 20 to 5 pixels in size (0.15m to 0.60m GSD). At least for cars viewed from overhead, one can conclude that object sizes of 5 pixels or greater yield object detection scores of F1 > 0.85. Note that this performance is far better than the heading classification performance noted in Post 3, Figure 5, implying that object detection may be less sensitive to resolution than heading classification. This is an exciting time for satellite imagery analytics, particularly given the ever-increasing number of satellites on orbit. The precise utility of various constellation designs remains a somewhat open question, however, given the complex relationship between spatial resolution, temporal resolution, cost, and capability. Quantifying the utility of various constellation designs is a matter of great import to the satellite industry, and motivates much of our upcoming research. In future posts we will continue to explore and quantify these relationships. Thanks to David Lindenbaum for constellation expertise, and to Ryan Lewis and lporter for useful comments. May 29, 2018 Addendum: See this post for paper and code details. Appendix A: Higher resolution versions of Figure 6.Image caption Worshippers react nervously when they hear raised voices outside the mosque
The faithful line up to pray in a small Shia mosque hidden away down the dusty side-streets of Peshawar.
But the central arch where the imam stands in front of his congregation is covered in blast marks and dark smears.
The ornate blue tiles have been smashed.
This is where a militant blew himself up just two weeks before.
"When I came inside, I saw severed legs, human organs and heads… all over the mosque," says Syed Hussain Hussaini, whose nephew was among the 21 people killed.
All over Pakistan... there are bomb blasts, targeted killings and suicide attacks Syed Hussain Hussaini
On the ceiling, walls and even on a building opposite, are pockmarks from hundreds of ball-bearings which had been packed inside the young man's suicide belt.
Although today the congregation seems determined to set fear aside, tensions rise rapidly when a man with a pistol inside his clothing is stopped at the gate.
A heated argument breaks out as the security guards try to remove the gun.
But the man is not - as had been feared - another militant from the majority Sunni Muslim community trying to carry out a second sectarian attack.
He is a Shia who had lost his father and uncle in the bombing and was carrying a weapon in case of another attack.
He has past form: he shot dead a suicide bomber with the pistol a few years ago.
For Syed Hussain Hussaini, the attack on the mosque and a series of other killings since Nawaz Sharif became prime minister last month, prove once again that whatever government takes office, Pakistan's Shia minority, like the rest of the population, will not be protected.
Image caption Lady Reading Hospital is expanding to cope with a rising number of casualties
The Jihadist militants are getting stronger, he says: "You have seen all over Pakistan, in Karachi, Quetta, and Peshawar, there are bomb blasts, targeted killings and suicide attacks. Governments have always failed right from the first day until today. People are on their own."
Figures provided by the Edhi emergency services organisation show that between April and the end of June, 247 people were killed in bombings in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and the tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan.
And these figures do not include Waziristan, a militant hotspot.
In response to the increasing flow of casualties from the violence, the main regional hospital has just built a new accident and emergency department with six operating theatres.
It is expected to open later this year.
"It's a huge complex, a hospital by itself," says Professor Arshad Javaid, the chief executive of the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar.
Image caption Bomb blast survivor Mohammed Shaheen believes the militants are beyond government control
"I think if I called it the world's largest casualty (department), I would not be exaggerating."
Inside the hospital, beneath a sign saying "bomb blast patient", Mohammed Shaheen lies recovering from serious injuries caused by a suicide attack in Mardan almost a month ago.
He was attending a funeral and standing close to a local politician who was killed, along with 27 other people.
Mr Shaheen believes the violence of the militant groups is now beyond the control of the government.
"They wanted |
that male customers had that name for her), as newspapers of the period often nicknamed particularly lurid crimes; the term may have originated from a film noir murder mystery, The Blue Dahlia, released in April 1946. After the discovery of her body on January 15, 1947, the Los Angeles Police Department began an extensive investigation that produced over 150 suspects, but yielded no arrests.
Short's unsolved murder and the details surrounding it have had a lasting cultural intrigue, generating various theories and public speculation. Her life and death have been the basis of numerous books and films, and her murder is frequently cited as one of the most famous unsolved murders in American history, as well as one of the oldest unsolved cases in Los Angeles County. It has likewise been credited by historians as one of the first major crimes in post-World War II America to capture national attention.[a]
Life [ edit ]
Childhood [ edit ]
Elizabeth Short[b] was born in the Hyde Park section of Boston, Massachusetts, the third of five daughters of Cleo and Phoebe May Short (née Sawyer). Around 1927, the Short family relocated to Portland, Maine,[10] before settling in Medford, Massachusetts ( a Boston suburb) the same year. This is where Short was raised and spent most of her life. Short's father built miniature golf courses until the 1929 stock market crash, when he lost most of his savings and the family became broke. In 1930, her father's car was found abandoned on the Charlestown Bridge, and it was assumed that he had committed suicide by jumping into the Charles River. Believing her husband to be deceased, Short's mother moved with her five daughters into a small apartment in Medford and worked as a bookkeeper to support them.
Troubled by bronchitis and severe asthma attacks, Short underwent lung surgery at age 15, after which doctors suggested she relocate to a milder climate during the winter months to prevent further respiratory problems. Short's mother then sent her to spend winters in Miami, Florida with family friends. During the next three years, Short lived in Florida during the winter months and spent the rest of the year in Medford with her mother and sisters. In her sophomore year, Short dropped out of Medford High School.
Relocation to California [ edit ]
Short's arrest photo from 1943 for underage drinking
Major Matthew Michael Gordon, Jr.
In late 1942, Short's mother received a letter of apology from her presumed-deceased husband, which revealed that he was in fact alive and had started a new life in California. In December, aged 18, Short relocated to Vallejo to live with her father, whom she had not seen since she was six years old. At the time, he was working at the nearby Mare Island Naval Shipyard on San Francisco Bay. Arguments between Short and her father led to her moving out in January 1943. Shortly after, she took a job at the Base Exchange at Camp Cooke (now Vandenberg Air Force Base), near Lompoc, living with several friends, and briefly with an Army Air Force sergeant who reportedly abused her. Short left Lompoc in mid-1943 and moved to Santa Barbara, where she was arrested on September 23, 1943 for underage drinking at a local bar. The juvenile authorities sent her back to Medford,[c] but she returned instead to Florida, making only occasional visits to Massachusetts.
While in Florida, Short met Major Matthew Michael Gordon, Jr., a decorated Army Air Force officer at the 2nd Air Commando Group. He was training for deployment to the China Burma India Theater of Operations of World War II. Short told friends that Gordon had written to propose marriage while he was recovering from injuries from a plane crash in India. She accepted his offer, but Gordon died in a second crash on August 10, 1945, less than a week before the Surrender of Japan ended the war.
She relocated to Los Angeles in July 1946 to visit Army Air Force Lieutenant Joseph Gordon Fickling, whom she had known from Florida. Fickling was stationed at the Naval Reserve Air Base in Long Beach. Short spent the last six months of her life in Southern California, mostly in the Los Angeles area; shortly before her death, she had been working as a waitress, and rented a room behind the Florentine Gardens nightclub on Hollywood Boulevard. Short has been variously described and depicted as an aspiring or "would-be" actress. According to some sources, she did in fact have aspirations to be a film star, though she had no known acting jobs or credits.[d]
Murder [ edit ]
Prior to murder [ edit ]
On January 9, 1947, Short returned to her home in Los Angeles after a brief trip to San Diego with Robert "Red" Manley, a 25-year-old married salesman she had been dating. Manley stated that he dropped Short off at the Biltmore Hotel located at 506 South Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles, and that Short was to meet her sister, who was visiting from Boston, that afternoon. By some accounts, staff of the Biltmore recalled having seen Short using the lobby telephone.[e] Shortly after, she was allegedly seen by patrons of the Crown Grill Cocktail Lounge at 754 South Olive Street, approximately one-half mile (0.80 km) away from the Biltmore Hotel.
Discovery [ edit ]
Short's body as discovered on January 15, 1947
On the morning of January 15, 1947, Short's half-naked body was found severed into two pieces on a vacant lot on the west side of South Norton Avenue, midway between Coliseum Street and West 39th Street (at ) in Leimert Park, Los Angeles. At the time, the neighborhood was largely undeveloped.[31] Local resident Betty Bersinger discovered the body at approximately 10:00 a.m. while she was walking with her three-year-old daughter.[32] Bersinger initially thought she had found a discarded store mannequin. When she realized it was a corpse, she rushed to a nearby house and telephoned the police.
Short's severely mutilated body was completely severed at the waist and drained entirely of blood, leaving her skin a pallid white.[36] Medical examiners determined that she had been dead for around ten hours prior to the discovery, leaving her time of death either sometime during the evening of January 14, or the early morning hours of January 15. The body had obviously been washed by the killer.[37] Short's face had been slashed from the corners of her mouth to her ears, creating an effect known as the "Glasgow smile".[31] She had several cuts on her thigh and breasts, where entire portions of flesh had been sliced away. The lower half of her body was positioned a foot away from the upper, and her intestines had been tucked neatly beneath her buttocks.[37] The corpse had been "posed", with her hands over her head, her elbows bent at right angles, and her legs spread apart.
Upon the discovery, a crowd of both passersby and reporters began to gather; Los Angeles Herald-Express reporter Aggie Underwood was among the first to arrive at the scene, and took several photos of the corpse and crime scene. Near the body, detectives located a heel print on the ground amid the tire tracks, and a cement sack containing watery blood was also found nearby.[42]
Autopsy and identification [ edit ]
An autopsy of Short's body was performed on January 16, 1947, by Frederick Newbarr, the Los Angeles County coroner. Newbarr's autopsy report stated that Short was 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m) tall, weighed 115 pounds (52 kg), and had light blue eyes, brown hair, and badly decayed teeth.[f] There were ligature marks on her ankles, wrists, and neck, and an "irregular laceration with superficial tissue loss" on her right breast. Newbarr also noted superficial lacerations on the right forearm, left upper arm, and the lower left side of the chest.
The body had been cut completely in half by a technique taught in the 1930s called a hemicorporectomy. The lower half of her body had been removed by transecting the lumbar spine between the second and third lumbar vertebrae, thus severing the intestine at the duodenum. Newbarr's report noted "very little" ecchymosis (bruising) along the incision line, suggesting it had been performed after death. Another "gaping laceration" measuring 4.25 inches (108 mm) in length ran longitudinally from the umbilicus to the suprapubic region. The lacerations on each side of the face, which extended from the corners of the lips, were measured at 3 inches (76 mm) on the right side of the face, and 2.5 inches (64 mm) on the left. The skull was not fractured, but there was bruising noted on the front and right side of her scalp, with a small amount of bleeding in the subarachnoid space on the right side, consistent with blows to the head. The cause of death was determined to be hemorrhaging from the lacerations to her face and the shock from blows to the head and face. Newbarr noted that Short's anal canal was dilated at 1.75 inches (44 mm), suggesting that she may have been raped. Samples were taken from her body testing for the presence of sperm, but the results came back negative.
Prior to the autopsy, police had quickly been able to identify the victim as Short after sending copies of her fingerprints to Washington, DC, via Soundphoto, a primitive fax machine of the era; the prints matched those given by Short during her 1943 arrest. Immediately following Short's identification, reporters from William Randolph Hearst's Los Angeles Examiner contacted her mother, Phoebe Short, in Boston, and told her that her daughter had won a beauty contest.[31] It was only after prying as much personal information as they could from Phoebe that the reporters revealed that her daughter had in fact been murdered.[31] The newspaper offered to pay her airfare and accommodations if she would travel to Los Angeles to help with the police investigation. That was yet another ploy since the newspaper kept her away from police and other reporters to protect its scoop. The Examiner and another Hearst newspaper, the Los Angeles Herald-Express, later sensationalized the case, with one article from the Examiner describing the black tailored suit Short was last seen wearing as "a tight skirt and a sheer blouse".[52] The media nicknamed her as the "Black Dahlia"[53] and described her as an "adventuress" who "prowled Hollywood Boulevard". Additional newspaper reports, such as one published in the Los Angeles Times on January 17, deemed the murder a "sex fiend slaying".[54]
Investigation [ edit ]
Initial investigation [ edit ]
Letters and interviews [ edit ]
On January 21, 1947, a person claiming to be Short's killer placed a phone call to the office of James Richardson, the editor of the Examiner, congratulating Richardson on the newspaper's coverage of the case, and stated he planned on eventually turning himself in, but not before allowing police to pursue him further. Additionally, the caller told Richardson to "expect some souvenirs of Beth Short in the mail".
Los Angeles Examiner from the alleged murderer Envelope addressed to thefrom the alleged murderer
On January 24, a suspicious manila envelope was discovered by a U.S. Postal Service worker: The envelope had been addressed to "The Los Angeles Examiner and other Los Angeles papers" with individual words that had been cut-and-pasted from newspaper clippings; additionally, a large message on the face of the envelope read: "Here is Dahlia's belongings [,] letter to follow". The envelope contained Short's birth certificate, business cards, photographs, names written on pieces of paper, and an address book with the name Mark Hansen embossed on the cover. The packet had been carefully cleaned with gasoline, similarly to Short's body, which led police to suspect the packet had been sent directly by her killer. Despite the efforts to clean the packet, several partial fingerprints were lifted from the envelope and sent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for testing; however, the prints were compromised in transit and thus could not be properly analyzed. The same day the packet was received by the Examiner, a handbag and a black suede shoe were reported to have been seen on top of a garbage can in an alley a short distance from Norton Avenue, 2 miles (3.2 km) from where Short's body had been discovered. The items were recovered by police, but they had also been wiped clean with gasoline, destroying any fingerprints.
Police quickly deemed Mark Hansen, the owner of the address book found in the packet, a suspect. Hansen was a wealthy local nightclub and theater owner[60] and an acquaintance at whose home Short had stayed with friends, and according to some sources,[g] he also confirmed that the purse and shoe discovered in the alley were in fact Short's. Ann Toth, Short's friend and roommate, told investigators that Short had recently rejected sexual advances from Hansen, and suggested it as potential cause for him to kill her; however, he was cleared of suspicion in the case. In addition to Hansen, the Los Angeles Police Department interviewed over 150 men in the ensuing weeks whom they believed to be potential suspects. Manley, who had been one of the last people to see Short alive, was also investigated, but was cleared of suspicion after passing numerous polygraph examinations. Police also interviewed several persons found listed in Hansen's address book, including Martin Lewis, who had been an acquaintance of Short's. Lewis was able to provide an alibi for the date of Short's murder, as he was in Portland, Oregon, visiting his father-in-law, who was dying of kidney failure.
A total of 750 investigators from the LAPD and other departments worked on the case during its initial stages, including 400 sheriff's deputies and 250 California State Patrol officers. Various locations were searched for potential evidence, including storm drains throughout Los Angeles, abandoned structures, and various sites along the Los Angeles River, but the searches yielded no further evidence. City Councilman Lloyd G. Davis posted a $10,000 (equivalent to $112,206 in 2018) reward for information leading police to Short's killer. After the announcement of the reward, various persons came forward with confessions, most of which police dismissed as false. Several of the false confessors were charged with obstruction of justice.
Media response; decline [ edit ]
On January 26, another letter was received by the Examiner, this time handwritten, which read: "Here it is. Turning in Wed., Jan. 29, 10 am. Had my fun at police. Black Dahlia Avenger". The letter also named a location at which the supposed killer would turn himself in. Police waited at the location on the morning of January 29, but the alleged killer did not appear. Instead, at 1:00pm, the Examiner offices received another cut-and-pasted letter, which read: "Have changed my mind. You would not give me a square deal. Dahlia killing was justified."
The graphic nature of the crime and the subsequent letters received by the Examiner had resulted in a media frenzy surrounding Short's murder. Both local and national publications covered the story heavily, many of which reprinted sensationalistic reports suggesting that Short had been tortured for hours prior to her death; the information, however, was false, yet police allowed the reports to circulate so as to conceal Short's true cause of death—cerebral hemorrhage—from the public. Further reports about Short's personal life were publicized, including details about her alleged declining of Hansen's romantic advances; additionally, a stripper who was an acquaintance of Short's told police that she "liked to get guys worked up over her, but she'd leave them hanging dry." This led some reporters (namely the Herald-Express's Bevo Means) and detectives to look into the possibility that Short was a lesbian, and begin questioning employees and patrons of gay bars in Los Angeles; this claim, however, remained unsubstantiated. The Herald-Express also received several letters from the purported killer, again made with cut-and-pasted clippings, one of which read: "I will give up on Dahlia killing if I get 10 years. Don't try to find me."
On February 1, the Los Angeles Daily News reported that the case had "run into a Stone Wall", with no new leads for investigators to pursue. The Examiner continued to run stories on the murder and the investigation, which was front-page news for 35 days following the discovery of the body. When interviewed, lead investigator Captain Jack Donahue told the press that he believed Short's murder had taken place in a remote building or shack on the outskirts of Los Angeles, and her body transported into the city where it was disposed of. Based on the precise cuts and dissection of Short's corpse, the LAPD looked into the possibility that the murderer may have been a surgeon, doctor, or someone with medical knowledge. In mid-February 1947, the LAPD served a warrant to the University of Southern California Medical School, which was located near the site where Short's body had been discovered, requesting a complete list of the program's students. The university agreed so long as the students' identities remained private. Background checks were conducted, but they yielded no results.
Grand jury and aftermath [ edit ]
No lead had any conclusions. Once we'd find something, it seemed to disappear in front of our eyes. —Sgt. Finis Brown, on the various dead ends in the case.
By the spring of 1947, Short's murder had become a cold case with few new leads. Sergeant Finis Brown, one of the lead detectives on the case, blamed the press for compromising the investigation through reporters' probing of details and unverified reporting. In September 1949, a grand jury convened to discuss inadequacies in the LAPD's homicide unit based on their failure to solve numerous murders—especially those of women and children—in the past several years, Short's being one of them.[76] In the aftermath of the grand jury, further investigation was done on Short's past, with detectives tracing her movements between Massachusetts, California, and Florida, and also interviewed people who knew her in Texas and New Orleans. However, the interviews yielded no useful information in the murder.
Suspects and confessions [ edit ]
The notoriety of Short's murder has spurred a large number of confessions over the years, many of which have been deemed false. During the initial investigation into her murder, police received a total of 60 confessions, most made by men.[77] Since that time, over 500 people have confessed to the crime, some of whom had not even been born at the time of her death.[78] Sergeant John P. St. John, a detective who worked the case until his retirement, stated, "It is amazing how many people offer up a relative as the killer."
In 2003, Ralph Asdel, one of the original detectives on the case, told the Times that he believed he had interviewed Short's killer, a man who had been seen with his sedan parked near the vacant lot where her body was discovered in the early morning hours of January 15, 1947. A neighbor driving by that day stopped to dispose of a bag of lawn clippings in the vacant lot when he saw a parked sedan, allegedly with its right rear door open; the driver of the sedan was standing in the lot. His arrival apparently startled the owner of the sedan, who approached his car and peered in the window before returning to the sedan and driving away.[80] The owner of the sedan was followed to a local restaurant where he worked, but was ultimately cleared of suspicion.[80]
Suspects remaining under discussion by various authors and experts include a doctor named Walter Bayley, proposed by the former Times copyeditor Larry Harnisch; Times publisher Norman Chandler, whom biographer Donald Wolfe claims impregnated Short; Leslie Dillon, Joseph A. Dumais,[83] Artie Lane (a.k.a. Jeff Connors),[60] Mark Hansen, Dr. Francis E. Sweeney, George Hodel,[85] Hodel's friend Fred Sexton,[86] George Knowlton, Robert M. "Red" Manley, Patrick S. O'Reilly,[88] and Jack Anderson Wilson.[89]
Theories and potentially related crimes [ edit ]
[h] Police search for remains in the Cleveland Torso Murders, 1936; some journalists and law enforcement have speculated a connection between the Cleveland crimes and Short's murder
Several crime authors, as well as Cleveland detective Peter Merylo, have suspected a link between the Short murder and the Cleveland Torso Murders, which took place in Cleveland, Ohio between 1934 and 1938.[91] As part of their investigation into other murders that took place before and after the Short killing, the original LAPD investigators studied the Torso Murders in 1947 but later discounted any relationship between the two cases. In 1980, new evidence implicating a former Torso Murder suspect, Jack Anderson Wilson (a.k.a. Arnold Smith), was investigated by Detective St. John in relation to Short's murder. He claimed he was close to arresting Wilson for Short's murder, but that Wilson died in a fire on February 4, 1982. The possible connection between Short's murder and the Torso Murders received renewed media attention when it was profiled on the NBC series Unsolved Mysteries in 1992, in which Eliot Ness biographer Oscar Fraley suggested Ness knew the identity of the killer responsible for both cases.[90]
The February 10, 1947 murder of Jeanne French in Los Angeles was also considered by the media and detectives as possibly being connected to Short's killing.[94] French's body was discovered in west Los Angeles on Grand View Boulevard, nude and badly beaten.[94] Written on her stomach in lipstick was what appeared to say "Fuck You B.D.", and the letters "TEX" below.[94] The Herald-Express covered the story heavily, and drew comparisons to the Short murder less than a month prior, surmising the initials "B.D." to stand for "Black Dahlia".[95] According to historian Jon Lewis, however, the scrawling actually read "P.D.", ostensibly standing for "police department".
Crime authors such as Steve Hodel (son of George Hill Hodel) and William Rasmussen have suggested a link between the Short murder and the 1946 murder and dismemberment of six-year-old Suzanne Degnan in Chicago, Illinois.[97] Captain Donahoe of the LAPD stated publicly that he believed the Black Dahlia and the Chicago Lipstick Murders were "likely connected". Among the evidence cited is the fact that Short's body was found on Norton Avenue, three blocks west of Degnan Boulevard, Degnan being the last name of the girl from Chicago. There were also striking similarities between the handwriting on the Degnan ransom note and that of the "Black Dahlia Avenger". Both texts used a combination of capitals and small letters (the Degnan note read in part "BuRN This FoR heR SAfTY" [sic]), and both notes contain a similar misshapen letter P and have one word that matches exactly. Convicted serial killer William Heirens served life in prison for Degnan's murder. Initially arrested at 17 for breaking into a residence close to that of Degnan, Heirens claimed he was tortured by police, forced to confess, and made a scapegoat for the murder. After being taken from the medical infirmary at the Dixon Correctional Center on February 26, 2012 for health problems, Heirens died at the University of Illinois Medical Center on March 5, 2012, at 83.
Additionally, Steve Hodel has implicated his father, George Hodel, as Short's killer, citing his father's training as a surgeon as circumstantial evidence.[101] In 2003, it was revealed in notes from the 1949 grand jury report that investigators had wiretapped Hodel's home, and obtained recorded conversation of him with an unidentified visitor, saying: "Supposin' I did kill the Black Dahlia. They couldn't prove it now. They can't talk to my secretary because she's dead."[85]
In 1991, Janice Knowlton, a woman who was ten years old at the time of Short's murder, claimed that she witnessed her father, George Knowlton, beat Short to death with a clawhammer in the detached garage of her family's home in Westminster. She also published a book titled Daddy was the Black Dahlia Killer in 1995, in which she made additional claims that her father sexually molested her. The book was condemned as "trash" by Knowlton's stepsister Jolane Emerson in 2004, who stated: "She believed it, but it wasn't reality. I know, because I lived with her father for sixteen years."[103] Additionally, Detective St. John told the Times that Knowlton's claims were "not consistent with the facts of the case".[103]
John Gilmore's 1994 book Severed: The True Story of the Black Dahlia Murder, suggests a possible connection between Short's murder and that of Georgette Bauerdorf, a socialite who was strangled to death in her West Hollywood home in 1944. Gilmore suggests that Short's employment at the Hollywood Canteen, where Bauerdorf also worked as a hostess, could be a potential connection between the two women. However, the claim that Short ever worked at the Hollywood Canteen has been disputed by others, such as the retired Times copyeditor Larry Harnisch (see Rumors and factual disputes).
The 2017 book Black Dahlia, Red Rose by Piu Eatwell focuses on Leslie Dillon, a bellhop who was a former mortician's assistant; his associates Mark Hansen and Jeff Connors; and Sergeant Finis Brown, a lead detective who had links to Hansen and was allegedly corrupt.[60] Eatwell posits that Short was murdered because she knew too much about the men's involvement in a scheme for robbing hotels. She further suggests that Short was killed at the Aster Motel in Los Angeles, where the owners reported finding one of their rooms "covered in blood and fecal matter" on the morning Short's body was found.[60] The Examiner stated in 1949 that LA Police Chief WIlliam A. Worton denied that the Flower Street [Aster] Motel had anything to do with the case, although its rival newspaper, the Los Angeles Herald, claimed that the murder took place there.[105] Eatwell is working on a television documentary, and a revised edition of her book is due to be released in the autumn of 2018.
In 2000, Buz Williams, a retired detective with the Long Beach Police Department, wrote an article for the LBPD newsletter The Rap Sheet on Short's murder. Williams' father, Richard F. Williams, and his friend, Con Keller, were both members of LA's Gangster Squad investigating the case. Williams Sr believed that Dillon was the killer, and that when Dillon returned to his home state of Oklahoma, he was able to avoid extradition to California because his ex-wife Georgia Stevenson was second cousins with Governor Adlai Stevenson II of Illinois, who contacted the governor of Oklahoma on Dillon's behalf. Keller believed Hansen was the killer, as he had studied at a surgical school in Sweden and had thrown elaborate parties attended by prominent LAPD officials. Williams' article says that Dillon sued the LAPD for $3 million, but that the suit was dropped.[106] Harnisch disputes this, claiming that Dillon was cleared by police after an exhaustive investigation, and that the District Attorney's files positively placed him in San Francisco when Short was killed.[107] Harnisch claims that there was no LAPD coverup, and that Dillon did in fact receive a financial settlement from the City of Los Angeles, but has not produced concrete evidence to prove this.[108]
Rumors and factual disputes [ edit ]
Numerous details regarding Short's personal life and death have been points of public dispute.[i] The eager involvement of both the public and press in solving her murder have been credited as factors that complicated the investigation significantly, resulting in a complex, sometimes inconsistent narrative of events. According to Anne Marie DiStefano of the Portland Tribune, many "unsubstantiated stories" have circulated about Short over the years: "She was a prostitute, she was frigid, she was pregnant, she was a lesbian. And somehow, instead of fading away over time, the legend of the Black Dahlia just keeps getting more convoluted."[112] Harnisch has refuted several supposed rumors and popular conceptions about Short and her murder and also disputed the validity of Gilmore's book Severed, claiming the book is "25% mistakes, and 50% fiction".[6] Harnisch also had examined the district attorney's files (he claimed that Steve Hodel has examined some of them pertaining to his father, along with Times columnist Steve Lopez) and contrary to Eatwell's claims, the files showed that Dillon was thoroughly investigated and was determined to have been in San Francisco when Short was killed. Harnisch speculated that Eatwell either did not find these files or she chose to ignore them.[108]
Murder and state of the body [ edit ]
A number of people, none of whom knew Short, contacted police and the newspapers and claimed to have seen her during her so-called "missing week", between her January 9 disappearance and the discovery of her body, on January 15. Police and DA investigators ruled out each alleged sighting; in some cases, those interviewed were identifying other women whom they had mistaken for Short.[113] Short's whereabouts in the days leading up to her murder and the discovery of her body are unknown.[110]
After the discovery of Short's body, numerous Los Angeles newspapers printed headlines claiming she had been tortured leading up to her death.[52] This was denied by law enforcement at the time, but they allowed the claims to circulate so as to keep Short's actual cause of death a secret from the public. Some sources, such as Oliver Cyriax's Crime: An Encyclopedia (1993), state that Short's body was covered in cigarette burns inflicted on her while she was still alive, though there is no indication of this in her official autopsy report.
In Severed, Gilmore states that the coroner who performed Short's autopsy suggested in conversation that she had been forced to consume feces based on his findings when examining the contents of her stomach. This claim has been denied by Harnisch[6] and is also not indicated in Short's official autopsy, though it has been reprinted in several print and online media.[117]
"The Black Dahlia" name [ edit ]
According to newspaper reports shortly after the murder, Short received the nickname "Black Dahlia" from staff and patrons at a Long Beach drugstore in mid-1946 as wordplay on the film The Blue Dahlia (1946).[118] Other popularly-circulated rumors claim that the media crafted the name due to Short's adorning her hair with dahlias.[110] According to the FBI official website, she received the first part of the nickname from the press "for her rumored penchant for sheer black clothes".[120]
However, reports by DA investigators state that the nickname was invented by newspaper reporters covering her murder; Herald-Express reporter Bevo Means, who interviewed Short's acquaintances at the drugstore, has been credited with first using the "Black Dahlia" name, though reporters Underwood and Jack Smith have been alternatively named as its creators.[110] While some sources claim that Short was referred to or went by the name during her life, others dispute this.[j] Both Gilmore and Harnisch agree that the name originated during Short's lifetime and was not a creation of the press: Harnisch states that it was in fact a nickname she earned from the staff of the Long Beach drugstore she frequented;[6] in Severed, Gilmore names an A.L. Landers as the proprietor of the drugstore, though he does not provide the store's name. Prior to the circulation of the "Black Dahlia" name, Short's killing had been dubbed the "Werewolf Murder" by the Herald-Express due to the brutal nature of the crime.[110]
Alleged prostitution and sexual history [ edit ]
Many true crime books claim that Short lived in or visited Los Angeles at various times in the mid-1940s, including Gilmore's Severed, which claims she worked at the Hollywood Canteen. This is disputed by Harnisch, who states that Short did not, in fact, live in Los Angeles until after the canteen's closing in 1945.[6] Although some of her acquaintances and several authors and journalists described Short as a prostitute or call girl during her time in Los Angeles,[k] according to Harnisch, the contemporaneous grand jury proved that there was no existing evidence that she was ever a prostitute.[6] Harnisch claims that the rumor regarding Short's history as a prostitute originates from John Gregory Dunne's 1977 novel True Confessions, which is based in part on the crime.[6]
Another widely circulated rumor (sometimes used to counter claims that Short was a prostitute) holds that Short was unable to have sexual intercourse because of a congenital defect that resulted in gonadal dysgenesis, also known as "infantile genitalia".[l] Los Angeles County district attorney's files state that the investigators had questioned three men with whom Short had engaged in sex,[126] including a Chicago police officer who was a suspect in the case; FBI files on the case also contain a statement from one of Short's alleged lovers.[127] Short's autopsy itself, which was reprinted in full in Michael Newton's 2009 book The Encyclopedia of Unsolved Crimes, notes that her uterus was "small"; however, no other information in the autopsy is provided that would suggest her reproductive organs were anything other than anatomically normal. The autopsy also states that Short was not and had never been pregnant, contrary to what had been claimed prior to and following her death.[126]
Another rumor—that Short was a lesbian—has often circulated; according to Gilmore, this rumor began after Bevo Means of the Herald-Express was told by the deputy coroner that Short "wasn't having sex with men" due to her purportedly "small" genitalia. Means took this to mean that Short had sex with women, and both he and reporter Sid Hughes began fruitlessly investigating gay bars in Los Angeles for further information.
Legacy [ edit ]
Short's grave in Oakland, California.
Short is interred at the Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland.[124] After her younger sisters had grown up and married, their mother, Phoebe, moved to Oakland to be near her daughter's grave. She finally returned to the East Coast in the 1970s, where she lived into her nineties.[30] On February 2, 1947, just two weeks after Short's murder, Republican state assemblyman C. Don Field was prompted by the case to introduce a bill calling for the formation of a sex offender registry; the state of California would become the first U.S. state to make the registration of sex offenders mandatory.
Short's murder has been described as one of the most brutal and culturally enduring crimes in American history,[101] and Time magazine listed it as one of the most infamous unsolved cases in the world.[129]
Short's life and death have been the basis of numerous books and films, both fictionalized and non-fiction. Among the most famous fictional accounts of Short's death is James Ellroy's 1987 novel The Black Dahlia, which, in addition to the murder, explored "the larger fields of politics, crime, corruption, and paranoia in post-war Los Angeles", according to cultural critic David M. Fine. Ellroy's novel was adapted into a 2006 film of the same name by director Brian De Palma.[118] Both Ellroy's novel and its film adaptation bear little relation to the facts of the case. Short was also portrayed in heavily fictionalized accounts by Lucie Arnaz in the 1975 television film Who Is the Black Dahlia?,[132] and again by Mena Suvari in the series American Horror Story, in 2011 featuring Short in the plot line of the episode "Spooky Little Girl",[133] and again in 2018 with "Return to Murder House".[134]
See also [ edit ]
Notes [ edit ]
^ American Murder, Crime historian Dirk Gibson cited Short's murder as one of the first majorly-publicized murders to "grip" the nation's attention after World War II, while in her work Gini Graham Scott likens the case to the majorly-publicized O.J. Simpson murder trial in the mid-1990s. ^ [5][6][7] Various sources list Short's official birth name simply as "Elizabeth Short," including copies of her registered birth certificate, showing that no middle name was given at birth. ^ [19] The reduction of the legal age of majority, when a person is no longer a juvenile, from the longstanding standard of 21 to the current 18 did not occur in the United States until the 1970s. ^ Short is often referred to or characterized as an aspiring actress, though she had no known acting jobs or credits to her name. ^ American Crime that Short was sighted at the Biltmore on January 9, though a Los Angeles Times article published in 1997 calls into question the validity of this, noting that mention of the Biltmore sighting "cannot be found in heated news accounts of the day, which reported on every conceivable contact anyone had with Short in the so-called'missing week' before her death".[30] Gini Graham Scott states inthat Short was sighted at the Biltmore on January 9, though aarticle published in 1997 calls into question the validity of this, noting that mention of the Biltmore sighting "cannot be found in heated news accounts of the day, which reported on every conceivable contact anyone had with Short in the so-called'missing week' before her death". ^ Severed, John Gilmore writes that Short allegedly plugged her cavities with wax, and this supposed fact was reprinted (albeit with pointed skepticism) in a 1997 Los Angeles Times article.[30] Short's autopsy notes her bottom teeth were in a significant state of decay. In, John Gilmore writes that Short allegedly plugged her cavities with wax, and this supposed fact was reprinted (albeit with pointed skepticism) in a 1997article. ^ Janice Knowlton claims that it was Robert Manley who identified the items as belonging to Short, while Cathy Scott states that it was Hansen. ^ [90] The Cleveland Torso Murders, which occurred between 1934 and 1938 in Cleveland, Ohio, were investigated by Eliot Ness. Some biographers, such as Oscar |
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Galette got his wish, and celebrated after news broke that Norman had signed his contract:
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The most powerful message is the one involving his loyalty to Redskins general manager Scot McCloughan, who gave him his second chance:
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DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BANANA BREAD PROTEIN BARS
makes 16 bars
ingredients:
1 ¼ cups of millet flour
¼ cup almond flour
½ cup chocolate protein powder of your choice (non-whey powder to keep it vegan)
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup powdered peanut butter
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons of vegan butter, melted (or some oil of your choice)
¼ cup Truvia baking blend
2 tablespoons of maple syrup or agave
2 tablespoons of flax seed mixed
4 super ripe bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup almond milk
½ cup (56g) chopped walnuts
½ cup (60g or so?) extra dark chocolate chips
2 tablespoons chia seeds
Don’t mind me…it’s Saturday and I found chocolate in crevices…
Preheat your oven to 350. Either line 2 square cake baking dishes or one jelly roll baking dish with parchment paper or cooking spray. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine your flax seed with 6 tablespoons of water. Whisk it all together for a minute and put the bowl in the fridge for at least 15 minutes or so.
In a large bowl combine the flours, protein powder, cocoa powder, powdered peanut butter, and salt. For the best results, use a sift to make sure everything gets all good and mixed. If you’re not a psycho with a sift, use a whisk to combine the dry ingredients. Just really make sure it’s all mixed well.
In a medium bowl combine the melted butter (or oil), Truvia, and maple syrup (agave). Mix until smooth. Remove the flax/water mixture from the fridge and whisk it a little more. It should be good and thick. Toss it with your wet ingredients and mix well. Now mix in your mashed bananas. Mix mix mix! Add in the vanilla extract and the almond milk. Mix harder, child!
Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients. Stir til smooth. Add in the walnuts and chocolate chips. Stir. Add in the chia seeds. Stir.
If you’re using the 2 square cake pans, split the batter up evenly and spread an even layer in each pan. It should be about ½” thick or so. If you’re using the jelly roll pan, spread all the batter evenly to about ½” thick as well. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool. Cut! Enjoy! Top with ice cream! You’re an adult! An adult who’s maybe gaining weight! Fuck!
NUTRITION per bar
181 calories. 24g carbs. 8g fat. 7g protein. 4g fiber. 9g sugar
Advertisements(CBS) – The Chicago Police Department disagreed with Donald Trump’s suggestion that local authorities recommended he cancel a political rally at the University of Illinois-Chicago Friday evening because of safety concerns.
Trump – facing the embarrassment that mobs of protesters shut down his planned appearance — indicated he spoke to police before making the decision to “postpone” the campaign event at UIC Pavilion.
“After speaking with law enforcement, I just thought it would be a wise thing for us to postpone this rally,” Trump told MSNBC’s Chris Matthews.
Chicago Police say they never talked with Trump, nor did they tell him to pull out.
“The Chicago Police Department had no role,” Chicago Police Interim Supt. John Escalante told reporters at a hastily convened news conference late Friday. “In fact, I can tell you we did assure the Trump campaign that we had more than adequate resources outside the UIC Pavilion and that we guaranteed them we could provide safe access and exit for Mr. Trump.”
Regardless, CBS 2 Safety and Security Analyst Ross Rice says postponing the rally was the right decision.
The estimate is about 35,000 people were in attendance, inside and outside the venue west of Chicago’s Loop. Rice says mixing pro- and anti-Trump factions could definitely create a volatile situation.
Police and protesters clashed outside the UIC Pavilion after the event was cancelled. At least one officer was injured but was expected to be okay.
Mayor Emanuel praised officers for dispersing crowds.
“For all of us who cherish the ideals upon which our country was founded, the hateful, divisive rhetoric that pits Americans against each other demeans our democratic values and diminishes our democratic process. I want to thank the men and women of the Chicago Police Department for their hard work tonight in unexpected circumstances, and their continued commitment to protecting people’s first amendment rights,” Emanuel said in a prepared statement.NHL players posing with puppies is a trend we can easily get behind. Taking a cue from the Washington Capitals, many of the Chicago Blackhawks posed for a puppy calendar recently to raise awareness and funds for a good cause.
The calendar, due out in 2014, will benefit Chicago Loves Pitts, a charity started by Blackhawks forward Bryan Bickell and his wife Amanda. The organization works to promote awareness for pit bulls and works with them to assist abused children.
Bickell posted a few pictures on his Intstagram account recently of the team cuddling some puppies.
CSN Chicago producer Sarah Lauch also grabbed this shot of Captain Serious looking not so serious.
It’s all just flat out adorable.
For more cuteness, watch the 2014 calendar shoot teaser video.
2014 Calendar Shoot Teaser from Bryan & Amanda Bickell on VimeoA double-decker bus on the streets of Auckland. Wellington will soon have its own fully-electric versions (file photo).
The country's first fully-electric double-decker buses will now hit Wellington's streets much sooner than expected, but some say the capital is taking a big risk on the new technology.
Bus company Tranzit, which will begin operating 60 per cent of the Wellington region's commuter bus routes from July next year, said 10 electric double-decker buses will feature among its 234-strong fleet.
Those buses, which will run between the suburbs of Island Bay and Churton Park, will be joined by another 12 in 2021 and a further 10 added to routes in Brooklyn in 2020.
PIERS FULLER/STUFF Tranzit managing director Paul Snelgrove says he is "absolutely adamant" Wellington's fully-electric battery buses won't fail.
The 82-seat double-deckers will be fully charged overnight, topping up their batteries during the day at various charging stations across the network.
READ MORE:
* Tranzit to build 97 purpose buses for Hutt Valley
* Jobs at risk as Tranzit wins Wellington contracts
* Pressure put on NZ Bus to deliver Wrightspeed buses
* Auckland diesels to replace capital's electric trolleys
They will be two metres shorter than Wellington's trolley buses and 1.3 metres shorter than its existing diesel buses, and will be required to negotiate the capital's hilly terrain.
Tranzit managing director Paul Snelgrove was confident the fully-electric battery buses would be up to the task.
"In our business, you've got to be confident, and you've got to produce your promises," he said.
"It's a pretty big undertaking, because the technology is pretty advanced. Wellington has had its issues with electric buses, but we're absolutely adamant we'll have them and if we don't, I'll stand up and take the stick for it."
TRANZIT Tranzit recently won the contract to take over most of Wellington's commuter bus services.
The rest of Tranzit's new fleet will be Euro 6 diesels, which the company said met the highest global emissions standards for non-electric buses.
Since signing the death warrant for Wellington's trolley buses in 2014, Greater Wellington Regional Council has been promising a transition to hybrid diesel-electric buses in 2018 before making the jump to fully-electric battery buses once the emerging technology had been fully proven.
The council has, on several occasions, described jumping straight from diesel to fully-electric battery buses in the short-term as too risky.
MONIQUE FORD/STUFF Greater Wellington Regional Council chairman Chris Laidlaw says the time has come to embrace fully-electric battery bus technology.
Public transport advocate Tony Randle said double-decker buses were "doubly risky" because of the extra weight they would carry on relatively weak roads.
There were very few fully-electric buses overseas, and those that did exist operated mostly in flat cities with wide roads.
"A hilly city with windy roads is the worst place to start off testing electric technology."
ROGER BLAKELEY/SUPPLIED Wellington's promised Wrightspeed electric hybrid bus fleet have been hit by a series of delays.
Investing in fully-electric double-deckers neglected more worthwhile initiatives such as more bus lanes, better signalling systems, and integrated ticketing.
"The one advancement that will happen is the one thing that won't make any difference to getting a better service."
But regional council chairman Chris Laidlaw said fully-electric buses were no longer considered the risk they once were.
MAARTEN HOLL/STUFF Wellington's electric trolley bus fleet will be retired at the end of October.
"We're beyond the stage of'maybe it will [work], maybe it won't'. We're now ready to do it... I'm very pleased about this."
Reducing carbon emissions was a key factor in the council's tender negotiations, and Tranzit had shown it was "deadly serious" about that, Laidlaw said.
"We can expect, and do expect, electric buses on the road next year."
Go Wellington operator NZ Bus is currently fitting a "significant number" of its 1100 buses in Auckland and Wellington with Wrightspeed motors, which operate mostly on rechargeable electric batteries. But this project has been hit by a series of recent delays.
Snelgrove said he was "absolutely adamant" there would be no problems with Tranzit's new buses.
"We've just come back from Europe and Asia to finalise our sourcing of new buses, and the technology we'll be using in these fully-electric buses – rather than hybrids – is proven to be effective and efficient."
The buses will be built by Tauranga-based company Kiwi Bus Builders, with a Chinese railway company providing the motors and Dutch company Heliox supplying the rapid charging technology.
Global company Microvast will provide the batteries.Fox News senior judicial analyst Andrew Napolitano stopped by Fox & Friends Tuesday morning to discuss his new book, Theodore and Woodrow. The two former presidents could not dislike one another more, Napolitano told Gretchen Carlson, but they did have one thing in common: The idea that the Constitution was not the supreme law of the land but, rather, a guideline. As they saw it, once a president is in the White House, he can “do almost anything he wanted,” and “certainly the federal government could right any wrong and enact any regulation and tax any event that it wanted.”
“Sound familiar?” Napolitano asked.
This was the beginning, he added, of the “era in which the federal government would have a personal relationship with individuals, in which businesses would be bailed out and individuals would receive welfare from the federal government.” In return, he said, this created a dependency on the government so that people would vote for progressives who would give them “a bigger piece of the pie.”
“It’s so timely,” said Carlson. “Because many people argue that that is the era we live in now.”
Have a look, via Fox News:
Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.comCountry music star Vince Gill confronted members of the controversial Westboro Baptist Church who were protesting outside his show in Kansas City, Missouri, on Sunday, after they quizzed him about his marriage to Amy Grant.
One of the religious activists captured footage of the singer/songwriter walking among the church members on their camera phone and asked Gill, “What in the world are you doing out here?”
Gill fired back, “I came out to see what hate looks like.”
The protester then asked, “What are you doing with another man’s wife? Don’t you know that divorce plus remarriage equals adultery?” – referring to the fact Grant and Gill were both married before they married.
Gill stopped and checked out the placards the activists were carrying and said, “You f— are lucky that you don’t have a sign that says something about my wife…”
And when he was asked for his opinion on what Jesus Christ says about adultery, the singer shot back, “He said a lot of stuff about forgiveness and grace; you guys don’t have any of that.”
He then approached one man carrying a clutch of religious-themed billboards and said, “You’re a big dips—, you know that don’t you?'”
The footage of the angry encounter has since been posted on YouTube.com.
WBC activists are often seen protesting and preaching the word of the Bible outside gigs and movie events, and they have also picketed outside military funerals and memorials for gays and lesbians.
Note: Video has contains some naughty words:Here we go! I Wnna Be the Guy: Gaiden is ready for public consumption. Things might be a bit buggy at first, but a few revisions later and things should be all smoothed out. I’m sure you’ll all live though. The bugginess is sometimes part of the charm for the IWBTG experience, right?
So what is Gaiden? Gaiden is an episodic side story following The Lad in his search for The Kid/Guy. Why does The Lad seek The Kid? Who cares — it’s a 3 stage episodic bite of new IWBTG action. What about the future of Gaiden? Hard to say. Brave Earth is going to steal my attention until it’s done, so don’t expect more any time soon, but I surely will add more content at some point. How big will that content be? How many episodes will their be? Who cares, I’m playing it by ear.
So what’s working, what’s not working and whatever?
We have…
*New stage based gameplay
*3 Stages
*Configurable Controls with Gamepad support
*Trophies (also supported through Gamejolt)
*Time Trial Leaderboards(Only through Gamejolt)
*A new button! Z to jump, X to shoot and X to BIIIONIC AAAARM
*Probably won’t crash!
What isn’t done?
*No fullscreen or resolution support.
*Probably needs a lot of optimization
*Probably has lots of bugs
*People wanna be able to fuck with people like I fucked with Floe. I might be able to come up with a way to do that in the future.
*Graphical options are basic. Sound options seem to be a little flighty.
*Some interface/menu stuff is kinda groudy and needs modification.
*Might still crash! (but unlike with MMF2, there is more I can do about it this time around.)
So if you have any problems, bare with me.
DOWNLOAD
Also I’d recommend getting a Gamejolt account so you can share your trophies and times with other players! Sign-in is inside the trophy menu.If you were an Ohioan back in the early ’80s, you might remember “New York’s the Big Apple, but Cleveland’s a Plum,” an ad campaign to rebrand the failing Rust Belt town. Though it never stuck, today’s Cleveland is earning laurels for its homegrown talent, like Iron Chef Michael Symon, along with farm-to-table eateries, award-winning craft breweries and cool art spaces. Here’s where to find them.
OHIO CITY
The West Side’s Ohio City was a blighted place when Great Lakes Brewing Company opened a microbrewery and pub there in 1988. Its success spurred all sorts of improvements, from repaving Market Avenue with quaint cobblestones to renovating the landmark 1912 West Side Market. The neoclassical building, with its distinctive clock tower, houses 100-plus vendors; many reflect Cleveland’s Eastern European heritage, so expect lots of sausage and strudel. But don’t skip the BBQ Ohio pork steamed buns ($3 each) at the Noodlecat stand.
The surrounding blocks are known as the Market District; here you’ll find two of the city’s foremost farm-to-table restaurants, the Flying Fig and Crop Bistro & Bar, plus Food Network’s “Cupcake Wars” winner Bonbon Pastry & Cafe and two newer brewpubs, Market Garden Brewery and Distillery and Nano Brew Cleveland. (A fourth Slovenian-style brewery/pub project recently broke ground.) Among the smattering of galleries in the area, a pioneer is the Glass Bubble Project — a workshop/gallery dedicated to the art of blown glass. Pop in to see a demonstration, peruse the delicate wares and meet the resident chicken, Monty.
Walk north about 10 minutes to another up-and-coming part of Ohio City, thanks to the Transformer Station, a 1924 railway substation recently converted into an airy 3,500-square-foot contemporary art gallery. Across the street, fuel up with some java at Rising Star Coffee, set in an old firehouse. This small-batch roaster favors the pour-over method — be patient, it’s worth it.
TREMONT
Ohio City’s sister neighborhood is dominated by the iconic St. Theodosius Russian Orthodox Cathedral — you might recognize the ornate, spired church from the wedding sequence in “The Deer Hunter.” But Tremont’s true religion is food: There’s Michael Symon’s Lolita; from Rocco Whalen, Fahrenheit; and Dante, from Robert De Niro’s onetime personal chef Dante Boccuzzi. For breakfast or lunch, try Lucky’s Cafe, which harvests many ingredients from its next-door garden; other products are sourced from local farmers. A couple doors down is Lilly Handmade Chocolates, with gorgeous artisanal truffles like PB Monster, a gourmet take on the peanut butter cup; pair your sweets with a selection of wine and craft beers.
UNIVERSITY CIRCLE
This square-mile East Side hood is where you’ll find many of Cleveland’s top cultural attractions, including Severance Hall (home to the esteemed Cleveland Orchestra) and the venerable Cleveland Museum of Art — inside which is Provenance, a resto/cafe whose menu takes inspiration from the CMA’s current exhibition. The buzziest of the city’s eateries, set inside a historic carriage house, is L’Albatros. You’ll find plenty to enjoy on Zachary Bruell’s brasserie-style menu, but be sure to save room for the absolutely unskippable and ever-changing cheese board. After dinner, it’s just a couple minutes’ walk to the Glidden House, your best bet for a boutique stay (from $139). Mornings, line up for cappuccino and tasty pastries (and the best sfogliatelle outside of Italy) at Presti’s, in the nearby Little Italy neighborhood.TEHRAN, Iran — Six years after the outbreak of civil war in Syria, the eastern part of the country has become a critical hotspot that could determine the balance of power between the various domestic and international forces involved.
While the United States is becoming increasingly assertive in keeping the Syrian army and its allied forces away from the Iraqi border, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s main allies, namely Iran and Russia, have started to redefine their strategies to preserve their vital interests in the war-torn country.
The United States' shooting down of a Syrian fighter jet on June 18 was regarded as an indicator of elevated US military activism in Syria in support of its partners. In fact, it was a new peak of direct confrontation between the United States and the Syrian government that had started weeks earlier, when American forces declared it a "red line" if pro-Assad forces were to approach the southeastern al-Tanf region, which hosts a base of the US-led coalition.
Reacting to the shooting down of the Syrian aircraft, Russia drew its own red line, with the Defense Ministry declaring that “any airborne objects found west of the Euphrates River” would be considered targets.
However, this is not the whole picture, as eastern Syria has become the focal point for Iran, too. The very fact that Iran on June 18 chose Deir ez-Zor as the target of its first missile strike against Islamic State (IS) positions signaled the significance of the region in Iran’s strategic calculations.
Mindful of these developments, the question now is why the situation in eastern Syria has suddenly become so fragile, and what consequences this could have for the future of Syria.
It could be argued that the new phase of US military involvement in Syria has been triggered by growing concerns over the persistent military successes of the Syrian army and its allied forces during the past year, and particularly after their recapture of East Aleppo. It appears that the United States and its allies were hopeful that Aleppo would be the peak of Assad’s military achievements, after which he would enter talks with the rebels to jointly determine the status of other parts of the country.
Those hopes turned out to be false. Just in the past month, for example, the Syrian army not only advanced toward the areas held by US-backed rebels at the border with Jordan and Iraq, but also started to march toward Raqqa from the west. This potentially puts in danger the fate of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) after the recapture of Raqqa from IS. Therefore, the United States has seemingly come to the conclusion that there won’t be a military solution in line with its interests in Syria — as the rebels are losing more ground — and that it’s not even possible to freeze the situation as it was right after the Syrian government’s recapture of East Aleppo.
In these circumstances, the only possible and logical option for the United States and its allies is to reinforce their current positions inside Syria and to concentrate on the areas that have the most potential to be successfully retaken by American-backed forces. In this vein, the United States is more vigorously trying to keep pro-Assad and pro-Iran forces away from al-Tanf and is also eager to accelerate SDF operations in Raqqa. Thus, the United States is now concentrating on its core interests in Syria: containing Iran’s influence; preserving a minimum level of balance of power between different forces; and, at the top of the list, safeguarding Israel’s security by preventing Syrian army advances further southward.
As such, the abovementioned developments mean that the United States has already started to delineate its “zones of influence” inside Syria. In turn, Assad’s allies, namely Iran and Russia, have reacted by concentrating more on their own core interests. For Iran, the most important aim is to preserve its access to Lebanon through Syria, which is why it has shifted its concentration to eastern Syria. Iran has already taken the first steps in this regard as the Popular Mobilization Units, a pro-Iranian Iraqi force, reached Iraq’s border with Syria on May 30, and as Syrian forces seized control of an eastern area bordering Iraq on June 9.
However, Russia, as another main ally of the Syrian government, presents a rather different story. Moscow’s most vital interest in Syria — guaranteeing access to the Mediterranean Sea by safeguarding its military bases in western Syria — is already preserved. Nonetheless, as a world power, the broader situation in Syria is also important for the Russians in terms of preserving their international prestige. This means not abandoning an ally right after a geopolitical achievement.
For a long time, Russia tried to fulfill this part of its aims by militarily supporting Assad’s government and, at the same time, actively calling for a political solution to end the war. Moscow has not wanted its involvement in Syria to exceed a certain point. However, after the recent moves by the United States and its allies in directly clashing with Syrian forces, Moscow is in fact being pushed into more active involvement in the country.
Thus, with these converging courses of action, Russia and Iran are expected to increase their cooperation with Assad to help him retake the eastern parts of the country, thereby preventing a drastic shift in the balance of power in favor of the United States. Should they manage to retake more IS-held areas in eastern Syria, they may even extend the scope of the “de-escalation zones” to the east, so they can consolidate their gains in other areas. The latter is a plausible scenario, since Turkey, as the third pillar of the de-escalation zones agreement, is growing more and more outraged by the increased US support for Syrian Kurds.
Syria has effectively been divided into different zones of influence between the two main power constellations involved in the country. The outcome of this is clear: The process of reaching a political solution will become more complicated, at least when it comes to a solution that could preserve Syria’s territorial integrity. At the same time, there is also a risk of direct clashes between the United States and its forces on the one side, and Iran and Russia on the other.A guest post by Pierce Salguero
I am not a scholar of Buddhist meditation. My own research has only touched on meditation insofar as it was claimed to have therapeutic benefits in a handful of texts in premodern Asia. But, as a long-time on-again/off-again practitioner myself, I have been following the rise of meditation in American popular consciousness over the past 15 years with interest. More recently, I have also begun following the critiques of meditation that have circulated in scholarly and practitioner communities, which some observers have begun to characterize as a “backlash.” This post is a roundup of such critiques.
I do not claim that the list below is comprehensive, that the examples I’ve chosen are particularly influential, or that my insights are particularly original. Other people have rounded up critiques of meditation before me, including in this great (though absurdly expensive) book that goes into great depth. This post is simply my way of making sense of the critical perspectives that most interest me, from my own personal vantage point as a scholar and practitioner.
The internal Buddhist critique
Some of the most salient critiques of contemporary meditation (and of mindfulness meditation in particular) have come from within the Buddhist fold. There are multiple specific objections that belong to this category, including (but not limited to):
This latter point, which is the least commonly articulated of the three, at least in English-language popular media, is the one that connects best with my research. I have found little evidence of mass interest in meditation in my readings of historical Buddhist texts on health and wellbeing. And, from what I can tell from my formal and informal ethnographic studies in contemporary East Asia, Thailand, and Asian-American Buddhist temples in the US, it is not the dominant feature of contemporary Buddhist practice either. In fact, I think it’s now uncontroversial to acknowledge that before widespread lay involvement in meditation began in 19th-century Burma as a product of colonial-era reforms and sensibilities, and still today in most parts of the world, very few lay Buddhists have ever meditated.
The exaggerated claims critique
Another widely accepted critique of meditation is that the therapeutic claims made about its efficacy have been wildly exaggerated. Serious studies of meditation (e.g., Goyal et al., 2014) and of MBSR in particular (e.g., de Vibe et al. 2012) have tended to be rather cautious in reporting the benefits of these practices. This contrasts markedly with the piles of URLs from the popular media filled with breathless hyperbole hyping mindfulness as a cure for this or that ailment—or even as a super-power.
… Or at least, that was the state of things a year or two ago. Somewhere in late 2015 or early 2016, the tides seem to have begun turning, and critiquing mindfulness itself has now become mainstream. Questioning the overblown claims about meditation is now the favorite passtime of the very same popular media outlets that previously had been peddling the myth of mindfulness-as-panacea (e.g., Psychology Today, Inc. magazine, Newser, etc.). It seems that perhaps the stress-busting juggernaut has begun moving on to greener pastures. (What’s next, you ask? I’ve got my money on drumming for stress relief.)
The capitalist/neoliberal critique
This critique has been around for quite some time, but has recently gained more traction. The idea, in a nutshell, is that meditation rhetoric places the onus on the individual to manage their own stress. Attention is thus moved away from addressing structural problems that cause the stress in the first place (for example, exploitative corporate labor practices, hostile work environments, economic precarity, etc.). And, of course, the individual is encouraged to pay for products, apps, and workshops to learn to destress, which further benefits corporate interests at our expense.
I believe the first person to suggest that meditation is a tool for the production of acquiescent capitalist subjects was Slavoj Žižek in his article, “From Western Marxism to Western Buddhism,” 16 years ago. Ron Purser & David R. Loy’s 2013 article popularized the label “McMindfulness” for the phenomenon of corporatized mindfulness, and was helpful in pushing this critique into the mainstream. Outside of mainstream media, this line of argumentation has continued to be developed in increasingly sophisticated ways by Marxists and critical theorists, among whom Tom Pepper and others at the Speculative Non-Buddhism website have been the most vocal (and, at times, bombastic). Although these blogs (and especially their comment sections) are sometimes difficult to wade through, they collectively articulate a sharp and trenchant criticism of 21st-century meditation that I think should be required reading for any serious practitioner today.
The race/identity critique
Another objection that has been circulating widely of late might be summarized as the “whiteness of meditation critique.” Several people, including myself, wrote about this when TIME magazine’s infamous 2014 magazine cover was released. White-washing certainly is not limited to popular representations of meditation: a number of pointed articles have appeared in the past year or so highlighting the systematic erasure of Asian Americans and other Buddhists of color by the mainstream media. These outlets tend to hold up Caucasian practitioners as the mainstream face of American Buddhism, while fetishizing Asian teachers and culture (Žižek again), and overlooking Asian Americans and other non-white Americans entirely. Some highlights of this particular genre include articles by Wakoh Shannon Hickey, Chenxing Han, Funie Hsu, Ajahn Amaro, and the Buddhist Peace Fellowship.
The committed skeptic’s critique
The final type of critique I will raise here is one that the critic of modern Buddhism Glenn Wallis has called the “principle of sufficient Buddhism” (see his Speculative Non-Buddhism website), and which has also come up in different guises in other places as well (e.g., Dharma Overground and the Imperfect Buddha podcast). Applied to meditation, this critique might take the following form:
Buddhist doctrine and mindfulness hype both tell us that by doing meditation, we gain greater insight into reality “as it is,” but what if those changes in perception are just the product of changes in the mind or the brain that are in themselves inherently meaningless? Even if we stipulate that meditation reliably leads to changes in our perceptions of the world, how do we know that these perceptions are more true or more accurate than those we had before? Or, worse, what if meditation functions like some form of self-hypnosis that results in a further distorted view of reality. How would a committed skeptic be able to tell the difference?
Then why meditate?
Wallis’s point, as I understand it, is that Buddhism can’t answer these questions without making circular arguments that rest on Buddhist doctrine.
At the end of the day, many of us (myself included) intuitively feel that meditation practice has beneficial effects on our lives. But, how to speak of these benefits in light of the above critiques? Filtering our responses to the question “Why meditate?” through these critiques seems to eliminate all of the most popular reasons to meditate. Saying “meditation helps me to relive the stress in my life” becomes inadmissible in light of the capitalist subject critique; “it is the very heart of the Buddha’s teachings” becomes inadmissible in light of the historical critique; “it helps me to experience the present moment as-it-is” becomes inadmissible in light of the sufficiency critique; and so forth.
So, from this perspective, what is left to recommend the practice of meditation? If we extend Wallis’s sufficiency critique further, I think it also prevents us from boiling meditation down to any other single explanatory paradigm (appealing to the sufficiency of neurological states, for example, or of the placebo effect). In my view, the only answers that seem to remain relevant are personal, experiential, modest, even mundane.
Is it enough that meditation merely helps me to fall asleep, or that it makes unpleasant physical experiences a bit more tolerable, or that it makes me a little more patient with my kids? Or do we need more? What do you think: can you articulate why you meditate without falling into one of the traps outlined above?Must we age?
A long life in a healthy, vigorous, youthful body has always been one of humanity's greatest dreams. Recent progress in genetic manipulations and calorie-restricted diets in laboratory animals hold forth the promise that someday science will enable us to exert total control over our own biological aging.
Nearly all scientists who study the biology of aging agree that we will someday be able to substantially slow down the aging process, extending our productive, youthful lives. Dr. Aubrey de Grey is perhaps the most bullish of all such researchers. As has been reported in media outlets ranging from 60 Minutes to The New York Times, Dr. de Grey believes that the key biomedical technology required to eliminate aging-derived debilitation and death entirely - technology that would not only slow but periodically reverse age-related physiological decay, leaving us biologically young into an indefinite future - is now within reach.
In Ending Aging, Dr. de Grey and his research assistant Michael Rae describe the details of this biotechnology. They explain that the aging of the human body, just like the aging of man-made machines, results from an accumulation of various types of damage. As with man-made machines, this damage can periodically be repaired, leading to indefinite extension of the machine's fully functional lifetime, just as is routinely done with classic cars. We already know what types of damage accumulate in the human body, and we are moving rapidly toward the comprehensive development of technologies to remove that damage.
By demystifying aging and its postponement for the non-specialist listener, de Grey and Rae systematically dismantle the fatalist presumption that aging will forever defeat the efforts of medical science.BURNED-OVER DISTRICT, NY–Once upon a time in America, schoolchildren celebrated a lovely little holiday called Arbor Day. The young scholars would sing songs about Johnny Appleseed, recite Joyce Kilmer into the ground, learn the difference between an oak and a maple, and bundle up against the spring chill to go outside and plant an actual tree. The planting, like Arbor Day itself, was both symbolic and practical, and a nice lesson in the ways |
City" would be a category for environmentally-minded projects now ranked under energy and industry, according to the paper.
The question within Siemens now is evidently how to reconcile its nuclear interests with the desire to profile itself as "green." Since Fukushima, all possibilities are on the table, according to the Süddeutsche Zeitung -- including a complete divestment from nuclear power.
The paper wouldn't name its sources, and Siemens has made no official comment. Abandoning the venture with Rosatom, however, would mean forfeiting "sizable revenue," according to a May 26 report by WirtschaftsWoche.
Sentiment in Germany has moved sharply against nuclear power in the last few weeks. Chancellor Angela Merkel was so worried about political fallout from the Fukushima disaster that she called for a sudden temporary shutdown of seven of the country's oldest nuclear plants. The move was considered a bid for votes in imminent state elections, but in that regard it may have failed. Her Christian Democrats lost heavily last week in Baden-Württemberg, and voters gave the Green Party an unprecedented boost.According to the 2015 Future of Open Source Survey, around 78% of all companies run on open source. Moreover, only less than 3% of companies do not take advantage of open source in any possible way. Why?
The first obvious answer is, of course, the cost. Open source is free, thus the company can significantly cut the expenses and time on making necessary tools or parts of the product from the ground. And the less money you spend on your product, the lower is its end price. This gets even more critical for startups that are constantly aimed to cut expenses and often forced to pivot the product in case it wasn’t as successful as expected. However, many more advantages stimulate companies to switch to open source every year. Let’s list the top 6 of them.
#6. Community
Behind any great open source software there’s a huge and tight community aimed to make it even more popular, reliable and flexible. And when a lot of people unite to make a particular product, something really great happens — the synergy.
Community developers love what they do and are motivated by peer recognition, which in turn guarantees the high quality of their work and aspiration for the best possible effectiveness, simplicity and maintainability of the product. That is why the open source tools are often extremely functional, reliable and secure, and any bugs found are often fixed typically within hours.
The presence of a great community behind a product is a great factor on its own when considering switching from the proprietary software. However, you can also take additional advantage of it and hire specific specialists from that community if you need to adapt the open source solution to specific business needs or simply need a pro for consultations and advice.
#5. Legal freedom
When using open source software you can usually dive deep into the code of the product you’re using and change it however you want. That means that you can also tweak such software for your own specific needs, fork it in case you see it should be done in another way and modify it endlessly for free. But the most important advantage of all these possibilities is that it is allowed to do all of that by the open source licenses.
The proprietary tools, on the contrary, may have additional limitations on its use, which means that you might need to dive deep into user agreements and privacy policy to be sure that everything you do with such products is allowed.
#4. Speed
Thanks to the wide variety of tools, plug-ins, modules and simply pieces of code available over the Internet you can solve different tasks in no time. Just imagine a few cases:
You have a small technical problem, which can be addressed by adding a specific module to your software system. You may either spend 10 hours to write it from scratch, or 10 minutes to download, test and set up the open source tool that perfectly fits your needs. That’s the situation that appears pretty often in the companies.
You need to select a new software for your new project. Not only you must check if every option has the functionality required, but also be sure that the management will approve this decision and be ready to pay for it, which can take weeks, if not months. In case of open source you will quickly make the decision for yourself, because you do not depend on the company’s money.
You want to make use of the given tool to solve a specific problem, but you’re not sure what’s the best way to do it. In case of open source software you can either read the documentation, which is often described very thoroughly, or ask the community of developers for advice and be sure for a quick reply. With proprietary software you might get into trouble with both of these approaches.
You found a bug in the tool you decided to use for making your own product. In case of open source software you can fix it on your own or at least file a bug report. Thanks to the highly active community you can get your bug fixed within hours, while in case of proprietary software it may take days if not weeks, depending on the flexibility of the company.
#3. Paid Support
Although open source software often comes with piles of documentation, wiki sites, newsgroups and an active community, you may still want to be rest assured that using it will be as smooth as possible. This is where paid support will do the job for you. In comparison to the proprietary tools, the open source software support is surprisingly more responsive since this is usually the only way to monetize open source business, and often cheaper.
Again, the paid support will also fix the bugs more quickly, help you address your specific problems and in general indicates that the company is serious about the quality of the open source software they are ready to support and maintain.
#2. Superiority
When a limited number of developers create a proprietary software, they are forced to be limited by so many things: by budget, by features, by time. In case of open source the really great software aims for great quality at first, but even after the release it gets quickly updated and expanded with numerous plugins and modules that users do not simply wait for, but create for their own needs and then share with the community.
Another side of the open source software is that it is compatible with the proprietary standards. For instance, to be more appealing for a potential user, most open source document tools can open the Microsoft Office documents. On the contrary, the proprietary tools are not likely to support open source formats correctly unless they have become extremely popular due to some reasons.
We in RubyGarage also appreciate open source tools for the high quality of it code, which allows us to easily adapt it for our business needs. In addition, such products evolve very quickly, and if you think a particular tool lacks something, most probably someone has already made or at least currently working on a plugin to add the desired functionality.
So when it comes to selecting software for a big enterprise, of course you want to minimize the risks of switching to other software by taking the option offering more functionality and flexibility. And in case the open source solution of your choice doesn't have what you need, you can always make it (or pay for its creation) by yourself!
#1. Security
It may seem controversial that the open source software is more reliable due to its public availability. However, it is the open source approach that significantly increases the number of people checking the software for bugs and quickly fixing them.
Simply put, the more eyes are looking at code, the more bugs will be found and fixed in a stated period of time. Just think about it: the fact that the software has a strong community around it, which is interested to make it better and believes in its future potential, is a great security indicator on its own.
And what about proprietary software? The main problem is that we don’t know. We don’t know how many bugs there are, if they will be fixed and when, how many people are working on that and how much attention they pay to looking for bugs. We can only rely on the company’s reputation, which now gets a pretty unpredictable thing in a long-term period.
Don’t get us wrong: we’re not saying that the open source software is always more secure. But most of the successful open source tools are indeed protected well, just check the info on the product you want to use to be perfectly sure. Yet to be safe it is always recommended to follow news and update such software as often and quickly as possible to keep it up-to-date and thus protected.
So why open source is still not everywhere? Traditionally, due to the fact that open source software companies revenue exclusively from support and maintenance, they usually do not have money to compete with proprietary software creators in terms of marketing. And thus, the richer companies usually win the battle for the potential user. But that is never an indicator that their products are better.
We agitate to use open source software because this is how we work. We take advantage of open source tools and our experience shows that this approach is extremely reliable and brings a lot of advantages to the way we do our business.
However, that doesn’t mean we'd like everybody to use the open source software exclusively. Other ways exist, for instance, a common case for many companies is a mixed use of both the open source and proprietary software. This is the way Facebook and Google follow, for instance.
So when considering the software to use, be wise and make your own and thought-through decisions.Looking for a new phone? The LG G4 is currently being discounted to $499.99 with free shipping on eBay. This price proves to be one hell of a deal, considering the device is relatively new to the market.
This happens to be the European H815 LG G4, but you can rest assured it will work nicely with the two main US carriers. It supports the following bands:
2G: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G: HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
4G: LTE 700 / 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700 (AWS) / 1800 / 1900 / 2100 / 2600 (Bands, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 17, 20, 28)
In short: this version of the LG G4 does support HSPA and LTE bands in both AT&T and T-Mobile networks.
The real concern here is that the phone is being discounted so quickly. What is going on with LG’s flagship smartphone? We are not seeing any Samsung Galaxy S6 discounts, that’s for sure. It’s clear this is because Sammy’s device still has very high demand. Meanwhile, LG is struggling to sell many units, forcing the company’s Q2 forecasts to be lowered.
It doesn’t really matter how amazing a smartphone is (read our LG G4 review to learn all about this device), or how many Guinness world records it breaks, marketing and popularity keep most manufacturers in the shadows. It seems even big players like LG are affected by this phenomena, which is quite sad for us Android fans who are all for variety and availability of options.
Regardless, this deal is one you should definitely consider. This Android handset is blessed by a gorgeous 5.5-inch QHD display, Android 5.1, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor, 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB of internal storage, and a pair of cameras that are among the best in their category. It’s one hell of a smartphone.
If you are looking for a great phone and don’t want to spend an extra $100, at least consider this deal. And you should hurry if you are interested, as we don’t know how long this offer will last. Are any of you signing up?Both globally and within most nations, the patterns of consumption required to sustain existing social arrangements are inconsistent with the distribution of the fruits of production. Social and economic stability, therefore, depend upon redistribution for which there is no overt legal framework or political consensus. To square this circle, the financial and government sectors have evolved means of hiding redistribution in complex, continually improvised arrangements. Unsurprisingly, massive wealth distributions arranged in this way leave much to be desired, in terms of straight corruption (the financial and government sectors redistribute a lot of wealth to themselves), justice (e.g. wealth is redistributed to those who happen to speculate early in bubbles), and sustainability (the illusion of value behind the claims of those from whom wealth is taken may prove fragile, but “loss realizations” are socially disruptive if they are not carefully paced and allocated).
Neither financial nor political reform can succeed unless we overcome the social and economic contradictions we have relied upon the financial sector to literally paper over. Off-balance-sheet liabilities that hide the impairment of savers’ claims, whether in subprime mortgage-backed securities or sovereign entitlement programs are not aberrations. They are essential tools in the arsenal of social stability, the economic equivalent of military “black-ops”, things that must be done but must always be denied in order to protect the American (and European, and Chinese) way of life. Unless we define overt arrangements that overcome the contradictions between the organization of production and socially desirable patterns of consumption, each scandal and reform will necessarily be followed by some new technique or trick that delivers, however unjustly or corruptly, the wealth transfers upon which our societies depend. Our choices are to overtly align the fruits of production with patterns of consumption, to continue to employ accounting fictions and magic to pretend away the contradictions, or to undergo some form of collapse.The giants of Silicon Valley — Google, Twitter, Facebook and Yahoo — report that three to four percent of their workforce is black or Hispanic, and men outnumber women by more than two to one.
But now, tech companies are investing hundreds of millions of dollars to address the racial and gender imbalance. All Star Code, a nonprofit in New York partnering with Google, is training a new generation of software coders by providing young men of color with mentors, industry exposure and intensive training in computer science.
In an interview with PBS NewsHour Weekend, Marcus Mitchell, Senior Engineering Director at Google and adviser to All Star Code, says it’s part of the company’s aim to close the opportunity gap between young men of color and the tech industry.
This Q&A has been edited for space and clarity.
KARLA MURTHY: How did you get interested in the tech field?
MARCUS MITCHELL, Senior Engineering Director at Google: I got interested in college. I started college thinking that I wanted to be a physics major. But I took a course on artificial intelligence, and I took that course at the same time that I took a course on linguistics.
The combination of the two — the prospect of trying to figure out ways to get computers to do interesting things that you usually associate with only humans and human intelligence, that was really interesting to me.
KM: How would you describe the amount of diversity you’ve personally seen in the tech industry over the years?
MM: In the areas where I’ve worked, you see few women, few Hispanics, few blacks. This was true when I was in graduate school at Cal Tech. This was true when I was working at a tiny startup. This was true when I was working at a medium-sized startup. And it’s true working at Google as a big company.
One of the things that’s nice now is that there’s a lot more data and people are starting to get comfortable talking about it, so you can have a little more of a conversation about where you want to change things. But we have a long way to go.
As somebody who’s worked at a range of company sizes, you know, one of the biggest things that we think about and care about is talent and how you get more of it and how you motivate people, how you inspire them to work on hard problems and to be more productive.
And so I think, to me, the driving interest is in getting more, digging deeper into the talent pool that’s out there. For groups that are underrepresented in technology, I view those groups as places where I can find more talent that’s not being used.
KM: So do you see it more as a pipeline problem, that we’re not bringing in enough people, or not looking at where the candidates could possibly come from?
MM: It’s too simplistic to think of it as just a pipeline problem, and a lot of the press focuses on that aspect. There is partially a pipeline problem.
There’s also questions of how you retain folks in the workplace, how you make sure that you have a fair and inclusive workplace, so that people feel comfortable. Some of the kinds of work on looking at high performing teams at Google has shown that one of the number one characteristics of a high performing team is that the team members feel comfortable and safe, and they’re able to trust the people around them. They’re able to feel like they can be themselves.
And so that’s something that really benefits everybody when you can create an environment like that. So it’s not just a pipeline problem, although increasing the size of the pipeline is an important part of what we need to do.
KM: What has it been like for you personally as a black man in this industry?
MM: It’s been a lot of luck and support by key people, starting with my parents, both retired now. My dad was an architect, my mom was a scientist for the Food and Drug Administration, so I was kind of in an environment that really encouraged thinking about math and science.
But I’ve just had enough experience with it that I’m used to it, used to being, let’s say, the only black person or one of the few black people in a certain environment, and at Google.
And, you know, it’s something that you can adapt to, like so many other situations. I’ve adapted.
KM: A company like Google has been hugely successful and innovative, up to this point at least, without being very diverse. How do you explain that?
MM: Well, I mean this is where I think my personal take and motivations on this maybe diverge from some of the standard narrative. So I’m interested in the research that says that diverse teams perform better.
And I think that it’s an important pillar of what companies like Google and other companies should be thinking about. But, like I said before, I’m interested in finding talent and channeling it into areas that I’m interested in that either wouldn’t ordinarily be found or might go into other other places. That’s the key thing.
So we look at a company like Google that’s been very successful without being diverse. And why? Because it’s had a number of very talented people who were in the right place at the right time and had the right combination of preparation and creativity that they brought to the table with the opportunities that were afforded them, and they were able to do incredible things.
And so my take is we can have even more of that. We’re missing out on opportunities by having this industry be less accessible to women and folks from under represented groups.
KM: How important is it for you to be a role model for students like the ones at All Star Code?
MM: It’s very important to be a role model. And this is something that you know, my thinking on this has evolved over time. Like a lot of things, you know, you have different approach when you’re in your 20s versus when you’re in your 40s.
I think, you know, I was more self centered frankly, when I was younger, and probably less introspective about the role that folks like my parents or other role models had played in my own life. And that’s something that I feel like I’ve thought more about lately.
So one of the reasons why I get involved with groups like All Star Code and other groups is because it can have a big impact on young people to see folks who look like them, who have some similarities in background to them but who are able to be successful in areas that they might have thought were less accessible to them.
KM: The students there now are working on problems surrounded by their peers and people who look like them. What’s going happen when they come to a place like this and they’re not going to be surrounded by people who look like them?
MM: To some degree, they’re going to have to get used to that, because that’s the reality of the technology industry and the kinds of jobs that they want to go into. One of the things that we do is maintain connections between the students. So for example, after last year’s summer intensive, a number of the All Star Code students got together on their own to organize a Hack-a-thon.
And so that was a result of the connections that were forged in the context of the program. With any luck, that kind of connection will continue so that, even if you have a group of 20 students or 40 students that end up getting dispersed to different colleges, different companies.
The idea that there are strong connections between them as a result of the program, and that they can form a little support network, that’s a pretty powerful concept.
KM: And what can companies like Google do to help build those relationships?
MM: I think the biggest thing that companies like Google can do, other than being increasingly transparent about statistics, is give money, encourage folks to volunteer, and give time.
My management is very supportive of the time that I might give to All Star Code. And there are many people like that around the office. Like, I would consider myself to be middling on the spectrum of the level of passion and commitment and time commitment to other organizations.
There are many people at Google — of all races, gender, background — who are really interested in contributing their time and working with the different groups. So that’s probably one of the most powerful things that Google and other companies can do — be encouraging of your employee base to follow their own instincts and passions in helping in these areas.
KM: If you could give one piece of advice to some of those students at All Star Code, and I’m sure you actually do this anyway, what do you tell them?
MM: I tell them, “Always try to do the hardest thing that you can find.” It’s stolen from something that Marissa Mayer, who used to be at Google and is now at Yahoo, has talked about.
If you ever have a choice between two paths, then you want to think about the one that’s harder — the one that represents a little more risk, a little more potential learning opportunity.
When you are in high school, or in college, the decisions that you make can seem really monumental. Like, you know, this summer internship, this is a huge decision in my life. What am I going to do? Or this first job. But, when you look back on that, you realize that, those are the times that you can take more risk.
And so what I really encourage the students to do is, don’t be afraid of taking a hard path or a risky path, because those pathways provide the greatest learning opportunities and, I think, the best foundation for great success.It's an hour before tipoff, and old man Jason Richardson is sitting by his locker in the visitors dressing room at the Verizon Center. The Sixers guard sat out the previous two games with swelling in his left knee -- the same one that caused him to miss all of last season and most of this one -- but he'll be back in the lineup for game No. 76 against Washington.
Richardson is a 14-year veteran on his fifth NBA team. He's been a part of losing organizations before. There was one -- he wouldn't indicate which -- where players started talking about offseason plans two games after the All-Star break.
The Sixers are different, he said.
“Other situations we was looking forward to going home,” said Richardson, whose four-year, $25 million contract expires this summer. “Whereas in this team, [we're] trying to build something for the future and finish on a positive note. I don't think there's one guy up in here I have heard saying anything about summer vacation.”
Richardson is a decade older than his teammates -- they gave him adult diapers for his 34th birthday -- but they too are fighting for roster spots. Playing well and saying the right things is a ticket to their next NBA contract. To them, everything is on the line in these final few games.
To the organization, though, this final stretch has a different kind of significance. One that has nothing to do with wins, and everything to do with player development, information collection -- and if you're a cynic, pingpong balls.
***
The Sixers got jumped on Wednesday night by the Wizards, as coach Brett Brown put it. They fell behind by double-digits early, trailing by as many as 34 points in a closer-than-it-looked 106-93 loss.
“We knew this was going to be the landscape, but it's still hard to navigate, still hard to correct it, and I think that it starts with our defense,” Brown said. “But that was the environment we came into.”
It's also the environment that management created. Not just by sitting out free agency, drafting injured big men and trading the present for the future, but also by putting current players in unfamiliar situations. The post-trade deadline Sixers are a trial in GM Sam Hinkie's multiyear experiment. Starting lineups and rotations are unpredictable. One game, Furkan Aldemir is relegated to garbage time. The next, he's a full-time starter.
TrueHoop Presents: TrueCities
On the streets and inside the locker room, our TrueCities series brings the mood and soul of each NBA city to you. • TruePhilly: Sixers' late-season lab
• TrueMinny: Love, Wiggins trade places
• TrueLA: Trouble with Doc's orders
• TrueToronto: Nothing is the same
• TrueDenver: Shaw experience a lesson
• TruePortland: Trail Blazers at a loss
• TrueSacto: Everybody hates Boogie
• TrueAtlanta: Basketball back in ATL
Nerlens Noel has put up rookie David Robinson-esque defensive numbers the past couple of months while showing significant growth in his once-raw offensive game. He’s the lone Sixer who has played consistently since opening night, yet he too is a guinea pig.
After scoring a career-high 30 points playing center on Friday, Noel slid over to power forward to make room for Aldemir. That frontcourt debuted in Sunday's 87-86 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers and played again in Monday's 113-111 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Round 3 came on Wednesday, and it didn’t go well. The Sixers' frontcourt was overwhelmed by John Wall and Marcin Gortat. The defense looked lost on Washington's pick-and-rolls, surrendering easy layups and wide-open long 2-pointers. The Wizards’ big men -- Gortat, Nene, Drew Gooden, Kris Humphries and Kevin Seraphin -- combined to score 53 points on 24-of-32 shooting.
Philadelphia's new frontcourt wasn't the entire problem, but it wasn't the solution. Fighting fire with fire -- playing bigs on bigs -- hasn't worked against the Wizards. Consider that in the previous Feb. 27 meeting, which the Sixers won 89-81, Noel played center alongside Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. In the Jan. 19 meeting, a 111-76 loss, Noel started next to 6-foot-10 center Henry Sims.
But the Sixers' goal isn't beating the Wizards. They have other priorities, like preparing Noel for life with Joel Embiid. This late-season move gives Noel game experience with a true, albeit limited center.
And it's not as if Aldemir is a pawn. The Sixers gave him a four-year, $12 million contract in December. He’s a world-class rebounder and screen-setter, but can he be a productive NBA big man? The Sixers won't know after his nine-game run as a starter, but they'll have a better idea.
The skeptic might say this is more than just experimenting, and that there’s sneaky tanking going on. Benching healthy players is frowned upon, and potentially damaging to morale and development. But taking a player and changing his role, while risky, could have short- and long-term benefits. (See: Durant, Kevin; Westbrook, Russell; Thunder, Oklahoma City.)
***
The Sixers (18-58) have dropped four straight. They’re 1.5 games behind Minnesota (16-59) for the second lottery spot and three ahead of the Lakers (20-53), who beat them 113-111 in overtime on Sunday. (Glenn Robinson III played 25 minutes after getting a combined 16 in his first 12 Sixers games.)
They’re losing, but the players say they're buying into the system. By all accounts, they mean it. If the lineup changes are taking a toll, they won’t admit it.
“Obviously it's different playing with different guys... in such a short period of time,” Noel said. “But I mean all the guys, come into work, come into play, everybody plays hard so that makes it easier.”
Robert Covington, an early-season D-League acquisition, has been one of the Sixers’ best players; he's second on the team in win shares and first in real plus-minus. But he too has seen his role change on a game-by-game basis.
“I don't quite understand what they got going, but they just trying new things just to experiment, finish out, give different guys opportunities to really go out and show what they're capable of,” Covington said.
Covington played 26 minutes off the bench on Wednesday, replacing undrafted rookie JaKarr Sampson early in the first quarter with the Sixers trailing 13-4. Richardson ended up getting six minutes in a blowout loss where every active Sixers but Robinson III played.
Philadelphia trailed from start to finish, going into the fourth quarter behind 93-62. Most teams would take out the starters at that point, but the Sixers don't have anyone to take out. In Philadelphia, the line between starter and scrub is thin.
Yet this group, while short on talent, has a reputation for fighting back. It's something that Richardson has talked about with ex-teammates and coaches; “every last one of them,” including Jared Dudley, Matt Barnes and Alvin Gentry.
“And the first thing they say is, 'We play hard,'" Richardson said.
The numbers and anecdotes back that up. Despite having the league's worst offense, they have a league-leading five comeback wins by 15-plus points, tied with Golden State, per NBA Miner.
They didn't complete the comeback against Washington, but they made the game respectable, getting to within 100-85 midway through the fourth. The Wizards responded by subbing in Gortat and subsequently building the lead back up. But Philadelphia played hard through the end. In the final minute, Thomas Robinson pulled down a rebound, dished it to fellow waiver claim Ish Smith, who needed five seconds to go the length of the court and feed Noel for the alley-oop.
It was a sweet ending to an otherwise sour performance, which is the story of the 2014-15 season. After starting 0-17, the Sixers have grown into a competitive team. They’re hoping to finish strong, even if management’s focus is already on the future.
Eric Goldwein is a sportswriter in Washington, D.C., and the editor of Hoop76. Follow him at @ericgoldwein.LineageOS Week in Review: AOSP 7.1.2 Merge, April’s Security Patches and More
The LineageOS team has been graciously providing the community a weekly summary of all the notable changes that have occurred with the successor of the most popular custom ROM in the Android community.
The highlight of this week’s update is that LineageOS has been merged up to Android Nougat‘s 7.1.2 branch as well as including April’s Security Patch. This merge includes all AOSP security patches and features that Google has integrated into the platform. Builds starting from April 14th will be including the merge.
Apart from Android 7.1.2, the LineageOS team has also fixed the issue where Extra Tiles led to an increase in battery usage. All of the April fools goodies have also been removed, though there is still no word on what their actual new mascot will be. The LineageOS website and Wiki page now also make use of HTTPS by default, for added security.
The following devices were also added to the build roster for LineageOS 14.1 automated builds:
The following device was removed from the build roster by the maintainers until some major bugs are fixed:
Other changes such as:
Samsung Galaxy Note 2 LTE Korean variants are now unified under t0ltekor
Samsung Galaxy S5‘s klteusc variant has been merged into klte
Along with these changes, the LineageOS team has setup a monthly LineageOS infrastructure costs wiki page to let donors know how the funding is being used. Donations can currently be made in Bitcoin, although the team is working to bring support for other means of payment as well. If you take advantage of the awesome work that the LineageOS team does (and given how many other ROMs use LOS as their base, you probably do even if you aren’t directly running LOS), then consider supporting their development work!TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government introduced legislation Thursday to let adults possess 30 grams of marijuana in public — a measure that would make Canada the largest developed country to end a nationwide prohibition on recreational marijuana.
Trudeau has long promised to legalize recreational pot use and sales. U.S voters in California, Massachusetts, Maine and Nevada voted last year to approve the use of recreational marijuana, joining Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska.
The South American nation of Uruguay is the only nation to legalize recreational pot.
The proposed law allows four plants to be grown at home. Those under 18 found with small amounts of marijuana would not face criminal charges.
Officials have said Canadians should be able to smoke marijuana legally by July 1, 2018. The federal government set the age at 18, but is allowing each of Canada's provinces to determine if it should be higher.
The law also defines the amount of THC in a driver's blood, as detected by a roadside saliva test, that would be illegal.
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The Canadian government closely followed the advice of a marijuana task force headed by former Liberal Health Minister Anne McLellan. That panel's report noted public health experts tend to favor a minimum age of 21 as the brain continues to develop to about 25, but said setting the minimum age too high would preserve the illicit market.
Canadian youth have higher rates of cannabis use than their peers worldwide.
While the government moves to legalize marijuana, retail outlets selling pot for recreational use have already been set up. Trudeau has emphasized current laws should be respected. Police in Toronto, Vancouver and other cities raided stores earlier last month and made arrests.A Cuban fisherman watches as a training sailing ship enters the port of Havana in July 2014. Photo by YAMIL LAGE/AFP/Getty Images
Despite the occasional quarrel, the U.S.-Cuba détente is picking up steam, and on Tuesday the Obama administration approved a ferry service between the two countries. The Treasury Department signed off on multiple bids to provide a ferry service between Florida and Cuba for the first time since the early 1960s, when the U.S. imposed a trade embargo on the Castro regime following Fidel Castro’s rise to power during the Cuban Revolution.
The ferry routes could open up trade and travel, however Americans are still barred from traveling to Cuba for tourism under the terms of the decades-old trade embargo that needs Congressional approval to be removed. Cuba must also approve the ferry operation. Fares for the 90-mile journey are still yet to be determined, but one ferry operator told the Sun-Sentinel the aim was to charge passengers somewhere between $300 and $350 roundtrip, slightly less than the $400 or $500 it costs for a charter flight ticket to Cuba.Vancouver actor Matthew Clarke has a new YouTube series ‘Convos with my two-year-old,’ and it is getting a lot of reaction. The video has garnered more than 4 million views and is popping up all over the news and internet.
The video is an actual reenactment of a conversation he had with his two-year-old daughter Coco. Those of you with kids, will know that this kind of conversation is par for the course. What makes this video even funnier is that his his daughter is played by a grown man, actor David Milchard.
Conversations With My 2 Year Old Episode 1
Conversations With My 2 Year Old Episode 2
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DH Vancouver Staff Daily Hive is the evolution of Vancity Buzz, established in Vancouver in 2008. In 2016, the publication rebranded and opened newsrooms in Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal. Send story tips to @DailyHiveVan @DailyHiveVancouver Daily Hive is the evolution of Vancity Buzz, established in Vancouver in 2008. In 2016, the publication rebranded and opened newsrooms in Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal. Send story tips to [email protected]
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.The governing Liberals plan to paint Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak as a “vacuous” Mike Harris “puppet” in next year’s election, according to a leaked campaign document obtained by the Star. “Someone is pulling the strings,” the internal strategy memo says of Hudak, noting he’s “Harris Lite” with “no original ideas” and is a “shifty, evasive, slick politician,” who is “in the pocket of special interests — big pharma, chemical companies... private health care.”
Tim Hudak with wife Deb Hutton and daughter Miller. ( SUBMITTED PHOTO )
Prepared last May and entitled “Framing the Opposition: Draft Ideas and Concepts,” it details the proposed direction of Premier Dalton McGuinty’s re-election bid. The Liberal playbook also indicates the party even briefly considered attacking Hudak’s wife for her close ties to Harris, the former Tory premier, though that provocative tactic was quickly eschewed before it reached the desks of top campaign officials. “Deb Hutton: two for the price of one spoof,” says the document, which includes a photograph of Hutton, a key adviser to both Harris and successor Ernie Eves and now the stay-at-home mother of a three-year-old daughter.
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Liberal campaign chair Greg Sorbara said that part of the presentation, which was prepared by a volunteer at a subcommittee meeting last spring, was rejected because family are “off limits” in politics. “Trying to be negative and slander family members is just not part of our style. It’s repugnant to me as campaign chair and I’d never let it happen,” said Sorbara, a longtime Hutton friend. “We want to compare |
enough to stop that in Petersons case which he should have stopped. It's not like we can execute some innocent people for the sake of executing a lot of guilty people. If you are not proven guilty then you are not guilty and that's the bottom line. Just because something goes along smoothly according to our common sense doesn't make them right. You have to produce evidence what matters. I agree what David said in one episode, "the absence of evidence is not same as evidence of absence". No one knows if he killed his wife except himself until you can prove otherwise by the evidence of presence. If the prosecutors went for the DNA in her clothing straight forward maybe they would have better case against him rather than fabricating with the evidence. True they could have brought some more perspectives from the prosecutors side. It would have been really interesting to see their reaction after the Deaver things came out. But overall it's an average crime documentary with not very high quality. I'll put a 8 star and encourage you to watch it if you have some time to spare.Highlights from the Sky Bet League Two fixture between Notts County and Newport. Highlights from the Sky Bet League Two fixture between Notts County and Newport.
Notts County marched back to the top of Sky Bet League Two as Jorge Grant notched a double in a routine 3-0 win over 10-man Newport.
Grant opened the scoring in the 36th minute when he calmly slotted into the corner from inside the penalty box after being played in by Jon Stead.
That came just three minutes after Dan Butler had seen red for appearing to catch Matt Tootle with a flailing arm and Newport's hopes were effectively killed off early in the second half when Shola Ameobi produced a powerful finish to make it 2-0.
Before the visitors even had a chance to regain their senses, they fell further behind as Grant grabbed his second - nodding over the line after his original header was kept out by Joe Day.
Further chances came and went for Kevin Nolan's side, with Shaun Brisley being denied by a fine stop while Stead also went close.
And Grant almost completed the hat-trick his impressive performance deserved but his 20-yard free-kick cannoned off the crossbar.Advertisement Investigators identify 2 men killed in Friday's standoff Share Shares Copy Link Copy
The additional two victims who were killed in Friday's standoff have been identified.Investigators said Jason Edwards, 41, and John Edwards, 35, both from Papillion, were the two men who were killed inside the house.Their sister, Julie Edwards, 42, of LaVista, was held hostage by suspect Kenneth Clark, 45, until he released her around 1:40 p.m.Around 10 p.m., the sheriff's ESU tactical team introduced gas into the house, which was intended to drive Clark outside.An Omaha Police Department robot was sent inside, where Clark was found dead upstairs in a bedroom with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.Julie Edwards was the former girlfriend of Clark and authorities said she had made prior arrangements with Clark to retrieve her belongings from his house.Along with her two brothers, Julie Edwards went to Clark's residence Friday morning with a rented UHaul. Clark was at his home when they arrived. Near the end of the loading the UHaul, it is believed that Clark shot the brothers inside the house and then took Julie Edwards hostage.The preliminary investigation revealed that John Edwards likely made the 911 call around 10:20 a.m. Friday. The cellphone call gave a location near 150th and Blondo streets, where officials were first called.Law enforcement officials were unable to locate any evidence of gunshots in the first area. The 911 center eventually determined the call was from the area of Clark's house near 140th and Miami streets.Crews were sent to that area around 11 a.m. and that is when the standoff began.Autopsies are scheduled for Sunday and the investigation continues.Clark's death is considered an in-custody death, therefore a grand jury will convene.**Previous Story**Three people were found dead inside a house after a standoff that started Friday morning and stretched into the late evening hours. One hostage made it out safely as police tried to communicate with the suspect.Police said the suspect died of self-inflicted wounds as the standoff entered its 12th hour."We believe this is a domestic situation involving Mr. Clark and his ex-girlfriend," said Chief Deputy Tom Wheeler, with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.Chief Deputy Tom Wheeler announces standoff is over.Authorities negotiated through the day with Clark at home near 140th and Miami streets.Two men were killed inside the house, police said.Around 10:15 p.m., law enforcement on scene were giving audible commands to the barricaded suspect to surrender. Several popping sounds could be heard from a distance near the scene and deputies believed the sound was gunshots.An Omaha Police Department robot was sent inside to evaluate.Armored vehicles arrived on the scene, and SWAT negotiators and K-9 officers canvassed the area. Roads were closed near the house.Police said the initial call led them to respond at first to 150th and Blondo streets.Law enforcement officials told residents nearby to shelter in place until the standoff ended.A woman came out of the home safely. Investigators were interviewing her to see who else was inside.EARLIER COVERAGE:Police are in a standoff with a man barricaded inside a west Omaha home.The home is in the 2500 block of North 140th Street, near 140th and Miami streets.A police spokesperson at the scene told KETV that a man called 911 and said he'd been shot, and that his girlfriend was being held hostage by another man in the house.The Omaha Police Department tweeted, "Police investigation at 140 and Blondo, avoid the area."“We’re trying to establish who is in the house and how many people are involved,” Douglas County Sheriff Chief Deputy Tom Wheeler said.Multiple law enforcement units are in the area, blocking access to the neighborhood.A neighbor said she was surprised to see police and news media in front of her home."This is a close-knit, quiet neighborhood. (I'm) very shocked," Kelli Bedel said.Stay with us for updates.Constantine P. Cavafy (1863-1933) was a Greek poet, although he was born and spent most of his life in Alexandria, Egypt. Ithaka is one of Cavafy’s most famous poems and is a tribute to the original Greek poet, Homer, and his poem The Odyssey (which along with it’s companion, The Iliad, are the two oldest known works of Western literature). The Odyssey revolves around the hero Odysseus and his long voyage home to Ithaka after the Trojan war.
My hero in the comic is NOT meant to be Odysseus. I used Cavafy’s words and drew upon my childhood diet of comic books and Ray Harryhausen movies to tell a different story.
RELATED COMICS: Mark Twain An Educational Journey and No Regrets. Christopher McCandless Into the Wild.
– There are many English versions of Ithaka. I used the translation by Edmund Keeley and Philip Sherrard, found on the official Cavafy website.
– The cyclops I drew is a homage/swipe of Ray Harryhausen’s cyclops from The 7th Voyage of Sinbad.
– For a sexy Scottish version of Ithaka, here’s a reading by Sean Connery.
– Thanks to everyone who sent in this poem, I’ve had it saved in my quotes folder for over a year now.
– For those interested, here’s a podcast interview I did recently.As we all know, there is a lot of buzz about craft brewing and it’s popularity among the masses. What might not be as obvious is that beer tourism is also riding the craft beer boom, as locals and travelers alike makes plans to visit their favorite craft breweries on a day trip or an entire vacation.
In recent months, Zephyr Adventures conducted three surveys and a workshop about beer tourism. Here are some of the important findings.
Survey of Beer Tour Operators
We conducted a survey of beer tour operators in February 2014 and again in October 2015, with 38 (2014) and 39 (2015) participants.
Zephyr Adventures keeps a list of 122 beer tour operators, of which approximately 25% plan vacations and 75% are involved with local day tours.
The typical beer tour operator has three years of experience, both owns and operates the company, and hires at least one employee. Half of beer tour operators work full time on their business and half work part time.
The typical beer tour customer is male (58%), 31-40 years old, and traveling with friends or as a couple.
Beer tour operators estimate that 50% of their customers are fans of craft beer but not experienced, 20% are experts, and 30% are novices.
The average beer tour operator has seen growth of 116% in the past two years in terms of revenue and 108% in terms of number of customers.
Survey of Destination Marketing Organizations
We at Zephyr Adventures also conducted an October survey of Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs), Convention & Visitor Bureaus (CVBs), and similar destination marketing agencies. 54 organizations in North America participated.
81% of the participating organizations are actively promoting their local breweries. (Only 76% are promoting their local museums and historic sites.)
70% of respondents consider beer tourism as important or very important to their region and 98% believe on-site sales are important or very important to their local breweries.
Survey of Brewers Guilds
There are brewery guilds representing local brewers in many nations, almost every state in the US, and in some cities. In December 2015 we at Zephyr Adventures conducted a survey of US brewery guilds. 24 guilds responded.
64% of respondents consider visitation to be very important to their member brewers. (100% consider visitation to be at least somewhat important.)
91% of respondents believe “people are coming to your region specifically to visit breweries”. 50% of respondents said this is happening in “significant numbers”.
Beer Tourism Workshop
On November 18th we conducted a Beer Tourism Workshop with 41 attendees and a great panel of five beer industry participants, headlined by Mariah Calagione of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and Margo Knight Metzger of the North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild.
The workshop was a fantastic three hours of discussion regarding promoting a local region for beer tourism, promoting individual breweries, working with beer tour operators, and managing a tap room effectively. Via a participant vote and in post-conference surveys, the biggest complaint was not having enough time to discuss this important topic.
Beer Tourism & Marketing Conference
Clearly, beer tourism is booming. To provide an industry gathering place and educational forum to learn about beer tourism, we at Zephyr Adventures are in the planning stages to create a new Beer Tourism & Marketing Conference to compliment our existing Wine Tourism Conference. Stay tuned!
Please contact us or leave a comment here if you have any thoughts to add on the burgeoning beer tourism industry.From Internet Movie Firearms Database - Guns in Movies, TV and Video Games
The Matrix is the 1999 science fiction film starring Keanu Reeves as a lowly office worker and underground computer hacker known as "Neo", who discovers that his entire world is not what it seems. The groundbreaking movie was directed by The Wachowskis, who would continue the story in two sequels released in 2003: The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions.
The following weapons were used in the film The Matrix:
WARNING! THIS PAGE CONTAINS SPOILERS!
Pistols
Glock 17
In the opening scene, the police officers who conduct the raid on Trinity's (Carrie-Anne Moss) hideout use Glock 17 pistols as their sidearms. Due to a continuity error, Neo (Keanu Reeves) also switches from a Zastava CZ99 to a Glock 17 during the "deja vu" scene when Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) grabs him through the wall. Later in the film, the soldiers whom Neo and Trinity confront during the lobby and rooftop shootouts at the Agent-controlled building also seem to carry Glock 17s in their hip holsters.
What is notable is that the Glock 17s used in The Matrix are 3rd Generation models, which were brand-new at the time the film was shot (1998). To the best of IMFDB's knowledge, The Matrix is the first film ever to feature the 3rd Generation Glock pistols, beating End of Days into theaters by eight months.
Glock 17 3rd Generation - 9x19mm
An officer holds his Glock 17 in the opening scene of the film. Though the image is dark, it is possible to see the accessory rail on the dust cover, identifying this Glock 17 as a 3rd Generation model.
An officer armed with a Glock 17 and flashlight executing a Harries technique (poorly).
Officers prepare to breach the room with their Glock 17s at the ready.
An officer points his Glock 17 at Trinity.
An officer fires his Glock 17 at Trinity as she runs along the wall.
Trinity forces one officer to kill his own comrade with his Glock.
During the "deja vu" scene, Neo holds a Glock 17, which replaces the CZ99 he was using previously. It is likely that this is a rubber Glock that was used for stunt work because the armorer was not able to bring a rubber CZ99 to the set for filming.
IMI Desert Eagle Mark XIX
The Agents, including Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving), famously carry IMI Desert Eagle Mark XIX pistols, chambered in.50 Action Express, as their sidearms throughout the movie. The Desert Eagle was specifically chosen by the Wachowski brothers as the Agents' sidearm-of-choice, against the advice of armorer John Bowring, who dismissed them as "wanker" pistols.
IMI Desert Eagle Mark XIX -.50 AE
On a billboard a Desert Eagle is seen, with a vent running through the barrel to allow steam to run out, like the gun is smoking.
A copy of Agent Smith points his Desert Eagle at Neo during Mouse's training program.
An Agent fires his Desert Eagle at Neo during the famous dodge scene on the roof.
Agent Smith fires his Desert Eagle at Morpheus through the wall.
Soaked by fire sprinklers, Agent Smith disables the Bell 212 helicopter by firing his weapon into the fuel tank at point-blank range.
Smith holds his empty Desert Eagle on Neo. Note that that when the screenshot is enlarged to full-size, it is possible to read, "Desert Eagle.50 AE, Israeli Military Industries" on the slide, confirming the caliber of the weapon.
An Agent fires his Desert Eagle at Neo.
Smith shoots Neo with his Desert Eagle about a dozen times, despite only holding 7 rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber; also, no Agent is ever seen reloading. However, given his status as a computer program in a virtual environment, one wonders why the Matrix hadn't programmed the gun with infinite ammo.
Here we see the Desert Eagle cycling through crimped blank cartridges.
Beretta 84FS Cheetah
Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) carries a pair of Beretta 84FS Cheetahs as her sidearms in the film. These were selected because Moss has small hands and full sized Beretta 92Fs would be gigantic in her hands. What is interesting to note is that besides the Micro Uzi used in the beginning of the lobby scene, this is the only gun that Trinity feels she needs to bring into a building guarded by three agents. Meanwhile, Neo packs about a dozen guns and a bomb.
Beretta 84FS Cheetah -.380 ACP
Trinity draws her Beretta 84FS Cheetahs at the start of the film.
Trinity holds her Beretta Cheetah on an Agent at point blank so he is unable to dodge the bullet, and says...
Two Beretta 84FS pistols passed off as Beretta 92FS's are seen tucked in Neo's waist. Note the forward curve on the grips and the frame mounted safeties. The size difference between the 84FS and 92FS is not that visible when tucked into a belt like this.
Zastava CZ99
Apoc (Julian Arahanga) gives Neo (Keanu Reeves) his Zastava CZ99 pistol as they try to escape an Agent-led SWAT attack after visiting the Oracle. The weapon is a CZ99 and not, as has been written previously, a SIG-Sauer P228; some of the weapons rental invoice documents published on Propstore.com have confirmed this. The CZ99 is a Yugoslavian-made pistol which is based on the P220 series, but is actually a very different weapon.
Zastava CZ99 - 9x19mm
Neo examines the Zastava CZ99 Apoc gives him.
Neo fires his Zastava CZ99 at the SWAT team through the wall.
Beretta 92FS
Neo (Keanu Reeves) takes at least two pair of Beretta 92FS pistols with him on his mission to save Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne). While it may seem ridiculous to carry several copies of the same gun, it would be faster to drop the pistols when empty and pull out "fresh" ones than it would be trying to reload them, particularly when dual-wielding, as Neo does in the film. Also, such practice would have a rich precedent in the flintlock era, when bandits or pirates were known to carry up to six loaded one-shot pistols into battle.
Beretta 92FS - 9x19mm
Neo takes cover during the lobby shootout with a pair of Berettas drawn.
Neo unloads his Berettas at the Agent on the roof, but is unable to score a hit.
Empty Berettas are seen on the ground next to Neo.
Neo holds his empty Beretta on Agent Smith. For some strange reason it locks empty at the same time as Agent Smith's Desert Eagle, despite the Beretta holding over twice the amount of rounds (15 versus 7). Also note that the serial number (073822) is visible on the frame. According to the Beretta customer support web site, this weapon is a Beretta 92FS (as opposed to a 92F) with 3-dot sights that was manufactured in 1998 and sold with two ten-round magazines.
Browning Hi-Power
Switch (Belinda McClory) is seen carrying a silver chrome Browning Hi-Power with adjustable sights in 9mm caliber as her weapon of choice. She is first seen using it in the car to hold Neo at gunpoint and keep still while Trinity removes the "bug" the Agents planted in him, then using it to lay down cover fire along with Apoc while the others escape the SWAT team, taking out several SWAT members in the process.
FN Browning Hi-Power Nickel plated with "beer can" adjustable sights - 9x19mm
Switch holds her Browning Hi-Power on Neo when they pick him up off the street.
"Our way, or the highway."
A good side shot of Switch's Hi-Power when Neo opens the car door.
While the muzzle diameter looks large, it is just the large barrel bushing that is seen on Hi-Powers after 1973 and before the Mark III series. The lack of light hides the actual barrel from sight.
Switch with her Hi-Power while waiting for the phone to ring.
Switch shocked at Cypher's change of heart.
Revolvers
Smith & Wesson Model 10 Heavy Barrel
A lobby guard tries to pull a 3" heavy barreled Smith & Wesson Model 10 before Trinity shoots him.
Smith & Wesson Model 10 Heavy Barrel.38 Special
The lobby guard trying to get his revolver before Neo shoots him.
The lobby guard calls for backup with his Smith & Wesson Model 10 Heavy Barrel drawn after Neo and Trinity shoot down most of the other guards.
The guard turns to shoot Trinity but is mowed down.
Submachine Guns
Micro Uzi
During the lobby scene, Neo and Trinity both use Micro Uzis with bent trigger guards, Trinity using one to kill one of the first guards and Neo using two to keep the soldiers behind cover.
Micro Uzi with bent trigger guard and folding stock - 9x19mm
Trinity empties a magazine from her Micro Uzi into the last lobby guard. In reality, firing a Micro Uzi with one hand would make it very hard to control.
Neo taking cover with his Micro Uzis drawn.
Neo breaks cover and fires his Micro Uzis at the soldiers. Note the bent trigger guard.
Cobray M11/9
Apoc (Julian Arahanga) carries a Cobray M11/9 converted to full-auto with a thread protector, and is seen using it to lay down cover fire while he and the others are fleeing in the SWAT team attack. It can be identified as a Cobray M11/9 and not an original Ingram MAC-10 because of the elongated rear receiver.
Cobray M11/9 - 9x19mm
Apoc in the walls with his Cobray M11/9.
Apoc readies his Cobray M11/9.
Apoc fires his Cobray M11/9.
A good shot of the elongated receiver.
Heckler & Koch MP5K
In the lobby scene, Neo uses a pair of Heckler & Koch MP5Ks to eliminate the first set of guards.
Heckler & Koch MP5K - 9x19mm
Neo picks up a Heckler & Koch MP5K in the virtual armory.
Neo does an "HK-slap".
Asked to remove any metallic objects he's carrying after setting off the alarm, Neo shows a lobby guard his walking arsenal, where his two MP5Ks are hanging at his hips.
Neo wipes out the first set of lobby guards with a pair of MP5Ks.
Neo firing his MP5Ks.
Yugoslav Model 61 Skorpion
Neo fires a pair of Yugoslavian made Model 61(i) Skorpion sub-machine guns fitted with muzzle shrouds and 30-round magazines during the lobby shootout. The shell casings falling from the guns are inaccurately shown as 5.56x45mm shells, which are far larger than.32 ACP rounds.
Yugoslavian made Model 61(i) Skorpion distinguishable by its black pistol grip -.32 ACP
Neo shows the lobby guard his walking arsenal, with his Skorpion SA Vz 61s hanging on his legs.
Neo takes cover while armed with his Skorpions.
Neo with his Skorpions.
Neo fires his Skorpions. These guns are great for firing in slow motion because the blowback action looks very cool in slo-mo.
The shell casings falling from the guns are inaccurately shown as 5.56x45mm shells, which are far larger than.32 ACP rounds. Also, the rounds fall too far directly under the guns, while a Skorpion's ejection port sends the spent shells up and to the right. Since the casing look like real shells and not blanks, it can be assumed they just dropped handfuls of shells to get the effect.
Neo firing his Skorpions.
Assault Rifles
M16 (SP1)
In the lobby shootout scene where Neo and Trinity encounter the security guard's "back-up" in the form of a unit of Army soldiers, the majority of the soldiers Neo and Trinity face up against are armed with M16 (SP1) rifles with slab-side receivers. The M16s used in this scene are a mixture of rifles with 3-prong flash hiders and rifles with M16A1-style "birdcage" flash hiders. Neo uses two of these M16s during this scene, one while cartwheeling across the lobby, another while on the roof.
M16 with 20-round magazine and original 3-prong flash hider - 5.56x45mm
M16 (SP1) with 20 round magazine and A1 Flash Hider - 5.56x45mm
A soldier fires his M16 at Trinity in the lobby.
Another soldier firing his M16 at Neo.
A soldier with an M16, here the 3-prong muzzle brake is visible.
Neo grabs an M16 while doing a cartwheel.
Neo fires the M16 while cartwheeling.
A soldier opens fire with an M16 with an A1 birdcage muzzle brake.
Neo disarms a soldier on the roof of his M16, which is clearly a rubber prop.
Neo fires an M16 on the roof, this one fitted with the 3-prong flash hider. The soldier behind Neo is also armed with an M16 but fails to use the rifle on Neo due to Trinity throwing an M9 bayonet right between the soldier's eyes.
Leader Dynamics T2 MK5
During the "deja vu" shootout, the SWAT officers are armed with Australian-made Leader Dynamics T2 MK5 short-barreled assault rifles. Although the weapons are rarely shown clearly on screen, the identity of the weapons has been confirmed by the rental invoices from Propstore, which also has one of the rubber T2 MK5 carbines on sale. The versions used in The Matrix are the "Commando" version which have 11.5-inch barrels; the weapons are also fitted with a custom-made forearm designed to hold both a tactical flashlight and laser sight. The use of an Australian weapon in this case makes sense, as most of the movie was filmed in Sydney, Australia.
Leader Dynamics T2 MK5 Assault Rifles - Select Fire Police Version with Short barrel - 5.56x45mm
A SWAT officer is seen left holding a Leader Dynamics T2 MK5. Note that this rifle, like the other T2 MK5s in the scene, is fitted with a 20-round magazine.
Two SWAT officer enter a room with their T2 MK5s at the ready.
A SWAT officer investigates a bathroom with his T2 MK5 at the ready.
A close-up of the muzzle of the T2 MK5, showing the distinctive front sight of the Leader Dynamics-series rifles. Notice that this particular carbine has both a standard tactical light fitted into the forearm on the right side of the weapon, and an additional, much brighter torch that is fitted to the left side and secured with electrical tape wrapped around the barrel and forearm. Why this guy needs two flashlights on his rifle is a mystery.
SWAT officers prepare to fire their T2 MK5s at the protagonists.
Shotguns
Mouse's Automatic Shotguns
The unusual pair of large guns that Mouse (Matt Doran) uses are custom-built cam-operated electric driven automatic 12 gauge shotguns with 25-shell cylinders and a fire rate of 900 rounds per minute. They were crafted by John Bowring, lead armorer of the film. As an inside joke, Bowring named the guns "Andy" (serial no. A1169 - Leetspeak for Andy) and "Larry" (serial no. L2779 - Leetspeak for Larry) after the Wachowskis, the writers and directors of the film. It can be assumed inside the Matrix, Mouse designed these shotguns for himself like he designed the woman in the red dress.
Mouse retrieves his Auto Shotguns from the case, which also contains belts of.50 BMG ammunition, for unknown reasons.
Mouse readies his shotguns.
Mouse unleashes the shotguns on the SWAT, but never scores a single hit.
Mouse gets barraged by the SWAT team.
Mouse fires his shotguns as he falls back.
Franchi SPAS-12
In the lobby shootout scene, a number of soldiers are armed with Franchi SPAS-12 shotguns, one of which is commandeered by Trinity and used against its original owner. The versions used by the soldiers have a solid fixed stock/pistol grip combination. One of them is seen firing the SPAS-12 in semi-auto mode -- a rare sight in movies. However, quick bursts of M16 fire are mistakenly dubbed over instead of the appropriate shotgun report.
Franchi SPAS-12 with fixed stock - 12 Gauge
A soldier in the lobby with his Franchi SPAS-12 at the ready.
A soldier fires his SPAS-12 at a very calm rate, which seems out of place in a rough action film.
Trinity kicks his SPAS-12, rolls it over his shoulder, and fires it into his back.
FPS view of Trinity shooting soldiers with the SPAS-12. Upon closer observation of the scene, Trinity actually racks the pump twice after shooting the shotgun's previous owner, therefore wasting a shot for no real reason.
Trinity firing the SPAS-12.
Trinity drops the SPAS-12 after the lobby shootout.
Machine Guns
GE M134 Minigun
Neo (Keanu Reeves) opens up with a GE M134 Minigun mounted on a Bell 212 helicopter while rescuing Morpheus. According to armorer John Bowring, they were firing the gun at 3,000 rounds per minute (half the maximum rate of fire for the M134).
GE M134 Minigun - 7.62x51mm NATO
Neo prepares to unleash the GE M134 Minigun on the Agents in the room.
Neo firing the Minigun at the Agents. Bowring also commented how they had to properly distance the gun from the glass window so the force of the blanks wouldn't send the glass flying back at the actors. The way Neo fans the weapon as he fires it, it's a miracle he doesn't hit Morpheus who is sitting in the center of the room.
Even in slow motion the gun is firing very fast.
Note how the shells falling from the gun are bottleneck blanks.
The barrels finally stop revolving after Neo kills all the Agents in the room.
Other
M7 CS Gas Grenade
During the "deja vu" scene, a SWAT member throws an M7 CS gas grenade at the protagonists.
M7 CS gas grenade
The M7 gas grenade lands.
The Virtual Armory
The following guns are seen in the virtual armory when Neo and Trinity arm up before going into the Matrix:Mercedes-Benz now has two different designs of Star Wars Edition versions of the CLA180 exclusively for customers in Japan who want to show their support of the Dark Side. The pair of models arrive just in time for Star Wars Day on May 4, and Mercedes limits production to 60 units of each design.
For fans who prefer Darth Vader's iconic look, Mercedes offers a special CLA180 with a Night Black body. Black window trim extends the shadowy look. The AMG-sourced 18-inch multi-spoke wheels feature black faces with a polished rim around the edge, and there's a similar dash of shine from the high-gloss black grille with chrome accents. Inside, Mercedes brightens the surroundings by using red stitching for the dark seats and fitting matching crimson seat belts. Scarlet ambient lighting completes the evil mood.
For folks who would rather work for Vader instead of being the boss, Mercedes also has a Calcite White CLA180 that takes inspiration from Star Wars' Stormtroopers. For a two-tone look, the company installs black parts on the window trim, front lip, mirror caps, and AMG-sourced side skirts. The 18-inch twin-spoke wheels have black accents, and there's also the same grille as the Darth Vader version. For the cabin, the seats feature white and gray stripes, and the upholstery features silver stitching. The climate control rings are brilliant white, and the ambient lighting is a spacey shade of blue.
Regardless of which model customers get, an array of Star Wars accessories comes with the models. For example, the puddle lights show the Star Wars logo. When turning the ignition on or off R2-D2's distinctive bleeps and bloops play. Plus, the models include a windshield sunshade that shows Chewbacca, Luke Skywalker, Obi-wan Kenobi, and Han Solo on one side, and the reverse displays "May The Force Be With You." Star Wars floor mats look like the series famous jump to hyperspace.
Unfortunately, the CLA180 doesn't have the performance to beat the Millennium Falcon in the Kessel Run. These models come with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder that produces 121 horsepower (90 kilowatts) and 148 pound-feet (200 Newton-meters) of torque.
Source: Mercedes-BenzHe also frequently used inner west train services and took a return journey on buses between Town Hall and Baulkham Hills on Thursday 2 February whilst unknowingly infectious, Director Communicable Diseases NSW Health Dr Vicky Sheppeard said. A case of measles. Credit:US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Measles is highly contagious and is spread in the air through coughing or sneezing by someone who is unwell with the disease. It can have serious complications, particularly for young children. In January NSW Health reported a young woman had travelled to Sydney on an International flight while infectious, and four cases of measles were detected in Sydney in December, prompting similar public warnings. Victorian health authorities detected more than 30 measles cases earlier this year amid what they described as a "significant outbreak".
"This latest case highlights the importance of getting vaccinated to protect against the disease. A highly effective measles vaccine has been freely available for many years and it is vital for everyone, including adults and children, to have two doses of the measles vaccine during their life time. The measles virus seen under a microscope. "Those people who have not received two doses of measles vaccine are at particular risk of contracting the disease and should be alert to symptoms in the coming days and weeks." Symptoms of measles include fever, sore eyes and a cough followed three or four days later by a red, blotchy rash spreading from the head and neck to the rest of the body. Measles can have serious complications, particularly for young children. People with measles symptoms should seek medical advice as soon as possible, stay home from work or school, and limit other activities to avoid exposing other vulnerable people, such as infants, to the infection, Dr Sheppeard said.
"Please call ahead to your doctor or emergency department so that arrangements can be made to keep you away from others to minimise the risk of spreading the infection," she said. Anyone born during or since 1966 should have two doses of vaccine (at least four weeks apart). For young children, the measles vaccine is recommended at 12 months and again at 18 months of age. NSW Health offers free MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine through GPs for people born during or since 1966 with no records of having received two doses of MMR vaccine. "Children or adults born during or since 1966 who do not have documented evidence of receiving two doses of measles vaccine, or evidence of previous measles infection, are likely to be susceptible to measles and should be vaccinated as soon as possible," Dr Sheppeard said. Loading "It is safe to have the vaccine more than twice, so people who are unsure should be vaccinated."
Dr Sheppeard said people planning to travel overseas should ensure they are fully vaccinated against measles to reduce their risk of contracting measles and bringing the disease back to Australia.HIV-Positive Country Star Jimbeau Hinson
Jimbeau Hinson found success in Nashville in the 1990s, writing songs for artists such as Patty Loveless and the Oak Ridge Boys. But at the height of his career in the mid ’90s, Hinson’s HIV, which he was keeping secret, caught up with him and he fell into a coma. His status as an HIV-positive man—he came out as bisexual in the ’70s—was revealed to the country music industry. But instead of turning their backs on him, Hinson’s peers embraced him, and the songwriter’s health slowly improved. Hinson, who’s been with his wife, Brenda, for over 33 years, recently released his debut album, Strong Medicine, which chronicles his relationship not just with his wife but also with HIV.
Why was this a good time to release your first album?
I started writing a book about my life about around 18 years ago. I was living with the secret of my infection for about 12 years and figured if I could just write it down on paper, it could be good therapy. I was in L.A. visiting a friend who’s a guitar player for Lyle Lovett, and after dinner one night, I pulled out my computer and read her a portion of my book. We laughed and laughed. She used to be a literary agent and said this was the greatest thing she’s read since Catcher in the Rye or Confederacy of Dunces. She encouraged me to work on the book more, so I spent the next couple years getting it in some form. I had a rough draft and read it to a friend, Sandy Knox, and we sat down, passed a box of Kleenex around, and laughed and cried. She called six or seven months later and said, “I want to start a record label. I want to put your story out. I want to do an album centered around your story. I think the world needs to hear this.” It all came about from my little therapy project 18 years ago.
Does the title have a double meaning?
I’ve known Sandy for 20, almost 30 years. She’s one of the few that knew of my infection and she wanted to go back and dig up songs from the past. Much of those songs I wrote back in the 1980s when I was dealing privately with my infection. The song “Not You Again” is definitely about my infection. The album is a collection of things that were thinly veiled. They’re songs of inspiration and fortitude and not giving up and forgiveness and monogamy—all the lessons I’ve learned through this journey.
PagesThe people behind satirical card game Cards Against Humanity wanted to get noticed on Black Friday, but they didn't want to discount their game below $25.
So they came up with a strange, perverse offer. For a limited time only, you could buy Cards Against Humanity for … $5 more.
The plan worked. The absurd offer got a lot of attention and sales spiked.
The offer looked like this:
Cards Against Humanity
Here's a chart showing the sales spike:
Cards Against Humanity
Cards Against Humanity creator Max Temkin told the story of how he came up with the idea on his blog.
He writes:
A lot of people have been curious about how our "everything costs $5 more" Black Friday sale worked, and if it was successful for us.
The Idea
This is a difficult time of year for us because we spend almost no money on marketing, and it's easy for us to get lost in the noise and money of the holiday season.
We initially started talking about doing a Black Friday sale over the summer, and came up with the idea of a "$0.01 off" coupon. I liked the idea, but have always maintained a policy of no deals, no |
el emphasizes that China is making "enormous investments" in education. And "educated workers are much more productive workers.... college-educated workers are three times as productive... a high school graduate is 1.8 times as productive as a worker with less than a ninth-grade education."
"China will be able to increase its high school enrollment rate to the neighborhood of 100% and the college rate to about 50% over the next generation" adding "more than 6 percentage points to the country's annual economic growth rate." Meanwhile, America wastes trillions fighting wars, running up massive debts, shortchanging education, letting China win the race to 2040.
4. China's rural economy of 700 million adding to growth rate
When envisioning the future, we "picture Shanghai high-rises and Guangdong factories," says Fogel. "But changes afoot in the Chinese countryside have made it an under-appreciated economic engine."
From 1978 to 2003 China's labor productivity averaged about 6% annually in industry and services. But in the future, productivity rates will increase for those still living in rural areas, over half of China, about 700 million. "That large rural sector is responsible for about a third of Chinese economic growth today," and will keep growing as the next generation adds another hundred million to China.
5. China's government statistics actually underreporting progress
Fogel warns us not to be fooled by reports that "Chinese data are flawed or deliberately inflated in key ways." Just the opposite: "Chinese statisticians may well be underestimating economic progress."
In the service sector "small firms often don't report their numbers to the government and officials often fail to adequately account for improvements in the quality of output." As in America, "official estimates of GDP badly underestimate national growth" because they don't "take into account improvements in services such as education and health care."
Why? Because "most great advances in these areas aren't fully counted in GDP." This is a problem worldwide, "but the rapid growth of China's service sector makes the underestimation more pronounced."
6. By 2040 China will be the world's sole super-economy... again
"To the West, the notion of a world in which the center of global economic gravity lies in Asia may seem unimaginable. But it wouldn't be the first time.... China was the world's largest economy for 18 of the past 20 centuries.... While Europe was fumbling in the Dark Ages and fighting disastrous religious wars, China cultivated the highest standards of living in the world. Today, the notion of a rising China is, in Chinese eyes, merely a return to the status quo."
So thanks in a large part to the Goldman Conspiracy -- whose capital, talent and connections are being siphoned off by China, while the same Goldman Conspiracy sabotages capitalism and democracy here in America -- China will be the world's sole superpower by 2040 with an economy three times bigger than America's.
Want news about Asia delivered to your inbox? Subscribe to MarketWatch's free Asia Daily newsletter. Sign up here.Tomorrow, the U.S. House Committee on the Budget is holding a hearing on the progress of the War on Poverty. While the United States is still slowly recovering from the worst recession since the Great Depression, fortunately this time around government safety net programs have been in place to keep more people from falling into poverty. The Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) shows the strength of the government to mitigate the incidence of poverty.
As the figure below shows, Social Security is, by far, the most effective anti-poverty program in the United States. Without Social Security, an additional 8.3 percent of Americans, or over 25 million more people, would fall below the SPM poverty threshold. Refundable tax credits, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit, kept 2.5 percent, or nearly 8 million Americans above the SPM poverty threshold. Other programs such as SNAP (food stamps), unemployment insurance, Supplemental Security Income, and housing subsidies also have a significant impact on the ability of families to stay afloat.
Source: http://www.census.gov/hhes/povmeas/methodology/supplemental/research/Short_ResearchSPM2011.pdfLast week, American Family Association official Sandy Rios spoke on her radio program with a caller who was angry that Rios and other conservatives aren’t talking about the Flint water crisis, where policies imposed by the state’s Republican administration directly led to the poisoning of the city’s water supply.
Rios responded by blaming the city’s (powerless) Democratic city officials for the lead poisoning catastrophe and alleged that the disaster in Flint is less important than the threat from ISIS and “our out-of-control borders.”
She then managed to link outrage over the Flint crisis to coverage of the Zika virus outbreak in South and Central America: “The whole issue in Michigan — the left loves to, they’re now creating this, I’m sorry, I’m going to really go out on a limb here, this Zika virus which I haven’t talked about. They love to come up with tragedies and they love to blame and they love to scare people. I think this issue in Michigan is a serious one but I don’t think it’s the big issue that these other issues are.”
When the listener told Rios that she was “devaluing black life” by dismissing the importance of the turmoil in Flint, she insisted that that was impossible because she had no idea whether Flint residents are predominantly black or white.
While Rios, the American Family Association’s director of governmental affairs, isn’t very concerned with the poisoning of thousands in Flint and seems to think that the Zika virus is a liberal scare tactic, she hasn’t been above stirring up actually baseless fears, alleging that Central American migrants would spread measles, Enterovirus D68 and other diseases around the U.S.CHICAGO (CBS) — An aspiring young filmmaker from west suburban St. Charles has produced a video about bullying that has become a sensation on YouTube.
“The Bully,” a 6 minute 38 second video by Jonah Maxwell, who is entering the 7th grade, has been viewed more than 106,000 times since it was posted on Sunday.
Jonah wrote and directed the film, with the help of his parents, and classmates who help narrate the message about bullying.
“It’s almost impossible to guess how much of this goes on after school on Facebook, Twitter, Kik, Poke, Whisper, Tumblr, Voxer, Vine, or Instagram. My dad told me that when he was a kid, the bullying would stop at 3:30 every day. I told him it’s not like that anymore. They can get you 24/7. They can get you anytime, anywhere,” one boy says at the end of the film.
Jonah’s classmates star in the film as faceless bullies, and as smiling friends. Narrators say, if you are a victim of bullying, you have to tell someone.
The film ends with the message “it’s as easy to be nice as it is to be mean, and manners and respect cost nothing. Our school years are short, but the days can seem forever if it’s happening to you.”
Reviews on YouTube include “effective,” “awesome,” and “powerful.”First published Fri Apr 22, 2005; substantive revision Wed Mar 7, 2007
For some years a cult figure of postmodern theory, Baudrillard moved beyond the postmodern discourse from the early 1980s to the present, and has developed a highly idiosyncratic mode of philosophical and cultural analysis. This entry focuses on the development of Baudrillard's unique modes of thought and how he moved from social theory to postmodern theory to a provocative type of philosophical analysis. [ 1 ] In retrospect, Baudrillard can be seen a theorist who has traced in original ways the life of signs and impact of technology on social life, and who has systematically criticized major modes of modern thought, while developing his own philosophical perspectives.
French theorist Jean Baudrillard (1929–2007) was one of the foremost intellectual figures of the present age whose work combines philosophy, social theory, and an idiosyncratic cultural metaphysics that reflects on key events of phenomena of the epoch. A sharp critic of contemporary society, culture, and thought, Baudrillard is often seen as a major guru of French postmodern theory, although he can also be read as a thinker who combines social theory and philosophy in original and provocative ways and a writer who has developed his own style and forms of writing. He was an extremely prolific author who has published over thirty books and commented on some of the most salient cultural and sociological phenomena of the contemporary era, including the erasure of the distinctions of gender, race, and class that structured modern societies in a new postmodern consumer, media, and high tech society; the mutating roles of art and aesthetics; fundamental changes in politics, culture, and human beings; and the impact of new media, information, and cybernetic technologies in the creation of a qualitatively different social order, providing fundamental mutations of human and social life.
Jean Baudrillard was born in the cathedral town of Reims, France in 1929. He told interviewers that his grandparents were peasants and his parents became civil servants (Gane 1993: 19). Baudrillard also claims that he was the first member of his family to pursue an advanced education and that this led to a rupture with his parents and cultural milieu. In 1956, he began working as a professor of secondary education in a French high school (Lyceé) and in the early 1960s did editorial work for the French publisher Seuil. Baudrillard was initially a Germanist who published essays on literature in Les temps modernes in 1962-1963 and translated works of Peter Weiss and Bertolt Brecht into French, as well as a book on messianic revolutionary movements by Wilhelm Mühlmann. During this period, he met and studied the works of Henri Lefebvre, whose critiques of everyday life impressed him, and Roland Barthes, whose semiological analyses of contemporary society had lasting influence on his work.
In 1966, Baudrillard entered the University of Paris, Nanterre, and became Lefebvre's assistant, while studying languages, philosophy, sociology, and other disciplines. He defended his “These de Troisiême Cycle” in sociology at Nanterre in 1966 with a dissertation on “Le système des objects,” and began teaching sociology in October of that year. Opposing French and U.S. intervention in the Algerian and Vietnamese wars, Baudrillard associated himself with the French Left in the 1960s. Nanterre was a key site of radical politics and the “March 22 movement,” associated with Daniel Cohn-Bendit and the enrageés, began in the Nanterre sociology department. Baudrillard said later that he participated in the events of May 1968 that resulted in massive student uprisings and a general strike that almost drove de Gaulle from power.
During the late 1960s, Baudrillard began publishing a series of books that would eventually make him world famous. Influenced by Lefebvre, Barthes, and s series of French thinkers whose influence will be discussed below, Baudrillard undertook serious work in the field of social theory, semiology, and psychoanalysis in the 1960s and published his first book The System of Objects in 1968 (1996), followed by a book on The Consumer Society in 1970 (1998), and For a Critique of the Political Economy of the Sign in 1972 (1981).[2] These early publications are attempts, within the framework of critical sociology, to combine the studies of everyday life initiated by Lefebvre (1971 and 1991 [1947]) with a social semiology that studies the life of signs in social life. This project, influenced by Barthes (1967 [1964], 1972 [1958], and 1983 [1967]), centers on the system of objects in the consumer society (the focus of his first two books), and the interface between political economy and semiotics (the nucleus of his third book).[3] Baudrillard's early work was one of the first to appropriate semiology to analyze how objects are encoded with a system of signs and meanings that constitute contemporary media and consumer societies. Combining semiological studies, Marxian political economy, and sociology of the consumer society, Baudrillard began his life-long task of exploring the system of objects and signs which forms our everyday life.
The early Baudrillard described the meanings invested in the objects of everyday life (e.g., the power accrued through identification with one's automobile when driving) and the structural system through which objects were organized into a new modern society (e.g., the prestige or sign-value of a new sports car). In his first three books, Baudrillard argued that the classical Marxian critique of political economy needed to be supplemented by semiological theories of the sign which articulated the diverse meanings signified by signifiers like language organized in a system of meaning. Baudrillard, following Barthes and others, argued that fashion, sports, the media, and other modes of signification also produced systems of meaning articulated by specific rules, codes, and logics (terms used somewhat interchangeably by Baudrillard which are elucidated in more detail below).
Situating his analysis of signs and everyday life in a historical framework, Baudrillard argued that the transition from the earlier stage of competitive market capitalism to the stage of monopoly capitalism required increased attention to demand management, to augmenting and steering consumption. At this historical stage, from around 1920 to the 1960s, the need to intensify demand supplemented concern with lowering production costs and with expanding production. In this era of capitalist development, economic concentration, new production techniques, and the development of new technologies, accelerated capacity for mass production and capitalist corporations focused increased attention on managing consumption and creating needs for new prestigious goods, thus producing the regime of what Baudrillard has called sign-value.
On Baudrillard's analysis, advertising, packaging, display, fashion, “emancipated” sexuality, mass media and culture, and the proliferation of commodities multiplied the quantity of signs and spectacles, and produced a proliferation of sign-value. Henceforth, Baudrillard claims, commodities are not merely to be characterized by use-value and exchange value, as in Marx's theory of the commodity, but sign-value — the expression and mark of style, prestige, luxury, power, and so on — becomes an increasingly important part of the commodity and consumption.
From this perspective, Baudrillard claims that commodities are bought and displayed as much for their sign-value as their use-value, and that the phenomenon of sign-value has become an essential constituent of the commodity and consumption in the consumer society. This position was influenced by Veblen's notion of “conspicuous consumption” and display of commodities analyzed in his Theory of the Leisure Class that Baudrillard argued has become extended to everyone in the consumer society. For Baudrillard, the entire society is organized around consumption and display of commodities through which individuals gain prestige, identity, and standing. In this system, the more prestigious one's commodities (houses, cars, clothes, and so on), the higher one's standing in the realm of sign value. Thus, just as words take on meaning according to their position in a differential system of language, so sign values take on meaning according to their place in a differential system of prestige and status.
In The Consumer Society, Baudrillard concludes by extolling “multiple forms of refusal” of social convention, conspicuous consumption, and conformist thought and behavior, all of which can be fused in a “practice of radical change” (1998: 183). Baudrillard alludes here to the expectation of “violent eruptions and sudden disintegration which will come, just as unforeseeably and as certainly May 68, to wreck this white mass” [of consumption] (1998: 196). On the other hand, Baudrillard also describes a situation where alienation is so total that it cannot be surpassed because “it is the very structure of market society” (1998: 190). His argument is that in a society where everything is a commodity that can be bought and sold, alienation is total. Indeed, the term “alienation” originally signified “to sale,” and in a totally commodified society where everything is a commodity, alienation is ubiquitous. Moreover, Baudrillard posits “the end of transcendence” (a phrase borrowed from Marcuse) where individuals can neither perceive their own true needs or another way of life (1998: 190ff).
By 1970, Baudrillard had distinguished himself from the Marxist theory of revolution and instead postulates only the possibility of revolt against the consumer society in an “unforeseeable but certain” form. In the late 1960s, Baudrillard had associated himself with a group of intellectuals around the journal Utopie which sought to overcome disciplinary boundaries and in the spirit of Guy Debord and the Situationist International to combine reflections on alternative societies, architecture, and modes of everyday life.[4] Bringing together individuals on the margins of architecture, city planning, cultural criticism and social theory, Baudrillard and his associates distinguished themselves from other political and theoretical groupings and developed idiosyncratic and marginal discourse beyond the boundaries of established disciplines and political tendencies. This affiliation with Utopie only lasted into the early 1970s, but it may have helped produce in Baudrillard a desire to work on the margins, to stand aside from current trends and fads, and to develop his own theoretical positions.
Baudrillard thus had an ambivalent relation to classical Marxism by the early 1970s. On one hand, he carried forward the Marxian critique of commodity production which delineates and criticizes various forms of alienation, domination, and exploitation produced by capitalism. At this stage, it appeared that his critique takes place from the standard neo-Marxian vantage point which assumes that capitalism is blameworthy because it is homogenizing, controlling and dominating social life, while robbing individuals of their freedom, creativity, time and human potentialities. On the other hand, he cannot point to any revolutionary forces and in particular did not discuss the situation and potential of the working class as an agent of change in the consumer society. Indeed, Baudrillard has no theory of the subject as an active agent of social change whatsoever, thus following the structuralist and poststructuralist critique of the philosophical and practical subject categorized by Descartes, Kant, and Sartre which was long dominant in French thought. Structuralists and poststructuralists argued that subjectivity was produced by language, social institutions, and cultural forms and was not independent of its construction in these institutions and practices.
Nor does Baudrillard develop a theory of class or group revolt, or any theory of political organization, struggle, or strategy of the sort frequent in post-1960s France. Yet Baudrillard's work here is particularly close to the work of the Frankfurt school, especially that of Herbert Marcuse, who had already developed some of the first Marxist critiques of the consumer society (see Kellner 1984 and 1989b). Like Lukàcs (1971) and the Frankfurt School, Baudrillard analyzes how the commodity and commodification permeate social life and come to dominate individual thought and behavior. Following the general line of critical Marxism, Baudrillard argues that the process of social homogenization, alienation, and exploitation constitutes a process of reification in commodities, technologies, and things (i.e., “objects”) come to dominate people (“subjects”) divesting them of their human qualities and capacities.
For Lukàcs, the Frankfurt School, and Baudrillard, reification — the process whereby human beings become dominated by things and become more thinglike themselves — comes to govern social life. Conditions of labor imposed submission and standardization on human life, as well as exploiting workers and alienating them from a life of freedom and self-determination. In a media and consumer society, culture and consumption also became homogenized, depriving individuals of the possibility of cultivating individuality and self-determination.
In a sense, Baudrillard's work can be read as an account of a further stage of reification and social domination than that described by the Frankfurt School who described how individuals were controlled by ruling institutions and modes of thought. Baudrillard goes beyond the Frankfurt School by applying the semiological theory of the sign to describe how commodities, media, and technologies provide a universe of illusion and fantasy in which individuals become overpowered by consumer values, media ideologies and role models, and seductive technologies like computers which provide worlds of cyberspace. Eventually, Baudrillard will take his analysis of domination by signs and the system of objects to even more pessimistic conclusions where he concludes that the thematic of the “end of the individual” sketched by the Frankfurt School has reached its fruition in the total defeat of human subjectivity by the object world (see Section 3).
Yet in some writings, Baudrillard has a somewhat more active theory of consumption than that of the Frankfurt School's that generally portrays consumption as a passive mode of social integration. By contrast, consumption in Baudrillard's early writings is itself a kind of labor, “an active manipulation of signs,” a way of inserting oneself within the consumer society, and working to differentiate oneself from others. Yet this active manipulation of signs is not equivalent to postulating an active human subject that could resist, redefine, or produce its own signs, thus Baudrillard fails to develop a genuine theory of agency.
Baudrillard's first three works can thus be read in the framework of a neo-Marxian critique of capitalist societies. One could read Baudrillard's emphasis on consumption as a supplement to Marx's analysis of production and his focus on culture and signs as an important supplement to classical Marxian political economy, which adds a cultural and semiological dimension to the Marxian project. But in his 1973 provocation, The Mirror of Production (translated into English in 1975), Baudrillard carries out a systematic attack on classical Marxism, claiming that Marxism is but a mirror of bourgeois society, placing production at the center of life, thus naturalizing the capitalist organization of society.
Although in the 1960s, Baudrillard participated in the tumultuous events of May 1968, and was associated with the revolutionary Left and Marxism, he broke with Marxism in the early 1970s, but remained politically radical though unaffiliated the rest of the decade. Like many on the Left, Baudrillard was disappointed that the French Communist Party did not support the radical ‘60s movements and he also distrusted the official Marxism of theorists like Louis Althusser who he found dogmatic and reductive. Consequently, Baudrillard began a radical critique of Marxism, one that would be repeated by many of his contemporaries who would also take a postmodern turn (see Best and Kellner 1991 and 1997).
Baudrillard (1975) argues that Marxism, first, does not adequately illuminate premodern societies that were organized around religion, mythology, and tribal organization and not production. He also argues that Marxism does not provide a sufficiently radical critique of capitalist societies and alternative critical discourses and perspectives. At this stage, Baudrillard turns to anthropological perspectives on premodern societies for hints of more emancipatory alternatives. Yet it is important to note that this critique of Marxism was taken from the Left, arguing that Marxism did not provide a radical enough critique of, or alternative to, contemporary capitalist and communist societies organized around production. Baudrillard concluded that French communist failure to support the May 68 movements was rooted in part in a conservatism that had roots in Marxism itself. Hence, Baudrillard and others of his generation began searching for alternative critical positions.
The Mirror of Production and his next book Symbolic Exchange and Death (1976), a major text finally translated in 1993, are attempts to provide ultraradical perspectives that overcome the limitations of an economistic Marxist tradition that privileges the economic sphere. This ultra-leftist phase of Baudrillard's itinerary would be short-lived, however, though in Symbolic Exchange and Death, Baudrillard produces one of his most important and dramatic provocations. The text opens with a Preface that condenses his attempt to provide a significantly different approach to society and culture. Building on the French cultural theory of Georges Bataille, Marcel Mauss, and Alfred Jarry, Baudrillard champions “symbolic exchange” which resists capitalist values of utility and monetary profit for cultural values. Baudrillard argues that in Bataille's claim that expenditure and excess is connected with sovereignty, Mauss's descriptions of the social prestige of gift-giving in premodern society, Jarry's theater that ridicules French culture, and Saussure's anagrams, there is a break with the values of capitalist exchange and production, or the production of meaning in linguistic exchange. These cases of “symbolic exchange,” Baudrillard believes, break with the values of production and describe poetic exchange and creative cultural activity that provides alternatives to the capitalist values of production and exchange.
The term “symbolic exchange” was derived from Georges Bataille's notion of a “general economy” where expenditure, waste, sacrifice, and destruction were claimed to be more fundamental to human life than economies of production and utility (1988 [1967]). Bataille's model was the sun that freely expended its energy without asking anything in return. He argued that if individuals wanted to be truly sovereign (e.g., free from the imperatives of capitalism) they should pursue a “general economy” of expenditure, giving, sacrifice, and destruction to escape determination by existing imperatives of utility.
For Bataille, human beings were beings of excess with exorbitant energy, fantasies, drives, needs, and heterogeneous desire. At this point, Baudrillard presupposes the truth of Bataille's anthropology and general economy. In a 1976 review of a volume of Bataille's Complete Works, Baudrillard writes: “The central idea is that the economy which governs our societies results from a misappropriation of the fundamental human principle, which is a solar principle of expenditure” (1987: 57). In the early 1970s, Baudrillard took over Bataille's anthropological position and what he calls Bataille's “aristocratic critique” of capitalism that he now claims is grounded in the crass notions of utility and savings rather than the more sublime “aristocratic” notion of excess and expenditure. Bataille and Baudrillard presuppose here a contradiction between human nature and capitalism. They maintain that humans “by nature” gain pleasure from such things as expenditure, waste, festivities, sacrifices, and so on, in which they are sovereign and free to expend the excesses of their energy (and thus to follow their “real nature”). The capitalist imperatives of labor, utility, and savings by implication are “unnatural,” and go against human nature.
Baudrillard argues that the Marxian critique of capitalism, by contrast, merely attacks exchange value while exalting use value and thus utility and instrumental rationality, thereby “seeking a good use of the economy.” For Baudrillard:
Marxism is therefore only a limited petit bourgeois critique, one more step in the banalization of life toward the ‘good use’ of the social! Bataille, to the contrary, sweeps away all this slave dialectic from an aristocratic point of view, that of the master struggling with his death. One can accuse this perspective of being pre- or post-Marxist. At any rate, Marxism is only the disenchanted horizon of capital — all that precedes or follows it is more radical than it is (1987: 60).
This passage is highly revealing and marks Baudrillard's switch to an “aristocratic critique” of political economy deeply influenced by Bataille and Nietzsche. For Bataille and Baudrillard are presenting a version of Nietzsche's aristocratic “master morality” where “superior” individuals create their own values and their life articulates an excess, overflow, and intensification of creative and erotic energies. For some time, Baudrillard would continue to attack the bourgeoisie, capital, and political economy, but from a perspective which champions “aristocratic” expenditure and sumptuary, aesthetic and symbolic values. The dark side of his switch in theoretical and political allegiances is a valorization of (i.e., a giving or assigning of value to) sacrifice and death that informs Symbolic Exchange and Death (in which sacrifice provides a giving that subverts bourgeois values of utility and self-preservation, an idea that has sinister implications in an era of suicide bombings and terrorism).
On the whole, in his mid-1970s work, Baudrillard was extricating himself from the familiar Marxian universe of production and class struggle into a quite different neo-aristocratic and metaphysical world-view. Baudrillard seems to assume at this point that pre-capitalist societies were governed by forms of symbolic exchange similar to Bataille's notion of a general economy. Influenced by Mauss' theory of the gift and countergift, Baudrillard claimed that pre-capitalist societies were governed by laws of symbolic exchange rather than production and utility. Developing these ideas, Baudrillard sketched a fundamental dividing line in history between symbolic societies — i.e., societies fundamentally organized around premodern exchange — and productivist societies (i.e., societies organized around production and commodity exchange). He thus rejects the Marxian philosophy of history which posits the primacy of production in all societies and rejects the Marxian concept of socialism, arguing that it does not break radically enough with capitalist productivism, offering itself merely as a more efficient and equitable organization of production rather than as a completely different sort of society with a different values and forms of culture and life.
Henceforth, Baudrillard would contrast — in one way or another — his ideal of symbolic exchange to the values of production, utility, and instrumental rationality that govern capitalist (and socialist) societies. “Symbolic exchange” thus emerges as Baudrillard's “revolutionary” alternative to the values and practices of capitalist society, and stands for a variety of heterogeneous activities in his 1970s writings. For instance, he writes in the Critique: “The exchange of looks, the present which comes and goes, are like the air people breathe in and out. This is the metabolism of exchange, prodigality, festival — and also of destruction (which returns to non-value what production has erected, valorized). In this domain, value isn't even recognized” (1981: 207). He also describes his conception of symbolic exchange in The Mirror of Production where he writes: “The symbolic social relation is the uninterrupted cycle of giving and receiving, which, in primitive exchange, includes the consumption of the ‘surplus' and deliberate anti-production” (1975: 143). The term therefore refers to symbolic or cultural activities which do not contribute to capitalist production and accumulation and which potentially constitute a “radical negation” of productivist society.
At this stage of his thought, Baudrillard stood in a French tradition of extolling “primitive” or premodern culture over the abstract rationalism and utilitarianism of modern society. Baudrillard's defense of symbolic exchange over production and instrumental rationality thus stands in the tradition of Rousseau's defense of the “natural savage” over modern man, Durkheim's posing mechanical solidarities of premodern societies against the abstract individualism and anomie of modern ones, Bataille's valorization of expenditure of premodern societies, or Mauss' or Levi-Strauss' fascination with the richness of “primitive societies” or “the savage mind.” After deconstructing the modern master thinkers and his own theoretical fathers (Marx, Freud, Saussure, and his French contemporaries) for missing the richness of symbolic exchange, Baudrillard continues to champion the symbolic and radical forms of thought and writing in a quest that takes him into ever more esoteric and exotic discourse.
Thus, against the organizing forms of modern thought and society, Baudrillard champions symbolic exchange as an alternative. Against modern demands to produce value and meaning, Baudrillard calls for their extermination and annihilation, providing as examples, Mauss's gift-exchange, Saussure's anagrams, and Freud's concept of the death drive. In all of these instances, there is a rupture with the forms of exchange (of goods, meanings, and libidinal energies) and thus an escape from the forms of production, capitalism, rationality, and meaning. Baudrillard's paradoxical concept of symbolic exchange can be explained as expression of a desire to liberate himself from modern positions and to seek a revolutionary position outside of modern society. Against modern values, Baudrillard advocates their annihilation and extermination.
In his mid-1970s work, however, Baudrillard posits another divide in history as radical as the rupture between premodern symbolic societies and modern ones. In the mode of classical social theory, he systematically develops distinctions between premodern societies organized around symbolic exchange, modern societies organized around production, and postmodern societies organized around “simulation” by which he means the cultural modes of representation that “simulate” reality as in television, computer cyberspace, and virtual reality. Baudrillard's distinction between the mode of production and utility that organized modern societies and the mode of simulation that he believes is the organizing form of postmodern societies postulates a rupture between modern and postmodern societies as great as the divide between modern and premodern ones. In theorizing the epochal postmodern rupture with modernity, Baudrillard declares the “end of political economy” and of an era in which production was the organizing form of society. Following Marx, Baudrillard argues that this modern epoch was the era of capitalism and the bourgeoisie, in which workers were exploited by capital and provided a revolutionary force of upheaval. Baudrillard, however, declared the end of political economy and thus the end of the Marxist problematic and of modernity itself:
The end of labor. The end of production. The end of political economy. The end of the signifier/signified dialectic which facilitates the accumulation of knowledge and of meaning, the linear syntagma of cumulative discourse. And at the same time, the end simultaneously of the exchange value/use value dialectic which is the only thing that makes accumulation and social production possible. The end of linear dimension of discourse. The end of the linear dimension of the commodity. The end of the classical era of the sign. The end of the era of production (Baudrillard 1993a: 8).
The discourse of “the end” signifies his announcing a postmodern break or rupture in history. People are now, Baudrillard claims, in a new era of simulation in which social reproduction (information processing, communication, and knowledge industries, and so on) replaces production as the organizing form of society. In this era, labor is no longer a force of production but is itself a “one sign amongst many” (1993a: 10). Labor is not primarily productive in this situation, but is a sign of one's social position, way of life, and mode of servitude. Wages too bear no rational relation to one's work and what one produces but to one's place within the system (1993a: 19ff.). But, crucially, political economy is no longer the foundation, the social determinant, or even a structural “reality” in which other phenomena can be interpreted and explained (31ff.). Instead people live in the “hyperreality” of simulations in which images, spectacles, and the play of signs replace the concepts of production and class conflict as key constituents of contemporary societies.
From now on, capital and political economy disappear from Baudrillard's story, or return in radically new forms. Henceforth, signs and codes proliferate and produce other signs and new sign machines in ever-expanding and spiraling cycles. Technology thus replaces capital in this story and semiurgy (interpreted by Baudrillard as proliferation of images, information, and signs) replaces production. His postmodern turn is thus connected to a form of technological determinism and a rejection of political economy as a useful explanatory principle — a move that many of his critics reject (see Kellner 1989 and the studies in Kellner 1994).
Symbolic Exchange and Death and the succeeding studies in Simulation and Simulacra (1994 [1981]) articulate the principle of a fundamental rupture between modern and postmodern societies and mark Baudrillard's departure from the problematic of modern social theory. For Baudrillard, modern societies are organized around the production and consumption of commodities, while postmodern societies are organized around simulation and the play of images and signs, denoting a situation in which codes, models, and signs are the organizing forms of a new social order where simulation rules.[5] In the society of simulation, identities are constructed by the appropriation of images, and codes and models determine how individuals perceive themselves and relate to other people. Economics, politics, social life, and culture are all governed by the mode of simulation, whereby codes and models determine how goods are consumed and used, politics unfold, culture is produced and consumed, and everyday life is lived.
Baudrillard's postmodern world is also one in which previously important boundaries and distinctions — such as those between social classes, genders, political leanings, and once autonomous realms of society and culture — lose power. If modern societies, for classical social theory, were characterized by differentiation, for Baudrillard, postmodern societies are characterized by dedifferentiation, the “collapse” of (the power of) distinctions, or implosion. In Baudrillard's society of simulation, the realms of economics, politics, culture, sexuality, and the social all implode into each other. In this implosive mix, economics is fundamentally shaped by culture, politics, and other spheres, while art, once a sphere of potential difference and opposition, is absorbed into the economic and political, while sexuality is everywhere. In this situation, differences between individuals and groups implode in a rapidly mutating or changing dissolution of the social and the previous boundaries and structures upon which social theory had once focused.
In addition, his postmodern universe is one of hyperreality in which entertainment, information, and communication technologies provide experiences more intense and involving than the scenes of banal everyday life, as well as the codes and models that structure everyday life. The realm of the hyperreal (e.g., media simulations of reality, Disneyland and amusement parks, malls and consumer fantasylands, TV sports, and other excursions into ideal worlds) is more real than real, whereby the models, images, and codes of the hyperreal come |
cluster.
More improvements
There are many other exciting improvements in this release:
A new range command that generates a range of numbers
command that generates a range of numbers A new wait command that lets you wait for a table to become ready
command that lets you wait for a table to become ready A new toJsonString command that converts a datum to a JSON string
command that converts a datum to a JSON string The map command is now variadic for mapping over multiple sequences in parallel
command is now variadic for mapping over multiple sequences in parallel The min and max commands now accept an index for more efficient evaluation
and commands now accept an index for more efficient evaluation rethinkdb export now exports secondary index information and rethinkdb import re-creates exported indexes
now exports secondary index information and re-creates exported indexes kqueue is now used instead of poll for dramatically better performance on OS X
For a full list of over 300 improvements, see the changelog.
Next steps
See the full list of enhancements, and take the new release for a spin!
The team is already hard at work on the upcoming 2.0 release. The 2.0 release will focus on operational and API stability, and will be the first production-ready release of RethinkDB. As always, if there is something you’d like us to prioritize or if you have any feedback on the release, please let us know.VIENNA
Turkey's energy and natural resources minister has said Monday the Armenian Metsamor nuclear power plant should be shut down as the world cannot risk another disaster like Chernobyl.
"Even if each country took the necessary precautions about its own nuclear power plant, we cannot ignore the threats at the borders. Therefore, we have to act together towards potential threats. In that regard, the Metsamor nuclear power plant should be shut down," Berat Albayrak said at the 60th general conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the Austrian capital Vienna.
The Turkish minister explained nuclear threats, namely terrorism, went beyond countries’ borders.
Armenia's Metsamor plant, built in 1970 and located 16 kilometers (10 miles) from the Turkish border, came under criticism by Turkish officials as Armenia decided to extend Metsamor's lifespan until 2026.
Turkey currently plans to build threes nuke plants
He also said that Turkey currently had plans to build three nuclear power plants.
Each of the plants boast four reactors, he said adding that the feasibility studies for the third nuclear power plant were still ongoing.
Turkey's first nuclear power plant, Akkuyu, is being constructed by Russia while the second one, the Sinop nuclear power plant, will be built by a consortium composed of France, Japan and Turkey.
Albayrak said that the plants would follow the IAEA's security standards.
Syrian land to be open to IAEA's auditors
Albayrak also urged the IAEA to look into Syria.
"The lands of Syria should be opened to IAEA auditors. This is extremely important for a country like Syria where chemical weapons are used against its citizens," he pointed out.
Albayrak concluded that Turkey supported security audit agreements aiming for a nuclear weapon-free Middle East.I wanted to get this to you before CTV breaks the news. Here’s an updated national tally of “Canadian” medal winners that, basically, count for us…
•••
Gold: 4
Women’s 100 m Butterfly: Missy Franklin (likes Nova Scotia, parents are Canadian)
Equestrian – Individual Eventing: Michael Jung (had an airport layover in Montreal in 1987)
Women’s Cycling – Road Race: Marianne Vos (once owned a Neil Young cassette)
Men’s Ice Hockey: (Victory in 2010 so awesome that the medal should totally carry over and count again)
•••
Silver: 5
Women’s 400 m freestyle: Allison Schmitt (kinda looks Canadian)
Women’s 100 m breaststroke: Rebecca Soni (guessed our national capital on the third try)
Men’s C-1 slalom: Sideris Tasiadis (we’ve got canoes in Canada too, right?)
Fencing – Women’s Individual Foil: Arriana Errigo (likes bacon)
Weightlifting – Men’s 56 kg: Wu Jingbiao (knows a Dave in Kelowna)
•••
Bronze: 13
Women’s 3 m Synchronized Diving: Emile Heymans and Jennifer Abel
Women’s 10 m Synchronized Diving: Roseline Filion and Meaghan Benfeito
Big piece of cardboard cut into 11 brownish circlesZÜCA All Terrain Cart / Ridge Roller Background…
If you read the article I posted last week, you know I’m a huge fan of using a cart when playing disc golf. Outside of quick rounds played with my NutSac, I use a cart almost every time.
Before I bought my first one, I did a lot of research. I really didn’t want to spend the money to be very honest. $400 is a lot of money to spend on something to carry your discs. Especially when you already own a few different bags! Do you know how many discs you can buy with $400?
(Currently priced at just over $300, see below for pricing details)
Because of that, my first thought was to go home made. There are plenty of you out there with converted strollers and ball golf carts. You prove that one doesn’t need to spend a ton of money to get wheels under their plastic. If you do a little poking around on line, you’ll find hundreds of different custom made disc golf carts.
That said, I’m lazy. I’m also not super handy. Another factor is that those strollers and ball golf carts work great on park style courses. They can be a significant headache when it comes to wooded and rugged courses that have elevation. They can also be large and unwieldy. For those and several other reasons, I began to explore the world of purpose built disc golf carts. Once I owned one, I was immediately glad I hadn’t built my own.
During my initial research this year, I found a clear front runner in the world of disc golf carts. There was a guy on line taking metal framed rolling luggage/cases and customizing them for disc golf. I wasn’t sure about a cart made in a home workshop. My hesitations were put to rest during a tournament I played in this spring in Wisconsin. At that tournament there were no less than 15 of these carts being used by players. I went home that night and ordered one.
The cart I’m talking about is the Ridge Roller. These were originally made for play at the Rollin’ Ridge disc golf course (currently ranked the #3 course in the country by DGCR). It soon gained viral popularity on line. A Facebook page and website soon followed. It’s fun to look at the growth of this brand. What started as a project in a home workshop has turned into a professionally manufactured product.
Just a few months ago, the creator of the Ridge Roller partnered with the maker of the rolling cases (ZÜCA). This resulted in the birth of the production version of the Ridge Roller disc golf cart. It’s available on the Ridge Roller site as well as the ZÜCA site (as the ZÜCA all terrain disc golf cart).
***At the time this post is being published, there is a considerable price difference between the ZÜCA site and the Ridge Roller site. Make sure and check both before buying. Right now, the ZÜCA site is about $100 less than the Ridge Roller site.
This partnership meant a big upgrade to the Ridge Roller. As I write this, I’m looking at the original Ridge Roller I bought. Right next to it is a brand new ZÜCA made cart that they sent me for this review. The differences are notable and they mark a huge improvement on what was already a great cart. For the purposes of this review, I’ll be referring to the current production model.
Build Quality…
We play disc golf on a lot of varied terrain. It can range from flat and mowed park courses to forested courses with treacherous elevation. Nothing else matters if the cart isn’t well made. This is also where the purpose built carts shine over the home made carts. I’ve pushed and pulled my Ridge Roller through some rough courses (Squaw Creek, Lemon Lake Gold and Silver, and Highland Park to name a few). I was immediately happy I didn’t have a stroller or converted ball golf cart.
The ZÜCA / Ridge Roller is very well made. It took on ruts, roots, gravel, and hills just fine. There are a couple of issues with any cart on uneven terrain, but we’ll address that in a bit. As far as the ruggedness of the cart, it holds up nicely.
The frame is solid. Solid enough that the built in seat can support up to 300 pounds. The axel is just as solid. You would have to run this thing over with a car to bend or damage any of the metal construction.
The handle is thick and beefy and attaches securely. When tightened, it won’t move or bend. It also collapses for transport.
There are a couple things that could be better when it comes to durability. The most notable of those is the tires. The wheels themselves are fantastic. If the tires were filled with something solid instead of air, I’d have no complaints. Unfortunately, they are air filled. I’ve had 4 flats this year. While the cart can still get the rest of the way around a course on a flat, it’s not ideal. Each flat was fixed with that fix a flat stuff you spray into the tire.
***UPDATE: In June of 2017, I ordered these solid 12″ wheels for my cart. They are a direct replacement for the stock wheels on either your ZUCA or Delta (for the Delta, they are a bit of a tight fit, but still work great). The solid rubber wheels eliminate the need to modify the standard air filled tires. Another huge benefit is that they are not bouncy like air filled tires. This ends up making your cart more stable. For a minimal cost, it’s a huge upgrade to your cart that you’ll be glad you made!!!
Pro tip: Be prepared for flat tires.
This winter, I’m going to modify the tires on my cart. I ran into a couple of guys who were tired of fixing flats so they took pool noodles, cut them down, and made solid inner tubes. Works like a charm and no more worry about flats.
If you decide to stick with air in the tires, I’d say to buy a can of fix a flat (use the bicycle version) and keep it on hand. I’d also say to take just a bit of air out of the tires before using the cart. On fully inflated tires, bumps and roots tend to bounce the cart around too much. This causes the cart to tip and all your discs fall out. Softening up the tires a bit helps to absorb some of those shocks and bumps.
Pro tip: When you are going through rough terrain, push the cart instead of pulling it. It does get off balance pretty easily. Since the discs go in the open front of the cart, you will end up picking up all your discs off the ground if it tips. By pushing the cart, you virtually eliminate the problem of it tipping over.
Capacity…
As I mentioned in a previous article, carrying capacity is one of the major benefits of using a cart. There is plenty of room for discs and other stuff.
The ZÜCA / Ridge Roller has 2 levels of internal storage that can hold 25-30 discs depending on your ratio of drivers to mids to putters. That’s both a blessing and a curse. Within a month of getting the cart, I was carrying 30 plus discs. More than twice what I was playing with before the cart. For me, that hurt my game. What I ended up doing was using the upper rack for discs and the lower rack for towels, hoody, rain coat, etc. By not putting discs in the bottom section, the ZÜCA / Ridge Roller has a tremendous amount of non disc storage inside.
The storage is great for large soft things like clothes and towels. It does not work well for smaller or harder objects like beverages or camera equipment. When using the cart, the entire front of the cart is open with nothing to hold the items inside. Someone could probably make a simple device to turn the bottom level of disc storage into a safer place to store other things. Like I said before, I’m lazy and not handy. I’d rather there was just more secure storage already built in. As a note, discs are held in place fairly securely. They will fall out if the cart completely tips, but are otherwise safe.
Outside of the main compartment, the Zuca is a little lacking in storage. It has several pockets on the sides. There is no padded compartment for keys, wallet, phone, valuables, etc. I used a small padded zippered case to hold that stuff and put it in the bottom behind the towels.
There is also a kind of pouch (see pics below) that attaches to the pole. It has a couple of velcro close sections that could be used to hold your valuables. For me, this is the biggest opportunity area of the ZÜCA / Ridge Roller cart. Key, wallet, and phone should all have a safe place built in. They don’t. There are a few places to stash those things (an inside side pocket being the most obvious), but none that seem like they are meant for that purpose. There is no padded, lined, or otherwise optimized storage of those items.
One of the best storage features of the Zuca Disc Golf cart is the dual cup holders. Securely bolted to the back are two drink holders that will both hold 32 oz Hydro Flasks. On bumpy terrain, there is a chance of the hydro flask coming out of the holder (because they are heavy). They fit, but are definitely just a tad larger than what the holder is meant for.
Pro tip: If you are going to carry a single Hydro Flask, keep it on the side opposite of where you walk when pulling the cart. This will prevent you from accidentally kicking the drink with your heel as you walk. This will be more important for those of you with longer legs like me.
Visual Tour:
Visual Tour
Since a picture is worth a bunch of words (and I’ve typed too many words already), let’s take a visual tour of the Ridge Roller to finish off the review.
The handle is thick and angled comfortably. It fits well in the hand.
The handle is adjustable to a number of heights. Regardless of how tall you are, you can get it set perfectly for you.
The handle retracts into the base. This makes it easier to transport.
Pro tip: When using the cart on rough terrain, push it instead of pulling it. The cart tips pretty easily when pulled over bumps, rocks, and roots. You can virtually eliminate this possibility by pushing it. I hear a lot of golfers say they won’t use a cart on some rougher courses. This little trick can fix most of that problem.
Because of it’s lack of storage pockets, it comes with this pouch. It’s not the best way to carry your keys, wallet, and phone, but it’s far better than the options on the cart itself.
The top of the cart is designed to be a seat. It is rated to hold up to 300 lbs.
Pro tip: Get the optional seat cover. This provides a bit of padding and makes it a lot more comfortable.
There is also a handle in the top of the seat. This is nice when you have to pick the cart up to carry it over terrain it won’t roll over (stairs, stream crossings, big rocks, etc.).
Pro tip: The cart can be awkward and unwieldy to carry by this handle. If you pick it up here, place your other hand on the top handle. Use that to lever the cart into a more balanced position that isn’t banging in to you. No matter what you do, the Ridge Roller is awkward to carry and can be tough to lug up and down stairs and steep inclines. It’s nice that it has a handle, but picking it up is a pain. I’d rather see two handles, one on either side, for a safer and more balanced carrying option.
The bag itself is made of durable material.
Pro tip: While the material is durable, it will not stand up to large thorns and other similar hazards. Try to keep it clear of these things or the material will rip.
One very cool thing is the assortment of colors you can get the cart in. If you, like many other disc golfers, like to stand out as unique, it looks like the Ridge Roller site will have a frame and bag in a color combo you’ll love.
This side has a slim outer pocket. It also has what appears to be a nice sized zippered pocket. Appearances can be deceiving….
It zips open to a big open hole to the side of the disc frame. There is another slim pocket inside which might be an OK place for phone and wallet. It would be smushed up against the hard side of the rack, but it would at least be out of the elements.
The other side has two pockets. A thin one with a zipper. This will hold one, maybe two discs.
And an elastic pocket that will hold about 5 discs if you really cram them in. I was also able to fit a towel, rain coat, or a thin hoody in this pocket.
The front flap tucks away into a mesh pocket during play.
The internal frame seems well made and comes with one divider on the top level.
Internal disc storage of 25-30 discs is possible. I’m not a huge fan of the front facing disc storage. I’d rather see it face upwards so things are more secure. Upward facing storage would also make accessing the discs a bit easier. Overall, the discs go in and out pretty easily while still being secure. If the cart tips, they are all coming out. Make sure the cart doesn’t tip.
Pro tip: If you need more storage, carry less discs and use the lower disc area to carry towels, clothes, ets. It does not carry small items or camera equipment well. Make sure whatever you put in here is secure or it will fall out of the front of the cart.
The raised front matches the axle height. That allows clearance over most roots, rocks, and other obstructions. It also allows the cart to sit in a good bit of water without getting the contents wet.
The quick release wheels and axel are nice since the cart will not fit in most cars standing up. Removing the wheels is a space saver. I did have issues getting the right amount of tightness on them. Too loose and the ends fell off. Too tight and the wheels don’t spin freely.
Pro tip: When tightening the wheels, make it snug but not too tight.
Pro tip: If you stand it up (only possible in jeeps, vans, SUVs, etc.) in your vehicle for transport, secure it somehow. Otherwise it will roll around and tip over as you drive.
These tires will go flat. Either because of a puncture or a slow air leak. That’s not a knock on the ZÜCA / Ridge Roller, it’s just a fact of using air filled tires.
Pro tip: Replace the inner tube with a solid core. You can do this with pool noodles.
Pro tip: If you choose to keep these inflated with air, deflate them and then refill with fix a flat.
Pro tip: Do not keep the tires fully inflated. They will bounce off of the smallest bump and cause the cart to tip. Instead remove just a bit of air for a smoother ride.
Pro tip: Carry a small pump. Get one with a small head. The head has to fit inside the opening in the wheel which is tight.
The drink holders are great and WILL hold a 32 oz. Hydro Flask.
Pro tip: Store a single drink on the opposite side that you walk on to prevent your heel from kicking the drink out of the holder while walking. If storing two, be careful not to do this.
Conclusion…
I played most of the 2015 season with a ZÜCA all terrain disc golf cart / Ridge Roller. Not once did I ever second guess spending the money. It was definitely a worthwhile purchase and I’m happy I had it.
That said, it is still an early generation product. There are several things I do wish were better (storage for things other than discs being the biggest one). I would bet that over time, this cart will see several revisions that will make it better and better each successive time it is updated. The first of those revisions has happened recently. The upgrades present on the ZÜCA made cart are a big improvement over the cart that not too long ago was sold only on a FaceBook page.
If you talk to owners of the Ridge Roller, they are all happy with their cart. If you are in the market, it is a worthwhile choice.
As our regular readers know, Mind Body Disc is about honesty and transparency in all the reviews we publish. Because of that, I feel compelled to let you all know that I no longer personally use the Ridge Roller cart. I have switched to the Delta Ten (review coming soon). The Delta is about $100 more than the ZÜCA all terrain disc golf cart, but I needed two things the Ridge Roller just didn’t offer.
One was secure storage for my camera. I carry a very expensive camera and lens on many rounds and there just wasn’t anywhere to safely carry it on the ZÜCA / Ridge Roller. In fairness to the Ridge Roller, it was designed as a disc golf cart and it does a tremendously good job of doing that. If you don’t have several thousand dollars in camera gear to carry along with your discs, this should not dissuade you from purchasing the ZÜCA all terrain disc golf cart.
Two was upward facing disc storage. If you’ve followed my blog for any length of time, you know about my back problems. Having to bend down to look inside the front of the cart to see my discs just wasn’t working for me. This is another specific gripe that only a few of you will ever relate to. That and I haven’y had all my discs fall out of the Delta Ten once. It happened several time with the ZÜCA.
I want to be clear that if I didn’t have the above two concerns, I would still be using my ZÜCA all terrain disc golf cart today. I would not have even considered spending another $400 on a different cart. And I will say that the Delta is not perfect either. It’s just the better option for me at this time.
I would encourage you to give the ZÜCA all terrain cart serious consideration for your disc golf cart dollars. I believe that of all the carts currently available, it represents the best value for your money. It is a great piece of equipment and I enjoyed playing the 2015 disc golf season with it at my side.
Don’t want to miss our next review or article? Want a great weekly disc golf newsletter you can’t find anywhere else? Want free disc golf wall papers for your computer desktop? Want to be entered into most of our random draw contests automatically? You can do all that by simply subscribing to the blog below!
[wysija_form id=”1″]
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”AMSTERDAM – Former Mjøndalen defender Rhett Bernstein is back in the States completing his recovery from a nagging groin problem and plotting his next career move, with top flight admirers in both the US and Norway.
The 28-year-old San Diego native, who recently ran out of contract after five seasons with De Brune, says he chose to leave the relegated club to search for a new first-division job.
"That's what I'm working on right now," Bernstein told MLSsoccer.com from his home in California. "I've been in communication with some [MLS and Tippeligaen] clubs."
The center back is not setting any timetable for completing a deal and gave no indication of preferring a landing spot on either side of the Atlantic. His focus is squarely on staying in the big leagues with the best fit available.
"I'm taking my time on this one," said Bernstein. "I want to find the best option. We had a nice run at Mjøndalen, getting promoted and everything, but I want to find a higher level."
Complicating free transfer matters slightly is the groin recovery, which will likely meet its conclusion during training with a new employer. Bernstein, who, despite starting just 13 of 30 games and lining up at center back, led Mjøndalen with five goals, also battled ankle and hamstring problems last season.
However, it was the groin issue that lingered the longest, limiting the defender to just one start in the season's final six games.
"It's not a chronic thing," said Bernstein, who was recently checked out by US national team doctors. "They said I just need rest and to have a good preseason."Recorded September 20th, 2012.
Opening:
Anti – AKB48
Ending:
Atto Iu Ma no Shoujo – SKE48
[download]
Anthony’s Twitter – yoshizumitime
Dae’s Twitter – newschooldae
Dave’s Twitter – t3hdave
Impressions
BiS “IDOL is DEAD” music video
BiS “IDOL is DEAD” album covers
PASSPO “WING” Full PV
Ono Erena “Aa, Subarashiki Nyansei” PV preview
News
H!P
H!P holding international handshake event for 15th anniversary
Morning Musume album, “13 Colorful Characters” sells 14,416 first week
H!P Kenshuusei – New Song Announced, “Kanojo ni Naritai!!!”
Berryz Koubou 30th Single Announced
AKS
SKE48’s “Kiss Datte Hidarikiki” sells 387,702 (+67,883 second day) copies and “Kono Hi no Chime wo Wasurenai” sells 51,875 copies (+22,679 second day)
AKB48’s album “1830m” finally sells 1 million copies
Shimazaki Haruka wins the Janken Tournament
NMB48 Team N’s new stage will start on October 8th. New Team M to be announced on October 9th. Team BII will debut on October 10th.
HKT48 flying get a TV show, titled “HaKaTa Hyakkaten” starts on October 7th
Sashihara Rino’s second single details
Akimoto Yasushi files defamation lawsuit against Shukan Shincho for the sum of 110 million yen
1/153 game becomes 1/149 game
Other
Fairies getting a new regular show on TBS “Bakusho Gakuen Nasebana-ru!”There’s no denying it; we are, as a nation, obsessed with India. We queue up in cinemas to watch their movies, a considerable TV audience is addicted to their sob-fest saas-bahu soaps and we dance to their songs at weddings. A 'Shiela' or a 'Fevicol'? Heck, yeah.
But when an Indian celebrity turns up on a local billboard, it immediately becomes a source of contention. Why is there an Indian face selling a product in the Pakistani market, critics complain.
Well, why not? Notwithstanding our cricket heroes, Indian celebrities are extremely well-known, well-loved faces in Pakistan — anybody who’s been unable to get a cinema ticket for the latest ‘house-full’ Shahrukh Khan-starrer can attest to this. In fact, it is the pulling power of Bollywood movies that has resulted in the re-growth of cinemas and the much-touted revival of Pakistani films.
Speaking pragmatically, Bollywood’s star-power and glamour is often manifold compared to the gloss of our local icons. A case in point is mobile brand Q-Mobile’s ad campaigns which have featured a battalion of local stars — Atif Aslam, Humayun Saeed, Ayesha Khan, Ali Zafar, Danish Taimoor and Fawad Khan to name a few.
The moment, however, we were all able to pronounce ‘Noir’ was when Bollywood siren Kareena Kapoor sauntered into a TV ad, holding the cellphone in her hand. The up-and-coming Indian hero Arjun Kapoor, followed soon, jiving to yet another ‘Noir’ ad campaign and quickly making the fledgling brand rise in popularity.
Sonam Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Kapoor in Q-Mobile Ads. - Photo courtesy: Q-Mobile's Official Facebook page
A marketing expert who prefers to remain anonymous elaborates: “Now, Q-Mobile is cool. You wouldn’t have been caught dead using it two years ago, but the brand’s association changed things. Most mobile sets are pretty much the same in terms of features. The face that represents the brand becomes the selling point.
"Having an Indian actor in an ad may cost crores while a Pakistani will charge lakhs. But mobile companies have huge budgets for their ads on TV — what are a few crores to them? It makes perfect business sense.”
And so, from lawn to mobile phones to soaps to shampoos to hair removal creams, India’s glitterati continues to entice us from billboards and television ads, tempting us to the wayward paths of consumerism.
For a new brand, an Indian face manages to pique consumer interest. One remembers Firdous lawn, making a splash in the market four years ago with billboards featuring Kareena Kapoor. The fact that this hitherto unknown lawn could rake out the moolah for the hit actress certainly lent it credibility. Suddenly, Firdous figured on the avid lawn-shopper’s radar. It’s no wonder that the brand followed up the next year with another Bollywood beauty, Deepika Padukone.
Deepika Padukone in Firdous Lawn 2011 collection. - Photo courtesy: pakistanifashiontrendzz.blogspot.com
Firdous has long shifted focus to local models, but Director Omer Saleem recalls how the initial use of Indian faces helped his brand gain international recognition.
“Indian actresses are popular not just in Pakistan, but also in the markets to which our fabric gets exported, predominantly UAE, Bangladesh and India. Having them model our lawn during the initial years definitively helped us gain a stronghold over the market,” shared Saleem.
A plethora of other lawn brands followed in Firdous’ wake. Strict rules in cantonment areas, prohibiting billboards with Indian stars may have deterred a few, but not many. Khadijah Shah’s Elan featured Nargis Fakhri for a year and Crescent lawn has long spotlighted Kareena and Karisma Kapoor in embellished, three-piece glory. When a brand is pandering not just to Pakistan but also to other countries, it can’t take limited cantonment rules into consideration. Taking on an Indian face makes budgetary sense.
Nargis Fakhri in Elan Lawn Collection (L) and Karishma Kapoor in Crescent Lawn Collection.
Currently, among others, the enterprising Mr and Mrs Pataudi (Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor), Parineeti Chopra and Shilpa Shetty, successfully star in shampoo ads within Pakistan as well as across the border.
Kareena Kapoor happily tempts both Pakistan and India with a Magnum bar and Katrina Kaif is here, there and everywhere guiding you towards everything, from juice to soap to hair removal cream!
Kareena Kapoor in Magnum ad. – Photo courtesy: Bollyspice.com
One almost feels sorry for the extra budget that CLEAR shampoo must have had to set aside for Pakistan. Their Indian ad stars Virat Kohli and come what may, an Indian cricketer can never appease the Pakistani populace.
The brand’s ad for Pakistan has ended up featuring Bollywood starlet Ileana D’Cruz opposite our hunky Fawad Khan.
Brand manager at Veet, Masooma Hasan, points out that sometimes taking on an Indian actor is the only choice a marketing team has. Veet has, of course, long featured Katrina Kaif in their ads and Hasan observes that the actor perfectly emulates what the brand stands for.
“We want consumers to consider Veet to be a beauty brand rather than a hygiene product. Katrina projects a beauty that any woman would aspire to achieve. She’s a popular Bollywood icon, has a gorgeous face and a stunning body," said Hasan. "To our mind, there’s no other actor in Pakistan at the moment that fits the bill as well.”
Katrina Kaif in Veet ad (L) and Slice ad.
Unilever, a stalwart at featuring celebrities in myriad ad campaigns, explains that the choice of brand ambassadors depends on their popularity in the local market rather than their geographical associations.
“Not just Indian stars are famous in Pakistan,” says Raheel Pasha Khan, Marketing Director at Unilever Personal Care. “For instance, Shaan and Iman Ali have never worked in India, but are very popular locally.”
Shaan and Iman Ali, however, represent a very small minority. Until more bona fide stars enter the field in Pakistan, India is what truly sells here and marketing experts are hardly going to listen to a few nitpicky critics when faced with mounting sales.
And so what? Good advertising inevitably generates more revenue for the economy and the encroachment of Bollywood may as well induce our own celebrities to become better-groomed.
Realistically, how many of you would even want to buy something promoted to us by a Mathira or a Veena Malik? Not many, not yet.
Maliha Rehman is a fashion and lifestyle journalist with a penchant for writing, all the time! Log on to Twitter for more updates @maliharehmanAfter almost 10 months of unavailability, Mafia 2 will again be available for purchase on Steam, 2K Games announced. The re-release comes in anticipation of this fall's Mafia 3, and the publisher is offering a discount to celebrate.
Mafia 2 and its three downloadable content packs will be 80 percent off until June 8. Although the game and its DLC expansions are set to go live later today, prices are not yet given on the store listing.
2K never explained why Mafia 2 was taken off Steam in the first place, but fans of the series speculated that music licensing costs were the reason for 2K pulling the title. They first noticed the game was no longer up for sale last August, four years after launch. Its predecessor, Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven, was similarly removed from the storefront in October 2012; that game is still missing.
On Oct. 7, Mafia 3 will launch on Steam, along with Mac, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. That gives players a full four months to check out the previous game before moving onto its sequel, which is said to tie up many of the loose ends.Development Update Testing of the TokenNet environment is ongoing. We have talked in our previous newsletter about Virginia disconnecting from the network. Further tests have been conducted and our developers concluded high latency due to the physical distance is the problem. Since there is no way of getting around physical distance, the devs are conducting further tests by replacing Virginia to California. We are still waiting on the details of the test result analysis, but we will keep you posted as soon as we can see any progress. Test Web-Wallet As previously mentioned, we have planned to open the Test Web-Wallet and it has finally arrived. Our Web-Wallet is ready for you to test and you can invite a friend to test it with you. At the moment the Test Web-Wallet will be on Stellar's TestNet but this will alternate to our own mock-TokenNet during the public testing. The Test Web-wallet tests will be focusing on user and operational acceptance testing, and will cover the following (noting this is not an exhaustive list): Transaction & blockchain protocol The optimized FBA consensus algorithm Sequential transaction completion Latency etc.
Web-Wallet application Usability (i.e. user friendliness and aesthetics)
- text (size and color)
- language
- look and feel
- placement of items
Wallet operation and functionality
- buttons functionality
- transaction processing
- Information output (i.e. correctness of historical transactions) Bugs
- any abnormal behavior To participate in testing please follow the instructions via the link below.
http://tokennet-test-wallet.dev.blockchainos.org.s3-website.ap-northeast-2.amazonaws.com/
The instructions below will provide you information on where to send any issues or constructive comments.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeyoB54xvyC5J1_6vOrDnOJkl3VS80p47SDhOYc5S652ov4Kw/viewform Meanwhile, we have had a group of hackers try to break in to the system and the Web-wallet and we are pleased to say they were not able to. We have asked a couple of internet security firms to take a look at our web-wallet and Horizon but unfortunately we are still waiting for feedback. This too, we will let you know if repairs need to be made:)
TAL Session In the last newsletter we mentioned that our team engaged Dr. Jonghwan Lee in mathematics and discussed the logic of the Stellar Consensus Protocol. This and last week, we also engaged one of Korea's top Computer Science Professors EunKyoung Jee from KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology - one of Korea's top universitiies), who specializes in Timed Automata to hold discussions with the view for us to integrate this theory into Trust Contracts. The first session went through Timed Automata in general and the second focused on Marcin Andrychowicz & Co's paper on Modeling bitcoin Contracts by Timed Automata, where the Professor further provided examples using UPPAAL. The team gained good insight into the application to Timed Automata in the cryptocurrency space and its modeling potential. For the past 2 days, we have had a little meet-up for a small group who are all in for the cause and future |
circuit (including 500 MBps from the truck and 250 MBps backstage from the stadium) between Orlando and its headquarters in Stamford, CT; a satellite uplink was used for exchange of long-form content. WWE relied heavily on Aspera for high-speed file transfer between the two locations.
In addition, announcers for eight languages were onsite to supply international feeds for the WWE Network.
WrestleMania Takes Flight With Drone Coverage
For the first time ever, WWE integrated a drone for its WrestleMania coverage. Supplied by Pneumatic Drone Cinema, the system provided live aerial shots of the action, and WWE pulled stills out of the 4K frame to be distributed across various digital platforms. Unlike with traditional aerial shots provided by helicopters (which were still on hand for the show), the drone allowed the WWE production team to capture more-intimate overhead views since it could get closer to the set, according to Leslie.
“The drone was very successful for us,” he notes. “Obviously, the FAA is very stringent about flying over the stadium with a drone during any event, especially Mania. But we did all the paperwork well ahead of time and took the necessary [precautions] so it was approved.
“[The drone team] would bring the drone down [and] run the card in, and then we would ingest it,” he continues. “One of the [structures] from the ground all the way up top was about 200 ft., so they had to send the drone up pretty high. Occasionally, we would have some transmission hits because of all the RF in the distance, but, once we found clear lanes, it worked out great.”
Driving WWE Network to New Heights
In addition to the events taking place in Orlando, WWE Network featured a full slate of original programming during WrestleMania Week (March 27 – April 2), including WWE 24: WrestleMania Monday; a special edition of WWE Talking Smack; Kurt Angle: Oh, It’s True…It’s True!, a WWE Network exclusive interview with 2017 WWE Hall of Fame inductee Kurt Angle; and a new episode of Bring It to the Table. On top of that, WWE’s Stamford production facility continued to churn out fresh content throughout the week and supported nine hours of shoulder programming leading up to WrestleMania on Sunday.
“Having our own network is such an amazing tool, not only to drive our sub base; it gives us a creative tool to build our product in a consumable and fan-friendly way,” says Grossman. “All that [live] shoulder programming requires a lot of content, including prepackaged material, graphics, music, and so on. We’re constantly feeding content to the field for all those shows. That is where Stamford is key in the process.”
All About the Spectacle at WrestleMania
Never one to shy away from spectacle, WWE worked with NEP Screenworks to erect the largest set in WrestleMania history, headlined by a 280-ft.-long ramp completely covered by two types of LED products. WWE and Screenworks were also tasked with engineering an elevator that would allow The Undertaker to emerge from the ramp, creating the evening’s most dramatic moment.
“We figured out a way to put a hole in the ramp for the elevator, but it was very complex,” Leslie explains. “Toward the end of the show, the Screenworks techs had to come out and take the [LED] tiles off, the elevator came up, and then they put the tiles back on. It was quite an engineering feat.”
NEP Screenworks and WWE drove in 13 semitrailers full of video equipment for the in-venue event, including the most LEDs ever. In all, WrestleMania required more than 100 semis at the stadium, including two filled solely with bolts.Now that we are on the eve of the college football season, it's time to take a look at the best of the best when it comes to the SEC.
Like the league's coaches and other members of the media, we have created our own All-SEC team for the 2012 season. We took a stab at this at SEC media days, but we've put our heads together again to make one last list. We've talked to a few more people and done a little more research.
Here goes:
OFFENSE
QB -- Tyler Wilson, Arkansas
RB -- Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina
RB -- Knile Davis, Arkansas
WR -- Cobi Hamilton, Arkansas
WR -- Justin Hunter, Tennessee
AP -- Dennis Johnson, Arkansas
TE -- Philip Lutzenkirchen, Auburn
OL -- Chance Warmack, Alabama
OL -- Chris Faulk, LSU
OL -- Luke Joeckel, Texas A&M
OL -- D.J. Fluker, Alabama
C -- Barrett Jones, Alabama
DEFENSE
DE -- Sam Montgomery, LSU
DE -- Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina
DT -- Jesse Williams, Alabama
DT -- Bennie Logan, LSU
LB -- Jarvis Jones, Georgia
LB -- Sean Porter, Texas A&M
LB -- Alec Ogletree, Georgia
CB -- Johnthan Banks, Mississippi State
CB -- Dee Milliner, Alabama
S -- Eric Reid, LSU
S -- Matt Elam, Florida
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK -- Caleb Sturgis, Florida
P -- Brad Wing, LSU
RS -- Dustin Harris, Texas A&MBuy Photo President-elect Donald Trump spoke to thousands of supporters during his Thank You tour stop in Des Moines on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016. (Photo: Bryon Houlgrave/The Register)Buy Photo
A fiscal analysis shows federal grant funding to Iowa would drop by more than $100 million under President Donald Trump's proposed budget, a move that would force the state to reduce services or find other funding for programs ranging from early education to job training.
The documents posted this month by the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency offer the first details about what Trump's proposed federal budget could mean for Iowa. The LSA analysis doesn't cover all aspects of Trump's proposal, which seeks big reductions in many domestic programs, but it highlights what the plan would mean for some high-profile state services.
Several of Trump's proposed cuts would hit programs that Gov. Kim Reynolds has made priorities, including adult and youth job training and boosting technology in K-12 classrooms. Any federal spending reductions would come at a time the state has repeatedly dealt with funding problems, leading to two budget shortfalls in the past year and possibly a third later this month.
Brenna Smith, a spokeswoman for Reynolds, noted Trump's budget is only a proposal and expressed understanding at the need to reduce federal spending.
"We know as a country that something must be done to address the federal debt," Smith said. "This is a very initial draft budget that will go through many changes, and we look forward to working with our federal partners to ensure our priorities are met."
Congressional leaders have said many of Trump's proposals are nonstarters, but Joshua Huder, a political analyst at the Georgetown Government Affairs Institute, said they provide an indication of Trump's priorities.
"These are broad outlines of his ideas, and they will play some role in the budgeting process," Huder said. "But all of this is really just a point paper."
MORE: Gov. Reynolds weighs options for $100 million in state budget woes; Democrats rap GOP policies
Among Trump's plans are to eliminate a popular Department of Energy home weatherization program, which in the current federal fiscal year provided about $4.8 million for energy efficiency projects in low-income Iowa houses.
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Bill Brand, the division administrator for the Community Action Agencies that oversee the projects, said the program has proven valuable and typically received bipartisan congressional support.
"These budget times are very uncertain. It cannot be assumed that funding is going to be continued," Brand said. "The federal budget is going to be tight, and there's a lot of competition for funds."
Trump has sought elimination of the Community Development Block Grant program, a move that would end funding that this year totaled about $11.5 million. The money funds city revitalization and water initiatives through the Iowa Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Tim Waddell, a community development division administrator for the Iowa Economic Development Authority, said the proposed end to the 43-year-old program could cause rates to increase for some small cities that would lose federal help for system upgrades.
"Small cities particularly depend on it," Waddell said. "When you lose a revenue source that means the burden goes back to the individuals that are supporting the system."
A roughly $2.4 million grant to integrate classroom technology to promote well-rounded K-12 education is proposed for elimination, as well as a grant for Iowa teacher training. Last year, the grant for teacher advancement provided Iowa schools $17 million to support educational strategies.
"We understand this is the beginning of a process, and we will be monitoring what happens from here," said Staci Hupp, an Iowa Department of Education spokeswoman.
Within the Iowa Department of Human Services, Trump has proposed eliminating a Social Services Block Grant, which funded case management and child welfare services in the current budget year, according to DHS budget documents. The services focus on the safety of children in foster care and adoption.
The proposed elimination comes amid criticism that child welfare case workers in Iowa are overloaded and working without enough resources. DHS announced last week it will allow an outside nonprofit to review the department's resources and recent cases.
Amy McCoy, a spokeswoman for DHS, said the agency is monitoring the proposed federal spending cuts.
Huder said it would take time before states had more clarity about federal spending, as Congress began writing and approving budgets.
"Congress has the power of the purse," Huder said. "They're the ones that actually decide whether they want to follow the president's request."
Read or Share this story: http://dmreg.co/2si0d8s08-DEC-2011 The geek airwaves are abuzz with the news that MARVEL has canceled the last of their female-lead titles. They’ve said it’s based on the market conditions. Makes sense. If you don’t buy a product, what obligation does the creator have in continuing to make it.
Take a moment to consider what it is you’re after when picking up a comic book.
* Are you looking for a character that you can relate to solely because of its gender?
* Are you looking for a creative team that has the same genitalia as you?
* Are you looking for a role model for the young readers in your household?
* Or are you looking for a well-developed character that arcs through emotions in a series of life challenges, real or surreal?
The comparisons are easy to make with the Big Two. Why can DC find some semblance of success with titles like WONDER WOMAN, BIRDS OF PREY or BATWOMAN when Marvel’s new female GHOST RIDER and X-23? Now forget the Big Two and go through Previews Catalog’s other sections. There is a world outside of Marvel and DC.
Here’s another question for you: How does it impact you as the reader if the female character’s identity was formerly a male character? This comes into play with DC’s popular detective Renee Montoya who took on the role of The Question originally a male character named Vic Sage. And we saw it again in Dynamite Comics modern rendition of the Green Hornet’s sidekick Kato who had big shoes to fill considering Bruce Lee’s portrayal of Kato in the old TV show. This Kevin Smith version of Kato has had her own series with Dynamite Comics that contained deeply emotional drama driving the character who is the daughter of the original Kato. Wait there’s always more – Ash from ARMY OF DARKNESS now also has a female version from an alternate timeline or some such thing; I haven’t gotten word if female Ash will be solo but for now she’s teamed up with her male counterpart.
Marvel may be out of the picture if you are specifically shopping for a female-lead comic series. That doesn’t mean the notion of the female lead has gone the way of the unicorn. Here are a few titles that are most definitely worth exploring if you can bring yourself to stop shopping based on years on brand loyalty and steer your focus to identify what it is you’re looking for in a comic book story.
Many options are put out as miniseries titles which to me, does not remove an ounce of credibility from the characters. If an author has one story in mind that he/she wants to tell, there’s a strength to the miniseries format which elevates it above an on-going that can grow tired or convoluted.
For things you can easily find collected into trade paperbacks, my favorites are MADAME XANADU (DC) and I KILL GIANTS (Image) and for good measure the indie book STREET ANGEL by Jim Rugg. I’m sure there are plenty others that I haven’t personally read that other people might recommend based on what kind of stories you like: DOLLHOUSE, ORCHID, RACHEL RISING, ECHO. Coming in 2012 is Image Comic’s ALPHA GIRL about another badass zombie slayer; Oni Press solicited PLAY BALL about a young softball player who wants to play baseball. One of my tweeps also mentioned NONPLAYER.
Keep ATHENA VOLTAIRE on your radar for 2012 too:
ATHENA VOLTAIRE (by Steve Bryant) – Athena is typically put out as a miniseries and she had been the victim of a dispute over her copyright. Steve Bryant is working diligently to bring her back. His successful kickstarter campaign is making her return possible. Meanwhile there are past stories available for you seek out.
THE NON-BIG TWO COUNTDOWN TO FEMALE LEAD COMICS:
10. GRONK by Katie Cook (gronkcomic.com) – Ok, so this may be stretching it because Gronk is a monster, but she’s an adorable naive female monster that has been adopted by a woman named Dale. It’s always charming and the trade of the popular webcomic is available in comic shops like Comic Fusion.
9. HACK/SLASH (Image)- Cassie Hack is fierce. There’s not a lot to add about a girl who happens to be smoking hot that also opens up a can of whoopass on the supernatural baddies.
8. VAMPIRELLA (Dynamite) – Here’s another scantily clad character that is often overlooked because of her G-string. What most people don’t know is that Vampi’s iconic red romper was designed by a woman named Trina Robbins. DEJAH THORIS, PRINCESS OF MARS gets the same bad rap. Her wardrobe consists of mostly gold jewelry and nothing else leaving her fodder for fantasies rather than something feminist comic readers are willing to take a gamble on. It’s also by Dynamite.
7. GIRL GENIUS (Studio Foglio) – This is another web-to-trade series that features a fun female lead character. Agatha Heterodyne has a brilliant knack for engineering which also serves to show a young woman in an industry that had previously been a boys-only playground. She has incredible steampunk adventures.
6. WITCHBLADE (Image) – This is one that I’m recommending based on the recommendations of female friends and sales. WITCHBLADE has been a stability commodity from what I’ve seen pass through Comic Fusion. I only read a miniseries that was a crossover and was surprised I enjoyed it. I had been like many, saw a scantily clad woman and thought there was no substance to her. It’s definitely something that appeals to a specific audience of supernatural mysteries.
5. SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH (Archie) – I had been a Sabrina subscriber for a few years. I only dropped it because of budgetary needs. This book falls into the “cozy” category of stories that are fun, pleasant to read, and have moral payoff without the edginess of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER.
Shameless plug, if you like Sabrina, check out my own short story HOLYOAK about a quirky witch in her 20s!
4. BETTY & VERONICA (Archie) – Here’s a series that dates back to 1942. If that doesn’t show female comic book characters do indeed have staying power, then I don’t know what does. Not every teen story needs to be over-the-top rich kids plotting heinous revenge schemes to a soundtrack of draining emo music ala CW.
3. PRINCELESS (Action Lab) – New to the radar is this amazing all ages comic about a dark skinned princess who has decided to buck her family’s traditions of being a helpless princess in a tower that waits for her prince to come. She finds a sword, hops on her dragon and sets out to free all of her sisters from their towers. Comic Book Resources named PRINCELESS one of its 8 Great New Female Positive Ongoings.
2. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (Dark Horse) – Joss Whedon’s universe has undoubtedly been a groundbreaking playground for female characters of all types with as many personalities and motivations as you can identify in all of comics. I dropped the series within Season Eight just because I had grown tired of it but that doesn’t mean I don’t hold Buffy in the highest regard for being a character that we’ve seen grow from a naive cheerleader into a military leader of the supernatural world.
1. RED SONJA (Dynamite) – Pretty safe to say, Red Sonja is the queen of all female-lead comic books. She’s been a stable title for decades. People who can look beyond the chain mail bikini see in her everything Wonder Woman should be. Because of the T&A, this title is too often overlooked. She’s has her own main series with secondary titles like QUEEN SONJA and various one-shots throughout the year.
Founder and Editor-in-Chief of AmberUnmasked.com and Vodka O'Clock Podcast. Author of The Farrah Wethers Mysteries, comic book short stories, prose, and non-fiction. Cosplayer and figure model. Founder and Editor-in-Chief of AmberUnmasked.com and Vodka O'Clock Podcast. Author of The Farrah Wethers Mysteries, comic book short stories, prose, and non-fiction. Cosplayer and figure model.Chances are pretty good that you’ve picked or were dragged into a recent argument about gender quotas.
If you were on Team 50 per cent, chances are pretty good that you found yourself saying something like this: “Prime ministers pick their cabinets for several reasons. Among those reasons is the need to represent different interests around the country. A prime minister is responsible for making sure that significant parts of the Canadian public identify with enough faces around the table. If regional interests should be adequately represented, gender should be adequately represented, too.”
Prime Minister Trudeau might agree with you — but he might also have one caveat. Yes, his cabinet represents several core Canadian groups, not just the white, male demographic. That’s as he intended: it’s 2015, he reminds the demographic that has under-privileged access to calendars. One cabinet pick stands out, however, because the minister’s appointment signals that the Trudeau government will protect the interests of those who aren’t in Canada as well as those who are. When Trudeau chose Stéphane Dion as minister of global affairs, the prime minister sent a clear message to the rest of the world, not solely to the people he governs: Canada will take its global responsibilities seriously.
Over the past decade, Canada has shirked several of those. It rejected basic, essential, no-brainer human rights treaties, undermined the International Criminal Court, insulted the United Nations, sold weapons to a state that shows little compunction about torturing and executing its own citizens, cut foreign aid, pulled much of the aid that remained out of regions that need help the most, took a good-guy-versus-bad-guy, unconditional-loyalty-versus-sworn-enmity approach to serious, complex issues that can’t be resolved by a quip in Vladimir Putin’s ear or a compliment in Benjamin Netanyahu’s, and obstructed diplomats who hail not from antagonistic states, but from our own foreign service.
No one could seriously expect that international policy-makers and watchers would be oblivious to Canada’s short-sighted, simple-minded and occasionally screwball foreign policy. Among those observers, Canada’s standing in the world has noticeably declined. At least, I and many other journalists, academics and human rights advocates have certainly noticed a decline through conversations and interviews abroad. But in the diverse and formidable arsenal that Canada seems to have deployed against itself, one weapon hit its reputation especially hard: the government’s stance on climate change. Canada turned significant international opinion against Canada when it turned its back on Kyoto.
Enter Dion: among Canadians, he’s recognized for starring in a video that was probably shot on your dad’s camcorder, leading to Dion’s resignation as Liberal leader. Among international foreign policy watchers and players though, he’s respected for chairing the United Nations Climate Change Summit in Montreal, and for being an advocate for the environment. From the perspective of this later group, Dion’s face is that of a multilateralist, even if his own record on Kyoto was imperfect.
Last week, Trudeau may have calculated that he had much to gain by upholding a principle that he genuinely supports — ensuring gender parity probably won’t hurt him among certain domestic demographics. Similarly, Canada has much to gain by defending human rights, international justice, diplomacy and the global environment. Dion’s appointment is a good first step to repairing Canada’s international reputation. If he now takes action to defend some key interests of those affected by Canadian foreign policy, he’ll go a long way towards protecting Canada’s own.
Still, one day not too far off, you may find yourself arguing with a friend who demands to know why Canada should engage more productively beyond its own borders, in a world that requires states to cooperate on matters of global importance. To them, Trudeau has already given an answer: Because it’s 2015.
Related
Shannon Gormley is a Canadian journalist.Blink Dagger still no mana!
A new update just hit Dota 2, and it brought with it another slew of balance changes in the form of the 6.81 patch. Buffs and nerfs abound, and the future of the game has changed once again. Many have claimed that the 6.80 version of the game was really damn good, and I would certainly agree. Changes had to be made to certain Heroes though, and Icefrog is not one to keep us waiting for long.
I'm not including every single change here, but I have included the ones I feel are worth talking about. I'm also not talking about the bug fixes specifically, but let it be known that the Dota 2 team at Valve really went all out for fixing so many bugs in this patch, including ones that they just introduced (like the Vengeful Spirit bug)!
And please! Let's discuss this patch in the comments. We're already seeing some interesting tournament picks (Sniper?!) which is exciting!
Treant Protector is my favorite Hero, and remains untouched in 6.81! He's still first pick/ban material for many teams. I'm so proud of him.
Abaddon
Aghanim's Scepter Borrowed Time now redirects 35% of all damage dealt to nearby allied heroes to Abaddon when active
Pretty big buff for Abaddon. This will make him a much more clutch Hero than he already is. Nearby teammate potentially going down? BOOM, Aghs ult can save them. With a 900 range on this bad boy, I expect some premium teammate saves to be seen.
Ancient Apparition
Chilling Touch attack speed reduction increased from -15 to -20
Some people have always defending Chilling Touch, especially when concerning the early game, but this certainly doesn't help. Those five extra points could be the difference between securing First Blood and giving up First Blood. I'd have to see the change in action first though.
Axe
Counter Helix now uses Pseudo Random chance
I always wondered why this wasn't already the case. No more helicopter Axe, but also no more regular non-spinny Axe. This is a great change and I'm not sure it's a nerf or a buff.
Bestmaster
Base damage increased by 4
Again, if going mid this could be pretty significant, but won't matter much otherwise. Personally, I love Beastmaster and would like to see him picked up more, even if he tends to just be a walking ult + Hawk.
Bloodseeker
Bloodrage cast point improved from 0.6 to 0.4
Bloodrage can no longer be dispelled
Bloodseeker gets even better! This Hero has really come into his own recently, although the pro scene doesn't seem to recognize this. A NINE second silence at level 4 that can't be dispelled? You could put this one TWO people with a three second overlap. That's ridiculous! Huge buff to Bloodseeker.
Brewmaster
If you have not attacked for 10 seconds, your next attack will always activate a Drunken Brawler critical hit
If you have not been attacked for 10 seconds, Drunken Brawler will cause you to evade the next attack
This also carries over to the Fire Spirit when Primal Split is active, and really sounds like an interesting buff. Brewmaster is one of the carries I feel decently competent playing, and I'm happy to see anything to help him out. I know Eastern teams favor him more at the moment, and I hope this helps people remember to bring him back into certain lineups!
Broodmother
Spiderling's Poison Sting damage per second increased from 4 to 8
Spin Web's free pathing no longer deactivates when enemy has vision on Broodmother
Spin Web's free pathing is now disabled for 3 seconds when Broodmother takes damage
Insatiable Hunger lifesteal increased from 40/60/80% to 60/80/100%
Hooray! Broodmother isn't complete garbage anymore! I don't think Brood is a terrible Hero, but I do think that something needs to be done to allow her to be able to help teammates in an instant. Someone smarter than me suggested giving her webs charges, which sounds like a real good solution, and would allow her to TP to a tower to help her team when needed.
Chaos Knight
Phantasm now has a 50% chance to create one extra illusion when cast
Good buff to Chaos Knight, as that extra illusion can really help his early game. Hell, it can always help. It never hurts to have more illusions on an illusion Hero. Just like Brewmaster, I hope this change brings Chaos Knight back into the conversation for certain lineups.
Dazzle
Poison Touch no longer causes a ministun
This is actually a pretty big dent into Dazzle's game. Poison Touch is already a great skill so removing the ministun probably won't remove Dazzle from the competitive scene, but it's a good way to balance an already popular Hero without crushing him.
DOOM!
Doom damage no longer ignores magic shields
Awww, I liked the fact that literally nothing affected Doom's efficiency. Stupid Pipe of Insight...
Drow Ranger
Gust knockback duration increased from 0.2 to 0.5
I actually just played a game where this could have made a difference. Our Nyx was chasing a very low Drow Ranger, and as a last ditch effort she threw out a Gust, only to immediately die. That extra 0.3 seconds is actually enough to allow Drow to turn around and create space between her and a melee Hero.
Earthshaker
Creeps no longer try to path around Fissure; they will wait for it to disappear
Echo Slam no longer ignores units that are invisible or in Fog of War
Yay! No more cheesy creep strats that are lame. Also, the second fix is another one that just makes sense and should have always been that way.
Elder Titan
Echo Stomp mana cost reduced from 100/115/130/145 to 100
Echo Stomp physical and magical damage increased from 80 to 80/85/90/95 each
Woah, pretty huge buff to Echo Stomp here. Now if only I had any idea how to use this Hero effectively.
Ember Spirit
Searing Chains duration reduced from 2/2/3/3 to 1/2/2/3
Sleight of Fist bonus damage reduced from 30/60/90/120 to 20/40/60/80
Ember Spirit is everywhere these days. This is a pretty big hit to not only his early game thanks to the Searing Chains nerf, but his overall effectiveness with his Sleight of Fist damage nerf. That damage nerf is HUGE! His risk vs. reward ratio is slightly lessened, but I'm not sure this will make him disappear from the competitive scene.
Enigma
Midnight Pulse area of effect increased from 400 to 600
THIS IS HUGE. Clearing trees is now Enigma's job. Sorry, Timbersaw.
Faceless Void
Base agility increased from 21 to 23
Turn rate improved from 0.5 to 1
Didn't really expect Faceless to be buffed here. He's a really solid Hero that just got that much better. He fills the hard carry role better than most and I'm sure we'll see him more and more in lineups.
Gyrocopter
Homing Missile now hits invisible units
Homing Missile hits required to destroy increased from 3 to 3/3/4/5
BIG buff to Homing Missile here. I believe that these buffs can rocket Gyrocopter back into the pro scene. Homing Missile is such an interesting move, and I'm glad to see it buffed up.
Huskar
Burning Spears is no longer a Unique Attack Modifier
As great a buff as this is, I don't think it will help Huskar competitively. As for pubs, WATCH OUT for Huskar because I hate that guy ugh.
Invoker
Ghost Walk slow no longer affects magic immune enemies
EMP delay increased from 2.6 to 2.9
The EMP change is one that needed to happen. I'm glad it did, because it brings Invoker into the realm of not being so ridiculous. I don't think this will do much to hurt his presence, just a fix that normalizes him.
Comparison of Jakiro's ultimate from 6.80 to the new 6.81. Image courtesy of reddit user dodek1000.
Jakiro
Dual Breath range increased by 50
Liquid Fire level 4 cooldown reduced from 5 to 4
Aghanim's Scepter Macropyre duration increased from 7 to 14
Aghanim's Scepter Macropyre range increased from 1350 to 1800
THESE ARE AMAZING. Have you seen the new distance on Macropyre? IT'S HUGE! Throw it up towards the tier 3 tower because why not? It lasts 14 seconds! Jakiro is back baby, and here's not going anywhere until they change him again.
Keeper of the Light
Added Aghanim's Scepter upgrade: Provides permanent Spirit Form. Additionally, the following effects are active during the day: Keeper of the Light gains unobstructed vision and Illuminate heals allies for 75% of the damage values
Day Keeper. This is a good change. I don't see it as groundbreaking or first pick/ban material, but as something that changes the way the Hero plays for the better.
Kunkka
Torrent area of effect increased from 215 to 225
X Marks The Spot can now last twice as long on allied heroes
Ghost Ship allied buff duration increased from 8 to 10
Add Ghost Ship AOE indicator for allies
The X Marks The Spot change is the most interesting here, since it allows teammates to base travel and heal up real quick if they need to! I expect to attempt this and be a second too late on casting X, making my teammate simply travel home. I'm sorry, future teammates.
Lich
Frost Armor can now be cast on buildings
Aghanim's Scepter Chain Frost no longer has a bounce limit
LICH BUFFS! More building spells always make me happy, and the Chain Frost buff is ridiculous. These could theoretically turn Lich into an anti-push hero, who can transition pretty well into something else. I really hope to see more Lich, though I don't think the "Ancients Trap" is anything really noteworthy here.
Lina
Attack range increased from 650 to 670
Aghanim's Scepter Laguna Blade damage goes through magic immunity
I'm glad Lina's ult finally got a buff that separates it from Lion's. She really needed that, since her ult really was lackluster in comparison.
Magnus
Removed Skewer maximum target limit
Skewer range increased from 600/800/1000/1200 to 750/900/1050/1200
We could see return of the magnanimous Magnus! These are both good buffs and really help out Magnus' early game. Perhaps more Magnus + Enigma combos are in our future? I'm always up for more "wombo combos" so count me in!
Medusa
Split Shot reworked from 50/60/70/80% damage with 5 maximum targets, to 80% damage with 2/3/4/5 maximum targets
Mystic Snake no longer requires Fog of War vision to bounce
Mana Shield damage absorption per mana increased from 1/1.5/2/2.5 to 1.6/1.9/2.2/2.5
These are incredible buffs to Medusa. So incredible, in fact, that I could see competitive teams building team compositions with her in mind. I'm not generally a fan of super-farm Heroes, but I love Medusa's ultimate ability and I feel bad that I've literally never seen her in any major tournament since she was added to the game. All of these fixes dramatically change this Hero, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed to see Medusa in some games.
Necrophos
Heartstopper Aura area of effect increased from 1000 to 1200
Reaper's Scythe now adds +30% duration to the respawn timer
Necrophos just keeps getting better! As if Heartstopper wasn't already super annoying (especially in mid), the range is even further! His ultimate buff, combined with the recent disabling of buyback, is going to be incredibly frustrating. Unless he's on my team. In which case, BOOYA!
Ogre Magi
Base armor increased by 1
Cast animation improved from 0.56 to 0.45
Literally no damage.
Omniknight
Purification area of effect increased from 225 to 240
Repel no longer removes positive buffs from allies
Guardian Angel duration increased from 5/6/7 to 6/7/8
Aghanim's Scepter Guardian Angel duration increased from 5/6/7 to 8/9/10
The biggest change here is the Repel fix. This change rockets Repel's effectiveness, and thus Omniknight's effectiveness, through the roof! He'll fit certain lineups very well now, especially in 4-protect-1 scenarios.
Phantom Assassin
Stifling Dagger cooldown reduced from 8 to 6
Blur evasion chance increased from 20/25/30/40 to 20/30/40/50
Holy shit, 50% evasion chance at level 4? That. Is. Ridiculous. I definitely expect for Phantom Assassin carries to be picked from here on out. FIFTY PERCENT!
Riki
Backstab now works when attacking allied units
Et tu, Riki?
Shadow Demon
Added Aghanim's Scepter upgrade: Demonic Purge cooldown replaced with two charges that have a 40 second replenish time
This is an awesome change! Imagine Purging two characters at once? That could change a teamfight real quick. Shadow Demon is already a very popular Hero, and he just got so much better!
Here is a video of some of the highlights of this patch in action. Courtesy of YouTube user diesmiling666.
Terrorblade
Strength gain reduced from 1.9 to 1.4
Reflection slow no longer persists through magic immunity
Reflection duration rebalanced from 5 to 2.5/3.5/4.5/5.5
Terrorblade needed a nerf, and I think this is a pretty decent one. That Reflection slow at level 1 was absolutely ridiculous, and I am very thankful that it changed. Now if only I could convince my teams to actually gank him early on so he doesn't become unstoppable later...
Tidehunter
Anchor Smash damage reduction increased from 40 to 60%
Anchor Smash now works on Ancient creeps
Sixty percent! Anchor Smash working on Ancients! Is Tidehunter coming back? I hope so, he's always been one of my favorite Heroes to play and watch, thanks to his ability to make BIG PLAYS. Serious though, huge buff here to Tidehunter and I really hope it brings him back into the scene. [insert joke about making a "big splash" here]
Tusk
Reworked Snowball into a two-part ability: one which creates the snowball, and a sub-ability to launch the snowball. You have up to 4 seconds to use the sub-ability. The area that automatically pulls allies in has been reduced.
You can now load an ally into your snowball within 400 range by right clicking on them
Snowball moves 75 MS faster for each allied hero inside it
Snowball deals 20/30/40/50 extra damage for each additional hero in it
This Snowball rework is really interesting. I've liked Tusk conceptually since the beginning, but have always had a hard time finding a place to put him on teams. This change can make him a solid initiator, or even a roaming ganker? I'm still a bit unsure, really. Where does Tusk fit in for everyone else?
Undying
Soul Rip area of effect increased from 975 to 1300
Tombstone Zombie Deathlust's Max % health threshold increased from 5/10/15/20% to 20/25/30/35%
Tombstone Zombies no longer give any experience or gold
Tombstone Bounty increased from 70/90/110/130 to 75 |
Know one thing about them or know of them Valerian Could place them - maybe name a couple of key facts or events about them Valerian Know very well, think understand all major parts of the biography Valerian Could write a biography about them
Aemilian Aemilian No idea who this is - never heard of them before Aemilian Know one thing about them or know of them Aemilian Could place them - maybe name a couple of key facts or events about them Aemilian Know very well, think understand all major parts of the biography Aemilian Could write a biography about them
Gordian II Gordian II No idea who this is - never heard of them before Gordian II Know one thing about them or know of them Gordian II Could place them - maybe name a couple of key facts or events about them Gordian II Know very well, think understand all major parts of the biography Gordian II Could write a biography about them
Gallienus Gallienus No idea who this is - never heard of them before Gallienus Know one thing about them or know of them Gallienus Could place them - maybe name a couple of key facts or events about them Gallienus Know very well, think understand all major parts of the biography Gallienus Could write a biography about themOn Saturday, Elizabeth Snyder was born by the side of I-95, delivered by a state trooper on the front seat of her parent’s new SUV.
On Sunday, she got to meet the officers who stepped up as makeshift midwives. "That's the most rewarding call I've ever been on," Pennsylvania State Trooper Jean Altomari said.
When Tricia Snyder’s water broke Saturday morning, she and her husband suspected they were on borrowed time -- their first daughter was a fast delivery. Matt's solution was to speed above the posted limit from Aston toward the Hospital of the University of Philadelphia.
Even after a police car pulled into in his rear-view, he kept speeding on his way until his conscience (and a traffic jam) prompted him to pull over to the shoulder of the highway.
By then it was bar-closing time, and as Officer Peter Burghart came up to Matt’s car door, he expected to meet a driver under the influence. When Matt explained that a baby was on the way, Burghart quickly called for an ambulance and backup.
The backup beat the ambulance and Altomari ran up to see how Tricia Snyder was doing.
“Mrs. Snyder was very calm," Altomari recalls. "I asked her if she was ready to push. She said yes and Elizabeth was born.”
Altomari delivered baby Elizabeth, untangling the umbilical cord from around her neck and feeling the relief of the child’s first screams. By that time, Burghart and other state police had stopped traffic to make sure the area was safe and to make way for a helicopter landing, if necessary.
"Every day you prepare yourself to either save a life, take a life or give your own," Burghart said on Sunday, after holding Elizabeth for the first time. "It's very rare that you're gonna be prepared to watch one come into this world."
Elizabeth's father Matt has already taken to lecturing his daughter. "I told her last night when I was holding her at one in the morning that she has to be a good girl for the rest of her life, now, and don’t make daddy worry,” he said.
Cradling the baby in her arms, Tricia said she was already looking forward to little Elie's first birthday. "We'll have a state trooper party I think."Russia Takes SOPA-Like Approach In Encouraging ISPs To Spy On Their Users
from the in-russia,-isp-spy-on-you! dept
Something that's proving popular with politicians running out of ideas for tackling unauthorized sharing of copyright materials online is to make ISPs and Web sites responsible for the actions of their users -- even though nobody would think of doing the same for telephone companies. SOPA was one of the best-known examples of this approach, and now it looks like Russia wants to join the club: The cyber crime department of Russia’s Interior Ministry says it intends to get tough on the country’s ISPs when their customers share copyrighted or otherwise illegal material. Authorities say they are currently carrying out nationwide checks on ISPs' local networks and could bring prosecutions as early as next month. The proposed legislation is a little unusual in that it seems to concern the exchange of unauthorized copies of copyright material across ISPs' local networks: These networks, present within the ISPs’ own infrastructure, provide users’ access to a wealth of legal content and services such as Internet Relay Chat, but inevitably unauthorized content is available too. As would have happened with SOPA, the inevitable consequence of passing this kind of law will be round-the-clock surveillance of Internet users by their ISPs -- not because the law requires it, but because the ISPs would be crazy not to given the financial risks they would run otherwise. The other knock-on effect, of course, is that people will just start swapping 2Tbyte portable hard discs full of unauthorized material by hand, bypassing the networks completely.
Follow me @glynmoody on Twitter or identi.ca, and on Google+
Filed Under: liability, russia, sopa, surveillanceIt looks like corporatists all around in CA. No wonder CA is slowly moving backwards.
HALL OF SHAME – 16 Democratic Legislators in progressive Districts voting as Republicans – voting so bad they got F’s
The Hall of Shame includes the state legislators most out of step with their constituents, and most closely aligned with corporate and special interests that exploit Californians. To make the list, a legislator needs to have a Courage Score of 59 or lower — resulting in a grade of “ F ” — and represent a district which clearly supports more progressive policies than the legislator. By clicking “Read More” on each Hall of Shame profile a user will be able to see the legislator’s top corporate contributors, as well as a narrative describing how the representative failed his or her constituents.
This also is a very scary chart from Courage Campaign.However, the decision to kill Ripley off in Alien 3 and the prospects for a short-lived Alien vs. Predator franchise severely tied Whedon's hands for the project, particularly when it came to all things Ripley. The studio suggested that they just clone her back in. Whedon did what they said, at which point it was suggested that he add some more clones.
Above: The difference between "horror" and "horrible."
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Things kind of went downhill from there.
The Awesome Movie We Missed Out On:
First of all, let's go back one movie in the series. Check out the original, hilariously misleading teaser trailer for Alien 3.
Yep, it promised that the aliens would be showing up on Earth. A few dozen drafts of the screenplay later, it wound up taking place on a remote asteroid prison with a lonely, dog-shaped alien.
So Whedon's original draft of the next film (which you can find on the Internet) included the climax that so many of us anticipated for the Alien series: an "epic final battle on Earth, for Earth."
Leading up to that was a huge soldiers vs. aliens battle on board a massive ship that is slowly crashing toward Earth. Then a new, much more terrifying alien is born and starts wreaking havoc... and no, it's not the weird-ass human/alien hybrid thing that made it into the film.
Which promptly started tonguing Ripley.
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Here's how Whedon described it in the screenplay:
"An alien, to be sure, but nothing we've seen so far, its forelegs arch out of its back like spiders legs, its back legs set on enormous haunches, thick and powerful. Its head is long, eyeless, like the others, but along its white expanse red veins, coming out of the skin and running like thick black hairs to the back. It has retracted pincers at the side of head that come out when its tongue does. It's much bigger than the others, nearly the size of the queen herself.
And it's bone white."“All energy from the Living Force, from all things that have ever lived, feeds into the Cosmic Force, binding everything and communicating to us through the midi-chlorians. Because of this, I can speak to you now.” – Qui Gon Jinn
Force ghosts are one of the biggest mysteries of the Star Wars galaxy, and with great mysteries come many questions.
I’m putting this article together to put to words some of my ideas concerning the nature of Force ghosts.
Don’t worry, this theory is actually serious and I’ve put a lot of thought into it, unlike my last theory…
Some have speculated that Luke’s ability to communicate with Ben after he died was tied with Luke’s ever growing connection with the Force.
When Luke barely had any knowledge of the force, during the trench run, Ben could only communicate using his voice.
Later, on Hoth, Ben could appear just barely to Luke, and then after Luke’s training on Dabobah, Ben could appear fully, and without difficulty.
While there is evidence for this theory, I have come to a different conclusion.
I had always wondered why Ghost-Ben didn’t act as a spy for the Rebel Alliance. He could ghost into the empire’s meetings, learn their secrets and then relay that info to Luke or Rebel High command.
Or why didn’t he try and communicate with Vader? Though I suppose he had completely given up on his old padawan.
But he doesn’t do any of those things. Do ghosts have limits to where they can and cannot appear?
I believe this is the case.
I believe that the ability of a Force ghost to appear has everything to do with the strength of the Force in the location in which they appear. This seems to be alluded to in Qui Gon’s quote at the top of the page.
Ben only appears as a voice to Luke during the attack on the Death Star.
During that attack, they were in space, around a mechanical menace that I presume would have close zero strength in the force.
Then on Hoth, Ben is barely visible, which could be evident that Hoth doesn’t not have a strong presence in the Force.
Mortis, arguably the strongest source of the Force in the galaxy, saw Qui Gon take on a very solid appearance, rather than just a voice.
During Season 6, Ep. 11 of The Clone Wars; “Voices,” Yoda goes to Dagobah to communicate with Qui Gon, who had previously only been able to barely reach out to Yoda (and Anakin).
Yoda and Qui Gon both make note of how strong Dagobah is in the Force:
“Strong this planet is with the Force.”
“It is one of the purest places in the galaxy.“
Previously Qui Gon had only been able to get little snippets through: shouting to Anakin as he slaughtered the Tuskens, and speaking a few words here and there to Yoda in the Jedi Temple. But on Dagobah Qui Gon is able to freely communicate with Yoda with no difficulty.
Next look at how Ben appears on Dagobah when he talks to Luke in The Empire Strikes Back and in Return of the Jedi. He looks almost corporeal, with a blue shininess around him.
You can hardly even see through him at all. He is so bright on Dagobah.
Though when we see the Force ghosts on Endor after the Emperor is defeated, they appear more blue and see through than Ben did on Endor. If their appearance was tied to Luke’s strength in the Force, they would appear most visibly here but they don’t.
It’s clear that they’re not quite as visible on Endor as Ben was on Dagobah.
A Force ghost’s ability to manifest being tied to a location’s strength in the Force seems to make sense given the evidence we see.
If true, what could this mean for the future of Star Wars storytelling?
This could work as a good explanation for why we don’t see Force ghosts show up just anywhere, as well as a possible explanation if we don’t see any Force ghosts in The Force Awakens.
Is having a limit on something that’s “more powerful than you can possibly imagine” a good thing?
What do you think? Is this theory solid? Are there too many holes? Let us know how you feel about Force ghosts in the comments below!Last week at GDC, Valve revealed not just a headset, but a stage upon which pioneering storytellers and game designers will create the first VR experiences of a defining platform.
Since the Oculus Rift Kickstarter back in 2012, virtual reality headsets have been making tremendous progress. Multiple companies are developing headsets capable of giving users an immersive view into another world.
With those headsets, developers have created some incredible games and applications, but the vast majority of them use entirely unrealistic means of interaction and locomotion—or eschew it entirely. As soon as you have to use your head to ‘select’ an object for interaction, or rotate and move through the virtual world around you with a joystick, the sense of immersion fades.
Valve’s SteamVR is more than just a headset. With the HMD for visuals, innovative controllers for interacting, and a 15×15 foot space in which you can comfortably move with incredibly robust tracking, SteamVR is a stage for the imagination. I believe that this stage represents what will become the standard platform for high-end VR.
When the smartphone first hit, we saw thousands of apps that attempted to adapt existing control paradigms (think of the first-person ‘virtual joystick’ shooter, or the ‘hold to right-click’). As smartphones matured, it became clear that they constituted an entirely new platform, and the best applications were built from the ground up to use that platform in new ways, not simply shoehorn in old concepts of interaction and navigation. The standard smartphone platform is: a display, multi-touch input, and device orientation.
We’re in a similar place with VR today. Developers are getting smart about VR design, but locomotion and interaction are huge hurdles. You either use WASD or a joystick to navigate in VR or don’t allow the user to move at all, save for cutting from one scene to the next through a fade. For the former, the lack of proprioceptive cues (the feelings that come with actually moving through a space) causes a break in immersion, and nausea sometimes sets in. The latter, on the other hand, leaves the developer with some very difficult design challenges.
SteamVR solves these problems by creating a stage of constant Presence. VR developers need to start thinking not about how to adapt old navigation schemes, but what they can do with a 15×15 foot space, and a player who has controllers to reach out and interact naturally with the world. I believe that the standard platform for high-end VR will become: a display (headset), 1:1 motion input, and a ‘room-scale’ tracking space, as Valve calls it.
And before someone says, “But who the heck is going to dedicate a room in their house to a 15×15 foot VR stage?” I say this: Do you have a dedicated TV room in your house with a high-end TV? Millions, if not tens of millions of people do. As long as the experience is good enough, people will make room. And I probably don’t need to tell you that the VR experience is about 100x more exciting than a TV. Am I suggesting that millions of people are going to adopt VR and love it so much that they’ll dedicate a room to it? Yes.
Quick Comparison: ‘The Big Three’
Here’s a quick rundown for those of you who simply want to know where things stand among the major players.
Between the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift Crescent Bay, and Sony’s Morpheus 2015 prototype, there’s no clear winner in FOV or headtracking. Vive and Crescent Bay beat out Morpheus in resolution, but in my opinion, the current disparity is not enough to say that Morpheus is not in the same class. And to its credit, Morpheus may have the higher field of view, though I need more time in each headset to be sure.
When it comes to comfort, the HTC Vive dev kit is actually in last place as far as I’m concerned. The Morpheus 2015 prototype has better ergonomics, and Crescent Bay is lighter. Of course, we can expect Vive’s comfort to improve for the holiday 2015 consumer release.
But then there’s the rest of SteamVR: excellent motion input controllers and a room-scale navigable space. Looking at it this way, Oculus’ Crescent Bay can’t compete given the lack of input. Morpheus competes, but it loses out to less robust controller tracking and a relatively small tracking space.
There’s many factors to consider here, especially ease-of-use and price, which would change this assessment depending upon the needs of the individual. But if we’re looking purely at the VR experience, SteamVR takes the cake (for now).You can also read this article in English.
A punto de preparar nuestra tercera mudanza en pocos años (esta vez, a Nueva York), miro hacia atrás y sé que apretujar nuestra vida en una maleta y mudarnos a otro país fue una de las mejores decisiones que hemos tomado jamás. Porque cuando te marchas, cuando conviertes tu vida en viaje e incertidumbre, creces.
Te enfrentas a nuevos retos, descubres en ti facetas que desconocías, te sorprendes y te dejas sorprender por el mundo. Aprendes y amplías tus perspectivas. Desaprendes y, a base de algún golpe y unas cuantas lecciones, creces en humildad. Evolucionas. Añoras… y creas recuerdos que ya no te abandonarán. Si alguna vez has vivido o viajado durante una temporada lejos de casa, seguro que te sientes identificado con estas 17 cosas que cambian cuando vives en otro país.
1. La adrenalina no te abandona.
Desde el momento en el que decides marcharte, tu vida se convierte en un vaivén de emociones, de lo inesperado, de aprendizaje e improvisación. Los sentidos nunca duermen, y durante un tiempo destierras la palabra rutina de tu vocabulario para dejar paso a la adrenalina. Nuevos lugares, nuevas costumbres, nuevos retos, nuevas personas… La sensación de comenzar de cero debería asustarte, pero resulta adictiva.
2. Pero, a la vuelta… todo sigue igual.
Así que, cuando vuelves unos días al hogar, te sorprende que todo siga igual. Tu vida ha cambiado a un ritmo frenético, y llegas cargado de vivencias y con unos días de vacaciones por delante. Pero en casa todo transcurre a su ritmo habitual. Los demás siguen haciendo malabarismos con las obligaciones cotidianas, y comprendes… que la vida no se detiene para ti.
3. Te faltan, y te sobran, las palabras.
Cuando te preguntan cómo va todo, te cuesta encontrar palabras adecuadas. Luego, sin embargo, tienes que morderte la lengua porque a mitad de cada conversación te acuerdas de mil y una anécdotas y no quieres parecer pretencioso o agobiar a los demás con batallitas de «tu otro país».
4. Comprendes que la valentía está sobrevalorada.
Muchas personas te dirán que eres valiente, que también querrían marcharse, pero no se atreven. Y tú, aunque también tuviste miedo, sabes mejor que nunca que la valentía constituye, quizás, un 10% de las grandes decisiones. El 90% restante son las ganas. ¿Te apetece? Hazlo. Cuando damos el salto, ya no hay valientes ni cobardes: pase lo que pase, te enfrentas a ello.
«It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.»
«Es peligroso, Frodo, cruzar tu puerta. Pones el pie en el camino y, si no vigilas tus pasos, nunca sabes a dónde te pueden llevar».
5. Y, de repente, eres más libre.
Es probable que seas tan libre como antes, pero la sensación de libertad, ahora, es distinta. Si has escapado de la comodidad y has logrado que todo funcione a cientos de kilómetros de tu hogar, sientes que puedes hacer cualquier cosa.
6. Dejas de hablar un idioma en concreto.
Unas veces se te escapa una palabra en otro idioma; otras solo se te ocurre una manera de describir algo… con aquella expresión perfecta que no está en el idioma adecuado. Cuando convives con una lengua extranjera, aprendes y desaprendes a la vez. Mientras interiorizas referentes culturales e insultos en tu segunda lengua, te sorprendes esforzándote en leer en tu lengua materna para que no se oxide. Como cuando Homer fue a una cata de vinos y se le olvidó cómo conducir.
7. Aprendes a despedirte… y a disfrutar.
Pronto te das cuenta de que, ahora, muchas cosas y personas son de paso, y el valor de la mayoría de situaciones se relativiza. Perfeccionas el equilibro entre crear lazos y saber desprenderte de objetos y recuerdos: una lucha perpetua entre nostalgia y pragmatismo.
8. Vives con dos de todo.
Con dos tarjetas SIM (una de ellas repleta de teléfonos de todos los rincones del mundo), con dos carnés de la biblioteca, con dos cuentas bancarias, con dos tipos de moneda que siempre, no sabes cómo, acaban mezclándose cuando vas a pagar algo.
9. ¿Normal? ¿Qué es normal?
Vivir en otro país, como viajar, te enseña que «normal» significa social o culturalmente aceptado. Así que, cuando te sumerges en otra cultura y en otra sociedad, tu concepto de normalidad se resquebraja. Aprendes que hay otras formas de hacer las cosas y, al cabo de un tiempo, tú también adoptas aquella costumbre antes impensable. También te conoces mejor a ti mismo, porque descubres cuáles son las cosas en las que de verdad crees y cuáles, en cambio, son aprendidas.
10. Te conviertes en un turista en tu propia ciudad.
Aquella atracción turística que tal vez no hubieras visitado en tu país se suma a la lista de lugares que ver en tu nuevo hogar, y pronto te conviertes en un experto en la ciudad. Pero, cuando alguien viene de visita unos días y te pide recomendación, te cuesta escoger unas pocas actividades: si fuera por ti, ¡les recomendarías visitarlo todo!
11. Aprendes a ser paciente y a pedir ayuda.
En otro país, la tarea más sencilla puede convertirse en un reto. Tramitar papeles, encontrar la palabra adecuada, saber qué autobús tomar. Siempre hay momentos de desesperación, pero pronto te armas con más paciencia de la que nunca tuviste, y aceptas que pedir ayuda (en el autobús, en la calle, a tus conocidos) no solo es inevitable, sino muy sano.
12. El tiempo se mide en pequeños momentos.
Como si mirases desde la ventanilla de un coche en marcha, a lo lejos el tiempo parece transcurrir muy lento, mientras que de cerca los detalles pasan a velocidad de vértigo. Desde la distancia, te llegan noticias de cómo sigue la vida en casa: cumpleaños, personas que se van, fechas señaladas que te perderás… En cambio, en tu nuevo hogar, el día a día va muy deprisa. El concepto de tiempo se deforma tanto que aprendes a medirlo en pequeños momentos, ya sea en un Skype con los de siempre o en una cerveza con los nuevos.
13. La nostalgia te invade en el momento más inesperado.
Un alimento, una canción, un olor. Cualquier pequeñez basta para que, de repente, te inunde la añoranza. Echas de menos detalles que nunca imaginaste (que levante la mano quien haya atesorado un bote de tomate frito como si fuese el Anillo único), y darías lo que fuera para poder transportarte, un instante, a aquel lugar. O para poder compartir la sensación con alguien que te entienda…
14. Pero sabes que no es dónde, sino cuándo y cómo.
Aunque, en el fondo, sabes que no echas de menos un sitio, sino una extraña y mágica conjugación del lugar, el momento y las personas adecuadas. Aquel año en el que viajaste, compartiste tu vida con personas especiales, fuiste tan feliz. En cada lugar donde has vivido queda un pedacito de quien fuiste, pero a veces no basta con regresar a una ciudad para dejar de echarla de menos.
15. Cambias.
Leerás a menudo que hay viajes que cambian la vida. Y, a pesar de los clichés, vivir en otro país es un viaje que te cambiará profundamente. Sacudirá tus raíces, tus certezas y tus miedos. Vivir en Edimburgo nos cambió para siempre, en muchos sentidos, y si no fuera por aquel tiempo, hoy no estaríamos a punto de dar el siguiente paso en nuestras vidas. Quizás no lo creas antes, o no te des cuenta durante. Pero algún día, lo verás con una claridad pasmosa. Has evolucionado, tienes cicatrices, has vivido. Has cambiado.
16. El hogar cabe en una maleta.
Desde el momento en el que tu vida cabe en una maleta (o, si tienes suerte con tu aerolínea, en dos), lo que entendías por hogar deja de existir. Casi todo lo que puedes tocar con las manos es reemplazable; viajes adonde viajes, acumularás nueva ropa, nuevos libros, nuevas tazas. Pero llegará el día en el que, en tu nueva ciudad, te invada la sensación de estar en casa. El hogar es quien te acompaña, quien dejas atrás, son las calles donde transcurre tu vida. El hogar también son los objetos al azar que pueblan tu nuevo piso, aquellos de los que te desprenderás sin remordimientos cuando llegue el momento de marcharte. El hogar son los recuerdos, las conversaciones en la distancia con familia y amigos, un puñado de fotografías. Home is where the heart is.
17. Y… no hay vuelta atrás.
Ahora ya sabes lo que significa renunciar a la comodidad, comenzar desde el principio y maravillarte todos los días. Y el mundo es tan grande… ¿que cómo renunciar a seguir descubriéndolo?
¿Has vivido en otros lugares? ¿Qué otras cosas añadirías a la lista? ¡Déjanos un comentario y cuéntanos tu experiencia!
Artículos relacionadosBen Bernanke is putting lipstick on less freedom
Iron Man 3 is a runaway hit. The comic book action movie had the second biggest debut of any movie ever. People can’t get enough of the war fantasy concept that pits good guys versus bad. In just one opening weekend, it brought in more than $175 million.
Now, I could talk about how the precipitous decline of the dollar has skewed box office metrics. Remember a little movie called Titanic? It’s the second highest grossing movie of all time. But such figures don’t factor for inflation, which basically makes such a list a case of apples and oranges.
Adjust Titanic’s $658 million domestic box office take from just sixteen years ago and it would be just over $1 billion in today’s dollars. That’s a tragedy no love story could fix.
Little did we know the captain of the Titanic was actually Ben Bernanke.
It gets worse. ET, the ninth highest grossing movie of all time, brought in $435 million back in 1982. It was a huge hit and helped defined an era. In today’s dollars, it would have brought in over $1 billion. 1977’s Star Wars IV did $466 million, but you’d need $1.28 billion of today’s declining greenbacks to get the same effect.
You can say Avatar is the highest grossing movie of all time, but Star Wars outperforms it by 68% when you figure out that dollars were worth so much more back then.
But back to the movie…
There was one line in Iron Man 3 that caught my ear. In the beginning of the movie, Tony Stark is walking with Colonel James Rhodes who talks about the transformation of the comic book character “War Machine” to the more aptly titled “Iron Patriot”. The new name makes Americans feel better about the project, he says.
Big Government is indeed the master of creating memes so Joe Citizen will buy into whatever they’re doing. They re-frame liberty-sucking endeavors more colorfully than the restaurant that served me a “Belgian endive salad with kombucha vinaigrette” on Saturday night.
But then, if we called most government projects what they really are, few would be in favor of government’s mighty hand. Hmmm…
Let’s make a list of lipstick Big Government puts on its pigs:
“Stability levy” on Cyprus bank deposits: Theft
Guaranteed Retirement Accounts: Government Theft of Your IRA Account
Secure Choice Pension: Forced Government Savings into Worthless Bonds Account
Recovery and Reinvestment Act: Government Slush Fund and Diversion Act
Anything “voluntary”: Mandatory
Any law with the word “Fairness”: Stealing from one group to buy votes from another
Any law with the word “Temporary”: Permanent, if they can get away with it
Sequestration: Beg for a tax increase. Beg!
Department of Homeland Security: Second Coming of The French Revolution Committee on Public Safety
Department of the Treasury: Department of Debt
Quantitative easing: Theft
Which other government agencies or initiatives deserve a more honest name? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.FOR nearly a decade Spain has resisted the received wisdom, and European regulations, on accounting. In 2005 the European Union required all of its members to adopt IFRS, the dominant accounting standard outside America. One of the biggest changes between the new rules and many of the national guidelines that preceded them was a ban on banks writing down the value of their loans in anticipation of future losses, a practice some had abused to disguise volatility in their earnings. Instead, IFRS imposed a strict “incurred-loss” method, in which debt was valued at par until a borrower actually stopped paying.
While nodding at the new rules, Spain in practice retained its old ones. Its banks, more than those of any other European country, had tended to wait until the last possible moment to recognise bad loans, amplifying the ups and downs of the credit cycle. Its central bank was therefore keen on the sort of smoothing of losses that IFRS was trying to eliminate: in 2000 it had forced banks to adopt “dynamic provisioning”, making bigger writedowns in boom times and smaller in bad.
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The financial crisis tested both systems, and revealed flaws in each. Because banks elsewhere in Europe could not write down their loans based on the deteriorating economic environment, their quarterly results failed to reflect the full horror to come, to investors’ cost. In contrast, Spanish banks had been forced to make extra provisions during the good years, and so weathered the collapse of Lehman Brothers relatively well. In 2009 Britain’s Financial Services Authority recommended changing IFRS to follow Spain’s lead.
However, the provisions required under the Spanish system were based on historical averages, in effect assuming that all downturns would be of a similar scale. When the euro crisis dealt Spain a second blow in 2010, the banks’ buffers had already been depleted. Many went bust.
With these lessons in mind, the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), which oversees IFRS, this week issued revised rules. It has replaced the incurred-loss method with an “expected-loss” approach similar to Spain’s. But rather than adjusting loan-loss provisions by a fixed proportion on the basis of past economic cycles, the new standard lets the banks determine how much to write off. They will take an immediate charge when making a loan for any losses they forecast over the next year. If the odds of repayment subsequently fall substantially, the lender must register a new write-down for the probable losses over the loan’s entire lifetime. The new system is scheduled to take effect in 2018. The American counterpart to the IASB is working on a similar rule.
In the short term, affected banks will focus on setting up computer systems to generate the necessary loss estimates, and on determining how the change will affect their compliance with financial regulation. According to a recent survey by Deloitte, a big accounting firm, the new method is expected to increase loan-loss provisions by around half. That could force some banks, already struggling to comply with the stricter capital requirements imposed since the crisis, to raise even more money.
But in the long run banks may try to twist the system to their benefit. The new standard does require them to back up their accounting choices with much more evidence than the pre-IFRS rules did. Nonetheless, it still gives them broad leeway to decide when a loan is looking parlous enough to register an expected loss. Predicting the magnitude of losses is also a subjective matter. Since the crisis regulators have generally given bankers less discretion to interpret the rules, not more.Why would not the Congress just say go ahead and get done with the probe against the Gandhis in the National Herald case? The more it seeks legal options to evade the probe, the more it seems to be trying to escape from something uncomfortable. In its desperation to shield Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi from scrutiny, it could be damaging its image more than doing any good to it.
The decision of the Delhi High Court, allowing an Income Tax investigation into Young Indian Private Limited, has been followed by the usual reaction from the Congress. Besides calling it political witch-hunting, it has decided to move the Supreme Court for relief. The Congress president and vice-president are directors in the company with a majority – 76 percent – stake in it.
This is what party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala had to tell Firstpost in reaction to the ruling: “Young Indian had raised certain fundamental jurisdictional issues challenging authority of Income Tax authorities. The Delhi High Court directed Income Tax authorities to decide all the issues raised in petition before the high court. Being satisfied with it, Abhishek Singhvi, advocate for Young Indian, has himself withdrawn the petition."
Surjewala added, "Incidentally, Young Indian is a 'not for profit' company that only runs the 'National Herald'paper which is the last vestige of freedom movement which contributed to India's freedom struggle. No one can withdraw a single rupee of profit, salary or dividend from it or benefit from it any manner as per the Companies Act. We are proud of protecting this important symbol of the freedom struggle and will always protect this trust of people of India. Witch-hunt or malice of the current BJP government will not deter us from upholding our bounden duty to the nation.”
The case pertains to BJP leader Subramanian Swamy’s 2012 complaint that the Gandhis had committed fraud and breach of trust while acquiring Associated Journals Limited, which brought out the now defunct National Herald, through Young Indian Private Limited. The latter, according to his complaint, took over the assets of the company, worth about Rs 2,000 crore, to make a profit. He had named six Congress leaders, including Sonia and Rahul. The Congress has been maintaining that Young Indian was a non-profit organisation and it was making no financial gains out of the transaction. Moreover, no illegality was involved in the transaction.
The case has been good ammunition for the BJP to target the Gandhis with over the last five years. It’s like the Robert Vadra land deal case which becomes staple for raucous media debates at routine intervals. In fact, these are two cases which directly bring the Gandhi family in the line of fire. For the BJP, the outcome of these cases is less important than the perceptional damage these cause to the Congress leadership. It serves the BJP well if the debate lingers without a conclusion.
The Congress may well cry witch-hunt and have valid ground objecting to an Income Tax probe. The department, after all, works under the government and there could be questions on its neutrality. However, the fact is it is fait accompli if the Supreme Court too agrees with the high court’s order. Wouldn’t it be good for its image if it faces Swamy’s challenge and concedes to a probe? What’s better if the offer comes from the Gandhis themselves?
Right now, the impression is that the party is running away from a probe. What aggravates matter for it are other cases related to Associated Journals properties in Haryana and Mumbai. The CBI has already registered an FIR against Haryana former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and others. It is alleged that the process of allocation of a plot in Bandra, Mumbai is full of legal loopholes. How does the party get out of the mess? Its options are limited.
Firstpost is now on WhatsApp. For the latest analysis, commentary and news updates, sign up for our WhatsApp services. Just go to Firstpost.com/Whatsapp and hit the Subscribe button.A 40-year-old Mpumalanga woman says she'll never ever be able to have sex because her husband put superglue on her genitals, scarring her for life.
The woman, who cannot be named to protect her dignity, lives in Ngwamtila village near Bushbuckridge.
Her husband, whose name is known to African Eye News Service, |
seen on newsstands is a huge boost to the cider category. But it needs to be pointed out too that if you at the cover of the first issue of Cidercraft, you’ll note that apples are on display in two WINE glasses. And below those apple-filed wine glasses is the inaugural issue’s primary headline: “19 bottles of Cider on the Wall”.
It turns out that both inside and out, Cidercraft magazine has perfectly depicted cider’s primary identify crisis.The claim
Record high amounts of Antarctic sea ice contradict global warming.
The background
Reno reader Judson Pierce contacted Fact Checker on Monday with a story from Newsmax headlined “Record Antarctica ice contradicts global warming trend.”
He wanted to know whether it truly contradicts global warming and why the mainstream media seems to be ignoring this fact after widely reporting Arctic sea ice being at record lows.
Pierce is right that, as of this writing, the mainstream media hasn’t reported much about the Antarctica ice. It’s likely they will, as the national data center for such statistics announced the news just this week with a story headlined “Arctic sea ice shatters previous low records; Antarctic sea ice edges to record high.”
(It has been covered in such outlets as the Washington Post, Houston Chronicle and Christian Science Monitor.)
But the bigger question is one that seems to make sense: If Arctic sea ice at the north pole is at a record low and Antarctic sea ice at the south pole is at a record high, doesn’t this mean they are balancing each other out?
To learn more, Fact Checker contacted Ted Scambos via email with help from the Climate Science Rapid Response Team. He has visited both polar regions several times, especially Antarctica. He is also lead scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado, where he works on Antarctic ice dynamics and polar climate change effects.
Scambos said the trend for winter ice in Antarctica is to add about 5,000 miles each year whereas the Arctic summer loss is about 30,000 miles a year: “They certainly don’t offset each other.”
“(Antarctica) has warmed by anywhere from 1 to 4 degrees Fahrenheit overall in the past 50 years,” he said. “This is based on weather stations, satellite data, climate models, and even the pattern of temperature left in the upper layers of the ice.
“But Antarctica is a cold cold place — the big difference between it and the north is that, in the north, a 4 degree warming can be the difference between skating and swimming. In Antarctica, it is the difference between one and two layers of long johns — beneath your parka and your fleece.”
In other words, warming melts Arctic ice and it just keeps melting faster. But even with warming in Antarctica, it’s still cold enough that the ice doesn’t melt and can even increase.
Scambos said a big factor in increased Antarctic sea ice is the wind.
The “westerlies” blowing around the continent have gotten stronger. This is because of the extreme cold but also because of the slowly warming ocean and land to the north, he said.
He said the wind shift is linked to both the ozone hole and greenhouse gases: “When ozone is not present, it does not absorb energy from the sun. So the atmosphere far above Antarctica is colder than it should be when the ozone is gone. This leads to a tendency to faster westerly winds.”
The winds act to blow the ice around, and since melt is not much of a factor in Antarctic winters, there’s a trend toward more sea ice, with some exceptions.
One exception is the warmest part of Antarctica, its peninsula that points up toward South America. Because temperatures are warmer there to begin with, global warming’s effects are more prominent, Scambos said, adding: “Sea ice has retreated regionally, the air has warmed at a very fast rate and 'permanent' ice shelves have retreated dramatically.”
What about NASA’s James Hansen putting out a report predicting global warming would decrease Antarctic ice by 40 percent?
Scambos said the new ice data is “a contradiction” to Hansen’s prediction, but he said Hansen’s assessment was done in the early 1980s.
“We would not be doing our job very well if we had not learned something in 30 years,” he said.
Aradhna Tripati — a climate scientist who has done research on polar climates for 11 years, has led teams of students at the Arctic and Antarctic, and is an assistant professor at the University of California, Los Angeles — said, “The observation of increased snowfall on Antarctica is entirely consistent with the global warming trend — and is what we’d predict using state-of-the-art climate models.”
She added that advances in supercomputing have improved the ability to depict ice in models.
“Climate models in the 1970s and early 1980s were incredibly simple in comparison to what scientists are using today,” she said. “In fact, it has only been in the last decade or so that we’ve been able to do a decent job simulating sea ice in models.”
Couldn’t these changes just be cyclical, the normal increases and decreases in ice that have happened for centuries?
“In Antarctica, annual to decadal cycles might still push the overall trends in sea ice and climate back and forth. Long term, climate there will warm,” Scambos said.
“In the Arctic, sea ice has not been as low as it is now in several thousand years (about 2000 BCE) — and so I ask, cycle of what? What other impact besides a warming trend — clearly expected considering what we’ve done to the atmosphere — could do this?”
So, bottom line, what’s happening at the South Pole is consistent with global warming?
“The conditions in Antarctica are, no question, a response to global climate change,” he said.
The verdict
This is not actually a new claim. In Michael Crichton’s 2004 thriller “State of Fear,” he used increasing Antarctic ice to dispute global warming. He gave a footnote to a study by Peter Doran to support his claim.
Doran responded at the time, “Our results have been misused as ‘evidence’ against global warming by Michael Crichton.”
The NewsMax story also misuses agreed-upon evidence that some Antarctic ice is increasing. Of course, the two sources NewsMax used to interpret this data —an anonymous blogger, a guy with an electrical engineering degree and zero climate scientists — would not pass muster for an eighth-grade science paper.
To be clear, we’re talking about sea ice here, not land ice, which is decreasing at both poles and elsewhere. But an increase in Antarctic sea ice not only isn’t contradicted by trends toward higher global temperatures but is to be expected, according to the scientists who study it.
Truthmeter: 1 (out of 10)Image copyright Reuters
The pound has fallen to levels not seen since 1985 following the UK's referendum vote to leave the EU.
Shares have also been hit. The FTSE 100 index began the day by falling more than 8%, then regained some ground to stand 2.5% lower.
The more UK-focused FTSE 250 fared even worse, down 8% in early afternoon trading.
Banks were hard hit, with Barclays and RBS falling about 30%, although they later pared losses to below 20%.
The FTSE 100 ended the day 3.15% or 199.41 points lower.
The pound's dramatic fall started overnight as the outcome of the referendum became clear. At one stage, it hit $1.3236, a fall of more than 10%.
By early afternoon, it had partially recovered, but was still nearly 8% down on the day.
As well as the banks, the housebuilding sector was also badly hit, with shares in Bovis Homes down more than 20% in afternoon trading.
"Financials and housebuilders are bearing the brunt of the pain, with Lloyds Bank being one of the biggest fallers," said Laith Khalaf, senior analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, highlighting Lloyds' 21% slump.
"It's probably safe to say the public sale of the bank is now firmly in the long grass, and the return to full private ownership of both Lloyds and RBS has been knocked off course."
The Bank of England said it was "monitoring developments closely" and would take "all necessary steps" to support monetary stability.
In New York, the Dow Jones fell 2.6%, more than 400 points, in the opening minutes.
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"This is simply unprecedented, the pound has fallen off a cliff and the FTSE is now following suit," said Dennis de Jong, managing director of UFX.com.
"Britain's EU referendum has been a cloud hanging over the global economy for the past few months and that cloud has got very dark this morning.
"The markets despise uncertainty, yet that is exactly what they're faced with this morning. The shockwaves are likely to reverberate for some time and the warning lights are flashing brighter now than ever."
The FTSE 100's initial slump was its biggest one-day fall since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in October 2008.
UK government bond yields hit a new record low, with 10-year yields down more than 30 basis points to 1.018%, according to Reuters data.
Two-year yields fell more than 20 basis points to their lowest levels since mid-2013, at 0.233%.
The impact of the vote was also felt in other European countries. The Frankfurt and Paris indexes were both down more than 7% and 8% respectively, while the Swiss central bank intervened on the money markets to steady the Swiss franc after it appreciated in value.
Oil prices have also fallen sharply in the wake of the referendum outcome, with Brent crude down 4.6%.
The price of Brent crude fell by $2.34 to $48.57 a barrel, its biggest fall since February. At the same time, US crude was down 4.4%, or $2.22, to $47.89 a barrel.
'Once-in-a-lifetime moves'
Before the results started to come in, the pound had risen as high as $1.50, as traders bet on a Remain victory.
But following early strong Leave votes in north-east England, it tumbled to $1.43 and then took another dive after 03:00 BST as Leave maintained its lead.
The move in sterling is the biggest one-day fall ever seen.
A weaker pound buys fewer dollars or other foreign currencies, which makes it more expensive to buy products from abroad. However, it should benefit exporters as it makes their goods cheaper abroad.
Against the euro, the pound dropped 7% to about €1.2085. By Friday lunchtime, it had risen again but was still 5.3% down on the day.
At one point, the euro was 3.3% lower against the dollar, its biggest one-day fall since the currency's inception.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Ask Andy: What happens to the pound after the UK's EU vote?
Currency traders say these moves are more extreme than those seen during the financial crisis of 2008.
"Leave's victory has delivered one of the biggest market shocks of all time," said Joe Rundle, head of trading at ETX Capital.
"The pound has collapsed to its lowest level in over 30 years, suffering its biggest one-day fall in living memory.
"Panic may not be too strong a word - the pound could have further to go over the next couple of days as markets digest the news.
"It's fair to say we've never seen anything like it and the chances are markets will remain highly volatile over the coming hours and days."
IAG, which owns British Airways and Iberia, issued a statement saying the result of the vote would hit its profits.
"Following the outcome of the referendum, and given current market volatility, while IAG continues to expect a significant increase in operating profit this year, it no longer expects to generate an absolute operating profit increase similar to 2015," it said.
'Contingency plans'
David Tinsley at UBS said there would be "a significant rise in economic uncertainty" and that the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) was expected to take action, including interest rate cuts and an extension of its quantitative easing programme.
"We expect the MPC will cut policy rates to zero and make further asset purchases, in the first instance of £50-75bn, not later than February 2017," he said.
In a statement, Bank of England governor Mark Carney said the Bank would "pursue relentlessly" its responsibilities for monetary and financial stability, which were unchanged.
He said the Bank had put in place "extensive contingency plans" to mitigate the risks associated with the referendum, adding that it stood ready to provide more than £250bn of additional funds to banks through its normal facilities.
"In the coming weeks, the Bank will assess economic conditions and will consider any additional policy responses," he said.
The European Central Bank (ECB) also issued a statement saying it was closely monitoring financial markets and was in close contact with other central banks.
"The ECB stands ready to provide additional liquidity, if needed, in euro and foreign currencies," it added.
The managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde, said the Fund had taken note of the referendum decision.
"We urge the authorities in the UK and Europe to work collaboratively to ensure a smooth transition to a new economic relationship between the UK and the EU, including by clarifying the procedures and broad objectives that will guide the process," she added.
Top four pound moves post-World War Two
Image copyright Getty Images
1971 Pound moves 3.4% after Nixon Shock -- cancellation of the direct international convertibility of the United States dollar to gold.
Pound moves 3.4% after Nixon Shock -- cancellation of the direct international convertibility of the United States dollar to gold. 1 November 1978 4.3% "Winter of discontent" shakes global investors confidence in UK's economy.
4.3% "Winter of discontent" shakes global investors confidence in UK's economy. 16 September 1992 4.29% when the UK exited the exchange rate mechanism.
4.29% when the UK exited the exchange rate mechanism. 20 Jan 2009 Pound slides 3.9% at the peak of the financial crisis following the demise of Lehman Brothers.
Source: Bank of New York MellonPosted by: The Chosen One / Category: eBooks English / No Comments
The twenty most common questions about Islam can be answered with reason and logic. A majority of non-Muslims can be convinced with these answers. If a Muslim memorizes or simply remembers these answers, Inshallah he will be successful, if not in convincing non-Muslims about the complete truth of Islam, then at least in removing misconceptions about Islam and neutralizing the negative thinking about Islam and Muslims that the non-Muslims have. A very few non-Muslims may have counter arguments to these replies, for which further information may be required.
In order to convey the message of Islam, dialogue and debate become inevitable. The Glorious Qur’an says:
“Invite (all) to the way of thy Lord, with wisdom and beautiful preaching, and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious.” [Al-Qur’an 16:125]
Download the PDF file.
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Answers To Non Muslims Common Questions About Islam 5 out of 1 star out ofstarclick to enlarge Doyle Murphy
You could buy the Bevo Mill and make it awesome.
If you’re ever going to open that nouveau German, windmill-themed concept restaurant you won’t shut up about, now is your time.
The city is looking for someone to take over the Bevo Mill at 4749 Gravois Road and reopen it to the public. The wonderfully weird south St. Louis landmark, which turns 100 this year, boasts four dining/banquet rooms, a full kitchen, office space and a two-story apartment that the city thinks would make a pretty sweet bed and breakfast.
Beer baron August Busch Sr. built the place in 1916 so he’d have a pit stop on his commute from the brewery to his Grant’s Farm home. He used the downstairs Mill Room as his personal dining hall.And now you could run it! You’re not going to get a long-dead captain of industry’s hangout for nothing, however. Anheuser-Busch transferred it to the city for $1 in 2008, but that bargain has passed.The city’s request for proposals calls for the new tenant to invest $1 million into renovations and upkeep during a five-year span. If you want to buy it, the asking price is $500,000, and the city would still want you to put $1 million into the building over two years.A restaurant, open daily to the public, should be part of the plan, according to the city’s rules of engagement. Buyers should probably think about opening a microbrewery too, the solicitation says.The old tenants, L&M Catering, hosted Sunday brunches and — for a time — Friday dinners, but mainly focused on special events after taking over in 2009. Partner Milan Manjencich, a prominent chef and the public face of the business, told a reporter a year ago they had spent about $500,000 in renovations.“Everybody from the city on down told me the renovation would cost about this much, but when it came to fruition it was about five times as much,” he said in a Smart Business interview in April 2015. “It’s been a large investment on our part.”So this isn’t going to come easy for you. Manjencich left town abruptly for Arizona, and his silent partner isn’t interested in taking over, says Jennifer Gierhart, who expects to take partial ownership of a catering branch of the business and move it to a new location. That venture, Gourmet FoodWorks, is still using the Bevo Mill kitchen for catering off-site events, but Gierhart says they’re basically just watching over the building until someone new comes along.“Hopefully we can get someone in here, and we can have a good transition,” Gierhart says.So there’s your opening. You should totally buy the Bevo Mill, open it to the public and make it awesome. We need a new pit stop on the way home from work, too.There is a good chance Rolando McClain will be out all of the 2012 season and an equally good chance, the Raiders will cut ties with him altogether. This means at very least the team needs to bridge the gap until next year's draft or free agent period when they can either find a starter or solidify the middle linebacker position.
Reggie McKenzie has brought in quite a few players at other positions on one year deals to get the team by until he can build for the future through the draft. Wheeler is one of those players who was brought in on a one-year deal along with several defensive backs.
It would make a lot of sense for him to do the same with the middle linebacker position. Simply sign a free agent who could give the team at least one good season just to make sure they can get through 2012.
The possibility of signing a free agent goes up when the Raiders receive cap relief from the expected suspension as well as possible voiding of McClain's contract should it have conduct clauses in it.
There are still some names out there in the free agent market. Here are a few possible signees:
EJ Henderson- By far the best middle linebacker on the market. It is surprising he is still available. He has started at linebacker for the Vikings since 2004 and was a Pro Bowler in 2010. The longer he is out there, the lower his price tag. He is 31 years old.
Gary Brackett- Started nearly every game at middle linebacker for the Colts from 2005-2010. He played just one game last season and his absence certainly contributed to how poorly the Colts defense was last season. He could team up with his former linebacker mate, Wheeler. Brackett is 31 years old.
Keith Brooking- Has some experience at middle linebacker-- playing four seasons there for the Falcons. Two of those seasons, he was a Pro Bowler. But he hasn't played the position since 2007 and is now 36 years old. He started just three games last season. Could be an ideal stopgap middle linebacker. Or his career could be over.
Omar Gaither- Has only played one season at middle linebacker in his career, totaling 102 total tackles for an the Eagles 2007 team which has a top ten ranked run defense. That was also the only time Gaither has ever started an entire season. He has seen his games played and starts dwindle every season since.
Mike Peterson- Has a great deal of experience at middle linebacker. But at nearly 36 years old, his numbers began tailing off in 2010 and he lost his starting job last season. He may not have anything left in the tank.
Andra Davis- He started nearly every game for the Browns in six seasons from 2003-08. The first two seasons he played middle linebacker and then played inside linebacker when they switched to the 3-4. He has started just 7 games over the past two seasons in Buffalo but at 33 years old he could have something left in the tank.
Stephen Cooper- The Chargers placed Cooper on IR with an injured bicep and later released him. He had some great seasons of his nine seasons at inside linebacker for the Chargers.
James Farrior- Speaking of over the hill linebackers, Farrior is the oldest of the bunch at 37. He also has no experience at middle linebacker. He has been an inside linebacker most of his career for the Steelers. He had a procuctive season last year but at 37, his career is probably over.
Follow me on Twitter @LeviDamien or befriend me on facebook.Duty Free Denim – U.S. Import Cap Raised from $200 to $800
If you’ve been keeping up with U.S. politics, you know there’s been a lot happening lately. What you definitely missed is H.R.644 going into effect, a.k.a. the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015, a.k.a. the America Gives More Act, what you need to know is in Title IX, Sec. 901 which says the following:
TITLE IX–MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS (Sec. 901) It is the sense of Congress that the USTR should encourage other countries to establish commercially meaningful de minimis values for express and postal shipments that are exempt from customs duties and taxes and from certain other entry documentation requirements. This bill amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to increase from $200 to $800 the general de minimis aggregate fair retail value in the country of shipment of duty-free articles imported by one person on one day.
Among other things, the amendments to this bill, signed by President Obama on February 24, 2016, are intended to expand trade. One benefit is that, with a simplified process that lowers the excise tax, more funds can be made available to non-profits.
But, entirely more importantly, you can now buy most of your high end denims from overseas duty free! As most of you know, there aren’t too many Japanese jeans that you can buy for less than $200. It’s a process prohibitive to that artisanal denim life. Now, though, you can take your denim game to the international level (for up to $800) without duties cop-blocking you.
Except for Endrime‘s $1100 handsewn jeans. And Momotaro‘s $2000 handwoven jeans. But if you’re seriously considering either of those jeans, I doubt you’re worried about duties. Aside from those, get your credit cards out, open up a new tab, preferably one that leads to an overseas retailer, and cop yourself a new pair of jeans.It’s been over a month since I started playing ArcheAge, and in that time I’ve experienced much, but not all, of what the game has to offer in some capacity. I’ve been captured in its beautiful land of near endless possibilities, and I remain a happy denizen of the virtual world. This isn’t simply a symptom of a financial Stockholm Syndrome brought on by the alpha’s hefty buy-in; no, it’s the features and gameplay themselves that have given me a home I wish to stay in for some time to come.
It should be disclosed that as a ‘why I play’ style article, this piece comes in only one shade: rose-colored. This type of article is not meant to be critical, so it won’t be. As with any product, ArcheAge is not a perfect fit for everyone’s demands, so while I do find it to be a damn good game, I will be addressing some of the game’s shortcomings and my personal concerns in a follow-up post in the very near future. Readers looking to get a more complete picture of the game should read both of these articles.
A Whole New World
Choosing where to begin is incredibly difficult, as I could easily ramble for thousands and thousands of words about the individual features of ArcheAge that draw me in. That would be missing the point though, because it isn’t those individual features that draw me in, it’s what they create when combined together – a living, breathing virtual world. For example:
Instant travel is limited, requiring a crafted reagent to open a portal that can be used by other people.
Dailies focus on travel – not combat, sending you through several different zones to grow animals, plant flowers, and gather gunpowder with no combat required.
Farms and houses can be placed in non-instanced world-space, bringing you back to your own little corner of land.
Trade packs require players to transport goods for trading or construction slowly through the world.
Trade packs are incompatible with portals, so players must use the game’s public transportation or player ships to get around quickly.
Trade packs dropping on death gets pirates out in the world looking for traders.
When zones go to war, honor rewards are increased, bringing players of all levels back to PvP for the duration (and they go to a PvP-free peace time for people trying to level right after).
Through this combination of features, you have a system where the game world is teeming with players of all levels, and better yet, are doing it for their own benefit and not as a tedious exercise in travel (though I generally support those as well). I go back to the low level zones constantly, either for my dailies, to harvest my farm, to craft and transport a trade-pack, or to help a guildmate doing the same. ArcheAge isn’t a game where you sit in town or only linger around a select few high level zones, no – the entire world is your play-space, every single time you log in.
Moving naturally through a seamless, load screen-free world also helps to ground you in the world with a sense of place. When I’m in Dewstone, I know exactly where I am in the world. To the East is the Feuille sound, where I can take my clipper to quickly travel around the edge of the continent. To the west lie the mountains which I can climb Skyrim-style to glide off into the next zone, White Arden. To the north are the starter zones, and to the south the bustling city of Marionople. I know the roads, where the carriages stop, and which cities have airships. Travelling through ArcheAge‘s world feels real, and it’s largely in part because you don’t usually just jump through a portal to do it.
Beyond travel incentives, the game world comes alive with an amazing amount of interactability. See a chair? You can sit on it. See a light? Odds are you can turn it off. There are limitations, of course. You can’t just massacre an entire forest of trees, as appealing as the idea becomes when you suddenly need lumber. Even with those reasonable limitations though, the game’s non-destructive interactive offerings are a fantastic addition to its already immersive world.
It’s Dangerous to Go Alone
As mentioned in my previous article, The Errant Logbook: Adventure on ArcheAge’s High Seas, ArcheAge organically encourages cooperative gameplay in a variety of ways, from the sheer danger inherent in a trade run to the high costs of creating the more expensive ships and houses. The reason you join a guild in ArcheAge is surprisingly intuitive; because you want to play the game with other people. It’s not because the game bribed you with bonus experience, increased mount speed, or something similarly gimmicky – no, you do it because there’s an organic benefit for everyone to play with others, something mainstream MMOs have been missing for a long time. ArcheAge really isn’t an MMO for solo players, and for me, that’s high praise.
Diplomatic Community
Joining a guild isn’t all benefits though. No, ArcheAge is an open PvP game where same-faction PvP is possible; joining a guild doesn’t just get you allies, but often enemies as well.
Take Obscene as an example. Obscene is currently a western faction guild infamous for same-faction killing and piracy (I believe they are currently working on switching to pirate faction). If you have an Obscene guild flag, that means that a better part of the server is going to be gunning to kill you, even on the same faction. Now I don’t begrudge the guild at all, so don’t take this as me attempting to shame them in any way. I love killing gankers, because I find it to be a very rewarding style of PvP. Now I consider myself to be a realistic person, and the fact of the matter is that my playstyle simply wouldn’t be possible without people like Obscene. Them and their allies playing the game the way they enjoy it makes it possible for me and mine to do the same. The game needs ‘bad guys’ for the ‘good guys’ to exist, and in ArcheAge, the game systems allow enough freedom for such people to actually exist.
This organic system of diplomacy leads to a far more meaningful PvP than one found where your entire PvP experience is dictated by alliances chosen with a single click at character creation. Ninja dungeon loot from enough people? Routinely kill lowbies? Grief and troll constantly? Do it long enough and you’re gonna have a lot of people trying to ruin your day, and the day of everyone who shares your guild tag.
The Accessible Sandbox
While ArcheAge is an open-world PvP sandbox, its cleverly designed systems do require that you essentially opt-in to any risk that may come from someone attempting to ruin your day. Sure you can lose time if you get killed, but that’s really nothing at all to worry about. The high risk only comes when you’re attempting something with a high reward, like running trade-packs through war-zones or sport fishing. Those that want a high-risk play style can seek one out and be rewarded for it, but players extremely averse to risk will be able to avoid it almost all of the time.
This is really the core of ArcheAge‘s design philosophy: take what makes a hardcore sandbox great, and work with it to make it something that more people will be able to get into. Where games like EVE, Firefall, and Darkfall are known for being relatively directionless, ArcheAge greets its players with the familiar quest grind seen in most themepark MMOs, and uses them to guide players towards its sandbox offerings. It has a global auction house and no PvP looting, but it uses its trading system to simulate a local economy while bringing high-risk PvP to the game for those that want it. It will never have the risk we knew in EVE or Darkfall, but it does a good job of providing something to lose that’s just meaningful enough to get the adrenaline flowing. Even the game’s factions, initially determined by your race, are fluid as same-faction PK is allowed, criminals are exiled to the pirate faction, and custom faction can be created in the late game. While dungeons (and later raids) do exist, the best gear continues to be that created by the game’s crafters. ArcheAge aims to bring the sandbox to a new audience with a diverse and accessible sandpark that should satisfy the needs of veteran sandbox players and more sheltered themepark denizens alike.
Closing Thoughts
Well, that’s why I play ArcheAge, but they aren’t the only reasons to play by any means. There is an astronomical amount of content in this game, from the expected activities, like world PvP and dungeons, to the more unexpected, like hunting for sunken treasure or becoming a dairy farmer. For me what takes the cake is the world that content is set in.
ArcheAge has that certain je ne sais quoi from the MMOs of old, and brings with it a lot of the game systems I haven’t seen since I was first hooked on MMOs to begin with. Its world feels real and its community plays an important role in shaping your gameplay experience; all in all, ArcheAge is a welcome break from the monotony of themepark WoW clones that play like glorified lobby games, and I’m thrilled to find a game that feels like a virtual world again.
ArcheAge is a damn good game, but as you would expect, it’s hardly a perfect one. Next up I’ll tackle the game’s shortcomings and my concerns for its future, here on The Errant Penman.
#MMO #ArcheAge #WhyIPlayStephen Spielberg’s “Lincoln” could win the Academy Award for Best Picture. I’ve seen it three times, and have enjoyed each viewing more than the last. It is inspiring. It is moving. It is timely. But it tells only one half of the story — the good half — and leaves untold the bad, both about the man who freed the slaves and the Constitution he died defending.
The movie follows Abraham Lincoln, elected president of the United States in November 1860, as he lobbies aggressively and craftily to convince the House of Representatives five years later to amend the United States Constitution to make slavery unconstitutional. The amendment proposed to ban slavery across the land and authorize Congress to enforce the ban against any state that defied it.
The initial 13th Amendment — also known as the Corwin Amendment — would have made slavery constitutional and permanent — and Lincoln supported it. (AP)
“Lincoln” focuses on the struggle to cobble together the constitutionally required two-thirds majority in the House. But there was much more to amending the Constitution. The anti-slavery amendment also needed two-thirds approval in the Senate and three-quarters approval from the states. It is hard to imagine that kind of consensus today on any issue, let alone on a subject that divides the nation as much as slavery did then. Nonetheless the anti-slavery amendment eventually passed and it is now inscribed in the Constitution as the 13th Amendment.
But the 13th Amendment we know now differs substantially from the one first proposed. The initial amendment would have made slavery constitutional and permanent — and Lincoln supported it.
This early version of the 13th Amendment, known as the Corwin Amendment, was proposed in December 1860 by William Seward, a senator from New York who would later join Lincoln’s cabinet as his first secretary of state.
The Corwin Amendment read as follows:
No amendment shall be made to the Constitution which will authorize or give to Congress power to abolish or interfere, within any State, with the domestic institutions thereof, including that of persons held to labor or service by the laws of said State.
The Corwin Amendment was an effort to placate the South and contain secessionist sentiment. It proposed to do three things. First, to protect slavery by giving each state the power to regulate the “domestic institutions” within its borders. This was an enticing carrot for the slave states: stay in the Union and you can keep slavery. Second, to dispossess Congress of the power to “abolish or interfere” with slavery. And third, to make itself unamendable by providing that “no amendment shall be made to the Constitution” that would undo the Corwin Amendment.
After Seward proposed the Corwin Amendment, then newly-elected President Lincoln defended the states’ right to adopt it. In his first inaugural address Lincoln declared that he had “no objection” to the Corwin Amendment, nor that it be made forever unamendable.
The Corwin Amendment won two-thirds support in both the House and the Senate in early 1861. Ohio was the first state to ratify the amendment, and Maryland and Illinois followed suit, but the onset of the Civil War interrupted the states’ ratification of the amendment. Had it been ratified, however, the Corwin Amendment would have become the 13th Amendment, forever protecting slavery instead of abolishing it. And the Amendment would have passed with the support of the man who later freed the slaves in the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, orchestrated the constitutional death of slavery, and is by any measure one of history’s greatest leaders.For some peculiar or devious reason, the unpopular and inept Labour government is, yet again extending its hugely wasteful, "voluntary" ID Cards / National Identity Register centralised biometric database scheme to the North West of England, but also encroaching on parts of Wales and Scotland
Were the Scottish Parliament, the Scottish Executive, the National Assembly for Wales and the Welsh Assembly Government consulted on this decision by the politicians and civil servants in Westminster?
Presumably the "success criterion", which they have used to give the go ahead for this next phase of the rollout of the scheme, is simply the fact that the citizens of Manchester have not actually bothered to rise up and burn down the local Identity and Passport Service offices.
They have, instead,by all accounts simply not been interested in submitting to this "voluntary" scheme, and the Government has resorted to unsubstantiated propaganda statements about how "useful" these ID cards are meant to be, without daring to provide any quantitative evidence of their "success".
Even if the Manchester area ID Cards rollout had somehow been a huge success, it would still be too early to properly evaluate this as a pilot scheme after it had been running for only15 days from the 30th of November 2009.
However, on 15th December 2009, Meg "I've left my ID Card at home" Hillier, the hapless junior Home Office Minister, who has been lumbered with the task of pretending to believe in the the scheme, has signed another Order, which extends the Post Code Lottery to inflict the "voluntary" National Identity Scheme on the rest of the people in North West England from the 4th January |
or local agency who also responded to the traffic stop in question. This will be a very interesting story to follow. At the outset it has the feel of yet another abuse of police power. Fortunately for Filippidis, he wasn't suspected of muling drugs in New Mexico. Update: A good question from Bomber in the comments. I have a Florida permit. I'll spend most of the summer in and around Maryland. I am very interested in how they knew the guy even had a permit in the first place. More from The Conservative Treehouse: Maryland State has a network of technical security databases which access the databases of all other states who comply and coordinate with them. For states who do not willfully comply, or those who are not set up to align technically, Maryland mines data from various LEO systems. Maryland has a rather innocuous sounding name for the intelligence hub which contains this data, its called Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center. The intelligence analysis hub has access to, and contains, Floridas CCW list (among other identification systems) and mines the states database systems for vehicle plate numbers of the holders. These license plate numbers are then stored in a cross referencing database within the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center.
posted by Andy at
| Access Comments posted by Andy at 10:51 AM
Recent Comments Recent Entries Search Polls! Polls! Polls! Frequently Asked Questions The (Almost) Complete Paul Anka Integrity Kick Top Top Tens Greatest HitjobsPrevious | Next Racist Microwave Buyer Posted at: 2009-11-16 13:02:45 Original ad:
WANTED - Microwave
I am looking for a used microwave. WHITE ONLY
From Me to *********@************.org:
I have a LG microwave that I want to sell for $30. I am aware that your ad said whites only, but I am an African American. I sincerely hope that this won't be a problem for you, and we can put race issues aside and just do business.
Thank you,
Jamal
From Amy ****** to Me:
I am so sorry that you misread my ad. I meant the microwave should be white, because it would match my kitchen.
Amy
From Me to Amy ******:
Oh, so because I am black, you think that I can't read? It really is amazing that the world we live in is still so racist. I'm sorry, but your insults have left me feeling sick. I don't think I can sell my microwave to a bigot.
Sincerely offended,
Jamal
From Amy ****** to Me:
I wasn't suggesting that you couldn't read. I'm not racist. If you read my whole email you would see that the ad was looking for a white microwave, not a white person. I changed the ad to avoid any confusion.
Amy
From Me to Amy ******:
So now you think that because I am black, I am too lazy to read your whole e-mails. Your racism is overwhelming. You will never get my microwave from me. I will, however, sell you a burning cross for your next klan meeting. Does $20 for the cross sound fair?
From Amy ****** to Me:
I can't write anything without you being offended! I give up!
From Me to Amy ******:
So you don't want the microwave?
From Amy ****** to Me:
Will you still sell it to me?
From Me to Amy ******:
I would never sell anything to a racist.
From Amy ****** to Me:
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Most people would be shocked to know that, until fairly recently, it was legal for a federal agency to fire an employee for being LGBT unless the employee could show that the agency discriminated on the basis of sexual stereotyping. Thankfully, the federal government has made tremendous strides, which is especially crucial given its role as a model employer for other employers nationwide.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) now interprets Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which does not explicitly list sexual orientation or gender identity as protected (as it does for sex, race, national origin, color and religion), as prohibiting discrimination against federal employees on these bases. In FY 2015, the EEOC issued 20 federal sector decisions finding that sexual orientation and gender identity-related complaints can be brought under Title VII. For example, in Larita G. v. U.S. Postal Service, EEOC Appeal No. 0120142154 (Nov. 18, 2015), the EEOC reversed the agency’s dismissal of a sexual orientation based hostile work environment claim finding such an allegation is necessarily an allegation of sex discrimination under Title VII. In Lusardi v. Dep’t of the Army, EEOC Appeal No. 0120133395, (Mar. 27, 2015), the EEOC held that an agency’s restrictions on a transgender woman’s ability to use a female restroom and intentional misuse of a transgender employee’s new name and pronoun can constitute sex-based discrimination.
The EEOC has posted guidelines for federal employees who believe their agency is discriminating against them because of sexual orientation or gender identity to follow: http://www.eeoc.gov/federal/directives/lgbt_complaint_processing.cfm
The Office of Special Counsel (OSC) is an independent agency charged with protecting federal employees from prohibited personnel practices (PPPs), especially retaliation for whistleblowing. However, OSC has also determined that it is a PPP for an agency to discriminate against a federal employee or applicant based on sexual orientation or gender identity. This stems from 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b) (10), which prohibits discrimination based on “conduct” that does “not adversely affect job performance.” OSC has authority to investigate and prosecute PPP complaints alleging sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination, and may take several actions including:
• Seeking stays of personnel actions while investigations are pending (for example, where removal of the employee has been proposed);
• Obtaining full corrective action (including reinstatement or back pay);
• Seeking disciplinary action against alleged wrongdoers.
While there is no statute of limitations to file PPP complaints with OSC, it is better to act as soon as possible. OSC’s website also has information about the federal protections for LGBT workers here.
The Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) is an independent, adjudicative agency that hears, among other things, appeals of adverse actions taken against federal employees, such as removals, demotions, or suspensions of more than 14 days. The MSPB also hears cases brought by OSC concerning PPPs (see above). At the MSPB, a federal employee can assert what’s called an “affirmative defense” of discrimination against an adverse action. Given the EEOC’s recent holdings that Title VII prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, a federal employee subjected to an adverse action because of sexual orientation or gender identity can now successfully raise that as an affirmative defense against the adverse action. In other words, the MSPB can explicitly reverse any adverse actions taken by federal agencies to discriminate against LGBT federal employees.
The federal government’s steps to eliminate discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation against its own employees have effectively finally made discrimination on these bases illegal and actionable.
Debra D’Agostino is a founding partner of The Federal Practice Group Worldwide Service. She has more than a decade of experience in employment law. Stephen Lang contributed to this article.China’s education system has undergone serious reform over the past few decades. Here are the most interesting facts about education in China.
China Mike’s 100% verified, no B.S. China facts (interesting & fun statistics)
Basic Numbers: Chinese Education
The numbers below only tell part of the story about education in China. From the 1980s to the early 2000s, China’s youth saw an insane 15% increase in literacy rate.
This goes to show not only how fast China’s education has improved, but also how far behind it was just a few decades ago.
China’s literacy rate: This is defined as those aged 15 and over who can read and write.
Total population: 96.4%
Male: 98.2%
Female: 94.5%
School life expectancy: This is the number of years on average kids stay in school between primary to tertiary education. This has gone up about 2 years for each group over the last decade!
Male: 14 years
Female: 14 years
Education expenditures: A measure of how much China’s budget is spent on education and where that ranks in the world.
Percentage of total GDP: 1.9% of GDP
Global rank: #172
[CIA World Factbook]
China Facts: Literacy Rates
Literacy rate defined as knowledge of 1,500 Chinese characters in rural locations and 2,000 characters in urban areas.
[ China: Asia in Focus, R. LaFleur 2010]
Before the Communist party took power in 1949, about 80% of China’s population was illiterate. Enrollment rate was below 20% for elementary school and about 6% of junior secondary school.
[China.org.cn 60 Years of Educational Reform and Development, Sept. 14, 2009 ]
By 2008, adult illiteracy rate in China dropped to only 3.58%. Elementary school and junior secondary school enrollment jumped to 99.5% and 98.5% respectively.
[China.org.cn 60 Years of Educational Reform and Development Sept. 14, 2009 ]
Today, Chinese youth (15-24 years) have a 99% literacy rate.
[Unicef, 2004-2008 data ]
Facts: China’s Investment in Education
Since 1998, China has invested in “a massive expansion of education, nearly tripling the share of GDP devoted to it. In the decade since, the number of colleges in China has doubled and the number of students quintupled, going from 1 million in 1997 to 5.5 million in 2007.”
[Time Mag. The Real Challenge from China: Its People, Not Its Currency Oct. 7, 2010 ]
Students from Shanghai’s schools outperformed those from 65 countries/regions, according to report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which has tested high-school students since 2000. Shanghai students were followed by Korea (#2), Finland (#3), Hong Kong (#4), and Canada (#5). U.S. students ranked #24.
[ The Economist online “An International Report Card” Dec. 7, 2010, OECD PISA 2009]
The Chinese tend to favor the American education system. NYT columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote about this “paradox: Chinese themselves are far less impressed by their school system. Almost every time I try to interview a Chinese about the system here, I hear grousing rather than praise. Many Chinese complain scathingly that their system kills independent thought and creativity, and they envy the American system for nurturing self-reliance — and for trying to make learning exciting and not just a chore.”
[ The New York Times China’s Winning Schools? Jan. 15, 2011 ]
29% of Americans couldn’t name the U.S. vice president, in a sampling of 1,000 U.S. citizens who took America’s official citizenship test.
[ Newsweek How Dumb Are We? March 20, 2011 ]
China facts: The Education System
China has about 400 million students today.
[ China: Asia in Focus, R. LaFleur 2010]
Chinese children typically start their formal education at age two.
[ The New York Times China’s Winning Schools? Jan. 15, 2011 ]
By the first semester of first grade, students are expected to recognize 400 Chinese characters and write 100 of them.
[ China: Asia in Focus, R. LaFleur 2010]
Chinese citizens must attend school for at least nine years. According to data from China’s Ministry of Education, China has a 99% attendance rate for primary school.
Under China’s “Law on Nine-Year Compulsory Education,” primary school is tuition-free. However, students must pay a small tuition fee after the compulsory nine years of education during middle and high school.
[ Wikipedia Education in China, Accessed Nov 1, 2018 ]
To boost literacy rates, the Communist party switched from “traditional” Chinese characters to a “simplified” form (using fewer strokes). Singapore also uses simplified Chinese, however, traditional characters are still used in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
[The New York Times The Chinese Language, Ever Evolving, May 2, 2009 ]
During the early days of Mao’s Cultural Revolution (1966-76), higher education in China effectively shut down. In 1975, Deng Xiaoping reported that university graduates were “not even capable of reading a book” in their own fields after graduation.
[ Wikipedia Education in China]
China did not have any private schools until the early 1980’s. Today, there are over 70,000 private schools in China of all levels and type.
[ Wikipedia Education in China ]
China Facts: Higher Education
More than 60% of high school graduates in China now attend a university, up from 20% in the 1980s.
[ The New York Times The China Boom Nov. 5, 2010 ]
The number of students in China enrolled in degree courses has risen from 1 million in 1997 to 5 million today.
[ The Economist A Work in Progress March 17, 2011 ]
The number of higher-education institutions in China has more than doubled in the past decade, from 1,022 to 2,263.
[ The Economist A Work in Progress” March 17, 2011; The New York Times The China Boom, Nov. 5, 2010 ]
Today, China has over 2,000 universities and colleges, with over 2 million total students enrolled in higher education.
[Wikipedia Education in China ]
“Harvard Girl” (2000) was a best-selling Chinese book that was a “how-to manual” for parents on raising their children to get into top-tier universities overseas. It was written by the parents of a girl who was admitted to Harvard University, and spawned a genre of copy cat books.
[ Amazon Harvard Girl (Chinese) ]
China is creating their version of the Ivy League, by singling out nine of its top universities. In a 2010 speech, Yale president Richard Levin said: “This expansion in capacity is without precedent. China has built the largest higher-education sector in the world in merely a decade’s time. In fact, the increase in China’s post-secondary enrollment since the turn of the millennium exceeds the total post-secondary enrollment in the United States.”
[Time Mag. The Real Challenge from China: Its People, Not Its Currency Oct. 7, 2010 ]
Between 2003 and 2009, the average starting salary for China’s college graduates has stayed the same…while the starting pay for migrant workers during the same period rose by nearly 80%.
[ The New York Times China’s Army of Graduates Struggles for Jobs Dec. 11, 2010 ]
Chinese students (over 127,000) are the largest group of foreign students in America’s universities. But only about 14,000 American students are studying in China. However, American students studying Chinese has continued to grow steadily.
[ The Economist online Studying the Superpower Jan, 18, 2011]
China has over 1,200,000 IT professionals and is adding 400,000 technical graduates each year. China ranks #1 in the world (followed by India and the US)
[China Fever F. Fang 2007 ]
China has around 170,000 certified lawyers, 12,000 law firms, and 300+ law schools.
[ China: The Balance Sheet Bergsten 2006 ]
China Facts: Learning English & Mandarin
China has an estimated 30,000 organizations or companies offering private English classes. In the five years between 2005-2010, the market has nearly doubled in size to be worth around US$3.1 billion.
[ Guardian UK Battle intensifies for $2bn English-teaching business in China July 13, 2010 ]
Since launching in 2008, Disney English has “rapidly expanded” with schools in Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Chengdu, Shenzhen and Guangzhou.
[ Guardian UK Battle intensifies for $2bn English-teaching business in China July 13, 2010 ]
About 40 million foreigners are studying Mandarin around the world…,but only 50,000 of them are in the U.S.
[ Newsweek America’s Chinese Problem: The reports of progress are wrong Dec. 6, 2010 ]
Most students learning Mandarin are from Japan and South Korea, according to the Beijing Language and Culture University Press (the world’s biggest publisher of textbooks on learning Chinese).
[ Newsweek America’s Chinese Problem: The reports of progress are wrong Dec. 6, 2010 ]
From 2007 to 2009, the number of Indonesians learning Chinese jumped 42%.
[ Newsweek America’s Chinese Problem: The reports of progress are wrong Dec. 6, 2010 ]
In 2010, India’s education minister proposed adding Mandarin to the state curriculum.
[ Financial Times Turning deaf ear to Mandarin no longer wise Oct. 3, 2010 ]
Only 4% of U.S. middle and high schools offer foreign-language instruction in Mandarin in 2008, according to a survey by the Center for Applied Linguistics. The survey also found that “13 percent of schools still offer Latin and a full 10-fold more schools offer French than Mandarin.”
[ Newsweek America’s Chinese Problem: The reports of progress are wrong Dec. 6, 2010 ]
In the U.S., 88% of elementary schools and 93% of middle and high schools with language programs offered Spanish.
[ Newsweek Foreign Languages Fade in Class — Except Chinese Jan. 20, 2010 ]
In the U.S., Chinese is only the fifth-most-popular language to learn, according to Tom Adams, CEO of the language-instruction company Rosetta Stone. In Japan and South Korea, it’s No. 2 (behind only English).
[ Newsweek America’s Chinese Problem: The reports of progress are wrong Dec. 6, 2010 ]
NEXT: China Facts: RELIGION >>
Return to Facts about China home pageThis undated image made available by Teva Women's Health shows the packaging for their Plan B One-Step (levonorgestrel) tablet, one of the brands known as the "morning-after pill." The Plan B morning-after pill is moving over-the-counter, a decision announced by the Food and Drug Administration just days before a court-imposed deadline. On April 30, 2013, the FDA lowered to 15 the age at which girls and women can buy the emergency contraceptive without a prescription — and said it no longer has to be kept behind pharmacy counters. Instead, the pill can sit on drugstore shelves just like condoms, but that buyers would have to prove their age at the cash register. (AP Photo/Teva Women's Health)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Plan B morning-after pill is moving over-the-counter, a decision announced by the Food and Drug Administration just days before a court-imposed deadline.
Tuesday, the FDA lowered to 15 the age at which girls and women can buy the emergency contraceptive without a prescription — and said it no longer has to be kept behind pharmacy counters.
Instead, the pill can sit on drugstore shelves just like condoms, but that buyers would have to prove their age at the cash register.
Earlier this month, a federal judge had ruled there should be no age restrictions and gave the FDA 30 days to act. The FDA said its latest decision was independent of the court case.It’s Friday the 13th. [Dirty Harry:] “You’ve gotta ask yourself a question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’” If you don’t, you could be suffering from triskaidekaphobia. That’s a fear of the number 13. Napoleon, Herbert Hoover and FDR are well-documented triskaidekaphobics. But why do folks think 13 is unlucky? Particularly when it falls on a Friday, as it will three times this year?
The University of Delaware’s Thomas Fernsler is known as Dr. 13. He’s an expert on the number’s bad reputation, which may date back to biblical times. After all, the 13th guest at the Last Supper was Judas. And you know how that worked out for Jesus, who was crucified on a Friday.
Other factoids from Fernsler:
The first person to die in a car accident was killed in New York City on September the 13th in 1899, although that was a Wednesday. And the ill-fated flight of Apollo 13 launched at the 13th minute of the 13th hour Central Standard Time on April 11th, 1970. And the numerals in the date 4/11/70 add up to 13! As long as you don’t include the 19 in 1970. Hey, sometimes superstition can be hard work.
Today, some tall buildings lack a 13th floor. Well, they have a 13th floor, but they call it the 14th floor. Because the purveyors of bad luck are apparently easily fooled.
Meanwhile, over in France, panicky Parisian party-throwers can even hire a quatorziéme, a professional 14th guest.
Like Judas, Mark Twain was allegedly once poised to be the 13th guest at a dinner party. A superstitious friend warned the very rational Twain not to go. But Twain went. “It was bad luck,” he later remarked. “They only had food for 12.”
—Karen Hopkin
[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]Hazardous conditions are expected in parts of the Maritimes on Wednesday as a powerful nor’easter is predicted to sweep up from Maine through the region with powerful gusts and a messy mix of snow, ice pellets and rain.
READ MORE: Winter storm to bring snow, rain to Maritimes
The storm is predicted to bring heavy snowfall amounts of between 20 to 30 centimetres throughout New Brunswick beginning on Tuesday evening and carrying on overnight and through part of the day.
Lesser amounts of snow are expected in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, but the blasts of wind are still expected to reach up to 80 to 90 kilometres per hour.
Environment Canada has noted that the rapid accumulation of snow is likely to make travel difficult in many locations, with visibility suddenly reducing to zero when wind speeds pick up.
The snow may change to rain over southern and eastern areas of the region on Wednesday morning, with a few hours of ice pellets or freezing rain likely during the precipitation changeover.
Jean-Marc Couturier, a forecaster with Environment Canada, said some coastal areas will receive 30 to 40 millimetres of rain.
READ MORE: New Brunswickers brave the cold during Atlantic blizzard
“It’s been very cold lately, so the ground surface is frozen and there will be a lot of run-off and some localized flooding,” he said. “It’s another problem we will face.”
The Halifax airport was showing multiple flight cancellations across its arrival and departure board for Tuesday night and into the early hours of the morning.
Couturier said it’s possible that another disturbance could hit southern parts of the Maritimes on the weekend, as winter continues to hang on through mid-March.
“We’re far from done,” he said.A former North Attleborough police officer was acquitted of disorderly conduct charges Wednesday.
, an incident that ultimately cost him his job, a judge ruled that he is innocent.
“After a trial, I find the defendant not guilty,” the judge said in court.
The married victim, Detective James Moses of the Plainville Police Department, testified. He said while he was separated from his wife at the time, he got what was coming to him.
“I would have probably done the same thing Mr. Gould did if it were reversed,” Moses said. “As far as taking that punch, I felt I deserved it.”
Moses was struck after kissing Officer Julie Barrett on a quiet road in Plainville in July.
On the stand, Gould’s friend testified. He admitted that he watched the pair leave a local pub from an adjacent dentist’s office and then followed them to the road, where the assault occurred.
“He told me that he punched Moses in the face and that he was a (expletive) and wouldn’t fight,” Officer William Lamb of the Plainville Police Department said, with Moses adding, “He called me a (expletive).”
.
But domestic violence and assault charges were both dropped because neither victim wanted any part of the case.
“I don’t think anybody’s really proud of what happened, but it was really a private matter. And it’s really unfortunate that it got blown out of proportion and brought to the point, you know, that people had to come into court and air their dirty laundry,” Kenneth Anderson, a defense attorney, said.
Meanwhile, Gould said he wants his job back. His attorney said he’s appealing his termination to the state’s civil service commission.
“It’s a different burden of proof, different forum, but I think that this bodes well for him,” Anderson said.
Moses also admitted he lied during North Attleborough’s internal investigation in an attempt to protect Gould.
The defendant declined comment, telling NBC 10, “You’ll probably put a bad spin on it anyway.”
Chief John J. Reilly of the North Attleborough Police Department, as well as Special Prosecutor Andrew Lynch, also declined to comment.VICTORIA — Amid mounting calls for the provincial government to do something about unaffordable housing prices, the B.C. Liberals have begun researching the options for taking action, particularly in and around Metro Vancouver.
“Stay tuned,” said Premier Christy Clark this week, when pressed on the issue by Opposition leader Horgan. “Affordability in the Lower Mainland and across the province is a central issue for us. We are giving that some very serious thought and putting some hard work into working our way through that.”
Stay tuned for what, Horgan wanted to know.
“We need to attack affordability from a number of different fronts,” replied Clark. “We’re making sure we look across the world to see what’s worked and what hasn’t, to see what’s had unintended consequences and what hasn’t.”
Those unintended consequences were paramount in her thinking. “We want to make sure that whatever measure we’re able to take is one that’s fair and is one that respects the fact that people who have invested in their homes — many of whom will already have large mortgages — don’t see the government take away some of their equity. They’ve worked for that equity. They’ve paid for that equity — in many cases they’ve mortgaged against the equity.
She cited a cautionary example from 1993, when the then New Democratic Party government brought in hefty tax increases that disproportionately hit homeowners on Vancouver’s west side. The resulting tax revolt soon persuaded then premier Mike Harcourt to back off.
“I think the opposition would be well advised to support government in making sure that we don’t move in a way that is hasty, like in 1993, and clobber people who really didn’t deserve it and couldn’t afford it,” said Clark.
Partisan shots notwithstanding, the premier did grant that the critics have raised a valid issue. “Because, you know, most people would love to be able to buy a place in the place where they grew up,” she said. “People understandably want to come here from all over the world. But many people who grew up in Vancouver and have made it their home all their lives would like to be able to stay there. That’s a question of affordability, and it’s something we are very much seized with.”
Finance Minister Mike de Jong confirmed research into the options is underway in an interview with me Thursday on Voice of B.C. on Shaw TV. The work is not complete nor has the government reached any final conclusions.
But I gather the preliminary findings have cast doubt on some common assumptions about the problem.
First, there’s little evidence of speculation-driven price increases in the market for condos and townhouses, which constitute the main options for entry-level buyers. Second, foreign ownership is not great enough to be driving up prices except in the market for homes and properties at the highest end.
Third, prices for detached single-family homes are being driven upward by two factors that have little to do with real estate speculation and/or foreign ownership. Rather, it is because they aren’t building them any more in Vancouver and the existing stock is shrinking, owing to the trend toward densification, when detached homes are torn down and replaced with multiple dwellings.
The supply is shrinking and everyone wants one? Of course prices are soaring.
De Jong echoed Clark’s concerns about any deliberate effort to drive down prices because it would be wiping out the sometimes meagre equity that mortgage-holders have built up in their home.
“Those who are expressing a concern, if you really assess what they are seeking, it is a reduction in the value of homes in Vancouver and that will have consequences for a lot of families,” he told reporters earlier this week.
Take the not-untypical example of $700,000 house with a $630,000 mortgage. Even a 10 per cent reduction in the market value of the place would put those homeowners on the verge of being underwater.
He’s skeptical, too, about the results from elsewhere: “In other jurisdictions, |
take a long strip of paper, add one twist to it and tape the ends together) and draw a line down the length of it, our line will eventually be on both sides of the paper before it meets back with itself. It appears, somewhat amazingly, that the strip has only one side, so it must be a representation of a two-dimensional object. And this means that a two-dimensional Flatlander traveling down the line we just drew would end up back where they started without ever feeling like they had left the second dimension. In reality, they would be looping and twisting in the third dimension, even though to them it felt like they were traveling in a straight line.
The fourth dimension, time, feels like a straight line to us, moving from the past to the future. But that straight line in the fourth dimension is, like the Möbius strip, actually twisting and turning in the dimension above. So, the long undulating snake that is us at any particular moment will feel like it is moving in a straight line in time, the fourth dimension, but there will actually be, in the fifth dimension, a multitude of paths that we could branch to at any given moment. Those branches will be influenced by our own choice, chance, and the actions of others.
Quantum physics tells us that the subatomic particles that make up our world are collapsed from waves of probability simply by the act of observation. In the picture we are drawing for ourselves here, we can now start to see how each of us are collapsing the indeterminate wave of probable futures contained in the fifth dimension into the fourth dimensional line that we are experiencing as “time”.
6. The Sixth Dimension – A Fold
What if you wanted to go back into your own childhood and visit yourself? We can imagine folding the fourth dimension through the fifth, jumping back through time and space to get there. But what if you wanted to get to the world where, for example, you had created a great invention as a child that by now had made you famous and rich? We can imagine our fourth-dimensional selves branching out from our current moment into the fifth dimension, but no matter where you go from here the “great child inventor” timeline is not one of the available options in your current version of time -- “you can’t get there from here” -- no matter how much choice, chance, and the actions of others become involved.
There are only two ways you could get to that world – one would be to travel back in time, somehow trigger the key events that caused you to come up with your invention, then travel forward in the fifth dimension to see one of the possible new worlds that might have resulted. But that would be taking the long way. The shortcut we could take would involve us folding the fifth dimension through the sixth dimension, which allows us to instantly jump from our current position to a different fifth dimensional line.
7. The Seventh Dimension – A Line
In our description of the fourth dimension, we imagined taking the dimension below and conceiving of it as a single point. The fourth dimension is a line which can join the universe as it was one minute ago to the universe as it is right now. Or in the biggest picture possible, we could say that the fourth dimension is a line which joins the big bang to one of the possible endings of our universe.
Now, as we enter the seventh dimension, we are about to imagine a line which treats the entire sixth dimension as if it were a single point. To do that, we have to imagine all of the possible timelines which could have started from our big bang joined to all of the possible endings for our universe (a concept which we often refer to as infinity), and treat them all as a single point. So, for us, a point in the seventh dimension would be infinity – all possible timelines which could have or will have occurred from our big bang.
8. The Eighth Dimension – A Split
When we describe infinity as being a “point” in the seventh dimension, we are only imagining part of the picture. If we’re drawing a seventh dimensional line, we need to be able to imagine what a different “point” in the seventh dimension is going to be, because that’s what our line is going to be joined to. But how can there be anything more than infinity? The answer is, there can be other completely different infinities created through initial conditions which are different from our own big bang. Different initial conditions will create different universes where the basic physical laws such as gravity or the speed of light are not the same as ours, and the resulting branching timelines from that universe’s beginning to all of its possible endings will create an infinity which is completely separate from the one which is associated with our own universe. So the line we draw in the seventh dimension will join one of these infinities to another. And, as boggling as the magnitude of what we are exploring here might be, if we were to branch off from that seventh dimensional line to draw a line to yet another infinity, we would then be entering the eighth dimension.
9. The Ninth Dimension – A Fold
As we’ve explored already, we can jump from one point in any dimension to another simply by folding it through the dimension above. If our ant on the newspaper were a two-dimensional Flatlander, then folding his two-dimensional world through the third dimension would allow him to magically disappear from one location and appear in a different one. As we’re now imagining the ninth dimension, the same rules would apply – if we were to be able to instantaneously jump from one eighth dimensional line to another, it would be because we were able to fold through the ninth dimension.
10. The Tenth Dimension – A Point?
Before we discussed the first dimension, we could say that we first started out with dimension zero, which is the geometrical concept of the “point”. A point indicates a location in a system, and each point is of indeterminate size. The first dimension then, takes two of these “points” and joins them with a line.
When we imagined the fourth dimension, it was as if we were treating the entirety of three-dimensional space in a particular state as a single point, and drawing a fourth-dimensional line to another point representing space as it is in a different state. We often refer to the line we have just drawn as “time”.
Then in the seventh dimension, we treated all of the possible timelines which could be generated from our big bang as if this were a single point, and imagined drawing a line to a point representing all of the possible timelines for a completely different universe.
Now, as we enter the tenth dimension, we have to imagine all of the possible branches for all the possible timelines of all the possible universes and treat that as a single point in the tenth dimension. Whew! So far, so good. But this is where we hit a roadblock: if we’re going to imagine the tenth dimension as continuing the cycle, and being a line, then we’re going to have to imagine a different point that we can draw that line to. But there’s no place left to go! By the time we have imagined all possible timelines for all possible universes as being a single point in the tenth dimension, it appears that our journey is done.
In String theory, physicists tell us that Superstrings vibrating in the tenth dimension are what create the subatomic particles which make up our universe, and all of the other possible universes as well. In other words, all possibilities are contained within the tenth dimension, which would appear to be the concept we have just built for ourselves as we imagined the ten dimensions, built one upon another.
The Book:
"Imagining the Tenth Dimension:
a new way of thinking about time, space and string theory"
This unique book touches upon such diverse topics as Feynman's "sum over paths" approach, quantum indeterminacy, and the soul. More than just a scientific exploration, "Imagining the Tenth Dimension" is a mind-expanding exercise that could change the way you view this incredible universe in which we live.
Chapters:
01 A Quick Tour of Ten Dimensions
In this chapter, we explore much more fully the information presented on this site: a way that the ten dimensions can be imagined, with each stacked one upon another.
02 The Quantum Observer
This concept comes from quantum physics, which tells us that subatomic particles are actually waves of probability. It is the act of observation that collapses these waves into one particular state. According to the structure we’re exploring here, how does the “quantum observer” fit into the picture?
03 The Flow of Time
While Einstein’s theories treated space and time as an entity, the more common approach in string theory and physics has been to treat time as an aspect which is separate from the other spatial dimensions. In this chapter we argue that time is indeed the fourth spatial dimension, and it is only our unique viewpoint as quantum observers that gives us the illusion of time being a one-way “arrow”.
04 The Binary Viewpoint
What happens when you divide any point in the universe into “here are the things it is” and “here are the things that it isn’t”? That’s the binary viewpoint of reality. Popularized in the film “The Matrix”, and in Star Trek’s “holodeck”, the idea of a world that could be indistinguishable from reality if we only we had a fast enough computer with a large enough memory has interesting connections to the way we are imagining our ten dimensions. In this chapter we explore how this reductive analysis of the universe might be applied to the ten dimensions we’re imagining.
05 Memes, Music and Memory
One of the contradictions that seem to be inherent in the “quantum observer collapsing reality” argument is that there would be no subatomic particles without an observer. Everett’s “Many Worlds Theory” is now becoming more popularly accepted by string theorists as one explanation of this apparent contradiction. His theory explains that an observer is not necessary because all possible states do actually exist simultaneously, and the act of observation is not “collapsing” a particle, it is merely “observing” a part of a wave in one of its simultaneously existing states. Still, whether we are “observing” or “collapsing”, the end result is the same. But does the quantum observer have to be a person? In this chapter we explore the many other ways that a quantum observer could be present, including some of the more metaphysical aspects of this discussion.
06 The Anthropic Viewpoint
There are usually two versions of the Anthropic Viewpoint. The first says that the reason we live in such an unlikely universe, created from countless lucky coincidences that led to the complex world we see around us, is that if those lucky coincidences hadn’t occurred we would not be here to ask the question of why we are here. However, the version of the Anthropic Viewpoint that is more relevant to our discussion says that all the other less fortunate universes do really exist, we’re just not in them. Some criticize the anthropic viewpoint as being a dead end or a cop out. But, as we explore in this chapter, this second version of the Anthropic Viewpoint is currently popular under a different guise in modern physics, and fits in well with our version of the ten dimensions.
07 The Paradoxes of Time Travel
It keeps coming back to this: the difference between the worldview presented here and the view of science in general stems from the proposition that time is a full spatial dimension. If time really is a spatial dimension, then free motion within it should some day be possible, and in chapter 3 we explored some of the ways that scientists have proposed that time travel could occur. But there are also many famous stories and films that imagine what it would be like if we could travel in time. In this chapter we look at this subject as it has been presented by works of fiction, and explore how these viewpoints fit (or don’t fit) with the ten dimensions we are now imagining.
08 Dark Matter and Other Mysteries
Dark Matter and Dark Energy are two of the biggest quandaries currently facing modern science. In this chapter we look at our new concept of the ten dimensions and explore whether any of the current unsolved mysteries of physics could some day be found to have their answers hidden within this new way of viewing the world. We also explore some of the more paranormal mysteries which might have an explanation from this viewpoint. As a mind-expanding exercise, we also explore some of the other ways that reality could be connected together that we are not currently conscious of, plus the hidden processing that the brain could well be executing to participate in the reality we are imagining here.
09 How Much Control Do We Have?
We have now imagined a reality where everything is possible. Everything that could have happened, did. Everything that is about to possibly happen, does. Even the things that we know didn’t happen or couldn’t happen on our own timeline, did happen elsewhere in another part of the dimensional construct we’re imagining. But if that’s all there is, then what is the point? As creatures with free will, should we care what we’re about to do if there are other universes where we did the opposite? And if everyone around us is capable of every possible good and bad thing imaginable, how do we ever get anywhere? This chapter attempts to put these questions into perspective.
10 Triads: The Ten Dimensions Revisited
This chapter provides us with some different ways of thinking about the ten dimensions that may be useful to those who are still having difficulty with the concepts presented. Rather than just being a re-statement of chapter one, we look at some new ideas which might have been too big to assimilate without first having worked our way through the other chapters.
"Imagining the Tenth Dimension" is a professionally bound and printed soft cover book, 214 pages, with illustrations. It includes eleven chapters and an index, plus the lyrics to twenty-six songs which help to explore the concepts being presented.
This project began as a set of songs for a "concept album" about the nature of reality. The lyrics to these songs are presented in their entirety as endnotes within the book "Imagining the Tenth Dimension", which is available elsewhere on this site. These songs are now being recorded, and clips for some of the songs will be available for auditioning later in 2006: but for now, the list below is text only. A second set of instrumental compositions, which will be called "Hearing the Tenth Dimension", is also in the planning stages.EVERYTHING FITS TOGETHERSEVEN LEVELSBURN THE CANDLE BRIGHTLYAUTOMATICNOW I LAY ME DOWN TO SLEEPCONNECTIONSBIG BANG TO ENTROPYSENSELESS VIOLENCEADDICTIVE PERSONALITYTHE UNSEEN EYETHE ANTHROPIC VIEWPOINTTHE END OF THE WORLDBLIND FAITHI REMEMBER FLYINGCHANGE AND RENEWALFROM THE CORNER OF MY EYEPOSITIVE VIBESHANG A LEFT AT THE LIGHTSMAKING IT UP AS I GOWHAT WAS DONE TODAYINSIDIOUS TRENDSSECRET SOCIETIESEVERY DAYSEE NO FUTUREWHAT I FEEL FOR YOUTHANKFULThe "theory of reality" that I advance on this website and in the book "Imagining the Tenth Dimension" is not the one that is commonly accepted by today's physicists. Anyone wanting to know more about the currently established thinking behind string theory and the tenth or eleventh dimension should refer to such excellent books as "Parallel Worlds" by Michio Kaku, "The Fabric of the Cosmos" by Brian Greene, or "Warped Passages" by Lisa Randall.I invite you to think of this as an entertaining diversion that for some people will have a strong and thought-provoking connection to their impression of how the world really works. If you click on " The Forum ", you will be taken to a page that gives readers an opportunity to debate the concepts presented in the book and this website more fully. Enjoy!Rob Bryanton"Imagining the Tenth Dimension" is published by Talking Dog Studios.Contact the author at:Rob Bryanton, PresidentTalking Dog Studios Inc.1212A Winnipeg St.Regina, SK CanadaS4R 1J6The legacy of Smoke the donkey, beloved mascot of 1st Marine Logistics Group, lives on in a new book.
"Smoke the Donkey: A Marine's Unlikely Friend" recounts Smoke's time in Iraq at Camp Taqaddum and his journey to the United States.
Now-retired Col. John Folsom, then-camp commandant, bonded with Smoke after a sergeant tied him outside Folsom's tent in 2008.
Smoke quickly became more than just a camp pet — he provided a distraction in an otherwise tedious environment. After Folsom returned to the U.S., he started reflecting on his time in Iraq and began a months-long process of trying to get Smoke back; he succeeded in 2011.
BATTLE RATTLE Smoke the Donkey, former Marine mascot, back in the U.S. Smoke spent the next year of his life in Nebraska near Folsom and his family as a therapy animal until the little donkey died of natural causes in 2012.
While on vacation that same year, Folsom received a call from a book agent who had read some of the news coverage and suggested he write a book about Smoke.
"I can sit in a bar and tell you a story, but I'm not a writer," he said.
× Fear of missing out? Fear no longer. Be the first to hear about breaking news, as it happens. You'll get alerts delivered directly to your inbox each time something noteworthy happens in the Military community. Thanks for signing up. By giving us your email, you are opting in to our Newsletter: Sign up for the Marine Corps Times Daily News Roundup
So his wife, Cate, who works at the Omaha World-Herald, helped him out.
She said she spent the first six months just compiling background material and outlining the story, mostly working on weekends since she had a full-time job. Her husband sent her every email related to Smoke and suggested people for her to interview.
"Luckily, he was a real pack rat about emails," Cate Folsom said. "It was very helpful to have so many people contribute and also to have that paper record."
John Folsom recalled there were probably eight binders of material.
"There are things I had forgotten that she had uncovered in her research," he said.
The book was published in April and can be found at local bookstores and online.
Smoke visits Sgt. Lonnie Forrest.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of John Folsom
Cate Folsom said the book is a mix of stories about Smoke and the day-to-day life of the Marines at Camp Taqaddum.
"It talks about … the relationship that developed between [Smoke] and Marines and soldiers and everybody else," she said. "And it gets into the tedium of life on a huge base when you're inside the wire."
People tend to forget about the men and women who don't get to venture outside the wire and aren't involved in direct combat, John Folsom said.
"Cate addresses the importance of those soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who aren't going to be basking in glory because, quite frankly, what they have to perform isn't glamorous," he said.
Nevertheless, he said, they serve an important function.
Not everyone thinks about the truck drivers, mechanics and clerks, "but without them, the war fighter can't perform his job," he said.
Smoke with then-Brig. Gen. Juan Ayala, then-commanding general, 2nd Marine Logistics Group.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Cate Folsom
Cate Folsom likens Smoke to troops who serve a vital function in combat operations but who aren't going to have movies made about them.
In the Korean War, a horse named Sgt. Reckless was adopted by a Marine unit and carried ammunition for the recoilless rifle they used. Cate Folsom said this horse performed amazing tasks on the battlefield, whereas Smoke was more of an inside-the-wire morale-booster.
"He didn't go out and save lives," she said. "But he really added to the quality of life for these thousands of men and women who were at the camp or traveling through the camp."
Those whose jobs were more mundane were able to relate to Smoke, who also provided a way for the service members to relate to their families and friends back home.
Smoke bonds with a service member during the Freedom Walk at Camp Taqaddum, Iraq, in 2008.
Photo Credit: Marine Corps
John Folsom said the day-to-day existence was like being on a treadmill, which didn't provide many stories for parents to tell their children in the U.S. What do you do to stay engaged with your kids or wives? he said.
"'So what did you do today, daddy?' Folsom said. "'I changed the tires on the Humvees, and tomorrow I'll do the same thing.'"
When Smoke came along, it gave those deployed overseas a topic of conversation to write home about, he said.
People would even send cards and packages — including treats and a bridle — to Smoke, Cate Folsom said.
A new hope
The Folsoms were devastated when Smoke died, just 15 months after settling in Nebraska.
A lot of people around the world were invested in the little donkey, and his death in 2012 left a void, John Folsom said.
After grieving for months, Folsom adopted another donkey to help ease the pain he felt and to bring another therapy donkey to Nebraska. This donkey's name: Hope.
"She's my girl," Folsom said. "When I go out to see her, she knows I'm out there, and boy she comes running."
Hope, who will turn 4 on Sept. 11, stays with a friend of Folsom's, but he plans on moving from the city to the country so he can keep Hope with his family.After mass devastation from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill seven years ago, the Florida Panhandle is finally finding getting money to recover from the largest marine oil spill in history.
The Triumph Gulf Coast will award Panhandle communities $300 million to aid in economic recovery efforts after millions of barrels of oil ravaged their cities and towns in 2010.
On Friday, Gov. Rick Scott signed two bills into law allowing the Triumph Gulf Coast to begin payments to make reparations for the damage.
"In 2010, our beautiful beaches were devastated by the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill," Scott said in a statement. "While the surrounding communities have worked hard to recover, this funding will allow them to make critical local investments and continue our efforts to market the state.
The first payment from BP -- totaling $1.5 billion -- will be transferred to the Triumph Gulf Coast, which will use the money for various projects in the Panhandle.
A seven-member board will allocate the money as a nonprofit organization.
Eight counties will receive money from the settlement: Bay, Escambia, Franklin, Gulf, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Wakulla and Walton.
Projects must meet specific sets of criteria for economic development and county commissioners are supposed to select projects which will have the highest economic impact on the Panhandle communities.
Tourism fell after the 2010 oil spill, which dumped 210 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, leaving the environment devastated and the Panhandle’s economy suffering.
State legislators prioritized the bill during this year’s legislative session, but for Northwest Florida lawmakers, HB 7077 was perhaps the biggest success story to come out of their 60 days in Tallahassee.
“The Panhandle will now get the money they deserve for the damage that was done by the Deepwater Horizon spill seven years ago,” said Sen. George Gainer, R-Panama City.
“Tourism is so important to economic growth and strength in the Panhandle, and this legislation will help create more opportunities for our families,” said Rep. Brad Drake, R- Eucheeanna.
The $300 million represents just part of the chunk of money BP has to pay as a result of the spill -- BP is required to pay $18.7 billion and will make payments until 2033.
The new law mandates that at least 75 percent of all future payments be transferred to Triumph Gulf Coast within 30 days of being received.
For Northwest Florida, the bill represents one thing above all: hope.
“The Panhandle can now recover from the BP oil spill,” said Sen. Doug Broxson, R-Gulf Breeze. “We can now further our efforts to rebuild the economy and bring more tourists to Florida and communities will be able to create special projects to enhance their economic opportunities for growth in their region.”
Gov. Scott will ceremonially sign the bill Monday in Panama City.You didn’t see this coming: Jesse Eisenberg is Lex Luthor in Zack Snyder‘s sequel to Man of Steel, currently referred to as Batman vs. Superman. Jeremy Irons is also joining the film, to play Bruce Wayne’s butler Alfred.
The press release is below.
So if casting Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne led to fan petitions against the decision, what will casting Eisenberg as Luthor do? Eisenberg isn’t even bald! In truth, while he’s young for the typical conception of the part, he might be a really interesting choice for the role. It’s certainly a different direction. Pretty easy to think of him as a young, ambitious, cold and callous Luthor, essentially his Social Network version of Mark Zuckerberg in the context of a superhero movie. That’s what comes through in Snyder’s press release comments below.
As Peter said,
I like the Jesse Eisenberg casting. Think about it — Lex Luthor today would be more Mark Zuckerberg, less Bill Gates. — Peter Sciretta (@slashfilm) January 31, 2014
BURBANK, CA, January 31, 2014 – Warner Bros. Pictures announced today that Jesse Eisenberg has been set to star as Lex Luthor and Jeremy Irons will play Alfred in the upcoming Zack Snyder untitled Superman/Batman film. The dual announcement was made today by Greg Silverman, President, Creative Development and Worldwide Production, and Sue Kroll, President, Worldwide Marketing and International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.
Snyder stated, “Lex Luthor is often considered the most notorious of Superman’s rivals, his unsavory reputation preceding him since 1940. What’s great about Lex is that he exists beyond the confines of the stereotypical nefarious villain. He’s a complicated and sophisticated character whose intellect, wealth and prominence position him as one of the few mortals able to challenge the incredible might of Superman. Having Jesse in the role allows us to explore that interesting dynamic, and also take the character in some new and unexpected directions.”
The director added, “As everyone knows, Alfred is Bruce Wayne’s most trusted friend, ally and mentor, a noble guardian and father figure. He is an absolutely critical element in the intricate infrastructure that allows Bruce Wayne to transform himself into Batman. It is an honor to have such an amazingly seasoned and gifted actor as Jeremy taking on the important role of the man who mentors and guides the guarded and nearly impervious façade that encapsulates Bruce Wayne.”
Snyder’s film stars Henry Cavill, reprising his role as Superman/Clark Kent, Ben Affleck as Batman/Bruce Wayne, and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince. The film also reunites “Man of Steel” stars Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane.
The new film is currently being written by Chris Terrio, from a screenplay by David S. Goyer. Charles Roven and Deborah Snyder are producing, with Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Wesley Coller, David S. Goyer and Geoff Johns serving as executive producers.
The film is set to open worldwide on May 6, 2016, and is based on Superman characters created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster, Batman characters created by Bob Kane, and Wonder Woman created by William Moulton Marston, appearing in comic books published by DC Entertainment.WCW television program
This article is about the TV show. For the 1997 video game based on the show, see WCW Nitro (video game)
WCW Monday Nitro (or simply Nitro) is a professional wrestling television program that was produced by World Championship Wrestling and broadcast weekly every Monday night on TNT from September 4, 1995 to March 26, 2001, when WCW's assets were purchased by the WWF. For its entirety, the program went head-to-head with the World Wrestling Federation's (WWF, now WWE) Monday Night Raw.
Created by Eric Bischoff and Ted Turner, the debut of Nitro began the Monday Night Wars, a television ratings battle between the WWF and WCW that saw each company resort to cutthroat tactics. Although comparable to Raw in popularity from the beginning, Nitro began to dominate its rival in television ratings, based largely on the strength of the New World Order (nWo), a rebellious group of wrestlers that wanted to take over WCW. Beginning in June 1996, Nitro beat Raw in the ratings for 83 consecutive weeks, forcing WWF owner Vince McMahon to usher in the more adult-oriented "Attitude Era".[1]
As the nWo storyline grew stagnant, fan interest waned and Raw began to close the ratings gap. In April 1998, a few weeks after Stone Cold Steve Austin won his first WWF Championship, Raw beat Nitro in the ratings for the first time in almost two years. The shows would continue to trade ratings wins back and forth until November 1998 when Raw pulled ahead of Nitro for good.
Besides broadcasting from various arenas and locations across the country (such as the Mall of America in suburban Minneapolis, Minnesota, from which the very first episode was broadcast), Nitro also did special broadcasts from the Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando in 1996, and did annual Spring Break-Out episodes from Panama City Beach, Florida starting in March 1997. The rights to Nitro now belong to WWE.
As of June 30, 2016, all episodes have been made available for streaming on the WWE Network.[2] WWE has also released three Best of WCW Monday Nitro DVD sets.[3]
First episode [ edit ]
The first episode of Nitro was broadcast from the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minnesota on September 4, 1995.[3] The featured matches on the one-hour broadcast were Brian Pillman versus Jushin Thunder Liger, Ric Flair versus WCW United States Heavyweight Champion Sting, and WCW World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan taking on Big Bubba Rogers. The show was also highlighted by the return of Lex Luger to WCW after having spent the previous two plus years wrestling for the WWF, where he had been one of the promotion's top stars. Luger's appearance was particularly jarring because he had just wrestled a match for the WWF the previous evening; the match was his final contractual obligation with the company, and Luger signed with WCW the morning of his appearance. The event set the tone for Nitro's "anything can happen" atmosphere, and prefigured the similar defections of WWF wrestlers Scott Hall and Kevin Nash the following year.
The title video for the debut episode of Nitro featured multiple shots of Big Van Vader (one of four wrestlers featured, along with Hulk Hogan, Sting and Randy Savage),[4] who parted ways with WCW following a backstage altercation with Paul Orndorff. Absent from the first episode, he had been scheduled to face Hogan for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship on the September 11 edition, but was replaced by Lex Luger, who issued a challenge to Hogan on the debut show.[5] Vader would never perform on Nitro, and embarked on a WWF career in January 1996.[6]
Monday Night Wars [ edit ]
The advent of Monday Nitro brought with it an intense rivalry between that show and the WWF's Monday Night Raw program. This rivalry is known to wrestling fans as the "Monday Night Wars". Throughout the Monday Night Wars between Eric Bischoff and Vince McMahon, Nitro was gaining on its WWF counterpart popularity-wise. Soon Nitro would surpass Raw in the TV ratings. Nitro beat Raw in the ratings for 84 consecutive weeks[1] until Raw finally regained ground in the ratings war. At its peak, the rivalry resulted in performers on either show trading verbal insults and challenges. At one point, Eric Bischoff challenged Vince McMahon to face him in a match to be held at Slamboree 1998. McMahon never formally recognized the challenge and did not appear.
Initial success [ edit ]
Initially, Nitro became popular as result of WCW's extensive roster of stars. Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan were some of the major stars signed with WCW and appearing on the Nitro program at this time. WCW's lineup of cruiserweights – smaller wrestlers known for their crowd-pleasing high-flying wrestling maneuvers – provided a strong set of setup matches for their main events. With the introduction of the New World Order, Nitro started its unprecedented run of ratings domination. With former WWF wrestlers Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and Hogan (who was now calling himself Hollywood Hogan) as rebellious heels, the company seemed to have a winning story and a great future. Since Nitro was live and Raw was often taped, Nitro was seen as far less predictable and thus more entertaining than its WWF counterpart. Initially only sixty minutes in length (as was Raw at the time), Nitro was expanded to two hours following the 1996 NBA Playoffs while Raw waited until February 1997 to expand to a second hour. Nitro remained a two-hour program from May 27, 1996 until January 1998, when WCW and TNT agreed to a third hour for the still-#1 wrestling program in the country.
Eric Bischoff soon became the voice of Nitro and began to air Nitro a couple of minutes before Raw so he could give away the results of the WWF program so fans had no reason to switch over to the competition provided that week's Raw was taped.
Raw gains ground [ edit ]
While Raw was taking a new approach to programming with its "WWF Attitude Era", Nitro would start producing lackluster shows with the same storylines. Hogan and the rest of the nWo almost never lost and the once elite group was now bloated in size and recruiting midcard wrestlers. The only wrestlers elevated to main-event status at this time were Booker T, Goldberg and Diamond Dallas Page. Goldberg's main event match with Hogan on the July 6, 1998 episode of Nitro from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta won the ratings battle from the WWF for the week, but some observers (including Vince McMahon) felt that WCW could have made millions if they saved the Goldberg/Hogan match for an eventual pay-per-view event. Despite Goldberg's title win and Page's rapid ascent into the main event picture, they still took a backseat to the nWo, which by this point had split into two warring factions and would dominate storylines for most of the summer of 1998.
Meanwhile, on Raw, fans were immersed in the feud between WWF owner Vince McMahon and Stone Cold Steve Austin. Talent such as Triple H and his D-Generation X faction, and later Mankind and The Rock were elevated to main event status on WWF's program. Things got so heated between the two programs that DX was sent to Atlanta, Georgia to film a segment near Turner's headquarters for a "war" storyline that was done when both shows were in nearby areas on the same night (Raw in Hampton, Virginia and Nitro in nearby Norfolk), sending DX to the Norfolk Scope arena which Nitro was broadcasting from and interacting with WCW fans. This eventually led to a lawsuit filed by WCW against the WWF, who had claimed that in order to fill the Norfolk Scope for Nitro, WCW had given away free tickets on the day of the program when in reality, they hadn't.
Changes [ edit ]
With Raw starting to beat Nitro in the ratings on a consistent basis, Bischoff and WCW officials attempted to use a series of "quick fixes" to regain ground in the ratings war. All these attempts would win them short-term ratings victories, but the WWF continued its steady climb to ratings dominance. Nitro's inability to create new stars was its ultimate undoing,[citation needed] while the WWF had invested in younger talent like Stone Cold Steve Austin, Mick Foley, The Rock, Triple H, the Hardy Boyz, Edge and Christian and Kurt Angle. WCW continued to rely on established stars like Hollywood Hogan, Ric Flair, Sting, Randy Savage, Lex Luger and The Outsiders to support ratings, causing much unease among the younger and less well known members of the roster. This was illustrated most clearly in 1999, when former WCW mid-carder Chris Jericho signed with the WWF and immediately started a feud with The Rock, when months earlier he had been told he was too small to sell tickets in WCW.
Bischoff's "tried and true" tactic of giving away the results from taped WWF shows backfired on January 4, 1999. Mick Foley, who had wrestled for WCW during the early 1990s as Cactus Jack, won the WWF Title as Mankind on Raw. Nitro announcer Tony Schiavone sarcastically mentioned "that's gonna put some butts in the seats." The comment, however, resulted in Nitro losing the ratings battle that night. Nielsen ratings showed that several hundred thousand viewers switched channels from Nitro on TNT to Raw on the USA Network to see the title change. After Mankind won the title, many fans then switched back to Nitro, which still had five minutes of air time left. The final ratings for the night were 5.7 for Raw and 5.0 for Nitro. The next week, and for months after, many fans in the Raw audience brought signs which read, "Mick Foley put my ass in this seat!". To make matters worse for WCW, a convoluted storyline was played out over the course of the evening that eventually resulted in Hollywood Hogan returning, winning the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, and reforming the nWo.
Former WWF writers Vince Russo and Ed Ferrara were also hired to fix the company. They attempted to make Nitro more like Raw with edgier storylines, lengthier non-wrestling segments and an increased amount of sexuality on the show. Nitro's third hour was jettisoned and the program returned to an 8-10 PM timeslot, with the first hour running unopposed and the second hour competing with the first hour of Raw. Although Russo's change made Nitro more of a streamlined program (WCW had been criticized for not featuring much wrestling in the first third of Nitro since its expansion), the loss of an entire hour of advertising revenue offset whatever benefits the change may have produced.
Bischoff would be brought back to WCW and attempted to team with Russo to fix the ills of Nitro and WCW. Part of this involved Nitro being taken off the air to reboot the program, but all this |
2% 58 345 4.8% 8 Jonathan Mensah Columbus 2017 86.7% 86.2% 83 1083 5.0% 9 Nigel de Jong L.A. Galaxy 2016 85.9% 87.0% 85 1266 5.1% 10 Daniel Steres L.A. Galaxy 2017 89.4% 84.8% 85 1018 5.3%
The closest player to breaking 90-90 in the last three years was New York City’s Kwame Watson-Siriboe in 2015, who had greater than 90% defense and 88% passing (though take note of the magnitude difference in total number of attempts). A few others have come close in recent years, but nobody has actually broken this imaginary line of completing 9/10 passes and 9/10 tackles, blocks, and interceptions. Again, it’s most powerful as a graph:
This figure includes more than just the top 10, and in fact, if you look closely you’ll see 2016 Chad Marshall in the rankings as well. Last year our guy had 88% defense and 85% passing. The year before was 93% defense and 84% passing. Needless to say, he led the Sounders all three years. Actually, he was third in the league last year and 10th in 2015.
If you haven’t already guessed where I’m going with this, I’ll just come right out and say it. In my humble (but well-informed!) opinion, Chad Marshall should, without question, be Defensive Player of the Year (let alone be on the national team, have a statue outside CenturyLink Field, and his name tattooed on all of our hearts). And if you’re not convinced of that fact by now, I’d like to see your case for somebody better.Military researchers believe they're close to reaching one of the most sought-after rations ever: a pizza that can be left out for years without spoiling. The AP reports that food scientists at the US Army Natick Soldier Research, Development, and Engineering Center in Massachusetts are testing a prototype pizza to include in military meals ready to eat, or MREs. Pizza is frequently requested by soldiers, but the combination of sauce, cheese, and dough quickly becomes a breeding ground for bacteria as moisture from other ingredients turns the crust soggy. The solution was twofold: keep the water in place, and make the whole pie hostile to bacteria.
To stop the dough from going soft, scientists used a type of preservative known as humectants, which include various kinds of gels and sugars (honey is sometimes used as one.) Humectants keep food moist by binding to water; in this case, they lock it into the rest of the ingredients. The pizza's acidity is also adjusted to make it less hospitable to bacteria, and iron filings in the package help absorb any air that gets into the packet. The result? "You can basically take the pizza, leave it on the counter, packaged, for three years and it'd still be edible."
Edible and palatable, however, are two different things. Lab director Jill Bates and spokesperson David Accetta both say they've tried it and liked it, comparing it to a readymade pizza that just happens to last at 80 degrees Fahrenheit for years. "It pretty much tastes just like a typical pan pizza that you would make at home and take out of the oven or the toaster oven," says Bates. It's not clear when exactly soldiers will see the new rations, but the AP reports that they're "closing in" after almost two years of research.BPD: More than 50 overdose on synthetic pot
A particularly vile batch of synthetic marijuana is being sold in Beaumont that causes users to experience extreme paranoia, hallucinations, combative and violent behavior, seizures and ultimately puts them in a comatose state that may be fatal.
Beaumont Emergency Medical Services responded to more than 50 overdoses this week related to this batch of synthetic marijuana. Local emergency rooms were inundated with patients who overdosed on the substance, Beaumont Police Sgt. Rob Flores said.
Use of the substance will result in a medical emergency for users and may cost them their life, Flores said.
Synthetic marijuana is an illegal drug classified as a controlled substance, he said. Possession is a misdemeanor and distribution is a felony.
Three people made the news Thursday and Friday after overdosing on the substance Thursday morning, which they smoked through the night.
Officers responded to the 2400 block of Linson Street at 9:35 a.m. to help paramedics with a combative patient, a 47-year-old Beaumont man, Flores said.
A 51-year-old woman and a 22-year-old man were unconscious by the time officers arrived.
Officers were able to control the combative 47-year-old, and paramedics began treatment of all three.
Witnesses inside the residence said the trio was awake throughout the night while smoking synthetic marijuana, Flores said.
The 47-year-old patient was in serious condition and had to be admitted to the intensive care unit at Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont to treat an overdose, Flores said.
The other patients were transported to emergency rooms at St. Elizabeth and at Baptist the Bapitst Hospital of Southeast Texas' Beaumont campus. Both were listed in stable condition Thursday.
The synthetic marijuana goes by the street name of "Woo" or "Gumbo" and may also be referred to as "Serenity," Flores said.
Beaumont Patrol Division and Narcotics Unit are working to track down the source of this dangerous substance to seek full prosecution of the individuals selling it.
Police urge anyone with information about the people selling the controlled substance to contact Crime Stoppers at 409-833-TIPS.
Your anonymous tip may save a life and may earn you a cash reward of up to $1,000, Flores said.
"We are further urging people to not smoke or ingest this controlled substance as it may result in your death," he added.
Manufacturers of synthetic cannabis claim the product contains natural psycho-active material taken from a variety of plants, but laboratory analyses show that their active ingredients are synthetic (or designer) cannabinoid compounds rather than natural, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
MLibardi@BeaumontEnterprise.com
Twitter.com/ManuellaLibardiStop thinking about Hurricane Sandy. Stop thinking about how it wrecked your Halloween. Stop thinking about the election. My Bloody Valentine is coming out with a new record.
That's right. Everyone's favorite eardrum ruiners just told NME that they'll be putting out a full-length album of new material within the year.
To truly gauge the importance of this event, recall that their last record was a little thing called Loveless, and when it came out way in 1991 it inspired a legion of nerds to invest in distortion pedals and start playing shoegaze. Since then, Shields has sort of gone into Howard Hughes mode, and only emerges to play concerts so loud that they hand out free earplugs at the show. Plus there was that whole embarrassing "nu-gaze" thing that happened around the mid-aughts, but let's not talk about that.
Anyway, MBV will be headlining the Tokyo Rocks festival this May, and performing tracks from the as-yet unnamed record. Then, sometime next year, Shields will release the record on his website. Apparently it's a little weirder than Loveless. According to Shields,
“Based on the very, very few people who’ve heard stuff — some engineers, the band, and that’s about it — some people think it’s stranger than Loveless. I don’t. I feel like it really frees us up, and in the bigger picture it’s 100% necessary.”
I'm so excited I just peed my pants. And if you don't believe me about how loud they are, check out this performance of "You Made Me Realize," and listen to the dazed, cowering applause following MBV's insane shit:
@b_shapAfter a successful rehab stint with the Dunedin Blue Jays, Devon Travis is now just one step away from returning to the big leagues.
The second baseman, who’s recovering from left shoulder surgery, will join the triple-A Buffalo Bisons on a rehab assignment starting Thursday. He played well in four games with the Blue Jays’ class A Dunedin affiliate, picking up five hits, including two doubles, in 14 at bats.
Travis posted an.859 OPS with eight home runs as a rookie in 2015, but hit the disabled list with left shoulder inflammation on two occasions. The 25-year-old was initially sidelined from May 17 to June 26 and he returned to the DL for the remainder of the season on July 31. Exploratory surgery followed in September, and Dr. David Altchek inserted screws in his shoulder to stabilize an extra bone in November.
In the months that followed there were times that Travis couldn’t lift his left arm over his shoulder, but his range of motion and strength have returned to the point that he can hit and play the field.
“I can’t wait to get back to the field playing every day,” Travis said last month.
Blue Jays second basemen are hitting.227/.259/.319 this year, which places them 29th among the 30 MLB teams with a.578 OPS. If Travis continues hitting, he’d be a leading contender for regular playing time at second base in Toronto.Yesterday, the bitcoin world got some shocking news. Two undercover agents are being charged with a massive corruption scheme as part of their work investigating the Silk Road. While they were working to catch the Dread Pirate Roberts, they were also funneling thousands of bitcoin into private accounts. The affidavit is a remarkable journey through half a dozen different extortion schemes and confidence games, played out in the background of one of the biggest investigations the Bitcoin world has ever seen.
From selling information to outright extortion and theft
It's worth reading the entire thing if you have the time, but even the short version is pretty shocking. The complaint names two undercover agents, Secret Service agent Shaun Bridges and DEA agent Mark Force, who are accused of funneling millions of dollars into private bitcoin accounts, which were never reported or turned over to the authorities. The agents were running a number of schemes, from selling information to outright extortion and theft, and they don't seem to have been at all worried about repercussions. It's the kind of runaway law enforcement that the more paranoid dark web residents have been worried about all along — only this time, there's proof.
Observers are still sorting through the legal implications of the charges. Force and Bridges didn't testify at the Ulbricht trial, and their work seems to have been focused on other charges (like the Maryland contract killing) that still haven't gone to court. Still, Bridges' name turns up on a lot of Bitcoin-related court documents — including this seizure warrant for Mt. Gox's Dwolla account — and Ulbricht's lawyer has already called for a new trial based on the government's failure to reveal the corruption cases early enough.
Was a Secret Service agent behind a $5 million Silk Road heist?
But what's more remarkable is how familiar the two agents' alleged crimes are to anyone who's familiar with the dark web. These are common schemes in the Bitcoin world, whether it's stealing money from escrow accounts, looting an exchange, or plain old anonymous extortion. Remarkably, Force and Bridges seem to have seen that chaos as an opportunity rather than a problem. Investigating a world where major thefts go unprosecuted, the government says the agents dove in head first.
The biggest example is a major theft that took more than 20,000 bitcoin from the Silk Road on January 25, 2013. Monday's affidavit makes a strong case that the real culprit was Shaun Bridges, who was working for the Baltimore Silk Road Task Force at the time. Bridges had high-level access to the Silk Road, thanks to an informant who had turned over his administrator passwords to the task force. That's more than $5 million, even at today's rates, but outside of the bitcoin community, few people raised an eyebrow at the heist. Bitcoin services see thefts like this all the time, so the agents were able to keep the massive haul mostly under the radar.
The agents played off long-standing weaknesses in the Bitcoin ecosystem
A similar dynamic was at work when Force shook down payment services. In one of the most blatant thefts, Force ordered the Bitcoin exchange CoinMKT to freeze an individual customer's account, containing $300,000, only to transfer the funds into his personal account. It would be difficult to pull this off at a more established bank — there would be more legal muscle required, and more extensive documentation — but Bitcoin services are more accustomed to legal gray areas, and after a few high-profile money laundering cases, many are eager to stay on the authorities' good side. Notably, when Force tried to pull off a similar move against more established firm like Coinbase or a non-Bitcoin player like Venmo, he didn't get far.
In both these cases, the agents were playing off long-standing weaknesses in the Bitcoin ecosystem that criminals have been exploiting for years. In other cases, they simply exploited the norms of the community. Force's most egregious move was selling information about the investigation directly to Ulbricht. For $100,000, he gave Ulbricht the name that Mt. Gox founder Mark Karpeles had given to investigators looking for the real DPR — a turn of events Force seems to have completely fabricated. Of course, it was reckless of Ulbricht to pay $100,000 to a person he'd never met, with no way to verify that the information was real, but that was true of most of the people he did business with. The Silk Road was built on anonymity — anonymous payments in particular. Selling information anonymously is one step beyond selling substances anonymously, but it's not a big step. Force's play seems audacious for a DEA agent, but for a Silk Road operator, it was par for the course.
Like Ulbricht, Force and Bridges thought using bitcoin would keep them anonymous
The similarities carry through all the way to the end. When Force and Bridges were caught, it was because of many of the same blind spots that snared the Dread Pirate Roberts. Force used Tor to disguise his activity on the Silk Road, and communicated with Dread Pirate Roberts mostly over PGP — but he slipped into unencrypted communication a few times, which left agents with strong evidence. More importantly, he overestimated the anonymity of bitcoin itself. His transactions with Dread Pirate Roberts left clear impressions on the blockchain, which investigating agents follow in detail in the affidavit. Agents followed the January 25th heist the same way: tracing bitcoin from dummy account to dummy account, until they eventually found an account linked to law enforcement officers. Much like Ulbricht, Force and Bridges seem to have thought using bitcoin would keep them anonymous. By the time they found out otherwise, it was too late.
Of course, crooked cops using criminal tactics is nothing new. This is how powerful people behave when they aren't worried about getting caught. You can pick your metaphor — the wild west? a failed state? — but in 2013, the dark web looked like a place that the law could only barely reach. That promise was attractive to libertarian idealists and drug-market realists alike, but it also made it easy for undercover cops to execute some of the more ambitious corruption schemes in recent memory. Now that prosecutors are getting better at bitcoin investigations, that window is closing up, and it's slowly becoming clear that these schemes aren't as foolproof as they look. The remarkable thing is that, at least in this case, the cops seem to have been slower to catch on than the criminals.Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Col Michael Edmonson, of Louisiana state police, said footage of the incident was "the most disturbing thing I've seen"
Two marshals in the US state of Louisiana are to be charged with murder after the fatal shooting of a six-year-old boy.
Jeremy Mardis and his father, Chris Few, were in a car when they were shot in Marksville on Tuesday night.
Officers Norris Greenhouse and Derrick Stafford were arrested after a vehicle chase that left Mr Few, who was driving, critically injured.
Jeremy died at the scene and Mr Few remains in hospital.
The two officers were arrested on Friday after body-camera footage taken from them was assessed.
It is still unclear what led them to pursue Mr Few and what triggered the shooting.
Image copyright Chris Few/Facebook Image caption Jeremy Mardis was described as a delightful child "who loved everything, everybody"
Both were working secondary jobs in Marksville as marshals when the shooting happened, Col Michael Edmonson of Louisiana state police told a news conference.
"He [Jeremy Mardis] didn't deserve to die like that and that's what's important," Col Edmonson said.
Referring to the body-camera footage of the incident, Col Edmondson added: "I can tell you, it is the most disturbing thing I've seen, and I'll leave it like that."
The two officers have been charged with murder and attempted murder over the shooting.
Mr Few's stepfather, Morris German, said that Jeremy was a delightful child who "loved everything, everybody", the AP news agency reported.
Mr German said the boy, who had been diagnosed with autism, had no siblings.Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein on Monday told the Wisconsin Elections Commission that she would sue unless the state conducted its recount by hand.
Unless she wins the case in Dane County Circuit Court, officials in all of Wisconsin's 72 counties could decide whether they want to count election ballots manually or by machine, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. Either way, Wisconsin is set to verify its results from November 8, when President-elect Donald Trump won the state with 47.9 percent to Democratic rival Hillary Clinton's 46.9 percent.
State officials said they expect the recount to uphold Trump's win—but Stein's efforts have highlighted widespread voter outrage at the election results. The Green Party candidate initiated the recount process last week after handily raising more than $6.3 million to fund the effort.
Clinton's campaign also indicated over the weekend that it would join in the recount process in Wisconsin, as well as any potential recounts in Pennsylvania and Michigan, key battleground states where Clinton lost.
Stein filed a lawsuit Monday to force a recount in Pennsylvania and said she plans to request one in Michigan on Wednesday. Although Michigan officially certified its results on Monday, a recount may still take place there.
"We must recount the votes so we can build trust in our election system," Stein said in a statement. "We need to verify the vote in this and every election so that Americans of all parties can be sure we have a fair, secure, and accurate voting system.”
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Wisconsin's commission officials are expected on Monday to tell Stein and Independent candidate Roque "Rocky" De La Fuente, who is also funding the recount effort, the estimated cost of the statewide recount campaign. On Tuesday, Stein or De La Fuente, or both, must pay in full, which will trigger a "recount order" to all candidates.
On Wednesday, the commission staff will explain the process to all county clerks and canvass members taking part in the recount.
On Thursday, the recount will begin, and all counties will have until December 12 to complete their part.
The election commission will prepare the recount canvass on December 13.
To win the Electoral College votes, Clinton would have to win all three states. Although election officials are skeptical this will happen, the Clinton team's general counsel Marc Elias wrote in a post on Medium that "regardless of the potential to change the outcome in any of the states, we feel it is important, on principle, to ensure our campaign is legally represented in any court proceedings and represented on the ground in order to monitor the recount process itself."Image copyright MOD Image caption The AW159 is used by the UK Army and Royal Navy for military operations
A deal has been struck for Leonardo Helicopters to keep the assembly work of military helicopter airframes in Yeovil rather than move it overseas.
There were fears the equipment and 40 jobs would go to Poland after a review by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
Yeovil Conservative MP Marcus Fysh said: "It is good news. It was a bit of a concern that the assemblies of the Wildcat airframes might move."
The AW159 is a military helicopter used in the UK and also exported overseas.
'Big pieces of kit'
The work had been previously carried out by GKN in Yeovil, but it was taken in-house by Leonardo in November.
In a statement, the Minister for Defence Procurement, Harriett Baldwin, said: "I am delighted that a solution for UK-based fabrication for the AW159 helicopter has been identified between the MoD and Leonardo Helicopters.
"This work has not only helped sustain 40 highly-skilled jobs within the UK, but will act as a positive boost for the company and, through improved cost-effectiveness, their export customers."
The government and Leonardo were considering the costs of moving fabrication work for future AW159 helicopter orders abroad.
The model is currently used by the Royal Navy and British Army for a wide range of uses, such as surveillance and force protection.
"I was pleased that from a commercial point of view it made sense to keep it in Yeovil.
"I've been working with the company to make sure that they've tried to find a way to ensure that is the case.
"These are big pieces of kit, so if you've got to move them a long way away then it's going to cost a lot of money," said Mr Fysh.
Earlier in the year, the MoD signed a deal with Leonardo to maintain its fleet of Royal Navy Wildcat helicopters.A couple of weeks ago, in highlighting the surprising potency of the Luke Walton–Shaun Livingston give-and-go, I noted Walton would be the captain of the “I Can’t Believe He’s This Relevant” Team. That led to a natural question: Could you build a 15-man roster of such players? Here’s a crack at the 2013 Luke Walton All-Stars.
STARTERS
Luke Walton, forward, Cleveland Cavaliers (Captain)
Walton was a broken-down piece of cap fodder the Lakers had to toss into last season’s Ramon Sessions trade — or, alternatively, the relatively expensive price Cleveland had to pay in order to acquire a first-round pick from the Lakers and the right to swap picks this summer, a potentially tasty treat the Cavs only get to execute if the Lakers sneak into the no. 8 spot. Walton hadn’t played even 500 minutes in any season since 2008-09, and he had logged just 65 minutes for the 2011-12 Lakers before the Sessions deal. He was nearly 32 and slow, with a very bad back; the league just assumed he’d take on the role of brainy hoops mentor/nice locker-room guy for the young Cavs.
And then Byron Scott started playing him, to a reaction of astonishment and laughter. Walton can’t guard anyone, he barely looks to shoot, and he misses 60 percent of the shots he does take. But, holy cow, his passing transformed the Cavaliers’ bench into a shockingly entertaining squad. Walton is dishing nearly seven (!) assists per 36 minutes, and the Cavs have played better on both ends when Walton is on the floor, per NBA.com. His chemistry with Livingston has been legitimately entertaining, and the Livingston–Walton–C.J. Miles–Marreese Speights–Wayne Ellington bench mob has poured in better than 107 points per 100 possessions — the equivalent of a top-five overall mark. Opponents have outscored that lineup, but it has been a fantastic watch as the Cavs pop an unusually high number of 3s from the corners behind Walton’s smart passing in space. A nice little story.
Reggie Evans, forward, Brooklyn Nets
Evans has shoved his way to the no. 1 spot in offensive rebounding rate, defensive rebounding rate, and total rebounding rate. He’s starting over Kris Humphries, playing half of every Nets game, and single-handedly keeping the Nets alive on the defensive glass. When Brook Lopez is on the floor without Evans as a rebound-gobbling, nut-punching gargoyle sidekick, the Nets rebound only 69.3 percent of opponent misses — a mark that would be dead last by a mile, per NBA.com. Evans is also probably the Nets’ best overall interior defender, capable of blitzing pick-and-rolls out toward midcourt and recovering in speedy fashion, even if he can veer off course now and then.
Here’s a general rule: If you’re this dependent on Reggie Evans, you’re not a contender. He has bad hands, zero range, and almost no scoring ability — his recent 22-point explosion in Portland and 15-point game against Denver notwithstanding — and his elite offensive rebounding stems in part from the fact that defenses don’t guard him. But he has done his job this season — a bigger job than the Nets ever intended for him. (Hi, Kris Humphries.)
Damien Wilkins, guard, Philadelphia 76ers
Wilkins has started 12 consecutive games for the Sixers and averaged nearly 29 minutes per game in March. He’s jacking about 10 shots per 36 minutes, more than he’s taken in any season since 2008-09, when he started 14 games for the Thunder back when Oklahoma City was terrible. The Sixers are running honest-to-god post-up plays for Damien Wilkins in 2013, and those post-ups are one reason why Wilkins is dishing a surprising number of assists.
Wilkins would be riding the bench if not for injuries to Jason Richardson and Nick Young, and Doug Collins’s predictable eye-rolling frustration with Young’s shot selection, but he’s done better than anyone could have expected in the minutes that became available. Manning Sumner, who trains Wilkins in the offseason, has told me Wilkins is probably the most diligent worker of his NBA clients. The guy is an NBA survivor, somehow.
Marco Belinelli, guard, Chicago Bulls
Belinelli has logged more than 35 minutes in 14 games this season, and more than 40 minutes in eight games. He had hit the 40-minute mark just 13 times total before signing via Chicago’s biannual exception, presumably to chuck some 3s off the Bulls’ newly depleted bench. The Bulls, a wretched 3-point shooting team, have instead counted upon Belinelli to supply both offense and spacing by running around screens in the jackrabbit style of the always-injured Richard Hamilton. Belinelli has filled in at point guard, both as a secondary pick-and-roll ball handler in normal Chicago sets, and as the full-time point man when Kirk Hinrich was injured.
In related news: Belinelli is shooting 39.6 percent on a very tough range of shots when he really should be a glorified spot-up guy with a dash of ballhandling. He’s a nice personification of this Derrick Rose–less Chicago offense: All the cuts and passes are executed with pleasing precision, but the result is normally a missed jumper. Watching Belinelli makes me tired, and concerned for him. He’ll serve as this squad’s starting point guard, a fitting overburdening for poor Marco.
Kensheed Walltin, forward/center, New York Knicks
Given their injuries, age, and ridiculous roster of 1990s proto-blog fodder, the Knicks could really monopolize this list — thus the combining of two aging big men here. Kenyon Martin has instantly shifted from unsigned veteran lunatic to essential piece on a team with ambitions of pushing Miami in the conference finals. Martin is New York’s only healthy big man capable of playing real NBA minutes (sorry, Marcus Camby), and he has taken Tyson Chandler’s place as the screen-setter in New York’s small-ball pick-and-roll attack. Martin remains an active, feisty defender, capable of switching onto wings in a pinch (though not of guarding top wings over extended stretches) and always willing to deliver a brutal foul.
Martin is essential in part because of New York’s bizarre refusal to waive Rasheed Wallace. In 20 games to which the MSG Network will someday devote a hagiographic one-hour special, Sheed provided solid defense, shockingly good work on the boards, the expected chucking from long range, and some glimpses of his once-potent post game. But he’s hurt now, he’s not coming back, and the Knicks hung on to him for reasons only Mike Woodson really understands — even though half the team’s roster is either ancient, injured, or D-League-caliber.
BENCH
Jerryd Bayless, guard, Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis took a shot on Bayless as an offense-booster capable of backing up Mike Conley and sliding to the 2-guard, but even the happiest Grizz optimists couldn’t have expected this. During his last 15 games, Bayless is averaging nearly 15 points on about 12 shot attempts — mostly those pull-up jumpers on the pick-and-roll that make you pull your hair out when they miss, but look so, so smooth when they go in. Bayless for the season hasn’t really boosted the Grizz offense, but since the Rudy Gay trade, Memphis has scored 107.8 points per 100 possession with Bayless on the floor and just 100.5 when he sits, per NBA.com. That’s roughly the difference between New York’s third-ranked offense and Boston’s 22nd-ranked scoring outfit. The Grizz in that span have mostly paired Bayless with Conley rather than trusting Bayless as a stand-alone point guard, and smaller lineups with those two and just one Memphis big have been prolific.
That’s a good thing, because outside of some isolated stretches of good production — like the fourth quarter of Memphis’s win Saturday in Minnesota — the Grizz have fallen apart when Bayless plays without Conley as a security blanket.
Still: Bayless is shooting 37 percent from deep, and while that’s a drop-off from last season’s obvious outlier (42 percent), Bayless appears to have stabilized midcareer as an above-average 3-point shooter. That’s huge.
Bayless has temporarily replaced Quincy Pondexter as the anonymous player most secretly crucial to a would-be contender’s postseason hopes. But what happens when the jumper stops falling? Bayless has never gotten to the rim much, and though he goes through stretches of solid passing, his pass-or-shoot choices aren’t always optimal, and he can be turnover-prone. He’s a ball watcher on defense, vulnerable to back-cuts, and he’s undersized against most shooting guards; the Grizz defense has been considerably worse when Bayless is on the floor. Striking the right balance here will be tough for Lionel Hollins.
J.R. Smith, guard, New York Knicks
Um … so … I’m sort of frightened by what’s going on here. Like, I think maybe the Knicks have successfully invented some genetic reengineering program and/or completed some sort of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind–style alteration of Smith’s brain. Before March 14, about 16.5 percent of Smith’s shots came in the restricted area, and he was attempting about 3.3 free throws per 36 minutes, according to NBA.com’s stats database. In 10 games since, nearly 36 percent of his shots have come within the restricted area, and he’s slicing his way to nearly nine foul shots per 36 minutes. He is just destroying guys off the dribble, spinning his way into the paint, rebounding his own misses, and generally behaving like a completely different player.
The early-season improvements on the glass and on defense, where Smith was once a poisonous gambler and ball watcher, have sustained over the full campaign. There are teams around the league who have a blanket “No J.R. Smith” policy, but even those franchises will have to think twice this summer, when Smith will be a free agent, if he is committed to playing this way over the long haul.
The Knicks expected a bench scorer whom Woodson could keep on a short leash because of all the surrounding talent. Smith has instead become an indispensable force and played his way back into the Sixth Man of the Year discussion. Hold me, someone.
Josh McRoberts, forward/center, Charlotte Bobcats
Would you look at that: The Bobcats have a big man who can actually do something with the ball! McRoberts is logging more minutes than ever after the Bobcats snagged him from Orlando for the useless Hakim Warrick (since waived), and he has instantly become Charlotte’s most competent offensive big man. He’s a good enough screener and passer to facilitate from the elbows, something Mike Dunlap tried with Warrick and other bigs incapable of playing that role, and he’s a smart enough cutter to snag an easy hoop here and there.
He’s also picked up Charlotte’s zone hybrids and pack-the-paint concepts quickly on defense, Dunlap told me Friday in New York. McRoberts admitted he has had to adjust to Charlotte’s pick-and-roll scheme, which has him dropping down instead of blitzing ball handlers as he did in Indiana and last season with the Lakers. “I’m still getting my bearings a little bit,” he says. Charlotte wants him back, but at what price?
Carlos Delfino, forward, Houston Rockets
Houston signing Delfino to a two-year, $6 million deal barely registered, even though Delfino is a heady player with a proven 3-point stroke. Age had sapped Delfino of quickness toward the end of his time in Milwaukee, making it difficult for him to defend both wing positions seamlessly — once a key chunk of his value. Houston appeared to be adding a nice spot-up shooter, good locker-room guy, and bit player to a team overcrowded with tweener power forward types.
Nope. Delfino is logging a solid 25 minutes per game as both a backup wing player and a key part of Houston’s prolific small-ball lineups. Delfino is bulkier than Chandler Parsons, so he usually takes on the burden of defending power forwards when Houston goes small, and the Rockets have allowed him to do more on offense than just spot up; he has permission to work as a secondary pick-and-roll ball handler, and to drive-and-kick when defenders close out on him.
But he’s still shooting a ton — a whopping 8.9 3s per 36 minutes. That would be the largest figure ever for any player who logged at least 1,500 minutes in a season. Only George McCloud and Michael Adams, both famous chuckers, have ever cracked the 8.5 mark; Antoine Walker only got above seven triples per 36 minutes in one season!
P.J. Tucker, forward/guard, Phoenix Suns
I’ve tried to avoid the “out of nowhere breakout player” here, because the Luke Walton All-Star is more of a journeyman type. But Tucker has to be on this roster. The Suns, tanktastically finishing up a predictably depressing season, have actually been calling post-up/isolation plays for Tucker of late. Tucker doesn’t bring much on offense, but he’s a rugged defender of both wing positions — and even some power forwards — and a plus rebounder, especially on the offensive glass. Lindsey Hunter has shifted around most of the rotation since taking over for Alvin Gentry, but Tucker has remained a fixture.
Chris Andersen, center, Miami Heat
From out of the league to key bench player on a team that is 31-2 when he has played. Andersen hasn’t cracked 20 minutes once, but he has vaulted past a lot of Heat mainstays to earn an important rotation spot as the lone true big man on the bench. It has been astonishing how quickly Birdman has picked up Miami’s helter-skelter schemes on both ends, though he clearly had the speed and smarts to do it. Small lineups featuring Andersen, three bench players, and either Dwyane Wade or LeBron James — lineups that may be key parts of Miami’s postseason rotation for short stints of every game — have mostly been very successful.
Martell Webster, forward/guard, Washington Wizards
The question Washington has to ask itself now, with the full midlevel exception available this summer, is how this version of Webster would look earning something like $5 million per year instead of the cheap $1.75 million deal Washington nabbed him for last summer. Webster was supposed to be a role player after the Wiz assumed Trevor Ariza’s nasty contract (and Emeka Okafor’s), but he greatly outplayed Ariza for the first half of the season, and has mostly continued to do so even as Ariza has righted himself a bit over the last few weeks.
Webster isn’t on Ariza’s level as a defender, but he’s decent, and his surprise emergence as one of this season’s very best 3-point gunners has been crucial for a Wiz offense that had struggled to generate spacing. That’s not the case when John Wall, Bradley Beal, and Webster share the court, and just about every group featuring Webster and at least two other core Wiz pieces has outscored opponents by a significant margin. Webster has even added a bit of a drive-and-kick element to his game, though scoring and dishing in crowds is never really going to be a strong suit. A nice signing, and a very unexpected 30 minutes per game. Now what?
INACTIVE/DEEP BENCH
Alan Anderson, guard, Toronto Raptors
Gunnin’, gunnin’, gunnin’ for that next NBA contract.
Vince Carter, guard, Dallas Mavericks
Not a shocker, given his solid play last season, but nobody expected production like this — or for Dallas to lean so heavily upon him. A total late-career reinvention.
Marquis Daniels, guard, Milwaukee Bucks
From occasional surprise starter, to out of the rotation, and now back to starting after some injury nicks to Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. Jim Boylan, Milwaukee’s head coach, likes Daniels’s defense, and the Grand Marquis has always sported some smart and steady footwork on that end. But if Milwaukee is counting on him to guard bullies like James and Wade in the first round, they’re in for some trouble — especially since Daniels doesn’t bring much more on offense, save the occasional smart flash cut, than Mbah a Moute.
10 Things I Like and Don’t Like
1. Late-Season Garbage Games
Last Thursday’s Kings-Suns game was everything bad about the NBA wrapped into one 48-minute package of awfulness for which all fans in attendance should have received a full refund. The Suns held out the perfectly healthy Goran Dragic for the second straight game, both increasing their chances of losing and pulling an obvious “let’s cover our ass” move after sitting Dragic the night before |
legacy” apps.
While starting clean looked attractive, we felt that giving developers an established network to promote their apps on is way more important. So that left us with 2 choices: move forward based on the Windows Phone subnet or continue with Windows 8. While the timing for Windows 10 version releases suggests the later, everything else was in favor of going forward with the Windows Phone branch. We have about 8x more apps on the Windows Phone network than Windows 8, we have interstitial support on WP, more streamlined ad formats (we have 7 ad sizes on Windows 8 and most of them are sparsely used), etc. And, to be honest, even Microsoft admits that Store apps never really took off on Windows, even with a much broader user base than that of WP.
So we are building our Windows 10 cross-promotion network on top of our Windows Phone foundation. This will give your universal apps a much broader network of potential users once Windows 10 Mobile is released.
Getting started
If you are familiar with AdDuplex client area setting up a Windows 10 app won’t be a problem.
The main difference is that now, in addition to selecting your app’s platform, for Windows 10 apps you have to specify supported device families. You will also need to provide a new format Store URL that you can get from Dev Center (App Management –> App identity)
Then everything is the same as it is for Windows Phone apps – you can create one or more ad units which are either for banner ads or interstitials. Image formats and specifications are the same as well (768×128 <25kb for banners, 1600×900/900×1600 <256kb for interstitials).
Note: we are aware that you may want to have other banner options when running on a bigger screen (like vertical or square banners) and we will address this at a later stage.
As for the code, it’s pretty much the same as it was for Windows Phone – just download the SDK from the Visual Studio Gallery and follow the instructions in the Code tab of your app’s listing.
Known issues
There could be some issues if you add a “close ad” button in the corner of the ad control. We are working on fixing this and improving overall process for implementing such a button. We recommend that you refrain from implementing it with this version of the SDK.
It’s a first release, so be gentle
Windows 10 is brand new, Windows 10 developer tools are brand new, so is our SDK and overall support for it in the AdDuplex system. Inevitably there will be smaller or larger issues and we apologize if you hit one of them.
On the other hand, it is impossible for us to eradicate the bugs and fix all the quirks without your help. So, please, do integrate our SDK into your great UWP apps and games at your earliest convenience and test it out. Send your bug reports, comments and suggestions to support@adduplex.com.
Thank you, and let’s build the greatest cross-promotion network for your Windows 10 apps together!With hundreds if not thousands of applicants often vying for a single job these days, recruiters and hiring managers are increasingly doing their initial job interviews on the telephone. Though the practice may soon shift to video conferencing or Skype, recruiters and coaches say that at this point, the phone is still the most common way for a first interview to take place. They estimate that more than half of first screens take place on the phone.
The biggest drawback for job seekers is that interviewers feel less of a sense of obligation if they haven’t met candidates in person. Hiring managers frequently don’t bother to let applicants know they’ve been dropped from consideration. But for candidates, there can be pluses to phone interviews. On the phone, interviewers focus on the substance of applicants’ answers, as opposed to distractions related to appearance. Applicants can also refer to preparation materials and checklists, and they can take notes, which can be useful when it’s time to check back in.
With diligent follow-up, job seekers can swing phone interviews in their favor, sometimes more so than meetings in person. Here are some tips:
1. Prepare as though it’s an in-person interview. Despite the fact that phone interviews are commonplace nowadays, some applicants fail to treat them as an essential part of the search process. Devote as much time to prepping for a phone meeting as you would for an initial meeting in person. Los Angeles executive and career coach David Couper, author of Outsiders on the Inside: How to Create a Winning Career... Even When You Don’t Fit In!, recommends having a written list of 5-10 stories about yourself that illustrate your accomplishments. “If you say you managed a department with five people, you need to have a story about that,” advises Couper, who used to work in human resources at now-defunct consulting giant Arthur Andersen. “You can say, there was one person working for me, and I put forth a proposal for more staff, which was granted and we increased sales by X amount.” The stories should have a beginning, middle and end, says Couper.
2. If the call comes out of the blue, say you’re in the middle of something and set a time to talk. If you get a call without a warning in advance, say you’re delighted to talk to the interviewer, but could you speak later, and suggest a time. Even if it’s just 15 minutes later, you need to gather your résumé, your notes and your thoughts.
3. Make sure you’re in a quiet place with a good connection where you won’t be interrupted. Use a land line if possible. If you’re talking on a cell phone, let the interviewer know. and apologize in advance for any service interruption. Make sure children, pets and other possible interruptions are out of the room. Get yourself a glass of water.
4. Ask how much time the interviewer has to talk. This will help you pace yourself and cover the ground you’re planning in the interview.
5. Stand up and smile. Standing knocks your energy level up a notch. When you smile, it affects your tone of voice and can make a more favorable impression. Some people find it useful to dress nicely, to put them in a professional state of mind. Imagine standing, dressed in a suit, as opposed to slouching over your desk wearing pajamas.
6. Early in the conversation, ask the interviewer what she’s looking for. Say something like, “I’ve read the position description, but I’d love to hear in your words what you’re looking for in this role.” Though most phone interviewers have a list of questions they want to ask, they won’t be put off by this question.
7. Don’t over-talk. When you’re on the phone, it’s impossible to read the nonverbal cues that interviewers send in person, like averting their gaze or adjusting their posture as though they want to speak. Watch the clock and don’t talk for more than one minute at a stretch. Then pause and ask whether more detail would be useful.
8. Listen closely. Take notes of the questions the interviewer is asking. This can help you write a great thank-you note after you’re done.
9. Ask about the next step in the process. Before signing off, say that you’re excited about the opportunity and ask what the next step in the process will be.
10. Follow up. Treat the follow-up for a phone interview the same way you would an in-person interview. Email a thank-you note that refers to details in the interview. Include several concrete, specific ways you would contribute to the company if you got the job. Roy Cohen, a New York career coach who used to handle outplacement for Goldman Sachs and is the author of The Wall Street Professional’s Survival Guide, says that if you don’t get a response to your email, you should leave more than one phone message. You can say,” I want to make sure there wasn’t any information you need from me to move forward.” If it’s your second or third message, try, “I want to make sure everything is OK.” “I like to refer to this as the Jewish guilt approach,” says Cohen. Either you’re out of the running, in which case you have nothing to lose, or the interviewer has been busy and distracted, and will appreciate the reminder.Coming Soon
Black Moon
In 17th century Italy, a teenage midwife accused of witchcraft must choose between a star-crossed love and fulfilling her powerful destiny.
No Good Nick
A family finds their lives turned upside down when a young, street-smart grifter shows up on their doorstep, claiming to be a distant relative.
Pacific Rim
As monsters emerge from the sea to attack Earth, humanity fights back using giant robot warriors in this anime adaptation of the blockbuster film.
Spectros
A teenage boy and his friends get caught in a clash between Brazilian witchcraft and Japanese Shinto spirits in their neighborhood.
Jimmy Carr: The Best of Ultimate Gold Greatest Hits
Nothing is off limits as Jimmy Carr serves up the most outrageous jokes from his stand-up career in a special that's not for the faint of heart.
Dead to Me
A powerful friendship blossoms between a tightly wound widow and a free spirit with a shocking secret in this darkly comic series.
River's Edge
High schooler Haruna befriends loner Yamada, then is drawn into the tangled relationship between him, a model and the girl who loves him unreasonably.
ReMastered: The Lion's Share
A journalist seeking the author of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" discovers the story of Solomon Linda and finds his family living in the slums of Soweto.upcoming BRICS summit +
attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi +
Chinese leaders might come to Pakistan’s defence +
BEIJING: China on Thursday sent out a signal that it would object to any discussion about Pakistan’s role in sheltering terrorists during the, which will be. China is worried Modi may raise the issue at the meeting because he did so at the Goa summit of BRICS last year while describing Pakistan as the “mother-ship of terrorism”.“We also noticed that India, when it comes to Pakistan’s counter-terrorism, has some concerns. I don’t think this is an appropriate topic to be discussed at BRICS summit,” Hua Chunying, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, said at a briefing. She also indicated that raising the topic might affect the success of the summit because Chinese leaders may be forced to defend its close ally, Pakistan.“The world is paying great attention to the BRICS summit. I hope relevant parties can work with China to ensure the success of the summit and make due contributions,” Hua said. She meant the five members of BRICS including India when she mentioned “relevant parties”.This time the BRICS summit is taking place on September 3 in Xiamen in China, which regards Pakistan as an “all-weather friend”. India is in a stronger position to raise the issue because US president Donald Trump recently accused Pakistan of sheltering terrorists and threatened to withdraw financial aid if Islamabad refuses to mend its ways. There are chancesat the summit.One of the main objectives of BRICS is to enhance cooperation between the five member countries in fighting against terrorism. But it is difficult for India to join hands in any meaningful manner unless Beijing adopts a different attitude on this issue when it comes to the role of Pakistan.Hua said, “Pakistan is at forefront of counter terror efforts and has made sacrifices for this. The international community should recognize their contributions and sacrifices made by Pakistan.”She added, “China is willing to work with Pakistan and other countries to enhance our cooperation in counterterrorism. This serves the common interest of all parties.”China routinely refers to “sacrifices” made by Pakistan in battling terrorism but refuses to discuss flawed policies of Pakistani military and government that results in bloodshed across the country.In an interesting twist, the hawkish Global Times indirectly blamed Islam for terrorism, and said India is mostly free from terrorism because it is largely a Hindu nation. Terrorism exists in an “arc” of Asian countries including Pakistan and Philippines with significant Muslim presence, it said.“There are tensions at various degrees at various junctions in this arc where it encounters other religions and ethnicity but a dent exists in the Indian portion of this arc,” the paper said.Reviving “Community” has been a costly adventure for Yahoo — and might spell the end of its foray into big-budget original series.
CFO Ken Goldman revealed during Yahoo’s third-quarter earnings call Tuesday that the company took a $42 million charge on “Community” and two other original series as it couldn’t effectively monetize the programming.
Yahoo recorded a $42 million impairment charge in Q3 on the value of its video assets, and Goldman specifically singled out “Community,” as well as original shows “Sin City Saints” and “Other Space,” when asked what went wrong. Writing off the cost of the shows — $41.699 million to be precise, according to Yahoo’s financial statements — removes them from the balance sheet so they won’t be amortized over time.
“We thought long and hard about it, and what we concluded is (for) certain of our original video (series), we couldn’t see a way to make money over time,” he said.
Continued Goldman, “We’re not saying we’re not going to do these at all in the future. But what we are saying is, in three cases at least, it didn’t work the way we had hoped it to work, and we’ve decided to move on.”
Related Verizon Media’s New Yahoo Play App Is a Mobile Pop Culture Quiz Show With Rewards (EXCLUSIVE) Verizon Media Laying Off 800 Employees, or 7% of Staff in AOL and Yahoo Group
Yahoo debuted season six of Dan Harmon’s “Community” exclusively on its video platform Yahoo Screen in March following NBC’s cancellation of the show after five seasons. Yahoo landed Honda as a launch sponsor for “Community,” which is produced by Sony Pictures Television. But apparently it couldn’t gather enough of an audience, or long-term commitments from advertisers, to make the investment into original content at that scale pay back.
Yahoo previously teased that it may be renewing “Community” for a seventh season, or even take part in a movie deal with the Greendale Community College gang. That may appear less likely with Tuesday’s disclosure, but insiders tell Variety that a “Community” movie is still in play — with or without Yahoo.
The exec who had led Yahoo’s charge into originals with TV-size production budgets was chief marketing officer Kathy Savitt, who in September joined independent studio STX Entertainment as president of its digital unit.
The revelation came as Yahoo turned in another quarter of financial results that failed to meet Wall Street expectations, leading CEO Marissa Mayer to promise that the company will focus on fewer products in 2016 to try to right the ship.
Yahoo posted third quarter 2015 revenue of $1.23 billion and adjusted earnings per share of 15 cents; analysts had expected $1.26 billion in sales and EPS of 17 cents. And the company reduced guidance for the fourth quarter: It expects revenue to be between $1.16 billion and $1.2 billion, compared with average analyst expectations of $1.33 billion.
“As we move into 2016, we will work to narrow our strategy, focusing on fewer products with higher quality to achieve improved growth and profitability,” Mayer said in announcing the results.
Yahoo also announced a new pact with Google for search results and ads. That agreement will “complement” the search services provided by Microsoft and Yahoo’s own search technologies and ad products, according to the company.
Yahoo has been hit with a wave of recent high-level exec departures. In addition to Savitt’s exit, this week Jack Dorsey’s Square announced the hiring Jackie Reses, formerly Yahoo’s chief development officer, to run its business-financing group, while product SVP Mike Kerns joined Chernin Group in July as president of digital.
In addition trying to improve the metrics of its core businesses, Mayer called out as a top priority Yahoo’s planned spinoff of Aabaco Holdings, representing the remaining 15% stake it owns in Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group. That transaction is still pending regulatory approval, and Yahoo said it was moving forward with the plan despite the IRS denying a request to rule the spinoff tax-free. Yahoo had expected that to close in Q4, but Mayer said on the earnings call that the spinoff may not be completed until January.
Mayer noted that Yahoo’s total Q3 revenue grew 7% year-over-year, while the strategic “Mavens” businesses — comprising mobile, video, native ads and Tumblr ads — rose 43% from a year earlier, to $422 million. But audience acquisition costs in the latest period soared to $223 million (up from $54 million), and Yahoo remains heavily reliant on desktop PC users.
Yahoo’s stock fell as much as 2.8% in after-hours trading Tuesday, after closing regular trading down 2% to $32.83 per share.
Janko Roettgers contributed to this report.Advertisement
The final Land Rover Defender has rolled off the production line.
Workers at the Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) plant in Solihull, West Midlands cheered as the last one was presented with its lights flashing and horn blaring.
More than two million of the 4x4s have been produced over the past 68 years as it became one of the most-loved and long-lived road vehicles.
Scroll down for video
The last Land Rover Defender coming off the production line at Solihull (@jlrpr/Twitter/PA)
Land Rover announced in October 2013 that production of the vehicle would be winding up, after more than two million had been made
Motoring experts said production was ended because of difficulties in maintaining safety and emissions standards.
Defenders are a favourite with the Queen and have featured in a number of films such as James Bond movie Skyfall and Edge Of Tomorrow featuring Tom Cruise.
The vehicle, which is exported all around the world, represents the continuation of the very first Land Rover which arrived on the scene in April 1948 and was modelled on the wartime Jeeps.
Jim Holder, editorial director of magazines Autocar and What Car?, said Defenders 'appeal to every level of society'.
He told the Press Association: 'It's a classless vehicle. Anyone can drive it. You might be a farmer trying to get over the muddiest field or it might be the Queen driving around Windsor. Neither would surprise you if you saw it.
'It's got that ubiquity where it can be at home in Chelsea but doesn't look out of place painted white in the middle of a war zone.
Queen Elizabeth II driving herself in a Land Rover Defender 110 to the stables on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk in 2000
'It claims to do everything and to a degree it can do everything.'
Mr Holder believes JLR made the decision to cease production of Defenders because'regulations have finally caught up with it'.
He said: 'They haven't been able to update crash safety or the engine emissions quick enough.
'The world has overtaken it to a point where they can no longer keep on the right side of emissions and safety laws.'
JLR is working on a replacement vehicle for the Defender, but Mr Holder claimed it will be a'massive challenge' to match the status of the original.
'It's a charming vehicle. It's a go-anywhere, rugged symbol of solid construction,' he said.
'But the truth is the Defender today doesn't sell in high enough numbers. The challenge is how to broaden its appeal without ruining the key aspects that make it so appealing.'
Land Rover holds a royal warrant, as supplier to the Royal Household. The royal relationship with Land Rover goes back to 1948 when King George VI viewed the original Land Rover.
The Queen, who has been pictured at the wheel of Land Rovers, took delivery of her first one shortly after coming to the throne in 1952 and has used Land Rovers ever since.
THE HISTORY OF A 'CLASSLESS VEHICLE': 68 YEARS OF THE LAND ROVER The last Land Rover Defender off the Solihull production line 1947: The Land Rover project was made official and prototypes based on the postwar Jeep began running. 1951: Land Rovers out-sell all other Rover vehicles two to one. The British Army began using Land Rovers from the 1950s. 1983: Production of the model now known as the Defender began. 1988: British Aerospace take over the Rover Group. 1994: British Aerospace sell the Rover Group to BMW. 2013: Land Rover announced production would end in two years. 2015: Designer Paul Smith produces a one-off version of the Defender, inspired by the vehicle's service with the Army, Navy and Air Force as well as fire, coastguard and mountain rescue roles and its association with the British countryside. January 2016: The last Land Rover Defender rolls off the production line.
Queen Elizabeth II riding in a Land Rover with the Duke of Edinburgh, reviewing 72,000 ex-Service men and women, including the wounded and the veterans of three wars, in Hyde Park, 1953
The Duke of Edinburgh drives to the European Horse Trials with the Queen and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester
Queen Elizabeth II riding in a Land Rover with the Duke of Edinburgh, as they pass down the lines of Venom fighter planes as they inspect No. 151 Squadron during their visit to RAF Leuchars, Fife, Scotland, in 1957
Queen Elizabeth II riding in a Land Rover with the Duke of Edinburgh, through the World Scout Jubilee Jamboree camp in Sutton Park, Warwickshire in 1957
LAND ROVER REMAIN TIGHT-LIPPED ABOUT THE CAR'S SUCCESSOR BUT INSIST THE DEFENDER WILL LIVE ON The DS100 design was unveiled in Frankfurt in 2011 Land Rover remain tight-lipped regarding the future of the Defender nameplate, but insisted it would live on. A concept car, the macho, testosterone-fuelled DS100 was unveiled in 2011 as a possible successor for the Defender. But a Land Rover spokesman said the car was just a design concept and the company could not reveal any plans for future models at this stage. The spokesman said: 'At the time it was a design concept to gauge public reaction about what the Defender could look like in the future. 'That was a long time ago. 'These things are well out of date now. 'All we are saying is that we intend to continue the nameplate and can't give any further details at the moment. 'But the Defender will live on.'
An Automobile Association Land Rover in a blizzard helping another motorist in difficulties in 1963
The Marquess of Bath, backed by an armed warden, watching a lion at his 'game reserve' at his ancestral Wiltshire home in Longleat in 1966
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at the Badminton horse trials in 1968; Land Rover holds a royal warrant, as supplier to the royal household
FORMER SAS SERGEANT ANDY MCNAB PAID TRIBUTE TO THE CAR THAT WAS THE WORKHORSE OF THE UK MILITARY Former SAS sergeant Andy McNab has paid tribute to Land Rover Defenders for being the 'basic workhorse' of the British military, as Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) ends their production. McNab, now a successful author, recently bought his own Defender after hearing that the last of the 4x4 vehicles was set to roll off the production line at the plant in Solihull, West Midlands. 'I got one at the end of last year because of this,' he told the Press Association. 'I love them. I learned to drive in one. They've always been there because it's been the main vehicle for the military since about the Fifties.' He recalled living in the back of a Defender for two months during an operation in the Middle East with the SAS. 'The role of the Land Rover is quite synonymous with the regiment,' McNab said. 'They are a huge weapons platform. It could take all the weight. It was the basic workhorse.' McNab said Defenders are 'amazing' to drive once their all-terrain capabilities have been mastered. He added that the vehicle compares favourably with the US Army's equivalent. 'The American Humvee is a great machine but it's so wide and cumbersome,' he said. 'The larger machines can't get into areas as quickly as Land Rovers, it's as simple as that. They're fantastic.'
Queen Elizabeth II, with her sons Prince Andrew (left) and Prince Edward waiting for Princess Anne's arrival in the Cross-Country event of the Windsor Horse Trials, 1972
Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh in an open top Land Rover at a children's rally in Royal park, Melbourne
Members of the Royal Archers escorting the Army Land Rover carrying the Stone Of Destiny across Edinburgh Castle Esplanade in 1996
A young boy driving a scale model of a Land Rover during the annual Land Rover Owners get together at Billing Aquadrome, Northampton, as they celebrate 50 years of the Land Rover mark, 1998
Members of a Brigade Patrol Troop, part of the Brigade Recce Force, who are an elite team within the Marine Commando Brigade, out in the northern Kuwaiti desert in their 'WMIK' Land Rover in 2003
An RAF Chinooks practising lifting an armed Land Rover from the deck of HMS Ocean in 2003
Land-Rover of the 3 PARA Pathfinder Platoon during the Operation to secure the village of Musakala in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, 2006
Royal Marines using a Land Rover during a live firing demonstration at Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire in 2006; the vehicle was originally modelled on the Jeeps used in World War Two
The Land Rover that belonged to the Prince of Wales' late grandfather, taken in 2007; the royal relationship with Land Rover goes back to to 1948 when King George VI viewed the original Land Rover
Zara Phillips unveiling a Special Edition Land Rover Defender 90 SVX Soft Top, which the company donated as part of a luxury auction at the British Red Cross Ball in central London in 2007
Members of The 40th Regiment The Royal Artillery in a snatch Land Rover during a patrol in Lashkar Gah, Afghanistan in 2009
A PSNI Land Rover Defender, a 'a go-anywhere, rugged symbol of solid construction,' weathering an attack from some youths
A Land Rover Defender during the press launch for the cars of Spectre joining the Bond in Motion exhibition at the London Film Museum in London
Daniel Craig as James Bond in Skyfall (2012) following a high speed chase through Istanbul in a Land RoverTimes certainly have changed when an ex-Scientologist slamming the organization isn’t the most controversial TV moment of the night, or even of the hour. Leah Remini’s appearance last night on HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher was overshadowed by another guest, but her ongoing defiance of the church clearly impressed Maher.
Take a look at the video above.
“When the history of Scientology is finally written,” Maher said, “it will show that fate chose you to come on in Act Five. You’re like Reagan and ‘tear down that wall.'”
The actress, whose A&E series, Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, documents the experiences of people who have left the organization, often at great personal cost, credited Maher’s 2008 anti-religion documentary Religulous with planting some doubt, though she didn’t realize it at the time.
“I watched it because I was a troublemaker, apparently, always, but I wasn’t even at the level of what you were revealing in your documentary,” Remini said. “So you seemed a little crazy to me.”
As for Scientology’s most famous advocate, both Maher and Remini agreed that Tom Cruise wields unrivaled influence in the organization’s success.
“He could end this single-handedly,” Maher suggested, with Remini adding, “Yes, because he is single-handedly clearing the planet, most Scientologists believe…'”
“Clearing the planet?,” Maher interjected. “He couldn’t even make Jack Reacher a hit.”State of Mississippi
Marriage License Requirements
Marriage License Fee: $21-24
Marriage Law Requirements for Mississippi:
Both Parties must be 21 years of age to get married in Mississippi.
Picture ID and Proof of age is required.
Both Parties must be present for the application.
To obtain a marriage license, both parties must apply in person your at local county Circuit Clerk’s office.
The fee for a Mississippi marriage license varies by county and is required at the time of application.
There is no waiting period or blood tests in Mississippi.
Be sure to contact your local county Circuit Clerk’s office well in advance of the wedding to find out on what days and during what hours the clerk will be in the office.
Mississippi Wedding Officiants for your wedding or vow renewal ceremony. Submit one form to top-rated marriage officiants in your locality. You choose the best Wedding Officiant.
Ask a Lawyer Online Now! 24 Lawyers Are Online. Ask a Question, Get an Answer ASAP.
Marriage Law Requirements for Mississippi Marriage Licenses:
Mississippi Wedding Officiants for your wedding or vow renewal ceremony. Submit one form to top-rated marriage officiants in your locality. You choose the best Wedding Officiant.
The following information is required on the marriage application:
Full names and addresses of both parties applying for marriage.
Names and addresses of the parents of both parties applying (maiden name of mother).
Age, date of birth must be in English, and state of birth (or foreign country).
Proof of age (e.g., driver’s license, birth certificate, school record, etc.)
Highest grade completed in school.
Number of previous marriages.
How the last marriage ended (divorce, death, etc.)
Date last marriage ended (bring proof of divorce if it was within the last six months.)
In no event shall a license be issued by the circuit clerk when it appears to the circuit clerk that the applicants are, or either of them is, drunk or a person with mental illness or mental retardation to the extent that the clerk believes that the person does not understand the nature and consequences of the request.
It is important that you verify all information with your local county Circuit Clerk’s office before making a trip to purchase your marriage license.
Marriage ID Requirement Mississippi:
Both parties must present a valid Identification:
Driver’s License
Birth Certificate
Military I.D.
DD214
Baptismal Certificate
Life Insurance Record
School Record
Or any other official document evidencing age.
Marriage Residency Requirement Mississippi:
No. Mississippi does not have a residency requirement for marriage licenses.
Marriage Waiting Period Mississippi:
The license is effective immediately upon issuance.
Previous Marriages: ✔ Search Marriage | Divorce Records
If either party has been divorced within the last six (6) months, a copy of the divorce decree is required.
Marriage License Fee Mississippi:
The fee for a Mississippi marriage license varies by county and is required at the time of application. Preferred method of payment is cash. For guidance on additional methods of payment, please call ahead.
Marriage Blood Test Mississippi:
As of July 1, 2012, a blood test is no longer required to obtain a marriage license in Mississippi.
Name Change:
Getting a marriage license with your new name on it does not mean your name has automatically changed. If you need to change your last name, you can use an online marriage name change kit.
Marriage Age Requirements Mississippi: ✔ Get Copy Of Birth Certificate
If either applicant is younger than 21 years of age, parental consent is needed. Parent or guardian may come with the applicants. If the parent or guardian cannot appear in the office, the Out of Office Parental Consent Form must be printed, filled out, and notarized. A copy of the parent’s drivers license or ID is required along with the form to complete the application process.
Marriage licenses cannot be issued unless the male applicant is at least 17 years of age, and the female applicant is at least 15 years of age.
Proxy Marriages Mississippi:
No.
Cousin Marriages Mississippi:
No.
Common Law Marriages Mississippi:
No.
Solemnize Marriages Mississippi:
Clergy, mayors, local Board of Supervisors members, and judges of the state of Mississippi Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Circuit court, Chancery court, Justice court, or County court.
Marriage Witness Mississippi:
Mississippi does not require witnesses.
Expiration Date of Marriage License Mississippi:
Mississippi marriage license has no expiration date.
Department of Health and Human Services
Vital Statistics Bureau
111 N. Sanders, Room 205
Helena, MT 59620
Ph: 406.444.4228
Please Note: State and county marriage license requirements often change. The above information is for guidance only and should not be regarded as legal advice. Additional information can be found on the Mississippi State Department of Health website.Watchdog Chief: Corruption Is An ‘Existential’ Threat to U.S. Efforts in Afghanistan
The United States has spent 15 years fighting in Afghanistan; more than 2,000 American lives have been lost there since the war began, and hundreds of billions of dollars have been spent in an attempt to rebuild it. A watchdog who oversees U.S. spending there warned it could all be for naught.
Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John Sopko, speaking Wednesday at the University of Pittsburgh, said government corruption in Afghanistan is an “existential” threat both to the future of the country and American efforts to stabilize it.
“I thought I knew all about corruption, but I can tell you that what I have seen and heard in the last four years in Afghanistan puts to shame what we call corruption here,” Sopko, who has been head of SIGAR since 2012, said in prepared remarks. “And this pervasive corruption poses a deadly threat to the entire U.S. effort to rebuild Afghanistan.”
Sopko, who has issued similar warnings in the past, said graft in Afghanistan has yet to receive the attention it deserves, despite the threat it poses. His office is preparing a report on how the U.S. government failed to understand corruption and how to combat it. Sopko said Washington has little idea of how fraud could threaten the entire U.S. security and state-building mission.
“During the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and for some years to follow, the United States partnered with abusive warlords and their militias to pursue al Qaeda and the Taliban, and supported the installation of these warlords and their militias at high levels of the Afghan government,” he said. “The United States also failed to recognize that vast sums of money injected into the Afghan economy, with limited oversight and pressures to spend, created conditions for corruption.”
An existential threat is something that could upend an entire country. For instance, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu views a nuclear-armed Iran as a threat to its very existence. As recently as last week, President Barack Obama said the Islamic State is not an existential threat to the United States. Whether graft could cause Afghanistan to collapse is unclear.
Sopko has been sounding the bell on wrongdoing in Afghanistan for years. Since SIGAR was created in 2008, it has issued 210 audits, alert letters, and inspections that contained 630 recommendations. He also said SIGAR investigations led to 103 arrests, 139 criminal charges, 103 convictions or guilty pleas, and 86 sentencings. But even he acknowledged that this has not been enough to change U.S. or Afghan practices; he noted Afghanistan ranked 166 out of 168 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Index.
He then outlined the vast extent of fraud within Afghanistan. He said firms there pay a 35 percent bribe for government services or licenses, a practice commonly known throughout the Mideast and South Asia as baksheesh. More than one-third of private firms operating in Afghanistan are expected to pay out bribes during tax inspections, and 60 percent to get construction permits, Sopko said. According to Integrity Watch Afghanistan, close to $2 billion in bribes were paid from 2012 to 2015.
“In 2016, the Afghan government faces the risk of a political breakdown,” Sopko concluded. “But we at SIGAR are convinced that the dangers of letting corruption run rampant are greater than the risk of disrupting the entrenched practices of Afghan officials.”
Photo credit: Getty Imagesgumballdead Profile Joined September 2014 United States 22 Posts Last Edited: 2014-12-11 15:54:14 #1
ChiCraft LAN is a Starcraft 2 LAN held at Ignite Gaming Lounge on January 10th. Entry is free! There will be a $500 prize pool, as well as a raffle, giveaways, and prizes for even the scrubbiest of scrubs! Come out and play the game we all love! Sounds awesome already?
PRIZE POOL
Total prize pool: $500
1st place - $250
2nd place - $150
3rd place - $75
4th place - $25
VENUE
If you live in Chicago and haven’t heard of Ignite Gaming Lounge by now, you may have been living under a rock. This place is only the best LAN Center/Internet Cafe in the best city in the Midwest! Tons of PCs, Consoles, private gaming rooms, including a café on site. They even hosted the Red Bull Detroit Qualifier back in August. We are working together with Ignite to bring you guys an awesome tournament experience. Doors will open at 10AM for our players and the tournament will last til 8PM or until we crown a winner. More info, including directions to the venue can be found on
TOURNAMENT STRUCTURE
32 Player Tournament
Double elimination with seeding by ladder rank/league.
Registration closes at midnight (12:00am CST) the Wednesday before tournament, January 7th, 2015.
The map pool will be the current Battle.net ladder maps, yes this means we’re using the #dreampool! NOTE: This may change because Blizzard will most likely release a new map pool the week of the tournament. We will run with whatever map pool is the current ladder map pool on January 10th 2015.
All games in the winner’s bracket are best of 3, except the grand finals which are best of 5
Loser’s bracket are best of one matches with dedicated maps for each round.
All leagues are accepted and encouraged!
COOL STUFF
To encourage lower league players, we’ll be awarding the top finisher players, players who achieve the highest finish respective of their ladder league. For example, the silver player who makes it the deepest in the tournament will receive a prize that recognizes their achievement. There will be a raffle, raffling off SC2 t-shirts as well as other small prizes.
HOW TO REGISTER
Fill out the info and check your email for updates closer to the day of the tournament!
ON SITE STREAM + CAST
We will be streaming as many matches as we can get to on
QUICK RECAP
CHICAGO LAN organized and paid for by fellow |
our most pugnacious lawmakers may have wondered. Politics isn’t about retweets and Fox News zingers and MSNBC shoutfests?
And that’s when we all watched our elected officials — the folks so bent on destroying one another they’re ready to shut down the government in the pursuit of political gamesmanship — being reminded of what their jobs are.
View Graphic What Pope Francis said, what Americans think
“A political society endures when it seeks, as a vocation, to satisfy common needs by stimulating the growth of all its members, especially those in situations of greater vulnerability or risk,” he said. “Legislative activity is always based on care for the people. To this you have been invited, called and convened by those who elected you.”
[Pope Francis speaks to Congress about ‘personal and social responsibility’]
Does that put it in perspective, O demigods of dysfunction?
Members of Congress, the pope is telling you that you’re not elected to preserve your party’s power, to forward your team’s agenda, to score one for your side. You did not join a gang when you were elected to office. You were invited to care for the people.
Nice, Francis. We get it now, your magic.
This pope draws a Muslim family to the White House parade route at 5 a.m. Wednesday, smiling and waving wildly as the popemobile drove by six hours later. They were texting photos they got of him to all their friends and told me how he waved right at them.
He brings three gay folks dressed like sparkly, drag queen nuns — members of a radical activist group called the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence — all the way from Georgia to thank him for opening the door to tolerance.
Pope Francis greets school children before he departs the Apostolic Nunciature, the Vatican's diplomatic mission in the heart of Washington, en route to the Capitol to address a joint meeting of Congress. (Cliff Owen/AP)
[‘There he is!’ An eight-hour wait for an eight-second glimpse of the pope]
And he makes Democrats, Republicans and presidential contenders who have fueled the mean-spirited insanity that is Washington politics stop for a moment, look at each other and, just maybe, wonder if they’re doing this all wrong.
“Who am I to judge?” the
78-year-old Argentine pontiff famously said, when addressing the explosive topic of homosexuality and its place in the church.
Here’s a guy who can speak on immigration, abortion, clergy sexual abuse, climate change and homelessness and still inspire tens of thousands of adoring fans to flock to see him and act like unhinged teens who just got a selfie with Taylor Swift. He hits our third-rail issues but still leaves folks feeling all rainbows and unicorns.
And it’s not because he’s soft on issues. The pope says lots of pretty controversial things.
The victims of the church’s sexual abuse scandal — and many others, myself included — were appalled by the way he congratulated U.S. bishops Wednesday for “their courage” on that front, without addressing their culpability or the impact of those crimes on the victims.
[Advocates for clergy sex abuse victims call Pope Francis’s remarks ‘a slap in the face’]
But we’re not appalled by the pontiff, because he shows us it’s possible to disagree without demonizing, converse without condemning. Eloquence, not bombast.
And somewhere along the line, our country has forgotten that.
“He exudes humility, love and compassion, which are values sorely lacking in today’s world,” a 65-year-old retiree named Kerry Kemp told my colleague DeNeen L. Brown on Wednesday. “He’s the anti-Trump.”
In a race-to-the-bottom presidential campaign, Trump has called undocumented Mexicans “rapists” and dismissed the heroism of Sen. John McCain, who spent five years as a POW during the Vietnam War. He sounds right at home in a political environment in which talk radio hosts label women as “sluts” and congressmen compare President Obama to Adolf Hitler.
And we Americans tolerate — even encourage — this brand of nasty, mean-spirited discourse. Instead of listening to one another respectfully, we get all tribal on big, complex issues, taking sides like it’s all a big football game, one side vs. the other, labels, camps, polarization, black-and-white, ignoring the gray.
This, Francis told Congress, is our folly.
He said to our elected leaders — the masters of the dark art of division — that the temptation to pit people against one another is “the simplistic reductionism which sees only good or evil; or, if you will, the righteous and sinners.”
“The contemporary world, with its open wounds which affect so many of our brothers and sisters, demands that we confront every form of polarization which would divide it into these two camps,” he said. “We know that in the attempt to be freed of the enemy without, we can be tempted to feed the enemy within.”
Hear that, Trumpsters?
We have folks analyzing what the pope has said and gaming where he stands. Is he a liberal? He talked about climate change and the poor — that’s on THAT side. But then again, he’s not moving on abortion or same-sex marriage. Is he a conservative? That’s on THAT side.
That kind of categorization is missing the point. And it’s tearing us apart.
“Our response must instead be one of hope and healing, of peace and justice,” he told Congress, asking lawmakers to summon the courage to resolve our complex issues without such stridency.
“We must move forward together, as one, in a renewed spirit of fraternity and solidarity, cooperating generously for the common good.”
And if that message doesn’t make it to Congress, we can listen to what he says. At our kitchen tables and living rooms, at Thanksgiving, on Facebook chats and in the voting booth, we can be inspired by the way Francis speaks.
And we can always remember, “Who are we to judge?”Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press
It’s not a stretch to say that Neil Walker is the best second baseman in the National League, especially after the season he’s putting together in 2014.
Walker has hit 21 home runs this year, more than any other second baseman in the majors. What’s more is that his 21st home run came Wednesday, a towering shot over the Clemente Wall in right field.
How appropriate for Walker to hit his 21st dinger over the Clemente Wall, which is 21 feet high in honor of the man who wore No. 21 during his entire career in Pittsburgh.
Even more appropriate that Wednesday was Roberto Clemente Day in baseball and the Pirates had mowed a gigantic “21” into the grass in right field.
Those are all nice correlations, and it’s nice to see that Roberto Clemente’s legacy is still very much alive in Pittsburgh and around baseball in general.
But the most fascinating aspect of the story is the fact that Walker never would have hit his 21st home run Wednesday if it weren’t for Clemente. He wouldn’t have hit any home runs, ever, considering he never would have been alive in the first place.
Neil’s father, Tom, played six seasons in Major League Baseball, albeit none with the Pirates. The elder Walker absolutely idolized Clemente and got the chance to correspond with him during their simultaneous careers in baseball.
As told by Tom Singer of MLB.com, Walker jumped at the chance to help Clemente load a plane headed to Nicaragua on New Year’s Eve in 1972.
The country had been ravaged by an earthquake, and he was flying down in person to make sure relief supplies reached those who needed them, instead of being intercepted by corrupt government officials.
Clemente rightly assumed his presence would ensure the supplies were delivered in a timely fashion to those who needed it most. Walker begged his idol to let him tag along on the trip.
Clemente rejected that suggestion, however, and he told Walker to go home and spend the holiday with friends and family. Less than an hour later, Clemente would be dead at the age of 38 after the airplane exploded and disintegrated, cutting short the career of one of the best baseball players of all time.
It’s been more than four decades since that fateful flight, more than enough time for Tom Walker to digest what happened that dark night in 1972.
As Singer said on MLB.com, fate has an interesting way of bringing the story full-circle: "Forty years later," Walker said, "I think of a man that saved my life. I can't help but think about that now. I've had four wonderful children, and it turns out that one of them is the second baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates."
Tom Walker had no good reason to settle in Pittsburgh after his career, being that he grew up in Florida and never played for the Pirates in his six-season career.
But here he came to the land of Clemente, and the rest is history.
So next time Walker blasts a home run over the Clemente Wall in right field, think of his idol, a man who literally saved his father’s life more than 40 years ago.
Think of Roberto Clemente Walker (his full name), and the lives he changed both on and off the diamond. Neil Walker certainly does.It may be early in its rebooted fourth season, but Glee is back to its roots.
The Fox musical answered one of the new fall season's biggest question last week, unspooling its split-location format and introducing a loyal army of Gleeks to four fresh new faces as the series repopulates McKinley's halls and spices up Rachel's love life in New York.
The massive change has reinvigorated co-creator Ryan Murphy and the rest of the writers to tap into what once made the show a breakout: plots grounded in realistic stories about the underdog in high school. Ratings for the premiere, which saw Lea Michele's Rachel get off to a bumpy start in New York with her tough dance teacher (Kate Hudson), illustrated that the beloved musical -- which in its third season found itself a target for critics -- was not just back but creatively stronger. "It's very nice to hear people say nice things about the show again, I won't lie about it," Murphy tells The Hollywood Reporter. Further proving the point is Thursday's "Britney 2.0," Glee's second Britney Spears tribute episode, which THR screened early. The hour, which like the first, revolves around Heather Morris' lovable dingbat Brittany S. Pearce, is grounded in reality.
PHOTOS: 'Glee's' Season 4 Premiere Party
The premiere episode, titled "The New Rachel," averaged a 3.3 rating in the all-important 18-49 demographic, with 8.1 million viewers -- up 25 percent compared with its season three average and up 10 percent vs. last year's graduation-themed finale.
Further proof can be seen on iTunes, where at press time, six songs from the season four premiere were the series' most-downloaded for the week, with two appearing in the top 200 a week after the episode aired (Darren Criss' cover of "It's Time, Michele and newcomer Melissa Benoist's "New York State of Mind").
THR caught up with Murphy to discuss the revitalized Glee 2.0, his plans for keeping the show on point -- don't expect to see locations other than New York and Ohio -- his love for new cast members Melissa Benoist (Marley), Jacob Artist (Jake), Dean Geyer (Brody), Becca Tobin (Kitty) and the upcoming Glee Project winner Blake Jenner (Ryder) as well as his burning desire to bring the fresh faces out on the road for a concert tour.
The Hollywood Reporter: Considering the feedback you've heard about season three, what did you take away from last season?
Ryan Murphy: What I wanted to do with Glee was get back to the roots of what it was. We got back to the idea of looking at a long-term goal; to really take it back to its underdog roots. That was a natural choice we made to send Rachel and Kurt to New York because once again, they are little fish in a big pond. That opened us up to write stories where you could root for them, and follow them and invest in their hopes and dreams like people seemed to have done at the beginning of the show. When they started off, they were a little club that everybody hated and no one thought they would ever amount to anything. But at the end of Year 3, they won Nationals. What was also important to us was to do a show where characters were given an opportunity to grow and change, particularly like Lea Michele and Chris Colfer's characters in New York, and introducing a new love interest for Lea [Geyer's Brody] to complicate the Finn [Cory Monteith] thing. Like you'll also see in the Britney Spears episode and the "Makeover" episode after that, there's such a big leap forward in terms of interests and everything about how Rachel looks and acts -- that was important.
The other thing we wanted to do was repopulate the school with the next group of core characters. We've done that not so necessarily well; every year we'd add one or two new people and then we wouldn't necessarily follow their stories as much as perhaps we should have. We wanted to add a new group of four or five new kids who are sophomores now and hopefully they would take us through a couple more years and we can really follow their growth as well. We spent three months casting those people. Blake Jenner won The Glee Project and I knew that he was one of them and the other two we cast a really wide net and spent three months casting all over the country, just like we did the pilot; I don't think we'd done such a wide search since. Like the pilot, we took six actors for each of those parts: Jake, Marley and Kitty and we brought them to the studio and network. Since we did the pilot, I chose them, but I really wanted the studio and the network to be invested in these kids. The big find to me was Melissa. None of us were happy with the choices for that part because we wanted a fresh face we hadn't had before, an every-girl. She came in at the very last moment and the thing that pushed her over for me was the casting of Jake: we'd cast him and I had him read with all the nominees and at the very end, I said what do you think. He said, "Melissa is the one." She's the one he had the most chemistry with and I thought that was a great observation.
PHOTOS: 'Glee' Season 4 in Pictures
In the storytelling, in seasons two and three, shows are journeys and you figure out what you do and what you can and cannot do successfully and I think we took some risks with a lot of fantasies and some big production numbers that maybe to some people weren't rooted enough. I loved them but some people didn't. The storytelling is much more rooted in realness, perhaps more than it's ever been before. When you follow these first nine episodes, you'll see that. The perfect example is how we told Britney Spears -- that [tribute episode] story in season two and how we told it in season four is very different. For the most part, the Britney stuff in the second go-around is much more relatable and real and there's not a lot of fantasy stuff. There's still some crazy moments, don't get me wrong, but that was basically the feeling. Populate New York, repopulate the classroom and you have to be careful with who's coming back and how they're doing it and when do you want them to appear, what's really fun for the audience is to have this group of kids who have graduated and then every couple episodes -- through episode 12 -- people that you've grown to love will pop up in new and fresh, exciting ways and you can catch up with them and see how their journey is going. That's been very invigorating as well. Basically we have a glee club emeritus situation and then the new glee club and it's been really fun and exciting to write toward.
The Grease musical also seems to be following a similar arc as last season's West Side Story, which overlapped with the student body elections, that will also be part of season four. Was the decision to follow the traditional school year an intentional one?
Grease is episodes five and six. Some of the things that people have always remarked to me that they love is when we do the musicals, elections and graduation, so we'll probably always be doing those three things every year and rooting [the show] in events. I loved West Side Story and last year, I think we got off on a tangent where perhaps we did too much Broadway stuff and did too much stuff that was unknown to our audience. I personally enjoyed it but I know a lot of people did not know those songs. We were very careful this year to say, "OK, let's do something that parents can watch with their kids; what would that musical be?" It would be Grease. We all grew up with Grease and kids still watch it and love it. That's an example of things we're trying to do on the show to make it a little more broad appeal to family viewing and a little less niche. That's been a real concerted effort and I think it's paid off.
How will you be reincorporating the original characters -- like Quinn, Santana, Mercedes, Puck -- into Glee 2.0 to help boost the show?
People love those characters and for me, we could have done a show where we stayed with this group of people for six years and then the show was over, but make no mistake, the show has a heightened realism and I wanted to follow their journeys, and the ups and downs. For example, Rachel and Finn's careers, and how is Santana (Naya Rivera) doing in college -- she comes back in a really unexpected, fun way. Quinn (Dianna Agron) comes back around the holidays in a really cool way. I want to see those characters grow up and change and not be the same. At the end of the day, the show is really about the pursuit of dreams, that's what Glee has always been. I want to see those characters go get their dreams, I want to see them fight and achieve. I recognize that some people really miss a lot of those characters but I recently got on Twitter and was happy to read the night of the premiere how many people loved Marley and Jake and how many people loved to hate Kitty; that was a good sign to me. By the end of episode 12, we will have touched base and brought back into the fold everybody that everybody has loved and people will find that interesting, it's something fun to look forward to.
I remember when I graduated from high school and went off to college. I had a lot of success and friends in high school and I would come back for holidays and when they had musicals and big events because I felt like I was a proud graduate and had a lot of pride in that. That feeling is definitely in this season; those guys won Nationals and I think they have a great pride in that and a great tradition that they're going to try and instill with those kids. All the actors have loved it. Before it was a very difficult schedule and it was very hard. Now it's a very energized cast. People don't have to work 18-hour days; they can work three or four days a week and have a week off and people are allowed to go pursue film, musical or book projects. It's become a really nice home base. I'm really proud of how we've intertwined New York with Ohio and we've kept these stories threaded together, that's been something that I wanted to do and the writers have done a great job with that.
Might we see graduates in other cities (Mike in Chicago, Puck and Mercedes in L.A.)?
We're not going to do L.A. or San Francisco. When you have events like we're going to have -- Sectionals is our Thanksgiving episode, the musical, there's great opportunities for people to come back and share what's going on with them in their lives. That will be fun for people but no, we're really only interested in New York and Ohio.
PHOTOS: 'Glee' Season 4 Cast Portraits
What challenges are you coming across with the new format? What's been the easiest/hardest?
The easiest thing to do in this show, and this show is about first times, that's why high school shows at their best work because you're following characters who are going through first times in their lives. In Year 3, we were getting a little slow on what were the first times, because they had had so many of them: dated, lost virginity, won glee club Nationals, etc. But with some of them growing up and going to college and moving to New York, there's a whole next big set of first times and for our new crop coming in, they're experiencing their first times in a very different way than the other crop did. We wanted to make sure that Marley, Jake and Kitty, on first blush, it'd be very easy to say, "That's the new Rachel, Puck and Quinn," but they're very different. When you get into around episodes 5, 6 and 7, you see that they have very different issues and things going on than the graduating senior group did.
The comparisons for the new characters, was that done intentionally to help the audience ease into the newbies and not miss the graduates as much?
I think so. That's what happens in show business, you replace stars with archetypes in a weird way (laughs). That was the joke that we had, we called [the premiere episode] "the new Rachel," but make no mistake that after the first episode, as you'll see with Marley's relationship with her mother, guys and her own self-consciousness about her weight, she's a completely different character than Rachel ever was. We were aware that people would think that but as we get deeper into the run you'll see how individualized and great they are. We've never had a character like Marley on the show. Rachel was a confident animal right from the get-go, though she did have insecurities.
"Britney 2.0" is a strong episode, was that a natural decision to do another Spears tribute given her commitment to X Factor?
No, that was my idea. They never asked me at all. The first episode, we had Britney's cooperation and she was in it and had approvals and I never wanted to do that again. I thought it would be interesting to do another tribute to her simply because it was a big hit for us but to do it in a different way. I like doing tributes the way we do in this episode; what's more important are following the characters' stories or doing another fantasy number or some of that razzmatazz stuff. I suggested it and network liked it because of the Britney tie-in but it was a different way of doing it. I don't know if she's seen the episode and I really admire her. I hope she would like it but it was meant to be another type of love letter to her. What Brittany says about her at the end is that Britney Spears' career is about resiliency and that's what we say.
The same could be said for Glee.
(Laughing) Yes! It's very nice to hear people say nice things about the show again, I won't lie about it. Sometimes when you're in the weeds of a show and when the show becomes so popular, I get that people want to bring things that are popular down to heel and that's part of the process. There have been some dark days along the way with Glee and what happened is we stopped paying attention to it. We said, "Let's stop with the fantasies and let's stop with the razzmatazz. What are the character stories we could tell?" I was shocked that so many people seemed to have loved it and gotten back on board, in a pleasant way. I feel like I have a really renewed passion for it because I love what we're doing with the old characters and with the new characters. I really want it to go for many more years to come.
STORY: 'Glee': Another Musical, 'Shocking' Rachel and Finn News and More Season 4 Spoilers
Do you have an eye on how many more seasons you'd like Glee to go for?
I don't know. This time last year I was telling people I would personally only want to do it for five years, with this year four. But I'd really like to follow these new kids and their journeys. We're having a meeting with Fox about it in a couple days and I think if we continue to do it right and we can populate it, I really want to go on tour this year. I want to get the new kids out and have them go across the country. That was so important to the show and the life of the show. The fans love it and I think it gets them close to the characters. If we can find a way to keep doing that every year and hopefully keep the storytelling good, I'd like to do it for many, many years. This year, we will in a month have done our 500th song, which is insane. I thought by the point I got there, I'd be tapped out. But I really feel invigorated by it. I love the fan response and where we're headed. I'm very confident with the season and I know the network is, and that's a good feeling.
Will seeing musicals and graduations be something we see every year? Will the seniors this year -- Artie, Blaine, Brittany -- graduate?
Yes, Artie, Blaine, Brittany will hopefully graduate if she can get it together. I think it's important and I think it's closure and important to pay tribute to these characters that we've followed in a major way. They're always very emotional to write and film but my feeling is there's always a place through these actors here, they can always come back; we'll always write to them -- maybe not in every episode. Some of the people we've brought back for the first 10 episodes have been in three, four or five episodes and they've really enjoyed it. That's not to say everybody that we have will go on tour, I think we have to figure that out and when and where we're announcing that tour. It all feels good to me. That's my wish; I really loved the tour. If you read Twitter, people really seem to be clamoring for one and I can hear the new kids and have heard them talking about it already and asking the old-timers what it was like. I'm excited about that and I think it's joyous and celebratory. I don't know how big the tour will be or what it will be, but we're just now talking about should we or should we not do it but I'm throwing my hat in the ring and saying I've seen six of the episodes now and I know these new kids are so good that I really want to put them out in front of people and have them see how talented they are.
Since joining Twitter, you've engaged a lot with the show's vocal audience. How has that helped inspire you?
It's been a great experience because sometimes I'll hold a Q&A with the Glee fans to hear what they like, but that doesn't mean that's what I'm going to do. I think passion is passion and I really admire that and Glee has some of the most passionate fans in the world. Even when they don't like something, they'll tell you and I appreciate that as well. It's a very young fan base and a very vocal one but it's fun to put out an episode and live tweet during it and see what people are saying -- both good and bad. I've enjoyed it and surprised that I've been as "Switzerland" as I've been on it (laughing). Sometimes it's rough to read mean and horrible things about you, about characters. Death threats are never fun but for the most part I've looked at it as something that I've really enjoyed because the fan base is so loyal and I that I appreciate.
What do you think of Glee's fourth season? Hit the comments with your thoughts. Glee airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on Fox.
Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @SnooditI was going to leave this document alone, a “stand alone” for people to read. Then I read it myself. This is facile, infantile and idiotic, an insane piece of what one commenter called “weasel words.”
In sighting the suffering of children, the document equally equates the fears of Israeli children who were “buzzed up” by their own government exploiting a non-existent threat with the 500 children burned to death in their sleep by chemical weapons and American cluster bombs. It is really in there, clear as day, this and one statement after another intended to insult our intelligence and I am not one who easily credits anyone with intelligence.
Yet, in the opening paragraphs, the document cites the entire occupation as “collective punishment,” a war crime under the Geneva Convention so, to that extent, this document issues a finding against Israel of war crimes.
Silent on this are “break away” presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Rand Paul, both Ziophiles of the worst order and, based on these findings, fully complicit in war crimes.
Julian Assange is silent.
Alex Jones is silent.
Russia Today has danced away from this document and what it entails.
There are serious issues that we will be examining in the immediate future. Here is one:
Up to 70% of members of both al Nusra and the Islamic State are Palestinians, most affiliated with Hamas. Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Israel, calling Palestinian homes anything other than temporary detention/concentration camps is unjustified, are providing an unlimited source of manpower.
Why is this not being reported? Why is Hamas not be called to account? Why is Hamas working so closely with Israel and why has no one said a word about it? Is Saudi money so important that tens of thousands of Palestinians are killing fellow Muslims on behalf of Israel and the Saudi Royal family?
This is what I came upon when investigating attacks inside Sinai and looking for coordination with the war against Syria, Iraq and the Kurdish people. I have noted more than a few conveniently disingenuous acts on behalf of Hamas over the years. There are certainly Palestinians fighting against ISIS as well including those defending the Yamouk Camp outside Damascus.
What is also now clear is that some Palestinian aid groups are involved in recruiting and training jihadists, moving them out of Lebanon with Saudi cash, into the training camps of Jordan and Turkey, doing so with donated money while talking and pushing about the abuses of “Israel.”
VT staffers visiting Lebanon and Syria found the basis for this infrastructure, working with traitors inside Syria, traitors inside Hezbollah and narcotics traffickers who appear to be coordinated by groups within the US Embassy in Beirut and Turkish intelligence.
The same groups are trafficking stolen antiquities and are involved in trafficking Palestinian and Syrian refugees, young boys and girls, into the flesh pots of Europe and the Middle East. We saw this too, met victims and saw those involved including Americans frequenting the region on invisible money and imaginary peace missions.
Human Rights Situation in Palestine and Other Occupied CountriesThe 10 Commandments of Umpiring In 1949 Commissioner of Major League Baseball Ford Frick openly spoke about a list of ten commandments governing umpires during the game of baseball. In June 1949, Baseball Digest published that legendary list and even added that persons other than umpires might accept and put into practice some of Frick's suggestions. "Watch your language." - Commissioner of Major League Baseball Ford C. Frick in The 10 Commandments of Umpiring (1949, Baseball Digest, Commandment #7) The 10 Commandments of Umpiring by Ford C. Frick (1949) # Commandment 1 Keep your eye on the ball. 2 Keep all your personalities out of your work. Forget and forgive. 3 Avoid sarcasm. Don't insist on the last word. 4 Never charge a player and, above all, no pointing your finger or yelling. 5 Hear only the things you should hear - be deaf to others. 6 Keep your temper. A decision made in anger is never sound. 7 Watch your language. 8 Take pride in your work at all times. Remember, respect for an umpire is created off the field as well as on. 9 Review your work. You will find, if you are honest, that 90% of the trouble is traceable to loafing. 10 No matter what your opinion of another umpire, never make an adverse comment regarding him. To do so is despicable and ungentlemanly. The 10 Commandments of Umpiring by Ford C. Frick
Do you agree or disagree with these particular "commandments"? Are there more? What are your thoughts about modern umpires? Share your opinion on Baseball Fever. Did you know that Ford Frick was one of the pivotal forces behind the building of the actual hall of fame in Cooperstown and he was eventually elected into it in 1970? Ford Frick was always be remembered for his decision to "place an asterisk" in the record book beside Roger Maris sixty-one home run season.This post isn’t about singing harmony on a Lady Gaga song, but about turning a favorite conservative Christian passtime into a fun blogging activity. The discrepancies between the accounts of Judas’ fate, what happened to the 30 pieces of silver, and how the “Field of Blood” got its name are well known. If you aren’t familiar with them, read them for yourself in Acts 1:18-19 and Matthew 27:1-10.
Those who are determined to have the Bible contain no contradictions no matter the cost have devoted countless hours to harmonizing this and similar discrepancies. They seem not to realize that the one convoluted narrative that they piece together from the two is not what either account in the New Testament says. And so what is “inerrant” is their own contrived construction, while the New Testament writings are each on their own left looking inadequate, since they do not give the impression of what the inerrantist thinks “really happened.”
This meme asks you (and if you are reading this, you are tagged) to come up with the most creative, outlandish, entertaining or humorous way of harmonizing the accounts that you can. When you’ve done so, post it on your blog, and leave a link here to your post. And spread the word, asking those who pick up the meme from your blog to come here and share their links here as well.
Judas sold the information about where Jesus would be on Passover night to the authorities for 30 pieces of silver. He then went without remorse and bought a field. While inspecting it, he tripped and fatally injured himself. While he was lying there in pain, he hears a wooshing noise, and a blue box appears in the field. A man in strange clothing comes out and introduces himself as the Doctor. He administers first aid, and when Judas gets a good look at him, he realizes that he is the man from whom he bought the field! The Doctor explains to Judas that his actions will make history, but also cause much suffering. He gives Judas back the money he paid for the field, takes him in the TARDIS, and shows him the crucifixion. Judas is disturbed, and when the Doctor returns him to his own time, Judas runs off, heading straight for the temple. Judas throws the money into it and runs off to hang himself in the field that he had earlier purchased. Later, the priests will decide to buy a field with the money Judas threw into the temple, and will purchase a field whose previous owner just committed suicide and who had no heirs to inherit it. The Doctor, meanwhile, tells half the details of what happened to a man named Matthew, and the other half to a man named Luke.
Fans of LOST and Doctor Who know that even the most complicated plot lines with serious continuity errors can be resolved through time travel. And so here is my version of the harmonized story of Judas, featuring the Doctor and his TARDIS…
Now it’s your turn. Let’s see what you can come up with!Photo of new Hyundai Rotem 8X8 «Yong» armored personnel carrier of South Korean army
The 8×8 Wheeled Armored Vehicle is an infantry combat vehicle that is fitted with a 420hp diesel engine developed by Hyundai Motors, 7-speed transmission and 2-mode secondary transmission. Capable of moving on both land and water, it has been engineered to maximize crew operability with its ergonomic design and scalability to family vehicles.
The 8×8 Wheeled Armored Vehicle is currently in the system development phase and is expected to be deployed by 2016.
Although exact specifications are scarce, Hyundai indicates its unnamed Wheeled Armored Vehicle or WAV platform began development in 2012. Despite South Korea’s close ties with the US, rather than license-build a LAV-25 or Stryker, the WAV appears to be modeled on different 8×8 APCs.
Instead of a glacis plate, the vehicle’s front is raised and reinforced with armor, like Turkey’s PARS, and there appears to be a small camera in the middle for the driver’s visibility similar to the Singaporean Terrex. The power plant, located front right, is unknown but judging from similar 8×8’s is probably a diesel engine in the 500 hp range. Probable top speed is between 100 to 105 km/h and maximum range is 600 km.
Without additional layers of protections or modules, the basic WAV will have at least STANAG IV armor. A combination of a bilge pump and twin water jet propellers at the rear hull allows for amphibious crossings at either 8 or 10 km/h. The WAV configured as an APC carries nine passengers, who enter via a rear hydraulic ramp, and two crew. A pair of side doors and a driver’s hatch allow access to the front. Four additional hatches are behind the turret.
An estimated 600 of these vehicles will have entered service by 2020.'Limbaugh Show' responds to Brock
David Brock is so outraged at Rush Limbaugh’s words of three weeks ago that he started organizing a protest — almost 3 years ago.
It was planned ahead and activated at the first moment Brock could manipulate a media frenzy. Make no mistake, Brock’s “marketplace of ideas” offers only one brand: Brand Brock. All others will be forced off the shelves with intimidation and lies.
Story Continued Below
Media Matters for America stands for censorship, and nothing more than that. Their ginned-up election year anger is directed at the words of their media political opposition — similar expressions are ignored when used |
of displeasure but he acted as if he didn’t hear them.
“Registration is completed. For this quest we have requested the aid of Elmekia Dusk for the hunt of one of the Five Great Disasters. They would be heading out tomorrow morning.”
“So you are saying other parties should match them?”
“To have everyone cooperate, that is what we are asking for.”
The receptionist girl said that with a begging eyes.
“The subordinates of one of the Five Great Disasters are gathered at the summit. If we don’t suppress them before their forces increases more than this, there is a risk that this town would be destroyed……so I beg you.”
“It will be alright~.”
The one who waved her hand with easygoing tone was Elise.
“Rather, if Achendia felt like it she could have destroyed this town on her own. Since that hasn’t happened, it means she has no intention to destroy this town. She’s a moody individual. If she is in a good mood she wouldn’t do anything unless we take action so relax.”
“It doesn’t sound relaxing at all you know!? What would happen if her mood changes for the worst!?”
“That’s why we will take her down before that happens.”
The previous Demon King smiled.
“That’s why we should head to the inn. I have been sweating so I want to take a bath. You too, Kyelse.”
“The party’s name……the special party name I have been coming up with since yesterday……”
“That was the name you came up with after seriously thinking about it!? Oh well, anyways, let’s get going.”
Ren took Kyelse’s hand who was putting on a sulking face and left the auditorium quickly.
And then——the moment they came out. Noises. The parties and the residents that seemed to be waiting for them outside the auditorium all looked at them.
“Woah?”
“They were the parties that were looking at us before. I guess rumours brought more rumours and ended up gathering all these people.”
It was exactly like the situation when the Elmekia Dusk showed up before. They didn’t come to talk to them directly. But they were whispering to each other quietly.
“Ren. Let’s go. We need to book an inn first and have you concentrate on your training like usual.”
“…...Alright. The inn it is. Umm, I’m sure there was one this way.”
Kyelse who was following right behind him.
Ren walked through the main street while taking her small hand.
“By training, do you mean you will teach me about sword again?”
“At noon, yes. I will look after you in terms of swords. But at night it will be Fear and Elise. The ancient summoning, the one we had you train every day. It seems like you can’t hear the voices of the spirits yet. But we will have you continue it until we can.”
“……Roger that. Though I am trying.”
“It’s natural that you can’t perform it yet. It wouldn’t be called ANCIENTS“the lost spells” if it was that easy to acquire.”
The public road filled with people.
The silver haired girl then plainly said it while looking ahead.
“Even so, our battle against Achendia would be tomorrow. We don’t have time but we will have you train much as time would allow it. Both sword and ancient summoning.”
2 [ edit ]
The town of the blazing cliff where there was still heat and commotion.
The hot wind which came from the active volcano where one of the Five Great Disasters awaits them. Even late at night, where jet-black curtain has covered the sky, the hot air was still present which made you sweat slowly.
“Thank you for waiting, Ren. You seemed to be quite tired now.”
“Hey, Fear-senpai…… Yeah, I’ve been sword training with Kyelse till just now. But seriously, no wonder this place is called the town of the blazing cliff. I never thought it would be this hot even at night so I was cooling off while taking a break.”
Ren turned around with a smile to the blonde girl who appeared on his way to the inn. Though his smile turned into an expression filled with fatigue immediately——
“……Except, I couldn’t calm myself down even though I took a break.”
“What do you mean?”
“I think I’m……nervous. The Demon General of Blaze would be a great Demon who I would never have imagined to face. Even though I was training with Kyelse, I kept on realising that I’m still inexperienced.”
“That’s how it should be.”
The response the Archangel gave was a peaceful nod.
“Instead I would have been troubled if you said you were confident in yourself. That attitude is much better than those people from the other parties around here who are trying to face one of the Five Great Disasters without having the proper strength to face her and simply rushing for glory.”
“That may be true……”
“Knowing your weakness is the key to your growth. Ren, that modesty of yours is your strong point. Though talking about it in the middle of the street is strange. Let’s head to my room.”
The room Fear pointed at was right beside the room where Ren was staying at.
They booked two rooms.
The other rooms were already fully booked by the other parties, but luckily there were two rooms left.
It was good that they were able to divide the room among Ren and the three girls. Though the room would be too small for three people to stay in so they had no choice but to share each room among two people. So the room was shared between Ren & Kyelse for one room and Elise & Fear for the other room.
“Please come in. Elise went to take a night walk but she should be returning soon. Till then, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“About the ancient summoning?”
“Yes. We would be facing Achendia tomorrow so I’ll tell you a bit about it.”
——You don’t need to feel so reserved.
Fear entered her room gallantly as if she wanted to say that.
“T-Then excuse me————!”
Exactly when he entered the room.
The explosion of light. Ren took several steps back in reflex and had his eyes blinded by the light which was so strong that it could lighten the sky of the night.
“Oh my, pardon me. Was it too bright?”
“Senpai, those wings are……?”
The Archangel Fear who was the strongest in Heaven.
Fear who had pure-white wings growing out from her back was smiling normally inside her room.
“But first, there is something I must give you.”
The Angel who touched her own wing. What she pinched using her fingers was a single feather, a beautiful feather which was glowing, from her wing which just appeared.
“Here, please take this.”
“Eh? Isn’t this——”
“This is my present for you. Ren, this will be a ritual item for activating your ancient summoning.”
The Angel continued with a casual tone.
“We had you train by trying to have you communicate with the small spirit which is attached to you till we reached this town of the blazing cliff.”
“……Yeah. I was actually giving my all for the training.”
For the past three days, the small spirit of fire certainly appeared in front of Ren when they were camping outside.
It was certain that it was attached to Ren.
But no matter how much Ren tried to concentrate in trying to hear its voice, the spirit didn’t say anything to him after all. It was floating in the air optimistically and disappeared when it felt like it.
“So then, what do you mean when your feather would be a ritual item to activating the spell?”
“There are two factors you need in order to use ancient summoning. One is the power to hear the voices of the spirits. And the second is the activation substance for the spell. We are talking about a powerful spell to summon the spirits here, so you would need a suitable activation substance for it.”
“And this is……”
Ren stared at the Angel’s feather held in his hand.
The sacred ritual item which was giving out a shallow light.
“I certainly was taught that using the leaves of an ancient trees or items which is possessed by spiritual power would enhance the power of normal spells. Would it be safe to assume that the same logic would apply here?”
“Exactly. Though a normal activation substance wouldn’t be able to activate the ancient summoning. The “divine item” which is much superior than a mere ritual item——please excuse myself but I am an Archangel who has the second highest rank in Heaven after the Goddess Resflaze-sama. With a powerful activation substance such as this, even for you who doesn’t know much about ancient summoning yet would perhaps be able to succeed in activating simple spells.”
“Even for me right now?”
“Yes. Though I may be repeating myself but the most crucial factor in this is for you to be able to communicate with the spirits. I was originally planning to hand this to you once you were able to do that.”
“Is it alright for me to receive this now?”
“You can say it’s a replacement for a lucky charm. And also as a reward for you as you were working hard for the past three days.”
The blonde Archangel answered with a graceful smile.
Right after that.
“I’m back! Oh, Ren’s here!”
The door opened and a dark skinned girl rushed into the room.
“Did you receive Fear’s feather already? Then I should give you one as well.”
“You will give me something too, Elise?”
“Yup. I’ll give you this.”
A gold-like jewel which was glowing in yellow-brown colour.
Amber——a fossilisation of a large tree’s resin over a long period.
“Remember what Fear said? About how ancient summoning is a high-level spell which involves the manipulation of space. Spirits aren’t the only things you can summon. It should be even possible to summon simple objects.”
“What do you mean?”
“Assume that the Angel’s feather is the activation substance for the ancient summoning. And the one I handed to you will be to summon physical objects. In other words, you would need different ritual item for different types of summoning.”
“So even a jewel like this can become an activation substance?”
An Archangel’s feather which looked powerful no matter how you saw it.
On the other hand a jewel given to Ren from Elise looked like a simple jewel at first glance.
“Well, it’s natural for you to feel that way. But it isn’t a normal amber. It’s a jewel condensed from the resin belonging to a one-thousand years old tree which was present in the Underworld. Also, can you see a black line inside the amber?”
“……Umm, oh this.”
A narrow line which Ren originally thought was a crack.
There was something, something narrow like a string inside the amber.
“It’s my hair. I used this as a medium to seal my, a Demon King’s, power. It was a jewel I had prepared three-hundred years ago but it wasn’t enough to make my reincarnated body mature. I’ll give it to you since I won’t be using it.”
“Is it really okay?”
“Yup. You’ve been training to summon that spirit till yesterday, right? Even though it may be the same ancient summoning, summoning a physical object might be easier. Rather than summoning a special being like spirits, you would be summoning something you are familiar with. To explain it in details, you can for example summon a book you left at the academy.”
“……Isn’t that also amazing enough!?”
“Right? But this will be hard in terms of when to use it.”
Elise answered with a meaningful smile.
“Anyway, the effect of the ancient summoning apparently had to do with the spellcaster’s skills and the power possessed inside the divine item. Ren, you haven’t actually started training spells yet. But what you have are the divine items which came from me, the previous Demon King, and Fear, an Archangel. So you will be compensating your skills with a powerful activation substance.”
The Angel’s feather would be for the spirit summoning purpose.
The Demon’s jewel would be for the physical object summoning purpose.
Ren nodded his head while holding onto both of those activation substances.
“So I’ll be able to summon everything besides the spirits with this amber of yours then, right?”
“That’s how it is said. Even though I said physical object, it’s for non-living objects so you should give it a try. Ren, try to summon one of the education books you left in your so-called academy.”
“……By the way, how should I do it?”
“I don’t know. Ancient summoning was a spell which belonged to the humans. It’s said that spirit summoning is to summon the spirits through communication with them. But there is lack of information in regards to summoning physical objects.”
The previous Demon King shook her head immediately.
“Though if it’s a space-manipulation spell like the ancient summoning, then there is a spell created by the Demons which resembles it. The trick I used back then was, let me see……you make your mind go blank, then imagine you are manipulating space quietly, and then bang, you activated it. Easy right?”
“Pardon me?”
“That’s why I’m saying that you make your mind go blank, then imagine you are manipulating space, and then bang!”
“……Hold on a sec. My brain is about to explode.”
Ren stopped Elise and put this hand on his forehead.
In terms of the way how Kyelse taught Ren sword techniques, the training would involve Ren watching Kyelse wield the sword and learn it. According to Kyelse “explaining it in words is hard” for her so Ren would have a hard time acquiring it since there wasn’t any explanation given to him in words. Though Elise’s explanation was hard to comprehend in a different way.
——I need to imagine my education book to appear strongly.
He could guess that was what she wanted to say. But he never anticipated that a Demon’s logic behind spells would be a vague sense of feeling as this.
“Well then, start already! I’m also looking forward to your summoning, Ren!”
“I’ll give it a shot but don’t hold too much hope. I still can’t do the spirit summoning either……”
The Demon King’s jewel which was glowing in his left hand.
What Ren imagined in his head was his education book he left in the academy while he gripped the Demon King’s jewel for a long time.
His education book which he read through it so many times that the pages were torn. Ren still remembered the sensation and the weight of his book within his hands——
That instant.
The Demon King’s jewel was enveloped by a strong golden light.
“……What!?”
Ren was about to drop the jewel due to the sudden activation but he managed to stop himself from dropping it.
After the light settled.
A familiar old education book dropped on the floor close to Ren’s foot.
“……Eh? Does this mean I succeeded?”
He still couldn’t believe it even though he activated it himself.
But the book which was on the ground in front of him was certainly the education book he imagined inside his head.
“Hmm, nice job Ren. I was actually surprised for real this time.”
Elise who picked the education book from the ground.
The innocent looking eyes which belonged to a young girl rises up happily. But her eyes becomes so sharp and gets filled with devilishness that even Ren felt chills on his back.
——The smile she is making while she showed a slight expression of when she was a Demon King.
——Therefore the praise she just gave must have come from the bottom of her heart.
“Even so, I only succeeded in summoning a single book as this……”
“Ren, you are saying that because you don’t realise how hard space manipulation spells are. You do know that the spell you just showed would be a level where the instructors from the Holy Fiora Journey Academy would faint due to the shock if they saw that?”
The one who answered with a bittersweet smile was Fear.
The Archangel who took the book Elise had just picked up and started observing it.
“I see. It certainly is Ren’s book. It’s certain that this is a book which was summoned from the Holy Fiora Journey Academy which is located very far from here. Though you would require more training for spirit summoning, it seems like you would improve this summoning more than I thought.”
“……Y-You think?”
“That’s why your aim would be to maintain this book at this spot for more than an hour.”
“Eh?”
Ren couldn’t understand Fear’s word immediately.
The exact moment when Ren was about to ask her——
“This is what I mean.”
The education book Fear was holding onto disappeared after being engulfed by golden sparkles.
“!? It disappeared!?”
“It returned to its original location. “Karma” and “time” are the two important requirements for ancient summoning.”
Elise gave a steady answer.
With an unhesitant tone as if she already predicted that Ren would get shocked.
“Though it’s also the weakness of ancient summoning since you can’t keep what you have summoned within your reach for unlimited time. It is said that you would be given the “time” restraint. By the way, I was actually counting in secret just now and that book returned exactly after twenty seconds.”
“For such short time…… Oh, so this is what you meant when you said it will be hard to find the situation to use it.”
“Exactly. That’s why the main target of summoning for ancient summoning would be the spirits after all. The spirits would respond to your voice and stay in that location. But lifeless objects which doesn’t have consciousness has a trait to return to its original location immediately. Right, Fear?”
“That’s correct. Except, the factor which would connect the summoned object and Ren would be the “karma” shared between them. For that reason you were able to summon it on your first try, Ren. For example, even if it was another education book which was located in the library, the chances you would be able to summon the said-book would be very low due to the weak karma between you and that book. Even if you were able to summon it——”
“So rather than twenty seconds, it would return in few seconds?”
“Yes.”
“……I see. But I think I got the gist of it.”
Ren wouldn’t be able to summon an object which has a weak karma with him. Even if he did, it would disappear instantly. It meant the ancient summoning wasn’t perfect even if it was considered as ANCIENTS“the lost spells”.
“If that’s the case I might as well try again since I did succeed in——”
“Ren.”
Ren wanted to practise it once more.
But the one who spoke over Ren’s words was Kyelse who had entered the room all of a sudden.
“Huh, Kyelse? Since when were you there?”
“I was here since before. You didn’t notice me since you were all ears to Elise’s explanation.”
After having said that, Kyelse held Ren’s hand tightly.
“This is enough for today so you should take a rest already. You should be tired because of the sword training you had with me as well.”
“At least let me try once more——”
“Tomorrow will be the battle against one of the Five Great Disasters. We would be troubled if you go down at a crucial moment due to lack of rest.”
She didn’t even allow him to argue back.
Kyelse’s words was so appropriate that Ren was about to laugh without thinking.
“Let’s go.”
“……Fine. Anyways, Fear-senpai, Elise, thanks.”
Ren returned to the room next door while being dragged by Kyelse.
Soon as they went to their room——
“Seriously, you get caught up with training easily. You were tired a moment ago due to the training with me.”
Kyelse sighed while sitting on the bed.
“Let me confirm but did you receive the activation substances?”
“I got one each from Fear-senpai and Elise. I may ask you a weird question but these are valuable items which would hold high values if I sold them, right?”
The divine items which had the power of the Archangel and the Demon King respectively.
“If I put it into the human’s value, then just selling one will allow you to buy a whole town.”
“That much!?”
“The ritual items, which has the power of either an Angels or Demons, would function as a defence barrier which has resistances against all sorts of spells. If it’s a divine item with the power of an Archangel, who is the second highest rank after the Goddess, or the Demon King, then it would normally become a “shield” which would be too powerful for a human to be in possession of.”
Ren couldn’t actually understand it since he was given them so normally. But the Archangel’s feather and the Demon King’s jewel he was holding onto would indeed be the world treasures.
“But think about it very hard. Why do you think Elise and Fear gave you such valuable divine item? Especially Fear’s feather. The reason why she gave you the activation substance even though you still can’t communicate with the spirits.”
“……Because I’m inexperienced?”
You can make up for the spellcaster of ancient summoning’s skills by the use of powerful activation substance. That was what Ren was told.
“Half right and half wrong. More than you being inexperienced, it has more to do with the single enemy we are facing this time being powerful.”
“The Five Great Disasters……”
“Our current power is nowhere near our actual powers. On the other hand the strength of the Five Great Disasters surpasses that of current Demon King of the Underworld. Then what do you think will happen?”
The Dragon Princess stared at the ceiling while she sat on the bed.
“What do you mean by what will happen……”
“It means that even I will have a really hard time fighting Achendia alone.”
The silver haired girl said it plainly.
“That’s why you need to protect yourself on your own. Think of the divine items that Fear and Elise gave you not as an activation substances for the ancient summoning but as a powerful defence barrier and keep it close to you all the time. You have to protect yourself. When we are fighting, just put your life as the priority.”
“…..Yeah. You are right.”
“Why don’t you sound convinced even though you said you do understand?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Ren shook his head as if he was laughing at himself to Kyelse who was looking up at him.
……I also want to become the manpower of the group.
……But right now, I’m not in a position where I can say that.
“I know I’m being hasty. But I was wondering if I can become a strength to this party one day.”
“Don’t feel so down. I’ve been training you while having such intent from the start.”
Kyelse who had got up from the bed reached out her hand. What she grabbed with her hand was a single sword covered in brown colour sheath which was fading away.
“My sword?”
“In your case, not only your strength but you also need to do something with this sword or you can’t even start yet. I’m guessing you bought this in a minor weapon shop where you chose the cheapest second-hand one.”
“Ugh!?”
He couldn’t argue back. Ren bought the cheapest second hand sword from the town’s weapon shop when his enrolment to Holy Fiora Journey Academy was decided.
“The length of the sword as well as the weight of it doesn’t match your height and strength. The grip is also in bad condition. Instead I’m amazed you were able to use this till now.”
“……Are you praising me?”
“Yeah. Though this will be a joke if you are going to fight a high level Angels, Demons, and Dragons.”
Kyelse who drew out the blade from the sheath smoothly and started staring at the blade.
“The many layers of defence barrier the Archangels have around them. The Dragon’s scale which has stronger hardness than iron and steel. The miasma given out from high level Demons. All of them are a threat to humans. For example the Five Great Disaster we are facing this time. Let’s say you succeed in surprise attacking the Demon General of Blaze Achendia and cut her from behind——”
“And then?”
“The moment your blade touched Achendia’s miasma, the blade will corrode without any resistance and turn into dust.”
“Just how useless can it be!?”
“You would need a spirit armament which would be a sword with power of the spirit possessed in it at worst. The reason we chose the triumphal town as the meeting location with Elise was because I wanted to tell you that.”
——The Spirit-Sword Vierge.
The spirit sword which was said to be wielded by Eleline when he went to the Underworld and the Heaven a long time ago. Even though its sheath was destroyed over the three-hundred years, the blade was still filled with a sacred blue light.
“Aren’t weapons like those……”
“Hold on. There’s something wrong outside.”
Kyelse suddenly said that with a strong tone.
“Wrong?”
“……There are several presence……howl and anger…………it’s getting closer……really closer……”
The girl opened the window.
At the jet-black night, what the Dragon Princess stared at was the summit of the giant volcano. And then——
“It’s coming!”
The exploding crimson flames lightened the town of the blazing cliff at night time.
The dancing flames which blew many sparks.
Right after that, a sound of crumbling which signified something huge had been destroyed from somewhere far echoed.
“W-What was that sound?”
“The town wall which was surrounding the town must have been destroyed. And that wasn’t just one location since I heard a sound of multiple locations being destroyed. A charge of an enormous monster or an attack spell by a Demon.”
The sky which turned red.
The Dragon Princess muttered while she stared at the rooftop of the building which was being stirred up by the sparks.
“A conceited human must have acted rashly by angering the Five Great Disaster.”
“What do you mean!? It was supposed to be tomorrow——”
“One of the party who became blinded from making achievement must have made an assault to the Great Volcano of Galia at night. As a result, they counterattacked by the Five Great Disaster after angering her.”
The entrance to the room.
The one standing there calmly was a blonde Archangel in white robe.
“So then, what shall we do now, Elise?”
“Hmm……I really can’t imagine for the moody Achendia to become angry by simply receiving a surprise attack by a mere party. To begin with, she doesn’t even consider humans as a threat. I’m guessing her henchmen became angry on their own. So maybe she’s watching it from the summit?”
The previous Demon King who answered with her usual easy going tone.
“Oh well, should we be quick? Even though it’s a counterattack by her henchmen, there seems to be many of them. Though taking down Achendia would be the quickest way to stop their counterattack.”
3 [ edit ]
The residents’ houses which were burning.
The sky during night was tainted in red by having the sparks rise up by the wind.
“The fire already spread this much!?”
“Of course since they are the henchmen of the Demon General of Blaze. Of course it would be spells they would be proficient at. ——Even so, let’s get rid of them right away.”
Elise who raised her hand.
The spell’s design glowed in blue colour. The moment the glowing ice particles which was created in empty space, the flames which was burning in fast pace gets frozen in no time and disappeared by turning into many fragments.
“......That’s Elise for you”
“Geez. Humans does turn into daredevils. Didn’t your academy tell you not to act so reckless, Ren?”
“Huh? What do you——”
“The ones who stimulated all these Demons and monsters that are rampaging first was most likely five member party’s made up of the so-called Ren’s seniors we met at noon.”
“It can’t be!?”
“I’m dead serious.”
The former Demon King who easily jumped onto a building’s rooftop to get a full view of the town.
“Hmm, I see. Approximately two hundred enemies. There are less than ten Demons that is acting as the main force. Majority of the remaining one-hundred ninety enemies are monsters tamed by the Demons.”
“Elise, is what you just said true? About the seniors from the academy!”
“More like I was there when it happened. They were heading towards the volcano. You know when I left at night? I bypassed them by a chance.”
“You didn’t stop them?”
“I did. But I’m in this state now. Not only didn’t they hear me out, they just ignored me. Or should I have injured them till they couldn’t move?”
“…………No.”
Ren shook his head while biting his teeth hard at the master of the Underworld’s question.
“You warned them right, Elise? Then the ones at fault are my seniors who ignored your warning and the ones who started this first was the humans.”
“I like the sound of that. So you can make proper judgment without treating them special for being the same human as you huh.”
The former Demon King nodded with a smile cheerfully.
“Anyway we need to go and stop them. Even if they joined forces they wouldn’t be able to win against Achendia. Then there will only be casualties if we don’t stop them.”
Ren could guess why they headed towards the mountain in a rush.
The Elmekia Dusk’s participation. Since they didn’t see any chances of winning the competition against a large world-level party head on, so they must have thought they needed to make the first move.
“Kyelse, Fear, Elise——”
To the volcano’s summit.
The moment Ren was about to shout that out, “something” large jumped out from the resident’s house right behind them.
“A monster!?”
A crimson colour large snake broke through the house’s wall and jumped at them.
——The sword flashed.
The snake powerfully and quickly leaped to the rear due to a sharp strike grazing its face. But it wasn’t Ren who swung the sword.
“High-level Demons and their tamed monsters huh.”
The MASTERKnight who was wearing a black steel battle-wear. His brute strength which allowed him not to twitch his eyes even in front of a giant monster. And his behaviour which came from his confidence.
“Elmekia Dusk?”
“If you are a civilian then evacuate to the auditorium. If you belong to a party then head to the mountain.”
“W-What about you guys!?”
“We split into two troops. The first troop has already headed to hunt the Five Great Disaster. And the remaining troop would concentrate on guarding the town.”
“……Can we leave the guarding of this town to you guys? Didn’t you also come to hunt the Five Great Disaster?”
“Protecting the town was also included in the request.”
The one that gave the answer just now was an ARIACaster who was also wearing the same black battle-wear.
“Majority of this assault is caused by the monsters. High-level Demons are a threat but their numbers are low. So we will oppress them.”
“Having the Elmekia Dusk taking the defence sure is reassuring.”
Fear who smashed a strange bird that came to assault them to the ground with just her fist.
“Though it seems like you have other motives, right? Rather than getting uncertain fame where you might let the Five Great Disaster escape after cornering them, taking the certain fame as a priority which is to protect the town may be better. ……Would that be me thinking too much?”
“……I suggest you move your legs than your brain.”
The MASTERKnight responded with a fearless smile to Fear who was putting on a meaningful smile.
“Many of the parties had already headed to the summit of the volcano. You don’t intend to waste time here after coming this far to the town of the blazing cliff, right?”
“Well, we can’t argue about that. We should get going as well.”
The dark skinned girl made her body float in the air without waiting for others response after she said that. She jumped from rooftop to rooftop of the houses and headed directly towards the trailhead of the volcano.
“Hurry, you too, Ren. We can't stop the invasion unless we defeat Achendia.”
“I know. But you are going too fast!”
Ren chased after the three girls who were going ahead very fast while he breathed heavily.
The trailhead of the volcano. The moment he was about to go through the door which had been destroyed by the monsters.
“—! Actually, go without me. I need to go somewhere!”
“Ren!?”
Without even responding back to Kyelse’s shout, Ren turned around on the spot.
——The mansion on fire.
He could hear a weak scream from there.
“Dammit, did someone get left behind!? The place is about to burn down any minute!”
Ren forcefully kicked the burning door.
Ren entered the building while he had the sparks that was flying around burn his skin.
“Where are you!? Hey, you are there, aren’t you!?”
His sight was covered in crimson colour. There wasn’t much time left till the building gets completely burnt.
……Calm down.
……Being able to hear the scream means that person isn’t deep inside the building.
The flames that was burning as if it was dancing. Behind those flames.
“H……elp me……some……one……”
The black haired girl who was on the ground.
Ren saw a girl who was surrounded by flames and smokes who barely had any consciousness left who could just emit a low voice.
“Over there! ……Alright, it’s okay now. You are the only one left behind, right?”
Ren carried the small built girl on his back and tried to go back to the exit of the building.
“The mansion!?”
The burning ceiling crashed down. The path Ren was about to go through just now gets blocked by a wall of giant bricks and flames.
“At a time like this……dammit!”
The path which was blocked by the burning flames. From behind him. And from the surrounding walls, Ren was being cornered by the heat.
Flames in all direction. The escape route got blocked just now.
——There’s no way to escape to.
——At this rate we would burn along with the building.
The chilling image which passed through his head for a moment.
But at the same time a passionate heat which would erase his chills ran through his whole body.
“……Like hell I’ll give up!”
He who was despised as a fake Brave Hero.
He was different from the Brave Hero Eleline. A III-Grade MASTERKnight who was far from being that legendary swordsman. Even so, all three of Kyelse the Dragon Princess, Fear the Archangel, and Elise the former Demon King invited him to their party despite knowing that.
He wanted live up to their expectations with everything he had——
That instant.
Something triggered inside Ren. And then.
“Can you……hear my voice?”
A voice.
Like a sound of a bell that echoed from far away——
It wasn’t his ears. It was then when a faint voice echoed inside Ren.
“I was waiting……all this time. My voice. Now, it should reach you……”
“!? You are——!?”
A voice he heard for the first time.
But this voice sounded which made him feel nostalgic.
……I.
......I know who this voice……belongs to since a long time ago?
“Summon language. My aria……”
“You words. Now, it can reach me……”
“……Yeah. I can hear you. This time for sure.”
What Ren gripped tightly was the Archangel’s feather as if he was guided by a faint voice.
The white divine tool which glowed brightly.
“That’s why——”
Ancient summoning.
It was said that by hearing the spirit’s voice and responding to them, the spirits would also respond back to the spellcaster.
“I can’t end in a place like this.”
—— 『SingRh/ s the door of the worldhec ele Selah』——
The sea of flames that was blocking his path gets split in half.
SALAMANDERAncestral spirit of fire.
The spirit which had been besides Ren as a small spirit of fire descended now in its true form as a crimson lizard with wings.
“I get it now…… You’ve been trying to talk to me from a long time ago.”
Now he could hear it.
“Call me, again. I would be, waiting.”
Ren ran through the path of the flames. And it happened at the same time.
The same time as Ren exited the mansion, the mansion collapsed while making a sound.
“Ren!? Good, you are safe.”
Kyelse who found Ren and came running to him.
“Sorry, I took a detour. ——Oh, there he is. Hey, take care of this girl!”
Ren carried the girl he had saved and left her in the care of the MASTERKnight of the Elmekia Dusk.
“Y……You are……?”
“I’m glad you are okay. See you then, I’m also in a rush!”
Ren waved his hand to the girl who had her eyes open a bit as he ran.
“Where are Fear and Elise?”
“They are heading to the summit already. Also, I saw several more parties climbing the mountain while you were acting on your own. We are most likely the last ones. Looks like we are late.”
“I said I’m sorry.”
“I didn’t say you were bad.”
Kyelse smiled while running elegantly.
“If you didn’t do that, then there would have been a life no once could have saved. Also, we can climb faster for the lost time. With the two of us. Follow me!”
“Alright.”
Ren gripped his old sword. Ren ran through the path which led to the volcano.
One of The Five Great Disasters. The “Demon General of Blaze” Achendia. They simply ran towards her——Stamford City Representative elect Raven Matherne (Rae) is photograph on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2017 in Stamford, Connecticut. Matherne, part of Reform Stamford movement that swept the election, is the city's first transgender person elected to office. less Stamford City Representative elect Raven Matherne (Rae) is photograph on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2017 in Stamford, Connecticut. Matherne, part of Reform Stamford movement that swept the election, is the city's first... more Photo: Matthew Brown / Hearst Connecticut Media Buy photo Photo: Matthew Brown / Hearst Connecticut Media Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Matherne becomes Stamford’s first transgender lawmaker 1 / 5 Back to Gallery
STAMFORD — The city’s first openly transgender lawmaker was voted into office Tuesday, a milestone for the local LGBTQ community that was among the victories transgender candidates won nationwide on Election Day.
Raven Matherne, 29, who is believed to be the state’s first transgender lawmaker, won a seat on Stamford’s Board of Representatives. She ran as part of the Reform Stamford slate that sought political change on the 40-member board.
In Virginia, Democrat Dan |
secret FBI inquiry for user data.
Google wrote in its biannual report that an FBI gag restriction on the subpoena or national security letter issued in the second half of 2015 had been lifted.
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The Intercept first reported on the subpoena mentioned in Google’s transparency report.
Law enforcement officials' power to use national security letters was greatly extended after the passage of the Patriot Act. The letters do not require a judge’s approval like warrants, and those who receive the letters are barred from publicly talking about them.
The FBI and Department of Justice must periodically review national security letters to assess if the gag restrictions are still necessary, according to the Intercept’s report. The restriction is supposed to be lifted after either three years or when the investigation has concluded depending on which comes first.
Google didn’t release the actual letter as other companies previously have, though it intends to at an unspecified point in the future.
Though Google only noted receiving one national security letter from the latter half of 2015, the company has received more in the past and fought against them.This guy was one of the highlights omy trip to Antarctica. It was during the zodiac cruise tour (small cruise boats) that we were driving around looking at glaciers that we spotted this guy. The small piece of ice that he was sitting on was sitting against a massive glacier. The drivers of the boats actually maneuvered themselves to move the ice sheet away from the glacier so that everyone could see him. Once we got in front of him he got up from his lazy position and posted his body on the small ice boulder you see in the picture (click here to see him stretching). Then he just looked straight at us and started to smile. Its like he has been on camera before, very cool experience.
Click here to see more pictures of Antarctic & check out the top 5 section for more things to do in Antarctica & around the world.We’re surrounded by electromagnetic fields at almost all times, thanks to the number of electrical devices and machines we use, and almost all of this electromagnetic energy goes to waste. But what if it didn’t?
Bremen-based designer Dennis Siegel asked himself that very question and came up with an answer: a pocket-sized “electromagnetic harvester” able to tap into these fields and use them to charge a battery. Siegel’s website uses examples including a photocopier, a coffee maker and an electrical substation.
The harvester uses coils and high frequency diodes to capture the energy, while an LED indicates the strength of the signal. One thing to consider: Siegel says it takes about a day to charge a single AA battery, depending on the signal strength – so it’s clear this technology has some way to go before we’re all charging our mobiles by waving them at the nearest fridge. Even so, it’s a compelling concept as we move into a future where energy conservation is going to become more and more important.
[Dennis Siegel via DesignBoom]
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Would you pay US$20,000 to play every game ever made?How do we measure greatness in sport?
No one would dispute, for example, the monumental achievement of Roger Bannister’s sub-four-minute mile in 1954. Or Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series. Or Bob Beamon’s propulsive, world record–shattering leap—29 feet 2½ inches—in winning the long jump gold medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics. What Bannister, Larsen and Beamon accomplished were moments of greatness, and certainly, those moments endure. But a more convincing measure of athletic dominance is stringing together solid performances—steady good play that becomes great play. In a word: consistency. Or, a streak. These are the sports feats of our imagination, the standards of greatness that inspire our ultimate respect and awe.
Still, even the most celebrated of these accomplishments have been challenged by other, almost equally magnificent jocks. In hockey, Wayne Gretzky holds the longest consecutive point streak (scoring a goal or making an assist) at 51 games. Mario Lemieux neared the Great One’s coup, with points in 46 straight games. In football, Drew Brees threw touchdown passes in 54 games in a row; with 52, Tom Brady was just behind. In tennis, Martina Navratilova won 74 consecutive matches, while Steffi Graf walked away the winner in 66. In each of these formidable records, the distance between the top achiever and his or her closest competitor isn’t all that great; the feat has been aggressively, if not ultimately, challenged. After all, records—even these—are meant to be broken. But there is one record streak that might be the sports triumph for the ages. And it does not belong to a guy named DiMaggio.
Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak in 1941 is regarded by many as the greatest individual feat in all of sport. Volumes have been written about its unreachable heights, its once-in-a-lifetime happenstance. It is considered the ne plus ultra of stats.
As a passionate fan of golf and analytics, I was struck by the paucity of documented records and streaks in golf, especially compared with other sports. Thanks to the PGA Tour’s wealth of scoring data, which dates back to 1983, I was able to do some digging—a lot of digging. (There have been about 1,500 Tour events played since 1983.) The stats yield all kinds of fascinating streaks and records (see pages 94-96). Discovering a streak of DiMaggio-esque significance was the last thing on my mind. Yet, out of the blue, there it was.
[image:2235599]
As records go, golf’s longest beat-the-field streak may not sound as sexy as the Yankee Clipper’s historic achievement, but it’s almost certainly as astonishing in its dimension—maybe more so. A beat-the-field streak is the number of consecutive rounds in which a player’s score is better than the average score of the field for that round. For example, if a player shoots 69 when the field average is 70.8, the player has “beaten the field.” A Tour player stringing together a long run of fine rounds would be a great measure of dominance and consistency.
Considering all players at all PGA Tour events since 1983, what would you conjecture is the record for the longest number of consecutive rounds beating the field? I put the question to dozens of golfers, fans, and Tour professionals, and their estimates ranged from 15 to about 35 rounds. Those rough guesses would be spot-on, were the sport limited to mere mortals. For example, Mark O’Meara has the second-longest beat-the-field streak, with an impressive 33 consecutive rounds in 1992. When I made O’Meara aware of his feat, he was surprised. “That’s an interesting stat,” he said, “and one I take pride in.” Peter Jacobsen ranks fourth on the list, with 30 straight rounds beating the field. Again, impressive. Of all the people I asked about the streak, Jacobsen, by far, made the loftiest guess. “Tiger could have some crazy number,” he said. “It could be in the 60s.” Jacobsen is right in two respects: the record-setting number belongs to Tiger Woods, and it’s crazy. Crazier than crazy.
[pagebreak]
From August 1999 through November 2000, Woods beat the field’s average score in an astounding 89 consecutive PGA Tour tournament rounds. That is roughly three times the length of the streak posted by his nearest competitor. (Only official PGA Tour stroke-play events are counted for this streak, so the WGC-Match Play, for example, is not included.)
[image:13611079]
O’Meara, Stewart Cink, and Jacobsen—numbers 2, 3, and 4 on the all-time list of beat-the-field streaks—had exactly the same one-word response when I told them of Woods’s staggering stat: “Wow!”
Why is a beat-the-field streak significant? First and foremost, it identifies consistent good play—above-average performance in round after round, tournament after tournament. The two most similar streaks are consecutive sub-par rounds and consecutive cuts made, but they don’t remotely stack up. Consecutive sub-par rounds uses the inferior benchmark of par, which is not a reliable measuring stick. The all-time leader on Tour in consecutive sub-par rounds is Jeff Sluman with 23, in 1996. Most of those rounds were shot in lesser competitions like the Greater Milwaukee Open, where Sluman broke par each day but finished the tournament in a tie for 34th. His 70 in round 3 was one better than par but 1.7 strokes worse than the field average of 68.3. In that “magical” year for Sluman, he went winless and finished 28th on the money list.
Compared with beating the field, consecutive made cuts—a record also held by Woods, at 142—is a markedly more modest feat because it doesn’t require consistency round after round. You could post a quality score on Thursday, a poor score on Friday to barely make the cut, then tank on the weekend and still extend a consecutive-cuts streak. Significantly, a beat-the-field streak demands playing well every round and against a tougher field on Saturday and Sunday.
How hard is it to maintain this kind of streak? Harder than winning! It’s possible for a player to win a tournament and not beat the field in all four rounds. Stewark Cink, third on the list with 32 consecutive rounds beating the field in 2004, describes the difficulty this way: “The field never has a bad day. There’s almost always some factor that could come up and get you, even if you play well.” Referring to Woods’s streak of 89 straight, Cink says, “That’s a lot of rounds in a row without a major catastrophe derailing you.”
[pagebreak]
Let’s see how Tiger did it. It started in August 1999 at the WGC-NEC Invitational at Firestone. After an opening-round 66 gave him a one-stroke lead (and beat the field average of 70.3 by 4.3 strokes), his second round 71 was 0.8 strokes worse than the field average of 70.2. That stumble would be the last round in more than a year in which the field beat Woods. Tiger’s streak for the ages began that Saturday, when he blitzed his competitors with a score of 62 against the field average of 69.6. His closing 71 beat the field by 1.7 strokes and sealed his victory.
Woods’s 1999 triumph at Firestone was the first of six consecutive wins and sparked a beat-the-field streak that spanned 24 tournaments and included three major wins, 13 total wins, 21 top 10s, and $12.5 million in prize money.
Every great streak has its close calls, and Woods’s was almost derailed at his very next tournament, the Disney. He was tied for the lead after three rounds of 66, each day comfortably beating the field. His closing 73 was enough to win the tournament, but it barely bested the field average of 73.1. Woods won the Mercedes Championship in January 2000 to claim his fifth event in a row, yet a third-round 71 was just a hair better than the field average of 71.03. Another close call came in July, at the Western Open, where Tiger’s final-round 72 was only 0.2 strokes better than the field. The streak continued through wins at the Open Championship, the PGA, and the Bell Canadian Open (site of his famous 216-yard fairway bunker shot over water on No. 18). It continued through a third-place finish at the 2000 Disney and a runner-up at the Tour Championship. His final event of 2000 was the WGC-American Express Championship at Valderrama in November. Woods’s opening 71 beat the field by 0.4 strokes. Second- and third-round 69s thumped the field by 4.4 and 3.4 strokes, respectively, and he tied for third place.
On Sunday, Woods’s unimaginable streak was undone by the most pedestrian of golf exasperations. “I had a lot of really good putts that just didn’t go in,” he said after the round. “That’s just the way it goes sometimes. You put yourself there, and sometimes they go in. Sometimes they don’t.” His final-round 72 was not good enough to keep the streak alive. The field’s average score of 71.6 edged Woods by a mere 0.4 strokes.
I asked Woods about his extraordinary streak. “That, and my consecutive cut streak, are both gratifying,” he said.
Amazingly, Tiger was just one saved stroke away from extending his streak to 112 rounds.
Reflecting on that period, Woods added, “I was playing pretty good golf. I had that winning streak at the end of 1999 into 2000 and won three majors that year. It was a really fun stretch.”
[pagebreak]
As stunning as his 89-round streak was, had Woods scored just one shot better in the second round of the 1999 WGC-NEC Invitational, his beat-the-field achievement would have lasted 112 rounds, starting from the fourth round of the Byron Nelson in May 1999. (I only count stroke-play events for the streak, so this ignores, for example, the Sprint International tournament, which used Stableford scoring.) Die-hard baseball fans might know that after DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak ended on July 17, 1941—he went O-for-3, with two hard ground-outs to third base—he proceeded to hit safely in his next 16 games, so Joltin’ Joe was just one hit short of a 73-game streak.
Imagine that. With a bounce here or a birdie there, these feats of excellence and consistency might have been even more epic. In 1988, in the New York Review of Books, the eminent scientist Stephen Jay Gould wrote beautifully about DiMaggio’s run, saying, “Long streaks always are, and must be, a matter of extraordinary luck imposed upon great skill.” It boils down to this: It’s a statistical impossibility for an average-skilled player to sustain a formidable streak. The longest ones are the domain of the great players—but not all great players hold long streaks. Blame Lady Luck.
[pagebreak]
Will Tiger’s 89-round beat-the-field streak ever be broken? Almost certainly not. Not only has no golfer knocked on the door—no one has been sighted walking within a country mile of the house. (Because of a lack of reliable data prior to 1983, we may never know if Hogan, Palmer, Nicklaus or any other legends of yesteryear had a similar run.)
Who gets the nod—Tiger or Joltin’ Joe—for the greater accomplishment? Let the grillroom debate begin. On one hand, Tiger’s streak lasted more than a year, compared with two months for DiMaggio. My analysis suggests that Woods’s streak was a bigger outlier in sporting achievement, but that analysis involves judgment and assumptions, and doesn’t consider that the Yankee legend performed under the weight of the streak itself. When DiMaggio’s run reached into the 20s, newspapers started covering the streak. National attention grew more intense as the Yankee Clipper approached the record of 41 set by George Sisler in 1921. “You can’t imagine the strain [DiMaggio is under],” Sisler told the New York Daily News during Joe D’s sprint. “The newspapers keep mentioning the streak. Your teammates continually bring it up. You try to forget, but it can’t be done. It’s in your head every time you step to the plate.” While Woods put pressure on himself to win, he wasn’t grilled by the press about his streak while it was happening. It’s clear that neither Tiger nor golf fans knew it was happening at all.
We shouldn’t underestimate Tiger’s sheer will as he chases down Jack’s major record.
Grinding was, and is, in Tiger’s DNA. At his height, in 1999 and 2000, he was impervious to outside forces, because no one could press him more than he pressed himself. Woods’s sheer will ranks him with the greatest warriors in all of sport—and this inner steel shouldn’t be underestimated as the 14-time major winner tries to return to peak form and chase down Nicklaus’s major record.
Stephen Jay Gould summed up the importance of a streak when he wrote, “A man may labor for a professional lifetime, especially in sport or in battle, but posterity needs a single transcendent event to fix him in permanent memory… Detractors can argue forever about the general tenor of your life and works, but they can never erase a great event.”
Woods has authored many such events, and his beat-the-field streak might be the most transcendent—just as DiMaggio’s streak represented his peak. Both are ours to marvel at and enjoy.
For more news that golfers everywhere are talking about, follow @golf_com on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to our YouTube video channel.By Kevin Zeese
A dominant issue at the Green Party 2017 Annual National Meeting was inclusion of and leadership by oppressed communities. The Green Party began as a party of primarily white environmentalists, but that has been changing over the past decade. In the current corporate kleptocracy, there is a dire need for a party of and by marginalized communities that builds effective political power for transformational change in our society. The Green Party might be that vehicle, but undergoing that change will result in conflict and growing pains as we struggle to practice our values.
Following the election of the new Steering Committee at the Annual National Meeting, outrage was expressed that the three African American candidates lost. The Black Caucus and other caucuses protested, and steps are now being taken to write a proposal to address their legitimate concerns. That will be presented to the Steering Committee and National Committee for debate and consideration.
In addition to concerns about white supremacy in the party, there are also concerns about democracy and independence from the duopoly parties. A negative campaign was waged against the current Steering Committee member who was up for reelection, Andrea Mérida Cuéllar, and a slate of candidates was run to oppose her. It appears that this was retaliation for her efforts to build inclusion and independence. The negative campaign sowed division and distrust within the party. It raises questions about the integrity of the party and whether the Green Party can differentiate itself from the power plays typical of the duopoly parties. This exposé is intended to add to the debate of the future of the Green Party.
Former presidential candidates Jill Stein and David Cobb, the latter who also served as Stein’s 2016 campaign manager, worked behind the scenes to control the outcome of the 2017 election for the Steering Committee of the Green Party. Stein and Cobb wanted to remove Andrea Mérida Cuéllar, a Latina who is a co-chair of the Colorado and national parties. Mérida has done a great deal of work to confront white supremacy in the Green Party, including leading an effort to pass a very strong bylaw amendment in Colorado on the issue. She also led an effort to expand the representation of the Black Caucus and other caucuses by urging they have more delegates to the National Committee.
Stein and Cobb wanted Mérida out of the co-chair position because she blocked their repeated attempts to control and steer the party in directions that benefited their interests over the interests of the party. The strange and divisive move they championed with the recount was a graphic example of that tendency.
In late November, 2016, Stein and Cobb came to the Green Party Steering Committee (SC) asking the Green Party of the United States to serve as a fiscal agent for the post-2016 election recount. The Stein campaign refused to say who their donors were, but they had donors prepared to give up to $100,000 to the recount. The Stein campaign was only legally allowed to take donations of $2,700 while a political party could take up to $100,000 per donor. Mérida opposed this and a majority of the steering committee agreed. Not accepting defeat on this, Stein and Cobb forced the SC to vote three times and three times Andrea and a majority stood firm in opposing the proposal that would have destroyed the reputation of the party as an independent political force. The backstory that emerged affirmed the political commonsense exercised by the SC.
The recount was designed by a Democratic Party lawyer, John Bonifaz, who developed it to change the outcome of the election and make Hillary Clinton president. When Clinton refused to seek a recount, he brought the same proposal to Stein. Stein took the proposal, without any changes, in an effort, as she told Margaret Flowers, to “flip the election.” The Stein campaign used a Democratic Party PR firm, Democratic Party talking points, including on the fake Russiagate scandal, and hired Democratic Party lawyers, including a lawyer in Michigan who was the former Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party for nearly 30 years and who sued to keep Ralph Nader off the ballot. The recount was funded by Democratic Party political action groups MoveOn and Democracy For America and raised millions, more than was spent on the entire Stein campaign.
The recount failed to flip the election, but it did show voting irregularities and Stein did change her rhetoric to focus on a very real and well-known problem – Jim Crow voting procedures in the US, which undermine the right to vote in black communities.
Mérida standing up to Stein resulted in a retaliatory campaign against her, led by Stein and Cobb. Not only did Stein campaign against her re-election as a national co-chair, but people also report that Stein contacted members of the Colorado Green Party to urge Mérida’s removal from leadership at the state level.
During the Green Party 2017 Annual National Meeting in Newark, NJ, Margaret Flowers, Mérida and I were having lunch at a diner where Cobb and three others were also coincidentally having lunch. We were trying to take a break from the toxic atmosphere of the attacks on Mérida. When we left, Cobb’s companions also exitted, among them were Gary C. Frazier, Jr. of Camden and Kohmee Parrett of Chicago. We spoke outside and they urged us to stop the conflict with Cobb. We explained that there would be a lot less conflict if Cobb was not running a campaign attacking Mérida to prevent her from being re-elected. Cobb came out and Parrett asked him if it was true that he was working to prevent Mérida’s re-election. Cobb replied, “Yes, I am doing what I can to stop Mérida from being re-elected.”
Cobb confirmed what we already knew about both him and Stein. Stein and Cobb had created a slate of candidates to run to defeat Mérida. National delegates told us they had been called by Stein and Cobb urging them to vote for the Stein-Cobb slate and to oppose Mérida. People who endorsed Mérida received angry calls from Cobb or Stein. It became a very nasty election. Stein entered a vote as an alternate delegate, voting for her slate of candidates, as did Cobb, who is a delegate.
Despite Stein and Cobb’s efforts, and despite false allegations in the form of complaints posted to the National Committee delegate listserv just before and repeatedly during the SC election, Mérida won reelection easily; she was the second highest vote getter of first-ranked choices. All three African American candidates lost. Two were on the Stein-Cobb slate.
When the results became known, members of the Black Caucus were understandably angry. Even though 88% of the national delegates voted for at least one black candidate, the election loss of three black candidates seemed racist. The Caucus and others took to the street and protested at a fundraiser for the NJ Greens that election night.
At the fundraiser, the seven steering committee members present were confronted with the question of whether they would be willing to resign from the SC. Two steering committee members had not yet arrived at the event. The only way for Stein-Cobb to get rid of Mérida, as they have been working to do for seven months, is for all of the steering committee to resign. So far, only two members have formally resigned in writing.
While the conflict over Mérida was a catalyst, Stein and Cobb took advantage of long standing anger and frustration among some caucuses about the ways that the Green Party has been slow to adopt internal reforms that live up to its values. The pain and anger expressed in Newark is real, even if the specific issue at hand was distorted by behind the scenes electioneering. This manipulation of real grievances is among the most troubling things that occurred.
Where does all of this leave the Green Party? Nothing is resolved regarding the election, as that is still being worked out and discussed in the Black Caucus and other caucuses, among National Committee delegates and by the Steering Committee. Darryl! Moch, with assistance from Stein, presented a proposal at the conclusion of the meeting that will be submitted for the Steering Committee and National Committee to consider.
Out of this there are two things needed. First, we need to get the full story on the extent of Stein-Cobb interference in elections. Did they have any involvement in the negative smears against Mérida? Did they pressure members of the Green Party of Colorado to attack Mérida? Was there any involvement between them and a false, smear letter about Mérida at Standing Rock? Why didn’t Stein and Cobb publicly endorse what came to be considered their slate? Why were they making calls in private instead of being public? Delegates are supposed to represent their state, so was the Stein-Cobb interference a violation of Green ethics? What role did they have with the Black Caucus’ action?
The second task is even more important. The Greens need to continue to face up to internal race issues. The Green Party needs to put systems in place that will ensure black people, youths, women and other groups are represented throughout the party and play key leadership roles. Members of the various caucuses need to be at the forefront in designing these new systems.
All of these issues have been evident. The Green Party Power group, which I was part of, wrote a letter in December of 2016 signed by hundreds of Greens, that called for Greens being an independent party that opposed the corporate duopoly and expanded our ranks by building from the bottom up in dispossessed communities, especially black communities. Among the actions we called for were:
“We urge the Green Party US to actively address issues within the party that perpetuate racial and class dominance, sexism, cis-heterosexism, ableism, and all manifestations of oppressive and White supremacist culture.
“We also urge the Green Party US to encourage members to support working class and front line struggles, to prioritize the voices of those engaged in struggle and to run candidates from communities in struggle.”
In the end, our hope is this becomes an opportunity for growth of the party and expansion with people from communities left behind, neglected and mistreated by the two corporate parties. And, that we define ourselves as independent of both parties and in opposition to a country that was built on ethnic cleansing and racism, taking advantage of workers as well as on militarism and imperialism.
This is an important juncture in the party for it to publicly declare its opposition to all forms of political opportunism that mirror the politics of the kleptocratic political duopoly. Confronting these issues and creating a radical opposition party will make the Green Party a greater influence in US politics.Plastic surgeon finds the ideal breast shape... by examining Page 3 girls
Real deal: Page 3 legend Linda Lusardi modelling in 1982
In a plastic surgeon’s quest to find the ideal female proportions, he turned to 100 glamour models..
It sounds almost like parody – a top consultant plastic surgeon spends three months studying models appearing on Page 3 of a bestselling British red-top newspaper. Later this month he reveals his findings: the mathematical proportions of the perfect breast.
Of course, the subjectivity of such a statement can’t be ignored – not to mention the somewhat dubious nature of the source material. But astonishingly, when shown computer mock-ups of the female form based on these equations, most women agree that they are indeed the ideal vital statistics.
Incredibly, although breast augmentation – or the boob job, as it is commonly known – has long been the most popular cosmetic surgery procedure, nobody within the industry has ever quantified the measurements and proportions that make a breast appealing to the eye.
This despite the fact that last year alone, 9,418 breast-enlargement operations were carried out by members of the British Association of Plastic Surgeons, a rise of ten per cent on 2009. This year that number looks set to top the 10,000 mark.
There’s no way of estimating how many ‘botched’ boob jobs there are each year. Unless a woman takes legal action, there’s no central record of complaints or of those who seek corrective surgery. But Patrick Mallucci, Consultant Plastic Surgeon at University College London and the Royal Free Hospitals, who led the study, says he sees about five women a month who are unhappy with the results of implants they have had.
He says: ‘I spend a lot of time each month redoing breast augmentations that have been done poorly by other surgeons, leaving a woman with uneven, misshapen or droopy breasts, or a gaping cleavage.’
The figures behind the figure
Part of the problem, says Mallucci, is that it is often hard for women to communicate what they want from surgery. ‘Patients often talk about the cup size they’d like to go up to, or that they want volume in a particular area or a fuller cleavage, but this is usually very vague.
‘What we need are objective measurements. The division into thirds and fifths by artist Leonardo da Vinci acts as a guide for surgeons performing facelifts – these dimension are simply pleasing to the eye. We also use precise nasal proportions that provide a template for the ideal nose shape and size, which acts as a map for rhinoplasty.’
This year Mallucci conducted a three-month study to pinpoint the exact factors that make a woman’s breasts attractive. Titled Concepts In Aesthetic Breast Dimensions: Analysis Of The Ideal Breast, Mallucci’s study analysed the breasts of 100 topless models.
‘For 30 years The Sun has been putting a picture of a topless girl on Page 3 every day, making it one of the paper’s most enduringly popular features,’ explains Mallucci. ‘The fundamental rule is that for a girl to make it on to Page 3, she must have entirely natural breasts.
‘The fact that Page 3 remains as popular now as ever shows that the woman who selects these topless models – and interestingly it is a woman – is doing something right.
‘It made me question what it is that makes readers find these breasts appealing to the eye, and whether there is a common theme between them that might define that.’
Though it would be easy for cynics to assume otherwise, this was a serious study based on a series of scientific measurements and not on the opinions of Mallucci.
‘We used computer measuring tools to examine the dimensions and proportions of each pair of breasts, identifying four features common to all of them,’ he explains.
The features analysed were the dimensions of the upper and lower pole, medical terms that describe the areas above and below the nipple; plus the angle at which the nipple points and the slope of the upper pole.
‘The study revealed that in all cases the nipple ‘‘meridian’’ – the horizontal line drawn at the level of the nipple – lay at a point where, on average, the proportion of the breast above it represented 45 per cent of overall volume of the breast and below it 55 per cent.
‘In the majority of cases the upper pole was either straight or concave, and the nipple was pointing skywards at an average angle of 20 degrees. In all cases the breasts demonstrated a tight convex lower pole – a neat but voluminous curve.
‘For the second part of the study I analysed images of the breasts of ordinary women pre- and post- implant surgery to establish whether, if a breast deviates from these measurements, it becomes less attractive. And the answer is that it does, regardless of size.’
For the first time plastic surgeons now have a powerful visual imagery of the proportions that make a breast attractive. ‘Now we can show women images to highlight shape and form that will actually give them what they want,’ says Mallucci.
Software has been developed using three-dimensional, predictive photography to enable surgeons to show patients on a screen how their own breasts would look with implants of different shapes and sizes.
‘Many women seek breast surgery after pregnancy has left them with deflated breasts and comment that they’d like fullness added to the top.
'But when shown an image of a woman’s breasts that fit the 45:55 ratio versus breasts that have more fullness on the upper pole, very few women ever then select the latter.’For much of the past decade we have been inundated by reports of how the wonders of technology, specifically horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, have unleashed a new era for energy supplies. Industry leaders have touted that shale gas, along with burgeoning shale oil production, will lead to America’s energy independence, kindle a manufacturing renaissance, lower bills for everyday Americans and create millions of much-needed jobs. While there is little doubt that booming shale gas production, along with a very deep recession put an end to the natural gas price spike of 2008, much of the accepted conventional wisdom about the longevity of the shale gas bonanza is wrong. America’s shale gas resources and reserves have been grossly exaggerated and today’s level of shale gas production is unsustainable. In fact, due the distortions of zero interest rates and other factors, an enormous shale gas bubble has developed. Like all bubbles, this one will pop sooner than expected and when it does, the aftermath will be very unpleasant.
By now I am sure you are saying to yourself, ‘Who is this guy?’ He certainly does not know what he is talking about since everybody who is somebody has been saying the exact opposite for a long time. From the US government’s Energy Information Administration (EIA), to Pulitzer Prize-winner author Daniel Yergin to T. Boone Pickens, to Michael Lynch; all these experts have supported the notion that we have a surfeit of natural gas just waiting to be harvested. How can they be wrong? Similar to the prevailing belief about the housing bubble before it burst, much of today’s thought regarding natural gas supplies has come from people with a vested interest in selling the dream of a ‘Shale Gale’ that will eliminate foreign energy imports, boost employment and increase GDP. However, reality is far different from what has been portrayed in the mainstream media. In my book, Cold, Hungry and in the Dark: Exploding the Natural Gas Supply Myth, published a year ago, I examine many of the reasons for this disconnect. Unlike much of the hyperbole published about shale gas, my book contains nearly 600 footnotes and much empirical evidence supporting my thesis. Cold, Hungry and in the Dark overwhelmingly refutes the idea that increasing shale gas production will create a “new era” in America’s economy and instead shows that a severe deliverability crisis quietly looms on the horizon. And, no, I am not an environmentalist with an ax to grind against the oil and gas industry. I am an independent analyst who has covered the energy industry for more than 15 years, an author and contrarian.
Make no mistake; shale gas production over the past 12 years has been nothing short of phenomenal. From a standing start a dozen years ago, shale gas production has grown to account for nearly 50 percent of America’s gas production. However, the shale gas boom is rapidly maturing and we are quickly approaching a point where shale gas production heads into decline. In fact, the majority of shale gas basins in America are already exhibiting declining production.
Before discussing how the coming natural gas crisis will unfurl, let’s debunk some of the most commonly held myths about the shale gas.
1) The US has a 100-year supply of shale gas. While many grandiose claims about the potential supply of shale gas, such as ‘the US has a 100-year supply’, have been made in recent years; almost none have ever been supported by any empirical evidence. According to the EIA, marketed production in 2013 was 25.6 trillion cubic feet (tcf). Therefore, using last year’s rate of production, a 100-year supply would be 2,560 tcf of gas. (Note: Total US supply consists of marketed production plus net imports.) No one has ever been able to identify the shale gas fields, resources and reserves that would supply this bounty. More importantly, given that America is the most thoroughly explored petroleum producing country on earth, it is very unlikely new shale gas fields lie in wait of discovery. The only justification ever given for the 100-year supply claim has been that future developments in hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) technology will unlock all that shale gas that has already been identified. While recent advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing have been remarkable, technological progress does not follow a straight line.
2) Technological advancements will increase shale gas supplies. Despite the continuing and significant advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technology, we have seen huge a huge reduction in the EIA’s estimate of technically recoverable resources (TRR) for shale gas in recent years. In 2011, the EIA published a study compiled by consulting firm Intek Inc. (more on Intek later) that estimated the US had 750 tcf of underdeveloped technically recoverable shale gas with 410 tcf in the Marcellus shale alone. However, shortly after this report was published, the US Geological Survey published a report that estimated the Marcellus to contain approximately 84 tcf of technically recoverable gas. In early 2012, in its Annual Energy Outlook Early Release, the EIA, based largely on the findings of the USGS, reduced its estimate of the Marcellus by 65 percent to 141 tcf. The wipeout of 269 tcf from the Marcellus reduced the total US TRR downward by 36 percent. In other words, after the reduction in the estimate for the Marcellus, total US shale gas resources stood at 481 tcf, or less than a 19-year supply of natural gas based on 2013 rates of production.
Now that US shale gas resources have been chopped by 36 percent, are we understating the potential of shale gas? Absolutely not. To put into perspective how inflated the EIA’s expectations for shale gas were in its 2011 report it commissioned Intek to prepare, consider the following: The biggest field in the Western Hemisphere by production history is the Hugoton field of western Kansas which has produced approximately |
known and they have had an opportunity to speak with all parties involved and understand more definitively what has happened? Financially this would likely be devastating in a share-first click-first world in which to the victor go the advertising dollars, but it would seem the only way to truly stop “fake news” from spreading.Buddha
channeled by Jahn J Kassl as light reading on October 24, 2013
http://www.lichtweltverlag.com/de/blog/index.html
published on November 17, 2013 in
www.stankovuniversallaw.com
translated by Franz
You have to give up life in order to encounter Life. In order to live, you have to die the Great Death and reach enlightenment. I am BUDDHA Enlightened Co-creators, as such I talk to you, because after a long absence I have returned to Earth. Enlightened Beings border the way and through this corridor, mankind cleaves the way towards Heaven. What keeps you, what keeps you back, what is it, that happens again and again, which lets you fail and fall back or lets you stop? Why does enlightenment remain such a distant goal and why did it not become the way? If one asks you, how is life, you say: “It could be better.” And if one asks you why, you say: “Because what I long for is not being fulfilled. ”So you argue with God, with yourself and with the world and you miss Life while it happens. Others on the other hand say: “My life is wonderful.” Or “I have achieved everything.” And you point to the transitory accomplishments, which no star in heaven would change its place for. One group is frustrated with life and the other is bored; and each type of human Being is far from being enlightened, because they are so distant from God: The frustrated One, because life is not being fulfilled and the “satisfied” One, because his life in this world seems to be quite successful. What makes the difference? Nothing.
Both characters succumb to the mistake, that a successful life is subject to the influences of this illusory world. As long as it is so and this error remains, everything will essentially stay as is; inner and outer worlds remain, which create pure illusions; is the heart an unpolished vessel and the treasure, which acts in the Inner of a human Being, is untouched. Life, really awake and alive, conscious and mindful, has rarely anything to do with life, as you still find it and live it today. Thereby it is mainly this stage of being, whereon you were active so far, to be recognized as pure illusion, which you have created yourself for the sole purpose of seeing through it and leaving it.
To live in the world, yet not be of this world, to fulfill assignments, yet never lose self in them, because he who looses self in his activities can not carry out the tasks given to him from God and can not turn to the main question: what is it, that let me here?
I speak to you about life, as you got used to the never-ending cycles of death like slaves on a galley, who got used to an inevitable fate. Let us break through these conditions and I say to you: the enlightenment is your natural state and the lack of this knowledge developed solely, because you moved away from your divine nature.
So how is a Buddha born, how do you make a Buddha, how does Buddha-ship emerge?
First it is true for each human Being, whether he is disappointed of life or he bathes in happiness of his life, to reach the null-point, when all interest in it has been lost. I am poor, it does not interest me, I am unhappy, it does not interest me, I am rich, it does not interest me, I am happy, satisfied and proud, yet, it does not interest me. Disinterest in all – in the sense of being untouched by it, what this wonderful illusion offers – is the morning kiss of the Creator and brings everything on its way.
After that the real ones, the really essential questions about life are drawn up and after that enlightenment is only a stone’s throw away.
It was always like that, at all times and in all times; and also at my time – when I carried the “way of the middle”, the empathy and the wisdom of life, into villages and cities – it was not any different.
It is now very important for humans, who have entered the path of enlightenment, to look through the world and your life as an illusion and to turn away from happiness or misfortune, so that the process of enlightenment remains in its momentum or gains in its momentum.
To view this life as an illusion, does not mean, to deny this life. Who would deny the illusion of a magician, as he is totally absorbed in it? It is important to view life as a magic-cosmic play and yet do not succumb to this game. And you succumb to it, if you get lost in unnecessary activities, which have nothing to do with your actual life assignments.
A human Being comes to earth with two things:
1) with the assignment, to look through this illusion and pierce through the veil of lack of knowledge and
2) with the assignment to implement his individual assignments.
This means, that a human Being is only entitled to lose himself in life, to a certain extent, if he follows the matrix of his blueprint; every human Being, who does not live accordingly, wastes his life and is imprisoned in this illusionary world for much longer. This is of utmost importance, as the worlds are released and ascend, now, as humans are closer to the day of self-salvation than ever.
Follow your activities, if they are interlocked with your assignments, let go of all activities, which have nothing to do with self and your divine appointment for this world.
Let go of all humans, all families, all religions and all communities, which do not exist in your blueprint, because he who leads such a substitute life suffers from misfortune and finds pleasure in transitory happiness like a child, which forgets new toys in a corner – after these have been tried out for a while.
The distance from the essential, the denial of your assignments, the lack of courage, so you are asked to change, are like a weight of lead, which binds you to this world and never lets you to take off and ascend to heaven. These words shall serve you, shall give you stimulus, to give up your transitory life and accept your eternal life.
How to give up, how to accept?
Giving up, because you recognize your inner dependency on the world of illusion and you dissolve it; accepting, because you devote yourself without compromise to your divine assignments and you give your longing for union in God a free run. Because you do not brake a racing horse, and if you do nonetheless, it will slacken, it gets lazy and it gets ill, until you do not even recognize it as such and it asks for the shot of mercy.
Many human Beings can be described as “lame”, “slackened” and “slow” race horses, which lose themselves in the hurdle race of t his world and which shun the race track, as a lazy worker shuns work and the busy One shuns to examine the sense of his activities.
A medal, two sides and all human Beings are affected, who came to this world, in order to live Life and not to act out a life, which was superimposed on them.
The distance from God is for many human Beings still very large, like an already extinguished star from earth.
And your ascension, your enlightenment are always bound to love in God and to the experience of God. The big cosmic wheels only merge until micro and macro cosmos fuse together, what is expressed in the fact, that the human Being begins to think and feel in terms of great cosmic connections.
These words are meant for those, who strive for enlightenment, yet over and over again get lost and loose self. And also to those, who do not give any space to their longing for God, because they are busy with things, which belong to the transitory and lifeless world. Do the right thing, by doing, what you have come for, every other activity is wrong.
This is the only mistake in life, which you have to attribute to yourself, so you arrive beyond the veil, after you have done your work, and have to recognize, that you slaved at the wrong construction site.
Ascension and enlightenment are siblings, which cannot be separated from each other, because the enlightened One has ascended at the moment of his enlightenment, no matter on which earth he found himself, and the ascended One pierces all veils of illusion, achieves enlightenment and comes home to God’s All-that-Is.
Today, as you wait for the day X and have longed for so many events, it is given to you, that each transformation has to happen within yourself, before these fruits on the great tree of life, the All-that-Is reality, manifest.
In these days there are two things which are very important for you:
1.) To live YOUR life in accordance with your blueprint.
2.) To dissolve the inner bindings to the transitory life and live your universal assignments with purpose, with courage and with wisdom; to serve your individual plan of creation and to do everything possible, to fulfill it, no matter what the cost is, with every fiber of your Being!
So what is your life?
Is it what you do now, is it what occupies you today? Now, while you listen to these words or read them? Have you filled your heart with enough energy and your spirit with enough will-power, so that your absolutely unique track of life reveals itself?
A bride groom, who does not court his bride, will lose her; if a human Being pursues the spiritual path only half-heartedly, the successes
will be miserable.
Were you without compromise, when it was necessary to be without compromise, or have you stepped back and were satisfied with lower hanging grapes?
Is your life a repetition of succeeding events or is your life a unique expression of your Being with unique assignments, which you are conscious of and which you fulfill consistently today and with all possible care?
Where does your life fail? Where does your life succeed? Where does your soul reveal to you, that neither success nor failure have any significance, because they belong to the transitory nature?
Many questions, which bring you into the light and into self, many questions, which – the more you look at them without compromise and without fear – can eliminate all tensions and mistakes from your life. Mankind is healed, because amongst you are enlightened Ones, who deny their enlightenment consciously, so that they contribute to the ascension as a human Being amongst humans.
And I talk to you about it on the day, when we are joined in the Light, on the day, when new fields of grace have been created, on the day,
which brings wisdom and joy, far removed from any self-deception.
When enlightened Ones do not reveal themselves as such, in order to better serve their assignments, then it has reached a measure of love and empathy for a world and the humans, which is not exceeded by anything and cannot be surpassed by anything.
I talk to you now about that and the transformation, which proceeds strongly and in great steps, because you have arrived in the Light of the Masters. We have gathered all around you, until you understand and recognize, that you have your spiritual home in our midst and in the heavenly realms, and that your place can only be there, where the light and the love spread to an unlimited extent.
I am the enlightened One.
I have walked through fire; I have overcome the world of darkness and have eliminated my self-deceptions. There, where I am, is your place.
You only need to recognize it and totally open to that truth, whereby you are able to dismantle your tent, which does not protect you from the wind or can withstand any storm. It is up to you – always – all is always up to you and everything is always possible on account of you.
Where you are not, there is nothing, and where you are, there is everything, what you are. Internalize this, internalize this truth: You are All.
I AM
BuddhaSan Antonio man's huge tiger shark is biggest donation ever to Corpus Christi resource center
An 809-pound tiger shark reeled in by a San Antonio angler earlier this month fed more than 90 poor and homeless people at a Corpus Christi resource center Tuesday. An 809-pound tiger shark reeled in by a San Antonio angler earlier this month fed more than 90 poor and homeless people at a Corpus Christi resource center Tuesday. Photo: Courtesy, Timon's Ministries Photo: Courtesy, Timon's Ministries Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close San Antonio man's huge tiger shark is biggest donation ever to Corpus Christi resource center 1 / 15 Back to Gallery
SAN ANTONIO - An 809-pound tiger shark reeled in by a San Antonio angler earlier this month fed more than 90 poor and homeless people at a Corpus Christi resource center Tuesday.
Ryan Spring, a deck installer from the Alamo City, caught the massive fish, which was 12 feet 7 inches in length, about five miles off the Texas coast using stingray wing as bait on August 3. A friend of Spring's volunteers at Timon's Ministries, a day resource center for poor and homeless people, and set up the donation of about 75 pounds of shark meat.
"It was the biggest fish that has ever been donated to us," said Kae Berry, the executive director of the center. "It was really helpful, out of the ordinary and fun."
A volunteer chef prepared the meat by breading and baking it, she said.
"Our kitchen manager wasn't sure people would like it, but the chef did a great job and most people really enjoyed it," Berry said.
Spring said he was happy to be able to donate some of the shark to a good cause.
The Timon's Ministry is near the causeway in Corpus Christi and provides day services including food, healthcare, school supplies and clothing for the poor. Berry said about 20 percent of the non-profit's clients are homeless.
"A lot of the folks who come here have homes but they can barely make it and we are glad to help," she said.
Spring's catch did not beat the state record for tiger shark, which is 1,129 pounds caught in 1992 by Chap Cain, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife. The world record is 1,785 pounds caught in 2004 off the coast of Australia, according to the International Game Fish Association.
Berry said the center still has enough meat for a seafood stew that will be served next week.
kparker@express-news.net
Twitter: @KoltenParkerWhile all eyes were focused on the Chilcot Report on Iraq and Tony Blair’s extended non-apology, the Tories quietly sneaked out a big piece of news.
The Jeremy Hunt will impose the government contract on Junior Doctors, despite them overwhelmingly voting to reject it.
The health secretary said the phased introduction would go ahead after a vote of around 38,000 Junior Doctors (68%) showed they overwhelmingly rejected the deal.
The Guardian adds:
Senior doctors have warned that imposing the contract will reduce rather than increase the number of recent medical graduates who choose to make their career in the English NHS.
In a statement, Jeremy Hunt implied the vote was illegitimate and said only “a third of serving junior doctors actively voted against the agreement”.
But 58% of those who voted, on a 68% turnout, rejected the deal.
That’s far higher than those who voted the Tories in.Thousands of angry demonstrators gathered outside Sen. Chuck Schumer’s luxury Brooklyn apartment building — holding up signs and chanting “What the f–k, Chuck?!” — to protest his lukewarm stance on President Trump’s cabinet picks.
“Senator Schumer needs to know we’re watching him,” fumed Brad Wolchansky, a 40-year-old soccer coach from Flatbush who was carrying a cardboard cutout of a giant eye on Tuesday night.
“He works for us. We need him to be bold. We need him to stand up to Trump and oppose his picks,” Wolchansky said.
He and roughly 3,000 others gathered at Grand Army Plaza around 6 p.m. before eventually making their way over to Schumer’s building at 9 Prospect Park West, between Carroll and President streets.
As they marched, the anti-Trump demonstrators waved signs saying “Resist Trump” and “Show Some Spine Schumer” — while also chanting things like “Stay strong, Chuck” and “Shut it down, shut it down, New York is an immigrant town.”
see also Democrats vow to fight Trump's Gorsuch nomination President Trump nominated conservative Judge Neil Gorsuch of Denver to...
The group is ultimately up in arms over what they refer to as Schumer’s “centrist” beliefs and willingness to play ball with the president.
While Schumer did say Monday that he would oppose at least eight of Trump’s cabinet nominees, he has already voted “yes” on three of his picks: Gen. James Mattis for the Department of Defense, Gen. John Kelly for the Department of Homeland Security and Mike Pompeo for the CIA.
“He’s talking the talk on social media, but is he walking the walk?” said Cambra Moniz-Edwards, 35, of Brooklyn. “What the f–k, Chuck?!”
Phoebe Damrosch, 38, of Brooklyn, cited Schumer’s headline-grabbing tears during a recent news conference on Trump’s immigration ban as she voiced her concern Tuesday night.
“His tears know what’s right,” the mother of three said, while carrying a sign with a pack of Kleenex tissues attached that said: “It takes a real man to cry and lead.”
Dara Barr, a 40-year-old acupuncturist from the East Village, told The Post she felt it was time for Schumer to crack the whip on the Democratic caucus — so she brought a black leather whip from home to shake like a pom-pom.
“I’m trying to whip Chuck Schumer into shape so he can whip those ‘no’ votes,” Barr said.Their go-to responses to wrongdoing is deflection and dissimulation rather than repentance
Like many of you I was upset, though unsurprised, by the recently released tape in which Donald Trump brags about sexually assaulting women. However, what scandalized me more was to see how many Christians jumped to defend and downplay Trump’s behavior.
When I expressed dismay on social media about Donald Trump’s behavior, I was accused of being a Hillary supporter and of being indifferent to the pro-life cause. One man called me a “turncoat,” and another person told me I was a “fake nun.” I was told that I needed an exorcism and one man assured me that I would be responsible for Christians being thrown into gulags. And this reaction was tame compared to the response others received.
When Christians look away from any form of evil rather than prophetically calling human nature to a higher ideal we water down the Gospel message. This becomes all the more important in this election because we have two candidates whose behavior often exemplifies precisely what Christians are called to reject. Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are mirrors of our own sin and just how far our fallen nature, our culture, and our country can fall. (Please note, I am not presuming to judge our presidential candidates’ moral state before God, who alone knows our conscience, but simply assessing their objective actions).
In the beginning, Adam blamed both Eve and God when he ate the forbidden fruit: “The woman whom you put here with me—she gave me fruit from the tree” (3:12).
Eve similarly protested: “The snake tricked me, so I ate it” (3:13).
Both our presidential candidates have proven that their go-to response to wrongdoing is deflection and dissimulation rather than repentance. However, Trump and Clinton’s behavior often goes beyond the rationalizations of Adam and Eve and straight to the deliberate deception of the serpent. Hillary Clinton lies in a deliberate way when it seems politically convenient (the email debacle involved lie after calculated lie). Donald Trump’s denials, on the other hand, seem more frequent and instinctual rather than logical. He denies obvious, provable facts on national television without blinking an eye. And his “apologies” inevitably end with excuses and deflections.
When God heard Adam and Eve’s excuses and saw their lack of repentance, he expelled them from the Garden of Eden.
God cautioned Eve of the effects of original sin, “Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you” (3:16).
Donald Trump’s life exemplifies this domination, abuse of power, and objectification of women that God warned Eve would happen. Trump has left his wives not once but twice. He’s boasted about his adulterous affairs. He has made multiple comments sexualizing underage girls, including his own daughter. And throughout his entire campaign, when the stakes are highest, Trump seems unable to avoid ridiculing, bullying, and making sexist comments about women. Donald Trump’s ongoing behavior concretely illustrates the way some fallen men treat women.
Read more: Podesta and the Clinton Camp’s Unwitting Compliment to Catholicism
In the same way, Hillary Clinton exemplifies the fallen woman in her rejection of the feminine genius. As Hillary herself admits, she comes across as cold rather than warm and empathetic. This, no doubt, is related to her attempt to make it in a man’s world. But walling oneself off comes at a cost to both feminine authenticity and one’s moral worldview. Her turning away from the feminine genius further expresses itself in her unreserved support for abortion (a convenient solution for men who live a lifestyle similar to Donald Trump). Hillary also denigrates the feminine vocation to motherhood (which is not just biological) when she argues that babies can be aborted up to minutes before they are delivered. And she excuses fallen masculinity when she lauds the women who accuse Donald Trump of sexual assault while attacking the women who accused her husband.
When Adam and Eve sinned for the first time, their behavior immediately became selfish because their lives ceased to be centered on God.
Hillary and Trump typify behavior that seems centered on the wrong things, especially when it comes to money and power. For example, both run “charity” foundations that seem to do little more than serve their own respective interests. Trump has used his foundation to bribe public officials and to buy a huge 6-foot tall portrait of himself. In fact, Trump did not give a penny of his own money away through the foundation over a five-year period. Likewise, when Hillary was Secretary of State, Bill Clinton’s speaking fees doubled and in some cases tripled, causing many to suspect quid pro quo. Of the 154 people who met with Hillary when she was Secretary of State, at least 85 donated to the Clinton Foundation. It is against the law for foreigners to donate to political campaigns in the United States, yet Hillary accepted foreign donations for the Clinton Foundation from multiple foreign countries, including Saudi Arabia. Just as troubling, are the leaked emails from the Clinton campaign mocking Catholics.
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton’s questionable behavior and ethics is painfully evident. They both should have been unequivocally rejected as presidential candidates. Tragically, our country is so divided that we cannot unite behind even this obvious fact. Instead, people continue to cling to candidates who represent a ghost of their worldviews. Some people excuse or ignore their preferred candidate’s serious faults, and selectively become enraged when the other candidate does wrong.
But Christians are called to another kind of behavior. We are called to step outside of political situations and to view them within the trajectory of salvation history. We are called to be prophets, to name evil when we see it, and not just when it is the evil of the party opposite to the one we endorse. Unfortunately, like Adam and Eve, many of us instead defend and deflect for our respective candidate. We are fallen human beings and it is easy to lose hope in the radical message of the Gospel. We forget that human nature is called to something more through the power of Christ’s death and resurrection. We have lowered the bar so low only a snake can slither through.
When this election is over, no matter who becomes president, we will enter an era of great difficulty for our country. My hope is that Christians will spend more time praying for our new president’s conversion than criticizing him or her. And I hope we will have learned the following lessons: We will never find salvation in a political party and we should be apologists and uncritical cheerleaders for no one but Jesus Christ.A Japanese cherry tree whose days as a seedling were spent in space mysteriously bloomed far earlier than expected once back on Earth, prompting speculations that the “space tree” may have gotten a boost from some cosmic force.
Cherry trees are particularly slow when it comes to showing off their petals. According to the Asahi Shimbun, cherry trees usually take about 10 years to bloom. Scientists were baffled to find that the space cherry tree, which spent eight months aboard the International Space Station, or ISS, in 2008 and 2009 as part of an education experiment, bloomed after just four years.
“There is a theoretical possibility that the cosmic environment has had a certain impact on agents in the seeds that control budding and the growth process,” Kaori Tomita-Yokotani, a researcher at the University of Tsukuba who took part in the project, told the Asahi Shimbun. “We have absolutely no answer as to why the trees have come into bloom so fast.”
The space tree with apparent super-growth abilities was one of around 265 seeds harvested from the fruit of the famous “Chujohimeseigan-zakura” cherry tree. The 1,250-year-old tree, thought to be one of the oldest of its kind, is housed in an ancient Ganjoji temple in Gifu, a four hours’ drive west of Tokyo.
Until now, botanists’ attempts to grow young trees from the fruit of the renowned “Chujohimeseigan-zakura” tree were unsuccessful. In 2008, several of the cherry tree’s pits were sent to the ISS where they stayed with astronaut Koichi Wakata, now commander of the ISS, until Wakata returned to Earth with the seeds in July 2009.
According to the Telegraph, the seeds had made a total of 4,100 trips around the globe during their stint in space.
One of the seeds was planted back at the Ganjoji temple. It is now about 13 feet tall and produced nine flowers, each with just five petals. Cherry tree blossoms normally produced around 30 petals per flower. And it’s not alone.
Of the 14 locations in which the seeds were planted, scientists have witnessed blossoms at four of them. Are cosmic forces at work here?
"It is difficult for us to judge why this has happened, but one reason the tree has grown so fast may be related to space rays," Tomita-Yokotani told the South China Morning Post. "We have to study this further and repeat our experiments on earth to try to understand the mechanisms that are at work."Hours before the BC Liberal convention in November, Premier Christy Clark flew by helicopter to a morning press conference in Squamish to hover over an ancestral Aboriginal village site now eyed for a liquefied natural gas export terminal.
Announcements, Events & more from Tyee and select partners ‘Punch to the Gut’ Musical on Residential Schools Returns to Vancouver Children of God has been shaped by intense audience reactions, says director Corey Payette.
Her aerial tour and media event was filmed, and the footage quickly posted to the Office of the Premier’s website. Clark had a big campaign style-announcement: the Woodfibre LNG plant was a go, she said.
“This is the first of 20 projects that are in the pipeline somewhere to go forward so far, and we are just delighted to be able to say that LNG in British Columbia is finally becoming a reality,” said Clark with a grin.
But odd to the local newspaper and the mayor of Squamish was the absence of the Squamish Nation band council. The project relies on the First Nation’s support, since the company has agreed to abide by the band’s environmental and economic conditions.
So where was the band? Abstaining on purpose, Chief Ian Campbell recently told The Tyee.
“The Squamish Nation chose not to participate in the announcement that would frame this project as a green light due to the fact that we’re simply not there,” said the hereditary leader, elected councillor and political spokesperson.
“To be candid, it’s misleading, and it’s not fully respecting the Squamish Nation’s process or our authority to work with the province,” Campbell said.
‘I was just asked to go’
The scant presence of Squamish Nation did not stop the premier from thanking them. “Some of the members of the Squamish First Nation are behind me today working on this site,” Clark said.
But Brenda Bain, a member of the Squamish Nation who stood behind the premier, said she didn’t see anyone else from her nation at the press conference.
“From what I could see, I couldn’t see any [Squamish band members],” Bain said on Saturday.
Bain said she was rushed to the front of the photo op at the last minute. “I was just asked to go. I had no idea, not a clue that the premier was going to be there. Not a clue. Had I known, I would’ve dressed differently.”
Bain runs Bizzie B, a small cleaning company in Squamish, and has done work for Woodfibre LNG cleaning offices, and removing brush.
She said a Woodfibre LNG staff member asked her to stand behind the premier in front of the two-dozen helmeted people, including cabinet ministers. She would appear just over Clark’s shoulder in the provincial government’s footage.
“They just asked me to stand with the group because I was working with them. They consider me as part of their team,” Bain said.
Bain makes clear that she is not for or against the LNG project, and that she’s aware of how divisive the project is in the community. The RCMP had only the day before investigated a suspected arson attack on the Woodfibre LNG office in Squamish.
Local Mayor Patricia Heintzman, who has long opposed the LNG project, was not invited to the press conference. She attended anyway after she learned of it from a CBC reporter that morning, she said.
“Squamish Nation’s absence was noticeable,” wrote Heintzman in an email. “Had I known that this announcement was not supported by Squamish Nation because it pre-empted their process and decision making I probably would not have attended.”
Anti-LNG citizens group My Sea to Sky was also dismissive of the LNG press event.
“I think Christy Clark really likes to put on a hard hat. But that’s all it is. This was a total PR set up. It was a dog and pony show that was put on for the media,” said the group’s Tracey Saxby.
The premier’s office was asked to explain why Clark announced that the LNG project was a done deal with no official Squamish Nation representation. The question was referred to the Ministry of Natural Gas Development.
“This is a question best proposed to Woodfibre LNG. They hosted the event and invited the Province to participate. The event highlighted Woodfibre LNG’s board authorization to proceed and provided the Province with an avenue to announce the new eDrive [electricity rate],” wrote media relations officer Lindsay Byers.
Woodfibre LNG has so far not responded to requests for comment, including a question about how many Squamish Nation members participated in the Nov. 4 event.
So is Woodfibre LNG a go?
The question about whether the LNG terminal will actually get built is disputed. “The Premier’s statements that LNG is a go, simply isn’t true, in the perspective of the Squamish Nation,” said Chief Campbell.
But the company is adamant: “So this project, if I’m not clear, is a go,” Woodfibre LNG’s vice-president Byng Giraud told the press on Nov. 4.
Premier Clark has stuck to the same line. Two days after the press event, she boasted in her speech at the BC Liberal convention that her party had delivered on LNG — a key election promise from 2013.
“On Friday, we announced that after five years of hard work and planning, the very first clean LNG project is finally getting underway!” She then fist pumped and uttered “yes!” to a roaring crowd of Liberals.
And the effect was clear: the media overwhelmingly reported the LNG project was a go. Global News, which commands the largest TV audience share by far, published the headline that “Squamish LNG project gets green light.”
So far, Woodfibre LNG’s ownership firm in Asia — RGE, controlled by Indonesian billionaire Sukanto Tanoto — has authorized the funds for the $1.6-billion plant to move forward and has indicated that construction would start this year “pending permitting.”
Yet as of early 2017, there are no jobs posted to career section of the Woodfibre LNG website.
Howe Sound retiree Eoin Finn finds that odd for a $1.6-billion project that the premier said was “finally getting underway.” He’s a former KPMG managing partner who has studied the LNG project’s viability, and a well-known opponent of the project.
Finn believes Clark’s announcement was more of a stunt to “save her political hide” than a final investment decision (FID) in the usual sense.
He explained Woodfibre LNG is a privately held company, so the wealthy owner’s decision to proceed can easily be reversed. That’s different than FIDs made by large publicly traded energy companies, such as Petronas, Shell and Chevron, which are legally accountable to investors, he said.
“Why in earth would a smart fellow like Tanoto decide to spend money making LNG [in B.C.]? Where he says he wants it is in Southeast Asia, he can buy all he wants at much lower prices from Australia,” Finn said Sunday.
Trudeau’s LNG Approval: What a Difference a Day Makes read more
Trudeau Liberals Approve Petronas LNG Project on BC’s Coast read more
Then there’s the question of actual buyers. When Giraud was questioned by the Vancouver Sun on Nov. 4 whether Woodfibre LNG had any customer contracts to justify the project, he replied, “stay tuned.”
In making her announcement, Premier Clark acknowledged “we know that there’s more work to do with First Nations, and with the community.”
Squamish Nation had agreed to a conditional approval of the project if the proponents —Woodfibre LNG and Fortis — and the province meet all 25 of the band’s economic and environmental conditions.
But that’s a big if, suggested Chief Campbell, and Clark’s comments about the project going ahead are premature.
“We have some dismay at the province attempting to pre-empt that work by announcing this and framing this as a done deal,” said the chief.
Some conditions, such as a demand to change the LNG terminal’s cooling system to one that would be less harmful to marine life, have been agreed to by Woodfibre LNG. But negotiations on a management plan to ensure wildlife throughout the life of the project are protected, and an “economic benefit agreement” for a share of revenues, have yet to be concluded.
The band stands to gain some $100 million over the long term, the Vancouver Sun reported.
When pressed, Campbell didn’t say if he was for or against the LNG project, but said he respected the Squamish Nation’s review process and acknowledged that many of his people oppose the project, which would bring three to four LNG tankers per month to picturesque Howe Sound.
For her part, Bain said she took the opportunity to meet the premier at the LNG media event in stride. She said she gave Clark her business card and intends to send her smoked salmon.
She added that she hopes some development, like LNG, comes to Squamish so she can hire more band members.Editor’s Note: The following is Max Blumenthal’s reply to Eric Alterman’s ninth piece attacking him and his book Goliath: Life and Loathing in Greater Israel. The Nation rejected Blumenthal’s request for the right to reply.
I appreciate the many thoughtful responses of Nation readers from across a wide spectrum of views about my book, Goliath: Life and Loathing in Greater Israel, contributing to an important discussions that will continue for years to come. It is unfortunate that Eric Alterman has disparaged their letters and the debate itself.
As the author of a blog that boasts “well chosen words,” Eric Alterman has, in the course of about one month, volunteered nine lengthy, invective laden, error ridden — and still uncorrected — diatribes against me and my book, Goliath: Life and Loathing in Greater Israel. Six of his attacks were published after he declared that my book was “being (appropriately) ignored,” and after he wrote the following: “If my editors came to me again and asked me to devote my column to Blumenthal’s book, knowing what I know now, I would tell them, ‘No, thanks.'”
While Alterman insistently wrote in the Nation that he would refuse to debate me under any circumstance, he requested $10,000 under the table from Philip Weiss, editor of Mondoweiss.com, where some of my articles have appeared. When Weiss disclosed the fact, Alterman wrote, “Dear Mondoweiss dipshits,” then admitted he had asked for the money. And when Andrew Sullivan blogged without comment Alterman’s deception to Nation readers, Alterman lashed out, writing, “Why does Andrew Sullivan “hate America (and Andrew Sullivan)?”
To manufacture his latest attack on me and my book, Alterman has turned to Free Beacon, an extreme right-wing website published by the Republican lobbyist, former Sarah Palin spokesman and Sheldon Adelson funded Emergency Committee for Israel advisor Michael Goldfarb. Alterman communicated with Free Beacon writer Alana Goodman, who had once approvingly cited Rabbi Meir Kahane, the fascist Israeli demagogue, in order to praise President George W. Bush.
Cooperating with and linking to the Free Beacon was more than peculiar coming from someone who has made a reputation as a critic of conservative media. But Alterman has chosen to use this dubious outlet for his vituperation and as a supposedly reliable source. Most recently, the Free Beacon claimed Goliath had “received rave reviews from [white supremacist] David Duke’s website.”
Days later, Alterman echoed the claim that my book had been “endorsed” by Duke’s website, linking to the Free Beacon’s piece on his blog at TheNation.com.
In fact, a writer for DavidDuke.com had cited an ex-Israeli writer and jazz musician, Gilad Atzmon, who had in fact criticized me for trying in Goliath to “vindicate the Jews as a collective,” and who I have repeatedly denounced as an anti-Semite with neo-fascist tendencies. My statements against Atzmon (and articles |
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Gen. Toshio Tamogami hopes so. The former air-force chief known for his extreme nationalist views in a surprisingly strong result in Sunday’s election in Tokyo came in fourth among 16 candidates, pitching his ability developed as a military leader to “protect the lives and assets” of the city’s residents.
Gen. Tamogami–who now heads a burgeoning nationalist movement whose targets range from China, South Korea, the mainstream Japanese media and free-trade agreements–gathered a whopping 611,000 votes, according to the election administrators. He finished behind Yoichi Masuzoe, the winner backed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and two established candidates who campaigned on antinuclear platforms. Mr. Masuzoe snared 2.1 million votes, while the antinuclear candidates received less than 1 million votes each.PSR J0348+0432 is a neutron star in a binary system with a white dwarf. It was discovered in 2007 with the Green Bank Telescope in a drift-scan survey.[2]
In 2013, a mass measurement for this neutron star was announced: 7000200999999999999♠2.01±0.04 M ☉.[1] This measurement was done with a combination of radio timing and precise spectroscopy of the white dwarf companion. This is slightly higher than, but statistically indistinguishable from, the mass of PSR J1614–2230, which was measured using the Shapiro delay.[3] This measurement confirmed the existence of such massive neutron stars using a different measuring technique.
The notable feature of this binary pulsar is its combination of high neutron star mass and short orbital period: 2 hours and 27 minutes. This allowed a measurement of the orbital decay due to the emission of gravitational waves, as observed for PSR B1913+16 and PSR J0737-3039.
Background [ edit ]
Pulsars were discovered in 1967 by Jocelyn Bell and her adviser Antony Hewish using the Interplanetary Scintillation Array.[4] Franco Pacini and Thomas Gold quickly put forth the idea that pulsars are highly magnetized rotating neutron stars, which form as a result of a supernova at the end of the life of stars more massive than about 10 times the mass of the Sun ( M ☉ ).[5][6] The radiation emitted by pulsars is caused by interaction of the plasma surrounding the neutron star with its rapidly rotating magnetic field. This interaction leads to emission "in the pattern of a rotating beacon," as emission escapes along the magnetic poles of the neutron star.[6] The "rotating beacon" property of pulsars arises from the misalignment of their magnetic poles with their rotational poles. Historically, pulsars have been discovered at radio wavelengths where emission is strong, but space telescopes that operate in the gamma ray wavelengths have also discovered pulsars.
Observations [ edit ]
In 2007 the Green Bank Telescope underwent track repair, and was unable to track for several months. An international team of astronomers was nevertheless able to record the data from the antenna, letting the Earth do the job of moving the beam of the telescope across the sky, a process known as a drift scan survey. They found a total of 35 new pulsars, including 7 new millisecond pulsars and PSR J0348+0432.[2]
In 2011 John Antoniadis studied the white dwarf companion with the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, in Chile, and determined its mass and the mass of the pulsar. Radio timing of the pulsar with the 305-m radio telescope at the Arecibo Observatory and the Effelsberg 100-m Radio Telescope soon detected the orbital decay of the system due to the emission of gravitational waves. This matched the rate predicted by general relativity.[1][7][8]
Significance [ edit ]
The combination of a large neutron star mass, low white dwarf mass (mass ratio ~ 1:11.7) and short orbital period (2 hours and 27 minutes) allows astronomers to test general relativity in a regime of extreme gravitational fields, where it has never been tested before. The result also has implications for the direct detection of gravitational waves and for understanding of stellar evolution.[7] The measured mass of 2.01 ± 0.04 M ⊙ {\displaystyle 2.01\pm 0.04M_{\odot }} puts an empirical lower bound on the value of the Tolman–Oppenheimer–Volkoff limit.
Notes [ edit ]
References [ edit ]Two lawyers and legal researchers based at Stanford University have formally asked a federal court in San Francisco to unseal numerous records of surveillance-related cases, as a way to better understand how authorities seek such powers from judges. This courthouse is responsible for the entire Northern District of California, which includes the region where tech companies such as Twitter, Apple, and Google, are based.
According to the petition, Jennifer Granick and Riana Pfefferkorn were partly inspired by a number of high-profile privacy cases that have unfolded in recent years, ranging from Lavabit to Apple’s battle with the Department of Justice.
As they wrote in their Wednesday filing:
Most surveillance orders are sealed, however. Therefore, the public does not have a strong understanding of what technical assistance courts may order private entities to provide to law enforcement. There are at least 70 cases, many under seal, in which courts have mandated that Apple and Google unlock mobile phones—and potentially many more. The Lavabit district court may not be the only court to have ordered companies to turn over private encryption keys to law enforcement based on novel interpretations of law. Courts today may be granting orders forcing private companies to turn on microphones or cameras in cars, laptops, mobile phones, smart TVs, or other audio- and video-enabled Internet-connected devices in order to conduct wiretapping or visual surveillance. This pervasive sealing cripples public discussion of whether these judicial orders are
lawful and appropriate.
In their 45-page petition, they specifically say that they don’t need all sealed surveillance records, simply those that should have been unsealed—which, unfortunately, doesn’t always happen automatically.
Petitioners seek the unsealing of underlying materials only from cases where there is no longer any need for secrecy, e.g., the criminal investigation has terminated, the surveillance order (including any delayed-notice order) has expired, or charges have been filed. These records are public documents and should be publicly docketed and unsealed unless good cause exists on a case-by-case basis for continued secrecy based on the facts and circumstances of the individual matter.
Granick is the director of civil liberties at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society and previously worked at Zwillgen, one of the law firms that represented Apple in the wake of the December 2015 terrorist attack in San Bernadino. Pfefferkorn is the Cryptography Fellow at the same Stanford group. Both women have been outspoken on the issue of expansive government surveillance.
The petition has yet to be assigned to a judge, and as such, hearings have not been scheduled.Two weeks ago, I heard from Andy Kopsa, an American reporter in Uganda whom I know glancingly as a colleague. While in Kampala reporting for The Washington Monthly on U.S. funding for faith-based organizations there, Kopsa found herself helping “a trans woman [who] was beaten to a pulp”—and who, Kopsa told me, had difficulty getting appropriate medical or police attention, again because she was trans. The beating was brutal, as you’ll read below. One man started it, and bystanders joined in. The police wouldn’t help. Doctors wouldn’t help. All these things are shocking to Americans. But as you will read later in this series, the only thing that stands out about this incident is that the transwoman, Mich, was willing to seek help.
Uganda may not have passed a death penalty for homosexuality, but if LGBT people can be beaten ferociously and refused medical care, a kind of death sentence is in place nevertheless.
Information for this week's three-part series comes from on-the-ground reports from Kopsa posted on her blog and from telephone, Skype, and e-mail exchanges with Kopsa and local Ugandan human-rights activist Clare Byarugaba. Today, tomorrow, and the day after, I will report on what they told me.
Part 1: A Vicious Beating
According to Clare Byarugaba, co-coordinator at Uganda’s Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights and Constitutional Law, Mich is “very girly, fabulous, you know?” The 22-year-old Ugandan activist lives upcountry, outside Kampala, with her uncle and has no income; no one will hire her, even when she presents herself as a man dressed in men’s clothes. When Mich landed an interview for a position as a radio journalist, one of the interviewers sneered, "Are you a man or a woman?" Mich did not get the job.
On August 28, Mich had come to Kampala to visit friends, one of whom took her to a party. There, a man taunted her all evening: I can’t tell if you are a man or a woman. You look like my ex-girlfriend. What is wrong with you? Mich ignored him. Sticks and stones, as we say in the U.S., may break my bones, but names will never harm me. But the truism isn't true when the slurs are just the verbal warning of the violence to come.
Mich and her friend left the party and went to a bar nearby, Kopsa and Byarugaba told me. The taunter was there as well. He started beating her. Bystanders joined in. The taunter slammed her head against the concrete. Others beat her ribs. Someone else tried to strangle her.
In a jointly written blog entry, Kopsa and Byarugaba describe the beating:
[H]e started the assault in the open courtyard of the club, he pushed her to the concrete, started thumping [her] face mercilessly, while at the same time holding Mich by the throat with an intention of strangling her to death, as fate would have it friends joined in the beating, kicking her in the ribs and chest, Mich asserts that what saved her was her insistent screaming for help, to which the askari (or guard) responded by pulling her away from the attackers.
The “gatekeeper” or bouncer called a bodaboda, a bicycle taxi—the quickest local transport. She got away. Two days later, a transwoman known as Beyonce, the leader of Uganda’s Trans Support Initiative, brought Mich to see Clare Byarugaba at the Civil Society Coalition.
When I spoke to Byarugaba via Skype, I couldn’t see much because of the poor video quality. But the glimpses showed me that she is young, dark, and has a lovely sculptured face, with high cheekbones and bright brown eyes. She wore small hoop earrings and an MLB baseball cap backward; its logo’s tiny white batter was the brightest thing on my screen, like a star shining from her forehead. Clare told me that it had been a while since she’d seen such a terrible beating. “The veins in her eye were damaged. She had a puffed-up face. Her ribs and neck were bruised from the beating and attempted strangling,” Byarugaba said. Her voice was slow and strained, as if she were pushing the words out through a very small hole.
Kopsa had been interviewing Byarugaba as part of her reporting—and was surprised to be swept up into this more urgent story. She went along as Clare and Beyonce took Mich to the local clinic, where she got “tablets for the swelling and pain.” But the Ugandan medical system, Byarugaba explained, starts with local clinics that can offer simple care; a referral is required to get to a doctor who can offer more specialized treatment. In Mich's case, the clinic refused to give a referral because homosexuality is both illegal and despised. More medical care was too good for her. Fortunately, Clare said, "Beyonce had friends in high places, so she was able to get Mich an appointment in another big hospital, where she got care for her bruised ribs and ointment for her neck."
Courtesy of Andy Kopsa Mich after being beaten outside a nightclub In her first e-mail to me, Kopsa explained that the group took Mich to the hospital because "she was having more pain in her ribs and since she was also strangled, they wanted to check her trachea. She did go to the doctor but started having pain again." To an American, what is just as shocking as the beating are the lengths to which Mich had to go to get medical care. As Kopsa said in her e-mail, "You would not believe the hell we went through to get her seen at a friendly hospital by a friendly doctor. The phone calls, the secrecy, the hooking-up with a driver, it was insane—because she is a transwoman. I made a promise to a high foreign official of some country I can't name that I wouldn't talk about the name of the hospital, this official's role in aiding the woman, or anything of the sort as it is all illegal."
In the article she jointly authored with Byarugaba, Kopsa described the foreign official's attitude this way:
Visibly upset, pacing, the official told me my being there could put Mich and Beyonce in jeopardy. … The relationship they had groomed with the facility was a long time in the making. This clandestine series of phone calls, pick ups, drop offs and assists carefully calculated by another government that cannot talk of their involvement in any of this openly.… I had to swear not mention the hospital, doctor or foreign agency involved. This is how a transsexual who is brutally assaulted in a hate crime gets medical attention in Uganda if they are lucky enough.
When the group took Mich to the Old Kampala Police Station to report the assault, guess how they were received? The officer's first question, Kopsa and Byarugaba write, was, "Is this a boy or a girl?" Clare lost her cool and yelled, "What kind of question is this! What kind of professionalism is this?”
When I spoke with Byarugaba, she told me how frustratingly difficult it was to try to explain the assault to the police, who didn't see a motive. While we in the U.S. are steeped in the concept of a hate crime, the Kampala police couldn’t get it in focus. They wouldn’t accept that the motive might just be hatred and fear of LGBT people; surely someone was trying to move in on someone else’s girlfriend or boyfriend? In the end, they told the group to find witnesses and gave Mich a warrant to arrest her attacker if she wished to find him. That’s how things work in Uganda, Kopsa told me: If you don’t have money for bribes, you have to do the police work yourself.
No one would admit to having seen the beating. The guard insisted that he spoke only Rwandese. All of the staff insisted they had not been there at the time. The owner kicked them out.
Mich returned home, defeated and scared.
Tomorrow: One or two beatings of transwomen and butch lesbians a week.An Australian with connections to the Hezbollah militant group is one of the key suspects in a bombing that killed five Israelis and a local bus driver at an airport at a Black Sea resort last year, the Bulgarian Government announced overnight.
Releasing the results of its investigation into the July 18 bus bombing in the coastal town of Burgas, Bulgarian Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov said one of the suspects entered Bulgaria on an Australian passport, and another with one from Canada.
All three people involved in the attack had fake US drivers licenses that had been printed in Lebanon, while the two travelling on Australian and Canadian passports had lived in Lebanon since 2006 and 2010 respectively, the Agence France-Presse news agency quoted Mr Tsvetanov as saying.
“We have well-grounded reasons to suggest that the two were members of the militant wing of Hezbollah,” Mr Tsvetanov said. "There is data showing the financing and connection between Hezbollah and the two suspects.This summer, The Denver Post will share nine stories that capture our state’s love of baseball. We spend the first inning with the LoRussos, looking at their blind devotion to a game they love.
His wife, wearing a matching jacket on this cold May day, gleefully hoots toward a Philadelphia Phillie shagging batting practice balls in front of her.
The crack of the bat takes Mark LoRusso back home — nestled near a radio in 1965 — as well as to home plate at Coors Field, 50 years later, the sound stimulating his senses.
“Baseball,” Mark said, “I just can’t seem to get enough of it.”
Mark and Peggy LoRusso, married 30 years, sit in the front row and can’t see a thing. And there’s no other place they’d rather be.
“We have no idea what they think a baseball looks like, or a rainbow,” said the blind couple’s close friend, Dan Sauvageau. “It’s something we take for granted every day. It makes you realize how lucky you are, when we take them to a game. It puts everything in perspective.”
“We’re just like anybody else,” Peggy said. “We don’t see it all, but we can hear it.... I always say — somebody has it worse than we have it. That’s how I look at it.”
The tale begins in 1998, when Sauvageau’s buddy Randy Milliken worked at Big Brothers Big Sisters. Milliken said his new co-worker, a blind man, yearned to attend a Rockies game.A new microscope has given researchers their most detailed view yet of the earliest days of mouse development. For the first time, scientists can track each cell as it divides, from the fertilized egg all the way to the round ball of cells called a blastocyst, which implants in the mother’s uterus (see video, above). Mammalian embryos, including mice and humans, are very sensitive to the bright light used in standard high-resolution microscopes. A technique called light-sheet microscopy illuminates just a thin slice of the embryo at a time, minimizing the living specimen’s exposure. Researchers have now designed a light-sheet microscope that can image multiple embryos at once, keeping them at a stable temperature in their growth media. That allows the scientists to average out the differences between individual embryos and better recognize meaningful patterns in development. They report this week in Nature Methods that in mouse embryos, the first differentiation of cell types happens when the embryo grows from eight to 16 cells. When the cells in the eight-celled embryo divide, cells that end up on the inside (tagged red in this video) continue to develop into the body of the mouse, while those on the outside (tagged blue) go on to form the placenta. The technique could also be used on human embryos, the researchers say, and might help settle a long-running dispute on exactly when cells in the embryo start to differentiate into specific cell types.
(Video credit: European Molecular Biology Laboratory)Selling 730,000 copies within four months of its release in March 2004, Far Cry spawned a rather lucrative series for Ubisoft. I still have fond memories of the original game's captivating single player campaign and seemingly endless multiplayer action.
Now 10 years later, the series appears to be as strong as ever with the lauded arrival of Far Cry 4. Although I've only had time to play for about an hour, that was enough time to be impressed by this release's immersive gameplay and breathtaking visuals.
Graphics have always been a selling point of the series as few games offer the same open world environments that can be experienced in Far Cry. The latest iteration is no exception, as it is based on the same Dunia Engine 2 game engine has Far Cry 3.
With that being the case, it's no surprise or disappointment to learn that Far Cry 4 looks reminiscent of the previous version. Effects such as god rays are heavily emphasized and used in a way that have tremendous atmospheric impact on the game's environments.
Being an Nvidia "The Way It's Meant to be Played" title, FC4 has loads of optimizations for GeForce cards, including HBAO+, PCSS, TXAA, Godrays, and HairWorks. If nothing else, this should make it all the more interesting to compare results between GPU camps.
Testing Methodology
We used the latest AMD and Nvidia drivers on 25 DirectX 11 graphics card configurations from both companies covering all price ranges. Our test rig was outfitted with the Intel Core i7-4770K to remove CPU bottlenecks that could influence high-end GPU scores.
For benchmarking we used fraps to record 60 seconds of gameplay. The section of the game used for testing was the first objective to take the tower offline. At the start we jumped into a car with auto-drive enabled so it would take us on the same path to the tower each time. This made each run easy to repeat accurately and allowed us to record the kind of frame rates you should see when playing Far Cry 4.
The graphic settings were set to the 'ultra' preset with no changes made, which set ambient occlusion to SSBC (same as very high and high), anti-aliasing to SMAA (same as very high and high) while godrays were set to volumetric fog.
We tested Far Cry 4 at three desktop display resolutions: 1680x1050, 1920x1200 and 2560x1600 using DX11.
Test System SpecsIn this study, we found that tumor FOXP3 expression was frequently upregulated in NSCLC tissues, and in most cases showed a mixture of cytoplasmic and nuclear expression. However, tumor FOXP3 expression was not statistically correlated with any clinicopathologic features, though advanced pathologic stage (III-IV) seemed to be associated with high FOXP3 expression. Tumor FOXP3 has been claimed as an independent prognostic indicator for tongue squamous cell carcinoma [2] and breast cancer [29]. However, to our best of knowledge it has not been reported as an independent prognostic factor in NSCLC. In this study, we found that high tumor FOXP3 expression was significantly correlated with worse overall survival and recurrence-free survival of the patients, and showed independent prognostic value in NSCLC. FOXP3 expression in Treg cells could also be seen in NSCLC specimens. Although Treg cells in NSCLC were reported with poor prognosis in some publications [30, 31]. However, we did not find its prognostic value in NSCLC. Tumor FOXP3 expression has a positive correlation with Treg cell counts in our NSCLC specimens. Thus we speculate that tumor FOXP3 may be a confounding factor to affect the prognostic value in NSCLC.
In vitro and in vivo assays demonstrated the oncogenic role of FOXP3 in NSCLC. Ectopic expression of FOXP3 contributed to tumor growth and metastasis in NSCLC cells (A549 and H460) by promoting cell proliferation, migration and invasion as evidenced by cell viability assay, colony formation assay, soft agar assay, wound healing assay and transwell assay. The promotion of tumor growth and metastasis by FOXP3 was further confirmed in subcutaneous xenograft tumor mouse model and tail-vein-injection metastatic mouse model. On the other hand, lentivirus-mediated knockdown of FOXP3 significantly inhibited cell proliferation and clonogenicity. Moreover, we observed that ectopic expression of FOXP3 in A549 and H460 led to downregulation of E-Cadherin and upregulation of N-Cadherin, vimentin, Snail, Slug and MMP9, as well as the mesenchymal specific morphology changes: spindle shape, loss of cell-cell contact and cell scattering. All these changes in biomarkers and morphology suggest a transition of epithelial cells to mesenchymal cells. This transition was further confirmed by microarray analysis of biological process and cellular component. On the other hand, the knockdown of FOXP3 impairs its ability in downregulating E-Cadherin and upregulating N-Cadherin, Snail, Slug and MMP9. This is the first report on the role of FOXP3 in EMT induction.
FOXP3 has been reported as a suppressor gene in breast cancer [7, 10–12] and prostate cancer [3] via repressing the expression of oncogene such as HER2, SKP2, p21, LATS2 and c-Myc. Using qPCR method, we did not see the similar changes of these molecules in NSCLC cells when FOXP3 was overexpressed (data not shown). Conversely, the pathway analysis of the gene expression profiling indicated an activated HER2 signaling pathway in FOXP3-overexpression NSCLC cells. The findings of Western blot and qPCR verified the upregulation of c-Myc in FOXP3-overexpression NSCLC cells. EMT is an important step in the progression of cancer metastasis and invasion [32], and also contribute to the increase in resistance to pro-apoptotic and chemotherapeutic drugs and the induction of cancer cell stemness [33]. Our results have suggested that FOXP3 can function as an oncogene in NSCLC that has a different genetic background from breast cancer and prostate cancers. Our finding is supported by the studies reported by others, demonstrating that the overexpression of FOXP3 decreases mouse Lewis lung cancer cell sensitivity to chemotherapy and that the ectopic expression of FOXP3 promotes cell growth, migration and invasion in lung adenocarcinoma [16]. In some other types of cancers [34, 35], FOXP3 has also been shown to promote cancer growth, migration and invasion.
We further elucidated the downstream signaling pathway responsible for FOXP3 oncogenic function in NSCLC and found that the FOXP3-mediated tumor growth and metastasis could be, at least partly, attributed to the activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling, which is critical for the initiation and progression of NSCLC [36, 37]. The FOXP3-induced Wnt/β-catenin signaling in A549 and H460 was evidenced by the high luciferase activity of Topflash reporter, and the upregulation of Wnt signaling target gene (c-Myc and Cyclin D1) expression. Moreover, the knockdown of FOXP3 impaired the Topflash reporter luciferase activity. The activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway can also contribute to the induction of EMT via stimulating several EMT-related transcription factors, such as Snail, Slug, Twist, ZEB1, ZEB2 and E47 [38].
FOXP3 has constantly been regarded as a transcriptional factor functioned in cancer cells [11, 39–41]. However its role in the regulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in human cancers is unknown. Our Co-IP result indicated that FOXP3 could interact with β-catenin and TCF4 respectively and reciprocally, and enhance the function of β-catenin and TCF4 in the nucleus.Not to be confused with Neutral Nation
[ citation needed ] prior to 2007: neutral countries disputed neutral countries historical neutral countries World map showing countries' degrees of neutralityprior to 2007:
A neutral country is a state which is neutral towards belligerents in a specific war, or holds itself as permanently neutral in all future conflicts (including avoiding entering into military alliances such as NATO). As a type of non-combatant status, neutral nationals enjoy protection under the law of war from belligerent actions, to a greater extent than other non-combatants such as enemy civilians and prisoners of war.
Different countries interpret their neutrality differently. Some, such as Costa Rica, have demilitarized; whereas Switzerland holds to "armed neutrality" in which it deters aggression with a sizeable military, while barring itself from foreign deployment. Not all neutral countries avoid any foreign deployment or alliances, however, as Austria, Ireland, Finland and Sweden have active UN peacekeeping forces and a political alliance within the European Union. The traditional Swedish policy is not to participate in military alliances, with the intention of staying neutral in the case of war. Immediately before World War II, the Nordic countries stated their neutrality, but Sweden changed its position to that of non-belligerent at the start of the Winter War.
Terminology [ edit ]
A neutral country in a particular war, is a sovereign state which officially declares itself to be neutral towards the belligerents. The rights and duties of a neutral power are defined in Sections 5 [1] and 13 [2] of the Hague Convention of 1907.
in a particular war, is a sovereign state which officially declares itself to be neutral towards the belligerents. The rights and duties of a neutral power are defined in Sections 5 and 13 of the Hague Convention of 1907. A permanently neutral power is a sovereign state which is bound by international treaty to be neutral towards the belligerents of all future wars. An example of a permanently neutral power is Switzerland. The concept of neutrality in war is narrowly defined and puts specific constraints on the neutral party in return for the internationally recognised right to remain neutral.
is a sovereign state which is bound by international treaty to be neutral towards the belligerents of all future wars. An example of a permanently neutral power is Switzerland. The concept of neutrality in war is narrowly defined and puts specific constraints on the neutral party in return for the internationally recognised right to remain neutral. Neutralism or a "neutralist policy" is a foreign policy position wherein a state intends to remain neutral in future wars. A sovereign state that reserves the right to become a belligerent if attacked by a party to the war is in a condition of armed neutrality.
or a "neutralist policy" is a foreign policy position wherein a state intends to remain neutral in future wars. A sovereign state that reserves the right to become a belligerent if attacked by a party to the war is in a condition of armed neutrality. A non-belligerent state is one that indirectly participates in a war, politically and / or materially helping one side of the conflict and thus not participating militarily. For example, it may allow its territory to be used for the war effort.
Rights and responsibilities of a neutral power [ edit ]
Belligerents may not invade neutral territory,[3] and a neutral power's resisting any such attempt does not compromise its neutrality.[4]
A neutral power must intern belligerent troops who reach its territory,[5] but not escaped prisoners of war.[6] Belligerent armies may not recruit neutral citizens,[7] but they may go abroad to enlist.[8] Belligerent armies' personnel and material may not be transported across neutral territory,[9] but the wounded may be.[10] A neutral power may supply communication facilities to belligerents,[11] but not war material,[12] although it need not prevent export of such material.[13]
Belligerent naval vessels may use neutral ports for a maximum of 24 hours, though neutrals may impose different restrictions.[14] Exceptions are to make repairs—only the minimum necessary to put back to sea[15]—or if an opposing belligerent's vessel is already in port, in which case it must have a 24-hour head start.[16] A prize ship captured by a belligerent in the territorial waters of a neutral power must be surrendered by the belligerent to the neutral, which must intern its crew.[17]
Recognition and codification [ edit ]
Neutrality has been recognised in different ways, and sometimes involves a formal guarantor. For example, Austria has its neutrality guaranteed by its four former occupying powers, Switzerland by the signatories of the Congress of Vienna and Finland by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The form of recognition varies, often by bilateral treaty (Finland), multilateral treaty (Austria) or a UN declaration (Turkmenistan). These treaties can in some ways be forced on a country (Austria's neutrality was insisted upon by the Soviet Union) but in other cases it is an active policy of the country concerned to respond to a geopolitical situation (Ireland in the Second World War).[18]
For the country concerned, the policy is usually codified beyond the treaty itself. Austria and Japan codify their neutrality in their constitutions, but they do so with different levels of detail. Some details of neutrality are left to be interpreted by the government while others are explicitly stated, for example Austria may not host any foreign bases and Japan cannot participate in foreign wars. Yet Sweden, lacking formal codification, was more flexible during the Second World War in allowing troops to pass through its territory.[18]
Armed neutrality [ edit ]
Switzerland is a key example of a country outside of any military alliance, but maintaining a strong deterrent force
Armed neutrality is the posture of a state or group of states that has no alliance with either side in a war, but asserts that it will defend itself against resulting incursions from any party.[19] This may include:
Military preparedness without commitment, especially as the expressed policy of a neutral nation in wartime; readiness to counter with force an invasion of rights by any belligerent power. [20]
Armed neutrality is a term used in international politics, which is the attitude of a state or group of states which makes no alliance with either side in a war. It is the condition of a neutral power, during said war, to hold itself ready to resist by force, any aggression of either belligerent. [21]
Neutrality maintained while weapons are kept available. [22]
Armed neutrality makes a seemingly-neutral state take up arms for protection to maintain its neutrality.
Sweden and Switzerland are, independent of each other, famed for their armed neutrality, which they maintained throughout both World War I and World War II.[23] The Swiss and the Swedes each have a long history of neutrality: they have not been in a state of war internationally since 1815 and 1814, respectively. They pursue, however, active foreign policies and are frequently involved in peace-building processes around the world.[24] According to Edwin Reischauer, "To be neutral you must be ready to be highly militarized, like Switzerland or Sweden."[25]
In contrast, other neutral states may abandon military power (examples of states doing this include Costa Rica and Liechtenstein) or reduce it, but rather uses it for the express purpose of home defence and the maintenance of its neutrality. But the lack of a military does not result in neutrality as countries such as Iceland replaced a standing military with a military guarantee from a stronger power.
Leagues of Armed Neutrality [ edit ]
The phrase "armed neutrality" sometimes refers specifically to one of the "Leagues of Armed Neutrality".
Peacekeeping [ edit ]
For many states, such as Ireland and Sweden, neutrality does not mean the absence of any foreign interventionism. Peacekeeping missions for the United Nations are seen as intertwined with it.[31] The Swiss electorate rejected a 1994 proposal to join UN peacekeeping operations. Despite this, 23 Swiss observers and police have been deployed around the world in UN projects.[32]
Points of debate [ edit ]
The legitimacy of whether some states are as neutral as they claim has been questioned in some circles, although this depends largely on a state's interpretation of its form of neutrality.
European Union [ edit ]
There are five members of the European Union that still describe themselves as a neutral country in some form: Austria, Ireland, Finland, Malta and Sweden. With the development of the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy, the extent to which they are, or should be, neutral is debated. For example, former Finnish Prime Minister, Matti Vanhanen, on 5 July 2006, stated that Finland was no longer neutral:
Mr Pflüger described Finland as neutral. I must correct him on that: Finland is a member of the EU. We were at one time a politically neutral country, during the time of the Iron Curtain. Now we are a member of the Union, part of this community of values, which has a common policy and, moreover, a common foreign policy.[33]
However, Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila on 5 December 2017 still described the country as "militarily non-aligned" and that it should remain so.[34] Ireland, which sought guarantees for its neutrality in EU treaties, argues that its neutrality does not mean that Ireland should avoid engagement in international affairs such as peacekeeping operations.[35]
Since the enactment of the Lisbon Treaty, EU members are bound by TEU, Article 42.7, which obliges states to assist a fellow member that is the victim of armed aggression. It accords "an obligation of aid and assistance by all the means in [other member states'] power" but would "not prejudice the specific character of the security and defence policy of certain Member States" (neutral policies), allowing members to respond with non-military aid.
With the launch of Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) in defence at the end of 2017, the EU's activity on military matters has increased. The policy was designed to be inclusive and allows for states to opt in or out of specific forms of military cooperation. That has allowed most of the neutral states to participate, but opinions still vary. Some members of the Irish Parliament considered Ireland's joining PESCO as an abandonment of neutrality. It was passed with the government arguing that its opt-in nature allowed Ireland to "join elements of PESCO that were beneficial such as counter-terrorism, cyber security and peace keeping... what we are not going to be doing is buying aircraft carriers and fighter jets". Malta, as of December 2017, is the only neutral state not to participate in PESCO. The Maltese government argued that it was going to wait and see how PESCO develops to see whether it would compromise Maltese neutrality.[36]
Moldova [ edit ]
The neutrality of Moldova is an interesting case. According to Ion Marandici, Moldova has chosen neutrality in order to avoid Russian security schemes and Russian military presence on its territory.[37] Even if the country is constitutionally neutral, some researchers argue that de facto this former Soviet republic never was neutral, because parts of the Russian 14th army are present at Bendery.[37] The same author suggests that one solution in order to avoid unnecessary contradictions and deepen at the same time the relations with NATO would be "to interpret the concept of permanent neutrality in a flexible manner".[37]
Neutrality during World War II [ edit ]
"Neutrality is a negative word. It does not express what America ought to feel. We are not trying to keep out of trouble; we are trying to preserve the foundations on which peace may be rebuilt.” — Woodrow Wilson
Many countries made neutrality declarations during World War II. However, of the European states closest to the war, only |
Pet Trainer in one of the lower level starting zones or in Stormwind or Orgrimmar.
Trainers will teach you Battle Pet Training for 10, as well as how to Track Pets on your minimap.
The level requirement to receive Battle Pet Training is level 5, and once you've learned how to battle on one character, all your other characters will also receive the training.
In addition, the Battle Pet Trainer can teach you a race-specific pet if you don't already have it in your collection. However, the trainer will only offer to teach you the pet that is designated for your race.
Race-Specific Starter Pets
Here's a full list of each race's trainable companion. Note that many of these pets are also available from vendors located in or nearby faction capitals.
Although the Battle Pet Trainer will only offer to teach you your race-specific companion, it is possible to add all of these pets to your collection. You can either find them in your faction’s auction house or you can create a character of the race whose pet you would like to learn. Using your new character, you can seek out any battle pet trainer in major cities. After you learn the pet, you can delete the character; the pet you learned will not be removed from your collection.
The Basics of Pet Battles
After training the Pet Battles ability, the first slot in your Pet Battles team will unlock. To have an active pet on your team, you'll need to select a companion from the list in your Pet Journal, and drag it into the first space under Battle Pet Slots. You can unlock the other two slots by completing the achievements Newbie and Just a Pup.
But before you head off to conquer the critter and companion world, you'll need to speak with your trainer again. The trainer will start you off on a short quest chain that will teach you the ability Revive Battle Pets. This spell is essential, as it’s the most convenient way for you to heal and resurrect your wounded and fallen pets.
Once you've learned how to heal your companions, you're pretty much all set to take on the wild world of Azeroth and beyond!
Pet Tracking and General Combat
The ability to track wild pets will allow you to see which critters are capturable and which aren't. If you have the tracking ability selected for your mini-map, a green paw print will show up if a wild pet is nearby. This same icon will also appear above a critter if it is a pet you can battle and catch.
When you've chosen a wild pet you would like to battle, right click on the critter and it will take you into a unique Pet Battle UI. You can't engage a Pet Battle if you are in combat, and any attack from a player or nearby creature will remove you from the Pet Battle.
TIP: Be sure that the area in which you start the battle is a fairly flat and clear spot. If there are large objects obstructing the area, such as a house or a large boulder, you won't be able to begin the battle. Likewise if there isn't enough ground space.
For the duration of the fight, creatures in the immediate area will not be visible to you (but they may still attack you if they wander too close). Keep in mind that other players will still be able to see you and attack you if you are eligible for player vs. player (PVP). Other players will also be able to view your pet battle in real time, including the pets involved as well as their health as the match progresses.
The Pet Battle UI
The Pet Battle combat UI will show you your active pet's abilities, your opponent's health, stats, quality and abilities, and there will be options for you to switch pets, pass a turn, capture a pet or forfeit the match.
The golden border and the'speed' mini-icon surrounding a pet's portrait indicate its initiative (i.e., whether it will be the first to use an ability or attack each round). Initiative is based on a pet's speed, and if this stat is higher than your opponent's, you will be designated to go first.
Your Pet-Powered Arsenal
Each pet has 3 abilities it can use during a battle, but a total of 6 to choose from. They will also have a total of 3 active spell slots that show which abilities can be used during a Pet Battle. The first spell slot will already be unlocked, but the second and third will only become available once the companion has reached a certain level. Other spells will also unlock after reaching higher levels.
Each slot has two spell options, and you can switch abilities in each, but only before and after your pet battles—not during. To switch an active ability, click on a pet's active slot in your Pet Journal, and a select which ability you'd like your pet to use from the drop down menu.
When hovering over an ability, the tooltip will tell you whether or not that attack is weak or strong against certain pet types. Additionally, you can hover over the opposing team's pets and view their attacks during combat. This will be important since it’s a good idea to pit a pet that's strong against the opponent's pet who's vulnerable to that type.
How Pet Battles Work
Combat is turn-based and there is no time limit on each round in a PVE Pet Battle. You can take your time to determine which spell to use next. Some pet abilities have multiple round cooldowns, while others can do extra damage if certain conditions are met. Be creative and have fun testing which combination of attacks works best against different wild pets!
If your pet's health gets too low or its attacks aren't very effective against a certain combatant, you can always switch out your current pet with another companion on your team. Only pets that are considered active (i.e., those in your three Battle Pet Slots), may be switched in and out during the battle. Once the match is over, you can always change up your active pet team, which is useful if one of your pets is low on health or dead.
Each battle that you win will yield experience for each pet that participated. However, deceased companions will not receive any experience (so make an effort to keep them alive by swaping in a different pet). Experience gains are based on your pet's level compared to the wild pet. Defeating a higher level opponent will grant more experience than a much lower level one, but be ready for a tough fight!
TIP: Your pets won’t gain as much experience when you capture an opposing battle pet rather than kill it. Keep that in mind if you’re looking to level your pets quickly.
Higher level wild pets are often accompanied by more than one critter in battle. Only after beginning the battle will you be able to see any accompanying pets on their team. To win the battle, you will need to defeat (or capture) all of the opposing battle pets, even the newly joined ones.
Healing Your Battle Pets
After each Pet Battle, any injured companion will automatically regain 50% of the damage that was taken during combat. But if any pets on your team are severely low on health, or worse... dead... you have a few options.
The Revive Battle Pets spell (icon pictured at left) will be the primary way to heal your companions and resurrect them. Clicking it heals and resurrects all of your pets in your Pet Journal, including your active team. This ability can only be used out of combat and has an 8 minute cooldown, so use it wisely.
If a companion dies during the battle, it will need to be resurrected before it can participate in another encounter or be summoned as a traveling companion. Get that pet a medic! Or in this case, a Stable Master. Stable Master NPCs can heal and revive your pets for a small fee, and there is no cooldown on the Stable Master's heal. You’ll find Stable Masters in major towns and cities across Azeroth.
FYI: Both the Revive Battle Pets ability and the Stable Master's heal are put on a 3 minute lock-out at the moment you log in. This is to prevent players from rapidly switching back and forth between characters to use these healing abilities on pets since the cooldown is not shared between characters.
Heal spell on cooldown? Can't seem to find a Stable Master? Well, you're in luck because there's yet another way to heal your companions!
The Battle Pet Bandage is the third way to heal and resurrect your pets. It's a random drop from the Sack of Pet Supplies that you can obtain by defeating NPC Pet Tamers. It functions in the same fashion as the Revive Battle Pets spell, but it doesn't have a cooldown.
TIP: Battle Pet Bandages are bind-on-account so you can move them between all your characters. Additionally, they are stored in stacks of 25.
Battle Pet Families and Abilities
Each pet is categorized into a group or family type. There are 10 pet families: Aquatic, Beast, Critter, Dragonkin, Elemental, Flying, Humanoid, Magic, Mechanical, and Undead.
Every pet family has its own strengths and weaknesses, as well as a passive bonus. This information is helpful to know so you can plan stronger attacks against pets who are vulnerable to them, and defend against pets whose attacks are strong against your pet type.
Strong vs. Weak
The table below shows which pets families are strongest or weakest versus other families. Strong attacks receive a 50% damage increase (base dmg x1.5) while weak attacks suffer a 33% damage penalty (base dmg x0.66).
Vs. DEFENDING A
T
T
A
C
K
I
N
G x1.5 x0.66 x1.5 x0.66 x0.66 x1.5 x1.5 x0.66 x0.66 x1.5 x1.5 x0.66 x0.66 x1.5 x1.5 x0.66 x1.5 x0.66 x0.66 x1.5
The chart below (created by Khlammy) provides a make-shift "cheat sheet" that includes the info in the table above.
TIP: Get our Get our Pet Battles Cheat Sheet, providing you with a printable version of the chart above. It's a great quick-reference while you play.
Passive Pet Family Bonuses
Each family conveys a passive bonus to pets of that type. These bonuses can have a significant impact on the outcome of a Pet Bettle under the right circumstances.
Aquatic : Harmful damage over time effects are reduced by 50% on Aquatic pets.
: Harmful damage over time effects are reduced by 50% on Aquatic pets. Beast : Beats deal 25% extra damage below half health.
: Beats deal 25% extra damage below half health. Critter : Critters are immune to roots, stuns, and sleep effects.
: Critters are immune to roots, stuns, and sleep effects. Dragonkin : Dragons deal 50% additional damage on the next round after bringing a target's health below 50%.
: Dragons deal 50% additional damage on the next round after bringing a target's health below 50%. Elemental : Elementals ignore negative weather effects.
: Elementals ignore negative weather effects. Flying : Flying creatures gain 50% extra speed while above 50% health.
: Flying creatures gain 50% extra speed while above 50% health. Humanoid : Humanoids recover 4% of their maximum health if they dealt damage this round.
: Humanoids recover 4% of their maximum health if they dealt damage this round. Magic : Magic pets cannot be dealt more than 35% of their maximum health in one attack.
: Magic pets cannot be dealt more than 35% of their maximum health in one attack. Mehcanical : Mechanical pets come back to life once per battle, returning to 20% health.
: Mechanical pets come back to life once per battle, returning to 20% health. Undead: Undead pets return to life immortal for one round when killed.
Ability Strengths and Weaknesses
Along with general families, pet abilities are also categorized by type. In most cases, a companion will have spells that correspond with its family type, but some pets will have unique abilities that fall under a different group.
For example, the Azure Whelpling belongs to the Dragonkin family. However, it has Beast, Magic, and Elemental abilities in addition to a Dragonkin attack. Different attacks are strong and weak against different family types. Having a diverse spell selection might increase your chances of being prepared with a strong attack against an opposing team.
The infographic below (created by Dargno) offers another handy visual of strong vs. weak when attacking or defending:
©Dargno www.dargno.nl
Capturing Wild Pets
Most of the PVE battle pets you face in the wild can be can be captured. To capture a wild pet, you will need to bring its health down to less than 35% and then use the Trap ability once it lights up. Note that using this will take up your turn for the round. In addition, you may only capture one companion on a team of wild pets, so choose wisely!
CAUTION: If your goal is to collect a wild pet, be careful not to kill it! Remember, your objective is to drop it below 35% health. So avoid using any strong attacks against the wild pet when it drops below 50%.
Not all the pets that join a wild pet's team will be capturable. However the majority of them can be trapped. The best way to determine whether or not a pet can be caught is by checking for it in the Pet Journal. If the pet isn't listed, it likely can't be captured.
If at first you don't succeed...
There is always a chance that your trap will fail. The good news is that the chance of failure drops with each additional attempt. In some situations, a failed trap might mean you need to bring the wild pet's health down again for it to be eligible for caging.
FYI: Completing certain achievements will reward upgraded traps which will help to increase your chances of a successful capture.
PVP Encounters
Engaging a wild pet in battle will phase you out of the environment, and the wildlife in the immediate area will not be visible to you. This doesn't mean you will be invulnerable during a Pet Battle session, though.
In player vs. player designated zones, you will still be viewable and attackable by players, but you are not left completely defenseless. While engaged in a Pet Battle, any attack from another player will break you out of the battle. You will receive a 3 second damage shield that will absorb 50% of incoming attacks. The same exact wild pet that you were previously battling will respawn after you come out of combat with the other player. However, if you defeated the primary pet in battle prior to leaving the match, the pet and its team will not respawn.
Participating in Pet Battles will not automatically flag you for PVP on a PVE server. Only PVP zones such as Tol Barad or Wintergrasp will flag you for player versus player combat. On PVP servers, everyone is fair game!
Obtaining Your Prize
Your trap may fail a few times before you finally claim your prize, so be persistent and patient… you’ll get there!
Each wild pet you capture will have its own random set of battle stats dependent on its quality and breed. The next section covers pet quality in greater detail and we feature another guide on our site dedicated to breeds and breed IDs.
You’ll also notice that pets of certain levels will "weaken" after being captured.
A level 16 to 20 wild pet will lose 1 level when caught.
A level 21 to 25 pet will lose 2 levels when caught.
CAUTION: If you are unsuccessful in battle, any wild pet you managed to trap during the fight will be lost.
So remember, in order to receive any trapped pet, you must win the overall battle. If you happen to trap the first opponent on a wild pet team, but lose the match against the second critter, the first pet will be lost and you will have to try again with another wild pet.
Battle Pet Quality
Battle pets can come in four known qualities:
[Poor] - gray
- gray [Common] - white
- white [Uncommon] - green
- green [Rare] - blue
- blue [Epic] - purple
- purple [Legendary] - orange
Pets with [epic] and [legendary] qualities are not yet accessible to players (as of Patch 5.1). But Blizzard has stated they fully intend to implement them in the future.
FYI: A few of the highest level Master Tamer NPCs have pets of epic and legendary quality. There are also a few legendary pets that are objectives for the A few of the highest level Master Tamer NPCs have pets of epic and legendary quality. There are also a few legendary pets that are objectives for the Beasts of Fable daily quest. However, there’s no way for you to capture any of these pets.
These different qualities affect a pet's battle stats. The higher the quality, the better its health, speed and attack values. These values will also scale better as you level your battle pet.
Stats can vary even if two pets share the same rarity. For example, one uncommon quality cat might have more health but less power and speed, while a second uncommon quality cat has less health but more power and speed. This is because each of these cats could have different breeds. You can learn more about breeds and breed IDs here.
Using the Stat Calculator
Each battle-ready pet on our site has a "Battle Info" tab in its pet profile. At the top of this tab, you'll find the pet's stat calculator.
You can adjust the pet's level and rarity, and then cycle through all of its available breeds. (Note that some pets only come in one breed.) Cycling through each breed will tweak the overall stats of the pet.
Curious about the actual formula used to calculate each pet's battle stats? See the Calculating Stats Based on Breed section of our Guide to Pet Breeds.
Wild Pet Quality
The quality of captured wild pets is random. As of patch 5.1, upon entering a battle the Pet Battle UI shows the quality of a wild pet (idicated by a color-coded border around its icon). If you're farming a specific quality, if you forfeit the match your team will incur a small damage penalty (roughly 10%). There is no accurate way to determine a pet's quality prior to the start of a battle.
Non-Wild Pet Quality
Different qualities aren't limited only to wild pets—many rare World drops and special non-wild companions have had their stats boosted. For example, the world-drop dragon whelps (Azure Whelpling, Crimson Whelpling, Dark Whelpling, and Emerald Whelpling) are of [rare] quality. Check your Pet Journal to see the color-coded rarity of your non-wild pets.
Upgrading the Quality of Your Pets
Battle-Stones were introduced in patch 5.1 as a new item that can be used to automatically upgrade your pets directly to [uncommon] quality (via Polished Battle-Stones) or [rare] quality (via Flawless Battle-Stones).
There are two versions of each type of stone; general and family-specific:
General Battle-Stones can be used to upgrade any pet to the quality designated by that stone. These are bind-on-use and may be traded to other players.
Family-specific Battle-Stones may only be used to upgrade a pet of the corresponding family. These are bind-on-pickup and cannot be traded away.
TIP: Using a Battle-Stone on a pet level 15 or higher will cause the pet to automatically lose 2 levels. Keep this in mind, as you'll want to relevel that pet before you engage in any difficult battles.
Battle-Stones can be found in the Tamer daily reward bag, or randomly awarded to you after defeating a wild pet in battle. There's also a small chance to earn one by defeating a player in a queued PVP match. Defeating a higher level pet increases your chances of getting a stone.
Polished Battle-Stones can be purchased for 1,000 Justice Points. Additionally, the trainers in Stormwind and Orgrimmar will trade one Marked Flawless Battle-Stone in exchange for three of a kind family-specific Flawless Battle-Stone.
Pet Breeds and Breed IDs
Pet breeds are used to determine the primary stats ( Health, Power, Speed) of your battle pets. So if you want to maximize your pets' fighting potential, understanding how breeds and breed IDs work is crucial.
Due to the depth and complexity of pet breeds and their ID system, we've developed this section of our Guide to Battle Pets as a stand-alone guide:
Guide to WoW Pet Breeds and Breed IDs
Check it out to learn everything you need to know about breeds!
Becoming a Master
A new quest will pop up once your first pet reaches level 3. It will send you to either Audrey Burnhep in Stormwind or Varzok in Orgrimmar. These trainers will offer a quest chain to battle specific Pet Tamer NPCs on each continent. Defeating each of these NPCs will reward a nice chunk of experience for your pets, as well a Sack of Pet Supplies (which has the chance to drop the Porcupette companion, among the always-useful pet bandages).
There are two parts of the quest chain for each continent. The first part involves defeating numerous Master Pet Tamers, and the second requires you to triumph over the Grand Master Tamer. After you've bested the Grand Master Tamer, dailies from each Tamer will unlock for that continent. All the dailies continue to reward experience for your companions, however only the Grand Master daily quest will reward the Sack of Pet Supplies.
Keep in mind that these quests are optional, and are not necessary to continue leveling and capturing companions. They are also account-wide, so if you complete the quest chain on one character, you will not be able to complete it again on another. However, any progress that you've made will be saved and you can pick up where you left off in the quest chain on another character. The dailies that you've unlocked will also be accessible by all your toons.
For more information on each Pet Tamer and the complete quest chain, take a look at this post in our forums.
PVP Pet Battles
If capturing wild pets and fighting against NPCs isn't really your thing, then try out Pet Battles PVP-style!
There are two ways you can go up against another player:
Through the Pet Battles queue. By challenging a player to a Pet Battles duel.
The Pet Battles queued match is the way to go if you’re interested in leveling your pets—winning a queued match will earn your surviving companions experience, whereas winning a Pet Battles duel will not.
To battle against a randomly chosen player and their team of companions, simply hit the Find Battle button in your Pet Journal. The queuing system will attempt to match your team up with an opponent's team of similar level.
Much like an encounter with a wild pet team, PVP Pet Battles are turn-based. However, unlike the PVE version, the PVP combat system is timed and any ability for each round must be chosen within that time limit otherwise it will assume you have passed a turn. A time penalty is applied if you take more than 15 seconds to choose an action, resulting in progressively shorter round timers for you.
Additionally, during a queued Pet Battle you will not be able to speak with your opponent or see their name, realm, or guild. You won't be able to capture any of their companions either. But let's be honest, the main focus is the battle between pets — may the best tamer win!
Organizing Your Pet Collection
With over 250 wild pets to find and capture, it's not unlikely that your collection will soon feel bloated and cluttered. There are a few ways to organize your collection, but there are also some restrictions to keep in mind.
The maximum number of total pets you can own is 1000 pets (this includes any duplicate companions).
You can only have 3 of any one pet (and only 1 of certain pets). Once you reach this cap, you won't be able to add anymore of that specific pet to your collection until you remove one from the journal.
FYI: If you’re returning to WoW after an extended absence prior to patch 5.0.1, it’s possible that you’ll have more than the maximum pet limit and/or more than 3 of a kind. However, this will be the only time that you’re allowed to surpass these limits. You will have to pare down your collection, eliminating your duplicates, in order to add new pets.
So what can you do to make sure your collection is neat and tidy but falls under these rules? There are two ways to rid your Pet Journal of unwanted duplicates: releasing and caging.
Release Your Extras
The first way to clean house (or barn, in this case) is to release any extra pets. To do this, right-click on a minipet's name in your journal, and select the "Release" option in the menu. Doing so will remove this pet from your collection.
Certain hard to obtain pets and promotional companions will not have the release option unless you've reached the duplicate cap (x3) for that specific pet. This is to help prevent any accidental removal of unique and rare companions.
But before you begin to release your duplicates, check to see if they allow you to cage them instead...
Cage and Trade Your Extras
The second option is to cage a pet. You can accomplish in the same way you release one. After caging a companion, it will appear in your inventory. It will retain its stats and level, and this information will be visible when hovering over the item.
These caged versions can be traded and sold. They would make great gifts too!
Keep in mind that for the time being, wild pets cannot be caged. Blizzard developers have expressed concern involving the trade and sale of wild pets, and until a resolution can be implemented, wild pets can only be released. It's not clear if and when we will be able to cage wild pets.
Pet Battle Strategy and Tips
Here are some general tips and strategies to consider when participating in Pet Battles.
Level up more than one team of 3 pets. You can sub out injured companions with other pets of similar level when your Revive Battle Pet spell is on cooldown.
Early on, it can be quite advantageous to level a mechanical pet and a beast pet as two of your primary battle pets. You'll run into a ton of beasts and critters at the lower levels, and mechanical is strong against beasts while beasts are strong against critters, allowing you to level more quickly.
Some pet battle abilities persist through multiple rounds. These can buff your own pets or debuff your opponent's. Use these abilities first to get the most out of them and pave the way to victory!
Remember to switch companions during a battle. If a pet on your active team doesn't participate in the fight, it won't receive any experience.
You can earn player experience by Pet Battling. Non-level capped players will earn a small amount of experience when battling wild pets that are within 5 levels of their highest level pet on their active team.
Review your Pet Battle combat log after a battle to gain a better idea of what worked each round. You can select the option to view Pet Battle Combat in the chat box settings. Right click on the General tab → Settings → Other tab → Check Pet Battle Combat.
Capture as you go. By capturing companions as you progress through pet levels, you'll be adding higher and higher level pets to your collection. This will save you some time since you won't have to start from level 1 with your new additions.
Some wild pets are quite rare and have long respawn times. Others have special conditions and will only show up when those conditions are met. Be patient, they will appear eventually!
If you're looking to catch a specific wild pet but can't find any in the area, enter battle with another pet native to that zone. The companion that you're seeking might show up as the second or third team member. Defeat the team and capture your prize!
Level capped players have a chance to earn Lesser Charms of Good Fortune from successful battles. The opponent must be within 5 levels of their highest level pet on the active team.
Pet resilience applies to both PVP and PVE encounters. A pet that has been recently affected by crowd-control (such as a stun), will be granted immunity to further crowd-control for 2 rounds.
Be careful when purchasing high level companions from the Auction House or other players. You can only add a pet to your collection if its level is equal to or less than your highest level pet.
Seeking tips for specific pets and combos? 1,001 Pet Battle TipsIt has been more than eight months since JPMorgan Chase revealed that inadequate supervision of a London-based trader resulted in a multi-billion dollar loss, but the book on the "London Whale" episode is not closed just yet.
Bloomberg reports the bank may release the findings of its internal report into the trading blunder when it reports fourth-quarter results Wednesday, findings which are likely to impact the bonus Chairman and Chief Executive Jamie Dimon receives for last year's work.
Over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal said the board is likely to dock Dimon's pay, meaning "he could surrender a crown he has worn for several years as Wall Street's best-compensated top executive."
In January 2012, JPMorgan awarded Dimon an equity package worth about $17 million.
Dimon's reputation as one of the financial industry's best risk managers took a hit from the trading scandal, which proved manageable for the bank on a financial basis but dinged JPMorgan's luster as one of Wall Street's strongest banks. The losses cost the jobs of Ina Drew, who headed up the firm's chief investment office, which housed the trader who made the outsized bets on an index of credit derivatives, Bruno Iksil, and his supervisor, Achilles Macris.
JPMorgan was said to claw back pay from some of the ex-employees at fault, and Dimon told Congress in June that his compensation was "100% on the table," should the board find he had culpability for the misfire. (See "JPMorgan To Claw Back Millions.")
Results due this week from JPMorgan, as well as Wall Street peers Citigroup, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, come after a great year for financial stocks, but one that was hardly routine.
Dimon's trials and tribulations with regard to the London Whale are well documented, while Goldman Sachs spent the year trying to make its image more friendly after former employee Greg Smith decried the bank's profit-at-any-cost culture in an op-ed and subsequent book.
Blankfein, along with Dimon, is one of the few financial industry CEOs in the same job since before the 2008 crisis. Another, Citi's Vikram Pandit, was shown the door in October, replaced by Mike Corbat, who cut 11,000 jobs at the bank in December as part of his first major move as CEO.
JPMorgan shares fell 1% to $45.70 Monday.
Follow @SchaeferStreet on Twitter, or on Forbes at the top of this post. Subscribe to updates on Facebook.More than 750 patients have suffered after preventable mistakes in England's hospitals over the past four years, a BBC investigation has found.
The incidents, such as operating on the wrong body part or leaving instruments inside patients, are categorised by the Department of Health as "never events".
This means they are incidents that are so serious they should never happen.
NHS England admitted the figures were too high and said it had introduced new measures to ensure patient safety.
Find the "never events" in your NHS trust Click to find out how many "never events" occurred between 2009 and 2012 within NHS trusts in your area in England
The department has categorised 25 incidents that should never happen if national safety recommendations are followed by medical staff. The BBC discovered through Freedom of Information requests to NHS trusts that the majority of mistakes fell into four categories.
There were 322 cases of foreign objects left inside patients during operations; 214 cases of surgery on the wrong body part; 73 cases of tubes, which are used for feeding patients or for medication, being inserted into patients' lungs; and 58 cases of wrong implants or prostheses being fitted.
Find out more Listen to the full report on BBC Radio 4's The World at One at 13:00 BST on Thursday 9 May Or catch up later on BBC iPlayer
Frances, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, was admitted to hospital last year for a hysterectomy. After her operation, surgeons realised that a swab was missing and had been left inside her.
They immediately carried out a second operation to remove it, but during this procedure a drain was left in her abdomen. A few weeks later, she was taken back into hospital as she was seriously ill and in severe pain.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption A routine gall bladder operation left Donna Bowett suffering constant abdominal pain after surgeons left a seven-inch pair of forceps inside her body
Frances underwent emergency surgery to remove the drain, which had caused a large, pus-filled abscess to develop. She has now been left with a colostomy and faces further surgery.
"My initial reaction was 'no'. They can't do it twice," she said.
It's been a life-changing episode because never in my wildest dreams did I think I would end up with a colostomy Frances, Hysterectomy patient
"They did an internal inquiry and the consultant who was leading the internal inquiry said on a couple of occasions he couldn't understand how this has happened, because the procedures for this sort of thing were written in stone.
"Thinking about it philosophically, better the colostomy than a coffin. I had one foot in a coffin so it's the better option. I'd rather be here than up the crematorium with a wreath on me."
Ian Cohen, a medical negligence solicitor and head of medical negligence at Goodmans Law, based in Liverpool, said the whole system of reporting "never events" was flawed.
"I think the figures are shocking," he said. "They really are the tip of the iceberg.
"There is an emphasis on the 'never event', but actually there is a bigger picture: missing the fact that we have hundred of thousands of adverse incidents, never mind just 25 particular categories. And the danger is that it takes the focus away from a much wider problem."
He argued that hospitals have no incentive to report "never events" because they may have to reimburse the cost of the procedure to the NHS as well as paying for the patients' long-term care.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Margaret's mother died after a feeding tube was inserted into her lungs
"If that's the case, surely that does not encourage openness if there are already problems with the budget in the NHS," he said.
Horrific as these incidents are, it is important to put them in context. On average each year there are 4.6 million hospital admissions to the NHS in England that require surgery. The NHS says the risk of a "never event" happening to you is one in 20,000.
Dr Mike Durkin, director of patient safety for NHS England, said the 700 "never events" were "too many". He said: "One is too many in any week, in any day, in any hospital."
He added that NHS England had started collating the data to help educate staff on better practice.
You feel angry after because you think someone's killed your mum Margaret
"We need to understand what it is, in some systems and in some hospitals, that that team working hasn't produced an effective outcome and a mistake, and a 'never event' has occurred," Dr Durkin said.
"This is not just the concern of one operating theatre in one hospital. It should be the concern of the leadership of that organisation, of the trust, so that they lead that trust and support both the staff in the operating theatres to work effectively, but also recognise their responsibility for leading safety across the whole of the trust."
The World Health Organisation's patient safety checklist has also been adapted for use in England and Wales.
However, when the patient safety rules are not followed, the results can be catastrophic, as Margaret, whose name has also been changed for reasons of privacy, found.
Guilt
Her mother was admitted to hospital after a stroke. But medical staff put a feeding tube into her lungs rather than her stomach. Nutritional fluids went into her lungs, she contracted pneumonia and died.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption NHS director Mike Durkin: My reaction is one of disbelief
"You feel guilty because when she [was] talking to us she kept saying she wanted to come out, and we kept saying, 'You can't come out, mum, until you get better," Margaret said.
"You feel angry after, because you think someone's killed your mum. No, they probably didn't do it on purpose but that's how it feels. You feel that somebody's killed her."
Margaret is still awaiting a date for an inquest. She thinks staff failed to follow basic procedure by omitting to give her mother an X-ray to check the tube's location. NHS guidance says that, if in doubt, this should be done as a secondary test.His hero is Allan Donald, but it's difficult not see at least a trace of Michael Holding in Mfuneko Ngam, the Eastern Province Express, who made his Test debut against New Zealand as a 21-year-old in December 2000. Put simply, "Chew" Ngam is a completely natural fast bowler with a smooth run-up and enough pace to make the best batsmen hop around. After two impressive displays against Sri Lanka, everything seemed to be going swimmingly when, along with Makhaya Ntini, he became the first African player to be voted as a national cricketer of the year in 2001. However, a succession of stress fractures in his legs have since hindered his progress. He underwent a barrage of tests in an attempt to establish why his bones appear to be so brittle - it has been suggested that he may suffer from a genetic disorder or that the root cause lies in certain dietary deficiencies earlier in his life. Peter RobinsonFirst lawsuit seeks communications between FBI and McCabe concerning “ethical
issues” involving wife’s political campaign; second seeks McCabe communications
with Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe; third seeks McCabe travel vouchers
(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch today announced that it filed three separate Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Justice seeking records for current FBI Acting Director Andrew McCabe relating to his political activities, travel vouchers, and employment status. The first two lawsuits specifically seek records of McCabe’s political activities involving his wife’s failed campaign for political office and interactions with Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe.
The first FOIA lawsuit, filed on July 24 (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:17-cv-01494)), |
, the Fall and the Feelies swirled around the room that night, though never approaching gross pastiche.
This week’s installment catches us with the Montreal group as they reinvent ’80s Cyndi Lauper and pay tribute to the defunct Sexy Kids. Ought, in their own words, below.
__________________________________________________________________________________
I was in an American High School the first time I heard She’s So Unusual. I had laughed, at first, at the cover art and then turned to a friend for social approval. Stone-faced, he returned my gaze: “this is a seriously amazing record.” She’s So Unusual might be my favourite pop record, and “Money Changes Everything,” being the lead-off, might be the first song in which I’d ever heard a synth (and what a synth-line…), as well as my personal favourite to dance to. As a vocalist, I find Cyndi’s voice absolutely gut-wrenching. Also, Cyndi once saved my life: I was driving back to Montreal from the USA in the terrifying carcass of my old Honda Minivan (that Tim K and I did our first tours in). I felt myself dozing at the wheel, hitting the rumble strips as soporific Québécois folk tunes played on the radio until I remembered… a Cyndi mixtape! The first lines of “Money Changes” came on and gave me enough juice to cruise on home.
Ought :: Money Changes Everything (Cyndi Lauper)
“Sisters Are Forever” is a rare uniting force amongst the four of us; a track that can get us all out of the dumps pretty fast. I’m not even sure how we came across it–it’s a hard-to-find 2008 7″ on Slumberland, and the band seems to have disappeared from the internet. None of us have ever heard any other songs by them, as far as I know, anyway. I think some of them are in that band Veronica Falls now, which I’ve never heard, either. So it’s just this song, really, with no context, and us flailing like idiots while we pack our stuff after shows when Amy, our sound tech, plays it over the PA. For our version we thought it fitting to sap all the fun out of it.
Ought :: Sisters Are Forever (Sexy Kids)
Lagniappe Sessions Archives / imagery via d norsen.John Melloy points us to Lon Juricic, who crunches the numbers, and discovers that the 998 point whoosh was actually closer to 1250 points.
How?
The Dow actually fell closer to 1,250 points — if you calculate the average using low prices for stocks that traded away from the NYSE.
Off exchange trades that were allowed to stand:
“This is not using the trades that were busted because they were 60 percent off the market, according to Lon Juricic, who ran the shocking numbers for his informative research site StreetInsider.com. These are trades that stand for the stocks, but just didn’t go into the index calculation. The low for Procter & Gamble [PG] during the quick collapse was $39.37, which occurred on another exchange and still stands to this day because it was within the parameters of legitimate trades as dictated by regulators and the exchanges. But the low price for P&G that went into the Dow calculation during the crash was $56. Juricic calculated his new Dow low of 9625.97 for that day just like the Dow Jones Indexes service does, but using these off-exchange lows. He added the 30 components up using the $15 low for General Electric [GE], the $67.98 low for 3M [MMM] and so on. Then he divided by the Dow divisor for Thursday. The divisor is an essential part of calculating index levels which accounts for stock splits in the member stocks through the years.”
Pretty wild stuff — and that is likely how the index should be calculated — based on actual trades (Assuming they all occurred at the similar times)...
>
Source:
Did Dow Actually Drop 1250 in ‘Flash Crash?
John Melloy, Executive Producer, Fast Money
CNBC, May 12 2010
http://www.cnbc.com/id/37109515Democratic Party organizations hold rally on water shutoffs
By our reporters
19 July 2014
On Friday, sections of the Democratic Party, trade unions and associated organizations organized a rally on the issue of water shutoffs in the city of Detroit, Michigan. About 500 people attended the event, many of them participants in the Netroots Conference held over the weekend.
The aim of the protest was to promote the Democratic Party and contain mounting public anger over the shutoffs in Detroit. A particularly prominent role was played by Moratorium Now, associated with Workers World, which is being brought forward in an attempt to provide a “left” front for the right-wing policies of the Democrats.
The Netroots Conference is an annual gathering of the self-styled “progressive” wing of the Democratic Party, which has in fact no significant political differences with the Obama administration. The main speakers at the conference included Vice President Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren, who is being primed for a possible presidential campaign.
Over the past several months, the Detroit water board, with the support of Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr, has moved to shut off water to nearly 150,000 households that are delinquent on their bills. This attack on the working class, part of the broader restructuring of Detroit in bankruptcy court, has forced disabled workers, retirees, the unemployed and poor to choose between keeping their water on and cutting back other necessities like food or medicine.
Democrats and Republicans at all levels of government, along with the unions, are on record supporting the bankruptcy proceedings—from the Democrats on the city council, to Orr, to Republican Governor Rick Snyder. The Obama administration intervened to support what is taking place in Detroit, which is seen as a model for similar attacks throughout the country.
Speakers at the rally included Democrats who have cut social spending and union heads who have endorsed concessions contracts. The unions have signed on to a “grand bargain” proposed by the bankruptcy court, involving massive cuts for workers and a few handouts for union executives. Among the unions present, a prominent role was played by National Nurses United.
John Conyers
The overarching theme of the speakers was the need to get rid of Snyder by electing Democrats—even though it is Democrats who are implementing the water shutoffs. Orr himself is a Democrat with close ties to the Obama administration.
Democratic Congressman John Conyers took the stage to thank the unions supporting Netroots. Earlier this year, Conyers told a similar rally that he would “talk to the president of the United States about what we are doing here and how the federal government can help us.” At this rally he made no mention of Obama.
Dennis Williams, the new president of United Auto Workers (UAW), after a demagogic speech about water being the “people’s resource,” declared: “We need to take back the House, take back the Senate, and make the president work for us.”
UAW President Dennis Williams
Before becoming UAW president, Williams was best known for negotiating the UAW’s first two-tier wage contract, with new hires brought in on a permanently lower wage scale with worse health care and retirement plans.
Charles Williams, associated with Al Sharpton’s National Action Network, issued his own appeal to Snyder to intervene to stop water shutoffs.
The speakers list concluded with Councilman Wantwaz Davis from Flint, Michigan who told the crowd that he had spoken to gubernatorial candidate Mark Schauer, and that if Schauer were elected he would “remove the emergency manager day one.”
None of the speakers addressed Obama’s direct support for the Detroit bankruptcy.
While many of those attending the rally were Democratic Party or union functionaries, reporters from the WSWS spoke to some workers during the march from Cobo Hall to Hart Plaza and the rally afterwards.
George Gaines - retired Detroit city worker
George Gaines, a retired public health worker explained why he was there. “Shutting off water creates unsanitary conditions. We need to be going after the big commercial people, not the little guys. There are companies that owe tens of thousands of dollars but they’re shutting off the poor people for owing $150.
“The entire bankruptcy is a mistake. They stopped my wife’s health insurance, so that’s about $500 a month they took from us, and now they’re threatening to take even more in the ‘grand bargain.’ I believe that what they’re doing with the emergency manager is illegal. Kevyn Orr is a corporate stooge.”
Charmaine, an unemployed woman at the rally described her situation. “I didn’t have my water shut off, but they cut off my electricity and gas. The costs spiked over the winter, and my energy bill got up to $600 a month. They cut me off when I got behind and said I needed $1400 to get it back on. I’m a diabetic and need electricity for my care, so I had to move to the homeless shelter.”
Charmaine talked about some of the groups that endorsed the rally. “The unions aren’t what they used to be. They supported the bankruptcy and they’re crooked as hell. The Democrats and the Republicans are in on it too.”
Millard Campbell - retired truck driver
Millard Campbell, a retired truck driver explained, “This is not only in Detroit but all of Michigan. It is a shame that the Detroit Emergency Manager is going after senior citizens and children who are left floundering for water. I can’t understand how the officials in Detroit could make people suffer.
“This government will spend billions to go to war, and my feeling is this government is ready to go to war. And yet, they are not prepared to take care of the people here at home.”
David, who lives in Southeast Michigan said his concern was that water shutoffs could cause a major health crisis in the region.
David - lives in SE Michigan
“If water is shutoff in Detroit, the city will become a cesspool of disease,” he said. “Disease will spread as a public disaster and will affect everyone. It would be very expensive to address, much more expensive than the water itself.”
Dismissing the claim that there is no money for social services, David added: “We do have the money. We have the resources to remain a first world country and not descend into a third world status. We have the potential to turn into Haiti. We have the potential to create a human nightmare in Michigan.”
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.This post continues our series on our 2012 opponents. This week we're talking about the Big Kahuna: the Georgia Bulldogs. This is always a huge game for us, but with the two teams projected to compete for the SEC East title again this year, as well as a bit of drama surrounding the schedule, the contest has particularly high stakes this season. If both teams take care of business and make it to this point undefeated, we'll likely both be hovering around the top five, making this the most consequential game in the history of the series, not to mention one of the premier games of the 2012 college football season. The atmosphere in Columbia would likely be among the best ever. Even if one or both teams come in with a loss, we'll still be playing for our first three-win streak over the Bulldogs, and it's hard to imagine that this game won't have at least some kind of implication in the divisional race. Yes, folks, this is going to be a big game.
Georgia is probably the closest thing to an even match that we'll see this year, so it might be worthwhile to compare the two teams position by position to see where the advantage lies. So, without further ado:
Quarterbacks: Advantage Georgia
Aaron Murray is almost universally acknowledged to be one of the top two quarterbacks in the SEC, so he gets the nod here. I don't think that the margin is necessarily as wide as some might think, though. Connor Shaw is an underrated QB who has a couple of things on Murray: Shaw is better with his feat, and he protects the ball better. Murray needs to prove that he can avoid the costly mistake against elite defenses. However, he is a proven, excellent QB, more so for now than Shaw. It should also be noted that Georgia also has a capable backup in Hutson Mason. (Does that sound like a Dawg name or what?) We can't say the same.
Running Backs: Advantage Carolina
Even with Isaiah Crowell, Georgia didn't have an argument for having a more effective stable of backs than us. Without him, the gap widens, although I do think it's worth noting that things probably won't be as bad for UGA without Crowell as some may think. The Dawgs have a couple of very talented freshman in Keith Marshall and Todd Gurley. They also have some other solid options. They'll find something that works OK here.
Offensive Line: Advantage Carolina
This is a close one. Both of these two teams struggled on the offensive line at points last season, but Carolina's line did a bit better job of coming together at the end of the season, and we only lose a couple of guys, both of whom will be replaced by players who the coaches are very excited about. This is likely to be the best offensive line Steve Spurrier and Shawn Elliott have had. Don't sell the Dawgs short, though. They have to replace a lot of experience from a year ago and the Dawgs have generally struggled to meet expectations at OL for the past few years, but this is Georgia we're talking about. The expectations have been hard to meet largely because they've been so high. This group has the talent to be very good if they can find the right combination.
Keep reading after the jump.
Wide Receiver: Advantage Georgia
Although I think the talent is there for this to be a good USC receiving corps, until our guys prove that they can hang sans Alshon Jeffery, I'm not going to put them ahead of any reasonably good group of wideouts. Georgia has a couple of good ones in Tavarres King and Marlon Brown, even if they've underachieved at times. They also have Malcolm Mitchell, who was spectacular at times last year. However, Mitchell is apparently going to play corner this year, and it's unclear whether he's going to channel his inner Champ Bailey and keep playing receiver, too. There are some question marks here for UGA, and I could see our group eventually being better, but again, I'll believe it when I see it.
Defensive Line: Advantage Carolina
Don't get me wrong here; Georgia has an excellent defensive line, led by future pros John Jenkins and Kwame Geathers. However, Carolina arguably has the best DE combo in the country in Jadeveon Clowney and Devin Taylor, and our DTs will be good enough to keep opponents honest enough for our ends to do their damage.
Linebackers: Advantage Georgia
Carolina should have a good linebacking corps this year. We're very experienced with Shaq Wilson, Reggie Bowens, DeMario Jeffery, and DeVonte Holloman. Holloman will vie for all-conference honors, and I could see Wilson and maybe Jeffery doing the same. This is a group that should be able to do its job and, like our DTs, keep opponents honest enough for our ungodly DEs to do their jobs. Quin Smith will provide good depth. This should be our best group of linebackers since 2008, when we had Eric Norwood and Jasper Brinkley lining up together. That said, Georgia has arguably the best linebacking corps in the nation. Jarvis Jones will be right up there with Clowney and Taylor in the race to lead the SEC in sacks, and Alec Ogletree is another extremely talented player. The rest of the group is solid, too.
Secondary: Advantage Georgia
As with receiver, the Gamecocks have some question marks at secondary, particularly in terms of depth. The starters should be good, but the questions come in if someone goes down. The Bulldogs are in the same boat, but they're probably a bit stronger at the top. Perhaps not as strong as some might think--I've never been as high, for instance, on Bacarri Rambo as some in the media are. Georgia's stellar numbers against the pass last season undoubtedly owed as much to the lack of good passing offenses in the SEC and the fact that their defensive front made life impossible for quarterbacks and running games as it did to the secondary's work. Still, a solid group.
Special Teams: Advantage Carolina
Neither of these two teams had good special teams last year, and both are replacing departed kickers and punters. I do like our returning talent at the returner positions, particularly Ace Sanders at punt returner. However, comparing special teams with these two teams is probably an exercise in futility.
Coaching: Advantage Carolina
I like Mark Richt and his staff quite a bit, and I think they frequently get a raw deal from the media and some portions of their own fan base. Still, based on recent results, you have to think that Spurrier and his staff, even with a couple of changes in the staff ranks, will be the ones who find a way to address perceived weaknesses and get the team fired up for the big game.
Verdict: Surprised that this was as close as it was, with Carolina at five advantages and Georgia at four? And don't forget that one of our advantages was at special teams, which is probably a wash and in any event is less significant than the other categories. After two straight wins in this series, many Carolina fans now feel that we've gained the upper hand in this series, but the fact is that Georgia, for all the drama and underachievement that seems to plague the Dawgs, is an elite football program. They're loaded with talent, have a solid staff, and have all the resources necessary to make sure that doesn't change. It's simply going to be much harder for us to take the reins in this series than it will be, say, in the series with Tennessee. We can and and arguably already have made this a solidly competitive series, but we're not going to make Georgia our whipping boy.
That said, I do think we win again this year. It's partly about matchups. Until proven otherwise, I think we should be able to handle Georgia's running game, and while Murray is a dangerous passer, Clowney and Taylor are likely to have a field day with him, hopefully leading to some of the classic Murray breakdowns. Georgia's defense will likely make things tough on us, too, but if we can stay steady running the read-option with Shaw and Lattimore, we should be able to move the ball with a bit more consistency and without putting the ball in danger. I'm concerned about our ability to throw the ball against a team with such a great defensive front, but Shaw's ability to improvise with his feet should keep us out of trouble until our running game opens things up down field. All of this should equal a solid win over UGA, albeit in a lower-scoring game than last year.Last Friday, thousands of Palestinian protestors stormed the Gate of Mercy, located in the northeastern part of the Temple Mount, and forced it open. This entrance, known to Christians as the Golden Gate, had been sealed by Israel in 2003 because of illegal activities conducted there by a Hamas-linked group. On Sunday, Israeli police arrested two officials of the waqf, the Jordanian body that administers Muslim holy sites in Israel, for their role in fomenting the disturbances. (They were subsequently released.) Yoni Ben Menachem believes Jordan is behind the riots and that it wishes to take control of the compound just inside the gate; he offers two possible rationales:
According to the 1994 peace agreement between Jordan’s King Hussein and Israel, Jordan is the guardian of the Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem. King Abdullah of Jordan is afraid he might lose this status as a result of [the Trump administration’s expected Israel-Palestinian peace proposal]. The effort to take control of the Temple Mount is a message to the U.S. president and the Israeli government showing that Jordan will not agree to any harm being done to its status [vis-à-vis Jerusalem].
Jordan [may also fear] that Israel will take it by surprise and establish a synagogue near the Gate of Mercy as the publication of the Trump deal draws closer, in order to create facts on the ground. Jordan and the Palestinians seek to limit the Jewish presence on the Temple Mount.... Therefore, King Abdullah has decided to preempt Israel and to establish [his own] facts on the ground. His main concern is that it will be alleged that while the Hashemite Kingdom was serving as guardian of the mosque of al-Aqsa, Israel managed to take physical hold of it. That would go down in Muslim history as an eternal disgrace and would severely damage the image of the Hashemite dynasty....
Officials of the Islamic waqf have begun cleaning out the area and preparing it for regular prayer services. The waqf council announced that it would assign an imam to the new prayer room, and it will prepare a program of renovations for the building. Taking control of the Gate of Mercy compound is burned within Palestinian consciousness as a great triumph against Israel in the struggle for control of the Temple Mount, and a continuation of the victory in the battle against the metal detectors erected at the gates to the Temple Mount in July 2017.
There is concern in Israel that the new waqf council will now turn the Gate of Mercy into a giant house of prayer, which is what the [now-banned] northern branch of the Islamic Movement did with [the area underneath the Temple Mount known as] Solomon’s Stables in 1996. [According to] the former head of the Israel Antiquities Authority, Shuka Dorfman,... considerable damage had been done to Jewish archaeological relics from the First Temple era during the digging.The Canadian Press
VANCOUVER - For the first time in months, campfires are permitted across British Columbia.
The BC Wildfire Service says half-metre by half-metre campfires are now allowed throughout the Cariboo Fire Centre, removing the last, remaining restrictions.
The province's five other fire centres have already dropped their campfire bans, and wetter conditions in the Cariboo centre have now allowed the lifting of restrictions covering an area west of the Fraser River.
It's the first time since early July that campfires have been permitted provincewide.
The Ministry of Forests took the rare step of banning campfires and all open burning earlier this summer as drought-like conditions created an extreme fire risk.
Nearly 2,000 wildfires have been recorded across B.C. since April, with the wildfire service noting just under 3,000 square kilometres of woodlands have been burned.Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Radio 5 live commentators Roddy Forsyth and Andy Gillies described the incident at the time
A Hearts fan has been cleared of assaulting Celtic manager Neil Lennon after an Edinburgh Sheriff Court jury found the case against him not proven.
John Wilson, 26, had denied his actions were aggravated by religious prejudice.
He was found guilty of breach of the peace by running onto the pitch at Hearts' ground Tynecastle last May and shouting and swearing at Mr Lennon.
Wilson will return to Edinburgh Sheriff Court at a later date where he will be sentenced.
Earlier in the trial, before Sheriff Fiona Reith QC, the jury heard that Wilson had written a letter of apology to the Celtic manager.
Image caption Celtic manager Neil Lennon being approached by John Wilson at Tynecastle
Wilson had been accused of assault and breach of the peace, both of which were aggravated by religious prejudice.
The charges stated that he had assaulted Mr Lennon and had caused breach of the peace by conducting himself in a disorderly manner, running onto the field during the match, running at the away team dug out, shouting, swearing, making a sectarian remark, all to the alarm and annoyance of others and causing further disturbance within the crowd.
Wilson had denied all the allegations against him.
The court had earlier heard that Wilson admitted breaching the peace and attacking Mr Lennon, but denied uttering a sectarian remark.
He had described the incident as a "moment of madness" and said he "regretted" it.
In his closing speech, defence advocate David Nicolson had told the jury that Wilson had earlier been willing to plead guilty to breach of the peace and assault under deletion of making a sectarian remark and being aggravated by religious prejudice, but the Crown had not accepted his plea.
The jury of seven women and eight men deleted the reference to making a sectarian remark from the charge relating to breach of the peace, and that the offence was aggravated by religious prejudice.
They returned a not proven verdict for charge two, which alleged Wilson assaulted Mr Lennon aggravated by religious prejudice.
Earlier the court had heard from Celtic coach Alan Thompson, 37, who told how he grabbed Wilson's clothing and threw him off balance before he fell to the ground.
We find the accused's acquittal of the charge of assault difficult to comprehend bearing in mind our knowledge of the incident Celtic Football Club
Peter Croy, 61, who was security manager at Hearts' Tynecastle stadium on 11 May, had told the court he heard Wilson say: "Lennon, you Fenian bastard" after pinning him to the ground.
Giving evidence Wilson had denied that was what he said.
Celtic Football Club released a statement following the verdict.
It said: "It is for the jury to decide on this case. However, we find the accused's acquittal of the charge of assault difficult to comprehend bearing in mind our knowledge of the incident.
"One thing is clear - this was a disgraceful incident involving Neil Lennon, seen by the world - the sort of incident which should not have happened in any football stadium and one which embarrassed Scottish football.
"Regardless of the verdict reached, we hope that people will learn from the events of last season and realise these cannot be repeated.
"As always we will give Neil Lennon our full support and hope that this season he can be given the opportunity to be allowed to do his job without the kind of threats, attacks and intimidation which have marred much of his time in Scotland."The plastics industry has just boldly gone where no 3D printer’s gone before. Recently, United Launch Alliance (ULA), a company born from the combined efforts of Boeing and Lockheed-Martin, began developing 3D printed parts for their latest Atlas V rocket. 3D printed parts have already been used to great effect as improvements on metallic fixtures in airplanes and virtually every aerospace company has been exploring the benefits of 3D printing in some manner. ULA have been the most forthcoming with their results, explaining that they’ve already saved somewhere in the ballpark of $1 million annually by switching to 3D printed plastic rocket components when possible.
The Application of 3D Printed Parts in Rocket Science
ULA began manufacturing 3D printed parts with the primary focus of improving the Environmental Control System (ECS) duct of their Atlas V rockets. The ECS duct is vital in the launching stages of the Atlas V, releasing cooling nitrogen when necessary to prevent damage to delicate electronic pieces housed within the rocket boosters. While 3D printed parts are also being utilized as minor structural supports and sealing aids, their most integral application remains the ECS duct.
The Benefits of Working with Ultem
Since the ECS duct is such a sensitive area of the Atlas V, a reliable material was crucial when mapping out the 3D printing process. ULA eventually decided to mold the 3D printed components from a thermoplastic resin known as Ultem 9085 FDM. Several unique characteristics elevated Ultem as an obvious choice of plastic for ULA’s designs. Ultem had already been recognized for decades as a high-performance plastic authorized for use in aviation and aerospace designs. Though Ultem exhibited several attractive traits that would ultimately prove beneficial in the 3D printed rocket parts, the chief attribute that sold ULA on Ultem was its resistance to extreme temperatures. Ultem can handle cryogenic depths of -59°C/-75°F to brutal highs of 107°C/225°F, making it ideal for use in the improved ECS duct design.
Ultem has also been praised for its strength and ruggedness while still remaining lightweight. The Atlas V is subjected to rigorous vibrations, pressure, and speed, in addition to extreme temperatures. The 3D printed components molded from Ultem are currently being used strictly for ground operations but intense conditions preceding lift off still find Ultem the ideal material for ULA’s plans.
The Relation Between Stratasys and ULA
The 3D printed Ultem rocket parts are being molded using the Stratasys Forus 900mc 3D printer, a top-of-the-line model that utilizes advanced Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technology. Due to the scope of ULA’s vision, Stratasys worked directly with ULA to help maintain the quality of the 3D printed materials, ensuring the ambitious process moved forward as seamlessly as possible.
The Future of 3D Printed Rocket Components
While ULA has already acknowledged a savings of $1 million annually thanks to switching to 3D printing when possible, they believe this is simply the beginning. 3D printing techniques have shown as much as a 95% savings in specific applications during the Atlas V improvements. The 3D printed parts cut out costly and time-consuming assembly, slashing costs. Already, ULA has used 3D printing to reduce the ECS duct from 140 individual pieces to a mere 16 pieces. In addition, working with Ultem demands less post-processing than the metal components used prior.
The Atlas V is the first of ULA’s rockets to incorporate 3D printed plastic parts but they already have plans to use 3D printing even more extensively on their Vulcan rocket. ULA has also mentioned that they would like to move from using 3D printed pieces at a strictly internal level to attaching plastic pieces to the exterior of a rocket. If plans remain on their current trajectory, ULA aims to test its first Ultem-augmented rocket, using 3D printed parts externally as well as internally, in an unmanned trial run in early 2016.
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Seth StylesA damaged Chinook is shown during an NBC Nightly News report broadcasted on Jan. 30, 2015. News anchor Brian Williams said the Chinook he and his crew were in was hit by enemy fire as it flew over Iraq in 2003.
News anchor's apology met with cynicism from servicemembers who were there
WASHINGTON — Apologies by NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams for a false claim of being on a helicopter forced down by Iraqi rocket fire in 2003 satisfied some soldiers who were there but left a few insisting that details were still misrepresented.
Williams admitted on air Wednesday that he was not aboard a Chinook struck by hostile fire on a flight from Kuwait in March 2003, saying instead he was aboard a “following aircraft.”
In a Facebook apology to the soldiers, Williams said, “I was indeed on the Chinook behind the bird that took the RPG.” He blamed the discrepancy on poor memory almost 12 years after the fact.
Since the 2003 incident, Williams has said on different occasions that he “came under fire” and that his helicopter was forced down due to the attack. Former and active-duty soldiers who were on the same mission had said the anchor’s aircraft landed in the Karbala area because of a blinding sandstorm and not hostile fire.
Williams’ admission and his insistence that he had made an innocent mistake drew sharp criticism on social media, which subjected the veteran newsman to enormous ridicule, including posts depicting him in other historical events.
Among those who were part of the mission, reaction was less intense.
“I have a feeling that he didn’t have a choice [but to apologize],” said David Luke, a former soldier and flight engineer with the 159th Aviation Regiment who was aboard a helicopter flying along with the one carrying Williams and his NBC crew.
Luke said he thought the apology came only because soldiers challenged Williams’ version and otherwise, “he would have told that war story until he was on his dying bed.”
Mike O’Keeffe, who was a door gunner on the Chinook hit by RPGs, said he was generally satisfied with the apology and no longer wanted to press the issue by making public comments.
“I understand your interest and very much appreciate you getting the truth out there, but from my perspective, Mr. Williams has been outed and has enough to deal with,” O’Keeffe wrote in an email to Stars and Stripes. “Guess I just don’t want to kick the guy when he is down. Though he wordsmithed his apology to downplay what he did, he did recant and I am satisfied.”
Williams’ admission was an embarrassment for the veteran journalist who has been the face of NBC News since he became anchor for its main news show in 2004. NBC has not said whether he will face discipline for perpetuating a false story.
Despite Williams’ effort to contain the damage, some former soldiers thought there were still discrepancies between his account and their own memory of the events.
Luke said it was “misleading” for Williams to say his aircraft was following the stricken Chinook. Luke told Stars and Stripes that Williams’ Chinook was headed south, back toward Kuwait, when it passed another formation from a separate aviation company flying north.
After the two formations passed each other, Luke’s crew heard on the radio that a northbound aircraft had been hit by RPG and small-arms fire, presumably from gunmen in a white pickup truck they had seen minutes earlier. Soon after the attack, Luke said his helicopter and the one carrying Williams were forced to change course because of the sandstorm and land near a makeshift supply camp — Objective Rams — where the stricken helicopter had also put down.
Stars and Stripes compiled its account of what happened to the two helicopter companies that day — one based in Germany and the other in Savannah, Ga. — through interviews with five soldiers who were there, including a mission commander, retired Army officer Jerry Pearman of California who was a lieutenant colonel at the time.
Their account, however, was disputed by another former Chinook pilot, Rich Krell, who told CNN that he was flying Williams’ aircraft during the mission. Krell told CNN that Williams’ plane did suffer minor damage from small-arms fire but did not say the damage was enough to force him to land.
"Yeah, he messed up some things and said some things he shouldn't have,” Krell told CNN, referring to Williams.
Krell’s version was at odds with the recollections of both Luke and Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Miller, who was the flight engineer on the aircraft carrying Williams and his crew. Miller and Luke insisted separately that aircraft in their formation did not take ground fire that day and landed in Iraq only because of the sandstorm, which paralyzed coalition operations for days.
“No, we never came under direct enemy fire to the aircraft,” Miller told Stars and Stripes on Wednesday.
Miller said the NBC crew affixed microphones to a helicopter headset and recorded air traffic from the Chinook that had been hit.
Krell has since started to back off his assertions, according to CNN.
“[A]t this point I am questioning my memories,” he wrote to the network’s Brian Stelter, who posted a story on CNNMoney about how he came to talk to Krell.
Luke said that after the formation carrying the NBC crew landed at Objective Rams, Williams and the soldiers approached the stricken helicopter to ask the crew what had happened.
They all ended up spending two or three days stranded at Objective Rams until the sandstorm passed and helicopter flights could resume.
tritten.travis@stripes.com
Twitter: @Travis_TrittenFor starters, hens can count — at least to six. They can be taught that food is in the sixth hole from the left and they will go straight to it. Even chicks can do basic arithmetic, so that if you shuffle five items in a shell game, they mentally keep track of additions and subtractions and choose the area with the higher number of items. In a number of such tests, chicks do better than toddlers.
A lengthy study this year from the University of Bristol in Britain, “The Intelligent Hen,” lays out the evidence for the chicken as an intellectual. The study also notes that hens are willing to delay gratification if the reward is right.
Researchers in one study gave hens the option of two keys, one of which would wait two seconds and then give the hen three seconds of food, and the other would force a wait of six seconds but offer 22 seconds of food. After learning that trade-off, 93 percent of hens preferred the delay with more food.
Chickens communicate with different calls to warn about ground predators and birds of prey. Still other calls signal food.
Hens are social animals, preferring the companionship of those they know to strangers. They recover more quickly from stress when they are with an acquaintance.
Their brains are good at multitasking, for the right eye looks out for food, while the left watches for predators and potential mates. Poultry watch television, and, in one experiment, learned from watching birds on TV how to find food in particular bowls.
Look, farmbirds are not Einsteins. But evidence is mounting that they’re smarter than we have assumed, and just because they don’t have big brown eyes doesn’t mean that they should be condemned to spend their lives jammed into tiny cages in stinking, fetid barns, with bodies of dead birds sometimes left rotting beside live ones.899 SHARES Share Tweet
A key feature of campaigning before the independence referendum in 2014 was the future of Scotland’s shipbuilding industry.
Supporters of the union argued that a vote for independence would be devastating to shipbuilding, while pro-independence campaigners suggested the Westminster government had negatively impacted the industry.
Three years on from the vote, the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has joined unions in claiming that a promise of shipbuilding contracts for 13 frigates to the Clyde yards before the referendum had not been delivered.
On 6 September, the UK Government announced the first batch of five new Royal Navy frigates would be open for bids across the UK. The GMB union called the move a “betrayal” as the orders were not given to the Clyde shipyards.
The First Minister echoed the union concerns, saying UK government “promises” had not been honoured.
I think people should be looking to the UK government and reflecting on the fact there has been lots of promises made to the Clyde but more often than not those promises are broken. It is only a couple of years ago that workers were being promised a frigate factory on the Clyde First Minister Nicola Sturgeon
Ferret Fact Service assessed this claim and found it to be Mostly True.
Evidence
The announcement, made by defence secretary Michael Fallon, was for the first batch of five Type 31e frigates to be built at sites across the UK.
Recommendations from a review of the UK’s shipbuilding strategy were accepted by the government. This means the ships will likely be built in sections which can then be assembled at a central hub.
This system has already been used |
, Respondent suggests the following briefing timeline: A. Opening brief of Appellants - Monday, April 27, 2009, five calendar days after delivery of the record; B, Opposition brief of Respondent - Saturday, May 2, 2009, five calendar days after service of the opening brief; and C. Reply brief - Monday, May 4, 2009, two calendar days after service of the opposition brief. 3. Set an Expedited Date for Oral Argument. Respondent respectfully suggests that the Court schedule oral argument now for a date very shortly after the reply brief is submitted. More than five full months have elapsed since the November 4, 2008, general election. More than three months have elapsed since the State Canvassing Board declared the election result and the United States Senate convened to address the nation's urgent business. Yet, unlike every other state in the union, Minnesota stands alone with only a single United States Senator to represent its citizens and respond to their concerns. While Appellants had the right to challenge the State Canvassing Board's decision before three judges and now have the right to appeal the District Court's unanimous decision rejecting their claims, Respondent submits that the overriding public interest in resolving this dispute promptly requires that this appeal be expedited. Dated: April 21, 2009 Source: Respondent's Motion to Expedited Schedule via MNCourts.gov [PDF] The Franken campaign is seeking to accelerate the litigation proceedings to the greatest extent possible; they cite several Minnesota Statues, which I detailed yesterday, that give precedent to this election contest appeal. It should also be noted that the MN Supreme Court arranges their own schedule in accordance with Rule 102 of the Minnesota Rules of Civil Appellate Procedure. I am however sure, that the MN Supreme Court will address this appeal in the most efficient manner possible. The Franken campaign is pushing for a May 4th start date, and their request seems reasonable given the circumstances. If I had to bet, I would say that May 4th would be the absolute soonest the oral arguments could start, with May 11th, the following Monday, presenting as another realistic start date.
Published on April 22nd at 1:54 AM CT :: 0 Comments
The representation of Norm Coleman has filed paper work with the Minnesota Supreme Court appealing the decision of the Election Contest Court. The filings came in the form of three documents, each of which I will highlight below. The first document is the Notice of Appeal: TO: Clerk of the Appellate Courts
Minnesota Judicial Center
25 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155 PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the above-named Contestants appeal to the Supreme Court of the State of Minnesota, pursuant to Minn. Stat. § 209.10 subd. 4, from the final judgment of the contest court entered on the date shown above, declaring Contestee the recipient of the highest number of legally cast votes in the General Election held November 4, 2008, for the purpose of electing a United States Senator for the State of Minnesota, as well as from all orders relating thereto as subsumed therein. Dated: April 20, 2009... Dear Clerk of Appellate Courts: Enclosed for filing in the above-referenced matter are the following documents: 1. Original and 2 copies of the Notice of Appeal to Supreme Court; 2. Certified copy of the Contest Court's Judgment; 3 Original and 2 copies of the Appellants' Statement of the Case; 4. Affidavit of Service upon Ramsey County; and 5. Affidavit of Service upon opposing counsel. Also enclosed is our check in the amount of $500 to cover the filing fee. Source: Notice of Appeal to Supreme Court via MNCourts.gov [PDF] The second document contains 10 items that more or less summarize the appeal. Some of these items are simply procedural while others contain useful information. Section 5 is by far the most relevant as it directly lists the claims that the Coleman campaign is actually appealing; I've excerpted all of section 5 and the headings of the other 9 sections below: 1. COURT OF CASE ORIGINATION AND NAME OF PRESIDING JUDGE 2. JURISDICTIONAL STATEMENT 3. TYPE OF LITIGATION AND STATUTE AT ISSUE 4. DESCRIPTION OF CLAIMS, DEFENSES, ISSUES LITIGATED AND RESULT BELOW 5. ISSUES PRESENTED ON APPEAL I. Whether the trial court erred in excluding evidence regarding (a) the disparate application by election officials of the statutory standard governing absentee ballots and (b) the presence of illegal votes in the certified totals from election night? II. Whether the trial court violated the constitutional protections of equal protection and due process when it declared that Respondent received the highest number of "legally cast votes" where the record demonstrated that, by the trial court's rulings, the number of "illegally cast" ballots counted on election day and during the recount greatly exceeded the margin between the candidates and it cannot be determined for which candidate those illegal votes were counted? III. Whether the trial court violated the constitutional protections of equal protection and due process when it imposed a strict compliance standard for the rejected absentee ballots rather than applying a substantial compliance standard to reflect those actually applied by election officials (as well as this Court's longstanding policy favoring enfranchisement)? IV. Whether the trial court erred in declining to order inspections of precincts in which double-counting was alleged to have occurred? V. Whether the trial court erred in ruling that missing ballots from Minneapolis Precinct 3-1 were properly included in the tally officially cast votes? 6. RELATED APPEALS 7. CONTENTS OF RECORD 8. ORAL ARGUMENT 9. TYPE OF BRIEF 10. NAMES, ADDRESSES, ZIP CODES AND TELEPHONE NUMBERS OF ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLANT AND RESPONDENT Dated: April 20, 2009 Source: Statement of the Case of Appellants via MNCourts.gov [PDF] The most interesting point of appeal comes from section 5.2 and seems to highlight Norm Coleman's attempt to invalidate the election, rather than prevail as the top vote-getter. This marks the first time, that I can recall, where the Coleman campaign has sought relief that would not result in him being declared the winner. The other four items in this section do however encompass the potential addition or subtraction of votes, that could result in Coleman taking the lead, albeit it unlikely. The final document is simply the judgment entered by the ECC last Monday that asserted Franken's victory by 312 votes. I assume, that when filing an appeal, you must file the judgment which you are actually appealing. Any future court filings will be filed on the MN Supreme Court litigation page; a change from the previous ECC litigation website. I have no idea when the actual litigation process will begin, although, according to MN § 209.10.4, "the appeal from an election contest relating to the office of state senator or representative takes precedence over all other matters before the Supreme Court." MN § 209.10.4 further pertains "to a contest regarding a statewide office" as noted within MN § 209.09; this classification includes the US Senate Election. Although the appeal will have precedence, I would still expect the Franken campaign to push for an expedited schedule. Update [7:38 PM CT]: I found other relevant law (§ 209.09) that applied to § 209.10.4 and thus establishes the election contest appeal as paramount to MN Supreme Court's duties. I've updated the article to clarify and reflect these changes.
Published on April 20th at 6:10 PM CT :: 1 Comment
A relatively quiet week ensued, after the Election Contest Court's Monday ruling, but a few pertinent if seemingly unrelated events did transpire. I'll cover two events, as reported by the two major Minnesota papers, and present the time frame for Norm Coleman's potential appeal to the MN Supreme Court. Our first event features a meeting between Norm Coleman and the Minneapolis Star Tribune's Editorial Board. The meeting took place on April 16th, and a small portion of the video has been posted online at the Star Tribune website. The excerpt shows Norm Coleman visibly upset over the Star Tribune's conduct, with regard to the allegations of money laundering, in the days directly preceding the election. I covered the allegations back in November, if you're curious about the back story. It'll be interesting to see if the Star Tribune alters their reporting procedures in the coming weeks to make amends; even though they already tend to lean right. Our next story involves another act of vandalism levied against Norm Coleman's house; as reported by the Pioneer Press: St. Paul police are investigating after eggs were thrown at former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman's house in the Crocus Hill neighborhood. It happened about 9:20 p.m. Tuesday, according to a police report that recorded the incident as misdemeanor criminal damage to property. After eggs had hit the front door of Coleman's home in the 600 block of Osceola Avenue, a resident of the home saw a man who appeared to be in his 20s outside, said Peter Panos, police spokesman. The report didn't say who the resident was or whether Coleman was home, Panos said today. The resident then saw the man throw a few more eggs, Panos said. The number of eggs thrown wasn't in the report, he said. The egg thrower wasn't caught, Panos said. Coleman said Wednesday that a young man had bicycled past his home this week and thrown eggs at him.... Republican Coleman has said he will appeal this week's court ruling that Democrat Al Franken won last year's U.S. Senate race. Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press I don't know if this is particularly important, but it happened, so I'm reporting it. The last line of the excerpt does however provide a perfect segue. Norm Coleman, lost his election contest, and now he has the opportunity to appeal the ECC's ruling; which he has indicated he will do. Let's began by looking at the relevant law proscribing the time frame in which an appeal must occur: Subd. 4.Appeal. The judge's decision may be appealed to the Supreme Court no later than ten days after its entry in the case of a general election contest or five days after its entry in the case of a primary contest. The record on appeal must be made, certified, and filed in the Supreme Court within 15 days after service of notice of appeal. The appellant shall file in the district court a bond of $500 for the payment of respondent's costs if appellant fails on appeal. The appeal from an election contest relating to the office of state senator or representative takes precedence over all other matters before the Supreme Court. A copy of the decision must be forwarded to the chief clerk of the house of representatives or the secretary of the senate, as appropriate. Source: § 209.10, 2008 Minnesota Statutes We know that Coleman has "ten days" to appeal, but the above article makes no reference to calendar days, business days or whatever; so the question then becomes, when does the tenth day occur? Another Minnesota Statute seems to outline the proper interpretation: 6.01 Computation In computing any period of time prescribed or allowed by these rules, by the local rules of any district court, by order of court, or by any applicable statute, the day of the act, event, or default from which the designated period of time begins to run shall not be included. The last day of the period so computed shall be included, unless it is a Saturday, a Sunday, or a legal holiday, or, when the act to be done is the filing of a paper in court, a day on which weather or other conditions have made the office of the court administrator inaccessible, in which event the period runs until the end of the next day which is not one of the aforementioned days. When the period of time prescribed or allowed is less than seven days, intermediate Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays shall be excluded in the computation. As used in this rule and in Rule 77(c), "legal holiday" includes any holiday defined or designated by statute. Source: Minnesota Rules of Civil Procedure The ten day appeal period began on Tuesday, April 14th because the day of the ruling, Monday, "shall not be included." It's not clear whether the judgment was actually legally entered on Monday, as MN Rule 58.01 dictates that order "shall be entered forthwith by the court administrator", which may or may not be the date of filing. There may exist other legal contingencies that could extend the start date for the appeal window. If we assume that the judgment took effect on Monday April 13th, that makes the tenth day Thursday, April 23th as weekends and legal holidays are included because the prescribed time is more than seven days. Therefore, the Notice of Appeal must be filled on or before Thursday, April, 23; unless weather or other extenuating circumstances arise which facilitate the closure of the court offices. In this event, the Notice of Appeal must be filed on the next day the court office is open and this "next day" cannot be a weekend or a legal holiday. I doubt, the Coleman campaign is in a hurry to file their appeal, my guess is at least Wednesday. In the mean time, Franken will still not be seated in the US Senate without an Election Certificate which, according to MN § 204C.40, cannot be issued until after "a court of proper jurisdiction has finally determined the contest." In the case of an appeal, this would be the MN Supreme Court. If by next Thursday (or Friday), an appeal is not filed by the Coleman campaign, a Minnesota Election Certificate could be legally issued to Al Franken. Update [9:31 PM CT]: I clarified some of the appeal deadlines and accounted for other contingencies that could alter the window for appeal.
Published on April 19th at 4:31 PM CT :: 0 Comments
The 2008 Minnesota Senate Election officially has a winner, at least according to the Election Contest Tribunal. The three judge ECC issued a 68 page order late Monday declaring Franken the winner. The body of the order is excerpted below: ORDER FOR JUDGMENT Based on the above findings of fact and conclusions of law, and pursuant to Minn. Stat. § 209.12, the Court DECIDES, DECLARES, AND ADJUDGES that Contestee Al Franken is the party to the contest who received the highest number of votes legally cast in the 2008 United States Senate general election and is therefore entitled to receive the certificate of election. Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED that: 1. Contestants' Notice of Contest is dismissed with prejudice; 2. Contestee's Counterclaims are dismissed without prejudice as moot; 3. Pursuant to Minn. Stat. § 209.07, subd. 3, costs of the contest must be paid by Contestants, and Contestee and the Court shall prove up the applicable costs by affidavit after all proceedings in this matter are concluded; and 4. For the reasons stated in the Court's Order of March 2, 2009, imposing a sanction on Contestants, Contestee is awarded his reasonable costs and attorneys' fees in connection with Contestants' failure to disclose, such costs and fees to be proved up by affidavit. 5. Any request for relief in these proceedings not specifically granted herein is denied. There being no just reason for delay, LET JUDGMENT BE ENTERED ACCORDINGLY Dated: April 13 2009 Source: Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law, and Order for Judgment via MNCourts.gov [PDF] Before the above order, the ECC presented 157 individual findings of fact over 24 pages. Finding #120 addresses the missing ballots in Minneapolis W3-P1 and findings #137 and #138 detail the voters whose ballots were opened and counted on April 7th: 120. Given the evidence presented, the Court finds that 132 ballots from Minneapolis Precinct 3-1 were cast and properly counted on Election Day and were lost at some point after they were counted on Election Day but before the administrative recount.... 137. The evidence was sufficient to prove that the absentee ballots of the persons identified in Attachment A were legally cast and wrongfully rejected. 138. The following additions shall be made to the vote totals certified by the Board on January 5, 2009: 111 additional votes for Coleman and 198 additional votes for Franken. Source: Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law, and Order for Judgment via MNCourts.gov [PDF] Attachment A contains the names and counties of 351 voters, along with a reference to the exhibit or court document in which they were originally presented. A greater majority of the exhibit reference appear to begin with an "F," meaning that the Franken campaign originally presented that voter's absentee ballot. This is not however a scientific analysis, simply a brief observation. I'll digitize the document later and provide an exact count at a later date. Follwing the findings of fact, the court then presented two memorandums addressing specific, yet unresolved issues. The first memorandum is entitled "RULE 9/DOUBLE COUNTING MEMORANDUM" and can be characterized from the following excerpts on page 30 and 31 of the order, respectively: Any argument that Contestants did not realize that Rule 9 might lead to possible "double counting" of ballots has been waived by their conduct and delay in raising this issue. This court emphasized in earlier orders that this is an expedited proceeding. Contestants' unreasonably delayed raising their claim and are now barred from asserting it.... This Court received evidence that it is not uncommon for discrepancies to exist between the number of ballots cast in a precinct and the number of voters shown on Election Day rosters. These Election Day discrepancies can be caused by voters failing to sign rosters before voting and election judges failing to mark the acceptance of absentee ballots on the rosters. The Court cannot conclude that double counting occurred simply because the number of votes counted during the recount is greater than the number of voters on the rosters. Source: Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law, and Order for Judgment via MNCourts.gov [PDF] Basically the court acknowledged that discrepancies between the number of physical voters and the number of physical votes existed, but the court was unmoved by the Contestant's [Coleman] attempts to prove that these discrepancies were caused by double counting. The next memorandum is entitled "EQUAL PROTECTION MEMORANDUM," and as you might guess, deals with Coleman's equal protection claim. The court first summarized Coleman's argument on page 33 and then states, on page 37, that the proper jurisdiction for this argument lies within the US Senate: I. Introduction Contestants argue that similarly-situated absentee ballots were treated differently throughout Minnesota's counties and cities, and that this inconsistent treatment implicates the Equal Protection Clauses of the United States and Minnesota Constitutions. The Court reviewed this argument respectfully in light of the mandates of the United States Constitution and the Minnesota Constitution that all persons similarly-situated be treated alike under the law. See U.S. CONST. amend. XIV, § 1; MINN. CONST. Art. 1, § 2.... Thus, to the extent Contestants' equal protection argument alleges "deliberate, serious, and material violation[s]" of Minnesota's election laws, this Court lacks jurisdiction to make findings or conclusions on these points and the matter is preserved for the United States Senate. See Minn. Stat. § 209.12 ("Evidence... including... the question of the right of any person to nomination or office on the ground of deliberate, serious, and material violation of the provisions of the Minnesota Election Law, must be taken and preserved by the judge trying the contest...."); U.S. CONST. Art. 1, § 5, Cl. 1 ("Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns and Qualifications of its own Members."); see also Odegard v. Olson, 119 N.W.2d 717, 719 (Minn. 1963). The Minnesota Supreme Court recently addressed this issue directly and ruled as follows: When the election contest concerns a congressional office, the only question to be decided is which candidate received the highest number of votes legally cast at the election. Minn. Stat. § 209.12 (2008). Nevertheless, evidence on any other issues specified in the notice of election contest is to be preserved and forwarded to the presiding officer of the Senate or House of Representatives of the United States, as the case may be. Id. Coleman v. Ritchie, 762 N.W.2d 218, 226 (Minn. 2009). Source: Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law, and Order for Judgment via MNCourts.gov [PDF] The equal protection memorandum continues until page 56 and addresses many of Coleman's additional claim's by essentially stating that the 2008 Minnesota Senate Election administration was conducted in accordance with the US Constitution and the Minnesota Constitution. The ECC concluded their order by stating the following: The citizens of Minnesota should be proud of their election system. Minnesota has one of the highest voter-participation rates in the country. The Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State and election officials throughout Minnesota's counties and cities are well-trained, fair, and conscientious and performed their duties admirably. Minnesota could not conduct elections without the hard work and diligence of its dedicated professionals and citizen volunteers, and the Court is proud of their service. Source: Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law, and Order for Judgment via MNCourts.gov[PDF] All that remains is for Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) and SOS Mark Ritchie (D) to sign the Election Certificate as directed, although not legally obligated, by the above order. Coleman has 10 days to file an appeal to the MN Supreme Court, but the ECC states that the US Senate has the ultimate jurisdiction. Al Franken officially received more votes than any other candidate, but his path to the US Senate may still be lined with political obstacles. The Coleman campaign has already acknowledged their intent to appeal, and there are rumors that Tim Pawlenty may not sign the certificate until the appeals process has ended. In any case, Al Franken received the most votes, by 312, for US Senate in the State of Minnesota on November 4th, 2008. Update [3:08 AM CT]: I went ahead and parsed through Attachment A [CSV] and the results were mildly surprising: Record # Ballots Coleman: 110 Franken: 193 (194) Nauen: 36 (37) Contestee's SJ: 10 Testimony: 1 Total: 351 The parentheses denote a voter who was listed within both a Franken Exhibit and a Nauen Summary Judgment order. More than half of the 351 absentee ballots contained within Attachment A originated from evidence presented by the Franken Campaign. It's interesting to note that the number of ballots accepted from each campaign almost identically replicates the final result of the 351 ballots; the final allocation was Coleman 111, Franken 198 and 42 to Other. The most interesting inclusion does however come from a Coleman presented witness. If you recall from the litigation proceedings, Robert Peter DeMuth filled out his voter registration form with the aid of a computer by digitally signing his absentee ballot request form. Mr. DeMuth's ballot was included in the ECC certified result as the ECC only required that the voter sign the physical envelope; which Mr. DeMuth apparently did.
Published on April 13rd at 7:01 PM CT :: 7 Comments
On Tuesday, April 7th, the MN Senate Election Contest Court sat down at 9:30 AM CT with 387 absentee ballots and began the tedious process of opening, sorting and counting their contents. The counting process did not began for some time, but when it did, the court had identified 351 ballots which merited inclusion into the vote tally. The ECC court released the following order detailing the specific voters contained within the 351 identified ballots: This matter comes before the Court after its review of certain original absentee ballot materials pursuant to this Court's Order for Delivery of Ballots to Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State for Review by the Court. After review, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED: 1. The absentee ballots in the attached Exhibit A shall be opened and counted in accordance with Paragraph 4 of the Court's Order for Delivery of Ballots to Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State for Review by the Court. 2. Any other relief not fully set forth herein is expressly denied. Dated: April 7, 2009 [Exhibit A: List of 351 Voter's Names and County, CSV] Source: Order for Opening and Counting of Ballots via MNCourts.gov Parsing through the list revealed that 41 of the 42 Nauen Petitioner's identified within the ECC's request were also listed within the ECC's order for opening and counting. Each of the 41 voter's is assumed to have voted for Franken because the Franken campaign was funding their intervention. This leaves 310 voters with unknown allegiances; 10 of the 12 voter's identified within Contestee's [Franken] Partial Summary Judgment are also listed within this 310 vote subset. I updated my extrapolation to account for the 41 Nauen Petitioner's and the remaining 310 voters; I assume that the Nauen voters will break for Franken in a 90-5-5 fashion and that the 10 Partial Summary Judgement voters have no inclination to vote for one candidate or another: Extrapolations: ECC Accepts 351 Additional Absentee Ballots [PDF, 141KB] Identified Extrapolation Voters Coleman Franken ECC Ordered Opened 310 130.66 129.33 Coleman Regions 190 91.85 66.61 Franken Regions 120 38.82 62.72 Nauen Petitioners 41 2.05 36.90 Newly Orded 6.30 5.40 Previously Ordered 35 1.75 31.50 Extrapolation Total 351 132.71 166.23 Actual Result 351 111 198 The Pioneer Press and the Star Tribune have both reported that the final resolution of these 351 ballots resulted in Franken increasing his lead by 87 votes from 225, to 312. At this point it seems unlikely that further ballots will be opened and counted, but the possibility does remain. The ECC also has yet to address the 133 (or 134) lost ballots in Minneapolis W3-P1 and any remedy to the Coleman campaign's argument of double counted ballots. It seems unlikely that a ruling will be released today, as the ECC just released an order clarifying the resolution of the Nauen Petitioners: This action came on for a court trial before the Honorable Elizabeth A. Hayden, the Honorable Kurt J. Marben, and the Honorable Denise D. Reilly, District Court Judges, beginning on January 26, 2009 and ending on March 13, 2009. Having considered the testimony and evidence adduced at trial, the exhibits admitted into evidence, the pleadings,' briefs and memoranda submitted by all the parties, and the arguments of counsel, the Court now makes the following: ORDER 1. Petitioners filed a Petition pursuant to Minnesota Statute section 204B.44 with the Minnesota Supreme Court on January 13, 2009. On January 16, 2009, the Minnesota Supreme Court issued an order granting Norm Coleman's motion to intervene in Petitioners' proceeding and further directing the Petition to this Court for consideration and decision within the current election contest. 2. Pursuant to the Court's Order Granting in Part and Denying in Part Petitioners' Motion for Summary Judgment (Feb. 10, 2009), Nunc Pro Tunc Order Correcting Order Granting in Part and Denying in Part Petitioners' Motion for Summary Judgment (Feb. 10, 2009). Order on Intervenor's Rule 60.02 Motion 10 Vacate Judgment (Mar. 2, 2009), Order Granting in Part and Denying in Part Petitioners' Renewed Motion for Summary Judgment (Mar. 11, 2009), and Order Granting Petitioners' Second Renewed Motion for Summary Judgment and Amending Order Granting in Part and Denying in Part Petitioners' Renewed Motion for Summary Judgment Dated March 11, 2009 (Mar. 31, 2009), the Court granted summary judgment with respect to the following Petitioners: 3. On March 31, 2009, the Court Issued an Order for Delivery of Ballots to.Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State for Review by the Court. The Petitioners listed above were identified in the Court's March 31, 2009 Order. [List of 36 Voter's Names and County, CSV] 4. On-April 7, 2009, the Court ordered the absentee ballot return envelopes of voters identified in an attached exhibit to be opened and counted by the Office of the Secretary of State in open court and the totals included in the results of the 2008 United States Senate election reported by the Minnesota Secretary of State. With one exception, the ballots of the individuals listed above were opened, sorted and counted by the Office of the Secretary of State in open court on April 7, 2009, pursuant to the Court's March 31, 2009 and April 7, 2009 Orders.1 5. With respect to the Petitioners not expressly identified herein, the Court has not been presented with sufficient individualized evidence in support of Petitioners' claims. The Petition with respect to those individuals is accordingly DISMISSED. 6. Any request for relief in these proceedings not specifically granted herein is denied. There being no just reason for delay. LET JUDGMENT BE ENTERED ACCORDINGLY. Dated: April 10, 2009 1The absentee ballot return envelope of Roxanna Saad of Dakota County was not opened and counted on April 7, 2009, after the Court determined Ms. Saad failed to fully complete a voter registration application. Source: Order Regarding Resolution of Petitioner's Motion via MNCourts.gov The above order details the 36 petitioner's listed within previous orders granting the opening and counting of their ballots, a number I arrived at on Monday. The final count, as noted above, included 35 of the 36 plus 6 other petitioners who had not previously been granted relief. This brings the grand total of relieved Nauen Petitioners to 41. I've updated my Nauen voter table to reflect the result of the counting procedure; the contents of this most recent order did not reveal any new information. It simply outlined the result of the Nauen Petitioner's and dismissed the remaining petitioner's request for relief: Extrapolation: Nauen Petitioners and ECC Ordered Opened & Counted Aftermath [PDF, 125KB] Despite the ECC's detailed and straightforward resolution of the Nauen Petioners, Rachel E. Stassen-Berger of the St. Paul Pioneer Press still managed to a provide inaccurate information: The order the court did issue today dismissed the case of the voters who sued on their own but haven't had their ballots counted. Sixty-one voters sued early this year to have their absentee ballot votes counted. That suit, which was funded by Franken, was folded into Coleman's larger suit. Thirty-six of those voters had their ballots opened and counted on Tuesday, along with 315 other absentee ballots. The results on those ballots boosted Franken's lead to 312 votes. Today, the judges said that the case of the other 25 votes was dismissed. [emphasis added to depict inaccuracies] Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press Rachel's entire article contained just 217 words, but three glaring inaccuracies: 1. There were 64 Nauen petitioners, not "sixty-one;" although three voters did eventually withdraw their claim.
Exhibit A: List of 64 Voters by Name and County, [CSV, 2KB]
Source: Petition by Certain MN Voters to Have Their Votes Counted via MNCourts.gov 2. Forty-one of the Nauen petitioners eventually had their vote counted; the "thirty-six" Rachel presents originates from today's order and tells me that she cannot read footnotes. Thirty-six voters were originally presented, but Roxanna Saad's ballot was never counted because it did not contain a completed voter registration form. 3. The "25" other votes should actually read 23, but its hard to get this number right, when the two previous numbers were completely wrong; 64-41=23. The ECC will probably present their ruling some time next week, at that point, the loser will have 10 days to present an appeal to the MN Supreme Court.
Published on April 10th at 6:31 PM CT :: 1 Comment
Before the court even begins counting tomorrow morning, thirteen ballots will be eliminated from their original request of 400. The Star Tribune is reporting, by way of the Deputy Secretary of State, that 13 of the 400 ballots have already been counted and were erroneously requested due to clerical errors. The relevant portion of the Star Tribune article is excerpted below: Deputy Secretary of State Jim Gelbmann said Monday that 13 of the 400 ballots on the judges' list had already been counted, on Election Day or during the recount, putting the number of ballots that might be added at 387. Once opened, outside envelopes -- which contain voters' names -- will be separated from the security envelopes that contain the original ballots, said Secretary of State Mark Ritchie. Poser will then sort the ballots into three piles -- Franken, Coleman and other. Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune This reduction of the potential pool of additional, countable absentee ballots will likely facilitate an MN Supreme Court appeal by Norm Coleman as the number of physical ballots quickly approaches his current deficit. Once the ballots are counted, hopefully by the end of tomorrow, the court still has other issues to confront before they present their ruling. Once the ECC determines the victor, the loser will have 10 days to appeal to the MN Supreme Court. In other related news, the Franken campaigns has asked the court to allow another attorney, Lisa Marshall Manheim from Seattle, WA to practice before the court: Contestee Al Franken hereby moves for permission for Lisa Marshall Manheim, attorney with Perkins Coie LLP, to practice before this Court pro hac vice in this matter. This Motion is based upon Rule 5 of the General Rules of Practice for the District Courts, the accompanying affidavit of Lisa Marshal Manheim, and the files and proceedings herein. Dated: April 6, 2009 Source: Contestees Motion fWALK BRISKLY
By Alexandra Erin
First Publication: September 15th, 2015
Word Count: ~4,200
The funeral home is very old, old enough that it still has an old-style chapel. That’s where we’re holding what is still called the viewing.
The podium on which sits the now-traditional portfolio album is situated in the middle of a recessed nook that was obviously designed to hold something a bit larger than a person in repose, and which now holds something a bit smaller than the average end table.
I’m being a bit clinical about it all partly because I wish to remain detached from the scene, and partly because I am detached, whether I want to be or not.
The jungle of flowers flanking the photo display do nothing to disguise how small it is. They swallow it up.
From a certain angle, it looks like my mother’s unnaturally youthful face is peering at me from out of a monstrous hybrid rose bush. It is not a pleasant or comfortable idea, all things considered.
I turn away. It’s not easy to detach myself from that image.
My grandmother isn’t any happier with the state of things. She handled the arrangements. She picked the funeral home. It apparently has some history that I don’t remember with her side of our family.
I wonder how many times has she been here, before? How many times after? How long would it take a person to get used to a change of that magnitude? I don’t know. The world I live in is the only one I’ve ever known.
My uncles have been trying to keep my grandmother calm for a good twenty minutes. Their results have varied.
“But I just wish I had another chance to see her,” she is saying when I tune in. “Would that really be so much?”
“Ma, the law’s the law,” my Uncle Mike says.
“It wouldn’t be her anyway,” Uncle Jeff says. “You know a body’s just a body. Anyway, is that how you want to remember her? The pictures are better.”
“The pictures are pictures!” Grandmother yells. “She’s my only daughter!”
“Geez, quiet down, Ma,” Mike says. “People are gonna…”
“People know she’s grieving,” Jeff says. “That’s what this is. Grief. It’s okay. Ma, you know it would break her heart if she knew you took that kind of risk. You know how careful she was all the time.”
“You mean she was afraid all the time,” Mike says. “And she wasn’t happy if everyone else wasn’t.”
That’s when I turn away.
* * * * * * * * * *
“Walk!”
This is what she’d yell whenever I was heading out the door. It didn’t matter where in the house she was, or whether I’d told her I was going out. She’d sense the front door opening, zip to the nearest doorway to the front hall, and yell out the reminder.
“I know,” I’d call back over my shoulder.
“Don’t run!”
“I KNOW!”
I did know. Everybody knew. Just like, sometimes, everybody ran, because no matter how brave we all acted around the schoolyard, we still got scared a bit at a rustling in the ditches or saw something staring eyelessly out of a hedge.
There was no need to run. None of them could. Most of them could barely walk. But at the same time, there was no real reason not to run. The point was to get away, right? Running was safer than walking. As for the risks…
“That’s how you trip,” my mother would say.
“But I’m still faster even if I trip,” I said back to her, once. “If they’re not close enough to grab me when I start running, they’re not going to be any closer when I fall!”
“The one you know about won’t be,” she said. “They hunt in packs, remember?”
“Mother!” I said. “There haven’t been packs for years!”
“There are occasional packs still,” she said. “It doesn’t even have to be a pack. It could just be two of them, the one |
the revenue they get from advertisers for every thousand clicks on their website, or CPMs, has crashed.
Alan Kohler, who started Business Spectator 9 years ago and eventually sold it for $30 million, says that his site could not survive today.
ALAN KOHLER: We were getting $50 CPMs, which is per thousand, and when we started the business in 2007 the view was that that was pretty good we could just about make a living at that sort of price...... And in fact it's collapsed, the price has collapsed, and now the going rate for CPMs is two to five dollars, so it's really fallen to a tenth. It's one of the greatest price collapses in history really. — Alan Kohler, Editor in Chief, Business Spectator
The problem for digital publishers is that when it comes to ads, they're no longer the only fish in the pond. As Nine's Alex Parsons explains:
Five to 10 years ago if you wanted to buy digital advertising in Australia you went to one of five places... Nine, Fairfax, News Ltd, Yahoo 7 or Telstra... took up 80 per cent of the display ad market. What we've seen over the past five years is the emergence of Facebook... and other global players. — Alex Parsons, Chief Digital and Marketing Officer, Nine Entertainment Co, Statement to Media Watch, 1 June, 2016
In the US, Facebook and Google now suck up 75 cents of every new dollar going to digital.
And in Australia the figures are even starker.
Last year, according to Morgan Stanley, Google's and Facebook's digital ad revenues in Australia grew by $1b.
But everybody else saw digital revenue shrink by $700m.
And Eric Beecher can only see things getting worse.
ERIC BEECHER: Facebook as an advertising platform is extremely recent and so they're on this extraordinary upwards trajectory and they're grabbing revenue at a prodigious rate from traditional media and they have the biggest media audience in the history of the world to support that. — Eric Beecher, Chairman, Private Media
The key reason that Facebook is so successful in selling to advertisers is that it can target potential buyers of their products because it knows who they are.
ALAN KOHLER: Facebook are the, just the champions of data because they have got everybody not only using Facebook, but they reveal everything about themselves. We all kind of put our entire lives on Facebook, so Facebook knows everything about everybody. I mean, you can, you can target your advertising through Facebook to the individual. I mean nobody's been able to do that before. It's incredible. — Alan Kohler, Editor in Chief, Business Spectator
Not only is Facebook sucking up more and more advertising revenue, it's also how more and more people access their news. In the US, almost nine out of 10 millenials, people born after 1980, already get their news this way.
So it's no surprise that GigaOm's founder Om Malik says, if he were starting out today he'd probably make his website a Facebook page.
And this shift to Facebook is likely to accelerate, now that 'Instant Articles' is feeding stories from The Sydney Morning Herald, or National Geographic, for example, direct to your Facebook app. Says Matt Rowley:
Facebook might look like a monster now but I think it's just going to get bigger the more Instant Articles takes off. — Matt Rowley, Head of Content Marketing, Cirrus Media, Statement to Media Watch, 27 May, 2016
With Instant Articles, those news stories look better and load faster, and users never have to leave their Facebook app.
But while that's good for consumers, it sets publishers a problem.
If they don't let Facebook have their stories, they miss out on traffic, but if they do, they risk making Facebook even stronger.
So far, sites like Buzzfeed, the Washington Post The Guardian and Huffington Post have all taken the plunge, as has Fairfax Media in Australia.
But News Corp has stayed out of Instant Articles, saying it doesn't want to give its valuable journalism away.
And media analyst Megan Brownlow says it's hard to know which is the right decision.
MEGAN BROWNLOW: We've got more than 12 million Australians on Facebook every day and they're tuning in six times a day. And then, if they find an article that's from your publication or from your show, off they go to see it. So on that, on that hand, it's very attractive, you need that. But on the other hand, you're fighting for the same money. — Megan Brownlow, Executive Director, PricewaterhouseCoopers
And news sites' problems sites don't stop there.
In Europe the mobile phone carrier Three begins trialling technology this week to block ADS from being transmitted over its network.
And if no one can see those ads-news sites will obviously not be able to sell them.
The technology, which blocks up to 95% of browser ads, could soon come here, and as Nic Newman of the Reuters Institute tells Media Watch, it could have a dramatic effect.
NIC NEWMAN: I think if mobile phone companies block ads at a network level, then that's a real game changer. — Nic Newman, Research Associate, Reuters Institute, 10 June, 2016
Crucially, ads on Facebook won't and be blocked.
But it doesn't need to be done at network level. In the US, one in three adults are already using ad-blocking software that's achieving a similar result.
NIC NEWMAN: One of the problems with, with ad blocking is that once people download the ad blockers, our data suggests they never actually go back. So, most of the people who downloaded them are actually using them regularly and young people, who advertisers desperately need to reach, are also ad blocking at very, very high rates. — Nic Newman, Research Associate, Reuters Institute, 10 June, 2016
Already some US websites are reportedly losing up to 40% of their ad revenue.
And it's estimated that in 2015 the US ad market took a US$22 billion hit.
Australia is yet to feel the full force.
But SBS has moved to stop people with Ad blockers accessing its videos.
While The Guardian and Nine MSN have trialled pop-ups to persuade viewers they cannot block ads if content is to remain free.
But media consultant Steve Allen reckons news sites need to do more.
If they don't act on it quickly it could become a serious problem down the track. The magazine and newspaper sites are the ones under the most pressure and they can't afford to have this interference in what are already shrinking profits. — Steve Allen, Chief Executive, Fusion Strategy, Statement to Media Watch, 19 April, 2016
So, with all these problems, can news sites find a way to stay solvent?
Well, one obvious way is to make readers pay for what they read, as News Corp does with its paywalls.
Writing in The Australian recently, the paper's former Editor in Chief Chris Mitchell was optimistic that their strategy is working.
When the paywall was launched at The Oz three years ago subscriptions were $3 a week. That is now $8. Growth is not slowing and actual total subs are now more than 80,000... And that tells this old newspaper editor there is a reason to think paywalls can help save the news media model... — The Australian, 23 May, 2016
But the crucial word here is help.
Because independent analysts like Megan Brownlow from Price Waterhouse Coopers don't see subscriptions alone being the saviour.
MEGAN BROWNLOW: You need a number of different revenue streams. On its own it's not going to offset the loss of revenue from print circulation. But alongside a number of other activities, I think it's quite critical. Subscriptions are hard because Australians, particularly for digital content, are very reluctant to pay. — Megan Brownlow, Executive Director, PricewaterhouseCoopers
Yes Australians are happy to spend $80 a month on a mobile data plan.
But An Essential poll late last year showed that seven out of 10 won't pay for news under any circumstances.
Yet The Australian's publisher Nicholas Gray sees hope even in that:
"I reckon 27 per cent of people over 18 saying they might pay for -digital news (provided there is something unique about it), which by my maths is 4.4 million people, is pretty good. And that number will grow..." — The Australian, 23 May, 2016
But is Gray being too optimistic? Nic Newman of the Reuters Institute is afraid he may be.
NIC NEWMAN: I think for general news providers who don't have anything truly distinctive, it's going to be really hard to get people to pay for news when there is so much free news available from The BBC, from The Huffington Post, from a range of other providers. So, it's really important to have something that's different and distinctive if you're going to try and charge for news. — Nic Newman, Research Associate, Reuters Institute, 10 June, 2016
Britain's Financial Times does have something unique to sell. And it currently boasts more than half-a-million digital subscribers paying up to $15 a week.
But the FT has just been forced to lower its paywall and cut costs and staff numbers after a leaked memo warned of 'daunting trading conditions' for 2016.
And life is even tougher for sites that sell 'commoditised' news - which is the sort you can get almost anywhere, including from the ABC.
ALAN KOHLER: The trouble with subscriptions is, you know, that, that there's just so much free stuff still available, that getting people to pay for, for content that's basically the same as what you can get for free is never going to work. I mean, it's got to be very special to get people to pay. And even then you know you're going to be struggling to get the same number of people paying the same amount they used to pay for a paper, a newspaper. You know that's the, that's really the problem. — Alan Kohler, Editor in Chief, Business Spectator
Britain's most popular tabloid The Sun - owned by News Corp - put up a paywall in 2013, but was forced to take it down two years later.
Australia's tabloids-which are also largely owned by News Corp-don't reveal their subscriber numbers-apart from the Herald Sun. But paywalls are unlikely to work well for them either.
And while Fairfax papers are doing better, they're not raising enough money to stop repeated job cuts.
The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age have much higher digital subscriptions than The Australian... But numbers are now falling.
And both still rely on print advertising and print sales, which are declining fast, for for than half of their revenue.
So how can they or anyone fund their news operations in future? The answer is nobody really knows.
NIC NEWMAN: I think there's no single answer. Essentially most media companies are thinking about a range of business models. They can no longer afford to rely purely on digital advertising, that's clear. I think traditional media is definitely in the midst of this 'perfect storm' because of the combination of ad blocking, falling print sales and just the difficulties of funding news in a more atomised world... and in the short term the prospects look pretty serious, but I suppose the positive side is that people are still really interested in news, they're interested in all kinds of news, so it's not the demand, it's the business models that's the problem. — Nic Newman, Research Associate, Reuters Institute, 10 June, 2016
Philanthropy, crowd funding, micropayments, and native advertising are just some of the business models the media are trying.
But the key problem is general news costs a fortune to produce and attracts very little digital advertising, because general news doesn't directly target people who are looking for that new car, home loan or holiday that advertisers want to sell.
But Nine's Alex Parsons insists that general news is still something mainstream sites have to produce.
It's not as profitable as lifestyle or automotive category, but what it does do is create habit for consumers to visit your site who can then move into other categories... which are more lucrative for advertisers. — Alex Parsons, Chief Digital and Marketing Officer, Nine Entertainment Co, Statement to Media Watch, 1 June, 2016
But many in the advertising world, are not convinced.
And Lachlan Brahe from analytics company Comscore, believes general news has no future, telling Media Watch that for media companies the answer is simple:
They should stop making general news. They need to change and adapt. It's inevitable. — Lachlan Brahe, Vice President, comScore, Statement to Media Watch, 26 May, 2016
So, what does all this mean for mastheads like the Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, the Herald Sun or other commercially-funded news sites?
Eric Beecher who has edited two of those three papers in his long career is not optimistic.
ERIC BEECHER: They are heading towards the cliff and it's not their fault but they are heading towards the cliff really fast. — Eric Beecher, Chairman, Private Media
And if they go over the edge, what exactly goes with them?
Reporters' jobs by the score for a start.
But Eric Beecher also believes it will bring the quote 'collapse of civic journalism'.
ERIC BEECHER: And when I say the collapse of civic journalism, it's happening all the time. You read all the time about journalism companies like Fairfax and News and so on, carving back the resources, making journalists redundant and particularly in the areas that matter to the democracy. So covering politics, covering the courts, covering science, covering technology, covering education, covering the arts, all of those things, covering business, these are so fundamental to the way our democracy works. And the resources to do that are being stripped away every day. — Eric Beecher, Chairman, Private Media
That's a gloomy view, and it's certainly not shared by News Corp or Fairfax Media, both of whom declined to take part in this program, and who declare themselves to be optimistic and excited about the future.
But it is shared by Nic Newman of the Reuters Institute and many others we've talked to.
So what about Alan Kohler? Gazing into his crystal ball, how optimistic is he?
ALAN KOHLER: Not optimistic at all. I think that, you know, I think what you might call public interest journalism is going to be funded by public interest bodies, such as the government or philanthropists or other people sort of like that. But I think that there's no commercial, there's no commercial future for that at all. — Alan Kohler, Editor in Chief, Business Spectator
Eric Beecher is equally convinced that taxpayers may ultimately have to fork out to more than just the ABC and SBS keep public interest journalism alive.
ERIC BEECHER: I'm talking about something like government funding in a way that the courts are funded, so they are 100 per cent independent of government, but they are funded by government. I see that unless that happens in Australia, we're going to wake up in a year or two years time and find that half to two-thirds of the important journalism that kept power accountable won't exist. And half of that half doesn't exist now. — Eric Beecher, Chairman, Private Media
It seems like an extraordinary idea and a shocking one. And we really can't see it getting much traction.
But the revenue crisis now hitting traditional and online news media is very real.
So what is the answer? Well, this program has said it before, and we'll say it again.
If people refuse to pay for the news they want and for the scrutiny that society needs - then sooner or later they'll find that it's gone.
There's probably close to 1 million people watching this program. So, if you care about it, you can help. Put your hand in your pocket and stop it from happening before the media get to that cliff.
Buy a subscription, think before using ad blockers. Don't kill the media that you need.
And you can read more about tonight's special on our Facebook page... or our website, where you can get a transcript and download the program.
You can also read Statements from Fairfax and News Corp.
And you can catch up with us on iview and contact me or Media Watch on Twitter.
But for now until next week that's it from us. Goodbye.Years ago I read a book called Big Bad Blood by a Sydney crime writer called Dave Warner.
I can’t remember much about it now, except it was set in Sydney’s vice centre, Kings Cross, in the mid-sixties and involved police corruption, organised crime and a series of grisly murders of local prostitutes. It was a dark, gritty read, set in an era I was (and still am) interested in learning more about. I thought it was great.
I didn’t give Warner a second thought until recently, when I discovered his first novel, City of Light.
Turns out, Sydney’s not Warner’s original stomping ground. He moved there from Perth, West Australian in the late nineties, for reasons which perhaps become clear in City of Light.
City of Light came after a colourful career as a front man for a punk rock band (“Australia’s first punk band” according to his website), stand up comic and play write. It won the West Australian Premier’s Award for best fiction in 1996.
The main character of City of Light is Snowy Lane, a young police constable and amateur footballer, working in suburban Perth in the late- seventies, who gets swept up in the investigation into a string of murders of young women by a serial killer dubbed ‘Mr Gruesome’. The investigation not only changes his life, it ultimately entangles him in the political and financial corruption and excess that marked eighties Perth.
The book is split into three sections. The first, which deals with the Mr Gruesome killings, also introduces us to the cast characters including bent cops, crooked real estate dealers and aspiring politicians. A local man is arrested for the killings, but Snowy is certain it’s the wrong man, a hunch he’s unable to play out when the suspect commits suicide in jail.
By part two the action has moved to 1986. Haunted by what he knows is his failure to catch the real killer, Snowy has left the police and is now working as an ambulance chasing private investigator.
Part three is set in 1988. As the corruption of Perth’s elite moves into overdrive, a serial killer is again striking at women. Is it a copycat or has the real Mr Gruesome returned?
City of Blood is a wonderful crime yarn that weaves aspects of a good solid police procedural with a sweeping overview of the under belly of the city’s history that reminded me of aspects of Ellroy’s LA quartet.
Australian readers may remember the WA Inc political scandal that rocked Western Australia in the late eighties. Basically, the state Labor government, having been out of office for a long time, engaged in a series of business dealings with free wheeling businessmen, which resulted in the loss of an estimated $600 million in public money and the destruction of a number of corporations.
Warner covers that and more, including an insightful examination of the city’s changing religious and class demographics and how this influenced shifts in the State’s political and economic power.
It’s a bit over written in parts, and some of the colour is applied a little too thickly, but otherwise City of Light is a pretty impressive performance by a man who was obviously a fly on the wall for some of the seedier moments of the city’s history.
With the exception of West Australian writer David Whish Wilson’s excellent book, Line of Sight, and Andrew McGahan’s Last Drinks, set in Queensland in the seventies and eighties, I can’t think of another Australian crime novel like City of Light.
City of Light is available through Freemantle Press.Has this January transfer window myth finally been dispelled?
The January transfer window has frequently been described as a potential banana skin for Premier League managers, who have been keen to delve into the winter sales in search of new players. More often than not fresh personnel arrive with inflated price tags, and fail to make a real impact with the season already past it midway point. However, this campaign has seen the window used to great effect by a handful of managers, who have succeeded in strengthening to their squads, boosting the quality of football produced on a weekly basis.
Perhaps the finest arrival has been is Papiss Cisse, who moved at Newcastle in a £10 million deal from German outfit Freiburg. The Senegalese forward has quickly adjusted to life with Newcastle, striking up a good understanding with fellow countryman Demba Ba, and the creative Hatem Ben Arfa. As a result of this Cisse has netted a staggering 13 goals in 12 appearances, including excellent finishes against the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool.
As well as Alan Pardew’s flurry into the market, Brendan Rodgers, Roberto Martinez and David Moyes, among others, have benefited from delving into what was a relatively quite January window.
After 2011’s antics with helicopters, last minute deals and vast quantities of Roman Abramovich’s cash exchanging hands, this winter’s exploits were fairly low key, with very few of the ‘elite’ clubs daring to enter the fray. As a result a relatively small amount of cash exchanged hands, with clubs looking at snapping up cost effective squad members for the Premier League’s run-in, thanks in part to the looming threat of Financial Fair Play. Due to this ‘panic buying’ has been kept to a minimum, preventing prices from becoming overly inflated.
Managers have moved away from big names, as a result of spending cut backs, instead looking at players with proven records abroad, or through the football league set-up. As well as Cisse, Pavel Pogrebnyak and Nikica Jelavic arrived, at Fulham and Everton respectively, with impressive tallies in front of goal during spells with their previous clubs. Jelavic in particular impressed in the SPL, becoming Rangers focal point, averaging better than a goal every other game. Moyes managed to snap up the Croatian for a fee of around £5 million, due to the Glasgow club’s much publicised financial issues, freeing the forward of the burden that comes with a large price tag.
Away from centre-forwards, Swansea bagged Gylfi Sigurdsson, on loan, which has proved to be a fine piece of business. The 22-year-old Icelandic midfielder has slotted seamlessly into the Swans midfield, adding a dynamic edge to a sometimes blunt second attacking line. His displays may have shocked some, but for those who witnessed his performances at Reading, prior to a move to Germany, would have been all too aware of the outstanding quality he possesses, which is testament to the South Wales club’s scouting network.
Wigan have also benefited from the signing of Jean Beausejour, whose energy and all-round ability have allowed the club to switch formations, and employ a 3-4-3 set-up. Allied to Emerson Boyce on the opposite flank, the Chilean has become an effective performer, since his move from Birmingham, revelling in an advance wing-back role.
The deals this winter have proved that with the application of some common sense and decent scouting, the January transfer window can be a useful tool. So often it has been used as an arena for panic, with managers hoping that copious amounts of cash can turn their season around. Although sometimes this works, the majority of the time the method fails, with players not fitting the system and becoming burdened by inflated price tags.
Newcastle, Swansea, Wigan and Fulham have proved that a little preparation can go a long way.
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With Kyle Field undergoing renovations, Texas A&M officials gave an update to the media on Tuesday about the project, revealing a couple interesting tidbits in the process.
Namely, the new Kyle Field will house college football’s largest scoreboard. It will be 47 feet tall and 163 feet wide. It’s square footage of 7,661 feet will beat out the sport’s current largest scoreboard — the one at Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium in Austin — by 291 feet.
Here’s an artist’s rendering of what the scoreboard will look like in the stadium. You can get another good look here:
The final attendance capacity for the renovated Kyle Field will be 102,500 in 2015, up from 82,600 today.
Will the college football arms race ever end?Dun Ringill, Kilmarie
Hear pronunciation Press to hear pronunciation
A short, attractive walk to the remains of a medieval castle, visiting a Chambered Cairn on the way back.
Terrain
Clear path except for a short section on a pebbly beach; boggy in places
Public Transport
Bus 50B and Post Bus from Portree and Broadford. Get off at the turning for Kilmarie just after Kirkibost and walk down the road.
Start
Small car park by the beach in front of Kilmarie House. Open start point in Google Maps for directions.
Users' reports As well as reading our description of each walking route, you can read about the experiences of others users on this walk and others.
There are 1 user reports for this walk - click to read them.SIXER to EnVyUs
An official statement confirming Timothée “DEVIL” Demolon’s replacement has just been published.
Some changes have been happening for EnVyUs lately. On March 8th, Demolon replaced Fabien “kioShiMa” Fiey. Today, with one day till World Electronic Sports Games Europe and CIS Regional finals, Christophe “SIXER” Xia is replacing Timothée.
In seven months, the only tournament won by the French team with DEVIL was Gfinity Invitational. When Xia replaced Nathan “NBK” Schmitt at the SL i-League StarSeries Season 2 finals, “his confidence and energy have seemed to revitalize the team in many ways”, as said in the official statement.
This move comes as no surprise given the fact that there has been a lot of criticism surrounding Demolon since he arrived in the French team – although EnVyUs state that he has been “an extremely hard worker” and “a passionate player”. The first LAN appearance is tomorrow at Kiev.
QUICKPOLL Do you think EnVy is ready to play with SIXER at WESG? Yes
Thank you for voting! No
Thank you for voting!Egypt has quietly introduced a Saudi-style Islamic religious police force in order to implement the moral principles of Islam using "non-violent methods".
The Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, an informal group, made the announcement at a press conference in Cairo.
"We have absolutely no relationship with the'morality' committees in Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Somalia or Nigeria. We will only offer advice to those who want to listen. We shall have no business with people who refuse to listen to us," said the committee's founder, Hisham el-Ashri.
The committee says it will not interfere with the work of the state's security forces and has issued assurances that it will not target nightclubs.
Nonetheless, el-Ashri said: "If a drunken customer comes out of a nightclub, we would prevent him from driving until the police arrive, so he won't hurt himself or others."
The new police force arrives as the national turmoil that followed the ousting of former dictator Hosni Mubarak shows no sign of abating.
After an interim period, the democratically elected Mohamed Morsi took over as Egyptian president but has so far been unable to quiet the country's unrest.
"We would not use violence [to achieve our goals] unless there was an assault from the other side that causes bloodshed. But small acts of violence towards us would be overlooked," added el-Ashri.
He said that the recent assaults on women, adultery and unofficial weddings would not have taken place in Egypt if the committee had been formed earlier.
Mutaween, the Islamic religious police of Saudi Arabia, is responsible for implementing strict Sharia law.No cash? No time to wait? No wish to stand in close proximity to another human? No problem, says Amazon, which has announced a new store that makes use of sensing and artificial intelligence to do away with the checkout altogether.
There’s just one shop so far, in Amazon’s hometown of Seattle. Called Amazon Go, its modest 1,800 square feet of retail space has a very time-poor kind of customer in mind. There are ready-to-eat meals, basic groceries, and meal kits to cook at home lining its shelves.
But the experience of buying goods from this store is certainly not one for the privacy advocates among us. Upon arrival, you have to scan an app to pass through the entrance—like you do with a digital boarding pass. From this point on, it knows you’re there, and can keep track of what you do.
Amazon says that the store uses on-shelf sensing and computer vision to keep track of every item that you pick up, adding each one to a list to charge you for later. (Though it can also remove items when it sees you put them back). When you leave, it double-checks the list by detecting the items you’re removing from the store.
Then it charges your Amazon account, leaving you to eat your sandwich without having to stand in line for a single moment. This, it seems, is how people shop in the future.
The Amazon Go store uses on-shelf sensing and computer vision to keep track of every item that you pick up.
It joins a history of attempts to automate the grocery store. Keedoozle tried its luck in 1937 with a system of conveyor belts, glass cabinets, and personalized keys to remove people from the process, though it shut down when its back-end couldn’t support its popularity.
Earlier this year, a supermarket in Sweden opened that uses an app to grant access to customers, though it demands people scan barcodes via their phone—essentially working on a tech-enabled trust model, with CCTV as backup.
Amazon looks to be running a much tighter ship. While finding ways to circumvent the system may appeal to hackers, it sounds as if most ordinary folks would find themselves unable to cheat a system bristling with sensors and cameras that monitor shoppers’ every move.
If it works as advertised, lifting products off the shelves and simply walking out may become the new way to shop (as opposed to shoplift)—part of Amazon’s bet on the idea that delivering unparalleled convenience will keep customers coming back.
(Read more: “Amazon's Next Big Move: Take Over the Mall,” Amazon Go, “Amazon Wants to Disrupt the Bodega”)Dead C scrolls comprise of around 835 C language, API document, Header, Data, Object and Make files including some design notes on the very nature of the C language itself. The scrolls were discovered in 2002 by a 50 year old system administrator that worked in a building previously owned by AT&T/BELL labs research whilst he was in the process of auditing the data pool for a system wide consolidation of various file server systems.
The prefixed name "DEAD" is actually the hexadecimal digits 0xDEAD, equivalent to the decimal number 57,005.
Contents show]
After conducting a variety of dating methods including several high tech methods like "Reading disk labels", "retrieving UNIX timestamps" and "researching code comment blocks( that include dates )", it has been established that the documents have been drawn up in the early to mid 60's. For the most part the scrolls are in the form of lengths and lengths of Teletype (TTY) thermal paper, Some code is even outputted on one entire scroll of paper from a PDP machine from start to end. The text and code are written in a obscure early version of what seems to be 7-bit_ASCII.
A good portion of the code and header files were found on a PDP8 9-track data tape. 600 Meters or 80% of ancient code has been salvaged from this medium. One very special artifact is a piece of a very old Drum Hard-drive that, at that time was bleeding edge technology. From what data remains on the copperish piece of data-drum it is believed that it contained some of the first builds of a debug version of what would become the Kernel. This piece of artifact is often called the Copper Scroll.
Text formatting Edit
While most of the text on the thermal paper scrolls are written in some 7-bit, pre-ASCII character set this is not true for all rediscovered media. The data tape for instance writes its data in 64 blocks of 256 bytes. 1 byte is written to parallel physical location on the tape and one track is used to store a parity bit. The format was, in fact, very similar to modern DAT tapes, and it is believed that this tape format is indeed its forefather.
The language used in the documents are also not of a constant nature. Some of the language used in the files and documents are:
Early C language
bad English
Binary
While the 80% to 85% of the scrolls are written in these 3 languages; there are some hints in the documents of:
Early Lisp
C++
Spanish
Important files and text include kernel header and code files, API documents regarding kernel hooks, binary application interfaces and drafts of propositions on what could possibly have become what we know today as Posix.
Controversy Edit
A lot of the data, especially the code listings are controversial since they can be interpreted in divergent ways.
For instance if you interpret the C code with a standard C compiler like GNUs compiler The linker goes belly up and you get nothing. But if you use a CC compiler from a HP UX 64 unix to compile on a quad core Dec Alpha system it manages to fill up /dev/null with anti-nulls causing your system to explode taking with it a complete office block.
Since several disastrous attempts(1) at interpreting the code have been stopped. It is believed that only some certain configurations of PDP 8 machines can run this code safely. Researchers are right now trying to figure out the right PDP configuration in a volcano mountain lair in Utah, The Holy lands of UNIX.
(1). At one time a hacker tried to read aloud of entire header file that belonged to <iostream>. He promptly went into a fierce seizure and died the next day in the critical ward of a nearby hospital.
Other controversies include evidence that the paradigms of UNIX today are wildly misunderstood viewpoints that never where intended by the original authors. Ken Thomson and Dennis Richie for instance set out not to create a robust multitasking multi user environment at all. There own goal was to create a networked system where millions of geeks could play around in a fantasy world. The original Unix was meant to be the first MMORPG system. More evidence of this is found in documents where the name AT&T is crossed out and replaced by the acronym AD&D.
More proof of UNIX being a networked multiplayer system :
the file P0wna9e.H
the comment on line:55 From Richie about Thomson : "# Lol!. Ken is A Noob. I haxor his Avatar"
Zork.C
It is also believed that the notion that EVERYTHING IS A FILE was not what was initially meant by Thompson. What became clear soon after the discovery of the dead C scrolls what that the original text mentioned that within UniXcorn everything should be a Filet mignon.
Origins Edit
Although if is common knowledge that Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie and Douglas McIlroy designed what is now knows as UNIX, the multiuser multithreading operating system, not a lot is known about the beginnings of the project. Up to the mid 80s loads of source code was withheld from the public by the respective owners ( all 6377 of them ) of UNIX of the time. By the time that the code started to open up most of the original work was rewritten or lost to history. The multi interpretable nature of the documents and files have, since there discovery, spawned a myriad of theories on how the C language and UNIX came to be.
SCO Theory Edit
In 2004, a year after the Linux war where SCO sued IBM, Daimler, Autozone and a random kitchen sink] SCO also claimed that Thompson and Ritchie STOLE the source code from UNIX owned by SCO to create UNIX. SCO showed pieces of code that resemble large portions of SCO own outdated antique OS called opensewer.
SCO's main litigious bastard Darl McBride held some lectures on how everybody stole everything from SCO and how SCO is now left with nothing but a useless outdated buggy piece of crap. After the MIT debacle most universities and high schools didn't want McBride to Lecture there and even instructed school security guards to remove him from there campus grounds with cattle prods without question.
Because of this the only Q&A session on how AT&Ts Thompson and Ritchie stole the code from SCO in the 60's stole the UNIX is from a class seminar at a local grad school in Lundon, Utah.
Arguments made towards SCO to demonstrate that they are bat fuck insane fell on deaf ears.
Q: 8 year old girl asks : How could those guys steal that stuff when it, you and your company didn't even exist yet?
A: By Darl McBride : You see, little girl. The evil Ken Thomson and the wicked Ritchie Build a time machine to go into the future to steal our modern code. That's how, Now here is a lollypop, go play outside.
Another transcribed question was :
Q: 6 Year old Latino boy asks : But if they had time machine technology why didn't they bring back newer better technology like Linux or iPods or stuff that just works?
A: By Darl McBride and Chris Sontag : < Kggg > Commander, assistance please, Possible terrorist infiltration. Commence operation, Banish radical freethinking kids. SHOOT TO KILL, YOU HEAR ME. <kggG>
Not much more is known of what happened since then in the SCO vs Time machine wielding hackers.
The Emacs theory Edit
Some scholars that have studied the scrolls and their implication on modern computer science as a whole have suggested that Unix wasn't meant to be an operating system at all.
But unlike the group of people that believe that Unix was to be a Multiplayer online game engine these people think that Dennis Ritchie needed a proper text editor and went out to write something similar to Emacs. But due to some unfortunate events it promptly turned out to be a operating system without a proper text editor.
The MMORPG theory Edit
Amongst the people who tend to lean towards this theory we can count a small group of technology historians and all human inhabitants of the magical realm of Scmiillicettittisinnd |
99% of the high-value notes have returned to the banking system, meaning hoarders of black money found a way to legitimise most of their dodgy cash.
“The fact that 99% has been deposited certainly does suggest that aim (of curbing black money) has not been met,” Rajan said in the interview.
Despite his reservations, Rajan wrote in his book, the RBI was asked to prepare a note, which it did and handed to the government.
The RBI note, he said, “outlined potential costs and benefits of demonetisation, as well as alternatives that could achieve similar aims. If the government, on weighing the pros and cons, still decided to go ahead with demonetisation, the note outlined the preparation that would be needed, and the time that preparation would take.”
“The RBI flagged what would happen if preparation was inadequate,” he wrote.
The government subsequently set up a committee to consider the issue. The central bank was represented on the committee by its deputy governor in charge of currency, Rajan wrote, possibly implying he did not attend these meetings.
The current leadership of the central bank could not be reached for comments on Rajan’s account. Phone calls to the RBI spokesperson went unanswered.
Rajan did not detail the contents of the note RBI had submitted to the government. Modi’s radical move was slammed by the opposition as ill-conceived and poorly executed. It took banks much longer than the government had expected to tide over the cash crisis. Frequent changes in cash withdrawal rules added to chaos and inconvenience that lasted far longer than the 50 days the PM had sought to restore normalcy.
Still, Modi won popular support for his move, winning a landslide victory in crucial elections in Uttar Pradesh. Most people, especially the poor, backed his decision as a frontal attack on black money.
The author is Chief Content Officer, Hindustan Times.
Follow the author @rajeshmahapatra
First Published: Sep 03, 2017 07:27 IST0
Bryan Singer’s initial and highly influential adaptations of Marvel’s X-Men were contemporary stories set in the early 2000s. Then, with the arrival of Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men: First Class, the title mutants returned to their comic book roots in the 1960s with a new cast of characters that served to introduce the superheroes and supervillains from their very origins. The two out-of-sync franchises famously crossed timelines in Singer’s 70s-set X-Men: Days of Future Past which established that the two realities are quite distinct. But as fans look ahead to the possible end of the world (and the 1980s) in the upcoming X-Men: Apocalypse, others still are looking beyond that film’s May 27th release (in the U.S.) to find out whatever they can about the next, inevitable X-movie.
As CS reports from the press junket of Apocalypse, the next X-Men film will be firmly set in the 1990s, per producer Simon Kinberg. Yes, the decade in which the animated series captured the attention and imagination of every Saturday morning cartoon-watcher, and the decade that saw the explosion of Marvel’s revamped X-Men comic line. But before you get excited and start thumbing through your memory of those 90s-era stories, keep in mind that Kinberg might have been referencing writer-director Josh Boone’s upcoming X-Men: The New Mutants movie, which is currently in development.
If it’s The New Mutants that Kinberg was referencing, setting them in the 90s would be a little odd from a comic book historian’s perspective. The team was introduced in the early 80s and ran under their own title until its cancellation in 1991. The team, or at least some of its members, appeared in other superhero series throughout the 90s but The New Mutants themselves were folded into Cable’s X-Force team in the 90s; new The New Mutants comic book lines were started twice in the 2000s. Basically, The New Mutants bordered the 1990s, but never thrived on their own within that decade, so it’d be a little strange to focus their story during the final years of the 20th century. Now, if the X-Force movie gets off the ground, that would make perfect sense for a 90s setting.
Another movie that seems tailor-made to take place in the 90s is the direct follow-up to X-Men: Apocalypse, a film that will presumably see the younger heroes–Jean Grey (Sophie Turner), Beast (Nicholas Hoult), Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee), Jubilee (Lana Condor) and Storm (Alexandra Shipp)–stepping up to the plate under the guiding hand and mind of Professor X (James McAvoy). The curious thing about a 90s-set X-Men film with this cast is that they’ll have united to (again, presumably) defeat Apocalypse, arguably the franchise’s most infamous, notorious, and deadly foe. Where could the team possibly go from there? We’ll likely get a better picture of the future of the X-Men once Apocalypse opens later this month.
Until then, get caught up on some of our other X-Men news:It seemed like a good idea.
Last March, the state Department of Public Health sent a confidential letter to every health care provider who prescribes opioids and other controlled substances, showing how each practitioner’s prescribing practices compared with those of his or her peers.
Presumably, those who were writing too many prescriptions would see the error of their ways and scale back.
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But an article in Thursday’s New England Journal of Medicine concludes that the letter probably didn’t work. In the 12 weeks after it was sent, an analysis of prescribing by 284 primary care physicians found no change from the previous 12 weeks.
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This points to a costly failure to evaluate government responses to health issues, said the lead author, Dr. Michael Barnett, who researches health care delivery and quality at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The letters were required by the sweeping state law intended to control opioid use, signed amid fanfare by Governor Charlie Baker in 2016.
“As a researcher, I am continually amazed at the pace of policy-making that just kind of races ahead of any kind of evaluation or monitoring, even when it’s not hard to do so,” Barnett said. The analysis was included in an opinion piece calling for collaboration between researchers and public officials.
But Dr. Monica Bharel, the state public health commissioner, said Barnett and colleagues were taking an overly narrow view of the letter’s purpose and results. The letter was merely intended to give prescribers objective information that they can incorporate into their clinical judgment, she said.
“This letter was a small component of our overall plan of how to work with prescribers to address this current opioid epidemic,” Bharel said. The state’s programs cannot be judged in isolation, she said. An array of efforts — including a requirement that prescribers consult a database that can alert them to doctor-shopping by patients — has led to a 29 percent decline in opioid prescribing since 2015, she said.
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Bharel said she wouldn’t necessarily expect to see a drop-off in prescribing during the 12-week period that the researchers examined. She also questioned whether any conclusions can be drawn from 284 doctors, when the letters went out to 29,000 physicians, advanced practice nurses, physician assistants, and dentists.
Prescribing practices have been a focus in efforts to fight the addiction epidemic that claimed more than 2,000 lives in Massachusetts last year.
Barnett, who works part-time as an internist, was inspired to do the analysis after he received one of the health department’s letters.
The data showed that his volume of prescriptions was slightly below the median for other internists in the state. But the letter didn’t tell him why the state was providing the information or what health officials wanted him to do with it. It offered no advice on how much he should prescribe. He didn’t know what to make of it.
Talking to other doctors, including one whose prescribing was well above the median, Barnett found the reaction to the letter was “a collective shrug.”
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A better approach, he said, would be to offer positive examples to emulate, rather than comparing doctors with an average or median.
“You really want to leverage the physician’s internal motivation to be the A student,” he said. But in the case of opioid prescribing, the optimal rate is unclear.
To conduct the analysis, Barnett teamed up with athenahealth, a Watertown-based company that provides electronic health records to many physicians. As a result, athenahealth can see what happens at each doctor visit, and the company is eager to aggregate this information to learn about trends in medical care.
Barnett and researchers from athenahealth decided to look at primary care doctors because, as a group, they prescribe the biggest volume of opioids, and they also represent a large proportion of athenahealth customers.
The athenahealth researchers compiled the number of doctor visits that resulted in opioid prescriptions during the 12 weeks before and after the letters were sent. The data included 284 doctors in Massachusetts and 864 in eight other states in the Northeast. They found no changes over time, and no differences between the two groups. They also found no reductions in opioid prescribing by the highest-volume prescribers.
Dr. Andrew Kolodny, codirector of Opioid Policy Research at Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management, was not involved in the research but agreed with the article’s message. “These urgent public health efforts need to be evaluated. They’re basically shooting in the dark,” Kolodny said. “I don’t blame anyone in the midst of an emergency for trying things... but you should simultaneously be evaluating what you’re doing.”
Felice J. Freyer can be reached at felice.freyer@globe.comCounting on some nice chunks of change from holiday shopping foot traffic, buskers set up in force around Union Square this time of year playing everything from drum kits, to trumpets, to keyboards — providing a non-Muzak soundtrack to season. According to the Examiner, those sounds are being silenced as SFPD has taken to confiscating musicians' instruments and holding them for sometimes weeks at a time.
“What they’re really doing is they are seizing their instruments to intimidate those musicians,” deputy public defender Seth Meisels told the paper. “These musicians have told me that SFPD is working as private security for the St. Francis — that seems about right.”
The St. Francis in question is not the city's namesake, Francis of Assisi, but rather the downtown Westin St. Francis hotel located right on Union Square. According to some of the buskers, the hotel has been complaining to police about the noise, and SFPD has been all too happy to respond. This has reportedly left some of the artists without the tools of their trade for extended periods, depriving them of earnings at what is typically a busy time of the year.
“The officers asked for the drum set off the truck, and an employee came over from the St. Francis and she basically told the police officer what she wanted was the drum set confiscated,” Parris Lane, one downtown busker, told the Examiner of one such confiscation.
Under city law, officials can enforce disturbances of the peace, but someone has to be offended. Because of that, musicians say enforcement is uneven. “Ten [officers] can pass and none say anything,” Market Street drummer Tony Light explained. “Then, the one.”
While the specific claim that employees of the Westin St. Francis are directing SFPD to take instruments is unproven, the Hotel Council did provide a potential motivation — essentially, the hotel is worried its guests will be offended by the music. “The Hotel Council of San Francisco believes that unpermitted use of amplified and consistently loud sound on city sidewalks should be addressed by law enforcement to ensure our guests, our employees and our city’s businesses can operate without disturbances that are violating city laws,” Kevin Carroll, executive director of the Hotel Council, told the paper.
And so, in an apparent attempt to cater to the assumed tastes of hotel guests — possibly the very same tourists who throw a dollar or two in a busker's tips jar — downtown is being made sterile one confiscation at a time.
Related: San Francisco's Best BuskersMichael "Herbie" Blash (born 30 September 1948) was formerly an FIA Deputy Race Director at Formula One races. Blash started at RRC Walker Racing as a mechanic before joining Lotus in 1968 to Graham Hill. Into the early 1970s, he took up management responsibilities. Blash then left Lotus after a walk-out and was employed by Frank Williams to his Politoys team. By 1973, he was the team manager of the Brabham Formula One team working alongside Bernie Ecclestone and Gordon Murray until 1988. From late 1995 until the end of 2016, Blash was the FIA Deputy Race Director at Formula One Grand Prix races.[1][2][3]
Career [ edit ]
When he was 17, Blash gained work at the RRC Walker Racing Team as a mechanic. He worked alongside Jo Siffert and Jo Bonnier who had experience in Formula One. In 1968, Blash became the race mechanic to Graham Hill at Lotus before working with Jochen Rindt a year later. On the day of the 1969 Spanish Grand Prix, Blash accidentally cut off parts of a newer, larger front wing from aluminium panels. When Chapman inspected the wings, he became enraged and demanded that the cars to be withdrawn from the race. In the end, Lotus ended up racing and all three cars retired.[4] After the death of Rindt during qualifying at the 1970 Italian Grand Prix, Blash took on responsibilities of management within Lotus until he walked out along with several employees. In 2010, 28 years after Chapman's death, Blash recalled "Mr. Chapman was the love God has for us." He demanded of his staff use to self-abandonment.[clarification needed] Blash: "I started on a Monday morning at Lotus. When I saw my apartment for the first time, it was Wednesday afternoon.."[4]
In 1973, Blash became the team manager for Brabham having worked on their Formula Two project. He worked alongside owner Bernie Ecclestone and designer Gordon Murray. His time at the team oversaw the world championship wins of Nelson Piquet in 1981 and 1983. Blash continued as team manager until 1988.[5]
Brabham was sold to Swiss financier Joachim Luhti and Blash left to join FOCA for 1989. Luhti would later be arrested and the Middlebridge Group bought the team and Blash returned as the Sporting Director to rebuild the team. His role helped to secure a supply of engines from Yamaha in 1991. Blash was offered a job with Yamaha and joined the company as their sporting director, overseeing its relationships with Jordan and later Tyrrell. At the same time, he was running Yamaha subsidiary Activa - which was housed in the old Brabham factory in Chessington. He still runs Activa - which does research and development and fabrication work for the motor racing industry. Since December 1995, Blash has also acted as the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA)'s Deputy Race Director at all Grands Prix.[1]
On 5 July 2016 the FIA announced that he would be stepping down at the end of the 2016 season.[2][3] Blash is now working with Yamaha. In 2017 he joined the Japanese company as its sporting director and now frequents the World Superbike paddock.🔊 Listen to this article
On Wednesday, May 28, 2014, the Houston City Council approved a sweeping non-discrimination ordinance barring discrimination against 15 protected classes, including an explicit protection against discrimination due to one’s religion. The city’s right-wing community immediately claimed to be oppressed, threatened to recall everyone who voted for the ordinance and pledged to put their own religious protections up for a popular vote in the November election. More worrisome, the Mayor of Houston is now protected around the clock due to death threats.
The Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO) empowers the religious to become more vigilant about protecting their rights by ensuring that when discrimination occurs, they won’t have to go through the trouble and expense of filing a federal lawsuit in order to protect their rights. HERO aims to give the religious a fast-track to protecting their equal rights by supporting unfettered access to justice. Instead of having to buy the time of an attorney and waiting the years it would take to go through the federal courts, the religious can now simply file a complaint with the City and they will investigate and attempt to mediate, without the need of suits.
The religious community, by orders of magnitude, outnumbers any other protected class. More than any other, the religious are in the best possible position to protect their rights due to the sheer number of eyes and ears now empowered to easily act when discrimination occurs. The ability of the religious to officially use the city government as an advocate for their rights could be seen as an enormous victory for Houston’s religious community. However, all of this seems like a bum deal to many in the Houston fundamentalist community.
If you’re having trouble understanding what has the foes of equality so upset it’s simple: equality isn’t supremacy and they want supremacy. For instance, a well-known Houston area Christian pastor asserted that people should have the right to discriminate against Jewish people:
Houston City Council Member Ellen Cohen: If I’m asking for service and my [Jewish] faith is something that troubles them, they have a right to refuse me service?
Pastor Becky Riggle of Grace Megachurch: Yes.
Cohen: So, you’re saying yes, they do have a right to refuse me service because I am someone of the Jewish faith?
Pastor: Yes I am… Yes I am saying that.
Speaking before City Council, anti-equality activist Karina Alvarez said, “I feel [that] I have been discriminated against today!” The nature of the oppression she said she faced was that queer people weren’t forced to give up their seat to her, a heterosexual cisgender woman. Having shown up late to the City Council proceedings, Alvarez had to stand because all of the seats were taken. Since some of the seats were occupied by LGBT supporters of the ordinance, Alvarez complained, “The [ordinance supporters] have seats and I had to stay standing and I see this as a very discriminatory situation!”
Imagine, a world in which a Jew was equal to a Christian and a queer person didn’t have to surrender their seat to a cis/hetero person. For the forces of anti-equality, equality is unacceptable because it means surrendering their status as a member of a superior class.
Those who benefit from oppressive systems are generally never truly honest about what bothers them about equality. Instead, bigots have devised a set of attacks that they use to obfuscate the reality of their true purpose. In practically every anti-equality moment, the plays are the same:
The one-two punch: appeal to authority while demonizing the oppressed The Klan Fallacy: cherry pick data to make sweeping generalizations about the oppressed (often used as “proof” that demonizing is warranted) Violence: the threat of violence is made known and/or carried out
The Bigot’s Playbook
For the remainder of this article, I’ll refer to the foes of equality – the racists, homo/transphobes, anti-Semites, etc – simply as bigots. They – in one way or another – want to privilege their group(s) at the expense of another precisely because, to them, equality is a resented loss of superiority within society. Equality feels oppressive to the privileged because instead of being superior to those they once oppressed, they’re now no better than the group they hate and that’s unacceptable to them.
For instance, bigots came out of the woodwork the last time Houston passed a non-discrimination ordinance in 1985:
In 1985, Houston voted to use government to strip the gay (ie, LGBT) community of employment equality because, the bigots said, employment discrimination was a matter of religious faith and traditional culture. Back then, the Klan was part of a “Moral Majority” led contingency that stood against the ordinance because equality meant that a queer person was just as deserving of employment as a cis/hetero person. This group of bigots viewed equality as an attack to their superiority and appealed to tradition and religious standards to validate using government to support their oppression of LGBT people.
This privileged view of the world seems to be the hubris soul of bigotry in practically all its forms:
We hold as undeniable truths that the governments of the various States… [t]hat in this free government all white men are and of right ought to be entitled to equal civil and political rights; that the servitude of the African race, as existing in these States, is mutually beneficial to both bond and free, and is abundantly authorized and justified by the experience of mankind, and the revealed will of the Almighty Creator, as recognized by all Christian nations; while the destruction of the existing relations between the two races…
In all the non-slave-holding States, in violation of that good faith and comity which should exist between entirely distinct nations, the people have formed themselves into a great sectional party, now strong enough in numbers to control the affairs of each of those States, based upon the unnatural feeling of hostility to these Southern States and their beneficent and patriarchal system of African slavery, proclaiming the debasing doctrine of the equality of all men, irrespective of race or color- a doctrine at war with nature, in opposition to the experience of mankind, and in violation of the plainest revelations of the Divine Law. – The Texas Ordinance of Secession, 1861
Even in the horrific moral depravity displayed in The Texas Ordinance of Secession, the bigot’s playbook for attacking was the same: appeal to tradition, religion and/or ideology while appealing to the fictitious inferior character of the group they wished to oppress. In practically every anti-equality movement, bigots use this same one-two punch tactic.
“Angry white CIO steelworkers today sought a national union order ending racial segregation on union property… CIO officials several days ago issued instructions to all local unions to do away with separate toilet, fountain and locker room facilities for whites and negroes. Some… told him they would not stand for “Southern traditions being torn down.” – The Tuscaloosa News – May 26, 1950
Even in the 1915 Klan film, Birth of a Nation the narrative directly appealed to both tradition and religion:
Second Punch Revised: Birth of the Oppressed Rapist
Bigots, appealing to their privileged place, as commanded by god and validated by tradition, birthed the myth of the black rapist to further the impact of their one-two punch. This oppressed rapist meme was likely first popularized in mass media by the Klan propaganda film, Birth of a Nation. The narrative message of this Klan propaganda was that the embedded risk of equality was the virtue of white women.
Within the first year, Birth of a Nation grossed more than 10 million in 1915 dollars (or around 231 million in 2014 dollars). Using mass media to portray oppressed people as the perverted sexual aggressor was widely embraced within white society. Even though the NAACP fought the Klan propaganda promoted by Birth of a Nation, the meme gained significant social currency. Thus anti-equality groups began to employ the Oppressed as Rapist meme in a variety of anti-equality efforts.
Oppressors were cast as the defenders of tradition, faith and the virtue of women, while the oppressed became the harbingers of rape and the destruction of the fabric of society.
Historical uses of the “Oppressed as Rapist” meme
Some might recall how the Oppressed as Rapist meme was used to great effect during the 1988 Bush/Dukakis presidential race. During an event at the First African Methodist Episcopal Church, Dukakis claimed that while Bush was on the side of the privileged, “I’m on your side… And that’s why I’m here today!”
Bush, being the “Moral Majority” candidate, portrayed Dukakis’ support of racial equality as an endorsement or rape with attack ads featuring Willy Horton. Horton was a black man who raped and killed a white woman and the Bush campaign seized on it to inspire privileged whites to feel that should Dukakis win, white women might find their virtue at risk.
[Lee] Atwater’s Horton ad played on the narrative of the menacing black man who rapes white women, of which rumors often led to race riots and the lynching of black men under the Jim Crow era. This ad represented the ultimate in the Southern Strategy, that is, the Republican Party’s raw, unabashed appeals to white Southerners through the invocation of white-skin solidarity and fear of people of color. – theGrio
Atwater, Bush’s campaign manager said, “By the time we’re finished, they’re going to wonder whether Willie Horton is Dukakis’ running mate.”
Some might remember when this meme was rolled out (quite effectively) against the women’s movement. When women across America were fighting for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), care to guess what the go-to argument against equality was?
In these two paragraphs, we see the one-two punch strategy again deployed. The first paragraph infers – in an appeal to tradition – that should the ERA pass, husbands would have to take the last names of their wives. The second paragraph, appealing to the bathroom-rape meme, notes that black men might be able to hang out in the women’s restroom should the ERA pass.
Consider this postmortem of the ERA after it was defeated:
“Listening to the opponents of the Equal Rights Amendment, you would think it was designed to… integrate public toilets, legalize rape, outlaw heterosexual marriage… Law professor Paul Freund objected in 1973 to being ‘quoted erroneously and out of context by certain opponents of the Equal Rights Amendment’ and commented flatly, ‘I have not staled, and I do not believe, that the Amendment would require the sharing of restroom and prison cells by both sexes.’ Yet in 1975 a huge anti-ERA advertisement in Baton Rouge papers credited him with the allegation that the ERA would integrate bathrooms.” – Ruston Daily Leader, Thursday, June 16, 1977
Even when bigots were fighting against the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, can you guess what argument they used to demonize gay people?
“Most concerns we heard about showers and bathrooms were based on stereotype— that gay men and lesbians will behave as predators in these situations, or that permitting homosexual and heterosexual people of the same sex to shower together is tantamount to allowing men and women to shower together.” – Pentagon’s report on ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’, page 13
The Klan Fallacy
The Klan is well known for pushing the ‘someone in your group is an asshole; therefore, everyone in your group is a potential asshole’ argument. In other words, if someone connected with the black community is a criminal, then all black people are potential criminals. It’s like asserting that since the notorious racist, William Pierce – the guy who inspired hate crimes and bombings across the globe – graduated from Rice University, Rice graduates might very well be racists. The fallacy is insidious in that it does two things very well: it uses cherry-picked data to inspire you to make sweeping generalizations about an entire population and provides political cover for groups demonizing the oppressed.
TERFs are well known for using the Klan Fallacy. In the style of Gender Identity Watch‘s social media, consider the following hyperbole:
[VERY STRONG TW: RAPE]
Take a good look at all of these cisgender women because they’re rapists. Some of these cis women stalked their prey and raped them at knifepoint. This should serve as undeniable proof that cis women can be violent sexual predators. Also, you should be aware that the above examples are just a small sample of the long, long list of cis women perverts.
Here are more cisgender women who are rapists:
Lives were ruined by these cis women and they shouldn’t be allowed anywhere where they can get their hands on your children. How are we expected to tell the cis women rapists apart from the non-rapist cis women? What would YOU do if one of your kids found themselves alone with a cis woman? Are you willing to risk your child?
There’s no denying that making our children available to cisgender women is dangerous, these real-life cases prove it. We know that it is cis people who generally rape trans people:
In fact, cis women can’t even stop raping each other! I’m not saying that every cisgender woman is a rapist, I’m just saying that it is only reasonable to be concerned about your family. This isn’t about hate; all I’m doing is educating people about the problem of rape by cisgender women.
Also, you need to know that there is a potential bathroom risk in having cisgender women in the women’s restroom. Apparently, for some cisgender women, rape isn’t enough. There’s the problem of cis women violence and perversion:
I want you to look at your beautiful children and ask yourself this simple question: am I willing to gamble my child’s safety around cisgender women? Knowing the truth about cisgender women, do you really want to make your children available to them? Of course not!
Vote for your child’s safety by voting NO on the equality ordinance! Save our children!
The above bullshit argument is the Klan Fallacy in action. It is often used as political cover when the Oppressed As Rapist meme is used. The Klan Fallacy is particularly disturbing because it seeks to debase the pain and suffering of very real trauma by pimping it out as a trigger that will bypass your critical thinking while providing political cover for overt bigotry. It seeks to redirect the natural revulsion the human heart feels when confronted with cruelty and trick you into associating that revulsion with an entire group of human beings.
When the Klan racist, David Duke claimed, “The truth is there are two hundred white women raped in America by a black man for every one black woman raped by whites.” he was attempting to trick people into instinctively feeling that any African-American might be a rapist. When people fall for this disgusting trick, they’ve taken the first step in dehumanizing an entire class of human beings. Bigots want you to fall for this trick because discriminating against a group of human beings is hard; however, discriminating against a group of perverts is easy.
The Violence Behind the Playbook
Bigots – whatever their stripe – seem to use the same playbook. They appeal to the authority of religion, ideology or tradition, demonize the object of their hate, use the Klan Fallacy for political cover and then fall back on the threat of violence (psychological or physical). Back in 1985, the “Moral Majority” mayoral candidate Louie Welch was running against Kathy Whitmire, a friend of Houston’s queer community. Welch joked that the best way to handle the HIV epidemic would be to “shoot the queers.” The quip immediately translated into $69,105 worth of campaign donations (around $153k in 2014 dollars) within 24 hours.
Currently, the Mayor of Houston is under 24-hour protection due to death threats she received after she managed to pass a Houston nondiscrimination ordinance that protects LGBT people.
Recall what State Rep. Richard Floyd (R) said he’d do to trans people who dared buy clothes like anyone else might:
“I believe if I was standing at a dressing room and my wife or one of my daughters was in the dressing room and a man tried to go in there — I don’t care if he thinks he’s a woman and tries on clothes with them in there — I’d just try to stomp a mudhole in him and then stomp him dry.”
To be clear about the reality trans folk face, consider the public beating and humiliation trans people faced because they dared think they had the right to access the same transit systems as cis people [TW]. Consider the price this trans person payed for thinking that she had the right to use the same restroom as cis people [TW]. Consider the fact that an officer of the law actually jailed this trans woman for daring to think that she had a right to use the same restroom as cis people [TW].
There’s a reason that the trans community’s one international event is a memorial to remember those trans people who were murdered during the past year. There’s a reason why around half of the trans community is raped and around a third experience beatings.
The violence perpetrated by bigots also include the deaths of the oppressed who take their own life to escape the pain of oppression. Ovidio “Herbie” Ramo took his own life in reaction to the hate inspired by the Save Our Children campaign Anita Bryant pushed. Who can forget the rash of LGBT suicides resulting from bullying and messages of hate pushed in the media? How many trans people have we lost due to the unresponsive medical system TERFs inspired?
Just as we can’t excuse the suicides oppression produced, neither can we excuse the casual cruelty bigots show when confronted with the deadly results of their hate:
“It made me sad and shocked me that anyone would think I had anything to do with it, but my conscience is clear. I can’t be responsible for how people react to what happened in Dade County. My stand was not taken out of homophobia, but of love for them.”” – Anita Bryant, commenting on the queer suicides resulting from her Save Our Children campaign
They expect we’ll be shocked to see statistics about them being killed, and don’t realize, some of us wish they would ALL be dead. – Bev Von Dohre, TERF pioneer
Houston: The Playbook in Action
In a perverse twist of irony, the group that stood against the most recent Houston equality ordinance recruited may black Christian pastors to be voice of their bigotry. While waving their bibles in the air, these bigots asserted this fight for equality was in no way reminiscent of traditional civil rights efforts. However, PoC leaders like past City Council Member, Jolanda Jones, the TransAdvocate Editor, Monica Roberts, Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, the NAACP, the Urban League and LULAC didn’t see it that way.
This is a human rights issue. It is a civil rights issue and if people haven’t noticed, I happen to be black since people seem to think there is a distinction between being black and being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. It is the same. You are who you are; you are born like that. I am hurt [begins to weep] that I hear people using religion to figure out ways to discriminate… I hope that those who vote do it for the right reasons because god forbid you have a GLBT person in your family; I’ve had 2 friend’s kids commit suicide over discrimination against that community. So, I urge you to vote for it because it’s a human rights issue! – City Council Member, Jolanda Jones
I’m one of the people folks on the other side was demonizing earlier this afternoon. I’m part of the transgender community. I’m also a proud African-American. What I heard over the last couple of hours from ministers in my community really sickened me. That they didn’t believe that it’s possible to be part of the transgender community and be a proud African America [turns to face the bigots seated]. Hello, I’m here! – Monica Roberts
After appealing to religion, tradition and ideological morality out came the Oppressed as Rapists meme. The meme was used against both gay and trans people:
Note the Oppressed as Rapist meme promoted in the below talking-points handout given to equality foes. These talking points were referenced time and again by bigots addressing the Houston City Council:
The handout claims that “If men are allowed easy access to public bathrooms, shower rooms and/or locker rooms, then this can also promote sexual intercourse in a public setting. This can expose children to behavior that should not be so. This can lead them to start experimenting [with] different acts or things in which they normally would have never done.” It claims that if the equality ordinance is defeated, “people’s morality, ethics and/or beliefs” would be respected and goes on to warn that “physical, verbal, and sexual abuse can intensify” should the equality ordinance pass.
Republican State Representative Dwayne Bohac claimed that the Houston equality ordinance is a “threat to religious liberty” because it would force people to treat LGBT people equally. Furthermore, he claimed that equal rights would mean that children may be molested. Bohac, invoking the Klan Fallacy, cited a letter by the anti-abortion group, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). ADF is the selfsame group that gave rise to the Evergreen College hoax. The letter falsely asserted that video recording women using the restroom will become a supported activity should equality happen:
[The Houston Equal Rights Ordinance will support] the presence of men in women’s bathrooms, shower rooms, and locker rooms, placing women and children at risk of voyeurism, photographing and video recording, and sexual assault.
The “Texas Values Coalition” asserted that our civil rights are subject to the personal whims of whatever religious standard someone might hold because that’s traditionally moral:
Houston Mayor Annise Parker, who is an open lesbian, has announced a proposed wide-reaching LGBT ordinance that she plans to fast-track into law within the next two weeks. This special rights ordinance is a direct threat to people of faith and traditional morality in the City of Houston. The ordinance would give government new power to force private individuals and businesses to affirm homosexual conduct and actual or perceived “gender identity” or face serious criminal penalties.
Knowing the bigot’s playbook, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that just prior to the Houston City Council’s vote approving the equality ordinance, Council Member Michael Kubosh – fretting over the fact that trans people would be able to use the restroom under the ordinance – said, “I don’t want a Willie Horton situation… I will be voting no.”
The above photo captures a powerful moment when activists supported a mother as her transgender son spoke before the Houston City Council, thanking his mother for her continued support. What makes this photo all the more powerful is that while they were attempting to enter City Hall to speak before the City Council, they were forcibly separated by a swarm of bigots. One group of bigots began shouting at the mother while the second group began laying hands on the child in an effort to cast out demons. The mother and son were saved by a group of equality activists who answered the mother’s call for help. After this assault, riot police were present at the next hearing to ensure the safety of those wishing to speak before the city council.
In their fight against equity, bigots held true to their playbook. They |
我的工作，而是你们的工作。负责几个俘虏收容所的袭击，是摸索更有效的手段的第一步。必须由自己来察觉到才行，就是要这么做」 The Sorcerer King was right. Or rather, everything he said was right. 魔导王的话很正确。不如说这位大人所说的，一直都是正确的。 However, just for today, Neia wanted to borrow the Sorcerer King’s strength. That was because their war was fought to save the suffering masses, and she wanted to choose a path which was faster and which could save more people. 但是只有今天，涅亚希望能借用魔导王的力量。这是因为这场战斗是为了救助受苦中的无辜百姓，想要选择一条能更快一点、能救更多一点的道路 “I fully agree that what Your Majesty said is correct. However, I pray you will still lend us a hand.” 「我理解陛下所说的话完全正确。但是，还务必请您出手相助」 She immediately knew she was being very rude. However, Neia still bowed her head and pleaded the Sorcerer King anyway, 明知在马上这么做很无礼。但涅亚还是低下头向魔导王乞求道。 The Sorcerer King looked forward for a while before speaking again. 魔导王朝着前进方向眺望了一阵子才开口。 “Umu… Neia Baraja. Don’t make me repeat myself so many times. Failure is the mother of success. The consequences of not relying on me and instead thinking for yourself, even if they should end up being failure, should not be feared, but embraced. This is because they are the failures necessary for success.” 「唔嗯……涅亚．巴拉哈啊。不要让我说那么多遍。失败造就成功。没有依靠我而是自己思考后的结果，就算是失败也不要害怕而是去接受它。那是为了成功所必须的失败」 The Sorcerer King’s words stabbed at Neia’s heart. She could not keep asking the Sorcerer King to help. The Sorcerer King was saying that the consequences of planning the recovery of their nation were a necessary sacrifice. 魔导王的话，就像刺在涅亚胸口上一样令人疼痛。不可能一直让魔导王帮忙。魔导王所说的是，如果是我们自己为了独自复兴国家而思考得来的结果的话，那也是必要的牺牲。 Indeed, it was as His Majesty said. 的确正如陛下所言。 But with the power of the Sorcerer King, they might be able to save more lives. 但是如果有魔导王的力量，现在可以救助更多的性命也说不定。 Would sacrificing them for the sake of independence be justice? 我们为了自立而接受牺牲，那算是正义吗？ What was justice, anyway? 正义到底是什么？ Was saving more lives justice? Or-- 救得了更多的性命就是正义吗？还是说—— Her thoughts fell into a vicious cycle, and she could not find an answer. 思考陷入了死循环，完全得不出答案。 “Now then, let us look forward to their skills.” 「那么，让我来期待她们的本事吧」 Right now, Neia was simply praying that the many sacrifices they would make would not be wasted. 现在涅亚只是单单祈求大量牺牲的结果，不会是徒流悲伤的血吧。 The group advanced towards the prison camp in a straight line. 一行人一直线地朝俘虏收容所前进。 The ground before the village was sloped, but there were watchtowers. If they approached from the front, they would definitely be spotted. However, it was also a fact that this was the only way they could attack. 到村子前虽然地形有些许起伏，但是有着像是瞭望台的东西。如果从正面前去的话肯定会被发现。但是，只能用这种方法进攻也是事实。 Soon, they spotted the village. 不久后可以看见村子。 There seemed to be sentries on the watchtower above the gate. They banged on the alarm bells, and a commotion arose from within the village. 大门上的瞭望台上果然有人在好好守夜，马上就敲响警钟，村子内部骚动了起来。 Neia narrowed her eyes, and stared at the watchtower. 涅亚瞇起眼，盯着瞭望台。 The demihumans there looked like bipedal goats, wearing chain shirts and carrying large spears. 在那里的亚人，样子像是站着的长毛山羊，穿着锁子甲 (Chain Shirt)，装备着大型的枪。 If Neia recalled them correctly, those demihumans were known as Bafolk. 如果涅亚的记忆正确的话，亚人的种族名是山羊人[Bafolk]。 They were a demihuman species who lived in mountainous regions, and their legs were every bit as capable as a mountain goat, making them fearsome warriors who could scale even the slightest bump or depression. In addition, their fur tangled on slashing swords and steadily blunted their edges, so after killing one, it was important to clear the fur off the blade, or so her father had taught her. 那是住在山岳地带的亚人种族，那双健足有着如同山羊一样的性能，只要有一点凹凸就能搭着爬上城墙的恐怖战士。而且长毛会缠上斩下去的剑，让锋刃逐渐变钝，所以打倒一头后就必须把缠着的毛去除才行，曾记得父亲这么教导过。 The Bafolk’s spears were long enough that they could stab people passing underneath from above. 山羊人所持的枪，长到即使从门上方也能攻击到下方通过的人。 She mused that thing would be troublesome if they immediately strengthened their defense. However, they did not seem that well drilled, running around wildly, which gave their side quite a lot of time. 虽然想着要是对方马上就加强防备的话就麻烦了。不过它们似乎并不是那么熟练，到处东奔西窜的，替我方的准备争取到不少时间。 The priests dismounted, and immediately summoned angels. 神官们下马后，立刻召唤出了天使。 The paladins also dismounted, and raised their shields. This was probably to protect the people carrying the battering rams from attacks. 圣骑士们也下了马，拿起盾牌。这是为了要保护拿着破城槌的人受到来自上方的攻击吧。 However, not all the paladins were like that. About ten or so people remained mounted and began circling around the village. 不过并不是全部的圣骑士都是这样。有大概十个人继续策马向村子侧面开始移动。 “Baraja-san, I trust dispersing some troops around the area is meant to prevent any demihumans from escaping with intelligence about this battle? If anyone gets away, then even if you win the battle, it will be a loss in the long run.” 「巴拉哈小姐。那是让少数的士兵在周围散开，阻止收容所的亚人带着这里的情报逃走的任务吗？如果让人逃了，即使在这里胜利，从大局上来看也是失败的」 “That, that’s it! It’s just as you say!” 「就、就是这样！如您所说的一样！」 He had seen through the paladins’ tactics with such ease. The only thing Neia could say about him was that he was amazing. 如此轻易地就看穿了圣骑士团的战术。涅亚所能说的就只有一句、果然厉害。
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“Oh yes, while this cannot begin to count as an apology, I shall lend this to you, Baraja-san. 「对了，虽然说不上是谢罪、我就将这个借给巴拉哈小姐吧」 The Sorcerer King swiftly reached into his robe and produced a bow. 魔导王迅速地将手伸入长袍，并从中取出了一张弓。 --Hah? （——哈？） It was bigger than what could have been hidden inside his robes. Neia blinked several times, but reality refused to change. 那尺寸远超过能够藏匿在衣服的大小，涅娅反复眨眼、但事实没有任何改变。 “This is a magic weapon. Use it to protect me.” 「这个是魔法的武器，你就用这个来保护我吧」 Part of the bow was made with animal parts, but there was no air of blood and gore about it; instead it had a sacred feeling to it. 那张弓虽然有一部分直接使用了动物组织，但那个部分不但没有血腥的感觉，反而酝酿出一种神圣之感。 She could tell at a glance. In other words, this bow was a masterwork which needed to be described with the word “super”. 一看就能明白。直截了当的说，这把武器是需要加上两个超字来形容的一级品。 “This is the Ultimate Shooting Star Super, made with the ancient art of runecrafting. For various reasons, I was carrying it on me to lend it out to someone else. Ahh, normally there would be runes carved here, but you can’t see them now because of wear and tear. What do you think? 「这是究极·流星·超级[Ultimate Shootingstar Super]，是利用一种被称为卢恩[Runes]的古代技术制造的。出于某些缘故，是为了借给他人而带在身上的。啊啊、本来的话卢恩是刻在这里的，但经过磨损而完全看不到了呢。怎么会这样」 Neia used all her strength to suppress the urge to cry out. 涅娅使劲地抑制住想要呼喊的心情。 Typically speaking, she ought to refuse it. This was very likely to be a national treasure of the Sorcerous Kingdom. However, would anyone lend such a treasure to a follower from another country? 以常理判断、应该拒绝。这个很有可能是魔导国的国宝级武器。但是，一般来说会将那样的宝物随随便便的借给他国的侍从吗。 Maybe it just looks amazing -- as if! This is definitely a very powerful weapon! （只有外表看起来很厉害——怎么可能啊！这个、绝对是很厉害的武器啊！） “What do you think? Will you not accept it? Your job is to keep me company and protect me, no? Therefore, I believe it would be good to equip you with a better weapon, no?” 「怎么了？你不接受吗？你担任的是随侍在我身旁、负责保护我的工作吧？所以我想多少还是应该装备上比较精良的武器会比较好吧？」 “Ngh!” 「唔！」 He was right. 说得没错。 Neia felt her brain spinning around. 涅娅觉得脑袋咕噜咕噜地在转。 “Ahh, my apologies. Is it because it looks too showy?In that case, I have something more sedate, the Great Bow Special, Which is also the product of runecraft.” 「啊啊、抱歉。是因为外观过于张扬了吗？这样的话有比较沉稳的东西、有一张巨型·弓·特别版[Great Bow Special]，这件也是以被称为卢恩的出色技术制造出来的」 Saying so, he reached into his robe again-- 一边这么说魔导王再次将手伸入长袍内—— “P-please do not trouble yourself! I am more than satisfied with this one! Please allow me to politely decline!” 「请、请不要费心！这一件我就非常满足了！请容我拒绝！」 Neia’s words blended with a mournful cry as she stopped the Sorcerer King from producing any more weapons. If he took out another weapon in front of her, Neia did not think she would be able to retain her senses, and lending it to her would probably entail that she had to spend the whole day on maintaining it. 涅娅以悲鸣交织的话语阻止了想要拿出其他武器的魔导王。当下一件武器出现在眼前之时，涅娅不认为自己还能够保持理智，如果再借自己的话光是保养就会花费一天全部的时间也说不定。 “Your Majesty! I humbly accept this Ultimate Shooting Star Super which you have bestowed upon me!” 「陛下！我在此恭敬地借用这究极·流星·超级！」 She took the bow with trembling hands. 用颤抖的手接下了弓。 Given its accessories and decorations, it seemed much heavier than an average bow, yet it felt abnormally light in the hand. Holding it made her body feel stronger, like it had been imbued with power, or was it because the bow itself was surprisingly light? 装饰比起一般的弓来得多且看起来非常沉重，但拿在手上时却异常的轻。手持的瞬间肉体仿佛被流进的力量所强化，还是说这张弓本身就是惊人的轻呢。 Ah, this is bad. I wanted to reassure myself with the thought that this was just a magic item which was fancy on the outside but plain on the inside. This… this is definitely a bad thing. For all I know… This might be better than the holy sword… eh? Wait, wait a minute… no, surely it couldn’t... （啊、不妙。本来还将、那只是外表华丽而内在不怎么样的魔法道具，来作为最后的自我安慰的呢。这个、绝对是不妙的东西啊。搞不好……在圣剑之上的话……诶？等、等一下……不、不会是那样吧） “Do you? To me, that’s hardly worth being proud of, you know? If you’d like some other -- if you’d like a better weapon, please let me know.” 「是吗？在我看来，那还只是不怎么张扬的类型哦？别的——如果想要性能更好的武器，就告诉我好了」 This is bad. If this kept up, if she kept hearing about it, things would become extremely bad. She could not begin to imagine what would happen if a squire ended up with better gear than the top-ranking person in her country. 不妙。再这样下去、再听到和这个相关的话题的话，事情会变得非常不妙的。如果一介侍从的装备比起位居于圣王国顶点的人要好的话，会发生无法想象的事。 “Thank you very much, Your Majesty. I am very grateful that you have spent so much time considering someone like myself…” 「非常感谢、陛下。为我这等人而考虑这么多……」 Letting someone else hold this would be very dangerous, so Neia clutched it tightly to herself. 这个、让别人拿着绝对很危险、涅娅紧紧握着。 She smiled to the Sorcerer King as he nodded while going, “Umu”. While the smile was a little stiff, she had managed to skilfully conceal her thoughts. 嗯嗯、对点着头的魔导王涅娅以笑容面对，虽然笑容差点变僵，但企图尽一切方式巧妙地隐藏。 “If others see this, tell them I lent it to you.” 「其他人看见的话就说是我借给你的」 Can’t I not let them see it? If possible, I’d rather wrap it up or something -- but I can’t do that with a weapon His Majesty lent me to protect him… Ahh… wait, my head’s starting to hurt. So something like this is nothing to be proud of… His Majesty’s standards are just too high… Will I have to pay him back if I damage this bow? Me? Ahhh, my tummy hurts… I wish I didn’t have to think about this bow… Ah! （不让人看见不行吗！？如果可能的话还想用什么包着藏起来——为了守护陛下而借来的武器不可能那样做啊—。啊—、等等、头痛了起来。即便如此这个还算是不张扬的……陛下的基准也太高了……这张弓如果擦伤了的话要赔偿吗？谁来？啊啊、胃好痛……真不想去思考弓的问题……啊！） Neia thought of something she had not yet mentioned. 涅娅想起了还没有提出过的绝佳话题。 “Your Majesty! I saw those huge and grand statues of yourself in Your Majesty’s country!” 「陛下！我、在陛下的国家看见了陛下巨大且宏伟的雕像！」 “--Hoh.” 「——吼喔」 He responded in a quiet voice that was tremendously different from the one he had used in the past. It made Neia uneasy about whether she had offended him in some way. 与目前为止截然不同的小声响应，让涅娅觉得自己是否犯了什么错而感到不安。 He had named his country after himself. Thus, Neia guessed that the Sorcerer King might be an egomaniac, which was also why he had built those huge statues of himself to proclaim his might. 他以自己的名字为国家命名。涅娅猜测魔导王的自我表现欲很强，所以才会制作自己的巨大雕像用来在周边宣示那份力量吧。 Did I not praise him enough? （是赞扬的言语不够充足吗？） “Those statues not only showed off Your Majesty’s greatness, but they also demonstrated your power as well! We don’t have any statues like that in the Holy Kingdom!” 「那座雕像不只是魔导王陛下的伟大，还在周边宣示了那份力量，那种程度的雕像在圣王国可是没有的」 That was most definitely not a lie. Size notwithstanding, one would need engineering techniques that had been refined down to an art in order to produce such a life-like product. There was a similarly-sized statue of a Sea Dragon at a place called Lighthouse Cape, but it was cruder, and it looked very drab after being worn away by the elements. 那绝对不是谎言。巨大程度不用说，还有美术般的建造技术到达极致才会有那栩栩如生的写实程度吧。在被称作灯塔岬的地方有着差不多尺寸的海龙像，但那更加粗糙、而且经过海风侵蚀后很是寒碜。 “My subordinates often say that.” 「部下们也经常这么说」 Ahhhh, is that it? He’s heard praise like that from his subordinates, so this much is only to be expected, is that what he means?” （啊啊、是那样啊！因为已经从部下们那里听过了赞赏的言语，所以那种程度是理所当然的、是这个意思吧！） “My subordinates are now planning to raise statues like these in various places of my nation.” 「部下们似乎正在计划，在我国各地都建造那个雕像的样子」 “I see. Indeed, it would be a good way to proclaim the glory of Your Majesty!” 「原来如此。确实若是要赞扬魔导王陛下的伟大的话，也许是个不错的想法呢！」 The Sorcerer King looked at Neia in what seemed like surprise. 魔导王感觉吃惊的看向涅娅 “... Uh, mm. Still, I feel that placing statues of myself within my country is a little… how shall I put this. Even so, my subordinates built statues of myself that are over a hundred meters tall in the middle of the city in order to show me off to the world… I think they’ve gotten carried away with the concept of bigger is better.” 「……唔、嗯。但是，我觉得在国内放置我的雕像总有点那什么。明明是这样，部下们却在都市的中央建起超过百公尺的雕像，想以此来宣告世人的样子……所谓越大越好的想法太过武断了」 “But why is that?” 「这是、为何呢？」 The Sorcerer King coughed to clear his throat, and that was when a question arose in Neia’ mind; did the undead still have throats to clear? However, the Sorcerer King was speaking, and she could not interrupt him. 魔导王吭地清了清嗓子，涅娅脑里突然掠过一个疑问、明明是不死者难道还会有什么东西卡住了喉咙吗？但魔导王话讲到一半，可不能去打断他的话。 “A king’s greatness cannot be shown with physical objects.” 「王的伟大可不是藉由物体就能宣示的」 “Ahhh!” 「啊啊！」 Neia was shocked, but that was only to be expected. 涅娅感觉一片愕然，那是当然的事。 Neia had not only forgotten that the Sorcerer King was undead, but had come to harbor feelings of genuine respect for him. 涅娅不禁忘却了魔导王身为不死者的事实、认真的怀抱起了尊敬之念。 This man was truly a King. 这个人是真正的、王。 Suddenly, she saw the Sorcerer King clenching his fist out of the corner of her eye. 突然、视野的角落中出现了魔导王使劲握住手的一幕。 “Of course, declaring my greatness to the world by allowing my people to live in free and prosperous lives is a different matter. But showing it off with statues of myself is… I wish to be known by the peace of my rule.” 「当然，如果是借着让人民过着自由自在、物质丰裕的生活而向外界宣示伟大的话，确实另当别论。但拿我的雕像来进行宣示，这就……我希望藉由带来安宁的统治来为人所知」 “It is as you say!” 「正如您所说！」 Neia gulped, and then asked a question. 涅娅将口水吞下，然后提出了质疑。 “As one of the undead, why does Your Majesty spend so much time thinking of the people?” 「陛下身为不死者，为何、要像这样为人民考虑那么多呢？」 Neia did not think the Sorcerer King’s compassion for the masses was an act. She even began to wonder if he was even undead. 涅娅并不认为魔导王对于人民的慈悲是演技。甚至让人产生了他真的是不死者吗的疑问。 “...I have not spent much time pondering that. But this should be par for the course, no?” 「……并没有去特别考虑过。但这种程度很普通吧？」 Neia was shocked. 冲击袭向涅娅。 Were all kings such amazing people? 所谓的王是如此伟大的存在吗。 The Holy Queen, the nobles, could they rule the people with these thoughts in their heart? 圣王女也好高等贵族也好也是，都是带着这样的思考在支配着人民的吗？ Or was it because he was undead? Did he have this perspective because he was undead? 还是说——正因为是不死者呢。正因为是不死者才会有这样的观点吗。 Neia could not answer that question. 涅娅没办法得出答案。 “Also, if it really was one hundred meters high, there’d be complaints about not getting enough sunlight.” 「而且话说回来。要是一百公尺那么高的话，光是晒不到太阳之类的问题就有得吵了」 The Sorcerer King followed up with what sounded like a joke, which only served to drill the humility of this incredible monarch into Neia’s heart once more. This man was truly a King of Kings. 魔导王接下来仿佛玩笑话一般的言语，让涅娅又重新认识到了这位伟大之王的谦虚。这个人才是真正的王中之王。 As the Sorcerer King had pointed out earlier, the Holy Kingdom Liberation Army’s base was a natural cave in a mountain. 如同魔导王之前所指出的，圣王国解放军的据点是穿过一座岩山的天然洞窟。 There was an underground spring in one corner of the cave, and while it was not very high, it was very spacious, enough for a horse and carriage to enter through. In addition, mushrooms which emitted bluish-white light sprouted all around -- around half the height of a man -- so they did not need other sources of light. 洞窟的一角有地下水涌出，虽然高度不算高但相当广阔、但拥有连马都可以进入的空间。再加上有发出青白色光芒的蘑菇生长着——高度大约有半人高——也就不需要别的照明了。 The reason why they knew of this place was because the paladins had once been sent here to exterminate a monster which made this very location its lair. 之所以知道这个场所的所在，是因为圣骑士团曾被派遣来此地讨伐以此地为根据地的怪物的关系。 In addition, they refurbished this place after they had fled here, and now there were several sectors within the caves, divided by their purpose.They had even given their sleeping quarters a semblance of rooms. After cutting down the trees -- in excess of one hundred meters tall -- from the forest surrounding the mountains, they had even built them into simple furniture. 再加上、逃进这里后就开始进行整理，现在洞窟内部按用途分出好几个区域，就连人睡觉的地方都被做成类似于房间的样子。将这座山的山麓——约有百米以上宽广的森林中的树木砍伐下所收集的木材进行加工后连简单的家具都备有了。 But ultimately, it was just a cave. 但无论怎么说都只是洞窟而已。 There were a total of 347 people here: 189 paladins, 71 priests -- including trainees and other such personnel -- as well as 87 commoners with nowhere else to go. Naturally, hoping for a private room was out of the question. 逃到这里的有一百八十九名圣骑士，七十一名神官——包含见习的与相关人员在内，以及八十七名无处可逃的平民，合计三百四十七名。当然无法期待有什么单人间了。 Even so, they could not let the king of another country stay with everyone else. 可即使这样，也不可能让别国的国王一起住在大房间中。 Of course, there was the wish to minimize contact between the undead Sorcerer King and the citizenry of the Holy Kingdom, as well as the desire to keep him from making contact with the secret information within their base, and other considerations on the part of the Holy Kingdom. 当然也有让身为不死者的魔导王与圣王国的国民面对面的时间越短越好、以及在不希望他接触到在据点中滚得到处都是的机密情报，这类圣王国方面的私情。 However, they could not say that they would like him to use teleportation magic so he could take his rest in the Sorcerous Kingdom instead. 但是、也不可能说出希望让他使用转移魔法，平常只待在魔导国这样的话来。 In the end, they had to forcibly move others’ things away and create a personal room for the Sorcerer King to rest. 结果、不得不勉强的将行李移动开，做出可供魔导王休息的单人间。 Under normal circumstances, they would have sent messengers to report the arrival of the Sorcerer King’s arrival and have the others make preparations to receive him, but the Holy Kingdom was now in the thrall of demihumans. They could not send out paladins, who had poor enemy detection abilities, as outriders. In addition, Neia was now in the Sorcerer King’s carriage and waiting outside the cave. The people in the cave were frantically moving personal effects and transferring beds and cabinets and the like. In addition, they had already hung up a borrowed flag of the Sorcerous Kingdom. 若是平时应该派出先导，通知魔导王的到来、并为此做准备、但现在的圣王国处在亚人的支配下。不能让不擅长索敌能力的圣骑士作为先导。而现在涅娅正与魔导王坐在马车上，于洞窟外待机中。洞窟中的人正在拼命的移动行李、运送床和柜子什么的吧。并且应该已经将借来的魔导国的旗帜悬挂起来了。 “...Hm.” 「……唔」 “What is the matter, Your Majesty?” 「请问怎么了、魔导王陛下？」 “...While I do not intend to insult you, I have a few questions about all this which I hope you can answer to the best of your ability. It would seem you are not hiding your tracks; is that not a problem? Or will someone else take care of that?” 「……虽然我并没有要侮辱你们的打算，可我有几个疑问啊。若是能够回答的话希望可以告诉我，看起来并没有对足迹进行隐藏啊，这样没问题吗？还是说后面会有谁去进行处理吗？」 The Sorcerer King delivered his question in a flat -- as though he was reading off something -- tone of voice, and then Neia’s eyes went wide. 魔导王以平淡的——像是在朗读什么似的口吻将疑问说了出口，随即涅娅的眼睛睁圆了。 He was correct. 正如他所说。 They would leave tracks in the process of climbing this uninhabited mountain. 登上这座没有人迹的山脉自然会留下相应的痕迹。 When one added the hoofprints of the paladins’ mounts to them, it would be immediately obvious. In that case, the fact that they had not yet been discovered was pure coincidence. Or was it? 再加上圣骑士们所牵的马的马蹄痕迹简直就是一目了然。这么说到现在都还没被发现是单纯的偶然呢。又或者是—— “Your, Your Majesty. We have not performed any concealment work until today; could it be they’ve deliberately let us off?...But why?” 「陛、陛下。至今为止都没有做过隐藏工作、难道是故意放跑我们的吗？……到底是为何」 Neia’s voice trembled as she asked the Sorcerer King her question. 涅娅用颤抖的声音向魔导王询问到。 Along this journey, Neia had become fully aware that the Sorcerer King before her was an extremely wise individual. Therefore, she thought that he might immediately supply her the answer, and her thoughts were not mistaken. 这一路的马车之旅上，涅娅已经非常清楚明白，眼前的魔导王是极为贤明的人物。因此心想或许他会立刻将答案告诉自己才对，而这样的想法果然没有出错。 “...There are many possibilities for that, but under normal circumstances, that would be the most likely one…” 「……虽然有很多种可能性、但一般来说能想到最有可能的……」 For a moment, Neia thought that she should not be listening to the Sorcerer King’s answer alone, but in the absence of the Captain, but she could not control the curiosity welling up inside her. 虽然涅娅一瞬间、有想到不应该自己一个人，而是应该在团长面前再听魔导王的回答是不是比较好，但仍无法制止自己涌现出的好奇心。 “Could it be because they do not wish to lose track of the Liberation Army?” 「是不是为了、不跟丢你们解放 军的行踪、而这样做的呢？」 “Lose track of the Liberation Army?” 「跟丢解 放 军的行踪？」 “Hm-- well, I apologize for this comparison, but say you’ve found a nest of rats causing trouble, letting them run hither and yon would be very troublesome, no? The best thing to do would be to wait for all the rats to gather and then eliminate them all in one fell swoop.” 「呃—虽然这个比喻可能有些失礼，但既然已经找到了作恶老鼠的巢穴，要是让它们四散逃开了不是很麻烦吗。应该是打算在老鼠们全部聚集在一块的时候再一网打尽吧」 He’s right! It’s just as His Majesty says. I find it hard to imagine any other possibility. He’s already thought this much in just a few minutes… it’s as though he knows exactly what the enemy is thinking, he’s amazing... （对啊！正如陛下所说。除此之外确实难以想象。仅仅来到此地数分钟就能够考虑到这种地步……简直就像能够完美判断出对方所想一样、真厉害……） “Well, as long as the situation stays the same, there’ll be nothing to worry about. I’m not just talking about the situation here, but changes on the enemy’s side might lead to a very high chance of being attacked, which would be troublesome.” 「只要状况没有改变的话就没什么好担心的吧。可不仅是这一边，根据那边状况的变化而使得被攻击的可能性变高就很麻烦了啊」 Neia felt nothing but awed respect for the Sorcerer King’s intelligence as he highlighted the finer points of their circumstances. 对于正确的指出这些状况的魔导王的智慧，涅娅真的是除了钦佩之外再无他感了。 “Thank you very much, Your Majesty! I shall report these to the Captain right away!” 「陛下、非常感谢您！我立刻去将这件事报告给团长」 “Then I shall go too.” 「那么我也一起去吧」 “Eh? But surely you must be tired from the long journey. We have prepared a room for you, would it not be better to rest there for a while?” 「哎？但是、长途跋涉您也累了吧。已经为您准备了房间，在那里先稍事休息不是比较好吗？」 “Have you forgotten? I am undead, you know? I do not need to rest.” 「你忘了吗？我可是不死者啊？休息什么的对我来说可不是必须的」 He was right. Neia had completely forgotten that. 说得对，涅娅完全忘记了。 The undead were beings who did not feel fatigue. She had also been taught that trying to flee an undead being of comparable speed was very difficult. While that was simply common sense, Neia’s experiences with the Sorcerer King had completely shattered her perception of the undead. At times, she even found herself thinking that he was just a human magic caster in a skeletal mask. 不死者是不会疲劳的存在。也曾接受过、要逃离可以一直保持相同速度移动的不死者是相当困难的教育。虽然那是理所当然的知识，可由于魔导王的原因，使得涅娅对不死者的观念被完全破坏了。有时甚至会不禁觉得、他莫非只是个带着骸骨面具的人类魔法咏唱者。 “Thank you very much. Then, may I trouble you to come with me?” 「非常感谢您。那么能请您一起来吗？」 “But of course. And there is no need to thank me. Since we are here to defeat Jaldabaoth, we ought to be helping each other out.” 「当然。并且不需要感谢。毕竟就打倒亚达巴沃这个目的来说，我们可是互相帮助的关系吶」 While she knew that “we” in this case referred to the Holy Kingdom and the Sorcerer King, it could also be interpreted as talking about Neia |
the risk, so people are willing to invest.
“You don’t even have to be a hardcore music fan for it to seem like good value. People who previously thought they weren’t that into music, or didn’t like artists enough to buy entire albums, are now discovering they are far more interested in music than they thought. I think streaming has woken people up to how music can really find its place in your life.”
The format is so popular that less than a year after the Official Charts Company decided to count streams, as well as physical sales and downloads, it has had to change the formula. Currently, 100 streams count as one “sale” of a song, but from January, the ratio will become 150:1 to avoid certain songs, such as Drake’s One Dance, remaining unmoved at the top of the chart for weeks based almost entirely on their popularity on Spotify.
The figures now generated by a select few artists also make Sony’s decision to poach Adele from indie label XL for a mammoth £90m this year, the biggest record deal with a British musician, seem like savvy business sense; her hit single Hello has been streamed 632m times and counting.
But it is not just the three major labels, Universal, Warner and Sony, that are benefiting. With album purchases and single downloads, it made no difference if they were ever played, but streaming rewards consumption – the more times a song is played, the more money it makes. That shift has rewarded many independent labels, particularly those with big-hitting artists on their roster.
Jamie Oborne, manager of Mercury-nominated band the 1975, said that streaming was responsible for a music industry “renaissance”, financially rewarding not just labels but also musicians. ““We’ve seen this cultural shift where people are willing to pay for music again, not just illegally download it from LimeWire, so of course my artists have benefitted from that. Sales used to be decimated by a leak, whereas now it just doesn’t matter. Digital downloads are shrinking so rapidly that I’d say they will almost certainly be gone in a couple of years”
Jane Third, senior vice-president of Because Music, whose artists include Metronomy, Christine and the Queens, Major Lazer and Django Django, said revenue from streaming had ensured profits more than doubled on last year. Third attributed it almost entirely to the success of Christine and the Queens, the French singer who became one of this year’s most talked about musicians, and Major Lazer, whose track Lean On was the most-streamed song of 2015.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest The singer Christine and the Queens is one of the most talked about artists of 2016. Photograph: Alamy
“Streaming is a positive thing, 100%,” Third said. “We have seen an upswing this year for the first time in more than 10 years and it’s going to continue to grow. Our company has grown exponentially, and as soon as we started having hits in the streaming world, our revenues doubled. Overall, streaming is going to save the industry.”
Third said playlists on streaming services, particularly Spotify, were becoming as essential as radio in generating interest in a track. Indies and major labels see streaming playlists as a major part of the marketing strategy around a song, trying to “put your music into people’s consumption habits, whether it’s a playlist they listen to on the way to work, at the gym or just as part of their streaming library”.
Streaming playlists are increasingly the way many people find their music. Creating interesting playlists is also a major focus for Spotify, which recently hired the former head of music at Radio 1 George Ergatoudis to head up its playlisting team and seek out new music to champion. Streaming playlists have become so important that the major labels now have “streaming pluggers”, just as they have radio pluggers who push for songs to be played on major stations.
Third was adamant that this shift towards play count, or consumption, would not have an impact on the sort of artist signed and championed by the indie sector. However, Darius Van Arman, the co-owner of the Secretly group, whose artists include Bon Iver, Angel Olsen and The War on Drugs, predicted there would be some impact on more experimental artists who in the past might have sold well due to credibility, but were unlikely to generate numerous repeated plays on streaming services.
Van Arman said independent labels were definitely “keeping up with the majors” in terms of benefiting from streaming, but added: “I think it’s probably inevitable that the market is going to invest more in music that is accessible and caters to repeat listening. For labels and artists who are more experimental, the new streaming economy is going to make it harder for them to earn money on their recordings.
“It has some impact on our A&R philosophy. We do think it’s very important that experimental music and challenging music is released. There are important artists that need to be supported because they are culturally exciting and push the boundaries of what is mainstream, so we will always have one foot in that world.
“But we have to be realistic and have another foot in the world where we are working with artists to make recordings that people want to listen to over and over again.”
The focus of labels and artists has shifted even more towards generating a hit single, but Van Arman emphasised that streaming had not completely eliminated the album format. Albums tend to perform less well on streaming – currently it accounts for 30% of most album revenues, with the rest from downloads and physical purchases. However, Van Arman pointed to Bon Iver’s recent release, 22, A Million, which data from Spotify showed most people were listening to the whole way through. The flipside is that labels are encouraging artists to make longer albums to monetise the format as much as possible for streaming.
The domination of streaming has not benefited the entire industry. Geoff Travis, the founder of Rough Trade records, said: “Our sales figures seem to me shockingly low given the acclaimed quality of the releases. [But] other people seem optimistic and we are still in the game, so maybe there is a future.”Tuesday marks the debut of Occupy 2.0. Gathering on the steps of the nation’s Capitol building in Washington Tuesday morning, Occupyers from around the United States plan to mark the day dubbed “Occupy Congress.”
Says one of the event’s organizers, lawyer and author Kevin Zeese, “The world will see the beginning of a much more sophisticated, angry and targeted Occupy movement.”
With some 30 activist groups, supporters from local movements around the country as well as some 10,000 Facebook supporters stating their intention to show up, organizers hope this will be the largest Occupy gathering yet.
“If the first three months of the movement awakened the country’s elites,” says Mr. Zeese, “our American spring will scare them.”
The significance of the date, according to the Occupy Congress website is to welcome the 2012 House of Representatives back to town: “We need to be there en masse as soon as they begin their legislative session to let them know that they’re not going to waste another year. What better way to welcome them back than to have a huge demonstration that will drive the conversation on the ground and in the media.”
While the day will include standard Occupy events such as a rally, an open-mike period, and a General Assembly, it will also include carefully-choreographed, one-one-one visits to individual lawmakers. Directions for setting up an appointment are on the website, complete with guidance for identifying your local representative and how to contact them.
Villanova University social movement researcher Catherine Wilson calls Tuesday’s action an important escalation of the movement’s potential power.
“By moving its site of operation to the halls of Congress, Occupy hopes not only to frame the key political issues at hand but also to influence political decision-making by building relationships with public officials,” she notes via email. Support from public officials would benefit Occupy as a whole by lending the movement legitimacy, she says.
But lobbying members of Congress reduces the original spirit of Occupy Wall Street to politicking, says Drexel University professor George Ciccariello-Maher.
“The occupy movement did not emerge from a desire to become a lobbying body,” he says. He does note that this strategy will parallel other civil disobedience kinds of activities, but adds, “Civil disobedience is more in line with the original Occupy Wall Street movement, much more so than any direct pressure on Congressional representatives.”
But, says Fordham university researcher, Heather Gautney, there may be a bit of both going on in the Capitol strategy.
“The spirit of Occupy is not to turn its back on politicians and the state, it's to take them over, and democratize them,” she notes via email. That is what Occupy means, she points out, adding, “confrontation, taking over, and repossession, including democratic processes.”
Let many flowers bloom and the meadow will be that much richer, says New York activist and filmmaker David Intrator, who has been involved with the Occupy movement in his city from its beginnings.
“I have always called this a social movement,” he says, “which means it is a very large tent and can accommodate many points of view and strategies.”
“Really,” he adds, “the more the better.”
As far as impacting national politics, Intrator says this is already happening.
“Just look at the debate among the Republican candidates,” he says, noting that the issue of income equality – one of the key mantras of the Occupy movement – has been bandied about by everyone from Mitt Romney to Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul, not to mention President Obama. “We’ve already had a very big impact,” he adds.
Not everyone is convinced, says antiabortion activist Tim O’Brien, who suggests that the media has over-covered the Occupy movement, lending it an aura of much greater importance than it actually has.
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“I would suggest perhaps a story on why some groups, some very small in size, get so much press, while others in unprecedented numbers are obviously, routinely, and intentionally ignored,” he says via email.
He points to the fact that “a group of a hundred or so Occupiers can get national attention from the media across several news cycles,” yet on January 23rd, in the March for Life rally which organizers anticipate could attract over one million people “very civil, and very obedient protesters will converge in the same place and you will be hard-pressed to find mention of it in any newspaper, Web site or TV news report.”Idaho passed its law allowing bicyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs and red lights as stop signs in 1982. Since that time many bicycling advocates have attempted to spread this law to other states, and have been met with strong resistance. These efforts continue and the strides that cyclists have made since the early 80s have not lessened the calls for this reform.
More than 30 years after Idaho passed its law, the evidence suggests that it is a safe and effective reform. In 2008, Jason Meggs contacted Idaho’s Office of Highway and Traffic Safety and analyzed statewide yearly summaries of traffic injuries and fatalities, including summaries by county and mode. His analysis found no evidence of a long-term increase in injury or fatality rates as a result of the adoption of the “Idaho stop” law. In 1983, the year after the law was adopted, bicycle injury rates declined by 14.5 percent and there was no change in the number of bicycle fatalities.
While there has not yet been much movement towards broader adoption of the “Idaho stop” there has been some recognition that traffic signals do not always work well for bicycles. This has led to a number of laws, sometimes called “dead red” laws, which allow bicycles and certain other vehicles that are not always sensed by traffic signals to legally proceed through a red light that does not detect them. These laws are more limited, but provide an analogous situation where a rule is modified because the traffic control was not designed for all vehicles.
This post will discuss the “Idaho stop” and “dead red” laws together because they both modify rules for bicyclists when entering an intersection controlled by a traffic control device.
Spotlight State: Idaho
The “Idaho stop” law is really comprised of two rules that modify how bicyclists treat traffic control devices that control intersections. The first rule is the real “Idaho stop” in that it modifies how bicyclists treat stop signs. Although several localities have adopted similar rules, it is singularly unique as a state law.
When bicyclists in Idaho approach a stop sign they:
Slow down, and if required for safety, stop. Yield the right-of-way to any vehicle in the intersection or approaching, if the approaching vehicle will create a hazard while they cross the intersection. Proceed after appropriately slowing and yielding without stopping.
The second rule is a very permissive red light exception. While all other red light exceptions contain language that indicates that proceeding against a red light is only appropriate when the signal fails to detect a bicyclist, the exception in Idaho contains no such language. As with the “Idaho stop” the reason for the law is encouraging cycling by making it easier.
When cyclists in Idaho approach a red light they:
Stop. Yield to all other traffic. Proceed through the red light with caution.
In addition, a bicyclist can proceed through a red light after yielding, without stopping, if making a right turn. Since the law was adopted in 1982 the only change has been a clarification of the red light exception. That change clarified that a cyclist must come to a stop when making a left turn onto a one-way highway, rather than in the same manner as when making a right turn.
What are they?
An “Idaho stop” law allows a bicyclist to treat a stop sign as a yield sign. Therefore, rather than being required to come to a stop, the bicyclist is required to slow down, stop if required for safety, and yield the right of way to any approaching vehicle or pedestrian before proceeding through an intersection controlled by a stop sign. This is an “Idaho stop” because it has been the law in Idaho since 1982, but may more functionally be referred to as a “stop as yield” or “yield-stop” law. Since this is a legal maneuver, it is not to be confused with the practice of motorist rolling stops, known colloquially as the “California stop.”
For an excellent explanation of the “Idaho stop,” watch this video by Spencer Boomhower.
Red light exceptions take several forms and may also be referred to as “dead red” laws. Most of these laws are a reaction to the inability of traffic lights to detect small vehicles, such as motorcycles and bicycles. These laws allow certain vehicles to proceed through a red light after stopping for a specified amount of time. The major features of these laws that vary by state are: 1) the conditions under which a vehicle can proceed through the intersection, 2) the nature of the light that can ignored, and 3) whether there are additional qualifications for the exception.
Why should you care?
The “Idaho stop” gets a lot of strong reactions within the bicycling community. “Dead red” laws get less press. However, both fit together because they are, at least in part, reactions to the difficulties of being a cyclist in a traffic system that was not designed for cyclists. You should care about these laws because they make cycling easier and, based on the available evidence, make it safer. In a world where governments are making great strides to promote cycling as a solution to health and environmental problems, and as a key to economic development, laws that make cycling easier without having a quantifiable downside should be an easy sell.
One problem with the “Idaho stop” is that it undermines an idea that has great mindshare in the cycling community: "Same road, same rules." The “Idaho stop” is clearly a case of "same road, different rules." Earlier this year an opinion piece on the BBC offered that motorists hate cyclists “when they use the roads but don't follow the same rules as cars.” The relationship between motorists and bicyclists is likely not that simple, but the historical commitment of both cyclists and motorists to this idea contributes to making the “Idaho stop” politically perilous for cycling advocates and makes it difficult to discuss the merits of traffic behaviors that cyclists do, but motorists cannot do.
The League supports the development of traffic laws that ensure the fair and consistent treatment of cyclists. We do not currently have a position on “Idaho stop” and “dead red” laws. Our core principles include following the rules of the road including all traffic signs, signals, and markings. “Idaho stop” and “dead red” laws may have many positive benefits and have not been shown to be dangerous, but are currently not widespread. Responsible cyclists should follow the rules of their state and local jurisdictions. Many of the inconveniences of unwarranted stop signs and traffic lights that do not detect bicyclists can be mitigated or solved by engineering solutions, such as the creation of bicycle boulevards and better adjusted signals.
Who has them?
Idaho is the only state that has both a stop as yield rule and a red light exception that allows a cyclist to proceed through a red light after yielding.
Arizona, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Tennessee, Utah, and Wisconsin allow bicyclists to proceed through an inoperative and/or malfunctioning light after either a specified period of time or a reasonable period of time.
South Carolina, Virginia, and Wisconsin allow cyclists to proceed through a red light after either a specified period of time or a reasonable period of time.
Tennessee and Wisconsin qualify their laws in unique ways. Tennessee requires that the intersection actually be controlled by a vehicle detection device. Wisconsin requires that the bicyclist have a reasonable belief that the intersection is controlled by a vehicle detection device. Under either law, a cyclist should take extra care to ensure that they can proceed through the intersection and should familiarize themselves with common vehicle detection devices. Utah's law only applies to persons age 16 or older and will sunset in July 2014.
Washington State has a law that requires signals to be adjusted to routinely and reliably detect bicycles. However, there is no law that allows a bicyclist to proceed through a signal that fails to detect a bicycle or otherwise does not change for a specified or reasonable period of time.
Click the chart for the full-size PDF.
Where did they come from?
There is no Uniform Vehicle Code (UVC) provision equivalent to an “Idaho stop” or “Dead red” law. Obedience to traffic lights is generally dealt with in UVC §11-202 and obedience to stop and yield signs is dealt with in UVC §11-403. The authorization of local regulations of bicycles is addressed in the UVC in section 15-102(a)(8). An excellent history of the Idaho law is available here.Parents use #BoycottTarget to protest Target’s inclusive bathroom policy
On Wednesday, Target announced a policy allowing transgender people to use whatever restroom corresponds with their gender identity. Needless to say, people are pissed. The Target Facebook page is flooded with hateful comments, and now the American Family Association is calling for a boycott of the retailer because their policy “poses a danger to wives and daughters.” With all due respect to their unreasonable protests, I call bullshit.
I wrote the original Scary Mommy post reporting on Target’s inclusive bathroom policy — a post that generated hundreds of angry comments, as well as a handful of messages sent to me personally. At the center of each was the assertion that I, as a mother, should support discrimination wholeheartedly because it’s the only way to protect my kids from thousands of predators who’ve apparently been waiting with bated breath for this golden opportunity to waltz past the impenetrable forcefield created by “women’s restroom” signs.
“As a mother, how in the world could you be in support of transgender bathrooms,” wrote one person on my professional Facebook page. “You are now in support of allowing every child molester and rapist in the bathroom with your daughter because he is allowed, all he has to say is that he identifies with women.”
As a mother, there are a lot of ways I could respond to this. I could point out that a paltry restroom sign was never going to prevent a true predator from harming someone in the first place. I could remind everyone how offensive it is to even make the leap from talking about the transgender community to discussing sexual predators in the same sentence. I could even point out that the majority of us have probably shared a restroom with a transgender person at some point and not even known it because they just want to pee.
If you’re truly worried about child sex abuse, then as a responsible parent, it’d behoove you to know that in three-quarters of sex abuse cases, children are harmed not by pooping strangers, but by members of their own family or someone they know. Furthermore, while girls carry a one in four chance of being sexually abused before age 18, the risk for boys is one in six. If bathroom predators are truly an issue, why on earth would I be worried about my daughter but not my son?Amnesty International has slammed the guilty verdicts handed down to three pro-democracy student activists as the “latest blow for freedom of expression” in Hong Kong.
The human rights NGO said that, following the court ruling on Thursday, the authorities’ prosecution of the student leaders “sends a chilling warning for freedom of expression and peaceful assembly in the city.”
Activists Joshua Wong Chi-fung and Alex Chow Yong-kang have been found guilty of taking part in an unlawful assembly, after they stormed Admiralty’s Civic Square in September 2014, kickstarting the pro-democracy Occupy protests. Nathan Law Kwun-chung was found guilty of inciting others to take part in an unlawful assembly, whilst Wong was acquitted of the same charge.
“The prosecution of student leaders on vague charges smacks of political payback by the authorities,” said Mabel Au, Director of Amnesty International Hong Kong, condemning the continued persecution of prominent figures related to the protests.
Amnesty International also said that provisions in the Public Order Ordinance, which the charges were based on, were “vague” and had been repeatedly criticised by the UN Human Rights Committee for failing to meet international human rights law and standards of peaceful assembly rights.
“The authorities must stop using vague laws in an attempt to intimidate people from exercising their right to peaceful assembly,” said Au. “Prosecutions aimed at shutting down participation in peaceful protests must be dropped.”
Minky Worden, Director of Global Initiatives at Human Rights Watch, also called the ruling a “bogus verdict” whereby the student activists were convicted under an “archaic colonial law.”
Sentences for the three student leaders will be handed down on August 15 pending a report from probation officers. Law has submitted his nomination form to run in the Legislative Council election in September as a member of Demosistō – a party he formed with Wong. If given a prison sentence of more than three months, he will be disqualified from running, according to the Legislative Council Ordinance.As Diplomat readers are well aware — and the Pacific Realist is frankly sick of —China has mounted a sustained campaign demanding that Tokyo take a “correct” view of Imperial Japan’s unspeakable crimes during WWII.
There’s always been a good deal of irony to all of this. Although far too many Japanese leaders have tried to shrink or even deny the crimes of Imperial Japan, including its atrocities in China, successive Japanese governments have acknowledged and apologized for many of these.
On the other hand, the Chinese Communist Party has also committed numerous massacres of Chinese since establishing the People’s Republic of China. This began early in its tenure while consolidating its control over the vast country, as Frank Dikötter notes in a terrific recent book. With regards to the “land reform” campaign alone, for instance, Dikötter writes, “The exact number of victims killed in the land reform will never be known, but it is unlikely to have been fewer than 1.5 to 2 million people from 1947 to 1952.” At least another two million were killed in the Great Terror that Mao launched between 1950-1952 to weed out imaginary counter-revolutionaries.
Of course, there was also the widespread famine that killed tens of millions during the Great Leap Forward. To be sure, there’s no reason to believe that Mao and the other CCP leaders intended to starve these people when they launched the Great Leap Forward. That being said, they continued these policies for years after they realized the disastrous outcomes they were having simply because Mao didn’t want to admit his failures. Then, of course, the entire country was plunged into chaos once again during the Cultural Revolution, which was Mao’s attempt to ensure his atrocities weren’t publicly acknowledged by the Party after his death.
As it turned, he needn’t have worried as the CCP under Deng Xiaoping decided it was not in the Party’s interest to acknowledge it had nearly destroyed the county many times over in its first 25 years in power. Instead, the CCP has devoted considerable resources to systematically rewriting history — or at the very least burying it. Unlike in Japan, where history is distorted by hardline leaders, in China distorting history is the official state policy. Meanwhile, taking the correct view of history is illegal — which is why books like Tombstone are banned.
Reasonable observers might conclude that it is the height of hypocrisy for the CCP to wage a global PR war over Japan’s views of history on the one hand, while on the other hand criminalizing a correct view of its own history. And there was a time not too long ago I might have agreed with these reasonable observers’ conclusion. However, this week Xi Jinping and the CCP took their hypocrisy on history to new heights.
As Shannon reported on Wednesday, earlier this year “China’s legislature passed a resolution creating two new national observances. ‘Victory Day’ on September 3 would commemorate Japan’s surrender in the ‘War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression,’ China’s name for its fight against Imperial Japan before and during World War II. December 13 was also named a National Memorial Day to commemorate the Nanjing Massacre.”
She went on to note that President Xi and the entire Politburo Standing Committee participated in the new Victory Day celebrations, which they used mostly to criticize contemporary Japanese policy, and to try to create the impression that Japan’s shifting defense posture represents a return to the militarism of Imperial Japan.
However, along with criticizing Japan, Xi and the PBSC also used the Victory Day celebrations to praise the CCP itself. As Shannon writes, the Victory Day holiday “also served as a celebration of the Chinese Communist Party’s role in defeating Japan — and more than that, in saving China from its century of humiliation…. Xi credited the CCP with spearheading the movement to unite all of China’s people in opposition to Japan. To Xi Jinping, the deciding factors in the war were the ‘great national spirit’ of the Chinese people — particularly, their patriotism — and the leadership of the CCP.”
None of this is particularly new. The CCP has long claimed credit for having tirelessly defended China from the Imperial Japanese army. This couldn’t be further from the truth, however. As I have noted elsewhere, Japan’s invasion of China saved the CCP from Chiang Kai-shek and the KMT, and ultimately allowed Mao to defeat the KMT in the ensuing civil war. Indeed, by the end of 1934, the CCP was on the verge of extinction after KMT troops delivered another heavy blow to the Red Army in Jiangxi Province, which forced the Party to undertake the now infamous Long March to Xi’an in the northwestern province of Shaanxi. Chiang initially pursued the Communist forces, and would have almost certainly delivered a final blow to the CCP if war with Japan could have been delayed. As it turned out, Chiang was not able to put off the war with Japan any longer, and domestic and international pressure forced him to accept a tacit alliance with the CCP against Japan.
At the onset of the war, then, the CCP was not in any position to defend anyone from the formidable Japanese military. In fact, it wasn’t even in a position to defend itself from the KMT. The initial battles of the second Sino-Japanese War in southern China were the largest ones, and the KMT fought them alone.
This would be the trend of the entire war. As two scholars note, “From 1937 to 1945, there were 23 battles where both sides employed at least a regiment each. The CCP was not a main force in any of these. The only time it participated, it sent a mere 1,000 to 1,500 men, and then only as a security detachment on one of the flanks.There were 1,117 significant engagements on a scale smaller than a regular battle, but the CCP fought in only one. Of the approximately 40,000 skirmishes, just 200 were fought by the CCP, or 0.5 percent.”
By the CCP’s own accounts during the war, it barely played a role. Specifically, in January 1940 Zhou Enlai sent a secret report to Joseph Stalin which said that over a million Chinese had died fighting the Japanese through the summer of 1939. He further admitted that only 3 percent of those were CCP forces. In the same letter, Zhou pledged to continue to support Chiang and recognize “the key position of the Kuomintang in leading the organs of power and the army throughout the country.” In fact, in direct contradiction to Xi’s claims on Wednesday, Zhou acknowledged that Chiang and the KMT “united all the forces of the nation” in resisting Japan’s aggression.
While the KMT were busy uniting the country and fighting the Japanese military, CCP forces spent much of the early part of the war hiding in the mountains to avoid battle. As the KMT was decimated by the Japanese military, it was forced to retreat further south. At the same time, the Japanese forces largely focused on securing control of Chinese cities and strategic infrastructure, while ignoring China’s massive countryside. Thus, the KMT’s efforts to actually defend China created a power vacuum in rural areas, which the CCP came out of hiding to seize. It used its control over these villages to perfect its propaganda and political efforts, and hid among the population to avoid fighting the Japanese army. According to Soviet military advisers stationed in CCP-controlled areas at the time, the CCP also used this land to grow opium to fund its growing operations.
As far as fighting went, the CCP engaged in guerilla warfare and sabotage missions. This certainly annoyed the Japanese forces, but it did not have a significant impact on Japan’s war operations. In fact, even the Japanese North China Area Army — which had command over the northern areas where the CCP was located and the KMT was relatively weaker than elsewhere —continued to see defeating the KMT as its primary objective. The greater impact of these guerilla operations was in helping the CCP win new recruits. The CCP used their “heroic” operations against the hated Japanese enemy to recruit young men (and women) to their cause, much as militant groups like the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham film their exploits today and post them on YouTube to attract recruits.
This was highly successful. According to the CCP’s own estimates, it began the war with 30,000 troops. By Victory Day, it had 1.2 million regular troops and around 2.6 million to 3 million militia under its command. It was also quick to seize the areas that the Japanese army was vacating, and seized the Japanese equipment. In fact, in some instances it even forced the Japanese soldiers to join the Red Army (the KMT did the same). Of course, the war not only allowed the CCP to grow much stronger, but it also greatly depleted the Nationalist’s strength. This allowed the CCP to prevail easily in the civil war.
This was not by accident but by design. The CCP had a choice: it could have prioritized defending the country against Japan during the war, or it could have prioritized seizing control of China from those who did fight the Japanese. It chose the latter. Meanwhile, by choosing to actually try to defend China against Japan during the war, the Nationalists handed the country to the CCP afterwards.
Which is why Xi and the CCP’s decision to create a national observance day to honor its defense of China during the second Sino-Japanese War represents the height of hypocrisy. It’s one thing to try to suppress all information exposing the Party’s failings, which killed millions of Chinese, while demanding Japan take a correct view of history (which Tokyo should do). It’s another thing altogether to falsely claim credit for one of the defining moments of your country’s modern history. And it’s really something unprecedented to create a national holiday to honor your Party for doing something it consciously avoided; namely, putting China’s defense over the CCP itself. Classy.Update: A Denver Police Department representative has clarified the incidents that led up to the fatal shooting of Ramone Lonergan.
The department maintains that the Toyota RAV4 from which Lonergan allegedly emerged while holding a gun was never reported stolen — something that was confirmed in our original update by Shanon Standy, his girlfriend, but was widely misreported.
The DPD says its officers were on the scene of a Ramada Inn near Speer and Zuni when they spotted a different Toyota that was stolen: a 4Runner, which was parked in the lot at the back of the hotel.
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Meanwhile, a separate, unrelated report of fraud brought other officers to the Ramada — and investigators believe the RAV4, which was parked in a lot at the front of the hotel, was associated with that alleged crime.
This suggests a link between Lonergan and the fraud — but Standy insists that he had nothing to do with such a crime. See her statements on that subject in our previous coverage, which has been tweaked in light of the DPD's clarification.
Update, 7:35 a.m. January 15: Yesterday, we told you about a police shooting that killed Ramone Lonergan; see our previous coverage below.
After the publication of our original item, we were contacted by Shanon Standy, Lonergan's girlfriend, who offered new information about the case and the person at the center of it.
Notably, she says that a vehicle involved in the shooting that was mistakenly reported as stolen wasn't actually stolen at all. Rather, it was hers.
As we detail below, the incident took place on Monday, January 11, when police officers patrolling the parking lot of a Ramada Inn near Speer and Zuni spotted a stolen vehicle.
Meanwhile, officers were inside the Ramada dealing with a separate report of alleged credit-card fraud that was allegedly connected with Toyota RAV4 also parked outside the Ramada.
Officers subsequently saw a man, later identified as Lonergan, emerging from the RAV4.
Lonergan allegedly tried to flee and was armed with a handgun. It's not known yet if he pointed the weapon at the officers and/or fired at them, but they certainly shot in his direction. He died of multiple gunshot wounds.
In her e-mail to Westword, Standy states that "I am writing to you to clear some things up that I am sure of.
"One...the stolen Toyota RAV4...that was MY car, and I, the car owner, did not report it stolen! I am still trying to figure out why it was listed as stolen.
"Second...Ramone was not involved in any fraud! He left our house that day to get money back that was borrowed from us, and he was going to come right back so we could go to my son's basketball game."
Ramone Lonergan with Shanon Standy. Facebook
Standy is understandably distraught by the shooting and what she sees as an inaccurate portrayal of Lonergan as a potentially lethal car thief.
"It is not okay that the people who loved him have to go through this kind of loss," she allows. "The picture that the media is painting of him is not right. The person we knew had the biggest heart and always tried to make sure people were okay. He offered people food, had people move in with us when they didn't have a place to stay, watched over the kids in our area, and anytime anyone needed anything, he was there no matter what!
"His loved ones are devastated by this loss. My son goes into our closet and hugs Ramone's clothes crying and asking him to come back to us! There is no excuse and no way to fix us having to go through life without this incredible man. We love him and miss him so much and we know he deserved better. WE LOVE YOU, RAMONE LONERGAN!"
A similar testimonial comes from Brittany Starrett, a longtime friend of Lonergan's.
"Ramone was such a blessing in our and everyone else's lives!" she maintains in an e-mail of her own. "He wasn't dealt a very fair hand in life, but nonetheless he still was such an amazing person! He protected the innocent and believed in family. He had a heart of gold! Whenever I needed a friend, he would be there for me right away and never had an excuse! He always made me feel better! He would go on long drives and talk with me, helping me see the brighter things in life. My kids knew him as Uncle Mone since birth!!! He loved my kids dearly!!! If we ever needed anything, he was there! Everyone who knew him in life knew of his amazing character! How protective and loving he was! His smile and laughter brightened a room and everyone who met him instantly loved him! His character and spirit lifted people's hearts and he was a joy to be around! He was always the best friend I have ever had the pleasure of having in my life! His death has brought such sadness and pain to so many!!! My children and my friend Shanon's kids are so heartbroken as well. These cops stole such an amazing soul from our lives. We will never again have our Ramone! But in our hearts he will forever live!!!!! Please don't let him be known as anything less than an amazing person and wonderful man!!! R.I.P. Ramone!!! We will always love and remember you!!!"
Continue to see our original item.
Ramone Lonergan. Additional photos and a video below. Facebook
Original post, 10:03 a.m. January 14: A caption on the Facebook photo of 32-year-old Ramone Lonergan seen above reads, "I took this picture the day Ramone was free! Now I am posting this as a symbol of his eternal freedom. This is him in heaven with all his and our loved ones that have left! I love you so much, babe."
The tone of this remembrance stands in stark contrast with the matter-of-fact portrayal of Lonergan's death by the Denver Police Department.
Two DPD officers shot and killed Lonergan after he allegedly produced a gun during a confrontation outside the Ramada Inn located near the intersection of Speer Boulevard and Zuni Street earlier this week.
It's the latest officer-involved shooting during a period when such incidents have become all too common. As we reported, there were eleven officer-involved shootings along the Front Range between Halloween and December 17, when a suspected car thief was critically wounded.
The scene of the |
get me," Hadsell wrote, apparently unaware of how the latest investigation had started.
Hadsell: "I guess someone complained that I cuss and allegedly drink with athletes and something about texts."
Andrea: "Lol drop one too many F bombs?"
Hadsell: "Apparently. And apparently someone on the team. Allegedly."
Andrea: "Is this another one of the anonymous source deals?"
Hadsell: "I'm going to force them to tell me. I have a right to know.
The next day:
Hadsell: "Dude, you swear you know nothing about this human resources thing man? I won't even be pissed I just don't understand why someone out to get me."
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Andrea: "I don't man. I haven't heard anything from anyone but then again I doubt anyone would tell me anything."
Hadsell: "Literally someone is harassing me."
Andrea: "You think it was the same person who called about the [Caitlin] think earlier this yr?"
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Hadsell: "No idea where any of this comes from."
Four days later:
Hadsell: "Dude if you hear anything let me know. I don't know who the heck would do this to me. My life could be ruined. Literally. And I have zero idea what it is even about. Ugh."
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Hadsell: "There's a chance I may never hear a word I guess. It is annonymous unless tge person follows thru. If they don't I guess I won't even know who or what it was about. Fuckkkk."
* * *
It has been more than two weeks since Hadsell "resigned." Neither he nor the university has specified what university rule violation led to his resignation. Athletic director Mike O'Brien and senior associate athletic director Kelly Andrews refused to answer questions about it. We were told that Larry Burns, Toledo's vice president for external affairs, was the only person who would speak about Hadsell's departure, but Burns would not answer specific questions because "the file is still open" for an undisclosed amount of time. Toledo has not yet responded to Deadspin's public records request seeking recent emails and letters related to Hadsell, though the school did provide documents from Hadsell's personnel file detailing his salary, wage increases, and basic job evaluations. Last week, we set up an appointment with Toledo's human resources department to inspect its investigations into Hadsell. We were met in the office with a note to contact the communications office, which informed us we could not inspect the HR files without first being screened by the legal department. In fact, Toledo officials would neither confirm nor deny such records even exist.
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Hadsell has not returned multiple text and voice messages left on his cell phone, nor did he come to door of his Toledo house when we tried to reach him there in person. He did not respond to the note left on his front door. Some say he has since left for California. The last we heard, Hadsell was tipping off the Toledo Blade about our story and issuing a pre-emptive denial.
"I'm glad something was done," Andrea said. "He can no longer be in a position of power to put pressure on women to do whatever, and I'm glad that he is not able to do that to anyone anymore." But the university's silence bothers her. There are rules, and there should be consequences. "He could get hired somewhere," she said, "and just do this at the next job he has."
Kevin Hadsell's text's during the October investigation by dougbrown8
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Kevin Hadsell's texts to runner in October by dougbrown8This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: As the unprecedented flooding exacerbated by climate change continues in Houston, Texas, we end today’s show by looking at the corporate crackdown on environmental activists trying to stop the fossil fuel industry and human-driven climate change—at least challenge the industry. The company that owns the Dakota Access pipeline, Energy Transfer Partners, has sued Greenpeace International, Earth First! and other environmental groups, accusing them of inciting “eco-terrorism” against the pipeline’s construction. The pipeline’s construction was delayed for months last year after thousands of Native Americans, led by the Standing Rock Sioux in North Dakota, and their non-Native allies launched a nonviolent encampment to stop the pipeline from crossing the Missouri River, saying a spill could contaminate the drinking source for millions. Earlier this year, the Trump administration greenlighted both the Dakota Access pipeline and the Keystone XL pipeline. Dakota Access pipeline goes taking oil from the Bakken oil fields of North Dakota through South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois, then hooking up with a pipeline to the Gulf of Mexico.
For more, we go to Washington, D.C., where we’re joined by Annie Leonard, executive director of Greenpeace USA, and Tara Houska, national campaigns director for Honor the Earth. She is Ojibwe from the Couchiching First Nation.
Annie Leonard, you are named both personally and as executive director of Greenpeace USA in this lawsuit brought by Energy Transfer Partners. Can you respond?
ANNIE LEONARD: Yeah, actually, I brought the lawsuit here. For those on the radio, you can see I’m holding up a four-inch stack of papers. We were just served yesterday with this lawsuit. This lawsuit is a SLAPP suit. ”SLAPP” means strategic lawsuit against public participation. And that’s what it is. It is an attempt to criminalize and silence protest, at the exact time that this country needs people rising up more than ever.
AMY GOODMAN: So, explain what it is that this suit alleges that you’ve been involved with, using terms like “eco-terrorism.”
ANNIE LEONARD: Right. Well, the term “eco-terrorism” was used, really, just to taint constitutionally protected, science-based free speech advocacy. They’re trying to criminalize healthy, righteous protest. The suit alleges two specific charges. One is defamation, which is sort of lawyerspeak for lying. They’re saying that we lied to exaggerate the environmental and human rights impacts of the pipeline. The second one, that is really ludicrous, on so many levels, is that they’re claiming that Greenpeace was the head of a criminal enterprise that orchestrated all of this protest. And that’s the RICO part of this lawsuit. But again, it’s not really about the facts. It’s not really about the law. If you read this massive document, the allegations are absolutely ludicrous. What it’s about is trying to intimidate, silence and chill protest.
Right now, our government has stepped back from offering any kinds of protection for human rights and public health. And the fossil fuel industry thinks that they have just absolute free rein to go for it. The one thing in the way is public opposition. It’s civil society. It’s activism. And so they’re trying to squelch that, not—to punish us for Standing Rock, but also to squelch it moving forward. And that’s just simply not going to happen. We are not going away. We will not be intimidated. We will not be silenced.
AMY GOODMAN: The law firm that is representing Energy Transfer Partners is President Trump’s—well, his former White House lawyer, is that right?
ANNIE LEONARD: Right. It’s President Trump’s go-to law firm. And this is actually the second lawsuit that this firm, Kasowitz firm, has filed against Greenpeace in the last year. Last year, they filed a lawsuit on behalf of a large Canadian logging company called Resolute. It was a very similar lawsuit, accusing us of racketeering and all sorts of criminal activity. That lawsuit, we have a motion to dismiss that lawsuit. It’s going to be heard October 10th in San Francisco. So if all goes well, that case will be dismissed. But then we still have this one to face.
AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to bring Tara Houska into the conversation, with Honor the Earth. The Red Warrior Camp is also named in this lawsuit. Can you respond to the owner of the Dakota Access pipeline suing the environmentalists who have been protesting for a year?
TARA HOUSKA: I mean, you’re basically seeing a corporate head that is seeking all of the allies and support mechanisms that were in place for the indigenous-led movement that happened at Standing Rock. You know, this was people showing up and deciding to give up their—potentially their freedoms and put themselves on the line to stop a pipeline that was going through the drinking water of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation and all of the people living along the Missouri River. You know, to say that this is somehow some type of criminal operation, you know, orchestrated by Greenpeace and all these folks who really didn’t have a very large presence there—this was indigenous-led. These people were supporting what we were doing, not leading and, you know, trying to manipulate us. I thought it was particularly disparaging and paternalistic that they basically characterized these organizations as misleading the tribe somehow and misleading the indigenous people.
AMY GOODMAN: You are not named?
TARA HOUSKA: No, I am not personally named. I thought it was actually very careful of them not to name any particular indigenous organization, even though the indigenous organizations were out in front of this. You know, instead, they labeled Red Warrior Camp, which is interesting again, because Energy Transfer Partners is the one who hired TigerSwan and all of these counterintelligence operations and private security, whose main mission was to go in and infiltrate and cause division within the indigenous organizations and indigenous peoples there. You know, this has come out now in several TigerSwan reports that have been issued by Intercept. And so, you know, you’re seeing them trying to, again, demonize and divide indigenous movement organizing.
AMY GOODMAN: Let’s talk more about that, turning to those reports by TigerSwan, the private military contractor hired by Energy Transfer Partners to carry out extensive military-style counterterrorism efforts targeting the indigenous-led movement at Standing Rock. In one report, TigerSwan discussing how to use its knowledge of internal camp dynamics, writing, quote, “Exploitation of ongoing native versus non-native rifts, and tribal rifts between peaceful and violent elements is critical in our effort to delegitimize the anti-DAPL movement,” unquote. In the documents, TigerSwan also repeatedly calls the water protectors “insurgents” and the movement an “ideologically driven insurgency.” Tara, you are also a lawyer.
TARA HOUSKA: Yeah, no, I mean, and they refer to us as “jihadists” and, you know, try to characterize us as somehow these radical people, who are instead nonviolently, peacefully trying to stop the construction of a pipeline. This is people walking in front of machines, people peacefully resisting, sitting down in the middle of the road. Yet somehow, you know, we were—had snipers trained on us around the clock, had helicopters overhead, attack dogs—that you were there for—attack dogs being unleashed on men, women and children trying to stop the destruction of a sacred site. This is like—you know, you look at this, and you think, “OK, so you’re the company that behaved very, very badly, and you were caught. You were exposed to a large, large audience that typically a Big Oil would not be exposed to, and you are also exposed to a lot of banks now looking at this and saying, 'We don't want any part of this,’ and a movement that’s now focusing on divestment and looking at these banks and saying, 'OK, pull your money out of this project,' and they are.”
AMY GOODMAN: And, of course, we were there on Labor Day weekend a year ago. We filmed the dogs that were unleashed on the water protectors. And I should say that we also, while not named defendants in this case, are mentioned in the lawsuit. Now, Annie Leonard, this is a racketeering lawsuit. Very quickly, if you can talk about what that means?
ANNIE LEONARD: Right, that’s the RICO lawsuit approach, that this is a SLAPP suit it’s taking. Realize it is a SLAPP suit. The RICO, racketeering, is just a type of SLAPP suit, but it is still a lawsuit designed to squelch public advocacy. The racketeering is the part about us being the head of a criminal enterprise, where they say that Greenpeace orchestrated this entire criminal enterprise. If found correct, we could then potentially be liable for anything that anyone did on Standing Rock, because the theory is that we orchestrated it.
The response is, is number one, nothing that was done was criminal. It was nonviolent. It was science-based. It was by values-led. It was peaceful. And the second thing, as my sister here said, is that this movement was indigenous-led. Greenpeace was very proud to stand up and support in solidarity, but this was an indigenous-led movement. And it is false and really offensive to say that Greenpeace orchestrated this. We were not the leaders here. We were a strong ally, and we don’t regret a bit of showing up there.
AMY GOODMAN: Tara Houska, we just have a minute, but I wanted to ask you, of Honor the Earth—we’re having this conversation in the midst of what could be the greatest catastrophe this country has seen, in the greater Houston area, the epicenter of the fossil fuel industry. Can you respond to the hurricane, now a tropical depression, and the massive devastation we’re seeing on the Gulf Coast?
TARA HOUSKA: We’re seeing something that’s—you know, people have to acknowledge and step back and have a real conversation about climate change and our contribution to it. You know, this is what happens—severe storms, increased pressure towards our very existence. You know, these are coastal states, where we are at an—this is an epicenter of fossil fuel extraction and refining and all of that that’s happening down in that area, and now people have toxic water sitting in their front yards. We need to have a frank and open discussion about climate change and acknowledge the fact that we cannot engineer our way out of this.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, I want to thank you both for being with us, Annie Leonard, who is the executive director of Greenpeace USA, who is named both personally and as executive director of Greenpeace in this lawsuit brought by Energy Transfer Partners, that owns the Dakota Access pipeline, and Tara Houska, Honor the Earth. In the last 10 seconds, Annie, how is this affecting your work?
ANNIE LEONARD: You know, they’re trying to silence and intimidate us. It is a burden, absolutely. We are putting our top staff on this. But it is absolutely not going to silence us. And, in fact, it is emboldening us. And we are going to be stronger and more unified with other environmental groups and indigenous groups moving forward. So we’re stronger than ever.
AMY GOODMAN: Thanks so much to both of you.The Pittsburgh Steelers will look to get back to winning ways on Sunday with a matchup against the Ravens in Baltimore. With both teams suffering disappointing defeats coming off back-to-back wins, each has question marks surrounding their performances last week.
Given the emphatic nature of the Ravens’ loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, it is perhaps no surprise to see the bookmakers install the Steelers as 2.5 point favorites. As of Tuesday, most online sportsbooks have pushed that spread out to 3 points.
An opening total of 45 points has disappeared from most providers, replaced by an over/under of 43.5 points. The early money line of -122 to +103 has also seen notable movement, shortening to a position of -155 to +135 as the backers make a play for Pittsburgh.
Form often goes out the window when these two sides meet and either team is capable of recording the victory in Baltimore. The Steelers currently lead the series by a margin of 25-21 but have only won one of the last five encounters and two of the last eight. After dominating the Ravens in the early years of his career with a 7-3 record, Mike Tomlin has struggled with Ravens over the last six seasons, going 4-9 overall.
For the year, Pittsburgh is 1-2 against the spread and 0-3 versus the over. Despite the Steelers failings to beat the points totals so far this season, our preference would be to take the over this Sunday in a game that could go either way.
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Please check your email for a confirmation.Here’s a link to a smart person who does a better job than I did at explaining the problems with climate models.
I mentioned on social media a few times that I am using public persuasion to split the climate science debate into two parts. One part is the basic science, which appears credible. The other part is the climate models that are less credible. Watch for the climate science debate to start making that distinction more often. Historically, both sides have tended to conflate the credibility of all of the parts. That never made sense.
This will get more fun when I introduce my new persuasion anchor. It seems to me that the actual damage from climate change is predicted not by climate models but by … economic models.
How accurate have economic models been in the past? For anything?
Now ask yourself how often you have seen that distinction – climate models versus economic models – called out.
You’ll see a lot more of it soon. The High Ground Maneuver is powerful.CLOSE 'American Idol' will officially wrap up its run on Fox following Season 15, which premieres in January. According to the network, Ryan Seacrest, Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick, Jr. are all set to return for the final season. Wochit
Judges Keith Urban, left, Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick Jr. will embark upon one last search for a superstar in 'American Idol's' final season in 2016. (Photo: Michael Becker, Fox)
To paraphrase one of its popular elimination anthems, American Idol is having a bad day.
The long-running singing competition, not one of its singers, is being voted out by Fox, which will give it a 15th and final season next year. A once-monumental hit that delivered on its promise to create huge recording stars has seen its ratings nosedive in recent years, with the last couple of winners failing to draw much attention in an increasingly fragmented entertainment world.
Fox announced the upcoming end of Idol in a 2015-16 schedule announcement released Monday morning in advance of the network's presentation later in the day to advertisers in New York.
The cancellation was "not an easy decision," says Fox Networks Group co-chief Gary Newman, but "we all felt collectively it was time to bring American Idol to an end." He says the final, 15th run "will be a true season-long celebration," and producers are looking for "surprises we can have for fans" that will make the farewell as "significant as the run it had on our network."
Host Ryan Seacrest, who has been with the show since it launched as a summer series in 2002, and the critically praised judging panel, Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick Jr., will be on board for the final run.
Seacrest, the only remaining on-camera personality from the series premiere, issued a statement expressing his sentiments – and, fittingly, promoting Season 14's two-night finale (Tuesday, 9 p.m. ET/PT, and Wednesday, 8 p.m. ET/PT).
"American Idol has been a big part of my life for so long, it's frankly hard to imagine it without it. It's been a remarkable journey, and I feel very fortunate to have been part of a show that made television history in countless ways. It's a show about chasing and fulfilling dreams, and truth be told, it helped some of my own dreams come true too," says Seacrest, who has been involved with many subsequent projects, both in front of and behind the camera.
"All the American Idol producers, judges, crew and everyone at Fox have been heroic in their efforts to create, produce and sustain such a groundbreaking show for so many years," his statement says. "I'm so glad they're going to give us a season-long send off. The last season will undoubtedly be a special and emotional one, but first I'm looking forward to closing out Season 14. The finale is always my favorite part -- two live shows with lots of surprises, and, of course, one winner!"
The departure will truly mark the end of an era. Idol, once a ratings juggernaut, is the most recent series – and likely the last ever – to average more than 30 million viewers a week. For its first decade, the show was a cultural phenomenon, introducing the public to future superstars Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Hudson and turning judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul (for a second time) into household names.
In its early seasons, audience numbers rose each year, defying the usual TV ratings gravity. Other networks avoided running their better programs against Idol for fear of being trampled in the ratings and the singing competition's annual coronation finale was one of the biggest TV events of the year.
In recent years, however, Idol has gone into rapid ratings decline and is averaging only a little more than 10 million viewers per episode this year. It cut back from the traditional two shows a week to one after the beginning portion of this season and it trails its NBC singing competitor, The Voice, in viewers and advertiser-coveted young adults.
Still, Idol's glory days, its grand and not-so-grand moments and its many talented singers will leave the show and its fans with plenty of fond memories to celebrate in the final season.
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1bK1xUnOverview and Logs for the Dev Meeting Held on 2016-04-24
Posted by: dEBRUYNE / fluffypony
Logs
<hyc> hey what's on our agenda for today anyway
<hyc> slideshow from fluffypony's trip to Asia?
<dEBRUYNE> we could do that :D
<dEBRUYNE> hyc: More seriously, I suppose some Ring CT stuff + something about the performance branch
<fluffypony> lol
<dEBRUYNE> hyc: Plus I think there are still some PRs open for review
<hyc> sounds good. looking at NobleSir's DB schema, doesn't seem like there's much new needed on the DB side of things
<dEBRUYNE> hyc, fluffypony: I could make a list of which PRs are still open for review if you want?
<hyc> 13 open right now
<dEBRUYNE> all right
<hyc> moneromooo already reviewed PR#806
<dEBRUYNE> Oh yeah this is easier to spot -> https://github.com/monero-project/bitmonero/pulls
<dEBRUYNE> :-P
<hyc> yep
<dEBRUYNE> smooth and moneromooo had a little chat about 818 & 819 earlier today
<hyc> I've browsed thru them but frankly don't know enough about how things work to know their implications
<moneromooo> I felt like that abour your/warp's DB perf branch :P
<hyc> ;)
<hyc> looking at git history I'd guess tewinget or NoodleDoodle would have breezed thru them
<fluffypony> hokay
<fluffypony> t -1 hour
<dEBRUYNE> t -5 min
<ArticMine> hello
<JonathanD_> hi
<hyc> hola
<smooth> bonjour
<xmrpromotions> bonjour
<fluffypony> Comment allez-vous?
<fluffypony> la réunion d'aujourd'hui aura lieu en français
<bigreddmachine> laissez les bon temps rouler
<fluffypony> lol
<xmrpromotions> Konnichiwa
<fluffypony> ok so
<fluffypony> welcome to the dev meeting
<fluffypony> after a brief intermission we're back on every 2 weeks
<luigi1112> I'm here but not really
<fluffypony> I've been trying to keep up whilst travelling, but there's some backlog I didn't read
<fluffypony> I think before we discuss #805 and the performance PR, let's just touch base on the smaller ones
<fluffypony> #810, #814, #818, all seem to have been reviewed and are ready for merge
<moneromooo> smooth had reservations about 810.
<moneromooo> Or hyc. Or both.
<fluffypony> smooth / hyc: any new thoughts beyond the one comment on the PR?
<hyc> both I think, but I don't remember smooth's comments
<moneromooo> I think it was just extra complexity htat might not be worth it.
<hyc> my point - the current pool code calls getblocktemplate 1/second but doesn't do anything with the response if the height is the same as before
<hyc> the pool code ought to just call getblockcount in that case, which executes in 0ms
<dEBRUYNE> smooth commented on #810 -> https://github.com/monero-project/bitmonero/pull/810
* DaveyJones: quotes deBRUYNE from yesterday : dEBRUYNE pages othe, NoodleDoodle, smooth, tewinget, binaryFate
<fluffypony> so then the pool code is bad, right?
<hyc> yeah, in my perspective anyway
<xmrpromotions> No comment on the code for https://github.com/monero-project/bitmonero/pull/794 but is there some way we can reach out to the family of warptangent to let them know we are very greatful for his contributions?
<smooth> i added a comment to 810
<dEBRUYNE> ^ His dad commented in the thread
<fluffypony> xmrpromotions: they're already speaking to us, and we've let them know
<dEBRUYNE> but let's stick to -dev decisions for now
<smooth> 818 i think needs review by a cryptographer before we release that feature
<fluffypony> agreed
<smooth> hyc> the pool code ought to just call getblockcount in that case <= this is incorrect as we discussed before, but not relevant to 810
<moneromooo> getinfo returns top hash.
<moneromooo> And seems fairly lightweight.
<smooth> it should check the top block hash, not height, but in any case even calling getblocktemplate 1/second isn't obvious to me would be a performance issue at all
<moneromooo> Maybe PCFiL can test. He reported high CPU use when there were like 15 txes in the pool, and calming down at ~3.
<moneromooo> Or I could test it actually, just curl that URI.
<smooth> maybe we should look at why it takes so long then. when happens when there are 500?
<hyc> fair enough, re: getinfo. still, it seems like this cache should be unnecessary
<fluffypony> we can pack a bunch of transactions into testnet's mempool to see
<smooth> next topic?
<hyc> sounds like a good plan. perf optimizations should always have before/after metrics.
<fluffypony> 811 / 812 / 813, any thoughts or objections on them?
<hyc> 811 seems pretty straightforward
<hyc> tho moneromooo mentioned that the test in question never actually gets run
<hyc> anyway, compiling unit tests is broken without it, so 811 needs to go in
<fluffypony> ok
<fluffypony> 812 seems fine too
<smooth> those all look fine, noting that the net code is a complete black box to me so i can't really have an opinion there
<fluffypony> ok - has anyone tested 815?
<moneromooo> Well, I did :)
<fluffypony> lol
<fluffypony> 816 is also pretty straightforward
<fluffypony> I'll review 817 later when I'm merging
<fluffypony> and 819 is obvious
<moneromooo> 818 won't apply once 816 is merged (duplicate -8 new error code), I'll update once this is done.
<hyc> yeah 816 looks fine
<fluffypony> I wouldn't bother yet - wait until there's been an MRL review on 818, moneromooo
<moneromooo> OK
<fluffypony> 810 I'll hold off on and let it bounce around, final decision at the next meeting if not before
<fluffypony> ok so 806, the PR that fixes issue 805 - any final thoughts on it or can I merge?
<hyc> works for me ;)
<moneromooo> Seems fine. I didn' try it though.
<hyc> it will make starting up a new wallet less painful for new users
<fluffypony> oh and then unwind, I forgot about that - moneromooo you commented today that you're going to do some more work on that, do you want to merge and then submit further PRs for improvement, or work off that PR?
<moneromooo> Leave it out for now.
<fluffypony> k
<fluffypony> so then performance
<fluffypony> are we going to merge it, or leave it for 0.10.0?
<hyc> conclusion - migrating DB schema in-place is much slower than just export/reimport from scratch
<fluffypony> hyc: yeah I know, the conversion tool was always horrendously slow by comparison
<smooth> im not sure that invalidates it
<fluffypony> but in-place migration has its place
<fluffypony> eg. when running as a service
<smooth> easy of use matters, and if advanced users want to do it faster they can use th etools
<fluffypony> agreed
<smooth> sync from scratch is an option too, if they dont care about bandwidth
<fluffypony> I guess the overriding factor here is that we suck at communicating with the end users that are running nodes
<fluffypony> the fork taught me that, at any rate, so we have to assume people won't be reading release notes
<hyc> ok. but are they going to notice that their newly restarted server isn't talking to anyone on the network for 1+ hour?
<fluffypony> I don't think they'll care if it's an unattended server
<fluffypony> we do need a way to universally respond to RPC calls with an error that explains that it's busy and this is the conversion % or something
<hyc> ok
<gingeropolous> i guess the use case to consider is shapeshift
<fluffypony> yeah
<moneromooo> RPC calls that care about this do return busy.
<moneromooo> If not, file a bug with details.
<fluffypony> moneromooo: a conversion will lock almost everything out, though?
<fluffypony> except I guess blindly broadcasting transactions
<moneromooo> Oh, nevermind.
<smooth> even then it probably has to verify them
<fluffypony> yeah so I think the entire RPC interface has to error with a status
<moneromooo> I'm guessing the RPC server will not be up yet if it's converting the db.
<hyc> yeah, the conversion is firing up from db open
<hyc> I don't think anything else is up yet
<fluffypony> ah point
<smooth> whats the problem with refusing to start until they do something with their db?
<smooth> i mean error out at startup, no conversion
<smooth> you can either delete/rename it (and therefore resync) or convert it
<fluffypony> smooth: because in background mode / windows service mode you won't know that it's dying
<smooth> you'll know its not working, there must be some way to indicate a reason
<fluffypony> so practically: I have Bitcoin and Monero on a Windows node
<smooth> maybe leave a message file behind and the cli can report the message
<moneromooo> system("xmessage "help"")
<fluffypony> and at some point the Bitcoin DB got corrupted (multiple times)
<fluffypony> I have the service set to restart on fail, and eventually restart the whole machine
<fluffypony> so it was restarting the machine every 15 minutes, and since I was only using the Monero node on it I had no idea
<gingeropolous> right, so the overarching question is monero's philosophy on un-managed nodes
<gingeropolous> (perhaps)
<hyc> if truly no one is monitoring, then the daemon can do its conversion in however many hours it takes and no one will be bothered
<hyc> if anyone is doing a health check they're gonig to wonder why it's not responding
<hyc> Aside from that I'd feel more comfortable if someone besides me has tested the current branch with migration happening
<fluffypony> I will
<hyc> we know the perf code itself, not counting the migrate bit, is working fine
<fluffypony> hyc: if I start it up with a current blockchain it'll just convert, right?
<hyc> yep
<fluffypony> ok I'll give it a spin on a few devices
<fluffypony> so then I guess the final question is whether this goes into 0.9.x or 0.10.0?
<othe> perf code itself i run on multiple nodes, from 32 bit arm to 64bit x86 - works absolutely flaweless here
<gingeropolous> peanut gallery here - makes more sense to call it 0.9.x. big number change seems appropriate for consensus mechanism changes (i.e., ringct)
<bigreddmachine> yeah i agree with gingeropolous in general… iterate the version on huge changes, subversion on consensus changes, and point on small changes that don't break consensus.
<fluffypony> gingeropolous: I don't disagree, I'm also leaning towards it being a point release
<ArticMine> Also if there is down time for the nodes during conversion a more gradual approach in 0.9.x is preferable
<bigreddmachine> that maintains the idea that all 0.9.x are compatible, and not compatible for 0.10.x
<fluffypony> well with a 0.9.x release everyone won't update at once
<hyc> well, they're compatible on the wire, at least
<bigreddmachine> and that's what matters in the long run… say 2-3 years from now there are lots of companies with various implementations and such, like in Bitcoin. a switch to 0.10.x indicates to them "get your stuff together or be left behind"
<fluffypony> yeah
<bigreddmachine> so might as well use that precedence earlier rather than later.
<fluffypony> ok I think that's it from my side - does anyone have anything they want to ask / add / discuss?
<smooth> i think anything with a conversion process like that should be branded as a major/semi-major upgrade, especially since you can't easily downgrade
<dEBRUYNE> perhaps a bit about ring CT? Though hyc kind of already said something about that before the discussion
<dEBRUYNE> more specifically -> <hyc> sounds good. looking at NobleSir's DB schema, doesn't seem like there's much new needed on the DB side of things
<fluffypony> smooth: can definitely make that clear in the release
<dEBRUYNE> oh and fluffypony, perhaps a bit about the 0MQ stuff as well?
<fluffypony> hyc is better suited to update us on RingCT
<smooth> 0mq is kind of a big issue i think, maybe leave for the next meeting
<xmrpromotions> Is omq the only/primary reason why work is still being done on master instead of dev branch?
<smooth> thats part of the whole issue of how the repo is organized and the workflow
<fluffypony> yeah I think that's a discussion we can have at the next meeting
<hyc> sorry I've got very little intelligent to say about ringct
<hyc> i've compiled the code and run the test successfully
<hyc> but I don't really think i'm in position to merge it, don't understand the pieces
<moneromooo> I'm better acquainted with monero in general, though less with the db side.
<moneromooo> And IANAC.
<fluffypony> you are not a cat?
<fluffypony> obviously, you're a moo!
<moneromooo> That is true.
<moneromooo> Maybe we can get riddick on the job.
<fluffypony> that's riddick-ulous
<moneromooo> OK then. No cats.
<moneromooo> Thing is, I'm wary of starting a large piece of work these days, as I don't have as much free time as I used to.
<dEBRUYNE_> hyc, moneromooo: Perhaps the two of you could collaborate with NobleSir on it
<bigreddmachine> Once the meeting is adjourned, can i hijack everyone/someone's attention for 2 mins to ask a question? it's not an official dev question, but still related i guess.
<othe> just throw it out
<xmrpromotions> can I ask about multi sig? Am I right that ring ct will be a prerequisit for it? I ask because it sounds like it will be needed for bitsquare (at least to be used as intended)
<othe> no ringct is no prerequesite for multis |
ya maxinyabutt: want this case hardened its a really coolpattern maxinyabutt: ill throw in another thing for fade it'sBoo:? what is it maxinyabutt: p90 maxinyabutt: cmon its a good trade bro it'sBoo: No its not it'sBoo: low maxinyabutt: i just wanna see some difrent knifes ya it is maxinyabutt: k what else u want it'sBoo: Keys maxinyabutt: y bro just treade this it'sBoo: No maxinyabutt: y not its all blue it'sBoo: So maxinyabutt: its raaare it'sBoo: Not worth as much as mine maxinyabutt: yes it is in trading i just want a gut u could get a karambit for al blue maxinyabutt: u know maxinyabutt: hello?? it'sBoo: Nope maxinyabutt: cmon yes it'sBoo: not worth nearly as much maxinyabutt: yes it is u ca get karambit for it it'sBoo: Really? it'sBoo: Then why dont you get one. it'sBoo: You said you wanted other knives it'sBoo: Get a karambit, come back, and ill trade you. maxinyabutt: cause i want other gut knifes my fav maxinyabutt: no m,an too much hassle ill get gut fade from someone who appriciates al blue it'sBoo: Okay it'sBoo: See ya maxinyabutt: wait it'sBoo: what maxinyabutt: let me see that u even have the fade maxinyabutt: now press ready it'sBoo: Why? maxinyabutt: with the fade in it'sBoo: Why? maxinyabutt: press ready with the fade in its a dup glitch it'sBoo: Really? maxinyabutt: ya it'sBoo: Whoa do it with your case hardened first I dont beleive you maxinyabutt: ill give u case for free if u dup it it'sBoo: Do yours fuirst maxinyabutt: no i have to use a coded it'sBoo:? maxinyabutt: just do it ima dup it it'sBoo: Nah you first it'sBoo: It work? maxinyabutt: ya now do it with fade it'sBoo: How? maxinyabutt: you will se try it it'sBoo: let me test it! it'sBoo: Didnt work halp? maxinyabutt: ya now with fade maxinyabutt: hahah cya dude it'sBoo: Cya scammer maxinyabutt is now Offline.“Barroso and his commissioners seem to have fallen for the old-think industry spin that there must be a trade-off between climate action and economic recovery,” Brook Riley, the group’s climate and energy campaigner, said in a statement. “This position completely ignores the huge financial cost of dealing with the impacts of climate change and the 500 billion euros the E.U. is spending every year on oil and gas imports.”
The British government, a frequent critic of what it sees as moves by the European Union that inhibit economic performance, welcomed the proposals. It singled out for praise the scrapping of national targets for renewable energy in favor of an overall goal of producing 27 percent of Europe’s energy from renewables by 2030, an approach that will leave countries battling among themselves over who should do more.
“If you set rigid, inflexible targets, that is likely to result in greater costs,” said Edward Davey, Britain’s secretary of state for energy and climate change. “We believe our existing approach will enable us to meet these objectives without having to take more action, but we believe other countries will have to take more action.”
Before Wednesday’s announcement, business groups lobbied hard against more stringent targets that they worried could endanger Europe’s still very feeble economic recovery and slow the job creation needed to bring down an overall unemployment rate of nearly 11 percent.
In a letter sent to the European Commission this month, 14 executives at large companies called for “one single, realistic target” and warned that “the high-cost of noncompetitive technologies to decarbonise the power sector” will strain businesses already hit by Europe’s high energy prices, particularly for electricity, which costs twice what it does in the United States.
Ms. Hedegaard on Wednesday acknowledged that Europe needed to bring down its energy prices but said that the shift to renewable sources played a “negligible” part in the problem. But she also took a swipe at what she suggested were unrealistic demands by environmental activists, noting that “we are trying to do something that is achievable, that is doable and practical for 28 governments to back.”
Greenpeace has called for a 55 percent cut in carbon emissions by 2030, and activists argue that Europe could and should have gone further than the 40 percent carbon emissions proposal because the bloc is already well on track to meet existing objectives.Contains spoilers for the season five finale of Game of Thrones
When Game of Thrones has Cersei Lannister take a naked walk of penance after her imprisonment at the Sept—an act that actress Lena Headey has said is so humiliating that nobody would ever deserve it—part of the point is that she’s all alone. In a crowd of the clothed masses, she is naked. A ringing bell draws attention to her plight. She leaves a single trail of bloody footprints. But, despite all that, she’s not actually alone: Cersei is part of a long history of medieval “walk of shame” participants.
George R.R. Martin has cited one particular such walk as an inspiration for what happens to Cersei: Jane Shore, a mistress of King Edward IV of England, who did her penance in 1483. Edward had fallen and Richard III—against whose rise she had conspired—took the throne that year. Though Richard’s reasons for hating her were largely political, her punishments were tied to her harlotry. So, as would have been a common punishment for adultery, she was made to walk through the city in her undergarments, with bare feet.
But, though there’s an obvious link between Jane Shore and Cersei, the history goes back even deeper, according to Larissa Tracy, author of Torture and Brutality in Medieval Literature. “[Jane Shore] wasn’t naked,” Tracy points out. “The naked part is very specific to adultery.”
In particular, Tracy points to the customary laws of 13th- and 14th-century France, a time and place in which that kind of public shaming was a prominent punishment. Though conviction for adultery had tough standards—the couple had to be caught in the act—the naked walk of shame that followed such a conviction could pretty much ruin a person’s life. The punishment was often for the woman alone, Tracy adds, though in rarer cases the man involved could also have to do public penance as well. In some accounts, trumpets are used to herald the passing of the penitent, so that everyone in the town would come out to see. “The goal is to create a lasting stigma,” she explains. “In the middle ages, your legal standing was largely determined by your reputation and by your social standing in the community.”
Because of legal reliance on the concept of fama—Latin for fame, or reputation—a person’s status in the community could be permanently shaped by past sins. Only a person who was already of ill fame, for example, could be subjected to torture in order to force a confession. (Torture is another link between King’s Landing and Old France: starting in 1215, when the Church moved away from the concept of trial by ordeal, torture was often used in France to elicit the kind of confession that Cersei makes to the High Sparrow.)
“The whole point is that everybody would know,” Tracy says. “That would taint their reputation for the rest of their lives.”
Another historical-mythological parallel can be seen in the literature of Guinevere and Lancelot. Though many people with casual knowledge of Arthurian legend think of Guinevere and Lancelot as romantic heroes, Guinevere was already married to King Arthur when she fell for the knight. Throughout the many iterations of the legend her reputation varies, and though their love is sometimes chaste there are also versions from as early as the 12th century in which her adultery becomes a key part of her story. In a number of tellings, she’s accused of adultery and has to publicly atone for it. (And it’s not just the humiliation that ties Guinevere to Cersei: remember that the cousin with whom Cersei committed adultery, the affair for which the punishment is being inflicted, is named Lancel.) In some cases, she’s actually condemned to being burned at the stake, only to be rescued at the last minute. The reason for that even harsher punishment for Guinevere is one worth keeping in mind of Game of Thrones fans, as Tracy points out: “When the Queen commits adultery, it’s treason.”
Cersei has yet to stand trial. If it doesn’t go well, the city and the High Sparrow seem unlikely to overlook the fact that her incestuous affair with Lancel was also a treasonous act against the King—and, if that happens, she could be looking at a punishment that makes a walk of shame look like a walk in the park.
See Photos from Game of Thrones Season 5 Macall B. Polay—HBO Helen Sloan—HBO Helen Sloan—HBO Helen Sloan—HBO Helen Sloan—HBO Macall B. Polay—HBO Helen Sloan—HBO Helen Sloan—HBO Helen Sloan—HBO Macall B. Polay—HBO Helen Sloan—HBO Helen Sloan—HBO Helen Sloan—HBO Macall B. Polay—HBO Helen Sloan—HBO Helen Sloan—HBO Macall B. Polay—HBO Macall B. Polay—HBO Helen Sloan—HBO Helen Sloan—HBO Macall B. Polay—HBO Helen Sloan—HBO Helen Sloan—HBO Macall B. Polay—HBO Macall B. Polay—HBO 1 of 25 Advertisement
Write to Lily Rothman at lily.rothman@time.com.BOLOGNA, ITALY--(Marketwire - Aug. 23, 2011) - Tonino Lamborghini s.r.l., an Italy-based company which is the sole lawful owner worldwide of the trademark "Tonino Lamborghini" hereunder
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wishes to inform its customers that unauthorized people are currently trading online and through Globe stores a "4G Tatto Tonino Lamborghini" broadband stick which is a counterfeited product.
Tonino Lamborghini s.r.l. has never manufactured or authorized anyone to manufacture such a product which constitutes therefore a serious trademark infringement.
Moreover the advertising campaign "Feed your need for speed" featuring Marlon Stockinger, first Filipino to win a formula race in Europe, is deceitful and unlawful since it leads to a serious likelihood of confusion between two different and separate brands and businesses that is to say "Tonino Lamborghini" and "Automobili Lamborghini".
Tonino Lamborghini s.r.l. shall take any legal action to protect the brand.
Yours faithfully,T-Mobile has attracted its fair share of big-name talent when it comes to the advertising it does for its wireless network. Drake, Snoop Dogg, Martha Stewart, Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande are just some of the stars who have shown up in recent ads.
Could another notable personality (OK, that includes CEO John Legere) be coming to Seattle this week to film a new commercial for the Bellevue, Wash.-based carrier?
A “filming notice” sent out by Vossler, a production company that has worked on previous ads for the company, is letting neighbors around the Pioneer Square neighborhood know that a crew will be working down there this Friday.
Exterior scenes will be filmed from approximately 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. in Occidental Mall between South Main and South Jackson streets, with a “main actor” walking through a crowd of extras. Interior scenes will also be shot at what the notice calls “a private business” at 111 S. Jackson St., from around 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
That address is home to Galvanize, the 71,000-square-foot tech startup campus that occupies an entire building.
The notice thanks neighbors, on behalf of cast and crew, for the opportunity to film in the neighborhood and asks for patience as pedestrians may need to reroute or stay put briefly during a shot on set. Parking will also be restricted in some parts of the area.From a cardboard sign on the cold pavement to a multi-screened computer in a glistening digital workspace: Xingyi Yan’s Great Depression-like bid to catch on in the 21st-century job market has paid off. The University of Toronto graduate hit the streets in December clutching a large, white placard, selling herself as an eager candidate for a job in the advertising and marketing industry.
Xingyi Yan laughs while posing for a photograph with Joseph McConnellogue, the managing director of Reprise Media. Xingyi Yan, the U of T grad so keen to get an advertising or marketing job that she took to the streets for weeks handing out resumes and candy with her big white placard, has successfully landed a gig at Reprise Media. ( Carlos Osorio / Toronto Star ) Xingyi Yan is shown in December with her placard as she took to the street in a bid to land a job in advertising or marketing. She has now successfully landed a job with Reprise Media. ( Marta Iwanek / Toronto Star )
This week, just over a month later, Yan landed a gig as a search analyst at Reprise Media, a youthfully staffed agency with offices around the world that helps big companies feature more prominently online through search engines. “I feel fabulous,” Yan said in an interview with the Star at her new office, a slick modern space with black-and-white cityscape photographs papered on the walls and conference rooms named after Toronto neighbourhoods. It was her third day on the job, which also happened to be her 22nd birthday. “I’m more excited to work now, instead of being worried,” she said. “My dream was to work at an ad agency like this... This company believes in my potential.
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“It’s a happy ending.” Yan’s drive to find gainful employment in Toronto began last fall, after she finished her undergraduate degree in commerce earlier in the year. She said she had fired off hundreds of job applications but wasn’t getting any bites. To make the stakes even higher, Yan was an out-of-country student from Shenyang, China, who fell in love with Toronto during her years at school. With a three-year work permit in hand, she wanted a job that would allow her to stay in Canada and apply for permanent residency. By December she made her big play, bought a large whiteboard, bag of candy canes and wrote: “U of T GRAD FOR HIRE... TAKE MY RESUMÉ & GET A FREE XMAS GIFT.” After seven days straight on the frigid winter streets, with skeptics brushing her off and friendly strangers bringing her warm drinks, the job offers started to roll in. She had 14 interviews in the span of a few weeks, before three people from Reprise Media reached out to her online. She went for her 15th interview on Jan. 19.
That’s when she met Joseph McConellogue. “As soon as we met her, we could feel the energy,” recalled McConellogue, Reprise Media’s managing director. He said he was convinced Yan was the real deal when she went through a Power Point presentation about her street-sign job search gambit.
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“We were very impressed with her initiative and her resourcefulness,” McConellogue said. “She took things into her own hands, took a very different approach to finding a job. You don’t see that in a lot of people.” Usually, McConellogue explained, his company takes its “sweet, sweet time” making hiring decisions, but this was enough to convince them to bring Yan on board as quickly as possible, especially since her old-school job hunt had brought her a lot of attention. “I knew right away we need to get moving on this. I need to go to HR and get this offer going right away,” he said. Yan hopes her story of landing an entry-level job in the field of her dreams will encourage others not to give up, especially if their job hunt seems hopeless. “You can make it happen,” she says with a smile, “even if you have to do something a little... unconventional.”Note: Videos may contain authoring issues that have been fixed, and are for preview purposes only. Video recording courtesy of Lowlander.
C3 releases for November 28, 2014:
New! Music of Scotland C02 5-pack
Belle and Sebastian – “Stay Loose” X (Nyxyxylyth)
(Nyxyxylyth) The Fratellis – “Chelsea Dagger” (GreenPanda12 and espher)
(GreenPanda12 and espher) Gerry Rafferty – “Baker Street” (DVDSmith)
(DVDSmith) The Proclaimers – “I’m On My Way” (DVDSmith)
(DVDSmith) Rod Stewart – “Have I Told You Lately” (farottone)
New! Singles
Blink-182 – “Fuck a Dog” M (Pearlized Pistol)
(Pearlized Pistol) Gigakoops – “The Closing of Chaos” M 2x (Gigakoops)
A red X denotes Pro Guitar/Pro Bass charts, a blue M denotes full multitracks, a blue K denotes a “karaoke” multitrack (separated vocals), and a rusty 2x denotes that a 2x Bass Pedal version is also available. FtV denotes a song previously released by a C3 author outside of C3.
Time marches ever forward, and St. Andrew’s Day — the celebration of the patron saint of Scotland — is coming up once again. Bust out your blue and white, alongside any number of Scottish stereotypes that I could mention, and get ready to add some more top-notch Scottish artists to your Rock Band library!
Authors’ comments for this week’s songs:
“Baker Street” – DVDSmith says, “A 1970’s classic featuring one of the most iconic saxophone riffs of all time. This was Gerry Rafferty’s second hit single after ‘Stuck in the Middle With You’, released with his old band Stealers Wheel (and featured in our first Scotland pack last year).”
“I’m On My Way” – DVDSmith says, “Arguably the Proclaimers’ second-most popular hit after 500 Miles. Most famously featured in the first Shrek film.”
See you next Friday!
New! Music of Scotland C02 5-pack
New! Singles
Download 2x Bass Pedal version
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Three-time Emmy winner Brad Garrett will put his recognizable baritone to good use as the voice of Eeyore in Disney’s CHRISTOPHER ROBIN, which is also bringing back Jim Cummings as the voice of Winnie the Pooh, the Tracking Board has confirmed.
Marc Forster (Finding Neverland) is directing the live-action movie, which stars Ewan McGregor as the title character, the little boy from the “Winnie the Pooh” series who’s now all grown up and has lost his sense of imagination. Thankfully, Pooh and his friends re-enter Robin’s life to help him find it once again.
Hayley Atwell will play McGregor’s wife, while Bronte Carmichael (On Chesil Beach) will play their young daughter. In other news, Mark Gatiss, who plays Mycroft Holmes on the hit BBC series Sherlock, will play McGregor’s boss, who keeps him working long hours that take a toll on his family.
Brigham Taylor is producing the movie, which was written by Hidden Figures scribe Allison Schroeder. Disney has yet to cast the roles of Tigger and Piglet, but expect those to drop soon.
Best known for his lovable turn on the long-running sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, Garrett is no stranger to Disney, having voiced characters in A Bug’s Life, Finding Nemo, Ratatoiuille, Finding Dory, Tangled, Planes and The Country Bears, as well as numerous direct-to-video titles. On the live-action side, he recently appeared on NBC’s This Is Us and FX’s Fargo, and he also just wrapped the CBS pilot The Get with Amy Brenneman. He’s represented by UTA, Management 360 and attorney Michael Gendler.
Gatiss recently wrapped Yorgos Lanthimos’ next film The Favourite with Emma Stone, and he’ll soon return to Doctor Who. His recent feature credits include Denial and Our Kind of Traitor. He’s repped by Curtis Brown Group.
Cummings has been voicing Winnie the Pooh since the ’80s, with a few exceptions here and there. He’s repped by Atlas Talent Agency.
The Christopher Robin news was first reported by The Hashtag Show.
Jeff Sneider | Editor in ChiefEngineers Hone Clean-Energy Stoves For The World
Enlarge this image toggle caption Martin Kaste/NPR Martin Kaste/NPR
Almost half the world still cooks its food with solid fuels, such as wood and charcoal.
The results are deforestation and black carbon, which contributes to global warming. And smoke-related disease kills an estimated 1.6 million people a year.
In war zones, the daily hunt for firewood can present families with terrible dilemmas, says Veronique Barbelet of the World Food Programme.
"You hear women in northern Uganda and places like that telling you, 'My choice is between going out there and collecting firewood and being raped, or for my husband to go out and get killed, and I would rather go and get raped,' " she says.
For these and other reasons, the World Food Programme has turned to a small nonprofit organization called Aprovecho.
In a rustic research center near the railroad tracks in Cottage Grove, Ore., Aprovecho builds stoves that use minimal amounts of wood, don't release much smoke — and are cheap enough for the Third World.
'We Don't Know How Fire Works'
Making the stoves is no simple task, says Damon Ogle, a retired mining engineer. He helped build a new large stove that the World Food Programme plans to deploy in refugee camps and schools in Africa.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Martin Kaste/NPR Martin Kaste/NPR
"Our ancestors have been making fires for probably 400,000 years," Ogle says. "And we still don't know how fire works."
But Ogle knows more than most. The stove he helped build can cook rice for 20 people with two fistfuls of sticks — up to 90 percent less wood than required by a traditional cooking fire.
"Rocket science is very simple and straightforward compared to what's going on in your fireplace or inside one of these wood-burning stoves," he says.
The stove is made from a steel 55-gallon drum, but that belies the precision engineering of what's inside. A well-insulated combustion chamber made out of a special steel alloy concentrates the fire of just a few sticks of wood. The combustion is more complete than what you'd get in an open fire, burning the particles that usually become smoke. The hot gases are directed around the cookpot. As the water boils, the stove's metal skin and stovepipe barely get warm, an indication of how little heat is wasted.
The 'Rocket Stove'
Aprovecho's stoves weren't always this good. In the late '70s, the group was active in Central America — aprovecho is Spanish for "I make use of." The group taught locals to build a solid-looking clay cookstove dubbed "the Lorena."
Only later did the group discover that the stove's clay walls absorbed much of the fire's heat and actually increased the consumption of wood.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Martin Kaste/NPR Martin Kaste/NPR
The effort was rescued in 1982 by Larry Winiarski, who has a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering. He had recently lost his wife in a traffic accident, and had quit his job with the EPA to stay home in Oregon and raise his kids. But he still wanted to make a contribution.
"I made this deal with the Lord, so to speak. I said, 'I'm going to do what's right,' " Winiarski says. "I discovered Aprovecho, and they had a reputation for doing stoves around the world. And I thought, 'Gosh, I could contribute something there.' "
He certainly could. The "rocket stove" Winiarski invented in the 1980s is the prototype for Aprovecho's current crop of clean, efficient stoves, and his 10 principles have become the catechism for good stove design around the world.
"Aprovecho has been a real and fantastic leader in this field for some time," says Jacob Moss, who runs the U.S. cookstove initiative at the State Department. Besides inventing the rocket stove, Aprovecho has advanced the science of testing stove emissions and efficiency. It may be a group of aging hippies in rural Oregon, but Moss says Aprovecho gets things done.
"Their approach to things is they want to help the world, they're not making any money doing it, and they want to do things rigorously," Moss says.
An Expanding Movement
In the past few years, the movement for clean cookstoves has expanded, fueled in part by concern over global warming. Oil companies are funding stove programs, and last fall the State Department and the U.N. Foundation launched a public-private partnership called the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves.
As the movement expands, there's been a divergence in philosophies about how to get the job done. Aprovecho comes out of an older school of thought that sees stoves as a means to create local industries: If you teach people how to make the stoves, goes this thinking, you can clean the air and create jobs.
But others say it's time to shift gears.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Martin Kaste/NPR Martin Kaste/NPR
"There have been thousands of stoves programs; I'm familiar with hundreds of them," says Bryan Willson, a professor of mechanical engineering at Colorado State University. "And it's hard to identify programs that have been successful."
Willson says it's time to bring 21st century capitalism to bear.
"There's a global need for 500 or 600 million cookstoves," he says. "And nobody is willing to write a big enough check to donate our way to that solution. So we really need to be able to develop products that people will want to buy."
He helped start a company called Envirofit, which mass-produces slick-looking rocket stoves in China for export to places such as rural India.
Aprovecho doesn't oppose this approach; in fact, it has its own spinoff company, StoveTec, which also makes consumer versions of the rocket stove in China. But Aprovecho keeps its distance from the business side of things.
Executive director Dean Still says he has qualms about identifying himself with a particular brand or model of stove.
"It's the opposite of what we really believe in," he says.
Still wants Aprovecho's designs and testing methods to be like open source software, meant to be shared and improved by anybody who takes an interest. He's not even comfortable with the idea of entering a stove-design competition, such as the forthcoming clean-stove challenge organized by the X Prize Foundation.
"People think it's a great idea to have a prize, but it just makes you selfish," he says. "You're not as likely to share information if you think you can win a million dollars by keeping it to yourself."
In the end, Still says, Aprovecho will enter a stove in the X Prize competition. But he says he and his colleagues don't need the incentive of a cash prize to keep doing what they've been doing since the 1980s: obsessively tweaking and redesigning their stoves to squeeze ever more energy, ever more cleanly, out of wood.The last time Britain held a ‘Crisis Election’, Ted Heath asked the question ‘Who Governs?’ The perceived wisdom, is that the electorate said ‘Not you!’, but the answer was actually ‘None of you!’. I have written about that campaign in What happened the last time the Tories called a snap election? They lost
But after the shock result on Thursday, Theresa May will look to lead a minority government, just like Labour did in February 1974. Back then, it meandered on for 7 months, before Wilson put it out of its misery, and called another election for October. In doing so, he brought an end to the shortest parliament since 1681.
The issues facing Theresa May, are undeniably similar to those that faced Wilson; a divided party on Europe, heading into a brutal renegotiation, rising inflation, declining living standards and the biggest economic task the country has faced since the war. And If 1974 is anything to go by, the Tories are going to be in for a tortuous 7 months.
I Got It Wrong
During the February 1974 campaign, Heath’s Conservatives had led in every opinion poll. But as the Liberal vote surged, both main parties took an electoral hit. Heath, having called the election to gain a stronger mandate for his negotiations with the unions, had lost. The final result was Labour 301 seats, the Tories 297 and the Liberals 14.
On election night, Heath, with a single tear rolling down his cheek, confided in his aide Lord Aldington ‘I got it wrong’. But he had still won the most votes, and was determined to cling on, citing the national interest. The convention was, and still is, that as incumbent, Heath would have the first attempt to pass a Queens speech through parliament.
For the next four days, Heath sought to do a deal with the Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe and invited him to Westminster for secret talks. In a show of theatrics, Thorpe pretended to journalists who were surrounding his house, that he was going for a walk. He then crossed the muddy fields to a nearby farm, picked up his briefcase and a car, before slipping on to a train, headed for London. Thorpe had visions of becoming Home Secretary in a formal coalition, but knew his party had little time for Ted Heath’s politics.
For Labour, Harold Wilson waited patiently, remaining in his country residence, only sgoing outside to pose with his dog for the photographers. James Callaghan chaired a meeting of Labour’s NEC and had agreed to wait patiently for the Tories to fail in forming a government, before putting their own case to the country.
As expected, Heath’s coalition talks broke down, after Thorpe’s request for a deal on electoral reform within the first 6 months of coalition was rejected. Heath knew that he would not be able to get the issue past his own backbenches. A disappointed Thorpe told the journalists outside Number 10, ‘He has offered us nothing’
Who Governs?
On the 4th March 1974, Wilson entered Number 10 as PM for the 3rd time. He stood on the steps and told reporters;
‘We’ve got a job to do. We can only do that job as one people. And I am going to do that job right now’.
Commentators have later argued that no post-war Prime Minister has taken office in as difficult circumstances as the ones Wilson faced. The miners were still on strike, the three day week and state of emergency were enforced and inflation had hit 30%.
Wilson himself, shocked by his victory, had promised to conduct himself differently this time. He planned a ‘less frenetic, less personalised style’ and he told his advisers that there would be ‘no presidential nonsense’. Using one of his favoured footballing analogies, he claimed he would become the ‘Sweeper’ rather than a ‘Striker’ thereby allowing ministers to run their own departments without his meddling.
Though Labour proceeded with a Queen’s Speech, outlining a programme for a full Parliament, Wilson had already begun preparation for a second election. He had ruled out a deal with the Liberals and intended to govern as if he had a big majority, hoping to entice the opposition to stifle their progress.
On the 7th of March, Wilson took immediate action and within the first few days the miners’ strike was settled and the state of emergency came to an end. There was an immediate freeze on all rents, whilst Wilson promised the unions’ pension increases, price controls and food subsidies to help the workers. He then dared the other parties to vote down his Queens Speech, warning them that there would be serious repercussions ‘If Parliament denies Labour, a fair chance to get the country back on the road to recovery and strength’
Heath knew that opposition to it would backfire on him. The opinion polls had already moved decisively in Labour’s favour, and after Michael Foot promised to keep Heath’s Stage 3 of the ‘Prices and Incomes’ policy, the Tories had no option but to support the bill. Interestingly, Wilson believed that had been defeated, the Queen would have refused another dissolution, creating a major constitutional crisis.
Nevertheless, Wilson pondered an early summer election, as fears grew about the ensuing economic problems. Unlike Theresa May, Wilson knew that if there had been no obstruction in Parliament, he could not take a credible case to the country for a second election within three months.
Slumpflation
As Labour formed a a minority administration, they faced the gravest economic situation since the great depression. Denis Healey was given the keys to the Treasury, against a backdrop of rising inflation and increased unemployment. The Economist gave the economy the label ‘Slumpflation’ and with inflation running at 30%, most economic experts believed Britain was on the edge of bankruptcy.
As he entered No 11, he addressed an exhausted and depressed Nation with a candid honesty which is often missing from today’s political discourse:
‘You’d be surprised how many people have said to me, since i became chancellor, that i wouldn’t have your job for a million pounds. Why on earth would you want to be chancellor of the exchequer, at a time like this? Well, i see what they mean. This certainly isn’t a time, when any chancellor can win easy applause and still do his duty for the country’
As he prepared to deliver the most important budget in Britain’s recent economic history, Healey had one eye on the planned autumn election, wary that Labour’s position in the commons was on a knife edge. He later admitted that his main aim, was not to settle the financial markets and prevent a run on the pound.
The economic situation became more alarming, as the balance of payments deficit reached £1.75bn – an all time high. Healey quickly put together his first budget as and issued a sombre warning about inflation. He orchestrated a rise in income tax and corporation tax – the latter increased to 52%. He finished by stating ‘it is a budget designed to make Britain a fairer place to live in’.
Most Labour MPs welcomed the budget, except for Dennis Skinner, who walked out of the Commons upon hearing that the introduction of a wealth tax had been ditched. In a sign of the times, two Tory MPs wore Chairman Mao outfits to attack Healey, who,they argued, was the first British chancellor to have been a member of the Communist party. Opposition to the bill was led by Margaret Thatcher, whose impressive performance aided her in the subsequent Tory leadership contest.
No Deal Is Better Than A Bad Deal
Europe would provide another stern test of Wilson’s party management. Although Heath had taken the country into the EEC in 1973, Labour had rejected the terms of entry, and subsequently developed its own conditions for membership.
Wilson had committed the party to ‘a fundamental renegotiation of the terms of entry’ and to that outcome ‘being submitted to the British people for final decisions’. This pledge, had led to Enoch Powell publicly supporting the policy – and Labour piled on votes in the Midlands as a result of his endorsement.
The only issue was, the Europeans were in no mood to renegotiate the terms of the ‘Treaty of Rome’ as Wilson had promised the electorate. The Foreign Secretary James Callaghan then angered the Europeans by delivering an aggressive speech, to the commons on April 1st, signalling the opening of the re-negotiations.
It had been his intention to signal that ‘Britain means business’. But Callaghan threatened that if no substantial deal was forthcoming, then the government would have no option but to recommend Britain’s exit from the EEC, before putting it to the people in a referendum.
He outlined Labour’s position on the current deal, taking issue with the ‘Common Agricultural Policy’ and the ‘Community Budget’. He demanded that Britain be given dispensation to continue special trading relationships with Commonwealth countries. In Europe however, there was little prospect of meaningful discussion, particularity with the ongoing prospect of a change of government within months.
This stagnation, heightened the tensions within the cabinet as Labour’s position softened on EEC membership. Wilson had managed to fill his cabinet with a mix of pro and anti common-marketeers. People such as Benn, Foot, Castle and Shore were anti, while Jenkins, Williams and Callaghan were increasingly pro. But the gap was beginning to widen, as civil servants outlined to Callaghan the costs to the British economy of a withdrawal.
On the other side key ‘Brexiters’ such as Benn took the opposite view – arguing for a siege economy. They believed that any re-negotiation would not be passed by the unions and party members at conference. To settle the issue the NEC agreed to call a two day conference, whereby the merits of a referendum and Labour’s official stance would be decided.
Opposition
The Conservatives were not willing to risk confrontation with the government until the summer period. On June 20th, when allocated a Supply Day, where the opposition can choose a subject for debate, they tackled ‘Labour’s Plans for Industry’. This was seen as an outright rejection of the Bennite policies on planning agreements and the National Enterprise Board – a key manifesto commitment.
When the government was defeated by 11 votes, Heath called on Wilson to ditch the strategy completely. In response Wilson told the House
‘The RT Hon Gentleman can be fully assured that we shall consider all the implications following what he has succeeded in doing today, and that in due course we shall make our decision known’
No one could be in any doubt, that Wilson was preparing for an autumn election. From the 19 June to 30 July, Wilson suffered seventeen defeats. This included the Finance Bill (defeated five times |
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The winner
Co-founded by Pratyusha Pareddy, an experienced Industrial designer, Nemo Care has developed an infant monitoring system, which tracks vital parameters for early detection of Apnea and Hypothermia and is aimed at curbing infant mortality. The system comprises a small wearable on the baby’s feet (consisting of a proprietary sensor array and a smart camera that works together) along with video and audio monitoring. This helps track a baby's health efficiently. The system works as an intelligent platform that provides accurate and insightful notifications to parents on their mobile devices.
Nemo Care aims to bring sophisticated hospital grade monitoring systems into homes in a very easy-to use, baby friendly form.
Winner Pratyusha Pareddy, Co-founder, Nemo Care.
After winning the competition, an excited Pratyusha spoke to YourStory and shared her experience at Start TLC 2017.
“I am exhilarated. It was a great learning experience, being mentored by TiE. I am very excited that I will travelling to Tel Aviv to learn more. It will be a great platform for us to showcase Nemo Care,” she said.
At the Start TLV ‘boost camp’, Pratyusha will join local Israeli entrepreneurs and participate in lectures, workshops, and meetings with leading Israeli and international investors and professionals.
Finalists of Start TLV 2017
Five finalists from across India pitched their startups – both the technology and its social impact – to a powerful jury comprising investors, mentors and industry experts. The women entrepreneurs unravelled their journeys, highlighting the role of their startups in transforming society.
Nemo Care: An infant health monitoring system that tracks a baby’s vital health parameters and helps parents stay abreast of their infants’ health.
Agatsa: It is a cardiac care platform that features a pocket-sized cardiac device and an app – SanketLife. Co-founded by Neha Rastogi, Sanket is the world’s smallest 12 lead ECG monitor which allows users to track ECG accurately and have a healthy heart.
It is a cardiac care platform that features a pocket-sized cardiac device and an app – SanketLife. Co-founded by Neha Rastogi, Sanket is the world’s smallest 12 lead ECG monitor which allows users to track ECG accurately and have a healthy heart. Innovision: Started by IITian Surabhi Srivastava, Innovision’s flagship product is BrailleMe, an economical device that providesthe visually impaired access to the digital world through the internet. The device allows users to write in Braille, and converts it into digital text and vice versa.
Started by IITian Surabhi Srivastava, Innovision’s flagship product is BrailleMe, an economical device that providesthe visually impaired access to the digital world through the internet. The device allows users to write in Braille, and converts it into digital text and vice versa. Artelus: Artelus (Arificial Learning Systems) is aimed at supplementing human expertise with machines using artificial intelligence. Co-founded by Raja Rajeshwari, the platform enables healthcare professionals to service an ever increasing patient load with accurate diagnosis and preventative care.
Artelus (Arificial Learning Systems) is aimed at supplementing human expertise with machines using artificial intelligence. Co-founded by Raja Rajeshwari, the platform enables healthcare professionals to service an ever increasing patient load with accurate diagnosis and preventative care. Inclov: Formerly known as Wanted Umbrella, Inclov was founded by 24-year-old Kalyani Khona in 2014 as a matchmaking agency for people with disabilities. The platform launched a 100-percent accessible and inclusive app for the differently abled community and even for those without disabilities in 2015. Currently, the app has over 10,000 users and has played cupid to around 5,000 matches
Last year, Mausumi Acharyya of Advenio, which specialises in low-cost healthcare, and Komal Talwar of XLPAT Labs, which caters to online patent search and analysis, were the two women Indian entrepreneurs who participated in Israel's Start Tel Aviv workshop.The government's decision yesterday to not appeal against the Bombay High Court's order favouring Vodafone in a transfer pricing case is a landmark one.
The case pertains to a Rs 3,200 crore notice slapped on Vodafone by the tax department alleging that the company had under-priced the shares of its Indian subsidiary when transferring them to its parent in 2009-10.
Transfer pricing norms stipulate that when assets are transferred between group companies in different geographies, the pricing should be done at an arm's length. In other words, the prices should be determined as if the asset transfer is happening between two unrelated entities. The tax department was of the view that Vodafone has violated this norm by underpricing the shares.
The company had moved the Bombay High Court against the tax notice. The court on 10 October ruled in favour of the company saying "there is no taxable income on share premium received on the issue of shares".
Yesterday, the government decided not to appeal against the high court order. Announcing the decision, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the government's decision was aimed at avoiding fruitless litigations and convey a clear and positive message to investors globally that it would be "fair, transparent and within the four corners of law".
The decision to not file an appeal in the Vodafone case was taken at the highest level following advice by Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi. Rohatgi had advised the income department to accept the judgement of the Bombay High Court in the Vodafone case, a PTI report said.
The government's decision has been hailed by the investors and tax experts. The move is seen calming the frayed nerves of other multinational companies which are facing similar transfer pricing litigations.
Vodafone Counsel Anuradha Dutt has said the Cabinet’s decision is a positive move and will certainly help boost investment, according to a report on Moneycontrol. She was of the opinion that the Cabinet’s view could weaken the taxman’s argument in other transfer pricing cases.
Senior advocate Harish Salve also echoed the sentiment.
“I hope a larger message goes through to the tax department that their attempts to attack foreign companies as though they have some trophies to be won is not now being appreciated by the administration,” Salve was quoted as saying in the report.
Hailing the huge change in the government's approach, Vijay Iyer, national leader transfer pricing at Ernst and Young has told Mint newspaper, "Investors would feel more assured that absurd adjustments would be not be encouraged by the government."
That is exactly the government intention.
What would be more heartening for investors will be the fact that the decision marks a break from the UPA's legacy of indecision and policy paralysis.
This is also part of the NDA government's attempt to do away with all policy issues that rendered doing business in India difficult during the 10 years of the UPA regime.
Moreover, it also shows the determination of the Narendra Modi government to walk the talk. In the run up to the elections, BJP leaders had promised to end the "tax terrorism" that resulted in much heartburn among the international investors. This included transfer pricing notices slapped on over a dozen multinational companies, including Vodafone, HSBC, Standard Chartered, Shell, and also the retrospective tax amendment aimed at taxing asset transfer with retrospective effect. (A Rs 13,000 crore retrospective tax notice on Vodafone is under arbitration now.)
Only two days back had Modi promised the US investors that he will usher in a "a tax regime that is predictable and competitive". And he has taken a first major step towards it.
Firstpost is now on WhatsApp. For the latest analysis, commentary and news updates, sign up for our WhatsApp services. Just go to Firstpost.com/Whatsapp and hit the Subscribe button.Welcome to King of the Court, our daily celebration of the best performances in basketball from the night that was. We’ll be keeping track of the best player of every night of the NBA season, and tallying the results as we go along.
King of the Court: Kyrie Irving
“It was never in doubt,” LeBron James said after the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 109–108 Christmas Day victory over the Golden State Warriors in the unofficial “Game 8” of last season’s NBA Finals epic. James was referring to Kyrie Irving’s “special” level of talent, but the sound bite might as well have been about the end result. For the second consecutive game between these two titans of the league, it was Irving who put it upon himself to deliver over the outstretched hands of a Warriors defender and score the deciding field goal within the closing minute. Irving finished the game with 25 points, 10 assists, seven steals, and six rebounds in 43 minutes.
It took a while to get going, though, as it typically does for Irving, in more ways than one. He entered the fourth quarter shooting 5-of-16 from the field, but the Cavs never waved him off, nor did Irving ever switch out of his default attack mode. The Cavs, who trailed for most of the game and found themselves down by as many as 14 in the early stages of the fourth quarter, just bided their time. LeBron’s 16-point third quarter allowed Irving’s impending late-game heroics to incubate.
After so many high-intensity matchups between the two teams, both sides have gleaned the rivalry’s natural patterns and rhythms. Kyrie would have his moment because, like in any game of import, fourth quarters are a measure of how well a team can sustain itself in the face of erosion. When plays break down, when bodies break down, what remains? Irving’s fourth-quarter brilliance (14 points on 6-for-11 shooting, with two rebounds, two assists, and three steals in the final 12 minutes) was Cleveland’s answer.
Even in a matchup defined by both teams’ strong ball movement and perimeter spacing, the game presented pockets for Irving and Kevin Durant to flash their abilities in broken isolation play. If Kyrie isn’t in immediate scoring position upon receiving a pass, he is never more deadly than when he has the ball in his hands for longer than six seconds. He can look lost in a daydream in those sequences, almost ruminative, as he enters one of his intoxicating dribbling patterns, not only mapping out his own course of action, but predicting and preempting that of his defender. Every isolation play becomes a double-sided game of Connect Four; when given that space to breathe, process the situation, and execute, Irving is a genius. And it’s generally wise to let geniuses do what they do best.
When I talked to Evan Turner about playing in the post and midrange before the season, he lauded Irving while using him as an example of how a player’s abilities can be misjudged if he doesn’t have a game that aligns completely with the league’s zeitgeist. “I had one guy get pissed when I said that Kyrie might be the most gifted offensive guard in the league,” Turner said. “And these quote-unquote nerds went berserk. I was like, it’s not that [I said he was the best], but Kyrie can dribble, can shoot midrange, can post up, can score from all over the court and finish at a high level. Not saying he’s better than Steph Curry or anything like that. I just think he’s the most gifted offensive guard in the league. People didn’t comprehend that until they saw him do it in the playoffs and the Finals. Sometimes I think a lot of people read stuff without getting a deep affirmation on things. Sometimes you can’t really explain it.”
Irving is one of the few star point guards in the league who has found success by, in essence, eschewing traditional point guard responsibilities. LeBron’s systemic influence on the team has allowed him to thrive in an anti-PG role, which can make valuing him tricky, especially when decades of fan culture have generally insisted on comparing players to stereotypical positional tropes. Irving, then, can be seen not only as an iso-heavy throwback, but a way forward in how we value a player’s role within a team’s specific concept instead of how it compares with players of similar stature — no matter how different their responsibilities are.
“I’m confident in who I am and what I bring to this team,” Irving told ESPN at a promo event last month. “I know I’m in this right now. In this moment and I got to be great for my team. I can’t be thinking about, ‘Should I try to get what Steph gets?’ Or, ‘Should I try to get what [Russell Westbrook] gets?’ Should I try to get what all these other guys get? Because then I would lose myself. I would lose myself completely.”
It’s a testament to both Irving’s talent and to how much the game has changed that the general public no longer bats an eye at LeBron James taking only two shots in the final frame, that it’s no longer a sign of weakness for James to allow his copilot to take over as he wishes. LeBron and Kyrie’s power dynamic is unconventional, but such is the new NBA. Pushing back against time-tested conventions is a pathway to success, and Kyrie Irving is thriving right now.
Runner-up: Richard Jefferson
Richard Jefferson, like his teammate Irving, applied the Kobe Bryant Principle against the Warriors on Christmas, which states that people won’t remember the shots you miss as long as the shots you do make are iconic. Jefferson went 2-for-11 off the bench for the Cavs, and, on any other day, it would have gone down in the books as a forgettable performance from an over-the-hill player who just wanted to prove to himself that he could do this NBA thing for another year. But this was Christmas, and Santa rewarded RJ’s year of impeccable snaps with, for old time’s sake, the gift of flight.
Santa also gifted Jefferson a swallowed whistle with three seconds remaining in the game with Kevin Durant falling to the floor on an apparent trip. How much that matters depends on how much you put stock into a December game. Look, it’s the holiday season. Let’s not get stuck in the mire here. Or, at least, let’s keep those feelings locked up until June and unleash them then, when they actually matter.In January 1970, the organizers of the first Earth Day published a full-page ad in The New York Times. A few months ahead of thousands of demonstrations and teach-ins across the United States, they declared that Earth Day represented “a commitment to make life better,” “to provide real rather than rhetorical solutions,” and “to challenge the corporate and government leaders who promise change, but who short change the necessary programs.” They continued, “April 22 seeks a future.” Ad Policy Each week we cross-post an excerpt from Katrina vanden Heuvel’s column at the WashingtonPost.com. Read the full text of Katrina’s column here.
Nearly half a century later, the scientific community is once again issuing a call to action. When the world commemorates the 48th Earth Day this weekend, the occasion will be marked by March for Science rallies nationwide and around the globe. At a time when facts and science are under attack, the organizers hope to send a loud and clear message that “science is a vital feature of a working democracy.” Denouncing policies that “threaten to further restrict scientists’ ability to research and communicate their findings,” they warn that “we face a possible future where people not only ignore scientific evidence, but seek to eliminate it entirely.”
One of the most threatening of those policies is in President Trump’s budget blueprint: a cut of nearly $6 billion to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). As the Post reported last month, the proposal would slash roughly a fifth of NIH’s funding in fiscal year 2018, “a seismic disruption in government-funded medical and scientific research.” The administration has also proposed a separate $1.2 billion reduction in the remainder of this year’s NIH funding, along with severe cuts to the National Science Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other programs, to pay for a border wall and higher defense spending.
Read the full text of Katrina’s column here.It doesn’t have to be Valentine’s Day for Nebraska football fans to think back to their favorite crushes. No, not their high school sweethearts, the biggest blowouts ever!
While these games certainly gave Husker fans some warm fuzzies, the opposition wasn’t a fan of the bear hugs. There was even an instance where the Big Red grabbed some hardware and said, “Be Mine!”
These Husker offenses showed some real love and helmet-to-helmet hits back in the day were certainly no “let’s kiss” moments.
With all that in mind, let’s be true to the topic at hand and count down the crushes.
5. Nov 15, 1997 – Nebraska 77, Iowa State 14
One of the Big 12 matchups that Husker fans may remember the most fondly, this Iowa State massacre marks one of the largest margins of victory in Memorial Stadium history.
Nebraska posted a 63-7 first half that would still see the Huskers take the second half by a 14-7 gap. The Big Red ran for 473 yards on 63 carries (a 7.5 yard per carry average) against the Cyclones while quarterback Scott Frost completed all but one of his nine pass attempts for 111 yards.
Ahman Green continued to set the bar for those who’d run the ball for Nebraska in 1997 with 209 yards on 15 carries. Frost came in second place with eight carries for 88 yards.
Not only that, but Bobby Newcombe (above) would provide some early fireworks with a 53-yard punt return for a touchdown along with a 12-yard score later in the game.Brooks Kraft / Corbis for TIME President Bush discusses a National Intelligence Estimate that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003.
The latest National Intelligence Estimate on Iran was the final factor in a military equation that now appears to guarantee that there will be no war with Iran during the Bush Administration. It meshes with the views of the operational types at the Pentagon, who have steadfastly resisted the march to war led by some Administration hawks. The anti-war group was composed of Defense Secretary Robert Gates; Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs; and Admiral William Fallon, who oversees the U.S. forces that would have had to wage that war. In recent months, all have pushed back privately and publicly, on the wisdom of going to war with Tehran. Indeed, the Pentagon's intelligence units were instrumental in forming the NIE's conclusions.
The U.S. military contributes nine of the 16 intelligence agencies whose views are cobbled together in NIEs: the Counterintelligence Field Activity, the Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency, Army Intelligence, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Marine Corps Intelligence Activity, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office, the National Security Agency, and the Office of Naval Intelligence. Some critics have suggested that the military simply found a public way to quiet the drumbeat for war coming from Vice President Dick Cheney and his shrinking band of allies in the Administration.
There was no formal response from the Pentagon. It is evident, however, that the U.S. military, already strained by wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, has no appetite for a third war. That's true even if a series of strikes against nuclear and other targets inside Iran were carried out by the Air Force and Navy, the two services who have sat, somewhat frustrated, on the sidelines as the Army and Marine Corps has done the heavy lifting in the two wars now under way. Some Pentagon officials welcomed the new NIE as evidence that the intelligence community is not tied to ideology, as some critics argued was true during the buildup to the Iraq war in 2003.
Still, Pentagon officials made it clear that this was not a political move by the brass that the military's lack of desire for another conflict and the conclusions of the new NIE are coincidental. They stress that the military focuses on "intentions, not capabilities" when assessing threats, and that the final unclassified portion of the NIE warns that the intelligence community believes "with high confidence that Iran has the scientific, technical and industrial capacity eventually to produce nuclear weapons if it decides to do so."
Indeed, Secretary Gates, in Afghanistan this week, told reporters that the U.S. intelligence community has "more confidence than ever before" that Iran had a nuclear-weapons development program, one that Iran continues to deny it ever possessed. He urged the international community "to join the United States in bringing pressure to bear on the Iranian government" to keep its nuclear-weapons efforts dead. This, he said, will help "ensure that what apparently was a suspension in 2003 becomes a policy of the Iranian government and that they agree to the requirements of the international community in terms of their enrichment program." Iran, he said, had merely suspended not terminated its nuclear-weapons efforts. Tehran continues to "keep its options open," he pointed out. "As long as they continue with their enrichment activities, then the opportunity to resume that nuclear weapons program is always present."
However, Gates left no doubt where he stands on how to proceed, saying that the revised NIE shows that non-military measures are the best way to curb Iran's nuclear program. "If anything," he said in Kabul, "the new national estimate validates the Administration's strategy of bringing diplomatic and economic pressures to bear on the Iranian government to change its policies."Instead she stages photo shoots many times a week, during which the girls do relaxed toddler things: make princess cakes; drag dolls dressed like the twins; or sit in wagons while having staring contests in front of the family’s stately red-doored home.
The images are then posted to Ms. Stauffer’s 2.2 million followers. Recently a Stauffer video got a coveted repost from Kris Jenner, perhaps the ultimate authority on building daughters’ brands. “#iminlove,” Ms. Jenner wrote.
Kaitlin often cues the children their more sophisticated lines. In one recent video, Mila addresses a date with her friend Sawyer that went boringly wrong when he paid more attention to his sports league than to her.
“Fantasy football?” Mila said, while raising her palm talk-to-the-hand style. “So basic.”
Ross Smith, a 25-year-old social media star (he has four million Facebook followers, 1.5 million on Instagram, and an average Snapchat post gets about one million views), has collaborated with several children.
“Kids are the new social influencer,” he said. He is not a parent himself, but he understands the instinct to seize on corporate offers when they arise. “Kids grow up and become less relevant. The sweet spot is between 2 and 4,” after which, Mr. Smith said, “they’re not that cute.”
Mr. Smith lives in Columbus, Ohio, and is best known for videos he shoots with his 91-year-old “Granny” (whom he prefers not to name). They have worked with Mila, making a video of Granny giving her dating advice. It posted in September and has been viewed more than 31 million times on Mr. Smith’s Facebook page.Businessman and reality TV-show host Donald Trump announced via Twitter on Friday that he will not be a candidate in New York’s gubernatorial race this year despite stating that it was “a race I would have won.”
The publicity-seeking Trump, who has also considered a Presidential run in 2012 and has spoken of running for president again in 2016, tweeted: “While I won’t be running for Governor of New York State, a race I would have won, I have much bigger plans in mind- stay tuned, will happen!“
Despite his assertion that it would have been a winnable race, a recent Marist poll showed that the businessman would lose to incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), 70 percent to 26 percent; a 44 point gap.
Other candidates, Westchester County executive Rob Astorino and political activist Carl Palondino, polled better than Trump, however both would also lose badly to Cuomo -Astorino by 40 points, Palladino by 43 – if the election were held today.
Trump has yet to tweet his plans for the 2016 Presidential election, but did leave the door open with his promise of “bigger plans.”
See his tweet below:0 0 0 3 0
Introduction
Greetings, fellow sysadmins and everyone who is still wondering how to make their SQL server highly available! You’re just in time since I’ve prepared for you detailed guidelines with pictures and explanations on how to achieve this goal by using the SQL Server AlwaysOn approach! The great thing is that we are also going to configure and review the full-fledged system with the disaster recovery scenarios implemented. I’ve decided to break this topic into 3 parts. First, we will go through the process of configuring AlwaysOn Failover Cluster Instance (FCI), the next part of this series will cover the deployment of a DR site for our cluster using AlwaysOn Availability Groups, and finally, we will learn more about how to achieve the same using 3rd party software.
The first thing you should keep in mind is that SQL AlwaysOn FCI needs shared storage, whether traditional iSCSI or Fiber Channel SAN. There is also an option to use third-party tools allowing you to replicate the local storage of the servers, thus you get some sort of a shared storage pool that is accessed by all of the nodes in the cluster. For the record, I’ve chosen the second option, since I found it more performant and safe (yes, yes, yes, I belong to that caste where SAN remains a single-point-of-failure, despite what they say). But let’s go back to the architecture of SQL FCI.
AlwaysOn FCI was designed to provide the protection from the unplanned node failure or any other possible breakdowns. In case you run out of luck and one of the nodes goes down, the SQL service simply gets started on one of the remaining nodes. It is important to understand that there still can be a little downtime since it obviously takes some time to start the service and reapply all the transactions. The feature itself requires Windows Server Failover Clustering (WSFC) and some form of shared storage, as I’ve mentioned above. From the licensing standpoint, AlwaysOn FCI is fully available in SQL Server Enterprise Edition and has a limitation of 2 nodes in the Standard Edition.
We’re moving on, so stick around.
Cluster configuration details
Below there is a diagram of what we are trying to build.
Basically, we are going to configure a 2-node Windows Server 2012 Failover Cluster that will host SQL Server Failover Clustered Instance. Let’s say that you guys have the cluster already configured with all the necessary features installed, like the Microsoft.NET Framework 3.5.1 and 4.0 that are both required for proper functioning of SQL Server. As for the shared storage, I’ve decided to utilize StarWind Virtual SAN for this purpose, since it does its job without extra efforts by simply mirroring the local storage of the nodes. Eventually, I’ve created one CSV that will be utilized for storing altogether: SQL related files and databases. Well, just before we look into the SQL FCI installation process, let’s define a quorum mode that will be used in an AlwaysOn FCI configuration. There are three possible options:
– Node Majority
– Node and Fileshare Majority
– Node and (symmetrical) Disk Majority
I’ve decided to choose the latter. It means that a cluster disk storage becomes available to all the failover nodes in the WSFC cluster.
Configuring SQL Server FCI
Now, let’s take a look at the procedure itself, which is pretty straightforward and easy to follow.
Run the SQL Server executable on the first node (as administrator, of course) and you will see the page as shown below. Select New SQL Server Failover Cluster Installation. Afterwards, you have to enter the product key, accept the Licensing Terms, and choose if you want Windows to install updates automatically (all that boring stuff, as we call it). Next, we come to the page where the installer validates the cluster configuration to make sure the setup process will go smoothly. Basically, we react only to the failures while ignoring the warning messages. However, I’d still recommend checking all of them before proceeding. At this step, you tick all the features you want to install. Also, the good practice is to keep SQL system files and databases on a dedicated local drive (it is D in my case). To go further, you name a server and, if you wish, an instance along with the SQL Server resource group. The cluster disk selection page asks you to select the disks you want to add into the cluster. I have two shared volumes that are used for all databases and MSDTC accordingly. (Note: Starting with SQL Server 2008, creating a clustered MSDTC is no longer a requirement for building a SQL Server FCI )
The next step is going to be a Cluster Network Configuration where you specify a static IP address for your SQL Server (DHCP is not recommended, btw). On the Server Configuration tab, you should select the Service Account you will use for SQL Server and Agent. Do not forget to check the box “Grant Perform Volume Maintenance Task to SQL Server”, which will allow the SQL Server to perform restoring and autogrowth faster.
Database Engine Configuration assumes selecting the Authentication Security Method (our choice is a Mixed one). You should specify the password for the SA account and optionally add the current Windows account as administrator.
On the same page, we go to the Data Directories tab, where you can select the drives that will keep data, log, and Tempdb files. Note that they should be on different drives according to Microsoft best practices.
Next, click Tempdb tab and configure Tempdb as shown in the picture below. I would actually recommend referring to the appropriate source at Microsoft knowledge base (https://support.microsoft.com/en-in/help/2154845/recommendations-to-reduce-allocation-contention-in-sql-server-tempdb-d) to configure it correctly since its configuration depends on the number of logical cores in the system. The last steps will be checking the parameters you’ve selected and the installation process itself. When the installation is completed, you can move to adding node 2 to the SQL Server FCI.
StarWind HyperConverged Appliance is a turnkey, entirely software-defined hyperconverged platform purpose-built for intensive virtualization workloads. Bringing the desired performance and reducing downtime, the solution can be deployed by organizations with limited budgets and IT team resources. Also, it requires only one onsite node to deliver HA for your applications that make the solution even more cost-efficient. Find out more about ➡ StarWind HyperConverged Appliance
The process is almost similar to the configuration of the node 1: you run the installation, enter the product key, name the node, add the password for SQL Server and Agent service account, and finally, end it by checking the features of the added node.
Having followed these steps, you can consider your SQL Server FCI as completely configured.
If you require more detailed instructions on how to create SQL Server FCI, please refer to this guide: StarWind Virtual SAN® SQL Server HADR using Availability Groups and Failover Cluster Instance
Conclusion
Well, I hope you are now convinced that FCI technology can become a powerful tool for creating SQL Server HA environments, and what’s most important, that it is easy to configure. As for me, FCI is the best HA solution for those who have at their disposal just 2 nodes and aren’t going to spend lots of money on the project (we remember that having even standard edition, you can feel free to configure a 2-node cluster with the shared storage powered by free StarWind VSAN, for instance). In the next articles, we will continue working on this system and deploy a DR site using two different methods. Stay tuned!
Related materials:
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No Ratings YetAs one of the winning producers of “Show Me the Money 5,” Simon Dominic looks back on his entire experience on the show, and how it affected him his emotions and him as a person.
On July 19, the rapper sat down for an interview where he talks about BewhY’s win on the show.
During his winning speech on the final episode, Simon Dominic said, ‘Fourth place Dominic, who was cursed since his appearance on ‘Show Me the Money 5’ was announced, has won in the end. From now on, I’ll live even more enthusiastically. I’ve become more sincere after appearing on this show. I’ll become someone who’s more active and diligent overall.”
The rapper expresses his thanks to rapper BewhY once more, and explains how he feels the time they spent producing together was precious, and a good experience.
He also candidly discusses how the entire “Show Me the Money 5” experience was a roller coaster of emotions for him. While he says that he felt conflicted after placing last during the producers’ performances and after losing by a big margin during the team diss battle, Simon Dominic explains, “I felt a mix of emotions every episode…sometimes I thought to myself, ‘What was the point of participating,’ but felt better when I saw that our tracks were doing well on the charts.”
Simon Dominic and GRAY’s efforts as producers definitely paid off, and congratulations to BewhY and team AOMG once more!
Source (1)Last year, online giving to charity rose 13.5%, outpacing more modest growth across the philanthropic sector for traditional donations. While that doesn't mean the overall pie is growing for charitable support - philanthropy as a percentage of U.S. GDP has been relatively steady for more than 40 years, at around 2% - it does mean that habits are changing, and that perhaps, the growth in digital giving means that nonprofits, social entrepreneurs and causes of all shapes and sizes need to pay close attention to the "how" part of the donation process.
But what about the "where?"
A new report by Blackbaud, the largest technology provider to nonprofits, charts actual donations and reveals the cities where online giving is the hottest. Most generous wired metropolis? Seattle - a result that will stun exactly no one who knows both its highly wired workforce and stronger-than-average organized voluntary sector.
The Blackbaud report ranks the 265 American cities with total populations of more than 100,000 based on per capita online giving and total amount donated online through the company's suite of online giving tools. More than $822 million from 8.3 million donations was given online by donors in those cities.
"I believe the highest ranked cities have more to do with being in the sweet spot for online donor demographics," Steve MacLaughlin, director of product management for Blackbaud. "These cities tend to have younger, wealthier, and tech savvier donors. There’s also a unique mix of businesses, nonprofit organizations, and education institutions in these cities."
I asked Steve whether he thought that stronger regional #GivingTuesday or local "giving days" (which tend to urge online donations via social media in many cases) might be responsible for stronger performance by city, but he didn't think so. "No, I don’t see any correlation between the two, at least when it comes to the top 10 or so cities," he said. He argued that demographics - wealth, age, strong tech sectors, education - are more likely to drive online gifts. And certain metro centers have been near the top of the list for most of the six years Blackbaud has conducted the survey - places like Seattle, Alexandria, Washington DC, Ann Arbor, and Arlington.
Based on per capita online giving for 2013 in U.S. cities of 100,00 or more residents, here's your top ten list for wired charity:
Seattle, WA Alexandria, VA Atlanta, GA Washington, DC Cambridge, MA Ann Arbor, MI Arlington, VA Cincinnati, OH Bellevue, WA San Francisco, CA
And the regional perspective is also interesting. According to Blackbaud, "based on the U.S. Census grouping of states, the top 25 large cities rank accordingly: the West achieves the number one spot (eight cities), followed by the South (seven cities), the Midwest (seven cities) and lastly the Northeast (three cities)." The Northeast is of course the bastion of traditional U.S. fundraising, but the innovation in happening elsewhere.
Seattle donations were $53,542 per 1,000 residents - or about $53 per person. Contrast that performance to the lowest-ranking city on the list: Miami Gardens, FL where online donations were only $554 per 1,000 residents - or a bit more than half a buck. Of course, per capita income in Miami Gardens (a small suburban city that is home to the Miami Dolphins) is only $16,600 and 21% of the city's residents live below the poverty line. In Seattle, per capita income is more than $42,000 and the poverty rate is five points lower. Indeed, the bottom 20 or so cities in terms of online donations are recognizable for their urban challenges and poverty - places like Detroit, Flint, Brownsville, and Newark.
You can download the full report here.Posted on: August 6, 2013
Newsflash: The following newsflash is a preliminary report posted as a service to our readers. Alpinist has not confirmed the veracity of its contents but will post a story in detail when more information becomes available.—Ed.
Though their travels in Pakistan were rerouted after the terrorist attack on Nanga Parbat, Rafael Slawinski and Ian Welsted continued on to climb K6 West. The 7100m peak in the Charakusa Valley had never seen an ascent despite the efforts of alpinists Maxime Turgeon and Louis Phillipe Menard; Steve House, Vince Anderson and Marko Prezelj, among others. Slawinski and Welsted reportedly reached the summit by the northwest face on July 28.
While you wait for our follow-up report, read some of K6 West's history, when "Superalpinists converged on a superalpine playground."
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advertisementThe Passport Index Most countries offer citizenship (passports) the hard way. But 7 sell them outright, and 3 have "powerful" passports. "Citizenship Planning" is a thing.
For people who need a second citizenship and passport to dodge the long arm of their government, there is something called "citizenship planning," similar to "financial planning." But when it comes to just outright buying a citizenship and passport without having to languish for years as mere non-citizen resident, the Huddled Masses need not apply. And not any passport will do. In |
1GB of 4G LTE data and tethering – double the previous amounts. Customers can still add a second line for $30 per month and up to three additional lines for $10 per month. Those additional lines also get the extra 4G LTE data with these changes. As before, Simple Choice customers can always add more 4G LTE data to each of their lines. They can opt for 3GB of 4G LTE data, including tethering, for an additional $10 a month per line (vs. 2.5 GB previously), or 5GB for an extra $20 a month per line. There is a new unlimited 4G LTE option, which now comes with a full 5 GB of tethering, double the previous amount, for an extra $30 per month (vs. an extra $20 previously).
Customers will also be able to send text messages abroad from the U.S. as part of their plans without being charged any extra. You’ll be able to SMS friends and family in over 120 countries. As well as being able to text from the States to abroad, T-Mobile is increasing the number of countries included in the unlimited text and data roaming. The list now includes 122 countries and destinations.
As for time frame on these changes:
The new benefits will begin immediately on March 23 for customers who choose to run credit and take the postpaid option. For those who prefer not to run credit and opt for prepaid service, unlimited international texting will start on April 26.
As for those on the unlimited 4G LTE plans, yours will stay exactly the same unless you opt for the new unlimited plan with twice the tethering.
For more information and the full press release, hit T-Mobile’s newsroom.
[UPDATE: Just to explain a few things a little more simply.
In essence the old system of having three Simple Choice plans is going away. Or rather, we’re getting an extra tier. Instead of having $50, $60 and $70 offering 500MB, 2.5GB and unlimited 4G LTE respectively, we’re going to have $50, $60, $70 and $80 offering 1GB, 3GB, 5GB and unlimited.
70 dollars per month will not get you unlimited data at LTE speeds anymore. Instead, you’ll get 5GB of data and tethering. Previously, the unlimited plan only included 2.5GB of tethering allowance. The new $80 plan will give you unlimited data at LTE speeds with a generous 5GB of tethering as well as the Stateside international texting.
Now, if you’re an existing $70 unlimited customer, you don’t get automatically switched to the new plan. You can opt in to pay the extra $10 per month, but only if you want to.
Existing customers on the existing Unlimited 4G LTE plan (or who sign up before March 23 for it) will be able to choose to stay on that plan (by taking no action) or they can switch to the new version with more tethering for just a few dollars more per month.
Of course, all Simple Choice plans will offer Global Text and Data (as they do currently), but the list is growing to 122 countries worldwide. Not just 115. And they will all feature unlimited Stateside International Texting. So you can text abroad from the States.
Mike Sievert has written a full post breaking down all the changes in plain English. So, check that out here. ]"Overall the report contains both positive and negative factors, and while insufficient to change our expectations over an imminent reduction in the pace of bond purchases it should do wonders for settling some of the indigestion suffered by worrywarts in the bond market," said Andrew Wilkinson, chief economic strategist at Miller Tabak. "The word 'Goldilocks' springs to mind somewhere, but we're not quite sure where to place it."
Indeed, some surmised that the number was good enough to show economic expansion but just tepid enough to keep any Fed stimulus removal tepid.
The Fed is buying $85 billion a month in Treasurys and mortgage-backed securities and is expected to begin unwinding its $3.6 trillion balance sheet later this month.
"We have no reason to expect something different from the (Fed) announcement on the 18th," said Liz Ann Sonders, chief investment strategist at Charles Schwab. "It probably won't be a big move. I think they'll take a baby step."
Of the more notable numbers from the BLS, previous months of solid job creation were revised substantially lower.
(Read more: CNBC.com live blogs the jobs number)
July's number got knocked down to 172,000 from 188,000, and June's tumbled all the way from 162,000 to 104,000.
Part-time jobs surged, rising 211,000 to 19.3 million, a gain of 1.1 percent from July.
Investors were watching the jobs number closely for clues on what the Federal Reserve's next step will be.
Central bank officials have said the monthly asset purchase program likely would be pared back—"tapering" in market lingo—so long as the economic data held up. The conversation changed Friday to a "taper-light" that will come because of the mediocre job growth.
"When (Fed Chairman) Ben Bernanke first raised the specter of tapering several months ago, the case was better for tapering than it is right now," Hamrick said. "With the three-month average for payrolls growth below 150,000, Bernanke is going to have to make a very forceful case that strength in the economy is acceptable to begin withdrawing stimulus."
Many of the report's internals were poor.
The labor force participation rate slumped to 63.2 percent, its worst reading in 35 years.
More than half the jobs added came through estimates the government does each month of the amount of positions gained or lost through new business openings and closures. The so-called birth-death model added 90,000 to the total.
(Read more: 12 jobs where women win on pay)
"Demand isn't there and money to pay additional workers isn't there," said Kathy Bostjancic, director of macroeconomic analysis at The Conference Board. "The lackluster labor market might lead the Federal Reserve to delay the tapering of its quantitative easing. "
Unemployment for blacks jumped to 13.0 percent from 12.6 percent, while the average duration of unemployment hit a five-month high at 37 weeks.
And job quality was at the low end of the income spectrum, as retail led the way with 44,000. Health care was next with 33,000, professional and business services gained 23,000 and bars and restaurants added 21,000.
The motion picture and sound recording industry lost 22,000 positions.
(Read more: Services sector growth jumps)
On the plus side, the average work week increased 0.1 percent to 34.5 hours and the average wage rose 5 cents to $24.05.
Recent data has shown an improving economic picture.
Weekly jobless claims have held steady below the 350,000 level, which is seen as important to indicate expansion. Institute of Supply Management employment numbers have backed up that story.
However, Friday's report shows that the labor market is far from healed.
"We've got a generational shift going on here. It's going to be persistent," said Sue Marks, founder and CEO at Pinstripe, a global employment recruiting firm. "It's a systemic problem and a systemic situation that's going to require some new thinking."
(Click here for the full BLS report.)
_ By CNBC's Jeff Cox. Follow him @JeffCoxCNBCcom on Twitter.Copyright by WHTM - All rights reserved
MILLERSVILLE, Pa. (WHTM) - Eight Millersville University students have been charged in an elaborate check-cashing scam, police said Wednesday.
A ninth person, 24-year-old Aaron Caple, was also charged as the ring leader.
"It started with an initial report of a lost or stolen debit card from a student," police Sergeant Jeffrey Margevic said.
Copyright by WHTM - All rights reserved Quadiar Johnson, left, and Alimamy Sesay Jr.
Copyright by WHTM - All rights reserved Quadiar Johnson, left, and Alimamy Sesay Jr.
Police said Caple showed two students, 21-year-olds Quadiar Johnson and Alimamy Sesay Jr., how the scam worked. Investigators said they then recruited the other students.
Investigators told ABC 27 News the students would deposit fraudulent checks, quickly withdraw the money, and then before anyone noticed anything they would use the cash to buy things.
"I think by some of their reactions, when they were interviewed, they were kind of amazed that this was almost like magic that you could make this happen," Margevic said.
The scam cost the Pennsylvania State Employees Credit Union more than $20,000, police said. PSECU has ATMs at Millersville and Pennsylvania's other state-owned universities.
Caple, who is not a student at the university, is facing federal charges for a similar scam in Philadelphia.
A Millersville spokesperson told ABC 27 News the university is reviewing the case along with the status of the students.
Copyright by WHTM - All rights reserved Aaron Caple
Copyright by WHTM - All rights reserved Aaron Caple
Below is a full list of every of everyone who is facing charges:
- Aaron Caple, 24, Philadelphia (non-student): forgery, access device fraud, criminal conspiracy
- Quadiar Johnson, 21, Yeadon: forgery, access device fraud, criminal conspiracy, theft
- Alimamy Sesay Jr., 21, Philadelphia: access device fraud, criminal conspiracy
- Briannia Beaufort, 20, Philadelphia: access device fraud, criminal conspiracy, false reports to police;
- Jamecia Miller, 20, Coatesville: access device fraud, criminal conspiracy, false reports to police;
- Nadajah Vickers, 19, Greencastle: access device fraud, criminal conspiracy;
- Aboubacar Doukoure, 19, Philadelphia: access device fraud, criminal conspiracy;
- Sharif Smith, 22, Philadelphia: access device fraud, criminal conspiracy, false reports to police; and
- Dwayne Wolfe Jr., 23, York: access device fraud, criminal conspiracy, false reports to police.BAGHDAD - The Islamic State group released a video on Thursday showing militants using sledgehammers to smash ancient artifacts in Iraq's northern city of Mosul, describing the relics as idols that must be removed.
The destructions are part of a campaign by the IS extremists who have destroyed a number of shrines - including Muslim holy sites - in order to eliminate what they view as heresy. They are also believed to have sold ancient artifacts on the black market in order to finance their bloody campaign across the region.
Will Iraqi forces be ready to take back Mosul, the largest ISIS-held city?
The five-minute video shows a group of bearded men inside the Mosul Museum using hammers and drills to destroy several large statues, which are then shown chipped and in pieces. The video then shows a black-clad man at a nearby archaeological site inside Mosul, drilling through and destroying a winged-bull Assyrian protective deity that dates back to the 7th century B.C.
The video was posted on social media accounts affiliated with the Islamic State group and though it could not be independently verified it appeared authentic, based on AP's knowledge of the Mosul Museum.
Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city and the surrounding Nineveh province fell to the militants during their blitz last June after Iraqi security forces melted away.
This screenshot from a video posted on a social media account affiliated with ISIS Thursday shows a militant toppling an ancient artifact in the Ninevah Museum in Mosul, Iraq. Screenshot/Youtube
In their push, the extremists captured large swaths of land in both Iraq and neighboring Syria, declared a self-styled caliphate on territories that are under their control, killing members of religious minorities, driving others from their homes, enslaving women and destroying houses of worship.
The region under IS control in Iraq has nearly 1,800 of Iraq's 12,000 registered archaeological sites and the militants appear to be out to cleanse it of any non-Islamic ideas, including library books, archaeological relics, and even Islamic sites considered idolatrous.
"Oh Muslims, these artifacts that are behind me were idols and gods worshipped by people who lived centuries ago instead of Allah," a bearded man tells the camera as he stands in front of the partially demolished winged-bull.
"The so-called Assyrians and Akkadians and others looked to gods for war, agriculture and rain to whom they offered sacrifices," he added, referring to groups that that left their mark on Mesopotamia for more than 5,000 years in what is now Iraq, eastern Syria and southern Turkey.
ISIS executioner "Jihadi John" believed to be London man
"Our prophet ordered us to remove all these statues as his followers did when they conquered nations," the man in the video adds. The video bore the logo of the IS group's media arm and was posted on a Twitter account used by the group.
A professor at the Archaeology College in Mosul confirmed to the Associated Press that the two sites depicted in the video are the city museum and a site known as Nirgal Gate, one of several gates to the capital of the Assyrian Empire, Ninevah.
"I'm totally shocked," Amir al-Jumaili told the AP over the phone from outside of Mosul. "It's a catastrophe. With the destruction of these artifacts, we can no longer be proud of Mosul's civilization."
He said that very few of the museum pieces are not genuine.
This screenshot from a video posted on a social media account affiliated with ISIS on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2015, shows militants taking sledgehammers to an ancient artifact in the Ninevah Museum in Mosul, Iraq. Screenshot/Youtube
Among the most important sites under the militants' control are four ancient cities - Ninevah, Kalhu, Dur Sharrukin and Ashur - which were at different times the capital of the mighty Assyrian Empire.
The Assyrians first arose around 2500 B.C. and at one point ruled over a realm stretching from the Mediterranean coast to what is present-day Iran. Also in danger is the UNESCO World Heritage Site Hatra, which is thought to have been built in the 3rd or 2nd century B.C. by the Seleucid Empire. It flourished during the 1st and 2nd centuries as a religious and trading center.
The damage to Iraqi artifacts in Mosul is the latest episode in that has targeted the nation's heritage.
In January, Islamic State militants ransacked the Central Library of Mosul, smashing the locks and taking around 2,000 books - leaving only Islamic texts. Days later, militants broke into University of Mosul's library. They made a bonfire out of hundreds of books on science and culture, destroying them in front of students.
The day after Baghdad fell to U.S. troops in April 2003, looters burst into the Iraqi National Museum in the Iraqi capital, making off with scores of priceless artifacts and leaving the floor littered with shattered pottery. The U.S. was widely criticized at the time for failing to protect the site.The code of logistic regression
Credits
Most of the code snippets come from the online class of deeplearning.ai. You can find my copied version on Github here.
After the math of logistic regression, this post applies the theory to tackle a specific problem of recoginizing cat pictures. I write this blogpost to showcase practice of machine learning in Python, and I also write it to reminder others and myself on some caveats in machine learning.
Understand the problem
We are going to train a logistic classifier to identify cat pictures. A training dataset is given where a 64X64 picture is provided and a binary label (0 not cat, 1 a cat) is given. Our trained logistic classifer should then predict if a new 64X64 picture contains a cat or not, with a decent amount of accuracy.
Dependency
We need to process dataset, plot graphs, and calculate matrix. The Python community has a plenty of well built packages just for that, specifically:
numpy is the fundamental package for scientific computing with Python.
h5py is a common package to interact with a dataset that is stored on an H5 file.
matplotlib is a famous library to plot graphs in Python.
PIL and scipy are used here to test your model with your own picture at the end.
So the first step is to import those packages.
import numpy as np import matplotlib.pyplot as plt import h5py import scipy
Preprocessing data
A big part of preprocessing data is to figure out the types of data and the dimensions of data. We have a train set with labels and a test set with labels imported from out dataset. From the description of the project on deeplearning.ai:
You are given a dataset (“data.h5”) containing: - a training set of m_train images labeled as cat (y=1) or non-cat (y=0) - a test set of m_test images labeled as cat or non-cat - each image is of shape (num_px, num_px, 3) where 3 is for the 3 channels (RGB). Thus, each image is square (height = num_px) and (width = num_px).
Next we need to figure out the dimension of the data. Think of how to represent a 64X64 cat picture, we can think of it as a (64, 64, 3) dimensional arrays, or (height, width, 3) dimensional array. The two dimensional picture can be described by its height and width as axis, and 3 represents the 3 basic color (Red, Green, Blue).
The sanitized dataset data.h5 has provided a nicely formatted dataset for us. All we have to do is to load them up!
import numpy as np import h5py def load_dataset (): train_dataset = h5py. File ( 'datasets/train_catvnoncat.h5', "r" ) train_set_x_orig = np. array ( train_dataset [ "train_set_x" ][:]) # your train set features train_set_y_orig = np. array ( train_dataset [ "train_set_y" ][:]) # your train set labels test_dataset = h5py. File ( 'datasets/test_catvnoncat.h5', "r" ) test_set_x_orig = np. array ( test_dataset [ "test_set_x" ][:]) # your test set features test_set_y_orig = np. array ( test_dataset [ "test_set_y" ][:]) # your test set labels classes = np. array ( test_dataset [ "list_classes" ][:]) # the list of classes train_set_y_orig = train_set_y_orig. reshape (( 1, train_set_y_orig. shape [ 0 ])) test_set_y_orig = test_set_y_orig. reshape (( 1, test_set_y_orig. shape [ 0 ])) return train_set_x_orig, train_set_y_orig, test_set_x_orig, test_set_y_orig, classes
After the import, we will use shape function to ensure the dimension of trainint and test set. Also to further standardize the dataset, instead of having the red, green and blue channels (RGB) for each pixel, we will normalize it by taking the mean value:
train_set_x_flatten = train_set_x_orig. reshape ( train_set_x_orig. shape [ 0 ], - 1 ). T test_set_x_flatten = test_set_x_orig. reshape ( test_set_x_orig. shape [ 0 ], - 1 ). T ## standardize dataset train_set_x = train_set_x_flatten / 255. test_set_x = test_set_x_flatten / 255.
Build the algorithm
Per [deeplearning.ai] class:
The main steps for building a Neural Network are: 1. Define the model structure (such as number of input features) 2. Initialize the model’s parameters 3. Loop: - Calculate current loss (forward propgation) - Calculate current gradient (backward propgation) - Update parameters (gradient descent)
First, we build out two helper functions sigmoid function which we use to calculate the activation function, and intialization function which we use to initialize weights and bias for the input nodes:
def sigmoid ( z ): """ Compute the sigmoid of z Arguments: z -- A scalar or numpy array of any size. Return: s -- sigmoid(z) """ s = None s = 1 / ( 1 + np. exp ( - z )) return s def initialize_with_zeros ( dim ): """ This function creates a vector of zeros of shape (dim, 1) for w and initializes b to 0. Argument: dim -- size of the w vector we want (or number of parameters in this case) Returns: w -- initialized vector of shape (dim, 1) b -- initialized scalar (corresponds to the bias) """ w = np. zeros (( dim, 1 )) b = 0.0 assert ( w. shape == ( dim, 1 )) assert ( isinstance ( b, float ) or isinstance ( b, int )) return w, b
Next, we implment the propagate step utilizing the helper functions we built earlier:
def propagate ( w, b, X, Y ): """ Implement the cost function and its gradient for the propagation explained above Arguments: w -- weights, a numpy array of size (num_px * num_px * 3, 1) b -- bias, a scalar X -- data of size (num_px * num_px * 3, number of examples) Y -- true "label" vector (containing 0 if non-cat, 1 if cat) of size (1, number of examples) Return: cost -- negative log-likelihood cost for logistic regression dw -- gradient of the loss with respect to w, thus same shape as w db -- gradient of the loss with respect to b, thus same shape as b Tips: - Write your code step by step for the propagation. np.log(), np.dot() """ m = X. shape [ 1 ] # FORWARD PROPAGATION (FROM X TO COST) A = sigmoid ( np. dot ( w. T, X ) + b ) # compute activation cost = - 1 / m * np. sum (( Y * np. log ( A ) + ( 1 - Y ) * np. log ( 1 - A ))) # compute cost # BACKWARD PROPAGATION (TO FIND GRAD) ### START CODE HERE ### (≈ 2 lines of code) dw = 1 / m * np. dot ( X, ( A - Y ). T ) db = 1 / m * np. sum ( A - Y ) ### END CODE HERE ### assert ( dw. shape == w. shape ) assert ( db. dtype == float ) cost = np. squeeze ( cost ) assert ( cost. shape == ()) grads = { "dw" : dw, "db" : db } return grads, cost
Next, we want update the parameters based on the results of forward and backward propagation:
def optimize ( w, b, X, Y, num_iterations, learning_rate, print_cost = False ): """ This function optimizes w and b by running a gradient descent algorithm Arguments: w -- weights, a numpy array of size (num_px * num_px * 3, 1) b -- bias, a scalar X -- data of shape (num_px * num_px * 3, number of examples) Y -- true "label" vector (containing 0 if non-cat, 1 if cat), of shape (1, number of examples) num_iterations -- number of iterations of the optimization loop learning_rate -- learning rate of the gradient descent update rule print_cost -- True to print the loss every 100 steps Returns: params -- dictionary containing the weights w and bias b grads -- dictionary containing the gradients of the weights and bias with respect to the cost function costs -- list of all the costs computed during the optimization, this will be used to plot the learning curve. Tips: You basically need to write down two steps and iterate through them: 1) Calculate the cost and the gradient for the current parameters. Use propagate(). 2) Update the parameters using gradient descent rule for w and b. """ costs = [] for i in range ( num_iterations ): # Cost and gradient calculation (≈ 1-4 lines of code) ### START CODE HERE ### grads, cost = propagate ( w, b, X, Y ) ### END CODE HERE ### # Retrieve derivatives from grads dw = grads [ "dw" ] db = grads [ "db" ] # update rule (≈ 2 lines of code) ### START CODE HERE ### w = w - learning_rate * dw b = b - learning_rate * db ### END CODE HERE ### # Record the costs if i % 100 == 0 : costs. append ( cost ) # Print the cost every 100 training examples if print_cost and i % 100 == 0 : print ( "Cost after iteration % i: % f" % ( i, cost )) params = { "w" : w, "b" : b } grads = { "dw" : dw, "db" : db } return params, grads, costs
Given we have a trained model, we can then use it to predict labels with new data examples:
def predict ( w, b, X ): ''' Predict whether the label is 0 or 1 using learned logistic regression parameters (w, b) Arguments: w -- weights, a numpy array of size (num_px * num_px * 3, 1) b -- bias, a scalar X -- data of size (num_px * num_px * 3, number of examples) Returns: Y_prediction -- a numpy array (vector) containing all predictions (0/1) for the examples in X ''' m = X. shape [ 1 ] Y_prediction = np. zeros (( 1, m )) w = w. reshape ( X. shape [ 0 ], 1 ) # Compute vector "A" predicting the probabilities of a cat being present in the picture ### START CODE HERE ### (≈ 1 line of code) A = sigmoid ( np. dot ( w. T, X ) + b ) ### END CODE HERE ### for i in range ( A. shape [ 1 ]): # Convert probabilities A[0,i] to actual predictions p[0,i] if A [ 0, i ] >= 0.5 : Y_prediction [ 0, i ] = 1 else : Y_prediction [ 0, i ] = 0 assert ( Y_prediction. shape == ( 1, m )) return Y_prediction
Put the model together
Given we have the ability to train our models by updating parameters, and we have the ability to predict with newly supplied dataset, we can then build out our logistic regression model:
def model ( X_train, Y_train, X_test, Y_test, num_iterations = 2000, learning_rate = 0.5, print_cost = False ): """ Builds the logistic regression model by calling the function you've implemented previously Arguments: X_train -- training set represented by a numpy array of shape (num_px * num_px * 3, m_train) Y_train -- training labels represented by a numpy array (vector) of shape (1, m_train) X_test -- test set represented by a numpy array of shape (num_px * num_px * 3, m_test) Y_test -- test labels represented by a numpy array (vector) of shape (1, m_test) num_iterations -- hyperparameter representing the number of iterations to optimize the parameters learning_rate -- hyperparameter representing the learning rate used in the update rule of optimize() print_cost -- Set to true to print the cost every 100 iterations Returns: d -- dictionary containing information about the model. """ ### START CODE HERE ### # initialize parameters with zeros (≈ 1 line of code) w, b = initialize_with_zeros ( X_train. shape [ 0 ]) # where to get dimension? # Gradient descent (≈ 1 line of code) parameters, grads, costs = optimize ( w, b, X_train, Y_train, num_iterations, learning_rate, print_cost ) # Retrieve parameters w and b from dictionary "parameters" w = parameters [ "w" ] b = parameters [ "b" ] # Predict test/train set examples (≈ 2 lines of code) Y_prediction_test = predict ( w, b, X_test ) Y_prediction_train = predict ( w, b, X_train ) ### END CODE HERE ### # Print train/test Errors print ( "train accuracy: {} % ". format ( 100 - np. mean ( np. abs ( Y_prediction_train - Y_train )) * 100 )) print ( "test accuracy: {} % ". format ( 100 - np. mean ( np. abs ( Y_prediction_test - Y_test )) * 100 )) d = { "costs" : costs, "Y_prediction_test" : Y_prediction_test, "Y_prediction_train" : Y_prediction_train, "w" : w, "b" : b, "learning_rate" : learning_rate, "num_iterations" : num_iterations } return d
Using the data we imported initially, we can then see how it works in action:I reached recently the age of 35 and on that day I had a longer moment to think about myself. It started innocently. I thought about things I’ve always wanted to learn and what I actually had done during this, let’s say, 15 years of adult life. Years! What I realized terrified and got me down—there were lots of things that I had started but never finished for millions of reasons.
How could I find time to learn all these things for self-development, to allow me to raise my qualifications and achieve my career goals, and also keep the work-life balance we all hear about so much? My first thought was: I’m a mom of three kids (7, 4 and 2½), I’m working a full time job that I love, I’m a wife and a person who takes care mostly of our family household…Get real! No way! You don’t have time!
But my second thought flew towards my work mate who used to read about successful people’s habits and discovered 5 a.m. as a time for self-development and a way of biting his TODO list. I tried a few times to implement this method into my own life. Sadly in my case it was simply a disaster. I got up at 5 a.m. and 30 minutes later my cute 2½ daughter did too. At that moment my productive time ended and my career goals were chuckling quietly behind my ear.
I started to wonder how the hell extremely busy people are able to do all they want to do? Why can’t I?! What’s wrong with my everyday schedules? I started to dig, and eventually found Laura Vanderkam’s TED talk.
That was it! That was the spark, my inspiration. To explain the idea briefly – we have 168 hours in a week. Even if we work a full time job and sleep eight hours a night we still have 72 waking hours a week. We just need to fill these with our priorities, whatever they are. I absolutely adore this sentence from Laura’s talk:
“I don’t have time often means it’s not a priority.” Laura Vanderkam
I was excited. Finally I found a solution. I printed a day log with 15 minute ranges and got down to fill it as often as possible and track my days. I wanted to check how much time I really need for certain things. Here the first trouble occurred – it was pretty hard to track how long it takes to clean the bathroom between one “mummy I want to drink”, “mummy I would like pie” – and this one is really urgent!, “mummy help me to find my fluffy dog” or “mummy I’m hungry”. But despite this and the hours I lost in a time vortex that appeared on my time logs, it helped me to get a better insight into my everyday life. I realized and admitted in front of myself that:
Though I would love to, I can’t learn everything simultaneously. I need to pick just 2 or 3 goals to achieve a year, not more because then I’ll fail. I need to divide them into doable steps. I need to think about and arrange my time weekly. There’s no way I can do anything that requires focusing in the morning (unless I will wake at 4 a.m. by accident). I need to get up at 5:30 a.m. from Monday to Friday to prepare for work, get the kids to school, kindergarten and nursery and start work at 8 a.m. I can’t focus in the late evening either. After 10 p.m. I’m simply too tired. Between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. (except one day a week) is when I take care of kids, home and cooking. No way to find a stretch of time to focus on anything. I realized that I’m spending too long to put my kids to bed. It lasts sometimes two hours or more. Here I found my self-development time from around 8-10 p.m. As well once a week after work I have a day off from home duties, taking care of kids. I can go to the fitness club, meet with a friend or write (like at this moment ☺. It’s 14th of September 2017, 8:37 p.m.). My beloved husband takes care of the kids on that day. Here I found time that I might fill with my career priorities or bite into my TODO list. Weekend: time for cleaning, cooking and getting together with family and friends.
“We don’t build the lives we want by saving time. We build the lives we want, and then time saves itself.” Laura Vanderkam
I’ve made my 35th birthday resolutions and I hope I manage to realize them before I reach 36. It’s my personal deadline ☺. I want to be fluent in English – this is my first career goal. I want to lose weight. And because I love reading I would love to read more than one book a year. Don’t laugh—if you have three kids you’ll see it’s not so easy to grab a book.
I’m still figuring out how my perfect schedule should look. I need to work on these “disappearing time periods” when I’m not sure what actually I had been doing. But I think it’s a good start. I found time to exercise at least three times a week as well as review for English classes. I recognize the times of day when there’s no chance to focus. This is priceless, because I stopped pretending that it’s possible.
If you think you don’t have time for activities that you’d like to do you should try Laura Vanderkam’s method. Here’s the link to her blog, where you can find the time logs and use them to check if you are really as busy as you think: http://lauravanderkam.com/books/168-hours/manage-your-time.
We have time.A mall cop reportedly pepper-sprayed a black man while apparently ignoring a man who yelled racial slurs at a crowd protesting in Seattle on Saturday.
Raymond Wilford was walking by the Starbucks at Westlake Center near a pro-Palestine rally when he passed a man who had been "heckling demonstrators, flipping a middle finger at them, and also had removed his shirt," the Seattle Times reported. When Wilford passed the unnamed individual, he said he felt spray come from the man's mouth and turned toward him.
Wilford and the man "squared off" with their fists raised when the mall cop contracted by Valor Security Services appeared. The mall cop spray Wilford with mace; the heckler did not appear to get hit.
The guard said Wilford “took an aggressive step towards him," according to the Seattle Times. However, Wilford said he only approached the guard to give his side of the story over the volume of the crowd. Wilford was handcuffed and detained before being released 25 minutes later.
"I think he’s real bad at analyzing the situation," Wilford told The Stranger about the officer's response to the incident. "He said he got a call for a white guy for his shirt off. He should have paid attention to that person. I don’t want to say it’s a race thing or anything. But his attention was straight on me. He never looked at him. After he sprayed me, he lied to me and said he sprayed both of us."
Photographer Alex Garland, who was documenting the rally, captured a photograph of the macing.
Westlake security pepper spray & arrest innocent bystander after he's harassed by pro Israel supporter during protest pic.twitter.com/SCf6KRpQ5V — Alex Garland (@AGarlandPhoto) August 9, 2014
"The guy that was the aggressor was closer to the security guard. The other individual, the person of color, was further away but he was the one who got pepper sprayed," Garland told MyNorthwest.com. Adding: "The guy saw who the aggressor was and made a decision that wasn't based on that. I can't say why he made that decision, but it was definitely the wrong one."
Witnesses at the scene told Seattle's Stranger the shirtless man had been harassing the pro-Palestine protestors, using slurs like "towelhead." A police report states someone complained a man "with no shirt on was causing a disturbance and 'picking a fight' with the protesters."
Wilford maintains his innocence.
“I didn’t even know what the protest was about,” he told KING 5. "He just sprayed me straight across my face. He never even looked at the other guy at all. I can take a lot of pain, but I have never felt anything like that in my life.”
The guard eventually apologized, the outlet notes. Police are investigating.All British travellers heading to the US must have a biometric passport or they would not be allowed to travel, says an article published by the Express in August 2017. The rule came into effect from 1 April 2017, under the Trump government.
Other than the restriction of having a biometric passport, the 6 months of passport validity rule also poses problems for the Brits who love to travel overseas.
Talking of UK passport validity, Her Majesty’s Passport Office issues adult passports to individuals above the age of 16 years, which remains valid for 10 years, and issues minor passports to children who are 15 years and younger, which is valid for 5 years.
Passport Six Month Validity Rule
According to the rule, when an individual travels internationally, his/her passport should be valid for at least six months from the date of departure. There are countries that do not allow an individual to enter their land, in case their passport does not have at least six months of validity left after |
on or what I didn’t play on,” Flea said. “It’s something getting interpreted from a live thing into an electronic creation. And it’s being reinterpreted again for a live band, which is what we’re doing now. It’s kind of fascinating to see what happens.... There were moments where I was like, ‘Is this feeble now?’ But yesterday I just felt like it was magical. There were just moments when I just felt like I was floating on a groove.”
The band’s 27-date tour begins in July in Europe and will reach the US in September before ending in Japan. It follows a more limited 2010 tour, all much more than was originally planned for the group, named by Yorke – whose father was a nuclear physicist – after a 1953 speech by President Dwight Eisenhower.
“It was quite fun anyway because it was no biggie,” he said. “We had one gig planned at the end of it. If it wasn’t going to work out, then fine. But I was just amazed at how sort of slinky the grooves got.”
And could those slinky grooves be evolving into another standalone project for the always-exploring singer-songwriter?
“No. I’m deliberately not talking about any new ideas right now because I think all our heads would collectively go pop,” Yorke said, taking bites from a banana. “No believe me, I’m restraining the urge to like go into studio and try to do some more stuff. I’m very happy to start things and not finish them, forever and ever.”
Yorke, in a grey t-shirt, blue jeans and wearing a black trucker hat with MIDI emblazoned on it, said sunny Los Angeles has kept him creatively inspired. He’s a fan of the city’s burgeoning experimental hip-hop and electronic beat scene, specifically 29-year-old producer and rapper Flying Lotus.
“I’ve grown up with a sense of sort of snobbery to someone who just stands on a stage with one interface and a laptop. That’s it?! But he completely flipped my mind about that,” Yorke said. “Because actually watching what he was doing and everything, it was like, OK, now I get it. It turned me on to that idea much more. The next generation will come up. And all the rules that you’ve made for yourself, they don’t give a (expletive).”
Yorke says the band will be playing cuts from Amok, The Eraser songs and some B-sides on tour. The laptop figures heavily into the band’s sound, but they’ll rely on live instruments as much as possible at the shows. Flea said he’s been just as impressed as fans by the quality of the assembled musicians.*Best book of the year award* - Rabid Reader Reviews
Funnier than The Shining, more intriguing than Spot Goes To The Zoo. The Day Jesus Rode into Croydon expertly blends humour and mystery into a unique and compelling story, exploring the very heart of human nature.
"Fabulous read. If you like complex, edgy and brilliant stories, this is one for you." - Rabid Reader Reviews
"After a chapter or two I was completely hooked... would definitely recommend it, an excellent book for a first novel!" - OnlineBookClub.org
"St Moritz writes well, with much humour and believable dialogue.... you will want to read this book" - The Croydon Citizen.
When Joseph awoke, it was somewhat of a surprise to see the four horsemen of the apocalypse thunder past his bedroom window with a blatant disregard for his usual waking routine. As suburbia was coming to terms with this rather unusual start to the day, Joseph was reluctantly coming to terms with the fact that perhaps the prophecy was true after all.
Ever since his encounter with failed television star turned religious messiah Jack Connolly, Joseph had struggled with his own role as the saviour of humanity: rarely were self-certified wasters called to the ultimate battle between Good and Evil. Certainly he couldn’t expect any help from his friends. Danny’s encyclopaedic knowledge of Roger Moore films, although impressive was unlikely to prove beneficial come the End of Days. New girlfriend Mia was unlikely to be much help either, labouring as she was under the impression that Joseph was someone else entirely. As such he felt justified in asking how exactly he had ended up as the world’s most unlikely hero.
Set in the contemporary suburbs of London, entwined with the golden days of a childhood of the 1980’s, the truth lies on a treacherous path. The mysterious events of twenty years previous, long since buried, are about to awake with devastating effect. As the past, present and future converge, an important question becomes paramount: Is the oncoming apocalypse even real?
*Guidance - This novel contains strong language*Two days after a rape accused was dragged out of a jail by a mob of over 5,000 people, lynched, and his body dragged for seven kilometres, the alleged rape survivor has spoken out, accusing the lynched man of giving her Rs. 5000 to not narrate the incident to anyone.
"The accused person was my neighbour... It was only after the incident... he told me, he gave me the money to keep silent...I took the money and gave it at the police station," the woman told NDTV.
Recalling the ordeal, she told NDTV, "On the night of February 23, the co-accused called me to have some snacks together. He told me that he was alone so I decided to go with him. Later I found that he was not alone, but with the man accused. I told him I won't go but the co-accused told me that everything is okay when I am with him."
"The co-accused on the pretext of meeting his friend went away...the accused then took me to a hotel... he raped me twice," she added.
However, the family of the lynched man claims the medical report of the rape complainant says she was not sexually assaulted.
Speaking to NDTV, he alleged that his brother, Syed Sarif Uddin Khan, had been made a scapegoat and framed by Naga groups, and claimed that the police were hand in glove in the incident.
"Is the Nagaland government running a jungle raj? The girl who filed the rape complaint was my brother's wife's cousin. Nagaland police have said that the medical reports say she was not raped," said Jamal Uddin Khan to NDTV."There are multiple members of our family serving in the Army. How could they have killed him claiming he was Bangladeshi? My brother was made a scapegoat," he added.A number of questions have been raised over the events leading to the lynching. These include questions over the unavailability of a medical report to confirm the rape of the Naga woman, for which Syed Sarif Uddin Khan had been charged. Other questions surround to the Nagaland police not confirming the whereabouts of the alleged rape victim and why police had initially claimed that Syed Sarif Uddin Khan was an illegal Bangladeshi immigrant. Syed Sarif Uddin Khan had been lynched by a mob on Thursday. The strong mob had broken into the Central prison in Dimapur, where he was in judicial custody on rape charges, paraded him naked through the town, beat him to death and hung his body from a clock tower.The documentary grew out of a five-minute piece that Mr. Kondabolu performed on the FX series “Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell” in 2012. Mindy Kaling had just become the first Indian-American to star in her own series (“The Mindy Project”), and Mr. Kondabolu thought he’d use that breakthrough to talk about Apu, South Asian stereotypes and the struggles of Indians in Hollywood. As a successful standup who has appeared on the Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel shows but who has been heckled with bigoted taunts during other performances, he knew the subject.
But the topic seemed corny and overworked to him. When he took his concerns to Mr. Bell, however, the show host was puzzled. “I was like, no, no one’s talking about this,” Mr. Bell said in a phone interview. “Do you mean like all the other pieces that the South Asian community has done about Apu? And that’s when Hari went, oh yeah, you’re right.”
The piece touched a nerve with audiences, but it was the one-minute section about Apu that people most remembered. Why not make a full-length documentary about his issues with the Kwik-E-Mart owner, Mr. Kondabolu thought, which could serve as a jumping-off point to talk about all the other things the comic had been stewing about?
Working with the director Michael Melamedoff, the film crew began production in April 2016, greenlit by truTV as part of its shift to comedy programming. To tackle the project, he enlisted some high-powered help. In one sequence, the actor Aziz Ansari (“Master of None”) describes being in a car with his dad when a man drives up and asks them where the nearest Quik-E-Mart is. Dr. Vivek Murthy, the 19th surgeon general of the United States, talks about enduring the taunts of an Apu-imitating bully in the seventh grade. And Maulik Pancholy (“30 Rock”) recounts how much he hated going into 7-Eleven stores as a kid, lest his friends see an Indian store clerk and start doing “the Apu thing.”
In the film, Mr. Kondabolu places Apu within the broader history of Hollywood’s depiction of Indians, including Peter Sellers’s brownface rendition of an idiot in the 1968 Blake Edwards film “The Party” and the Indians feasting on chilled monkey brains in Steven Spielberg’s “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.” He also reached out to a who’s-who of South Asian actors to talk about their experiences in Hollywood, in the vein of Philip Kan Gotanda’s 1987 play “Yankee Dawg You Die” and Mr. Ansari’s 2015 “Master of None” episode “Indians on TV.”After an exciting appetizer at Brabantse Pijl (won by a resurgent Philippe Gilbert ahead of an impressive Michael Matthews), the week of races known as the Ardennes Classics is here! The Amstel Gold Race kicks off on Sunday. The undulating 250 kilometer jaunt through the Limburg province is perhaps the biggest cycling event in the Netherlands. The course has changed in recent years, its finish moving from the summit of the legendary Cauberg to a flat straightaway about 1.8 kilometers after the top of the climb. The punchy riders will still attempt to get away on the last bump in the road, but with more room to bring back escapees, things are more likely to come together for a sprint among a larger group of survivors now. Still, to make it to this finish at the front of the pack, a rider has to be seriously capable on the steep stuff (like the 1.1 kilometer, 8.8% average Eyserbosweg with 20 km to go), and a great bike handler as well: the journey from starting city Maastricht to the finish line in Valkenburg is notorious for its challenging twists and tight turns, and after 250 kilometers, keeping one’s concentration through the corners is not easy.
Last year, Roman Kreuziger was allowed to bridge into a break up the road with 20 kilometers remaining. He attacked from the group, and held on for victory. Kreuziger went on to land a number of great results in 2014, including a 5th place in the Tour de France, and looking back, it seems funny that a rider of his caliber was given the chance to ride ahead, but prior to Amstel, he had not picked up the results we’ve come to expect from him since. I don’t think the successful long range attack scenario will be repeated this year. For one, it’s not often that a rider as good as Kreuziger flies under the radar like he did early in 2014. Second, now that it’s happened once, the big favorites will act to stop it from happening again. I think it’s more likely this race comes down to the final kilometers.
The Contenders
Though the new parcours opens Amstel up for a number of different kinds of riders (which makes previews and predictions quite difficult, by the way!), I see three favorites for the race, all of them great climbers, high endurance riders, and very fast finishers. Favored most among the bookmakers is Movistar’s Alejandro Valverde, who has flown through the early season, racking up victories in a number of Continental races, including a Roma Maxima win against some big names. The Ardennes star was 2nd last year, winning the gallop to the line behind the victorious Kreuziger. He’s an excellent climber who won’t struggle with the bumps in the road, he has Grand Tour winning endurance, he’s a quality bike handler, and he packs a powerful sprint. This race is tailormade for his skillset, and he can win it either with a late attack or at the head of a group of fast finishers. Movistar backs his effort with the climb-happy likes of Ion Izagirre and Beñat Intxausti.
OPQS sends a typically powerhouse squad to support the fast-rising Michal Kwiatkowski, who took 4th in the race in 2013. He’s only gotten stronger since then, taking a big win at Strade Bianche earlier in the year and landing 2nd overall in Pais Vasco last week. Perhaps even more relevant than his runner-up in GC in that race was his taking of the points jersey thanks to five top 3 finishes in the race’s six stages. A number of those placings came due to his top-notch sprint. Still, despite his constant displays of amazing talent, Kwiatkowski has yet to actually pull off a WorldTour win, with a resume full of near misses so far in his very young career. The first one is always a challenge, but this race really suits his skillset, and OPQS sends a stellar group of versatile riders to help. Jan Bakelants, Wout Poels, newcomer Julian Alaphilippe, and Pieter Serry are all good on the rolling hills. It’s hard to think of a better teammate to ride tempo than world ITT champ Tony Martin. Zdenek Stybar is a wildcard who, despite not having a resume in this race, is one of the best on a challenging road map. Don’t be surprised to see him break for the line as the kilometers wind down.
The third of my three favorites for Amstel Gold 2014 is the man who won in 2010 and 2011, and came in 6th and 5th in 2012 and 2013: BMC’s Philippe Gilbert. I probably don’t need to point out that he is no longer the rider who won the Ardennes triple in 2011 or the World Championship race in 2012. Still, he’s coming off a great demonstration of form at this week’s Brabantse Pijl, where he outsprinted the extremely quick Michael Matthews only a few minutes after going deep into the red trying to bridge a gap to a late breakaway. Amstel is a race he knows how to win: the Cauberg is perhaps his favorite hunting ground, launching him into the rainbow jersey in 2012. It’s hard to see him not at the front of the race in the home stretch, and then it is just a question of whether he can escape from the pack on the final slope, or outsprint whoever remains at the end. Greg Van Avermaet makes a fine second. Samuel Sanchez (7th in 2012) is another card for BMC to play.
Roman Kreuziger again leads Tinkoff-Saxo. He won’t be allowed up the road the way he was in 2013, but he’s still a great contender to be there at the end. His status as a marked man did not stop him from landing a podium performance in the Clasica San Sebastian last year.
Joaquim Rodriguez was 2nd in this race in 2011, but the new finish is less tailored to his uphill ability. He has a quick sprint, but he’ll have to be in pretty select company in the final kilometer to be a favorite, and I’m not sure the Cauberg is long enough to force that sort of selection. Teammate Daniel Moreno may actually be a better option. He followed up his La Fleche Wallonne victory last year with a number of great results that showed his excellent finishing move. This pair works extremely well together, and at least one of them should be fighting for a top result. Alexandr Kolobnev has been among the Top 10 here in the past.
Orica-GreenEdge is another squad with a few excellent options. Simon Gerrans took 3rd here last year and in 2011. He was on fire at the opening of the season in the Tour Down Under, but illness derailed his early spring campaign, leaving him unable to contest the biggest race he’s ever won, Milano-Sanremo. A fine showing in Brabantse Pijl suggests he’s back on the level; he was very active in that race, off the front for a huge chunk of time. Like Valverde and Kwiatkowski, he has the climbing legs to handle the dogfight sure to ensue on the Cauberg, and a very fast sprint to challenge for victory among the survivors. Teammate Michael Matthews will hope to be one of those survivors, and it’s quite possible that the very capable climber, who just nabbed 2nd at Brabantse Pijl, will be there at the end. If he is, he’s one of the very best sprinters on the startlist, fast enough to win the final stage of the Vuelta 2013, a sprinters’ battle royale. He rode well in Pais Vasco, picking up a stage win, and was climbing at a very high level in Paris-Nice. Matching the likes of Valverde and Gilbert up the Cauberg will be a tall order, but I’m not counting him out. Daryl Impey, Simon Clark, Michael Albasini, and Pieter Weening give Orica-GreenEdge a team tailored perfectly for these rolling hills.
Sky’s Ben Swift is the other top-notch sprinter with a decent shot at hanging on over the Cauberg. If either Matthews or Swift are in the lead group in the final kilometer, it’s hard to see anyone outgunning them to the finish line. Swift showed at Milano-Sanremo that extremely long, grueling days of racing are within his power–he took 3rd in that race ahead of some real sprinting class. Then, in the Vuelta a Pais Vasco, he hung on over some very difficult climbs to take victory in the 5th stage ahead of none other than my two biggest favorites for Amstel Gold, Alejandro Valverde and Michael Kwiatkowski. It’s all happening very fast for Swift, who dealt with painful injuries over the past two seasons. Now that he’s suddenly back to winning ways, it’s hard to predict just how much he can do. Amstel will be a great test. Meanwhile, Geraint Thomas is firing on all cylinders this year. Sky has yet another contender in Edvald Boasson Hagen, who, despite lacking experience in the Ardennes Classics, has the all-rounder skillset to be a dangerous player here.
Garmin packs a strong 1-2 punch in Tom-Jelte Slagter and Daniel Martin. Slagter has been on fire in 2014, winning two stages at Paris-Nice and climbing very well in Pais Vasco. He’s an explosive rider who loves the short steep climbs and can finish quickly as well. Dan Martin has started his season later than usual in an attempt to time his peak just right for the Ardennes Classics and the Giro d’Italia. With a flat finish, Amstel is probably worst-suited of the three Ardennes races for Martin, but the Liege-Bastogne-Liege defending champ and 2011 runner-up in Lombardia is made for long, rolling parcours like this one. He looked okay in Catalunya and in this week’s Brabantse Pijl. La Fleche Wallonne and Liege might be a bigger goal, but the Cauberg could see him test his legs. Ryder Hesjedal is here too, and versatile Nathan Haas is coming on strong this year as well. Lampre packs a great 1-2-3 punch in Diego Ulissi, Rui Costa, and a resurgent Damiano Cunego. Ulissi was brilliant in the Tour Down Under, picking up a podium spot, and he has a few good results in smaller Italian races since then. World Champ Rui Costa looked good in Paris-Nice and this is a good parcours for him with plenty of opportunities to attack, but Pais Vasco left some question marks about his form. Damiano Cunego won Amstel Gold back in 2008, but his career has, to put it lightly, taken a bit of a dip since then. However, he has looked great in 2014, nailing a 4th place in Strade Bianche and riding with the big favorites in Pais Vasco; his ITT kept him out of the top 10 of the race but only barely. For the first time in a while, a podium is within his reach here. Astana has a very well-rounded team with several matches to burn and options for many different scenarios. Vincenzo Nibali is still looking for that elusive big one-day win, and he loves to fire off attacks on days like these. His chief lieutenant Jakob Fuglsang has been more aggressive than usual lately and that could help here. Enrico Gasparotto was a pretty surprising winner of this race in 2012. I don’t think he’s still at that level, but the explosive climbs suit him. Maxim Iglinskiy was Astana’s other surprise Ardennes winner in 2012 when he took Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Like Gasparotto, he has not done much since to suggest maintained form, but his skillset at least deserves a mention. Francesco Gavazzi and Borut Bozic present strong sprinting options should a larger group arrive. With so many weapons, I think Astana has a great chance of landing at least one rider in the top 10; I just have no idea which of their riders it will be.
Belkin’s Bauke Mollema would normally be a contender here (back-to-back top 10s in 2012 and 2013) but his form is questionable so far in 2014; still, he’ll like the profile. AG2R’s Carlos Betancur would be among the chief favorites but a nagging knee injury makes him a big question mark for Amstel. If he shows the same formhere he showed in Paris-Nice, he’ll be back among the favorites where he belongs for La Fleche Wallonne; teammate Romain Bardet is another great climber. Lotto’s Tony Gallopin managed to overcome a very late flat to finish on the Brabantse Pijl podium and he’s a good outside bet here, with Jurgen Van Den Broeck starting as well. French national champion Arthur Vichot took a big stage victory for FDJ on the final day of Paris-Nice and landed on the podium there; he can climb and sprint well. Other outsiders include Giant’s Tom Dumoulin and Simon Geschke, Bardiani-CSF’s Sonny Colbrelli and Enrico Battaglin, Wanty – Groupe Gobert’s Bjorn Leukemans (he has been 7th here three times, and has looked sharp in 2014), Trek’s Andy and Frank Schleck, CCC’s Davide Rebellin (winner of this race way back in 2004), Cannondale’s Marco Marcato and Daniello Ratto. Lastly, Europcar sends Thomas Voeckler, but Bryan Coquard is apparently on the startlist as well, and should he somehow make it to the finish line with the lead group, he’s probably the fastest sprinter in the race.
VeloHuman Top 10 Favorites
Winner: Michal Kwiatkowski
Podium: Alejandro Valverde, Philippe Gilbert
Other Top Contenders: Simon Gerrans, Daniel Moreno, Diego Ulissi, Michael Matthews, Ben Swift, Tom-Jelte Slagter, Roman Kreuziger
As usual, I’ll be tweeting plenty of live analysis during the race from the new VeloHuman Twitter account, so if you don’t already, remember to follow @VeloHuman for more! And come back soon for previews of La Fleche Wallonne, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, and the Tour de Romandie!
-Dane Cash
Photo by flowizm.How do you top the ridiculously unhinged Saints Row: The Third? Pretty easily, in fact. You top it by adding superpowers, by making the player President of the United States of America, and by giving them a dubstep gun. What's a dubstep gun, you ask? Well, obviously it's a gun that fires a hot blast of Skrillex, causing civilians to dance like idiots and any cars caught in the blast to bounce around on their hydraulics, having fallen victim to the irresistible power of the wub. Also there are aliens. More details lie beneath the...drop.
As VG247's interview with producer Jim Boon explains, Saints Row 4 started life as an expansion to the third game, before being spun-off into its own, larger thing. You're the President and the leader of the Saints, and you have to fend off an alien invasion after the 'Zen' decide to take over Earth.
In addition to a range of superpowers - telekinesis, freezing, super-strength and agility - you'll have access to a number of OTT, customisable weapons, including a head-popping laser beam and - ah yes - that famous dubstep gun. In the interview, Jim explains its origins.
"For example, the Dubstep Gun was literally on this email chain going around the office asking for weapon ideas. Someone had just written 'Dubstep Gun'. We didn't even know what the hell it was, but it sounded amazing. We knew there was something there so we just came up for more ideas around it."
Saints Row 4 is due out in August, it lets you be president, and it features a gun that shoots dubstep. Here's the wubwub-less announcement trailer from the other week:Less than a week after the House of Representatives formally requested more resources to curb cyber threat crimes against women, the Supreme Court set a precedent limiting the ability of criminal courts to punish these offenders.
Last fall's "GamerGate" controversy garnered national attention, when women in the tech industry were subjected to anonymous online threats and harassment. This motivated Representative Katherine Clark, a Democrat from Massachusetts, to push for more investigation and prosecution of those threatening women online. The House officially got behind her cause last Wednesday.
Monday, the Supreme Court overturned the conviction of a Pennsylvania man, Douglas Elonis, for posting Eminem-inspired tirades on Facebook, suggesting he would take violent action against his coworkers and the mother of his two children.
Chief Justice John Roberts, writing the Court’s decision, raised the level of criminality required for conviction of online threatening, “ruling that prosecutors must offer some proof that a defendant made a “true threat” with the intent to hurt a specific individual.”
That's hardly good news for victims of Internet trolling. With the Supreme Court raising the bar to enforce online threat crimes on a site as mainstream as Facebook, which requires a name, mobile number, e-mail address and birth date, finding a legal remedy seems hopeless for those victimized on anonymous sites like 4chan, “widely viewed as a nasty sort of place for anyone not straight and male”.
What would definitive proof that a group of people veiled by cyber pseudonyms intended to harm a victim look like? How could it be presented to a court? Is requiring tangible evidence parallel to the real, albeit intangible, fear experienced by women terrorized online?
Although concurring with the verdict, Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas “thought the decision left the standard for guilt unclear.”
Between 2000 and 2013, of the 4043 people to report an online abuse to the volunteer organization Working to Halt Online Abuse, 70 percent were women. “Too many women have had their lives upended by the severe threats and harassment they have received online, and they often feel they have nowhere to turn for help,” said Clark. “These threats cause fear for personal safety, create a chilling effect on free speech, and have a negative economic impact for women conducting business online.”Sit back and get ready for the Best Raw Vegan Pizza Recipe Ever!
Has any one ever said to you they couldn’t do a raw vegan diet because they couldn’t give up pizza? Well, let me tell you friends, today I am sharing with you an AMAZING super deluxe pizza recipe that raw vegans (and EVERYONE else) are going to LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!
You might call this a bit of a Hawaiian Pizza, but don’t let the thought of pineapple on a pizza scare you! It REALLY works well in this recipe, blending with the other toppings creating a “real” pizza flavour!
Before I begin with this Deluxe Pizza Recipe, you’ll want to make sure you’ve watched (and if you’re making the pizza today, completed) my
Super Patented Pizza Crust Recipe Video.
I don’t get into the crust recipe here and we start off with 2 already completed crusts. You can check out the super special crust video HERE!
You’ll want to make sure you’re putting some planning into your pizza night. This recipe takes about 24-26 hours all together so you’ll want to start the process the night before. I know that sounds scary and like a TON of work, but really, most of the work will be happening while you’re sleeping, doing yoga, reading a good book, walking your dog… HEY – it’s kind of like having your own chef…. ok, not really. 😉
Ok, Let’s start! Check out the video, the see below for a detailed recipe and instructions!
I Hope you Love the video and enjoy this OG pizza recipe over and over!!
Before we get into the pizza recipe itself, if you like pizza and want to really become the ultimate raw pizza ninja…
I’m excited to say that you have no need to dream, after 5 years of RnD I feel so blessed to bring you my newest Book/Ebook
Frickin Rawsome Pizza!
Enjoy your step by step recipe guide filled with 18 of my absolute favourite pizza recipes,
– 8 new quicker and tastier low to no fat pizza crust recipes
– 12 delicious sauce recipes
– loads of simple and low fat raw gourmet toppings
– 6 creamy cheese recipes
all ready to combine to make your own custom pizza’s sure to satisfy all of your pizza cravings!
I can honestly say that these pizzas are better than 99% of the cooked pizzas I have had in my life!
This recipe book also comes with fine tuned tips to help you make the toppings taste and texture of your old favourite cooked pizzas!
Enjoy 96 pages of Frickin Rawsome Pizza on 100% Recycled Paper with a Coil Binding!
Prefer an ebook? Download yours and start making Frickin Rawsome Pizza’s today!
Learn a ton more and see some of the pizza recipes in the link above!
To the pizza recipe at hand!!
The Best Deluxe Raw Pizza
Ingredients For the Toppings:
4-5 Fresh Tomatoes
1/2 Mild, Sweet White Onion
12 Cremini Mushrooms
3 Bell Peppers
1 Whole Small/Medium Pineapple
Slice the mushrooms and place a large bowl. Remove the stems and seeds from the bell peppers, then dice the peppers and add to the bowl. Thinly slice the onion half and add to the bowl. Halve the tomatoes, then slice and add to the bowl.
Slice off the top and bottom of the pineapple. Thinly slice off the rind and set it aside (you’re going to use it later!). Slice the pineapple into thin slabs, stopping once you get to the core. Cut the slabs into 3/4 inch cubes and place in the bowl.
Now, take the reserved pineapple rind and squeeze all of the juice out of it into the bowl of toppings. This acid will help soften and breakdown the other ingredients.
Stir the toppings, cover and refrigerate overnight.
Around Mid-morning the next day, spread the toppings onto dehydrator sheets. I use an Excalibur Dehydrator and it takes about 2 sheets to fit all of the toppings on. If you don’t have a dehydrator, I HIGHLY recommend getting an Excalibur today, they are easily the best time tested and true by raw chefs around the world!
From making “Better than Nori” sushi sheets, to pancakes, wraps, sun dried tomatoes and fruits, your enjoyment and sharing of raw dishes will only increase!
Dehydrate the toppings for about 3 hours, rotating the sheets about half way through to get good and even dehydration.
Ingredients for the Sauce
6 Fresh Tomatoes
Small bunch of Basil
2 Dates
1 cup Sun Dried Tomatoes
Oregano to taste
2 Green Onions
Place the fresh tomatoes, dates, green onions and a few of the sundried tomatoes into your Vitamix (grab yours here with free shipping) Blend until smooth. Continue to add sundried tomoates and blend until really thick.
You don’t want to add your basil until the end of your blending, otherwise it will pulverize it and ruin the flavor. Add your basil and several hearty dashes of oregano and pulse lightly.
Ingredients needed for Pizza Assembly:
3-5 Ounces of Spinach (or any other tender green)
ALRIGHTY! It’s time to start assembling the pizzas! Take your crust (have it on a dehydrator sheet so you don’t have to move it around once it’s assembled) and line it with a layer of spinach. This will provide a “moisture barrier” between the crust and the toppings so the crust doesn’t get soggy.
Next, pour the sauce over the spinach, about a liter per pizza, thats right a liter! Gently spread out to the edges of the crust. Pile the toppings on top of the sauce. I know what you’re thinking “Chris, this isn’t all going to fit!… Did I mess up the recipe somewhere?….Did he give me the wrong ratios?”
NOPE!!
It’s ALL going to fit and be a DELICIOUS super thick, pizza like you’ve never seen before – TRUST ME!
Ok, Once the toppings are on dehydrate the whole pizza for about 2 hours.
Now for the Cheeze. “But Chris, you can’t have a raw vegan pizza with Cheese!!” Oh my friends, if this is where you think you’ll have to sacrifice on a raw vegan diet, let me show you the light! You will not be disappointed with this amazing raw vegan Cheeze!!
Just wait and see….
Ingredients for the Cheeze:
1/2 Medium Zucchini
1 Cup Macadamia Nuts
Juice from 1/2 to 1 Lemon (depending on preference)
3-5 Green Onions, WHITES ONLY
Oregano to taste
Basil to taste
Chop the zucchini into large cubes and place in the vitamix (grab yours with free shipping today). Add 3/4 cup of the Macadamia Nuts, lemon juice and green onion whites. Blend until really thick and creamy. If it’s too runny you can add a few more nuts, if it’s too thick you can add a bit more lemon juice. Add a dash of the basil and oregano and pulse lightly.
Slide your pizza off the dehydrator sheet and onto a cutting surface. I find if you cut the pizza before adding the cheeze you’ll get better cheeze coverage. Also, I dehydrate one more time from here, but that’s totally optional. You can slice, top with cheeze and dig in if you like!
Ok, carefully slice the pizza into 9 squares and place back on the dehydrator sheet, you may want to watch the video steps on this. Add some cheeze to each slice and then dehydrate again for about 1 hour.
THAT’S IT!
YOUR SUPER DELUXE AMAZING DELICIOUS RAW VEGAN PIZZA IS READY!!!
DIG IN!!
There you have it!
A Raw Vegan Pizza everyone will love!
I’d love to hear from you once you try it!
Let me know what you think.
Let me know if you try different toppings!
Just a Reminder, if you really are a pizza lover and want to really become the ultimate raw pizza master
I’m excited to say that you have no need to dream, after 5 years of RnD I feel so blessed to bring you my newest Book/Ebook
Frickin Rawsome Pizza!
Enjoy your step by step recipe guide filled with 18 of my absolute favourite pizza recipe combos sure to satisfy all of your pizza cravings!
I can honestly say that these pizzas are better than 99% of the cooked pizzas I have had in my life!
This recipe book also comes with fine tuned tips to help you make the toppings taste and texture of your old favourite cooked pizzas!
Enjoy 96 pages of Frickin Rawsome Pizza on 100% Recycled Paper with a Coil Binding!
Prefer an ebook? Download yours and start making Frickin Rawsome Pizza’s today!
Learn a ton more and see some of the pizza recipes in the link above!
If you like the looks of this recipe be sure to check out my Cravings Busters Best simple low fat Raw Gourmet Recipe Masterpiece,
TRA Retreat Treats!
It is available by donation Here and contains many of my all time favorite recipes served often at festival’s and retreats from Thai, East Indian, Mediterranean, Mexican, Italian and More!
Wishing you much
PeaceLoveNSeasonalFruit
ckIntroduction: Gender, Globalization and the Digital Roopika Risam In the nearly two years since this special issue, “Gender, Globalization, and the Digital,” was first proposed, the state of gender in digital spaces around the world has only grown more dismal. On social media, as the Gamergate controversy that began in 2014 has shown, those who advocate for feminist approaches to technology often become … Continue reading Introduction: Gender |
, and curse Islam. He was also forced to masturbate in public and was one of the men stacked into a pyramid naked.[29]
On January 11, military prosecutors also presented evidence not publicly released, including a video of forced group masturbation and a picture of a female prisoner being forced to show her breasts.[15]
Following orders [ edit ]
The main defense was that Graner was following orders from, and supervised by, intelligence officers.[31] Graner and others testified that many senior officers were aware of the activities and actively supported them. This is why he was not worried about taking and distributing the photographs which were later used against him. Referring to military intelligence, Graner testified "I nearly beat an MI detainee to death with MI there" before Pohl cut him off.[32]
A formal complaint about the abuse was filed by Specialist Matthew Wisdom in November 2003 but was ignored by the military. Private Ivan Frederick (previously convicted of abuse) said he had consulted six senior officers, ranging from captains to lieutenant-colonels, about the guards' actions but was never told to stop. Despite this, the prosecution did not call any senior officers to testify. Womack suggests that this was not because they "just forgot" to do so.[33]
White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales had issued a memo which defined torture very narrowly as "intentionally causing permanent damage to vital organs or permanent emotional trauma".[34] This would have excluded Graner's acts of intimidation. However the prosecution argued that even if he was following orders from senior officers, he should have known that the orders were illegal.[35]
Verdict [ edit ]
On January 15, 2005, Graner was found guilty of assault, battery, conspiracy, maltreatment of detainees, committing indecent acts and dereliction of duty and sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment, reduction in rank to private, a dishonorable discharge, and the loss of all pay and benefits.[36]
Defense lawyer Guy Womack contended that Graner and the six other Abu Ghraib guards charged with abuses were being scapegoated.[36] For example, The Washington Post reported in 2004 that a torture position known as a "Palestinian hanging", where a prisoner is suspended by their hands behind their back, was approved by the Bush administration for use in CIA interrogations (termed an "enhanced interrogation technique" by the CIA).[37]
Graner's mother, Irma Graner said, "You know it's the higher-ups that should be on trial... they let the little guys take the fall for them. But the truth will come out eventually."[38]
Life post-trial [ edit ]
Graner was imprisoned in the United States Disciplinary Barracks in Leavenworth, Kansas.[39]
In 2005, while serving time for his role in the Abu Ghraib scandal, Graner married fellow Abu Ghraib guard Megan Ambuhl. Because she was not permitted to see him for the first 2½ years of his incarceration, it was a proxy wedding, with a friend.[25] Ambuhl previously pleaded guilty to two minor charges but served no jail time and was discharged.
Graner was released from prison after serving six-and-one-half years of a ten-year sentence. He remained on parole until December 25, 2014.[40]
Graner and his wife have declined interview requests.[41]
See also [ edit ]Crude oil futures recently fell to about $50 a barrel, the cheapest they have been since May 2005. How does this relate to gasoline prices?
There is a relationship between crude oil prices and gasoline prices, since oil is used to make gasoline. But there is not a simple, linear, one-to-one relationship. In the futures markets, a gallon of gasoline has been, on average over the last six years, 22 cents more expensive than a gallon of crude, according to John C. Felmy, chief economist for API, an oil and gas trade association. (A barrel of oil contains 42 gallons, by the way.) That 22-cent difference comes primarily from the costs of refining oil into gasoline.
Right now, though, the decline in gas prices is outpacing that in oil prices on the futures markets. In fact, a gallon of gas is currently cheaper than a gallon of oil on the futures markets in the New York Mercantile Exchange. Why is this?
While one product may be used to make the other, they have different supply and demand issues. In much of the recent past, oil prices drove gas prices. Fears about a supply shortfall, plus strong demand for petroleum products like diesel, pushed up the cost of oil, which meant companies that refine oil into gasoline had to pay more for raw materials. At the same time, though, demand for gas was slowing, which meant refiners were unable to pass on all of their costs. The run-up in gas prices therefore lagged slightly behind the run-up in oil. The price of oil futures peaked on July 3, and the price of gasoline futures peaked a week later.
Then recession hit. The financial system began to fall apart, and along with it investors sold off commodity futures (like crude oil). Consumers also tightened their belts and stopped buying as much gas, even during summer, the peak driving season.
Demand for gas cratered. Since then, gas prices — both at the pump and in the wholesale futures market — have plummeted.
One must remember, though, that products other than gasoline are made from crude oil. Of every barrel of crude oil, only about 40 percent goes to make gasoline, according to Ben Brockwell, director for data pricing and information services at OPIS, a company that tracks petroleum pricing and news. The rest goes toward production of other products, like diesel fuel. Diesel is used in much of the world for electrical power and industrial generation, although there isn’t a huge market for it in the United States.
Perhaps one reason oil futures prices are above gas futures prices is that diesel is feebly keeping oil afloat. Demand for diesel is falling, but it has not fallen nearly as much as gas. Gas futures prices have fallen 70 percent from their peak; diesel futures have fallen 58 percent. Oil futures have fallen 66 percent.
There is also a perpetual fear that some international incident — whether a conflict or a cartel-imposed quota — might disrupt the oil supply. It’s also easier to store crude oil than it is to store gasoline, which has more vaporization issues, Mr. Brockwell says. This means that if there isn’t much demand for petroleum products now, but you expect there to be a shortage in the future, it may make sense to hold onto (and buy more) crude, but the same wouldn’t be true for gasoline. On a related note, the price of oil several years down the road is much higher than the spot price, which means refiners have a strong incentive to stock up on oil now.
A brief addendum on retail gas prices: You’re probably wondering how all this relates to the prices you see at the pump. On average over the last six years, a gallon of gas on the retail market has been about 99 cents higher than a gallon of oil on the futures market, according to Mr. Felmy. (Those 99 cents come from the costs of refining, distribution, marketing and taxes. For a detailed breakdown, click here.) Unlike wholesale gasoline futures, today retail gas is still more expensive than oil futures, although the price difference is narrower than usual, presumably because of dwindling consumer demand. Right now, the average retail price nationwide is $1.929 a gallon for regular, according to AAA, the automotive group; a gallon of crude on the futures market is trading at $1.193 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Many thanks to Jad Mouawad, The Times’s energy correspondent, for his help with this explainer.Following the Warriors' win over the Spurs, Steve Kerr tells reporters he will meet with his players about how Golden State will approach the remaining three games on the schedule. (0:57)
OAKLAND, Calif. -- With the Golden State Warriors having wrapped up the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, coach Steve Kerr said he is leaning toward resting his players but that the team will meet to discuss the issue.
"We are going to talk about it tomorrow," Kerr said Thursday night after the Warriors' 112-101 win over the San Antonio Spurs, their 70th victory of the season. "We've been putting it off for as long as we were able to, which was until we got the 1-seed. Now that we have that, I'm inclined to give some guys some rest if they need it, but I've sort of made a pact with the guys that if they are not banged up and they are not tired and if they want to go for this record or whatever then -- so we got to talk."
The Warriors have three games remaining and must win them all to surpass the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, who set the NBA record for wins in a season with 72. Clinching the No. 1 seed was Kerr's primary goal.
Asked about his concerns, Kerr said, "I'm a little uneasy about it. It's not that I'm worried about injury. You can get injured in practice. It's not so much that I want to rest guys to avoid injury, but we do have a back-to-back here. It will be our third game in four nights."
"I've sort of made a pact with the guys that if they are not banged up and they are not tired and if they want to go for this record," they can play, coach Steve Kerr said. Garrett Ellwood/NBAE/Getty Images
The Warriors are off Friday but play Saturday at Memphis and Sunday at San Antonio before closing the season against the Grizzlies on Wednesday at home.
All-Star forward Draymond Green said he thinks most of his teammates are aiming for the wins record over rest.
"Think about the year we've had: started 24-0, haven't lost two in a row all year, have had several streaks of seven-plus wins in a row, yet we're still sitting here needing three in a row," Green said. "That tells you how hard this is to do.
"So to get this far and kind of just tank it and say, 'Aw, never mind.'... Let's face it, we probably will never get to this point again. That's why it's only been done one time. I think most guys in the locker room are all-in, and we'll figure that out this weekend."
Green previously sent a message to his teammates in Golden State's players-only group chat.
"I just told guys, 'Hey, if you need the rest, take the rest, and if you don't, we going after it,'" he said. "I think it can be tough depending on how you want to look at it, and most guys in the locker room are saying we're right here, we put all this effort into it, let's try to go for it."
All-Star guard Klay Thompson was direct about what his decision will be, telling ESPN, "I'm not going to rest."
"I'm only 26. When I'm 36, I'll be looking to rest more," he later told the assembled media.
Forward Harrison Barnes echoed that sentiment, saying, "I'm 23, so I've got no problem playing the rest of these games, and we'll go from there."
Reigning MVP Stephen Curry said the Warriors aren't finished yet.
"We wanted to take care of tonight and clinch home court for the playoffs, was a goal of ours," Curry said. "With three games left and 73 still there, it's obviously a lot to play for."A NOAA map showing the typical path of the Gulf Stream, with warm water appearing red, which skirts well south of New England.
Last fall, fishermen in the Northeast United States noticed stronger currents and higher water temperatures than usual, so they tapped scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts to help them find out what was going on.
A study by the scientists, published recently in the journal Scientific Reports, suggests the cause was a change in the direction of the Gulf Stream, the current that ferries warm water from the Gulf of Mexico northeast into the Atlantic and along the U.S. East Coast. The scientists found that the center, or core, of the Gulf Stream was diverted as much as 125 miles (200 kilometers) to the north of its average position, according to a WHOI statement.
In late October 2011, temperatures increased at two deep-water sensors attached to lobster traps off Nantucket by as much as 12 degrees Fahrenheit (6.7 degrees Celsius) over the course of several days. That pushed water temperatures above 64 F (18 C), which is very unusual in the waters off southern New England for that time of year. It's also 4 F (2 C) higher than temperatures have been at one of these locations in the last decade, said study author and WHOI researcher Glen Gawarkiewicz.
While the diversion lasted for only a couple weeks, the warm water stuck around for months, into early 2012.The strange conditions likely had and will have an effect on marine life near the edge of the continental shelf, the underwater extension of the North American continent that creates relatively shallow waters until it abruptly drops off. The continental shelf off the Northeast is home to an abundance of fish. Studies in Northeast waters have shown that temperature increases of 4 F (2 C) have caused major northward shifts in populations of silver hake, a commercially important fish.
In spring 2012, migratory bluefish and striped bass were also seen off the coast of Cape Cod much earlier than in previous years. But more research is required to determine if the Gulf Stream diversion was the cause.
It's still unclear exactly why the Gulf Stream shifted so far to the north, Gawarkiewicz told OurAmazingPlanet. One possible explanation is that the heavy rainfall dropped by Hurricane Irene affected its course by altering ocean salinity. Another possibility is that it was jolted northward by an eddy of cold water off the southeastern United States that appeared in the fall of 2011, he said.
Typically, the Gulf Stream only indirectly influences ocean currents and temperatures near the continental shelf south of New England when eddies separate from the Gulf Stream and drift northward, causing limited warming.
Reach Douglas Main at dmain@techmedianetwork.com. Follow him on Twitter @Douglas_Main. Follow OurAmazingPlanet on Twitter @OAPlanet. We're also on Facebook and Google+.
Copyright 2012 OurAmazingPlanet, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.I was nearly killed earlier this year while counter-protesting the paramilitary seizure of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. After accusing me of being an FBI agent, the armed occupiers there worked themselves into a mob. Hog-faced militia thugs barked, “he’s a fed.” Some pawed their pistols. I was told snipers were trained on us. It was dangerously close to violence.
"The cradling of the Bundy’s media circus at Malheur, and the government’s over-confident bungling of the ensuing prosecution—sets a dangerous and far-reaching precedent for the kind of paramilitary intimidation and right-wing violence that underpins their movement."
For weeks last January a small rag-tag group of public lands supporters protested the Malheur occupiers. There was a handful of us, and dozens of them—all 30 miles from the nearest law enforcement. We crashed press conferences, staged counter protests, and marched into their occupied barracks with signs. We were threatened, harassed, blasted with bull horns and trailed by thugs with assault rifles.
We saw first-hand what was live-streamed to the world: An illegal paramilitary seizure of one of the crown jewels of our national wildlife refuge system, and the months-long social, cultural, economic, and environmental terrorization of an entire community. So, like many others, I was jarred by last Thursday’s acquittal of seven defendants: How could such an obvious, video-taped crime could go unpunished? Here’s how: Federal fumbling.
The Bundy clan and their followers peddle a dangerous brand of radicalism. Their core ideas—that the federal government lacks authority to own public land, and that county sheriffs are the highest form of law enforcement—are rooted in hard-right racist ideologies created to sidestep federal civil rights laws by elevating local authority. They’re perfectly suited to ranchers, like Cliven Bundy, who refused to pay deeply subsidized federal grazing fees.
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After Cliven Bundy’s 2014 Nevada standoff—where militia thugs with assault rifles stood down federal officials corralling Cliven’s illegally-grazing cows—the Obama administration did nothing. The standoff was a big win for anti-government militants, and in the two years following, facing no arrests or federal enforcement, the movement grew, spawning the Malheur seizure last winter.
"It’s a stepping stone toward fascism, not nonviolent civil disobedience."
There, the kids-gloves stayed on. Militants were free to come and go from the refuge. They visited town, harassed locals, and crashed community meetings armed. They held press conferences, trenched Burns Paiute sacred sites, and shook hands with the FBI in front of news cameras. And because refuge employees were told to stay home, the jury could cynically find that the lynchpin charge in the government’s boldly-narrow prosecution—that occupiers had conspired to impede federal employees from doing their jobs—wasn’t supported by evidence.
All of this—the federal inaction following the Nevada standoff, the cradling of the Bundy’s media circus at Malheur, and the government’s over-confident bungling of the ensuing prosecution—sets a dangerous and far-reaching precedent for the kind of paramilitary intimidation and right-wing violence that underpins their movement. Social change in America depends on nonviolent civil disobedience, like the brutal struggles of indigenous activists in North Dakota and Black Lives Matter activists throughout the U.S. But right-wing paramilitary intimidation is different. It’s a stepping stone toward fascism, not nonviolent civil disobedience. Its rise should concern anyone who cares about America’s public lands, civil rights, and a political system that refuses to be bullied by violence and racism.
All of those principles were on trial in the Malheur case. They will be again in next year’s trial for the 2014 Bundy standoff. There, the government has the ingredients for a strong case. And the imperative for getting it right couldn’t be greater.If you're a Game of Thrones fan, you might want to check this 8-Bit game out! The game allows players to play with four different characters of the series. Each character comes with their own abilities and attacks, and there are four levels filled with different enemies and scenarios from the adventure.
Software Used to Create Game
If you feel inspired to create your own 8-Bit game, you should check out Arcade Game Studio (ARGS), because this game was created using that software. The game is available for a free download here.
About the Author
The author of the game is Abel Alves, a Spanish comic artist who is currently living in Hungary. Alves loves Japanese culture, video games, and horror movies. He says that he is always looking for new ways to expand his creativity. If you would like to check out his Web site, click here. Alves encourages gamers to contact him with their opinions of his 8-Bit game with critiques, advice, or any other thoughts or comments. You can e-mail him at: alvarez.rejo@gmail.com.With the festival season round the corner, farmers from Pune district appealed to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to ban plastic flowers which come from China to Pune as they negatively affect their Gerbera flower farms. The farmers allege that they do not get good prices for natural flowers.
Farmers from Khed, Shivapur and Aarvi village met mayor Mukta Tilak, municipal commissioner Kunal Kumar and other office bearers and demanded to pass a proposal to help the farmers. Earlier, the PMC had passed a proposal to ban thermocol plates and plastic carry bags below 50 micron in the city.
The farmers said that since plastic flowers are not biodegradable, the municipal corporation can take such a decision and appealed to citizens to use natural flowers during the upcoming festival time.
The farmers under the leadership of MNS corporator Vasant More met PMC office bearers and requested them to help the farmers.
Farmer Ajit Pawar and Manish Navgune from the Khed, Shivapur and Aarvi village said that many farmers from their villages erected polyhouses to plant gerbera flowers. Pawar said, “Earlier they were getting Rs20 to Rs50 per dozen for the flowers. It is mainly used for decorations and marriage functions. But now they are getting Rs5 to Rs10 per dozen for the flowers. The input cost is higher than the price of the flowers. Most of the farmers have taken a loan to undertake gerbera farming and now they are not able to repay the bank’s EMI.”
Sale of flowers is high during Ganeshotsav but with plastic flowers coming in large quantity, citizens prefer to buy them.
More said that the municipal commissioner assured the farmers that the administration will check the legality of such a proposal. Farmers also met the Dagadusheth Halwai Ganapati Temple and appealed to them to use natural flowers during the festival season, said More.
First Published: Jul 28, 2017 14:15 ISTCook Islands' Prime Minister Henry Puna, seen here with New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, is keen to expand his country's international influence.
The Cook Islands is pushing for independence from New Zealand – but the price for its people is that their children will lose their New Zealand citizenship.
Prime Minister Henry Puna is due to visit New Zealand in next week.
He is eyeing a seat on the United Nations for the tiny nation and he has put talks on greater autonomy on the table.
The New Zealand Government warnsCook Islanders would lose their guaranteed right to work in this country, as it tries to stave off the risk off a sudden mass migration to New Zealand.
Just this month, foreign affairs minister Murray McCully opened a $20 million solar power project in the Cooks' outer islands, intended to stem the flow of islanders abandoning their homes and moving to Auckland.
New Zealand and Australian concerns that independence would simply speed up the exodus have been reinforced by the luke-warm response to independence plans from New Zealand-based Cook Islanders.
Puna's visit comes as the Cooks celebrate the 50th anniversary of self-government in free association with New Zealand, a status that leaves New Zealand responsible for defence and foreign policy in consultation with the Cook Islands' Government.
Under the arrangement its citizens are entitled to New Zealand passports and free access to work here in contrast with other Pacific nations with close links to New Zealand, such as Samoa and Tonga, which face quotas.
It is understood the Cooks see a vote at the UN as an important bargaining chip that could give them greater influence and leverage to secure more aid and economic development cash. Puna is keen for what officials are calling "the money and the bag" option – full independence while retaining NZ citizenship – but that is unlikely to be granted.
New Zealand would likely insist on a referendum if the Cooks decides to seek full independence, especially given the small majority Puna's Cook Island Party has in Parliament. He commands 13 votes in the 24 seat Parliament but only after the recent defection of a candidate from another party.
Politicians and officials spoken to here say a referendum would likely fail if a change meant an end to automatic work rights and NZ citizenship.
The "money and the bag" option could also fall foul of international opinion. Not only could it be interpreted as a grab by New Zealand for an extra seat at the UN, it could create an unwelcome precedent for counties such as France, the United States and Britain and their dependencies in the Pacific and elsewhere. Sources said it would also create a controversial precedent strengthening Palestine's case for a place in the UN.
It is understood Puna's delegation and New Zealand officials will exchange legal and constitutional views on the issue during Puna's upcoming visit.
McCully declined an interview on the issue this week and the office of the Cook Islands secretary for Foreign Affairs and Immigration did not respond to an interview request.
Many Cook Islanders living in New Zealand were alarmed by the prospect of the relationship with New Zealand ending, though others saw positives to increased autonomy.
"Who does Puna think he is? Our people would be devastated," said Vaine Areora, secretary of the Auckland Cook Islands Sports Association.
She said there were no jobs in the Cook Islands and the automatic New Zealand citizenship provided opportunities that would not otherwise exist. "Why do we need to move away from New Zealand?"
There were fears about whose influence would replace New Zealand's in the region. "The thing I fear is bringing China into the Cook Islands. We don't want that to happen," said Reverend Henry Whichman.
Increasingly poor and undeveloped, there is nothing in the Cook Islands to keep the younger generation, he said.
"There is nothing there for them. That is why we migrate here to get a better life. Only the old folks return not the young ones. If they go independent that will make things worse."
But, there would be benefits to being less reliant on New Zealand and increasing autonomy, according to Stan Wolfgramm, Pasifika social and economic advocate.
He believes the opportunity offered in New Zealand, especially for young people to leave and never return, is a double-edged sword that has contributed to the economic and social decay of the Cook Islands.
"One of the biggest issues the Cook Islands faces is depopulation – whether putting a barrier up is the right answer to depopulation," he said.
However, he was concerned by the the aspirations behind independence and whether membership at the UN was in fact just in pursuit of more aid money.
"They are taking away these things, but what are we replacing it with? What is the strategy behind it and what are the new determining factors that are greater than the current relationship," he said.Spotlight
Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers has thrown 25 touchdown passes with no interceptions in games at Lambeau Field this season. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images).
A hobbled Rodgers is still dangerous
Ask the Cowboys about Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers, and it’s clear they think he’s pretty special.
“He’s been playing as well as anybody for a while,” Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo said of his Green Bay counterpart.
“He’s tough,” Dallas defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli crowed. “I admire that. He sits in there, and he throws rockets.”
At Lambeau Field, Rodgers has been almost flawless this season. He’s thrown 25 touchdown passes and no interceptions while posting an eye-popping quarterback rating of 133.2. But Rodgers will have to overcome a significant calf strain that has limited his practice time.
“I spend a lot of time with the trainers, a lot of rehab,” Rodgers said. “Just trying to continue to improve every day.”
On Sunday the Cowboys expect to see Rodgers in top form. “He’s going to bring his best effort every time,” defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence said.(Newser) – The US has basically flushed $30 billion down the toilet, according to a bipartisan commission looking into the money spent on contracts and grants in Iraq and Afghanistan. It found that at least one out of every six dollars spent in the last 10 years has been money wasted. In a report to be submitted to Congress Wednesday, the commission finds that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were begun “without adequate planning or contract-management personnel to handle the enormous scale and numbers of contracts,” write the group’s heads. And just as much money could go to waste all over again if the countries’ governments can't or won't maintain US-funded programs after we leave: The report cites $300 million we spent on a power plant that the Afghan government lacks the funds and expertise to run as an example.
“Poor planning, inadequate competition, lax accountability, and subpar performance, or outright misconduct by some contractors and federal employees” are among the issues the report confronts. And It’s not just money that has been wasted: Poor contract management also hurts “support for military, diplomatic, and development efforts” and helps breed corruption, write Christopher Shays and Michael Thibault in the Washington Post. The commission offers “15 strategic recommendations” to improve the situation, including creating new oversight positions and making better use of risk analysis. Click for more. (Read more defense contractors stories.)After the Trump administration announced late Thursday night that it would end key Obamacare subsidies, a few Republican lawmakers spoke out against the move, warning that eliminating those subsidies could raise premiums and cost constituents their health coverage.
Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA), a moderate Republican who is retiring at the end of his term, said on CNN that President Donald Trump’s move was “ill-advised.”
“I am fearful now that the President made this announcement that will destabilize the insurance markets, it will raise premiums for a lot of folks,” Dent said Friday morning on CNN, adding that it could also cause some Americans to lose their health insurance and prompt insurers to leave the Obamacare marketplace.
Dent argued that the Republican Party “will own this,” and said that the administration’s move will force Congress to act quickly to pass legislation in order to make cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments.
“President Trump is the President. He is a Republican. And we control the Congress. We own the system now. So we are going to have to figure out a way to stabilize this situation,” Dent told CNN. “Barack Obama is no longer in the equation. So this is on us. And so I believe his action will force us to enter into some kind of bipartisan agreement on the cost-sharing reduction payments.”
“We have to send the bill to the President,” he added later. “Whether or not he signs it, I don’t know. I hope he would. Maybe that’s what he wants us to do. Maybe he is forcing us to take some action.”
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), another Republican retiring at the end of her term, also warned that Trump’s decision to cut off CSR payments could hurt her constituents.
Cutting health care subsidies will mean more uninsured in my district. @potus promised more access, affordable coverage. This does opposite. — Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (@RosLehtinen) October 13, 2017
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), who opposed all of the Obamacare repeal plans proposed by Republicans, said Friday morning in a speech that she was “concerned” by the administration’s decision to end CSR payments, as well as by Thursday’s executive order.
Republican Nevada Gov Brian Sandoval also warned Friday that cutting off the payments will be “devastating” in his state.
“It’s going to hurt people. It’s going to hurt kids. It’s going to hurt families. It’s going to hurt individuals. It’s going to hurt people with mental health issues. It’s going to hurt veterans. It’s going to hurt everybody,” he told the Nevada Independent, referring to the CSR payments. “And so this is something that I’ve been very supportive during my administration in terms of expanding health care and making sure that people have access to affordable health care and I’m going to continue on that path.”
The Trump administration has repeatedly threatened to cut off these crucial payments for insurers who cover low-income Americans with significant health care needs. Over the summer, as the administration was weighing whether to make its August payment, several Republicans urged Trump to continue the subsidies, including Sen. John Thune (R-SD), a member of the Republican leadership team, and Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), the Republican leading bipartisan talks on legislation to make the CSR payments.
After the announcement, Trump on Friday morning urged Democrats to work with him on a legislative fix to Obamacare, but it’s not entirely clear what the administration would agree to.
Office of Management and Budget chief Mick Mulvaney on Friday told Politico that he is “pretty sure” the administration would not support “a clean Murray-Alexander bill.”
“The president has said pretty clearly that he’s willing to talk to just about anybody about repealing and replacing [Obamacare],” Mulvaney added, per Politico. “But if the straight-up question is: Is the president interested in continuing what he sees as corporate welfare and bailouts for the insurance companies? No.”The Red Cross poster fracas was more than just another one-off outrage of the day. Margaret Sawyer
Margaret Sawyer spent part of last summer driving across the country, stopping at public pools along the way to let her small children cool down and burn energy. Without intending to, she also set off a public relations crisis for the Red Cross.
At a pool in Salida, Colorado, Sawyer was idly reading some safety posters while her kids splashed nearby. At the top of one poster, pictured above, a cheerful whale announced “Be Cool, Follow the Rules.” The illustration below showed a pool in which various “cool” people follow proper water-safety procedures while other “not cool” types engage in risky behavior. A “cool” blonde girl waits her turn by the diving board, for example, and a “cool” fair-skinned dad minds his small child. The vast majority of the “not cool” rule breakers, meanwhile, have brown skin: One boy runs through a puddle, another dives too close to a swimmer, and a little black girl pushes a white girl into the pool. “How can this be, that the white kids are the ones doing good and the black kids are doing bad, and no one noticed it?” Sawyer remembers thinking.
At first, she says, she assumed the poster was a decades-old relic. But then she saw the poster at a second pool in Salida and discovered it was part of a 2014 safety campaign. Sawyer snapped a photo and posted it on Facebook. “We need to hold the Red Cross accountable for the publication of this poster,” she wrote. “Horrifying that children across the country are absorbing this message.” She also sent the photo to her brother, a consultant in Washington, D.C., who called it out on Twitter. Both posts took off; the “super-racist” poster, as John Sawyer dubbed it in his now-deleted tweet, received coverage from CNN, NBC News, and Time. “What the fuck, Red Cross?” Larry Wilmore asked on The Nightly Show. Within a week, the Red Cross had removed the poster from all locations and issued an apology: “We deeply apologize for any misunderstanding, as it was absolutely not our intent to offend anyone.”
The 136-year-old aid organization has had more than its share of five-alarm scandals in recent years. In 2014, NPR and ProPublica exposed how the Red Cross botched its responses to Hurricanes Sandy and Isaac, diverting 15 emergency response vehicles to press conferences at the height of the post-Sandy crisis. The following year brought another devastating exposé from NPR and ProPublica, this one on how the group squandered $500 million in donations for the Haiti earthquake disaster. CEO Gail McGovern had been hired in 2008 to clean up an organization that was running a huge annual deficit; her short-lived predecessor had been asked to resign after it came out that he’d impregnated an employee. After all this, the poster dust-up was, relatively speaking, a minor embarrassment. The story quickly met the fate of most outrage-provoking stories: It disappeared.
Outside of public view, however, the Red Cross was scrambling furiously to contain the damage done by its racist poster. In the days after the group’s public apology, McGovern arranged a meeting that included Red Cross executives and Ebony Rosemond, the head of a Maryland-based nonprofit called Black Kids Swim. The Red Cross went on to review all course materials for its lifeguard training and swimming programs. It opened a formal partnership with the nonprofit Diversity in Aquatics to review its aquatics-related educational programs and materials, and participated in that organization’s annual convention. And in April, the Red Cross hosted its first national aquatics symposium—with a focus on “populations where water-related injuries and drowning deaths occur at high rates, and where proactive resources are not easily accessible.”
The Red Cross’ chief public affairs officer, Suzy DeFrancis, outlined those changes to me in a lengthy email sent in response to an interview request, which the organization declined. On paper, it certainly looks like the Red Cross has “worked very hard in the past year to elevate our internal conversation on diversity and inclusion through action,” as DeFrancis put it, in a textbook example of why journalists always prefer phone interviews to ones conducted via email. But has the organization made any meaningful progress in helping make the water a safe and welcoming place for black children?
Ebony Rosemond of Black Kids Swim is skeptical. With regard to the various symposia and partnerships, she said, “I don’t know what that really does. That’s people in meetings and spending money on a fancy event. I don’t know how that helps diversify the sport. I don’t know how that helps a kid not drown.”
The Red Cross told me that its Aquatics Centennial Campaign, which focuses on water safety in “at-risk” communities with high drowning rates, has helped 9,100 children and adults learn to swim since 2014. But Rosemond wants to know why the organization doesn’t keep track of how many black and Hispanic children they have taught to swim. “That’s just bad research design,” she said. “If you want to change the statistics, then you will focus your intervention on those statistics, but they don’t.” Although DeFrancis emphasized that the program focuses on locations with “diverse demographics,” the organization’s 20-page 2016 annual report promotes the campaign but does not mention race at all. It’s also worth noting that 11 of the Red Cross’s 12 corporate officers and executive leadership team members are white; the only person of color is the chief diversity officer, Floyd Pitts. (The Red Cross provided data suggesting that both its overall workforce and management are more racially diverse than the U.S. workforce.)
The poster fracas was more than just another one-off outrage of the day. It has roots in an entrenched history of white racism and paranoia that has prevented black families from getting access to safe swimming areas. In the segregated 1920s and 1930s, many towns provided large outdoor pools for white residents, and—if anything—a small indoor pool for blacks. Desegregation changed the landscape. In 1949, when a group of black citizens of St. Louis tried to swim at the Fairground Park pool, a mob of 200 white people chased them off with bats, knives, and bricks. Many Southern towns eventually filled their pools with cement, with whites preferring to avoid swimming rather than swim with black people; private clubs and backyard pools often replaced them.
Today, black children drown at 5.5 times the rate of white children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Meanwhile |
essential. For the U.K., the best outcome would be to retain much of its preferential access, which — as a practical matter — would mean continuing contributions to the E.U. budget and abiding by most E.U. regulations. The status quo would survive, except that the U.K. would have no influence over E.U. policies. Anything less than this would have the E.U. putting its own members at a competitive disadvantage.
Viewed this way, Brexit is an absurdity. But it is a potentially destructive absurdity. It creates more uncertainty in a world awash in uncertainty. This would weaken an already sputtering global economy by giving firms and consumers another reason to pull back on spending.
It would be better for the U.K. to stay in the E.U. It would also be better for the E.U., because Britain provides political and intellectual balance. Finally, it would be better for the United States, which doesn’t need a major ally — Britain — to go delusional.
Read more from Robert Samuelson’s archive.The Fine Line Between Social Darwinism and Suicidal Compassion By Bryan Caplan
Are you a libertarian? Are you tired of being called “hard-hearted”? Then I’ve got a solution for you! You’ll still be insulted. But instead of being condemned as “hard-hearted,” you’ll be mocked as “soft-headed.” All you have to do:
1. Take your hard-core libertarian writings on the domestic poor.
2. Replace all references to the “domestic poor” with “low-skilled immigrants.”
3. Publish your “new” position.
My latest essay for Hoover, “Treating Immigrants Like Strangers,” is a case in point. I begin:
Immigrants are strangers, and we should treat them accordingly. On the one hand, this means that we should consider all of the
ways-good and bad-that immigrants affect us. We shouldn’t merely
consider the fiscal effects of immigration. We should consider the
broader economic effects, including those on innovation and
entrepreneurship. And we should consider the political effects-how
immigrants will sway our future policies and priorities. None of this means, however, that we may ignore the welfare of
immigrants. They’re strangers but still human beings. No one is
obligated to hire strangers, house strangers, or support strangers in
the lifestyle to which they’d like to become accustomed. When someone else offers to hire, house, or support a stranger, however, we are normally obliged not to interfere.
If you disapprove of your employer’s latest recruit or your landlord’s
new tenants, you have every right to quit or move. But to overrule other people’s agreements requires a very good excuse. These moral observations may seem obvious, but they have a shocking
implication. Our current immigration policies treat immigrants worse than
strangers, far worse. Existing laws do not simply make immigrants
ineligible for (most) government benefits, or protect your right to
refuse to hire or house immigrants. Instead, existing laws prevent
anyone in the United States from hiring or housing immigrants unless the
immigrant has government permission. This permission is very difficult to obtain, especially for low-skilled immigrants. The upshot: to treat immigrants like strangers, we would probably
have to drastically liberalize our immigration laws – not just for
high-skilled immigrants but for low-skilled immigrants as well. Denying
government benefits to immigrants is fine; they’re strangers, so we
have no obligation to support them. Denying immigrants the right to
accept a job from a willing employer or rent an apartment from a willing
landlord, by contrast, requires a very good excuse.
If I talked the same way about poor Americans, people would attack my view as a cold-blooded Social Darwinism. But since it’s about immigrants – especially low-skilled immigrants – the same position somehow becomes suicidally compassionate. Sigh. It’s almost like people don’t understand their moral obligations to strangers."doxing & hacking & SWATing tend to be a package deal." - Zoe Quinn
Several weeks ago I heard about an interesting case raising First Amendment issue. In that case, Zoe Quinn, an online agitator and professional panhandler sought to silence her ex-boyfriend for sharing his tale of emotional abuse.
Although relationship drama is nonsense I don't care about, something interesting happened. Zoe Quinn obtained a protective order against Eron Gjoni that prevented him from talking about her. At all.
The protective order seemed clearly unconstitutional. I obtained the court records to learn more. Since then my life has been permanently altered.
I have had:
The State Bar called on me.
The police have been called on me.
My home address and pictures of my home posted.
Threats about hacking my site were made.
False accusations that I have threatened women with rape were made.
How Doxing Leads to Swatting.
Although it's easy to dismiss the campaign of harassment against me as drama, Zoe Quinn and her co-conspirator Margaret Pless, a graduate student in New York, upped the ante.
Margaret Pless posted pictures of my home address. Zoe Quinn, who had talked to Margaret Pless before posting the address, retweeted my home address and detailed pictures of my home to her over 30,000 Twitter followers.
Zoe Quinn knew of the dox in advance.
After retweeted that "best journalism" to her 30,000+ plus followers, Zoe Quinn backtracked. She claimed she had no idea Margaret Pless doxed me. This is a lie.
On October 21, Margaret Pless posted the following comment to a blog dedicated to cyberstalking me. The comment read:
"I'm preparing an article about Cernovich for my own site....I'm holding it because Zoe Quinn says she wants to talk to me."
Why did Zoe Quinn and Margaret Pless post pictures of my home as well as my home address?
What good reason exists for posting not only the exact address where I reside but also pictures of my home? There is a good reason.
Zoe Quinn and Margaret Pless were trying to get me Swatted.
Oh, sure, they will say, "No way!"
They will act as if they are precious little snowflake who would do such a thing. What do the experts have to say?
What is Swatting?
Wikipedia notes:
Swatting is the act of tricking an emergency service (via such means as hoaxing a 9-1-1 dispatcher) into dispatching an emergency response based on the false report of an on-going critical incident. Episodes range from large to small, from the deployment of bomb squads, SWAT units and other police units and the concurrent evacuations of schools and businesses to a single fabricated police report meant to discredit an individual as a prank or personal vendetta. While it is a misdemeanor or a felony in the USA in and of itself to report any untruth to law enforcement, swatting can cause massive disruption to the civil order and the public peace by the hoaxed deployment of police and other civic resources such as ambulances and fire departments. The term derives from SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics), a highly specialized type of police unit.
How do I know Zoe Quinn and Margaret Pless wanted to get me Swatted?
I was able to avoid the Swatting because I saw something far worse happened to a Los Angeles District Attorney who writes under the name "Patterico."
Patterico almost lost his life after a Swatting incident, and he began researching Swatting. His research revealed the following:
I met personally with the nationwide experts on swatting in December 2011: the FBI office in Dallas, Texas. They told me that swatting is an extreme form of harassment — and that swatters typically combine swatting with other forms of harassment, including: complaining to the victim’s workplace, defaming the victim online, “Googlebombing” the victim, publishing the victim’s address online, filing phony reports of criminal activity by the victim, and so forth.
Does that sound familiar? If not, let me refresh your memory:
Margaret Caroline Pless posted my information online. This included my personal home address as well as pictures of my home.
Zoe Quinn has encouraged her followers to report me to the State Bar, which is their only way to complain to my workplace, as I am self-employed.
Before publishing the article, Margaret Pless spoke to Zoe Quinn. ("I'm holding it because Zoe Quinn says she wants to talk to me.")
Zoe Quinn a/k/a Chelsea Van Valkenburg called this "good journalism," and shared my address and pictures of my home with her 30,000+ Twitter followers.
Margaret Pless encouraged her blog readers to call the LAPD on me, even though I have not committed any crimes.
Margaret Pless called the police on me.
Randi Harper, a drug addict who has been in jail, falsely accused me of making rape threats.
There has been a non-stop campaign of harassment against me, including calling me a stalker, harasser of women, and a rapist.
Zoe Quinn's harassment and doxing of me is verifiable.
The abuse I faced is real and verifiable.
Unlike the threats Zoe Quinn claims to have faced, I have been falsely accused of crimes and doxed by the actual account of Zoe Quinn, Margaret Pless, and Randi Harper.
This doesn't make me a helpless victim. It is what it is.
Yet when the media refuses to acknowlege that I have been a victim (by their standards) of harassment, doxing, and a potential Swatting, we know that there is a serious problem with ethics in journalism.
UPDATE: Zoe Quinn has all but confessed to trying to get Mike Cernovich Swatted.
On January 3, 2015, it seems Ms. Quinn's guilty conscience got the best of her. She published to her Twitter timeline: "doxing & hacking & SWATing tend to be a package deal."
As Ms. Quinn and Ms. Pless doxed Mike Cernovich, posting detailed images of his home and publishing that information to 30,000+ people, one doesn't need to draw too many inferences to conclude that their intent was to get Cernovich Swatted.Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Karen Allen in Nairobi: "Kenya will never be the same again"
Kenyan officials say they are in the final stages of bringing to an end the deadly stand-off with suspected al-Shabab militants in Nairobi.
Explosions and heavy gunfire were reported earlier as soldiers stormed the Westgate shopping complex.
Three "terrorists" were killed and soldiers are continuing to comb the building floor by floor "looking for anyone left behind", officials said.
The Kenyan Red Cross has told the BBC that 63 people remain unaccounted for.
'Under control'
Analysis A number of countries are believed to have offered assistance to the Kenyan authorities currently dealing with the siege at the Westgate Mall. Kenya is seen as a largely pro-Western country in a strategically important continent that is facing growing instability from the threat of Islamic extremism. Western interests in Kenya have also been targets in the past - most notably the 1998 attack on the US embassy in Nairobi carried out by al-Qaeda. However, at present, Kenya's forces are taking the lead in the hostage crisis. If there is any involvement by foreign nations, it's likely to be in a purely advisory role. It has already been reported that Israeli "security specialists" are on the ground in Nairobi giving advice, although this has not officially been confirmed. Even if foreign forces are giving advice or even more, the Kenyan authorities are unlikely to want to give the impression that they cannot deal with this crisis themselves.
The official death toll stands at 62 and more than 170 have been injured. There are fears the death toll will rise further.
British Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said that his best estimate was that six Britons had been killed.
The Somali Islamist al-Shabab movement has said it carried out the attack in retaliation for Kenyan military operations in Somalia.
"The terrorists could be running and hiding in some stores, but all floors now are under our control," Kenyan Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku said.
"There is no room for escape."
He told the BBC late on Monday that the operation would continue overnight, but stressed it was in its final stages.
The minister added that "it is very unlikely that there are any hostages" left in the complex.
Flames
The BBC's Gabriel Gatehouse, who is at the scene, says there is still no clear picture of what is going on inside; officials have said forces are in control of the mall but have not said if they have arrested or killed all attackers.
As night fell on Monday, flames and thick smoke continued to rise from the complex.
The Kenya Defence Forces said the fire had been started by "terrorists to distract the ongoing operation", and that the blaze was being managed by firefighters.
President Barack Obama said the US was offering its full support to the Kenyan authorities.
Kenya is one of the largest recipients of US security assistance in sub-Saharan Africa, with much of that aid focused on counter-terrorism.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption President Obama says the US stands with Kenya
The BBC's defence correspondent Jonathan Beale says the US is likely to have responded to the crisis by sending one of its Foreign Emergency Support Teams (Fest).
But there was no suggestion they are directly involved, our correspondent says.
The KDF said 10 bodies had been retrieved from the building in the last 24 hours. More than 200 civilians have been rescued, 65 of whom remain in hospital.
Eleven KDF soldiers were injured during the operation, it said.
Earlier, police used tear gas to disperse crowds of onlookers gathered close to the Westgate Centre.
The Interior Ministry has been issuing regular warnings for people to stay away for their own safety.
Image caption Thick black smoke started billowing from the building shortly after blasts were heard
Image caption The Kenyan interior minister said security forces were gaining an advantage over the militants
Image caption Kenyan police officers took position around the Westgate Shopping Centre
Image caption Police fired tear gas to try to disperse crowds of onlookers near the centre.
Security has also been stepped up at entrance and exit points across the country, with "more than 10 individuals" arrested in relation to the attack, the ministry said.
It did not specify when or where the arrests were made, but media reports from Kenya said the suspects were detained at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
Repeated threats
More than 1,000 people were inside the mall complex when the attack began on Saturday.
Dr Sunil Sachdeva, a dentist who runs a clinic inside the mall, described the scene as the attack unfolded.
Al-Shabab militia Name means "The Youth" in Arabic
Controls large areas of Somalia
Formed as a radical offshoot of the Union of Islamic Courts in 2006
Include foreign jihadists
Has launched cross-border raids into Kenya, Uganda
Estimated to have 7,000 to 9,000 fighters
Announced merger with al-Qaeda in 2012 Q&A: Who are Somalia's al-Shabab?
"There was a tent where a cookery competition for children was carrying on and there were bodies lying under there," he told the BBC.
"There's a very famous radio presenter in Kenya, she was shot. The scene was carnage and there was a guy lying right in the corner. He was cut to shreds."
Prominent Ghanaian poet Kofi Awoonor - who was attending a literary festival in Nairobi - also died, as did a Chinese woman.
French, Dutch, South African, Indian and Canadian nationals are also among the foreigners confirmed killed, along with a dual Australian-British national.
Thousands of Kenyans have been responding to appeals for blood donations.
Al-Shabab, which is part of the al-Qaeda network, has repeatedly threatened attacks on Kenyan soil if Nairobi did not pull its troops out of Somalia.
There are about 4,000 Kenyan troops in the south of Somalia, where they have been fighting the militants since 2011 as part of an African Union force supporting Somali government forces.
Al-Shabab is fighting to create an Islamic state in Somalia.
Despite being pushed out of key cities in the past two years, it still remains in control of smaller towns and large swathes of the countryside.Authorities have arrested and charged a man accused of using a small, feral hog to train his dogs at his home in Polk County, WFTV News reported on May 14.
The hog, which weighed about 50 pounds, was placed in a fenced pen with three grown dogs in the backyard of the suspect's home, according to the Polk County Sheriff's report.
Using dogs to fight feral hogs is called hog dogging, or hawg dawgin,' hog baiting and hog dog "rodeos." The dogs, are also called “catch” dogs.
“Hog dogging” is a brutal bloodsport in which the hog is penned with (usually) several dogs which corner and attack it. Pit bulls, but also hound breeds or cur dogs are used. “Hog dogging” is a felony in Florida.
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The Polk County suspect videotaped the event as the dogs barked at, tormented, chased, attacked and bit the hog in the left ear several times, officials described.
The suspect posted the video of the incident on Facebook, along with photos of a dog hanging by his teeth from a tire in a tree--another training exercise for fighting and baiting, authorities said.
Deputies said the suspect told them he placed the dogs in the pen with the hog to train them to “catch” hogs. He said the hog in the pen was later killed and eaten.
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The suspect surrendered five dogs and another feral hog located on the property to the Polk County Sheriff’s Dept.
He was arrested and charged with training dogs for fighting and baiting.
VIDEO: http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/polk-county-man-accused-using-baby-feral-hog-train/nfwwN/
The Animal Fighting Act
Section 828.122, Florida Statutes, is "The Animal Fighting Act."[1] Subsection (3) of the statute provides that any person who commits any of the following acts is guilty of a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in section 775.082, section 775.083, or section 775.084, Florida Statutes:
"(a) Baiting, or using any animal for the purpose of fighting or baiting any other animal.
(b) Knowingly owning, managing, or operating any facility kept or used for the purpose of fighting or baiting any animal.
(c) Promoting, staging, advertising, or charging any admission fee to a fight or baiting between two or more animals."
Sources: WFTV, Humane Society,My Florida Legal
undefinedGoogle’s My Account is the best way to get an overview of your Google account. It allows for you to check the security of your account, associated apps and more. Today, to celebrate the first birthday of My Account, Google is introducing some new features.
The biggest feature is the ability to easily find your lost phone from your My Account page.
Find your phone is a new feature that will help you if your phone is ever lost or stolen. In a few simple steps, you can not only locate your phone, but also lock and call it, secure your account, leave a callback number on the screen, and more.
In addition to finding your lost phone from the My Account page, you will soon be able to take advantage of some accessibility options and access My Account easier. Starting today, Google will make it possible for you to access the My Account page from within the Google App using a simple phrase such as, “Ok Google, show me my Google account.”
The final change is another convenient one. We’ve all Googled our names before, but before there was no option to view your account from the results page. In a future update, when you search for your name, you will be greeted with a card within the results that will take you directly to the My Account page.
[via Official Google Blog]On a warm July day in 2008, Vince Li says he heard the voice of God.
Li—now known as Will Baker—was sitting on a bus making a 14-hour journey from Edmonton to Winnipeg when the voices came for him. A few seats away from him sat the sleeping figure of a young carnival worker named Tim McLean who was on his way home to Manitoba.
While Baker sat there the voices in his head continued to speak, telling him that McLean was the man he must kill. Baker, following these orders, shuffled over to sit next to McLean's sleeping frame and pulled out a large knife.
What happened next was one of the most horrific Canadian crimes of the last decade.
Now, nine years after Baker killed, dismembered, and cannibalized McLean on that Greyhound bus outside of Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, he has been granted full release. Baker at the time was suffering from undiagnosed schizophrenia and plead not criminally responsible to the charges.
The court accepted his plea and he was sent to the Selkirk Mental Health Centre to start what would be nine years of treatment. Over time, Li was granted more and more freedom as the treatment progressed, this culminated in his full release on Feb. 10. Prior to his full release, Baker was living on his own but supervised when he took his schizophrenia medication. With the full release, that supervision has been lifted.
Will Baker, formerly Vince Li, pictured in Portage La Prairie on August 5, 2008. Via John Woods/The Canadian Press.
In their written decision the Manitoba Criminal Code Review Board, who were in charge of this decision, wrote that they had considered all the evidence and testimony carefully and trust fully that Baker will continue to take the medication that holds the voices at bay.
In their decision the review board said they are "of the opinion that the weight of the evidence does not substantiate that Mr. Baker poses a significant threat to the safety of the public."
It's a decision that, while may have infuriated a large portion of the public, has the support of many who work in the mental health field.
"From what we can see from this case, is that he does have one of those illnesses that is fully treatment responsive so that the risk goes away when he receives treatment," Dr. Alexander Simpson, the chief of forensic psychiatry at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, explained to VICE. "Despite the horrendous nature of what he has done, his ongoing risk to the public as seen by the review board is seen as being low."
The Not Criminally Responsible (NCR) program, which Baker went through, is not one that's well known by the Canadian public, unlike the more straightforward justice system for non-mentally ill patients. While each case is treated differently, in general, the NCR program is a long, carefully thought-out process, which begins with the acute treatment of the illness while the trial is still ongoing.
"Then there is a long and careful process of understanding what occurred and why," said Simpson. "This is not simply understanding that one becomes unwell, but the particular way in which illness manifests in this person that gives rise of this very particular risk occurring and what are the things in life that have given rise to that situation."
"It's a complex and nuanced process," he added, "working at many levels with the person, observed by multiple people in multiple ways and multiple settings and putting all of that together over years is the process for recovery in something like this."
The program looks at broader issues in the offender's life like the nature of someone's lifestyle, their attitudes towards the illness, and their stability to live well and safely. The patient will be treated by psychiatrists, psychologists, psychotherapists and social workers slowly and progressively. Over time the patient, if responding well, will slowly be allowed more freedom.
Perhaps the thing that Canadians know least about in the process is the slow, careful, and complex moral journey that comes with rehabilitation.
"Rehabilitation involves not simply getting well and understanding your illness, but it's a moral journey of one's own accountability of wellness, that 'I cannot live my life ever again in a way that gives rise to risk occurring to others,'" said Simpson.
The CEO of the Schizophrenia Society of Canada, Chris Summerville, has worked with Baker for the majority of his treatment. Summerville told the CBC he is confident that Baker will remain on his medication and engaged in his treatment.
"We're confident he is going to stay engaged," said Summerville. "He has expressed a desire to stay engaged with his doctor, with me and with some other mental health organizations."
Many, including McLean's family members, have spoken out against his release. On Facebook McLean's mother released a statement asking people to contact elected officials and shared a petition to overturn Backer's release.
"How do I feel? I feel that a great injustice has occurred. I feel most people agree. I'm grateful that Timothy's death has shed light on the issue," she wrote.
"It's time for all people to take care of each other or what kind of a world are we leaving for our children. I'm one voice, I used it, please use yours."
In the political sphere, Li's treatment and McLean's death have become tokens for a cheap pop from a party's base—Rona Ambrose, the interim leader of the federal Conservative party, in particular, has been very vocal on Baker.
"In 2008, Tim McLean was brutally murdered by Vincent Li on a Greyhound Bus. He is now free with an absolute discharge," reads a Facebook post by Ambrose. "Tim's mother has to live with this hell for the rest of her life and that just doesn't seem right".
The severity of someone's crime while suffering from mental illness is not a direct correlation to the severity of the ongoing risk. While that correlation may be true for non-mentally ill offenders, it's not the case for those who offend on the basis of mental illness. That said, Simpson said he sympathizes those who oppose the release of Baker.
"When something is as horrendous as his offence was, understandably people will struggle to understand how and why somebody like that will truly recover," he said. "The hideousness of what they did colours people's judgement going forward."
"It's also hard to give up that punishment paradigm from the accountability paradigm and I think that's what some commentators and people experience from it. I don't agree with it but it's an understandable reaction to the situation."
Furthermore, the way the NCR program handles victims is not ideal. The formal outlet that the victims have is through a victim impact statement and all other participation is voluntary.
"Somehow the NCR process needs to be informed by, and offer an ability for, the victims to have a voice and involvement that is more effective than the victim impact statement process that exists at the moment," said Simpson.
Tim McLean. Photo via MySpace
Simpson says that the process lacks in many ways and at times can leave the victims fearful and could benefit from a directional move towards restorative justice—a justice theory that focuses on cooperation from all impacted and works to rebuild what has been broken by the criminal act. This would increase drastically the inclusion of the victims in the process. The system is far from perfect, in general many aspects of the way we deal with and treat mental health in Canada is lacking drastically.
"The mental health system is under-resourced here and in Vincent Li's case, and many others, people who commit criminal acts while mentally ill have often been failed by the general health system and better care earlier has to be the long-term answer to reduce the number of these cases," said Simpson.
In the end, while Will Baker's treatment and release may seem to be the right decision, it's hard to view this in any way as a "good thing" or even a "success" because of the positive connotations that come with the words.
It cannot be forgotten that while Baker was let down by Canada's mental health system, in a far larger way, so was Tim McLean.
Lead Image: The bus on which Vince Li attacked and dismembered fellow passenger Tim McLean. Via The Canadian Press/John Woods
Follow Mack Lamoureux on TwitterFrom The Cutting Room Floor
It's a bird... It's a plain... It's Ocarina of Time!
Unused Content
Animations
Unused Link Animations
Never forget the jump strike.
Unused NPC Animations
What do the dolls do when no one is watching?
Atmosphere
Unused Camera Settings
Camera, camera, on the wall, which is the fairest angle of all?
Unused Environment Settings
Through sun and snow we all shall go.
Cutscenes
Alternate Scene Setups
The ghosts of development past.
Unused Cutscenes
I bet you haven't seen these scenes.
Resources
Unused Sound Effects
They say Hylians have big ears in order to hear the voices of the gods...
Unused Text
How can flags be real if our eyes aren't real?
Unused Textures
Here dwells the lost language of the Hylia.
Data
Unused Spawns
Pull a Pocahontas and jump off the waterfall.
Uncategorized
Alternate Elemental Arrows
Using GameShark codes, you can equip the individual elemental arrow icons to the C buttons, rather than having the magic combine with your bow. These items are used for display only on the pause screen, but function as normal elemental arrows.
Item GameShark code Ice Arrow 8011A63A 000C Fire Arrow 8011A63A 0004 Light Arrow 8011A63A 0012 Fairy Bow + Ice Arrow 8011A63A 0039 Fairy Bow + Fire Arrow 8011A63A 0038 Fairy Bow + Light Arrow 8011A63A 003A
Beam Blade Attack
To do:
Remnants like what?
In pre-release screenshots like the one at right, Link is seen using a beam blade attack similar to the one he is able to use when his hearts are full in previous Zelda games. While this attack never made it into the final version of the game, remnants of it still exist in the code. The beam blade can be partially restored in the game using these leftovers.
(Source: Dark_link-77 (Discovery & Restoration))
Dark Link Behavior
Dark Link may be the enemy with the most extensive coding in the game, and the programmers certainly considered all options. He reacts to the player casting Nayru's Love, which will cause him to shield a lot and generally get out of the way, even though you cannot normally get that item before defeating Dark Link as the Longshot, gained from defeating him, is needed to cross the desert, which is a requirement for obtaining Nayru's Love.
Seeing as the Dark Link actor is just a shell which inputs buttons to the Link actor, Dark Link can also swim and dive in water, as well as climb ledges. If you are Young Link, Dark Link can also use crawling holes. However, because Dark Link has no animation for getting hit while swimming, it will instead cause him to slowly float to the sky.
Iron Knuckle Head
In the pre-boss room before Twinrova in the Spirit Temple, Link fights a brainwashed Nabooru inside an Iron Knuckle's armor. If you position the camera so that it clips into this Iron Knuckle's model, you will see Nabooru's head. If you do the same to any other Iron Knuckle in the game, you will also see a head that looks similar to Nabooru's with the same textures but has significantly different structure and design. The head is wrapped in chainmail, which covers almost everything below the nose. Also, due to the way the head is modeled, the head has no eyebrows.
The most interesting differences are that the earrings are texture-less gold hoops and that the design of the head ornament is different. This alternate head model is either an earlier version of Nabooru's head, or it was meant to be directly revealed in the same way as Nabooru's, showing that all Iron Knuckles are actually Gerudos.
Either way, regular Iron Knuckles vanish when defeated, so their true face is normally never shown. The head itself was removed in the 3DS remake, but it's still present in the model, just not in-game (with the logical exception of the one that Nabooru actually comes out of). However, when they shed enough armor in combat, a distinctly human neckline can still be seen in all versions (including Majora's Mask).
Regular Iron Knuckle Pre-Boss Iron Knuckle
Sold Out Item
"SOLD OUT" is an icon that is normally only displayed in the Bombchu Shop in the Back Alley for Bombchus that you have already bought. However, if hacked into Link's inventory as an item, it works exactly like the Master Sword because it's linked to the same action ( 0x03 ). The GameShark code 8011A638 002C (US 1.0) adds SOLD OUT to Link's B button.
Triforce Transition
There's a very cool Triforce transition in the game, however, it is not used anywhere. You can force the Triforce transition to appear with the GameShark code.
Version Gameshark code NTSC 1.0 8011B9ED 0001 NTSC (GC) 8011C565 0001 NTSC (Master Quest)(GC) 8011C545 0001 PAL 1.0 801197ED 0001 PAL (GC) 80119D75 0001
Unused Child Malon Spawn in Talon's House
Inside Child Malon's actor file, there are three lines of code that spawn her in Talon's House at night after completing the quest to wake Talon in Hyrule Castle. However, Link cannot normally enter Talon's House at night. Trying to enter the door spawns a dialogue box with Talon saying that Malon is sleeping. Even if the player were able to bypass the dialogue box and enter the house via hacking, Malon would still not appear, because the map does not load an actor or object for her.
However, adding her actor and object to the map and bypassing the dialogue box shows that Malon exhibits the same behavior as she does when she appears in Lon Lon Ranch during the day, teaching Link Epona's Song.
Development Leftovers
Early Rooms
Even rooms have to change several times before they're ready to go.
Prerendered Images
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that these backgrounds would tremble before you!
Debug Content
Nearly a decade after Ocarina of Time was released, a debug version of the game's Master Quest spinoff was leaked. The ROM was used by testers at Nintendo of Europe to test Master Quest prior to its GameCube release.
Decompressed by default, it had many debug features that weren't present in the retail versions of Ocarina of Time or Master Quest. These included a memory editor, audio debugger, and a number of test maps.
While the retail version of Ocarina of Time does not contain as many debug features as the prototype, a few are still present.
Map Select
The Map Select allows you to go to any area in the game. See the Map Select section of the Debug ROM article for a detailed analysis.
Retail Game Debug ROM
The Debug ROM contains nine test maps that aren't in the retail version of the game, while the retail game contains entries for two test maps that aren't in the Debug ROM. View the Test Maps section of this article for more details.
Inventory Editor
The Inventory Editor allows you to manually edit Link's inventory, equipment, and quest items.
To activate it, use the code and press Start on Controller 1 to open the Pause Menu, then L to open the Inventory Editor.
Version Gameshark code NTSC 1.0 D01C84B5 0020
801D8DD7 0002 NTSC (GC) D01C9675 0020
801D9F97 0002 NTSC (Master Quest)(GC) D01C9635 0020
801D9F57 0002 PAL 1.0 D01C64F5 0020
801D6E17 0002 PAL (GC) D01C9635 0020
801D9F57 0002
View the Inventory Editor section of the Debug ROM article for more details.
Memory Usage
Version Gameshark code NTSC 1.0 801C6F64 0001 NTSC (GC) 801C8144 0001 NTSC (MQ)(GC) 801C8104 0001 PAL 1.0 801C4FA4 0001 PAL (GC) 801C5944 0001
Crash Debugger
Crash Debugger
Everything you wanted to know about the crash debugger on one convenient subpage.
Erase Save Data Code
On the title screen, pressing D-Up, D-Down, D-Left, D-Right, Start, B, C-Down, L, C-Right, C-Left, A, C-Up, R, Z on Controller 3 resets the save data. This can be used in case the save data was corrupted, which could cause a crash on the file select menu. After the first input, there is a 16-frame timer for hitting the next input within the sequence (which reverts the timer back to 16 with each correct input).
(Source: mzxrules)
A build date can be seen in the crash debugger and can be found in memory.
Version RAM Address Build Messages US/JP V1.0 0x80006800 zelda@srd44 98-10-21 04:56:31 US/JP V1.1 0x80006800 zelda@srd44 98-10-26 10:58:45 EU V1.0 0x80006D20 zelda@srd44 98-11-10 14:34:22 US/JP V1.2 0x80006D30 zelda@srd44 98-11-12 18:17:03 EU V1.1 0x80006D20 zelda@srd44 98-11-18 17:36:49 JP GameCube 0x80006540 zelda@srd44 02-10-29 23:49:53 JP Master Quest 0x80006540 zelda@srd44 02-10-30 00:15:15 US GameCube 0x80006540 zelda@srd44 02-12-19 13:28:09 US Master Quest 0x80006540 zelda@srd44 02-12-19 14:05:42 US MQ Debug 0x80012340 zelda@srd44 03-02-21 |
own treatment by the administration.
“I was removed from campus and told I was a ‘liar’ when I showed my student ID,” he wrote, noting American University has a journalism school.
I was removed from campus and told I was "a liar" when I showed my student ID, amazing stuff from a university with a comms school https://t.co/VnM7qlCDqa — Tom Lynch (@TomLynch_) May 2, 2017
Fenit Nirappil of The Washington Post, an alum of the J-school, piled on, tagging AU’s School of Communications.
This is disgusting. Shame on @AmericanU. Every @AU_SOC professor and administrator should condemn the school trampling press freedom https://t.co/ZkWZcOhKeN — Fenit Nirappil (@FenitN) May 3, 2017
Soon enough, a faculty member in the J-school weighed in. “This is not ok,” tweeted Margot Susca, who directs the university’s master’s program in journalism.
This is not ok. Transparency is a must here. Thank you @unclehizzy for the information. https://t.co/myef1S44l4 — Margot Susca, Ph.D. (@MargotSusca) May 2, 2017
The administration is “allowing us to cover it,” Holt said in a followup tweet, referring to The Eagle. “Nobody else though it seems.”
The administration did not immediately respond to a College Fix query Tuesday night about its handling of off-campus journalists.
‘Divest from paying y’all’s tuition and cut their resources’
American University upgraded the banana incident to a “hate crime” in a campuswide announcement Tuesday. It said campus police were being assisted by city police, promising the “response will be as swift and strong as possible.”
It held a “community meeting” to discuss the banana-hangings in the afternoon, and offered “one-on-one drop in conversations” in the evening with members of the President’s Council on Diversity and Inclusion.
It told students they don’t “belong here” if they don’t believe in “principles of diversity, inclusion, common courtesy, and human dignity.”
The Eagle reported that President Neil Kerwin is considering “a complete rewrite of our discrimination and discriminatory harassment policies” in response to the banana incident.
Tuesday’s protests included a march to the financial aid office “to request withdrawal forms as an act of protest,” and then an “impromptu town hall” created by student marchers.
They were not happy that their demands were not immediately accepted:
The demands called for mandatory expulsion for hate crimes, implementation of training programs for AU faculty, increasing the number of faculty and staff of color and improving financial aid packages for all students. After the list was announced, administrators came forward to accept the list and say they would try to work with students on the demands. Celine-Marie Pascale, an associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences, was met with student pushback when she did not commit to meeting the demands. “You can suck up y’all’s anger and make sure that we are okay. We pay tuition,” sophomore Isaiah Young of the Black Student Alliance said during an exchange with Pascale. “We basically cut y’all’s checks and so therefore until our demands are met, y’all are not getting no checks. Divest from paying y’all’s tuition and cut their resources.”
The Eagle said the FBI is also involved now.
.@AUPublicSafety Director Phillip Morse says he has communicated with FBI and will meet with Civil Rights Division officer today — The Eagle (@TheEagleOnline) May 2, 2017
The university also released surveillance footage of the incidents. Campus police are offering a $1,000 reward for “information leading to positive suspect identification.”
The administration is hosting yet another “campus conversation” Wednesday about “AntiRacism,” a term often used by the violent anti-fascist movement that has wrought destruction on Berkeley, Portland and other cities where left-wing demonstrations are common.
Join faculty and admin for AntiRacism and Allyship: A Campus Conversation on Wed from 10am-12pm in MGC 328. Students, faculty, staff welcome — American University (@AmericanU) May 2, 2017
Read The Eagle story.
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IMAGE: wellphoto/Shutterstock29-year-old Aleksandr Grigoryan was cashing in chips, when he's alleged to have told a casino cashier he's from Africa and 'brought Ebola with him'.
The woman admonished him that he probably shouldn't joke about it, when he said, essentially, 'I'm not joking'.
That scared her and he took off, but police were able to track him to his home in Newark where a full complement of first responders descended on his home, tested him, and found he had no symptoms.
Grigoryan is now charged in Franklin County with making a false alarm, a misdemeanor. Police say with Ebola top-of-mind lately, the cost and risk of taking first responders away from real emergencies won't be tolerated.
"If you're going to make joke where you make people concerned about Ebola, make them scared for their lives, it likely could happen that they would get charged,” said Columbus Police Spokesman Denise Alex-Bouzounis
Grigoryan is scheduled to be arraigned in Franklin County Municipal Court Monday.Making the movie trilogy “The Hobbit” has cost more than half a billion dollars so far, double the amount spent on the three movies in the “The Lord of the Rings” series.
That figure includes the major 266 days of filming with actors that was completed last year, although it doesn’t include an additional two months or so of “pick-up” shoots done this year. There will likely also be additional post-production costs as the next two movies are completed.
Through March 31, production had cost 676 million New Zealand dollars, or $561 million at current exchange rates, according to financial documents filed Friday in New Zealand, where the movies are being made.
Distributor Warner Bros. and director Peter Jackson may consider it money well spent. To date, only the first movie in the latest trilogy has been released. “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” took in just over $1 billion at the box office.
The documents, filed online by New Zealand’s Companies Office, provide a rare insight into the exact costs of a blockbuster Hollywood production. Often studios release only rough estimates, if anything.
Related Gavin O'Connor in Talks to Direct 'Fast' at Warner Bros. (EXCLUSIVE) 'Space Jam 2' Gets Summer 2021 Release Date
When making the trilogy, Warner Bros. created a wholly-owned New Zealand company it named “3 Foot 7 Ltd,” in reference to the diminutive stature of the movie’s hobbits and dwarves. Company documents show that New Zealand taxpayers have so far contributed NZ$98 million to the trilogy through an incentive scheme designed to attract big budget movies to the country. Such schemes are common among U.S. states and foreign countries that compete for movies.
The trilogy also appears to be one of the most expensive movie productions in which two or more movies are shot at the same time.
Both Box Office Mojo and Guinness World Records estimate the most expensive single movie ever made was “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” with an estimated $300 million production tag. That movie, in conjunction with “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” — which was shot at the same time — held the previous record for the most expensive total production, costing an estimated $450 million to $525 million.
According to Box Office Mojo, Jackson’s previous trilogy, “The Lord of the Rings,” cost a total $281 million to make. The Star Wars prequel trilogy, meanwhile, cost $343 million, according to Box Office Mojo, which tracks movie costs and box office receipts.
In making “The Hobbit,” New Zealand director Jackson chose to shoot both in 3D and at 48 frames per second, rather than the standard 24, in the hopes of giving audiences greater picture clarity and a more immersive experience. Both techniques added significant expense. The higher frames per second received mixed reviews, as did the movie itself, which starred Martin Freeman as the title character.
The trilogy is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel of the same name and traces the adventures of hobbit Bilbo Baggins as he attempts to help a group of dwarves regain their wealth and stature from the dragon Smaug. “The Hobbit” is the precursor to Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings,” which was made into a movie trilogy that was also directed by Jackson.
The second movie in the latest series, “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” is due out in December while the final movie, “The Hobbit: There and Back Again,” is due out in December 2014.
Warner Bros. representatives this week replied to emails sent by The Associated Press but did not immediately provide answers to a series of questions about the “The Hobbit” budget.After the lukewarm response to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows earlier this summer, a lot of fans were wondering whether or not there would be another sequel. Although many of the actors in these movies are signed on for at least three films, we haven’t heard much of anything about plans for the third movie since the release of Out of the Shadows. The sequel ended up earning over $240 million worldwide and merchandise tied to the film is said to have sold very well, but the results were still somewhat underwhelming.
If this had been the only under-performing film to come out of Paramount Studios over the summer, there probably would not be any reason to worry. Unfortunately, the performance of Ghostbusters was also pretty weak, and the recent release of Ben-Hur represents perhaps the biggest flop of the year. Paramount is in trouble, and everyone knows it. Viacom owns Paramount Studios, and their stock is beginning to plummet as a result of poor viewership on their cable networks and in the theater.
Although they will probably find a way to salvage some of their networks, a lot of analysts are suggesting that Viacom may soon sell off Paramount Studios in order to avoid any trouble. One analyst said that Paramount “isn’t contributing very much at all, so it wouldn’t be missed much.” Viacom has not indicated any plans to give up on the studio as of yet, but it’s beginning to look like their hand may be forced at some point in the near future. One thing is for sure: until the fate of Paramount is decided, we probably won’t be hearing anything about future sequels in the TMNT movie franchise.
What does all this mean for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Well, Viacom currently owns both Nickelodeon and Paramount Pictures. The film franchise has been handled by Paramount largely because the studio is owned by the same conglomerate. If Viacom decides to sell Paramount, they will no longer have a major studio to produce any TMNT movies. This doesn’t mean that they wouldn’t be able to produce a third film, but chances are that the production would not be entirely controlled by them.
Whatever does happen, it’s worth pointing out that Nickelodeon is a separate entity from Paramount; There are no indications that this network is struggling, so chances are that Viacom is going to continue working with Nickelodeon for quite some time. Unfortunately, without ties to a movie studio, chances are that a lot of the Nickelodeon film projects that have been announced over the past few years would be a lot more difficult to accomplish. That being said, it would appear that at least the 2k12 TMNT animated series is safe and secure.
It’s important to note that even if Viacom sells Paramount, they will probably still try to find a way to profit off of their multiple properties. In other words, we’re probably going to see another Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie at some point, even if it’s not any time soon. Before you assume that the latest TMNT movie franchise is dead in the water, remember that this property is still very profitable in a lot of various ways. If Viacom still considers this a viable property, they will more than likely produce another Ninja Turtles movie at some point. Heck, they could announce plans for another movie next week for all we know.
Ultimately, we don’t know exactly what will happen with Viacom, Paramount or the TMNT property. The only thing that is certain is that Viacom is in trouble and Paramount Pictures is at the heart of the problem. It’s beginning to look like we could see a serious shake-up behind the scenes of the companies that own and produce Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles entertainment. This kind of event is likely to have an effect on the kind of content that we see, but there aren’t any indications that said content will be disappearing anytime soon.
What happens next is anyone’s guess. Here’s hoping the future will be totally radical for our heroes in a half shell!NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Russia was excluded from the list of the primary threats to the Alliance. "Russia is no an immediate threat to the alliance's partners. Russia is our neighbor, so we try to maintain a dialogue and aim for de-escalation," he stressed.
Speaking to the German DPA, Stoltenberg pointed out that NATO no longer compares Russia and ISIS. "It makes no sense to compare Russia and ISIS. ISIS is a completely different thing, which is responsible for numerous terrorist attacks in the capitals of NATO countries. Our goal is to destroy the ISIS group," the NATO secretary general noted.
In this regard, he expressed confidence that the Alliance needs to find a common language with Russia. "I think that it is important to talk with the Russians. The German side is of the same opinion. There is no contradiction between the deterrence, protection and dialogue. Of course, we have to speak the same language to be able to communicate with Russia," Stoltenberg pointed out.
At the same time, NATO will not interfere into the war in Syria. "We need to consider the arguments that speak in favor of the use of military force and those against it. In this case, the alliance partners have come to the conclusion that the arguments against the interference have a greater weight. The use of military force without a clear UN mandate would only exacerbate the conflict in Syria and lead to a larger regional conflict, and the main task of NATO is to protect the territory and the alliance partners," the NATO secretary general explained.
"NATO is not a global policeman," Jens Stoltenberg concluded.
The President of the National Strategy Institute, Mikhail Remizov, speaking to Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that the NATO Secretary General voiced the position of the Alliance's genuine leadership. "In the first place, Stoltenberg is an official, who is guided by the views of those on whom he depends, including the US President. The position of the elected US president, Donald Trump, roughly corresponds to what Stoltenberg said today. On the other hand, it is possible that this is just maneuvers related to the NATO acting secretary general's career adaptability," he suggested.
We should not expect that NATO will begin to take steps positive for Russia. "The strategy for the containment of Russia is fixed by NATO summits and has become systemic a long time ago. In the end, the restoration of the NATO-Russia Council is not an issue that is of fundamental importance for the relations. I strongly doubt that plans to increase manpower and resources in Europe will be changed. I do not think that Trump is a man who wants to reduce the military presence in Europe, but rather wants to make Europeans pay more for it," Mikhail Remizov noted.Fans may still be in mourning over the loss of Nina Dobrev, who played Elena Gilbert in the hit TV series “The Vampire Diaries,” but don’t worry. Even though losing Elena may be heartbreaking, there’s still good news: Fans of the show will be reunited with an old friend -- or rather, a specific side of an old friend.
“The Vampire Diaries” actor Ian Somerhalder told People on Thursday that the series will return to the volatile and sexy drama that fans fell in love with. “Season 1 and Season 2 of the show [were] so dark. It was awesome,” Somerhalder said.
The 36-year-old actor also described a time when he watched Season 1, episode 5 of “The Vampire Diaries” at co-star Paul Wesley’s house and how they both thought the episode was amazing. “I want to get back to that,” he said. "I want to get back to seeing an episode of the show and saying, 'Wow. That is a very well-crafted, put-together piece of material that is really going to affect people.' "
Julie Plec, an executive producer of the show, shared how Somerhalder’s character, Damon Salvatore, will return to being the not-so-sweet Salvatore that fans met in Season 1, as Entertainment Weekly reported Thursday. Apparently that’s something that Somerhalder is also excited about, saying, “Season 1 and 2 of the show is where people fell in love with this guy. It’s where I fell in love with this guy.”
Somerhalder also hints how the last two scenes of this season’s finale truly depicted where the show is going. Caroline Dries, one of the show’s executive producers, told E! Online on Friday that the time jump shown during the last scene is an integral part of how the next season of “The Vampire Diaries” will begin.
The hit teen drama “The Vampire Diaries” ended its sixth season with a heartbreaking and explosive finale Thursday. Fans are already waiting for Season 7, which is scheduled to begin later this year.
For your feedback/comments on the article, contact the writer at prewchatterly@gmail.com.It’s a warm February afternoon, and 10-year-old Christopher Chamness is tromping through the woods behind his elementary school. In a T-shirt, shorts and baseball hat, he navigates a dusty path lined with cedar and cactus, lingering over the novel sight of fresh animal droppings. At a bend in the trail, he finds a stone-walled retention pond and crouches at the edge to peer in.
His mother Edy trails behind him in a long-sleeved blue butterfly-print shirt and jeans. Looking around, she tells stories about the hours they’ve spent back here together. They’re good memories, and she enthusiastically recalls the biology teachers and naturalists she’s invited to join their walks to explain the evidence of erosion and drought, or to point out remnants of fences from the old Circle C Ranch, which was here long before a subdivision by the same name popped up in far South Austin.
“This is where the really great learning begins,” she says. “In your backyard.”
These were the lessons she crafted for her son—on wildlife, botany and geology—on weekdays in November while Christopher’s classmates sat in a room just a few hundred feet away, filling in answers on standardized tests. Day after day she’d pull Christopher from class and walk across the playground and through the back fence, returning a few hours later when the tests were done.
Edy Chamness and her son were staging an extreme protest against Texas’ regimen of standardized tests and school accountability. It’s a system, she says, that has spiraled out of control, taking over classrooms and inflicting needless stress on little kids. Those dusty strolls behind the school may not have looked too rebellious, but then civil disobedience often doesn’t.
The reasoning behind opting out is simple: If politicians and school officials want data on student performance, they need students to provide it. If enough students quit cooperating, politicians will have to find another way to measure school performance—without tests. The way Chamness sees it, teachers, students and parents have been shut out while politicians and test companies dictate what happens in schools. By opting out of testing, she figures she’s elbowing her way back into the conversation.
Chamness is a former teacher who spent 13 years in Lockhart and Eagle Pass elementary schools. “I had to work in small towns where I was free to teach,” she says. She believes in hands-on learning—field trips, gardening, big class projects—and bristled at the test-first culture creeping into Texas schools. She left teaching in 2002, the year her son was born. The next year, for the first time, Texas third-graders were required to pass a reading test to advance to fourth grade.
Since then, testing has only continued to grow in Texas and nationwide. Test scores now partially determine teachers’ pay, superintendents’ bonuses, even home property values—things tests were never meant to measure. But while plenty of people agree with Chamness that testing culture has taken hold of schools, her means are controversial.
Chamness and the Facebook group she started in 2011, Texas Parents Opt Out of State Tests, occupy the radical fringe in a broad revolt against the state’s testing regimen. Nationwide, a “United Opt Out National” group provides flyers for parents who want to stage their own opt-out protests, and even organized an “Occupy DOE” rally outside the U.S. Department of Education last year. But nobody counts how many parents actually follow through with plans to opt out, and schools are disinclined to draw attention by publicizing totals. Opt-outers are simply marked as absences on test day. The closest thing to a mass opt-out took place last December in Seattle, where high school teachers, not parents, refused to give a district-mandated test. They’ve become heroes within the anti-test movement.
Opting out of tests carries severe consequences. Schools face state and federal sanctions if too many students miss the test. In higher grades, students can’t graduate if they fail or refuse the tests. Even the most vocal opt-outers—former teachers, usually, who wrestle mightily with the decision—often settle for symbolic half-measures when faced with the reality that their protest could harm their children’s futures.
So far, Chamness hasn’t pulled her son from any tests required to advance to the next grade. They have boycotted state tests and so-called benchmark tests—practice tests given by the Austin school district, not the state—meant to prepare students and gauge them before the all-important end-of-course state test. Chamness just hopes Texas will back off its test regime before her son gets much older. But she’s absolutely sure of one thing: Christopher has learned more on their opt-out days than he ever would from a test.
Texas’ grand love affair with testing began modestly in 1979, when the Legislature first required reading, writing and math exams for third-, fifth- and ninth-graders. The test, called TABS, was meant as a diagnostic tool for schools to ensure their students were learning the basics. Over the years, though, politicians began demanding more tests and higher scores to prove schools were performing. New versions of the test—TEAMS, TAAS and TAKS—followed in each of the next three decades, each test harder than the last. Students had to pass tests to graduate, and schools that didn’t maintain a good passing rate could be closed. Supporters said it put pressure on schools in low-income neighborhoods that had never faced high expectations. In 2002, George W. Bush took Texas’ model and applied it nationwide with his signature No Child Left Behind law, requiring high-stakes standardized testing in every state.
Schools adjusted to keep up. Poor schools, which tended to score lower than rich schools, responded by drilling students to prepare for the test. Teachers of subjects that weren’t tested, like social studies and art, were told to focus on reading practice. Big class projects became a waste of time. Schools bought and developed test-prep materials geared toward state exams, and spent days giving their own “benchmark” tests between the state exams. Many school districts around the state now devote around 40 days a year to testing and test prep.
Many teachers resisted the tests, especially in black and Latino communities, where students were more likely to be deprived of a diploma because of low scores on the state test. In 1997, seven such students backed by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund sued Texas over the testing system, but lost.
Texas’ latest test, STAAR, is bigger and tougher than anything the state has tried before. Created by the Legislature in 2009, STAAR represents a huge expansion of testing in high school, requiring students to pass 15 end-of-course exams to earn Texas’ recommended diploma—well more than any other state in the country. At the end of each of the 15 core high school courses, students must take, and perform well on, a state test. And for the first time, standardized tests would not just measure school performance, but account for 15 percent of a student’s grade in a particular class. That “15 percent rule” posed a threat to even high-scoring college-bound students, who found their GPA and class rank now tied to state-issued tests. As STAAR rolled out in the 2011-2012 school year, the ranks of anti-test activists swelled with wealthier, more plugged-in parents—folks more likely to be heard by state leaders, with the means and time to travel to the Texas Capitol to protest or lobby lawmakers (or even to opt out, and spend all day teaching and entertaining their kids).
Former Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott came to refer to these parents as the “Mothers Against Drunk Testing,” and in late January 2012, he furthered their cause. During a speech to school administrators, he said the state’s testing system had become a “perversion of its original intent.” Days later, speaking to the State Board of Education, he kept the drumbeat going: “You’ve reached a point now where you’ve got this one thing that the entire system is dependent upon,” he said. “It is the heart of the vampire, so to speak.”
Within a few months, Scott announced he’d be leaving his post, headed for an Austin law firm. But for the droves of anti-testing activists he’d inspired, it was just the beginning. Edy Chamness was one of them.
Chamness first thought something might be wrong when Christopher lodged a pencil eraser in his ear. On the resulting ride to the doctor’s office, she divined that his third grade class was boring him to death. She visited his class, where she found her worst teaching nightmares brought to life: hours of worksheets and test prep, no hands-on lessons. She had Christopher transferred to another school, but shortly after, while talking with Christopher’s principal, she learned a week of benchmark testing was coming up. She didn’t know what else to do.
“I said, ‘We’re not taking those tests,’ and [the principal] goes, ‘I just want to give you the heads-up that there’s designated makeup days too, so if you’re not going to take the tests on Tuesday and Wednesday, you probably don’t want to come for the test prep rally on Monday. And don’t come in on Thursday or Friday, or else the school will be obligated to administer the tests on makeup days.’”
Chamness made plans to fill a week of opt-out days, as she’s done for benchmark weeks the past two years. She and Christopher have gone to museums, taken those long nature walks behind the school, even scheduled trips to the dentist on test days. “That was really educational,” she says. “To have the hygienist take the time with the children and talk about their teeth and aspects of their oral hygiene, that was so much better than any testing could’ve been.”
By Christopher’s fourth-grade year, Edy began handing out flyers to his teachers that quoted research into the bad effects testing had on kids, to help explain to his teachers why he was missing tests.
“Just about the time I got really mad,” she recalls, “Robert Scott made that speech. And I went, ‘Hallelujah, somebody in a position of leadership is denouncing this junk.’ … So I probably did something I shouldn’t have done.” She copied email addresses for every fourth-grade parent in the school, and sent them a message from “Texas Parents Opt Out of State Tests.”
“Dear Parent,” her email began, before listing the benchmark testing days scheduled for the year. Then she asked, “What is the purpose of all this testing? Why must our children’s education be constantly interrupted and compromised by the standardized-testing industry?” She quoted a passage from the Texas Education Code that says parents may remove their children from any school activity that “conflicts with the parent’s religious or moral beliefs.” She left out the line, added in 2005, that said the law didn’t apply to testing.
Her life as an anti-test radical had begun. She was in league with new parents’ groups like Texans Advocating for Meaningful Student Assessment—but Chamness remained apart. The other groups picked up major momentum speaking at community events around the state, drawing big crowds at the Capitol. And while speakers took turns at the podium, Chamness roamed the crowd with her opt-out signs.
“There’s a lot of people out there who want to help kids, but they’re trying to do it through the political process, like introducing bills, or moratoriums—I don’t know.” That isn’t quite where Chamness fits in. “People don’t like civil disobedience. … Even my own mother says, ‘Well aren’t you just teaching your son to buck the system?’ Yeah, I guess I probably am.”
That system Chamness is teaching her son to buck? Sandy Kress is probably its biggest proponent. An architect of Texas’ accountability system in the late 1990s, Kress went on to help Bush design No Child Left Behind. He’s a staunch defender of accountability in schools, and an influential Austin-based lobbyist whose clients include Pearson, the company with the half-billion-dollar contract to develop and manage STAAR. He often writes op-ed pieces warning against a return to the days when bad schools could coast by without pressure to improve.
So it’s a little surprising when he returns a call to discuss the opt-out movement and straightaway volunteers this: “There are plenty of testing practices that I think are absurd. I’ve been a parent of a child in a public school who was benchmark-tested to death. I get those concerns. I kind of wonder why parents aren’t protesting the benchmark testing.
“What I don’t get so much,” he says, “is this sort of civil disobedience or protest of an end-of-year test.” Without that, he wonders, how can parents really trust the letter grades their kids bring home? Writing samples and class work only tell you so much. “I want to know too, on an objective measure, how they did against the state standards, particularly in a time of inflated grades.” Kress wonders how districts can get away with forcing students to endure weeks of benchmark, or practice, testing. With so much depending on the state test—the school’s ratings and perhaps its very existence—districts have argued the system requires them to make sure students are well practiced at test-taking. But Kress isn’t impressed. “I think it’s a poor excuse,” he says.
Julie Westerlund, a Texas State University professor who helps Chamness with her Facebook group, says it’s not so simple to separate benchmarks from the STAAR. “The districts’ hands are tied. They, of course, are trying anything they can to get scores up, and so it’s natural that they will have benchmark testing,” she says. She’d prefer Texas used diagnostic tests, given when there’s still time to help kids with what they’re missing. “The STAAR tests are high-stakes tests, they’re punishing tests.”
Brandon Moore, a former teacher who moved from Minnesota to get his doctorate in education at Baylor, says the punitive nature of the test—and the toll it took on his daughter—is what got him thinking about opting out.
“My oldest would come home crying, saying, ‘Oh my God, I’m so stressed about this test,’” he says. “That’s when I was like, wait a minute, something is wrong here.”
At his daughter’s school last year, Moore learned that school officials set aside Wednesdays for STAAR prep—benchmark testing, lessons about how to find right answers and make good guesses. Then test prep was rescheduled for two hours after lunch every day. Opting out of just the benchmark tests wasn’t an option—if his daughters skipped the testing hours, they’d be given the test when they got back. “We just decided that we’ll go for the gusto and take them out of the big one.”
Moore says he and his wife debated their choice until the night before the state test. Then he took his daughters to work with him the next day. School administrators tried to convince him to let his daughters sit for makeup tests. An official from the Texas Education Agency warned that Moore’s older daughter wouldn’t advance to the next grade if she didn’t take the test. In the end, she did take a math test, but Moore opted her out of tests on reading and science.
“The one thing we always said we weren’t going to do is let this negatively affect our kids,” he says. “Parents are justifiably scared to do it, because of all the—I don’t want to say threats—but all the possible negatives.”
As the most visible face of the opt-out movement in Texas, Chamness says she knows all about threats, from school administrators, from other parents, from anonymous strangers on the Internet. When she first told Austin ISD officials that she was pulling her son from benchmark testing, “They were enraged,” she says. “I underestimated how angry that would make them and how threatened they would be by one South Austin mother doing that.”
What Chamness says she wants most of all is to get parents active, to wake them up to what politicians have turned the school system into. “All I really want to do is educate people and let them know what’s going on, so they can make their own decision.”
She recently had that chance with a mother in Richardson, who asked what to expect when she raised the issue of opting out with her local PTA. “I said, expect the worst,” Chamness says. “It’s OK if you’re going to be quiet and silent about not taking the test, but the minute you try and make a spectacle, or even highlight what you’re doing—oh man, they will snuff it out best they can.”
The woman Chamness advised is Josi Lauritzen, a mother of two who grew up in Seattle and moved to Texas a decade ago. She has a fifth-grade son and a third-grade daughter, and worries about how much pressure they feel to perform on the test. She says she’s “pondering” opting out. “It’s bigger than all of us, and it’s hurting our kids,” she says.
Richardson lies geographically and politically between Dallas and its conservative far-north suburbs in Collin County. Lauritzen says she doesn’t agree about much with her tea party neighbors, but they do agree about testing. “I think this is one issue that can change the polarization,” she says.
“The schools are not child-centered. They are performance-centered, for us, so we can put our kids in a school that says it’s ‘exemplary’ or it’s ‘recognized,’” she says. “I would be happy if we just got rid of STAAR entirely.”
State lawmakers aren’t likely to dispense with STAAR, but there are plans to shrink the test this year and to lower its stakes.
Sandy Kress, like others who once staunchly defended STAAR, has been open to scaling it back, allowing that the bill creating the test in 2009 probably “overshot.” He shares the opinion, now common among lawmakers too, that it’s smart to cut back on the number of exams students must pass to graduate. But he wants to see the spirit of the bill left in place.
“It looks like a wild swing to me,” Kress says. “The idea that we would come in and just completely throw it out, completely tear it down and go back to where we were before, doesn’t seem like smart policy to me.”
The first bill passed by the Senate this session would scrap the dreaded “15 percent rule.” Other proposals would cut the number of end-of-course tests to as few as three, create more hands-on career-readiness courses, and rate schools on factors other than just test scores.
None of which quite satisfies Chamness. “Their solutions are just so tiny. And when the system is really profoundly broken as it is, you can’t just tweak it,” she says. “They might reduce a little bit of this problem, but we’re in serious trouble. Only some people believe that opting out is the only way. If there’s another way, you tell me what it is and I’ll do it. … Opting out is the only true way to make anything happen. Sometimes you have to break the law.
“I can’t go back, I can’t pretend it’s not a problem. They’ve all seen testing, most parents out there know that it exists. They’ve seen it hurt their kids. I don’t know how much more they need to be told about it before they’re going to do something.”Haines pilot Paul Swanstrom spotted this massive landslide on the Lamplugh Glacier near Glacier Bay on June 28, 2016. (Photo courtesy Paul Swanstrom)
(Photo courtesy Paul Swanstrom)
(Photo courtesy Paul Swanstrom)
(Photo courtesy Paul Swanstrom)
A massive landslide, estimated to be around six-and-half miles long, near Glacier Bay has scientists in New York clambering to get to Southeast. The slide happened Tuesday morning, and was discovered by a local pilot.
On Tuesday morning, when Paul Swanstrom saw the dust cloud hovering over the Lamplugh Glacier, he said he knew what it was immediately.
“You bet because we’ve seen these landslides before,” he said. “It made the air a little dusty, but it’s not any danger, no.”
This landslide in Glacier Bay National Park, like the ones in 2014 and 2012, sent millions of tons of debris spilling down the mountainside. According to the Alaska Earthquake Center it happened at 8:21 a.m. Swanstrom flew over it about two hours later.
Tuesday’s slide toppled down the glacier for approximately six and a half miles, though the official size is still unknown. But early estimates rival the giant Glacier Bay slides in the past several years. It may have even been the biggest yet.
“The other one, a couple, four years ago, that was really big went down about four miles, four and a half miles, and it was in a narrow canyon,” Swanstrom said. “This thing is longer and much bigger in many ways.”
The recent avalanche happened about eight miles from those big slides that excited scientists in the recent past, Swanstrom said, and about 60 or so miles from Haines.
“This is a very important event,” said Colin Stark, a research professor with the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University.
He’s getting ready to fly to Juneau and head to the site to gather sediment samples in the coming |
wood, the CBD, Sydenham and Bankstown. Mr Constance said ride-sharing legislation that had passed earlier this year deregulated the booking market for buses of 12 seats or less, which was especially important for regional areas. "The local club courtesy bus might be transformed into something more broader in terms of providing transport services from community to community," he said.
"You might just get online and book a service and the next day it will be there on your front door. The key point is that the information and the bookings can provide better planning. So you might get, for argument's sake, 10 people in a couple of streets who might want a service the next day." However, the prospect of more on-demand transport services also has implications for the conditions of drivers and other staff, who will inevitably be required to become more flexible. Mr Constance said the point-to-point transport market was changing and technology would result in the automation of vehicles, "which is going to change the workforce again so we need to plan for that". He also announced the government was teaming up with Twitter to allow train passengers to receive personalised messages from the online networking service alerting them to disruptions on the rail network. It follows the government opening up data from the electronic ticketing system Opal to companies to develop real-time apps and other technology.
Mr Constance was forced to defend the government from suggestions it was allowing a private company access to personal data that could be used to tailor advertising. The challenge was for customers to be aware of what they were doing online but Twitter users would be "happy to get this pop-up information about their journey", he said. Loading Twitter's head of business development, Jenny Goodridge, declined to comment on whether the company was attempting to gain information about users to make the online networking service more attractive to advertisers. "We respect the privacy of that information. What we are looking to do is help people... to deliver that better customer service experience," she said.Step aside, Smart cars!
Say hello to the Hiriko, the real-life result of the MIT CityCar prototype launched this week in Spain. Not only is the electric two-seater a mere 100 inches long (about the size of a Smart), it actually folds up into itself so that when parked, it is only 60 inches long. Since that is the width of a typical car, three of these tiny urban EVs could conceivably fit into a parking spot (see the video below for a demonstration).
If that weren't enough on crowded city streets, the car's robotic wheels have the ability to tilt, such that the car can spin around its own center (see the video for an animated demo).
Once parked, the driver and passenger exit the vehicle through the front of the car - via a retractable windshield that lifts up, similar to a garage door.
Hiriko means "urban car" in Basque - a fitting name considering its only goes as fast as city speed limits and gets a range of 75 miles per charge. The low maximum speed is probably a good thing: considering how close passengers are to the windshield, it's unlikely to provide significant protection in the event of a high-speed crash.
The Hiriko, conceived by the MIT Media Lab and developed by seven Basque design firms, integrates electric motors, steering, and brakes in the wheels, while systems are managed digitally through a drive-by-wire system.
The EV was presented on Tuesday to the European Commission at the launch of the Hiriko Driving Mobility project. Spain intends to lease the vehicles it produces out to city dwellers through a car sharing system similar to ZipCar. The Hiriko will also be sold for around $16,350, according to reports.
Photo: Hiriko
via [CNET]
This post was originally published on Smartplanet.comA Pittsburgh mother of two was shot and killed on Friday (Jan. 22) after declining a man’s advances at a local bar. Janese Talton-Jackson, 29, was found lying in the street on North Lang Avenue at approximately 2 a.m., after a shooting was reported in the Homewood area. The assailant, 41-year-old Charles McKinney, was later taken into police custody after a brief chase.
According to reports, Talton-Jackson was approached by McKinney at Cliff’s Bar, where she declined to speak with him. McKinney then followed her as she left the bar, and shot her in the chest. As authorities arrived on the scene, McKinney was the subject of a traffic stop when he heard an officer’s radio announce a nearby shooting. He sped off, and police chased him and fired shots after him. He was captured after crashing into a parked vehicle, taken to a hospital to treat his wounds, and charged thereafter.
McKinney faces charges of homicide, two counts of aggravated assault, firearms without a license, fleeing or attempting to elude police, two counts of possession with intent to deliver, two counts of recklessly endangering another person and reckless driving, WTAE reports.
“I just think it’s sad. Somebody has to do something about the gun control, it’s just getting out of hand and it just [isn’t] safe to walk the streets no more,” one man told CBS Pittsburgh.The first look and listen into SONAMOO‘s comeback track “CUSHION” has finally be revealed in its music video teaser!
Released on July 15th at noon KST, the members of SONAMOO showed off another side of their charms unlike in their debut track “Deja Vu.”
Looking absolutely bored in a blue and pink room, the girl group receives a mysterious invitation to “Future School” and are transported into an unknown area where they showed off their intense choreography.
With a trendy concept of “Future School,” SONAMOO gets into a fun pillow fight.
“CUSHION” is directed by Johnny Brothers with the track inspired from “old school” and early hip-hop music.
Their new mini-album CUSHION will be released on July 20th with a showcase commemorating their comeback held on the same day in Hongdae at Yes24’s Muv Hall.ES News Email Enter your email address Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid You already have an account. Please log in or register with your social account
Ukip has won its first seats on the London Assembly in more than a decade.
Two members will now sit on the body that scrutinises the Mayor of London, along with 12 from Labour, eight from the Conservatives, two Greens and one Liberal Democrat.
It came as Sadiq Khan made history by roaring to victory in the mayoral race, turning the capital red for the first time in eight years.
The results means the body tasked with holding a Labour mayor to account comprises nearly 50 per cent Labour members.
London Assembly constituency members were announced at various count centres across the capital over the course of the day.
But the London-wide members, selected from a "top-up" list that makes the election a form of proportional representation, were announced in the chamber at City Hall as journalists and supporters waited for the delayed declaration of the next London mayor.
To cheers the returning officer revealed the Labour Party received by far the most votes in the London-wide ballot - more one million.
The Conservatives won just above 750,000, returning three London-wide candidates - two of whom were not present for the count.
The full breakdown of results from the London Assembly elections Animal Welfare Party 25,810 Britain First 39,071 BNP 15,833 Lib Dems 165,580 Christian People's Alliance 27,172 Conservatives 764,230 Green 207,959 Labour 1,054,801 Respect 41,324 The House Party 11,055 Ukip 171,069 Woman's Equality Party 91,772
The Greens had the third largest share of the vote with 208,000. Ukip received around 171,000 votes while the Lib Dems got about 165,000.
Ukip's David Kurten, one of the party's two London Assembly members, said: "This is my first time being elected. I want to thank the voters who voted for me, who put their trust in Ukip. It's a big thing."
He said housing and immigration were linked and posed the biggest challenges for London, before also adding he would use the platform to make the case for Brexit.
"A lot of people have voted Ukip, and a lot of them want us to leave the European Union. We will be a voice for those people."
Sian Berry, who was also expected to come third in the Mayoral contest, is one of the party's two new members in City Hall.
Earlier she told the Evening Standard her party's strong showing in the election demonstrated the value of "positive" campaigning.
She said: "It's great news. Our positive campaign has resonated with people.
"We're now solidly the third party in London."
London Assembly members The London-wide members Fiona Ruth Twycross (Labour) Tom Phillip Copley (Labour) Nicky Gavron (Labour) Kemi Badenoch (Conservative) Andrew Boff (Conservative) Shaun Bailey (Conservative) Caroline Russell (Green) Sian Rebecca Berry (Green) David Michael Kurten (Ukip) Peter Robin Whittle (Ukip) Caroline Valerie Pidgeon (Liberal Democrats) Constituency members Barnet and Camden: Andrew Hartley Dismore (Labour) Bexley and Bromley: Gareth Andrew Bacon (Conservative) Brent and Harrow: Navin Shah (Labour) City and East: Unmesh Desai (Labour) Croydon and Sutton: Stephen John O'Connell (Conservative) Ealing and Hillingdon: Onkar Singh Sahota (Labour) Enfield and Haringey: Joanne McCartney (Labour) Greenwich and Lewisham: Len Duvall (Labour) Havering and Redbridge: Keith Anthony Prince (Conservative) Lambeth and Southwark: Florence Eshalomi (Labour) Merton and Wandsworth: Leonie Alison Cooper (Labour) North East: Jennette Arnold (Labour) South West: Tony Arbour (Conservative) West Central: Tony Devenish (Conservative)
The last time Ukip won seats in the London Assembly elections was 12 years ago - but the two candidates later defected.
The Women's Equality Party, founded only a year ago by Sandi Toksvig and Catherine Mayer, claimed nearly 100,000 votes in the London-wide Assembly, putting them fifth place out of 12 on that ballot.Court Denies Immunity To Law Enforcement Officer Who Arrested Crew Sent To Clean Out His Foreclosed House
from the when-all-you-have-is-an-inflated-sense-of-power... dept
Lieutenant Timothy Filbeck of the Butts County Sheriff's Department found himself in a not-at-all unusual situation: his home was being foreclosed upon. Like many others who have undergone this process, Filbeck was served with a variety of notices explaining the steps of the process and warning him of the consequences of not complying.
Filbeck moved out of the doomed home and into a family member's. This would apparently be the last rational thing he would do in response to the foreclosure. The insurance company for the bank inspected the home four times before coming to the conclusion it had been abandoned by Filbeck. The utilties had been turned off and "cobwebs extended from wall to wall in every room."
When the company began preparing the house for auction, things started to get interesting. Employees spent a day cleaning the house out and removing any abandoned property inside it. At some point, Filbeck apparently decided to drop by his old house and noticed the things he had left behind were missing. He could have contacted any of the companies involved in the foreclosure proceedings. He could have done nothing after realizing that leaving a foreclosed house abandoned tends to result in the removal of property also considered abandoned. The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals notes that Lieutenant Filbeck chose "none of the above."
Instead, Filbeck boarded up the windows, nailed the doors shut, and placed four signs reading “KEEP OUT” on the Property. Filbeck also prepared and filed a police report using fellow deputy Kenneth Mundy’s name and submitted a claim to Liberty Mutual Insurance for the missing property.
When Mundy later discovered the police report, he demanded that his name be removed from it and insisted that he had not prepared it, authorized it, or known anything about it at the time that it was submitted.
A few weeks later, on the morning of February 22, 2011, Plaintiffs went to the Property. The “KEEP OUT” signs were still there. Because the doors remained nailed shut, Graham and Webster entered the Property through a bathroom window.
While Plaintiffs were working, Filbeck learned they were there and caused Lieutenant Matthew Vaughan to go to the Property and confront them. When Vaughan arrived, Plaintiffs told him that they were cleaning out a “foreclosure home.” David Carter gave Vaughan and other deputies who joined Vaughan on the scene, documentation showing that the Property had been foreclosed upon and that Plaintiffs were legally authorized to work there.
Upon Filbeck’s arrival, Vaughn handed him a piece of documentation. David also attempted to show Filbeck an authorization letter on his phone, but Filbeck refused to review it and retorted that the authorization letter “and the rest of this paperwork don’t [sic] mean a damn thing.”
Filbeck insisted that he owned the house, that MDM had no right to be there, and that the foreclosure was “illegal.” He also rejected Plaintiffs’ documentation and the MDM Notices posted at the Property, characterizing them as not worth “shit.”
Finally, despite Tina’s continuing attempts to reason with Filbeck, Filbeck rejoined, “Your boys are going to jail and are staying there until I get my stuff back.” He also threatened to arrest Tina.
After both agencies told Filbeck that no eviction notices had been filed, Filbeck ordered the arrests of Carter, Graham, and Webster for burglary. The officers handcuffed and took Plaintiffs to the Butts County Detention Center. There, they remained incarcerated for roughly 24 hours before they were released without any charges filed.
When the officers carted Plaintiffs off to jail, the Butts County Sheriff’s Office confiscated two cameras, silverware, and $20.00 in cash.
Filbeck later admitted that he had accessed MDM’s impounded vehicle, retrieved a camera, and downloaded pictures onto his computer without a warrant or authorization while the men were stuck in jail. The cameras, silverware, and $20.00 in cash were never returned, despite demands for return of the property.
Defendant-Appellant Timothy Filbeck was a lieutenant with the Butts County Sheriff’s Office. When his house was foreclosed upon, he, like anyone else who has been through foreclosure, had certain options available to him. But arresting the new owner’s agents, Plaintiffs-Appellees David Carter, Clayton Graham, Jr., and Mitchell Webster (collectively, “Plaintiffs”), who were lawfully performing their jobs, was not one of them. And neither was ordering Plaintiffs handcuffed and thrown in jail overnight. We think that should go without saying. Yet Filbeck did these things, anyway. Now Filbeck tries to convince us that he is immune from suit. We are not persuaded. Being a law-enforcement officer is not a license to break the law. And it is certainly not a shield behind which Filbeck may abuse his power with impunity.
Handwritten signs and boards on the windows aren't going to keep legally-entitled persons from accessing the property, especially when the doors are still intact.Preparing a police report in someone else's name, however… that's a problem. Especially when the person whose name you've used finds out about it.When MD Maintenance (the company preparing the house for auction) returned to the property, it called the property management company to report the boards and signs. The property manager told MDM's employees to report it to the police.This, of course, led to MDM employees calling the same Sheriff's Department where Filbeck was employed. A deputy visited the property and confirmed no one was, in fact, still living there. He discussed his visit with Filbeck, which apparently motivated him to escalate his efforts.The two employees resumed the task of removing stuff Filbeck had left behind from the property. Filbeck decided to use his position as a law enforcement officer to intimidate them into leaving the property.Possibly concerned that the other officers might reach the conclusion that there was no law enforcement purpose for being at Filbeck's former home, Filbeck himself arrived on the scene and "assumed control" of the "investigation."Filbeck then went on to say all the documentation was worth even less than a "damn" on the scale of profanities.With that being said, Filbeck flexed his legal muscles.Filbeck then called up courthouse reps to see if there were any eviction notices pending against him. There were not, because the property had been deemed abandoned and Filbeck was obviously no longer living at the home. But those facts didn't stop Filbeck from carrying through on his threat.Filbeck then decided he wasn't done violating their rights.Filbeck was sued, along with the Sheriff's Department. All defendants moved for summary judgment, asserting qualified immunity. The other defendants walk away from this debacle. Filbeck, however, will have to stand on his own. Both claims of immunity raised by Filbeck have been eliminated by the court's examination of the event. And the Eleventh Circuit Appeals Court gives Filbeck a full blast of its disdain in its opening paragraph.The thing is, Filbeck certainly saw his position as both: a permission slip for abusing citizens and a shield to hide behind when they complained. The court couldn't prevent the abuse, but at least it took Filbeck's unearned shield away from him.That being said, this lawsuit seems to be doing nothing to hold back Filbeck's run for Sheriff of Benton County, AR, where he promises to "bring ethics and integrity back to the Sheriff's Office." (I assume he's having some shipped in...) Not only that, but there's no mention of this debacle in former Butts County Sheriff Gene Pope's letter of recommendation. So, while the court may have stripped away the shield of immunity, his supervisor seems all too willing to ensure Filbeck -- who's been proven to abuse power -- gets even more of it.
Filed Under: butts county sheriff's department, conflict of interest, eviction, foreclosure, law enforcementThis post is targeted for people looking to get offers from large tech companies like Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Dropbox, Uber, Lyft, and Airbnb. This isn’t to say other companies aren’t interesting! It’s just that these companies’ interview processes are all straightforward (though not necessarily easy) and many people are interested in working for them.
Let’s start off with an obvious point: make sure you can get phone screens from these companies. If you have a large network of friends who can refer you, awesome! You can simply skip to step 4. If you went to a competitive college, or have several years of full-time software engineering experience, you should be qualified to get interviews.
If you weren’t lucky enough to go to a college with good career services and don’t have experience yet, you’re not out of luck. One option is to build personal projects. This is the best way to learn new technologies and tack them on your resume. This will also help you build software engineering skills and show that you’re taking initiatives for your learning. The best project ideas are ones you are interested in as well; you will spend several factors more time working on them. But if you’re absolutely stuck, I would recommend doing web projects. For example, a real-time chat room, an online chess game, or Instagram clone demonstrate practical knowledge. Web development is a skill that’s sought after by almost every tech company, so this is a great way to not put all your eggs in one basket.
Perfect your resume. This deserves a post in itself but here are some tips: It should be one page, unless you have over two decades of experience.
It should use a clean template.
It should point out your accomplishments, not the job descriptions.
It should use action words: built, launched, tested, led.
It should have numbers to describe the accomplishments.
Internalize basic algorithms and data structures. This is where a lot of recent grads have an advantage since they just finished their second or third course in algorithms. Some suggested resources here are: Tim Roughgarden’s two Coursera algorithm courses.
The Algorithm Design Manual by Skiena
CLRS
Become good at coding interview problems. This is the hardest part. The best way to get good at this is to dive right in. Solve new difficult questions and ignore questions that are too easy for you. This may take anywhere from 1 to 6 months. Shameless plug: we have a mailing list that sends you a new problem every day. Also, take a look our post on solving hard interview questions here. After solving a lot of problems, you should line up 3-5 mock interviews with your friends. If you prefer a more active trial run,
you can go through onsite interviews at your second choice companies. Here are some more tips: It’s worth mentioning again: make sure you’re solving hard problems every day.
When studying make sure to always follow good thought process and vocalize your thoughts
Use a high level programming language such as Ruby or Python. You don’t want to manage memory unless that’s the point of the interview.
Invest in a whiteboard and thin markers. It’s surprising how powerful modern IDEs and text editors are! Coding on a whitebord is a skill itself.
One thing to look out for is to leave space between code so that you can more easily insert new code (you don’t want to have to erase code
to write more code) and start writing from the top upper left corner, so that you have enough space if you should need it.
Now it’s time for the actual interviews. It’s important to not forget interviewers are humans too. If you show interest in their work and get along with them, they’ll want you to pass. They’ll interpret your skills less harshly too. Lastly, don’t forget that they’re no smarter than you are!Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie–the blue-blood ancestor of the turducken. (Image: Mother Goose’s Melodies/WikiCommons Public Domain)
Once upon a time, you had to be royalty to be surprised by your food. But these days, an ordinary Thanksgiving gathering is cause for trepidation and excitement. It’s 2015, and any turkey you face could be a turducken.
The turducken, if you’ve managed to avoid its company thus far, is exactly what it sounds like–a chicken stuffed into a duck stuffed into a turkey, all deboned and layered with various types of stuffing. It looks like a regular turkey, but, when cut, magically reveals its true soul (the duck), as well as its soul’s soul (the chicken). It would fit nicely next to a Midwestern dessert salad, but is also the kind of main course you’d expect from a Thanksgiving feast thrown by the psychedelic machine minds at Google Deep Dream. In short, it is a truly mysterious food, melding the nostalgic with the futuristic, the traditional with the impossible.
The carnivore-baiting chimera has been a gold-plated staple of New Orleans cuisine since 1980, when Chef Paul Prudhomme began serving up a Cajun-inflected version in his restaurant, K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen. Prudhomme trademarked the name in 1986, and we’ve been calling it that ever since.
Chef Paul Prudhomme, Father of the Turducken. (Photo: Brett Rosenbach/WikiCommons CC BY 2.0)
But although the branding may be new, the meatmanteau it describes is not. Roman emperors were said to enjoy the occasional “tetrafarmacum,” a concoction of sow’s udder, pheasant, wild boar, and ham, piled together in a starchy shell. Medieval lords would flaunt their prestige by commissioning complex “illusion foods”—huge pastry castles stuffed with meat and fruit, or roasted peacocks with the feathers carefully replaced, so that diners could have their ‘cock and eat it too. One 15th-century king was fond of cockentrice, a pig’s top half sewn onto a rooster’s bottom. The more specific vision of “putting one bird inside another bird inside of another bird and cooking them” goes back to the Renaissance, when it was practically common practice, says food historian Andrew F. Smith.
As meat became less of a luxury, everyday people got in on the game. By the 18th century, ordinary (though ambitious) British homemakers were encouraged to impress their guests with “Christmas Pyes” filled with three or four nested fowls. By the 19th century, Smith says, “there are many recipes in American cookbooks that talk about the same kind of concept,” often adding beef tongue, pork, and other meats to the fray.
After Prudhomme carved his version into the history books, the turducken became a regional favorite, a joyfully off-kilter food you could get in the joyfully off-kilter city of New Orleans. Nationwide popularity came a couple of decades later, courtesy of enthusiastic fan John Madden, who carved one on live TV during a Thanksgiving Day football game broadcast in 1997. After that, the turducken expanded its reach, slowly pulling in devotees from up north and out west. In 2010, it made the Oxford English Dictionary, and now you can buy a frozen one at Sam’s Club.
A properly cooked turducken looks like an overfed turkey. (Photo: Engelmann/WikiCommons CC BY-SA 3.0)
There are tons of strange, previously royal foods commoners wouldn’t dream of mass-producing. Why did the ungainly turducken make the leap? Smith thinks it was a question of etiquette and thrift. With a regular turkey, “you can only do so much with a knife and a fork,” he says, “and if you’re in polite company, on occasion, it can get a little awkward, or you waste a lot of meat.” The turducken, he says, sidesteps these problems–you get all of the meat with none of the mess. (Tell that to John Madden, who said of his first time: “It smelled and looked so good. I didn’t have any plates or silverware or anything, and I just started eating it with my hands.”)
J. Kenji Lopez-Alt of Serious Eats perfected his turducken recipe in 2012. But after years of obsessing over oven temperatures and stuffing composition, he thinks the appeal is skin-deep. Taste-wise, he says, a turducken is less than the sum of its birds. “It’s a stunt food,” he says. “People make it because it’s a feat of engineering. It’s just, ‘What thing can we stuff into another thing?’”
The veggieducken lets everyone get in on the game. (Photo: The Sporkful/Flickr)
Lopez-Alt attributes the canonization of this impulse to the internet, where “if someone does something ridiculous, somebody’s going to say, ‘Hey, look at this ridiculous thing.” Stuffing things into other things is the online stunt-food version of dressing to impress. “That’s how Taco Bell comes up with new menu items, right?” he asks.
A quick glance at the turducken internet reveals that the standard variety no longer suffices. The turducken arms race has escalated, leading to monstrosities like the 12-bird roast, the Lovecraftian Cthurkey, and the cherpumple, a dessert-course spinoff that has several different pies baked inside the layers of a cake.
This is only natural. In a world where ordinary people eat turducken, the true royals, internet or otherwise, have to separate themselves from the plebes. And the way to do that, as Lopez-Alt says, is to ”stick things in other things” in increasingly immoderate ways.
Gastro Obscura covers the world’s most wondrous food and drink.
Sign up for our email, delivered twice a week.In the Time of the Butterflies Presented by Prime Stage Theatre
Experience the spirit, passions and courageous acts of the Mirabal sisters – “The Butterflies” – as they inspired a fight for freedom in the Dominican Republic. Their legacy led to the UN creating the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. “Julia Alvarez’ novel is as lovely as a butterfly at rest, and as moving as one in flight.” ~ Burlington Free Press.
For performance questions or ticket inquiries please contact the Prime Stage box office at 412-608-2262 or by email at boxoffice@primestage.com
Directed by Ricardo Vila-Roger
Presented with the NEA Big Read, which is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.
For more information on accessible seating or assistive listening devices please contact Courtney at 412-320-4610 ext. 16 or courtney@newhazletttheater.org
Audio Description available for Friday, March 15th
ASL interpreted available for Saturday, March 16thAs the activist skeptical movement grows and increasingly networks, thanks largely to social media, we seem to be irritating those who are the targets of our critical analysis. This is a good thing. It’s a sign that we are doing our job and having an impact.
Recently there has been an increase in those attacking skeptics and skepticism. One tactic is to attempt to intimidate critics and silence public debate through libel lawsuits or the threat of such suits. The blustering by Bonnie Vent and her minions following Mark Edwards’ latest post is a good example. Clearly, they are not familiar with libel laws in the US, or they hope that we are not, or they simply don’t care.
To be clear, we take very seriously our responsibility to be fair and factually accurate, and we will happily correct mistakes if they are pointed out to us. The original version of Mark’s article contained the word “apparently” to refer to second-hand information. This was probably enough of a qualification, but we strengthened it to “allegedly” just to be sure, and even added the caveat about the original source. (Read the post for details.)
Fortunately in the US we have rational libel laws. In order to prove libel the plaintiff will have to prove that the defendant wrote something that was wrong, they knew it was wrong, and they did it deliberately out of malice. In some states you also have to prove harm, but a few have what is called “libel per se” which means that certain accusations are considered automatically damaging to one’s reputation.
On the other hand, some states also have anti-SLAPP laws – strategic lawsuit against public participation. In essence, if you use a libel suit to silence a critic and remove their right to participate in free speech, you may be counter sued under anti-SLAPP laws. The courts, in short, have recognized the threat that SLAPP suits pose to first amendment rights.
The Canadian Supreme Court recently recognized this as well, ruling in one case:
The Supreme Court said it examined laws in other countries with similar legal systems, such as the United Kingdom and Australia. It found that Canadian law was strict by comparison and did not give enough weight to the value of free expression. “This, in turn, may have a chilling effect on what is published,” said the text of one of the rulings. “Information that is reliable and in the public’s interest to know may never see the light of day.”
Unfortunately, English libel law is still in the dark ages, as some of our colleagues across the pond have discovered. Simon Singh is currently defending a libel suit in British court against the British Chiropractic Association (BCA). Apparently he stung them and made it hurt when he pointed out they promote treatments that are not supported by evidence. This resulted in a backlash against the BCA and a campaign to reform English libel laws.
Previously Ben Goldacre and The Guardian were the target of a libel suit from one Matthias Rath, for selling dubious treatments for serious illnesses, like AIDS, in Africa. Ben emerged victorious from this suit.
Back on this side, Robert Lancaster was threatened with suit by Sylvia Browne for his website, stopsylviabrowne.com. Robert refused to back down or be intimidated by Browne, who had not case against him. Unfortunately, Robert suffered a stroke and during his recovery period it appears that the registration for the domain name lapsed and the url was picked up by a psychic promoter.
Paul Offit and Amy Wallace from Wired Magazine have also recently been sued by anti-vaccinationist Barbara Loe Fisher, the head of the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC). This one is over the claim by Offit printed in Wired Magazine that “she lies” – referring to Fisher. If it actually gets to court it is likely, in my opinion, that Offit will be able to demonstrate that Fisher has made comments that are less than truthful. But usually in such cases the point of the suit is not to defend it in court, but simply to force a settlement.
Threat of libel is not the only way that the cranks of the world are trying to fight back against skeptics. They are also trying to take us on in their own critical writing, which of course they have the right to do. But just like with the libel suits, this strategy has been backfiring more often than not. It seems that if we irritate them enough, we can goad them into embarrassing themselves by trying to do something they clearly are not good at – critical analysis.
Recently Deepak Chopra, Rustom Roy, and Larry Dossey attacked Science-Based Medicine in the Huffington Post. Invariably such attempts butcher the skeptical position (always a marker of intellectual sloppiness) and just provide more fodder for us to criticize, and this was no exception. In the world of alternative medicine defenders on nonsense, like the three above, have an especially hard time because they do need to seem scientific while attacking science and defending pseudoscience. So it is easy to trip them up in self-contradiction. As David Gorski writes:
Dr. Dossey just spent two articles whining that his beloved CAM is being treated so very, very unfairly by promoters of science-based medicine, but from my viewpoint it’s being treated more than fairly these days; it’s being given a free pass, by and large. Again, that’s why I’ll repeat it one more time. If Dr. Dossey really wants CAM to be evaluated on a truly equal scientific footing with science-based medicine, I have one thing to say to him one last time: Bring it on!
Mike Adams, editor of NaturalNews.com, has also felt the sting of skeptics and decided to fight back with his own rhetoric. In it he raises an army of particularly flimsy strawmen against skeptics, easily dismantled. He was joined by fellow natural guru Joseph Mercola, who attacked one of our Australian colleagues, Rachael Dunlop. Mercola’s comments were in such poor taste that his own followers flinched.
Speaking of which, the winner of the most callous, distasteful, and strategically moronic attack on skeptics of 2009 goes to the Age of Autism for their photoshopped picture of various critics of the anti-vaccine movement (including yours truly) eating a baby at Thanksgiving dinner. Even some of their devoted followers were put off by this despicable (and mysogynistic) display, and they quickly decided to take it down.
Conclusion
As the skeptical movement grows we will increasingly become the targets of counter-attacks like those I discuss above. Like it or not, we are engaged in conflict with the promoters of pseudoscience and an anti-scientific world view, and they will fight back. But we have shown in recent years that we can stick together and we will not be intimidated. Try to silence one of us, and the criticism will only be magnified 100 fold.
Bonnie Vent could have just taken Mark’s criticism and moved on, but instead she chose to try to have the criticism taken down, resorting to empty libel threats as an intimidation tactic. But all she has accomplished is to focus our attention on her all the more.
The BCA was soundly embarrassed by the attention they received as a consequence of their lawsuit. It even led to skeptical activists reporting instances of chiropractors making false claims, which in turn led to one chiropractic group advising their members to take down all claims on their websites (which seems like a curious admission that their claims do not hold up to scrutiny).
I am particularly amused when the purveyors of pseudoscience try to engage skeptics in critical analysis. That is our arena, and we will be happy to trounce them all day long. In fact, we want a serious discussion of logic and evidence – that is what skepticism is all about. If we can get them engaging us in such discussion that can only serve our ends. Even if they can demonstrate that they are correct about a claim – that is all we want, to base claims on logic and evidence.
More likely, however, we will get what Mike Adams served up – a frothing rant that is so disconnected from reality it accomplishes our work for us.
So keep it up, fellow skeptics. We are having an impact, and the cranks of the world are feeling the pain.Share Code between React and React Native Apps
Christian Sepulveda Blocked Unblock Follow Following Jan 30, 2017
Developers are adopting Higher Order Components (HOC) Stateless Functional Components, and for good reason: they make it easier to achieve code reuse, a coveted aspiration of developers.
There are many articles on HOC and Functional Stateless Components. Some are introductions and others describe deep technical aspects; I’ll explore refactoring existing components to create reusable elements.
You might think that code reuse is overrated. Or it’s too hard, especially when looking to share code between the web and mobile. But here are a few benefits to consider:
UX consistency, both within an application and across devices
Make cross-cutting upgrades: improve a component and update all its uses easily
reuse routing and authorization rules
Switch libraries (for example, the apps below uses MobX for state management, but Redux could be swapped in)
I’ll focus on using HOC and Functional Stateless Components to achieve reuse. You should already be familiar with the basics of React and React Native. Alexis Mangin has a good post explaining their differences as well.
There is a lot of detail in the post; I explain the incremental process for refactoring the components. But if you are already familiar with these ideas (such as HOC), short on time, or just impatient, you can jump ahead to The Payoff: Reusing the Components. (Final GitHub repo) You can see the result and how easy it is to create additional applications with the reused components.
What are Higher Order Components and Stateless Functional Components?
React 0.14 introduced Stateless Functional Components. They are functions that render components. The syntax is simpler; |
SEC play against LSU and Mississippi State.
Saban Embraces the Spread
Chris B. Brown: When discussing modern spread offenses, Saban has been a notable curmudgeon, questioning whether such attacks undermine the game’s fundamental “fairness.” He’s even supported a measure (which Steve Spurrier dubbed the “Saban rule”) that would penalize teams for snapping the ball too quickly. The old defensive guru clearly feels that the game is changing — and not for the better.
But Saban also likes winning, and after troubling losses to Texas A&M in 2012, Auburn in 2013, and Ohio State in 2014 — plus limited sympathy for his public complaints — it appears that he’s settled on an “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” approach. Alabama’s offensive transformation began two years ago and took a big step forward last season under new offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin, with the Crimson Tide setting school records in numerous categories. But the Tide’s Week 1 win over Wisconsin was the best evidence yet that Saban is a spread offense convert in practice, if not entirely in spirit.
Henry and the quietly efficient Coker starred for Alabama on Saturday, but the offense’s tempo and design helped them both. One particular play caught my eye: a third-quarter design in which Coker had four options all built into the same play — a quick hitch pass to his left, a bubble screen to his right, a handoff up the middle, or a seam pass to his tight end.
That’s modern spread offense stuff all the way. Saban the defensive coach might not like uptempo spread offenses, but Saban the head coach appears more than willing to let his team run one.
Payback for the Profiteroles
Holly Anderson: An opening week that started with FIU beating UCF, Western Kentucky defeating Vanderbilt, and Fordham beating Army on Thursday continued to delight those of us who bask in the sight of smaller schools getting salty throughout the weekend. There’s something spitefully poetic about watching a team that’s being paid (in some cases) hundreds of thousands of dollars to take a road trip and lose a football game forget that it’s not paid to make things exciting.
And on the first Saturday of the season, that forgetfulness ran rampant. Kansas is in such a state as a program that the fact the Jayhawks looked like they might beat South Dakota State was news for a few minutes. Portland State knocked off Washington State in Pullman, prompting the CougCenter blog to issue the following breaking news banner: “THERE IS NO FLOOR.” (Sunday morning it read, “THINGS ARE BAD.”) Newcomers Charlotte and Old Dominion dispatched with FBS dregs Georgia State and Eastern Michigan. North Dakota went into Laramie and walked away with a small souvenir strip of Wyoming’s hide. And there were too many close calls to even get into in this small space, enough to make you wonder whether in a way, body-bag games might be a semantic lose-lose for the teams writing the checks. A win over FCS Directional State is a win, and woe betide you if the margin of victory isn’t fat and sassy; a loss will haunt your squad for at least the season, and sometimes for years to come.
But the real showstopper of Week 1, with little argument, was Temple’s 27-10 victory over Penn State, the program’s first since 1941. Many a motivational poster will be made (TENple, anyone?) of the Owls’ double-digit sacks tally; many a clip of a beleaguered Christian Hackenberg, running for his professional life behind a Nittany Lions offensive line so insubstantial that “behind” doesn’t even feel like the right preposition to use, will be looped to “You Had a Bad Day.” But the sour cherry on this Saturday sundae was what appeared to be a sideline argument over PSI. Just when you thought you couldn’t get LESS interested in deflated footballs, James Franklin starts to care about them. Hooty hoo!
Give Garrett the Heisman!
Mallory Rubin: Those of us lacking conveniently short memories would do well not to overreact to Texas A&M’s 38-17 win over no. 15 Arizona State, because it was just a year ago that the Aggies lit the world on fire in the opener only to drop five of their last seven regular-season games.
But I confess that it’s once again proving hard to resist the Aggies’ charms. Quarterbacks Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray, the top QB prospects in the class of 2014 and ’15, respectively, both saw action and showed flashes of brilliance on Saturday. True freshman receiver Christian Kirk returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown and caught a 66-yard score on a late bubble screen. Junior safety Justin Evans totaled nine tackles and disrupted ASU’s passing attack all night.
And they were all outplayed by sophomore defensive end Myles Garrett, who looked positively Clowneyesque against the Sun Devils. Garrett racked up two sacks, a forced fumble, eight tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and three QB hurries, making his opponents seem as hilariously minuscule as any regular person who stands next to the 6-5, 260-pound human abdominal muscle.
I’m sure the A&M administration did plenty to make former LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis feel welcome upon his arrival to College Station, but it’s hard to think of a better housewarming present than Garrett, who’s capable of delivering the kind of exceedingly rare season that earns a defender a trip to New York City.
I’m not quite convinced that Myles Garrett is human. I mean, I understand that machines can’t enroll in college, but he make me question it. — Peter Burns (@PeterBurnsESPN) September 6, 2015
Hope for Hill-less BYU
Matt Borcas: The Taysom Hill comeback tour may have ended before it really began, but that didn’t stop BYU from spoiling Mike Riley’s Nebraska debut, 33-28, in the most excruciating way possible:
I’m not sure whether to call this play a Hail Mary or a Hail Joseph, but it was miraculous all the same — especially considering that backup quarterback Tanner Mangum threw the pass. However, if the Week 1 upset registered as a Pyrrhic victory in light of Hill’s season-ending Lisfranc fracture, it certainly didn’t show on the faces of the jubilant Cougars. Coach Bronco Mendenhall scurried around the field in search of someone to hug, resembling a blonder Jimmy V, while receiver Terenn Houk saw fit to embrace a referee:
I didn't notice this before, but one of the BYU WRs ran up and bear-hugged the ref after that Hail Mary. pic.twitter.com/jUM4Xq8gfT — Chris Mottram (@ChrisMottram) September 6, 2015
Meanwhile, Riley’s reaction was hilariously similar to what his dour predecessor, Bo Pelini, looked like after the Huskers won on a Hail Mary:
As it turns out, it’s going to be difficult for Nebraska to replace the 2014 production of Ameer Abdullah and Kenny Bell, even with the improved play of Tommy Armstrong Jr. Still, the new-look Huskers showed promise on offense, and have the luxury of hosting South Alabama next Saturday, which should make for an easy bounce-back game heading into Week 3’s showdown at Miami. (1984 called. It wants its game of the week back.)
For the Cougars, the stark reality of Hill’s injury will set in soon enough, with tough matchups looming against Boise State and UCLA. The 25-year-old senior was a legitimate Heisman contender, while Mangum is an inexperienced (if highly touted) freshman. Inevitably, there’s going to be some growing pains for Mangum — who was serving a mission in Chile just three months ago — but now’s not the time to worry about that. It’s the time to run around like a madman and hug anyone in sight.
Requiem for a Pirate
Brown: Though Hal Mumme was the original force behind the vaunted Air Raid offense and Mike Leach his pupil at Iowa Wesleyan, Valdosta State, and Kentucky, Mumme’s teams never won more than seven games in an FBS season, and he posted an 11-38 record in four seasons at New Mexico State. Leach, meanwhile, delivered an 84-43 record at Texas Tech and led his team to 10 straight bowl games. Part of the reason that Mumme’s record was less glowing was that he was happiest trying to turn around downtrodden programs. He failed at New Mexico State, but he returned several schools to the postseason, including Kentucky.
Washington State was supposed to be Leach’s reclamation project — both for the program and for himself following an ugly divorce from Texas Tech. When WSU hired Leach in the fall of 2011, I was thrilled: Yes, Leach is a fan (and media) favorite, and yes, his teams throw a lot, but learning the intricacies of his Air Raid offense was in many ways my graduate school in football strategy. Many of his ideas regarding scheme and how to organize and practice offense have shaped the thinking of an enormous number of coaches at every level of football, and I was excited to see his offense back on the field.
But rebuilding Wazzu was never going to be easy, and some warning signs appeared early in Leach’s regime: Upon arriving in Pullman, Leach seemed more hell-bent than ever on throwing the ball nonstop, and despite all of his Air Raid protégés refocusing on running as well as throwing, the Cougars have finished dead last nationally in rushing for each of the past three seasons. Leach’s staff has also seemed to be in constant upheaval, with a revolving door of assistant coaches. Perhaps most alarmingly of all, Leach has seemed less an idiosyncratic football coach and more the character of “Mike Leach” — a caricature of the coach portrayed on 60 Minutes, in the New York Times, and in countless breathless profiles. Leach’s scattershot interests are part of his charm, and the early expectations for his WSU success may have been unrealistic, but regardless: Something has seemingly been missing since the start of his Cougars tenure.
That feeling was amplified considerably this weekend when Washington State, a 31-point favorite, dropped its season opener 24-17 to a Portland State team that finished 11th in the Big Sky Conference last season and still has an interim head coach. Now, Leach’s reclamation project seems less likely to succeed than ever. He probably isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, as firing him at the end of this season would cost WSU almost $5 million, but unless something changes fast, Washington State will be someone else’s rebuilding project before long.
Bowling for EGOTs
Borcas: Say this much for Bowling Green: The Falcons made their presence felt in Nashville this weekend. Not necessarily on the scoreboard, where the Volunteers predictably dismantled their opponent, 59-30 — but in the hearts and minds of anyone who bothered to watch this glorious, orange-hued clash.
Let’s start with Falcons coach Dino Babers, who was not particularly fond of an unsportsmanlike conduct call made by referee Ken Williamson in the third quarter. A defiant Babers protested the penalty by charging onto the field and, in turn, was unequivocally given the business by Williamson:
#Vols-Bowling Green ref just had hot-mic moment: “DUDE, YOU BETTER SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND GET IN THE (EFFIN’) HUDDLE!" — Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) September 5, 2015
Amazingly, though, this was far from the game’s most ridiculous moment. Back in the first quarter, Falcons defensive lineman Mike Minns — whom I presume is a theater major — lost his shoe while attempting to run off the field, and promptly played dead.
Incredibly, Minns’s flop-tastic strategy worked: He was allowed to leave the field without drawing a penalty, because there was no way to prove he was faking. The Tennessee faithful were not pleased with the performance, all but pelting him with rotten tomatoes as he was helped to the sideline. Forget about the Heisman; give this man an EGOT!
A Special Reminder About Special Teams
Riley McAtee: I’m as guilty as anyone of forgetting that special teams exist. Unless Adoree’ Jackson is back to return, I consider punts and kickoffs the perfect time for a bathroom break or beer run. But on Friday night against Boise State, Washington reminded everyone how crucial special teams can be.
This game had all the makings of a blowout, with the Broncos nearly doubling the Huskies’ yardage, possessing the ball for almost nine more minutes, and leading from wire to wire. The Washington offense, which netted just 4.3 yards per pass and an abhorrent 1.3 yards per rush, was so bad that calling it stagnant would be an insult to pond water. The Broncos led 16-0 at halftime and looked poised to serve their former head coach a 30-plus point loss.
Yet the Huskies managed to narrow Boise’s final margin of victory to 16-13, pulling within three late in the fourth quarter and securing a chance to tie the game with less than two minutes remaining. That didn’t happen thanks to a glut of turnovers or a sudden offensive resurgence, but rather because of that often boring and unremarkable part of football: special teams.
Down 16-3 late in the third quarter, the Huskies finally got an injection of life when sophomore receiver Dante Pettis took a punt 76 yards for a touchdown. He started with two Broncos in his face before whipping to his right, taking advantage of two perfectly timed blocks to walk almost untouched into the end zone.
A few possessions later, the Broncos lined up to punt again, but it was blocked by Jaydon Mickens, setting up the Huskies at Boise State’s 27-yard line. The Washington offense predictably sputtered on the next drive and the Huskies leaned on their kicker, Cameron Van Winkle, to launch a relatively easy 28-yarder through the uprights to cut the deficit to three with seven minutes left.
Van Winkle, one of the most reliable kickers in the conference, almost sent the game into overtime. Forty-six yards is out of range for a lot of #collegekickers, but Van Winkle, who has a career long of 51, was well within his striking distance. But Washington’s special-teams magic finally ran out. Van Winkle pushed it wide right, and Boise State avoided collapse.
Even though the comeback bid fell short, the lesson was clear: A game in which Washington was outgained by 158 yards came down to a couple of feet. Washington nearly tied it up without any crazy turnovers, amazing trick plays, or fortunate bounces. The Huskies looked awful, but still had a chance to beat a better team in classic Chris Petersen fashion thanks to a handful of plays on special teams.
Grape Job: You’re Doing It Wrong Edition
Anderson: First, a quick review of what we knew heading into Georgia Southern’s season-opening trip to West Virginia: We knew that GSU is something of an FBS enfant terrible, more than happy to take the money and run, and run, and run. We knew this seemed like a really bad idea for a Week 1 warm-up contest. We knew the Eagles’ starting quarterback would be serving the first half of a two-game academic suspension Saturday night, but that these Eagles prefer to keep the ball on the ground, having averaged fewer than 13 pass attempts per game in 2014. We knew the game was in Morgantown, at night, and had heard rumblings that the Mountaineers defense, under young-gun DC Tony Gibson, was showing real promise in the offseason.
None of this knowledge was proper spiritual preparation for what happened in the third quarter of WVU’s 44-0 win, when three of Favian Upshaw’s 13 passes on the night (way to hit that average!) found their merry way into the hands of the exact same West Virginia safety, senior captain Karl Joseph.
Karl Joseph has three forced turnovers tonight, including this interception leading to Shell's touchdown run! http://t.co/3o2Kcp4TAj — WVU Football (@WVUfootball) September 6, 2015
With all due sympathy to the intricacies of coaching offense, at what point following the second pick by the same player does a staff maybe decide to try not putting the football where Joseph might be able to get it? He’s even got his name written in capital letters on his shirt, and a number assigned to his person, for easy location on the field. GRAPE JOB.Share This!
This week’s SATURDAY SIX looks at the Six Best Bars and Lounges at the WDW Resorts. When we here at the SATURDAY SIX headquarters set out to do an article on the best bars and lounges at Walt Disney World, we didn’t want you – Dear Reader – to just take our word for it. So we conducted our patented top secret, double blind, exhaustively comprehensive scientific poll by reaching out to some of the biggest names in the blogging industry. A veritable theme park Who’s Who responded, and today we are here with the results.
BUT THAT’S NOT ALL! For this article we contacted a bonafide theme park drinking expert in Drunk@Disney to give his thoughts on each bar and lounge. You will find Drunky’s thoughts at the end of each write-up. You will also hear from Rhiannon, Drunky’s better half and co-author on an upcoming book about drinking at WDW. So sit back, stir that swizzle stick, and let’s begin our countdown starting with…
# 6 – Territory Lounge (Wilderness Lodge)
Inspired by the national park lodges of the early 20th century, Wilderness Lodge is the type of resort that is distinctly Disney. Designed by Peter Dominick, who was also behind Animal Kingdom Lodge and the Grand Californian, Wilderness Lodge has a certain warmth and coziness to it that you just can’t find in than any other hotel in Orlando. It also happens to contain three underrated gems in the area of WDW dining: Whispering Canyon Cafe, Artist Point, and Territory Lounge.
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With a good amount of seating and an appetizer/dessert menu filled with unique options, Territory Lounge is going to be a spot you will fall in love with. There is even a fireplace to sit by! At SATURDAY SIX HQ two things go over like gangbusters when it comes to bars and lounges, themed napkins and swizzle sticks, so you can imagine our heart was a flutter seeing the Wilderness Lodge swizzle.
Drunk@Disney’s Take:. Great choice by the readers. Glad to know that reading Derek’s column on a weekly basis hasn’t turned them all into Butterbeer-swilling ignorami. Lesser folks may overlook Territory Lounge due to its being a bit more “off the beaten path” than other bars (as it’s not on the monorail loop, along the BoardWalk, or inside a park). However, it is a great destination lounge! For me, I find that the strength comes from the theming: not only does it boast great wildernessy decorations, but even the beer selection follows through on the theme of the entire property by offering brews from the Pacific Northwest and Canada. But the real cherry on top? As seen in the photos, it’s the food available at the bar that truly sets it apart from the more mundane of the Disney bars. All of these factors combine to make Territory Lounge a truly fantastic bar. Or, consider: with Territory Lounge being just a boat ride away from Fort Wilderness or the Contemporary, turn that “destination bar” into an obvious inclusion for any bar crawl around Bay Lake! Recommendations: Since the beer selections here are hand-picked to fit the theming and ambiance of the resort, I recommend snagging a Red Hook or Moosehead in order to fit in. Oh, who am I kidding? Get both! Rhiannon’s Note: Wow, not recommending Bud Light? Are you feeling okay? Drunky: I’m just trying to play by the rules. Could you imagine how embarrassing it would be to be caught with a Kona at the Wilderness Lodge? Worse than wearing green after St. Patrick’s Day. Rhiannon’s Note: That’s not a thing, you dolt.
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# 5 – Tambu Lounge (Polynesian Village Resort)
While Tambu Lounge may not have the large seating capacity of Territory Lounge, it does have three things going for it: location, location, location. Not only does Tambu overlook the Magic Kingdom, but it sits squarely next to possibly the most popular restaurant in WDW: ‘Ohana. Tambu is also home to two of the most popular drinks in Orlando, the famous Lapu Lapu (served in a pineapple) and the Backscratcher. What many people don’t know is that you can get a couple of ‘Ohana’s most popular items at Tambu. That’s right, instead of being up at 6am 180 days out from your vacation, just head on over to Tambu and get some of those terrific honey-coriander chicken wings or the legendary ‘Ohana bread pudding.
Drunk@Disney’s Take: Hold up: you’re putting Tambu Lounge all the way down in the number five spot?! That brings a moistness to my eyes and a potential retraction to my earlier compliment. Tambu Lounge typically reigns supreme as my favorite WDW bar for the same reasons it probably made the SATURDAY SIX list. First on the reasons list: its location inside the iconic Great Ceremonial House at Disney’s Polynesian Village. You can almost feel the history as you climb the stairs to the bar or step off the monorail. Second is its location next to ‘Ohana that gives it both an amazing aroma in the evening as well as a bangin’ appetizer menu. And who could forget two of the most iconic drinks on WDW property: the Lapu Lapu (served in a pineapple!) and the infamous Backscratcher, the official drink of the 3 O’clock Parade podcast! Rhiannon’s Note: Just as long as you don’t say… BACKSCRATCHAAAAAA! Rhiannon’s Note: I hate my life. Recommendations: Clearly the Lapu Lapu and Backscratcher are the top two recommendations. But if you aren’t in the mood for tropical drinks, they have Kona beer on draft, so order up one of those. It is now officially appropriate for you to be drinking that.
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# 4 – Crew’s Cup Lounge (Yacht Club Resort)
EPCOT and the BoardWalk are loaded to the brim with great restaurants and bars, so while it may be tucked away at the Yacht Club, be sure not to skip out on Crew’s Cup Lounge. Located next to Yachtman’s Steakhouse (another must add to your Disney Dining bucket list), Crew’s Cup is themed to a Northeast rowing club and has a lot of hardwood decor like Territory Lounge. It has a very intimate feel, but does have a decent amount of seating outside of the bar. What’s going to bring you back again and again is the out of this world menu, headlined by the house-cut truffle fries. They are the best fries in Walt Disney World hands down. Great sandwiches. Great beer. Great atmosphere.
Drunk@Disney’s Take: It seems the readers are back on track for making good decisions. For now (I’m still watching you). Crews Cup Lounge jumps into the top six for a couple of reasons. First IT OPENS AT NOON, while many (if not most) of the other lounges listed make you wait until 4PM like a sober chump. Add to that, great Yacht Club theming and ambiance of hanging meat along with one of the best beer menus on Disney property. Tada: you have a bar worthy of a top 4 ranking on the SATURDAY SIX. Rhiannon’s Note: Who knew hanging meat had an ambiance? Recommendations. While Crew’s Cup has an extensive bottled beer menu plus three Sam Adams beers on draft, it’s also a safe space for trying something new. So why not supportively hold hands with the person next to you, and order the Jameson Irish Whiskey Sour? Rhiannon’s Note: That poor person next to you…
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# 3 – River Roost Lounge (Port Orleans Resort – Riverside)
There are so many great reasons to take a vacation at Port Orleans Riverside, but one of our favorites is the River Roost Lounge. Home to the unforgettable Yehaa Bob Jackson, the River Roost is the perfect way to end a day after hitting the theme parks. Plenty of tables and even more selections of adult beverages. Outside of the Abita beer flight there isn’t much in the area of signature drinks, but they make up for that in the overall quantity of options available. The appetizer menu is limited, but does offer a nice selection of Southern-inspired dishes, and you can’t go wrong with the best live entertainment in any bar at WDW.
Drunk@Disney’s Take: Bob Jackson, Bob Jackson, Bob Jackson! As one of the few resort bars on property with actual live entertainment Wednesday through Saturday, River Roost rockets to the top of the list. Yehaa Bob’s wild show is great for all ages, so if you haven’t seen Bob yet, get over there stat! You’ll probably find me there doing the “Head, shoulders, knees and toes” hand motions. Rhiannon’s Note: This actually sounds like a reason not to go. Drunky: But you haven’t read my recommendation yet… Recommendations: Gotta go with the Abita Beer Flight!!! Rhiannon’s Note: Aaaaaand I’m back. Though, if you’re not a beer drinker, I recommend getting a Hurricane. After all, we must align with our theme: aligning with themes.
# 2 – Mizner’s (Grand Floridian Resort)
Located on the second floor of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, Mizner’s Lounge has an intimate setting, indoor seating and a full bar menu. Because Mizner’s is located in the Main Building of the Grand Flo, it is nearby to the live jazz band that plays during the day and we have a hard time finding something more relaxing – or elegant – then sipping on a Godiva Chocolate Martini while listening to that wonderful music (the band even plays Christmas songs during the holiday season). As a bonus, Mizner’s offers mixed nuts to its bar patrons, and as one of the few “free” things you can get at WDW, be sure to take advantage.
Drunk@Disney’s Take: I like to consider Mizner’s the flagship bar of the Monorail Bar Crawl. Conveniently located on the second floor of the Grand Floridian, Mizner’s not only offers great drinks and appetizers, but in the evening, the Grand Society Orchestra provides music that transports you to a more dignified time and place. Not only that, but the Grand Flo’ in general tends to attract a different crowd – one with less theme park attire, if you dig my grand flow. It makes it a much classier experience within the Vacation Kingdom of the World. (But don’t worry, theme park attire still works inside the bar. After all, they’ve never turned me away.) Rhiannon’s Note: Hmmm… I may need to write them a letter. Recommendations: I suggest a Moscow Mule, but Skipper DickRichie swears by The Belvedere.
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# 1 – Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto (Polynesian Village Resort)
When Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto opened at the Poly in 2015 it became the first of its kind E-Ticket bar at Walt Disney World. It was so popular from day one that a second bar was needed just to hold the people waiting to get it (but we’ll talk more about that bar later). You want atmosphere? The Grog Grotto has that coming out of every single corner of the venue. While souvenir cups and mugs have been a staple of the theme park experience, Trader Sam’s took it up a notch. Similar to its sister location out in Anaheim, the Grog Grotto debuted with a whole bunch of wonderful Tiki mugs. From the simple Polynesian Pearl to the incredible Nautilus, there is one drink after another on the menu served in collectible mugs that you’ll want to take home. Many of the drinks also trigger show elements within the bar itself, separating Trader Sam’s from any other bar on property. It’s not just a lounge, it’s an experience.
Drunk@Disney’s Take: I’m going to stop you right there before you try to compare this to the Original Trader Sam’s at the Disneyland Hotel. Just don’t. On its own, Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto is one of the best new overall offerings at Walt Disney World. An attraction unto itself, the Grog Grotto offers great drinks and a fun, festive atmosphere. If you’re looking for a laid-back place to relax, this ain’t it. The bartenders and servers are known to mess with you and give you a hard time during your visit, all in the name of “themed fun.” Though some say they sometimes try a little too hard, the interaction with staff (however forced) is the hallmark of Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto, (that, along with themed sound and lighting effects that accompany certain specialty cocktails). The Grog Grotto: a great place to have drinks and selfies –not naps and solitude. Rhiannon’s Note: Actually, could you recommend which bars are best for naps and solitude? That sounds fantastic. Recommendations: Dark and Tropical Stormy all day. My favorite drink on property not served in a pineapple or with a backscratcher. Though, if you‘re hell-bent on getting a souvenir glass, I suggest the HippopotoMai-Tai; it’s a little bit of Shruggie for your home!
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HONORABLE MENTION: Trader Sam’s Tiki Terrace (Polynesian Village Resort)
Now Trader Sam’s is actually two bars in one. If the Grog Grotto is full, you can enjoy a drink and appetizer while you wait for an opening outside on the Tiki Terrace. Turns out many people enjoy the live music and laid back atmosphere of the Tiki Terrace more than the sensory overload inside the Grog Grotto.
Drunk@Disney’s Take: Remember when I said the Grog Grotto is not your place to relax and be laid back? And you were all, “but Drunky, I’m on vacation and need to get my chill on after 10 hours in the parks and multiple crowd-induced rage attacks!” Well calm down, bro. Tiki Terrace is the place for you.. The Tiki Terrace has a great South Seas vibe, overlooking both the pool as well as the Seven Seas Lagoon and Cinderella’s Castle off in the distance. Order any of the same drinks as the indoor Grog Grotto, but add to them live music and fireworks viewing: suddenly Tiki Terrace has pushed its way onto this honorable mention list. Recommendations: The Spikey Pineapple! Dole Whip and booze? No brainer… literally. Rhiannon’s Note: “Literally”? Drunky: I would like to thank Derek Burgan for letting me be a part of this SATURDAY SIX, as I like to think WDW bars and lounges are my area of expertise. Oh yeah, and thanks to my editor and cowriter, Rhiannon, who lightly edited (ok fine, FIXED) my opinions and descriptions. Rhiannon’s Note: Dude, I literally had to correct your spelling of the word “cowriter.” I need to up my royalty share percentage. Drunky: You can soon read more about WDW drinking from me and Rhiannon when our book Drunk at Disney (working title) finishes the proofreading process and gets released this summer.
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We’d like to thank EVERYONE who took part in our poll on the best bars and lounges at the WDW Resorts, but especially those who realized JOCK LINDSEY’S HANGAR BAR ISN’T IN A RESORT. But seriously, a special thank you to contributors from WDWNT, the Disney Hipsters podcast, the Radio Harmabe podcast, the Disney Cruise Line Blog, the Mighty Men of Mouse, and Parkscope. Major props sent to exceptional guys and gals like Drunk@Disney, Epcot Explorer, MKPony, Jenn Tracker, the Schmoof, and many many more. We really couldn’t have done it without you
So there you have it: The Six Best Bars and Lounges at the WDW Resorts. See you next weekend for the latest installment of the SATURDAY SIX, where we’ll look at something fun from the world of Disney and Universal. If you enjoyed yourself, be sure to check out The Magic, The Memories, and Merch! articles, or, for your listening pleasure, check out the E-Ticket Report podcast. You can also follow Your Humble Author on Twitter (@derekburgan)
If you enjoyed this article, you will surely like the following:
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Special Thanks to crack staff photographer Brandon Glover, and blogger to the stars Megan Stump for their invaluable assistance with this article. Be sure to also check out Brandon on The Park Blogger podcast with co-hosts Aengus Mackenzie and Brian Carey. We of course would never be able to “thank” Drunk@Disney and Rhiannon enough, especially since they sent over their responses before “accepting changes” on their Word document, adding about three extra hours of work. Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger they say, and if that’s true right now we are THE STRONGEST HUMAN BEINGS ON GOD’S GREEN EARTH.At a time when a huge pulse of uncertainty has been injected into the global project to stop the planet’s warming, scientists have just raised the stakes even further.
In a massive new study published Wednesday in the influential journal Nature, no less than 50 authors from around the world document a so-called climate system “feedback” that, they say, could make global warming considerably worse over the coming decades.
That feedback involves the planet’s soils, which are a massive repository of carbon due to the plants and roots that have grown and died in them, in many cases over vast time periods (plants pull in carbon from the air through photosynthesis and use it to fuel their growth). It has long been feared that as warming increases, the microorganisms living in these soils would respond by very naturally upping their rate of respiration, a process that in turn releases carbon dioxide or methane, leading greenhouse gases.
It’s this concern that the new study validates. “Our analysis provides empirical support for the long-held concern that rising temperatures stimulate the loss of soil C to the atmosphere, driving a positive land C–climate feedback that could accelerate planetary warming over the twenty-first century,” the paper reports.
This, in turn, may mean that even humans’ best efforts to cut their emissions could fall short, simply because there’s another source of emissions all around us. The very Earth itself.
“By taking this global perspective, we’re able to see that there is a feedback, and it’s actually going to be massive,” said Thomas Crowther, a researcher with the Netherlands Institute of Ecology who led the research published Wednesday.
The new study is actually a compilation of 49 empirical studies, examining soil carbon emissions from research plots around the globe. The different studies produced variable results, including some cases in which soils actually pulled carbon from the air rather than releasing it. However, the researchers insist there was a pattern globally that was “predictable”: Soil carbon losses generally tended to track how much warming a region had seen, and how thick the upper soil layer was.
The paper therefore found that the biggest losses were in Arctic regions, where soils are warming rapidly and also where they are quite thick — but also that well down through the mid-latitudes, soils were also losing carbon. And the net result for the research plots as a whole was a loss of soil carbon.
The paper then extrapolated these findings for the globe, finding that by the year 2050, the planet could see 55 billion tons of carbon (which converts to 200 billion tons of carbon dioxide, were it all to be released in this form) released from soils. That’s if we continue on with a “business as usual” scenario of global greenhouse gas emissions and accompanying warming.
“It’s of the same order of magnitude as having an extra U.S. on the planet,” said Crowther. The world has less than 1,000 billion tons of carbon dioxide remaining to emit in order to preserve a reasonable chance of holding the planet’s warming below 2 degrees Celsius, a widely embraced target, so soil emissions could help to bust the carbon budget.
Crowther argues that until now, the science community has often left this potential carbon feedback from planetary soils out of its calculations because it wasn’t well enough understood. “The entire magnitude of this feedback was removed from several of the earth system models, the models that inform [the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change], because of its massive uncertainty,” he says.
Moreover, he adds that while the study did heavily consider the Arctic and thus, regions of permafrost soil (a huge repository of planetary carbon), it only took into account emissions from the upper layer of soil, about 10 centimeters thick. So if warming liberates carbon from deeper permafrost layers too — a major fear — then the numbers presented above for soil emissions could be too small.
There is, of course, one potential offset to this — even as the Earth’s surface is losing carbon from soils, it also appears to be putting at least some back again due to an increased growth in vegetation, which is being fertilized by more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, in tern enhancing plant photosynthesis. However, Crowther does not believe this will suffice to offset soil carbon losses.
A recent study found that in the past decade or more, plant growth had indeed been sequestering more carbon dioxide — but as the lead author told the Post, “It’s good news for now. We can’t expect it to continue.”
Another researcher who focuses on Arctic soils and reviewed the study for the Post, permafrost expert Ted Schuur of Northern Arizona University, agreed with Crowther on plant growth, suggesting that even if models predict it may offset soil loses, field studies like the ones summarized here don’t support that.
“This impressive work again highlights the largest losses of soil C |
Support itemization changelist from 5/30]
context on revert - likely returning.] Athene's Unholy Grail
Ability power lowered from 40 to 30
% Base Mana regen increased from 75% to 100%
Cooldown reduction lowered from 20% to 10%
Blood earn rate increased from 20% to 25%
Passive renamed from Harmony to Dissonance
[Removed] No longer gives 25% Base Health Regen for every 25% Base Mana Regen
[New] Now gives 5 ability power for every 25% Base Mana Regen
Cannot coexist with Harmony
Banner of Command
Recipe changed from [Aegis of the Legion + Glacial Shroud + 100g] to [Aegis of the Legion + Raptor Cloak + 200g]
Now gives 125% base health regen
No longer gives 400 mana
[New] Unique Passive: Point Runner
Frozen Heart
Recipe changed from [Warden's Mail + Glacial Shroud + 700g] to [Warden's Mail + Glacial Shroud + 800g]
Glacial Shroud
Recipe changed from [Cloth Armor + Sapphire Crystal + 350g] to [Cloth Armor + Sapphire Crystal + 250g]
Cost lowered from 1000 to 900
Armor lowered from 25 to 20
Iceborn Gauntlet
Recipe changed from [Sheen + Glacial Shroud + 650g] to [Sheen + Glacial Shroud + 750g]
Knight's Vow
Recipe changed from [Crystalline Bracer + Chain Vest + 850g] to [Kindlegem + Chain Vest + 600g]
No longer gives 100% Base Health Regen
Now gives 10% cooldown reduction
Locket of the Iron Solari
Shield amount changed from [70 - 665] to [65 - 575 (+15% Bonus Health)]
Shield absorb changed from [35 (+30 per level) (+15% bonus health)] to [38 (+22 per level) (+2% - 36% bonus health)]
Shield Ratio scales with bonus health based on level - 2% - 36%. Ohmwrecker
Recipe changed from [Raptor's Cloak + Kindlegem + 650g] to Raptor Cloak + Kindlegem + 950g]
Raptor's Cloak
Recipe changed from [Rejuvenation Bead + Chain Vest + 250g] to [Rejuvenation Bead + Cloth Armor + 450g]
Cost lowered from 1200 to 900
Armor lowered from 40 to 30
Redemption
Health lowered from 300 to 200
% Base Health Regen lowered from 75% to 50%
% Base Mana Regen increased from 125% to 150%
Heal amount changed from [40 + 25 per target's level] to [10 + 20 per targets level
[New] Redemption's heal amount is affected 3 times as much by "Heal and Shield Power" amplifiers
Righteous Glory
Recipe changed from [Catalyst + Crystalline Bracer + 750g] to [Glacial Shroud + Crystalline Bracer + 950g]
Health lowered from 500 to 400
Now gives 30 armor
Now gives 10% cooldown reduction
[Removed] No longer has Catalyst passive
[Removed] Active's slow nova can no longer be manually triggered early
[Changed] Active's slow nova will now automatically trigger if an enemy champion is within close proximity
Zz'Rot Portal
Recipe changed from [Raptor Cloak + Negatron Cloak + 780g] to [Raptor Cloak + Negatron Cloak + 1080g], not ready for 7.12 and likely return in future - context
New missions, loot, and crafting relating to Order and Chaos themedare now up for PBE testing! You'll be completing missions or purchasing various ORDER or CHAOS tokens and using those to craft exclusive rewards such as icons, temporary emotes, key fragments, and more.Before we jump in,here'swith more on the new Order and Chaos themed content on the PBE:Theandare available forand include the following:As referenced above, several new missions are also available. There are missions that are available to all as part of a series involving earning and using icons and a set of missions unlocked by purchasing aThe first mission that pops up is play any matchmade game to unlock VERSUS event missions and two summoner icons - one icon themed for eachand. You'll be equipping these icons to complete various subsequent missions.Ten newandthemed icons are now available on the PBE.See the section above for how to earn each through event missions and crafting.As mentioned in the Esports team icons article released 6/2, several previously missing and a few modified esports icons are in this cycle. Look for these to release in 7.12!: Burning Core: Raise Gaming: LG Red, Fighters Gaming: TEAM ONE: SN Gaming: GIGABYTE Marines: Sin Gaming: paiN Gaming: Hong Kong Attitude: 1907 Fenerbahçe EsportsIn addition to the new skins, we also haveandthemed ward skins! Unclear if these will be exclusive but on PBE are currently only available as part of theandNew in-game emotes were added - one forand one for. Presumably these will be tied to the Order vs Chaos themed missions & loot. New login theme featuring unique art of the upcomingskins:Updated VFX forand family of items in this cycle!Updated vfx on the orbs on Unique Passive- Spoils of War.The Honor system update is now on the PBE for testing!Here'swith more information in Fight with Honor on PBE Here's a brief video showing off some of the Honor badge transformations:Last we heard they are aiming for a global release in 7.13 not 7.12. Look for it to return for PBE testing next cycle.Here'swith more on the Blood Moon gamemode returning to the PBE for testing:UK equity manager Neil Woodford has downplayed the chances and impact of Britain leaving the European Union without a trade deal.
The report by Woodford Investment Management and Capital Economics concluded the most likely scenario is a compromise deal with the EU which involves leaving the single market and customs union in 2019 but securing transitional arrangements while a free trade agreement is reached.
In this scenario, which the report says there is a 50 per cent chance of occurring, GDP growth will be “somewhat weaker” than trend during the transitional period but the UK economy will perform well over the next decade or so.
The expected net position by 2027 is a modest GDP gain of 1.1 per cent against the status quo, according to the report.
Mitchell Fraser-Jones, Woodford’s head of investment communications, said: “Broadly speaking, we agree with many aspects of the report and its key conclusions, and have found the report valuable, interesting and ultimately, from the perspective of our investment strategy, very reassuring.
“It reinforces our confidence that the portfolios are positioned appropriately for the long-term outcomes that are forecast.”
He predicted that a deal with the EU would be struck “in the coming months”.
The report, called Where are we now?, gives a probability of 35 per cent to a no-deal scenario, where Britain leaves the EU without reaching an agreement in 2019.
In this scenario the report predicts there will not be a major slowdown or recession but expects “some economic dislocation” in 2019 and that growth would dip under 1 per cent.
The report said: “Although there has been some recent slowing in economic growth as rising inflation has cut the growth in households’ real incomes, this should prove transitory.
“There are several factors that should support growth in the near term.”
These included a modest easing of austerity, the fact firms’ investment intentions have held up well and exports benefitting from the depreciation of the pound.
The report also pointed out that Britain has faced "protracted" political uncertainty since the 2010 general election and the EU referendum which does not appear to have affected economic growth.
Today's (9 November) report follows one which was published last year before the referendum.
damian.fantato@ft.comFOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Patriots running back Shane Vereen, who injured his wrist in Week 1 and was placed on injured reserve with the designation to return, was back at practice on Wednesday, a critical step in his rehab and potential return to game action.
In being placed on IR with the designation to return, Vereen did not count against the 53-man roster, but was ineligible to practice for six weeks and must miss a total of at least eight games. Because the Patriots have a bye in Week 10, Vereen could return to the field as soon as Week 11.
He was a standout performer in the team's Week 1 win over Buffalo, rushing for a career-best 101 yards. He gives the team its best option as an up-tempo running back to catch the football out of the backfield.
Veteran defensive tackle Tommy Kelly (knee) and running back Leon Washington (ankle) were also back at practice. Each player was injured during a Week 5 loss in Cincinnati and has not practiced since. With Kelly and Washington back in the fold, all members of the 53-man roster were present.
Kelly was the team's top defensive tackle after losing Vince Wilfork for the season. The Patriots added veteran defensive tackle Isaac Sopoaga, who also made his practice debut, via trade on Tuesday. After relying on rookies Chris Jones and Joe Vellano in recent weeks, a return from Kelly and Sopoaga gives the team experience along the defensive front.
Finally, the Patriots announced before practice that three rookies -- wide receiver Josh Boyce, linebacker Steve Beauharnais and defensive back Justin Green -- were named the practice players of the week for Week 8. Those players wear black jerseys for the week following their award.NINE YEARS SEPARATE Paul O’Connell’s two IRUPA Players’ Player of the Year awards, and the Ireland captain has changed greatly in that time.
2006 saw the Munster lock follow in the footsteps of Malcolm O’Kelly, Gordon D’Arcy and Johnny O’Connor in claiming the award that probably means a little more to recipients that any other.
O'Connell in Munster colours in 2006. Source: Dan Sheridan/INPHO
Voted for by their fellow professionals, the Players’ Player of the Year has earned the respect of those who really count. O’Connell was honoured again on Wednesday night in Dublin, a unanimous choice as the best in Ireland this season.
Now 35 years of age and still weighing up whether or not to retire from playing at the conclusion of this year’s World Cup, O’Connell is a changed player from the 2006 version.
“Two completely different players,” said O’Connell before the awards ceremony. “The way I can train now and have to train now is completely different to what it was back then.
“It seems so long ago now, and I remember that the year I won it [2006], I actually had a very long pre-season and I broke my hand punching Simon Easterby in my first game back and ended up getting another 10 weeks where I had the broken hand.
I was able to train really, really hard and I ended up getting a 22-week pre-season. When I got back I just felt incredibly fit. Second row is a work-rate position and I’m a work-rate player and it was that series of events that helped me go on and have a good season.
“Even if I broke my hand now and had a longer pre-season, I wouldn’t be able to train the way I did back then. The stuff I did during that pre-season, my body would fall apart doing now. It’s two very different players and two very different approaches to training.”
O’Connell once again fielded questions about his impending retirement decision, as well as the possibility of a move to Toulon next season. The answer remains the same for now: “I still don’t know what I’m doing.”
O'Connell at Munster training this week. Source: Morgan Treacy/INPHO
After the brief visit to Dublin for the IRUPA awards, O’Connell is back to the day job with Munster, who are looking to grab a home semi-final spot tomorrow when they host the Dragons in Cork.
The late concession of a try to Ulster last time out rankles still, given that a win would have seen Munster to the top of the Guinness Pro12 table.
“It was a big opportunity lost,” said O’Connell. “If we had seen out the game, we’d have a crack at a home semi-final that would be in our control.
Unfortunately we’re now probably relying on other people to do us favours and we have a big ask ourselves to try and beat the Dragons and get a bonus point ourselves as well.
“A whole number of things went wrong [for that Ulster try]: we put too many people into the maul, we missed a tackle, held too many people on the short side.
“There’s a whole long list of them, but that’s the way it is. Hopefully we’ll learn from it and if we’re in that situation we’ll be able to deal with it better.”The Barrow County sheriff has released police bodycam footage of the arrest of the two University of Georgia football players from early Sunday morning.
The Chevrolet Camaro the two were initially in was pulled over by deputies on Georgia Highway 316 after midnight, only hours after the Bulldogs victory over the Auburn Tigers in the SEC Championship.
The players, Jayson Stanley and Natrez Patrick, were charged with marijuana possession. In addition, Stanley, the driver of the Camaro, was charged with DUI and speeding.
Early in the video, the players can be seen standing handcuffed, illuminated by the lights of the police car behind them.
"Sir, unfortunately, the marijuana was in your seat - where you were sitting and the bottle of the leftover marijuana - was underneath your feet," one officer explained to Patrick.
He then tells Patrick that he's under arrest for possession. To that, Stanley responds "hold on, it's mine. It's my car though."
The marijuana was on Patrick's seat but in Stanley's car. 11Alive's legal expert and host of The Late Feed Vinnie Politan said, "if they're in the courtroom, that could be a defense for Patrick. So this could be the gray area in the marijuana controversy that could keep Patrick on the field for the Rose Bowl."
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The nearly hour-long video shows the entire arrest and search process that deputies undertook during the traffic stop early Sunday morning. At one point, one of the handcuffed men can be heard pleading with deputies.
UGA players Jayson Stanley and Natrez Patrick were arrested by Barrow County Sheriff's Deputies on GA 316 early Sunday morning, just hours after the Dawg's SEC Championship win in Atlanta.
"It's my car, though. Please, please, please. If you've got a heart, please listen," one of the players said, although it is not clear which one. "Please, if you've got a heart, we've been through the biggest s--- of our life. We're sorry. We not no bad kids. That's the end for him, man! If we go to jail, that's it, man, his career, bruh! That's his life, his family..."
Later on in the video, the deputies more fully search the Camaro and can be heard talking to each other, wondering aloud if the two are actually UGA players.
"They both football players, I take it?" one deputy said.
"I have no idea," the other replied.
"That's what I gathered," the first one said. "That they played football together at Georgia."
"They played -- or play?" the second one said, looking for clarification.
► RELATED | Mugshots released of UGA players arrested in Barrow County
► MORE | 2 UGA players arrested after SEC Championship
► ALSO | Oklahoma's star running back accused of sexual assault
"Play," the first one replied.
"Play -- hmph."
"Well, they wasn't there tonight, I don't think," the first one said. "I don't know -- It doesn't really matter."
"Yeah, I was just curious if they told you," the second one said.
"I hadn't asked," the first one said. "I thought they drug-tested their athletes."
► PHOTOS | UGA vs. Auburn in SEC Championship
PHOTOS: UGA vs. Auburn in SEC Championship Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Ahkil Crumpton (16) celebrates with teammates after defeating the Auburn Tigers in the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart celebrates with his team after defeating the Auburn Tigers in the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Roquan Smith (3) is awarded MVP after defeating the Auburn Tigers in the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; The Georgia Bulldogs players celebrate with the SEC Championship trophy after defeating the Auburn Tigers in the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Tae Crowder (30) celebrates with fans after a victory over the Auburn Tigers in the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Georgia defeated Auburn 28-7. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart celebrates with fans after a victory over the Auburn Tigers in the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Georgia defeated Auburn 28-7. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Roquan Smith (3) celebrates with fans after a victory over the Auburn Tigers in the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Georgia defeated Auburn 28-7. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart celebrates with his team after defeating the Auburn Tigers in the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs defensive back Richard LeCounte III (2) celebrates after defeating the Auburn Tigers in the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Lorenzo Carter (7) celebrates after defeating the Auburn Tigers in the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart signals for a two pint conversion against the Auburn Tigers during the fourth quarter of the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Jake Fromm (11) celebrates with offensive tackle Isaiah Wynn (77) after a touchdown against the Auburn Tigers during the fourth quarter in the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back Nick Chubb (27) carries the ball against the Auburn Tigers during the third quarter in the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Auburn Tigers quarterback Jarrett Stidham (8) throws the ball under pressure from Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Walter Grant (84) during the third quarter in the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back Nick Chubb (27) carries the ball past Auburn Tigers linebacker Darrell Williams (49) during the third quarter in the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Auburn Tigers quarterback Jarrett Stidham (8) scrambles against the Georgia Bulldogs during the third quarter in the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Auburn Tigers quarterback Jarrett Stidham (8) runs the ball against Georgia Bulldogs linebacker D'Andre Walker (15) during the third quarter of the SEC Championship game. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Auburn Tigers quarterback Jarrett Stidham (8) sets to throw the ball against the Georgia Bulldogs during the third quarter in the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs guard Thomas Swilley (75) reacts after a blocked field goal against the Auburn Tigers during the third quarter of the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs defensive tackle DaQuan Hawkins-Muckle (96) celebrates with teammates after he blocked an Auburn Tigers field goal against the Auburn Tigers during the third quarter of the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs safety Dominick Sanders (24) runs the ball after a blocked kick against the Auburn Tigers during the third quarter of the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs tight end Isaac Nauta (18) celebrates with quarterback Jake Fromm (11) after a touchdown against the Auburn Tigers during the SEC Championship game. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs tight end Isaac Nauta (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Auburn Tigers during the second quarter of the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs tight end Isaac Nauta (18) celebrates with quarterback Jake Fromm (11) after a touchdown against the Auburn Tigers during the second quarter of the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Auburn Tigers running back Kerryon Johnson (21) runs the ball against Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Roquan Smith (3) and linebacker Lorenzo Carter (7). Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Jake Fromm (11) is brougth down against the Auburn Tigers during the first quarter of the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Auburn Tigers running back Kerryon Johnson (21) is brought down by Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Natrez Patrick (6) during the first quarter of the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Auburn Tigers wide receiver Eli Stove (12) runs the ball against the Georgia Bulldogs linebacker David Marshall (51) during the first quarter of the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Mecole Hardman (4) is pushed out of bounds by Auburn Tigers defensive back Carlton Davis (6) after a pass reception during the first quarter of the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back Nick Chubb (27) runs the ball against Auburn Tigers defensive lineman Dontavius Russell (95) during the first quarter of the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Roquan Smith (3) tackles Auburn Tigers running back Kerryon Johnson (21) during the first quarter in the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back Sony Michel (1) carries the ball pursued by Auburn Tigers defensive back Javaris Davis (13) during the first quarter in the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Auburn Tigers wide receiver Eli Stove (12) runs the ball against the Georgia Bulldogs linebacker David Marshall (51) during the first quarter of the SEC Championship. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Auburn Tigers quarterback Jarrett Stidham (8) throws against the Georgia Bulldogs during the first quarter of the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Jake Fromm (11) throws a warmup pass before the SEC Championship game against the Auburn Tigers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Auburn Tigers former player Bo Jackson reacts on the sidelines before the SEC Championship game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Jake Fromm (11) throws a warmup pass before the SEC Championship game against the Auburn Tigers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Auburn Tigers eagle mascot Spirit is seen on the sidelines before the SEC Championship game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back D'Andre Swift (7) shakes hands with running back Nick Chubb (27) prior to the SEC Championship game against the Auburn Tigers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart looks on during warmups before the SEC Championship game against the Auburn Tigers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Tim Tebow prior to the SEC Championship game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Auburn Tigers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Auburn Tigers head coach Gus Malzahn watches warmups before the SEC Championship game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Auburn Tigers head coach Gus Malzahn during warmups prior to the SEC Championship game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs fans react before the SEC Championship game against the Auburn Tigers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; SEC commissioner Greg Sankey prior to the SEC Championship game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Auburn Tigers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Javon Wims (6) warms up prior to the SEC Championship game against the Auburn Tigers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Fans enter Mercedes-Benz Stadium prior to the SEC Championship Game between the Auburn Tigers and the Georgia Bulldogs. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Fans enter the stadium with the remains of the imploded Georgia Dome adjacent to Mercedes-Benz Stadium prior to the SEC Championship Game between the Auburn Tigers and the Georgia Bulldogs. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Fans enter the stadium with the remains of the imploded Georgia Dome adjacent to Mercedes-Benz Stadium prior to the SEC Championship Game between the Auburn Tigers and the Georgia Bulldogs. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Fans enter the stadium with the remains of the imploded Georgia Dome adjacent to Mercedes-Benz Stadium prior to the SEC Championship Game between the Auburn Tigers and the Georgia Bulldogs. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Fans enter the stadium with the remains of the imploded Georgia Dome adjacent to Mercedes-Benz Stadium prior to the SEC Championship Game between the Auburn Tigers and the Georgia Bulldogs. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports Dec 2, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Fans take pictures of the remains of the imploded Georgia Dome prior to the SEC Championship game between the Auburn Tigers and the Georgia Bulldogs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
The video continues with the players being strapped into the rear of a cruiser and being taken to jail. By the end of the video, the deputy wearing the bodycam can be seen filling out paperwork as the players are being processed at the Barrow County Jail.More ghostly followup. There was a thread on Hacker News wherein it was claimed that using rust would have prevented Heartbleed. Specifically, it would not have even compiled. That sounds like a challenge!
The thread starts about here. I don’t mean to single out the participants, but the claim about preventing Heartbleed is nicely specific. Unlike vaguer claims about memory safety in general, this is a particular claim which we can test.
Now, I don’t intend to write a full blown TLS stack in rust, so I will have to take some shortcuts and reduce the scope of the problem slightly. Hopefully the simulacrum retains the essence of the problem. Simply stated, our objective is to write a program which reads a file (packet) from the filesystem (network), and then echoes it back. The length of the echo request will be encoded as a single byte with data to follow. This is equivalent to the TLS heartbeat functionality. Our program will operate on two such packets, yourping and myping, and write out yourecho and myecho. If any data from your packet bleeds into my packet, we have a problem: heartbleed.
We’ll begin with a basic rust program.
use std :: old_io :: File; fn pingback(path : Path, outpath : Path, buffer : & mut [ u8 ]) { let mut fd = File :: open( & path); match fd.read(buffer) { Err (what) => panic! ( "say {}", what), Ok (x) => if x < 1 { return ; } } let len = buffer[ 0 ] as usize ; let mut outfd = File :: create( & outpath); match outfd.write_all( & buffer[ 0.. len]) { Err (what) => panic! ( "say {}", what), Ok (_) => () } } fn main() { let buffer = & mut [ 0 u8 ; 256 ]; pingback(Path :: new( "yourping" ), Path :: new( "yourecho" ), buffer); pingback(Path :: new( "myping" ), Path :: new( "myecho" ), buffer); }
The above program does compile, albeit with some warnings because I’m a lamer and used std::old_io. (The custom allocator in use here is called “array on stack”.) It’s not great code, but it’s not especially tortured either. I didn’t resort to unsafe FFI calls to C memcpy, for instance.
Let’s see what it does with some sample inputs.
$ echo \#i have many secrets. this is one. > yourping $ echo \#i know your > myping $./bleed $ cat yourecho #i have many secrets. this is one. $ cat myecho #i know your secrets. this is one.
That’s a bingo. Your secrets bled into my echo.
Of course, no true rust programmer would ever write a program like that, so perhaps we haven’t yet demonstrated heartbleed in rust.
Let’s take a break from rust to consider the equivalent program written in C.
#include <fcntl.h> #include <unistd.h> #include <assert.h> void pingback ( char * path, char * outpath, unsigned char * buffer) { int fd; if ((fd = open(path, O_RDONLY)) == -1 ) assert(! "open" ); if (read(fd, buffer, 256 ) < 1 ) assert(! "read" ); close(fd); size_t len = buffer[ 0 ]; if ((fd = creat(outpath, 0644 )) == -1 ) assert(! "creat" ); if (write(fd, buffer, len)!= len) assert(! "write" ); close(fd); } int main ( int argc, char ** argv) { unsigned char buffer[ 256 ]; pingback( "yourping", "yourecho", buffer); pingback( "myping", "myecho", buffer); }
Survey says no true C programmer would ever write a program like that, either. Now where does that leave us?
code no true C programmer would write : heartbleed :: code no true rust programmer would write : (exercise for the reader)
The point here isn’t to pick on rust. I could have written the same program with the same flaw in go, or even haskell if I were smart enough to understand burritos. The point is that if we don’t actually understand what vulnerabilities like Heartbleed are, we are unlikely to eliminate them simply by switching to a magic vulnerability proof language. Everyone may have heard about Heartbleed, but that doesn’t necessarily make it a good exemplar.
Perhaps Heartbleed is a just a stand in term referring not to Heartbleed itself, but rather any number of other bugaboos. I’m not sure that’s better. Vulnerabilities like Heartbleed but not too much like Heartbleed is a poorly defined class. It’s hard to assess any claims about such a class.
When speaking about vulnerabilities and how they can be resolved, we should try to be precise and accurate. The hype around Heartbleed (and ShellShock, etc.) makes them attractive targets to latch an argument on to, but in doing so we must be careful that our chosen example fits the argument. Misidentified problems lead to misapplied solutions.
Opinions seem to differ about the defining characteristics of Heartbleed. The third paragraph describes a rough heartbeat equivalent functionality, but could have been clearer in outlining the basics of the flaw. Reused buffers containing sensitive data leak info due a missing valid length check. The flaw doesn’t require us to read past the end of the buffer, only the most recently initialized portion of it. It does require reusing the same buffer, accomplished here by using a single stack buffer, although a collection of recyclable buffers would also work. Typically, one would not expect secret data in a heartbeat ping packet, but typically the same buffers would also be reused for normal data traffic as well. Will rust programmers ever resort to such tricks? Apparently even malloc was too slow for OpenSSL. Defining Heartbleed as “the bug that leaked private keys” is rather too narrow, focusing on one consequence and not the mechanism of the flaw. How many server keys were actually compromised (the one test server?), versus how many people were dumping Yahoo passwords and tokens within hours of the announcement?
Regarding that last point, I’m surprised how many focused on the private keys to the exclusion of everything else. Even with Yahoo’s private key, I wasn’t in a position to intercept their traffic. But usernames and session cookies? Those I could use from anywhere. Or SMTP. Many connections are upgraded with STARTTLS, but without authentication. Anyone in the position to execute a MITM with a stolen key could simply strip TLS. Heartbleed, however, allowed people from around the world to read any email I had recently received.
Interestingly, despite the obvious parallels to Heartbleed, the recent X server XkbSetGeometry info leak is probably a better example of a bug that rust would have prevented.
For further reading, the JetLeak vuln in Jetty is practically identical to Heartbleed, except it occurred in Java, a nominally memory safe language.
One might also consider one of the bugs CloudFlare found in their Go DNS code. “The catch was that our ‘pack and send’ code pools []byte buffers to reduce GC and allocation churn, so buffers passed to dns.msg.PackBuffer(buf []byte) can be ‘dirty’ from previous uses.” Oops.
Tony took another look at Would Rust have prevented Heartbleed?. I think it’s a good post, summarizing the issue and clearly breaking down the difference between Heartbleed and “Tedbleed”. But again with the private key fixation. Worst case scenario for Tedbleed is “An attacker can recover arbitrary plaintexts from encrypted traffic”. I don’t think it gets much worse than that. I certainly don’t agree that Heartbleed is “a lot worse” than that. (I’ll also quibble with Heartbleed being out of bounds pointer arithmetic, but that’s a lesser point.)Over 2 million passwords for popular social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as Google and Yahoo accounts have been stolen and posted online, with Russian social networks VKont |
Bremerton home by 5:30 a.m. to catch the 6:20 a.m. ferry to Seattle. He traveled an hour to Pier 52, where he hopped on the 550 bus to Bellevue at 7:35 a.m. sharp at the Pioneer Square tunnel. By the time he arrived at his job at Expedia at 8:10 a.m., he’d already been awake almost four hours.
Though many people would dream of reading all the books ever written during such trips, Reese tended to catch up on sleep or answer work emails on his phone or laptop.
On most days, he tried to catch the 4:20 p.m. ferry from Seattle back to Bremerton, leaving Bellevue at 3, working for the duration of the commute home.
“It’s pretty exhausting mentally and physically,” he said. “It’s definitely a hindrance for certain things. You are very much reliant on the bus and the boat and making sure you leave the house in enough time to get to those places.”
His arduous commute also impinged on his social life, making happy-hour drinks less … happy.
“You want to do those things, it’s just you do pay for it the next morning with how tired you are,” he said.
Why would anyone subject themselves to such a long ride? Reese, 25, was living with his mother, and though he contributed to the rent and bills, he still saved money.
And he’d been commuting this way since he was 18, traveling to the University of Washington and to a job in Fremont. “I knew that if I was able to tolerate commuting to and from the UW every day for four years, I would come out of college without any debt,” he said.
When he first started working for Expedia, he was a contractor and could work from home. But the insecurity of contract work unsettled him, and when a full-time position came open, he jumped at the chance.
But recently, after about a year and a half, he decided a change was in order. In March, he moved into a new apartment in Kirkland. His new commute: just 25 minutes by Metro bus. And thanks to an employer subsidy, it’s free.
This article was corrected on Friday, June 26. In an earlier version, Evan Swope’s last name was incorrect in one reference.70% of the Final Fantasy XV Development Team is Still at Work on Free Updates, DLC and VR for the Game
Giuseppe Nelva February 6, 2017 2:52:34 PM EST
Square Enix is keeping a very large percentage of the development team of Final Fantasy XV at work on the game's future content.
When a game ships, normally developers move most of its staff to new projects, leaving just a smaller crew to work on DLC and updates. Yet, Square Enix is taking a different approach with Final Fantasy XV, as Director Hajime Tabata told DualShockers during a recent chat at the Square Enix headquarters in Tokyo.
Tabata-san explained that 70% of the development team of the game within Business Division 2 is currently still at work on Final Fantasy XV, while 30% has been moved to other development divisions.
Of the 70% still working on the game, part is working on updates, part on DLC packages and part on the promised virtual reality experience based on Final Fantasy XV for PlayStation VR.
Such a sizable team still at work on Final Fantasy XV certainly shows how much Square Enix believes in the project, and definitely bodes well for the quality of the upcoming DLC packages and updates.
Tabata-san also explained that the studio would like to provide support for the game as long as possible, and at the moment they have plans for a year of content.
At the moment, we’re just at the beginning of the DLC and update cycle for Final Fantasy XV, with Episode Gladiolus coming on March 13 alongside an update to chapter 13 of the game, and Episode Prompto following in June.
Another DLC named “Booster Pack” will also come before Episode Gladio (even if part of it has been delated) on February 21st, alongside an update that will, among other things, enhance performance on PS4 Pro.
Square Enix recently showcased a trailer of Episode Gladiolus and Episode Prompto, and If you want to see something a bit more out there (quite literally), you can also check out an early prototype of the regalia modified to drive off-road.
We also learned that the game is being used as a development environment to perform tests on graphics, which appear to be very promising.Listen, we know it’s tough to catch up on everything happening in the baseball world each morning. There are all kinds of stories, rumors, game coverage and Vines of dudes getting hit in the beans every day. Trying to find all of it while on your way to work or sitting at your desk just isn’t easy. It’s OK, though. We’re going to do the heavy lifting for you each morning and find the things you need to see from within the SB Nation baseball network, as well as from elsewhere. Please hold your applause until the end, or at least until after you subscribe to the newsletter.
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Major League Baseball is threatening a lockout, should they not get their way in collective bargaining agreements before the Dec. 1 deadline. "Threatening" might seem like a strong word to use, since it seems more like MLB is reminding people that this is one of the tools in their toolbox rather than saying that it will definitely happen. However, please remember these are also the people saying that they don’t "negotiate in the press" and then also leak stories to said press about how they’ll stage a lockout of the players if they have to. Recognize their actions, not their tone: it’s harder to get the players blamed for a lockout if you aren’t polite about your intentions.
The reason MLB is threatening the MLB Players’ Association with a lockout is because the MLBPA won’t give in to a ridiculous trade offer. MLB wants an international draft. They know the MLBPA wants to get rid of free agent compensation. So, MLB proposed forever altering the lives of a massive percentage of the (future) union in exchange for making it a little easier each winter for like 10-20 guys to sign the big deals they were likely to sign anyway, with an exception here and there. The MLBPA isn’t having it, and now MLB is suggesting they could just take their ball and go home.
The MLBPA shouldn’t be afraid of MLB. Yes, many fans will root for the owners, all while exclaiming that the players are greedy and playing a kid’s game and have zero loyalty, even though the owners are far richer, kids are playing an adult’s game, and those fans are mostly just trying to make themselves feel better about their love of laundry over the people wearing it.
If you’re already mad at the players because they don’t want the owners screwing them over, might I suggest you read Lords of the Realm? It’s eye-opening, and you can get a used copy for one American cent. It’ll explain to you why the union has acted why it has throughout the years, why it’s necessary, and why it’s perfectly fine for them to avoid labor peace in favor of fair treatment of their members.
If the owners are going to abuse their position here, the MLBPA needs to fight back. If they give ground here, the owners will snatch it up in a second before demanding even more. Remember that when someone tells you it’s the players who are greedy.Chelsea and Vitesse have always said they have no formal ownership link but a series of emails reveals the key involvement of senior Stamford Bridge executives in the 2010 takeover of the Eredivisie club
It is football’s famously “close working relationship”, framed persistently by questions about how deep the connections go between the Eredivisie club Vitesse Arnhem and Chelsea.
The Dutch Football Association has investigated twice, in 2010 and 2015, finding that although the original funder of the Vitesse purchase and current owner, Alexander Chigirinsky, is a friend and associate of Roman Abramovich, Chelsea’s Russian oligarch owner, there is no common management or ownership of the clubs.
Chelsea have 38 players out on loan – but who and where are they? Read more
Such a structure would not anyway be against football rules, which permit a person to own more than one club, as does the Pozzo family, owner of Watford as well as Udinese of Italy. Uefa has a restriction to protect sporting integrity, that two clubs in common ownership are prohibited from playing in the same competition. Chelsea and Vitesse have always said they have no formal ownership link, but a series of email exchanges, disclosed as part of a court case in the Netherlands never previously reported in the UK, exposed a much closer relationship than had been revealed publicly.
The emails established that two key Abramovich executives, both holding senior positions in the administration of Chelsea, were centrally involved in executing the Vitesse takeover. Eugene Tenenbaum, who made key decisions over the price for Vitesse and gave the instruction to proceed with the purchase, has been a long-term head of finance and confidant of Abramovich since the oligarch’s company, Sibneft, emerged with vast riches from rigged auctions of state assets in Boris Yeltsin’s deeply corrupt Russia of the 1990s. One of only three directors on Chelsea’s board alongside the chairman, Abramovich’s lawyer Bruce Buck, and the owner’s personal representative Marina Granovskaia, Tenenbaum is described by Chelsea’s own website as “one of Roman Abramovich’s closest associates”.
The other Abramovich executive revealed in the emails to have conducted the takeover of Vitesse in July and August 2010 – carrying out due diligence, appointing Dutch lawyers, reporting to Tenenbaum and seeking approval about the price being paid and the financing details – was Paul Heagren.
He is also a long-term Abramovich lieutenant, secretary since 2002 of the oligarch’s main UK investment vehicle, Millhouse Capital, now renamed MHC (Services) Ltd, whose office is at Stamford Bridge. Heagren has also since 2004 been secretary of Fordstam Ltd, the company Abramovich has employed as the vehicle for the ownership of Chelsea since he bought the club in 2003, and for the £1.1bn loans he has since made to fuel its trophy-seeking signings and wage bill. Tenenbaum is the sole director of Fordstam.
No hint of this involvement by Abramovich’s Chelsea executives was made public when Merab Jordania, the former Dinamo Tbilisi player and Georgia Football Association president, was announced as the new owner of Vitesse following five rapid weeks of takeover activity by Heagren and Tenenbaum on 16 August 2010. The club’s statement declared only that Jordania was the new owner, the “100% shareholder”, and did not mention any other backers, including Chigirinsky. Jordania was quoted saying only: “My network is significant and I have very good relations with major international clubs, from which Vitesse will quickly see benefits.”
Immediately, in the remaining two weeks of that summer’s transfer window, Chelsea loaned Vitesse three players. Most notable was Nemanja Matic, the Serbia international and now fixture in Antonio Conte’s team, who stayed a year at Arnhem then was sold to Benfica, before Chelsea bought him back in 2014. The others were the Serbian centre-back Slobodan Rajkovic, and the Croatian goalkeeper Matej Delac who is still officially a Chelsea player although since his signing in 2010 he has spent every season on loan, at a total of eight European clubs including Vitesse.
Delac, now at Royal Excel Mouscron in Belgium, is one of 38 players Chelsea had on loan at the beginning of this season, including three at Vitesse – the youth-team graduate Lewis Baker and the new signings Matt Miazga and Nathan – which have prompted some accusations that rich Premier League clubs hoard valuable talent.
The public face of the Vitesse transformation after Jordania’s takeover was that the Chelsea loans and further signings significantly strengthened the squad, and by the winter of 2012-13, coached by the former Twente player Fred Rutten, they were competing strongly in second place but then fell back to finish sixth. Shortly after that, in October 2013, the club announced they had a new owner to replace Jordania: Alexander Chigirinsky, saying he had been “already a major financial partner of Merab Jordania” all along.
A few months later, Jordania was out completely. When he left, he suddenly and outspokenly told De Telegraaf newspaper and the magazine Voetbal International that in fact Chelsea had been in control of the club and, Jordania claimed, limited its progress so that Vitesse would not qualify for the Champions League. This has always been denied by the clubs. Since 2010 Vitesse’s fortunes have improved and Chigirinsky, who rarely attends a match, is said to have invested more than €100m, but the club have always fallen short of qualifying for the Champions League, whereas Chelsea have competed in Europe’s elite competition every season since 2010, until this one.
Jordania’s public allegations in 2014 included that during Vitesse’s fine run under Rutten, Chelsea stopped them, at the very end of the January transfer window, from completing a crucial signing to strengthen the squad for an Eredevisie challenge. “We had the feeling we needed one more player to win the title, [the Dutch right-back] Kelvin Leerdam,” Jordania said. “The transfer seemed to be a done deal when all of a sudden ‘London’ intervened. We were not allowed to be too strong. There was nobody in London who hoped Vitesse would become champion or would qualify for the Champions League.”
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Chelsea’s owner, Roman Abramovich, right, pictured last year with his fellow director Eugene Tenenbaum, who was centrally involved in executing the Vitesse takeover. Photograph: Leicester/BPI/Rex/Shutterstock
Leerdam did sign in the summer of 2013, but Jordania claimed that he was forced at the same time to weaken the squad fundamentally by selling Wilfried Bony to Swansea. The striker had enjoyed outstanding form in 2012-13, scoring 31 goals in 30 Eredevisie appearances for Vitesse; Jordania said he had wanted to keep him for six months, but claimed that Bony “had to be sold”.
Then in the summer of 2014, Marcell Ham, a Dutch entrepreneur who had acted as Jordania’s representative in the negotiations to buy the club from the previous owner then stayed on as a director, brought a legal case against Vitesse in the Netherlands. Ham claimed he was owed commissions on the sale of players, but lost his lawsuit because his contract with Vitesse had been signed by Jordania, the owner of the club, not a director.
The borrower is getting a lot of questions from the Dutch league as to the independence of the transaction
As part of the case, Ham produced the email exchanges between Tenenbaum, Heagren and Jordania, revealing for the first time the involvement of the Chelsea executives in Jordania’s takeover. The first email was on 22 July 2010, when Heagren wrote to a lawyer, with the subject title “new project”, asking if he had a branch in the Netherlands, preferably Amsterdam or Arnhem.
“There is a sports club purchase that we are helping with in Holland that might go ahead in the next week,” Heagren informed the lawyer, telling him that the fees would be paid by “our associated [sic]”.
Heagren was reporting to Tenenbaum, who is the managing director of MHC (Services), the former head of corporate finance at Abramovich’s formerly state-owned Russian oil company Sibneft, and a director at Stamford Bridge since Abramovich plumped for Chelsea as his chosen football venture. On 24 July 2010, Tenenbaum emailed Heagren to tell him: “Let’s get the legal team ready for the Dutch club.”
Heagren emailed the lawyers the next day, telling them: “We have an agreement on price for this purchase, so I will contact you Monday morning to give you some details so we can prepare a draft contract.”
Tenenbaum suggested to Heagren, who was negotiating directly with Vitesse’s then owner, the Dutch businessman Maasbert Schouten, how the deal should be structured: €6m on completion, with another €2m over two years if certain conditions were met.
On 29 July 2010, Heagren emailed Jordania to tell him: “I will return to London this evening and coordinate the purchase agreement from there, and I may come back to Arnhem early next week.” He asked Jordania for references and evidence to explain his “source of income or wealth”.
Later the same day, Heagren reported to Tenenbaum, copying in Jordania, to say he had finished carrying out due diligence on Vitesse’s finances, and discussed “creating the correct structure” for the takeover of Vitesse, including for tax purposes. Tenenbaum asked in reply: “What is needed to confirm source of funds. It will be a loan from an offshore company.”
Heagren then sent Jordania a draft letter to sign, informing the Dutch football league of the purchase, explaining Jordania’s credentials as a football man, saying he was going to buy 100% of Vitesse via a holding company, and that his aim was “to bring financial stability to a football club with a great history and tradition to enable it to continue its core principles of success through youth development”.
Two weeks later Heagren wrote to Tenenbaum, copying in Jordania again, to say he had had several conversations with the Dutch league, which was satisfied with the information it had. Heagren said: “We can proceed with the transaction … There is no reason not to proceed … Can you please give the OK to proceed as planned.”
David Squires on … Claudio Ranieri's sacking and football's 'lost soul' Read more
Tenenbaum had a further query, which Heagren answered, then at 12:15pm on 14 August 2010, Tenenbaum emailed Heagren, copying in Jordania: “OK. Let’s proceed to closing then.”
Two days later, on 16 August 2010, Vitesse made its official announcement that the club had been taken over by Jordania. The intention, the statement said, was for Vitesse to be “champion of the Netherlands within three years”.
The announcement mentioned Ham having approached Schouten first on behalf of Jordania on 11 July 2010, but did not mention anybody else having been involved in the deal.
A week later, the emails show that Heagren wrote to a Russian lawyer, Alexey Abramov, with the subject heading, “Marindale loan”. Heagren told him: “Now the deal is concluded the borrower is getting a lot of questions from the Dutch league as to the independence of the transaction and with respect to the loan … We think it might help if we could show [only if asked] a letter of ‘support’ such as the one attached. It clearly does not change the terms but may give everybody a bit more comfort over the whole structure.”
Attached was a letter headed Marindale Trading Limited, signed by Ledra Directors Ltd, which appears to be an administration company based in Nicosia, Cyprus. The letter, dated 25 August 2010, was written as confirmation to Jordania’s Dutch holding company, that Marindale was lending it the money for “the purchase of BV Vitesse by the borrower”. Another letter in the documents disclosed by Ham was from Jordania, referring to the loan facility from Marindale having been €20m, giving an address for Marindale as a PO Box in Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands tax haven.
Already by then, the first three Chelsea players – Matic, Rajkovic and Delac – were on their way to Arnhem.
On 6 September 2010, Jordania wrote to Tenenbaum: “As you are aware, Paul [no surname] is visiting Arnhem on Tuesday [you know I met him in London and talked about our future cooperation, about new structure, supervisory board, transfers etc] but feel uncomfortable talking with him just on behalf of me.
“1. Can I talk with him and mention that this is our joint project?” Jordania said.
“As we know our project is a specific one. I strongly believe that it might be successive [sic] for FC Chelsea and profitable and successful for the Vitesse Football Club as well. This is possible with clever scouting and transfer policy.”
Tenenbaum replied: “Thank you. Let’s discuss Paul’s involvement. Regards Eugene.”
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Nemanja Matic slides in to tackle Luc Castaignos of Feyenoord during a spell with Vitesse in 2011. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
In November 2010 the Dutch FA chairman, Bert van Oostveen, wrote to Uefa saying that the acquisition of Vitesse had been investigated for its links with Chelsea. He explained that Marindale Trading, formed on 14 July 2010 in the BVI, had “made it possible for Mr Zhordania [his spelling of Jordania] to get the necessary financial means to buy Vitesse”.
Van Oostveen’s letter went on: “Through a web of companies a connection can be made with the company ‘Snegri Development’. Snegri Development is a company of the brothers Tsjigirinski [his spelling of Chigirinsky], of which Roman Abramovich owns 16% of the shares.”
Sources close to Abramovich have confirmed that he did have a share in Snegiri, the Chigirinsky property company, but that this did not mean Abramovich had any involvement in the Vitesse takeover. Oostveen’s letter concluded: “Details of the financing conditions, including the funds that Marindale Trading Ltd has made available to Mr Zhordania, are not known. This does not provide certainty about the possible managerial influence from Mr Abramovich or the brothers Tsjigirinsky.”
Questions about Chelsea’s links with Vitesse erupted again when Jordania left and made his public allegations of direct interference by “London”, and Ham produced the emails to the court. The Dutch FA then announced another investigation, which finally reported more than a year later, on 22 December 2015. Having appointed the Dutch forensic investigator Integis, to whom it said Vitesse had provided share documents, agreements, financial detail and minutes of meetings, the Dutch FA said in a statement: “From various interviews and other material available the investigation concluded that there is no evidence that Chelsea had control in the policies of Vitesse. The investigation revealed that there is no written partnership agreement established between the clubs, but Chelsea and Vitesse cooperate in some areas, such as the hiring of players.”
Jordania, despite his outspoken public complaints of interference and documented involvement with Tenenbaum and Heagren in the original takeover, had not cooperated with the investigation. He also declined to be interviewed by the Guardian. Stef de Bont, the journalist at Voetbal International who first reported the emails, says the Dutch FA never contacted him. Ham is also understood not to have been contacted. Asked if the investigators examined the emails which documented the extensive involvement of Abramovich’s Chelsea executives in the 2010 acquisition of Vitesse, the Dutch FA did not respond.
Rutten, speaking on the telephone, said that he had been “surprised” in January 2013 when Vitesse suddenly did not sign Leerdam after the player had been lined up, and said he was told from within the club that Chelsea had stopped the signing, but had no evidence. Rutten said he left Arnhem, after one enjoyable year, because it was clear to him their prospects were restricted. “Sometimes you have good feelings, sometimes not such a good feeling,” he said. “I wanted to stay at a club which would grow, but I saw it would take a long time. When I left they sold Bony and [Marco] van Ginkel [the midfielder Chelsea bought for £8m in the summer of 2013 and have since had out on loan]. I thought it was difficult to take them to the championship.”
Chelsea and Vitesse Arnhem links investigated by the Dutch FA Read more
Vitesse Arnhem did not respond to questions about the relationship with Chelsea, the involvement of Heagren and Tenenbaum in the original takeover, Chigirinsky’s motivation for being involved, the extent of his financial investment, or his infrequent attendance at matches.
Chelsea have always denied any formal link between the clubs, or that they influenced Vitesse not to qualify for the Champions League in 2012-13, as Jordania alleged when he left the club. In response to questions about the involvement of Tenenbaum and Heagren in the takeover, the 2010 emails, Abramovich’s connection to Chigirinsky and the links with Vitesse, Chelsea said only: “We enjoy a close working relationship with Vitesse Arnhem, as we do with other clubs.”
Chelsea sources suggested that it was Alexander Chigirinsky’s own initiative to become involved in buying Vitesse, at first backing Jordania, then becoming the owner himself, and that he had naturally asked Abramovich, as his friend, for help. So Abramovich provided the expertise of Heagren and Tenenbaum to assist Chigirinsky, working with Jordania.
Once Vitesse had been acquired, Chelsea then saw the Eredivisie as an ideal environment for the further development of their own young players, who have since either stayed out on loan for years, been sold with their value enhanced, or, in a minority of cases, made it to the Chelsea first team.
Those in charge at both clubs are emphatic that they are not in common ownership, nor does Chelsea exercise any managerial control. This is, we are told, all just a story about how modern football works.arnezami Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 390
Quote: plonk420 Originally Posted by any way of using a PS3? i have a handful of BRDs myself...
Apparently its possible to dump your Blu Ray discs when running linux on your PS3! I don't know the fine details but here is a link to start:
BREAKiNG NEWS: World's First PS3 Blu-ray Movie dumped!
From what I understand you need to run this command under linux:
Code: dd if=/dev/cdrom of=/blu-raymovie.iso
Maybe someone with more experience in this field can help you to create an iso of a blue ray movie (and install/boot linux etc). And maybe someone knows if and how its possible to mount a Blu ray image in windows? Alternatively you could simply copy all file on the disc. You can start start experimenting yourself of course.
Do you have a PS3 with a 60GB HDD?
Regards,
arnezami
[edit] Hmmm. When reading the AACS_Spec_Common_0.91.pdf (chapter 4) i'm starting to believe the above mentioned volume key retrieval isn't gonna work that easy. As far as I understand drives have private keys and have to communicate with the (software) player to authenticate themselves (and vice versa). When making a iso dump and create a virtual drive this doesn't seem to be possible (unless you can make the virtual drive simulate the real drive by looking at what is send (by WinDVD) to the virtual drive and then send these "commands" to your BluRay drive using some linux proggy and record what comes back, but since the process uses nonces this might not work). It may be easier to somehow connect your BlueRay drive to your PC directly or to make some kind of connection between PS3 (running linux) and your Windows PC so you have a "BluRay remote drive" connected at a distance (are there tools for this?). Keep in mind this connection doesn't have to be fast because once the Volume Key is decrypted you can grab it and stop this process. You don't have to play/stream the entire movie using this connection because the bulk data (which is encrypted) can be transferred via the HDD iso dump. Any ideas how to make all this work? Yes I think you may be able to help. But probably not by trying to hack the (hardware) video player in your PS3.Apparently its possible to dump your Blu Ray discs when running linux on your PS3! I don't know the fine details but here is a link to start:From what I understand you need to run this command under linux:Of course you need to run linux first (there is probably lots of info on the web for this already: Yellow Dog linux seems to be the way to go, which is sponsored by Sony) and a HDD inside/attached to your PS3 to dump it on. You can later attach this HDD to your PC so you can (hopefully) use WinDVD to retrieve the volume key (edit: read below). If you have the keys you will be able to play your Blu Ray movies on your PC. So at the very least you can confirm that the keys published here are validMaybe someone with more experience in this field can help you to create an iso of a blue ray movie (and install/boot linux etc). And maybe someone knows if and how its possible to mount a Blu ray image in windows? Alternatively you could simply copy all file on the disc. You can start start experimenting yourself of course.Do you have a PS3 with a 60GB HDD?Regards,arnezami Last edited by arnezami; 21st January 2007 at 13:19.What's the real inside dirt on how Apple runs its equally successful and secretive Apple Stores? The Wall Street Journal claims to be privy to Apple's secret sauce after poring through Apple Store training manuals, a recording of a store meeting, interviews current and former store employees, and conversations with outside analysts.
In a report published Wednesday, the Journal serves up the dish on everything from Apple's store design strategy to the granularity of employee sales training. Some of the information the newspaper dug up is fairly obvious—for example, Apple doesn't do cookie-cutter designs for its Apple Stores, but rather "constantly evolves its stores' look and feel."
But some of the reported Apple Store skinny touches on areas that may have been guessed at, but have now been apparently confirmed. To wit, current and former Apple Store employees say store techs aren't allowed to "prematurely" acknowledge product glitches that are already widespread, and writing about Apple online will get you fired from an Apple Store.
The Journal also layers in plenty of Apple Store stats—did you know that more people now visit Apple Stores in a single quarter than went to Disney's four biggest amusement parks last year?
Here's a quick look at some more interesting Apple Store tidbits that the paper either uncovered, confirmed, or highlights in the article.
Origins of the Apple Store
- Apple CEO Steve Jobs decided to build Apple Stores as a defensive move in the late 1990s, a time when big box computer retailers refused to stock its Mac computers due to the weakness of the Apple brand.
- Jobs brought Millard Drexler, then-president of the Gap, onto the Apple board in 1999, specifically to help shape a retail strategy. So many Gap employees migrated to Apple's early retail team that they joked about working for "Gapple."
- Drexler pushed for the hire of Ron Johnson, then a Target executive, who would shape such Apple Store fundamentals as the Genius Bar and scripted customer service approach before announcing his departure Tuesday for the CEO job at JC Penny.
- Apple built a "prototype store" in a Cupertino, Calif. warehouse and tested its retail concepts for a year before opening the first two Apple Stores in Tyson's Corner, Virg. and Glendale, Calif.
Life in the Trenches
- Apple is pretty controlling of its 326 Apple Stores, to say the least. The company writes scripts for technicians and salespeople that prescribe how to handle every sort of customer interaction, including how to nod along reassuringly when somebody gets emotional. Apple also manages the look and feel of its stores down to details as granular as the precise photos that appear on demo devices.
- Apple Store wages range from $9 to $15 per hour for salespeople and can reach $30 per hour for Genius Bar staff.
- Salespeople don't get commissions. In fact, they're instructed not to "sell," but to "solve problems" for customers. There are no overt sales quotas at Apple Stores, but salespeople do have to sell a certain amount of service packages along with computers and devices or face re-training or even a move to a non-sales position.
- If you're as little as six minutes late to your shift three times in six months, you're fired.
- The Apple Store's employee handbook offers this set of instructions for a customer engagement: "Approach customers with a personalized warm welcome," "Probe politely to understand all the customer's needs," "Present a solution for the customer to take home today," "Listen for and resolve any issues or concerns," and "End with a fond farewell and an invitation to return."
- Apple Store staff is forbidden to correct a customer who mispronounces the name of a product.
- Genius Bar staff training is intense and goes beyond just tech support to instruction on how to speak to customers. "Geniuses" are made to use the phrase "as it turns out" instead of "unfortunately" when they have to tell a customer they can't solve their problem, for example.
- Moving from a staff position at an Apple Store to Apple corporate is "rare."
Stunning Success
- Apple currently generates $4,406 in annual retail sales per square foot of retail space where its products are sold, excluding online sales. That's in contrast to the annual sales per square foot plus online sales of Tiffany ($3,070), Coach ($1,776), and Best Buy ($880).
- Apple Stores have defied market trends in recent years. Apple's retail sales grew 7 percent in 2009 as the overall retail market saw a 2.4 percent decline in revenue. In 2010, Apple further grew its retail sales by 70 percent, as compared with just 4.5 percent growth in the market writ large.
What the Future May Hold
- Former Apple Store employees say the quality of retail staff is declining as Apple expands its retail presence and has fewer actual Apple loyalists to select from for hiring.
- Analysts interviewed by the Journal chime in that Apple is going to have a tough time maintaining its standards of customer service if it continues to build more Apple Stores.
- Apple is keen to move beyond the consumer market and is wooing business customers with new "Briefing Rooms" in its Apple Stores, as well as a business-only program called "Joint Venture."
- Despite his health issues, Jobs is still heavily involved in the Apple Stores, offering "input on details down to the type of security cables used to keep products leashed to the tables," according to the Journal. One source who visited Jobs as he was recovering from his liver transplant a few years ago said he found the Apple CEO "poring over blueprints for future Apple stores."
For the top stories in tech, follow us on Twitter at @PCMag.Lee Cole
Last week, tragic news came out that a 73-year-old former librarian was shot and killed during a citizen’s civics class. Mary Knowlton was participating in some kind of act out where a police officer was playing “the bad guy,” when the shots he fired—at her—turned out to be real bullets. Shortly after, news broke that the identity of the police officer responsible for shooting was Lee Cole. This is the same man that can be seen allowing his K9 to repeatedly attack a man in this video below, posted this past June. The Miami Herald has discovered that police officer Lee Cole is a real piece of work.
The Punta Gorda policeman who tragically shot and killed a retired librarian when he fired real bullets — instead of blanks — at her during a citizens academy is a former Miramar officer with a troubled record, forced to resign from his job at the end of his rookie year. Three years before the shooting that led to the death of 73-year-old Mary Knowlton on Tuesday, Lee Coel was accused twice of using excessive force and relieved of his duties before investigators found he violated department policies and was allowed to resign. This year, he was sued in Punta Gorda after he ordered his K-9 to attack a bicyclist who was stopped for riding without a light at night, inflicting severe injuries that required surgery.
Mary Knowlton, and they only begin with the fact that Lee Cole should not be allowed to own a gun, let alone be a police officer of anything. While Punta Gorda officials have only been able to say they don’t know why Cole had live ammunition in his gun during an exercise in which they “typically use blanks,” no one has explained why Lee would even fire blanks at a person. If you are ever on a movie set you know that you never actually fire blanks directly at anything because there is always a chance that some kind of mistake might happen, and blanks do have real gun powder in them. While blanks are mostly safe (from a distance), what the fuck are you doing, Punta Gorda? Mary Knowlton attended this Citizen’s Academy in a show of support for law enforcement. There are numerous problems with what happened to
The video below is graphic and the ending has Cole explaining to an officer his perception of the events. It’s disturbing to think this man was allowed to stay on the force, even to carry coffee, let alone wield a gun.Top-seeded Rafael Nadal dismissed Andreas Seppi 6-1, 6-2 to set up a Hamburg Open final against Fabio Fognini and move closer to a record 47th clay-court title.
The fourth-seeded Fognini beat qualifier Lucas Pouille 6-2, 7-6 after saving a set point in the second set.
Nadal is looking to extend his streak of having won at least one European clay court title every year since 2004.
Nadal, a 14-time grand slam champion, has endured a difficult year, surrendering his French Open title, suffering a shock defeat by journeyman Dustin Brown at Wimbledon and dropping to number 10 in the rankings.
He has struggled since being sidelined by injury and illness last year and has only two relatively modest titles to his name in 2015 - Stuttgart and Buenos Aires.
The 2008 champion will be playing his third Hamburg Open final and has improved to 25-6 on clay this season.
Fognini, who won the tournament in 2013, has already beaten Nadal twice this season - in Rio and Barcelona. In doing so, the Italian became the only person apart from Novak Djokovic to beat Nadal multiple times in a single |
Beijing’s decision. She said that the move is “unfortunate,” as the NPCSC interpretation would lead Hongkongers and the international community to question whether Beijing has confidence in the ability of Hong Kong’s legal system to resolve disputes.
Beijing’s interpretation of the Basic Law will “inevitably” damage the rule of law in Hong Kong, Tam said.
She added that if the interpretation was issued before the High Court handed down a judgment, the court would have to apply the interpretation in its ruling. But if the court made a decision before Beijing’s issuance of an interpretation and if that decision was contrary to Beijing’s view, it would be difficult to assess the impact, Tam said.
The Bar Association said on Wednesday that it is “deeply concerned” about an NPCSC interpretation as it would deal a “severe blow” to Hong Kong’s judicial independence.
Hong Kong’s legal sector has held three silent marches since 1997. The first march took place in 1999, when the NPCSC issued the first interpretation of the Basic Law relating to the issue of the right of abode of Chinese citizens with Hong Kong parents. The second was held in 2005 after the NPCSC interpreted a provision in the Basic Law regarding the chief executive’s term of office.
In June 2014, the legal profession marched against Beijing’s issuance of a white paper on the One Country, Two Systems policy. In the report, the Chinese government called judges in Hong Kong “administrators.”Attorney General Martha Coakley, now a candidate for governor, has used her own federal political account for questionable expenditures.
As attorney general, Martha Coakley has doggedly pursued campaign finance scofflaws, yet Coakley, now a candidate for governor, has also used her own federal political account for questionable expenditures, while allowing the war chest to fall into fiscal disarray.
Since her failed 2010 Senate bid, Coakley has spent$6,000 in leftover cash to promote a statewide bid for office, much of which appears to be a violation of campaign finance law.
State law prohibits the use of federal campaign funds to support a state race. Coakley has consistently signaled that she is not interested in another Senate run and since 2010 had said that she would instead run for reelection as attorney general, before changing her mind and announcing a bid for governor last month.
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Yet she dipped into her federal account to pay for an advertisement and fees at the state party convention that highlighted her position as attorney general, a move her aides say was a mistake. Several months later, she again used the federal cash to travel to the national party convention.
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On top of that, Coakley also spent $35,000 from her federal fund — a huge amount for a scarcely active account — on software that helps to maintain a candidate’s fund-raising and volunteer database and to file quarterly financial reports to the Federal Election Commission.
To further oversee the account and ensure that the reports were filed correctly, the campaign paid $28,254 to Coakley’s sister, Anne Gentile. It paid another $10,000 to Megan Brengarth, a federal campaign finance compliance consultant, between April 2o10 and April 2011.
Despite all those expenditures, Coakley’s federal accounts are replete with inaccurate numbers. The result is an accounting nightmare that makes it unclear whether the committee is now running a substantial deficit or has cash on hand, according to its quarterly FEC reports.
After the committee paid off all its debts in 2010, it started 2011 with $70,012. Its reports since then show the committee took in $9,355 in reimbursements and other money owed, but collected no contributions. During that same period, the campaign spent $182,125, well more than it had in cash. Despite that, the committee claimed on its latest campaign finance report to have an ending balance of $6,053.
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Meanwhile, Coakley’s federal committee failed to respond to repeated requests from federal campaign finance regulators to straighten out a series of error-riddled reports that it submitted over the last several years. Political aides attributed the miscommunication to an e-mail mix-up.
The campaign insisted that the US Senate database was used for federal purposes only. “The campaign committee made the decision to keep the federal account open to support other federal candidates, like Senator [Edward] Markey, and keep other options open,” spokesman Kyle Sullivan said.
As the state’s chief legal enforcer of campaign finance laws, Coakley is under particular scrutiny to adhere to the rules governing political fund-raising, particularly after taking legal action against several elected officials whose publicly filed records were incomplete and inaccurate.
While the questions surrounding Coakley’s campaign account were far less serious, she brought a criminal indictment against former South Boston legislator Brian P. Wallace on charges of failing to properly document how he spent his campaign cash. A judge reduced the charges to civil penalties.
In August, Coakley filed suit against William Lantigua, the controversial Lawrence mayor, charging that he had committed a range of campaign finance violations and accusing him of an “inability or unwillingness” to comply with the law. She has also brought campaign finance-related criminal charges against Michael E. McLaughlin, the former chief of the Chelsea Housing Authority, and she negotiated a huge campaign finance fine for former lieutenant governor Timothy P. Murray.
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Those prosecutions rub up against her own issues with the Federal Election Commission. The agency has written her committee a half-dozen times since early 2011 demanding that it clean up its quarterly balance sheets. The federal committee never responded. Only when the Globe inquired this week did Coakley’s committee begin to prepare amended filings.
‘The committee was not aware of the issues with the reports.’
Aides say there’s a reason for that: The e-mail communications from the FEC went to a defunct e-mail address.
“Because the e-mails from the FEC were sent to an old e-mail address, the committee was not aware of the issues with the reports,” said Sullivan, the spokesman. “Once we were made aware of the issues, the campaign moved immediately to contact the FEC and address the issues.”
The statement does not explain that Gentile, who serves as treasurer of both Coakley’s state and federal accounts and provided the FEC with the contract address, never informed the agency of any change. Sullivan did not say why Gentile failed to inform the FEC that the e-mail address was no longer correct.
The FEC would not comment directly on the Coakley case, but said it typically makes efforts to get in touch with committees that do not respond to e-mails.
Sullivan did not explain why the filings were so inaccurate after the committee spent so much money on NGP database software, on top of the cash it paid to Coakley’s sister and the compliance consultant to oversee the work. Those filed documents were rarely more than 20 or 30 pages and often as slim as a dozen or fewer.
White the committee’s books fell into chaos, it continued to contribute to Coakley’s favorite candidates, charities, and political groups, as well as to Democratic Party organizations.
Those donations appear to fall within the law. But her use of the Martha Coakley for Senate Committee’s money for her direct political benefit when she was gearing up to run for reelection as attorney general (and now governor) falls into a gray legal area. Beacon Hill political figures created a 1997 law banning the use of federal funds in state politics in order to block members of the congressional delegation from using their campaign money to run for governor.
The $35,000 that Coakley spent on the software seems out of proportion with the committee’s activities during that time. As a state candidate in the same time frame, she paid the firm $18,625 for similar purposes. Yet while the federal committee raised nothing, the state organization took in $1.37 million in contributions.
Coakley declined to be interviewed about the accounting problems.But an aide acknowledged an “error” in some of its expenditures for state political activities, namely the ad and the convention fee.
In June 2012, Coakley’s federal committee paid a $1,000 fee for a state party convention and bought a $1,200 ad for the convention’s booklet, featuring a photo of her and a caption that read “Attorney General.” It made no mention of a potential candidacy for Senate or any other federal office, and claimed to be paid for by Coakley’s state committee, despite the fact that the state committee had no involvement in the purchase.
“We regret the error and will reimburse the funds,” Sullivan said.
He said they are working with the FEC to amend the reports and they aim to shut down the federal committee by the end of the year.
Her federal committee also paid the $3,763.10 in credit card charges that she ran up attending the September 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C. Once again, the reason for her trip was clear. Coakley was not attending the event as a would-be federal candidate — she was there to carry out her political duties as an elected constitutional officer of Massachusetts, saying at the time that she was running for reelection. Sullivan insists that her use of the funds for the convention did not violate state law.
Frank Phillips can be reached at frank.phillips@globe.comNow that Hasidic men are barred from pushing strollers, will they turn to other modes of baby transportation? / Illustration by Anya Ulinich
Baseball. Men’s briefs. Dogs. Hipster eyeglasses. Motorcycles. Neckties. English. Math. Men’s shoes any color besides black. Button-down shirts that flap left-over-right. Fixing your own car. Modern Hebrew.
That’s a partial list of “goyish” things Satmar Jews have successfully banned within their flock.
Pretty impressive, right? And yet, challenges remain. The Satmars have so far been unsuccessful at banning such blatantly goyish things as: Lexus cars, Bugaboo strollers, hipster neighbors, Jacadi stores, sex, pants, ghoulash, Brooklyn and Sol a Kokosh Mar. And they’ve only had partial success with bike lanes and Lipa Schmeltzer.
But there’s one particularly vile scourge the Satmars have yet to unscourge, and that is — men pushing baby strollers.
Unable to withstand such goyishness a second longer, they published the following notice in a recent issue of the Satmar advertising circular, D’var Yom B’Yomo:
With regard to the new custom among some men to push the baby carriage when walking on the street: The great Rabbi Nosson Yosef Meisels said in 1968, during a speech to grooms in the name of our holy rebbe [R. Joel Teitelbaum, the rebbe of Satmar], that one must not perform this practice, as it originates among the goyim. Share
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This story "Men Pushing Baby Strollers? Only Goys Do That!" was written by Shulem Deen.
Holy flying sasquatch! It’s like I always say, scratch the surface of any old thing and you’re likely to find raging goyishness, so pernicious it almost goes unnoticed. It’s enough to make a Satmar Hasid throw up his hands in despair.
After all, pushing baby strollers is one of the few small family pleasures afforded to Hasidic men.
These men aren’t noted for their childcare skills. Sure, some are experts at feeding bowls of mushed peas and carrots or a couple spoonfuls of applesauce to their infants. Some will delight in pushing their babies on the little swing suspended in the kitchen doorway. If not too tired after a day’s work (or a day of non-work at the kollel), a man might bounce his little tzaddik or tzadeykes on his leg for a couple minutes. But the heavy lifting? The diapering, and the 2 AM feedings, and the shopping for baby outfits and the doctor’s appointments? That’s exclusively a mother’s job, Hasidim will tell you.
And yet, Hasidic fathers do maintain certain prerogatives, and one of them is, when out on a family stroll, for the man to push the baby carriage. Especially if the couple is young and the child is a firstborn. It’s how it’s always been.
It’s sweet actually, especially when observing young Hasidic men’s one-handed navigational dexterity. See, pushing a baby carriage is really just practice for car-driving, and as every Hasidic man knows, two-handed driving is for chumps. A Hasid typically drives with body slumped slightly to the left, one hand on the wheel, the other on his smartphone, waiting for a text. So too with baby carriages — one hand only. All the while, the wife looks on in silent amusement, as wives do when their husbands are being badass.
Alas, now this badassery has been banned.
But will the Satmars fall into line?
On the one hand, the source for this prohibition — the great Rabbi Nosson Yosef Meisels — was not a nobody. A legendary figure within the post-WWII Satmar community, he was one of the great formulators and expositors of Satmar’s anti-Zionist ideology. Rabbi Meisels knew goyish as if he had a PhD in goyishness — if PhDs weren’t themselves too goyish. His expertise on Zionism was second to none, and there’s nothing more goyish than Zionism, of course.
On the other hand, Rabbi Meisels first noticed baby-carriage-pushing in 1968 — and 47 years later, the practice has yet to be rooted out. So it seems the Satmars may just keep on rebelling. What’s next, men arranging babysitters and playdates? Oh, the goyishness!
Shulem Deen is the founding editor of Unpious. His memoir, “All Who Go Do Not Return,” will be out in March from Graywolf Press. Follow him @shdeen.The charity has a chain of more than 130 books-only shops Donations to Oxfam's network of 714 UK shops have fallen by 12% so far this year - the first drop in eight years. The charity said the recession meant families bought less, replaced less and therefore had less to give away. Furniture donations fell by 13%, crockery, china and glass by 7%, and clothes would have dipped 8% if Marks & Spencer had not provided 900,000 items. It comes after research showed a rise in the number of people cancelling direct debits to charities. Average monthly cancellations rose from 3.32% in 2007/08 to 4.64% in 2008/09, said Rapidata, which handles payments for charities. Oxfam, which relies on donations for 80% of its income, said 2009 could see a total fall of 1.2 million items donated. Director of trading, David McCullough, said: "We can't sell fresh air... without continued donations of everything from clothing to cookware, Oxfam shops could not continue to play such a key role in communities across the UK." The fall in donations also varied by region, Oxfam said. Our fear is not about customers coming in but whether we keep getting the donations through, which is our life blood
Thomas Brindle
Oxfam manager, Nottingham Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire were among the areas with the biggest falls, while shops in Tyneside and South Wales were among the least affected. Caroline Jackson, who manages 24 shops in Nottingham and Lincolnshire, said donations of furniture, bric-a-brac and vinyl records were all badly hit. "Music is down about 15% across the board. It accounts for about 8% of all sales, but you can get valuable stuff," she told the BBC. "Vinyl is one of the things that brings people in to the shops... but people are selling it at car boots and on eBay." She said furniture donations were down by half because people were not moving house, and bric-a-brac had shrunk by between 25% and 35%. The charity said demand nationally remained high - at the same level as last year - with sales up 5% on 2008. AREAS WITH BIGGEST FALLS North Yorkshire North London Nottinghamshire Devon and Cornwall Source: Oxfam Thomas Brindle, manager of a newly-opened Oxfam bookshop in Nottingham, said: "Our fear is not about customers coming in but whether we keep getting the donations through, which is our life blood." Oxfam has a chain of 130 bookshops and plans to open more fashion boutiques across England, Scotland and Wales. It has been running a successful clothes exchange programme with high street retailer Marks & Spencer for a year. The last time donations fell was in the economic downturn of 1999/2000. Mr McCullough said last year's £20m profit could fund a year's work in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia and Somalia. "They of course rely on the generosity of the public for their stock," he added. "The effects of the credit crunch are being felt all over the world - whether it's on the high street in the UK or rising food prices across Africa, few are left untouched."
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StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable versionCyberpunk 2077 is going to be massive. Regardless of how development goes, the team behind it – CD Projekt Red, of The Witcher fame – has earned enough good will with RPG fans everywhere with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt that its new game will move millions based on reputation alone. That isn’t to say that the studio isn’t hard at work on creating something even more grand than Geralt’s trifecta of adventures, though. CD Projekt Red has promised not to misuse the Cyberpunk trademark, and the iconic sci-fi series appears to be in good hands as a result, with development photos and rumors suggesting a sprawling game world full of the tropes and characters people have come to expect from Cyberpunk.
CD Projekt Red has also been getting a bit of help to ensure the studio captures just the right feel for Cyberpunk 2077. Mike Pondsmith, the man who created the entire Cyperpunk tabletop gaming franchise, has been a key collaborator over the last four years of CD Projekt Red’s involvement in the Cyberpunk 2077 title, and he recently shared why he feels he has been an important addition to the development process. Here’s Pondsmith on how extensive his involvement with Cyberpunk 2077 has been:
“At the beginning of the project, I talked to them a lot, every week. For a long time they didn’t realise I’d worked in digital, but I’ve been doing pen and paper for 20 years and digital for fifteen. When I was explaining Cyberpunk to them, I was explaining the mechanics in a way that they understood and that helped them to realise I could contribute more to the actual design.”
Those worried CD Projekt Red might be in over its collective head when it comes to crafting a seamless Cyberpunk 2077 world, then, can relax – if anyone is going to get it right, it’s the man who created it in the first place. This is the first time Pondsmith has been so open about just how deeply involved he has been in Cyberpunk 2077, and he also discussed how the team at CD Projekt Red is approaching implementing the pen and paper gameplay mechanics that made Cyberpunk famous into a video game:
“A lot of the conversations we’ve had on the team are not ‘can we do this?’ We can do just about anything. Instead, it’s me explaining why I did it in pen and paper, and then we figure out if we need it again, and whether it serves a different purpose in a video game. I know why flying cars are there in the original but that’s not necessarily the same functionality in 2077. Everything is taken apart in terms of what it does to the game, how it differs from tabletop, and getting the right feel.”
Based on what Pondsmith says, it appears that Cyberpunk 2077 will only implement something from the tabletop version if it makes sense in terms of gameplay. That means certain elements won’t be present just to be there, and that each feature will serve a purpose in replicating the Cyberpunk experience in a video game.
It’s an exciting time for fans of the Cyberpunk franchise, and for those looking forward to the next CD Projekt Red adventure. Everything about Cyberpunk 2077 so far sounds like it stays true to its gritty, technological roots – right down to the fact that some of Cyberpunk 2077‘s development data was taken hostage recently by hackers. With Pondsmith involved, that blend of realism and science fiction madness will no doubt escalate as the game becomes ready to be showcased at a future presentation.
Cyberpunk 2077 is currently in development. Its platforms and release date are currently unknown.
Source: Rock, Paper, ShotgunThis is my Saturday column.
For a while, Eric Mangini was a joke.
People called him “The Mangenius.” Said things like, “Oh look, the Mangenius is a nerd who can’t relate to his players. Ha ha ha,” or “Oh look, the Mangenius is a fraud who can’t coach without Bill Belichick. Ha ha ha,” or “Oh look, the Mangenius just got fired again. Ha ha ha.”
All of these comments were ironic, probably even sarcastic because Mangini isn’t supposed to be a genius. He’s a loser. Ha ha ha!
The joke ended. I’ve seen this guy this guy coach, and I admire him. You should admire him, too.
Look what he did Sunday. The 49ers’ defensive coordinator held the fifth-ranked Atlanta Falcons offense to 16 points, even though he didn’t have his top three cornerbacks — Tramaine Brock, Kenneth Acker and Keith Reaser. They were all hurt.
Mangini had to play fourth-stringer Dontae Johnson, and two corners the Niners called up from the practice squad just a few days before the game — Marcus Cromartie and Chris Davis. They shut down quarterback Matt Ryan, and the defense won the game for San Francisco.
Could former 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio have prepared those three backups as well in such a short amount of time? I don’t think so, and I consider Fangio the best defensive coordinator in the NFL.
Fangio specializes in coaching linebackers — he was a linebackers coach in the NFL for nine seasons. Mangini specializes in coaching defensive backs. He was a defensive backs coach with the New England Patriots for five seasons before he became their defensive coordinator for one season, and then became the head coach of the New York Jets, followed by the Cleveland Browns.
Mangini and defensive backs coach Tim Lewis have done a masterful job with the 49ers secondary this season. Most of the defensive backs are young players learning a brand-new system, and yet every single one — from corners to safeties to starters to backups to practice squad guys — has played well.
For the first time in a long time, the strength of the 49ers’ defense is the secondary, not Jim Tomsula’s front seven.
Is Mangini perfect? No, of course not. But, he has imperfect tools. He has no Justin Smith, no Ray McDonald, no Chris Culliver, no Perrish Cox, no Chris Borland, no Aldon Smith, no Patrick Willis. Could Fangio have done any better without this group of players? Could Fangio have held the Falcons to 16 points like Mangini did? Could Fangio have held the Packers to 17 points like Mangini did?
Probably not. Mangini deserves recognition.
This guy had to eat crow for years. Had to leave the league after the Browns fired him as head coach. Had to work for ESPN as a television analyst for two years. Had to work as a “senior offensive consultant” with the Niners for one year, whatever that means. And then, he got promoted to tight ends coach last season, not much of a promotion.
He worked back up from the bottom and kept his mouth shut. None of this eating crow destroyed Mangini. Now, when he speaks at press conferences he seems confident. He smiles. And he isn’t apologetic or embarrassed about his past. He faces it head-on because he has a head coach’s demeanor. Call it grace under fire.
No one else on the 49ers has a head coach’s demeanor. Certainly not head coach Jim Tomsula. He has a plumber’s demeanor. He has been miscast as a head coach. Until this season, his vision was limited to the line of scrimmage. Mangini sees the whole field.
Mangini has to work for a dysfunctional head coach, a dysfunctional coaching staff, a dysfunctional team and a dysfunctional organization. And yet, he is excelling. And not only that — he’s making the case he’s a good NFL defensive coordinator, and maybe someone who could be a head coach again in the near future.
Maybe he could be the 49ers’ head coach as soon as next season. At least he would have to be in the conversation if the Niners were to fire Tomsula. As opposed to offensive coordinator Geep Chryst, who’s in no conversation. Mangini forced himself into the conversation by the quality of his work.
It’s time to start talking seriously about Eric Mangini.
Grant Cohn writes sports columns and the “Inside the 49ers” blog for The Press Democrat’s website. You can reach him at grantcohn@gmail.com.The unit consists of the pink plastic counter sitting in a sleeve on the jelly-material cock ring. The number on the display on the unit counts up as the unit is shaken, and there is a button on the side that resets the count to zero. It turns out that the counting mechanism, at least as far as we can tell by listening to the device, is just a ball bearing that rolls over a contact to complete a circuit which increments the count. This means that the sex counter will only really count thrusts when the penis is horizontal, thrusting back and forth parallel to the ground. This certainly works for doggy-style intercourse, and the missionary position to some extent, but it will be difficult if not impossible to get thrusts to register with the device in other sexual positions.
We waited to try out the device until we had quite a bit of time free, and we were both in the mood for some vigorous activity, or as we put it, a 'Truly Epic Fuck'. When the time was right we set about things as normal, with the simple addition of the ring on the penis. After a few experimental thrusts in a few experimental positions to test what kind of thrust would increase the count on the device and what wouldn't, we zeroed the device and set about a determined effort to run up the count in a missionary-like position.
Thoroughly enjoying a good go of it, we nevertheless noticed that some thrusts did not register, and some counted double. If we were going to use this device to attempt an accurate sum of our thrusts, we'd have to pay almost as much attention as if we were counting out loud, to make sure the thrusts were registering and to keep track of whether the count was normal or whether we should be dividing the number by two. After about 1250 thrusts in the missionary-esque position (which took a while, but not as long as we might have thought), we decided to switch over to doggy style and go for a total of at least 2000 thrusts for the session. The double-counting was especially problematic in doggy-style, but we soldiered on. Unfortunately, we only added about another 500 thrusts to the count before the device stopped counting entirely, at which point no amount of shaking or tapping of the device would get the count to increment any more. We had to reach the 2000-thrust count by estimation in the end.
It was still great fun for both of us, and epic enough, though standards for 'Epic' fucks may vary with locale and temperament. Perhaps the counter had been worn out by its journey overseas?
We were disappointed that it stopped working, but the process was a lot of fun, and given the limitations of the device, I don't think we'd have been terribly likely to use it all that often, though trying to set and break records might have been amusing.
Prologue: When I first saw the Sex Counter Ring (or bonkometer, as we like to call it) making the rounds on the gadget (and other) weblogs, I was quite intrigued, and thought it was a very funny and interesting concept. I didn't seriously consider buying it, though, until my partner saw it independently and said 'we have to get this!'. As we're in the US, we didn't think it made much sense to purchase just the sex counter ring, what with the cost of international shipping. Though it's not really rational to spend more money, just to feel like one's getting a better deal by spending less
proportionally on shipping, this encouraged us to purchase several other items we'd been interested in trying, and we were pleased to find that Lovehoney had several items that we couldn't find at online vendors in the US.
Digression: It seems that measuring thrusts in sexual intercourse with accuracy takes a lot more than just a simple ball bearing that rocks on and off a contact. It probably takes a real accelerometer and some software to isolate the times and places of maximum displacement and minimum velocity.24 May 2014
Fairtrade certified coffee, tea and flowers do not improve lives of the very poorest rural people in Ethiopia and Uganda, according to a four-year research project conducted by leading development economists at SOAS, University of London. The project studied rural labour markets in areas producing crops for export, under different institutional conditions that included, in some research sites, Fairtrade certification.
Low pay for wage workers, particularly women, and limited access to schools, health clinics, improved sanitation and other social projects in rural areas were among the findings in ‘Fairtrade, Employment and Poverty Reduction in Ethiopia and Uganda’, a report published today.
Teams of highly-trained fieldworkers studied wages and working conditions in twelve areas growing coffee, tea and flowers in Ethiopia and Uganda. As well as reviewing existing studies, the researchers collected new, detailed micro-level comparative evidence from areas producing agricultural exports on how rural labour markets affect poor people’s lives.
The study reveals that wage workers are commonplace on ‘smallholder’ farms in the areas studied, where between a third and a half of listed adults were recent agricultural wage workers. The research also found that these agricultural workers were much poorer than others. Wages were lower on average in research sites defined around Fairtrade certified producer organisations than in sites without Fairtrade certified producers.
Key findings from the report:
Most rural people in Ethiopia and Uganda enjoy a much higher standard of living than seasonal and casual agricultural wage workers. In rural areas, manual agricultural wage workers are the very poorest.
Where Fairtrade flowers were grown, and where there were farmers’ groups selling coffee and tea into Fairtrade certified markets, wages were very low – especially women’s wages. In fact, wages in other comparable areas and among comparable employers producing the same crops but where there was no Fairtrade certification were usually higher. This was not because the Fairtrade certified cooperatives were in more marginalised, deprived areas.
In some areas dominated by Fairtrade certified cooperatives workers in the samples did appear to have greater access to some fringe benefits (e.g., free meals in two sites, or on other sites more access to loans) than workers in areas without Fairtrade certification. Even here, though, other aspects of work conditions were often worse.
The findings on lower wages held true even after the effects of scale and other differences across workers and sites were taken into account in detailed statistical analysis, contrary to the claims made in the Fairtrade Foundation’s own statement about this research.
Fairtrade publicises its contribution to the funding of schools, health clinics, improved sanitation and other “social projects” in rural areas. From hours of quantitative and qualitative interviews with respondents and others, including in some cases cooperative managers, the SOAS researchers found that the poorest often had no access to these ‘community’ facilities in the research sites, even when they were or had been wage workers on the processing stations or for producer members.
The research was conducted by Christopher Cramer, Professor of the Political Economy of Development; Dr Deborah Johnston, Reader in Development Economics; Dr Carlos Oya, Senior Lecturer in the Political Economy of Development; and John Sender, Emeritus Professor of Economics with Reference to Africa. The research involved more than 1,000 person days of field research and generated detailed survey data on 1,700 respondents, as well as evidence from focus groups, repeat surveys, more than 100 life and work history interviews, and a large number of qualitative interviews with cooperative executives, policy makers, Fairtrade representatives, and employers. Some of this is presented in a final report to DFID/UKAID. SOAS researchers also conducted a careful review of other evidence and found that independent research often raised the same concerns about wage workers and the uneven distribution of gains.
Professor Cramer said: “The British public has been led to believe that by paying extra for Fairtrade certified coffee, tea and flowers they will ‘make a difference’ to the lives of poor Africans. Careful fieldwork and analysis in this four year project leads to the conclusion that in our research sites Fairtrade has not been an effective mechanism for improving the lives of wage workers, the poorest rural people."
For further information, contact:
View the full ‘Fairtrade, Employment and Poverty Reduction in Ethiopia and Uganda’ report.A lot of people ask me what the "Buddhist take" on gay marriage is. Well, it depends on who you talk to. A few years back, in an interview with the CBC, the Dalai Lama rejected same-sex relationships to the surprise of many convert Buddhists, who sometimes too easily assume that Buddhist ethics are consistent with their typically progressive views.
As the Canadian interview bounced around the internet, some people were shocked and perplexed, but the Dalai Lama's position shouldn't have come as a surprise to anyone who has followed the issue. After all, he has been consistent. At a conference some 12 years ago, when gay leaders met with him in San Francisco to discuss the Tibetan Buddhist proscriptions against gay sex, he reiterated the traditional view that gay sex was "sexual misconduct." This view was based on restrictions found in Tibetan texts that he could not and would not change. He did, however, advise gay Buddhist leaders to investigate further, discuss the issue, and suggested that change might come through some sort of theological consensus. But at a time when same-sex marriage has taken front-stage center in American politics, the Dalai Lama's more recent statements come as unwelcome news to proponents of civil rights.
Does this mean Buddhism condemns same-sex relationships? Not at all. Contrary to popular perception, the Dalai Lama does not speak for all Buddhists. As the leader of the dominant Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism, he speaks for one slice of the world's Buddhist population. The vast majority of Buddhists do not practice in his tradition -- however much they respect and admire him -- and the Tibetan texts the Dalai Lama refers to were written centuries after the Buddha had come and gone.
Buddhism is perhaps even more diverse than Christianity. In fact, the differences among schools can be so vast that some scholars consider them different religions. Indeed, according to Thanissaro Bhikkhu, abbot of the Metta Forest Monastery in southern California, the Buddha never forbade gay sex for lay people as far as we know. "When he drew the line between licit and illicit sex, it had nothing to do with sexual tastes or preferences," he says, citing early texts. "He seemed more concerned with not violating the legitimate claims that other people might have on your sexual partner."
The Buddhist monastic code, which contains detailed -- and sometimes ludicrous -- guidelines (think Leviticus), applies only to monks, leaving the rest open to debate.
Western dharma communities are known for their tolerance, and the Dalai Lama himself has openly gay students. It's rare to hear of anyone being drummed out of a Western Buddhist community for being gay, and in most Buddhist traditions practiced in the West--including the Tibetan communities--sexuality is rarely if ever an issue. Nonetheless, in the current political climate, hearing the world's most famous Buddhist declare homosexuality to be "sexual misconduct" can't help but lead people to believe that the Buddha's teachings proscribe same-sex relationships. They don't, any more than they promote them.
Friends of mine have argued that the Dalai Lama doesn't really look askance same-sex relationships, that he has no choice but to uphold his tradition's dictates; and that maybe the Dalai Lama is just stuck with the old texts' proscriptions in the same way that a Catholic, say, must deal with Thomas Aquinas. Of course, we can't know and must take his public statements at face value. In his case, though, our expectations tend to be different than they might be for the local minister, priest or orthodox rabbi. And so many of us who have benefited greatly from his teachings are apt to feel disappointed.It has been noted repeatedly that almost no top bankers have faced serious consequences for their actions in the financial crisis. But there is a Wall Street corollary that might be even more pernicious: good guys are punished.
Whistle-blowers, truth-tellers and fraud-spotters pay a miserable price on Wall Street. They are vilified. They are fired. Sometimes they are even sued. Instead of being sought after, they become persona non grata.
Recently, I caught up with David Maris, a one-time star pharmaceutical analyst for Bank of America who became embroiled in one of the most notorious bull/bear battles of the last decade. His story encapsulates just how broken Wall Street culture is.
In 2003, Mr. Maris put out a sell report on Biovail, a Canadian drug company. He fixed on the company's bizarre explanation of why it had missed its earnings estimates: a truck carrying a supposedly huge amount of medicine crashed at the very end of the quarter. Mr. Maris detailed why this was wildly implausible.
Desperate to deflect the attention, Biovail took the offensive. It sued Mr. Maris and Bank of America in early 2006. It also sued SAC Capital Advisors, the hedge fund, and Gradient Analytics, an independent research firm, claiming a giant conspiracy to drive down its stock price with false reports.
For a time, Bank of America stood by Mr. Maris. But it eventually caved and fired him — two weeks before the end of 2006, enabling it to not pay his bonus. Mr. Maris is now in |
under the weight or the government (i.e. taxpayers) will start shouldering even higher costs to compensate for the medical demand. In exchange for homosexuals’ help, the administration is sweetening the pot for the community by making a first-ever concession for same-sex couples. Under a rule announced yesterday, the IRS is giving homosexual spouses the right to apply for health care tax breaks retroactively — an advantage no other taxpayers have had. As the AP explains, “Usually an employee must make their selections about who qualifies for those tax breaks before a tax year begins.” Letting same-sex “spouses” reach back and claim those benefits now is unprecedented — but unsurprising, given this administration’s pro-homosexual partiality.
Jeremy Hooper notes that Perkins is wrong when he says the White House is “funneling” money to the independent effort.Join thousands of dancers and dreamers at the Texas Motor Speedway for Something Wonderful’s anticipated two-day return on April, 22-23rd. Don’t miss a single beat of the expanded celebration at this year’s springtime soirée. Buy passes today!
For the 2017 edition, we’ll be treated to a double dose of dance music from today’s most noteworthy artists including Porter Robinson, DJ Snake, Tchami, and Jauz. Among our annual headliners we’re bringing in several other serious talents to breathe new life into the massive space.
Porter Robinson
With beautiful chord progressions, glitchy-edits, and wistful atmospheres, Porter Robinson brings a hopeful dynamic to the decks whenever he performs and we can’t wait to hear his world when he headlines the first night of Something Wonderful on Saturday, April 22nd.
DJ Snake
With performances that range from bass-heavy trap and hip hop all the way to melodic house and garage, we won’t turn down a single thing once DJ Snake takes to the stage for Something Wonderful on the second night of our springtime celebration on Sunday, April 23rd.
Tchami
When Tchami drops his vibrant garage-laced crate as the second headliner during our first night of Something Wonderful on Saturday, April 22nd we’re gonna hear the delightful sounds of four-on-the-floor.
Jauz
Dancers with eclectic tastes will love the second headliner – with bass music and four on four rhythms throughout his shows, Jauz knows how to satisfy many types of music lovers on the dance floor. See him in action during his headlining set on Sunday, April 23rd.
We still have plenty more artists to reveal, but while you wait – grab festival passes today! Plan your Wonderful weekend in Dallas by booking an official travel deal including the best hotel prices, plus a chance to save 10% on admission when you bundle accommodations and tickets.
Get ready for another sensory smorgasbord of electronic goodness featuring top-notch visual production as the third annual Something Wonderful returns. Stay tuned for festival updates by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!The Galaxy’s MLS Cup defense just got an enormous lift from a familiar source.
After spending a year out of the spotlight in the German second division, Edson Buddle is on his way back to MLS and the bright lights of LA, rejoining the Galaxy on Wednesday after terminating his contract with FC Ingolstadt by mutual consent. Per league and club policy, terms of the deal, which will be finalized once the club receives his International Transfer Certificate, were not released.
Buddle’s addition gives LA arguably the league’s best forward tandem, as he and Irishman Robbie Keane will lead a line that should feast on the service provided by Landon Donovan and David Beckham.
WATCH: Buddle returns to LA
“I am thrilled to be able to return to MLS and a club that has meant so much to me in my career,” Buddle said in a statement. “When I left for Germany last winter, I said that I hoped to be able to one day return to the Galaxy and help lead the club to an MLS Cup championship. That day is today and I look forward to the challenges that now lie ahead.”
Buddle, 30, joined Ingolstadt in January 2011 after scoring a career-high 17 goals for LA and earning a roster spot on the US team that competed at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. He scored nine goals during his time in Germany, but began looking for a new club this winter, embarking on trials at Everton and West Ham but leaving both clubs without a deal.
Instead, Buddle will return to LA, where the former Columbus, New York and Toronto striker provides an ideal partner for Keane, who joined the club as a third Designated Player last fall and is currently on loan at Aston Villa. Buddle has 90 career MLS goals and enjoyed the most productive years of his career with the Galaxy under manager Bruce Arena, tallying 39 goals during the regular season and playoffs from 2008-2010. Buddle also has 10 caps for the US, scoring three goals.
"We’re really excited to have Edson re-joining the LA Galaxy,” Arena said in a press release. “He has been an outstanding player for us in the past and we look forward to him continuing that success for many years to come."
Buddle will join the Galaxy in Carson, Calif., where they are beginning preseason preparations for 2012.
Follow@AndrewWiebe_MLSPolitics is blood sport, and so it is with the nomination of Chuck Hagel to be Secretary of Defense. Washington’s bipartisan War Party is horrified that a warrior who despises war might end up running the Pentagon.
For more than a decade the nation’s capital has been overrun by the Sofa Samurai and Think Tank Warriors who believe in starting wars for others to fight. Vice President Richard Cheney, who used five deferments to avoid combat in Vietnam—“I had other priorities,” he explained years later—epitomized the breed. For them there is no war too bloody or foolish to avoid.
In contrast, Chuck Hagel served, an enlisted infantryman in the Army. He received two Purple Hearts and rescued his unconscious brother in combat. For him war was up close and personal.
That didn’t turn him into a pacifist. He later explained to Vietnam magazine: “I believe in using force, but only after a very careful decision-making process.” Nor is the former Senator a noninterventionist like Ron Paul. He backed Bill Clinton’s counterproductive attack on Serbia and George W. Bush’s disastrous Iraq misadventure and supported John McCain for president in 2000.
However, unlike the Neoconservatives who dominated the Bush administration, Hagel opposed perpetual war. He was not constantly searching for nations to bomb, invade, and occupy. He said he told himself in Vietnam: “If I ever get out of this and I’m ever in a position to influence policy, I will do everything I can to avoid needless, senseless war.”
Equally important, Hagel cared about results. When the promised Iraqi cakewalk did not materialize, he recognized his mistake. “It all comes down to the fact that we were asked to vote on a resolution based on half truths, untruths, and wishful thinking,” he said.
Putting national interest before partisan loyalty, he criticized the Bush administration and its supporting Neocon Greek Chorus. For those Republicans who believe liberal Democrats to be more dangerous than Islamic terrorists, Hagel became a traitor to his party, reviled as an enemy of all that is good and right in an era of perpetual partisan war.
Hagel didn’t seek reelection in 2008 and moved on to other endeavors, such as the chairmanship of the Atlantic Council. Now the president wants him to head the Pentagon.
The reaction of Washington’s bipartisan War Party has been one of horror. Secretaries of Defense are supposed to be cheerleaders for war, promoting promiscuous global intervention, demanding increased Pentagon outlays, and supporting perpetual military commitments. Hagel does not fit the mold. Complained Sen. McCain, who claims the two still are friends: “My biggest concern is his overall attitude about the United States, our role in the world, particularly in the Middle East, and whether we should reduce the Pentagon further.”
In this regard Hagel well-represents the American people. They are angry after being lied to about the Iraq war, which they recognize was terrible mistake. Thousands of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis died as a result of a lie propagated by self-serving Iraqi émigrés and advanced by war-promoting Neocon activists.
Americans also are tired of Afghanistan. They supported destroying al-Qaeda for launching 9/11 and ousting the Taliban for harboring al-Qaeda. More than a decade later they have no idea why Americans are still dying, apparently in a dubious attempt to promote honest, competent, democratic governance in Kabul.
There was no popular enthusiasm for President Obama’s questionable adventure in Libya. There is no citizen support for intervening in Syria. Backing for war with Iran likely would dissipate once the high costs became evident.
Moreover, military spending must come down. Hagel called the Pentagon “bloated” and said that spending needs “to be pared down.” Which is true.
Military outlays have increased dramatically since President George W. Bush turned into a fiscal liberal. Today the U.S. spends almost as much as the rest of the world combined. Washington devotes more money in real terms to the Pentagon today than during the Cold War, Korean War, or Vietnam War. Few outlays go to the defense of America. Most goes to protect populous and prosperous allies, such as Europe, South Korea, and Japan. Much of the rest goes to foolish, counterproductive nation-building in countries like Afghanistan and Iraq.
It is hard to think of a better candidate to run the Pentagon under such circumstances than Chuck Hagel. While recognizing that war can be necessary, he understands—out of both personal experience and practical consequence—that war is best avoided, if possible. Unlike the war-happy Neocons, he sees military force as a last resort. For this reason he proposes negotiation, even with diplomatic untouchables such as Hamas and Hezbollah.
He also is likely to bring a jaundiced eye to Pentagon budget-making. Someone has to challenge the generals to rethink the status quo. Hagel, who could be the first enlisted man ever to end up as Defense Secretary, isn’t likely to be intimidated by someone with stars on his shoulders.
Nevertheless, as one would expect, opposition to Hagel is fierce. The overriding objection to him is that he is the living refutation of everything the War Party stands for. He fought in battle, understands the human cost, offers skepticism rather than enthusiasm for new interventions, and would be no Pentagon rubber stamp. A liberal with no military experience and little confidence in military matters might be cowed or, better yet, coopted. Not Hagel.
Of course, it wouldn’t do even for the Neoconservatives to charge Hagel with being insufficiently enthusiastic for war. So they have come up with a number of other charges. For instance, he opposed some sanctions again Iran and even urged—shock, shock!—negotiations with Tehran. However, this makes eminent sense. If you liked war with Iraq, you would love war with Iran. Lighting a match to the Middle East, the likely consequence of an attack on Iran, should be a very last resort. After being lied into war with Iraq, Americans want to make sure the same does not happen again with regard to Iran.
Even more serious to Neocons is the claim that Hagel is anti-Israel. Never mind that he routinely voted for aid to Israel and backed Israel in other ways. And that Aaron David Miller, a former U.S. diplomat now at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, commented after interviewing Hagel in 2008: “Hagel is a strong supporter of Israel and a believer in shared values.” The latter didn’t—the mind boggles at the thought!—sign every letter presented to him by AIPAC, the spear point of the Israel Lobby in America. Indeed, Hagel had the temerity to call some of them “stupid.”
Moreover, he did not automatically absolve Israel from responsibility for the consequences of its actions. To the contrary, he joined with many Israelis in recognizing that after decades of military occupation of millions of Palestinians, Israel shared responsibility for the tragic results: “Both Israelis and Palestinians are trapped in a war not of their making.”
Worse, Hagel understood that shared people and values did not mean that the U.S. and Israel always shared the same interests. This truth is anathema to Neocons, who insist that Washington policy should be defined by the demands of the most extreme parties in Israel. However, Hagel believed that the duty of American officials is to promote America’s, not Israel’s, interests. As Hagel explained: “I’m a United States senator. I support Israel. But my first interest is I take an oath of office to the Constitution of the United States. Not to a president. Not a party. Not to Israel. If I go run for Senate in Israel, I’ll do that.” This same sentiment should apply if a legislator is a Polish-American, a Southerner, a fraternity member, or a Mason.
Since Hagel’s positions fit well within mainstream support for Israel, some of his critics pulled out the Big Smear: he obviously is an anti-Semite. Normally one would expect the burden of proof to fall on those who made the charge, but his critics offer no personal statements or actions that actually are anti-Semitic. They prefer innuendo. One of the more vicious pieces came from Danielle Pletka of the American Enterprise Institute who intoned: “I do not know that he is one, nor am I convinced that he is not.” Among her evidence that he might be: “It could even be his questionable taste in friends around Washington, or the fact that the government of Iran has welcomed his nomination.”
Others complain that he pointed out the obvious (that there is an Israel Lobby). He once referred to the “Jewish Lobby” (which he acknowledged was a mistake, and he referred to “Israel Lobby” elsewhere in the same interview). And he did all those other terrible things, such as refuse to turn on his autopen for whatever letters AIPAC sent his way. Oh my!
Were the smear not so vicious it would be worth a laugh. Just as anyone who dissents from liberal orthodoxy risks being called a racist, so too anyone who dissents from Neoconservative orthodoxy now risks being called an anti-Semite. Indeed, the definition of anti-Semitism has changed. It once meant someone who hates Jews. Today anti-Semitism means someone hated by Neocons.
There’s a tragic danger of calling wolf once too often. There are anti-Semites. They should be shunned by polite society and denied political power. But Hagel is not one. By promiscuously using the charge to intimidate and bully for political purposes, the Neoconservatives are making it less likely they will be believed if a real anti-Semite arrives on the scene. Unfortunately, today no one can believe any charge of anti-Semitism coming from the usual suspects.
Perhaps the strangest assault on Hagel was launched over his criticism of a homosexual nominated to be an ambassador 14 years ago. Hagel has apologized for his stance then, which was hardly unusual, especially among potential candidates to head the Pentagon. No one has pointed to any subsequent complaints, and he has been endorsed by figures such as Steve Clemons, a leading gay foreign policy scholar who knows Hagel well. Those on the left who have joined in the anti-Hagel scrum have been played by Neoconservatives, who otherwise are not known for their interest in this issue. Observed Glenn Greenwald, who delved into the question of how the gay Log Cabin Republicans managed to afford a New York Times ad attacking Hagel: “Gay advocates are the exploited tools” in “the anti-Hagel smear campaign.”
In some ways the confirmation fight over Chuck Hagel is much ado about nothing. Even if he takes over the Pentagon he won’t change the world. The president will continue to determine military policy. Congress will continue to set the military budget. In authority Hagel will have to curb his penchant for speaking honestly, especially in publicly highlighting the foolishness of policymakers around him.
At the same time, the political battle means everything. Is there any room in Washington for diversity of belief when it comes to foreign and military policy? Can a leading policymaker be skeptical of Washington’s policy of promiscuous military intervention? Can a government official believe that it is better to employ diplomacy before resorting to war? Can a Cabinet member believe satisfying America’s interests come before satisfying Israel’s interests? Answering yes to these questions is what Hagel’s nomination really is about.
On the most obvious measures, Chuck Hagel is the right person for Secretary of Defense. If his detractors want to prove otherwise, they should offer some evidence that he is unqualified for the position. So far they have provided none. No wonder they have turned to a dishonorable smear campaign as a last resort.
More on Forbes:Monitoring and optimizing the effectiveness of training course require wide analyses of athletes' blood parameter changes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of biochemical liver profile to assess the metabolic response to semi-long-distance outdoor run in football players. Sixteen football players run outdoor for 60 minutes to achieve aerobic metabolism. Plasma activity of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT) and plasma levels of total and direct bilirubin were determined in samples obtained before exercise test (pre-exercise) and immediately after the run (post-exercise). Mean AST plasma activity (U·L-1) before/after the exercise, respectively, was 78.3/228.3 in women and 76.5/56.2 in men. Mean ALT plasma activity (U·L-1) before/after the exercise, respectively, was 27.5/59.1 in women and 36.2/35.3 in men. Mean GGT plasma activity (U·L-1) before/after the exercise, respectively, was 39.3/76.6 in women and 44.7/71.2 in men. Plasma levels of total and direct bilirubin were similar before and after the run regardless of the gender. Statistical significance of the differences between results obtained pre- and post-exercise occurred in women (p = 0.0212 for AST; p = 0.0320 for ALT; p = 0.0067 for GGT, respectively). The training monitoring in athletes should be performed using measurements of performance and biological or physiological parameters. It was found that AST, ALT, and GGT activities could be a valuable tool to assess the metabolic response in high-level fitness female athletes. Therefore, monitoring of those well-known diagnostic markers could prevent the trainee from harmful overtraining.RCMP making an arrest are alleged to have battered an Alberta First Nation man, hauled him naked from his home and brought him to a detachment before realizing he needed an ambulance, says his family who are accusing the police of racism and brutality.
Christian Duck Chief, 23, is recovering from a broken eye socket, fractured cheek bone, fracture to the back of his head and a broken nose.
Duck Chief and his wife say they were sleeping in their home on the Siksika First Nation southeast of Calgary Friday when RCMP from the Gleichen detachment entered their home around 6 a.m. to arrest him.
"I can hear him screaming for me, and I can hear him saying 'Stop, honey help me,'" said Duck Chief's wife, Chantel Stonechild, who said she was taken out of the home as her husband was still being beaten.
They acknowledge Duck Chief struggled at first, saying he was on his stomach when woken and didn't know it was police. But they allege an RCMP officer hit him at least 20 times after he stopped struggling and shouted that he wasn't resisting, even as he lay handcuffed on the floor.
Duck Chief — who has been charged in connection with the incident — and his lawyer said the force used by the officer was excessive.
RCMP respond
RCMP say the case is under investigation and couldn't speak about the allegation.
"There is a formal process available to people who feel they've been mistreated by the RCMP," said Cpl. Sharon Franks.
Franks said no complaint has been filed by the family at this point.
That is a step his lawyer, Dale Fedorchuk, said he is urging his client to take.
"Given the nature of the injuries suffered by Mr. Duck Chief, and the extent of the injuries he suffered, I think this matter needs to be investigated."
The aboriginal couple — and many who have commented on Facebook photos of Duck Chief's injuries — believe they are the victims of racism.
They suspect the arrest occurred either because a friend had visited them the night before in a stolen vehicle or that RCMP wrongly believed Duck Chief was still under a bail condition that he not be in the home with his wife.
"I was screaming for my kids, I thought they were people breaking into my house," said Stonechild. "That cop was already grabbing his arm before he woke up."
'More than 20 times, that cop hit him'
Duck Chief said he struggled at first because he thought someone had broken into their home and was attacking them, and initially bit the officer's finger.
That's when the beating began, according to Stonechild. She said that as soon as the officer said "stop resisting arrest" her husband realized what was happening and complied.
"Christian said, 'I'm not resisting, I'm not resisting,' and the cop started elbowing him in the face," said Stonechild. "More than 20 times that cop hit him on the face while he was on the ground."
Even while he was on the ground, handcuffed and not resisting, the elbows to the face continued, said Stonechild.
Christian Duck Chief and Chantel Stonechild pose with one of their children. (Facebook)
Finally, RCMP brought Duck Chief outside, naked, and took him to the detachment, but police soon realized he needed medical attention, and an ambulance was called to take him to the local hospital, according to Duck Chief's lawyer.
After X-rays, he was transferred to Calgary's Peter Lougheed Hospital where he had surgery on his eye. Fedorchuk visited him over the weekend.
"Frankly I was appalled," said Fedorchuk. "No Canadian citizen should suffer abuse at the hands of a police officer ever."
Duck Chief is known to police, and Fedorchuk suspects this could be why police entered the home in the first place. Duck Chief has assault charges before the courts and his release initially included the condition he not live in the home with his wife.
But those conditions were amended, Fedorchuk said, and the restriction has been lifted since July.
Duck Chief will appear in Drumheller court on Wednesday, and his lawyer will try to get him released on bail.
New charges of assaulting a peace officer, resisting arrest and breaching bail conditions were laid in connection to Friday's incident.0 SHARES Facebook Twitter Google Whatsapp Pinterest Print Mail Flipboard
Ralph Reed, Time Magazine’s 1995 “Right Hand of God” is at it again, downplaying the threat the pro-theocracy movement poses to American democracy. He wants us to believe the Evangelical vote is a myth – the very same vote he helped to create. Right. And there is no such thing as dominionism. Reed famously called dominionism a “conspiracy theory” even while slightly less extremist Christian Reconstructionists (if you can believe that) were warning against it. We got it, Ralph. You’re not good with the truth.
Reed, of course, was himself an instrumental figure in the so-called Religious Right’s takeover of the Republican Party and provided much of its early political clout. At the time, he credited the Christian Coalition with giving the Republicans their victories. In 2004, he even worked on the Bush-Cheney campaign, asked pastors to get votes for his candidate, and voilà, Bush received 78 percent of the Evangelical vote. Now this discredited figure is trying to tell us (and mainstream media giant CNN is giving him a pulpit) that the very vote he bragged about is just a myth, that they’re just like the rest of us – just folks. Really?
In a post to CNN’s Belief Blog, he correctly points out that “One of the most important sub-plots in the Iowa caucuses was which candidate would win the support of Iowa’s evangelical voters.” He goes on to point out that,
In the media’s instant analysis, a “splintering” of Iowa’s evangelical vote among numerous candidates made it difficult for them to influence the selection of the Republican presidential nominee.
He takes issue with this analysis, claiming that “this narrative is based on a caricature of evangelicals and other voters of faith.”
Consider this: 61% of self-identified evangelicals who attended a caucus Tuesday night in Iowa voted for a candidate who is either Roman Catholic (Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum) or Mormon (Mitt Romney, who won the caucuses, besting Santorum by eight votes ).
Reed wants us to believe that, “This suggests a more nuanced and complex portrait of voters of faith. They are often crudely portrayed as voting based solely on identity politics, born suckers for quotes from Scripture or “code words” laced in the speeches of candidates appealing to their spiritual beliefs.” According to Reed, then, a conservative Christian voting for a conservative Christian shows nuance? Really? Apparently, according to Reed, conservative Catholics don’t count, which says more about Reed’s prejudices than that of voters (we’ll look at exit poll numbers in a moment).
As for Evangelicals being born suckers for Scripture and code words? Look at what they’ve done to us so far in the name of their own religious freedom to persecute and dictate, stirred by a steady diet of hate and rejection (and look at some of what is in store for us in 2012). Ultimately, Reed proved the case against himself because by voting for the despised categories of Catholics and Mormons, the Evangelical vote did prove itself suckers for Scripture and code words. He makes much of the fact that entrance polls showed only 13 percent made abortion the number one issue, but according to exit polls, 58 percent of those voting for Santorum said it was the number one issue.
What he wants us to believe is that these fundamentalist voters are a “sophisticated bunch.” This is Reed beating an old drum; he once claimed “People of Faith” were the new “Amos and Andy.” And it is a hard sell based on the Bronze Age rhetoric flying out of Iowa in the weeks and days leading up to the caucus. Sure, the candidates talked about the economy and the budget deficit. So what? Look at the man who came in second, Rick Santorum. This is the same Santorum who was mired at the bottom of the polls and could not reach into the double-digits leading up to the caucus. At the end he trailed just 8 points behind Mitt Romney. Santorum made his conservative Christianity the central focus of his platform. He literally could not open his mouth without mentioning what God wanted or didn’t want. And conservative Evangelicals answered the call and put the otherwise hopeless Santorum into second place.
That doesn’t sound terribly sophisticated to me. Take a look at Santorum’s Top 10 Most Outrageous Campaign Statements according to Think Progress, if you doubt my analysis. You won’t see any signs of sophistication there (extreme ideologies don’t employ a scalpel when a hammer will do).
Sure, Romney won. He’s a big name with a well-funded campaign and an excellent organization behind him. And though he’s a Mormon, he’s far from being a progressive Christian. His moralistic stance with regard to the so-called Culture War is identical to that of the Republican base. Whatever he may have said in the past, he has come down on the “right side” of the debate on abortion (he opposes it) and same-sex marriage (he opposes it). As Jon Stewart joked on Wednesday, Santorum is the guy Romney is pretending to be.
Exit poll numbers tell the story. Look at how the Iowa Caucus fell out according to the religion and ideology of the voters (the number before the slash being by religion and after by ideology):
Candidate % of Evangelical Vote/% of conservative vote % of Non-Evangelical Vote/% of moderate or liberal vote Santorum 32/28 14/8 Paul 18/18 26/40 Romney 14/22 38/35 Gingrich 14/15 12/6 Perry 14/12 5/5 Bachmann 6/5 3/3
As you can see, the Evangelical vote is not a myth; it voted overwhelmingly for Rick Santorum, the most extreme candidate save Bachmann. It was the non-Evangelicals, the more moderate Republicans who put Romney at the top. Santorum unsurprisingly also garnered 30 percent of the Tea Party vote; Ron Paul managed only 19 percent. Those who oppose the Tea Party overwhelmingly voted for establishment man Mitt Romney. Entrance polls show that the Evangelical vote was 57 percent, just 3 percent down from 2008.
Santorum, of course, knew what got him there. As he said in his victory speech, “I’ve required a strength from another particular friendship – one that is sacred. I’ve survived the challenges so far by the daily grace that comes from God.”
Yet Reed’s astonishing conclusion is this:
So when commentators prognosticate about the “evangelical vote,” we might want to ask them, “which one?” For there are there are many evangelical votes, many candidates who win their support, and a multitude of motivations for their engagement in the rough-and-tumble of American politics. This is all to the good. It demonstrates that their civic involvement is a cause for celebration, not alarm, a sign of the health of our political system, not that it suffers from an anti-democratic or sectarian impulse.
Reed doesn’t want to mention how close a call America had with theocracy during the fundamentalist-supported Bush administration, or the erosion of our First Amendment rights and the endless attacks on the Wall of Separation promoted by the movement he supports. Far from being a sign of health, the fundamentalist intervention in American politics is a sign of rot. Religious Freedom for Reed and for all the Republican candidates is Christian religious freedom, not the religious freedom of the rest of us.
There is no way to marginalize the risk posted to America’s political health by the Republican Party’s political theology, which hates women, hates gays, hates Islam, hates atheists, hates pagans and hates the environment, all on religious grounds. We’ve come a long way from the open-minded days of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, two of our most important thinkers among the Founding Fathers, men who cared about real religious freedom, as evidence by the legislation they authored and promoted.
Rick Santorum, like all Republican candidates, is not really opposed to big government or federal intrusion. They are opposed to the government intruding on the right of the rich to get richer and the rights of corporations to avoid taxes and regulation, but when it comes to the GOP’s morality-laced platform, they are all for it, from Gingrich’s proposal for a Presidential Commission on Religious Freedom in the United States to Santorum’s promise of a federal constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and annulling all existing same-sex unions.
As Time Magazine’s political obituary of Reed said in 2006, “He thought he could convince his base that they shouldn’t believe their eyes and ears, that they should trust him instead. In the end, not enough did.” He wants to do that again, to convince the American people that they shouldn’t believe their eyes and ears. With any luck, America has learned all it needs to know about Ralph Reed.
Reed wants us to believe these wolves are lambs, but they are not and have never been. No political platform based on Old Testament repression can ever be gentle or forgiving or tolerant. The only thing that Ralph Reed has managed to prove is that he is still the snake-oil salesman he has always been, a lot of gloss covering a dark and unsavory core, just like the movement he represents.
If you’re ready to read more from the unbossed and unbought Politicus team, sign up for our newsletter here! Email address: Leave this field empty if you're human:More and more people are trying to get scientific information on electronic cigarettes in order to understand and predict how they are likely to affect users both in the short term and long term.
One of the names that is sounding so much in e-cigarette circles is Dr. Farsalinos. He is known more for his scientific findings as opposed to those that are known for peddling hype with no evidence to back it up. Together with a colleague, Dr. Ricardo Polosa, they conducted a study of electronic cigarettes as tobacco cigarette substitutes and the following is a summary of their findings.
E-Cigs Are A Substitute For Smoking.
This was already obvious to users but these scientists established that these devices were another option in addition to NRTs. It is now no longer an issue of quit smoking or die. There are options out there.
Nicotine Labeling.
There were issues with some nicotine levels stated on bottles being either less or more than what was indicated. Content ranged from 85-121% of that indicated on the labels.
They however added that this discrepancy was not significant enough to have any adverse effects on users, but more should be done to align content to label indications.
Level Of Contaminants.
E-cigarettes were found to have contaminants from nickel as would be the case in any product made from metal. These levels were at par with what is present in NRTs and were in the range of 4-40 times lower than what is acceptable in medical products.
E-Juice Flavors.
Much as the flavors are already approved for use in food items, there is need to study the effects of heating these flavors and the long term effects of their inhalation. What currently exist are theoretical models on the likely effects, and that is not proof of anything.
PG Inhalation.
The scientists were unable to prove that there is any harm in inhaling propylene glycol (PG). This is contrary to what has been claimed by prohibitionists about this base liquid.
Effects On Bystanders.
The risk level that those in the proximity of vapers face was minimal or close to non-existent. Electronic cigarettes are much safer for bystanders than tobacco cigarettes by hundreds of times.
E-Cigs As Gateways.
From the data the scientists collected, there was absolutely no evidence that electronic cigarettes acted in any way as a gateway to smoking tobacco cigarettes. Less than 1% of users of e-cigs haven’t smoked analogs while the rest just switch or use both methods of feeding their nicotine craving.
Health Of Vapers.
It was found that there was a significant improvement in the health of vapers but there was need to carry out further research into this matter.
Final Comments.
When one reads this report, a lot of things are made clear. It is plain that e-cigs are safer than analogs and that many aspects of e-cigs need to be studied to establish their long term effects. May be as time goes by it will be possible to assess the long term effects of e-cig use since they will have been around long enough.The big question that President George W. Bush posed after the 9/11 attacks was “why do they hate us?” followed by his ridiculous answer, “they hate our freedoms.” A new book by BBC correspondent Deepak Tripathi offers a more realistic analysis, writes Marjorie Cohn.
By Marjorie Cohn
After the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, the Bush administration rolled out its “Global War on Terror.” Although the Obama White House doesn’t use that moniker, many of its policies are indistinguishable from those of its predecessor.
Both administrations have focused on combating the symptoms of terrorism rather than grappling with its root causes.
Longtime BBC correspondent Deepak Tripathi was based in Kabul, Afghanistan for 15 months in the early 1990s, where he gained a unique perspective about the genesis of terrorism from his access to Afghan leaders and citizens during the civil war following the expulsion of the communist regime there.
His book Breeding Ground makes a significant contribution toward understanding the origins and triggers of terrorism. Tripathi traces the development of a “culture of violence” in Afghanistan, largely due to resistance against foreign invasion, from the “U.S.-led proxy war” against the USSR to the current U.S. war. Without such historical insight, efforts to make us safe from acts of terror will prove futile.
Absent from the national discourse after 9/11 was a substantive inquiry into why 19 men could hate the United States so much they would blow themselves up and take some 3,000 innocents with them. The source of that hatred can be traced to foreign occupation of Afghanistan as well as resentment of the United States for its uncritical support of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands.
Tripathi reproduces an Oct. 7, 2001, statement by Osama bin Laden that says, “What America is tasting now is something insignificant compared to what we have tasted for years,” citing “humiliation and degradation.”
Bin Laden adds, “Millions of innocent children are being killed as I speak. They are being killed in Iraq [from the blockade and sanctions] without committing any sins.” And he writes, “Israeli tanks infest Palestine... and other places in the land of Islam, and we don’t hear anyone raising his voice or moving a limb.”
Bin Laden’s statement mirrors the grievances set forth in a 1998 Al Qaeda declaration, which listed Israel’s control over Jerusalem, the Palestinian problem, and Iraq as its three primary complaints. The declaration cited America’s “occupying the lands of Islam in the holiest of places, plundering its riches, dictating to its rulers, humiliating its people, terrorizing its neighbors and turning its bases into a spearhead” against Muslims.
It complained of “the huge number of those killed” by the blockade of Iraq after the 1991 Gulf War. The declaration described U.S. aims as “religious and economic,” with a desire to serve Israel’s interests by diverting attention from its occupation of Jerusalem and the murder of Muslims in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Tripathi dialectically traces the rise of radical Islam against communism in Afghanistan, U.S. support for the Islamic forces to repel the Soviets, and the later development of terrorism in opposition to American policies once the Soviet Union was expelled from Afghanistan.
In 1979, the USSR invaded Afghanistan and began a ten-year occupation to prop up the struggling Afghan communist government which had come to power the year before. “The rise of communism radicalized the country’s Islamic groups,” Tripathi writes.
After the invasion, bin Laden moved to the Afghan-Pakistan border to “liberate the land from the infidel invader.” Supported by the CIA, he created an organization to fight the Soviets. It became part of the |
whathaveya…
Oh, the Ghost Of Jack Kirby? Yeah, we hang out.
Jack Kirby definitely went through his phases, that became more idiosyncratic the older he got. From the birth of comics, when it was strictly crank-out-pages-in-any-genre-for-a-paycheck, to the dawn of the Marvel Age when lucky comics readers got to live in a world built by Kirby and Ditko, to the 70s when he read Chariots Of The Gods and got Big Ideas, as well as seeing Planet Of The Apes and marrying those Big Ideas with Crazy Fighting Animals.
The one constant? The crackle. Nay, The Krackle. The Kirby Krackle.
Also known as Kirby Dots. But I like Krackle, because that’s what it does. It’s all over Kirby’s art, the energy of creation itself, with the power to remake reality into something bigger, punchier, more epic. And with meatier fingers.
Give us your favorite Kirby! Favorite panels, favorite crazy ideas, hell, even your favorite times the Krackle was invoked by others!Fresno already has a growing Muslim problem. Now the Muslim refugees are invading.
via When Syria Came to Fresno: Refugees Test Limits of Outstretched Hand – The New York Times
FRESNO, Calif. — The police responded to a call about a loud party on East San Ramon Avenue, but it wasn’t just any party: A sheep was reportedly being slaughtered in a backyard.
“Muslim refugees were unaware that slaughtering sheep is not allowed in the city,” the police wrote afterward in their report, which also stated that those involved “were advised to clean up the blood and mess” and warned that in the future “they could be cited.”
The animal, actually a goat, was killed by a Syrian refugee who later skinned, roasted and shared it with his Syrian neighbors in the apartment complex where they all live.
Refugees are typically placed in towns and cities such as Buffalo, N.Y.; Boise, Idaho; and Fayetteville, Ark., where resettlement agencies ease their transition to life in a new country. But they are free to move about the country like anybody else, and they sometimes land in places like Fresno that are not exactly prepared for their arrival.
Since late 2016, more than 200 Syrian refugees originally settled elsewhere in the United States have made a fresh start in Fresno, the largest city in California’s agricultural belt. They have been drawn there mainly by cheap housing.
But behind the low rent is a city struggling with high poverty and unemployment, making it more difficult for the refugees to secure jobs. And Fresno has no federally funded agency to help them find work, learn basics like bus routes and understand United States culture and rules, like with the practice of animal slaughter.
Syrian children turned up unexpectedly at Ahwahnee Middle School, needing vaccinations, trauma counseling, English-language instruction and academic support as a result of interrupted schooling. “It was a shock at first,” said Jose Guzman, the principal. “We never had to teach students who speak Arabic.”
But Muslim refugees represent a polarizing issue. Although all refugees undergo extensive screening before being approved for resettlement, some Fresnans have echoed President Trump’s concerns that the vetting isn’t good enough.
As the Syrian flow intensified, Turlock, a town about 80 miles north of Fresno that has been receiving Christian minorities from Iraq and Iran for more than a decade, was identified as a site with “decent housing, jobs and a welcoming mayor,” said Karen Ferguson, executive director of the International Rescue Committee of Northern California.
About 250 Syrians, overwhelmingly Muslim, were sent there. But the agency could not immediately house all of them, stranding some families in hotels for several weeks or longer.
Last fall, a few members of Fresno’s 15,000-strong Muslim community — Pakistanis, Yemenis, Iranians and Palestinians, among others — offered to help. Soon, they were welcoming four Syrian families to apartments that they had found for them.
Word traveled fast to Turlock and elsewhere that rent in Fresno was a relative bargain — about $450 a month for a two-bedroom unit in some places — and that there were people ready to supply furniture, food, clothing and more.
In a blue-collar neighborhood once dubbed “Sin City,” more than a dozen Syrian families with up to nine members apiece are crammed into two-bedroom units in two apartment blocks on East San Ramon Avenue, where the goat roast occurred in February.
…there have been no reports of anti-Muslim violence or vandalism. And Syrians keep arriving.
More than a dozen families with nine members apiece? How could a family of nine or more possibly be vetted? How can the U.S. be allowing un-vaccinated refugees to attend public schools and claim they have been well-vetted?
The entire refugee program needs to be defunded and eliminated. Not halted. Eliminated.Posted by on Nov 28, 2017 in Blog
Comments Off on Top 30 Albums of 2017
2017 has been a mess of a year overall. But musically, it’s been amazing.
The following are my top 30 albums of this year. It was REALLY hard to narrow this list down to 30 and I found it impossible to put it in order. I didn’t write anything about why I think they are the best of the year, I’m letting the music speak for itself. Check out videos below.
The top 5 are in order but after that, they are going to be in alphabetical order.
1. Waxahatchee – Out in the Storm
2. Julien Baker – Turn Out the Lights
3. Larkin Poe – Peach
4. St. Vincent – Masseduction
5. Girlpool – Powerplant
6. Aimee Mann – Mental Illness
7. Allison Crutchfield – Tourist In This Town
8. Alvvays – Antisocialites
9. Bedouine – Bedouine
10. Charly Bliss – Guppy
11. Diet Cig – Swear I’m Good at This
12. Japanese Breakfast – Soft Sounds From Another Planet
13. Jay Som – Everybody Works
14. Jlin – Black Origami
15. Juana Molina – Halo
16. Julie Byrne – Not Even Happiness
17. Laura Marling – Semper Femina
18. Mammút – Kinder Versions
19. Melkbelly – Nothing Valley
20. Molly Burch – Please Be Mine
21. Sallie Ford – Soul Sick
22. Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings – Soul of a Woman
23. Suzanne Santo – Ruby Red
24. SZA – Ctrl
25. Tara Jane O’Neil – Tara Jane O’Neil
26. This Is the Kit – Moonshine Freeze
27. Tracy Bonham – Modern Burdens
28. Vagabon – Infinite Worlds
29. Valerie June – The Order of Time
30. Weaves – Wide Open
Waxahatchee – Silver
Julien Baker -Appointments
Larkin Poe – Look Away
St. Vincent – New York
Girlpool – It Gets More Blue
Aimee Mann – Goose Snow Cone
Allison Crutchfield – I Don’t Ever Wanna Leave California
Alvvays – Dreams Tonite
Bedouine – One of These Days
Charly Bliss – Glitter
Diet Cig – Tummy Ache
Japanese Breakfast – Boyish
Jay Som – Baybee
Jlin – Black Origami
Juana Molina – Paraguaya
Julie Byrne – Natural Blue
Laura Marling – Next Time
Mammut – The Moon Will Never Turn Me On
Melkbelly – Middle Of
Molly Burch – Please Be Mine
Sallie Ford – Get Out
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings – Matter of Time
Suzanne Santo – Ghost In My Bed
SZA – The Weekend
Tara Jane O’Neil – Blow
This Is the Kit – Hotter Colder
Tracy Bonham – Mother Mother
Vagabon – The Embers
Valerie June – Shakedown
Weaves – WalkawayImage copyright Citta Metropolitana di Firenze Image caption The machine creates a blast of cold air to cool down the contents of a central pitcher
A sketch by Leonardo da Vinci of a "cooling machine" has been brought to life, with a working model of the contraption being presented in Milan.
The inventor's design, which has been dated to around 1492, included both a drawing of the machine and a theoretical explanation of how it would work, the Firenze Today website reports. It was likely designed for drinks, or perhaps sorbets and desserts, the report says. The machine uses a large, circular bellows to create a blast of cool air, which is then channelled through multiple nozzles to concentrate it on a central pitcher.
While Leonardo is known to have been a prolific inventor, sketching designs for everything from bridges to flying machines, it's possible that the cooling machine became a reality during his lifetime. He organised various banquets for noble families which involved water or snow fountains, according to Alessandro Vezzosi, director of the Museo Ideale Leonardo da Vinci. "There's no reason to rule out the possibility that this machine was also built in his laboratory."
The new model was a collaboration between Mr Vezzosi's museum and the ice cream company Sammontana, which helped to provide funding. It will be on display at Milan's science museum - which is named after the inventor - until the end of October.
Next story: Bronze Age gold spirals unearthed in field
Use #NewsfromElsewhere to stay up-to-date with our reports via Twitter.Since the left is scrambling to come to terms with the shocking notion of a president who isn’t politically correct, one heartwarming trend is rising: the new interest among progressives to homeschool their children.
“The irony is rich,” notes this article. “Leftists angered by President Donald Trump’s new secretary of education, Betsy DeVos, are threatening to do what they once considered unthinkable – homeschool their children.”
As a former homeschooling mom (our daughters have graduated), I find this encouraging.
For decades, conservatives have yanked their kids out of public schools in droves to avoid the liberal brainwashing and indoctrination taking place in America’s classrooms. For this, we were richly lambasted by those who were “disgusted by evangelical Christian homeschooling parents who brainwash their kids into being just as ignorant, narrow-minded, intolerant and self-righteous as they are. … This kind of brainwashing is nothing short of child abuse. Mental, not physical.” (Quoted from an email I received from a progressive reader.)
This same progressive reader further indicated all children – without exception – should be enrolled in public schools to shape their beliefs in accordance with current “acceptable” standards, including moral relativism, diversity, revised history, socialism and full accessibility to reproductive health services. It didn’t matter what the parents think. All kids need a public school education to shape their minds in compliance with progressive ideology.
Except – now there’s a conservative administration in Washington. The shoe is on the other foot. Oh no!
For the first time, leftist parents are facing what the right has dealt with for decades: placing their children in a potentially hostile environment where they may be taught (gasp) viewpoints antithetical to everything they believe in. The only reason they didn’t object before this was because they approved of what was being taught. But now? Uh-oh.
So now liberals are interested in home education. Good for them. Of course, they’ll have to pony up the money for books and supplies and curricula. They’ll have to begin treading the morass of often-hostile state homeschooling laws. They’ll have to toe the line to meet various requirements, file paperwork, conform to regulations and hope they’ve crossed every T and dotted every I.
And through it all, they’ll learn to fear the ultimate government sledgehammer: Child Protective Services, which is routinely called to homeschoolers’ doors for vague and unspecified accusations of abuse or neglect. Yes, nothing livens up a homeschooling parent’s day more than the prospect of losing one’s children into the foster care system for the crime of loving them enough to educate them at home.
Liberals will have to learn a few more things when it comes to successfully teaching their own. A big issue will be children viewing their parents as authority figures, not pals. One parent noted: “I homeschooled my children and there were days I wondered why I was doing it. If children are not taught authority, mom in charge and you need to do what you are told, parents will not last long. Most children don’t like learning stuff that doesn’t directly affect them. They want life to be easy and having schools at home send conflicting messages, relaxation and bucking down to work. Liberals will have a hard time with this because you need to discipline children when you homeschool them. Can liberals do this?”
To which another parent replied: “As a counter-cultural missionary (Christian teacher in a public school), I have known some 4-6th graders who had been homeschooled by leftist parents. They were worse off than the kids who had been in public schools since Head Start!”
So, yes, leftists who want to homeschool their kids will have a lot to learn.
Ah, but the benefits! There’s no finer way to forge close and loving bonds with your children than to teach them yourself. Done properly, homeschooled children learn manners, discipline, self-control and respect. They develop a work ethic and become self-starters. These, I presume, are qualities every parent would be proud to develop in their kids.
Because let me tell ya, with few exceptions, these are not qualities routinely taught in a public school environment.
But wait, it gets better. It seems U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., has introduced a bill that would completely abolish the Department of Education by the end of 2018. Massie argues state and local governments should be in charge of education policy rather than the federal agency, stating: “Unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., should not be in charge of our children’s intellectual and moral development. States and local communities are best positioned to shape curricula that meet the needs of their students.”
I couldn’t be more pleased by this development. Remember, these Washington education bureaucrats are unelected and, therefore, unaccountable. Returning public education to regional or even state control offers the much-needed concept of local accountability over our school systems.
What progressives never realized – or perhaps just won’t admit – is public education has degenerated to the position of breeding useful idiots whose purpose is to parrot the agenda of what funds it (namely, the federal government). There’s a reason Nazi Germany wanted control of its youth. There’s a similar reason our government wants control of its schools. America has slipped its moorings and drifted far away from its constitutional foundations largely because of its federal monopoly on public education.
Education was never mentioned in the Constitution because the Founding Fathers knew it was not a federal matter. Education in the hands of the government is a dangerous thing, and there are endless tragic historical examples to demonstrate this.
But now, at least for four years, we have the chance to yank our country back from its destructive path. Dismantling the Department of Education may not be the sole answer, but it’s a good start.
I’ve heard it said that “brainwashing” is the job of parents, not the schools. This is not quite accurate. Homeschooling parents aren’t brainwashing their children; they’re raising them. Public schools are the ones indoctrinating children in compliance with state-sanctioned requirements that often contradict parental authority. They’re the ones doing the brainwashing.
I may not agree with what progressive homeschoolers will teach their children, but here’s the thing: It’s their right to teach them whatever they want, just as it is our right to teach our children whatever we want. Works both ways, folks.
To parents everywhere, progressive or otherwise, who are contemplating educating their children at home, let me extend the hand of welcome into the homeschooling community. You won’t regret it – that is, assuming you take the responsibility that comes with the job.
Oh, and one other thing: It’s very difficult to homeschool if no one is home.
Housewife, anyone?
Learn how to achieve a simple lifestyle without “going green” or joining a monastery. Read Patrice Lewis’ helpful book, “The Simplicity Primer: 365 Ideas for Making Life more Livable”
Media wishing to interview Patrice Lewis, please contact [email protected].The San Jose Earthquakes have had a relatively quiet offseason so far in terms of roster news, but it appears that that is about to change.
According to a report from Get French Football News, AC Ajaccio team captain Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi has finalized a deal to sign with MLS and the San Jose Earthquakes. The report claims that Pierazzi and his Ligue 1 employer mutually terminated his contract and that the defensive central midfielder will join the Quakes on a free transfer. An Earthquakes team spokesperson confirmed that the two sides have agreed to terms to bring Pierazzi to MLS, but the deal has not been finalized.
AC Ajaccio released a statement last week that Pierazzi was unlikely to continue his career with the club, and rumors quickly circulated that the Chicago Fire might be his destination, but they did not indicate what move was in store for the 28-year old. San Jose's interest in the Ajaccio native was first reported last week by Get French Football News, but confirmation of that interest by the Quakes was initially not forthcoming.
Pierazzi has played his entire career for his hometown club and in 179 appearances has scored 2 goals. More an organizing midfielder, much in the same mold as Sam Cronin, Pierazzi would provide cover for last season's team MVP and could also start alongside Cronin if the Quakes chose a more defensive formation. In addition to his qualities on the field, the longtime captain of AC Ajaccio is expected to provide a strong character in the Earthquakes locker room, a trait that head coach Mark Watson indicated at the conclusion of the 2013 season that he would be looking for in guys signed to the roster for 2014.
As of the start of the new year, San Jose's website showed 21 players on the 30-man roster, and three of those players, Steven Beitashour, Marvin Chavez, and Jaime Alas, are unlikely to be back with the club this season. In addition to signing Pierazzi, the Earthquakes will continue their offseason push to improve their team through the spine of the formation.I made it a priority to focus 100% on making a gameplay video as soon as it was possible. I’ve been making a ton of progress so I wanted to share how it was going so far!
First off, what does it mean when I say I’m focused on a gameplay video? It means that stuff that is typically saved for later in development is pushed forward (like graphical effects for the grill) and stuff that’s important for the game but unimportant for gameplay is pushed back until the video is ready (like having text being loaded outside the game for translation purposes). It does jumble things a bit but it’s a great morale booster as it gives me a window into how the game is shaping up and what to expect when it’s all done.
Yesterday I had to rewrite some of the visual scripting I had going on as it was much too complex to be really useful. I was worried how difficult it would be to write this part of the engine, as it is the number one thing that changes drastically from food to food. For example, I can make a new ingredient menu for a new food in five minutes, as they all use the same basic scripts and code. But to display that food on the grill or on a plate takes a ton more time, or at least, it would if I had to do it food by food like I did in the last game. Now, I’m making it to where I can make batches of food per equipment. So by making the grill I can focus on getting all the foods that utilize the grill in the game, then make the deep fryer, etc.
I want a good variety for the gameplay video so I think I’m going with six foods, two sides and two desserts. Two of those foods are the Hamburger and Lasagna, and I wanted to expand a bit on how those look in CSD 2. First up is the grill…I’m super happy with how it turned out in the game. In the first game, you would throw the patties on the grill and they’d have a bit of smoke come up, but that was mostly it. In this one, I have the charcoal grill glowing underneath, with sparks popping randomly and a large amount of steam rising up. Throw some patties on there and the sparks really fly with some fun particle effects. On one hand, graphically it looks super snazzy and I could just stare at the grill all day. On the other, it’s something that players are going to slam through quickly and maybe see it for 2-3 seconds at a time. Thankfully with this new engine I’m able to do all these effects in just a few hours, so I’m not spending a large amount of time on the little stuff, no matter how much fun it is to do.
Another thing I ran into was the Lasagna recipe. In this game I’m going with a LCD-like display for ingredients to make it super easy to read. But what about recipes with a lot more information? I tried to make it fit using the framework I made for the other recipes, but I wasn’t having any luck. It was too confusing. Ultimately I decided to just write it out on the screen, but even then it didn’t really pop. So I decided to try highlighting the ingredients in a different way from the rest of the text.
While it doesn’t have that LCD design, it does display the steps clearly, and I like the color coding I have going on here. I might have to choose form over fashion on this one. It still looks nice at least!
Speaking of Lasagna, the ol’ PSCR keys are back! But I’ve made a small change, from Parmesan being R to Ricotta being R. It’s technically more accurate and easier to remember. And I’m also adding a new ingredient for later recipes, one that I really like but still doesn’t quite hold a candle to meat Lasagnas. But that’s just me. :D
Another part of the UI I’m changing is the way orders display in prep stations. In the last game, yellow signified orders that were ready to serve immediately, and blue orders meant you had some more prep work to do. That could be a little bit difficult to view instantly when things got chaotic, so I’m switching to a huge checkmark on orders that can be served immediately.
The addition of Holding Stations also means I have two new icons for incoming orders, which I’d like to add to a bit more from the last Holding Station update. Here we have two orders that just popped up. Lasagnas always require a Holding Station, and Burgers are optional as I could cook some patties in the Holding Station and skip the cook phase of the Burger. If I don’t have any patties available, I can just cook them on demand with the Burger.
An optional HS food is shown with a yellow icon (meaning you can still prep it right away), and a required HS food is shown with a red stop sign icon (meaning you have to make the food in the Holding Station before serving it).
In this case I decide to cook the Burger normally and make a Lasagna in the Holding Station. Now when both orders are fully cooked, I have the Lasagna with a checkmark indicating I can serve it immediately, even if I’m making food or doing something else at the moment. The Burger is blue but with no checkmark, which means I still need to put it all together before serving, just like the last game.
The large checkmarks are much easier to see at a glance, and I think are a better solution than the yellow/blue codes in the original game.
The best part about Holding Station foods, though, is the fact that you serve them immediately. So I get six orders worth of food when I make Lasagna, which means these three tickets that just came in can all be served immediately for a perfect order, and I’ll still have enough Lasagna for three more orders!
It makes the game much faster as a result. I can’t wait to see how it comes into play when people get to play around with these different types of foods.
I’ve still got lots of work to do for the gameplay trailer but things are really coming together nicely, and way more quickly than I anticipated. I’ll have another update next week that talks about the new sound design, so until then, have a tasty week!Using surveillance video from other area businesses to identify the arsonist, Gary Nathaniel Moore, 37, was arrested and charged with starting the Christmas Day fire that devastated a Houston, Texas mosque. Moore is a devout Muslim who attended this same mosque for years, praying up to five times a day every day of the week.
Also up in smoke is the DC Media’s hoped-for anti-GOP Narrative. Before any facts were known, numerous DC Media outlets immediately exploited the tragedy to place the blame for the fire on Donald Trump.
CBS News:
Advocacy groups believe there has been a spike in anti-Muslim incidents across the United States in recent weeks that can be linked to the mass shooting in California and the inflammatory rhetoric of Donald Trump and other Republican presidential candidates. And they say that Muslims are fearful the backlash could lead to further harassment and violence.
CNN:
The Houston chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations called on authorities to investigate the fire for an anti-Muslim motive. “Because of the recent spike in hate incidents targeting mosques nationwide, we urge law enforcement authorities to investigate a possible bias motive for this fire,” Mustafaa Carroll, the chapter’s executive director, said in a statement.
NBC News:
The Houston chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations called on authorities to investigate a possible bias motive in the case, citing what it called a “recent spike in hate incidents targeting mosques nationwide.
Now that a devout Muslim has been charged, the DC Media will forget all about the incident.
The media’s playbook is always to immediately use any disaster or crime as a means to make the GOP answer for it. Then, once the facts come out and point to a member of the Protected Class, the story is memory-holed and the accusation against the Republican lingers.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNCFrom our Deep House Series:
Hello producers, how’s it going? This post will attempt to identify 6 common bassline patterns, progressions and techniques used in Deep-House. So, whether you’re looking to learn some new tips and tricks or you just can’t find your inspiration for your next track, we hope this will be a useful read, but be aware, it is a long one!
Summary:
The “Bam-Bam-Bam” in the second bar The Ten Walls Bassline The Classic Deep House Pattern The Simple 4-notes Bassline The 2-notes Deep Tribal Bassline The Double On Beat Bassline
We’ll use Ableton Live 9 as our workstation, but you can follow this with any DAW. Most of the bassline sounds are coming from the Massive and Sylenth1 VSTs. We’ll show how to create not just the bassline pattern, but also how to write the entire midi sequence. We could just give you the.midi files, but there’s a greater chance of learning something from this post. Just make sure to pay attention to the Ableton grid settings in the right corner of every image. Also, if you have any questions or suggestions just get in touch with us at hi@promusicproducers.com! And a final note, don’t take this post too seriously. Okay then, let’s start.
6 Deep House
Bassline Patterns
1) The “Bam-Bam-Bam” in the second bar.
As in EDX – Reckless Ardor, or as in Construction Kit 1 from our Deep House Maniac Pack:
The tempo is 121 BPM and the track is in the D# minor scale. The big thing here is the impact of the three notes just before the end of the second bar. So, let’s jump into it.
STEP 1 – Create a 2 bars long clip and insert 9 D# notes:
It should sound like this:
STEP 2 – Starting with the third D# move all the notes to F#:
It should sound like this:
STEP 3 – Duplicate these 2 bars so you’ll get a 4 bars clip. In the last 2 bars, move the D# to F# so the bassline will continue the progression from the first 2 bars. Now, to create an ascending sequence, move 2 notes to G# and the rest of the notes to A#:
It should sound like this:
STEP 4 – After we inserted our progression, it’s now time to create that “bam-bam-bam” effect at the end of every 2 bars. This is why we left that space empty so far. So, just before the end of the second bar, insert a B (1/8), followed by F# (1/16) one octave lower and D# (1/16). To distinguish the second bar from the fourth bar, we’ll do something similar, but with a different sequence of three longer notes: D#, G# and F#. And we’re done!
The bassline should sound like this:
And with all elements:
2) The Ten Walls Bassline
As in Ten Walls – Walking with Elephants, Luca Guerrieri – Harmony, or as in Construction Kit 10 from our House Constructor Pack:
The tempo is 121 BPM and the track is in the C minor scale. The Ten Walls’ bassline is described by the unique trombone/tuba texture. For this demonstration, we’ll use the Synth Lead preset called “Detune1 Reso Female Lead” that comes with Ableton Live 9. Okay, let’s start.
STEP 1 – Create a 2 bars long clip. Insert 5 long C notes (3/16) such that the the 1st, 3rd and 5th are hitting with the kick. The 2nd and 4th C will play off-beat:
It should sound like this:
STEP 2 – Now let’s create a progression that climbs up towards the second bar but then descends back to C. So, move the notes to D, D#, F and then back to D:
It should sound like this:
STEP 3 – Notice that we left a space of 3/16 between each note. Now we’re gonna fill this space with the same notes, but one octave higher. Here the second note will always be one octave higher:
It should sound like this:
STEP 4 – Extend the length of the clip to 4 bars. In these 2 new bars, we’ll stop the motion from the the first 2 bars by inserting a long C note. This gives the bassline some time to prepare for the next motion that we’ll create in Step 5:
It should sound like this:
STEP 5 – Duplicate these 4 bars that we created so far, so you’ll have a 8 bars clip. Delete the notes from the 5th and 6th bar as we’ll do something different here in order to completely change the vibe of the track. Here, instead of ascending, the notes will be descending. So, instead of the progression C – D – D# – F – D we’ll be creating G – F – D# – D and back to C. Not only this, but now the higher notes go first. So instead of C1 – C2 – D1 – D2 it will go G2 – G1 – F2 – F1. This creates a big impact after the long break in the 3rd and 4th bar:
It should sound like this:
STEP 6 – Finally, for some finishing touches we’ll do something similar as in the first bassline style from this post. Just before the end of 4th bar, decrease the length of the long C note, and insert three shorter notes (1/8) – one octave lower – G, G# and A#:
The bassline should sound like this:
And with all elements:
3) The Classic Deep House Pattern
As in Construction Kit 7 from our Deep House Maniac Pack:
The tempo is 123 BPM and the track is in the F# minor scale. The bassline follows a very common pattern in Deep House (also common for chords) and a very common progression: playing a higher note each bar. Okay, let’s take a look.
STEP 1 – Create a 1 bar long clip and draw this common pattern of 5 notes with F# (every 3/16):
It should sound like this:
STEP 2 – Duplicate this bar four times, so we’ll have a 4 bars clip to insert the progression. The 2nd bar ascends to B. The 3rd bar will go even further to D. The last bar will come back to E. Thus, we have the progression F# – B – D – E:
It should sound like this:
STEP 3 – So now that we have our progression, we can create a smoother transition between these bars. Between the 1st and 2nd bar, insert an A. Between the 2nd and 3rd bar and between the 3rd and 4th bar insert an E. At the end of the last bar, insert the F#. And we’re done!
The bassline should sound like this:
And with all elements:
4) The simple 4-notes bassline
As in Construction Kit 10 from our Deep House Maniac Pack:
The tempo is 124 BPM and the track is in the A minor scale. This is a simple and quick way to create a Deep House bassline. However, the track needs a solid melodic structure which builds on this bassline, so the attention will be shifted towards other instruments (the pad in this case). This is so simple that it requires a single step!
STEP 1 – Create a new clip, one bar long and insert 4 notes, on beat (hitting with the kick): A1 – C2 – D2 – G1. That’s it.
The bassline should sound like this:
And will all elements:
5) The 2-notes Deep Tribal Bassline
As in Construction Kit 3 from our House Constructor Pack:
The tempo is 125 BPM and the track is in the E minor scale. For Deep-Tribal-House tracks, when you got a solid groove of organic percussions, stabs, mallets or vocals, you can get away with a very simple 2-notes bassline. Let’s see how to do it.
STEP 1 – Create a 1 bar long clip and using the E key, draw this simple pattern:
It should sound like this:
STEP 2 – Duplicate this bar once, so you’ll get a 2 bars long clip. A simple common technique is to insert an additional, lower note, off-beat, just before the end of the 2nd bar. In this case, D. A very simple bassline but it goes well with the percussion:
The bassline should sound like this:
And with all elements:
6) The Double On Beat Bassline
As in Construction Kit 5 from our Deep House Maniac Pack:
The tempo is 126 BPM and the track is in the D minor scale. This bassline follows the old-school trance style double off-beat bass, known as the “gallop”. Basically, the trance pattern plays two short notes (1/8) in an off-beat sequence. However, for our Deep House bassline, we’ll play these notes on-beat. Let’s take a look!
STEP 1 – Create a new clip, one bar long. On the 1st beat, insert a D (1/8), followed by another D (1/8). Now copy these notes on the 3rd beat and move them to A#:
It should sound like this:
STEP 2 – Duplicate this bar four times, so you’ll have a 4 bars clip:
We didn’t do anything to the actual notes, we just increased the length of the clip to 4 bars so we can insert some additional notes.
STEP 3 – Let’s add more notes, but this time, off-beat. So, on the 2nd off beat spot in the 2nd and 4th bar draw a similar structure of 2 A keys:
It should sound like this:
STEP 4 – We can add some small changes in the last bar to make the bassline sound not so repetitive. For example, move the group of D notes to F. And there goes our last bassline pattern for today!
It should sound like this:
And with all elements:
That’s it!
We hope you enjoyed this post and if you found it useful, don’t forget to share it! If you have any questions or suggestions get in touch with us at hi@promusicproducers.com.NEW DELHI: The Sino-Indian ties have taken a hit with China blocking India's entry into NSG and also preventing UN from sanctioning Pakistan based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar but India seems to have finally decided it's payback time.India proposed to Singapore last month that the 2 countries make a specific mention in a joint statement of the international tribunal order in July this year dismissing China's "historical" rights as claimed by Beijing over almost all of South China Sea waters, top sources said.While India's proposal, which was made in the run up to the visit by Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong, was eventually shot down by Singapore, it indicates a resolve to articulate forcefully China's non-compliance with international law even as Beijing throws cold water on India's NSG bid citing New Delhi's refusal to sign NPT.Singapore is not a claimant state in South China Sea and has avoided taking sides in territorial disputes which involve, apart from China, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei. That is why Singapore struck down India's proposal as it did not want to go into the specifics by mentioning the Tribunal ruling.India is now discussing including an acknowledgement of the Tribunal ruling, which China dismissed as naturally null and void, in a joint statement with Japan which will be issued after the meeting next week between PM Narendra Modi and his counterpart Shinzo Abe India seems to want the joint statement with Vietnam, issued after Modi's visit to Hanoi in September, to serve as a template for similar documents with countries in the region. The document with Vietnam was unique because apart from the usual references to freedom of navigation and over flight, and respect for international law |
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This post contains spoilers related to Sunday’s episode of “Game of Thrones.”
Birgitte Hjort Sorensen made her debut on “Game of Thrones” on Sunday as a warrior chieftain named Karsi, a character that was actually slightly less intimidating than Kommissar, the German a capella glamazon she plays in “Pitch Perfect 2,” currently in theaters.
Karsi was arguably the most sympathetic of a group of Wildling elders, which of course marked her for death. Not long after saying goodbye to her own children she bit it by getting nibbled on by a gang of junior zombies. She was last seen resurrected on the shoreline, her ice-blue eyes signaling her status as a new recruit for the White Walkers’ army.
With her twin stints on a hit movie and one of the biggest shows in the world, the Danish actress, 33, is having one of those … what’s the word? “It does feel like a bit of a moment,” she said Monday morning. “They both speak to such a huge audience.”
But Ms. Sorensen has long been familiar to fans of international political dramas as Katrine Fonsmark, the striving reporter on the Danish parliamentary thriller “Borgen.” This summer she will begin work on HBO’s buzzy 1970s rock scene series, produced by Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger, where she will play an actress and Andy Warhol intimate.
Ms. Sorensen (as she notes in her Twitter bio, her first name is “pronounced Beer-gui-deh (ish)) called Monday to discuss shooting the big battle scene at Hardhome and Wildling gender politics. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
Q.
Which is more fiercely combative, zombie war or underground a capella contests?
A.
(Laughs) The challenges the Wildlings are facing are on a slightly more fatal scale than in the a capella world. But with any character, what they’re doing is usually life-or-death for them in some way. For Kommissar it is a matter of life or death that they win the world championships.
Q.
What did you know about “Game of Thrones” before you joined it?
A.
I know Nikolaj Coster-Waldau so I knew it was huge. I had seen a couple episodes and tried to catch up. I’m constantly surprised about the enormous reaction I get about it from all over the world. It seems like it should be, and I might not have the right word here, quite a nerdy show, but it reaches so many people very broadly.
Q.
The battle sequence seemed really complicated, with lots of action, but also lots of C.G.I. elements. What was it like to film?
A.
There was quite a lot of fighting going on. We rehearsed it a lot to get the stunt choreography down. Some of the shots would be with stuntmen dressed in green, so they could C.G.I. it afterward. Some of the shots would be with guys in costume. It felt for me like being a kid, because it’s such a clear black-and-white world — I’m on this side, you’re on that side and we fight against each other. It was easy to lose yourself in the fantasy world because the sets are so incredibly life-like. And during all this fighting, Miguel Sapochnik, our director, was so good at keeping us on the acting track. It was about protecting the family. It was never just about killing off some guys.
Q.
Yes, your character had a strong maternal streak. There was a moment when she put her children on a boat and said she’d be coming right behind them, which is almost never a good sign—
A.
Not on “Game of Thrones.”
Q.
And she watched them go for a long moment. Do you think she knew she was going to die?
A.
I think she knew the chance of seeing her kids again was small. I don’t think she really knew exactly what was coming. But she knew there was a good chance she would never see them again. You say “maternal” and certainly she was in that moment. But I was quite pleasantly surprised that this was a role where gender really didn’t matter. I didn’t feel I was “the woman chieftain.” I felt like we were all on the same team together. That was a fun experience for me because it’s rare.
Q.
Are you aware of some of the discussion about gender politics and sexual violence that surrounds this show?
A.
You know there is a lot of nudity and a lot of pretty aggressive, not just violence, but sex. I knew it was part of this show and was relieved that I didn’t have to deal with that in my part. It was a nice change. Any director or writer or artist has the right to do what they want to do — freedom of expression is something I celebrate. If nothing else, it makes people discuss these things. I haven’t thought of it as feminist or anti-feminist. It’s a very violent, brutal world and with that comes a lot of mistreatment of both men and women.
Q.
Even though you got killed off, reports have suggested you might be in the finale. Can you say what you’re doing?
A.
I don’t know. I’ve been told that no one knows what happens in the future on “Game of Thrones.” To my knowledge, I’ve shot one episode. So I’m as excited as anyone else to find out what happens.Texas A&M-Duke was one of the Top 25 games of 2013. (Paul Abell-USA TODAY Sports)
ESPNU will air the Top 25 college football games of the 2013 season, the network has announced. The 12-day marathon of games on ESPNU will begin on Monday, July 21.
ESPN selected and ranked the Top 25 games of 2013 and will let the fans decide the order of the Top 5 via a SportsNation poll. Those five games are listed below:
Auburn-Alabama
Florida State-Auburn
Ohio State-Michigan
Texas A&M-Duke
Auburn-Georgia
Listed below is the complete schedule of games (all on ESPNU; note that four games will not be aired).
Monday, July 21
No. 25 – Michigan State 24, Stanford 20 (Rose Bowl), 7pm ET
No. 24 – Colorado St. 48, Washington St. 45 (New Mexico Bowl), 10pm ET
Tuesday, July 22
No. 23 – Alabama 49, Texas A&M 42, 7pm ET
No. 22 – Fresno State 52, Rutgers 51, 10pm ET
Wednesday, July 23
No. 21 – Navy 58, San Jose State 52, 7pm ET
No. 20 – Georgia 44, LSU 41, 10pm ET
Thursday, July 24
No. 19 – Clemson 40, Ohio State 35 (Orange Bowl), 7pm ET
No. 18 – Arizona State 32, Wisconsin 30, 10pm ET
Friday, July 25
No. 17 – Auburn 45, Texas A&M 41, 7pm ET
Monday, July 28
No. 15 – Georgia 34, Tennessee 31, 7pm ET
No. 14 – Penn State 43, Michigan 40, 10pm ET
Tuesday, July 29
No. 12 – Rutgers 55, SMU 52, 7pm ET
No. 11 – Ole Miss 39, Vanderbilt 35, 10pm ET
Wednesday, July 30
No. 10 – Oklahoma 33, Oklahoma St. 24, 7pm ET
No. 8 – UCF 38, Louisville 35, 10pm ET
Thursday, July 31
No. 7 – South Carolina 27, Missouri 24, 10pm ET
Friday, Aug. 1
No. 5 – Ohio State 42, Michigan 41, 7pm ET
Saturday, Aug. 2
No. 4 – Texas A&M 52, Duke 48, 6pm ET
No. 3 – Auburn 43, Georgia 38, 9pm ET
Sunday, Aug. 3
No. 2 – Florida State 34, Auburn 31, 6pm ET
No. 1 – Auburn 34, Alabama 28, 9pm ET
Games that will not Re-air
No. 16 – Oregon State 51, Utah 48
No. 13 – Notre Dame 38, Navy 34
No. 9 – Michigan St. 34, Ohio St. 24 (Big Ten Championship)
No. 6 – Oregon 36, Oregon St. 35Colorado has made more than half a billion dollars from taxing marijuana since recreational sales became legal in the state three years ago.
Tax revenues from marijuana sales have increased every year since 2014, when the state made more than $76 million, according to a report released Wednesday by cannabis strategic planning firm VS Strategies.
The report shows the total revenue from marijuana totaled almost $199 million in 2016, and Colorado has already taken in almost $100 million in taxes through May.
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Mason Tvert, a spokesman for VS Strategies, said the new revenue is having a “significant and positive impact on our community,” Fox 13 Denver reported Wednesday.
More than half of the new funds in Colorado are being used for education, and 14 percent go to substance abuse prevention and treatment. The funds also support services such as regulating the sales, criminal justice and additional public health uses.
“We hope lawmakers will continue to distribute these funds responsibly and not lose sight of what voters intended when they opted to regulate and tax marijuana similarly to alcohol,” Tvert said. “Marijuana tax money has been used to improve a wide range of programs and services.”
Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, pushed back on the benefits of commercializing the drug, saying it costs $193 billion a year to taxpayers nationally and $3.3 billion in Colorado for workers’ “lost productivity, health, and safety costs.”
He said these costs “far outweigh” the increased revenue taken in from the commercialization of the drug. Sabet cited the fact that some Colorado businesses have had to hire residents outside the state “to find drug-free employees” and claimed that the revenue doesn't put a dent in total education funding.
“Like the tobacco industry before it, the Colorado marijuana lobby is touting marijuana as the panacea for every contemporary challenge Colorado faces,” Sabet said. “It’s time for the marijuana industry to face the truth – they lied to voters and have failed to live up to their promises."
—Updated Thursday at 12:31 p.m.Donald Trump speaks at a caucus night watch party at the Treasure Island Hotel & Casino on February 23, 2016 in Las Vegas.
Donald Trump speaks at a caucus night watch party at the Treasure Island Hotel & Casino on February 23, 2016 in Las Vegas. Photo: Getty Images
Republican Donald Trump is trouncing Florida Sen. Marco Rubio in his home state, 44% to 28%, according to a Quinnipiac University poll of Florida Republicans released Thursday.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz had 12% in the survey, followed by Ohio Gov. John Kasich with 7% and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson with 4%.
Mr. Rubio, who has yet to win a state but notched second-place finishes in South Carolina and Nevada, has been banking on a win in Florida—which holds a winner-take-all contest March 15—to inject momentum and much-needed delegates into his campaign. Mr. Trump is leading in polls in nearly all 11 states voting on March 1, Super Tuesday, when more convention delegates will be awarded than on any other primary day of the 2016 calendar.
“We’ll win in Florida,” Mr. Rubio said Wednesday on CBS. The senator told reporters earlier this week: “We know how to run and win campaigns in Florida.”
Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University poll, called Florida the “single biggest prize of the primary season” due to the number of delegates it awards on a winner-take-all basis. “If Sen. Rubio can’t win in his own home state, it is difficult to see how he can win elsewhere,” he said.
Mr. Cruz faces a similar problem in his home state, where three polls released this week show him leading by margins of between one and 15 percentage points. A victory by Mr. Trump in Tuesday’s primary would cast a critical blow to Mr. Cruz’s campaign.
While Mr. Trump is leading in Florida, about a fifth of Republicans said they “would definitely not support” the celebrity billionaire. Some 26% said the same of Mr. Cruz and 17% of Mr. Rubio.
The poll surveyed 705 Florida Republicans between Feb. 21-24, and has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3.7 percentage points.
More
Ted Cruz Faces Must-Win Challenge in Texas
Mitt Romney Suspects ‘Bombshell’ in Donald Trump Tax Return
Changing U.S. Demographics Favor Democrats in Election, Report SaysMetro Inspiration–Designing Better Looking Apps for Windows Phone 7 Sunday, March 27, 2011
Recently I had the pleasure of checking out @jeffwilcox’s newest app for the Windows Phone 7 platform called 4th & Mayor. It allows you to interact with the location-based platform called foursquare.
His app allows you to check in, take pictures, find friends, etc. Everything other mobile apps for foursquare do. In the design of the app, Jeff has really done a nice job on embracing and extending the Metro look and feel that’s prevalent on the Windows Phone 7 platform.
Inspiration
For me, I’m not even a foursquare junkie. I (still) don’t see the value in telling the world where I am at any given moment but I gave it a shot with Jeff’s app. Using his app I created an account, checked into a few places, and even became mayor of a few local hops (like the corner variety store, go me). I still think foursquare is silly, but 4th & Major made it fun for me.
Some key design features I saw in 4th & Mayor:
Large touchable icons. Not tiny little things but big, bold 200 pixel wide images that expanded out to full size when tapped.
Use of Accent Colour. Jeff uses it sparingly and doesn’t overdo it by setting subtitles and key information on the screens in whatever accent colour you use.
Light and Dark. Jeff makes sure that the app still looks good in both dark and light themes and uses bold Metro like icons for types of locations (instead of say photos)
Whitespace and Alignment. Nothing is too crowded in the design, even when there’s a lot of information to present and all the text aligns nicely so it’s not all over the place.
Enter Metro
What’s Metro? Metro is the name of the new design language created for the Windows Phone 7 interface. It’s heavily influenced by Swiss print and packaging and focusing on simplicity. You can read up more about Metro here and review the Windows Phone 7 design guide that talks about specific controls and implementation here.
Since the release Jeff has also posted what he’s calling his Metro Design Guide. It’s a checklist (of sorts) that goes through the various aspects of the Metro design fundamentals and some things he’s sharing with everyone. It’s a great read and gets you into “thinking Metro” so I encourage everyone to check it out.
So where were we? Oh yeah. After playing around with 4th & Major and checking out a few other apps (like the Rock & Snow App out of the U.K. Marketplace) I thought it would be appropriate to give my simplistic Hamurabi game a facelift, Metro style. Little tweaks here and there just to clean things up a little. Here’s how I transformed the app to the next version.
The app is pretty basic. A pivot table with various sections for playing the app, getting help, etc. and one gameplay screen where all the action takes place. Here’s version 1.0
Bland and boring. The pivot control is the out of the box one. The gameplay screen is just a portrait page with some controls on it. I did do some styling in the first version around the slider control to make it a little better. I really didn’t care for the out of the box slider as my first test user claimed they didn’t know how to use it. So I just styled it with a round button with a little gradient background to make it more prominent. Yes, it looks a little like an iPhone control but there’s no real Metro equivalent and the default implementation sucks.
Metrofication
First up I went through the entire app and cleaned up the various offsets. In Jeff’s guide, the magic number is 12 pixels. I think I have engrained into my head now. 12, 12, 12, 12. And multiples of 12 are fine too, but by default regular text is indented 12 pixels from the edge of the screen. It’s a nice number so don’t mess with it.
As you can see from the screenshots above, I’m not completely consistent in my alignment and spacing. Text overhangs various places and isn’t consistent. Also the text on the home page doesn’t seem to stand out. It’s hard to tell the difference between the titles and the descriptions (they’re larger in size but I think we can do better).
The Prime Directive
If there were a Prime Directive when building an app for WP7 this might be it. Simplicity through consistency. Stick with known styles and numbers. The default spacing is 12 pixels and while you might need some more, try to keep with that number in mind. Keep your spacing consistent throughout your entire app as well as colours and fonts. I don’t mean use the same font everywhere but I do mean to not arbitrarily space controls on the design surface.
This idea here is that when a user is looking at one app, then flipping to another it shouldn’t be a jarring user experience. Your own app pages should be consistent in their font use and spacing as well. If everyone follows some simple consistent rules (both in and out of your app) then the user benefits. The experience is consistent and while you’re totally allowed to be creative, don’t overdo it.
That is, don’t do this:
Here’s a Windows app that someone wrote which just goes to show that being unique isn’t the best experience in the world for the end user. Cluttered, multiple colours, multiple fonts. In a word, confusion just from an aesthetic sense (let alone the poor sucker who has to use this app).
Metro is like a design pattern. In software development we have all kinds of patterns. Patterns for separation of responsibility, patterns for accessing external data. If you can program it, there’s probably a pattern for it. The thing is with patterns think of them like sewing patterns. They provide a shape to cut out and some instructions on how to use them. You can follow them by the book and get a good result. It’s the people that take patterns and apply their own creativity to them that makes them stand out. This is the same with Metro. There’s no rule written in stone that says you have to use a specific font in a specific size for a panorama title. What the Windows Phone toolkit provides out of the box is a default implementation.
Pivot to Panorama
For example let’s take a look at the Panorama control. As I was cleaning up the Hamurabi app I thought it might fare better as a panorama control instead of a pivot. It’s a choice as to what control to use as the two are very similar but I follow a simple rule. If the data presented is different slices of a bigger list (for example filtered views of a large list) then a pivot might be more appropriate. If the screens are somewhat disjointed and don’t really go well together then a panorama might work. Again, no hard and fast rule here but I thought I would try a panorama control.
Here’s the default panorama control you get if you use the Microsoft template:
Simple and it works. Nothing special you need to do except replace the background image with you own.
Or is there?
For Hamurabi I didn’t want the harshness of the title that comes with the out of the box panorama control so I created a new style for the title and added it to the page:
1 < phone:PhoneApplicationPage.Resources > 2 < Style x:Key ="PanoHeaderTitle" TargetType ="TextBlock" > 3 < Setter Property ="FontSize" Value ="120" /> 4 < Setter Property ="FontFamily" Value ="Segoe WP Light" /> 5 < Setter Property ="Opacity" Value ="0.6" /> 6 < Setter Property ="Margin" Value ="0,50,0,-20" /> 7 </ Style > 8 </ phone:PhoneApplicationPage.Resources >
Then instead of using the default Header property I overrode that with a custom TitleTemplate:
1 <!-- Panorama control --> 2 < controls:Panorama > 3 < controls:Panorama.TitleTemplate > 4 < DataTemplate > 5 < TextBlock Text ="my application" 6 Style =" {StaticResource PanoHeaderTitle} " /> 7 </ DataTemplate > 8 </ controls:Panorama.TitleTemplate > 9 < controls:Panorama.Background > 10 < ImageBrush ImageSource ="PanoramaBackground.png" /> 11 </ controls:Panorama.Background >
The result is a slightly less glaring title. It’s still a Panorama control but I like it better than the default one. The text doesn’t stand out as much and I find it more inviting. Also with the reduced font size from the default, I have a little more room for my application.
Next up were the Panorama Items. Again, here’s the default:
And again we do a little styling. Instead of a single text title I wanted to put in a subtitle and change up the font weights and sizes a bit. Here’s the new XAML styles that we’ll use in our custom item header:
1 < Style x:Key ="ItemHeaderTitle" TargetType ="TextBlock" > 2 < Setter Property ="FontSize" Value ="48" /> 3 < Setter Property ="FontFamily" Value ="Segoe WP Semibold" /> 4 </ Style > 5 < Style x:Key ="ItemHeaderSubTitle" TargetType ="TextBlock" > 6 < Setter Property ="FontSize" Value ="32" /> 7 </ Style >
And here’s the updated XAML for the Panorama Item:
1 <!-- Panorama item one --> 2 < controls:PanoramaItem > 3 < controls:PanoramaItem.Header > 4 < StackPanel > 5 < TextBlock Text ="first item" 6 Style =" {StaticResource ItemHeaderTitle} " /> 7 < TextBlock Text ="this is the first item" 8 Style =" {StaticResource ItemHeaderSubTitle} " /> 9 </ StackPanel > 10 </ controls:PanoramaItem.Header > 11 <!-- Double line list with text wrapping -->
And here’s the updated Panorama control from the app:
These are simple changes we’re making here. Nothing Earth shattering but they’re making a difference. I’m not saying everyone should go out and make their apps look like this but be creative. Look at your subject and think about what experience you want your user to have. Is it better to identify things with icons than words? If you’re building something common that everyone knows by sight, maybe you should use graphics for titles (or to supplement them). Again, don’t go overboard here. Look back at good examples like 4th & Mayor. It’s not littered with graphics in every corner. Use it sparingly as an accent, not as the cornerstone of your app.
After doing the initial changes I found a suitable background image for the Panorama control. As Jeff points out in his article, don’t use a Panorama control if you only have two pages (it doesn’t flow very well) and keep the number down (he recommends no more than three). I went a little overboard with mine as I had help, tips, and strategy pages. If I combine them all I could bring that number and maybe I will.
The other slight change I did was to style the default button. Again I didn’t go overboard here as I didn’t want buttons to look like WinForms apps or something. I just felt the default white border button was boring so I just used a simple gradient background and a colour that was more appropriate for the application. Hopefully it blends in a little more. Here’s some screenshots from the transformation.
A little different from the original but not by much. Here’s a summary of the UI changes I did:
Changed from Pivot control to Panorama (new background image)
Styled Panorama Title (smaller font; lighter opacity)
Styled Panorama Item Header to be two lines instead of one (plus slight font and size changes)
Styled default buttons
More use of Accent colours sprinkled on various pages to highlight important parts
Larger icons for game mode selection (130 pixels instead of 100)
More consistent alignment and spacing throughout the app
All in all it took me about two hours to do all the changes (including hunting down some stock images and putzing around with the button gradient). No real investment and I think it’s an improvement over the original version. It’s still not perfect and I can see a few little tweaks here and there with margins that I need to correct. There’s also version 1.2!
So if you’re going to take anything away from this its to be creative. Don’t always just accept the norm as norm. Apply your artistic talents to your apps and with a few slight modifications you can go from bland and boring to interesting and fun. And remember to not to go crazy. Get an outside opinion. Pass your app onto others, post screenshots, etc. Above all, go out and create.George Henry Murray (June 7, 1861 – January 6, 1929) was a Nova Scotia politician who served as the province's eighth premier for 26 years and 188 days, the longest unbroken tenure for a head of government in Canadian history. He was born in Grand Narrows, Nova Scotia. He was a member of the North British Society.
Despite his later political longevity, Murray's early political career was marked by inability to get elected. He lost five consecutive elections at the federal and provincial level before finally winning a seat. Despite his electoral failures he was highly regarded within the Liberal Party and was nominated by Premier William Stevens Fielding to succeed him when Fielding left provincial politics in 1896 to join the federal cabinet of Sir Wilfrid Laurier. Murray was sworn in as premier and took a seat in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly when he was acclaimed as a candidate in Victoria County.
As premier, Murray was a practitioner of brokerage politics. His government continued the public works projects of his predecessor, particularly in the area of railways (doubling the province's track mileage within a decade), as well as road and bridge construction. Murray's government was instrumental in improving the province's post-secondary education system, particularly in the area of agricultural and vocational education through the founding of the Nova Scotia Agricultural College at Bible Hill as well as the Nova Scotia Technical College in Halifax.
In 1906, the Liberals instituted prohibition. The Murray government also introduced workers compensation in 1916 and instituted women's suffrage in 1918.
The Murray government also introduced progressive labour legislation such as the Factories Act in 1908 and workman's compensation for injuries on the job in 1915. In the area of public health the Murray government appointed public health officers, establishing county health clinics and founded a research hospital for tuberculosis patients.
After almost three decades in power Murray retired from politics in January 1923. He twice declined the offer of knighthood and twice refused earlier offers to join the federal cabinet of Sir Wilfrid Laurier. He died in Montreal.
His son George Belcher Murray later served in the provincial assembly.
See also [ edit ]Province of Argentina
Province in Rawson, Argentina
Chubut (Welsh: Talaith Chubut; Spanish: Provincia del Chubut IPA: [tʃuˈβut]) is a province in southern Argentina, situated between the 42nd parallel south (the border with Río Negro Province), the 46th parallel south (bordering Santa Cruz Province), the Andes range to the west, and the Atlantic ocean to the east. The province's name derives from the Tehuelche word chupat, meaning "transparent," their description of the Chubut River.
The largest city is Comodoro Rivadavia in the south of the province; it has 180,000 inhabitants. The administrative capital is Rawson (40,000). Other important cities are Puerto Madryn, Trelew, Esquel and Sarmiento. Gaiman is a cultural and demographic centre of the region known as "Y Wladfa" in which Welsh-Argentines are concentrated. Of the 25,000 Welsh speakers in Argentina,[3] 5,000 live in the Chubut region,[4] particularly in the early Welsh settlements of Gaiman, Trelew and Trevelin.
History [ edit ]
Before the Spaniards arrived in the Americas, nomadic indigenous Tehuelche peoples had inhabited the Patagonia region for thousands of years. They lived as hunter-gatherers and covered territory in seasonal cycles as they followed game.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Spanish missionaries came to the area, and founded the San José Fort on Península Valdés. The indigenous people later destroyed it.
In 1865, Welsh people came to Chubut in the Mimosa ship and settled in the Chubut Valley area. The region was disputed between Chile and Argentina until 1881. Chile renounced its claim in order to prevent Argentina from entering into the War of the Pacific, in which it was already fighting against Peru and Bolivia.
As part of the Conquista del Desierto (Conquest of the Desert), Argentina organized the National Territory of Chubut in 1884, after the last indigenous cacique, Inyacal, surrendered to government forces. Luis Fontana was named governor. At the beginning of the 20th century, after the Boer War, some Boer people settled in the town of Sarmiento and in lesser number in other nearby towns.
In 1944, the southern part of Chubut and northern part of Santa Cruz were designated the Comodoro Rivadavia military zone. The zone was dissolved in 1955, and Chubut was declared a province. Studies in the 1950s revealed mineral wealth in the province, which the government has tried to develop.
Population shifts of the late 20th century, especially from Buenos Aires, raised the population steadily from 190,000 (1970), to 357,000 (1991) and 413,237 (2001). The government has encouraged people to resettle here. Most of the inhabitants are in the main cities. They have also settled along the Chubut River. Most areas have a population density of less than 1 inhabitant per square kilometer.
Economy [ edit ]
Chubut's economy, for a long time one of the most prosperous in Argentina, is one of the country's least diversified. Nearly one-quarter of its 2006 output, estimated at US$4.652 billion (or a per capita income of US$11,256), is generated by mining and petroleum.[5] This sector's contribution (mostly centered around Comodoro Rivadavia) helped give Chubut the nation's fourth-highest per capita output in 2011, US$25,250.[citation needed] Petroleum refining is the main economic activity of the province; it generates 13% of Argentine oil production (mostly off-shore). On May 21, 2014, Miguel Galuccio of YPF and Chubut Governor Martin Buzzi announced the first unconventional oil and gas discovery in Chubut from a fracked well in the Early Cretaceous D-129 formation of the Golfo San Jorge basin.[6] Chubut produces 21% of the nation's fish catch.
Sheep ranching, though less than half as productive in the 21st century compared to as recently as 1990, remains important at the local level. The advent of synthetic replacements to wool after World War II battered the sector. It declined further because of Argentina's political instability and damage from natural disasters. Wool production has risen since 2002, however, and totaled 71,000 tons in 2006.[7]
Geography [ edit ]
Relief [ edit ]
Chubut stretches from the Atlantic to the Andes with 3 distinct environmental regions: The Andes, the central plains and the coastal regions.[8] The Andes in the westernmost parts of the province mostly extend along the Chilean border.[8] The Andes are not that high in Chubut, with most peaks averaging around 1,500 and 2,000 metres (4,900 and 6,600 ft), which becomes smaller in altitude in the southern parts.[8] The highest peak is Cerro Dos Picos, located east of Lago Cholila with a height of 2,515 metres (8,251 ft).[8] The Andes in this province are of tertiary origin and are separated by wide, deep transverse valleys that are oriented in an east–west direction.[8] These valleys are occupied by glacial lakes and rivers flowing east from the mountains.[8] Most of these valleys existed before the Andes were formed.[8] The lakes, which are mostly located in the western parts of the province are of glacial origin because during the last ice age, the movement of the glaciers lead to the formation of extensive areas of depressions that were filled up with water to form the lakes today.[8]
Government House.
Climate [ edit ]
The Andes cause humid winds from the Pacific Ocean to rise so most of the moisture precipitates on the western side of the Andes, leaving all except the Andean portion of the province dry.[8][9] In the Andean region, the climate is cold for its latitude owing to the higher elevations there and the influence of winds from the Pacific Ocean.[8] The peaks are usually snow covered throughout the year.[8] In this region, precipitation ranges from 700 mm (28 in) to over 2,500 mm (98 in) in some areas.[8][9] The central parts of the province have an arid climate with hot, sunny summers but cold winters and only average 200 mm (7.9 in) of precipitation a year.[8] The central parts of the province are very windy throughout the year.[8] The coast has an arid or semi-arid climate with hot, but short summers and cold winters.[8] It is the mildest region in the province with the warmest annual mean temperatures.[8] The coast region's climate is a transition between the more temperate climates to the north and the colder climates in the south.[8] Summers tend to be much warmer than Santa Cruz province to the south, particularly in the summer since subtropical air from the north and a branch of the warm Brazil Current can reach the province up until 46°.[9] Because there is little land masses in the Southern hemisphere, most of the cold fronts, which usually move in a west to east direction are moderated as they pass over the Pacific Ocean.[9] As such, cold temperatures are not as extreme as they are in the northern hemisphere.[9] Similar to the rest of Patagonia the climate is characterized by strong winds throughout the year, which also leads to higher evapotranspiration, another factor in the province being mostly dry.[9]
Temperature [ edit ]
The western parts of the province are the coldest with an annual mean temperature of 8 °C (46.4 °F) owing to the higher elevations while the coastal areas are the warmest with an annual mean temperature of 12 to 14 °C (53.6 to 57.2 °F).[8][9] The central parts of the province have an annual mean temperature of 10 to 12 °C (50.0 to 53.6 °F) since they have a higher elevation than the coastal areas.[9] During winter, the mean temperature in the coldest months ranges from 6 to 7 °C (42.8 to 44.6 °F) in the northern parts of the province to 4 to 7 °C (39.2 to 44.6 °F) in the southern parts.[9] In the Andes, the mean temperature can be close to 0 °C (32.0 °F).[9] Unlike the northern hemisphere, most of the cold air masses originate from the Pacific Ocean, which moderates the cold air and as such, extreme cold temperatures are rare.[9] Occasionally, cold air masses from Antarctica are not moderated by the ocean, resulting in very cold temperatures.[9] During summer, the temperature gradient is greater than in the winter. The northern parts of the province, have a mean temperature greater than 20 °C (68.0 °F) in the warmest months while in the southern parts, the mean temperature in the warmest month ranges from 17 to 19 °C (62.6 to 66.2 °F) owing to the influence of subtropical air from the north.[9] The westernmost parts of the province are the coolest during the summer, averaging only 14 °C (57.2 °F).[9] The central parts of the province have the most extreme temperatures which can reach over 40 °C (104.0 °F) during the summer and below −20 °C (−4.0 °F) in the winter.[9] The lowest temperature recorded in Chubut was −33 °C (−27.4 °F) in Sarmiento.[9]
Humidity and precipitation [ edit ]
In general, |
people relocate, it’s common for start-ups in the city to help with paperwork and with an employee’s first month of accommodation.
They also go that extra mile and provide free language classes, as well as help people open their first bank account and register in the city.
Start-ups in the German capital work hard to give their employees reasons to stay. Employees seem to stay at one company, and rarely switch from one role to another. The likes of offering flexible working hours to offering loyalty programmes are some of the methods used by Berlin start-ups.
In addition, Berlin definitely has more of a grass roots feel compared with London which has more of an established start-up scene. Berlin has a tenacious approach, and a main reason why the city has been put on the start-up map. A ‘we can do it’ attidude (whether that involves money or not) is apparent in pretty much all the start-ups in the city, with a strong ‘nothing will hold us back’ approach.
We’ve learnt from Berlin that all you need is a forward thinking and engaged approach for your start-up as well as having a strong community focus, this can make so many differences, regardless of where you are situated.
This type of philosophy that the German capital has on the start-up scene might sound very tempting for London start-ups and fintechs who are looking to relocate due to the Brexit vote, with lower rent prices compared with the UK capital and also having a wealth of talent in Berlin, many would find relocating to the East German city very tempting.
AdvertisementsWater thick with sand and sediment has fouled a fish-bearing creek after heavy rain washed out an active construction site on Burnaby Mountain last week.
The silty water poured into Stoney Creek from a tributary, killing spawning Chum and Coho salmon and smolts, said John Preissl, a local streamkeeper.
Salmon had been absent from the once polluted creek for half a century, but returned about a decade ago, thanks to decades of rehabilitation work by foundations, government agencies and hundreds of volunteers, Preissl said. Before the accident, streamkeepers had counted nearly 200 salmon in the creek.
“We had our best Chum run that we can remember since the salmon have been coming back,” Preissl said.
“It’s just really sad.”
Preissl estimated hundreds of smolt were lost between Thursday, when the water first entered the creek, to Monday, when the water’s visibility had begun to improve. Sediment in water smothers salmon eggs and packs into the gills of smolts and spawning fish, Preissl explained.
“They’re wiped out. We don’t know if they’ll be coming back from about 1,000 feet below where the washout was.”
The sediment entered the creek in a heavy rainstorm, which came as a construction crew was rehabilitating a culvert that runs directly underneath Gaglardi Way and a Kinder Morgan pipeline, according to the City of Burnaby.
James Lota, an assistant director of engineering with the city, said staff first noticed the slope was eroding last year and they had rushed to complete a design for repair, find a contractor and get the necessary permits. But by the time all that happened, spawning season was underway.
“There’s normally a ‘fish window,’” Lota said. “The best times to work in these places is the end of summer and we recognize that. But because of the condition of the culvert and the slope we were really just trying to stop any damage to Stoney Creek and that’s why we wanted to get in there now before the winter.”
Before the contractors were finished the job, their bypass pumps failed and the slope under the pipeline started to wash into the creek, Lota said.
Preissl said Kinder Morgan crews brought in a crane with a sling to suspend the pipeline while the contractor figured out how to fix the slope.
Ali Hounsell, a spokeswoman for Trans Mountain, said company crews and consultants began to monitor the scene as soon as they were notified about the washout. The company uncovered a section of the pipeline after speaking to city engineers, but finding no damage, the pipeline continued to operate as normal, Hounsell said.
Preissl and other streamkeepers plan to take water samples and count salmon as crews continue their cleanup work.
mrobinson@vancouversun.comThe Pensacola News Journal is reporting that jury selection will begin Monday for the trial of Dr. Dino himself, Kent Hovind. Since Kent has been in prison for a while, perhaps a little refresher would be helpful.
Kent Hovind is the father of Eric Hovind. Eric is the President and Founder of the Pensacola, Florida based ministry, Creation Today. He is currently working on the upcoming feature film, Genesis 3D, which he declares will “rival anything on Discovery or History Channel.” (Bigfoot and ancient aliens anyone?)
Eric is also well known for antics like bringing his pet “lizard” to church to terrify young children and to ask it if dinosaurs lived millions of years ago. I know the suspense of the question is compelling, so here’s the video. I’ll let the facts speak for themselves:
Nonetheless, before Eric there was Kent. Kent was a master debater (get what I did there?), and founder of the now defunct Dinosaur Adventure Land (the young earth creation theme park before Ken Ham’s Creation Museum). However, in 2006, Kent Hovind was arrested and sent to prison. He was charged with 58 federal charges which included not paying $473,818 in taxes, and making threats against those who were investigating him.
Now a jury will decide if Kent is guilty or not. If I were Kent, I would perhaps update my defense. But it appears Kent is still maintaining that since he works for God, and that “as a minister of God, everything he owns belongs to God,” it is logical that he should not be “subject to paying taxes to the United States on money he receives for doing God’s work.”
Something tells me he will need a little more than a miracle.
Just for fun, here is Kent’s classic appearance on Sacha Baron Cohen’s Ali G Show:
Also, here’s Kent debating Michael Shermer.
Ah, the good old days.
Brother Richard
What do you think?: Post a Comment
Subscribe to Richard’s: All New RSS FeedDuring the debate on the government’s bill to trigger article 50 of the Lisbon treaty, it quickly became clear that the residence rights of EU and EEA citizens in the UK would be one of the most significant subjects that would occupy both the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
The moral and economic issues were considered in some detail by both houses. But one question has received rather less attention during the public debate: the legal position both of EU citizens in the UK and of UK citizens in the EU.
These matters were considered by the EU justice committee in the House of Lords and the committee that I chair, the joint committee on human rights (JCHR). In a report published in December 2016, the JCHR noted that if the government tried to negotiate over their residence rights, many EU nationals would be able to go to our courts and seek to establish their rights to remain under article 8 of the European convention on human rights (the right to respect for home and private and family life). Such cases could arise in the unlikely circumstances that the government sought to deport EU nationals in the UK. One could also envisage legal challenges by individuals if the government refused to grant a continuation of their current residence rights post-Brexit. If even a small percentage of the individuals affected launched legal proceedings, this would amount to thousands of cases. This would impose an enormous strain on our court system.
I tabled an amendment on the subject of EU residence rights, which was debated in the Commons, but eventually defeated by the government. However, the Commons now has the opportunity to return to this important question as the Lords has passed an amendment to the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) bill to require ministers to bring forward proposals, within three months of notifying the EU of the UK’s intention to withdraw, to guarantee the EU-derived rights (including residency rights) of EU and EEA citizens who are legally resident in the United Kingdom. I welcome this amendment, which should provide the unilateral guarantee recommended by the JCHR.
House of Lords defeats government for second time on article 50 bill Read more
During the course of the debate in the Lords, Lord Woolf, a distinguished former lord chief justice and current member of the JCHR, made the legal point on residence rights very clearly. He observed: “We are dealing here with residents in this jurisdiction who at present have the right to go to the European court of human rights. We are also dealing with residents in the rest of the European community who also have that right. The present situation in this country is a matter to be dealt with by parliament and not by the courts. I strongly urge us not to force people to seek to go to the courts, as they could in this situation in this jurisdiction.”
Although the government has raised concerns about UK residents in the EU, they too benefit from rights under the European convention on human rights, so it would not be a straightforward matter for EU states to interfere with their residence rights post-Brexit.
People should be entitled to regulate their affairs in accordance with the law that exists when they make decisions
As the Conservative peer Viscount Hailsham QC noted in the debate, for EU citizens who moved to the UK prior to the referendum their decision accorded with the law that existed then and accords with the law that still exists today. If the UK sought to interfere with their rights, that could effectively involve an act of retrospective legislation.
I agree with Hailsham that, as a matter of general principle, legislation and policies that are retrospective in their operation should be avoided. Individuals should be entitled to regulate their affairs in accordance with the law that exists at the time they make their decisions. As he said, to depart from that principle would expose all of us to risk to our freedoms and our ability to make safe choices.
The bill returns to the House of Commons for its final reading next week; I would urge the prime minister not to seek to overturn the residence rights amendment. This would only prolong the uncertainty for the approximately three million EU citizens who make such an important contribution to our country.WASHINGTON — A lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union filed an ethics complaint against Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Thursday, asking the Alabama Bar to "determine whether he violated the Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct" in his sworn testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding his contact with Russian officials.
"Mr. Sessions made false statements during sworn testimony on January 10, 2017, and in a subsequent written response to questions on January 17, 2017," the complaint alleges.
Christopher Anders, a lawyer with the ACLU in Washington, DC, filed the complaint, which asks the state's bar to investigate whether Sessions engaged in professional misconduct in the answers he gave to the committee regarding his contact with Russian officials.
The complaint points to two of Sessions' answers to the committee — the exchange he had with Sen. Al Franken about Russian communications during the campaign, and a written follow-up response to Sen. Patrick Leahy — as potentially violating the Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct.
Following the revelation that Sessions had communications with Russia's ambassador to the US, Sessions announced that he would be recusing himself from any investigation relating to the 2016 presidential campaign.
On March 6, Sessions sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, supplementing his testimony — while maintaining that his initial answers were "correct."
The ACLU lawyer's complaint differed on that point, with Anders writing that "the report of the meetings between Mr. Sessions and the Russian ambassador does not square with Mr. Sessions' sworn testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee."I have always thought that I am good at multitasking. That is why I believed that I don’t have to pay the price associated with context switching (or task switching).
This week I realized that have been wrong. I am not very good at multitasking and context switching is much more expensive than I thought.
The reason for my mistake is simple:
I hadn’t been interrupted nearly as often as I thought.
Why Context Switching Is So Expensive?
The effects of context switching are painfully familiar to me:
If I am working on something, and I have to start doing something else, it can take ages before I am actually working on the new task.
Because I have to switch contexts multiple times a day, I feel that I cannot get anything done (often this isn’t just a feeling).
Joel Spolsky explains the reason for this:
The trick here is that when you manage programmers, specifically, task switches take a really, really, really long time. That’s because programming is the kind of task where you have to keep a lot of things in your head at once. The more things you remember at once, the more productive you are at programming. A programmer coding at full throttle is keeping zillions of things in their head at once: everything from names of variables, data structures, important APIs, the names of utility functions that they wrote and call a lot, even the name of the subdirectory where they store their source code. If you send that programmer to Crete for a three week vacation, they will forget it all. The human brain seems to move it out of short-term RAM and swaps it out onto a backup tape where it takes forever to retrieve.
The interesting thing is that the price of context switching isn’t constant. It depends from the complexity of the new task.
If the new task is so simple that even a monkey can do it, the price is very small. Typically I can just finish the new task and continue working on the old task without losing any time. The reason for this is that I don’t have to clear my short-term memory because the new task is so simple.
On the other hand, if the new task isn’t trivial, the price is very high. I have to clean my short-term memory and load the information which I need to finish new task. After I have finished the new task, I have to clean my short-term memory and load the information which is relevant for my original task. In other words, I have to pay the price twice!
How big the price of context switching is? I assume that this depends from the person but I have noticed that it can be anything from 5 to 30 minutes per context switch. This is insane because if you have to switch contexts multiple times per day, you waste a lot time and consume a lot of mental energy.
Finding the Middle Ground
Because context switching has a high price and it is mentally draining, we should avoid it at all costs. However, this is easier said than done because “real” team work (agile methods) is an essential part of modern software development, and I think that it has clear benefits which shouldn’t be overlooked.
In other words, we must find the middle ground between collaboration and heavy lifting.
We have to respect our own time and the time of our team members, and the easiest way to do this is to follow these rules:
Do one thing at the time. If you have to finish two tasks, finish the most important one before starting the second one. This way you can finish at least the most important task. If you try to finish both tasks, you might not be able to finish either of them.
. If you have to finish two tasks, finish the most important one before starting the second one. This way you can finish at least the most important task. If you try to finish both tasks, you might not be able to finish either of them. Use asynchronous communication. The next time you have a question, don’t interrupt the person who can answer to your question. Instead you should use asynchronous communication tools such as IM, email, or some other collaboration tool. This way the person can answer to your question when he has got the time to do it. Also, make clear that your team members must treat you in the same way. If the shit hits the fan unless your question isn’t answered right away, you can interrupt the person who can help you out, but remember that this person pays a heavy price for answering to your question.
. The next time you have a question, don’t interrupt the person who can answer to your question. Instead you should use asynchronous communication tools such as IM, email, or some other collaboration tool. This way the person can answer to your question when he has got the time to do it. Also, make clear that your team members must treat you in the same way. If the shit hits the fan unless your question isn’t answered right away, you can interrupt the person who can help you out, but. Ensure that you are not interrupted if you need to get something done. If you are working on an important task, you must have the possibility to finish it without interruptions. Create a way to signal to your colleagues that you don’t want to interrupted. If your colleagues don’t respect this, you can work in your home office until you have finished this task. Also, remember that this is a two-way street.
. If you are working on an important task, you must have the possibility to finish it without interruptions. Create a way to signal to your colleagues that you don’t want to interrupted. If your colleagues don’t respect this, you can work in your home office until you have finished this task. Also, remember that this is a two-way street. Accept that you cannot do everything, and make sure that your employer accepts this too. If your role is to help other developers on a regular basis, don’t feel bad because you feel that you cannot get anything done. Make sure that you don’t take any high priority tasks because you cannot give them the attention they deserve.
Some of this advice might seem anti agile. The problem is that the rise of agile software development methods has created a mental image which encourages us to collaborate all the time. This mental image will destroy our productivity and we shouldn’t embrace it.
Instead, we should accept that there is time for collaboration and time for doing the heavy lifting, and we cannot do them both at the same time (unless we are doing pair programming or mob programming).Verizon is buying AOL for $4.4 billion, and it's pretty clear that the emphasis is on mobile, video, and ad tech — AOL CEO Tim Armstrong's memo announcing the deal made that clear.
But there's zero mention of editorial independence in Armstrong's memo, which has to be troubling for the staff at The Huffington Post, Engadget, and TechCrunch, all of which cover technology. Engadget and TechCrunch in particular are two of the world's largest and most influential tech publications (and, of course, competitors to The Verge), and it's not at all clear how they can continue to offer independent commentary on tech and mobile. Just last year Verizon launched and then was forced to shutter a tech blog called SugarString after it was revealed that writers were forbidden from writing about net neutrality. That's not a good sign. Just think about the following scenarios:
1. Engadget runs a roundup of wireless plans and finds that T-Mobile offers the best deal on a new phone and service.
2. The winner of TechCrunch Disrupt is a new startup that offers mobile streaming of NFL games to any mobile phone through a clever reading of copyright law that escapes Verizon's exclusive rights package.
3. HuffPo Tech discovers that Verizon FiOS customers are being throttled when they use competing video on-demand services.
4. TechCrunch points out that Verizon opposes net neutrality while covering the pending lawsuits.
5. Engadget covers the ongoing drama over Verizon's mobile user tracking, which gets even more robust when connected to AOL's sophisticated ad tech platforms.
6. TechCrunch covers a new mobile payments company that launches with an exclusive deal on AT&T.
7. Engadget points out that Verizon's new XXLTE service is really just a branding exercise for opening up some additional spectrum, not an actual new technology.
8. Apple launches a new mobile TV service that only works on a handful of providers; HuffPo Tech runs a "how to switch to AT&T" article after the news.
9. Verizon has to accept Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile ads on Engadget, TechCrunch, and HuffPo.
10. VZNavigator.
According to Recode, there's a possibility AOL will spin off or sell its content brands — German conglomerate Axel Springer is apparently in the mix. That might be the best possible situation here; unless Verizon and AOL can commit to full editorial independence, the looming specter of a Verizon executive getting mad about coverage and making a phone call will be too hard to ignore. Running a media company isn't like running a mobile operator; the value comes from journalistic integrity and independence. That's not a lesson many companies learn quickly.
Full disclosure: I used to work at Engadget, as did many of The Verge's founders; we left AOL to start this site. I never felt any editorial pressure at AOL, but huge corporate news like this would frequently leave us spinning without real answers for months at a time. And Comcast Ventures is an investor in Vox Media, The Verge's parent company, but it should be abundantly clear that we have complete editorial independence from that relationship.A new copyright law in Spain is forcing Google to close the doors on its news product.
In a post on the Google Europe blog today, the company wrote that it’s closing the service with “real sadness” ahead of the new law going into effect this January. It’ll start by removing Spanish publishers on 16 December, before closing down the whole product in that country.
The new Spanish law requires publications to charge services like Google News for even showing snippets from news, even if they don’t want to charge them money. Google doesn’t show ads or make any money off its News product so will close it down for Spanish visitors as it isn’t sustainable.
Perhaps the worst part about the news for Spanish publishers is that Google will also remove them from global results as part of the closedown.
The Spanish law was dubbed a “Google Tax” because it appeared to be an ill-fated bid to bring €80 million to Spain’s already struggling local media. Unfortunately, with Google pulling its News product, it’s likely to get even worse for those publishers.
Read next: Sony reportedly attempting to stop downloads of stolen dataNASA and SpaceX are marching forward towards a Friday, April 18 liftoff attempt for the Falcon 9 rocket sending a commercial Dragon cargo craft on the company’s third resupply mission to the International Space Station following the scrubbed launch attempt on Monday, April 14 – forced by the discovery of a Helium gas leak inside the rocket during the latter stages of the countdown.
An on time blastoff of the upgraded Falcon 9 sets the stage for an Easter Sunday rendezvous and berthing of the Dragon resupply spacecraft at the massive orbiting outpost packed with almost 5000 pounds of science experiments and supplies for the six person crew.
However the weather prognosis is rather iffy for Friday afternoons launch attempt at 3:25:21 p.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
Forecasters predict only a 40 percent “GO” of acceptable weather conditions at the appointed liftoff time of the SpaceX-3 mission – roughly the time when the Earth’s rotation moves the rocket into the plane of the space stations orbit.
Meteorologists with the U.S. Air Force 45th Weather Squadron are predicting a significant chance of rain showers and thunderstorms in the Florida Space coast launch area that could violate three launch rules, namely the Thick Cloud, Lightning and Flight Through Precipitation rules.
In the event of a scrub for any reason on Friday, NASA, SpaceX and Air Force managers approved another backup launch opportunity on Saturday, April 19 at 3:02:42 p.m.
The weather outlook for a Saturday liftoff improves somewhat to 60 percent “GO”.
Originally, Monday and Friday were the only available launch target dates this week.
Assuming a successful Falcon 9 launch on Friday, station crew members Rick Mastracchio and Steven Swanson will grapple the Dragon cargo freighter with the 57 foot long Canadarm2 on Easter Sunday morning, April 20, at 7:14 a.m. at then berth it at the Earth-facing port of the Harmony module.
You can watch the launch live on NASA TV: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
NASA TV live coverage will begin at at 2:15 p.m. EDT
SpaceX live launch coverage begins at 2:45 p.m. ET: Webcast at www.spacex.com/webcast
NASA TV coverage of the Easter Sunday grappling process will begin at 5:45 a.m. with berthing coverage beginning at 9:30 a.m. : http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
Monday’s launch attempt was scrubbed about an hour before liftoff when SpaceX mission controllers and engineers detected that a helium valve in the pneumatic system for stage separation between the first and second stages was not holding the specified pressure.
The success of the mission was therefore dependent on the perfect operation of a backup check valve for the stage separation pistons.
Although no technical issues were detected with the backup valve, the anamolous situation violated SpaceX launch rules.
“SpaceX policy is not to launch with any known anomalies,” said SpaceX in a statement.
The erect Falcon 9 was lowered back to the horizontal position so that SpaceX engineers could swap out the faulty helium valve, as well as conduct a complete inspection of the rocket to look for signs of any other issues that may have contributed to the valve not working as designed, said SpaceX.
This unmanned SpaceX mission dubbed CRS-3 will deliver some 5000 pounds of science experiments, a pair of hi tech legs for Robonaut 2, a high definition imaging camera suite, an optical communications experiment (OPALS) and essential gear, the VEGGIE lettuce growing experiment, spare parts, crew provisions, food, clothing and supplies to the six person crews living and working aboard the ISS soaring in low Earth orbit under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract.
To date SpaceX has completed two operational cargo resupply missions and a test flight. The last flight dubbed CRS-2 blasted off a year ago on March 1, 2013 atop the initial version of the Falcon 9 rocket.
NASA awarded contracts to SpaceX and competitor Orbital Sciences to develop unmanned cargo freighters via CRS to restore US capability to resupply the ISS following the shutdown of the space shuttle program in 2011.
SpaceX is under contract to NASA to deliver 20,000 kg (44,000 pounds) of cargo to the ISS during a dozen Dragon cargo spacecraft flights through 2016 at a cost of about $1.6 Billion.
The next launch of Orbital Sciences Antares/Cygnus commercial rocket to the ISS from NASA Wallops, VA, is tentatively slated for May 6. But the target date hinges on when this SpaceX-3 mission actually flies and could slip into mid-June.
Stay tuned here for Ken’s continuing SpaceX, Orbital Sciences, commercial space, Orion, Chang’e-3, LADEE, Mars rover, MAVEN, MOM and more planetary and human spaceflight news.
Ken KremerProgressives unhappy that Sen. Dianne Feinstein is running for a sixth term might be pleased to learn that she could soon have two more liberal challengers, as billionaire San Francisco environmentalist Tom Steyer is strongly considering a run and state Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León, D-Los Angeles, could jump in as soon as next week.
Sources close to Steyer confirmed Thursday that he is “very much looking at the Senate seat.” But if Steyer enters next year’s Senate race along with his friend de León, analysts and progressive leaders worry that there might not be enough liberal oxygen for both men to consume — and that ultimately could benefit the more centrist Feinstein.
If their goal is to provide a progressive alternative to Feinstein — who does not support current single-payer Medicare for All legislation and who has voted to confirm half of Trump’s 22 highest-level appointees — having two progressives might be too much of a good thing.
They could split the left-leaning vote in the primary, leaving more centrist voters to Feinstein and possibly even allowing a Republican to sneak into the top two finalists to advance to the general election in November 2018. That possibility remains remote, at least for now, since no well-funded Republican with any kind of name recognition is in the race.
“I don’t know if there is enough (room for two progressives). I think that’s a problem,” said RoseAnn DeMoro, executive director of the 190,000-member National Nurses United and an influential voice in progressive state political circles. She praised both men as being more progressive than Feinstein and encouraged them both to “jump in with both feet.”
Still, she acknowledged that either would face an uphill fight.
Feinstein has “got the entire political establishment with her. She’s got the money (a net worth of $79 million). She’s got the standing. She’s got the office,” DeMoro said. “She’s going to be a formidable candidate.”
De León and Steyer were described as political “soul mates” over their bond over climate change and other progressive issues in a 2015 CalMatters story. “We share the same goals together,” de León told the publication.
While Steyer and de León may be political soul mates, they will be likely to appeal to different constituencies. Steyer was born in New York, the Ivy League-educated son of an attorney. He amassed his estimated $1.6 billion personal wealth by running a hedge fund in San Francisco for 26 years. For the past several years, he has become one of the Democratic Party’s top funders, focusing on environmental issues and improving voter registration and turnout, particularly among Millennial voters.
De León was born in San Diego, the son of a maid who emigrated from Mexico. He didn’t graduate from college until he was 36 and rose into the upper levels of state power as a grassroots community organizer. Analysts say he could tap into a coalition of progressive voters — Latinos, African Americans and Millennials — who don’t often vote in midterm elections, but might this year when there will likely be high-profile congressional elections in Orange County and the Central Valley. There also could be a person of color — state Treasurer John Chiang or former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa — on the gubernatorial ballot.
Neither man, however, has much name recognition outside of political circles.
“Money and connections” are the differences between them, said Louis DeSipio, a professor of political science and Chicano/Latino Studies at UC Irvine. “De León has connections inside the state, but not a broad network outside the state. He would be at a financial disadvantage.”
And, DeSipio said, it would take a lot of money to organize a get-out-the-vote program for young and Latino voters.
Still, some analysts said de León could paint a broader contrast to Feinstein, 84, who is seeking her sixth term.
“Kevin clearly can point to his success as a state legislator, and being a Latino would appeal to the increasing number of Latino voters in California,” said Darry Sragow, publisher of the nonpartisan California Target Book and a longtime Democratic strategist who managed Feinstein’s first statewide campaign in 1990.
Being from Los Angeles, where more than 40 percent of the voters live helps, too. “You’d have to give it to Kevin de León on points there,” Sragow said. “The question is: Does he have any hope of raising enough money to run a competitive campaign?”
What the two men agree on is that Feinstein has not been tough enough on Trump. In a letter this week to Rep. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Steyer demanded that Luján make public his position on whether Trump should be impeached.
But the subtext of the letter was a thinly veiled slap at Feinstein, alluding to her comments last month at San Francisco’s Commonwealth Club, where she said she hoped that Trump “has the ability to learn and to change. And if he does, he can be a good president. And that’s my hope.”
For Aram Fischer, a leader of Indivisible San Francisco, which at 4,500 members is one of the largest local resistance groups in the nation, the good news is that if one or both progressives challenge Feinstein, “there’s going to be a genuine exchange of ideas. We’re excited about it.”
Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicle’s senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoliOct 10, 2015 Ξ Comments are off
By Lia Chang
AsAmNews Arts and Entertainment Reporter
The stage door at the Longacre Theatre in New York was a mob scene as fans of Star Trek’s George Takei (Heroes) and Tony Award winning actress Lea Salonga (Miss Saigon, Mulan), turned out for the first preview of Broadway’s Allegiance, a new musical inspired by Takei’s true-life story on October 6th.
It was great to see Pat Suzuki (Broadway’s original Flower Drum Song), Virginia Wing, Jaygee Macapugay (Here Lies Love, School of Rock), Jennifer Lim (Chinglish), Joel de la Fuente (Hold These Truths, Hemlock Grove, Man in the High Castle), set designer Mikiko Suzuki MacAdams, and many more members of the Asian American theatrical community who turned out to support. Cast members Karl Josef Co and Allie Trimm from the Old Globe production of Allegiance were in the house, while Conscience and the Constitution filmmaker Frank Abe came in from Seattle to see the show.
Allegiance features a book by Marc Acito and music and lyrics by Jay Kuo. Olivier Award nominee Stafford Arima (London’s Ragtime, Off-Broadway’s Bare, Carrie, Altar Boyz) directs. Opening night is November 8th.
The cast of Allegiance includes: Takei in his Broadway debut as Sam Kimura/Ojii San; Salonga as Kei Kimura; Telly Leung as Sammy Kimura; Christopheren Nomura as Tatsuo Kimura; Michael K. Lee as Frankie Suzuki; Katie Rose Clarke as Hannah Campbell and Greg Watanabe as Mike Masaoka. The ensemble features Aaron J. Albano, Belinda Allyn, Marcus Choi, Janelle Dote, Dan Horn, Owen Johnston, Darren Lee, Kevin Munhall, Manna Nichols, Rumi Oyama, Catherine Ricafort, Momoko Sugai, Sam Tanabe, Elena Wang, Scott Watanabe and Scott Wise.
Inspired by the true-life experience of George Takei, Allegiance follows one family’s extraordinary journey in this untold American story. A mysterious envelope leads Kimura back 60 years to a time when he (played as a young man by Leung — Godspell, Glee) and his sister Kei strive to save their family from the wrongful imprisonment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Sam enlists in the army to prove the Kimura’s loyalty, but Kei joins draft resisters fighting for the rights of their people. Their paths take them from the lush farmlands of California to the wastelands of Wyoming to the battlefields of Europe, and their divided loyalties threaten to tear them apart forever. But as long-lost memories are unlocked, Sam finds that it is never too late to forgive and to recognize the redemptive power of love.
On Facebook, both Lea and George have announced special performances for their fans on Halloween. The matinee performance on October 31st is Pinoy Day; the evening performance is for Trekkies who are encouraged to come in costume, for a chance to take a picture with George. Both shows will feature post-show talkbacks with the cast.
Click here to purchase tickets. For more information go to www.AllegianceMusical.com
Lia Chang is an award-winning filmmaker, a best actress nominee, a special events and performing arts photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek, which will screen at the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival on November 21st. She is profiled in FebOne1960.com Blog, Jade Magazine and Playbill.com.Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Ministers want 2,000 badgers killed, but protesters say they will attempt to disrupt the cull
Badger culls in Dorset, Somerset and Gloucestershire have got under way, the government has confirmed.
The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has not said exactly when the culls began in the three counties.
Dorset is a new area for the pilot cull, but it is the third year for Somerset and Gloucestershire.
The Wounded Badger Patrol in Gloucestershire has reported night-time shooting and seeing trapped badgers.
'Going clear'
Protesters in Dorset said they had set up a camp for those attempting to stop the cull.
Natural England has issued Dorset's pilot cull licence to run from 28 August 2015 to November 2018 but has stated this may be extended further.
Dorset police said they had "established a positive dialogue" with the organisers.
Somerset and Gloucestershire are now in the third year of a five-year pilot cull.
Ministers and farmers insist culling is necessary to tackle the spread of bovine TB, which results in thousands of cattle being slaughtered every year.
David George, from the south-west branch of the National Farmers Union, said farmers have seen the number of herds with TB "going down".
"It's fair to say at this stage all the evidence about whether the culls are successful or failing are anecdotal on both sides."
He added that other measures were also being put in place by Defra to reduce the cycle of re-infection.
'Pointless failure'
Wendy Higgins, from Humane Society International, said: "The point of the culls was to find out if the culls were feasible, safe and humane to shoot a specific number of badgers over a particular period of time.
"The culls of year one and year two have shown a spectacular failure... We don't need to carry on pointlessly shooting badgers in order to prove what we have already seen which is that culling badgers is a pointless failure."
The pilot culls in Gloucestershire and Somerset aimed to find out whether badgers could be killed safely, effectively and humanely.
After the first year of the badger cull, an independent panel of experts found shooting badgers was not humane.
The panel also found controlled shooting could not deliver the level of culling needed to bring about a reduction of TB in cattle.
In 2014, Gloucestershire failed to reach its minimum target of 675, instead culling 274. Somerset surpassed its minimum target of 316, with 341 culled in total.
Badger cull targets
Dorset: Minimum 615, maximum 835
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in 2017, but not before going out with a spectacular bang.
Seated at the table in the BMO Field lounge were Nick Eaves, the chief venues and operations officer at Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment; Peter Church, the general manager of BMO Field; Robert Heggie, the head groundskeeper; and MLSE's senior director of communications, Dave Haggith. These figures would play the supporting cast to the main character threading through the big sporting events: the stadium itself.
"We definitely want to pitch for more big events like these," said Eaves of the stadium, which opened humbly in 2007 as the home of Toronto FC but underwent a two-phase, $150-million renovation, completed last spring, to make it a multiuse facility and add the Argonauts as tenants. "Yes, these special events are a lot of work, and we know that. But look at the interest. This really shows the versatility of the building, along with the ability of the teams to create very different atmospheres here. How many stadiums can host these three different outdoor sporting events in different setups with different capacities? It's pretty unique."
Timelapse: Watch BMO Field’s changes in motion 1:26
The group stepped outside, through the same tunnel Toronto FC players use, and stopped abruptly at the edge of the pitch. It was brilliant green and lush. The rest of the stadium was bustling with workers, but the field was quiet. A small sign read: "Please keep off the field."
Stands for portable grow lights sat on the grass – part of the $7-million MLSE has spent in recent years on tools to maintain the field even in Ontario's cold weather. In 2009, the club switched from artificial turf to natural grass and added underground heating and drainage; a hot glycol-water mix pumped through 42 kilometres of pipes keeps the soil temperature at 14 degrees, even on that cold November afternoon.
The stadium hadn't hosted an event since TFC's Oct. 30 playoff win over New York City FC, giving Heggie and his crew time to nurture the grass for the big games ahead.
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"The last three weeks we've been using a woven plastic translucent grow cover that lets the light through but puts the grass back to a July or August temperature underneath that cover," Heggie said. "You can grow the grass a little faster because it doesn't realize it's November. MLSE got me everything a groundskeeper could possibly want to help grow and maintain this field. The healthier and fuller the grass is going into the Grey Cup, the better it will be for the TFC game afterward. We ideally always wanted 10 days between football and soccer games, and then we started doing it in seven. This time we're doing it in three days – the shortest changeover time we've ever had."
The Ottawa RedBlacks celebrate in designated areas so as not to damage the field after defeating the Calgary Stampeders on Nov. 27. It was the first Grey Cup game played on real grass since 2002. Read David Shoalts’s full report on the 39-33 overtime nail-biter.
The Grey Cup
It was the first Grey Cup on real grass since the 2002 game at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium, which had a natural surface until 2009. Typically during a Grey Cup week, the host stadium is abuzz with team practices and working media. This Grey Cup week was different.
"For the first time in my tenure with the league, the two Grey Cup teams weren't actually allowed to practise on the field where they would play," said Curtis Emerson, the director of events and production for the CFL. "So that gave us some logistical challenges, and we had to get creative."
The Calgary Stampeders and Ottawa RedBlacks practised at Toronto's Monarch Park Stadium, a small domed facility that the CFL had to deck out with Internet connections, a media work space and a food truck for reporters. The teams didn't enter the stadium until a walk-through the day before the game.
To further protect the field, the CFL built the halftime stage just beyond the north end zone instead of rolling one onto the field for a performance by OneRepublic. Only a few small utility vehicles loaded with speakers were allowed on the field at halftime, but not before Heggie gave the drivers strict instructions about how to gently manoeuvre them on his pitch.
Ten brightly coloured sponsor logos and a decorative 104th Grey Cup insignia were painted on the field – typical at most CFL games. The end zones were free of team names, so that saved some paint. Still, removing all those logos in time for Wednesday's soccer game would be a big job.
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Another challenge was BMO Field's sidelines – narrower than many others in the CFL. The league restricted both teams to just a cheer squad and one mascot, turning down requests for the Stampeders' galloping white touchdown horse and the RedBlacks' chainsaw-wielding team of lumberjacks.
Covers were laid on the grass where the teams stand during the game to help protect the area most prone to wear. Cheerleaders were the only performers on the field at halftime during the OneRepublic show, dancing in front of the stage in the north end zone (which is made of artificial turf).
Kienan Lafrance of the Ottawa RedBlacks is tackled by the Calgary Stampeders’ Tommie Campbell and Alex Singleton.
When the action-packed Grey Cup ended with the RedBlacks as winners in overtime before a crowd of 33,421, a cannon launched confetti just over the Ottawa squad, mostly contained by that sideline tarp. Security personnel promptly roped off the field and diligently kept all the celebrating players and working media to the north end zone. That gave Heggie and his crew the field to themselves. Even as the RedBlacks and their supporters erupted in jubilation, Heggie's crew got to work, repairing field divots with pitchforks and taking down the south goalposts. For them, the countdown clock to soccer had begun ticking.
Heggie winced as a euphoric RedBlacks lineman lay down right on the centrefield logo to savour the victory and appeared as if he might try making an angel – driving the paint further into the turf. "Please don't do it, buddy," Heggie begged quietly, which got a chuckle from his colleagues. To the crew's relief, the player laid still. A dozen more workers would arrive shortly to help scrub off the logos and lines. It would be an all-night job.
After the Grey Cup game, with kickoff for the MLS playoff match between Toronto and Montreal less than 36 hours away, the grounds crew worked late into the night measuring and painting lines on the field. Many of the workers slept at the stadium over the next three days to get the job finished.
Getting ready for another MLS playoff game
The grounds crew would work in shifts around the clock from the conclusion of Sunday's Grey Cup game until Wednesday night's MLS Eastern Conference semi-final between Toronto FC and the Montreal Impact. Some members of the crew would rarely leave the stadium during that time, occasionally grabbing a little shut-eye in the groundskeeping shop.
After the stadium emptied out in the hours after the Grey Cup, they mowed the field, which removed some paint. An inch and a half of grass height is optimal for football, while soccer players prefer the grass at three-quarters of an inch on game day.
Heggie's crew had done extensive off-season testing on several field paints. They chose the one recommended by London's Wembley Stadium – Supaturf, from Australia, which comes off only when a special solution is applied; it was the same paint the Wembley crew used in October when they converted its field from an NFL game to a UEFA Champions League match in just three days. Overnight, the BMO Field crew mixed the solution with water and sprayed it onto the paint, leaving it for a few minutes before scrubbing it with brushes and pressure washers. Lines, logos and yard markers vanished one by one and were all gone by sunrise.
Some soccer fans took to Twitter during the Grey Cup, riled up to see chunks of turf flying off the cleats of football players. Heggie's crew had addressed most people's anxieties about sharing a pitch with the CFL by providing a healthy field. But this three-day turnaround had some worried again. The crew relished the challenge.
"Lots of people just think groundskeepers are all like Carl Spackler in Caddy Shack, but we're scientists, we're mixing chemicals, doing math and observing the plants. We're grass experts," Heggie said. "My guys don't mind working all night to prove everyone wrong."
After the Grey Cup game, workers lay down mats in the end zone that will have stadium seats placed on top.
The field wasn't the only thing being rapidly converted. OneRepublic's stage disappeared. Black Grey Cup decor was torn down and replaced with Toronto FC red. Both football end zones were swallowed up by extra seating hauled in on forklifts and popped into place like puzzle pieces.
"It's like a huge jigsaw puzzle," said Church, walking the stadium from end to end, walkie-talkie in hand. "It will be two solid days of non-stop conversion. We do this between every soccer and football game so we know how, but it's a significant manual undertaking – and this time we have a lot less time to do it."
High-powered grow lights are placed over the field.
In the darkness, large mobile grow lights were wheeled onto the field to apply a warm yellow light across the grass. The crew knew rain had been forecast for game night, so they prepared by aerating the field to ease drainage before using rollers and brushes to press their signature striped design into the field. When they painted the soccer lines, the groundskeepers tweeted a photo of their measuring tape and took a lighthearted jab at their colleagues in Montreal, whose paint blunder had caused an embarrassing delay during the first leg of the playoff series: "Measure twice, paint once."
Heggie put on a red-and-white TFC scarf in the hours before the Nov. 30 game and shook the outstretched hand of a distinguished guest at field level: MLS commissioner Don Garber.
Toronto FC forward Jozy Altidore celebrates after scoring the team’s second goal during the Nov. 30 game against the Montreal Impact, which Toronto won 5-2. Read Cathal Kelly’s full report on that game, and on Toronto’s loss to the Seattle Sounders in the MLS final.
An MLS playoff classic
Heggie's crew was given hearty congratulations and posed for a photo with Garber, who in the past said publicly that he preferred BMO Field remain a soccer-only facility.
"I was worried when they put a CFL team in here – it's no secret. I run a soccer league," Garber would later say at halftime in a press box heaving with journalists. "But the field turnaround has been terrific. I watched the Grey Cup [on TV] down in the States and I saw a lot of painted logos on the field and was worried, but I got here early tonight to see the field, and they did well."
In pounding rain and a spine-tingling atmosphere, Montreal and Toronto battled in a playoff classic, with the Reds clinching the most celebrated win in the franchise's history. In the same stadium where TFC endured dark days for much of its first decade, there was triumphant singing and dancing, with streamers cascading from the bleachers as the home side hoisted the conference trophy.
Toronto FC midfielder Benoit Cheyrou gets a hug after scoring the first goal in overtime.
Fans celebrate after Toronto’s victory over Montreal.
They would become the first Canadian team to play in the MLS Cup, hosting the game 10 days later. Even with the stadium's capacity stretched to 36,000, the championship game would sell out in just three minutes.
"We want to host as many championships as we can, hopefully with our own teams," Eaves said. "More tickets could have been sold by putting TFC playoff games in a bigger venue, but BMO Field is TFC's home – the vibe here is what this team is all about. We might have had that debate in the past, but we never considered it this year."
Robert Heggie, head groundskeeper at BMO Field, and Scott Hunte of Greenhorizons discuss sod being laid down at Greenhorizons’ greenhouse in Vineland, Ont.
Getting the field pitch-perfect for 2017
As his pitch sat fertilized and pampered beneath a cover and grow lights, resting in the week before its last game, Heggie left on a quick day trip – 100 kilometres around Lake Ontario to Vineland, Ont., to a rented greenhouse.
There, extra-thick rolls of sod were being trucked in from a sports grass farm in Burford, Ont., where Greenhorizons Sod Farms began growing it two years ago. Some 100,000 square feet of grass would rest in the greenhouse until mid-January, when it would be transported down the highway to become BMO Field's new pitch.
In 2017, TFC plans to start its home games much earlier than in the past two years, when the stadium was undergoing renovations. For Heggie, that poses a challenge: installing new sod during a Canadian winter and making it perfect for TFC by late March.
Greenhorizons will arrive at BMO Field after the NHL leaves with its outdoor rink materials (around Jan. 15), remove the current field and install new sod. To care for the new grass in winter, Heggie's crew just bought an inflatable greenhouse they'll erect over the stadium.
"We can't ask anyone how this will turn out," Heggie said, "because we don't know anyone who has done it."
The MLS Cup
Temperatures dropped steadily and snow fell in the lead-up to the MLS Cup. Seattle Sounders and TFC players got one practice at the stadium, their breath visible in the cold air. Workers roamed the stadium with backpack snowblowers, blasting piles of powder, but the small patches of snow on the field melted quickly on soil heated to 15 degrees.
"They've done an amazing job to have the field in such great condition this time of year in this climate and in this region of the world – hats off to the grounds crew," TFC goalkeeper Clint Irwin said. "Today, you could actually hear the ice melting on the field."
Star midfielder Bradley expressed "much respect" for the crew's work. Manager Greg Vanney echoed the compliment. Giovinco would be the only detractor, trying to explain his cramp-plagued season by wondering aloud if the field changeovers had affected his play.
It was -6C as the Saturday night game began. A third successive BMO Field event went to extra time, and the exhilarating night ended with Seattle winning in penalty kicks.
In the days that followed, Heggie turned off the underground heat and snow fell on the grass. Its life as a playing field was over. Its only remaining role was that of a firm, cold surface deep beneath the many layers of an outdoor hockey rink for the final spectacle in the stadium's wild five weeks.
Mike Craig, NHL senior manager of facilities, looks at the work underway at BMO Field to prepare for the Centennial Classic game on New Year’s Day.
NHL's Centennial Classic
The NHL arrived on the Exhibition Grounds on Dec. 15, pulling up to the stadium with a 53-foot refrigeration unit – the world's biggest. Setting up for the league's 20th outdoor hockey game – with the Toronto Maple Leafs playing host to the Detroit Red Wings – boards, floor tiles, tools and pipes quickly covered much of the icy, dull-green grass. During the league's first few days on site, harsh winter weather meant extra hours for snow removal and to tarp the area against freezing rain.
The rink began with large plastic deck tiles topped with three layers of plywood, then ice pans chilled by coolant circulating from the refrigeration truck. The boards were set up, and ice was made with a spray boom passing over the surface some 250 times, lightly misting it with water. The grey ice was then painted white. Rain and temperatures creeping above freezing weren't major concerns – not with the big truck monitoring the ice temperature.
The NHL brought the world’s biggest refrigeration truck to prepare BMO Field for the New Year’s Day outdoor game.
Workers prepare the deck tiles where the rink is being built on the field.
Hoses and pipes will carry glycol solution from the mobile refrigeration truck to the field’s temporary ice rinks.
"Up to game No. 20, we've dealt with every weather situation, and this is the same crew we've had right from the start, so we're confident in our experience," said Mike Craig, the NHL's senior manager of facilities operations. "Still, it can be tough to sleep the night before a game. You're excited and nervous and you want everything to go perfect, so you have to monitor the temperatures every minute."
This NHL game at BMO Field (or Exhibition Stadium, as they've dubbed it for the week, with Scotiabank as the game's title sponsor) may not be steeped in stadium history like recent outdoor games at Dodger Stadium or Soldier Field or Michigan Stadium, where 105,491 fans set a single-game NHL attendance record. For several years, MLSE aimed to land an outdoor NHL game, but only with the renovations of the past two years – new suites, clubs and overhead canopies, plus the ability to add extra seating – did BMO Field become ideal for an outdoor game.
A temporary 5,900-seat bleacher was added to the north end; combined with the 5,800 seats added to a stand on the south side before the Grey Cup, the 40,000-seat configuration will make it BMO Field's largest event yet.
Instead of turf blankets, pitchforks and sprinklers at the ready in the stadium's workshop, dozens of shovels in varying sizes now stand, along with new hockey nets, unblemished by pucks.
Heggie will be among the spectators on New Year's Day, ready for the hockey, the fans and the music that will fill BMO Field with electricity one more time – until the new sod rolls in to prepare for spring.
Head groundskeeper Robert Heggie: ‘Lots of people just think groundskeepers are all like Carl Spackler in Caddy Shack, but we’re scientists, we’re mixing chemicals, doing math and observing the plants. We’re grass experts. My guys don’t mind working all night to prove everyone wrong.’
Follow Rachel Brady on Twitter: @RBradyGlobe
SPORTY SPACES: MORE FROM THE GLOBE AND MAIL
Meet the woman in charge of running the NHL’s best new arena An Oilers fan at heart, Susan Darrington is the head honcho at the $480-million Rogers Arena. Marty Klinkenberg tells her story.Here you can find all the BBL fixtures for 2018-19, with the Big Bash season running from December 19 to February 17.
Under a new TV deal with Fox Sports and Channel Seven, BBL|08 was expanded to a full home-and-away season in 2018-19, with a total of 59 matches.
43 of those matches, including both semi-finals and the final, were broadcast by both Fox Sports and Channel Seven, while the remaining 16 matches were exclusive to Foxtel.
All of those matches were able to be streamed live on Kayo Sports.
BBL fixtures 2018-19
Jump to fixtures
December | January | February | Semi-finals | Final
December Date Time Teams Venue Wed Dec 19 7:15 PM Brisbane Heat vs Adelaide Strikers The Gabba Thu Dec 20 7:15 PM Melbourne Renegades vs Perth Scorchers Marvel Stadium Fri Dec 21 7:15 PM Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Stars Manuka Oval Sat Dec 22 3:30 PM Sydney Sixers vs Perth Scorchers* SCG Sat Dec 22 7:00 PM Brisbane Heat vs Hobart Hurricanes* Metricon Stadium Sun Dec 23 7:15 PM Adelaide Strikers vs Melbourne Renegades Adelaide Oval Mon Dec 24 3:45 PM Hobart Hurricanes vs Melbourne Stars* Blundstone Arena Mon Dec 24 7:15 PM Sydney Thunder vs Sydney Sixers Spotless Stadium Wed Dec 26 7:15 PM Perth Scorchers vs Adelaide Strikers Optus Stadium Thu Dec 27 7:15 PM Sydney Sixers vs Melbourne Stars SCG Fri Dec 28 7:15 PM Hobart Hurricanes vs Sydney Thunder Blundstone Arena Sat Dec 29 7:00 PM Melbourne Renegades vs Sydney Sixers* Marvel Stadium Sun Dec 30 7:15 PM Hobart Hurricanes vs Perth Scorchers UTAS Stadium Mon Dec 31 7:15 PM Adelaide Strikers vs Sydney Thunder Adelaide Oval January Date Time Teams Venue Tue Jan 1 2:45 PM Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Sixers Metricon Stadium Tue Jan 1 7:15 PM Melbourne Stars vs Melbourne Renegades MCG Wed Jan 2 7:15 PM Sydney Thunder vs Perth Scorchers Spotless Stadium Thu Jan 3 7:15 PM Melbourne Renegades vs Adelaide Strikers GMHBA Stadium Fri Jan 4 7:15 PM Hobart Hurricanes vs Sydney Sixers Blundstone Arena Sat Jan 5 6:15 PM Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Thunder* Metricon Stadium Sat Jan 5 9:30 PM Perth Scorchers vs Brisbane Heat* Optus Stadium Sun Jan 6 7:15 PM Adelaide Strikers vs Sydney Sixers Adelaide Oval Mon Jan 7 7:15 PM Melbourne Renegades vs Hobart Hurricanes Marvel Stadium Tue Jan 8 7:15 PM Sydney Thunder vs Brisbane Heat Spotless Stadium Wed Jan 9 7:15 PM Melbourne Stars vs Perth Scorchers MCG Thu Jan 10 7:15 PM Brisbane Heat vs Melbourne Renegades The Gabba Fri Jan 11 7:00 PM Adelaide Strikers vs Melbourne Stars* Adelaide Oval Sun Jan 13 2:45 PM Sydney Thunder vs Adelaide Strikers* Spotless Stadium Sun Jan 13 6:35 PM Melbourne Renegades vs Brisbane Heat GMHBA Stadium Sun Jan 13 9:35 PM Perth Scorchers vs Sydney Sixers Optus Stadium Mon Jan 14 7:15 PM Melbourne Stars vs Hobart Hurricanes MCG Wed Jan 16 7:15 PM Sydney Sixers vs Melbourne Renegades SCG Thu Jan 17 7:15 PM Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Thunder The Gabba Fri Jan 18 9:30 PM Perth Scorchers vs Hobart Hurricanes* Optus Stadium Sat Jan 19 6:45 PM Melbourne Renegades vs Melbourne Stars* Marvel Stadium Sun Jan 20 7:15 PM Sydney Sixers vs Brisbane Heat SCG Mon Jan 21 7:15 PM Adelaide Strikers vs Hobart Hurricanes Adelaide Oval Tue Jan 22 7:15 PM Sydney Thunder vs Melbourne Renegades Spotless Stadium Wed Jan 23 2:45 PM Melbourne Stars vs Adelaide Strikers Ted Summerton Reserve Wed Jan 23 7:15 PM Sydney Sixers Hobart Hurricanes SCG Thu Jan 24 9:40 PM Perth Scorchers vs Sydney Thunder Optus Stadium Sun Jan 27 7:40 PM Melbourne Stars vs Brisbane Heat MCG Mon Jan 28 9:15 PM Perth Scorchers vs Melbourne Renegades Optus Stadium Tue Jan 29 4:00 PM Hobart Hurricanes vs Brisbane Heat* Blundstone Arena Tue Jan 29 7:00 PM Sydney Sixers vs Adelaide Strikers* SCG Wed Jan 30 7:15 PM Melbourne Renegades vs Sydney Thunder* Marvel Stadium Thu Jan 31 7:40 PM Hobart Hurricanes vs Adelaide Strikers UTAS Stadium February Date Time Teams Venue Fri Feb 1 7:40 PM Brisbane Heat vs Perth Scorchers The Gabba Sat Feb 2 7:00 PM Sydney Sixers vs Sydney Thunder* SCG Sun Feb 3 6:15 PM Adelaide Strikers vs Brisbane Heat* Adelaide Oval Sun Feb 3 9:15 PM Perth Scorchers vs Melbourne Stars Optus Stadium Thu Feb 7 7:30 PM Hobart Hurricanes vs Melbourne Renegades Blundstone Arena Fri Feb 8 8:40 PM Brisbane Heat vs Melbourne Stars The Gabba Sat Feb 9 2:45 PM Adelaide Strikers vs Perth Scorchers Adelaide Oval Sat Feb 9 6:15 PM Sydney Thunder vs Hobart Hurricanes* Manuka Oval Sun Feb 10 2:45 PM Melbourne Stars vs Sydney Sixers MCG Semi-finals Date Time Teams Venue Thu Feb 14 7:30 PM Hobart Hurricanes vs Melbourne Stars Blundstone Arena Fri Feb 15 7:40 PM Melbourne Renegades vs Sydney Sixers Marvel Stadium Big Final Date Time Teams Venue Sun Feb 17 2:45 PM Melbourne Renegades vs Melbourne Stars Marvel Stadium
While The Roar go to every effort to ensure this information is correct, you should always check the official cricket.com.au website before making plans based on this information.
All times AEDT
* denotes match is exclusive to Foxtel.
AdvertisementMinister lived secret life for 20 years
Updated
New South Wales Premier Kristina Keneally says former minister David Campbell kept his sexuality secret for more than 20 years but has told her he was never the victim of a blackmail attempt.
The Member for Keira resigned as transport and roads minister yesterday after Channel Seven showed footage of him leaving a gay sauna in Sydney's east.
The married father-of-two's treatment by the media has sparked a debate about whether revelations about a politician's private life are in the public interest.
Speaking to the media today, Ms Keneally said Mr Campbell had given a "clear and unambiguous no" when asked if he had ever been the victim of a bribery or extortion attempt.
She said she had been shocked and saddened by the events but she believed Mr Campbell had made the right decision to step down.
"Clearly he needs time for himself and for his family to work through what is, unquestionably, a very difficult period for him," she said.
Ms Keneally said it was unacceptable that Mr Campbell used his government car to drive to the sex venue.
"I also do not think it serves any great public purpose for there to be pursuit of his family or him at this time," she said.
"He has been living with this secret about his sexuality for over two decades. I don't think any of us can imagine what that must be like."
The Premier says that as a woman she is concerned for his family, especially his wife.
"I think it is appalling that he kept this secret, particularly from his family and from his colleagues," she said.
"I also think it is appalling that we live in a society where he felt he had to keep that secret."
Mr Campbell has apologised to his wife and family for letting them down.
Ethics debate
The public exposure of Mr Campbell's personal life has sparked a debate about media ethics.
CFMEU spokesman Andrew Ferguson has criticised the media over its handling of the story.
The union leader says the private lives of politicians are not fair game.
"The private lives of members of parliament shouldn't be splashed in a tabloid fashion around newspapers and newsrooms," he said.
"Politicians should be judged on their public performance, representing the interests of the people that elect them."
Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard has told Channel Nine the media should give Mr Campbell space to deal with his personal affairs.
"I think probably what we are seeing now is a family under some real pressure as the newspapers today report his wife is struggling with cancer and they have now got some other problems to work through," she said.
"So I hope the media do give them a little bit of space."
The St James Ethics Centre says Channel Seven has overstepped its responsibility.
Its executive director, Simon Longstaff, says the coverage would only have been warranted if Mr Campbell had been involved in an activity he took a strong moral stand on.
Channel Seven this morning defended its decision to broadcast the story about Mr Campbell.
The network's director of news, Peter Meakin, says the community had a right to know about the behaviour of the former transport minister.
"But at the end of the day if we want any endorsement of what we've done, I'd quote Mr David Campbell, who says I apologise to my wife, family, colleagues, staff and the community for letting them down," Mr Meakin said.
"Isn't it part of our duty to let the electorate know when a minister has let them down?"
New cabinet
The New South Wales Government's new look frontbench will be sworn in this afternoon.
John Robertson has been given the job of Transport Minister. David Borger has got the Roads portfolio.
The decision to merge the two portfolios was made last year by the former Premier Nathan Rees.
Ms Keneally says she is now splitting them back up.
"It has been my growing view that Transport and Roads as one portfolio, with one minister, was not the most sensible approach. This was an opportunity to reshape that,' she said.
Mr Robertson's portfolios have been handed to Paul Lynch. Peter Primrose has also been given extra responsibilities.
The Maitland MP Frank Terenzini is entering cabinet.
He had said he was resigning at the next election.
Ms Keneally says he is now reconsidering that decision.
Topics: states-and-territories, community-and-society, lgbt, sexuality, government-and-politics, information-and-communication, journalism, sydney-2000, australia, nsw, wollongong-2500
First postedHow to Convince Loved Ones to Prep (and When to Give Up)
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Lately, those who live the preparedness lifestyle have been more concerned than ever about the events going on in the world, and for many of us, the urgency to convince loved ones to prep is at an all-time high as worries increase. The economic collapse of Venezuela, our own shaky markets and banking system, the threat of natural disasters, and worries about cyber attacks all have the potential to become life-changing catastrophes. These are the events we prep for and we clearly understand the ramifications of facing them without the necessary supplies.
And many of us have friends and family without those necessary supplies. Raise your hand if you have ever tried to convince loved ones to prep. Yep, just as I thought. Hands everywhere.
Chances are that when you brought up the topic, your friends and family considered you anywhere on the nuts scale from “a bit eccentric” to “downright certifiable.” If you’ve ever broached the subject with them, the responses were probably one or more of the following:
“Lighten up!”
“I don’t want to sit there and think about the bad things all day long.”
“You don’t need to worry about me.”
“Live a little!”
“If the disaster is that bad, hopefully, I’ll just die in it. Who’d want to live in a world after ***fill in the disaster of your choice***”
“Hahahahahaha!!!!”
“You worry too much.”
“I’ll just come to your house.”
There’s the smug dismissal, the deer-in-headlights fear, the rolled eyes, and the outright denial that anything bad could ever happen to them. There’s the justification of “We keep a case of water in the pantry at all times” and the “I have survival skills” delusion. Most folks just don’t even want to think about it.
So. Incredibly. Frustrating.
This viewpoint, of course, makes it very difficult for you to talk with these loved ones and bring them over to the “dark side” of preparedness with you. It’s painful to see people about whom you care, blithely going along, spending money frivolously, buying their groceries a couple of days at a time, and living in places that are totally unsustainable should disaster strike.
So, you have to try.
If you really care about the people in question, you probably feel strongly compelled to talk with them about emergency preparedness. But, how do you convince your loved ones to prep when the idea has never even crossed their minds before?
Why People Won’t Listen
First of all, it’s important to understand why your loved ones see the world through rose-colored glasses. While they are busy casting mental health disorder epithets your way, it is actually the people who refuse to accept reality who are suffering from a psychological phenomenon called “cognitive dissonance”.
The phrase “cognitive dissonance” was coined by Dr. Leon Festinger in his book When Prophecy Fails, which was originally published in 1956.When two diverse values collide – the reality of a situation and the moral belief system of the person, it causes mental discomfort that for some people is quite extreme. The person must make alterations to one or the other in order to regain his mental equilibrium. According to Dr. Festinger
Dr. Festinger’s theory states that “dissonance reduction”can be achieved in one of three ways: lowering the importance of one of the discordant factors, adding consonant elements, or changing one of the dissonant factors. This bias sheds light on otherwise puzzling, irrational, and even destructive behavior.”
lowering the importance of one of the discordant factors
adding consonant elements
changing one of the dissonant factors
This bias sheds light on why people behave in manners that are puzzling, irrational, and even destructive.
It’s very frustrating to watch otherwise intelligent people completely avoid the acceptance of our reality. Those deeply into cognitive dissonance are simply NOT going to come around by hearing you preach to them. If anything, it will only drive them further away from you. The concept of, for example, a long-term disaster like and EMP or an economic collapse followed by total social failure are incomprehensible to them.
Because of this, no matter how fervently you believe these epic events to be likely in the future, it’s best to water down the reality into manageable bites.
Breaking Them In Gently
When trying to convince loved ones to prep, it’s best to break them into the concept gently. If you go too hardcore survivalist, too doomy, or too outrageous, they’ll simply shut down, as described above, and all of your efforts will be for naught. Below, you can find a few ways to introduce the concept.
What If They Won’t Listen?
Unfortunately, you have to realize there isn’t a lot you can do to convince others that preparing is vital. People have to come to their own realizations, just the way you did. You have to accept that constantly harping on preparedness will do nothing more than to drive a wedge between you and those you love. Sometimes, you have to know when to give up.
But that isn’t the worst of it. Remember back in the intro to this article, that casual statement that makes every prepper grit his or her teeth?
“I don’t need to prep. I’ll just come to your house.”
As a prepper, you have to make a difficult decision. Are you going to prepare for a few extra people, adding supplies and making room for them when the SHTF? Or are you going to go about your preparedness business quietly, embracing OPSEC and building up your supplies with only your immediate family members in mind?
Some people state that they have absolutely no compunction turning away unprepared family members when disaster strikes, because they spent years warning them to get ready. This is a choice that you may have to make one day, and there is no “one size fits all” answer.
If you allow unprepared loved ones to come to your house, that means there are fewer supplies for your immediate family. You’ll be sharing whatever you have and it won’t stretch for as long a period of time. As well, if they are unprepared despite your best efforts, there could be other problems down the line, like wastefulness, folks who talk too much (and to the wrong people), and loved ones who just don’t grasp the importance of every decision in an emergency. What if they can’t accept the necessity for armed self-defense? This could cause a lot of discord, and even be life-threatening if the situation is dire.
On the other hand, the guilt of turning people away will be too much for some folks to handle. Many hands make lighter work, so if the family members will do their fair share or if they have special skills, then having them at your retreat will probably be worth the division of supplies. Plus, family is family. Sometimes you have to go beyond the call of duty for those you love.
This is not something that should be decided at the spur of the moment when adrenaline is running high. To make a rational choice, it is important to discuss this among the decision-makers of your household and present a unified front, whichever conclusion you reach.
*****
Have you been able to help friends and family see the writing on the wall? If so, how were you able to convince them that it was time to get ready? If not, are you preparing for extra people or are you planning on locking the doors?Australia's political leaders clouded by negativity
Posted
A political analyst says word clouds produced by the ABC reflect a "dangerous" sense of disillusion within the community for Australian democracy and leadership.
ABC News Online asked readers to submit three words to describe their views on the performance of Julia Gillard's minority Government and Tony Abbott's Opposition over the past year.
Responses were drawn from the ABC website and via the Twitter hashtags #gillardin3 and #abbottin3.
Of the 100 most submitted words used to describe Ms Gillard's performance, only 18 were positive. Mr Abbott's word cloud also featured mainly negative descriptions, with 26 positive words making the top 100.
"Most words are negative rather than positive because there's a great deal of negativity and cynicism in the air towards leadership in Australia at the moment," said Dr Troy Whitford, Charles Sturt University politics and history lecturer.
"We're seeing harsh and angry words. It's interesting to think what are people actually reading or analysing to come to those particular words or conclusion."
Dr Whitford believes Australians, while generally taking a negative view towards politicians, are more cynical towards leaders today.
"There's a growing sense of disillusionment in our political system that's catching on. In some respects, it can be quite a long-term and dangerous problem," he told ABC News Online.
"If people don't feel they have strong leadership and a vibrant government, then they start to wonder what's the point of having institutions like these if they're not inspiring or leading as we'd expect them to.
"My greatest concern is the negativity is just going to get worse - even in some countries in Asia, they're even questioning if democracy is the way we should be going.
"If we keep along this path of cutting down what we know about politics and becoming more superficial, then we will eventually become more disillusioned and eventually not have much interest in democracy at all."
Dr Whitford, who is director of the non-for-profit Page Research Centre which |
Yonhap news agency, the parts include two or three launchers, intercept missiles and a radar.
About 8,000 police officers were mobilized, and the main road leading up to the site in the country’s southeast was blocked earlier Wednesday, Yonhap reported.
About 200 residents and protesters rallied against THAAD in front of a local community centre, some hurling plastic water bottles.
On Tuesday, North Korea conducted what it called its largest ever combined live-fire drills, near the east coast port city of Wonsan.
North Korea’s official media reported Wednesday that leader Kim Jong-un personally observed the exercises, which involved the firing of more than 300 large-caliber artillery pieces and included submarine torpedo-attacks on mock enemy warships.
Along with sending U.S. military assets to the region in a show of force, President Donald Trump is leaning on China to exert economic pressure on its wayward ally.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, who spoke to Trump on Monday, is urging restraint from both Pyongyang and Washington.
In Washington, top Trump administration officials are due to brief the entire U.S. Senate on Wednesday.
A rapid tempo of North Korean weapons testing in the past year has pushed Kim Jong-un’s authoritarian nation closer to developing a nuclear-tipped missile that could reach the U.S. mainland.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham voiced confidence that Trump won’t allow North Korea to reach that point.
Graham, a defence hawk who dined with Trump on Monday night, said the North should not underestimate the president’s resolve.
The USS Michigan, a nuclear-powered submarine, arrived Tuesday at the South Korean port of Busan for what was described as a routine visit to rest crew and load supplies.
The U.S. 7th Fleet said two American destroyers were conducting simultaneous maritime exercises with naval ships from South Korea and Japan.
North Korea routinely accuses the United States of readying for an invasion, and threatens pre-emptive strikes to stop it.
An unnamed North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said the U.S. administration’s policy to maximize pressure on North Korea was “little short of lighting the fuse of total war,” the state news agency reported Tuesday.
The streets of Pyongyang, however, were quiet for Tuesday’s anniversary, which was overshadowed by April 15 celebrations for the birthday of the nation’s late founder Kim Il-sung, and were marked by a missile test the following day.
The Trump administration is also upping the ante diplomatically. On Friday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will chair a special meeting of the U.N. Security Council.
Tillerson will be “very vocal” about nations enforcing sanctions on North Korea, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said.
Trump said Monday the council must be prepared to impose stronger sanctions.
NORTH KOREAN ECONOMY HIT HARD
CHINA’S push to use its trading clout to hurt North Korea is starting to be felt as new figures show a sharp drop in imports.
New figures show that Chinese imports from North Korea fell 35 per cent month-on-month in March, after Beijing suspended coal purchases to punish its nuclear-armed neighbour for missile tests.
Total imports from the North by China — Pyongyang’s sole major diplomatic ally and chief trading partner — stood at US$114.56 million (AU$151 million) last month, down from US$176.7 million (AU$233 million) in February, according to Chinese customs data.
Beijing on February 18 imposed a total halt on coal imports from the North until the end of 2017, hardening its stance after a new missile test by Pyongyang, in line with new sanctions adopted by the UN Security Council.
The halt in coal exports aims to cut off a crucial supply of hard currency for Kim Jong-un’s regime.
In 2016 China imported coal worth some US$1.19 billion (AU$1.57 billion) from the North.
But Beijing has maintained exports to the Stalinist regime.
North Korea last month bought from its powerful neighbour some US$29.1 million (AU$38.5 million) of electrical appliances and components, US$21.5 million (AU$28.4 million) of plastics and manufactured components, and US$23.9 million (AU$31.6 million) of synthetic fibres — most of which go back across the border in the form of finished clothes.
US President Donald Trump has been pushing Chinese President Xi Jinping to use his economic clout over Pyongyang to bring the rogue regime to heel.
However, Beijing is concerned that a regime collapse could trigger a flood of refugees across the border and leave the US military on its doorstep.
“The last thing China wants is to see war break out in the region... given the geopolitical circumstances, (North Korea) must learn to be as flexible as they are determined,” the state-run Global Times newspaper said overnight.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump told members of the United Nations Security Council at the White House that the “status quo” on North Korea is “unacceptable”.
“The council must be prepared to impose additional and stronger sanctions,” Mr Trump said.
He reportedly told journalists that “I’m not so sure he’s so strong like he says he is.”
It came as North Korea held major live-fire drills to mark the 85th founding anniversary of its military.
(LEAD) N. Korea stages firing drill marking military anniv.: source https://t.co/Ku6331vjOB — Yonhap News Agency (@YonhapNews) April 25, 2017
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency cited a government source as saying the exercise was the North’s ‘largest ever’.
“Signs are detected that North Korea’s military is conducting a large-scale drill around the eastern port city of Wonsan on the anniversary,” a source told Yonhap News.
North Korea will cross the point of no return if it carries out another nuclear test, the official Chinese newspaper Global Times, controlled by the ruling Communist Party, warns.As China continues to pour billions into its massive military buildup, a pressing concern is its territorial ambitions in the South China Sea. Within the next two weeks the Pentagon is expected to send U.S. Navy warships to the area that will steam past China's artificial South China Sea islands in the first direct challenge to China's claims in the region.
The stakes are high, and the U.S. naval action could drive them higher still. Trillions in global seaborne trade transit the South China Sea each year (including roughly $1.2 trillion in goods bound for U.S. ports), but the vast majority of East Asia's energy resources pass through the Strait of Malacca and South China Sea as well.
The sea itself could also be a source of vast mineral wealth. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that there could be 11 billion barrels of oil and 190 trillion cubic feet of natural gas lurking in the seabed there.
If the naval maneuvers are approved, they would mark a material escalation in what, up to this point, has been largely a war of words between U.S. and Chinese officials.
During a state visit to the White House last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Obama could not find common ground on this issue.
Xi was defiant in his defense of China's activities in the South China Sea, which include using a fleet of dredging ships to build a string of artificial islands atop various reefs in the region. Those islands have since become home to airstrips, helipads and other infrastructure. Beijing has also claimed the islands and a 12-nautical-mile radius surrounding each one as sovereign Chinese territory.
"We have the right to uphold our own territorial sovereignty and lawful and legitimate maritime rights and interests," Xi said during remarks in the Rose Garden, defiantly defending its territorial claims in the South China Sea and its building of artificial islands there with military buildings, ports and airstrips to support air and sea patrols of the area. Xi went on to add that China's activities in the strategically important waterway "do not target or impact any country, and China does not intend to pursue militarization."
Read MoreUS, China clash over dispute in the South China SeaI thought this would be a great idea for Halloween (I love Halloween!) so in my usual over the top fashion I went, well -- over the top. A buddy of mine wanted to do it as well. We tried to get his roommate into it too so we could have a third Ghostbuster but he didn't think we'd be able to do it......... :D
I made two complete packs, suits, belts and goggles in just over two weeks working mostly nights and weekends. I also made a ghost trap and pedal- it clips onto the belt just like in the movie. The guns come off the packs and the packs light up, as does the trap. I made two lighting circuits for each pack using a simple homemade 555 timer circuit, a few LEDs and 9v batteries. The trap weighs around six or seven pounds and the packs weigh about twenty- five pounds.
The packs and trap are pretty movie accurate- they were made from plans that were drawn up from one of the original movie "hero" packs on display at Planet Hollywood. The A.L.I.C.E. pack frames are the same as the movie and were purchased from an Army surplus store. Most of the small parts on the pack are movie accurate and were located at a local electronics surplus store. Even our coveralls were from the original movie supplier. The "no ghost" patches were bought online.
I made the goggles from hardboard, Bondo and thin plywood. I turned the aluminum and glass lenses on a lathe. All the labels on the packs and goggles are accurate and were printed on my computer.
Like I said- over the top. But come Halloween it is oh sooo worth it. People go absolutely flippin' nuts when they see the whole getup. They absolutely cannot believe they were homemade.
This is a BIG project so I'll basically outline what I did to make it go a lot faster. Follow on...A former CBS News reporter who quit the network over claims it kills stories that put President Obama in a bad light says she was spied on by a “government-related entity” that planted classified documents on her computer.
In her new memoir, Sharyl Attkisson says a source who arranged to have her laptop checked for spyware in 2013 was “shocked” and “flabbergasted” at what the analysis revealed.
“This is outrageous. Worse than anything Nixon ever did. I wouldn’t have believed something like this could happen in the United States of America,” Attkisson quotes the source saying.
She speculates that the motive was to lay the groundwork for possible charges against her or her sources.
Attkisson says the source, who’s “connected to government three-letter agencies,” told her the computer was hacked into by “a sophisticated entity that used commercial, nonattributable spyware that’s proprietary to a government agency: either the CIA, FBI, the Defense Intelligence Agency or the National Security Agency.”
The breach was accomplished through an “otherwise innocuous e-mail” that Attkisson says she got in February 2012, then twice “redone” and “refreshed” through a satellite hookup and a Wi-Fi connection at a Ritz-Carlton hotel.
The spyware included programs that Attkisson says monitored her every keystroke and gave the snoops access to all her e-mails and the passwords to her financial accounts.
“The intruders discovered my Skype account handle, stole the password, activated the audio, and made heavy use of it, presumably as a listening tool,” she wrote in “Stonewalled: My Fight for Truth Against the Forces of Obstruction, Intimidation, and Harassment in Obama’s Washington.”
This is outrageous. Worse than anything Nixon ever did.
Attkisson says her source — identified only as “Number One” — told her the spying was most likely not court-authorized because it went on far longer than most legal taps.
But the most shocking finding, she says, was the discovery of three classified documents that Number One told her were “buried deep in your operating system. In a place that, unless you’re a some kind of computer whiz specialist, you wouldn’t even know exists.”
“They probably planted them to be able to accuse you of having classified documents if they ever needed to do that at some point,” Number One added.
In her book, Attkisson says CBS lost interest in her coverage of the deadly attack on the US Embassy in Benghazi, Libya, and killed her stories of the federal “Fast and Furious” gun-running scandal.
Both CBS and the White House declined to comment.If you sat and thought now about the number of times you’ve been riding happily along, minding your own manners and rules of the road, only to have an angry driver honk, scowl or shout a few colourful words your way?
Ever wondered why? Was that guy just having a bad day or did you unknowingly swerve in front of his vehicle?
A recent article by BBC writer and Cognitive Science and Psychology lecturer at the University of Sheffield, Tom Stafford puts forth an interesting theory.
Social Order Interrupted
Stafford’s theory, is that motorists get angry at cyclists simply because they interrupt the natural social order of driving, and therefore society.
When we get behind the wheel or a pair of handlebars, there is a direct and indirect set of rules to which we all agree.
It’s similar to when you arrive at the post office and there’s a huge queue. You don’t just skip to the front of the queue, you join the back. (Especially as you are British).
However, cyclists are sometimes above those rules. In both a legal and illegal sense.
For example, in a queue, a cyclist can very easily get to the front.
Already that disrupts the social order.
In more extreme cases, a cyclist can jump a red light, ride on the pavement or cycle the wrong way up a one way street.
All of this leaves a driver thinking: “Blood cyclists”.
When they say “bloody cyclists” what they are really saying is: “Why should I have to sit here in a queue while the cyclist jumps to the front?”.
Indeed, car drivers get just as angry at other drivers who sneak into the queue without signalling, drive recklessly and otherwise ignore widely accepted road rules.
Interestingly, in Mexico, I made the mistake of driving the wrong way up a one way street. I inconvenienced four motorists, yet not a single one seemed angry at me. Perhaps as rule breaking on the road is more prevalent here, there’s less of a “social order” from which to deviate.
“Bloody cyclists”
Another psychological principle is at work on our roads.
To make sense of the complex world around us our minds like to simplify things. The result is we overgeneralise.
Drivers will often lump everyone who rides a bicycle in to one big group labelled “cyclists”. They see a cyclist behaving badly, and then conclude “all cyclists break the rules”.
Indeed, the angry wrath of the driver that you are receiving may be the result of another cyclist they saw earlier in the day.
This is further exacerbated by the way we tend to better remember the scenarios where someone breaks the rules, as it makes an impression on us. In contrast, when someone follows the rules, we don’t notice, as there is little to notice.
See also: How to make your next bike ride safer than the last.
Venting anger on Twitter
A cursory check on Twitter reveals what people really think.
One man wrote, “20,000 points to the first person who hits an annoying bloody cyclist!”
Meanwhile a woman posted this seconds later: “Almost hit a cyclist who ran a red light, was tempted to speed up and grant his death wish. Ha!”
These comments were angry, but tame compared to many others.
The question then becomes, is this anger warranted or are bicyclists simply the new group to hate?
The anger is mostly irrational. Most cyclists obey the rules. Indeed, we don’t get angry when the driver has the advantage, and they can accelerate on a clear road, so why should they get angry at a cyclist who can get to the front of a queue?
If you’re the cyclist who makes up your own road rules, with little regard for your road mates, you probably think they’re overreacting.
If you often bear the brunt of motorist hostility, simply because you travel on two wheels, you probably wish your fellow cyclists would try a little harder to share the road amicably.
Is there anything we, as cyclists, can do to make motorists a little less angry?
There are the basics, such as sticking to the rules and showing a little politeness.
In the mean time, they’ll continue to be angry cyclists and angry motorists. Sharing the road inevitably means these conflicts will arise. As we start to see better infrastructure for cyclists, we may also see a drop in conflicts.
See also: 7 things you should give up in order to be a happy cyclist.Scott Gottlieb, a resident fellow of the American Enterprise Institute, is out with his latest estimates of how Obamacare is affecting health insurance premiums around the country. Though the employer market is difficult to calculate and data is hard to come by, he’s made estimates for the small group and individual markets.
If you’ve felt like your insurance has gotten more expensive, well, you’re right: Gottlieb estimated an 11% increase in price in the small group and a 12% increase in the individual market. And it looks like it’ll keep getting worse.
This doesn’t look great for price-sensitive Americans who have feared that Obamacare will ruin the market for insurance – and certainly runs counter to the trumped-up claims from the Administration that Obamacare is engineered to lower insurance prices.
In 2009, the Congressional Budget Office forecast what insurance premiums would be in 2016 due to Obamacare. They found that in 2016 we should have expected a 10-13% increase in the individual market, which means that prices need to freeze right now for that to come true. It’s unlikely to be the case. What’s more, though, they predicted no change for the small-group market. Prices have skyrocketed there, and show no signs of slowing down.
Obamacare was sold to the American people on a boatload of broken promises, and it looks like we can toss “bend the cost curve” and “lower premiums for the average family by $2500” onto the bin of lies.Police Monday were looking for more possible victims of an Uber driver accused of sexually assaulting a woman he picked up in downtown Los Angeles.
Alaric Spence, 46, was arrested late Friday and was being held on $1 million bail.
Spence assaulted the 24-year-old victim about 3 a.m. Friday after she passed out in the back of his car on her way to Hollywood, according to Los Angeles police.
Instead of driving her to her destination, Spence drove her to a hotel on Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood and raped her, according to Capt. William Hayes.
“He went to the hotel, rented a room and then carried her from his car into the hotel room where he assaulted her,” Hayes said. “To do something that brazen … in my investigators’ and my opinion … we believe it is something he has done before.”
The woman, who may have passed out from drinking alcohol, woke up alone, not knowing where she was or how she got there, called police, Hayes said.
Spence had been an Uber driver for six months and has prior drug-related convictions. Uber declined to comment.
Anyone with information about other possible victims was urged to call LAPD Detective Carla Zuniga at (213) 486-6910. After-hours and weekend calls should be directed to (877) LAPD-24-7.
Anonymous tips can be submitted through Crime Stoppers by calling (800) 222-TIPS.Now that everything’s connected to the internet, how secure is your home network?
I recently conducted an informal survey among ten of my Mac-user friends. The results revealed a truth both unsurprising and frightening at the same time. I was asking how many had ever taken steps to secure their home networks. The answer, I learned, was a resounding NONE.
These days home Wi-Fi is in use 24/7, communicating with computers, mobile devices, and an ever-growing number of smart home gadgets known as the internet of things (IoT). This constant connection to the internet goes both ways. The gate is open for traffic to flow out... or in.
There are several ways you can control the data traffic flow, blocking any hackers, trackers, and Wi-Fi hijackers. Some of these methods are a real pain in the router, which is why most people don’t bother with them. But protecting your home network is sadly necessary. The good news here is that at least one of the options below (SPOILER: #5) makes it easier than ever to bar the gates and keep your castle guarded.
5 ways to secure your home network
1) Configure and update your router. But, really, who wants to do that? Who goes in after the ISP has left and redoes everything they did? I know I never have.
2) Change your Wi-Fi password regularly. Again, this is not an enjoyable task. It would prove annoying for my many friends and family who like to use my Wi-Fi on their phones when they are here.
3) Hide your network. This one is not too complicated, though you do need to have your ISP router configuration handy. Now where did I put that?
4) Turn your Wi-Fi off. This option is popular with, I’m going to guess, no one at all.
5) Use our new Avast Security Pro for Mac, which comes with a "Wi-Fi Inspector" that automatically alerts you if anything unknown or unusual breaches your network.
Home Wi-Fi protection made easy
Security Pro is our brand-new premium security software for Macs. It provides antivirus protection powered by next-gen cybersecurity, blocking harmful malware like adware and shutting down ransomware attacks before they happen.
It also provides Wi-Fi Inspector, an ever-alert sentry keeping 24/7 watch over your 24/7-working Wi-Fi. Stay connected with the peace of mind that your castle is safe. Download Security Pro for Mac today.AMMAN: Under the cover of darkness, a smuggler led Alaa and her family through the mountains of Syria’s northern Idlib province Saturday night.
The group—15 family members in total—trekked across the rugged terrain, from Khirbet al-Joz, a small countryside town, in the direction of the Turkish border.
Despite the smuggler’s assurances, the group was noticeably on edge. In recent months, the Turkish authorities violently cracked down on illegal border crossings, resulting in a number of shootings, arrests and beatings.
When Alaa’s family finally arrived at the border, it was past midnight.
Almost immediately, the Turkish border guards began shooting in the group’s direction while shouting warnings at the smuggler.
“The smuggler told us not to worry. He said it’s normal. It’s routine, and that we should stay in the [guards’] searchlight,” Alaa told Syria Direct.
Several injured at the Khirbet al-Joz border crossing. Photo courtesy of Ali Adra.
But while Alaa’s family stood in plain sight of the Turkish border guards, the smuggler made a break from the group, running towards cover.
“The border guards started firing on us. They killed my husband. They killed my three children,” said Alaa.
“We trusted the smuggler, and he deceived us. He told us that it would be safe.”
In total, Turkish border guards shot dead at least nine people, including four children, marking the deadliest Syria-Turkey border crossing incident since the start of the five-year-old Syrian civil war.
‘There’s simply no alternative’
In recent months, Turkey’s “open door policy” for Syrian refugees has taken a markedly different tone.
In October, Turkey—which hosts 2.7 million Syrian refugees, more than any other nation—began erecting a 900km-long border wall. In March, the government closed the Bab al-Hawa border crossing, rebel-held Idlib’s only official means of crossing into Syria. Turkish authorities have also summarily rounded up and expelled groups of around 100 Syrians “on a near-daily basis since mid-January,” Amnesty International reported in April.
As formal channels for asylum seeking are cut off, Syrians are increasingly turning toward illegal, and oftentimes dangerous, methods of emigration.
In total, nearly 60 civilians have been shot while attempting to cross from Syria into Turkey since the beginning of 2016, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
Khirbet al-Joz—just 50km south of the Turkish city of Antakya—has recently become Idlib’s main pipeline into Turkey.
During March and April 2016, Turkish border guards fired on Syrian asylum seekers and smugglers attempting to cross into Turkey from Khirbet al-Joz, killing five people over six separate incidents, Human Rights Watch reported last month.
Given the risk, why do Syrians like Alaa continue to attempt the crossing at Khirbet al-Joz?
“There’s simply no alternative,” Ali Adra, a citizen journalist from the small Syrian border town, told Syria Direct on Wednesday.
“People know that the crossing is dangerous,” Adra added. “They know that many have been killed…but they’ve got no other choice. These people are risking death in order to flee the prospect of certain death.”
The road to Khirbet al-Joz
Turkey’s border wall has not yet reached Khirbet al-Joz. In turn, and with a closing window of opportunity, hundreds of Syrians have attempted to cross into Turkey in recent months via the small border town.
For most, the journey begins in Idlib or Aleppo where the smuggling networks often have their main offices.
From the main office, the smuggling leader sends the asylum seekers to Khirbet al-Joz in a private car, multiple sources familiar with the town’s smuggling network told Syria Direct.
“The leader of the network takes around $400 per person,” Abu Mohammad, a Khirbet al-Joz resident, told Syria Direct.
The fees only begin at the main office.
“I know all of the traffickers in the area,” he added. “They’ll cheat these poor people. They’ll take as much as they possibly can.”
Smugglers charge a range of added fees along the journey for food, transportation and security.
“At this point, there is no turning back, and there is certainly no seeing that money ever again,” said Abu Mohammad.
Once in Khirbet al-Joz, employees of the smuggling network arrange the details of the border crossing.
“On the day of the crossing, the smugglers tell the refugees that it’s all been coordinated with the Turkish border guards. That everything is going according to plan and that the journey is completely safe,” noted Abu Mohammad.
“These smugglers lie,” Adra, the Khirbet al-Joz citizen journalist, added. “They don’t care if the people live or die. They are concerned about getting paid and that alone.”
The smugglers often travel well armed, exploiting the people traveling with them and silencing all opposition along the journey.
When a fighter in a local rebel group confronted a smuggler a few weeks ago, “the smuggler put a gun in the rebel’s face,” said Abu Mohammad.
“The truth of the matter is that these smugglers are gang members.”
Syria Direct spoke with one Khirbet al-Joz smuggler, Rami, who adamantly defended his underground profession.
“It’s no secret that people die from Turkish bullets, and we don’t blame refugees for wanting to take this risk,” Rami said. “But we don’t force anyone to do anything. They come to us of their own volition.”
With an increasingly dangerous border crossing and the specter of near-constant smuggler exploitation, Syrian asylum seekers find few options along the road to Khirbet al-Joz.
“We fled IS because we were looking for safety,” Alaa told Syria Direct. “We had no food, no water, nothing at all.”
“All I wanted was to be able to feed my children, but to those smugglers, my blood is nothing but currency.”WASHINGTON ― Multiple members of the White House manufacturing council have resigned in protest this week over President Donald Trump’s botched response to a deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Then, on Wednesday, Trump announced he would end the council altogether, following the departure of six CEOs and leaders from the AFL-CIO.
Merck & Co. CEO Ken Frazier, the only African-American on the council, was first to step down “to take a stand against intolerance and extremism,” he said in a statement. The move drew an immediate rebuke from Trump, who claimed on Twitter that the pharmaceuticals chief would now “have more time to lower ripoff drug prices.”
Later, Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank quit the group “to focus my efforts on inspiring every person that they can do anything through the power of sport which promotes unity, diversity and inclusion,” he said in a statement.
Intel CEO Brian Krzanich resigned “to call attention to the serious harm our divided political climate is causing to critical issues,” he said in a statement. “I resigned because I want to make progress, while many in Washington seem more concerned with attacking anyone who disagrees with them,” Krzanich added. “We should honor ― not attack ― those who have stood up for equality and other cherished American values.”
Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, announced his resignation from the council on Tuesday. “It’s the right thing for me to do,” he tweeted.
AFL-CIO President Trumka also announced his resignation via Twitter on Tuesday. Inge Thulin, head of 3M Co., followed on Wednesday.
That same day, Campbell Soup CEO Denise Morrison reversed her previous decision to remain on the panel, citing Trump’s Tuesday press conference.
“Racism and murder are unequivocally reprehensible and are not morally equivalent to anything else that happened in Charlottesville. I believe the President should have been ― and still needs to be ― unambiguous on that point,” she said in a statement. “Following yesterday’s remarks from the President, I cannot remain on the Manufacturing Jobs Initiative.”
After Trump’s initial response blaming “many sides” for the mayhem on Saturday, bipartisan criticism forced him to condemn white supremacist groups on Monday, referring to them as “criminals and thugs” and calling them “repugnant.” On Tuesday, however, he defended his initial remarks.
Representatives for most of the CEOs on Trump’s manufacturing council did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s queries about Frazier’s resignation and whether they agreed with his statement on Saturday. Some declined to comment outright.
Other CEOs on the council issued statements condemning bigotry and violence on display in Charlottesville over the weekend, while also making clear that they intended to remain on the panel.
“In Dow there is no room for hatred, racism, or bigotry,” said Dow Chemical CEO Andrew Liveris. “Dow will continue to work to strengthen the social and economic fabric of the communities where it operates – including supporting policies that help create employment opportunities in manufacturing and rebuild the American workforce.”
Campbell Soup CEO Denise Morrison denounced the “racist ideology at the center of the protests” in Charlottesville and called on others to do the same, but added that she would stay on the council in order to “have a voice and provide input on matters that will affect our industry.”
A spokeswoman for General Electric said the company condemns the hatred and bigotry on display in at the rally in Charlottesville. However, that spokesperson added, General Electric chairman Jeff Immelt will also remain on the council because “it is important for GE to participate in the discussion on how to drive growth and productivity in the U.S.”
Lauren Lee, a spokeswoman for Dell, said there is “no change in Dell engaging with the Trump administration and governments around the world to share our perspective on policy issues that affect our company, our customers and our employees.”
Whirlpool Corp. said it “believes strongly in an open and inclusive culture that respects people of all races” and that it would continue on the council.
Under Armour’s Plank, who has faced criticism over his past praise of Trump and who later denounced some of Trump’s policies, initially tweeted that his company is “saddened” by the violence in Charlottesville.
“There is no place for racism or discrimination in this world. We choose love & unity,” Plank added. Monday evening, he resigned from the group.
Nucor and International Paper also denounced the violence over the weekend. They, too, said they would remain on the council.
Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson, Corning CEO Wendell Weeks, and Harris Corp. CEO Bill Brown declined to comment.
While Ford Motor Co. initially participated in the council, it is no longer a member.
“Ford does not have a representative on the manufacturing council,” Michael Levine, a Ford spokesman, told HuffPost. CEO Jim Hackett, who replaced Mark Fields in May, quickly distanced himself from the White House and did not rejoin the council.
Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of SpaceX and Tesla, also resigned from the council earlier this year due to Trump’s decision to leave the Paris Agreement on climate change.
On Tuesday, Trump responded to the CEOs departing from the council by tweeting that he has “many to take their place.”
For every CEO that drops out of the Manufacturing Council, I have many to take their place. Grandstanders should not have gone on. JOBS! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 15, 2017
Here’s a list of the president’s remaining American Manufacturing Council members:
Andrew Liveris, Dow Chemical Co.
Bill Brown, Harris Corporation
Michael Dell, Dell Technologies
John Ferriola, Nucor
Jeff Fettig, Whirlpool
Alex Gorsky, Johnson & Johnson
Greg Hayes, United Technologies Corp.
Marillyn Hewson, Lockheed Martin Corp.
Jeffrey Immelt, General Electric Co.
Jim Kamsickas, Dana Inc.
Rich Kyle, Timken Co.
Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing Co.
Doug Oberhelman, Caterpillar Inc.
Michael Polk, Newell Brands
Mark Sutton, International Paper
Wendell Weeks, Corning
This article has been updated to include the resignations of additional members of the manufacturing council, as well as Trump’s response on Twitter and his later announcement that he was ending the council.Male nurse told alleged rape victim the act was 'therapeutic'
Allen Michael Uribes was charged with sexual assault Monday. Allen Michael Uribes was charged with sexual assault Monday. Photo: Houston Police Department Photo: Houston Police Department Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Male nurse told alleged rape victim the act was 'therapeutic' 1 / 1 Back to Gallery
A nurse accused of sexually assaulting a patient last year told the woman the act was "therapeutic," court records show.
Allen Michael Uribes, 27, was charged with sexual assault after a Feb. 24 lab report determined his DNA was present at the sample obtained from the 45-year-old woman's rape kit.
The woman told police that she froze during the attack and couldn't believe that it was happening. Uribes was fired immediately when the hospital learned of the indictment, a statement release by Houston Methodist Hospital read.
According to court documents, the assault happened when Uribes was tending to an IV near the woman's groin, when he left the victim alerted a female caretaker that she had been raped. Uribes was released on a $30,000 bond.
A spokesperson from the Houston Police Department said they were encouraging any other victims of Uribes to come forward, but that no one had yet.
"We are devastated by this news and our hearts go out to the patient and her family," the statement said. "We fully cooperated with authorities during the investigation and we remain steadfast in our goal to keep all patients safe while they are in our hospitals."For use of this term to refer to thrust changes in jet engines, see Jet engine
Magnetic recording tape wound onto a spool may have contributed to the origin of the term
In computing, spooling is a specialized form of multi-programming for the purpose of copying data between different devices. In contemporary systems[a] it is usually used for mediating between a computer application and a slow peripheral, such as a printer. Spooling allows programs to "hand off" work to be done by the peripheral and then proceed to other tasks, or do not begin until input has been transcribed. A dedicated program, the spooler, maintains an orderly sequence of jobs for the peripheral and feeds it data at its own rate. Conversely, for slow input peripherals, such as a card reader, a spooler can maintain a sequence of computational jobs waiting for data, starting each job when all of the relevant input is available; see batch processing. The spool itself refers to the sequence of jobs, or the storage area where they are held. In many cases the spooler is able to drive devices at their full rated speed with minimal impact on other processing.
Spooling is a combination of buffering and queueing.
Print spooling [ edit ]
Nowadays, the most common use of spooling is printing: documents formatted for printing are stored in a queue at the speed of the computer, then retrieved and printed at the speed of the printer. Multiple processes can write documents to the spool without waiting, and can then perform other tasks, while the "spooler" process operates the printer.[1]
For example, when a large organization prepares payroll cheques, the computation takes only a few minutes or even seconds, but the printing process might take hours. If the payroll program printed cheques directly, it would be unable to proceed to other computations until all the cheques were printed. Similarly, before spooling was added to PC operating systems, word processors were unable to do anything else, including interact with the user, while printing.
Spooler or print management software often includes a variety of related features, such as allowing priorities to be assigned to print jobs, notifying users when their documents have been printed, distributing print jobs among several printers, selecting appropriate paper for each document, etc.
A print server applies spooling techniques to allow many computers to share the same printer or group of printers.
Banner page [ edit ]
Sample banner page generated by TSS/370
Print spoolers can be configured to add a banner page (also called a burst page, job sheet, or printer separator) to the front of each document. These separate documents from each other, identify each document (e.g. with its title) and often also state who printed it (e.g. by username or job name). Banner pages are valuable in office environments where many people share a small number of printers. Depending on the configuration, banner pages might be generated on each client computer, or on a centralized print server, or by the printer itself.
On printers using fanfold continuous forms a leading banner page would often be printed twice, so that one copy would always be face-up when the jobs were separated. The page might include lines printed over the fold, which would be visible along the edge of a stack of printed output, allowing the operator to easily separate the jobs. Some systems would also print a banner page at the end of each job, assuring users that they had collected all of their printout.
Other applications [ edit ]
Sp |
book, but trust me: Five Asimov fanatics are absolutely dying with laughter right now.)
1. I think it's worth remembering how Asimov came to write this book. At the time, he hadn't really written a science fiction novel in almost fifteen years, having mostly busied himself with works of popular science and the occasional short story. He always claimed that this book was his response to critics who said his novels never had any sex or aliens in them, so he put in lots of sex, aliens, and alien sex. However...
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2. There is none of that in this first section. There's no aliens, no sex, and in fact not a single woman appears (apart from a very brief mention) at all in this part of the book. It's almost as though Asimov is very consciously writing the most stereotypically Asimov-y story ever before he starts deconstructing himself in the next two sections.
3. Until you get to the end of this part, the stakes seem almost comically inconsequential — it's seemingly all about an impulsive young physicist who gets blackballed by the discoverer of the Electron Pump, and his quest to discredit Earth's greatest scientific hero. That's right — the whole thing is apparently about a battle for proper academic credit.
4. Although the section does eventually expand its scope — as you say, we soon find out the Sun might soon explode, taking our entire arm of the Milky Way along with it — it's fascinating how much of the section is devoted to a scholarly history of the Electron Pump. Asimov, who was a scientist and science writer as well as a science fiction author, leans more on those first two backgrounds in recounting the story of the pump, being sure to mention who chaired which conference and whose name appeared as chief author on which paper. It might all seem like minutiae, and it all gets swept aside by the whole exploding galaxy problem, but the history of science narrative that Asimov weaves is actually some of the most wonderfully rich writing he ever did. If this section is his de facto farewell to his old style of writing, he makes sure go out with the best lengthy discussion of exotic technology ever.
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5. The protagonist, Peter Lamont, is an asshole. Asimov was generally pretty fearless about writing in unsympathetic protagonists — Susan Calvin from his robot stories springs instantly to mind — but Lamont might be the most singularly unlikable "hero" Asimov ever wrote. He's a jerk to everybody, he picks fights for no apparent reason, he sabotages himself at every possible opportunity (something that's later remarked upon in the book's final section). Again, I think there's a meta-textual way to think about this: Lamont doesn't seem very far away from the single-minded, quick-tempered heroes Asimov trotted out so many times before. His unpleasantness is kicked up a few extra notches, but I think he fits in with characters like Susan Calvin or The End of Eternity's Andrew Harlan or even Elijah Baley from The Caves of Steel and The Naked Sun. He's like an over-the-top parody of this previous strain of Asimov heroes, and it's interesting how completely and utterly he fails in his quest to save humanity. (Or, more accurately, to prove himself right and his enemies wrong. Saving humanity is a nice bonus as far as he's concerned.)
6 (concluded). Asimov absolutely loves weird, elliptical structures. All three of his non-robot/Foundation science fiction novels — The End of Eternity, this, and Nemesis — leaned heavily on non-chronological narratives, and he does it with gusto here. Admittedly, I'm not really sure what the flashback structure accomplishes apart from reveling in some narrative trickery. Chapter 6, which begins the book in the "present" and is returned to several times as we learn about the "past", doesn't particularly add much to our understanding of what happened before. I'm inclined to say this was just Asimov having some fun with structure for the hell of it, because it's tough to puzzle out much significance from it otherwise.
What do you think? Am I onto something with this reading of the first section? Or should we just accept "Against Stupidity..." as the minor section that it really is and move on to the alien sex?
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JW: See, this is why I'm glad you're doing this with me, because it never occurred to me to connect Lamont with Susan Calvin. But yes, exactly, total douche — the last words of the first section are "'And no one on Earth will live to know I was right!' cried out Lamont..."
I'm inclined to agree that the stereotypicality is deliberate — Asimov has always struck me as pretty intensely self-aware, and as having a wicked if subtle sense of humor. I'm thinking of his introduction to Dangerous Visions and a preface I read in a Hugos anthology to "'Repent, Harlequin!' Said the Ticktockman" — he was a brilliant, funny foil to Harlan Ellison. Also, there's a nice moment in, I think, Prelude to Foundation where someone calls out Hari Seldon for a very understated kind of arrogance or self-pride, which I remember reading as Asimov commenting on himself.
I couldn't puzzle out a deeper reason for the structure in the first section — why he started with Chapter 6 and then interspersed pieces of it throughout the others — except, as you say, that he was having fun with it. I wondered for a little while if there was something to do with electron rings — you know, a very sciencey joke — that I was missing, because he's so explicit about calling attention to it, but if there's any there there, it's beyond me. One thing I would note before moving on is that what I like about the fact that it's all about a battle for academic credit is that this is maybe the most realistic portrayal of how science actually works in the Hugo novels to date, or at least since A Canticle for Leibowitz: So much golden-age SF took a real whiz-bang-neato approach, where yeah, there were problems in any society, but not really any arguments about the facts, because the facts were of course such clear and verifiable things. And of course the reality is, the facts are subject to human interpretation, and all that that implies.
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Part 2: "...The Gods Themselves..."
So then, section two: Now we get to see the para-universe — and the aliens, and the alien sex. The aliens are divided into two groups: the Soft Ones, who are the focus of this part of the story, and the Hard Ones. Soft Ones exist in triad relationships, always. There's one Rational in each group, one Parental, and one Emotional. They're "married," so to speak, that way, and then mate through a process they call melting, and through that mating produce their own Rational, Parental, and Emotional child, who each go off to form their own marriage. And then, after the kids are born and raised by the Parental, the Soft Ones pass on.
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Cripes, this is difficult to sum up — although Asimov, of course, relays this whole weird little world so clearly. Anyway, the Soft Ones are so called because they're basically energy beings — they feed on electromagnetic radiation and can phase in and out of matter; Rationals and Parentals aren't that good at it, though, and need Emotionals (who are good at it) for a melting to work. The Soft Ones, being three parts of a unit, are kind of childlike — Rationals are the only ones with any real reasoning power, Parentals are stubbornly devoted to mating and procreation and child-rearing, and Emotionals are basically flitty Miley Cyrus fans. The Hard Ones are like the grown-ups — the Soft Ones can come to them for advice.
It truly is quite a leap from all the other Asimov I've read, and mostly, pretty ingenious.
AW: Part of what makes the middle section so difficult to sum up is that Asimov describes it completely from the perspectives of the Soft Ones — specifically, the three members of the main triad. At no point does he make concessions to readers who aren't triple-sexed beings of pure electromagnetic energy, and as such there are a lot of very basic questions that go unanswered. An obvious one is what any of the Soft Ones look like. But then, does Asimov waste time in "Against Stupidity..." describing in detail what humans look like? No, because we know that already, and he cheekily adopts the same logic here. The Hard Ones are a particularly interesting case, because the little details we do get about them — that they move the area around their vision centers to help express emotions, that they communicate by vibrating the air molecules around them — sound an awful lot like furrowing the eyebrows and, well, talking with the mouth. I haven't the slightest clue what the three protagonists — the triad of Odeen the Rational, Tritt the Parental, and Dua the Emotional — look like, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the Hard Ones look an awful lot like humans. Indeed, it helps hammer home just how alien Asimov's perspective is here that he's able to hide a bunch of humanoids in plain sight and make them all but unrecognizable to us.
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Asimov has two major priorities in this section: one is building up this wholly alien world, the other is moving the plot forward. I think he's considerably more successful with the former. As I've already said, the perspectives of the triad are truly alien, and nothing is more otherworldly than the way they have sex. (Although the alien masturbation is a close second.) But even setting carnal matters aside, we learn a lot about the history, geography, astronomy, culture, and even etiquette of this world. We don't just learn about an alien civilization; we learn about an alien civilization that's dying — indeed, their entire tiny, dim little universe is running down, hence the need for the pump — and there's great poignancy in learning about a world that is perhaps millions of years past its heyday. Now, as for the plot...well, here's my issue with it. A lot like the first section, it's told in non-chronological fashion. Unlike the first section, there's no clear distinction between what's happening now and what happened in the past, and there are a few times (particularly when we get the blocky, single-minded Tritt's viewpoint) that Asimov seems to leave it intentionally muddled. The broad strokes of the section make sense, yes, but I'm pretty sure I'd go absolutely batty if I sat down and tried to map out just what happened in the story when. This is complicated even further by the big twist at the end of the story, which reveals the shocking truth about the Hard Ones. It's a great twist, but particularly when you consider what we learn about one Hard One in particular, I'm concerned that the story doesn't really hang together as a sensible narrative. Of course, when you've got world-building this good, I can't say it really matters.
JW: Plotwise, the second section does two things: It confirms for readers that, yes, the Electron Pump is endangering humanity, and it clears up the origin of the warning messages Lamont and his colleague Bronowski receive in the first section. Both of these things are essential, I think — the former because Lamont isn't a protagonist we can exactly trust. I mean, as I was reading, I assumed he was right about the pump being dangerous, but really only because of the preconceived assumptions that go along with reading a science-fiction novel like this: You have a protagonist fighting to shut down a highly popular technology, you assume he's in the right. But again, that was my perspective as a reader. If I'd been in the position of any of the muckety-mucks Lamont approached, I'd have told him he didn't make a convincing enough case, just like they did.
The origin of the warnings from the para-universe mostly just need to be clarified as a matter of story structure — the question of their provenance is raised, and it needs to be answered. But it's interesting that Asimov included the warnings in the story at all. I don't see that they serve any purpose beyond extending the dramatic tension in the first section, giving Lamont and Bronowski further reason to believe they're right. Because we find out they were sent by a conscientious objector among the para-people, someone who doesn't think it's OK to destroy Earth just to keep the para-universe alive...and then, by the section's end, the objector's objections just dissipate away. (I guess the objections, and consequently the warnings, serve a purpose as signifiers of character development. But still, you're left to feel as though all the development — otherwise so very neatly done — was a bit pointless.)
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Agreed that the Hard Ones look like humans. The big twist — both parts of it — I saw coming near the beginning of the section, but I couldn't figure out how the bit with the one Hard One all worked out until the book explained it. Twists in older SF are an interesting thing: I always wonder if they were, like, twistier — harder to see coming — back when the book first appeared. And then I wonder why they seem to be easier for later readers to see coming. Is it just a matter of implicit assumptions we bring to the genre, thanks to the greater amount of SF that's been written in the ensuing decades? Or is it actually the case that the twists were fairly obvious back in the day, too?
Anyway, the second section is what I'd guess locked down the Hugo for Asimov — the first is good, but this is really, like, whoa, for him. Let me note before moving on that Dua is one of the handful of well-written female (or "female") characters we've seen in the Hugo novels thus far. I can't tell whether it's another self-aware intentional bit, but Asimov veers toward typical SF sexism by making the Emotionals the female Soft Ones, and then undercuts that by making her into something more and clearly better than a silly girl.
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We have another pretty decent female character in Selene in part three, which takes us back to our universe — specifically, Earth's colony on the Moon — and introduces a (mostly) whole new cast.
AW: The twist is a very interesting thing. I'm pretty sure I was surprised when I first read The Gods Themselves, but I was also around twelve or so at the time and not quite as up with big honking twists. This time around, I not only knew it was coming, but it was also pretty obvious whenever the narrative ground to a halt to drop some rather clumsy clues. I don't fault Asimov for this, but I do wonder whether everything he's trying to juggle in this section — setting up this alien world, advancing the overall plot of the book, crafting a cohesive narrative for this section, and building to the reveal of the big twist — ultimately defeats him, and those last three don't quite work. Thank goodness he's so epically successful at that first and most important task of building the alien world, I guess.
It always makes me wince a bit that the Rationals are the "he"s and the Emotionals are the "she"s. (Ignoring the Parentals, because I think it's fairly obvious they are the ones who would get the third, new pronoun if Asimov had been foolish enough to invent one.) But I think you're right — it's stronger to start with the stereotypical gender roles and then deconstruct them with Dua the rational Emotional and Odeen the emotional Rational. Part of their greatness (and Tritt's as well) is quite explicitly tied into how they defy the conventional gender roles of their race, and the same goes for human genders as well. I should also mention, since I've quite to my surprise been mildly criticizing one of Asimov's most revered works, that Asimov actually has a surprisingly strong track record with female characters before this. I don't think he ever gave his novels a female protagonist (except maybe in Robots and Empire, but that's debatable), but a lot of his stories long before The Gods Themselves had well-written women in crucial roles. There's Susan Calvin, of course, but also Gladia Delmarre in The Naked Sun and Arkady Darrell in Second Foundation. Not bad for a guy who once explained he utterly failed in his first stab at writing female characters because he had, at the time, never even been on a date and had absolutely no idea what women were all about.
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Part 3: "...Contend in Vain?"
But in any event, onto that third section. I've got a couple thoughts that I'll save for the next round, but I wanted to raise one rather strange thought that occurred to me. You mention Selene as another well-written female character, and it strikes me that she's an awful lot like Dua in her function. She's a non-scientist (or, in alien terms, non-Rational) who listens without always entirely comprehending to the complex theories of her scientist (Rational) associate, and then she uses that information to come up with the right answer. This isn't that interesting in itself, maybe, but then consider her sometime lover and this section's villain, Dr. Neville. He's a supremely arrogant, deeply unpleasant physicist who looks down on those who knows less than him, sees conspiracy everywhere, and assumes he and only he knows what's right. Sound familiar? Why, it's positively Lamont-ian. I find it rather amusing that Asimov seemingly repurposed the protagonists of his first two sections as the main supporting players of his book's final act.
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JW: Yeah, yeah, yeah! I didn't think about Selene and Neville that way, but I think you've got it. And this isn't as profound an observation, but it's also kinda neat how he brings Denison — the good guy in what's technically the novel's very first section — back as the protagonist for the whole last section. It works not just because Lamont is so not the guy you want to see "win" at the end (even if his victory would save the world), but because Denison really does feel like the true, if often absent, protagonist of the drama: It's his tiff with Frederick Hallam, the "inventor" of the Electron Pump, that starts it all, after all.
So, this section is set on the Moon, and involves Denison — long disgraced as a scientist on Earth, thanks to his feud with Hallam — coming there in the hope of performing some experiments that will prove the pump is dangerous. He falls in with Selene, a beautiful native Lunarite tour guide, who's actually surveilling him for her boyfriend, Barron Neville, an arrogant physicist. Neville wants to bring Electron Pump technology to the Moon, despite the fact that the Lunarites already have all the perfectly clean energy they need, thanks to the solar batteries they've planted on the Moon's light side. See, maintaining the batteries means having to occasionally travel to the surface, and native Lunarites tend to be agoraphobic and hate leaving the tunnels they live in.
Maybe, based on what you noticed about Neville reprising Lamont and Selene reprising Dua — maybe this is a stretch, but maybe if Asimov is trying to make a larger point, it's that the spirit of science is less about knowledge and technical ability and more about attitude. Now, I'll grant that this is a pet belief of mine, so I might be seeing it here because I want to, but on the other hand, I don't think it's so crazy: Dua and Selene, as you say, are non-scientists, and even Denison is just a radiochemist — little more than a lab technician — who teaches himself physics; even if it weren't for Hallam's persecution of him, he wouldn't be all that academically accredited. This is specifically pointed out. But Dua, Selene, and Denison are simply interested in the truth, no matter how horrible it may be. Whereas Lamont and Neville are accredited, but they're so hemmed in by their emotions, by what they want to be true, that they're ultimately pretty useless. There's a long-standing equation of modern scientists with "gods," and of course the idea that science has displaced God has been a pretty common one for decades. I wonder if the "gods themselves" in the book's title are contemporary scientists, and if Asimov isn't kind of wearily lashing out at the unshakable certainty some members of the scientific community have in their own powers.
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This is such an ambling section — there's a lot going on that doesn't feel totally necessary to the story: all the stuff with the Lunar Commissioner, Denison and Selene's excursions to the Moon's surface, and their watching the game in the arena. It certainly doesn't feel like the fate of the galaxy is at stake — it doesn't even feel like Denison's fate is really at stake! At worst, it seems like he might get sent back to Earth. I suspect one could crank out the plot much more speedily and almost as effectively. But it's all in service of creating richer characters, I think. And since a big chunk of the story has to do with Denison and Selene's burgeoning romantic relationship, can we attribute it to Asimov, now that he's decided to write about sex, wanting to write about it in a realistic, gradual, even respectful way? Sure, he spends a few words describing how good-looking Selene is, but he also devotes at least as many to Denison being old and out of shape. It's very genuine. Anyway, honestly, the novel's main plot almost feels secondary here; this relationship between two people is really what matters. And of course, that's pretty much how life is. But it's a very odd, if fitting, resonance with the rest of The Gods Themselves.
The other thing I really like about this section is how it's not just a shift in setting, but a shift in perspective, which makes absolute sense: In a foreign place — which is essentially what the Moon here is — the people see things differently. In the first section we get no sense about the declining state of affairs, especially in regard to science, on Earth. And then in this section, it's like the curtain gets pulled back.
AW: I think you're right on with what's going on in this section. Let's go back to the full quote that gives the book and its individual sections their names: "Against stupidity, the gods themselves contend in vain." And you're right, it isn't the "gods" that save the day — not the brilliant physicists Lamont and Neville, not the impossibly advanced aliens (and that includes Dua). The saviors of humanity (and most of the galaxy) are about as mortal as it gets, a disgraced radiochemist and a lunar tour guide. But because they understand how the world works in a way their loftier counterparts don't — Selene because of her intuitive abilities, Denison because of bitter experience — they grasp that they need to not only prove the problem exists, but to solve it as well.
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There are a couple other "mortals" in this section I found fascinating: the lunar coordinators Montez and Gottstein. They really crystallize the point you make about the outsider perspective, as they are Earthmen who have come to the Moon and can now see their planet for what it is. You might say that the Moon is the last gasp of what we want humanity to be — a world of adventure, innovation, and progress — while the Earth is what we always knew it to be — a world obsessed with comfort, security, and the easy way out. It's as though Asimov is forcing the most optimistic and the most pessimistic possible outcomes of sci-fi futures to coexist. Admittedly, Earth has reasons for its risk aversion — as the two coordinators cryptically explain, the planet went through a Great Crisis a couple generations back that wiped out four billion people. Asimov never tells us what actually happened in this crisis — it could be war, plague, or perhaps even robotic uprising (hey, this is a very different sort of Asimov novel) — but we do know it was bad enough to break humanity's spirit. Even here, I wonder if Asimov was being overly optimistic — after all, we haven't experienced anything on the order of this Great Crisis, and I'm pretty sure modern scientists and politicians would still react exactly the same as those in the book if presented with an Electron Pump. It definitely doesn't take billions of deaths for humans to take the easy way out. I do wish Asimov had found a way to return to this fictional universe(s), because there are so many strands and ideas he only vaguely alludes to that could have supported entire novels worth of material. If nothing else, I'd have liked to know how the Great Crisis earned its capital letters.
I think I should mention one small general qualm I have with the book — did it sometimes read like a science textbook to you as well? This book is rooted more firmly in hard science than maybe any other Asimov book, with none of the positronic robots, neuronic whips, interstellar spaceships, 400-year-old scientists, and kettle-driven time travel that pops up in his other books. Sure, there's the inter-universal transfer, but even that is just a very tiny point that's built around detailed explanations of how the strong nuclear force would be different in each universe that are more or less rigidly scientific. (Indeed, Asimov once said the book emerged from trying to figure out just what sort of universe could contain an isotope like plutonium-186.) There's nothing wrong with that, I suppose, but since Asimov books tend to be about people very explicitly discussing the impact of exotic science and technology, the greater emphasis on real-world physics makes the dialogue feel clunkier than usual. I mean, I love The Gods Themselves, but this is clearly a book for people with a high tolerance for involved discussions of how the strong nuclear force affects stellar decay. (And, as an aside, I find it very amusing such a science-heavy book would feature talk of taking the Moon out of orbit on a journey through the cosmos, considering two years after the book was published Asimov became such a vocal critic of the ludicrous premise of Space: 1999. But then, Asimov's method did make a lot more sense. If only Gerry Anderson had read this book, I guess.)
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I'll leave you the task of summing this all up — it's your series, after all, and I'm just glad to be here — but I'll take a shot at tying my thoughts together. What I think our discussion has shown me is that plot was never Asimov's priority with this book. The first section feels like meta-commentary on his previous works and how science works, and the other two sections feel like very different but equally brilliant exercises in world-building. (How did we forget to talk about the lunar ball game, the lunar skiing, and the lunar nudity!? So much lunar goodness...oh well, too late now.) Yes, there's a central conflict here, but the third section dispatches it so easily, almost offhandedly, that it's hard to take it seriously. After all, Denison doesn't, deciding against going back to Earth to see the look on Hallam's face. (Not to mention receive thanks for saving the world, but really, it's all about Hallam again.) You obviously have a far greater grasp of the other Hugo books, but I'd be surprised if many of them create worlds so deftly textured, much less two entire universes of such rich detail. I don't think this is Asimov's best novel, but I think it just might be the most fascinating world he ever devised. Considering the millions of words he spent crafting his Robots/Empire/Foundation universe, that's really saying something.
JW: We're at about 5,000 words now — and, if we're lucky, maybe a dozen very patient readers at this point? — so I'll thank you again for suggesting this collaboration, because it's been a blast for me, and won't say too much else. I will note that although the Friedrich Schiller quote from which the novel gets its title is a statement, the third section is actually tagged "...Contend in Vain?" It has to be, because if it were a statement, the book's happy ending wouldn't make any sense!
And I will totally agree that this novel reads somewhat like a science text. Certainly not to its detriment, but it's there. To be honest, a few pages in I started to worry that I didn't know enough physics or chemistry to really understand it. (And to be even more honest, if I had to describe in any detail how plutonium-186 works — well, just, uh, don't ask me to. Don't ask me to describe how any real isotopes work, either.)
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But I think that's OK. Hey, I love the less rigorous, more comic-booky aspect of SF as much as anyone; I love neuronic whips and positronic brains and psychohistory. But real science is so important — our culture and lives are nothing less than a product of it, even if it feels invisible or irrelevant to many people — that I'm thrilled whenever it gets play in a medium whose primary purpose is to entertain. And I'm glad to say we'll see a lot more of that in two weeks, when "Blogging the Hugos" returns in its regular, shorter form and Arthur C. Clarke hits us with Rendezvous With Rama.
"Blogging the Hugos" appears every other weekend. In the next installment: Rendezvous With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke, from 1974.
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Josh Wimmer is a freelance writer in Madison, WI. He can usually be found here.Following a recent funding boost, Oxford PV – a British perovskite pioneer that spun out of Oxford University – has purchased a former solar module production site in Germany for the scale-up of industry-standard perovskite wafers.
The investment of a British solar firm into a German site is noteworthy in itself, and is a testament to the growing confidence not only in pan-European solar research and development but also perovskite technology.
The site in Brandenburg an der Havel is the former production facility of Bosch Solar, and will be equipped with a pilot-scale capacity to ramp up Oxford PV’s perovskite technology to industry-standard wafer size. On site, the manufacturing tweaks required for commercial deployment of the technology – which can drastically improve the efficiency of standard silicon cells – will be, it is hoped, perfected.
Oxford PV completed the first portion of a £8.7 million Series C funding round earlier this year, and always had it in mind to drive towards market deployment of its perovskite technology as soon as was feasible. A recruitment drive has already begun, and the company hopes to be fully operational within a few months, thus beginning work on its goal to align perovskite technology with standard silicon PV cells and hopefully revolutionize cell production and efficiencies.
"Perovskite has the potential to radically improve the efficiency of solar PV and meet the world’s energy demand in the future," said Oxford PV CEO Frank Averdung. "We are delighted to have secured the site, which will allow us to drive quickly towards market deployment."
The CEO added that the facility was identified because of its existing first-class facilities and the ready availability of a local, experienced, highly skilled workforce. The Brandenburg team will work closely alongside the existing operation in Oxford, Averdung confirmed.
The potential of perovskite has long been known, with cell efficiency increases of up to 30% certainly achievable in lab and controlled conditions. However, the inherent instability of the material has hamstrung its progress, and Oxford PV is likely to place a keen emphasis on reliability and durability at the new German facility.
In a recent interview with pv magazine, Oxford PV CTO Chris Case revealed that his team is confident that they have found ways to address the thermal stability concerns inherent in original perovskite research, hinting at a new, different material that is more durable than those previously employed.Until two years ago, deep-rooted US-Turkey military relations were cited as a model of strength in the defense industry, military training and exercises, global peace support operations, global struggle against terror, NATO missions, and joint operations in Afghanistan. These were all signs of the high level of cooperation and interoperability between the US military and Turkish Armed Forces (TSK).
In those good old days, billions of dollars’ worth of defense projects between the two countries moved forward despite minor hiccups and, financed by the International Military Education and Training Fund, hundreds of Turkish officers and noncommissioned officers went to the United States for training. Every year, the two sides carried out about 20 bilateral or multilateral exercises and maneuvers, organized high-level military summits, and they even awarded each other medals of outstanding service.
The traditional model of US-Turkish military relations resembled a sort of "high politics" shaped behind closed doors by the Turkish General Staff and its US counterpart, where societal dynamics and the elected civilians of Turkey did not have much say. The relations were also an anchor of Turkey's untouchable links to the Western security bloc, thereby directly affecting Ankara's foreign policy choices.
Today, this traditional paradigm appears to be withering, as one can easily feel the cold winds blowing against US-Turkish military relations on the ground and at the diplomatic-strategic levels.
Ali Bilgin Varlik, a retired army colonel and an assistant professor of international relations at Esenyurt University in Istanbul, points to the societal dynamics that have begun to affect US-Turkish military ties, particularly after the July 15 coup attempt. Varlik told Al-Monitor that the Turkish public's lack of confidence in the United States has been overtaken by outright anger: "Turkey’s secular segments have been reacting to The Greater Middle East and moderate Islam projects the US was promoting at the beginning of the 2000s. After the 15 July coup attempt, the conservative circles of Turkey began to think that the US had planned the coup or withheld its support for the government against the attempt. … The net result is the loss of sympathy by most of the population. The 15 July coup attempt by Gulenists and the ongoing process for his extradition only amplified the lack of confidence in the US."
Varlik said because of popular pressure, the TSK cannot engage in close relations with the US military anymore, even it wanted to. He added that unless Fethullah Gulen is extradited and put on trial in Turkey, the pressure the TSK feels in its relations with the US military will not ease.
Ugur Gungor, a retired army colonel and associate professor of international relations, noted the government’s strengthening hand in civilian-military relations. "Now it is the civilian politicians of Ankara who determine the bilateral relations between the TSK and the US military and their cooperation in the field," he said.
Retired Gen. Ahmet Yavuz agrees with Gungor. Yavuz believes the United States, which sees the Syrian Kurdish group People's Protection Units (YPG) as a reliable partner in the struggle against the Islamic State (IS), is likely to maintain that relationship in the future. He also thinks that the United States intends to strengthen its diplomatic ties with the Democratic Unity Party (PYD), the Kurdistan Workers Party's extension in Syria, with the goal of replicating the Kurdistan Regional Government model of Iraq. But Washington also knows it needs the TSK's military support primarily for its Incirlik and Diyarbakir air bases in the war against IS.
Sources close to the US Embassy in Ankara, who asked not to be identified, view this perceptible weakening of US-Turkey military ties primarily as a structural issue rather than a result of daily issues, such as developments in northern Syria, the status of the PYD/YPG or the extradition of Fethullah Gulen. An American source in Ankara told Al-Monitor, "The constant daily changes in Turkey's attitude, the way Ankara comes up with excuses to turn down the alternatives we offer makes Turkey an unpredictable and at times incomprehensible actor. This ambiguity makes it hard for us to devise a robust structure for our military relations."
Another US source who also did not want to be identified said the transformation of civilian-military relations in Turkey that now allots a more prominent role to elected officials has been causing problems for the United States to identify the proper interlocutors in Ankara and in the field. "In the past, we had only one counterpart: the chief of staff. But now we don't know who we should be dealing with anymore. Shall we ask the chief of staff, the ministry of defense, the ministry of foreign affairs or directly the presidency?" he added.
A source in Turkey's security bureaucracy told Al-Monitor that the same problem also exists on the US side. In the past, the Turks generally knew who to approach in their military relations, but now that has become truly difficult: "In the old days, we used to coordinate NATO issues with the US European Command [EUCOM] and Iraq with Central Command [CENTCOM.] But today in Syria, for example, you have EUCOM, CENTCOM, Pentagon, CIA, the State Department and others. This complex structure creates issues of coordination between two countries and unnecessary misunderstandings."
Another US source said, "The US does not need to ask for Turkey's permission for steps it will take against [IS]. YPG forces in Syria have provided security for the international coalition fighting [IS] and proven themselves to be the best ally against terrorism. We still can't comprehend Ankara's intentions and final objective in combating [IS]. This is one reason for the loss of transparency and institutional deficiency in confidence between the two countries."
US sources note that when the civilian government in Turkey gains the upper hand, passionate narratives for domestic political consumption rather than rational reasoning take center stage. They note US officials resent the use of terms such as "selling out, back stabbing" in military relations between the two countries. Here, however, one must also take note of the deep suspicions in Ankara on whether US relations with the PYD are short-term, interested-oriented, purely military or a long-term strategic relationship that will have political ramifications.
"I think the US is still confused about its relationship with the PYD. The views of US Department of State officials who |
to guide you through this question, it is probably the maxim of the “honest” politician: once you are bought, you stay bought.the fire is dead.
the room is freezing.
These are the first words of the idle, or incremental, game A Dark Room, listed next to an unassuming button labeled “light fire.” Pressing it, what I thought was just the title changes to “A Firelit Room,” like I moved to a new game where the descriptions crawl towards illuminating the moody landscape beset by depleting meters. Compelled is the closest word for my relationship with A Dark Room, not addicted in the way games tend to sell themselves, just genuinely interested by its simple existence. I found it after Candy Box became a quick sensation on games twitter, unaware that these two games were the black sheep of a quiet new genre germinating in freeware corners around the net. Exploring the genre lead me to a strange world of games distilled from the feature-stuffed games of contemporary popular culture to the point where calling some of them glorified automated spreadsheets wouldn’t be too unfair. Despite being simple on its face, idle games are starting to catch notice, primed for a moment in the spotlight much games made from Twine or the dubiously dubbed walking games. From what I can see, the trajectory is controlled heavily by self-described core gamers, basing the genre on a certain love of watching numbers climb in a narrow but dominant slice of RPGs. Reflecting on how much I liked A Dark Room and Candy Box to an extent, I wondered what it would be like if we could center the genre more on these games, or better yet, subject the genre to the same ethos that characterizes the recent heavily queer DIY movement and wrestle it from what looks like the next evolution in capitalist-consumer games.
Let’s first see what’s actually going on with idle games to merit anyone’s attention. Its simplicity is deceptive: a number ticks upwards, either automatically or by clicking your mouse, and new things happen as that number reaches a certain value or you spend that number to unlock a feature. Traditionally, these features speed up the entire process or makes it easier, for instance, making the number tick faster or for a click to have a multiplier on what it produces. Time, not necessarily timing, is hugely integral to this genre, and that’s where design occurs. The name of the genre, idle, is furthest from the truth; these games actually preoccupy a small part of your attention over a stretch of time, weaving itself into your life because these games don’t run parallel but with other activities. Unlike conventional game design, which seeks to completely arrest your attention for as long as it can, idle games let you integrate them in whatever way your life allows. This is because these games stress their roles as actors, with their own agendas and methods, like anything else in life. The creepy part about typical human depictions in games is how they always seem dependent on your interaction, waiting around for the dialogue choice or event trigger to make them useful. Idle games can have their own lives, and you’re welcome to share it with them, or let them be. This twists what conventional design constantly sells as interaction and hallmarks of good design. The main draw of an idle game is its mere existence and how that affects you.
A quick look at the kinds of games that make up the majority of the genre, however, can easily repulse people who aren’t into a very particular kind of ‘watch the numbers go up and down’ style of play that is prevalent among RPG fans. In a piece about the history of idle games, Zoya Street cites a talk from the Game Developers Conference by Kongregate’s Anthony Pecorella who wanted to point out how idle games are a Facebook games analogue for core gamers, which he details are the users his company attracts. This is big news for the industry, who are trying to figure out how to merge audiences from the general populations, or that oft-cited 35-year-old woman player base, and that 22-year-old man core video games typically cater to. In the talk, which if you don’t have access you can see Zoya’s tweets, Anthony shows how idle games have an extremely high retention rate, making them ideal for ad-based profit models. The kind of interactions he points out are about emphasizing what it is that appeals to gamers and then translating that into a monetization scheme, which carries on a tradition of conventional game design. It’s worth noting how A Dark Room and Candy Box are considered outliers in this case, which shows a dissonance between critical and popular reception of idle games. Not saying that those two are somehow more authentic or artsy, rather they, especially A Dark Room, point towards a magic, and move the most away from conventions that are easily co-opted by companies. It will happen no matter what, but I’d like to get other artists more interested in this genre before all they see are spreadsheets ironically about you staring at spreadsheets.
Comparisons to games like Dear Esther and Proteus are not completely unfounded; idle games create new interactions through minimalism, or at least, stripping away what we are used to in order to reveal a path covered up by typical design practices. This isn’t new, it’s a precedent set by so-called art games, or not-games, like Tale of Tales’ Fatale or especially The Graveyard. Following this tradition was the explosion of games made out with Twine and the communities and ethos that surrounded it. This was significant because there was a meeting between appreciation for minimalist design and tools that not only allowed you to work with minimalism, but were available to a wide range of people. Good news for idle games that there actually is an idle game maker and the basic interactions of timers and variables can be replicated in Twine. And much like Twine, a little knowledge of CSS and Java will allow you to do more with the idle game maker, which I feel is what gives a creation tool some legs for longevity.
What’s potentially interesting about newer, weirder idle games is how these experiences move along with our daily motions. They usually just take up a tab on our browser, so this opens up play that comments on our online habits; I could easily see games revolving around social media or other analogues to things we typically have open when we’re online. It’s like having a living entity, with its own agenda, brewing away just a couple clicks away. Never really demanding your attention, but always keeping you curious as it what it could be up to. By occupying something as pervasive as a web browser, something many of us have open most of the day, idle games as a genre allow creators to embed projects into the daily lives of people, never making a huge sweep to Say Something Important, but giving credence to growth, change over time, and possibly an intimate bond, when our days would feel different if the game wasn’t there anymore.
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This article was community supported! Consider donating or being my patron so I can continue writing: SupportNew analysis of American health spending examines costs of 155 conditions in 2013; just 20 problems account for half of all spending
SEATTLE – Just 20 conditions make up more than half of all spending on health care in the United States, according to a new comprehensive financial analysis that examines spending by diseases and injuries.
The most expensive condition, diabetes, totaled $101 billion in diagnoses and treatments, growing 36 times faster than the cost of ischemic heart disease, the number-one cause of death, over the past 18 years. While these two conditions typically affect individuals 65 and older, low back and neck pain, the third-most expensive condition, primarily strikes adults of working age.
These three top spending categories, along with hypertension and injuries from falls, comprise 18% of all personal health spending, and totaled $437 billion in 2013.
This study, published today in JAMA, distinguishes spending on public health programs from personal health spending, including both individual out-of-pocket costs and spending by private and government insurance programs. It covers 155 conditions.
“While it is well known that the US spends more than any other nation on health care, very little is known about what diseases drive that spending.” said Dr. Joseph Dieleman, lead author of the paper and Assistant Professor at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. “IHME is trying to fill the information gap so that decision-makers in the public and private sectors can understand the spending landscape, and plan and allocate health resources more effectively.”
In addition to the $2.1 trillion spent on the 155 conditions examined in the study, Dr. Dieleman estimates that approximately $300 billion in costs, such as those of over-the-counter medications and privately funded home health care, remain unaccounted for, indicating total personal health care costs in the US reached $2.4 trillion in 2013.
Other expensive conditions among the top 20 include musculoskeletal disorders, such as tendinitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and rheumatoid arthritis; well-care associated with dental visits; and pregnancy and postpartum care.
The paper, “US Spending on Personal Health Care and Public Health, 1996–2013,” tracks a total of $30.1 trillion in personal health care spending over 18 years. While the majority of those costs were associated with non-communicable diseases, the top infectious disease category was respiratory infections, such as bronchitis and pneumonia.
Other key findings from the paper include:
Women ages 85 and older spent the most per person in 2013, at more than $31,000 per person. More than half of this spending (58%) occurred in nursing facilities, while 40% was expended on cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, and falls.
Men ages 85 and older spent $24,000 per person in 2013, with only 37% on nursing facilities, largely because women live longer and men more often have a spouse at home to provide care.
Less than 10% of personal health care spending is on nursing care facilities, and less than 5% of spending is on emergency department care. The conditions leading to the most spending in nursing care facilities are Alzheimer’s and stroke, while the condition leading to the most spending in emergency departments is falls.
Public health education and advocacy initiatives, such as anti-tobacco and cancer awareness campaigns, totaled an estimated $77.9 billion in 2013, less than 3% of total health spending.
Only 6% of personal health care spending was on well-care, which is all care unrelated to the diagnosis and treatment of illnesses or injuries. Of this, nearly a third of the spending was on pregnancy and postpartum care, which was the 10th-largest category of spending.
“This paper offers private insurers, physicians, health policy experts, and government leaders a comprehensive review,” said IHME’s Director, Dr. Christopher Murray. “As the United States explores ways to deliver services more effectively and efficiently, our findings provide important metrics to influence the future, both in short- and long-term planning.”
The top 10 most costly health expenses in 2013 were:
Diabetes – $101.4 billion Ischemic heart disease – $88.1 billion Low back and neck pain – $87.6 billion Hypertension – $83.9 billion Injuries from falls – $76.3 billion Depressive disorders – $71.1 billion Oral-related problems – $66.4 billion Vision and hearing problems – $59 billion Skin-related problems, such as cellulitis and acne – $55.7 billion Pregnancy and postpartum care – $55.6 billion
NOTE: To view personal health spending estimates, IHME has created an interactive data tool that can be accessed at the link below.
Link to the study in JAMA: http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/10.1001/jama.2016.16885
Link to the data visualization tool: http://vizhub.healthdata.org/dex
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Established in 2007, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) is an independent global health research center at the University of Washington in Seattle that provides rigorous and comparable measurement of the world’s most important health problems and evaluates strategies to address them. IHME makes this information available so that policymakers, donors, practitioners, researchers, and local and global decision-makers have the evidence they need to make informed decisions about how to allocate resources to best improve population health. For more information, visit www.healthdata.org.Ready to fight back? Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation’s journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week.
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Finding comfort in challenging times is the most human of urges, even if it means disconnecting from reality. My concern is that some of us are succumbing to escapism feigning as politics. The relentless focus on unsubstantiated Russian subterfuge is one iteration. Another comes in warnings of a hidden authoritarian plot by Trump’s inner circle. Ad Policy
In a widely circulated Medium article this week, Yonatan Zunger branded the first day of the Muslim and refugee ban as “the trial balloon for a coup d’état against the United States.” Another piece from Jake Fuentes goes further, dismissing the ban as a “head fake” and the protests against it as “playing right into the administration’s hand.” While allowing that the White House is possibly “just doing what it said it would do,” Fuentes lays out a more “sinister” scenario: “the administration is deliberately testing the limits of governmental checks and balances to set up a self-serving, dangerous consolidation of power.” Fuentes points to the politicized reconfiguration of the National Security Council, the firing of top State Department officials, and the Department of Homeland Security’s refusal to comply with court orders slowing the ban’s implementation. “The immigration ban may be more viscerally upsetting,” he concludes, “but the other moves are potentially far more dangerous.”
It takes a hefty dose of indifference (tinged, perhaps, with subconscious white exceptionalism) to be less concerned about something actually happening—refugees abandoned, families torn apart, student dreams crushed—than about a plot “potentially” unfolding in the shadows. The latter produces an equally delusional conclusion: “Popular attention,” Fuentes instructs, “must focus less on whether we agree with what the government is doing, and more on whether the system of checks and balances we have in place is working.” Our best response is what’s already begun: masses demonstrating in solidarity with those targeted by Trump.
The prescription presumes that “checks and balances” are inherently sufficient. Proponents of this view seem to imbue institutions with transcendent qualities. The day after Trump’s victory, Vox’s Ezra Klein declared that “It’s now on America’s institutions—and the Republican Party—to check Donald Trump.” Despite acknowledging that Republicans “control everything—the House, the Senate, and, after an appointment, the Supreme Court,” Klein concludes that Trump is in fact “constrained,” by these very same forces, including, “in ways less formal but no less powerful—his own staff and party.” Because there are ample government positions to fill, the GOP “could potentially play a role in surrounding Trump with calmer, wiser advisers who could provide him better information and curb his worst impulses.” Klein also wonders, without elaboration, “whether Congress will attempt to check Trump elsewhere—on surveillance, on wartime powers, on trade.”
Why would this happen? Here Klein allows a lone mention of the citizenry, whom Republicans will have to answer to “in 2018, and then again in 2020.” Those contests could prove sufficient to stop Republicans from “[taking] health insurance from tens of millions of people without replacement, [ripping] open families and communities with indiscriminate deportation, [embroiling] us in disastrous wars or confrontations,” and “[sending] the economy into tailspin.” Despite making such efforts in years prior, Klein suggests Trump’s GOP may abandon them now because “the incentives of governance are different from the incentives of opposition.” Ready to Fight Back? Sign Up For Take Action Now
That’s one possibility. The other is that Republicans use their newfound control to push through as much as they can, employing the familiar palette of scapegoating, dishonesty, unconstrained campaign finance, and gerrymandered redistricting.
Our best response is what’s already begun: from the Women’s March to the protests at airport terminals, masses demonstrating in solidarity with those targeted by Trump’s policies. Such actions are already challenging Democrats to become a stronger opposition, and strengthening the bonds of solidarity required for a sustained grassroots movement.
The resistance will indeed be painful. But politics is a mirror of our personal lives: We don’t help suffering by avoiding it. While it may be comforting to escape into conspiracy theories or naive reverence for institutions, an effective fight back requires both feet on the ground—preferably marching in the streets.Close
Toyota Motor Corp., which currently stands as the second largest car manufacturer in the world, is planning to reduce the carbon emissions of its vehicles to near zero within the next 35 years. The move is part of its advocacy for environment-friendly vehicles.
The Japanese automobile corporation is bound to its commitment of producing eco-friendly means of transportation. The 78-year-old carmaker is currently aiming to sell 30,000 of its fuel-cell automobiles by 2020.
It was reported that 350 Toyota Mirai were already sold, which is in line with Toyota's sales milestone for its fuel-cell car. Moreover, Toyota also revealed that next year, it will boost the Mirai's production to roughly 2,000 and 3,000 by 2017.
Toyota's fuel-cell technology powers the car using electricity generated from the mixture of hydrogen, which is stored in tanks within the vehicle, and oxygen, which is taken from the air that goes in from the front intake grills. The two gasses meet in the fuel cell stacks where the chemical reaction causes electricity to be produced.
"When we first announced the Mirai, we said we were at the start of the age of hydrogen," said senior managing officer Kiyotaka Ise. "The figure we've announced today is ambitious, but it needs to be to keep the ball rolling."
The corporation predicts that by 2050, vehicles running on internal combustion engines will have disappeared from the roads. This is aligned with Toyota's goal of bringing carbon emissions from its vehicles down to zero, or at least near zero by the same year.
However, due to the scarcity of Hydrogen fuel stations, Toyota is yet to release the vehicle globally. Moreover, the Mirai production is still in its infancy. Toyota only produces three of it per day at its main facility in Tokyo.
Other companies, such as Hyundai, a South Korean automobile manufacturer, is also geared towards producing fuel-cell vehicles for consumers. It is expected to unveil its fuel-cell car before the month ends.
It should be noted that Toyota, along with General Motors, Honda, Ford, Nissan and Chrysler, were already committed eco-friendly vehicles since the 1990's. Toyota released the first variant of the RAV 4 EV in 1997 and continued to produce it until 2003. The electric SUV was powered by nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) battery packs that enabled it to run roughly 120 miles between charges. Hundreds of RAV 4 EV (1997-2003) are functional today.
However, after General Motors sold the patents to Texaco, which was subsequently purchased by Chevron, NiMH was prohibited from being assembled into large automotive battery packs, courtesy of the patent of encumbrance filed by Cobasys, a Chevron subsidiary.
ⓒ 2018 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.Since the 1970’s doctors have been investigating allergic reactions caused as a result of handling or smoking marijuana. In 1971, Dr. Barry Liskow, Dr. Jay Liss, and Dr. Charles Parker reported that “A 29-year-old housewife had symptoms consistent with an anaphylactoid response after smoking a marihuana cigarette for the first time. Scratch testing and passive transfer studies confirmed an immunologic basis for her response and indicated that it was related to the cannabinoid and perhaps specifically to the tetrahydrocannabinol component of the marihuana plant.” Evidence Here Over the years, allergic reactions to marijuana have not been researched as thoroughly as other allergies due to marijuana’s illicit status in many countries globally as well as within many jurisdictions within the United States. One of the most recent studies conducted in 2007 and published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, concluded that marijuana allergy in and of itself is quite rare. However, further medical and scientific research will likely need to be conducted in order to fully understand people’s reactions to marijuana, not only allergic reactions but the beneficial reactions experienced by medical marijuana patients. For now, it is believed that people who suffer from allergies to the Nettle family of plants including Elm trees are more likely to be susceptible to allergic reactions from coming into contact with or consuming marijuana in different forms. This is of course because marijuana itself is within the Nettle family of plants. In case you don’t believe us. One way to spot a marijuana allergy could be the time of year that it occurs, marijuana pollen is not detected in many areas before mid-July, most years it peaks in mid-August, and it is unlikely to be detected after mid-September. It’s the truth. The allergic reaction is caused by marijuana pollen and not necessarily the marijuana plant itself, as is the case with many allergies. As far as marijuana is concerned, the pollen is only produced by male plants. A female plant that has not been exposed to pollen will not produce seeds, so many growers will kill off male plants when they are discovered or will choose to only grow feminized seeds. However, some growers use pollen to get seeds for future grows, we recommend cloning (Check out our article on cloning) as it saves time and allows you to avoid having to separate male and female plants halfway through a grow. But, back to the whole allergy thing. If you experience the following symptoms after coming into contact with, but not smoking, marijuana, you may be allergic:
• Itchy skin
• Redness where exposed
• rash or hives
• dry, scaly skin
While, experiencing the following symptoms after smoking marijuana may also suggest an allergy:
• itchy, runny nose
• congestion
• sore throat
• itchy, watery eyes (Note: this could just be a sign you’re high.)
• difficulty breathing (i.e. asthma)
Ultimately, if this is something you are concerned about, the best person to speak with would be your doctor. If you are using marijuana medicinally and were prescribed marijuana this may be an easier conversation than for someone who is using marijuana recreationally. Also, if you got to high and just think you are allergic you probably aren’t, stop being a hypochondriac, close WebMD, and find something to eat. It is important to remember that no one in recorded history has ever died as a result of a marijuana overdose or allergy, and most Marijuana Mythbusters know this already. Check out the poll. If you are one of the unfortunate souls who is allergic to marijuana our hearts go out to you, let us know and we will smoke twice as much just for you (not to rub it in or anything).If you'd like a glimpse of the future of the Western world—not just Europe but the United States and most other currently white majority countries—forget the happy chatter about the great Republican victory last week and take a look at Theodore Dalrymple's account in the Autumn issue of the Manhattan Institute's City Journal of what's happening in Paris, France.
What's happening in Paris is that Paris is rather quickly being annihilated, and the civilization of which it has long been a symbol along with it.
Mr. Dalrymple points out that while the population of Paris has risen by a mere 20 percent or less since 1959, reported crimes in the city have increased from 600,000 in that year to 4 million today. Reported cases of arson have increased by some 2,500 percent in the last seven years, and robbery with violence has increased by 44.5 percent since 1996.
Why is this? Mr. Dalrymple is somewhat coy in giving a frank and honest answer.
"Where does the increase in crime come from? The geographical answer: from the public housing projects that encircle and increasingly besiege every French city or town of any size, Paris especially. In these housing projects lives an immigrant population numbering several million, from North and West Africa mostly, along with their French-born descendants and a smattering of the least successful members of the French working class. From these projects, the excellence of the French public transport system ensures that the most fashionable arrondissements are within easy reach of the most inveterate thief and vandal."
Yes, that's the "geographical answer." It must be that anyone who lives in those housing projects becomes a criminal. Maybe they're haunted, or cursed, or maybe, as Mr. Dalrymple seems to suggest, it's because the architecture of the housing projects is totalitarian and dehumanizing.
But it couldn't possibly, ever, conceivably, be because of an alien race and culture.
While the millions of African and Muslim immigrants are torching Paris, their cousins in London are feasting. In that city, projected to have a non-white majority by 2010, police investigating a mysterious human torso recently found floating in the Thames suspect that human flesh is being sold in local markets, according to last week's Observer. [Human flesh 'on sale in London' Antony Barnett, Paul Harris and Tony Thompson, Observer, Sunday November 3, 2002]
There's no doubt that such rare delicacies as crocodiles' heads, chimpanzee meat, and (my own personal favorite) West African bushrat are being—well—gobbled up at fancy prices in London by African immigrants whose descendants will inherit the city of Johnson and Dickens. The torso itself is believed to be that of a five-year-old African boy who was "the victim of a ritualistic killing linked to a West African form of voodoo-like religion." The crocodiles' heads are medicinal, since they're believed to increase male sexual potency.
Bushrat, as far as I can tell, simply tastes good, but then the police also found rat feces, "which had been removed from rats' intestines and prepared as a delicacy for possible use in a ritual."
So far, police have found no direct evidence of human meat being sold, but they did confiscate packages of unidentifiable flesh and send it off for DNA analysis. The Observer quotes the director of Heathrow airport's meat transport as being "convinced that human flesh is finding its way into the UK as part of the bushmeat." He also thinks the trade is connected to the smuggling of drugs and humans. "We are dealing with very nasty people," he told the paper.
As in Paris, of course, there is a "geographical answer" or something like it to explain why the future population of Great Britain is suddenly adopting cannibalism, witchcraft and human sacrifice. That's the answer most newspapers, commentators, academics, and even police will give you.
And then there's the real answer—that if you allow millions of savages to invade your country, the country will become a land of savagery.
In Paris, there are areas where even the president of France cannot go—when President Jacques Chirac and his interior minister recently tried to campaign in them, Mr. Dalrymple reports, "The two dignitaries had to beat a swift and ignominious retreat, like foreign overlords visiting a barely held and hostile suzerainty: they came, they saw, they scuttled off."
If it's not obvious that the appearance of the most savage customs and Stone Age superstitions in a 21st century European nation is a sign that European civilization is collapsing, then the inability of a head of state to campaign inside the capital city of his own country surely should tell us that one civilization and its governing authorities are being replaced by others.
But you can bet your bushrat that the Open Borders lobby that insisted on letting the savages enter and even invited them inside our gates will learn nothing from what is now collapsing around their own ears.
[A selection of Sam Francis' columns, America Extinguished: Mass Immigration And The Disintegration Of American Culture, is now available from Americans For Immigration Control.]
COPYRIGHT CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.
November 11, 2002Editor's note: This article was first published at 12:34 p.m. EST on Aug. 1, 2016. It was updated Aug. 3 with the latest numbers.
Forty-one service members have contracted Zika since the Pentagon began tracking infections earlier this year, including one who is expecting a baby, according to Defense Department surveillance records.
The cases, which include active duty, National Guard and reserve personnel, all were acquired outside of the continental United States, but the Defense Department continues to monitor U.S. military installations at risk for mosquito-borne diseases, Pentagon spokesman Air Force Maj. Benjamin Sakrisson confirmed Wednesday.
"[We are actively testing mosquitoes] as part of our ongoing integrated vector control and surveillance programs at bases and installations," Sakrisson said.
DoD did not provide details on the status of the expectant mother or her unborn baby. Zika has been linked to birth defects such as microcephaly; one study released in May by the Centers of Diseases Control and Prevention and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health estimated that fetuses of mothers infected with Zika in their first trimester face up to a 13 percent chance of being born with severe brain abnormalities.
As of July 27, in the continental United States and Hawaii, 1,658 cases of Zika have been reported to CDC, with the majority, 1,642, contracted through exposure to mosquitoes outside the United States. Fifteen cases are thought to have been sexually transmitted and one was the result of a laboratory exposure.
As of Wednesday, the state of Florida announced that 15 Zika infections likely were caused by local mosquitoes in the Miami area — the first known cases of direct transmission from U.S. mosquitoes.
U.S. military installation managers began aggressively monitoring for the species of mosquitoes that can carry Zika and other diseases in March.
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Nearly 200 installations are in areas where mosquitoes capable of carrying Zika are also found.
While no mosquitoes have tested positive for Zika on military bases, the Navy obtained a positive reading for West Nile virus at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center campus in Bethesda, Maryland, in July, but according to Sakrisson, no human cases have occurred.
In addition to the troops diagnosed with Zika, seven military family members also have tested positive, also contracting the disease outside the continental U.S.
"According to a Defense Department release, the researchers have signed an agreement with Sanofi Pasteur to further develop and manufacture a vaccine from purified, inactivated Zika.
The developers hope to begin human testing of the product by the end of the year."Jewel Staite is back in the genre TV business. After fan-favorite stints in Firefly and Stargate Atlantis, the actress has been cast as a guest star on DC's Legends of Tomorrow, TVLine reports.
Staite has been cast as Rachel Turner, described as "a tech genius/roboticist who exists in a future in which technology has an even firmer grip on our lives than it does today." She'll appear in episode 10 of the series.
They go on to describe her as one of a "long line of inventors," with someone from the DC Universe in that line. The only prominent "Turner" in the DC Universe is Ben, aka Bronze Tiger, who has already appeared on the in-universe Arrow series. Of course, her last name doesn't necessarily hold the clue. We've seen, or had a few hinted at, some other inventors in Arrow and The Flash, though. Ted Kord has been consistently hinted at on the shows, and of course characters like Ray Palmer, Cisco Ramon, and Curtis Holt are no slouches in the inventing departments, themselves.
When some of her tech is destined to fall into Vandal Savage's hands (and be used for nefarious needs), Rachel has to team up with the Legends team to stop his mission.Chris Hayes’s book Twilight of the Elites came out to respectful reviews and respectable sales in 2012, yet the book’s real moment is right now. Better than any other book, it explains why Donald Trump appeals to many voters, and why the political establishment has such a hard time understanding his success.
In the book, Hayes, the host of an MSNBC show and an editor at large for the Nation, argues that many middle-class people on both the left and right have come to believe that the system is unfair. Elites – including politicians, business figures, and prominent journalists — work to protect the privileges they and their kids enjoy. The gap between the mythology of America —that people can rise to the top through hard work and talent — and the reality of an unequal country is generating a political crisis, in which people lose their trust in institutions and become radicalized. (Full disclosure: Hayes is a friend, and I read and commented on an early version of the book.)
The crucial insight in Twilight of the Elites is that economic inequality is not just a statistical relationship, in which some people earn more and others earn less. It is also an engine that transforms institutions — the rules, regulations, and practices that every country needs. Elites — the people at the top — have financial, political and social resources. They are able to use these resources to reshape institutions to protect themselves and their children. In contrast, many middle-class people increasingly think that America’s institutions are a rigged game where the powerful and connected have a dealer’s edge.
Hayes talks about class, but in the ways that the German sociologist Max Weber and his student Robert Michels do, rather than Karl Marx. Class and social status are entangled, so that people think about the world not only in terms of what they have but in terms of their relative status with respect to others.
Hayes spends a lot of time talking about how inequality is like a mathematical fractal — it keeps reproducing the same patterns the further you get in. People who are in the top 1 percent view themselves as middle class because they compare themselves to the 0.1 percent, and the 0.1 percent are insecure vis-à-vis the top 0.01 percent.
Meritocracy is how elites justify their existence
The Twilight of the Elites argues that the mythology of meritocracy holds all of this together. In a meritocratic system, people who have greater merit rise to the top. The idea of meritocracy tells elites that they deserve their superior position because they work harder and have greater natural ability than ordinary people. Meritocracy has opened up elite institutions like Harvard and Princeton, which used to discriminate systematically against Jews and African Americans and not admit women. Now they are nominally open to everyone.
The problem is that openness in theory does not translate into openness in practice. Hunter College High School, in New York, which Hayes attended, admits kids on the basis of a ferociously competitive entrance exam. Nonetheless, over time this system has grown to favor some kids over others. If your parents are well off, they can pay for you to spend weekends with specialized tutors prepping for the test. If they are not, you have to take your chances. The consequence is a sharp drop over time in the number of Latino and African-American children attending Hunter. Meritocracy is blind to the fact that some people face structural disadvantages and others do not.
Hayes acknowledges that meritocracy has advantages over the system of special privilege for white Protestants that it replaced. However, he says that it is unsustainable in the long run. Riffing on Michels’s "iron law of oligarchy," which holds that all democratic institutions will end up being run by an internal elite, Hayes proposes what he calls the iron law of meritocracy. He argues that the equality of opportunity that meritocracy promises will inevitably be overwhelmed by inequality of outcome. The people who do well from meritocracy will invest the proceeds from their success in working the system to make sure that they and their kids have the resources they need to continue to do well.
In the US today, the wheels of meritocracy are falling off
As America becomes more unequal, it’s ever harder to claim that it is a meritocratic country. It still looks like one to the people at the top, who continue to prosper. However, their view of the world is increasingly at odds with the view of people below, who like the idea of equal opportunity but don’t believe it is working.
The people at the top and the middle class are increasingly distant from each other. Elites don’t understand the challenges and frustrations of middle-class people. (As Hayes puts it, "Power narrows the vision of the powerful.")
But many middle-class people don’t believe elites when they say that the system is working well. They see institutions that are failing and corrupt. They interpret the government’s response to the economic crisis as evidence that well-connected people will get bailed out while other people are screwed over. They do not trust the traditional press anymore, and are able to find alternative sources of information that may often |
intimate dinners and private consultations, together with extensive correspondence that kept him in close touch with party leaders in the Commons and with leading figures in the Lords. He gave public rhetorical support to Ultra-Tory anti-reform positions, but then deftly changed positions toward the party's centre, especially when Peel needed support from the upper house. Wellington's success was based on the 44 peers elected from Scotland and Ireland, whose election he controlled.[61][62]
Prime Minister Grey [ edit ]
Earl Grey had promoted reform of Parliament since the 1790s, always to be defeated by the Ultra-Tories. The breakthrough came in his success in passage of the Reform Act of 1832. He sought this as the final step of reform, rather than a first step in a long process, emphasising the urgent need in 1832 to settle the intense and growing political unrest across Britain. He believed that the respectable classes deserved to have their demands for greater representation met, but he refused to extend political power to the mass of the lower middle class and working class, saying that they were not ready to be trusted with it. He wanted to preserve the basic elements of the existing constitution by removing obvious abuses, thinking that this would strengthen aristocratic leadership. He persuaded the king to promise to create enough new peers to force the bill through the House of Lords. The king made the promise while also advising the peers to stop blocking the bill. The Reform Act was Grey's principal achievement; it reflects his pragmatic, moderate and conservative character, as well as his parliamentary skills of timing and persuasion. His cabinet was a coalition of diverse interests, so in 1834 when it divided over the Irish church question he resigned.[63][64]
Prime Minister Palmerston [ edit ]
Palmerston played the dominant role in shaping British foreign-policy as Foreign Secretary (1830-4, 1835–41 and 1846–51) and as prime minister (1855–58, 1859–65).[65] He served as Secretary at War in Tory governments for two decades, but switched over to the Whig coalition in 1830. The Tories despised him thereafter as a turncoat, and many of the more radical Whigs were distrustful of his basically conservative views that saw him fainthearted about or opposed to reform measures. He typically warned on the one hand against delays and on the other hand against excessive enthusiasm for reforms, preferring compromise. He was keenly sensitive to public opinion, and indeed often shapes it through his dealings with newspaper editors.[66] When he sensed that public demand had reached an unstoppable momentum, he would work for a watered-down reform. He routinely gave the same advice to foreign governments. Diplomats across Europe took careful note of his move from the Tories to the Whigs, and suspected him of sympathy with the reform movements which were setting off upheavals in France, Belgium and elsewhere, and which frightened the reactionary governments of the major powers Russia, Austria and Russia. In reality he drew his foreign policy ideals from Canning. His main goals were to promote British strategic and economic interests worldwide, remain aloof from European alliances, mediate peace in Europe and use British naval power sparingly as needed. He worried most about France as an adversary, although he collaborated with them as in securing the independence of Belgium from the kingdom of the Netherlands.[67] He much preferred liberal and reform-oriented nations to reactionary powers. He placed a high priority on building up British strength in India, He spoke often of pride in British nationalism, which found favour in public opinion and gave him a strong basis of support outside Parliament.[68][69]
Reform leaders [ edit ]
Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832) [ edit ]
Jeremy Bentham was an intellectual who focused on reforming English law. He was a leading promoter of utilitarianism as a working philosophy of action. The "greatest happiness principle", or the principle of utility, forms the cornerstone of Bentham's thought. By "happiness", he understood a predominance of "pleasure" over "pain". He is best known for his inspiration of the radical forces, helping them define those reforms that were most urgently needed and how they could be implemented. His intellectual leadership helped achieve many of the key legal, political, economic and social reforms of the 1830s and 1840s.[70] He especially influenced the reform of education, prisons, poor laws, legal procedures and Parliamentary representation.[71]
John Bright (1811–1889) [ edit ]
John Bright built on his middle-class Quaker heritage and his collaboration with Richard Cobden to promote all varieties of humanitarian and parliamentary reform. They started with a successful campaign against the Corn Laws. These were tariffs on imported food that kept up the price of grain to placate Tory landowners. The major factor in the cost of living was the price of food, and the Corn Laws kept the price high. Bright was a powerful speaker, which boosted him to election to parliament in 1843. His radical program included extension of the suffrage, land reform and reduction of taxation. He opposed factory reforms, labour unions and controls on hours For workers, women and children, arguing that government intervention in economic life was always mistaken. He opposed wars and imperialism. His unremitting hostility to the Crimean war led to his defeat for reelection in 1857. He was soon reelected from Birmingham, leading a national campaign for parliamentary reform to enlarge the suffrage to reach the working man. He was intensely moralistic and distrusted the integrity of his opponents. He loathed the aristocracy that continued to rule Britain. He held a few minor cabinet positions, but his reputation rests on his organising skills and his rhetorical leadership for reform.[72]
Historian A. J. P. Taylor has summarised Bright's achievements:
John Bright was the greatest of all parliamentary orators. He had many political successes. Along with Richard Cobden, he conducted the campaign which led to the repeal of the Corn Laws. He did more than any other man to prevent the intervention of this country (Britain) on the side of the South during the American Civil War, and he headed the reform agitation in 1867 which brought the industrial working class within the pale of the constitution. It was Bright who made possible the Liberal party of Gladstone, Asquith and Lloyd George, and the alliance between middle-class idealism and trade unionism, which he promoted, still lives in the present-day Labour Party.[73]
Victorian era [ edit ]
Queen Victoria (1837–1901)
The Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's rule between 1837 and 1901 which signified the height of the British Industrial Revolution and the apex of the British Empire. Scholars debate whether the Victorian period—as defined by a variety of sensibilities and political concerns that have come to be associated with the Victorians—actually begins with the passage of the Reform Act 1832. The era was preceded by the Regency era and succeeded by the Edwardian period. Victoria became queen in 1837 at age 18. Her long reign saw Britain reach the zenith of its economic and political power, with the introduction of steam ships, railroads, photography and the telegraph. Britain again remained mostly inactive in Continental politics.[citation needed]
Foreign policy [ edit ]
Free trade imperialism [ edit ]
After the defeat of France in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (1792–1815), the UK emerged as the principal naval and imperial power of the 19th century (with London the largest city in the world from about 1830).[74] Unchallenged at sea, British dominance was later described as Pax Britannica ("British Peace"), a period of relative peace in Europe and the world (1815–1914).[75][76] By the time of the Great Exhibition of 1851, Britain was described as the "workshop of the world".[77] Using the imperial tools of free trade and financial investment,[78] it exerted major influence on many countries outside Europe and the empire, especially in Latin America and Asia. Thus Britain had both a formal Empire based on British rule as well as an informal one based on the British pound.[79]
Russia, France and the Ottoman Empire [ edit ]
One nagging fear was the possible collapse of the Ottoman Empire. It was well understood that a collapse of that country would set off a scramble for its territory and possibly plunge Britain into war. To head that off Britain sought to keep the Russians from occupying Constantinople and taking over the Bosphorus Strait, as well as from threatening India via Afghanistan.[80] In 1853, Britain and France intervened in the Crimean War against Russia. Despite mediocre generalship, they managed to capture the Russian port of Sevastopol, compelling Tsar Nicholas I to ask for peace.[81]
The next Russo-Ottoman war in 1877 led to another European intervention, although this time at the negotiating table. The Congress of Berlin blocked Russia from imposing the harsh Treaty of San Stefano on the Ottoman Empire.[82] Despite its alliance with the French in the Crimean War, Britain viewed the Second Empire of Napoleon III with some distrust, especially as the emperor built up his navy, expanded his empire and took up a more active foreign policy.[83]
American Civil War [ edit ]
During the American Civil War (1861–1865), British leaders favoured the Confederate states, a major source of cotton for textile mills. Prince Albert was effective in defusing a war scare in late 1861. The British people, however, generally favoured the Union. What little cotton was available came from New York, as the blockade by the US Navy shut down 95% of Southern exports to Britain. Trade flourished with the Union and many young men crossed the Atlantic to join the Union Army. In September 1862, President Abraham Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation would be issued in 90 days, thus making abolition of slavery a war goal. Britain was long opposed to slavery, itself having abolished it some three decades earlier, and any possibility of its intervention on behalf of the Confederacy ended.[84] British companies built and operated fast blockade runners to ship arms into the Confederacy at considerable profit. London ignored American complaints that it allowed the building of warships for the Confederacy. The warships caused a major diplomatic row that was resolved in the Alabama Claims in 1872, in the Americans' favour by payment of reparations.[85]
Empire expands [ edit ]
Starting in 1867, Britain united most of its North American colonies as the Dominion of Canada, giving it self-government and responsibility for its own defence, Canada did not have an independent foreign policy until 1931. The second half of the 19th century saw a scramble for Africa among the European powers. There was talk of war with France over the Fashoda Incident of 1898.
The rise of the German Empire after 1871 posed a new challenge, for it (along with the United States), threatened to usurp Britain's place as the world's foremost industrial power. Germany acquired a number of colonies in Africa and the Pacific, but Chancellor Otto von Bismarck succeeded in achieving general peace through his balance of power strategy. When William II became emperor in 1888, he discarded Bismarck, began using bellicose language, and planned to build a navy to rival Britain's.[86] Britain realised its isolation policy was useless as large-scale alliances emerged. It restored good relations with France and the United States, and ended tensions with Russia, while the confrontation with Germany became a naval race.
Ever since Britain had wrested control of the Cape Colony from the Netherlands during the Napoleonic Wars, it had co-existed with Dutch settlers who had migrated further away from the Cape and created two republics of their own. The British imperial vision called for control over these new countries, and the Dutch-speaking "Boers" (or "Afrikaners") fought back in the War in 1899–1902. Outgunned by a mighty empire, the Boers waged a guerrilla war (which certain other British territories would later employ to attain independence). This gave the British troops a difficult fight, but their weight of numbers, superior equipment and often brutal tactics, eventually brought about a British victory. The war had been costly in human rights and was widely criticised by Liberals in Britain and worldwide. However, the United States gave London its support. The Boer republics were merged with Cape Colony and Natal into the Union of South Africa in 1910; this had internal self-government, but its foreign policy was controlled by London and it was an integral part of the British Empire.[87]
Leadership [ edit ]
Prime ministers of the period included: Lord Melbourne, Sir Robert Peel, Lord John Russell, Lord Derby, Lord Aberdeen, Lord Palmerston, Benjamin Disraeli, William Ewart Gladstone, Lord Salisbury and Lord Rosebery.
Queen Victoria [ edit ]
The Queen gave her name to an era of British greatness, especially in the far-flung British Empire with which she identified. She played a small role in politics, but became the iconic symbol of the nation, the empire and proper, restrained behaviour.[88] Her success as ruler was due to the power of the self-images she successively portrayed of innocent young woman, devoted wife and mother, suffering and patient widow, and grandmotherly matriarch.[89]
Disraeli [ edit ]
Disraeli
Disraeli and Gladstone dominated the politics of the late 19th century, Britain's golden age of parliamentary government. They long were idolised, but historians in recent decades have become much more critical, especially regarding Disraeli.[90][91]
Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881), prime minister 1868 and 1874–80, remains an iconic hero of the Conservative Party. He was typical of the generation of British leaders who matured in the 1830s and 1840s. He was concerned with threats to established political, social and religious values and elites; he emphasised the need for national leadership in response to radicalism, uncertainty and materialism.[92] Disraeli was especially noted for his enthusiastic support for expanding and strengthening the British Empire, in contrast to Gladstone's negative attitude toward imperialism. Gladstone denounced Disraeli's policies of territorial aggrandisement, military pomp and imperial symbolism (such as making the Queen Empress of India), saying it did not fit a modern commercial and Christian nation. However, Gladstone himself did not turn down attractive opportunities to expand the empire in Egypt.[93]
Disraeli drummed up support by warnings of a supposed Russian threat to India that sank deep into the Conservative mindset. His reputation as the "Tory democrat" and promoter of the welfare state fell away as historians showed that Disraeli had few proposals for social legislation in 1874–80, and that the 1867 Reform Act did not reflect a vision of Conservatism for the unenfranchised working man.[94] However, he did work to reduce class anatagonism, for as Perry notes, "When confronted with specific problems, he sought to reduce tension between town and country, landlords and farmers, capital and labour, and warring religious sects in Britain and Ireland—in other words, to create a unifying synthesis."[95]
In the popular culture, Disraeli was a great political hero, a status that persisted for decades after his death.
Lobby card 1929
Historian Michael Diamond reports that for British music hall patrons in the 1880s and 1890s, "xenophobia and pride in empire" were reflected in the halls' most popular political heroes: all were Conservatives and Disraeli stood out above all, even decades after his death, while Gladstone was used as a villain.[96] Film historian Roy Armes has argued that after 1920 historical films helped maintain the political status quo by sustaining an establishment viewpoint that emphasised the greatness of monarchy, empire and tradition. The films created "a facsimile world where existing values were invariably validated by events in the film and where all discord could be turned into harmony by an acceptance of the status quo."[97] Steven Fielding finds that Disraeli was an especially popular film hero: "historical dramas favoured Disraeli over Gladstone and, more substantively, promulgated an essentially deferential view of democratic leadership." Stage and screen actor George Arliss (1868–1946) was famous for his portrayals of Disraeli, winning the Oscar as best actor for 1929's Disraeli. Fielding says Arliss "personified the kind of paternalistic, kindly, homely statesmanship that appealed to a significant proportion of the cinema audience... Even workers attending Labour party meetings deferred to leaders with an elevated social background who showed they cared.".[98]
Gladstone [ edit ]
Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone (1809–1898) was the Liberal counterpart to Disraeli, serving as prime minister four times (1868–74, 1880–85, 1886 and 1892–94). His financial policies, based on the notion of balanced budgets, low taxes and laissez-faire, were suited to a developing capitalist society but could not respond effectively as economic and social conditions changed. Called the "Grand Old Man" later in life, he was always a dynamic popular orator who appealed strongly to British workers and the lower middle class. The deeply religious Gladstone brought a new moral tone to politics with his evangelical sensibility. His moralism often angered his upper-class opponents (including Queen Victoria, who strongly favoured Disraeli), and his heavy-handed control split the Liberal party. His foreign policy goal was to create a European order based on cooperation rather than conflict and mutual trust instead of rivalry and suspicion; the rule of law was to supplant the reign of force and self-interest. This Gladstonian concept of a harmonious Concert of Europe was opposed to and ultimately defeated by the Germans with a Bismarckian system of manipulated alliances and antagonisms.[99]
Salisbury [ edit ]
Historians portray Conservative Prime Minister Lord Salisbury (1830–1903) as a talented leader who was an icon of traditional, aristocratic conservatism.[100] Historian Robert Blake has concluded that Salisbury was "a great foreign minister, [but] essentially negative, indeed reactionary in home affairs".[101] Professor P.T. Marsh's estimate is more favourable; he portrays Salisbury as a leader who "held back the popular tide for twenty years."[102] Professor Paul Smith argues that, "into the 'progressive' strain of modern Conservatism he simply will not fit."[103] Professor H. C. G. Matthew points to "the narrow cynicism of Salisbury".[104] One admirer of Salisbury, Maurice Cowling agrees that Salisbury found the democracy born of the 1867 and 1884 Reform Acts as "perhaps less objectionable than he had expected—succeeding, through his public persona, in mitigating some part of its nastiness."[105]
Morality [ edit ]
The Victorian era is famous for the Victorian standards of personal morality. Historians generally agree that the middle classes held high personal moral standards (and usually followed them), but have debated whether the working classes followed suit. Moralists in the late 19th century such as Henry Mayhew decried the slums for their supposed high levels of cohabitation without marriage and illegitimate births. However, new research using computerised matching of data files shows that the rates of cohabitation then were quite low—under 5%—for the working class and the poor.[106]
Early 20th century [ edit ]
Prime ministers from 1900 to 1923: Marquess of Salisbury, Arthur Balfour, Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, H. H. Asquith, David Lloyd George, Bonar Law.
Edwardian era: 1901–1914 [ edit ]
Queen Victoria died in 1901 and her son Edward VII became king, inaugurating the Edwardian era, which was characterised by great and ostentatious displays of wealth in contrast to the sombre Victorian Era. With the advent of the 20th century, things such as motion pictures, automobiles and aeroplanes were coming into use. The new century was characterised by a feeling of great optimism. The social reforms of the last century continued into the 20th with the Labour Party being formed in 1900. Edward died in 1910, to be succeeded by George V, who reigned 1910–36. Scandal-free, hard working and popular, George V was the British monarch who, with Queen Mary, established the modern pattern of exemplary conduct for British royalty, based on middle-class values and virtues. He understood the overseas Empire better than any of his prime ministers and used his exceptional memory for figures and details, whether of uniforms, politics, or relations, to good effect in reaching out in conversation with his subjects.[107]
The era was prosperous but political crises were escalating out of control. Dangerfield (1935) identified the "strange death of liberal England" as the multiple crises that hit simultaneously in 1910–1914 with serious social and political instability arising from the Irish crisis, labour unrest, the women's suffrage movements, and partisan and constitutional struggles in Parliament. At one point it even seemed the Army might refuse orders dealing with Ireland.[108] No solution appeared in sight when the unexpected outbreak of the Great War in 1914 put domestic issues on hold. McKibbin argues that the political party system of the Edwardian era was in delicate balance on the eve of the war in 1914. The Liberals were in power with a progressive alliance of Labour and, off and on, Irish Nationalists. The coalition was committed to free trade (as opposed to the high tariffs the Conservatives sought), free collective bargaining for trades unions (which Conservatives opposed), an active social policy that was forging the welfare state, and constitutional reform to reduce the power of the House of Lords. The coalition lacked a long-term plan, because it was cobbled together from leftovers from the 1890s. The sociological basis was non-Anglicanism and non-English ethnicity rather than the emerging class conflict emphasised by the Labour Party.[109]
Great War [ edit ]
After a rough start Britain under David Lloyd George successfully mobilised its manpower, industry, finances, empire and diplomacy, in league with the French and Americans, to defeat the Central Powers.[110][111][112][113] The economy grew by about 14% from 1914–18 despite the absence of so many men in the services; by contrast the German economy shrank 27%. The Great War saw a decline in civilian consumption, with a major reallocation to munitions. The government share of GDP soared from 8% in 1913 to 38% in 1918 (compared to 50% in 1943).[114][115] The war forced Britain to use up its financial reserves and borrow large sums from the U.S.[citation needed]
Britain entered the war to protect Belgium from German aggression, and quickly assumed the role of fighting the Germans on the Western Front, and dismantling the overseas German Empire. The romantic notions of warfare that everyone had expected faded as the fighting in France bogged down into trench warfare. Along the Western Front the British and French launched repeated assaults on the German trench lines in 1915–17, which killed and wounded hundreds of thousands, but made only limited gains. By early 1916, with number of volunteers falling off, the government imposed conscription in Britain (but was not able to do so in Ireland where nationalists of all stripes militantly opposed it) in order to keep up the strength of the army. Industry turned out munitions in large quantities, with many women taking factory jobs. The Asquith government proved ineffective but when David Lloyd George replaced him in December 1916 Britain gained a powerful and successful wartime leader.[116]
The Navy continued to dominate the seas, fighting the German fleet to a draw in the only great battle, the Battle of Jutland in 1916. Germany was blockaded and was increasingly short of food. It tried to fight back with submarines, despite the risk of war by the powerful neutral power the United States. The waters around Britain were declared a war zone where any ship, neutral or otherwise, was a target. After the liner Lusitania was sunk in May 1915, drowning over 100 American passengers, protests by the United States led Germany to abandon unrestricted submarine warfare. In spring 1917 it resumed the sinking of all merchant ships without warning. The United States entered the war alongside the Allies in 1917, and provided the needed manpower, money and supplies to keep them going. On other fronts, the British, French, Australians and Japanese occupied Germany's colonies. Britain fought the Ottoman Empire, suffering defeats in the Gallipoli Campaign and (initially) in Mesopotamia, while arousing the Arabs who helped expel the Turks from Mesopotamia and Palestine. Exhaustion and war-weariness were growing worse in 1917, as the fighting in France continued with no end in sight. With Russia collapsing in 1917 Germany now calculated it could finally have numerical superiority on the Western Front. The massive German Spring Offensives of 1918 failed, and with arrival of a million of the American Expeditionary Forces at the rate of 10,000 a day by May 1918, the Germans realised they were being overwhelmed. Germany gave up, agreeing to an Armistice on 11 November 1918. It was actually tantamount almost to a surrender with Germany handing over her fleet and heavy weapons, and her army retreating behind the river Rhine.[117]
By 1918, there were about five million people in the army and the fledgling Royal Air Force, newly formed from the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) and the Royal Flying Corps (RFC), was about the same size of the pre-war army. The almost three million casualties were known as the "lost generation," and such numbers inevitably left society scarred; but even so, some people felt their sacrifice was little regarded in Britain, with poems like Siegfried Sassoon's Blighters criticising the war as a human failure. The literary legacy focused on mass death, mechanised slaughter, fallacious propaganda and deep disillusionment, thereby annihilating long-standing romanticised images of the glories of war.[118][119]
Postwar [ edit ]
The war had been won by Britain and its allies, but at a terrible human and financial cost, creating a sentiment that wars should never be fought again. The League of Nations was founded with the idea that nations could resolve their differences peacefully, but these hopes were unfounded.
Following the war, Britain gained the German colony of Tanganyika and part of Togoland in Africa. Britain was granted League of Nations mandates over Palestine, which was turned into a homeland for Jewish settlers, and Iraq, created from the three Ottoman provinces in Mesopotamia; the latter of which became fully independent in 1932. Egypt, which had been occupied by Britain since 1882, and a British protectorate since 1914, became independent in 1922, although British troops remained stationed there until 1956.
In domestic affairs the Housing Act of 1919 led to affordable council housing which allowed people to move out of decrepit inner-city slums. The slums remained for several more years, with trams being electrified long before many houses. The Representation of the People Act 1918 gave women householders the vote, but it would not be until 1928 that full equal suffrage was achieved. Labour displaced the Liberal Party for second place and achieved major success with the 1922 general election.[120]
Ireland [ edit ]
Campaign for Irish Home Rule [ edit ]
Part of the agreement which led to the 1800 Act of Union stipulated that the Penal Laws in Ireland were to be repealed and Catholic emancipation granted. However, King George III blocked emancipation, arguing that to grant it would break his coronation oath to defend the Anglican Church. A campaign by the lawyer Daniel O'Connell, and the death of George III, led to the concession of Catholic Emancipation in 1829, allowing Roman Catholics to sit in the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. But Catholic Emancipation was not O'Connell's ultimate goal, which was Repeal of the Act of Union with Great Britain. On 1 January 1843 O'Connell confidently, but wrongly, declared that Repeal would be achieved that year. When potato blight hit the island in 1846, much of the rural population, especially in Catholic districts, began to starve.[121][122]
While government funds were supplemented by private individuals and charities, and aid from the United States, it was not enough to avert a major catastrophe. Cottiers (or farm labourers) were largely wiped out during what is known in Ireland as the "Great Hunger". A significant minority elected Unionists, who championed the Union. A Church of Ireland (Anglican) barrister Isaac Butt (1813–79), built a new moderate nationalist movement, the Home Rule League, in the 1870s. After Butt's death the Home Rule Movement, or the Irish Parliamentary Party as it had become known, was turned into a major political force under the guidance of William Shaw and a radical young Protestant landowner, Charles Stewart Parnell.[123]
Parnell's movement campaigned for "Home Rule", by which they meant that Ireland would govern itself as a region within the United Kingdom. Two Home Rule Bills (1886 and 1893) were introduced by Liberal Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone, but neither became law, mainly due to opposition from the Conservative Party and the House of Lords. The issue was a source of contention throughout Ireland, as a significant majority of Unionists (largely but not exclusively based in Ulster), opposed Home Rule, fearing that a Catholic Nationalist ("Rome Rule") Parliament in Dublin would discriminate or retaliate against them, impose Roman Catholic doctrine, and impose tariffs on industry. While most of Ireland was primarily agricultural, six of the counties in Ulster were the location of heavy industry and would be affected by any tariff barriers imposed.[124]
Irish demands ranged from the "repeal" of O'Connell, the "federal scheme" of William Sharman Crawford (actually devolution, not federalism as such), to the Home Rule League of Isaac Butt. Ireland was no closer to home rule by the mid-19th century, and rebellions in 1848 and 1867 failed.[125]
O'Connell's campaign was hampered by the limited scope of the franchise in Ireland.[126] The wider the franchise was expanded, the better anti-Union parties were able to do in Ireland.[127] Running on a platform that advocated something like the self-rule successfully enacted in Canada under the British North America Act, 1867, Home Rulers won a majority of both county and borough seats in Ireland in 1874.[128] By 1882, leadership of the home rule movement had passed to Charles Stewart Parnell of the Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP). A wider franchise also changed the ideological mix among non-Irish MPs, making them more receptive to Irish demands. The 1885 election resulted in a hung parliament in which the Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP) held the balance of power. They initially supported the Conservatives in a minority government, but when news leaked that Liberal Party leader William Ewart Gladstone was considering Home Rule, the IPP ousted the Conservatives and brought the Liberals into office.[129]
Gladstone's First Home Rule Bill was closely modeled on the self-government given Canada in 1867. Irish MPs would no longer vote in Westminster but would have their own separate Dublin parliament, which would control domestic issues. Foreign policy and military affairs would remain with London.[130] Gladstone's proposals did not go as far as most Irish nationalists desired, but were still too radical for both Irish unionists and British unionists: his First Home Rule Bill was defeated in the House of Commons following a split in his own party. Liberal leader Joseph Chamberlain led the battle against Home Rule in Parliament. He broke with the Gladstone and in 1886 formed a new party, the Liberal Unionist Party. It helped defeat Home Rule and eventually merged with the Conservative party. Chamberlain used anti-Catholicism to built a base for the new party among "Orange" Nonconformist Protestant elements in Britain and Ireland.[131][132] Liberal Unionist John Bright coined the party's catchy slogan, "Home rule means Rome rule."[133]
Gladstone took the issue to the people in the 1886 election, but the unionists (Conservatives plus Liberal Unionists) won a majority. In 1890 a divorce case showed Parnell was an adulterer; he was forced from power, and died in 1891. Gladstone introduced a Second Home Rule Bill in 1893, which this time was passed by the Commons, but was defeated in the Conservative-dominated House of Lords.[134] The Conservatives came to power until 1906 and Home Rule was a dead issue, but the subsidised sale of farm land greatly reduced the Protestant presence in Ireland south of Ulster. The Irish nationalists forces were rejected by the Conservatives and had no choice but to support the minority Liberal Party. New groups split off and they finally all merged in 1900 into the Irish Parliamentary Party led by John Redmond.[135]
The Conservative government also felt that the demands in Ireland could be satisfied by helping the Catholics purchase their farms from Protestant owners. A solution by money not force was called "killing home rule with kindness".[136] Reforms passed as a result included the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 and the Wyndham Land Act. Between 1868 and 1908: spending on Ireland was generally increased, huge tracts of land were purchased from landlords and redistributed to smallholders, local government was democratised, and the franchise widely extended.[137] Ireland remained calm until the eve of the First World War, when the Liberal government passed the Third Home Rule Act and Protestants in Ulster mobilised to oppose it by force.[138][139]
Ulster Protestants began to arm and form militias ready to fight; senior leaders of the British Army indicated they would not move to suppress the Protestants (the Curragh incident). Suddenly war with Germany broke out and home rule was suspended for the duration. Military service was optional; there was no conscription in Ireland. Large proportions of both Protestant and Catholic young men volunteered to fight Germany.
Irish Rebellion [ edit ]
The section in red left the UK in 1922
The Easter Rising of 1916, using arms supplied by Germany was badly organised. The British army suppressed it after a week of fighting but the quick executions of 15 leaders alienated Catholic and nationalist opinion. Overnight there was a movement away from home rule and toward Irish independence. The Cabinet decided that the 1914 Act should be brought into operation immediately and a Government established in Dublin.[140] Negotiations were stalemated as Ulster mobilised. London made a second attempt to implement Home Rule in 1917, with the calling of the Irish Convention. Prime Minister Lloyd George sought a dual policy in April 1918 that attempted to link implementing Home Rule with extending conscription to Ireland. Catholics rejected conscription and a wave of anti-conscription demonstrations signalled the insistent demand for total independence.[141] The old Irish Party collapsed and a militant new force united Catholics, the Sinn Féin, which called for force to achieve its goals. Sinn Féin won the 1918 general elections. London's solution was the establishment of two Irish parliaments to pave the way for the Fourth Home Rule Bill, enacted as the Government of Ireland Act 1920. On 6 December 1922, Ireland formed a new dominion named the Irish Free State. As expected, "Northern Ireland" (six counties in Ulster), immediately exercised its right under the Anglo-Irish Treaty to opt out of the new state. The union of Great Britain with most of Ulster was renamed the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and is known by this name to the present time.[142][143]
List of monarchs [ edit ]
George V, the last King to be styled as King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Until 1927, the monarch's royal title included the words "of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland". In 1927, the words "United Kingdom" were removed from the royal title so that the monarch was instead styled as "King/Queen of Great Britain, Ireland...[and other places]". The words "United Kingdom" were restored to the monarch's title in 1953 with the reference to "Ireland" replaced with a reference to "Northern Ireland".[citation needed]
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Further reading [ edit ]
Historiography [ edit ]
Furber, Elizabeth Chapin, ed. Changing views on British history: essays on historical writing since 1939 (1966), pp 206–319; experts evaluate major books published 1966–1980.
(1966), pp 206–319; experts evaluate major books published 1966–1980. Hilton, Boyd. A Mad, Bad, and Dangerous People?: England 1783–1846 (2006) historiography pp 664–723 online
(2006) historiography pp 664–723 online Loades, David. ed. Reader's guide to British history (2 vol. 2003), 1,600pp; coverage of hundreds of topics covering books and articles on a full range of topics and leaders
(2 vol. 2003), 1,600pp; coverage of hundreds of topics covering books and articles on a full range of topics and leaders Parry, J. P. "The State of Victorian Political History." Historical Journal (1983) 26#2 pp. 469–484 online
(1983) 26#2 pp. 469–484 online Schlatter, Richard, ed. Recent views on British history: essays on historical writing since 1966 (1984) pp 197–374; experts evaluate major books published 1966–1980
(1984) pp 197–374; experts evaluate major books published 1966–1980 Williams, Chris, ed. A Companion to 19th-Century Britain (2007) 33 topical essays by scholars.
(2007) 33 topical essays by scholars. Wrigley, Chris, ed. A companion to early twentieth-century Britain (2008) 32 topical essays by scholars.
Primary sources [ edit ]I love statistics, and hiking the Pacific Crest Trail has provided me with plenty of data to sift through.
Previously, I reported my PCT statistics in five different progress reports: The Desert, The Sierra, NorCal, Oregon, and Washington.
The following is a compilation of all the statistical information found in the aforementioned reports and some additional information regarding overall trail data. Alternatively, if you would like to view the results of my PCT hiker survey (averaged stats from 100+ hikers), those numbers can be found here.
Favorite section: Kings Canyon/Sequoia National Parks
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circa 1000 ions/cc for negative, and 1200 ions/cc for positive ions), Hawkins (1985) asserts that "the evidence that ions do have biological effects is overwhelming." The main action seems to be through entry through the respiratory system.Kreuger (1976) reports research by Winsor and Beckett on human adults and children in which high concentrations of positive ions produced congestion in the nose and pharynx, and when prolonged affected the bronchi.
Various authors have reported significant effects of air ionisation on psychological task performance, but others have not been able to demonstrate such effects. The effects, where reported, are generally consistent; increased negative air ion levels are reported to have beneficial effect on performance whereas depleted ion levels of both polarities, or increased positive ion levels, are reported to result in no change, or a reduction in performance. Hawkins reports that his own studies confirm a significant beneficial effect of negative ions, positive ions having no effect. He reports that negative ions result in greater improvement for complex tasks than for simple tasks. Buckalew and Rizzuto (1982) found that male subjects exposed to negative ions from commercial ion generators for a period of at least 6 hours reported feeling more relaxed and less tired. Reductions in irritability, depression, and tenseness, with increased calmness and stimulation were associated with negative ion exposure. Buckalew and Rizzuto (1984) found no significant effect on performance and physiological condition of 24 male subjects after up to 6 hours exposure to commercial negative ion generators. No alteration in basic cognitive functioning, perceptual-motor performance, reaction time, or grip magnitude, pulse, temperature and blood pressure were found. They state that; "There does remain the possibility of a physiologic, psychologic or performance response to higher concentrations of negative ions, and the need for investigation using a treatment-by-levels approach remains.
Another direction, given evidence of psychological effects of negative ion exposure, is investigating interactions of psychological state and performance effects."Fornof & Gilbert (1988) reported that indoor air ion levels affect the reactions of children to stressors. Negative air ionisation increased physiological tolerance of stressors and reduced secondary effects of stress in behaviour and performance. Improvement in conceptualisation and attention span coincided with the indicators of reduced stress. They concluded that their observations could not be attributed to noxious and toxic chemicals commonly produced with corona air ion formation. Their results confirmed that people of different sympathetic nervous system reactivity respond differently to air ion levels. Autonomic nervous system stability was apparently improved. In a 1984 review Kellogg reports work by various authors on the clinical use of air ions, especially in the treatment of burns and asthma. For example, Kornblueh et al (1958) found that negative air ions, but not positive air ions, afforded relief from hay fever. Kornblueh (1968) has found that burn victims reported cessation of pain and early formation of eschars after exposure to negative air ions. These effects were confirmed by others.
Inbar et al (1982) have reported that negative air ions improved cardiovascular and thermoregulatory system function in men performing a bicycle exercise trial in a hot (40oC) environment. Heart rate, body temperature and perceived exertion were all reduced.
Serotonin hypothesis
Kreuger (1976) reported that in laboratory animals serotonin, an powerful neurohormone, could be affected by the polarity and concentration of air ions breathed. Serotonin can produce neurovascular, endocrinal, and metabolic effects throughout the body (Kreuger 1976) and plays an important role in mood and sleep patterns. Negative ions act to reduce serotonin levels in the respiratory system, blood and brain, whilst positive ions increased serotonin levels. Hawkins (1985) reports that his own work confirmed these effects. High concentrations of serotonin have been associated with migraine headache attacks. Thus an increase in negative ions would be expected to reduce migraine attacks. Reduced serotonin levels result in a mentally relaxed state and reduction in feelings of depression. Sulman et al have reported that individuals suffering Sharav wind sensitivity have been successfully treated by inhalation of air containing excess negative ions, or by administration of serotonin blocking drugs (Kreuger 1976).The situation is confused, however, by other factors. Negative ions appear to reduce serotonin via enhancement of monoamine oxidase activity. Paradoxically, mental illness is often successfully treated using drugs which inhibit this activity and cause a rise in serotonin levels in the brain.
Factors which may influence the reported experimental results
The research into the effects of air ions has yielded rather variable results. According to Kreugar (1976), sometimes faulty experimental design has allowed the influence of factors other than air ions, and results have been wrongly attributed to ion action. In other cases, no ions reached the subject, and so false results of no ion action were reported. Kreuger reports the major factors causing errors of observation to be;
neglect of the effect of ozone and nitrogen oxides produced by corona discharge ion sourcesfailure to adequately monitor and control ion densities, temperature and humidityuse of air containing particulate or gaseous pollutants. These combine with air ions to cause fluctuating ion densities
failure to hold experimental subjects at electrical ground potential. A non-zero body voltage can cause repulsion of ions and reduced ion ingestion.
Buckalew and Rizzuto 1984) cite non-standardised ion generating equipment, different exposure lengths and ion concentrations, non-comparable measures and differential monitoring of ion levels as detracting from the comparability of studies. Kellogg (1984) stated that air ion source, air quality, associated field, ambient ion levels, absorbed ion dose, grounding of the target subject, species, strain or individual subject population, and the protocol used to avoid placebo effects should be specified in a study of air ion effects.
Ion effects on other organisms
It has been argued that air ions could not affect biological systems due to the low concentrations in which they are present in the atmosphere. Kreuger (1976) refutes this argument, citing other examples where extreme sensitivity to agents is know, such as pheromone response, the response to the eye to low level light, and studies of the reported role of electric and magnetic fields in orientation of cockchafers and shape and mobility of amoebae. Kreuger exposed mice to influenza virus and observed the rate of death for animals living in normal and ion treated environments. Increased death rates were observed for ion depleted, and positive ion enhanced environments. Death rate decreased for high unipolar concentrations of negative ions. Similar results were found in experiments with exposure to a fungal pathogen and a second bacterial type. The life span of mice in an ion-depleted atmosphere has been reported to be shortened. Kreuger pointed out that a known effect of atmospheric pollutants is to deplete small ion concentrations. Beckett has measured ion densities in San Francisco and found that as pollution developed over the working day, small ion count reduced to 80 ions per cc, less than 10% of the expected concentration in a residential district. Ion lifetime measured over the sea also was reduced by airborne pollutants drifting from the land.Kreuger reviewed research on the effects of ion concentrations on microorganisms. Negative and positive ion concentrations of 5x104-5x105 per cc have been demonstrated to slow growth in a variety of bacterial cultures. Negative ions were more effective in this. These levels of ion densities were shown to reduce viable cell count in bacterial aerosols in enclosed environments. Similar results were obtained independently by Russian and American workers. Ions of either charge have also been reported to inhibit spore germination and kill certain types of microorganism.Kreuger also reported that ion depletion has been found to affect plant growth. Growth, measured by elongation and fresh and dry weights was reduced. Leaves were soft and lacked normal turgor.
Discussion of issues relevant to the motor vehicle environment
The air ion balance and levels which may be experienced by personnel in a motor vehicle are not currently reported. This information is essential for assessment of the possible air ion responses of occupants of a vehicle.A second factor which may be extremely important is the subject's body voltage. A high body voltage could considerably alter the ingestion rates of ions. Ions of like polarity would be repelled from the body, and an effective depletion of ingested ions of this type can be expected. Similarly, ions of the opposite polarity would be attracted, and enhancement of ingestion of opposite polarity ions can be expected. Thus it is possible that the same effect as positive ion enhancement could be produced by a high negative body potential, even if the ambient air ion concentrations are balanced. Control and reduction of body voltage to a near zero condition can be expected to reduce any such effects and restore ion ingestion to that due to the ambient air ion balance condition.
Conclusions
The consensus of the literature reviewed is that environmental air ion concentration levels and balance can affect a wide range of biological organisms, including humans. Elevated negative air ion levels are widely reported to have beneficial effects on humans including enhanced feeling of relaxation, and reduced tiredness, stress levels, irritability, depression, and tenseness.Depleted ion levels and enhanced positive ion levels are reported to have no effect, or deleterious effects. The body voltage of the subject is likely to play an important role in affecting the ingestion of ions. In an environment of balanced air ion levels, the balance of ingested ions may be heavily influenced by a high body voltage. High positive body voltage would be expected to reduce positive ion ingestion and increase negative ion ingestion. High negative body voltage would be expected to reduce negative ion ingestion and increase positive ion ingestion. These effects are expected to be ameliorated by maintaining the body potential near zero.
References
Buckalew L W, Rizzuto A. Subjective Response to negative air ion exposure. Aviation, space, and environmental medicine. 53, (8) 822-3, Aug 1982
Buckalew L W, Rizzuto A. Negative air ion effects on human performance and physiological condition. Aviation, space, and environmental medicine. 55, Part 8, 731-734, Aug 1984
Fornof K T, Gilbert G O. Stress and physiological, behavioral and performance patterns of children under varied air ion levels. Int. J. Biometeorol. 32, 260-270, 1988
Hawkins LH. Biological significance of air ions. Proc. IEE Colloquium on ions in the atmosphere, natural and man made. London, UK, 1985. BLL Conf Ind. 3315.470 No 88 1985.
Inbar O, Rotstein A, Dlin R, Dotan R, Sulman F G. The effect of negative air ions on various physiological functions during work in a hot environment. Int. J Biometeor. 26 (2), 153-163, 1982
Kreuger A P, Reed E J. Biological impact of small air ions. Science, 193, 1209-13. 1976.
Kellogg E W. Air ions: Their possible biological significance and effects. J Bioelectricity 3 (1&2), 119-136, 1984
Kornblueh I H, Piersol G M, Speicher F P. Relief from pollinosis in negatively ionised rooms. Am. J. Phys. Med. 37, 18-27, 1958
Kornblueh I H. Aeroionotherapy of burns. in Bioclimatology, Biometeorology and Aeroionotherapy.
Gualtierotti et. al. eds., Carlo Erba Foundation, Milan 1968.Sulman F G. The effect of air ionisation, electric fields, atmospheric and other electric phenomena on man and animal. Charles C Thomas, Springfield, Ill. 1980.
Yaglou C P, Brandt A D, Benjamin L K C. Physiological changes during exposure to ionised air. Heating, Piping, Air conditioning, 5, 423, 1933
Yaglou C P, Benjamin L K C. Diurnal and seasonal variations in small ion content in outdoor and indoor air. Heating, Piping, Air conditioning, 6, 25, 193Story Highlights
The majority of women with children prefer homemaking role
Women without children would rather be employed
Men prefer employment regardless of their parenting status
PRINCETON, N.J. -- Having young children at home greatly influences whether women in the U.S. prefer to stay at home or work outside of it. More than half of women, 56%, who have a child younger than 18 would ideally like to stay home and care for their house and family, while 58% of those without young children would rather work outside the home. Having young children makes little difference in men's preferences, with close to three-quarters preferring to work regardless of their parenting status.
These findings are based on combined data from Gallup's 2014 and 2015 Work and Education surveys, encompassing enough interviews to examine Americans' views on the basis of child and employment status for men and women.
The data show remarkably little difference in the preferences of working versus stay-at-home mothers. Among mothers who are currently employed either full or part time, 40% say they would prefer to work outside the home, and 54% would prefer to stay home. The figures are almost identical among mothers who aren't currently employed: 37% would prefer a job outside the home, while 57% would rather be at home. Meanwhile, there is almost no difference in the lifestyle preference of fathers according to their work status. At least 70% of those employed, as well as those not employed, would rather have a job outside the home.
Little Change in Recent Attitudes
Gallup trends show little change in men's and women's overall attitudes in recent years, with slightly more than half of women saying that, given the choice, they would prefer to have a job outside the home, and about 45% saying they would rather stay at home caring for the house and family. However, this is a shift from a decade earlier when preferences were flipped, although they varied some during the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Meanwhile, the large majority of men have shown unwavering preference for working outside the home, generally hovering at just under 75%.
Bottom Line
Having children under the age of 18 is a key factor in whether women would prefer to be employed or stay home, while their current employment status matters relatively little. Among women who don't have young children, employment status makes more of a difference. And for men, neither having a child nor current employment status makes much difference. Men's and women's lifestyle preferences have been fairly stable the past few years, with majorities of both groups overall preferring to work outside the home. While this is consistent with men's views since the early 1990s, women's preference for working outside the home is higher than it was.
Historical data are available in Gallup Analytics.
Survey Methods
Results for this Gallup analysis are based on combined data from the 2014 and 2015 editions of Gallup's annual Work and Education survey, conducted each August. The total sample for the combined data is 2,403 U.S. adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. This includes 1,059 men and 984 women.
For results based on the total sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
For results based on employment and parenting subgroups within men and women, the margins of error are generally between ±4 and ±8. Three subgroups have higher margins of error of ±10 and ±13, but the reported findings still hold even when accounting for this.
Each sample of national adults includes a minimum quota of 50% cellphone respondents and 50% landline respondents, with additional minimum quotas by time zone within region. Landline and cellular telephone numbers are selected using random-digit-dial methods.
View survey methodology, complete question responses and trends.
Learn more about how Gallup Poll Social Series works.ADVERTISEMENT
Bernie Sanders made a huge mistake this week. It's one that, if not soon corrected, could squander the sizeable influence he has over his party's platform, and, more indelibly, create for the eventual Democratic nominee, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a schism in the party that she does not have the means to reconcile.
The error: Bernie's campaign became a vehicle to advance Bernie Sanders' vainglory and cult of personality. His staff responded irresponsibly to violence at the state caucuses in Nevada. He compounded their tone deaf responses by wrapping a muted condemnation of the chaos inside a long justification of the complaints that caused it.
Clinton won Nevada by six points on Feb. 20. The rules for delegate selection are clear. They are complex but they are not opaque. Sanders knew them going in to the race, and by accepting delegates, he has signed on to their legitimacy. He can protest them and try to revise them, but he cannot, in good conscience, urge his supporters to ignore them — or to find them unfair, inter alia, as the stakes change.
But before you accuse me of not understanding what really was at stake, let me explain for you the reason why Sanders's supporters got so angry.
The rules say that the chairperson of the state convention can call for a voice vote to approve the adoption of the credentials report — basically a list of delegate identities submitted by each campaign. The chairperson of the Nevada State Convention, Roberta Lange, did just that. The room erupted. Sanders's supporters were angry that the credentials report had enshrined the selection of many more Clinton supporters than Sanders supporters, and they loudly tried to "no" vote the approval process. Lange reasoned — reasonably — that the volume of the nays did not reflect the size of the nay vote. (Indeed, there were more Clinton supporters in the room.) Only Lange can decide whether to call for a roll call vote, or some other mechanism. Those are the rules. Even as Sanders supporters screamed at her, spitting cusses in her direction, she decided not to. That's her prerogative. Those are the rules.
A responsible answer to this chaos from the Sanders campaign would have been to say: "We think the rules are unfair and did not give voice to our supporters, and we will try to revise the rules to make sure that this doesn't happen again."
That is not the answer that Sanders's campaign gave. Instead, they (once again) questioned the legitimacy of the party. Questioning the legitimacy of the institution that you've chosen to work inside of is tantamount to a call for a revolt. If the DNC and its proxies are not legitimate, then, indeed, the election IS being stolen from Bernie Sanders, and since a hell of a lot IS at stake, then agitation verging on violence is pretty much the only alternative short of going home and giving up.
It's fine for Sanders supporters in the heat of battle to believe this, but it is beyond irresponsible for Sanders's campaign to encourage the provenance of this view. Why? Because it's not true. It simply isn't. The rules are not rigged in favor of or against any particular candidate. They can't be. They were set long before the candidates entered the race. They haven't been capriciously changed. Indeed, they are skewed in FAVOR of Sanders: He has received more delegates than his popular vote totals should see him allocated, assuming that, as he does, the only real form of democracy is direct. Or maybe not: He has repeatedly said that the party does a disservice when it doesn't allow independents to vote in its primaries. And he has also said that he represents the "working people" — the "working people" only vote for him. (Do Clinton supporters not work?)
His campaign is descending into semiotic babble. He is creating unrealistic expectations for his supporters. If those expectations cannot be met by a reconciliation, and if the party truly cannot convince a large number of Sanders delegates that they have been treated fairly, then his delegates could cause real trouble at the convention. They could prevent Clinton from uniting the party. They could prevent Sanders from keeping the party accountable for its promises to voters. They could nullify the very real power Sanders has right now to remold the party in the image of the type of candidate who is independent and more attentive to working class voters.
In other words, his blinders, put upon him by campaign staff and other hangers-on, are hurting his cause right now. I've vacillated about whether a responsible Democrat should want Sanders to stay in the race, given that his chances of winning the nomination by accumulating delegates are vanishingly small, and that his arguments that superdelegates should follow the expressed will of their state's voters have fallen largely on the back of necks — ears have turned away. For me, it came to down to the future of the party. If Sanders's movement was best served by his presence in the race, he should stay in. If not, he should bow out. For a while, his victories in demographically appropriate states, his willingness to tone down his attacks against Clinton, his musings about building the party's bench down the ballot — all of these pointed to a man with mature instincts for a tempered use of his considerable power.
Even his supporters know: Bernie's campaign isn't about them. It's about policies. It's about removing the influence of big money in politics. It's about fairer trade. It's about an American manufacturing renaissance. It's about, in other words, stuff for other people. The moment it becomes about him is the moment he needs to make it about that other stuff again. Time is running out.Taxes are an unfortunate side effect of successful investing, but there are ways to avoid it. You can build a tax efficient investing strategy to help lower those taxes over time. More importantly, it will leave more money in your pocket to reinvest, compound, and grow.
A tax efficient investment strategy is nothing new. It’s been used by the wealthy since tax codes were enacted. It’s legal and you don’t need a high-priced CPA to put an effective strategy together. If you know the current tax rates, you are half way there. After that you just need to know how to use the tax code in your favor. In order to do that we need to start with the basics.
What Is Tax Efficient Investing?
Taxes eat into your investment gains like any other costs. This puts a limit on how your money grows. But thanks to our overly complex tax system, you have ways to reduce, suspend, or eliminate them.
The basic tax efficient investing strategy should lower your tax liability based on your financial goals both now and in the future. When done right, it should maximize your after tax dollars, which is the ultimate goal.
You’ll have to take the tax consequences into account when making any investment decision. In order to do this, you’ll need to know a few things:
The current tax code
The right asset allocation to use
The types of accounts to use
The time to hold each investment
The tax code will decide how you use the different accounts, investments, and allocation when building your tax efficient strategy.
Know The Tax Code
The biggest obstacle to any tax efficient investing strategy is a constantly changing tax code. With our progressive tax system (and political reelection promises) you will deal with tax rate changes often. Trying to figure out the future tax rates decades from now is useless, if not impossible. Instead, focus on your financial goals and how the current rates affect each one. You can always make adjustments when things change.
Income, interest, dividends, and capital gains are all taxed. Interest is considered income and is taxed at the same rates. Dividend and capital gains tax rates are more complicated. If you’re not sure what the current tax rates are, you can find it here.
Capital gains tax is divided between short-term (one year or less) and long-term (more than one year) capital gains. Short term capital gains are taxed at the same rate as your income. Long term capital gains are given a lower tax rate. Keep this in mind when you’re buying and selling investments.
When the tax code favors one stream over another, you should adjust your asset allocation to take advantage of the difference.
Tax Efficient Investments
You will only get so far knowing the tax code. The real success comes from your asset allocation and taking advantage of tax efficient investments. This becomes more important as your income tax rates rise.
This is where tax-free bonds are used. Municipal bonds and to a lesser degree U.S. Treasuries fall into this category. Municipal bonds are exempt from federal income tax. This can have a big impact when you rely on investments to pay you part or all of your income. U.S. Treasuries are only exempt from state and local income tax and only benefit those investors with a high state income tax.
How much you benefit from this will depend on your income tax rates. When choosing a municipal bond or bond fund, first use the taxable equivalent yield chart to get an apples to apples comparison against taxable bond yields. If the risks are the same, choose the higher yielding bond, even if it happens to be a taxable bond. Remember, your goal is to maximize your after tax dollars, not just to cut your taxes.
When using tax efficient investments it is important to be aware of the type of account you use.
Taxable Or Tax Advantaged Accounts
Imagine how hard saving for retirement would be if you were taxed every year on that savings. It wouldn’t look good. That’s the reason retirement accounts are such an advantage. But it comes with the price of limited access. So, taxable bank and brokerage accounts have a place in your tax efficient strategy too.
Taxable Accounts
The biggest advantage of taxable accounts is the easy access to funds. It’s also the biggest downfall. You are quickly hit with capital gains tax each time you sell an investment.
With that in mind, investments in taxable accounts should have a long-term focus. That means holding stocks, bonds, or mutual funds for at least one year to avoid the short-term capital gains tax.
In addition, municipal bonds and other tax efficient investments are perfect for taxable accounts. The point here is to save the short-term investing and trading for your retirement accounts where you can avoid the higher short-term capital gains tax entirely.
Tax Advantaged Accounts
Your 401k, 403b, pension, traditional IRA, and Roth IRA fall under tax advantaged accounts. All but the Roth IRA offers tax-deductible contributions and allows you to grow your money tax-free until its withdrawn at retirement. At that point it’s taxed as income, where you might be in a lower tax bracket.
Alternatively, the Roth IRA takes after tax contributions and allows your money to grow and be withdrawn tax-free. The hope being that you are in a higher tax bracket at retirement.
The tax advantaged account you choose will depends on what accounts your work offers, on your income, and qualifications. For instance, a Roth IRA has income limits and at a certain point loses it’s luster to the tax-deductible accounts as your income tax rate climbs.
Either way, you get the best tax efficient return on your investments taking full advantage of these accounts. Just keep in mind that penalties and age restrictions limit when you can take money out.
Summary
Taxes are another investment cost like transaction fees that eat into your returns, limiting your ability to grow your money. A good tax efficient investing strategy will allow you to avoid some of the higher costs of taxes. Remember, it’s a balancing act between lower taxes and higher after tax dollars. Don’t let a need to lower taxes steer you away from money-making opportunities either. What matters most is how much you keep after taxes.Minnesota United has hired Kyndra de St. Aubin to do color commentary in its debut Major League Soccer season beginning in March, according to Sports Illustrated. She would be one of the few female color commentators in MLS.
St. Aubin, who has done broadcasts for Fox Sports and Pac-12 Network since 2011, is a former University of Minnesota soccer player. United declined comment on the report.
Alan Willey, a member of the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame, was United’s color commentator for the previous two seasons the club played in the North American Soccer League.
“If this is the end, that’s fine,” Willey, who played for the Minnesota Kicks from 1976-81, told the Pioneer Press. “I enjoyed it. I will still go watch the team play. I’m a homer.”
The future for United play-by-play commentator Chris Lidholm is unclear. He has covered Minnesota soccer for 24 years.
United had a partnership with My29, an affiliate of Fox 9 (KMSP-TV), for almost all of its NASL matches in 2016. The club’s TV plans for 2017 have not been disclosed.Many people wonder how, as professional installers, we're able to quickly attach Christmas lights to brick, concrete or stucco. These surfaces can be difficult to work with and time consuming to install. This is where hot glue comes in. Using hot glue to attach lights to solid, non painted surfaces is quick, easy and very effective. This type of installation application works best with the large C7 or C9 lights.
The video below will outline the basic supplies, tools and techniques used when using hot glue to hang Christmas lights onto a solid surface.
Items used in this project:
Some additional notes regarding when not to use hot glue:
While we are a big fan of hot glue, there are some situations where you should not use it. Surfaces that are painted will generally peel off if hot glue is applied. Non painted surfaces are best. When it comes to using hot glue on stucco surfaces, you will need to be very careful. If the surface is solid stucco, then the heat from the glue is not an issue, however, these days a lot of the stucco surfaces are very thin and have a styrofoam backing, which will melt if very hot glue is applied.
You can tell if it's backed by styrofoam or if it's more solid by lightly tapping on the stucco. This will tell you if it's okay to use hot glue. If the surface is indeed backed with styrofoam, then it's best to use a cooler melting hot glue, a lower temperature gun and also a glue that has less holding power so it's easier to remove the lights without damaging the stucco.A description of molten aluminum poured onto rusty steel
Wes Lifferth
Physics Shop, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah
The following is a description of melting aluminum. In the shop we have a pot that we welded up that has stainless steel sides and a mild steel bottom with an eight inch handle. This pot is heavy duty with ¼ inch-thick sides and the bottom is about 3/8 inch thick. We put the aluminum pieces (these pieces were about ½”x 3” x 4”) in the pot and then began to heat the pot with an oxygen/acetylene torch. As the pot and aluminum were heated we noted some changes. As more heat was applied the color of the steel changed to a deep red and then continued to an orange color as the heat increased.
The aluminum on the other hand changes very little in appearance when heat is applied. The outside oxide layer changes to a very faint straw color and then as the heat increases the inside of the aluminum will melt first and the outside oxide layer will appear as dirty contamination and will not mix with the more pure molten aluminum. The melted aluminum did not change in color other than take on the appearance of mercury or a “clean” and “pure” silvery color. This melting was done near a large window with outdoor exposure during the day, so we had plenty of daylight lighting.
When the aluminum was completely melted we poured the molten aluminum out and it retained the silvery color (like mercury) even though the steel pot was glowing orange-hot. The melted aluminum was poured onto rusty mild-steel (see photographs) and soon after the aluminum made contact with the steel and flowed a bit, the aluminum solidified and looked very much like it did before we put the heat to it.On Monday 19th August 4 residents of Camp Acra & Adoquin and their lawyer Patrice Florvilus were summoned to court following criminal charges laid by Reynold George, the claimed owner of a section of the camp land, devotee and lawyer of Jean-Claude Duvalier. The residents included Camp Acra coordinator and founding member of the housing action group, Chanjem Leson,Jean-Louis Elie Joseph, Darlin Lexima who had previously been detained and beaten by the police following a protest in April this year and the family of Civil Meril who died whilst in police custody.
Reynold Georges had previously visited the camp in April threatening to set it on fire if residents did not leave what he claimed to be his section of land. In the period since his threats, members of Chanjem Leson have been living in fear sometimes having to go into hiding following visits from unknown plain clothes men and threatening phone calls. So it was with great apprehension that the residents prepared to attend court on Monday 19th August. Fortunately for everyone, and through the hard work of human rights lawyers, Reynold Georges was forced to withdraw his charges.
There have been a number of reports on specific persecution of human rights activists in the US mainstream media [here and here] and on Twitter by members of the foreign media and human rights community in Haiti. However it is unfortunate that in these reports the voices of camp residents, who are far more vulnerable to the threats of from power elites, are erased from the story which becomes one about the human rights lawyer and western human rights activist. Even the protestors, it is claimed, where there for the lawyer rather than stating they were there to save their camp!
This is not to fully recognise the importance of the legal profession in defending people’s rights or to dismiss their excellent work. However there is once again an erasure of the voices of the popular masses. For example Darlin Lexima, Elie Joseph, Esther Pierre and other vocally visible camp activists do not only have to contend with living in fear and in hiding from the likes of Reynold George and having their property and lives at risk from fire, they also have to contend with living in deplorable camp conditions for nearly 4 years, unemployment, sickness and sickness of relatives – in short living with the worst aspects of structural violence.
There are two related issues in this matter. One that of Reynold Georges, is about evicting specifically 300 families from an area of Camp Acra & Adoquin with a view to evicting all 32,000 residents [6000 families] plus the fate of all remaining camps and this is where the focus needs to be. As Chanjem Leson write on their website, they have a plan for the housing of all camp Acra & Adoquin and a means for them to create their own income generation projects. The second issue is that of persecution of human rights lawyers and camp activists.
The erasure of the voices of popular masses is how the western media works – it selects a name and runs with that name at the expense of everyone else and western human rights activists on the ground are complicit in this formula. In addition to ignoring the voices of those actually living the human rights abuses in the camps, missing from the commentary is a critique of the role of the US as the puppeteer pulling the strings behind the Haitian government or of corporate interests which seek to exploit the labour of Haitians at the cheapest rate possible. Although the UN occupation forces, MINUSTAH are mentioned failure to consider the US influence over the UN ends up with only half the story. The failure to critique US foreign policy and call for an accountability from the US government is a frequent omission by western activists working in the global south who speak of rights as simply a local politic. Ezili Danto is one of the most articulate voices speaking the truth of western involvement in Haiti as she explains in this piece on the US “rewriting the Haitian Constitution to better serve the one percent”..
Again as evidenced in the support of Trayvon Martin family, activists from Chanjem Leson recognise the injustice they face here in Haiti is closely connected to the injustice faced by black youth like Oscar Grant, Marissa Alexander, Travyon Martin and Jordan Davis. I would go further in saying that human rights violations in Haiti should also be seen in the context of US human rights violations in Guantanamo, targeted assassinations and drone killings of civilians in Yemen and the harassment of US journalists and their families by US immigration and their allies. It is therefore hardly surprising that the US government doesn’t just close it’s eyes to the gangsta politicians and elites in Haiti, it protects them in so far as it’s main interest is in acquiring Haiti’s natural resources and using cheap labour to drive US and other international corporate interests.
There is presently a call to support Haitian Frontline Defenders – namely the human rights lawyers, their workers and families…
Front Line Defenders fears for the safety and physical and psychological integrity of Patrice Florvilus, DOP staff members and their families in the light of the previous threats against them. Furthermore, Front Line Defenders is concerned at the precedent that the summons may set in undermining the independence of the legal profession
Not a mention of the front-line defenders at the Camp in Delmas 33! Let their voices be front-line news, their faces circulated so everyone knows who they are. IReynold Georges has announced on the radio that he will surely remove everyone from Camp Acra & Adoquin. It’s hard to imagine anyone including the Mayor of Delmas standing in his way and it’s hard to imagine that 2014 will not mark the end of camps at least the large two in Delmas which sit on prime real estate.
Below are my notes from Saturday’s conversation with Chanjem Leson members.About Ryan
Hi, I’m Ryan. I have spent my life working for causes bigger than myself, which has allowed me to do a little bit of everything. I have experience in fundraising, public speaking, organization management, campaign management, media relations, event planning, writing, teaching and ministry. These days I teach high school students while running a business on the side that offers online and offline marketing, advertising and strategy for small businesses. In my free time I am writing a book about my Mom who lived a life of heroic virtue, and along with my sister am starting a memorial foundation made to further her legacy. A big passion of mine is in helping the homeless through something I’ve created called “The Gift Card Project”. I’m a big fan of Boston sports and hip hop. Check out my Catholic Cases app that helps Catholics solve difficult moral cases directly from their phone.AKRON, Ohio -- An Akron couple was indicted after investigators found four malnourished dogs in their home.
Richard and Angel Facemire charged with prohibitions concerning companion animals in Summit County Common Pleas Court, records say.
The husband was also charged with aggravated possession of drugs. Police found a small amount of methamphetamine in his pants pocket when he was arrested, according to court documents.
Their cases were bound over to a Summit County grand jury. |
The State Department is among the U.S. government agencies that have a say on Exxon's waiver application, according to current and former U.S. officials.
Mr. Tillerson is recusing himself from any matters involving Exxon for two years, and won't be involved with any decision made by any government agency involving Exxon during this period, a State Department spokesman said.
It isn't clear whether the request with the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control was made before Mr. Tillerson joined the Trump administration. A spokesman for the Treasury Department said it doesn't comment on waiver applications. An Exxon spokesman said the company wouldn't discuss government deliberations on sanctions.
The sanctions target operations with Rosneft involving the transfer of technology, banning U.S. companies from deals in the Arctic, Siberia and the Black Sea, areas that would require the sharing of cutting-edge drilling techniques. The sanctions, instituted after the Kremlin's annexation of the Crimea region of Ukraine in 2014, also bar dealings with Rosneft's chief executive, Igor Sechin, saying he "has shown utter loyalty to Vladimir Putin -- a key component to his current standing."
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Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia's oil resources have been among the most sought-after prizes by U.S. and European oil companies, and multiple U.S. presidential administrations in both parties have worked to help them enter the country. As much as 100 billion barrels of oil remains untapped in the country, although many Western companies have been stymied in their attempts to reach those reserves, often by geopolitical risks.
The 2014 sanctions effectively sidelined a landmark exploration deal Exxon, under Mr. Tillerson's leadership, had signed with Rosneft in 2012. The deal granted Exxon access to explore in Russia's arctic waters, the right to drill with new technology in Siberia and the chance to explore in the deep waters of Russia's portion of the Black Sea.
Mr. Putin said Exxon and Rosneft might invest as much as $500 billion over the life of the partnership. In 2013, the Russian leader bestowed upon Mr. Tillerson the country's Order of Friendship in part for his role in developing the joint venture.
Exxon has reported it is exposed to losses from the Rosneft ventures of up to $1 billion before taxes, although the company has yet to recognize them on its books given its position that sanctions could be lifted.
Exxon received a waiver in September 2014 when the sanctions were first implemented. The company had yet to complete a well in the Russian Arctic; Mr. Tillerson and other Exxon executives asked the Treasury Department and senior Obama administration officials to allow the company to complete the well, saying it wouldn't be safe to leave before it was finished, according to people familiar with the matter. Treasury granted an extension and the company completed drilling in October and eventually withdrew its employees from the project.
Exxon has been seeking U.S. permission to drill in areas affected by sanctions since late 2015, according to a person familiar with the matter.
In 2015 and 2016, Exxon received a license from the Treasury Department allowing the company to undertake "limited administrative actions" in its partnership with Rosneft, according to company documents. Such permission would put Exxon in a position to move more quickly if it gets the green light to drill, according to the person familiar with the matter.
The proposal to drill in the Black Sea has been circulated in various federal departments in recent months, several people said. Exxon is arguing that it deserves a waiver there because its exploration rights in the Black Sea will expire if it doesn't act by this year, under its deal with Rosneft, and because some of its top foreign competitors aren't similarly restricted.
American companies often seek waivers from sanctions, citing humanitarian, trade or operational issues, according to former U.S. officials. Companies operating in countries that are heavily sanctioned may seek waivers to conduct specific banking transactions or equipment purchases, for example.
The Obama administration granted sanctions waivers to high-tech companies operating in both Iran and Syria, arguing that facilitating the flow of information could help open up the repressive regimes in Damascus and Tehran.
It is unusual for a company to seek a waiver based purely on future business prospects, the officials said.
Exxon opposed how the Obama administration applied sanctions on a number of its projects, according to people familiar with the matter, in part because the European Union granted waivers to its competitors to continue operating, including Norway's Statoil ASA, which has a waiver for arctic drilling in the Barents Sea, and Italy's Eni SpA for arctic drilling in the in Barents and Black seas.
"Exxon is worried it could get boxed out of the Black Sea by the Italians," said a person briefed on the company's waiver application. Eni has been aggressively exploring the region in cooperation with Russia in recent years.
Exxon is seeking a waiver akin to those that have been granted by the EU to its rivals, according to people familiar with the matter.
Rosneft is at the center of Russian plans to drill in the Arctic to tap huge but as yet unexplored reserves of oil, which are critical to the country's economy. Russia relies on oil and gas for around 40% of its budget revenues. Mr. Sechin last year presided over the sale of a 19.5% stake in Rosneft, a move that brought much-needed cash into state coffers.
The Black Sea may hold 30 billion barrels of oil, according to estimates from Russia, Turkey and Romania. Although a number of the biggest Western oil companies are seeking opportunities there, it remains a frontier area where few deep water wells have been drilled, an indication that explorers may find far less, or more, than hoped as more work is done, according to industry analysts.
Exxon needs an oil discovery in the Black Sea by the end of this year to obtain a Russian government license to drill under the terms of the deal Rosneft. Unless Exxon receives approval soon, there might not be enough time to safely drill an exploratory well to be able to develop any discoveries, said oil industry experts.
Exxon has continued in recent years to drill and seek to expand its access around Sakhalin Island in Russia's Far East, an area to which sanctions don't apply.
Mr. Tillerson, before he became secretary of state, said on a number of occasions that Exxon opposes sanctions when they aren't applied in a uniform way. But he testified during his confirmation hearings that neither he nor his former company ever lobbied against U.S. sanctions on Russia.
As secretary of state, Mr. Tillerson, following through on his pledge to recuse himself from potential Exxon-related matters, stayed out of State Department deliberations on the permit for the Keystone XL project, a proposed pipeline that would carry oil from Canada into the U.S.
Due to the sanctions, other major components of the Exxon-Rosneft agreement were put on hold in 2014, shortly before Rosneft revealed that the first well the two companies drilled together in the arctic waters of the Kara Sea may hold as much as 750 million barrels of oil.
The Black Sea has become a major area of interest for many of the world's biggest oil companies. Exxon has drilled there off the coast of Romania and holds a license for an area in Ukrainian waters. Royal Dutch Shell PLC has also drilled in the Black Sea off the coast of Turkey.
--James Marson in Moscow contributed to this article.
Write to Jay Solomon at jay.solomon@wsj.com and Bradley Olson at Bradley.Olson@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 19, 2017 13:06 ET (17:06 GMT)EMI VP Comes Out Against SOPA/PIPA; Says The Answer To Piracy Is Providing A Better Service
from the promote-this-guy dept
Personally, I feel that the method they're using is incorrect. All it will do will cause headaches and issues for everyone.
However, I do believe that a person should be compensated for their work. I feel that piracy is a big issue, and things like Spotify will assist in combating this problem.
Gabe Newell is correct, it's a service issue not an issue of money. Sales have gone up from sales concerts and merchandise, it's obvious that our fans still love music. We're just not giving them their music in an easier way.
Over the years, I've definitely found that there are plenty of folks working inside the major record labels (and big studios) who really do get what's going on. The problem is often that their voices are drowned out by others (usually the older guard) who are pretty stubborn in their anti-innovation, anti-consumer ways. It's always nice, however, when someone from the inside pops up and says something sensible in public, and those folks deserve kudos. The latest is Craig Davis, EMI's VP of Urban Promotions. He recently did a Reddit AMA (for you non-Redditors -- a Q&A session), in which someone asked him his opinion of SOPA/PIPA/ACTA, and he gave a really reasonable answer The reference to Gabe Newell, of course, concerns Newell's regular speeches about how you compete with piracy by providing a better service -- something Newell's Valve has done quite well over the years.Davis has it exactly right here. The only thing that's been shown to work over the years as a method of dealing with widespread infringement is to offer a better service. Things like SOPA/PIPA/ACTA will cause lots of problems... and won't do a damn thing to slow down infringement. EMI is in the process of being swallowed up by Universal Music, so who knows what happens here, but if I was in charge at Universal, I'd give Davis a nice promotion. Tragically, however, in my experience, the folks who do get these things from within the major labels frequently end up outside the major labels before too long....
Filed Under: competing, craig davis, infringement, pipa, piracy, protect ip, sopa
Companies: emiFrom time to time, “The Daily Show’s” Jon Stewart pays a visit to Fox News programs, perhaps to prove that he’s not afraid to back up his jokes. This weekend he stopped by Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace. The conversation started off pleasantly enough, and then became contentious. At one point Stewart called Wallace “insane.” “I’m not an activist,” Stewart told Wallace. “I’m a comedian. And my comedy is informed by ideology, there’s no question about that. But I’m not an ideologue.” During the interview, Stewart also said that he was disappointed with Obama so far, and that he voted for George H.W. Bush against Michael Dukakis. “There was an integrity about him that I respected greatly,” Stewart explained. “And there’s something about tiny people in helmets.” You can watch the interview after the jump.We’re just short of 1 month away from the DVD and Blu-ray release of Legends of Mid-South Wrestling and it’s time for a WrestlingDVDNews.com exclusive sneak peek!
Last year WWE purchased the Watts Mid-South Wrestling/UWF library after several unsuccessful attempts in the past to acquire the footage. As such, the new Mid-South DVD marks the first time the company has produced a compilation on the territory, which boasts over 20 rare matches and moments with some of the most revered names in wrestling history.
Click here to pre-order your copy of the Mid-South DVD or Blu-ray.
For the first time ever, WWE presents the Legends of Mid-South Wrestling. One of the 1980’s hottest territories, Mid-South garnered national attention for its revolutionary storytelling and bruising, athletic matches orchestrated by no-nonsense promoter, “Cowboy” Bill Watts. Now, the legends and Hall of Famers who cut their teeth in Mid-South share their tales of the fabled proving ground as we deliver over 20 classic confrontations. Plus, new interviews with Jake Roberts, Shawn Michaels, Ted DiBiase, Jim Ross, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan and several others!
Full Match Listing for WWE Legends of Mid-South Wrestling DVD.
US Release: September 10th. Pre-order now.
Canada Release: September 10th. Pre-order now.
UK Release: September 16th. Pre-order now.
Australia Release: September 18th. Pre-order now.Over the weekend, Pitt missed out on four-star wide receiver Jamil Kamara. The loss was a big one, but not entirely unexpected as Kamara chose to stay close to home in Virginia. The Panthers, though, bounced back tonight when another four-star receiver, Adonis Jennings, announced he was Pitt bound.
Jennings, as we wrote about recently, is a highly touted kid in his own right. While many believe that Kamara is a better receiver, it's notable that ESPN actually ranks Jennings above Kamara. Simply put, just a big, big get here for the Panthers and Paul Chryst.
Jennings' commitment is a tremendous boost for the offense, which has the look of a potentially explosive unit. With an improving line buoyed by some standout recruits, a young, talented quarterback in Chad Voytik, a superstar in receiver Tyler Boyd, and a deep running back corps, Pitt's outlook is bright here. In particular, Jennings coming to Pitt gives the team the weapon they needed opposite Boyd. Pitt has several lower-ranked guys there and one or two should work out, but in Jennings, Pitt has the chance to have two superstars out of that group.
When you throw in the tight ends, including a guy like J.P. Holtz, Voytik should really have more options at receiver than he knows what to do with.Russia is reportedly gearing up to send as much as $1.2 billion in military equipment to Tajikistan to aid its fight against the Islamic State group, Russian newspaper Kommersant reported. The move comes amid growing concerns that the group -- which is also known as ISIS or ISIL -- may try to gain a foothold in Central Asia by way of Afghanistan.
Kommersant cited unnamed Russian military officials who said the equipment may include aircraft, missiles, communications equipment, and arms and ammunition. Moscow would provide the weapons over the course of several years, the newspaper reported Friday.
The report comes a day after members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a Russia-led security bloc of former Soviet states, met in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, to address the threat posed by extremists flowing into Central Asia. Russia’s ambassador to the meeting told Russian state-run newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta that ISIS had small cells in Afghanistan, near the Tajik border. “How serious their role is now is difficult to say, but nevertheless they are appearing there,” he said, EurasiaNet reported.
Tajik officials also reportedly said at the meeting that CSTO members, including Russia, had not given the country sufficient military aid to combat the threat.
In March, Tajik militants believed to be fighting alongside ISIS in Syria released a video threatening to wage attacks in Tajikistan instead of the Middle East, Radio Free Europe/Radio Free Liberty reported. In the video, one fighter wearing a mask warned that militants could shoot their next video “from the mountains of Tvavildara in central Tajikistan, or the Tajik capital, Dushanbe -- or even from the Kremlin.”
In late 2014 the State Committee for the National Security of Tajikistan estimated that as many as 300 Tajiks may be fighting in Syria and Iraq alongside ISIS fighters.
John Brennan, director of the CIA, the American intelligence agency, said in late March that although ISIS was weakening under military pressure in Syria and Iraq, the group was extending its reach beyond those countries’ borders.The Cincinnati Reds were the class of the National League in the 1970’s, and the Pittsburgh Pirates bitter rivals. On this day in 1974, Dock Ellis tried to send a message that they would not be intimidated, in his own special way.
It would be easy to be intimidated by the Cincinnati Reds in the 1970’s. The Big Red Machine, as they were called, were the class of the National League. With several Hall of Fame players, and the controversial Pete Rose, the Reds were a force to be reckoned with.
Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Pirates were also vying to be the class of the NL. However, the Reds, as they did with most teams during that time frame, stood in their way. The Reds were an intimidating squad, and the Pirates were tired of being pushed around by the Machine.
Article continues below...
With that background, Pirates starter Dock Ellis took it on himself to show the Reds that Pittsburgh was ready to fight them in any way possible. His plan was simple: he would hit every batter in the Reds lineup, showing that they would not be intimidated. As to what that would accomplish exactly, only Ellis could say for certain. After all, this is the pitcher who claimed to throw a no hitter while high on LSD, so his mental state at any point in time on the mound could be called into question.
Ellis, for his part, mostly accomplished his plan. He drilled Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, and Dan Driessen, the Reds first three batters, with pitches. Although he did his best to hit Tony Perez, including throwing two pitches behind his head, he was unsuccessful, with Perez drawing a walk. After attempting to hit Johnny bench with two pitches aimed at his head, Ellis was pulled from the game by manager Danny Murtaugh. The fact that Ellis was even left in the game for that long is a bit perplexing in its own right.
In doing so, Ellis tied the record with three hit batsmen in an inning. However, he was the only one to do so intentionally, and to make it the first three batters of the game. As the Reds won the game 5-3, they ended up with the last laugh.
Pittsburgh Pirates starter Dock Ellis attempted to send a message to the Cincinnati Reds on this day in 1974. He did so by hitting the first three batters he faced, and not throwing a single strike.
This article originally appeared onSDCC 2012: ‘The Venture Brothers’ Panel
The Venture Brothers came to San Diego Comic-Con and spoke to a packed house filled with some of the best cosplayers in all of fandom. All the fans in the crowd waited with baited breath for the announcement of when season five would premiere. Their anticipation was paid off when show creators Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer told them that they would get a Halloween special for this year, with new episodes starting in early 2013.
The crowd was then treated to an animatics preview of the upcoming season. The preview had plenty of laughs and included shots of Sgt. Hatred with bitch tits, Doc Venture and Billy Quizboy doing a ventriloquist act, and the promise that Brock Sampson will be in the whole season. We also learned that The Monarch is a big Game of Thrones fan, but that Dr. Mrs. The Monarch is not. Judging from the limited footage shown, it looks like we’re in for another excellent season.
Several guest stars were announced for the upcoming season. J.K. Simmons will guest star in the Halloween special. Other guest voices for the season include Aziz Ansari, John Hodgman, Tim Meadows, Gillian Jacobs, and Paget Brewster.
One other thing that was announced is that there will be another hour-long special between seasons five and six.
It’s always a blast to see Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer riff off each other. They are basically a stand-up pair, and they had the whole crowd laughing throughout. You have to be careful when asking a question, because they will just talk for 10 minutes, and you will never get an actual answer. If you ever get a chance to go to a convention that features a Venture Brothers panel, I highly recommend taking the time to go.
Now I will go and start a countdown to the day when the next episode premieres.
Here’s a shot of just some of those cosplayers I was talking about earlier.The results of the 2017 United States Senate Special Election In Alabama were surprising. Even more surprising is who came in third – the head coach for the local college football team.
Nick Saban, head coach for the University of Alabama football team received 20,500 write-in votes for the election to replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions, yes, even despite losing the Iron Bowl.
Some Alabama residents were so admit about nominating him, they even paid for and ran ads to inform others how to write in Saban as their vote.
One voter passionately proclaimed his vote for Saban at the booths on MSNBC. Thought to be crazy at the time, he was joined by about 20,499 others.
This guy just voted for Nick Saban instead of Roy Moore or Doug Jones in the Alabama special election pic.twitter.com/l1gtg3puqp — Sports Illustrated (@SInow) December 12, 2017
The propaganda clearly caught on, as Saban received more votes than the margin of victory between Ray Moore and Doug Jones (9k).
Perhaps the most Alabama thing to ever happen.As President Donald Trump and the GOP attempt once again to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) with a much crueler bill, House Democrats are pushing in the total opposite direction: as of Thursday, a record 104 have signed on to co-sponsor a Medicare-for-All bill.
"Americans are fed up with an inhumane, profit-driven health system that leaves millions without care."
—Dr. Carol Paris, Physicians for a National Health Program
The bill, H.R. 676, known as the "Expanded & Improved Medicare for All Act," has been introduced into Congress repeatedly by Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.). It has now received support from more than half of the Democratic caucus, a record for the party.
"There's more of an appetite for an alternative now," co-sponsor Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) told Vox reporter Jeff Stein last month, when the single payer bill was already gaining significant Democratic support, as Common Dreams reported. "Democrats have a new confidence to push for a single-payer system. The momentum is building."
"Americans are fed up with an inhumane, profit-driven health system that leaves millions without care," said Dr. Carol Paris, president of Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP), in a statement. "Quality health care is not a luxury, nor is it a commodity that can be bought and sold in a marketplace. It is a social good that can be best delivered through a single-payer national health program."
Calls for a more compassionate and fair healthcare system—and unified push-back against the GOP's efforts to dismantle Obamacare—have dominated contentious town halls during the two congressional recesses since Trump's inauguration, and advocates say that such grassroots activism has built crucial momentum behind the movement for Medicare-for-All.
Indeed, Rep. Conyers described a critical moment in one of those town halls—and the impact it had—in an op-ed for the Detroit Free Press earlier this month:
One of the most poignant moments came at a town hall hosted by U.S. Rep. Diane Black, Republican of Tennessee, where a constituent explained her opposition to the GOP bill using faith. As a Christian, she said, her faith was rooted in helping the unfortunate, not cutting taxes on the rich, so why not expand Medicaid and allow everyone to have insurance? And she's not alone. Last week, a Quinnipiac survey found that voters overwhelmingly oppose cuts to Medicaid—74 percent of them—including 54 percent among Republicans. Given the record high support for publicly funded healthcare, economists, policy experts and commentators everywhere have called on the Democratic party to build on our momentum by supporting a single payer system. But perhaps the most convincing case I heard came from Jessi Bohan, the teacher from Cookeville, Tennessee who spoke at Rep. Black's town hall. SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT Help Keep Common Dreams Alive Our progressive news model only survives if those informed and inspired by this work support our efforts
The week after her question went viral she wrote to the Washington Post that she was troubled to see her comments used as a "defense of Obamacare" instead of what they were: an indictment of any healthcare policy that leaves anyone out. As Bohan so eloquently put it, "it is immoral for health care to be a for-profit enterprise" that allows insurance companies to make "enormous sums of money off the sick while people are struggling to pay their medical bills." If she had it to do over again, she wrote, she would have explained to Black "the Christian case for universal, single-payer health insurance, which would protect all Americans."
"While her message was targeted at Republicans, it is one that many of my colleagues in the Democratic Party need to hear as well," Conyers wrote.
Now, it appears that many Democratic representatives are listening. And they should be: multiple polls in recent years have shown that most Americans support a single-payer system.
As Conyers declared in his op-ed: "Single payer is politically achievable."
Still, not all Democrats are on board. Advocacy group Justice Democrats, which has been pushing Democrats to support single payer, recently called out the 89 Democrats who have not yet sponsored Conyer's bill:
Mar 27, 2017 vs. Apr 27, 2017. 32 reps in 32 days. #tbt pic.twitter.com/0Rs3G8tCGo — Justice Democrats (@justicedems) April 27, 2017
"The momentum towards a universal health program is unstoppable," argued Dr. Paris. "Americans of all political stripes are reiterating their long-held support for improved Medicare for all, and Congress has a responsibility to act. We urge all members—including Republicans, whose constituents are demanding a better health care system—to come together and finally enact H.R. 676. Now is the time.""I made a provocative and rhetorical comment as part of a free-flowing conversation which has been taken completely out of context," said Betty Price, he wife of former HHS Secretary Tom Price. Betty Price (front) is a Georgia state legislator. | Andrew Harnik/AP Photo Price's wife defends AIDS quarantine remark as 'provocative'
Betty Price, the wife of former HHS Secretary Tom Price, is defending her comment about quarantining people with HIV as an attempt to be provocative about a public health crisis.
The physician and Georgia state legislator says she does not favor quarantining people with HIV or AIDS.
Story Continued Below
"I made a provocative and rhetorical comment as part of a free-flowing conversation which has been taken completely out of context." she said in a statement to the Atlanta Journal Constitution on Saturday. "I do not support a quarantine in this public health challenge and dilemma of undertreated HIV patients. I do, however, wish to light a fire under all of us with responsibility in the public health arena."
Her comments last week at a state House Study Committee meeting were videotaped and widely circulated.
"I don’t want to say the quarantine word, but I guess I just said it,” Price said then.
"Is there an ability, since I would guess that public dollars are expended heavily in prophylaxis and treatment of this condition," she said. "So, we have a public interest in curtailing the spread. What would you advise, or are there any methods legally that we could do, that would curtail the spread."
POLITICO Pulse newsletter Get the latest on the health care fight, every weekday morning — in your inbox. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time.
On Saturday, Price stressed she has worked in public health for years and had made the comments during a discussion of why there were so many people in Georgia who were not getting treatment and posed a risk of spreading the virus to others. Georgia has one of the highest rates of new HIV infections in the country.
She is married to Tom Price, who resigned as HHS secretary last month amid multiple federal inquiries and growing criticism spurred by POLITICO reports of his use of private and government planes for travel.Reports that PSG have been deducted points, Lyon back on top of table
After a fantastic end to 2016, in which PSG beat Lyon to go top of the table, the FFF have reportedly sanctioned the club and deducted points in favour of Albi.
We believe the match in question was the first game of the season against Albi, who PSG earned a 4-0 win.
The second half appearance of Sarah Palacin is reportedly where the issue stems from, as the player was not on PSG’s game sheet, which the official brought to the attention of the governing body.
As well as the 3 points deducted for fielding an unregistered player (given to Albi), the FFF sanctioned a further 1 point. Putting Olympique Lyonnais back to the top of the table.
CORRECTIF : @ASPTTAlbi récupère les 3 points du @PSG_inside qui est également pénalisé d’un point pour faute donc -4 pts pour le PSG #D1F — Romain Balland (@RomBalland) January 6, 2017
The PSG now has the opportunity to appeal to the FFF authorities.Hippies would have thought they were hallucinating. The horses would have failed a dope test. Geoffrey Kibb was amazed but stone cold sober and knew a scientific phenomenon when he saw one.
Mr Kibb discovered the holy grail of the 1960s hippie culture, the most potent magic mushrooms known to science, growing in a vast carpet on a racetrack in the south of England. He estimated there were 100,000 of them, enough to blow the mind of an entire town.
He reported his findings to fellow researcher Peter Shaw, an expert in fungi. To him the field of wavy-capped magic mushroom (Psilocybe cyanes-cens) was confirmation of an astonishing colonisation of Britain by exotic species of mushroom - an invasion innocently caused by gardeners anxious to keep weeds at bay.
Dr Shaw says that by spreading wood chips over the ground gardeners create the perfect habitat for fungi of all sorts. The wavy-capped magic mushroom, "a particularly aggressive species" and a native of the Pacific north-west of America, is now firmly established in gardens, parks and any other place where wood chips are used for weed control.
About 10 species of mushroom are eaten for their hallucinogenic qualities. Psilocybe cyanescens is identified by its wavy cap, purple brown spore print and rapid blueing of stem and cap on bruising, although there are poisonous species of similar appearance.
The blueing reflects the high psilocin/psilocybin content of the fungus (which as any old hippie will tell you is the bit that makes you fly). Dr Shaw is presenting his findings today at the British Ecological Society meeting in Birmingham where he is inviting amateur mycologists to hunt down other rare species.
On his way to work at the University of Surrey Dr Shaw passes a roundabout in Leatherhead. "The roundabout was mulched in 1999 and in May 2000 a flush of creamy-yellow fungi came up."
They turned out to be four different exotic varieties growing in the wood chips - one of which, Agrocybe putaminium, had only been recorded once before in Britain, at Kew gardens. "The wood chips were bought from a commercial supplier in Essex, but how they acquired their strange fungal flora is still unclear."
The bad news for magic mushroom hunters - deliberate growing of magic mushrooms for use is illegal but mere possession is not - is that this is not the time of year for fruiting.
But out of sight the roots from which they grow are spreading rapidly. Dr Shaw's theory is that suppliers keep vast heaps of wood chips in nurseries, allowing aggressive fungi to colonise..
Wood chips and bark chips make a better habitat than the original decaying wood on which the fungi grow. This is because the root structure does not have to force its way through a hard surface but glides between the chips.
Because of his Leatherhead experience and other discoveries Dr Shaw says there are bound to be exotic species not thought to exist in Britain growing happily in gardens, and some have already transferred to the wild - the magic mushroom has been been found growing on trees in Burnham Beeches, Buckinghamshire.“Capital culturel” is French for "cultural capital." Cultural capital is a concept coined by French theorist Pierre Bourdieu. Similar to economic capital, cultural capital refers to scarce cultural goods which function as culturally distinguishing possessions and powers that serve to perpetuate, legitimate, and reinforce social figurations of domination. Cultural capital includes things like one’s command of language(s), one’s formal education, one’s class based lifestyles, tastes, & proclivities. It's not what you're like, it's what you like and how you distinguish yourself.
Capital culturel tote bags (and other capital culturel goods) aim to short-circuit conspicuous signaling and distinguishing displays (and to a lesser and somewhat feckless extent to disseminate critical concepts).
Are you wondering if this is satire? Yes, it is. However, satirization is no obstacle to commodification so check out our goods and place an order today!
Still confused? Click Here.Building Design magazine last week awarded 20 Fenchurch Street – the Walkie Talkie building – its “Carbuncle Cup”.
Jonathan Jones, Guardian art critic
There are two terrible differences between architecture and other art forms – permanence and prominence. No one is making us read books we don’t like and even the lousiest art exhibition soon ends, but the ludicrous warped ostentation of the Walkie Talkie is not going anywhere, no matter how many prizes for bad architecture it wins, nor can anyone in or near the City of London avoid its manic parody of modernity.
It’s time to reject this fatalistic sense that grandiose design mistakes are irreversible – that we just have to put up with them. I seriously think this building should be done away with. The reason is not just that it is silly in itself, bulging on the skyline like a model that has somehow wandered out of the 1960s TV show Thunderbirds, but even more urgently to shock developers into some sense of humility. For the Walkie Talkie, let’s face it, is just the most risible of the plague of big, bad buildings eating up the capital’s sky.
Demolish this deranged building to create a firebreak that ends the inferno of towers
London is being wrecked by outrageous crimes against architectural taste. Walking around the City, it really seems there is a competition to put up the most cynically flashy, vacuously ahistorical and insensitive eyesores. A corporate dystopia is being built before our eyes. This rush towards a chilly fake avant garde future seems unstoppable. What can anyone do, apart from moan or award the Carbuncle Cup? This is what we can do: demolish this deranged building to create a firebreak that ends the inferno of towers.
Deyan Sudjic, director of the Design Museum
Nobody – not even, so I have reliably been told, its designer, Rafael Viñoly – is happy with the way that 20 Fenchurch Street has turned out. Nobody except maybe for Peter Rees, for two decades the City of London corporation official who presided over the firestorm of high rises that has swept over the City of London with apparent glee. Standing outside the Design Museum, you used to get the most spectacular view of Tower Bridge and the river. Now the sky you used to see framed by the bridge is blocked by Viñoly’s work, the wrong building in the wrong place.
But much as I would wish this unappetising lump gone, dynamiting it, or, more likely dismantling it piece by piece over a couple of years, is not a great idea. We demolish far too many buildings, too quickly. It is enormously wasteful, and it creates the idea that there are quick fix answers to tough problems.
When Glasgow’s once utopian high rises filled up with refugees and hard cases, the instant solution was to move them out, blow the buildings up, and start again, as if it were architects alone who were responsible for all that had gone wrong. Lousy wages, alcohol and war in the Middle East has got a lot more to do with it than Le Corbusier’s doctrines. There are places in Britain that have gone through the cycle of demolish and rebuild three times in the course of a lifetime.
You suggest that architecture leaves the public without a choice; they simply can’t ignore it. I am sure that you of all people aren’t suggesting that all new buildings should be as inoffensive as possible for fear of upsetting people?
You should also not forget the fact that while you, I, and everybody that we know hasn’t a good word to say for Viñoly, or the work of a whole host of other, more obscure architects who at this very moment are building a cluster of equally tall, and equally grim tower blocks between Vauxhall and Battersea, minds do change.
I still find it very hard to accept that Centre Point, a building that once personified hit-and-run property development, should now be a listed building. Conversely, I am dismayed when I hear that there are still people in charge of the Hayward Gallery and Queen Elizabeth Hall who still haven’t woken up to the fact that these are buildings that are worth cherishing rather than destroying.
JJ I definitely don’t blame Le Corbusier for London’s plague of architectural pretension. Or even Sant’Elia, although buildings like 20 Fenchurch Street do seem to exploit modern engineering to create futurist dreams that would be a lot better left on paper. But I think 21st-century Britain has a neurotic compulsion to overprotect the new. The reason for this is that asinine conservatism was so fashionable for so long that we’re terrified of returning to it. The Carbuncle Cup, let’s not forget, takes its name from one of Prince Charles’s less-than-progressive interventions in architecture. But now, everyone is so scared of sounding like Prince Charles or seeming to be a lover of mock-Georgian that we tremble to take the wrecking ball to this massive, tasteless monstrosity. Personally I am prepared to take the risk that a change in taste will make the Walkie Scorchie a lost masterpiece. Let it be mourned. The drawings might look lovely in a coffee table book.
This is not about experiment versus caution, danger versus cosiness. We live in a golden age of architectural creativity but London is missing the point and instead of Gehryesque poetic miracles we get... Lego City. After a day in Paris at Frank Gehry’s exhilarating fish-like, wave-like Louis Vuitton Foundation I found myself on the South Bank almost weeping at the view of 20 Fenchurch Street. What will London look like in 20 years at this rate? We can’t let a fear of turning into Prince Charles make us the timid dupes of stuff that is not brave, just bad. Truth is, I’d knock down a lot more than just this one scapegoat…
DS |
are encouraged to modify or "hack" the final product. In addition to MintyBoost ($19.50), the online catalog includes in-house designs like the iNecklace ($75), a pendant shaped like an Apple gadget's "on" button, complete with a pulsing LED light; and third-party products that have earned the "Adafruit seal of approval," like the MaKey MaKey ($49.95), a device that can turn any object that conducts electricity--a coin, cat, banana--into a functioning touchpad or keyboard.
In October Fried moved her 35 employees from a 2,000-square-foot loft near Wall Street to a 12,000-square-foot industrial space in SoHo, then hired 15 more people. Just a week after the move, Fried was bubbling with excitement, obvious even over the din of 500 packages being prepped for the daily UPS shipment. "It's a new chapter in the business," she exclaims. "I think we can quadruple our current size." No mean feat, considering Adafruit has shipped more than half a million kits in the last seven years, and revenue has doubled every year for the past three. The warehouse-grade power supply at the new facility allows for simultaneous operation of large equipment like laser engravers and mills, which means much faster production; the additional space means more inventory can be stocked. Fried is also throwing her creative weight behind education initiatives, designing school curricula in electronic circuitry and robotics and creating stickers and badges,? la Girl Scouts, to get kids to brag about their skills in areas like welding and programming.
Fave quote: "We are what we celebrate." --entrepreneur and inventor Dean Kamen
Words of wisdom: "Be the change. If you want to live in a world that looks a certain way, don't wait around for someone else to do it." --business partner Phil Torrone
Required reading: Makers: The New Industrial Revolution by Chris Anderson
Entrepreneurial idol: Tim O'Reilly, founder of O'Reilly Media, publisher of countless maker-friendly magazines and books
Biggest motivator: Feedback that Adafruit is inspiring the next generation of engineers
Design inspiration: New York City Related Video:
The Innovators: Adafruit's Limor Fried
Adafruit's own schematics were drawn up in 2005, while Fried was studying for a master's degree in computer science and electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She liked to put skills she learned in class to the test by building functional objects like MP3 players, synthesizers and light toys from scratch, using custom-ordered parts. This was before YouTube and the iPhone, so she posted DIY instructions for the projects on her personal website. Soon she was bombarded with requests to sell pre-assembled kits. "At first I was like, 'No dude, I'm really busy, leave me alone,'" she says. But after a few months, her fans wore her down.
With $10,000 her parents had allocated for her tuition, Fried bought a bulk quantity of parts and began assembling and selling her kits, making about $10 on each unit. In the beginning, running the company consisted of shipping a couple of packages a day from the 24-hour post office next door to her dorm. As orders increased, she hired friends; before she knew it, she was designing a new project every week around newfangled components like gyrometric sensors, solar panels and thermal printers.
"I think the company took off because, before these kits, there wasn't a learning project out there that you would actually use or wanted to keep," she says. "Some people will learn for the sake of learning it, but most people need a reason."
Indeed, everyone is invited to the DIY party, from elementary-school students building robotic arms to grandmothers sewing jackets with working LED movie displays using Flora, a wearable electronics platform with conductive threads and washable hardware. The web is full of third-party tutorials for Adafruit's open-source projects; Fried also has three full-time engineers dedicated to troubleshooting. "Everything is designed to be painless," she says. "I spend a lot of time thinking about how customers will interact with products so they won't break them. And when we sell something, we always give good documentation to get [them] going in a couple minutes."
And that's when the fun really begins. The open-source designs lend themselves to "a culture of sharing," and tens of thousands of Adafruit customers are feeding off each other's creativity, tinkering with more powerful MintyBoosts and iNecklaces that flash at different speeds and cycle through bright colors. "People learn and come back with fixes, send us weird Halloween costumes based off our kits," Fried says. "I read blog posts and tweets from customers, and I definitely get ideas from them that I personally might not have thought of."
As for her assertion that newcomers should find the process rewarding enough to brave an intimidating tableau of wires and capacitors and diodes, well, just think about how some people claim to love assembling IKEA furniture: the careful laying out of the parts, painstaking examination of instructions, a few false starts and, ultimately, the satisfaction of things slotting into place as the final product takes shape. And when you complete that first circuit and taste the power of creating your own things that spark and shake and whir, you might see what Adafruit's 200,000-plus customers have already realized: We are all makers at heart.Frequent television portrayals of Christians as absurd make it more difficult for believers to defend themselves, a national journalist has said.
Recent storylines in a number of soaps have sent the clear message that “Christians are nutters”, the Daily Telegraph’s religion correspondent, Jonathan Wynne-Jones, wrote last week on his blog.
Christians should expect robust criticism, Mr Wynne-Jones said, but as faith is made to look more ridiculous “the line between ridicule and persecution becomes even thinner”.
Mr Wynne-Jones wrote on his blog: “Some would argue that Christianity has been undermined for some time on television.”
He continues: “Even some of the BBC’s religious documentaries have tended to challenge traditional beliefs, from claiming Mary was raped by a Roman soldier to arguing that Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus was caused by an epileptic fit.”
Earlier this week it emerged that dozens of viewers complained to the television regulator after an Easter Sunday episode of Coronation Street featured a string of outbursts against Christianity.
The character Ken Barlow described the Christian faith as a “superstition”, accusing churches of targeting “vulnerable people” and “indoctrinating” his grandson.
Mr Wynne-Jones also referred to Hollyoaks, a soap hugely popular with teenagers, where the ‘Christian’ in the show claims to have found an image of Jesus in a potato.
“Outspoken criticism of Christian beliefs should be expected, but the stealthy attempts to make believers look absurd is much more damaging,” Mr Wynne-Jones said.
“Once faith has been made to look ridiculous, the attempts of believers to rebut the criticism will be met with deaf ears. And then the line between ridicule and persecution becomes even thinner.”
It emerged earlier this month that the producers of Coronation Street are planning to portray a ‘born-again Christian’ character embarking on a lesbian affair in a bid to make the soap more reflective of modern Britain.
The BBC received 150 complaints about an episode of Eastenders shown in October last year, in which ‘Christian’ character Dot Cotton was made to look old fashioned and ridiculous in her beliefs on homosexuality.
She was shown getting to grips with an mp3 player before coming across two men kissing on a park bench and asking them to stop. The two male characters sniggered at her efforts to engage with modern technology.
Mark Thompson, the Director General of the BBC, admitted last year that he believes Christianity should be treated with less sensitivity in television programmes than other religions.GUNMEN have opened fire on picnics in Detroit and Philadelphia, killing one and injuring 16, including an 18-month-old baby.
Philadelphia Police Lieutenant John Walker told NBC affiliate WCAU that a gunman shot down a street where people were gathered for a party on Saturday.
“It appears that everybody was here for the picnic and everybody just ran... it looks like they just randomly fired down the street and just hit whoever was in their way,” Mr Walker said.
“It looks like they just randomly fired down the street and hit anyone in their way.”
He said the incident was “just a terrible situation”.
The news station said one of the victims was an 18-month-old baby who was grazed with a bullet in the neck. The other was a 10-year-old boy.
The other five victims, aged 15 to 25, were taken to hospitals after the shooting, which occurred around 10pm as the car turned a corner.
Meanwhile, in a similar incident in Detroit on Saturday, one person was killed and nine others injured when a suspect opened fire at a party on a basketball court during a children’s party.
“It’s a miracle that not one kid is shot,” Assistant Police Chief Steve Dolunt told Fox2.
“I don’t know what the hell these people were thinking with this many kids out here. I’m livid. There’s no excuse for this,” Dolunt said.
Dolunt said a 20-year-old man was killed. He was not being identified while relatives were informed.
Another man was critically injured and eight others, five men and three women, were listed as seriously injured. The victims ranged in age from 21 to 46, he said.
The shooting happened at a neighbourhood party that included a barbecue attended by families with some small children in strollers.
Dolunt said police do not yet know the reason for the shooting.
About 400 people were at the party when the shooting happened, Click On Detroit reported.
#BREAKING DPD comb bball court after 5 people shot at Webb & Dexter. 1 dead, 1 critical. 3 others injured #local4 pic.twitter.com/rduSG0lFxC — Priya Mann (@Local4Priya) June 21, 2015
The shootings come after nine African Americans were killed in a church in Charleston, South Carolina, by a suspected white supremacist.
The massacre has reignited a debate about gun laws in the United States.James Dobson, the founder of the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family, has an answer as to why the Newtown massacre occurred: gays and abortions. In a podcast on his Monday morning radio show, Dr. Dobson said that we are all facing judgement because we’ve turned our backs on God.
“Our country really does seem in complete disarray. I’m not talking politically, I’m not talking about the result of the November sixth election; I am saying that something has gone wrong in America and that we have turned our back on God. I mean millions of people have decided that God doesn’t exist, or he’s irrelevant to me and we have killed fifty-four million babies and the institution of marriage is right on the verge of a complete redefinition. Believe me, that is going to have consequences too.
And a lot of these things are happening around us, and somebody is going to get mad at me for saying what I am about to say right now, but I am going to give you my honest opinion: I think we have turned our back on the Scripture and on God Almighty and I think he has allowed judgment to fall upon us. I think that’s what’s going on.”
Dobson has joined the ranks of others who are blaming the Sandy Hook massacre on social political issues. Tennessee pastor Sam Morris blamed public schools because they teach “junk about evolution” and “how to be a homo.”
“We get all up in arms about 20 children being shot in a day care but we don’t give one good-glory rip about the 4,000 that were removed violently from the wombs of their mothers [in abortion procedures] the same day,” he explained. “I believe they use children and Christmas and all that to pull on our heart strings about gun control. That’s what it’s all about.”
He went on to add:
“They think homeschoolers are a bunch of crazies, man. But I’m going to tell you something, I’ve never seen a police officer or a metal detector at a home school. Never. Amen. Now, there’s plenty of guns at my home school. Amen. I guarantee you we’re not going to have a mass shooting at any of the schools that are represented in this building today. I guarantee you, if there is a shooting, it won’t last very long. Amen. I guarantee you there’s at least six or seven guns in this place right now. Amen.”
The American Family Association‘s Bryan Fisher said that the children of Sandy Hook weren’t protected because prayer isn’t sponsored by public schools.
“You know the question’s gonna come up, where was God?” he said. “I thought God cared about the little children, God protected the little children. Where was God when all this went down? And here’s the bottom line: God is not gonna go where he’s not wanted. Now we have spent, since 1962, this, we’re 50 years into this now, we have spent 50 years telling God to get lost. Telling God, we do not want you in our schools, we don’t want to pray to you in our schools, we don’t want to pray to you before football games, we don’t want to pray to you at graduation, we don’t want anyone talking about you in a graduation speech. We’ve kicked God out of our public school system,” he went on. “And I think God would say to us, ‘Hey I’ll be glad to protect your children, but you’ve gotta invite me back into your world first. I’m not gonna go where I’m not wanted. I am a gentleman.’”
Fox News nut-job Mike Huckabee shared similar views, though he has recently claimed that he never made such claims.In the latest issue of Nature, researchers from the universities of Freiburg and Basel report on their discovery of previously unknown subunits of the GABA B receptors in the central nervous system. GABA B receptors are transmembrane proteins in nerve cells which are of fundamental significance for the functioning of the brain and have great therapeutical and pharmaceutical importance. A team of scientists led by Prof. Dr. Bernd Fakler from the Institute of Physiology of the University of Freiburg and the Centre for Biological Signalling Studies BIOSS and Prof. Dr. Bernhard Bettler from the Department of Biomedicine of the University of Basel succeeded in conducting a comprehensive analysis of the composition of the brain's GABA B receptors.
In the process the team identified four new components of the GABA B receptor complexes: the so-called KCTD proteins, members of a gene family which has not yet been described. The researchers were able to demonstrate that the KCTD proteins determine both the pharmacological and the biophysical characteristics of the GABA B receptors. Among other things, the newly identified proteins explain why the previously known subunits could not reproduce the characteristics of the brain receptors.
GABA (= γ-amino-butyric acid) receptors are the most important inhibitory neurotransmitter receptors of the central nervous system. They prevent the nerve cells from overly strong activation, which can lead to neurological and psychiatric illnesses such as convulsions, depression, or anxiety. There are currently two known types of GABA receptors, the GABA A and GABA B receptors. GABA A receptors are responsible for rapid inhibition of the brain and are the main site of action of important drugs like valium, which is used to treat anxiety conditions, in the therapy of epileptic seizures, and as a sleeping aid. GABA B receptors are important for more long-term inhibition of the nerve cells. Drugs which activate GABA B receptors are used to treat spinal cord injuries and multiple sclerosis as well as in therapies for addiction and narcolepsy.
The findings published in Nature could be of great therapeutical use. Scientists believe that it will soon be possible to develop drugs which selectively influence a particular subtype of receptor. The advantages of such drugs could include a reduction in side effects as well as entirely new therapeutic applications.The message Are You Good Without God? Millions Are. will be appearing on ten TriMet buses for at least the next month.
Something tells me this campaign won’t be as controversial in Portland as in some other cities.
The Portland Area Coalition of Reason, with help from the national group, United Coalition of Reason, has purchased ad space on 10 buses in Portland. Similar ads will also be appearing on transit vehicles in New York City, Philadelphia, and Boston, and on billboards in Chicago, Newark, San Diego, and three cities in Ohio.
The campaign is coordinated with the release of the book Good Without God: What a Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe by Greg Epstein, the humanist chaplain at Harvard University. (He will be speaking about the book at Reed College on Thursday, November 19th.)
The Portland Coalition of Reason is a collection of non-theist groups in the Portland area, all of which are comfortable with people expressing skepticism, atheism, humanism, freethought, or other similar views, and exploring issues of the day based on reason and critical thought rather than religious dogma.
Hat tip to the Friendly AtheistThe Beginning...
I've always thought that the Mercedes 6.9 was truly one of the best cars ever built. Solid build quality, comfortable ride, and
gobs of torque. Recently the opportunity presented itself to pick up one of these rare automobiles, but in this case, some
assembly would be required. Hence, the beginning of Frankenbenz.
It's rare that a 6.9 will come up at the insurance auctions that I look at. Last year there were three. The first went for more
than I was willing to spend. The second (a Euro spec) went for even more than that. The third, however happened during
the middle of one of the worst snowstorms I've ever seen here in Seattle, and I picked it up for a very reasonable price.
What was wrong with it? Well, here's the pictures from the auction listing....
It was a 1979 450 SEL 6.9, black on tan, with 124k miles on it. Also, there had been an engine fire, most likely
caused by fluids dripping onto the catalytic converters. After seeing the car in person it actually looked worse
than the photos, and it was determined there had been too much damage under the dash and to various
components under the hood to make repairs cost effective. The interior had suffered quite a bit too, as the
car was left to burn until the fire department doused the interior with water. Even after sitting inside with
all the doors open for days it smelled really foul inside.
Hence, "Plan B" went into effect: find anotherW116 chassis V8, and do a drivetrain swap. This way I wouldn't have to
deal with fixing and maintaining a 30+ year old hydropneumatic suspension, too.
The search for a suitable heart transplant recipient began...Texas will no longer help low-income families pay their electric bills. Lite-Up Texas, a program that offered discounts to hundreds of thousands of poor Texas families over the years, has run out of money and the discounts ended on Aug. 31, the Public Utility Commission confirmed.
Though observers expected the money to run out after lawmakers declined to extend the program's funding source three years ago, advocates are concerned that long-time beneficiaries will be blindsided when their assistance vanishes.
“We’re very worried,” said Lynda Ender, a program director at Senior Source, a nonprofit that provides services to elderly folks in Dallas. “We expect to have a flood of calls.”
About 700,000 households relied on the program in 2015, according to the Public Utility Commission, with state subsidies reducing their electric bills from 25 percent to 31 percent.
The commission instructed electric providers to notify customers of the program’s demise — by mailing fliers along with utility bills. But Ender and other advocates worry that some former beneficiaries will still be caught off guard.
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“People that do need assistance from time to time – sadly they’re in a reaction mode,” she said. “They don’t have the luxury of planning ahead.”
Lawmakers created the program, funded by electric ratepayers across Texas, in 1999 to help poor Texans pay their utility bills in the state’s newly deregulated electricity market.
Texans who were eligible for food stamps or Medicaid qualified for the program. The discount did not apply to people living in noncompetitive Texas electric markets, like Austin and San Antonio, or customers not served by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. But some utilities offer their own help for qualifying ratepayers.
The program doled out hundreds of millions of dollars in assistance, even as lawmakers occasionally tapped its funding source — called the System Benefit Fund — to prop up the state’s budget.
In 2013, Rep. Sylvester Turner, a Democrat who is now Houston’s mayor, led an effort to force lawmakers to use the money as it was intended. He succeeded, though lawmakers also ended the surcharge of 65 cents per megawatt-hour that fueled the fund, which reached more than $800 million in 2013.
With roughly $350 million left over during the 2015 session, Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill that extended the program’s life until the fund was tapped.
Analysis of that legislation suggested the discounts could continue through August of 2017.
But the bill gave the Public Utility Commission broad latitude to set the discounts, and regulators chose to drain the fund this year — spending as much on discounts as possible without going into the red.
“We scaled the discount, keeping roughly in line what it had been previously,” said spokesman Mike Hoke. "It’s kind of a Price is Right rule.”
A small sum remaining in the account will rollover into the state’s general revenue, he added.
Ender said her group is starting to get calls from concerned clients as “word is spreading through the grapevine." She expects to get plenty more as folks start seeing bills without the discount.
Carol Biedrzycki, director of the Texas Ratepayers Organization to Save Energy, said she was saddened that no lawmaker is trying to resurrect the program or championing its cause.
“This program worked really well,” she said. “It’s very disappointing to me that no one has recognized this as an issue and stepped forward.”
As the program ends, so will the relationship between the Public Utility Commission and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, which had determined eligibility for the discounts.
That has prompted questions at the utility commission about how it will keep its list of low-income Texans up to date. The agency needs that data to determine who can get other privileges: waivers for late fees and the ability to pay deposits in installments, for instance.
The commissioners have asked the legislature for guidance.The arrest in the seaside Los Angeles suburb of Santa Monica came just hours after 50 people were shot dead at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.
Police sources said there was no known connection between the arrest in Santa Monica and the attack in Orlando, Florida - which has since been confirmed as the worst mass shooting in US history.
Participants at the gay Pride event in Los Angeles honored those who died in Orlando
Santa Monica police chief Jacqueline Seabrooks said that a 20-year-old male was caught with multiple assault rifles, high-capacity magazines and ammunition, as well as some bomb-making materials in his car, which had Indiana license plates.
Locals had reported suspicious behavior on the street earlier where he was parked with his white Acura-brand sedan facing in the wrong direction.
The suspect apparently told police officers after his arrest that he had wanted "to harm (the) Gay Pride event" - in reference to the annual parade that took place in Hollywood on Sunday amid heightened security.
A support network
Authorities said they had considered calling off the parade in Los Angeles after the events in Florida but then decided to go forward while increasing security. The march went ahead without incident. Thousands of people marched, joined in grief, through the streets of Los Angeles for the Gay Pride parade.
Participant Marpa Franzoni, 28, told the AFP news agency that she "won't be silenced and we won't be curtailed no matter what kind of aggression they throw at us."
"I'm in shock. It's more important than ever to show our visibility and support for our community," Franzoni added.
ss/jm (AFP, AP)MPS-USA TODAY Sports
As the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards get set to clash in the final two (or hopefully three, Basketball Gods willing) games of their contentious Eastern Conference Semifinals showdown, all eyes are on Celtics torchbearer Isaiah Thomas.
The two-time All-Star led Boston to a 2-0 series lead, then scuffled through a pair of blowouts in Washington D.C. After he scored 29 points in the final 17 minutes of Game 2, the 28-year-old only tallied 32 points combined in Games 3 and 4.
To take a look at Thomas' unexpected journey up to and through this postseason, VICE Sports spoke with Turner Sports NBA analyst Isiah Thomas, a Hall of Fame point guard who Boston's own Isaiah has long referred to as a mentor. The conversation has been edited and condensed.
VICE Sports: My first question is where do you rank Isaiah's 53-point Game 2 among all the great individual playoff performances you've witnessed or been apart of over the years?
Isiah Thomas: It definitely ranks up there, very high on the list. The fact that he was able to do it in a playoff series with such a historical franchise, the Boston Celtics, and only be second to, I believe it's John Havlicek, in that great organization, of championships, teams, and players that they've put together. To have Isaiah be high on that list is definitely one of the best playoff performances we've seen.
VICE Sports: He's struggled a bit more over the past two games. In watching them, is that a function of Washington's defense or just Thomas being human for a couple nights? How do you think he can get back on track in Games 5 and 6?
Thomas: You always have to take what the defense gives you and Washington was determined defensively in their defensive schemes not to let Isaiah have that type of game again. So they pretty much loaded up against him and I thought he played a pretty smart game even though he didn't shoot the ball well. It's going to take, a not only a heroic effort from him, but a really team effort where they're all gonna have to shoot the ball well, and play well, and they're capable of doing that.
VICE Sports: He was an All-Star last year and really established himself as a primary option on a playoff team, but did you expect him to elevate even higher this season to where he's now probably going to make an All-NBA team and was one of the leading scorers in the entire league? Does it surprise you at all, what you saw from him this year?
MPS-USA TODAY Sports
Thomas: Knowing Isaiah the way we all do, nothing that he does out on the basketball floor surprises any of us, because we know the type of person he is and the type of determination that he has, and his only goal is to be the best. He articulates it, then tries to go out and back it up. He sets his goals and standards very high, and, again, those of us who've known him for a while, know that he tries to reach his goals and accomplish the standards that he sets for himself.
VICE Sports: You've mentioned Thomas as a fringe MVP candidate before, where do you think he ranks among point guards in today's league, and where would he actually land on your MVP ballot?
Thomas: He's definitely on the MVP ballot, with what he's done for that Boston franchise, and the type of season that he's had. His season has been just as good as the Hardens and the Westbrooks of the world. And the LeBrons of the world. You know all those guys have had spectacular seasons and they've lifted their teams up to spectacular heights over the course of this NBA season.
In terms of where he ranks with the point guards, you know this is an era where you have a pretty sufficient group of point guards playing at a very high level. And I don't think that, at this particular time, no one has claimed the throne. You can't look in this era and say right now who is the best because they're all playing extremely good. And I think it's too early in the process to really give any of them rankings. At the end of it, I think we'll be able to look back on this era and be able to say who was the best, who was number two, who was number three.
VICE Sports: Teams have attacked Thomas on the defensive end all season, but have really gone out of their way to do so in the playoffs. Do you think his defense is truly something that prevents him from being the best player on a championship team, or is it something he and the Celtics can eventually overcome?
Thomas: I've been pretty consistent with this all year. I think perimeter defense for all the point guards playing in this era right now, I wouldn't say that there's any dominant defensive player in the point guard position today. So all of them are exceptional offensive players, but I wouldn't pick out, I couldn't single out—with the exception of the Patrick Beverleys of the world—when you're talking about guys scoring 20-plus points a night, I wouldn't say any of them are exceptional defenders.
VICE Sports: Would you agree that opposing teams are seeking him out, going out of their normal offensive system to attack him with mismatches?
Thomas: I'm watching the games and I don't see them going out of their way to attack him. Just like any other team, you may find a mismatch. I see more of point guards using the big man out on the perimeter as a mismatch than I do small guards getting posted up.
VICE Sports: If you worked in Boston's front office, how would you treat Isaiah's looming contract situation. A lot can happen between now and next summer, but what do you think their priority should be when you factor in the Brooklyn pick potentially being another point guard. Do you think signing him to a max contract in 2018 is a no-brainer or is that too far in the future to say?
Thomas: Since the time that I entered into the NBA, the Celtics franchise and the Celtics players and front office, they've always been mentors of mine, and I've always learned from what they do. So I'm never in a position to give anyone from the Celtics or their organization any advice. I will sit back and watch and learn from what they do.
VICE Sports: Are there any questions I didn't ask that you wish I had, or anything else you'd like to say about Isaiah that you haven't already?
Thomas: I would like to just say that the thing that has impressed me the most this year about him, not his scoring, but the way he's led his team. I think he's developed into quite a leader over these last couple of years. Going from a single man to a married man, having kids, leading that Celtics team and becoming the face of that organization. Coming from where he's come from, it takes a pretty special person to do that in a Celtics uniform.Story highlights The Trump administration cut the budget to advertise the enrollment window under the Affordable Care Act
A project called Coverage Coalition is seeking donated ads to inform people about enrollment
Washington (CNN) The enrollment period to sign up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act begins Wednesday, but far fewer Americans may be aware of it because the advertising budget was cut by the Trump administration by 90% compared to last year.
Hoping to make up part of the difference, former President Barack Obama is turning to social media and an advertising firm is calling for donated ads and media space.
Starting today, you can sign up for 2018 health coverage. Head on over to https://t.co/ob1Ynoesod and find a plan that meets your needs. https://t.co/6vYt83w74T — Barack Obama (@BarackObama) November 1, 2017
In a video posted by a group of former officials who oversaw enrollment efforts during his administration, Obama encourages people to seek coverage so they don't face the growing tax penalty.
"Healthcare.gov is open for business right now," the former president says in the short video. The simple, straight-to-camera message is a far cry from the elaborate, viral videos he made in years past.
Obama's efforts to advertise the enrollment window during his administration included making a video on Snapchat where he used a filter on his face, for BuzzFeed where he used a selfie stick, and on Funny or Die's series "Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis."
JUST WATCHED Obama turns to BuzzFeed to sell Obamacare Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH Obama turns to BuzzFeed to sell Obamacare 02:39
Read MoreSo, Toronto got hit with some serious fog yesterday. Rolling in over the course of the late afternoon, it made for some great photo opportunities throughout the evening and the better part of the night. I'm not sure how many people noticed, but where I was, it appeared that Avenue Road served as this weird dividing line: to the east the fog was minor, but to the west it was very dense.
Here's glimpse at what it all looked like from the blogTO Flickr pool. Lead photo by Natta Summerky.
Photo by [dscphoto].
Photo by ~EvidencE~.
Also by ~EvidencE~.
Photo by mikehutch711.
Photo by awl61.
Photo by Neil Ta | I am Bidong.
Photo by dan cronin.jpg.
Photo by Nock4Six.
Photo by jennyrotten.
Photo by thericyip.
Photo by fantasticmio.
Photo by Tapes on the Floor.
And a few that I snapped up on Dupont...Image caption The device had been placed in a cardboard box and posted to the US
One of the two bombs posted from Yemen last week was transported on two passenger planes before being seized in Dubai, Qatar Airways has said.
The device was carried on an Airbus A320 from Sanaa to Doha. It was then flown on another aircraft to Dubai.
It contained the powerful explosive PETN, which is difficult to detect.
Yemen has meanwhile granted conditional release to a woman who was arrested on suspicion of mailing the devices, her family and officials said.
Human rights groups named her as Hanan al-Samawi, a 22-year-old student.
Her lawyer, Abdel Rahman Burman, told Reuters news agency she was a "quiet student and there was no knowledge of her having involvement in any religious or political groups".
Officials later told the BBC that while Ms Samawi was being questioned, a shipping agent said she was not the individual who posted the packages, which were addressed to synagogues in the US city of Chicago.
Investigators had concluded her identity was stolen by an individual who knew her full name, address and telephone number, they added.
'Dangerous individual'
US President Barack Obama's counter-terrorist adviser, John Brennan, said both bombs - hidden inside printer toner cartridges - were built by the same man who made the explosive device used in a failed "underpants" bomb attack over Detroit on Christmas Day.
Analysis Most of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's more dangerous operatives are Saudis, driven out of their own country by a highly effective counter-terrorism campaign that has not yet been matched in Yemen. Some were released from Saudi rehabilitation centres for good behaviour and some have even spent time as prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, an experience that has redoubled their hatred of America and the West. Today, attention is focussing on an alleged Saudi bombmaker, Ibrahim al-Asiri, believed to be the man who built last week's parcel bombs. He's also thought to have designed the device worn by the failed Detroit bomber last Christmas. And in August last year he sent his own brother back over the border to try to assassinate a leading Saudi prince. The device he was carrying detonated, killing the would-be assassin, but the prince survived to continue his job as Saudi Arabia's counter-terrorism chief. Profile: Al-Qaeda 'bombmaker' Ibrahim al-Asiri
All three contained PETN, and one of the detonators was reportedly almost exactly the same as the one used in the US attack.
"I think that the indications are right now based on forensic analysis that the individual responsible for putting these devices together is the same," Mr Brennan told ABC News. "He's a very dangerous individual - clearly somebody who has a fair amount of training and experience."
"We need to find him and bring him to justice as soon as we can."
US intelligence officials earlier named the suspect as Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri, a Saudi who is believed to be the main bombmaker for al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), a regional offshoot of the militant network based in Yemen.
He is also believed to have built the bomb his brother, Abdullah, used in an assassination attempt on the Saudi intelligence chief, Prince Mohammed Bin Nayif. The prince survived the suicide attack, in which PETN was also used.
Mr Brennan also said the US and its allies could not assume that there were no other packages containing bombs out there.
"So what we are trying to do right now is to work with our partners overseas to identify all packages that left Yemen recently, and to see whether or not there are any other suspicious packages out there that may contain these [Improvised Explosive Devices]," he told ABC.
"We need to make sure that we get to the bottom of this, and understand who is behind it and what else we may be facing."
US officials were re-examining the unexplained crash of a UPS cargo plane in Dubai in September to see if anything could be learnt, he added.
However, the UAE later said investigators from its civil aviation authority had concluded that there was no "presence of acoustic evidence or any forensic signature supporting the detonation of an explosive device".
'Sophisticated nature'
The two packages seized on Friday were shipped from Sanaa through UPS and another US cargo firm, FedEx.
Image caption Employees of UPS and FedEx have been questioned by the Yemeni authorities
Qatar Airways was unable to confirm which type of passenger plane was used to fly one of the devices on from Doha to Dubai, but said it would have been an A320, A321 or Boeing 777.
The firm also runs one freight-only flight a week from Sanaa to Doha.
"Qatar Airways can confirm that a recent courier consignment was carried aboard one of its aircraft from Sanaa to Dubai, via Doha International Airport," said a statement on the airline's website.
"The carrier stated that, as per Chicago Convention, it is not the responsibility of the country in which the cargo transits to x-ray or inspect the cargo. This responsibility belongs to the country from where the cons |
18—he had a lot going on. He was constantly practicing, tinkering with his electronics—he had one of the first Memorymoogs in America. He was throwing himself into his music to the exclusion of his studies. In the end, he couldn’t keep up with both. Gradually, he extricated himself from campus. While he was gone the following year, he sent me flowers on Valentine’s Day. He dropped in unannounced once, and I’ll never forget this: he had his dad’s sports car and he surprised me, picked me up and whisked me away. We went out on this wild ride with the top down. It was something out of a Tom Cruise movie.
—
Having dropped out after his freshman year of college, Reznor relocated to Cleveland to pursue a music career.
BART KOSTER
Former owner of Cleveland’s now-defunct Right Track Studios
I was building a studio and brought Trent on before I even moved into the building. He was working at a place I used to frequent called Pi Keyboards and Audio, selling equipment. Trent was articulate; he was funny. We were both big fans of David Lynch. Trent had a lot of skills as far as working with equipment and keyboards, which is why I thought it would be a pretty painless transition to engineering. He picked up on it right away. As a matter of fact, he was teaching a recording engineering class after not too long. Every now and then, I run into somebody and they go, “You know, Trent recorded my first record.” Trent’s first gold record wasn’t even his own—it was a recording he did of a group called Troop.You can tell in the comments, what countries would you like to see (and gender).
политической
1) My project is about stereotypes. I don't want to make all countries pretentious and epic.There are a lot of these characters on the Internet without my project.I believe that my "countries" need more humor and stereotypes: )2) I try no to use nowdays politics in the project and I'm not trying to offend anyone.But if our points of view on a country/nation don't match, well, that's life.Also, I do not know everything about every countries. This can be reflected in my drawings.3) I'm sorry if I have not had time to draw your country yet. I read many comments and I remember about all of you.I have a permanent main job and ocasional freelance jobs. And sometimes I'm just lazy.This is not a Patreon project, where people have to give something every month. I draw my Countries for pleasure.As promised, here are the first 3 characters (Russia, Germany, USA): sinto-risky.deviantart.com/jou… My idea is similar to Hetalia or Countryballs- I draw personifications of different countries. The idea came up a year ago, but I was late with its realization. All of them will be militant and warrior-like, with dirt and blood. Not because of some political persuasion, but simply because that what I always draw in any case, and the idea of warrior-countries gives a lot of creative freedom. And a some politics is always fun, from time to time.Every character is going to have some stereotypical attributes, that I am going to use in one way or another.The process will probably be long, and I'll keep it up for as long as I am interested.It can be either existing or long-gone countries and empires. Then I will choose whichever is asked most ; ) I hope you like it and then I can do better this mini-project.The motherland. And I gave her a bit more than she currently is.Pretty, cold, straightforward and with diplomatic skills of a sewer drain. Still, if you know her a bit, she will show you how warm and loving she can actually be.She wears a glamorous armor. Always. Since she is at war. Always.Now combat, she likes it close and personal. Especially against the odds, especially at winter, and especially if it's heroic. She can shoot a bit, but where is the fun in that? Still, it usually clears the riffraff that is not worthy of the chilly, wintry, personal embrace.The word "pizdec" is engraved on the sword, which pretty much symbolizes the Russian life in any age and era.There is a bear with AK-47, of course, but it's guarding the nuclear reactor back home. And the vodka. Probably a bad idea though.Thank you all in advance.Я запрещаю использование данной работы в пабликах или других комьюнитинаправленности. Пишу это на русском, специально для русскоязычной и украинской части интернета. Спасибо за понимание и просьба адекватно к этому отнестись.Successful citizens’ initiative in the Netherlands
Last Tuesday Positive Money’s Dutch sister organization Ons Geld launched in cooperation with the theater group De Verleiders a Citizens’ Initiative to put money creation on the political agenda. Within 28 hours the goal of 40.000 signatures was reached.
Three months ago De Verleiders (“The Seducers”) started a new theater play called “Taken by the bank“ (original: Door de bank genomen) which means both that something was taken away by the bank, that the bank had sex with you, and ‘that which usually happens’ (a Dutch saying). In the play De Verleiders explain clearly through sketches and monologues how the financial world in which we live functions, and money creation by private banks is one of the main topics. From the first moment Taken by the bank was a success: favourable reviews and the show was sold out quickly. However, those who had seen the play were often shocked, and left the theater with doubts and many unanswered questions. Questions like why is this possible? And what can we do?
This is why the actors became activists, and started to collaborate with Ons Geld. Last two months we drafted the official text and build a website. Last Tuesday the cast of De Verleiders officially launched the Citizens’ Initiative live in one of the most watched talk shows in the Netherlands De Wereld Draait Door (translated: The World Keeps On Spinning, in Dutch it also has the connotation that the world is going ‘mad’). In the show theater player and script writer George van Hout explained how money is created ‘out of nothing’ by private commercial banks, and why this is misunderstood by most Dutch citizens. In the talk show discussion were mentioned also the lobby power of banks, austerity, inequality and the debate in the UK parliament. Dutch journalist and television presenter Jort Kelder put live the first signature, and then it went fast.
Because of the immediate success of the citizen initiative, the Dutch parliament has to debate money creation in the near future. At least untill April 3rd 2015, three days after the final show of the Verleiders, it will be possible to sign the citizen initiative. Of course we hope that many more Dutch citizens will sign the initiative. Pressure of the electorate is important to get money creation and debt free money high on the political agenda.
Finally, there is good news for Positive Money supporters and all other international monetary reform groups – Door de bank genomen will be soon translated into English.
You can watch a trailer of the play here – there are English subtitles now
(click the captions button on the video – 4th from the right at the bottom)
Here you can watch the TV show:.
Read the TRANSCRIPT in ENGLISH here
(hopefully, we’ll have the subtitles soon too)
Update 4th February 2015: The Initiative has now 93,911 signatures. Approaching 100,000. Fantastic!Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, the former PM of Iceland who was toppled from power following revelations connected to the Panama Papers scandal earlier this year, has lost the leadership of his own party.
Members of the Progressive Party (‘Framsoknarflókkurinn’) at their annual party conference yesterday voted to replace Gunnlaugsson as party leader with Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, who has been serving as Prime Minister since Gunnlaugsson resigned.
A small majority of votes cast (52.7%) were for Jóhannsson, putting an end to Gunnlaugsson’s nine-year reign of the party. Gunnlaugsson was in second place in the leadership ballot, with 46.8% of the vote.
Gunnlaugsson told reporters he was disappointed at this “unexpected” result, but declined to comment further. He also declined to comment on whether he intended to continue working for the Progressive Party.
When asked what the future held for him now, Gunnlaugsson replied: “We’ll just have to see.”Police Officers Facing Potential Felony Charges After Using Government Databases To Screen Potential Dates
from the we-need-all-this-info-for-several-reasons:-here's-one-of-them dept
Court documents show that Fairfield Police Officers Stephen Ruiz and Jacob Glashoff used company time and equipment to search for women on internet dating sites.
Court documents allege the officers then used a police-issued computer to look up the women they found appealing in a confidential law enforcement database that connects to the DMV and state and federal records.
Hey, look! It's more abuse of privileges by people in power. (via PoliceMisconduct.net Just a bad idea, whether you're a government employee or engaged in the private sector rat race. In almost every case, using work computers (while on the clock) to surf dating sites will be a violation of company/agency policy. But there's more.This isn't an isolated incident. Government employees and law enforcement officers have a long history of abusing the public's trust.There's not a ton of commentary to add here. The basic issue is this: many, many people have access to personal information that the governmentyou provide in exchange for essential items like driver's licenses, vehicle/home titles, etc. Connected to these databases is one used to house information on every person by police (notably, not every personor even every person).Some people place a lot of trust in those who have access to this information. This trust is often misplaced. Many others placetrust in those who have this access and yet, there is very little they can do without placing their personal information in the hands of people they actively distrust.Having verifiable records on hand is a safeguard against fraud and other criminal activity… by the public. The internal safeguards meant to protect citizens from untoward actions by public servants are ultimately useless because the government far too frequently refuses to take serious actions against those who abuse the public's trust. People are given paid suspensions or are allowed to transfer out of the agency rather than face more severe consequences. These two officers face theof criminal charges (after being reported by another officer -- kudos to him or her) but in the meantime, both are still on duty and fully paid. Innocent until proven guilty, sure, but it would seem the police department should have caught this before it became a problem severe enough that felony charges are even being discussed. Externally, police are issuing tickets for expired vehicle tags and other minor lapses. Internally, no one can apparently be bothered to monitor access of sensitive info.Defenders of surveillance and the wholesale collection of personal information by government entities often claim the Googles and Twitters of the world are just as disinterested in your privacy as any government agency. But you can opt out of Google, Twitter, et al. You can choose toparticipate. The government, for the most part, isn't optional. There's no TOS you can read before deciding to do business elsewhere. Your information is gathered, stored and rifled through by any number of people, some of whom are doing it just because their positions give them access.
Filed Under: dating, fairfield police, government databases, jacob glashoff, oversight, police, privacy, stephen ruizProduct Review: The Heckler Duffel 2.0
The newest version of The Heckler can withstand a bucket of water, but can it handle all the gear necessary for a long tournament weekend?
Disclosure: Ultiworld was compensated for writing this product review. All opinions are the reviewers’ own and are not subject to approval from Hucket.
With their latest design for the Heckler Ultimate Duffel 2.0, the minds behind the Hucket Bucket are trying to find the perfect balance between ultimate convenience and mainstream appeal. With all of the bag’s features —some new, some improved— there was a lot to review.
Material 9/10
This is my favorite feature of the Heckler 2.0. While I’ve liked the glossy texture of the original Heckler, it felt a lot like a bag geared for athletics and the outdoors. They stuck out for any occasion outside of sporting events. Heckler’s new, sleek pastel grey design has just enough elegance that I didn’t feel weird bringing it into my office at work. It’s also not too bulky to seem out-of-place, although I did receive compliments from those that noticed.
Even if you’re only planning on using it for lugging around sports equipment and apparel, the Heckler 2.0 still works well. It won’t tear or fray at the seams and the material of the bag seems to hold well under duress. It does not stain easily, something perennial ultimate players should value for every season.
The Heckler team has improved upon their waterproof design. I took the bag to a beach tournament and tested it out by the ocean for fun. Apart from the mesh cleat pocket getting drenched, the bag held up fairly well, it’s no longer fully waterproof but definitely still water-resistant. A welcome surprise was how little sand clung to the bag after the excursion. It also withstood this:
While the material itself has held up well so far, I’ve got a gripe with the color scheme. It’s fairly limited and plain in my opinion. The new bags are mostly grey on the outside, featuring a variety of different zipper and track colors around the seams. The inside of the bag matches the zipper color. Grey feels unimaginative and doesn’t do a great job of complementing the vibrant colors of the lining.
I was impressed by the previous Heckler bag’s color scheme so it could just be disappointed that the colors seem ‘safe’ rather than bold. My bag’s blue and grey design is among the more complementary color schemes and even it feels a little uninspired. The more vibrant color schemes of the old Heckler were more my speed.
Features 7.5/10
The Heckler 2.0 really builds on the success of the first Heckler with the available features. The clips for the backpack and shoulder-straps are sturdy and to handle stress well. The main pocket of the bag itself is well insulated. Inside the stash pockets, none of my valuables were touched by sand at the beach tournament. The internal and external stash pockets are easily accessible, the side zip is a nice touch if you’re hoping to have quick access to your valuables although I did not use it much for fear of sand infiltration.
During my time with the bag, no pocket was affected by water. As this storage space is obviously tailored for phones, wallets, and other valuables, I’m happy to report that they were all kept well away from the elements while I’ve been using the bag. The stash pockets are well sealed without being unreachable. When using the bag outside of ultimate, these side pockets could hold two of my standard Nalgene water bottles. The pocket scheme felt very convenient.
The disc straps were great and my two discs fit snuggly. The shoulder and backpack straps were convenient and interchangeable. My girlfriend said I looked kind of ridiculous wearing the Heckler as a backpack, but it was comfortable and didn’t shift while bicycling. This was particularly impressive as I have a 40-minute work commute while cycling and, when strapped tightly, the bag hardly budged. The straps are also fairly comfortable —they aren’t just two lines of nylon. The sideways clipping of the backpack straps gave even weight distribution and didn’t have all my clothes and equipment pooling together on one side of my bag while in motion. I’ve always had a problem with single shoulder-strapped bags shifting due to movement so I appreciated the option of both.
The cleat pocket is a nice touch, but it’s a tight squeeze for cleats and shoes above size US 11. I’m wear an 11.5 shoe and had to wiggle my boots to fit in. Fitting my stiffer exercise shoes in and closing the pocket entirely was nearly impossible. I had to be content to leave the pocket mostly-closed, which meant it could not fully accommodate a stiffer shoe. The pocket could fully unzip from this position if put under strain. Nevertheless, I could fit my cleats in, which is the most important aspect. A little bending may be necessary, but cleats put up with more stress on the field.
I had one major problem with my testing experience. The small zippers jumped their path. A lot.
The zippers left their path under any sort of strain to their route. Once I was aware of the problem I adjusted, but it occurred the first time that I went to pack my bag and that was a bad start. It would often reoccur if I was in a hurry and didn’t take the time to carefully zip up the bag. The square path of the zipper seems to create weaknesses at the corners, which I’d like to see addressed in the Heckler 3.0. I do have a tendency to overpack, so this could be a fault of my own making, but it still irked me.
Practicality 8/10
I found the Heckler 2.0 to be super light and portable. When it arrived in the mail, I thought they had delivered the wrong product because it had such
small packaging. The bag’s weight, coupled with its durability, is a great feature. It does not come without drawbacks though. Part of this trade-off is that the inside space of the bag feels very limiting. The measurements of the bag itself, 22″ x 12″ x 10″, do not exemplify how compact they have made the bag.
The main compartment is a little more than a disc’s length in width order to accommodate larger side pockets. While I’m a huge fan of side pockets, I would have preferred a larger space for the main compartment. There are items that I could not fit in, such as my hiking-stool and larger tripod. For my work commute, it was a tight squeeze for my admittedly oversized laptop. The Heckler 2.0 errs on the smaller side of duffel bags. It could fill out a bit more to match airline carry-on dimensions. As it is, the bag fits overhead storage very easily, you will never find yourself in trouble at the airport.
The Hecker 2.0’s size makes it the perfect bag for a two-day weekend tournament. Due to the bag’s smaller dimensions, it doesn’t really meet the standards I find necessary for an extended trip. Anything longer than two days means you’ll have to be careful with packing. I tend to pack for every situation no matter what tournament I attend. That meant the bag was a little stuffed. If you’re not looking for a bag that can accommodate a week on the road, I can attest that the Heckler 2.0 would be just right. Between the beach tournament, a camping trip, and my daily commute, the Heckler 2.0 held up well across the board.
As a reference, at the US Beach Open, I packed four jerseys, two water bottles, two casuals shirts, three pairs of ultimate shorts, four pairs of socks, a towel, a hat, my sandals, my Ultiworld jacket, a disc, three pairs of compression pants, and snacks.
This filled The Heckler 2.0 out completely. It may seem like a lot, but I had to leave out important items like sweatpants and a hoodie because they wouldn’t fit.
Price Point 7/10
Whereas their first bag was a hefty $100, The Heckler 2.0 sells for a slightly more manageable $80. This is cheaper than some competing duffel bags and Heckler has the advantage of being tailored for ultimate players. It does lack a few of the bells and whistles featured on the first Heckler, like the bungee clasp and ykk zippers, but the $20 price drop-off more than makes up for it.
Now that Heckler has begun to make a name for themselves, it appears that they’re heading towards a bag design that can appeal to all levels of ultimate players. The dropped price, features and 90-day guarantee all are big selling points for me. Most importantly, the bag still feels personally crafted to suit my ultimate lifestyle: the smaller design makes it very portable, if I forget my cleats in my bag, a common occurrence, it’s not a trainwreck. The backpack straps and internal design are other small features that really justify the price for me.
Would I Recommend It? (Overall 8/10)
Yes, but not for all tournaments and trips. The Heckler 2.0 Duffel feels like an upgrade from the first version of the bag and has been excellent for everyday use.
For me, this bag is geared well for two-day tournaments. It doesn’t have the size to accommodate a longer event. I’ll pack the Heckler 2.0 frequently for everyday use or as my practice bag, but not for the larger tournaments that I attend. Its size does make it an easy fit for air-travel and perhaps a more efficient packer than I could fit more in the space provided. This is assuming the zipper can handle the strain. The interchangeable shoulder-strap and backpack-straps are a good touch for mass appeal.
With Christmas approaching fast, The Heckler 2.0 is a gift that can appeal to anyone, ultimate player or not.Premier Kathleen Wynne and her cabinet ministers are cancelling all “private fundraisers” with high rollers and urging their political rivals to do the same. Wynne told the legislature on Tuesday that members of the governing party would no longer attend the unpublicized events which raise money for the Ontario Liberal Party.
Kathleen Wynne addresses Liberals and party donors at the Ontario Liberal Party Heritage Dinner, the party's biggest fundraiser of the year, held this year at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, Mar. 11. ( Steve Russell / Toronto Star file photo )
“We have to lead by example and that’s why I’ve made the decision to immediately cancel upcoming private fundraisers that I attend. I’ve also asked the same of my ministers,” the premier said. Wynne was referring to the invitation-only fundraisers that are rarely advertised and are not public events such as last Wednesday’s Heritage Dinner, which raised $2.5 million for the Liberals, or the Progressive Conservative’s $1,500-a-plate Toronto Leaders’ Dinner on May 18. The premier’s about-face comes as her government is preparing new legislation this spring to clamp down on Ontario’s lax political fundraising rules in the wake of a Toronto Star probe.
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As first revealed by the Star’s Martin Regg Cohn last week, Liberal cabinet members, including Finance Minister Charles Sousa, have secret annual party fundraising targets of up to $500,000 apiece. Sousa said he and his ministerial colleagues would stop such private activities immediately. Nor will ministers fundraise from their direct stakeholders going forward. A number of events are now being scrapped. “We ask the members of the opposition to stop their fundraisers as well, as the premier is doing right now,” the treasurer said. But Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown, who, as the Star disclosed Tuesday, is hosting his own high-priced dinner at the posh Albany Club for 10 supporters at $10,000 a head later this month, said he won’t cancel his private events. “This is just them muddying the waters,” the Tory leader said of the Liberal gambit, noting there is no quid pro quo with his donors because he is in opposition, not government.
“I can’t give out 10 cents in contracts; this is the government seeking donations from the same people they’re giving contracts out to,” he said. “What is at the crux of this matter is that Liberal cabinet ministers have fundraising targets that shocked everyone.”
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NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said she has no intention of changing how her party fundraises until new rules are in place. “We are going to continue to fundraise in the province of Ontario under the current rules — absolutely,” said Horwath, who hosted a $9,975-a-ticket Ontario NDP fundraiser with Alberta Premier Rachel Notley at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in February. Legislation reforming Ontario’s loose political fundraising rules will be tabled before the house rises for the summer break June 2, which the NDP leader warned may be too hasty. “The last thing that Ontarians want to see is Kathleen Wynne use her majority to ram something through this house that benefits the Liberal party,” she said. In the coming days, Wynne will hold separate one-on-one meetings with Brown and Horwath to discuss the reforms coming later this spring. Green Leader Mike Schreiner, whose party has no seats in the house, is also seeking an audience with the premier on the issue. Against the backdrop of those meetings, legislation will be crafted that Wynne said will outlaw corporate and union donations to political parties and would reduce the amount individuals can donate. That would lower the $9,975 annual cap on contributions and close the loopholes that allow donors to give much more than that during byelections and party leadership campaigns. At the same time, sources say so-called third-party advertising — usually union-funded attack ads against the Conservatives that help the Liberals and New Democrats — will be limited, but not necessarily banned. Recap of events: October 2011: At the height of a provincial election campaign, Robert MacDermid, an associate professor of politics at York University, issues a 28-page study urging a ban on corporate donations to political parties. Then-premier Dalton McGuinty insists “we’ve got a great system here.” September 2013: The Star reveals the head of privately owned Bruce Power hosted an exclusive $100,000 fundraiser for the Liberals shortly before Premier Kathleen Wynne shelved publicly owned rival Ontario Power Generation’s new nuclear reactors. (The Globe and Mail reported on a similar event last month.) October 2013: The Star discovers that the Progressive Conservatives hoped to court a major construction company that had already donated significantly to political parties by pushing a legislative agenda helping the firm. December 2014: The Star finds that more than $525,000 was donated to the three major political parties by the Beer Store, its foreign owners, and the union representing brewing industry employees in 2013 and 2014. February 2015: The Star discloses that Ontario Long Term Care Association, a lobby group for long-term care home operators, hosted a $1,000-a-ticket “exclusive event” with Health Minister Eric Hoskins. Mar. 29, 2016: The Star exposes the fact the Liberals have secret annual party fundraising targets for key cabinet ministers of up to $500,000 apiece. Wynne promises to make changes the same day the story is published. She said legislation will come this fall. April 4, 2016: Wynne expedites the new rules, promising the current lax regime will be changed within 60 days.
Read more about:Mali's Tuareg rebel National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) and the al Qaeda-linked Ansar Dine Islamist militants agreed to join forces on Saturday, signing a deal to create an independent Islamist state in the north of the country.
"The agreement reached this evening will see the merging of the two movements - the MNLA and Ansar Dine - to create an independent Islamic state," MNLA spokesman Mohamed Ag Attaher told news agency Reuters.
"It will also see the merging of our two forces and the appointment of an executive authority for the Azawad state," Attaher said from the northern town of Gao, where the accord was signed.
Local residents said the deal was greeted by celebratory gunfire across the city, where the two groups had held talks for several days.
Mali stability threatened
The rebel groups seized control of the north, an area larger than France, two months ago when the country was plunged into chaos in the wake of a military coup. The MNLA had previously said they wanted to create an independent secular state in the north, while Ansar Dine want to impose Sharia law across the west African nation.
Saturday's declaration is likely to further disrupt efforts to return the country to civilian rule.
Former President Amadou Toumani Toure was unseated in the March 22 coup by military officers. Led by Captain Amadou Sanogo the military had objected to the government's handling of a Tuareg rebellion in the north, which began several months earlier.
Despite the appointment of interim president Dioncounda Traore, the military has been reluctant to relinquish its grip on power, hampering efforts to stabilize the country.
ccp/ncy (AFP, Reuters)With the £350m NHS promise abandoned and a points-based immigration system dismissed, Brexiteers who say ‘you lost, get over it’ are still waiting to find out precisely what they’ve won.
The mystery Brexit prize is causing much excitement among patriotic Brits who are delighted they’ve successfully taken back control, despite watching what can best be described as a ‘shambles’ unfold before their very eyes.
“I can’t wait to find out what it is that we’ve won,” enthused Simon Williams of campaign group A Nation United in Sovereignty (ANUS).
“I am hoping it’s a car or a nice holiday, something big and expensive now we’re not wasting all that money on massive pensions for those corrupt faceless Eurocrats Nigel Farage warned us about.
“Not a boat though, because I haven’t got anywhere to keep it and I can’t swim.”
Others have insisted that they don’t care what the prize is because they’re going to love it regardless because it will have the smell of victory attached to it.
Leave voter Dave Matthews told us, “We won, so I don’t even need to know what we’ve won – it’s obviously going to be brilliant.
“It’s like visiting the fair when it comes to town, that small teddy bear you won after spending a tenner trying to throw hoops over bottles makes you a ‘winner’.
“It doesn’t matter that the same toy would have been much cheaper and much less hassle if you’d just gone and bought it directly from the local market – the fact that you won makes it worth every penny you might have wasted.
“So call Brexit a shambles, call it an impending catastrofuck, I don’t care – because I won and you lost so get over it.”
Brexit means Clusterf*ck – get the t-shirtThe Congress needs to ask itself bluntly: who chose Mr Modi as prime minister? It was the same people that chose Manmohan Singh before him. The fact is that India has come to be ruled by traders, though they have neither the vision nor the capacity to industrialize or modernize this country of 1.5 billion. The traders have thrived by funding ruling parties and keeping their options open with the opposition when necessary. It’s like placing casino chips on the roulette table, which is what they have turned a once robust democracy into. If there’s religious fascism staring down India’s throat, there’s someone financing it. The newspapers won’t tell you all that. The traders own the papers. The umbilical cord between religious regression and traders has been well established
JAWED NAQVI
[dropcap]A[/dropcap] young man described himself as a dejected Muslim, and punctured the sharp analysis that was under way about the Uttar Pradesh defeat. The venue was a well-appointed seminar room at the India International Centre. Why don’t we show our outrage like they do in America, the young Muslim wanted to know. People in America are out on the streets fighting for the refugees, Latinos, Muslims, blacks, everyone. One US citizen was shot trying to protect an Indian victim of racial assault. Why are Indian opponents of Hindutva so full of wisdom and analysis but few, barring angry students in the universities, take to the streets?
It’s not that people are not fighting injustices. From Bastar to Indian Kashmir, from Manipur to Manesar, peasants, workers, college students, tribespeople, Dalits; they are fighting back. But they are vulnerable without a groundswell of mass support like we see in other countries.
Off and on, political parties are capable of expressing outrage. A heartbreaking scene in parliament is to see Congress MPs screaming their lungs out with rage, but that’s usually when Sonia Gandhi is attacked or Rahul Gandhi belittled. Yet there is no hope of stopping the Hindutva march without accepting the Congress as a pivot to defeat the Modi-Yogi party in 2019.
It’s a given. The slaughterhouses may or may not open any time soon, but an opposition win in 2019 is easier to foresee. It could be a pyrrhic victory, the way the dice is loaded, but it is the only way. Will the Congress join the battle without pushing itself as the natural claimant to power? Without humility, we may not be able to address the young man’s dejection.
Like it or not, there is no other opposition party with the reach of the Congress, even today. Should we be saddled with a party that rises to its feet to protect its leaders — which it should — but has lost the habit of marching against the insults and torture that large sections of Indians endure daily?
A common and valid fear is that the party is vulnerable before the IOUs its satraps may have signed with big league traders, who drive politics in India today.
If religious fascism is staring down India’s throat, there’s someone financing it.
The Congress needs to ask itself bluntly: who chose Mr Modi as prime minister? It was the same people that chose Manmohan Singh before him. The fact is that India has come to be ruled by traders, though they have neither the vision nor the capacity to industrialize or modernize this country of 1.5 billion. Their fabled appetite for inflicting bad loans on the state exchequer is legendary, though they have seldom measured up to Nehru’s maligned public sector to build any core industry. (Bringing spectrum machines from Europe and mobile phones from China for more and more people to watch mediocre reality shows is neither modernisation nor industrialisation.)
The traders have thrived by funding ruling parties and keeping their options open with the opposition when necessary. It’s like placing casino chips on the roulette table, which is what they have turned a once robust democracy into. If there’s religious fascism staring down India’s throat, there’s someone financing it.
The newspapers won’t tell you all that. The traders own the papers. The umbilical cord between religious regression and traders has been well established in a fabulous book on the Gita Press by a fellow journalist; same with TV.
While everyone needs to think about 2019, the Left faces a more daunting challenge. It knows that the Modi-Yogi party does not enjoy a majority of Indian votes. However, the majority includes Mamata Banerjee, who says she wants to join hands with the left against the BJP. Others are Lalu Yadav, Nitish Kumar, Arvind Kejriwal, Mayawati, Akhilesh Yadav, most of the Dravida parties and, above all, the Congress
Nehru wasn’t terribly impressed with them. He fired his finance minister for flirting with their ilk. Indira Gandhi did one better. She installed socialism as a talisman against private profiteers in the preamble of the constitution. They hated her for that. The older Indian literature (Premchand) and cinema were quite a lot about their shady reality — Mother India, Foot Path, Do Bigha Zamin, Shree 420, to name a few.
At the Congress centenary in Mumbai, Rajiv Gandhi called out the ‘moneybags’ riding the backs of party workers. They retaliated through his closest coterie to smear him with the Bofors refuse. The first move against Hindutva’s financiers will be an uphill journey. The IOUs will come into play.
For that, the Congress must evict the agents of the moneybags known to surround its leadership. But they’re not the only reality the Congress must discard. It has to rid itself of ‘soft Hindutva’ completely, and it absolutely must stop indulging regressive Muslim clerics as a vote bank.
For a start, the West Bengal, Karnataka, and Delhi assemblies will need every opposition member’s support in the coming days. The most laughable of the cases will be summoned against the unimpeachable Arvind Kejriwal, a bête noire for the traders, whose hanky-panky he excels in exposing.
For better or worse, it is the Congress that still holds the key to 2019. Even in the post-emergency rout, the party kept a vote share of 41 per cent. And after the 2014 shock, its vote has grown, not decreased.
While everyone needs to think about 2019, the Left faces a more daunting challenge. It knows that the Modi-Yogi party does not enjoy a majority of Indian votes. However, the majority includes Mamata Banerjee, who says she wants to join hands with the left against the BJP. Others are Lalu Yadav, Nitish Kumar, Arvind Kejriwal, Mayawati, Akhilesh Yadav, most of the Dravida parties and, above all, the Congress. The left has inflicted self-harm by putting up candidates against all these opponents of the BJP — in Bihar, in Uttar Pradesh, in Delhi. In West Bengal and Kerala, can it see eye to eye with its anti-BJP rivals?
As the keystone in the needed coalition, the left must drastically tweak its politics. It alone has the ability to lift the profile of the Indian ideology, which is still Nehruvian at its core, as the worried man at the Indian International Center will be pleased to note. -c. Dawn
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All opinions and views expressed in columns and blogs and comments by readers are those of individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Caravan DailyDub FX: An Amazing Music Documentary That Will Mess With Your Audio Senses
Dub FX - a short Music Documentary
Dub FX is the guy who stands in the street and impresses the public with his beatboxing, music skills and general badassery. You know the deal, you've probably passed many a street performer and thought, 'not bad' in your time, but i guarantee if you saw this guy in action you'd stop dead in your tracks.
He’s been an internet sensation, wowing the online world since |
, Trump disputed the semantics of the word "relationship," contending that he did not "know what it means by having a relationship." He insisted that Putin "treats me with great respect" but claimed that he did not know him.
These comments are a departure from what he told MSNBC in 2013.
"I do have a relationship and I can tell you that he's very interested in what we're doing here today," Trump said at the time, referring to the Miss Universe Organization that he formerly owned.
When asked if the matter could be settled by releasing his tax returns, proving that he does not have financial ties to Russia, the candidate said again he would not due to an IRS audit. The IRS has said that an audit does not legally preclude him from releasing his tax returns.Most GOP Voters Say Trump Will Never Make the Media Happy
As far as most Republicans and Trump supporters are concerned, their guy will never get a break from the news media.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 63% of Likely Republican Voters believe that it is not possible for President Trump to do anything that the media will approve of. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Among voters who Strongly Approve of the job Trump is doing, 84% feel that way.
Even voters not affiliated with either major political party by a 50% to 32% margin say it is not possible for the president to ever do anything the media will sign off on.
Given that most voters think Congress doesn’t listen to them and is more interested in making the media happy, it is perhaps not surprising that the president is running into resistance even from congressional members in his own party.
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on August 15-16, 2017 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Forty-four percent (44%) of voters believe most reporters are trying to block Trump from passing his agenda. By comparison, 48% said most reporters were trying to help President Obama pass his agenda in 2010.
Among all likely voters, 48% say it is not possible for Trump to do anything that the media will approve of; 33% say it is, but 19% are not sure.
A plurality (44%) of Democrats feel it is possible for the president to make the media happy; 33% do not, and 23% are undecided. Just 22% of Republicans and 11% of those who Strongly Approve of Trump’s job performance say it is possible for him to win the media over.
Those under 40 are more confident than their elders that Trump can do things the media will approve of.
Voters who consider the news they are getting to be reliable are far more likely than those who view it as unreliable to think Trump can satisfy the media.
As recently as June, 76% of Republicans – and 50% of all voters - said most reporters are biased against the president.
Just 29% of voters said in May that it is possible for Trump to improve his relationship with the media.
Fifty-five percent (55%) believe the president is his own worst political enemy. In distant second is the national media, cited as his worst enemy by 25%.
Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.
Please sign up for the Rasmussen Reports daily e-mail update (it’s free) or follow us on Twitter or Facebook. Let us keep you up to date with the latest public opinion news.I woke up this morning pretty angry.
Last night was a very rare occasion where neither one of us could either attend or watch the game. I can count on one hand how many times that has happened over our 7-8 years of existence but when we got the notification that we were heading into overtime with the Bulls our reaction was similar to this…
We have maintained for a long time that this team was just at times painfully mediocre with the potential to be above average. BUT when you can’t muster up the effort to beat a team that is on a 10 game losing streak at home…. WE ARE BAD RIGHT NOW!!!
Fun Fact: We were the last team the Bulls beat before they started their 10 game losing streak AND since the beginning of the season the Bulls have won 4 games… the Hornets account for 2 of them.
Many would say “But we were missing Cody, Frank, Lamb and Clifford”… NO. I refuse to let that be an excuse when we had our top 4 highest paid players on the court with our All-Star point guard. you win that game against the worst team in the league. You not only win it but by the time the 4th quarter rolls around we should have a comfortable enough lead that we get to showcase our rookie Monk to the home crowd and get him some needed playing time.
Rightfully so, Hornets fans showcased their anger and frustration with the franchise last night on social media. We mostly watched and listened and asked them a few questions. Here are some of the polls we asked on Twitter.
That’s a telling stat right there. It’s pretty Incredible that Kemba Walker is an All-Star BUT because of this team… he’s not. Because of this team we have many that believe Kemba, The player who has done more for this franchise than any player in Hornets history, may have to be coughed up to start over.
The $72,000,000 man. I mean… Who in the league would even touch that contract with him? Even if we wanted to, who would we have to package with him to make it even remotely digestible for another team? Dwight? the one sliver of hope we’ve had this season. Marvin? He hasn’t done anything since the Miami Heat playoff series. MKG? Monk? Now that would hurt. Let’s not even talk about it.
AHH the great debate. The process. Do we/you trust it? I mean haven’t we waited long enough in “NBA Purgutaory” (copyrighted BBTB 2015)? Haven’t we as a fan base done our time? 16 years and counting since we’ve won a playoff series. It took 14 to get a single playoff win. And would you even trust a franchise that has drafted MKG, Cody and Frank? But what is another 3, 4, 5 years of waiting to a Hornets fan?
Who’s fault is this?
And the peasants look past the soldiers and slowly lift their heads up to look at the nobles and king in the castle.
Let’s be honest. This franchise has done nothing for what looks like its going to be 14 seasons now. We’ve had 6 coaches in the past 10 years. The fan base threw them a raft with the rebrand begging the them to show life and things are beginning to feel all too familiar again. The rebrand was never meant to be the “fix”. It was meant to be a second chance to get things right. This may be shocking to some of you but this stint has been around for just about the same amount of time as the original Charlotte Hornets franchise.
Now I’m a visual guy so let’s take a look at the progress reports lined up.
Original Hornets Take 2
1988-89 20-62 2004-05 18-64 1989-90 19-63 2005-06 26-56 1990-91 26-56 2006-07 33-49 1991-92 31-51 2007-08 32-50 1992-93 44-38 E. Conf. Semis 2008-09 35-47 1993-94 41-41 2009-10 44-38 E. Conf. 1st Rnd 1994-95 50-32 E. Conf. 1st Rnd 2010-11 34-48 1995-96 41-41 2011-12 7-59 1996-97 54-28 E. Conf. 1st Rnd. 2012-13 21-61 1997-98 51-31 E. Conf. Semis 2013-14 43-39 E. Conf. 1st Rnd. 1998-99 26-24 2014-15 33-49 1999-00 49-33 E. Conf. 1st Rnd. 2015-16 48-34 E. Conf. 1st Rnd. 2000-01 46-36 E. Conf. Semis 2016-17 36-46 2001-02 44-38 E. Conf. Semis 2017-18?
Around the 6th season the Original Hornets had established themselves, besides the 1998-99 lockout season, as a consistent mid-40 win team that you could occasionally expect to break 50 on a good year. Consistent isn’t even a word I like using in the same sentence as the “Take 2”.
Now I know it’s not exactly fair to compare the 2 of them but it is more or less showing what can be done in 14 season and what we have done in 14 seasons.
This is the result, in our humble opinion, of complacency. As a fan base we’ve knocked the hornets nest before and forced, what felt like kicking and screaming, this organization into giving back our name. We deserve better. We should demand better. We have done our part to support this organization even when they didn’t exactly earn it and we have very little to show for it in return.
The question is what do we believe as fans we should do to make this change happen?
AdvertisementsCharles Taylor will receive the $1 million Berggruen Prize on Dec. 1 at the New York Public Library.
One of the world’s most respected philosophers has just won the Berggruen Prize. Is this news you can use?
Yes, as a matter of fact, it is. The prize has been given to Charles Taylor, an exceptional thinker whose work can be of value both personally and in public life. In his native Canada, Taylor was a founder of the New Democratic Party, shaped debates and policy on immigration and ethnic politics, and played an important role in keeping Quebec part of Canada but with special status recognizing its distinctive culture. Taylor is of global influence as a Catholic thinker, a leader on the social democratic left and a spokesperson for combining rather than opposing liberalism and defense of community. His publications will reward readers with very different interests from personal identity to the challenges of modern democracy to religion in a secular age.
This guide is far from comprehensive. It points to some good places to start engaging with one of our era’s greatest thinkers. Perhaps most notably, in connection to the Berggruen Prize, Taylor has helped reshape debates on what it is to be human and how culture and politics matter in human existence.
The Self
A lot of criticisms are leveled at modern Western individualism. Taylor acknowledges that it can seem narrow, shallow and too focused on instrumental self-interest. Still, he refuses simple negativity. The modern idea of self brought new richness and freedoms to human life. It not only built on foundations like St. Augustine’s articulation of a sense of interior space and the importance of memory. It also added distinctive dimensions that opened it to embrace equality in ways ancient thought had not. That we struggle for meaning and purpose in our lives is an indication of the potential opened for us.
Taylor’s “Sources of the Self” traces the development of this modern understanding of what it means to be a person and explores its positive contributions and possibilities as well as its limits and potential weaknesses. The story proceeds in several phases. The era of the Protestant Reformation (and the Catholic response, which was never simply resistance) played an important role. So did Enlightenment celebration of reason, applied to self-knowledge and linked to the idea of self-mastery.
But Taylor places a special emphasis on Jean-Jacques Rousseau and the Romantics. These built on earlier traditions like romantic love and integrated emotions and aesthetics into their accounts of the human self and embraced nature in newly positive ways. Rousseau helped make living in accord with nature into an ideal (in place of mastering nature and escaping from “baser” instincts or fallen character). Johann Gottfried Herder argued that human nature is not a determining force but a range of possibilities and capacities demanding expression. So basic is the notion of self-expression that moderns can hardly think of the self without it. This transformed the Christian idea of vocation or calling and underpinned a new idea of equality based on recognition of difference.
Language was a crucial medium for this expression, along with art, religion, action and ethical relationships. Humanity expressed itself differently in different cultures and even person by person. This diversity was not determined by a fixed human nature; it was made available by the natural capacities of human beings. Working out its implications is a basic task for human beings, both at the level of cultural differences and in individual life. So is reconciling what might be called the Enlightenment and Romantic sides of the modern self: the pursuit of both self-knowledge and self-mastery and distinctive self-expression and authenticity.
“Sources” is an intellectual history, but with broader intent. All of Taylor’s major books embed arguments in histories because he wants to show human beings as a process of becoming, not simply determined by nature. We face new circumstances and also face recurrent dilemmas, enriched by a growing range of intellectual and moral resources. Through tracing how modern thinking about the self developed, Taylor demonstrates both how powerfully ideas can shape our lives and that there are always multiple possibilities for how they can be put to use.
For example, individualism and a focus on the self became associated with secularism. But it was advanced by 17th century religious thinkers as part of a more personal relationship with God, manifested in individual prayer and supported by autonomous interpretation of the Bible. Religious devotion both influenced the development of the modern self and was transformed by it.
Likewise, individualism is often linked with greed and self-interest. Homo economicus is a modern conception. Relatedly, a prominent line of development in the modern self cast it as “punctual” as though each of us is a finite and bounded unit and like the points of geometry, a member of various sets like nations or humanity as a whole. Taylor doesn’t deny this but shows that among the sources of the modern self was also a moral revolution in which “ordinary happiness” in this material world was given a positive value not simply opposed to otherworldly spiritualism. This was linked to recognizing lay professions as comparably important to the priesthood, valuing the family more and with it, recognizing and extending childhood as a stage of human development. Neither families nor professions are simply sets of altogether discrete individuals. So we have also resources for recovering more relational, socially embedded understandings of the self.
As part of telling this story, Taylor offers important lessons on how ideas change, emphasizing how seldom they simply move from right to wrong but rather tend to resolve certain weaknesses, as well as introduce other potential issues. This can result in overall movement from worse to better, but there are always different possible paths as the meaning of ideas evolves and escapes their originators’ intentions. We face choices. We can limit individualism to notions of self-interest and necessity, but we don’t have to. After all, it also shaped development of the notion of human rights. How we judge this or other ideas will reflect our “horizons of evaluation” including both what we think is possible and what we think is good. Our strongest commitments put other preferences into perspective.
Authenticity and Recognition
The theme of what it means to be a person, a human being, runs through Taylor’s life’s work. It is enormously important in an era of great transformations. Definitions of the human and the self are challenged today by technological innovations from artificial intelligence to gene editing. They are also important to figuring out what ethics and policies should guide those new technologies. And not least, we live in a world where projects of personal identity are as influential as economic self-interest or old ideologies in shaping politics. This is true in “progressive” forms like the transformation of gender and sexual identities and claims to equal rights. And it is true in “conservative” forms like the claims to national and communal identities defended today by populist movements.
Taylor has been one of the most influential shapers of our understanding of such “politics of identity.” These reflect, he argued, a human need for recognition. We don’t simply exist and have identities, each sufficient in ourselves. We develop identities in social contexts, and we seek recognition of the legitimacy of our identities from others. As Taylor wrote in 1994, “We define our identity always in dialogue with, sometimes in struggle against, the things our significant others want to see in us. Even after we outgrow some of these others ― our parents, for instance ―and they disappear from our lives, the conversation with them continues within us as long as we live.”
This makes questions of identity personally significant and refusals of acceptance and respect deeply challenging. This extends to identities that can also be politically mobilized like nationality, race, ethnicity, gender or sexuality. “Due recognition is not just a courtesy we owe people. It is a vital human need. To treat people with dignity and respect, we need to take full account of their varied social situations. This is especially important vis-a-vis those whose identities have been systematically degraded and whose rights to be treated as equals have been neglected.”
The politics of identity and recognition are reinforced by another central theme in modern culture: a value of “authenticity.” A strong horizon of evaluation for many moderns is to be “true to themselves.” This is linked to imaging ― we each have an inner essence, recasting the older idea of individual soul. People often think of this as their “nature,” and it can be problematic when it encourages people to regard relationships as disposable or to imagine that being true to themselves demands being inflexible. But for Taylor, these are debased versions of an idea with much positive ethical potential. Our deepest selves are constituted by our strongest values and commitments and are shaped by the most significant relationships of our lives. We can approach authenticity as an orienting ideal, aware both that we don’t always fully understand our own deepest commitments and that we often fail to live up to them. Moreover, recognizing that everyone has their own way of being human facilitates respect for individuals, but also for different cultures.
The effort to be an authentic person gives modern people a propensity to be “seekers.” The idea of trying to “find yourself” wouldn’t have made as much sense in many other eras. It is closely related to freedom from restrictions and the material availability of options, for example in the choice of occupations, politics or social movements. Taylor uses the term “seekers” to describe the large number of people who describe themselves as religious or spiritual but not committed to any one organized religion. This suggests something of an ambivalence with which he thinks moderns live, which can be troubling but is also ethically liberating and often creative. We often seek identification with existing communities and cultures, but we also, to an unprecedented degree, think of ourselves as choosing among them. And we change them. What happened to the “politics of identity” reflects this. Early usage often suggested that identities were malleable, and there was fluidity in how they were to be valued, inhabited, combined. But often, the politics of identity became a more rigid demand for respect for supposedly fixed and essential identities.
Quebec is never far from Taylor’s mind when he thinks of the politics of identity and recognition. He grew up with a Francophone mother and an Anglophone father. From early in life, he was committed to a multicultural vision for the province and for Canada, convinced that instead of being “two solitudes,” Canada’s major linguistic and cultural communities could enrich each other. When he was named to Oxford’s prestigious Chichele professorship in 1975, he decided he would only stay five years, at least partly because he wanted to return to Montreal and make sure his daughters had the chance to grow up bilingual. He helped to articulate the rationale for Quebec’s special status in Canada. But he also campaigned to keep Quebec part of Canada, arguing that with proper care and mutual respect, pluralist societies could be richer and stronger than those seeking an integriste conformity.
Taylor extends this point more generally. To be true to yourself need not mean either standing apart or trying to share a singular identity only with others just like you. It can and usually should mean recognizing diverse interests and commitments in yourself, being open to a sense of possibility and guided by strong (though corrigible) convictions. One of Taylor’s most important points is that we don’t just “have” selves ― we have the potential and usually the desire to be better selves.
Language and the Human Sciences
Like almost every other path of engagement with Taylor’s work, the politics of recognition and the ethics of authenticity bring us back to what it means to be human. Language is core to that. Taylor isn’t interesting simply in distinguishing humans from other animals by the capacity for language (and of course we know, as 17th and 18th century thinkers didn’t, the extent to which other animals are capable of language). Taylor’s concerns, rather, are the extent to which language makes us who we are, the fact that we have language only by sharing it and that we use language expressively, not just instrumentally.
Language, for Taylor, is constitutive of human being; we are language animals. Taylor expands on the famous Sapir–Whorf hypothesis, showing how basic language and culture are to the ways in which we know other human beings and indeed the material world. This is one reason why cross-cultural understanding requires mutual learning, not just translation. It is also among the reasons why interpretation is basic to the human sciences.
Important currents in behavioral and social science have been driven by a desire to achieve “objectivity” by disengaging from interpretation. Of course, knowledge of humans includes many “objective” elements from physiology to demography. But it cannot be complete ― or wise ― on these bases alone. Humans are not altogether objective and transparent even to themselves. Take voting. One may objectively observe people raising hands or shouting “aye” and “nay” in a meeting, but one can’t make sense of this as voting without knowing more about a linguistically constituted practice and the background of a culture in which it is pervasive. Within that culture, researchers can take the background for granted, but the need for interpretation becomes evident as soon as they step outside that basis for consensus interpretations. Cultures vary and no analyst’s knowledge escapes culture. Like other human practices, moreover, voting often expresses meanings that go beyond manifest, instrumental decisions.
Language enables us to reflect and plan and engage in agency, not only reactive behavior. This was a key point in Taylor’s first major work, where he showed why deterministic explanations of behavior (like B.F. Skinner’s behaviorism) must be inadequate to human action. Speaking is an example. It draws on a background resource ― language ― available to us only because we are not completely discrete individuals. But speaking is an action or more precisely, a practice.
Taylor illustrates this point by building on Wittgenstein’s famous account of following a rule. To follow a rule depends not just on knowing the rule itself in some objective sense (as a matter of premises and propositions, to use the technical philosophical terms). It depends also on a tacit background of knowledge that is never rendered entirely explicit. To use Wittgenstein’s term, rules and the capacity to follow them are embedded in “forms of life” ― or, loosely, cultures. But here it is crucial to understand cultures as something more than themselves catalogs of rules or formal structures. Starting with language, they are webs of meaning that people do not merely decode but inhabit and enact. One does not speak French merely by mastering the rules of French grammar (and of course, few Frenchmen can state those rules in much detail). To speak French is a practice, and competency is achieved by habituation, internalization, making it part of oneself. Likewise, to follow a rule is a practice that both depends on culture and expresses it ― whether it is as seemingly simple as traffic rules or as complex as the injunction to treat other human beings as ends rather than means.
This argument is pitched against narrow Cartesianism, with its starting point of a solipsistic “I think therefore I am,” and the whole related project of epistemology as a matter of abstract reason. Taylor elaborates it now partly because advances in computational technology have encouraged the spread of new mechanistic, entirely instrumental explanations of human thought and action. These reflect what Taylor (following Heidegger) calls an “enframing” approach – treating language simply as a tool for communication and as external to the reality it names or describes. Such views encourage reductionism toward human beings as well as language.
Social Imaginaries and a Secular Age
An enframing perspective neglects not only the constitutive role of language but also the power of imagination in shaping human life. This enables us to reach beyond what is immediately evident to our senses. We are able, for example, to form and act on aspirations for the future. Imagination, like language, also gives shape to the world. Much of “reality” exists in the way it does partly because of how it is imagined. This is not just a free-for-all of individual creativity; wishing does not make things so. But there are socially organized ways of imagining the world. Taylor describes several such “imaginaries” that help produce and reproduce the modern world: the idea of a generalized market is one of the most powerful. So is the idea of “the people” critical to democracy and also to legitimacy in other political systems. Business corporations and nations exist partially through the ways they are imagined.
Imagining modernity as a secular age is equally fundamental. This commonly involves what Taylor terms a “subtraction story.” Religion used to be a bigger part of human life and culture, but in the modern era, there has been progressive disenchantment; fewer people declare themselves believers; religion loses most of its public role; science replaces religion as the basis for authoritative knowledge. Taylor acknowledges these changes, but insists they can’t be well understood simply as subtractions that don’t entail transformation of culture more generally. Religion’s role changes as people reimagine what the world, human life and knowledge are like. How moderns understand personhood, moral obligations or the place of material well-being in a good life are all changed; religion is not simply subtracted from them.
One of the most dramatic changes is the rise of what Taylor calls “the immanent frame.” This is the notion that everything in the world is part of a natural order understandable without reference to anything outside itself and simply as a matter of causal relationships. This isn’t simply a truth modern people discovered; neither is it false. It is part of a secular social imaginary. It is one way of understanding and giving form to the world and human life. Within the immanent frame, ideas about transcendence are either errors or simply unnecessary to achieving empirically verifiable knowledge. This understanding of the world has proved enormously productive in the rise of modern science. It has been limiting in spiritual life. It has also shaped an approach to the environment as simply a matter of cost, effect, resources and use ― at odds with a notion of more transcendent value.
Indeed, within this immanent frame, values themselves tend to be understood simply as more or less arbitrary subjective states of individuals. Nature doesn’t have a value ― we either value it, or we don’t. Similarly, we may value human life more or less, but as a matter of cause-and-effect relationships, human beings don’t have intrinsic value. We see quickly that the immanent frame thus shaped not only the successes of modern science but also some of its dangerous moments. These may have been deviations from a more moral scientific ethos that includes ideas like not doing harm but these moral ideas generally come from outside the immanent frame. Today, the immanent frame is also challenged by the notion that human beings are radically transforming what seemed to be an entirely natural order ― whether through climate change or gene editing.
These are among the reasons why the secular age wasn’t simply the end of history so far as religion and spiritual life were concerned. Many people feel a need for a more spiritual compass to organize their personal lives and navigate the great transformations of our era. Some turn to renewal of older religions. Others become seekers exploring new forms of spiritual and moral engagement. There are so many, headed in so many different directions, that Taylor describes a “supernova.”
Once again, Taylor narrates an intellectual history in which there are gains, losses and possibilities for recovering what at some points appeared as paths closed off. A secular perspective grew first among religious people, for most of whom it was part of a deepening and more explicit religious faith ― notably in the 16th and 17th centuries. As modern science and states offered more control over matters in the material world, religion was called on as a guide. But in time, more and more thinkers distinguished questions of value on which religion could offer guidance from questions of fact and explanation. Many had a sense that to face the great transformations of a new era, religious innovation was required. Those who made the innovations didn’t imagine that for others, they would become part of a path away from religion ― any more than creators of modern technologies imagined that living in a world that felt technologically overpowered would lead many to seek a renewed spirituality.
Religion, thus, isn’t simply a matter of holding different abstract intellectual commitments from others, believing in the factuality of different propositions. It is participating in a different way of imagining the world. This can include achievements of modernity and the cause-and-effect systems in which they are embedded but isn’t limited to that. Reaching beyond might be based on belief in a higher power like God. It might also be based on commitment to a good higher-than-mere-instrumental human flourishing, like love (especially in the sense of agape). We have moved “from a society where belief in God is unchallenged and indeed, unproblematic, to one in which it is understood to be one option among others and frequently not the easiest to embrace.” But even if religion becomes in some sense harder, it doesn’t vanish and religious experience may even gain new dimensions.
Taylor’s monumental “A Secular Age” is perhaps the single most influential work ever published on the phenomena of secularity (as well as the ideology of secularism). Ranging from the poetic to the social scientific to the deeply philosophical, it mobilized Taylor’s astonishing historical learning to advance understanding of what it means to live in a modern world. It has rightly transformed discussions in fields from sociology to history, anthropology and religious studies.
Charles Taylor’s approach to philosophy is always shaped by deep ethical commitments and public concerns. He addresses technical intellectual problems, but he is never interested in them only as technical problems. He writes accessibly. He travels widely, not simply to speak to audiences about arguments he regards as conclusively settled but to engage in discussions that are always potential occasions for intellectual advancement ― and he listens patiently to the most naïve questions, treating each as though it might contain an important new idea. Taylor’s approach also brings philosophy into the full range of human sciences and brings the more empirical humanities and social science into philosophy. It must be so, he seems to suggest, if the study of philosophy is truly to pursue wisdom.
The founders of the Berggruen Prize describe it as “awarded annually to a thinker whose ideas are of broad significance for shaping human self-understanding and advancement.” It’s hard to imagine a more appropriate first recipient than Charles Taylor.
See more videos of Charles Taylor here; these videos were produced by the Berggruen Institute and Zocalo Public Square.As part of the promotion for the new Star Trek video game (which comes out April 23), William Shatner has appeared in this very funny video, facing off against one of his old enemies.
In the game, a redesigned Gorn takes on the younger Captain Kirk from the most recent incarnation of the Star Trek universe - the game serves as a bridge between the 2009 movie and the sequel, "Star Trek Into Darkness", which comes out May 17.
After appearing during the Oscars, it seems that Shatner has no qualms reprising his Star Trek identity. In addition, at age 82, Shatner still seems quite fit for the role, as well as mocking it at the same time. Another fine performance, I must say.
The video game looks pretty cool too.
Keith Shaw rounds up the best in geek video in his ITworld.tv blog. Follow Keith on Twitter at @shawkeith. For the latest IT news, analysis and how-tos, follow ITworld on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.California wants to register as historical resources the space junk (high-tech and otherwise) left behind by the Apollo 11 crew.
When the Apollo 11 astronauts blasted off from the moon, they left behind not just the small steps of men but a giant pile of equipment and junk for all of mankind.
Some of the 5,000 pounds of stuff Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin abandoned at Tranquility Base was purposeful: a seismic detector to record moonquakes and meteorite impacts; a laser-reflection device to make precise distance measurements between Earth and the moon; a U.S. flag and commemorative plaque. Some was unavoidable: Apollo 11’s lunar module descent stage wasn’t designed to be carted back home, for instance.
The rest was cast aside to lighten the load of the Eagle lunar module and allow for takeoff. To compensate for the weight of moon rocks and soil samples, the astronauts gave the heave-ho to more than 100 items, creating a veritable yard sale of high technology and lowly debris. Space boots and portable life-support systems. The armrests from their cockpit seats. A hammer, scoops, cameras and containers. Tethers and antennas. Empty food bags and bags filled with human waste.
Low-impact campers they were not.
“They were told to jettison things that weren’t important. So they starting tossing stuff,” said Beth O’Leary, an assistant professor of anthropology at New Mexico State University and a leader in the emerging field of space heritage and archaeology. “They were essentially told, ‘Here’s eight minutes, create an archaeology site.’ ”
There are countless places on Earth that have been awarded protection to preserve their historic or cultural importance. The moon has none. But that may be about to change.
California is poised to become the first state to register the items at Tranquility Base as an official State Historical Resource. If the State Historical Resources Commission approves the idea at a meeting in Sacramento today, it would be a victory for scientists who want to build support for having Tranquility Base designated a United Nations World Heritage Site in advance of what they believe will be unmanned trips to the moon by private groups, and even someday by tourists. Proposals to place the items on historic registries in Texas and New Mexico are planned for later this year.
“There’s a really good chance that we will be up there again in the next decades,” said Jay Correia, a California state historian who manages the registration process.
Source
AdvertisementsDescription: GW's lead designer sheds some light on the creative process behidn the new Warhammer game
so the shareholders want to see more Fantasy sales
they tell us "go get these neckbeards buying plastic again"
we say "sure, let's rethink these prices"
Fantasy has better rules but 40k is much more affordable
they say "people clearly want marines and round bases"
round bases!
...and marines...
round bases!
one of them even said "nobody plays with points anymore"
no points!
just throw whatever you have on the table and mash it all into each other
It's not like wargaming is about army-building or anything
as long as it fits on your side of the table it all goes
screw balance!
it's about fun!
players asked about tournaments!
you should have seen those Facebook comments
I just couldn't care any more!
I'd told them to go figure it out
"let me know if you need any help"
"If you are concerned about rules then you're probably not going to enjoy it"
they told me
measuring from the model damages the paint
the shareholders really loved hearing that
it reminded them of finecast, people rebuying miscast miniatures
and our overpriced refurbishing tools
so we immediately released this new paint
extra shiny gold
3.50 quid for a pot, and you need two of them
and 17 quid for the can, why not!
go make the marines extra shiny boys!
and then to think...
we told them the End Times was just the beginning!
we sold them piles of hardcover books
then made everything obsolete again
and don't get me started on what we replaced them with
...staring contests...
yes! and measuring each other's neckbeards!
imagine them in their basements sizing up their moustaches
with blue measuring sticks
that sure is going to appeal to a younger audience
...that's what the shareholders wanted right?...
I have no idea who's supposed to buy this
we put some interns on the warscrolls
didn't even tell Forgewold about it
they're as confused as everyone else
including the retailers
and then we wonder why kids prefer video games these daysNow currency.poe.trade supports public stash tabs in addition to manual listings.
If you have public stash tabs you can use them to list currency for sale and make it appear on the website.
Here's how it works. You put orbs into your public stash tabs, right click them and set buyouts. It doesn't matter whether you use "Price" or "Exact Price".
When you price a stack of currency, currency.poe.trade will assume it is a price of 1 orb, not the whole stack.
The format currency.poe.trade uses is "~b/o XX/YY currency" or "~b/o XX currency". The second is simple, example: You can sell an exalted orb for 60 chaos by right clicking and setting "Price" to "60 chaos".
The fractional XX/YY format is useful for when you need to do the reverse, e.g. sell chaos orbs for exalted. Then you set "~b/o 1/60 exalted" on your chaos orb. Think of it as selling a chaos orb for a 1/60'th of exalted.
You can also use the XX/YY format to indicate bulk sales, for example, setting "~b/o 10/605 exalted" on a chaos orb would mean you are buying batches of 10 exalted orbs for 605 chaos.
At the moment of writing it is not possible to use the XX/YY format with either "Price" or "Exact |
to score and a relatively full defensive squad, the Montreal Impact will look to continue this trend and also winning. Let's have a look at the updated Tie-Breaker rankings with the top 3 tie-breaker criterias
Standings are provided by the MLS and have been last updated (when this article was written) on Thursday, August 30, 2012 at 11:41am.
Goals For (GF) Ranking: 3rd
A 7-goal jump for the Montreal Impact since the first compilation of these rankings (August 8th) and 1 spot up. It's a good indication that the Impact have been scoring in bunches and have taken advantage of their home games, at Stade Saputo.
Actual Rank Goals For Rank Club GF 2 1 New York Red Bulls 46 4 2 D.C. United 43 6 3 Montreal Impact 42 3 4 Houston Dynamo 38 9 5 New England Revolution 33 1 6 Sporting Kansas City 32 5 7 Chicago Fire 32 7 8 Columbus Crew 31 10 9 Toronto FC 29 8 10 Philadelphia Union 25
Goal Differential (GD) Ranking:
From -8 to -2, the Impact have scored more goals with some good defending and excellent goalkeeping. Troy Perkins has won all 3 games with the Montreal Impact, including 2 shutouts.
Actual Rank Goals Differential Rank Club GD 1 1 Sporting Kansas City 9 3 2 Houston Dynamo 8 2 3 New York Red Bulls 7 4 4 D.C. United 6 5 5 Chicago Fire 2 7 6 Columbus Crew 2 6 7 Montreal Impact -2 9 8 New England Revolution -5 8 9 Philadelphia Union -5 10 10 Toronto FC -17
Fewest Disciplinary Points: When the going gets tough..
(For the Disciplinary Points System, click here)
Updated through games of August 26, 2012
A 50-point jump since the first MLS Tie Breaker articleBoston cop arresting woman on bus - screenshot/YouTube
A tense situation in Boston came to a peaceful resolution when a Boston police officer holstered his service weapon during a struggle with a black woman on a bus after he listened to bystanders pleading with him to “drop the gun.”
In a video posted on YouTube Friday night, the officer can be seen struggling with the woman near the end of the bus –reportedly over a petty theft charge — and quickly drawing his gun as bystanders scrambled to get out of the way.
With multiple witnesses filming the altercation on their cell phones, bystanders can be heard yelling “drop the gun,” “officer, please put down the gun” as the cop can be seen looking back at them and seeing he is being recorded.
After holstering his weapon, the officer continues to attempt to control the woman who flails at him while climbing up on bus seats in an attempt to get away.
Witnesses can heard pleading with her “sister, chill out” and “relax,” saying “we’re here for you.”
Another officer enters the bus and — after initially reaching for his weapon causing more calls to “put down the gun” — takes control of the woman who continues to attempt to twist away as bystanders continue to tell her to stop resisting, saying they have filmed the whole altercation.
Watch the video below, uploaded to YouTube by BoomNation Station:Obama’s aggressive turn to Asia
24 November 2011
Obama’s tour through Asia last week marked a turning point in geopolitics. On every front—diplomatic, economic and strategic—the US president set course for a confrontation with China as he sought to reassert untrammelled American dominance in the fastest growing region of the globe.
At the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Honolulu, Obama launched the Trans Pacific Partnership—a pact designed to ensure regional trade is conducted on Washington’s terms. In Canberra, he announced the basing of US Marines in northern Australia, along with greater use of Australian air and naval bases—the first American military expansion into Asia since the end of the Vietnam War. At the East Asia Summit in Bali, despite China’s opposition, Obama marshalled the support of South East Asian countries to force a discussion on the South China Sea—territorially-disputed waters of vital strategic and economic interest to China.
In his keynote speech to the Australian parliament, Obama made explicit his foreign policy shift to Asia. After a decade of fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, he explained, “the United States is turning our attention to the vast potential of the Asia Pacific region.” Obama announced he had made “a deliberate and strategic decision—as a Pacific nation, the United States will play a larger and long-term role in shaping this region and its future.”
The turn to Asia is not a recent policy decision by Obama but stems from profound shifts in the global economy that were reflected in deep dissatisfaction in American ruling circles with the strategic orientation of the George W. Bush administration. Under the guise of a “war on terror,” Bush had plunged the US into two disastrous wars that had sapped the American military, undermined US diplomacy and generated immense opposition at home.
Bipartisan backing for the wars reflected broad support in Washington for the underlying strategy—to secure US hegemony in the Middle East and Central Asia over the world’s largest energy reserves so as to be able to hold Washington’s Asian and European rivals to ransom. What had been touted as easy victories, however, turned into quagmires. Criticism mounted, especially of Bush’s failure to stem China’s growing influence in Asia.
China’s economic expansion over the past decade has been bound up with a major restructuring of manufacturing processes following the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis. Increasingly the East Asian and South East Asian economies became integrated into supply chains centred on production in China. Between 2000 and 2010, annual Chinese trade with the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) jumped from $39.4 billion to $292.8 billion. These economic processes found their reflection in regional free trade deals and in China’s growing clout in regional forums such as ASEAN, ASEAN+3 and the East Asian Summit—gatherings either to which the US did not belong or which it did not attend.
The installation of Obama as president was backed by powerful sections of the American foreign policy establishment as the means of extricating the US from Iraq and Afghanistan and mounting an aggressive drive into the economically-dynamic Asian Pacific region. Amid the 2008-09 global financial crisis, Obama initially had to placate China—with top US officials travelling to Beijing to urge “America’s banker” to buy more US bonds.
That phase quickly passed, however. The Obama administration signed ASEAN’s Treaty of Amity and Cooperation—something Bush refused to countenance—and gained admittance to the ASEAN-based forums. In July 2009, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared at the ASEAN summit that the US was “back in South East Asia.” At an ASEAN gathering a year later, she asserted that the US had a “national interest” in the regional disputes in the South China Sea, prompting China’s foreign minister Yang Jiechi to declare her remarks to be “virtually an attack on China.” US diplomatic efforts have been directed not just toward established allies, but to prising countries like Burma from China’s sphere of influence.
As in the Middle East, the Obama administration’s overwhelming focus in Asia has been on strengthening the US military posture. Over the past two years, it has upgraded strategic and military ties throughout the region, particularly with Japan, India and Australia. The US has provided warships to the Philippines, held unprecedented joint exercises with Vietnam, based a new generation of littoral combat ships in Singapore, announced a huge new weapons sale to Taiwan and lifted the ban on US collaboration with Indonesia’s notorious Kopassus special forces. Last year, the Obama administration backed Japan in its tense standoff with China over the arrest of a Chinese fishing boat captain in disputed waters, provocatively declaring that the US would be obliged under treaty arrangements to support Japan in any conflict.
The Pentagon’s strategy remains centred on controlling energy supplies. However, rather than seeking to bring the Middle East completely under its political sway, the US is counting on its military muscle to dominate China’s vital shipping routes for energy and raw materials from the Middle East and Africa through key choke points—above all the Malacca Strait—to the South China Sea. These plans recall the way in which the US exploited its naval power to impose an oil blockade on Japan in 1941, triggering a chain of events that led to the Pacific War.
The intensity of the US drive into Asia is underscored by two significant political casualties. For all Obama’s talks of “democracy,” his administration has brooked no opposition, even from close US allies. The White House had a hand in the resignation of Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama in June 2010 and one month later in the Labor Party coup that ousted Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Hatoyama’s “crime” was to oppose the retention of a key US base on Okinawa. Rudd’s was to offer to facilitate an easing of tensions between the US and China. Both were replaced by staunchly pro-US figures.
The driving force behind this dangerous confrontation is the relative economic decline of US imperialism and the rise of China. The US is recklessly wielding its military power to compensate for its economic weakness as it seeks to retain global dominance. Despite the staggering indices of its economic growth, China is wracked by economic and social contradictions—above all, the explosive development of the Chinese working class. Beijing can no more afford to make concessions to Washington, than the US can cede an Asian sphere of influence to China. These tensions have been magnified by the worsening global economic crisis, as each power seeks to shore up its position at the other’s expense.
Some astute bourgeois commentators are already drawing the historical parallels. In an article last Friday, Financial Times editor Lionel Barber explained: “Throughout the ages, the failure to accommodate rising powers—or rather the failure of rising powers to accommodate the existing state system—had been the source of conflict.” After pointing to the world wars sparked by the rise of Germany and Japan, he warned of the “risks of mutual miscalculation” by the US and China. Barber appealed for a modern day Klemens von Metternich to adjust relations between the Pacific powers, as the Austrian prince did in Europe following the Napoleonic wars.
The nineteenth century, however, was a different historic period. The epoch of imperialism that erupted in August 1914 has been marked by two world wars and now the threat of an even more devastating catastrophe. The only means for averting war is to abolish its root cause—the profit system and the division of the world into rival capitalist nation states. The International Committee of the Fourth International is the only political force that seeks to unify, educate and mobilise the international working class for that historic task.
Peter Symonds
Peter Symonds1. Tel Aviv is small
Tel Aviv is one of those cities that’s very much a city (it’s got nightlife, 24/7 shops, plenty of options for every type of resident) but it’s also very much like a village. The city is walkable when it’s not sweltering hot outside, and it’s certainly not very hard to get around. It’s one of those small cities with a big city heart—where you just might run into your friends at the same cafe or patio bar.
2. Tel Aviv is BIG
While its’ population and size may be small, its’ heart & soul is certainly big. Despite its small city feeling, Tel Aviv gets a whole range of amazing live music gigs from around the world. This summer, bands the likes of The XX, PSY (Gangam Style, hey!) and Alicia Keys all have upcoming gigs in Tel Aviv.
3. The nightlife, OMG, the nightlife!
With a famously hedonistic society, Tel Aviv knows how to have a good time. Forgetting about their surroundings and ignoring everything outside “the bubble” is practically a past-time for Tel Avivians. Just imagine a city full of clubs with top-notch DJs that doesn’t seem to have a single care in the world. Then throw in a hot climate, some scantily-clad men & women and one of the Mediterranean’s prettiest beaches—and you’ve got Tel Aviv. It also helps that with such a beautiful climate, much of the nightlife happens outside or on rooftops (or even the beach).
4. 24-hour city
There’s something special about a city where you can buy sushi at 4 a.m. In Tel Aviv, there are several places to buy sushi in the middle of the night. (I quite like the kiosk at Allenby & Rothschild).
5. So much art
With seemingly endless galleries to visit, a handful of world-class museums (I’m partial to the Design Museum), Tel Aviv seems to attract many creative and inspirational artists. Many of Israel’s art students base themselves in Tel Aviv following graduation. Add in some international flair and you’ve got all the ingredients for an art hub. If you’re looking for the latest on art galleries in Tel Aviv, check out the Oh So Arty blog & Facebook page.
6. The food, glorious food
What is it about the Middle East and why is their food so damn good?! I’m not sure if it’s the spices, the fresh ingredients or the unique mix of flavors, but whatever it is — it’s delicious and I want it in my tummy. Tel Aviv is as popular for its international cuisine (for some reason, Tel Avivians love their sushi), but there are plenty of Israeli and Middle Eastern restaurants in the city worth checking out. And don’t think it’s all just shawarma and falafel. There’s also shakshuka, burekas, sabich, scnitzel, salads and so much more. Tel Avivians also seem to follow chefs as if they’re celebrities, and you’ll hear many names being dropped at the table. If restaurants aren’t necessarily you’re thing, EatWith is a popular service in Tel Aviv where you can pay to join a meal with some locals.
7. The beach, obviously
There’s something special about a city with sand, sea and skyscrapers. National Geographic even named Tel Aviv one of the top 10 beach cities in the world this year. Plus, the beach promenade is such an awesome pedestrian space whether you’re into people-watching, jogging, or gulping down a cheap falafel sandwich.
8. Shopping and style
Tel Avivians may not be the most stylish (they live on a beach, remember?), but that doesn’t mean the city isn’t home to some of the region’s best fashion. Tel Aviv straddles the Middle East and Europe — not quite as on the edge as Istanbul, but with the city’s cosmopolitan feeling and laid-back, live-life atmosphere, Tel Avivians know how to shop. It’s not the cheapest place in the world, but with Europe’s hottest fashion chains and a number of boutique shops (try Shenkin Street), Tel Aviv definitely has its own sense of style.
9. Where two boys can hold hands
Thanks to propaganda and much forward planning, Tel Aviv has transformed itself into one of the world’stop-rated, gay-friendly cities. While Israel still doesn’t recognize a lot of rights for their LGBT citizens (among other groups), Tel Aviv itself is a safe and fun place to be gay. There are only just a few gay bars and clubs, but there’s always something to do every night. And walking down the street, you’re more than likely to publicly spot gay and lesbian couples in Tel Aviv.
10. Cold Coffee
This may seem like a strange thing to love about a city, but Tel Aviv seriously knows how to make a great cup of cold coffee. In the Middle East, it’s almost necessary, and Tel Aviv offers up two varieties: a cold coffee (espresso with milk over ice) or a frappe-like coffee milkshake. You can’t go wrong with either when it’s sweltering hot outside.
11. Bikes everywhere
Despite the hot, hot, hot weather, Tel Avivians still manage to get up on their bikes. Probably because most people are going out in the evening anyways. Parties don’t start until late, and with a bike-rental system, getting around Tel Aviv is relatively easy.Advertisement Baby, young mother found dead in Millvale Medical examiner says cause and manner of death pending for both Share Shares Copy Link Copy
A young woman and her infant son were found dead in their home at the Chrismar Apartments, in Millvale, on Friday morning.The medical examiner has identified the woman as 22-year-old Sara Kessler and her son as 10-month-old Casey Kessler.The medical examiner says the cause and manner of death for Sara Kessler are pending.VIDEO: Watch Bob Hazen's updateKessler and her baby were found by Kessler's brother Matt Knaus.Police said there was no sign of foul play. Sources told Pittsburgh's Action News 4 reporter Marcie Cipriani that the woman may have overdosed, and her baby likely starved following her death."She was found in the bedroom on the bed. Unknown causes at this time. She's a very young girl; 22 years old. She lived there alone with her baby," Allegheny County assistant police superintendent Jim Morton said. "The baby was found in the living room. It looked like he was trying to get around somehow by himself for who knows how long."Police said Kessler's apartment was the only apartment occupied on the building's second floor, so if Casey cried, it's likely no one would have heard him."Can you imagine a little baby, laying there not knowing," said Stacey Burns, who came to the neighborhood to visit a friend.According to investigators, they were found dead when the woman's brother went to the apartment to check on them.Police said Kessler's mother died of natural causes, in the same apartment, in November.One of Kessler's friends, Amma Berman, responded to the tragedy on Facebook."Sara was the greatest friend anyone could ask for," said Berman. "She put everyone before herself and her son before everyone. She would never allow anything bad to happen to Casey.""She was an extremely strong woman who had challenges thrown her way left and right."The Boston Bruins missed the playoffs for a second straight year after going 8-8-2 following the Trade Deadline and 3-8-1 in the team’s final 12 games. During that final stretch, the team was ranked 5th in score-adjusted shot percent (54.5%), but last in total points accumulated (7). The Bruins HockeyViz diagram shows an accurate picture of the team’s struggles to end the season. While the Bruins largely dominated shot attempt percentages towards the end of the season and were very effective in limiting their opponent’s shot attempts (shown via the smoothed 5v5 shots*/60 chart), they struggled heavily to prevent goals during that same stretch (shown via the smoothed goals/shot-on-goal (%) chart). An obvious roster flaw was exposed by opponents and cost them a playoff appearance.
There is a big difference between a team making the playoffs and a team competing for the Stanley Cup. Had the Bruins rallied in the final week to make the playoffs, they would have struggled mightily against either Tampa Bay or Washington, who were the Bruin’s most likely first round opponents in the final weeks of the regular season. More importantly, the team would still have to address serious roster flaws. The defensive core was patched together this season and depth in the right wing and goaltender positions was a concern. The Bruins management cannot fixate on patching up the roster, but overhauling the system and bringing in pieces that can make contributions. Staying on the same path will prevent them from being a Stanley Cup contender both in the foreseeable future and further down the line.
In his first year as an NHL General Manager, Don Sweeney struggled. He seemed to get bullied around by more experienced general managers. Many moves cost the Bruins future draft picks, prospects, and the cap flexibility to make impactful moves at the trade deadline. In addition, he made wrong decisions on player personnel regarding who was important to the team’s success and who could be expendable. In comparison, the Chicago Blackhawks uncanny ability to identify the key players to their success has allowed them to contend for the Stanley Cup for almost the past decade.
There are a number of questionable decisions that have transformed the team into its current state and in hindsight, have made the media and fans waiver in their trust in the management team. Going forward, realizing how they fell into these holes will help avoid making further mistakes and will take steps in righting the ship.
2015 NHL Entry Draft (6/26-6/27/15)
Sweeney made big moves at the 2015 Draft shipping Dougie Hamilton and fan favorite Milan Lucic out of town. Hamilton, who wanted out of Boston, fetched a return of a 2015 1st round pick (15th overall) and two 2015 2nd round picks (picks 45 and 52 overall). While the combination of the three draft picks almost guarantees at least one NHL player, Boston got somewhat of an underwhelming return on the up and coming defenseman in Hamilton.
For Lucic, Boston received a 2015 1st round draft pick (13th overall), goaltender Martin Jones, and defenseman Colin Miller. Shortly after the draft, Boston then flipped Jones to San Jose for a 2016 1st round pick (lowest possible is 29th overall with the Sharks advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals) and forward prospect Sean Kuraly. This was a solid return for Boston with Lucic having one year left on his contract before heading to free agency.
With their own 14th overall pick, Boston then possessed three straight picks from #13 to #15. It was highly rumored that the Bruins were trying to package their 2015 first round draft picks along with other draft picks and prospects to move up to snag one of the top three ranked defensemen in the year’s draft. The top defensemen were Noah Hanifin (taken 5th overall by Carolina), Ivan Provorov (taken 7th overall by Philadelphia), and Zach Werenski (taken 8th overall by Columbus). The Bruins were unable to move up, either because Sweeney felt the price was unreasonable or the team’s above Boston weren’t interested in moving their picks.
With their picks, they selected defenseman Jakub Zboril, forward Jake DeBrusk, and forward Zach Senyshyn. Zboril, a 6’2 defenseman, was a solid pick as he’s labeled as a shutdown defenseman with a lot of upside that fits the organization’s number one need. DeBrusk, a talented two-way scorer, was projected to go in the late first round and Senyshyn, a talented forward who succeeded in a limited role on his junior team, was projected to go in the middle to late of the second round. The Bruins were highly criticized of reaching for these two forwards when there were better players still available.
It is important to recognize that the public doesn’t know how other team’s valued DeBrusk and Senyshyn but it was very possible that Boston could’ve selected another player in the first round and used one of their three second round selections to snag either DeBrusk or Senyshyn. If the organization was sold on these individual players, they could’ve taken a calculated risk in trading down the draft board to acquire another prospect or draft pick then making their draft selection.
The reason this was very plausible is because of the forwards still available. Matthew Barzal, Kyle Connor, and Colin White were all ranked much higher and are all around more talented players. After the Bruins passed on Barzal, the New York Islanders capitalized on him being still available by acquiring the Edmonton Oilers’ 16th overall pick in addition to the 33rd overall pick in exchange for defenseman Griffin Reinhart. Reinhart has split time between the NHL and the minors but is projected to be an everyday defenseman within the next few years. He may not have been the perfect fit with Boston but this transaction gives a good idea of the type of player that the Bruins could have gotten if they decided to move down in the draft.
To sum up the draft, the Bruins traded away two key roster players and didn’t add anyone who would be able to make an immediate impact to the club. All three of their first round selections are a minimum two to three years away from making their NHL debuts. After the third straight selection, Sweeney spoke with Kathryn Tappen and said he had tried to move up higher but when that didn’t work out, they were comfortable with the players they wanted to select. While I’m sure talks must have occurred, he didn’t specifically mention the possibility of moving down in the draft. Even though Sweeney drafted the players he wanted to, he poorly managed the draft. In this day and age, you can’t leave talented players on the board to draft players you could have gotten twenty picks later and expect to be successful. Boston should have looked harder to move down the draft board to acquire other assets and still been able to draft the players they wanted.
Trade: F Zac Rinaldo for 2017 3rd round pick (6/29/15)
The Bruins followed up the draft by making one of the most puzzling trades in recent memory. They acquired forward Zac Rinaldo from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a 2017 3rd round draft pick. Rinaldo, who is more known across the league for his goon-antics than his actual ability to play hockey, was likely brought in to help reestablish the aggressiveness lost in dealing away Lucic and not resigning Shawn Thornton the year prior. While Rinaldo plays an aggressive game, he often crosses the line getting penalties or even suspended. This past season proved right for Rinaldo critics as in 52 NHL games, he only recorded one goal and three total points and became the first player to get suspended from the NHL and AHL at the same time, racking up 13 total games suspended.
There is no way to sugarcoat Rinaldo’s performance; he doesn’t positively impact his team in any way. Most of his performance tiers shown on his HERO Chart are off the chart in a negative way meaning he doesn’t even qualify as a 4th line NHL player. In addition, his teammates benefit without him on the ice and he has a projected relative goal differential per 60 minutes of ice time of –0.60. Every time he steps on the ice, he is a liability to his team.
It is very confusing why the Bruins acquired such a negative impact player let alone gave up a 3rd round draft pick for him. Historically speaking, there is about a 30% chance that a 3rd-round draft pick will result in an NHL player (“NHL Player” defined as playing 50+ career NHL games). In the past calendar year, a number of players have been traded in a one for one trade for a 3rd round draft pick. This group includes forwards Shane Prince and Teddy Purcell and defensemen Eric Gelinas, Justin Schultz, and Mike Weber. While none of these players are considered top-end talent, the return for a 3rd round pick is much higher than what the Bruins received and would benefit the Bruins much more than Rinaldo is able to.
What may have hurt the Bruins the most is the fact that Rinaldo took up a roster spot. I’ll get to why this came to hurt the Bruins down the line.
Trade: F Reilly Smith and Marc Savard’s Contract for F Jimmy Hayes (7/1/15)
On the first day of free agency, the Bruins traded forward Reilly Smith and Marc Savard’s contract (concussions forced Savard to retire but his contract is still on the books) to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Boston native Jimmy Hayes. This was another awful trade for the Bruins as Hayes struggled in his hometown while Smith flourished in Florida (while Florida got eliminated in 6 games by the Islanders in the first round of the playoffs, Smith posted seven points at even strength and still leads the league in P/60. In the regular season, Smith was ranked 46th of 125 forwards with a 1.90 P/60 (minimum 1000 TOI)).
Smith experienced a decrease in production in 2014-2015 after scoring 20 goals and recording 50 points the prior year for Boston. Bruins management must not have felt he would be able to rebound so they looked to move their asset. Another thought process could have been that had Smith rebounded back to score 20+ goals again, he would be expensive to resign when his contract is up in 2017 (RFA status). With the average salary for a player who scores 20 goals in a given season around $4.5M, the Bruins would likely have an increased cap hit on Smith’s next contract (his current cap hit is at $3.425). Similarly, Lucic was dealt with the team’s long-term future in mind as the Bruins likely wouldn’t be able to afford to resign him after the 2015-2016 season.
In addition, there was no necessity for the Bruins to get rid of Savard’s contract ($4M cap hit for two seasons at time of the trade) as he could be placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) to free up cap space for which the contract was valued at. The contract was heavily front-loaded so the team only owed him a total of $1.15M in the final two years of the contract. As the Bruins are one of the wealthiest teams in the league, there is no reason why they couldn’t have afforded to keep Savard on the books for the final two seasons of his contract (assuming ownership didn’t step in and say the contract had to go).
Trading Smith was another example of the Bruins organization struggling to determine who was crucial to the team’s success and who they could move on from without faltering. Replacing Smith with Hayes on the depth chart heavily hurt the Bruins this past season. This is nothing new to this management team, as in the past, the team has dealt away Tyler Seguin and Johnny Boychuk without being able to effectively replace their production in the lineup.
D Matt Irwin Signed as Free Agent (7/10/15)
On the second week of free agency, the Bruins signed former University of Massachusetts – Amherst defenseman Matt Irwin to a 1 year, $800,000 contract. Irwin made the team out of training camp with the help of injuries to captain Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg. Irwin struggled in the first two games of the season recording zero points and posting a –5 +/- before getting sent down to the minor league for the rest of the season.
This was a low risk signing with the Bruins as it was only for one season and worth less than one million dollars, but there were better and even cheaper depth options available for the Bruins. David Schlemko, who I wrote about last summer, didn’t sign a contract with New Jersey until the middle of September. Schelmko didn’t play great (40% GF%, –7% GF%Rel) in a depth role that sheltered him from the opposition’s top players but he led the team in possession (49.0% CF%, +3.6% CF%Rel) and chipped in 19 points (12 on power play). Statistically, there were better options available than paying Irwin $800,000 to play in the American Hockey League.
With Irwin down in the minors, this poor signing left the Bruins with little depth on the blue line. To patch this up, Boston would have to pay a price to acquire an adequate defenseman to fill in the spot. I’ll come back to this in a minute.
Trade: 2016 4th round pick and 2017 2nd round pick for F Lee Stempniak (2/29/16)
As trades begin to trickle in following the 2016 NHL Trade Deadline, the Bruins finalized a deal acquiring forward Lee Stempniak from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a 2016 4th round pick and a 2017 2nd round pick (the combination of a 2nd and a 4th round picks results in a 57% chance of converting the picks into at least one NHL player and a 10% chance of converting both picks into NHL players). While Stempniak was the impact player the Bruins needed to add to help make a playoff run, the backstory made the trade frustrating.
Stempniak became an unrestricted free agent last summer and hadn’t signed a deal in early July like many of his free agent peers do. As he lives in Boston during the offseason, Stempniak spent the summer and fall practicing informally with many current Bruins. Eventually, both the Bruins and the Devils offered Stempniak a tryout. As we all know now, Stempniak chose New Jersey’s tryout as he felt he had a better chance to make their team. His gamble paid off as he earned a spot on the team’s opening day roster. He signed a 1-year, $850,000 contract with New Jersey and led the team in scoring before getting dealt at the Trade Deadline.
The main reason why the Bruins didn’t and couldn’t offer Stempniak a contract is because they had no open slot for him on the roster. In particular, Rinaldo took up the final roster spot. Had the Bruins not traded for Rinaldo, they could’ve brought Stempniak in on a tryout contract then signed him for a cheap deal at the start of the season. Not trading for Rinaldo and signing Stempniak as a free agent in September would have saved the Bruins three draft picks (a 2016 4th round pick, a 2017 2nd round pick and a 2017 3rd round pick) and would’ve provided the Bruins with a much more impactful player who could help either the second or third lines.
These three draft picks were wasted and could have easily been retained had management made smarter hockey decisions. With the Bruins’ current status of being on the outside of the playoff picture looking in and having a plethora of organizational needs, possessing draft picks is very crucial. More importantly, using the draft picks wisely is the difference between a team rebuilding within a few seasons or continuing to struggle to stay afloat. Whether the Bruins used the picks themselves to draft prospects to help them down the line or they packaged them for a roster player that could help them in the near future, every move has to positively impact the team.
Trade: 2016 3rd round pick, 2017 5th round pick, and prospect Anthony Camara for D John-Michael Liles (2/29/16)
The Bruins made a second move at the Trade Deadline acquiring defenseman John-Michael Liles from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a 2016 3rd round pick, a 2017 5th round pick, and prospect Anthony Camara. The combination of a 3rd and a 5th round draft pick results in a 45% chance of at least one draft pick resulting in an NHL player and an 8% chance of both draft picks resulting in an NHL player.
This move backfired for the Bruins as he wasn’t able to be effective in a depth role (42% GF%, –9% GF%Rel) and was even scratched in multiple must-win games for the Bruins to qualify for the playoffs.
Acquiring Liles at the Trade deadline was a panic move to patch up the defensive core. Liles was acquired as a rental player as he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer with no guarantee that he’ll be back in Boston. Anyways, he never fit in the Bruins long-term plans as he turns 36 in November and the defense needs to get younger and more mobile.
The package the Bruins gave up for Liles was an expensive price to pay for a third pairing defenseman that couldn’t be relied upon in the season’s final stretch. Had the Bruins properly addressed their shallow defensive core in the past summer, they wouldn’t have had to make this rash move to keep their team in the hunt for a playoff spot.
Conclusion
In conclusion, moves made by Bruins management in the past year have resulted in a weaker team on the ice and the loss of numerous draft picks which should have been used to help rebuild the team. Going into this summer’s draft, the Bruins possess seven draft picks but only three in the first four rounds. They have traded away three of their own draft picks for this upcoming draft and have already traded away three draft picks for the 2017 draft (highest in the league). To right the ship, the Bruins will need to start making smarter and more calculated decisions for both their roster and draft preparation.
Follow Steve Ness on Twitter: @QuickkNess
All data from HockeyViz.com, War-On-Ice.com, Own the Puck, TSN.ca, and NHL.com.
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Their flavors are well-crafted, and they don't slather on tons of sweetener into their mixes.
They included some nice goodies into my order (rubber grippy strips for atomizer disassembly), and also included a 12 ml sample bottle, fo' free. They put up weekly sales for a few specific flavors on their facebook page. So check them out on social media before you buy.
I've only tried a few of their flavors (Apricot Custard & Very Vanilla Custard), but both were very nice. Shipping was prompt.
Will definitely shop here again.
Leaving my review for "Very Vanilla Custard" here, since there's no entry for it yet. (Moderators, please move this portion if the flavor page gets created or if this is inappropriate, thanks!)
I let my bottle steep for 6 months before trying it.
The beginning of the inhale is rather bland, tasting like a generic slightly smoky vapor. As the heat rises, the custard flavor definitely kicks in, and it becomes rather intense. I'm getting a lot of custard note, and it tastes almost caramelized or smoky/acrid at the end of the inhale, sort of how the sugar on a creme brulee is a bit bitter/smoky. Some vanilla is present during the inhale, but pretty light in the mix. This portion of the vape reminds me a lot of having a cigarette after a meal where it sort of'sears in' your tastebuds.
The exhale is smooth aftertaste of custard note with that nice vanilla becoming more prominent, and there's also some slight creaminess that comes into play. The vanilla flavor is definitely more present in the exhale, and I think that's what makes it so smooth.
The custard that's present throughout this vape is not eggy or oily -- it's somewhat dry tasting, slightly acrid, but in a pleasant way.
I don't get much mouthfeel or creamy texture with this liquid, and what's there only shows up at the exhale, which is a shame. If it were a bit |
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In August 2012, just before India's 65th Independence Day, Outlook India, one of the country's most widely circulated print magazines, published the results of a blockbuster poll it had conducted with its readership. Who, after "the Mahatma," was the greatest Indian to have walked the country's soil? The Mahatma at the center of this smarmy question was, of course, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.
There's nothing surprising about the fact that Outlook passed this assumption off as truth. Gandhi has become the obvious, no-duh barometer for Indian greatness, if not greatness in general. After all, who doesn't like Gandhi? We've come to know him as this frail, nobly malnourished old man with a purely moral, pious soul. He's a guy who ushered in a new grammar of nonviolent resistance to India, a country he helped escape the constraints of British imperial rule. He soldiered through some valiant hunger strikes until a Hindu nationalist shot, killed, and effectively martyred him.
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My maternal grandfather went to jail with Gandhi in 1933, so I grew up knowing this myth was cobbled together from half-truths. My grandfather took the lessons he'd learned in jail to begin an ashram in the bowels of West Bengal. As a consequence, my parents raised me with an intimate understanding of Gandhi that teetered between laudatory and critical. My family adored him, though we never really bought into the idea that he single-handedly orchestrated India's independence movement. This is to say nothing of Gandhi's bigotry, which we didn't touch in our household. In the decades since his assassination in 1948, the image of Gandhi has been constructed so carefully, scrubbed clean of its grimy details, that it's easy to forget that he predicated his rhetoric on anti-blackness, a vehement allergy to female sexuality, and a general unwillingness to help liberate the Dalit, or "untouchable," caste.
Gandhi lived in South Africa for over two decades, from 1893 to 1914, working as a lawyer and fighting for the rights of Indians—and only Indians. To him, as he expressed quite plainly, black South Africans were barely human. He referred to them using the derogatory South African slur kaffir. He lamented that Indians were considered "little better, if at all, than savages or the Natives of Africa." In 1903, he declared that the "white race in South Africa should be the predominating race." After getting thrown in jail in 1908, he scoffed at the fact that Indians were classed with black, not white, prisoners. Some South African activists have thrust these parts of Gandhi's thinking back into the spotlight, as did a book published this past September by two South African academics, but they've barely made a dent on the American cultural consciousness beyond the concentric circles of Tumblr.
Gandhi in South Africa. Photo via Wikimedia Commons
Around this same time, Gandhi began cultivating the misogyny he'd carry with him for the rest of his life. During his years in South Africa, he once responded to a young man's sexual harassment of two of Gandhi's female followers by forcibly cutting the girls' hair short to make sure they didn't invite any sexual attention. (Michael Connellan, writing in the Guardian, carefully explained that Gandhi felt women surrendered their humanity the minute men raped them.) He operated under the assumption that men couldn't control their basic predatory impulses while simultaneously asserting that women were responsible for—and completely at the mercy of—these impulses. His views on female sexuality were similarly deplorable; according to Rita Banerji, writing in Sex and Power, Gandhi viewed menstruation as the "manifestation of the distortion of a woman's soul by her sexuality." He also believed the use of contraceptives was the sign of whoredom.
He confronted this inability to control male libido head-on when he vowed celibacy (without discussing it with his wife) back in India, and using women—including some underage girls, like his grand-niece—to test his sexual patience. He'd sleep naked next to them in bed without touching them, making sure he didn't get aroused; these women were props to coax him into celibacy.
It's easy to forget Gandhi predicated his rhetoric on anti-blackness, a vehement allergy to female sexuality, and a general unwillingness to help liberate the "untouchable" caste.
Kasturba, Gandhi's wife, was perhaps his most frequent punching bag. "I simply cannot bear to look at Ba's face," he once gushed about her, because she was caring for him while he was sick. "The expression is often like that on the face of a meek cow and gives one the feeling as a cow occasionally does, that in her own dumb manner she is saying something." An apologist's response to this, of course, would claim that cows are sacred beings in Hinduism—and so Gandhi's likening of his wife to a cow was really a veiled compliment. Or, perhaps, we could chalk it up to mere marital annoyance. When Kasturba came down with pneumonia, Gandhi denied her penicillin, even though doctors said it would cure her; he insisted the new medicine was an alien substance her body should not take in. She succumbed to the sickness and died in 1944. Just years later, perhaps realizing the grave mistake he'd made, he willfully took quinine to treat his own malaria. He survived.
There's a Western impulse to view Gandhi as the quiet annihilator of caste, a characterization that's categorically false. He viewed the emancipation of Dalits as an untenable goal, and felt that they weren't worth a separate electorate. He insisted, instead, that Dalits remain complacent, waiting for a turn that history never gave them. Dalits continue to suffer from the direct results of prejudices sewn into the cultural fabric of India.
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History, as Arundhati Roy wrote in last year's seminal essay "The Doctor and the Saint," has been unbelievably kind to Gandhi. This has given us the latitude to brush off his prejudices as mere imperfections, small marks on clean hands. Apologists will insist that Gandhi was flawed and human. Perhaps they'll morph his prejudices into something positive, proof that he was just like us! Or another type of rhetorical defection: the argument that illuminating Gandhi's prejudices demonstrates how Americans harbor a sick fascination with India's problems, as if Western writers are obsessed with concocting social ills for the subcontinent out of thin air.
These are the mental gymnastics we engage in when we're eager to mythologize. The vile traits Gandhi exhibited persist in Indian society at large today—virulent anti-blackness, a blasé disregard for women's bodies, careful myopia around the piss-poor treatment of Dalits. It's not a coincidence that these very strains of Gandhi's rhetoric have been stamped out of his legacy.
But how do you live up to a ridiculous sobriquet like "the greatest Indian"? This is a colossal burden to place upon anyone—to dub him the greatest person to hail from a country that's home to billions of people. Creating a false idol involves a great deal of forgetting. It's easy to slobber over a man who didn't really exist.The Walker Art Center truly did go to the cats, and the world meowed its approval.
On Thursday, Aug. 30, more than 10,000 folks turned up for the outdoor Internet Cat Video Festival at the museum’s Open Field area. Organizers had expected 2,500 to 3,000.
By Friday afternoon, the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, the Huffington Post, Slate.com, Buzzfeed and Mashable had all contributed articles to the viral purrs going around the Internet.
And those stories were shared hundreds of times on Facebook and Twitter.
“Internet cat video stories galore today,” wrote technology journalist and former New York Times “Bits” blogger Verne Kopytoff. “Bigger than Pinterest + Instagram. Insert cat pun here.”
Even the website of the venerable Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., wrote: “It is the dawn of a new era. … A reputable institution has accepted that ridiculous cat videos may count as art.”
The Walker had said it wanted to find out if the solo act of watching Internet videos could become a live social event. It certainly did.
The turnout exceeded the Walker’s expectations “in every single way,” said Rachel Joyce, assistant director of public relations.
Viewers filled the hillside seating area and spilled behind the screen into the Sculpture Garden.
And the audience itself exceeded expectations, Joyce said.
“They laughed in unison; they awww’d in unison,” she said. “At times, it was so quiet you could hear a yarn ball drop.”
She said the crowd was a mix of ages, men and women, and most people arrived in groups.
Some came with their cats, which were welcome. There were cats in carriers, but “lots of owners just carried their cats throughout the night, like they really wanted their cats to soak it all in,” Joyce said.
One person was even spotted wheeling her feline friends around in a double stroller.
On Friday, that original Internet-to-real-life theory came full circle in the form of a wildly approving crowd on social media.
Singer-actress Mandy Moore tweeted, “This literally made my day. Genius!”
“Bravo!” chimed in Dr. Marty Booker, the veterinarian seen frequently on “Good Morning America.”
The hourlong program of videos was chosen by Walker program assistant Katie Hill from more than 10,000 submissions.
William Brandon, creator of “Henri 2, Paw de Deux,” about an angst-ridden French-speaking feline, took home the event’s Golden Kitty award, chosen by online voters. The video will air on Animal Planet’s “My Cat From Hell” at 7 p.m. Sept. 8.
Henri, the star of the video, was gaining lots of fans Friday. Joanne Manaster, a biology lecturer at the University of Illinois, called him “brilliant” on Twitter; BBC News presenter Alex Lovell proclaimed the cat “very funny.”
So will the event that drew 10,000 video submissions and 10,000 spectators return to the Land of 10,000 Lakes?
“We haven’t even talked about it yet,” Joyce said Friday. “We’re just in shock.”
Kathy Berdan contributed to this report. Amy Carlson Gustafson can be reached at 651-228-5561. Follow her at twitter.com/ amygustafson.
WATCH THE VIDEOS
You can watch cat videos from the event at youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC0B137D835A3C970.Lauren Loftus/KJZZ Talking Stick Resort Arena in downtown Phoenix.
Phoenix city leaders have given the green light for a consultant to consider hockey at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The downtown venue, home to the Phoenix Suns basketball team, was actually the Arizona Coyotes' first stop when the team arrived in 1996. The Coyotes moved to Glendale in 2003. Now, one councilman wants to know what it would take to bring hockey back.
It was a short item, just a single paragraph, on last Wednesday's 330-page agenda. It called for the council to approve $75,000 for Barrett Sports Group LLC to evaluate the downtown arena.
There was no mention of hockey until Councilman Michael Nowakowski, who represents downtown, asked, “I was just wondering if there’s a possibility for them to actually look into if we had a hockey team what that would look like and what extra expenses would it take to have a hockey arena and a hockey team located there, if we remodeled the arena and brought it up to date.”
City Manager Ed Zuercher said the contract was originally intended to asses the current condition of the arena for existing tenants, but the consultant could also asses its viability for hockey. Councilman Jim Waring didn’t like that idea.
“I don’t think we should be looking at this at all,” he said. “The hockey team has an arena on the west side. I think it’s throwing our sister city a little bit under the bus for us to be doing this and I just don’t think we should be spending $75,000 on this.”
The Coyotes have been looking to leave Glendale since its City Council voided a management deal with the team.
Phoenix’s mayor has promoted the idea of building an arena that the Coyotes and Suns could share. Meanwhile, the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team is suing Maricopa County to break its lease at Chase Field in downtown Phoenix.Daoists believe that the universe is a great conduit of energy. This energy is known as dan, or elixir. Dan is said to pervade all things at all times and is the force which always nourishes the universe. Just as this energy exists in the universe, Daoists believe it exists in people, too in special areas called dantians.
During the early history of Daoism, the concept of dan energy is not clearly disseminated, but after several generations, Daoist theorists began to put together the idea that dan energy could pervade certain parts of the body and serve the function of feeding the organs and limbs with life energy.
Although early Daoism viewed dan as being a transferable energy that could be focused anywhere in the body, it eventually became known as primarily existing in three main parts of the body. These three parts are called xia (lower dantian), zhong (middle dantian), and shang (upper dantian).
“Daoists believe that the universe is a great conduit of energy.”
Most importantly, the lower abdomen, i.e. the lower dantian is considered to be the seat of dan energy in the body. This area is not a specific one, but rather a general area that contains this elixir energy. Daoists believe it can be stirred and improved by focusing the attention on the lower abdomen and breathing calmly and slowly while gradually relaxing and feeling the gradual movement of the in and out breaths as they come and go.
the three primary dantian centers in the body.
The function of this part of the body and the lower dantian is related to the concept that the kidneys and genitals are directly above and below the abdomen area. These two points are considered to be extremely important to the health of people over the course of their lives.
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The genitals are associated with reproduction and creative power, while the kidneys are held to be representative of the ability of the body to clean itself. As such, the lower dantian between these two places becomes a centre where there is a great deal of vital activity taking place which can decide the health of an individual.
When considering modern science, it is quite accurate to say that the area around the lower abdomen is indeed extremely important to the overall function of the body and mind. Not only does the area contain the majority of reproductive and digestive organs, it also contains the majority of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, hence the importance of the lower dantian area in Daoist practices.
cultivating the embryo: Daoists often refer to cultivation of the Dantian as a method of creating a divine embryo in the body. Some people believe that when this embryo is mature, it can leave the body and travel the universe. This picture is taken from Wang Changyong’s book “secret of the golden flower,” a book on the cultivation techniques of the Northern school of the Complete Reality school of Daoism.
These two parts of the autonomous nervous system take care of functions such as “fight or flight,” rest, sexuality, healing, and many other important things. They are also considered as not being consciously controllable by people, unlike the central nervous system, which to some extent can be felt and manipulated.
Daoists seem to have discovered that by simply focusing the mind and breathe on the area around the lower dantian, they can indirectly assist the function of the autonomous nervous system and improve their health and longevity.
The other two dantian are located in the centre of the chest and head. The chest is considered to be associated with breathing and the heartbeat. The head is considered to be associated mainly with the function of the brain.
I get into ways to practice with each of the dantians in my book Internal Elixir Cultivation: The Nature of Daoist Meditation, but for the time being, why not sit back in a comfortable chair, feel yourself breathing in and out, and slowly place your mind into your lower abdomen, while maintaining a light focus on the breath.
Dantian Breathing Meditation
The great master Hu Haiya told my teacher that the best way to learn dantian meditation was to sit back in a comfortable chair and simply feel the breaths coming and going from the body.
Step 1 Take a moment to sit down, lean back, close your eyes, and let the breath gradually come and go as it will.
Step 2 As you begin to relax, slowly place the feeling aspect of your mind into your lower Dantian and leave it there.
Step 3 If it moves, simply put it back, and don’t force it to do anything else.
Step 4 Stay like this for a few minutes and simply notice how it feels to breathe and keep the mind in the abdomen.
Step 5 When you are ready, gradually open your eyes and massage your face with the palms of your hands a few times.
Step 6 Observe how you feel, and repeat this practice often in order to begin building a solid foundation of relaxation and awareness from which to work
Advanced Practice With your intention, feeling, and focus, move the dan energy you’ve collected to different areas of the body as needed for energization and healing.
The following piece on Daoist dantian breathing meditation is excerpted with permission from Internal Elixir Cultivation: The Nature of Daoist Meditation by Robert James Coons, which is published by Tambuli Media. TambuliMedia.comWith intense use (I’ve made about 4,000 pictures in the last four days) I’ve discovered that the iPhone 5S is a very capable camera. The color and exposures are amazingly good, the HDR exposure feature does a stunningly good job in touch situations, the panorama feature is nothing short of amazing—seeing a panorama sweeping across the screen in real time is just intoxicating. Best of all it shoots square pictures natively, a real plus for me since I wanted to shoot for Instagram posting.
Once I figured out what the camera could do well I began to forget all the things it couldn’t do at all.
National Geographic photographer Jim Richardson took his iPhone 5s to Scotland and, after taking 4,000 photographs, called the camera on the device "very capable" with pictures that "didn’t look like I was having to settle for second best because it was a mobile phone".Apple's Phil Schiller tweeted a link to the article this evening, commenting "iPhoneography".While the iPhone 5s still uses an 8-megapixel camera, it utilizes a sensor that has a 15 percent larger surface area, which means it will produce higher quality photos in low-light conditions. It also has a 5-element lens with an aperture of f/2.2, an improvement over the iPhone 5's f/2.4 aperture and the pixels are larger, at 1.5 microns, for better light absorption. All in all, the iPhone 5s has a 33 percent increase in light sensitivity.Interested readers can follow Jim Richardson's Instagram page at @jimrichardsonng or #proofscotland from the Instagram iOS app. The full post from National Geographic's Proof blog has more images as well.Chosen by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to compete in the annual Solar Decathlon student competition, Sacramento State’s Team Solar NEST (Natural, Elegant, Sustainable, Tranquility) spent months designing and planning the Reflect Home. The 996-square-foot home was created to meet the DOE’s stringent net-zero and cost-effective requirements without sacrificing stylish and comfortable living. “The Reflect Home’s design is focused on the resident, with the intention of making the house as functional, livable, and comfortable as possible,” says the team. “The Sacramento State team believes net-zero design will achieve widespread application only when homebuyers realize that sustainability can be achieved without sacrificing accommodations.”
Inspired by local Craftsman bungalows and small mid-century ranch homes, the two-bedroom Reflect Home emphasizes indoor-outdoor living with its numerous windows and glazed accordion doors that open to the outdoor living area. Raised ceilings and an open-plan dining, living, and kitchen area create a sense of spaciousness. Each room is individually warmed and cooled by an efficient air-to-water heat pump with a ductless mini-split HVAC system.
Related: This tiny “e-mailable” solar house snaps together like a 3D puzzle without a single nail
The Reflect Home achieves it net-zero status with its airtight structural framework, high-density insulation, rooftop solar panels, and solar skylights installed above the back patio. The outdoor living area also features a rainwater-collection system with a rain barrel, as well as a living wall installation that helps protect the home from solar heat gain.
+ Reflect Home
+ Inhabitat Solar Decathlon Coverage
Images by Mike Chino for InhabitatMarch 30, 2016 Holy Synod elects Bishop Alexander of Toledo to vacant Dallas See
Metropolitan Tikhon with Bishop Alexander and the Holy Synod in St. Sergius Chapel.
The members of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America elected His Grace, Bishop Alexander of Toledo and the Bulgarian Diocese to fill the vacant See of Dallas and the South during their Spring Session here on Tuesday, March 29, 2016.
Bishop Alexander succeeds His Eminence, the late Archbishop Dmitri, who in retirement fell asleep in the Lord at the age of 87 on August 28, 2011.
A letter addressed to the clergy of the Diocese of the South, signed by His Beatitude, Metropolitan Tikhon, reads as follows.
“Dearly Beloved in the Lord: I am pleased to inform you that the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America, at its session held in Oyster Bay Cove, New York, on the Twenty-Ninth day of March in the year of Our Lord Two Thousand Sixteen, elected the His Grace, the Right Reverend Alexander, Bishop of Toledo and the Bulgarian Diocese, as Bishop of Dallas and the Diocese of the South.
“You are to immediately begin to commemorate Bishop Alexander by elevating his name at all Divine Services after that of the Primate of the Orthodox Church in America Metropolitan Tikhon, as is the approved practice of our Church.
“Bishop Alexander’s new title, as blessed by the Holy Synod, is “His Grace Alexander, Bishop of Dallas and the South” when serving in the Diocese of the South. The date and place of his installation to the See will be determined in due time.
“Assuring you of my prayers for Bishop Alexander, and for all the clergy and faithful who have been entrusted to his archpastoral care, I remain
“With love in Christ,
“+ Tikhon
“Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada”
Concurrently, a similar letter to the clergy of the Bulgarian Diocese, informing them of the election, was also issued. Bishop Alexander will continue as Bishop of Toledo and the Bulgarian Diocese. Archpastoral Letters to the faithful of the Diocese of the South and the Bulgarian Diocese and additional particulars will be posted on the OCA web site as they become available. His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon has been in contact with the administrator, chancellor and deans of the Diocese of the South on this matter.
Bishop Alexander [Golitzin] was born in Burbank, CA in 1948 and was raised at Saint Innocent Church, Tarzana, CA. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of California at Berkeley and a Master of Divinity degree from Saint Vladimir’s Seminary. He spent seven years pursuing doctoral studies at Oxford University in England under His Eminence, Metropolitan Kallistos [Ware]. During this time, he also spent two years in Greece, including one year at Simonos Petras Monastery on Mount Athos.
After receiving his D.Phil. in 1980, Bishop Alexander returned to the US. He was ordained to the diaconate in January 1982 and to the priesthood two years later. In 1986, he was tonsured to monastic orders. He served OCA missions in northern California and headed the Diocese of the West’s mission committee.
In 1989, he accepted a position with the Theology Department at Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, a position that he left at the end of April 2012. While teaching at Marquette, he had been attached to Saints Cyril and Methodius Church, Milwaukee, WI. For 22 years, he preached, taught and served at Saints Cyril and Methodius Church, and witnessed to the Gospel and to Orthodox Christian theology at Marquette University. He helped attract a dozen Orthodox Christian students to doctoral work in theology at Marquette.
In June 2010, the Bulgarian Diocese initiated a search for a candidate to succeed His Eminence, Archbishop Kirill [Yonchev], who reposed in the Lord in 2007. In October 2011, the Holy Synod of Bishops elected Archimandrite Alexander as Bishop of Toledo and the Bulgarian Diocese. He was consecrated to the episcopacy as Bishop of Toledo and the Bulgarian Diocese during a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at Saint George Cathedral, Rossford, OH on May 5, 2012.
A photo gallery can be viewed on the OCA web site and Facebook page.Think about all the instances of geese you know and love from popular culture: Mother Goose, the Drake-approved OVO x Canada Goose collab, Grey Goose (got you feelin' real loose). Take all of these warm, happy thoughts from your mind and throw them in the trash, where they belong. Because what I'm about to show you is going to change everything you know about geese.
Last weekend I went to Central Park and saw something peculiar:
I've never known geese to be violent, but this goose was mad. You can barely make out its tiny gaping mouth in this photo, but that goose is mid-hiss at the crowd that had formed around it and its goslings. You also can't see the two other goslings just out of frame in this photo, clearly left for dead by the mother goose.
And then I saw this tweet and everything just clicked for me:
geese have serrated tongues pic.twitter.com/GM0e0bFsKN — Aaron Meyers (@aarontweets) May 27, 2016
Oh my G(oose), what?! Let's take a closer look at these horrible, walking vuvuzelas:
Who allowed this to happen?
Why has God forsaken us?
I can't.
And as if this wasn't enough nightmare-fodder, our managing editor T.C. mentioned that leatherback turtle mouths are more or less also one-way portals to hell:
Everything is awful.134 SHARES Share Tweet Google Whatsapp Digg Reddit Stumbleupon Mail
Four out of five marine species living in the oceans around Antarctica are expected to decline in number as the seafloor warms over the next century.
A British Antarctic Survey (BAS) team examined the potential distribution of more than 900 species of Southern Ocean shelf-dwelling marine invertebrates under a warming scenario produced by computer models.
The researchers concluded that, while some species in some areas will benefit, four out of five of the species native to the region (79 per cent) will lose out.
They said their findings, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, have “important implications” for future resource management in the region.
An average warming of 0.4 of a degree is predicted by 2099, and while the warming will not be enough to allow any species from other neighbouring continents to invade or colonise Antarctica, it will cause the unique local species to change their distribution.
More animals will lose suitable habitat than will gain it, with those animals especially adapted to the coldest water on Earth – for example in the Weddell and Ross Sea – losing out the most.
Areas of the West Antarctic Peninsula may become too warm for many native species, according to the study.
The seafloor animals of the Southern Ocean shelf have long been isolated by the deep ocean surrounding Antarctica and the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, with little scope for southward migration, according to the research team.
Study Lead author Doctor Huw Griffiths, a marine biologist with BAS, said: “While a few species might thrive at least during the early decades of warming, the future for a whole range of invertebrates from starfish to corals is bleak.
“There’s nowhere to swim to, and nowhere to hide when you’re sitting on the bottom of the world’s coldest and most southerly ocean – and it’s getting warmer by the decade.”
Dr Andrew Meijers, an oceanographer at BAS, added: “The waters around Antarctica are isolated, deep and very cold but they are not beyond the reach of climate change.
“Southern Ocean seafloor water temperatures are projected to warm by an average of 0.4 °C over this century with some areas possibly increasing by as much as 2°C.
“We’ve shown that the effects of this warming will have dramatic consequences for the future biodiversity of the region.”
Of the 963 seabed species analysed, the findings suggest 577 are likely to experience a reduction in thermally suitable habitat with projected warming. Of these 398 (41 per cent of all species) are expected to experience a range of loss of under 10 per cent of their present-day suitable temperature potential habitat.
Almost one in five species (18.6 per cent) are projected to lose between 10 and 40 per cent of their present-day potential habitat.Catching a few Zs on the clock is a bad idea. It's even worse when you're in the cockpit of a commercial airliner, which is why the National Transportation Safety Board is trying to get the Federal Aviation Administration to wake up and do something about it.
Pilot fatigue is becoming a serious problem, with exhausted pilots occasionally skidding off runways and even flying miles beyond their destination because they were asleep at the yoke. It's already caused at least one deadly crash and the NTSB says its time to intervene.
"The Safety Board is extremely concerned about the risk and the unnecessary danger that is caused by fatigue in aviation," says board chair Mark V. Rosenker. "We've seen too many accidents and incidents where human fatigue is a cause or contributing factor."
Despite the concern, the board's recommendations are vague at best and are no guarantee anything will actually happen to alleviate the problem.
The NTSB suggests the FAA develop a "fatigue management system"
that includes education programs and new scheduling procedures but falls short of requesting the FAA modify rules dictating how many hours pilots can work.
The FAA is holding a symposium next week on managing aviation fatigue and has invited representatives of the airlines, labor unions, aviation groups and scientists to discuss the problem. FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown told the Honolulu Advertiser it will respond to the NTSB's recommendations within three months but said many airlines already have programs addressing the issue.
"We will take a look at the (NTSB) recommendations and move forward based on the information we get as a result of that conference," Brown said.
The fatigue-related incidents cited by the NTSB don't exactly inspire confidence in the FAA's current system. In two of them, pilots either skidded off of or overran their runway, and in another, a plane crashed into a cluster of trees on its final landing approach, killing two pilots and 11 passengers.
If those examples are troubling, then this one is downright scary: Go! Flight 1002 overshot the airport at Hilo, Hawaii by 26 miles and it took air traffic control 18 minutes to get a response from the flight crew. The NTSB says both pilots were sound asleep.
If that's not a sign that the FAA needs to do something fast, we don't know what is.
Photo by Flickr user spcummingsIngredients 4 slices hearty white bread
¼ cup pesto
1 small ripe tomato, sliced
1 fresh mozzarella ball, sliced
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
2 Tbs of butter, divided and at room temp
Instructions
Preheat a Panini pan or press
Spread the pesto evenly on the top sides of the sliced bread. On two slices add two or three slices of tomato and two or three slices of mozzarella on top of the spread pesto. Then sprinkle a pinch of kosher salt and crack some fresh ground pepper over the tomato and mozzarella. Place the two slices with only pesto over the slices with tomato and cheese and spread 1 Tbs of butter on both the tops and bottom of each closed sandwich. Place the sandwich in the Panini pan or press and heat until golden and crisp.
Culinary tradition: Italian
Copyright © Andicakes 2010.
Recipe by yumm yumm yumm.
Microformatting by hRecipe.'Our minimum level of fitness is only met by Misbah and Younis. None of the others meet this level, which is unacceptable' - Shaharyar Khan © AFP
PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan has said the Pakistan team had the "worst fitness levels" in the world, and that only Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan meet the minimum standard in the country. He added that there will not be any immediate remedial steps as fitness culture has to be developed over time.
"None of our first-class teams measure up to the minimum domestic standard of fitness, which makes it difficult to select a national team. These things have to be addressed over time, and it cannot be done overnight. Our fitness levels are not up to the international standards. We have to take drastic steps now because we don't have a culture of fitness and this has to be installed."
After landing in Dhaka on Wednesday, he gave a 10-minute speech to the Pakistan team, hinting at changes after the ongoing series against Bangladesh, and was also critical of their performance so far in the local media.
"I have come here to witness the last Test and give my support personally to the team," he said. "There is disappointment at the result of this tour but I was not surprised because Bangladesh have shown steady improvement over the last few years and cannot be taken lightly anymore.
"There are concerns back home with regard to Pakistan's performance, and I will talk to the coaches, manager and captain to find out the reasons for our unsuccessful tour. But I am not here to take immediate action. We have decided that we will sit down and assess the situation after the tour to see what is to be done with the team and the strategy."
Shaharyar was particularly disappointed with the gulf in the levels of fitness between Pakistan and the other teams. "I think the problem is very deep, our fitness levels are very poor. We are only at grade 10 while teams like Australia and South Africa are at grade 14. You can see the difference in Bangladesh [too], they are fit. Our minimum level of fitness is only met by Misbah and Younis. None of the others meet this level, which is unacceptable."
Pakistan have had a disastrous tour. They were blanked 3-0 in the ODIs and slipped from No. 7 in the rankings to No. 9. Improvement will be necessary to qualify for the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017. Then they lost the T20 and were on the receiving end of a record-breaking batting performance from Bangladesh in the first Test.
"We are not pressing the panic button just yet," Shaharyar said. "We have lost here and lost it badly, but to a very good Bangladesh team. They are doing very well and playing with a lot of spirit as was evident from the way they recovered from a 300-run deficit in the previous Test in Khulna.
"But we will abide by our earlier decision and assess what changes are to be made, both in the short run and the long term. A short-run alteration would mean changing the captain and the selection committee, but I don't think |
a more modest-length skirt with tight shorts underneath to keep the legs covered (more commonly known as a skort).
When Post editors asked for updated sketches, they were shocked to find the tanning woman in short-skirted European swimwear. Ard hadn’t asked for approval to make this change, and wasn’t aware of American sensitivities in swimwear to consider an executive decision like this could pose a problem.
Unfortunately, by the time editors notified Ard that the sketch was inappropriate, it was too late for him to start over on the illustration. Instead, he made a simple fix to cover up both the woman and his mistake by shifting the woman’s left knee so the skirt looked to have fallen back to her hip as she lay down.
He managed to pull off the solution just in time for publication. The viewer still gets the illustration’s contrasting point, and America was none the wiser to the more ‘scandalous’ European swimsuit that had appeared before. This comical cover remains a favorite at the Post to this day.Social media is hard for brands. You’ve got to be engaging and true to your product, all without offending anyone. It’d be easy to assume that this tightrope act would keep companies from using social media to mourn the death of beloved celebrities. After all, it’s hard to mourn on brand, as these companies can attest.
Cinnabon apparently did not have such concerns when it released the following tweet in the wake of Carrie Fisher’s death.
Twitter
Can you see where Cinnabon went wrong? It was, at least, a promotion for Fisher, whose buns were previously only second best. And simply posting the image might have been fine, but they had to go for the word play. Why make a bad “nice ass” pun because of the one actress’ iconic role? You understand iconic rolls, Cinnabon. You should know better.
Others around the internet were able to make similarly themed tributes without the sexualized puns, like this respectful one from Instagram user StupidJacob.
Instagram
Cinnabon issued an apology this morning via its Twitter account.
Our deleted tweet was genuinely meant as a tribute, but we shouldn’t have posted it. We are truly sorry. — Cinnabon (@Cinnabon) December 28, 2016
The fact that we live in a world where Cinnabon is issuing apologies for content is its own oddity. It feels strange to demand better from our 1,000-calorie cinnamon rolls than this, but it’s even weirder to live in a society where they put us in a position to.
H/T The Daily MailSaban’s Power Rangers movie is OUT NOW on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD. Including an action-packed slate of bonus features, fans can click here to order now.
Saban’s Power Rangers movie is coming to home video!
Lionsgate’s action-packed title will officially be released June 13 on Digital HD, and June 27 on 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray/DVD! Fans can already pre-order their copy on Amazon by clicking here. The bonus features are as follows:
4K/BLU-RAY/ DIGITAL HD SPECIAL FEATURES
• Audio Commentary with Director Dean Israelite and Writer John Gatins
• Deleted/Alternate/Extended Scenes
• Outtakes
• Theatrical Trailer with Audio Commentary by Director Dean Israelite
• “The Power of the Present” Documentary:
—“Rangers Then to Now”
—“Building the Team”
—“Beyond the Rangers”
—“Suiting Up”
— “Rangers, Welcome to Training”
—“Rangers in the Wild”
—“It’s Morphin Time”
—“Power Ballad: Music and Sound”
—“This is Your Destiny” DVD SPECIAL FEATURES
• Audio Commentary with Director Dean Israelite and Writer John Gatins
• Deleted/Alternate/Extended Scenes
• Outtakes
Fans can find the official 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray/DVD press release and cover art from Lionsgate below. And click here to watch the official home release trailer!
Target Exclusive
Target will be the exclusive retailer for the Steelbook Edition Blu-ray, a combo pack which will also include the movie on DVD and Digital HD. Retailing at $22.99, the Steelbook Edition Blu-ray will also contain a copy of Boom! Studios’ Power Rangers Movie: Aftershock comic, written by Ryan Parrott. The official Steelbook Edition cover art can be seen above, and fans can click here to pre-order the Target exclusive.
Best Buy Exclusive
Best Buy will also receive their own exclusive Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD combo pack, featuring a store exclusive cover art (seen above). Best Buy’s exclusive will include collectible art cards featuring artistic designs of the Power Rangers and their Zords. Best Buy’s exclusive, which will retail at $24.99, will not contain any additional bonus features. Fans can click here to pre-order Best Buy’s exclusive.
Walmart Exclusive
Walmart will receive an in-store only exclusive Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD combo pack, which will contain a third disc of bonus features, as reported by The World of Ha. The third bonus disc will feature 30 minutes of cast rehearsals, behind-the-scenes footage, and on-set candid moments. Walmart’s exclusive will feature the same cover art as the standard version.
FYE Exclusive
Fans who pick up Saban’s Power Rangers movie will receive the exclusive poster above with their purchase – featuring all five Rangers united as a team.
This June, get ready to own Saban’s Power Rangers movie!
It’s Morphin Time! Saban’s Power Rangers to Arrive on Digital HD, DVD and On Demand in June 2017 SANTA MONICA, CA (May 3, 2017) – The action-packed, coming of age feature film Saban’s Power Rangers will morph onto Digital HD June 13 and on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack (plus Blu-ray and Digital HD), Blu-ray Combo Pack (plus DVD and Digital HD), DVD and On Demand June 27 from Lionsgate. As part of the 24-year-old global phenomenon and based on the five Rangers from the original TV series, “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers,”, the reimagined movie features a modern generation of Rangers including Dacre Montgomery (TV’s “Stranger Things”) as Jason the Red Ranger, Naomi Scott (The 33) as Kimberly the Pink Ranger, RJ Cyler (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) as Billy the Blue Ranger, Ludi Lin (Monster Hunt) as Zack the Black Ranger, and Becky G. (Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising) as Trini the Yellow Ranger, as they attempt to stop the evil and unpredictable Rita Repulsa (played by Elizabeth Banks, The Hunger Games Franchise) from destroying their city…and ultimately the world. Bryan Cranston (“Breaking Bad”) as Zordon, and Bill Hader (Finding Dory) as Alpha 5 train the Rangers to morph and master their powers as a united team. The epic adventure, Saban’s Power Rangers follows five ordinary high school kids who must become something extraordinary when they learn that their small town of Angel Grove – and the world – is on the verge of being obliterated by an alien threat. Chosen by destiny, the unlikely group of teenage heroes are the only ones who can save the planet, but first, they have to band together in order to harness their super powers and become Power Rangers. The Saban’s Power Rangers 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and Digital HD releases feature never-before-heard audio commentary with director Dean Israelite and writer John Gatins, as well as a nine-part documentary featuring commentary from the actors and filmmakers including Power Rangers Creator, Haim Saban which looks behind the scenes of the film at the casting, training, special effects, and creation of Saban’s Power Rangers, with deleted/alternate/extended scenes and outtakes. The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray will also feature Dolby Vision™ high-dynamic range (HDR), making it the first title from Lionsgate to feature both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos®. Dolby Vision transforms the TV experience in the home by delivering greater brightness and contrast, as well as a fuller palette of rich colors. Together with the captivating sound of Dolby Atmos, consumers will experience both cutting-edge imaging and state-of-the-art sound technology for a fully immersive entertainment experience. The Saban’s Power Rangers DVD will include exclusive audio commentary with director Dean Israelite and writer John Gatins, and deleted/alternate/extended scenes and outtakes. Saban’s Power Rangers will be available on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, and DVD for the suggested retail price of $42.99, $39.99, and $29.95, respectively. Story by Matt Sazama & Burk Sharpless and Michele Mulroney & Kieran Mulroney. Screenplay by John Gatins. Directed by Dean Israelite. PROGRAM INFORMATION
Year of Production: 2016
Title Copyright: Saban’s Power Rangers, Artwork & Supplementary Materials © 2017 Lions Gate Films Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Type: Theatrical Release
Rating: PG-13 for Sequences of Sci-Fi Violence, Action and Destruction, Language, and for Some Crude Humor
Genre: Action, Adventure
Closed-Captioned: N/A
Subtitles: Spanish, English SDH
Feature Run Time: 124 minutes
4K UHD Format: Dolby Vision, 2160p Ultra High Definition 16×9 Widescreen 2.40:1 Presentation
BD Format: 1080p High Definition 16×9 Widescreen 2.40:1 Presentation
DVD Format: 16×9 Widescreen 2.40:1 Presentation
4K UHD Audio: English Dolby Atmos, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, English 2.0 Dolby Digital Audio Optimized for Late-Night Listening, English Descriptive Audio
BD Audio: English Dolby Atmos, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, English 2.0 Dolby Digital Optimized for Late-Night Listening, English Descriptive Audio
DVD Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, English Descriptive Audio ABOUT DOLBY ATMOS
Dolby Atmos delivers moving audio — sound that can be precisely placed and moved anywhere in three-dimensional space, including overhead. It brings entertainment alive all around the audience in a powerfully immersive and emotive experience. To learn more about Dolby Atmos, visit dolby.com/Atmos. ABOUT LIONSGATE
Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B) is a vertically integrated next generation global content leader with a diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, premium pay television networks, home entertainment, global distribution and sales, interactive ventures and games and location-based entertainment. With the acquisition of Starz, Lionsgate adds to its portfolio of businesses the flagship STARZ premium pay network serving 24.3 million subscribers and the STARZ ENCORE platform with 31 million subscribers. The combined company will operate five over-the-top (OTT) streaming services and the STARZ app delivering content directly to consumers. The Company’s feature film business spans eight labels and includes the blockbuster The Hunger Games franchise, the Now You See Me series, the box office smash La La Land, which won six Academy Awards®, the hit franchise sequel John Wick: Chapter Two, double Oscar winner Hacksaw Ridge, Tyler Perry’s Boo! A Madea Halloween, The Shack, Saban’s Power Rangers, CBS Films/Lionsgate’s Hell or High Water, Roadside Attractions’ critically-acclaimed Manchester by the Sea, Codeblack Films’ breakout concert film Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain and Pantelion Films’ Instructions Not Included, the highest-grossing Spanish-language film ever released in the U.S.
One of the largest independent television businesses in the world, Lionsgate’s slate of premium quality series encompasses nearly 90 shows on more than 40 different networks. These include the ground-breaking Orange is the New Black, the fan favorite Nashville, the syndication success The Wendy Williams Show, the hit drama The Royals, the acclaimed Casual, the breakout success Greenleaf, the network reality shows Kicking & Screaming and the eagerly-anticipated Candy Crush, and hit STARZ series including Outlander, Black Sails, Survivor’s Remorse and Power, the second highest-rated premium pay television series of 2016. Lionsgate’s home entertainment business is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rates. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of more than 16,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as a foundation for the growth of the Company’s core businesses. The Lionsgate, Summit Entertainment and Starz brands are synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world. www.lionsgate.com ABOUT SABAN’S POWER RANGERS
Saban’s Power Rangers franchise is the brainchild of Haim Saban, creator and producer of the original “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” hit series that launched in 1993. Following its introduction, “Power Rangers” quickly became the most-watched children’s television program in the United States and remains one of the top-rated and longest running kids live-action series in television history. The series follows the adventures of a group of ordinary teens who morph into superheroes and save the world from evil. It is seen in more than 150 markets, translated into numerous languages and a favorite on many key international children’s programming blocks around the world. For more information, visit www.powerrangers.com.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.It's getting really hard to run a record label in the digital age.
PIX has been around for almost 20 years and I would like to keep it going, but don't really sell enough records to keep releasing what I want. I think about quitting everyday. But, I don't want to. So I figured that I would give it one last shot. I'm gonna keep putting out records this year and try my best to make it to our 20 year anniversary in 2014... accompanied by a PIX-FEST!!!
So, I offer you a deal and a way to help keep us going. You can become a FRIEND OF PIX and you'll get the next year's worth of releases as soon as they come out, and some special FREE stuff that only you get. You will save about $43 doing it this way instead of just ordering them as they are released and more importantly, you'll make it possible for these records to be released!!!
THE NEXT YEAR ON PLAN-IT-X!
Below is a list of EVERYTHING coming out on PIX in between NOW and OCT 31st, 2013. (THESE ARE NOT OUT YET, DO NOT ORDER THEM!!!) You will get them ALL if you fund this project.
Mitch The Champ & Madeline Ava split LP
Ghost Mice “the further adventures of” LP/CD
Watercolor Paintings “TBA” LP full length
Emperor X “TBA” CD full length
Onsind “TBA” LP/CD full length
Ghost Mice “7”s collection” LP
Kyle Hall “TBA” LP full length
Adult Braces “TBA” LP full length
The Taxpayers “TBA” 7” w/Comic
“Cleave”, a Sci-Fi book by Travis Fristo
“Tour Sucks”, a ‘zine by Chris Clavin
A Mr. Jefferson embroidered patch
“Queen Kong” A comic by Chris Clavin
A Plan-it-x records T-shirt
Stickers (various stickers)
“Strap Yourself In”, a ‘zine anthology by Samantha.
and you will also get some extra/special/secret stuff, this stuff:
Los Gatos Negros “los gatos negros” LP/Comic
Various special stickers/patches/???? for members only.
Download discount codes for all PIX releases.
and, a reserved ticket (you still have to buy it) for PIX FEST 2014.You wander the Moroccan desert lost, dehydration and the scorching sun draining the life from your body more and more with each passing moment.
An oasis appears. A pool of water at the base of a lush tree promise relief from the heat and hope that you may yet find your way home.
You run towards the oasis but then stop suddenly. Did that tree just bleat at me?
You rub your eyes and, as the illusion evaporates into the unforgiving sun, you realize: that tree isn’t covered in foliage, it’s covered in goats. And that pool of water? That’s goats too.
You murmur to yourself: What the $!&#.
The argan tree is a drought-resistant tree endemic to the semi-desert region of southern Morocco known as Sous valley. The fruit of the argan tree is primarily used to create argan oil, which can be used for in cooking or as a cosmetic product.
The argan tree is also frequently assaulted by hungry goats, who will climb the tree and strip it bear of leaves and fruit.
The goats are said to have learned how to climb trees out of necessity to survive in this harsh, infertile land. They certainly look like they know what they’re doing, as they appear to move as they please between the branches wand whimsically supporting themselves on even the smallest space.
It’s almost as if the tree is producing goat-shaped fruit and naturally, this bizarre scene has become something of a tourist attraction in southern Morocco.
Unfortunately, the argan tree has been on the verge of extinction for years due to being cut down for firewood and overgrazing. The Moroccan government has been working to educate the local community about the importance of the tree and social ventures have even stepped in to help faciliatate the sustainable production of argan oil and make it available for purchase overseas, thereby supporting the local economy.
The real lesson we must take away from all of this is that while a bunch of goats in a tree may look hilarious, it carries serious environmental implications and this is exactly why we can’t have nice things.
Source：Sina.com.cn（Chinese）
[ Read in Japanese ]
HEY GUYS
[ Read in Japanese ]Security researchers at Pen Test Partners have found a security vulnerability in the iKettle Wi-Fi Electric Kettle that allows attackers to crack the password of the WiFi network to which the kettle is connected.
iKettle is one of the new-era electronic devices that manufacturers are taunting as IoT (Internet of Things) devices.
The kettle, besides just boiling water, can connect to a user's home WiFi network, and comes accompanied with an Android and iOS app that lets the user start the kettle and boil the water from another room or location. This means that the kettle stores the user's local WiFi network password, somewhere in its settings.
Attackers can steal WiFi passwords from smart-kettles
The research was carried out this summer as part of Pen Test Partners' initiative in finding and disclosing security vulnerabilities in IoT devices and was documented on their site in fine detail.
To summarize their findings, attackers could easily use a directional antenna aimed at a house where an iKettle is used, force the kettle into dropping its current WiFi network, spoofing the original network's SSID, and fool the iKettle into connecting to the attacker's network using the password for the original WiFi network.
Researchers say that using this simple trick and information about iKettles they got from wigle.net and Twitter, they drove around London, cracked home WiFi networks, and created a map of insecure WiFi networks across the city. For security and privacy reasons, they said they wouldn't reveal the map.
The iKettle iOS and Android apps are also poorly secured
Additionally, the researchers also found out that the smartphone app that controls the iKettle's behavior uses the insecure Telnet protocol to relay commands to the device.
Both use PINs to authenticate the user on their kettle, and both are easy to hack within hours, as researchers found out. In this case, the iOS app is more secure because it uses a 6-digit PIN, but the Android app only uses a 4-digit code.
While this latter security vulnerability is less dangerous, Dr. Evil wannabes would be able to use it to boil your kettle water at the most inappropriate moments.
We previously reported on Pen Test Partners this summer, when they managed to hack a Samsung smart-fridge to disclose Gmail passwords.This article is about sexual practices and related social aspects. For broader aspects of sexual behaviour, see Human sexuality
"Sexual activity" and "sexual behaviour" redirect here. For sexual behaviour of other animals, see Animal sexual behaviour
Human sexual activity, human sexual practice or human sexual behaviour is the manner in which humans experience and express their sexuality. People engage in a variety of sexual acts, ranging from activities done alone (e.g., masturbation) to acts with another person (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penetrative sex, oral sex, etc.) in varying patterns of frequency, for a wide variety of reasons. Sexual activity usually results in sexual arousal and physiological changes in the aroused person, some of which are pronounced while others are more subtle. Sexual activity may also include conduct and activities which are intended to arouse the sexual interest of another or enhance the sex life of another, such as strategies to find or attract partners (courtship and display behaviour), or personal interactions between individuals (for instance, foreplay or BDSM). Sexual activity may follow sexual arousal.
Human sexual activity has sociological, cognitive, emotional, behavioural and biological aspects; these include personal bonding, sharing emotions and the physiology of the reproductive system, sex drive, sexual intercourse and sexual behaviour in all its forms.
In some cultures, sexual activity is considered acceptable only within marriage, while premarital and extramarital sex are taboo. Some sexual activities are illegal either universally or in some countries or subnational jurisdictions, while some are considered contrary to the norms of certain societies or cultures. Two examples that are criminal offences in most jurisdictions are sexual assault and sexual activity with a person below the local age of consent.
Types [ edit ]
Gerda Wegener's 1925 artwork "Les delassements d'Eros" ("The recreations of Eros"), which depicts sexual activity by two women
Sexual activity can be classified in a number of ways: acts which involve one person (also called autoeroticism) such as masturbation, or two or more people such as vaginal sex, anal sex, oral sex or mutual masturbation. Penetrative sex between two people may be described as sexual intercourse, but definitions vary. If there are more than two participants in a sex act, it may be referred to as group sex. Autoerotic sexual activity can involve use of dildos, vibrators, butt plugs, and other sex toys, though these devices can also be used with a partner.
Sexual activity can be classified into the gender and sexual orientation of the participants, as well as by the relationship of the participants. For example, the relationships can be ones of marriage, intimate partners, casual sex partners or anonymous. Sexual activity can be regarded as conventional or as alternative, involving, for example, fetishism, paraphilia, or BDSM activities.[1][2] Fetishism can take many forms ranging from the desire for certain body parts, for example large breasts, navels or foot worship. The object of desire can often be shoes, boots, lingerie, clothing, leather or rubber items. Some non-conventional autoerotic practices can be dangerous. These include erotic asphyxiation and self-bondage. The potential for injury or even death that exists while engaging in the partnered versions of these fetishes (choking and bondage, respectively) becomes drastically increased in the autoerotic case due to the isolation and lack of assistance in the event of a problem.
Sexual activity can be consensual, which means that both or all participants agree to take part and are of the age that they can consent, or it may take place under force or duress, which is often called sexual assault or rape. In different cultures and countries, various sexual activities may be lawful or illegal in regards to the age, gender, marital status or other factors of the participants, or otherwise contrary to social norms or generally accepted sexual morals.
Mating strategies [ edit ]
In evolutionary psychology and behavioral ecology, human mating strategies are a set of behaviors used by individuals to attract, select, and retain mates. Mating strategies overlap with reproductive strategies, which encompass a broader set of behaviors involving the timing of reproduction and the trade-off between quantity and quality of offspring (see life history theory).
Relative to other animals, human mating strategies are unique in their relationship with cultural variables such as the institution of marriage.[3] Humans may seek out individuals with the intention of forming a long-term intimate relationship, marriage, casual relationship, or friendship. The human desire for companionship is one of the strongest human drives. It is an innate feature of human nature, and may be related to the sex drive. The human mating process encompasses the social and cultural processes whereby one person may meet another to assess suitability, the courtship process and the process of forming an interpersonal relationship. Commonalities, however, can be found between humans and nonhuman animals in mating behavior (see animal sexual behavior).
Stages of physiological arousal during sexual stimulation [ edit ]
This Indian Kama sutra illustration, which shows a woman on top of a man, depicts the male erection, which is one of the physiological responses to sexual arousal for men.
The physiological responses during sexual stimulation are fairly similar for both men and women and there are four phases.[4]
During the excitement phase, muscle tension and blood flow increase in and around the sexual organs, heart and respiration increase and blood pressure rises. Men and women experience a "sex flush" on the skin of the upper body and face. Typically, a woman's vagina becomes lubricated and her clitoris becomes swollen. [4] A man's penis will become erect.
A man's penis will become erect. During the plateau phase, heart rate and muscle tension increase further. A man's urinary bladder closes to prevent urine from mixing with semen. A woman's clitoris may withdraw slightly and there is more lubrication, outer swelling and muscles tighten and reduction of diameter. [4]
During the orgasm phase, breathing becomes extremely rapid and the pelvic muscles begin a series of rhythmic contractions. Both men and women experience quick cycles of muscle contraction of lower pelvic muscles and women often experience uterine and vaginal contractions; this experience can be described as intensely pleasurable, but roughly 15% of women never experience orgasm and half report having faked it. [4] A large genetic component is associated with how often women experience orgasm. [4]
A large genetic component is associated with how often women experience orgasm. During the resolution phase, muscles relax, blood pressure drops, and the body returns to its resting state. Though generally reported that women do not experience a refractory period and thus can experience an additional orgasm, or multiple orgasms soon after the first,[5][6] some sources state that both men and women experience a refractory period because women may also experience a period after orgasm in which further sexual stimulation does not produce excitement.[4][7] This period may last from minutes to days and is typically longer for men than women.[4]
Sexual dysfunction is the inability to react emotionally or physically to sexual stimulation in a way projected of the average healthy person; it can affect different stages in the sexual response cycles, which are desire, excitement and orgasm.[8] In the media, sexual dysfunction is often associated with men, but in actuality, it is more commonly observed in females (43 percent) than males (31 percent).[9]
Psychological aspects [ edit ]
Sexual activity can lower blood pressure and overall stress levels, regardless of age.[citation needed] It serves to release tension, elevate mood, and possibly create a profound sense of relaxation, especially in the postcoital period. From a biochemical perspective, sex causes the release of endorphins and increases levels of white blood cells that actually boost the immune system. A study published in the journal Biological Psychology described how men who had had sex the previous night responded better to stressful situations, it suggested that if a person is regularly sexual, they're regularly relaxed, and when the person is relaxed, they cope better with stressful situations.[citation needed] A 2007 study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior 36, (no. 3 (June 2007): 357–68) reported that sexual behavior with a partner on one day significantly predicted lower negative mood and stress, and higher positive mood, on the following day.
Motivations [ edit ]
"Pity sex" redirects here. For the American rock band, see Pity Sex
People engage in sexual activity for any of a multitude of possible reasons. Although the primary evolutionary purpose of sexual activity is reproduction, research on college students suggested that people have sex for four general reasons: physical attraction, as a means to an end, to increase emotional connection, and to alleviate insecurity.[10]
Most people engage in sexual activity because of pleasure they derive from the arousal of their sexuality, especially if they can achieve orgasm. Sexual arousal can also be experienced from foreplay and flirting, and from fetish or BDSM activities,[1][11] or other erotic activities. Most commonly, people engage in sexual activity because of the sexual desire generated by a person to whom they feel sexual attraction; but they may engage in sexual activity for the physical satisfaction they achieve in the absence of attraction for another, as in the case of casual or social sex.[12] At times, a person may engage in a sexual activity solely for the sexual pleasure of their partner, such as because of an obligation they may have to the partner or because of love, sympathy or pity they may feel for the partner.
A person may engage in sexual activity for purely monetary considerations, or to obtain some advantage from either the partner or the activity. A man and woman may engage in sexual intercourse with the objective of conception. Some people engage in hate sex, which occurs between two people who strongly dislike or annoy each other. It is related to the idea that opposition between two people can heighten sexual tension, attraction and interest.[13]
It has been shown that sexual activity plays a large part in the interaction of social species. Joan Roughgarden, in her book Diversity, Gender, and Sexuality in Nature and People, postulates that this applies equally to humans as it does to other social species. She explores the purpose of sexual activity and demonstrates that there are many functions facilitated by such activity including pair bonding, group bonding, dispute resolution and reproduction.[14]
Self-determination theory [ edit ]
Research has found that people also engage in sexual activity for reasons associated with self-determination theory. The self-determination theory can be applied to a sexual relationship when the participants have positive feelings associated with the relationship. These participants do not feel guilty or coerced into the partnership.[15] Researchers have proposed the model of self-determined sexual motivation. The purpose of this model is to connect self-determination and sexual motivation.[16] This model has helped to explain how people are sexually motivated when involved in self-determined dating relationships. This model also links the positive outcomes, (satisfying the need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness) gained from sexual motivations.[16]
According to the completed research associated with this model, it was found that people of both sexes who engaged in sexual activity for self-determined motivation had more positive psychological well-being.[16] While engaging in sexual activity for self-determined reasons, the participants also had a higher need for fulfillment. When this need was satisfied, they felt better about themselves. This was correlated with greater closeness to their partner and higher overall satisfaction in their relationship.[16] Though both sexes engaged in sexual activity for self-determined reasons, there were some differences found between males and females. It was concluded that females had more motivation than males to engage in sexual activity for self-determined reasons.[16] Females also had higher satisfaction and relationship quality than males did from the sexual activity.[16] Overall, research concluded that psychological well-being, sexual motivation, and sexual satisfaction were all positively correlated when dating couples partook in sexual activity for self-determined reasons.[16]
Frequency [ edit ]
The frequency of sexual activity might range from zero (sexual abstinence) to 15 or 20 times a week.[17] In the United States, the average frequency of sexual intercourse for married couples is 2 to 3 times a week.[18][obsolete source] It is generally recognized that postmenopausal women experience declines in frequency of sexual intercourse[19] and that average frequency of intercourse declines with age. According to the Kinsey Institute, the average frequency of sexual intercourse in the US for individuals who have partners is 112 times per year (age 18–29), 86 times per year (age 30–39), and 69 times per year (age 40–49).[20]
Adolescents [ edit ]
The age at which adolescents tend to become sexually active varies considerably between different cultures and from time to time. (See Prevalence of virginity.) The first sexual act of a child or adolescent is sometimes referred to as the sexualization of the child, and may be considered as a milestone or a change of status, as the loss of virginity or innocence. Youth are legally free to have intercourse after they reach the age of consent.
A 1999 survey of students indicated that approximately 40% of ninth graders across the United States report having had sexual intercourse. This figure rises with each grade. Males are more sexually active than females at each of the grade levels surveyed. Sexual activity of young adolescents differs in ethnicity as well. A higher percent of African American and Hispanic adolescents are sexually active than White adolescents.[21]
Research on sexual frequency has also been conducted solely on female adolescents who engage in sexual activity. Female adolescents tended to engage in more sexual activity due to positive mood. In female teenagers, engaging in sexual activity was directly positively correlated with being older, greater sexual activity in the previous week or prior day, and more positive mood the previous day or the same day as the sexual activity occurred.[22] Decreased sexual activity was associated with prior or current day negative mood or menstruating.[22]
Although opinions differ, others[who?] suggest that sexual activity is an essential part of humans, and that teenagers need to experience sex. According to a research study, sexual experiences help teenagers understand pleasure and satisfaction.[23] In relation to hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, it stated that teenagers can positively benefit from sexual activity. The cross-sectional study was conducted in 2008 and 2009 at a rural upstate New York community. Teenagers who had their first sexual experience at age 16 revealed a higher well-being than those who were sexually inexperienced or who were first sexually active at a later age of 17.[23] Furthermore, teenagers who had their first sexual experience at age 15 or younger, or who had many sexual partners were not negatively affected and did not have associated lower well-being.[23]
Health and safety [ edit ]
Sexual activity is an innately physiological function,[24] but like other physical activity, it comes with risks. There are four main types of risks that may arise from sexual activity: unwanted pregnancy, contracting a sexually transmitted infection (STI/STD), physical injury, and psychological injury.
Unwanted pregnancy [ edit ]
Any sexual activity that involves the introduction of semen into a woman's vagina, such as during sexual intercourse, or even contact of semen with her vulva, may result in a pregnancy.[25] To reduce the risk of unintended pregnancies, some people who engage in penile-vaginal sex may use contraception, such as birth control pills, a condom, diaphragms, spermicides, hormonal contraception or sterilization.[26] The effectiveness of the various contraceptive methods in avoiding pregnancy varies considerably.
Sexually transmitted infections [ edit ]
Sexual activity that involves skin-to-skin contact, exposure to an infected person's bodily fluids or mucosal membranes[27] carries the risk of contracting a sexually transmitted infection. People may not be able to detect that their sexual partner has one or more STIs, for example if they are asymptomatic (show no symptoms).[28][29] The risk of STIs can be reduced by safe sex practices, such as using condoms. Both partners may opt be tested for STIs before engaging in sex.[30] The exchange of body fluids is not necessary to contract an infestation of crab lice. Crab lice typically are found attached to hair in the pubic area but sometimes are found on coarse hair elsewhere on the body (for example, eyebrows, eyelashes, beard, mustache, chest, armpits, etc.). Pubic lice infestations (pthiriasis) are spread through direct contact with someone who is infested with the louse.[31][32][33]
Some STIs can also be contracted by using IV drug needles after their use by an infected person, as well as through childbirth or breastfeeding.[medical citation needed]
Aging [ edit ]
Typically, older men and women maintaining interest in sexual interest and activity could be therapeutic; it is a way of expressing their love and care for one another. Factors such as biological and psychological factors, diseases, mental conditions, boredom with the relationship, and widowhood have been found to contribute with the common decrease in sexual interest and activity in old age. National sex surveys given in Finland in the 1990s revealed aging men had a higher incidence of sexual intercourse compared to aging women and that women were more likely to report a lack of sexual desire compared to men. Regression analysis, factors considered important to female sexual activity included: sexual desire, valuing sexuality, and a healthy partner, while high sexual self-esteem, good health, and active sexual history were important to male sexual activity. Both genders in the study agreed they needed good health, good sexual functioning, positive sexual self-esteem, and a sexually skilful partner to maintain sexual desire.[34]
Orientations and society [ edit ]
Heterosexuality [ edit ]
Brothel scene in a public bath, ca. 1475
Heterosexuality is the romantic or sexual attraction to the opposite sex. Heterosexual sexual practices are subject to laws in many places. In some countries, mostly those where religion has a strong influence on social policy, marriage laws serve the purpose of encouraging people to have sex only within marriage. Sodomy laws were seen as discouraging same-sex sexual practices, but may affect opposite-sex sexual practices. Laws also ban adults from committing sexual abuse, committing sexual acts with anyone under an age of consent, performing sexual activities in public, and engaging in sexual activities for money (prostitution). Though these laws cover both same-sex and opposite-sex sexual activities, they may differ in regard to punishment, and may be more frequently (or exclusively) enforced on those who engage in same-sex sexual activities.[35]
Different-sex sexual practices may be monogamous, serially monogamous, or polyamorous, and, depending on the definition of sexual practice, abstinent or autoerotic (including masturbation). Additionally, different religious and political movements have tried to influence or control changes in sexual practices including courting and marriage, though in most countries |
shitty work,” proposes workplace occupations, blockades and neighborhood assemblies, hints at a regenerative politics of the nonfertile, and is disillusioned with even “enlightened” politicians, whether in the US or in Bolivia and Ecuador. While these two Kleins might be a readerly construct, it’s a charitable one that helps identify the critical points where pro- and anti-capitalist climate politics part company.
Major Klein uses the word “reckless” a lot and rails far more against deregulated capitalism and market fundamentalism than against capitalism or markets per se. This Klein advocates “dignified work” and valorizes climate action as a “massive job creator” for “good clean jobs.” Climate change, here, even offers the opportunity to finish the “unfinished business” of civil rights and decolonial struggles at the level of their perceived demand for the right to work: It “could bring the jobs and homes that Martin Luther King dreamed of; it could bring jobs and clean water to Native communities.” And, unsurprisingly, “the resources for this just transition must ultimately come from the state,” she says, as part of a “Marshall Plan for the earth.” Where this Klein differs from the “market fundamentalists” is in understanding that market mechanisms won’t create this transition without decisive state intervention. She endorses a call, therefore, for the state to “create the market for further investments.”
Klein sees that “there is plenty of room to make a profit in a zero-carbon economy; but the profit motive is not going to be the midwife for that great transformation.” Still, given a climate movement that challenges the endless drive for profit as the organizing principle of social life, why limit its ambition to capitalism minus the fossil fuels, plus some co-ops and a welfare state to complete its “human” face? We may have to settle for that as a new compromise, depending on the balance of forces, but the hard part is generating such powerful and combative movements in the first place. Once that’s done, why throw real transformative power aside and stop at a greener shade of Keynes?
Indeed, financing this redistributive program through taxes on fossil fuel profits makes the state dependent on the continued burning of fossil fuels. But if the confiscation and redistribution of fossil fuel profits is just a one-off stage in a more radical transformation, this criticism can perhaps be avoided. In other words, the major Klein needs the minor Klein to provide the “people’s shock” to help transition to a post-fossil fuel embedded liberalism. But does the minor Klein need the major Klein?
Minor Klein sets her sights on “the fundamental imperative at the heart of our economic model: grow or die […] a drive that goes much deeper than the trade history of the past few decades.” However, the source of this drive is underspecified. Klein’s focus on moral values leads her to propose that there are “sectors that are not governed by the drive for increased yearly profit (the public sector, co-ops, local businesses, nonprofits).” Yet her own evidence—such as the oil-drilling nonprofit The Nature Conservancy—somewhat undermines this claim. Klein identifies only one impersonal mechanism by which the drive for profits is enforced: the fiduciary obligation of corporate directors to maximize shareholder returns. This needs to be expanded to map the numerous mechanisms that together overdetermine—in the sense of there being multiple, distributed sufficient causes—the drive for endless growth.
These mechanisms include, but are not limited to: investors requiring returns; requirements of debt servicing; the need to generate surplus to cover unforeseen costs/losses; the need to generate surplus to reinvest in productivity (which may even reduce short term profits/dividends); income growth as a means to other ends, with perverse outcomes (like conservationist oil wells); the need to achieve economies of scale through expansion; the pressure of competition, either to secure first-mover advantage or not be left behind. For states: GDP underwrites hard military/trade power and soft aid/opinion power; growth expands the tax base; growth allows the state to keep rolling over the national debt.
In short, capitalism is a system of relations which produces certain behaviors regardless of individuals’ values. Indeed, to supporters of capitalism, this is precisely the virtue of the invisible hand. The impersonal weave of this system needs to be taken into account when considering whether local businesses, nonprofits, the public sector and co-operatives can transcend its logic.
A similar tension between the two Kleins emerges in their discussion of politics. The dominant theme is the need to “reclaim our democracies from corrosive corporate influence,” “challeng[e] corruption,” and “to demand (and create political leadership)” capable of “saying no to powerful corporations.” This Klein sees the problem as rooted in the malign influence of corporate campaign donations, resulting in “this corroded state of our political systems.” She expresses bitter disappointment with Obama’s failure to fulfill his climate promises, but hopes that if social movements mobilize, then “politicians interested in reelection won’t be able to ignore them forever.”
Unfortunately, this Klein seems to accept that the free market right are “dismantlers of the state.” This is a common but totally erroneous conception that accepts the ideological claims of neoliberalism at face value. Economic liberalism is, and has always been, a project of state power. There is a reason that the neoliberal era is usually dated, including by Klein in The Shock Doctrine, to the coming to power of Pinochet, Thatcher, and Reagan. Consequently, this Klein sets out to “reclaim” the state for “the people,” but it is not clear to which pre-corroded, pre-corrupted state she refers, nor which people. The period she seems to have in mind is the populism of the New Deal, yet as she aptly notes, “social movement pressure created the conditions” for it. The corporate-capitalist character was still there, but other interests were able to force certain compromises.
Fortunately, the minor Klein’s politics are resistant to the state’s attraction. This Klein acknowledges that “even in countries with enlightened laws as in Bolivia and Ecuador, the state still pushes ahead with extractive projects without the consent of the Indigenous people who rely on those lands.” She coolly observes that “the reason industry can get away with this has little to do with what is legal and everything to do with raw political power […] and anyway, the police are controlled by the state.” Here she also advocates a very different form of political organisation, replacing the “collusion between corporations and the state” which has reduced communities to “little more than […] ‘waste earth’” with “new democratic processes, including neighborhood assemblies.”
These two modes of politics are incommensurable. In the horizontalist practices of social movements we see nascent mass forms of non-coercive political organisation. But even more, the dynamics of the urban Aymara social movement in Bolivia and the recent Idle No More protests in Canada, the latter cited by Klein, suggest the strength of these struggles is inversely proportional to their coupling to the state. The major Klein at least underestimates the extent to which recognition and representation within the state is another of the techniques deployed, however consciously, by “hand-wringing liberals” in demobilizing indigenous, and by extension, migrant, anti-racist, feminist, and workers’ struggles.
The two modes of politics cannot long coexist, which is why we only glimpse the egalitarian one in occupied squares and workplaces, in self-organized disaster relief, and on the barricades of the nascent climate movement Klein dubs “Blockadia.” But when we glimpse it, we glimpse a world beyond and against the state, which contrary to Klein’s suggestion, by no means requires structurelessness over institution-building. The split between politics through the state and politics against the state is especially apparent in the question of border politics—no small matter as millions of climate refugees start to move—as illustrated in Klein’s bloodcurdling chapter on Nauru. It is the democratic, climate good guys of the European Union whose borders are the most lethal for migrants. If we want to avoid a xenocidal lifeboat ethics, then developing a mass politics beyond and against the state is vital.
Klein strikes an inspiring note when she heralds “a new kind of reproductive rights movement, one fighting not only for the reproductive rights of women, but for the reproductive rights of the planet as a whole.” Her account of capitalism is nowhere so materialist as where she declaims how “our economic system (…) does not value women’s reproductive labor, pays caregivers miserably, teachers almost as badly, and we generally hear about female reproduction only when men are trying to regulate it.” Throughout This Changes Everything, kids, children, baby dolphins, fertility, future generations, seeds, and the quest for pregnancy poetically and politically structure Klein’s arguments.
The good life, “Mother Earth,” new age health practices, rural tranquility, and a natural drive towards reproduction and regeneration are pitted against the non-nature of pollution, technology, cities, Frankenstein, and in vitro fertilization. The major Klein rejects the disfigured, monstrous character of the Earth. “We did not create it; it created—and sustains—us. […] the solution […] is not to fix the world, it is to fix ourselves.” This moral and ontological split is disarming and depoliticizing. Following Donna Haraway, we would always “rather be a cyborg than a goddess.” Haraway’s cyborg feminism is a lens which can help value and politicize regeneration and social reproduction—neither romanticizing it as an unsullied “natural” realm, nor letting imagined pasts and futures eclipse the present.
These themes culminate in the last full chapter of the book, “The Right to Regenerate”, in which Klein draws parallels between her own fraught attempts to conceive a child amid the stress of modern urban life, and humanity’s wider inability to value nature or emulate its gift for life. “As a culture,” she claims, “we do a very poor job of protecting, valuing, or even noticing fertility—not just among humans but across life’s spectrum.” This conviction leads her to ask: Is “it even possible to be a real environmentalist if you d[on]’t have kids?” While many environmentalists in fact fall into a similar, opposite, trap by morally abjuring natalism, this argument of Klein’s expresses reproductive futurism—a myopic focus on producing (proper) children and thus a (proper) future for humanity—a politics of the baby’s face.
Reproductive futurism devalues the queer and the now, including the potential desire to refuse to reproduce—or at least, to have a conversation about how and what is reproduced. It denies the intrinsic and equal worth of, as minor Klein puts it, “exiles from nature.” Major Klein’s reproductive futurism leaves the private form of the family largely unquestioned, the essentialism of the term “Mother Earth” almost unscathed, and the primacy of “fertility” intact.
Major Klein’s reproductive futurism also reflects a romanticism hinging on a “natural” life-domain somehow separate from capitalism. But capitalism is not, unfortunately, purely a logic of “short-term economic growth” that has been imposed by some (predominantly) middle-aged white men upon a separate, rich biotic world whose fundamental logic is long-term growth, circular regeneration, or life. In fact, in so many ways both capital and reactionary thought are premised on forms of “regeneration”; from razing public housing under the guise of “urban renewal,” to “right-to-life” activists opposing abortion, to the UN-led “carbon offset” forests that Klein critiques, where indigenous people are driven from their homes so that industrial activity elsewhere can be counted as “sustainable.” Capitalism is not something antithetical to nature but, to steal a phrase from Jason Moore, a way of organizing nature. Nature cannot express, in any unsullied way, what we are fighting for. We cannot simply affirm life, but must always ask: What forms of life? For whom?
Again, there is a minor Klein who is on the cusp of exploring such a “monstrous” conception of a nature by naming a “kinship of the infertile,” which we read as solidarity with non-reproductive lifeforms. This Klein’s openness to the complex desires of the dispossessed—including the desire for consumption, collective luxury, safety, “development,” and freedom from “shitty” work—show an occasional attunement to the already technological, entangled, human-nonhuman character of nature: a cyborg Earth. Recognizing the cyborg Earth does not condemn us to technofixes like geoengineering, but instead decenters maternity and makes room for the “unnatural,” the technological, and the nonfertile among the “we” coming into being in the struggles in Blockadia.
Cyborg Earth is not a foregone concession to evil technoscience but a site of struggles over the “commons” just like any other. A cyborg everything-ism reorients us towards practices that repurpose existing technologies and organisations of nature through bricolage—the art of making do with what is at hand. The minor Klein hints at a more hybrid, anti-austerity sensibility of this kind, that does not recoil from these “monstrous” entanglements of human, nonhuman, and technological natures. This Klein is doubtful about her desire for pregnancy and implies that if ecological crisis changes everything, surely it changes the institution of the family too. Disappointingly, the priority of incorporating a non-reproductive politics into the “regenerative” struggles of anticapitalism vanishes at the very moment in the narrative when Klein, at last, conceives a viable baby.
Much more could be said about this long, dense, inspiring, and perplexing book. Klein’s ability to appeal to both direct-action radicals and conservative journalists at the same time reflects the polyvocal character of This Changes Everything—there’s something in there for everyone. This no doubt reflects, at least in part, Klein’s desire for a broad populist politics which unites left and right, drawing on a social base of small local businesses, which can nonetheless form alliances with indigenous movements, trade unions, more affluent homeowners, campus activists, and others. But while a text can sustain such dissonance, movements face real tactical and strategic choices. This makes This Changes Everything a rich resource, but one from which the reader needs to pick out certain lines of argument in order to turn them against others.
There is a real gulf between a politics which seeks to back small local businesses against big global ones, and a politics which seeks to challenge whether business of any size is a desirable model of social organisation at all. Likewise, a politics which sees social movements as providing a potential constituency for election campaigns remains locked in the statist politics of representative democracy. By contrast, the kind of mass social movement practices evident in, for example, contemporary indigenous struggles, point to a rejection of recognition and representation within the state, which prefigures mass forms of non-coercive political power beyond and against it.
Finally, there is also a gulf between a regenerative politics understood as reproductive rights writ large, and a regenerative politics understood as decentering biological reproduction as just one moment of the multitude of human, non-human, and technological natures which are inextricably entangled in reproducing a world worth living in—and fighting for. After all, the history of reproductive struggles is characterized as much by a refusal of imposed motherhood as by affirmation of fertility.
The New Deal compromise Klein looks to as a precedent required not only powerful social movements, but also institutionalised representatives able to police them. The success of the trade union bureaucracies in turning the sit-down strikes of the 1930s into the orderly industrial relations of the 1950s also undermined the potency of workers’ struggle. In this sense, the New Deal reforms not only helped stabilize capitalism (and its endless drive for profits), but the compromise helped undermine the disruptive power which had forced the concessions in the first place. The problem with the major Klein’s program is therefore not that it “doesn’t go far enough” by some radical standard, but that in leaving central capitalist institutions in place, it’s ultimately self-defeating from an ecological point of view.
A compromise is always a provisional balance between opposing forces. The major Klein aims to hold at the fulcrum; the minor Klein invites us to push past the social tipping point and see what world our struggles can create on the other side. Major Klein wants to “ride the tiger”; minor Klein hints that tigers need no riders, and don’t take too kindly to those who seek to harness them for their own ends. Are today’s participants in climate movements willing to put their bodies and lives on the line, only to find that their dreams served to enlist them as footsoldiers for a modest Keynesian agenda? While Klein’s major politics point to such a recuperative closure, her minor politics are more open-ended, accommodating more utopian impulses in the here and now.
We are left asking key questions after reading This Changes Everything: does “everything” include the state, work, generalized commodification, profits, the family, local businesses, settler colonialism, Keynesian economics, and the inscription of the future as the image of the baby’s face? Or does “change” simply mean pressuring modest adjustments so that these institutions can persist in a post-carbon world? This is the difference between reforming to preserve capitalism in the face of an existential threat, and reforming to overthrow it, where reforms are simply the concessions exacted along the way. Klein vacillates between the two modes of reform, which ultimately reflect the respective antagonistic perspectives of capitalism’s (would-be) policymakers and the dispossessed on the barricades.
Perhaps Klein throwing her lot in with small local businesses explains why she seems caught between the fairer management of capitalism and its overthrow, between a merely anti-corporate politics and a more thoroughgoing anti-capitalist one. In any case, aspects of a radical anti-capitalist, anti-statist politics sit uneasily alongside green Keynesianism and localist economics. Taken at face value, Klein’s apparent advocacy of both positions at once reads as contradictory, or even incoherent. But reading “This Changes Everything” more charitably as an unintended dialogue between a major and a minor Klein allows us to instead identify tensions in the text, tensions which reflect real bifurcations in responding to something as all-encompassing as climate change.
These minor lines of thought point beyond the book to connect it with other texts, concepts, and live debates within social movements. And it is these minor currents which point beyond the ecocidal logic of endless growth, and with it beyond capitalism, the state, and climate chaos. At various points Klein seems on the cusp of pursuing this minor line, but, each time, she reprises a major refrain, generating dissonance. The distance between a major and a minor key is a single note, but everything depends on the difference.On 27 May 2015—shortly after the general election—LSE London held a small, specialist workshop on the role of housing associations in accelerating development in London. Attendees included chief executives, finance directors, trade bodies, local authority officials and other stakeholders and commentators. The conversation focused on the possibilities, barriers and in particular the incentives and risks that Housing Associations perceive in expanding housing investment.
There was general agreement that Housing Associations had a major role to play in accelerating development in London – and that it was possible to do much more than was currently in the pipeline. The larger, more assertive associations were working with a range of different models to extend their capacity to develop through cross subsidy from more market oriented projects – involving both properties to rent and for sale. They were also working in partnership with other associations (including smaller associations who had borrowing capacity) and particularly with local authorities to speed up development and to achieve best value for the resources they were committing.
There was discussion about whether Housing Associations were taking a positive enough approach. Some thought that there is too much negativity among associations and perhaps inadequate recognition of the history of subsidy and support upon which the government now wishes to draw. But there was also agreement that a number of the largest associations were taking a range of initiatives that could increase output levels significantly in the next few years.
Major barriers
There are important continuing barriers to development, including particularly land availability; uncertainties associated with the planning process; the limited capacity of planning departments; and problems with partnership working both between housing associations and between associations and local authorities.
Land availability – and the impact on price of too many organisations competing for the land that is available – is a continuing issue for all major players. All wanted a mechanism for ensuring a secure ten year supply of land.
Linked to this was the problem around the certainty of the planning process. If developers think they can modify the planning permission in their favour then they will bid more for the land – and then say they cannot afford the obligations. A number of participants thought that, given how badly the system was now working, a move to a tariff system for all obligations including affordable housing would produce better outcomes.
Concerns about the lack of resources and experience in local authorities have arisen consistently during our debates and not just in the context of negotiating planning obligations. So far working together in groups of authorities has not produced savings or better/quicker decisions. More fundamentally while each site has to be treated individually and sometimes has to be further reviewed during the development process the resource time involved for all concerned is enormous.
A rather different issue for local authority departments is how many associations they have to deal with on a regular basis – in some central London authorities there are 80 plus associations, each with different missions and approaches. Equally, the very different stances of local authorities on planning and allocation issues mean that one association may be dealing with very large numbers of local authorities across the country. The great variety of objectives among both housing associations and local authorities is one of the major reasons why partnership working is more difficult than it might appear on paper.
Growing Risks
Perhaps the most important issue for housing associations in determining their development and ownership programmes in the immediate future is growing policy risk. Much of the discussion at the roundtable focused on the extension of Right to Buy to housing associations. Many felt that this would have an immediate effect on their capacity to deliver new investment, particularly because of lenders’ concerns but also because of the potential for any new investment itself to be sold off. There was a feeling that this risk was not yet understood and perhaps that kneejerk reactions were unhelpful. As the policy would be implemented in some form what has to be developed are strategies to mitigate negative impacts.
Most associations still have relatively few Affordable Rent properties but numbers would grow through the Parliament. Too little is known about who lives in these properties and how dependent they are on housing benefit. There was discussion about whether criteria should be established so that in the future these properties should form a distinct ‘intermediate’ niche to accommodate working households able to afford the rent.
A further risk involved the manifesto pledge to reduce the welfare cap so that in some areas it would start to impact not just on larger families but also on those with only two children in higher rent areas. Here again, the fear of many around the table was that development capacity would be reduced as a result of a less certain income stream.
(Since the roundtable the budget has confirmed the welfare cap reductions and put in place a standstill on working age welfare benefits. However the most important – and unexpected – change has been that housing association must cut their rents by 1% each year for the next four years. This both reverses an agreement made last year, increasing policy risk, and further reduces capacity to invest.)
Ways Forward
Attendees were asked for ‘game changers’ that would make a real difference in accelerating delivery. The three key suggestions were:According to this listing on the realty website Zillow, Glenn Danzig's house in Los Feliz, California, is for sale. For a mere $1,199,000 (which is about $75k more than the Zestimate), you can be the proud owner of the house where the Misfits/Samhain singer and Lodi High School graduate Glenn Danzig routinely washed his Jaguar in mesh tank tops and allegedly cleaned up his mother fucking bricks on the reg. We're pretty sure he hasn't lived there in a while but what an iconic piece of rock history. Way more important than the Dischord House.
From the listing:
via Zillow
This 1907 Craftsman home is awaiting your imagination and creative talents. In the rear of the property is a 2 bd.+1ba. additional unit. Many original accents are still intact. Two story home with hardwood floors, leaded glass, and storage units. This is a property that should be returned to its glorious past. Property is to be sold "as is".
"As is," in realtor terms, means Danzig probly fucked it up real good. But maybe for an extra few bucks he's willing to throw in that sweet book collection and some leftover kitty litter. Come to think of it, we'd like this place for ourselves. Can someone start a Kickstarter so we can move the Noisey offices to Danzig's house? Blogging out of the Danzig house, mumbling along to Misfits songs? That's the dream, baby. Please make it happen, internet.
We realize this is a buyer's market, though, and we've got some steep competition for our dream home. So happy bidding, everyone.A federal judge’s ruling that stopped construction of a West Virginia wind farm to protect an endangered bat underscores the growing conflicts between green energy and imperiled wildlife.
But the case, thought to be the first of its kind involving a wind energy project, seems unlikely to derail other projects, as some wind energy advocates have feared, unless the operators ignore endangered species laws.
In the West Virginia dispute, a subsidiary of wind developer Invenergy called Beech Ridge Energy applied to build a 122-turbine project along an Appalachian ridgeline in Greenbrier County. The county is home to the Indiana bat, which the federal government listed as endangered in 1967.
“This is a case about bats, wind turbines, and two federal policies, one favoring the protection of endangered species, and the other encouraging development of renewable energy resources,” wrote Judge Roger W. Titus of the Federal District Court in Maryland in Tuesday’s ruling. “The two vital federal policies at issue in this case are not necessarily in conflict.”
That’s because under the Endangered Species Act, developers can apply for an “incidental take permit” that allows the inadvertent killing of protected wildlife if other measures are taken to protect the animals.
Invenergy told federal wildlife officials that surveys had not detected the Indiana bat at the West Virginia wind farm site. Although officials at the Fish and Wildlife Service had urged the company’s consultants to conduct more extensive surveys, a West Virginia state agency approved the project and construction of the wind turbines began.
The Animal Welfare Institute, a Washington-based nonprofit group, sued to stop construction. An initial assessment of the project had estimated that it would annually kill 6,746 bats of all kinds.
After listening to expert testimony from both sides, Judge Titus concluded that Invenergy’s consultants avoided undertaking surveys that would have shown the presence of Indiana bats at the project site.
“By a preponderance of the evidence, that, like death and taxes, there is a virtual certainty that Indiana bats will be harmed, wounded, or killed imminently by the Beech Ridge Project,” the judge wrote in his ruling. “This court has concluded that the only avenue available to defendants to resolve the self-imposed plight in which they now find themselves is to do belatedly that which they should have done long ago: apply for an I.T.P.” (I.T.P. refers to incidental take permit.)
“The development of wind energy can and should be encouraged, but wind turbines must be good neighbors,” he added, noting that other wind developers have applied for incidental take permits.
While such permits allow projects to go forward, obtaining one can be a years-long process involving the drafting of elaborate habitat conservation plans.
In a statement, Invenergy said that it would apply for a take permit for the West Virginia project. Judge Titus restricted the operation of the turbines that have been built to winter months when the Indiana bat hibernates.
“We don’t have to choose between having a wind development or other renewable energy projects and complying with the Endangered Species Act,” said Johanna Wald, a senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, which was not involved in the West Virginia case. “There is potential for wind projects to adversely impact birds and bats and that’s why it’s so important to choose good sites for these projects.”
The ruling comes as dozens of solar power plant projects planned for the desert Southwest increasingly face conflicts over endangered species such as the desert tortoise and fringe-toed lizards.
To try to head off those issues, some developers are hiring scores of biologists to look for protected wildlife and applying for take permits as they move through an extensive licensing process.POSTED March 18, 2015
I want to talk to you all about something weird that’s been going on since tour started. No one on my team quite understands it and it’s starting to make us all feel a little crazy—Nomad time. Let me try to explain what I mean. Yesterday, the three of us woke up after six hours of sleep that felt like five minutes. We had 27 hours worth of work to do and only 18 hours left in the day. When we we were ready that night for a few more hours of sleep, it felt like the morning was 10 years ago. But like always, the day was so amazing that it felt like everything went by in a second. It’s just not adding up.
We’ve been working on a theory—we’ve been meeting so many awesome new people so quickly that it’s warping time. Let me give you an example: During our week (day? month?) in Dallas, we got the chance to stay with Lance and Catie for two nights. An unexpected snowstorm cancelled our presentation on the first night, so we met up with them, along with the other guest speaker who was going to be at an event, for dinner. And that’s how the Great Plains nomads ended up at dinner with Blaine Harden, the author of Escape from Camp 14! With so many interesting people meeting in one place, time seemed to stop mattering at all.
Dallas gets really quiet when it snows, so we almost had the restaurant to ourselves to talk and share stories. We learned a lot about Blaine’s life as a journalist (apparently it was like summer camp with whiskey). He’s writing a new book, and he let us in on a few secrets. Lance has Taco Bell connections, so we learned that they’re cooking up something that will change our fast-food lives forever. We’ll let you guys know whether or not that’s really true once we get to Toledo!
After dropping off Blaine, we headed back to their place and somehow it had already gotten dark (where did the day go?). We learned that Catie has the true nomad spirit. She’s worked for a few different non-profits, and worked on an organic farm in New York for a while. We even met Scrappy, an adorable but terrifying monster dog. He’s five pounds of cute with the capacity to be vicious. Eventually even he got used to us, and curled up next to me by the fire. The only way to keep track of time was by how much the snow had piled up outside, and I couldn’t tell you whether it was one hour or six before we eventually said goodnight.
Nomad time. It drives you crazy in the most amazing way. The next few weeks are going to feel like a lifetime, but it’ll be over in a second. And we look forward to every minute of it.
There’s still time to meet the Nomads this spring. Request an event in your town!Ian Clark, who in his stint with the Golden State Warriors became one of the most electrifying players off the bench and a true fan favorite, has reportedly agreed to terms to sign with the New Orleans Pelicans, according to The Vertical’s Shams Charania.
Free agent Ian Clark has agreed to a one-year deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, league sources tell The Vertical. — Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 1, 2017
Clark, who played for the Warriors’ Summer League squad in 2013 and then signed with the team in September of 2015, had set himself apart as a spark plug off the bench, earning the trust of his teammates and coaches.
As Dean Campbell said in his season review of Clark’s 2016-17 campaign:
Whatever Clark did to train over the summer of 2016, it sure worked. Clark enjoyed career highs this season in minutes (14.8), points (6.8), shooting percentage (49%), rebounds (1.6), assists (1.2), and steals (0.5). He showed remarkable growth as he accepted a larger role after Leandro Barbosa’s departure last summer.
I mean, who could forget nights like this?!
The news comes as no great surprise, though, as it was widely expected that Clark — still only 26 years old — would receive some serious offers that would drive his salary above anything the Warriors could match.
Again, from our own Dean Campbell:
Clark’s contract, like many Warriors last season, was for about as little money as was allowed under the collective bargaining agreement. Word on the street is that other teams are hoping to sign Clark for much more than the league minimum and the Warriors will not be in a position to match those offers. The “experts” expect that Clark will be offered something like $6-8 million per season by other teams. With the limited amount of cap space available to Golden State, the Warriors will place a higher priority on saving enough money to re-sign Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston. Unless Clark is willing to settle for substantially less to stay with the Warriors, it’s likely that he’s leaving with a larger wallet.
Either way, we’ll always have this timeless gif.
Bless you Ian. Safe travels and thank you for your help in the most recent championship run!
Around the league, it remains to be seen how this move will impact other potential trades and signings.1. Actions related to Bear Stearns and its acquisition by JP Morgan Chase, including:
a. Loan To Facilitate the Acquisition of The Bear Stearns Companies, Inc. by JPMorgan Chase & Co. (Maiden Lane I)
b. Bridge Loan to The Bear Stearns Companies Inc. Through JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.
2. Bank of America -- Authorization to Provide Residual Financing to Bank of America Corporation Relating to a Designated Asset Pool (taken in conjunction with FDIC and Treasury)
3. Citigroup -- Authorization to Provide Residual Financing to Citigroup, Inc., for a Designated Asset Pool (taken in conjunction with FDIC and Treasury)
4. Various actions to stabilize American International Group (AIG), including a revolving line of credit provided by the Federal Reserve as well as several credit facilities (listed below). AIG has also received equity from Treasury, through the TARP, which would also be captured in amendment #1020.
a. Secured Credit Facility Authorized for American International Group, Inc., on September 16, 2008
b. Restructuring of the Government's Financial Support to American International Group, Inc., on November 10, 2008 (Maiden Lane II and Maiden Lane III)
c. Restructuring of the Government's Financial Support to American International Group, Inc., on March 2, 2009
5. TALF -- finally, amendment #1020 would expand GAO's authority to oversee the TARP, including the joint Federal Reserve-Treasury Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF)
*Neither* Amendment #1021 nor #1020 would include short-term liquidity facilities:
1. Asset-Backed Commercial Paper Money Market Mutual Fund Liquidity Facility
2. (AMLF)
3. Commercial Paper Funding Facility (CPFF)
4. Money Market Investor Funding Facility (MMIFF)
5. Primary Dealer Credit Facility and Other Credit for Broker-Dealers (PDCF)
6. Term Securities Lending Facility (TSLF)It was only a few days before the nation would go over the fiscal cliff, no bipartisan agreement was in sight, and Reid had just publicly accused Boehner of running a “dictatorship” in the House and caring more about holding onto his gavel than striking a deal. “Go f— yourself,” Boehner sniped as he pointed his finger at Reid, according to multiple sources present. Reid, a bit startled, replied: “What are you talking about?” Boehner repeated: “Go f— yourself.”
Okay, so maybe Boehner was pissed off that Reid had accused him of running a dictatorship. But Reid's point was fair: Boehner, up to that point, had refused to allow a vote on anything that wasn't supported by a majority of House Republicans, even if a majority of the House as a whole wanted to see it get passed. And, in the end, while Boehner apparently bragged to his fellow House Republicans that he had told Reid to go f— himself, it was Reid who got his way: the bill that passed the House last night did so without a majority of House Republicans backing it.
In other words, the next time John Boehner says he can't pass something without having a majority of his own caucus supporting it, Democrats can rightly say back to him: go f— yourself.Phillip Chappuie, an Independence native, walked with me through the hospital and pointed out memories of the hospital. “My father was a doctor here. My kids were born here.”
The hospital itself wasn’t what most would expect from a hospital facing closure. Clean, pristine and well kept, for many the look of Independence Mercy Hospital would make you think of a building waiting for an opening day, a chance to greet and serve patients to signal that a small Kansas community had interest in offering residents access to good medical care, as a way to help attract new residents and businesses.
The well-kept look of Mercy Hospital and empty hallways mirrors too much of the daily life in Montgomery County. The industrial park, about 14 miles outside of town, is full of new construction buildings that lay dormant, waiting on new owners and jobs.
An Amazon Warehouse which at one point brought 1,500 jobs into Montgomery County now waits for new industry. Southwire, another partner in the industrial park and an employer of 200 lays dormant nearby.
Micky Webb, City Manager of Independence, candidly evaluated the issues. “We’ve had county meetings on prospects for businesses to help come back into Independence, to bring some jobs here. Right now, though they are prospects; they aren’t jobs right now, just prospects, just talk. I think there are prospects for more jobs in the city as well. I think there will be some expansion from small businesses. So we’ve got some job prospects, but not enough to make up for the jobs we’ve lost.”
For the city of Independence, the closure of Mercy Hospital creates an added burden. While the state legislature and governor are disinterested in Medicaid expansion, citing concerns over cost, the City of Independence |
as often, as may appear to be just.
841. ART. 41. CHALLENGES
(a) The military judge and members of a general or special court- martial may be challenged by the accused or the trial counsel for cause stated to the court. The military judge, or if none, the court, shall determine the relevance and validity of the challenges for cause, and may not receive a challenge to more than one person at a time. Challenges by the trial counsel shall ordinarily be presented and decided before those by the accused are offered.
(b) Each accused and the trial counsel is entitled to one preemptory challenge, but the military judge may not be challenged except for cause.
842. ART. 42. OATHS
(a) Before performing their respective duties, military judges, members of general and special courts-martial, trial counsel, assistant trial counsel, defense counsel, assistant or associate defense counsel, reporters, and interpreters shall take an oath to perform their duties faithfully. The form of the oath, the time and place of the taking thereof, the manner of recording the same, and whether the oath shall be taken for all cases in which these duties are to be performed or for a particular case, shall be as prescribed in regulations of the Secretary concerned. These regulations may provide that an oath to perform faithfully duties as a military judge, trial counsel, assistant trial counsel, defense counsel, or assistant or associate defense counsel may be taken at any time by any judge advocate or other person certified to be qualified or competent for duty, and if such an oath is taken it need not again be taken at the time the judge advocate, or other person is detailed to that duty.
(b) Each witness before a court-martial shall be examined on oath.
* 843. ART. 43. STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS
(a) A person charged with absence without leave or missing movement in time of war, or with any offense punishable by death, may be tried at any time without limitation.
(b)
(1) Except as otherwise provided in this section (article), a person charged with an offense is not liable to be tried by court-martial if the offense was committed more than five years before the receipt of sworn charges and specifications by an officer exercising summary court- martial jurisdiction over the command. (2) A person charged with an offense is not liable to be punished under section 815 of this title (article 15) if the offense was committed more than two years before the imposition of punishment.
(c) Periods in which the accused is absent without authority or fleeing from justice shall be excluded in computing the period of limitation prescribed in this section (article).
(d) Periods in which the accused was absent from territory in which the United States has the authority to apprehend him, or in the custody of civil authorities, or in the hands of the enemy, shall be excluded in computing the period of limitation prescribed in this article.
(e) For an offense the trial of which in time of war is certified to the President by the Secretary concerned to be detrimental to the prosecution of the war or inimical to the national security, the period of limitation prescribed in this article is extended to six months after the termination of hostilities as proclaimed by the President or by a joint resolution of Congress.
(f) When the United States is at war, the running of any statute of limitations applicable to any offense under this chapter--
(1) involving fraud or attempted fraud against the United States or any agency thereof in any manner, whether by conspiracy or not; (2) committed in connection with the acquisition, care, handling, custody, control, or disposition of any real or personal property of the United States; or (3) committed in connection with the negotiation, procurement, award, performance, payment, interim financing, cancellation, or other termination or settlement, of any contract, subcontract, or purchase order which is connected with or related to the prosecution of the war, or with any disposition of termination inventory by any war contractor or Government agency;
is suspended until three years after the termination of hostilities as proclaimed by the President or by a joint resolution of Congress.
*(g)
(1) If charges or specifications are dismissed or insufficient for any cause and the period prescribed by the applicable statute of limitations-- (A) has expired; or (B) will expire within 180 days after the date of dismissal of the charges and specifications, trial and punishment under new charges and specifications are not bared by the statute of limitations if the conditions specified in paragraph (2) are met. (2) The conditions referred to in paragraph (1) are that the new charges and specifications must-- (A) be received by an officer exercising summary court-martial jurisdiction over the command within 180 days after dismissal of the charges or specifications; and (B) allege the same acts or omissions that were alleged in the dismissed charges or specifications (or allege acts or omissions that were included in the dismissed charges or specifications).
844. ART. 44. FORMER JEOPARDY
(a) No person may, without his consent, be tried a second time for the same offense.
(b) No proceeding in which the accused has been found guilty by court- martial upon any charge or specification is a trial in the sense of this article until the finding of guilty has become final after review of the case has been fully completed.
(c) A proceeding which, after the introduction of evidence but before a finding, is dismissed or terminated by the convening authority or motion of the prosecution for failure of available evidence or witnesses without any fault of the accused is a trial in the sense of this article.
845. ART. 45. PLEAS OF THE ACCUSED
(a) If an accused after arraignment makes an irregular pleading, or after a plea of guilty sets up matter inconsistent with the plea, or if it appears that he has entered the plea of guilty improvidently or through lack of understanding of its meaning and effect, or if he fails or refuses to plead, a plea of not guilty shall be entered in the record, and the court shall proceed as though he had pleaded not guilty.
(b) A plea of guilty by the accused may not be received to any charge or specification alleging an offense for which the death penalty may be adjudged. With respect to any other charge or specification to which a plea of guilty has been made by the accused and accepted by the military judge or by a court-martial without a military judge, a finding of guilty of the charge or specification may, if permitted by regulations of the Secretary concurrence, be entered immediately whither vote. This finding shall constitute the finding of the court unless the plea of guilty is withdrawn prior to announcement of the sentence, in which event the proceedings shall continue as though the accused had pleaded not guilty.
846. ART. 46. OPPORTUNITY TO OBTAIN WITNESSES AND OTHER EVIDENCE
The trial counsel, the defense counsel, and the court-martial shall have equal opportunity to obtain witnesses and other evidence in accordance with such regulations as the President may prescribe. Process issued in court-martial cases to compel witnesses to appear and testify and to compel the production of other evidence shall be similar to that which courts of the Unites States having criminal jurisdiction may lawfully issue and shall run to any part of the United States, or the Territories, Commonwealths, and possessions.
847. ART. 47. REFUSAL TO APPEAR OR TESTIFY
(a) Any person not subject to this who--
(1) has been dully subpoenaed to appear as a witness before a court- martial, military commission, court of inquiry, or any other military court or board, or before any military or civil officer designated to take a deposition to be read in evidence before such a court, commission, or board; (2) has been dully paid or tendered the fees and mileage of a witness at the rates allowed to witnesses attending the courts of the United States; and (3) willfully neglects or refuses to appear, or refuses to qualify as a witness or to testify or to produce any evidence which that person may have been legally subpoenaed to produce;
is guilty of an offense against the United States.
(b) Any person who commits an offense named in subsection (a) shall be tried on information in a United States district court or in a court of original criminal jurisdiction in any of the Territories, Commonwealths, or possessions of the United States, and jurisdiction is conferred upon those courts for that purpose. Upon conviction, such person shall be punished by a fine of not more than $500, or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both.
(c) The United States attorney or the officer prosecuting for the United States in any such court of original criminal jurisdiction shall, upon the certification of the facts to him by the military court, commission, court of inquiry, or board, file an information against and prosecute any person violating this article.
(d) The fees and mileage of witnesses shall be advanced or paid out of the appropriations for the compensation of witnesses.
848. ART. 48. CONTEMPTS
A court-martial, provost court, or military commission may punish for contempt any person who uses any menacing word, sign, or gesture in its presence, or who disturbs its proceedings by any riot or disorder. The punishment may not exceed confinement for 30 days or a fine of $100 or both.
849. ART. 49. DEPOSITIONS
(a) At any time after charges have been signed as provided in section 830 of this title (article 30), any party may take oral or written depositions unless the military judge or court-martial without a military judge hearing the case or, if the case is not being heard, an attorney competent to convene a court-martial for the trial of those charges forbids it for good cause. If a deposition is to be taken before charges are referred for trial, such authority may designate commissioned officers to represent the prosecution and the defense and may authorize those officers to take the deposition of any witness.
(b) The party at whose instance a deposition is to be taken shall give to every other party reasonable written notice of the time and place for taking the deposition.
(c) Depositions may be taken before and authenticated by any military or civilian authorized by the laws of the United States or by the laws of the place where the deposition is taken to administer oaths.
(d) A duly authenticated deposition taken upon reasonable notice to other parties, so far as otherwise admissible under the rules of evidence, may be read in evidence or, in the case of audiotape, videotape, or similar material, may be played in evidence before any military court or commission in any case not capital, or in any proceeding before a court of inquiry or military board, if it appears--
(1) that the witness resides or is beyond the State, Territory, Commonwealth, or District of Columbia in which the court, commission, or board is ordered to sit, or beyond 100 miles from the place of trial or hearing; (2) that the witness by reason of death, age, sickness, bodily infirmity, imprisonment, military necessity, non amenability to process, or other reasonable cause is unable or refuses to appear and testify in person at the place of trial or hearing; or (3) that the present whereabouts of the witness is unknown.
(e) Subject to subsection (d), a deposition may be read in evidence or, in the case of audiotape, videotape, or similar material, may be played in evidence in any case in which the death penalty is authorized but is not mandatory, whenever the convening authority directs that the case be treated as not capital, and in such a case a sentence of death may not be adjudged by the court-martial.
850. ART. 50. ADMISSIBILITY OF RECORDS OF COURTS OF INQUIRY
(a) In any case not capital and not extending to the dismissal of a commissioned officer, the sworn testimony, contained in the duly authenticated record of proceedings of a court of inquiry, of a person whose oral testimony cannot be obtained, may, if otherwise admissible under the rules of evidence, be read in evidence by any party before a court-martial or military commission if the accused was a party before the court of inquiry and if the same issue was involved or if the accused consents to the introduction of such evidence.
(b) such testimony may be read in evidence only by the defense in capital cases extending to the dismissal of a commissioned officer.
(c) Such testimony may also be read in evidence before a court of inquiry or a military board.
* 850a. ART. 50a. DEFENSE OF LACK OF MENTAL RESPONSIBILITY
(a) It is an affirmative defense in a trial by court-martial that, at the time of the commission of the acts constituting the offense, the accused, as a result of a sever mental disease or defect, was unable to appreciate the nature and quality or the wrongfulness of the acts. Mental disease or defect does not otherwise constitute a defense.
(b) The accused has the burden of proving the defense of lack of mental responsibility by clear and convincing evidence.
(c) Whenever lack of mental responsibility of the accused with respect to an offense is properly at issue, the military judge, or the president of the court-martial without a military judge, shall instruct the members of the court as to the defense of lack of mental responsibility under this section and shall charge them to find the accused--
(1) guilty; (2) not guilty; or (3) not guilty only by reason of lack of mental responsibility.
(d) Subsection (c) does not apply to a court-martial composed of a military judge only. In the case of a court-martial composed of a military judge only, whenever lack of mental responsibility of the accused with respect to an offense is properly at issue, the military judge shall find the accused--
(1) guilty; (2) not guilty; or (3) not guilty only by reason of lack of mental responsibility.
(e) Notwithstanding the provision of section 852 of this title (article 52), the accused shall be found not guilty only by reason of lack of mental responsibility if--
(1) a majority of the members of the court-martial present at the time the vote is taken determines that the defense of lack of mental responsibility has been established; or (2) in the case of court-martial composed of a military judge only, the military judge determines that the defense of lack of mental responsibility has been established.
851. ART. 51. VOTING AND RULINGS
(a) Voting by members of a general or special court-martial on the findings and on the sentence, and by members of a court-martial without a military judge upon questions of challenge, shall be by secret written ballot. The junior member of the court shall count the votes. The count shall be checked by the president, who shall forthwith announce the result of the ballot to the members of the court.
(b) The military judge and, except for questions of challenge, the president of a court-martial without a military judge shall ruse upon all questions of law and all interlocutory questions arising during the proceedings. Any such ruling made by the military judge upon any question of lay or any interlocutory question other than the factual issue of mental responsibility of the accused, or by the president of a court-martial without a military judge upon any question of law other than a motion for a finding of not guilty, is final and constitutes the ruling of the court. However, the military judge or the president of a court-martial without a military judge may change his ruling at any time during the trial. Unless the ruling is final, if any member objects thereto, the court shall be cleared and closed and the question decided by a voice vote as provided in section 852 of this title (article 52), beginning with the junior in rank.
(c) Before a vote is taken of the findings, the military judge or the president of a court-martial without a military judge shall, in the presence of the accused and counsel, instruct the members of the court as to the elements of the offense and charge them--
(1) that the accused must be presumed to be innocent until his guilt is established by legal and competent evidence beyond reasonable doubt; (2) that in the case being considered, if there is a reasonable doubt as to the guilt of the accused, the doubt must be resolved in favor of the accused and he must be acquitted; (3) that, if there is reasonable doubt as to the degree of guilt, the finding must be in a lower degree as to which there is no reasonable doubt; and (4) that the burden of proof to establish the guilt of the accused beyond a reasonable doubt is upon the United States.
(d) Subsections (a), (b), and (c) do not apply to a court-martial composed of a military judge only. The military judge of such a court- martial shall determine all questions of law and fact arising during the proceedings, and, if the accused is convicted, adjudge an appropriate sentence. The military judge of such a court-martial shall make a general finding and shall in addition on request find the facts specially. If an opinion or memorandum of decision is field, it will be sufficient if the findings of fact appear therein.
852. ART. 52. NUMBER OF VOTES REQUIRED
(a)
(1) No person may be convicted of an offense for which the death penalty is made mandatory by law, except by the concurrence of all the members of the court-martial present at the time the vote is taken. (2) No person may be convicted of any other offense, except as provided in section 845(b) of this title (article 45(b)) or by concurrence of two-thirds of the members present at the time the vote is taken.
(b)
(1) No person may be sentenced to suffer death, except by the concurrence of all the members of the court-martial present at the time the vote is taken and for an offense in this chapter expressly made punishable by death. (2) No person may be sentenced by life imprisonment or to confinement for more than ten years, except by the concurrence of three-fourths of the members at the time the vote is taken. (3) All other sentences shall be determined by the concurrence of two- thirds of the members at the time the vote is taken.
(c) All other questions to be decided by the members of a general or special court-martial shall be determined by a majority vote, but a determination to reconsider a finding of guilty or to reconsider a sentence, with a view toward decreasing it, may be made by any lesser vote which indicates that the reconsideration is not opposed by the number of votes required for that finding or sentence. A tie vote on a challenge disqualifies the member challenged. A tie vote on a motion for a finding of not guilty or on a motion relating to the question of the accused sanity. is a determination against the accused. A tie vote on any other question is a determination in favor of the accused.
853. ART. 53. COURT TO ANNOUNCE ACTION
A court-martial shall announce its findings and sentence to the parties as soon as determined.
854. ART. 54. RECORD OF TRIAL
(a) Each general court-martial shall deep a separate record of the proceedings in each case brought before it, and the record shall be authenticated by the signature of the military judge. If the record cannot be authenticated by the military judge by reason of his death, disability, or absence, it shall be authenticated by the signature of the trial counsel or by that of a member if the trial counsel is unable to authenticate it by reason of his death, disability, or absence. In a court-martial consisting of only a military judge the record shall be authenticated by the court reporter under the same conditions which would impose such a duty on a member under the subsection.
(b) Each special and summary court-martial shall keep a separate record of the proceedings in each case, and the record shall be authenticated in the manner required by such regulations as the President may prescribe.
(c)
(1) A complete record of the proceedings and testimony shall be prepared-- (A) in each general court-martial case in which the sentence adjudged includes death, a dismissal, a discharge, or (if the sentence adjudged does not include a discharge) or any other punishment which exceeds that which may otherwise be adjudged by a special court-martial; and (B) in each special court-martial case in which the sentence includes a bad-conduct discharge. (2) In all other court-martial cases, the record shall contain such matters as may be prescribed by regulations of the President.
(d) A copy of the record of the proceedings of each general and special court-martial shall be given to the accused as soon as it is authenticated.
Sub Chapter VIII. Sentences [TOC]
Sec. Art. 855. 55. Cruel and unusual punishments prohibited. 856. 56. Maximum limits. 857. 57. Effective date of sentences. 858. 58. Execution of confinement. 858a. 58a. Sentences: reduction in enlisted grade upon approval.
855. ART. 55. CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENTS PROHIBITED.
Punishment by flogging, or by branding, marking, or tattooing on the body, or any other cruel or unusual punishment, may not be adjudged by a court-martial or inflicted upon any person subject to this chapter. The use of irons, single or double, except for the purpose of safe custody, is prohibited.
856. ART. 56. MAXIMUM LIMITS
The punishment which a court-martial may direct for an offense may not exceed such limits as the President may prescribe for that offense.
857. ART. 57. EFFECTIVE DATE OF SENTENCES
(a) No forfeiture may extend to any pay or allowances accrued before the date on which the sentence is approved by the person acting under section 860(c) of this title (article 60(c)).
(b) Any period of confinement included in a sentence of a court-martial begins to run from the date the sentence is adjudged by the court-martial, but periods during which the sentence to confinement is suspended or deferred shall be excluded in computing the service of the term of confinement.
(c) All other sentences of courts-martial are effective on the date ordered executed.
(d) On application by an accused who is under sentence to confinement that has not been ordered executed, the convening authority, or, if the accused is no longer under his jurisdiction, the officer exercising general court-martial jurisdiction over the command to which the accused is currently assigned, may in his sole discretion defer service of the sentence to confinement. The deferment shall terminate when the sentence is ordered executed. The deferment may be rescinded at any time by the officer who granted it or, if the accused is no longer under his jurisdiction, by the officer exercising general court-martial jurisdiction over the command to which the accused is currently assigned.
858. ART. 58. EXECUTION OF CONFINEMENT.
(a) Under such instructions as the Secretary concerned may prescribe, a sentence of confinement adjudged by a court-martial or other military tribunal, whether or not the sentence includes discharge or dismissal, and whether or not the discharge or dismissal has been executed, may be carried into execution by confinement in any place of confinement under the control of any of the armed forces or in any penal or correctional institution under the control of the United States, or which the United States may be allowed to use. Persons so confined in a penal or correctional institution not under the control of one of the armed forces are subject to the dame discipline and treatment as persons confined or committed by the courts of the United States or of the State, Territory, District of Columbia, or place in which the institution is situated.
(b) The omission of the words "hard labor" from any sentence of a court-martial adjudging confinement does not deprive the authority executing that sentence of the power to require hard labor as a part of the punishment.
858a. ART. 58a. SENTENCES: REDUCTION IN ENLISTED GRADE UPON APPROVAL
(a) Unless otherwise provided in regulations to be prescribed by the Secretary concerned, a court-martial sentence of an enlisted member in pay grade above E-1, as approved by the convening authority, that includes--
(1) a dishonorable or bad-conduct discharge; (2) confinement; or (3) hard labor without confinement;
reduces that member to pay grade E-1, effective on the date of that approval.
(b) If the sentence of a member who is reduced in pay grade under subsection (a) is set aside or disapproved, or, as finally approved does not include any punishment named in subsection (a)(1), (2), or (3), the rights and privileges of which he was deprived because of that reduction shall be restored to him and he is entitled to the pay and allowances to which he would have been entitled for the period the reduction was in effect, had he not been so reduced.
Sub Chapter IX. Post-Trial Procedure
And Review Of Courts-Martial [TOC]
Sec. Art. 859. 59. Error of law; lesser included offense. 860. 60. Action by the convening authority. 861. 61. Waiver or withdrawal of appeal. 862. 62. Appeal by the United States. 863. 63. Rehearings. 864. 64. Review by a judge advocate. 865. 65. Disposition of records. 866. 66. Review by Court of Military Review. 867. 67. Review by the Court of Military Appeals. *867a. 67a. Review by the Supreme Court. 868. 68. Branch offices. 869. 69. Review in the office of the Judge Advocate General. 870. 70. Appellate counsel. 871. 71. Execution of sentence; suspension of sentence. 872. 72. Vacation of suspension. 873. 73. Petition for a new trial. 874. 74. Remission and suspension. 875. 75. Restoration. 876. 76. Finality of proceedings, findings, and sentences. 876a. 76a. Leave required to be taken pending review of certain court-martial convictions.
859. ART. 59. ERROR OF LAW; LESSER INCLUDED OFFENSE
(a) A finding or sentence of court-martial may not be held incorrect on the ground of an error of law unless the error materially prejudices the substantial rights of the accused.
(b) Any reviewing authority with the power to approve or affirm a finding of guilty may approve or affirm, instead, so much of the finding as includes a lesser included offense.
860. ART. 60. ACTION BY THE CONVENING AUTHORITY
(a) the findings and sentence of a court-martial shall be reported promptly to the convening authority after the announcement of the sentence.
(b)
(1) the accused may submit to the convening authority matters for consideration by the convening authority with respect to the findings and the sentence. Except in a summary court-martial case, such a submission shall be made within 10 days after the accused has been given an authenticated record of trial and, if applicable, the recommendation of the staff judge advocate or legal officer under subsection (d). In a summary court-martial case, such submission shall be made within seven days after the sentence is announced. (2) If the accused shows that additional time is required for the accused to submit such matters, the convening authority or other person taking action under this section, for good cause, may extend the applicable period under paragraph (1) for not more than an additional 20 days. (3) In a summary court-martial case, the accused shall be promptly provided a copy of the record of trial for use in preparing a submission authorized by paragraph (1). (4) The accused may waive his right to make a submission to the convening authority under paragraph (1). Such a waiver must be made in writing and may not be revoked. For the purposes of subsection (c)(2), the time within which the accused may make a submission under this subsection shall be deemed to have expired upon the submission of such a waiver to the convening authority.
(c)
(1) The authority under this section to modify the findings and sentence of a court-martial is a matter of command prerogative involving the sole discretion of the convening authority. Under regulations of the Secretary concerned, a commissioned officer commanding for the time being, a successor in command, or any person exercising general court-martial jurisdiction may act under this section in place of the convening authority. (2) Action on the sentence of a court-martial shall be taken by the convening authority or by another person authorized to act under this section. Subject to regulations of the Secretary concerned, such action may be taken only after consideration of any matters submitted by the accused under subsection (b) or after the time for submitting such matters expires, whichever is earlier. The convening authority or other person taking such action, in his sole discretion, may approve, disapprove, commute, or suspend the sentence in whole or in part. (3) Action on the findings of a court-martial by the convening authority or other person acting on the sentence is not required. However, such person, in his sole discretion, may-- (A) dismiss any charge or specification by setting aside a finding of guilty thereto; or (B) change a finding of guilty to a charge or specification to a finding of guilty to an offense that is a lesser included offense of the offense stated in the charge or specification.
(d) Before acting under this section on any general court-martial case or any special court-martial case that includes a bad-conduct discharge, the convening authority or other person taking action under this section shall obtain and consider the written recommendation of his staff judge advocate or legal officer. The convening authority or other person taking action under this section shall refer the record of trial to his staff judge advocate or legal officer, and the staff judge advocate or legal officer shall use such record in the preparation of his recommendation. The recommendation of the staff judge advocate or legal officer shall include such matters as the President may prescribe by regulation and shall be served on the accused, who may submit any matter in response under subsection (b). Failure to object in the response to the recommendation or to any matter attached to the recommendation waives the right to object thereto.
(e)
(1) The convening authority or other person taking action under this section, in his sole discretion, may order a proceeding in revision or a rehearing. (2) A proceeding in revision may be ordered if there is an apparent error or omission in the record or if the record shows improper or inconsistent action by a court-martial with respect to the findings or sentence that can be rectified without material prejudice to the substantial rights of the accused. In no case, however, may a proceeding in revision-- (A) reconsider a finding of not guilty of any specification or a ruling which amounts to a finding of not guilty; (B) reconsider a finding of not guilty of any charge, unless there has been a finding of guilty under a specification laid under that charge, which sufficiently alleges a violation of some article of this chapter; or (C) increase the severity of some article of the sentence unless the sentence prescribed for the offense is mandatory. (3) A rehearing may be ordered by the convening authority or other person taking action under this section if he disapproves the findings and sentence and states the reasons for disapproval of the findings. If such a person disapproves the findings and sentence and does not order a rehearing, he shall dismiss the charges. A rehearing as to the findings may not be ordered where there is a lack of sufficient evidence in the record to support the findings. A rehearing as to the sentence may be ordered if the convening authority or other person taken action under this subsection disapproves the sentence.
861. WAIVER OR WITHDRAWAL OF APPEAL
(a) In each case subject to appellate review under section 866 or 869(a) of this title (article 66 or 69(a)), except a case in which the sentence as approved under section 860(c) of this title (article 60(c)) includes death, the accused may file with the convening authority a statement expressly waving the right of the accuse d to such review. Such a waiver shall be signed by both the accused and by defense counsel and must be filed within 10 days after the action under sections 860(c) of this title (article 60(c)) is served on the accused or on defense counsel. the convening authority or other person taking such action, for good cause, may extend the period for such filing by not more than 30 days.
(b) Except in a case in which the sentence as approved under section 860(c) of this title (article 60(c)) includes death, the accused may withdraw an appeal at any time. (c) A waiver of the right to appellate review or the withdrawal of an appeal under this section bars review under section 866 or 869(a) of this title (article 66 or 69(a)).
862. ART. 62. APPEAL BY THE UNITED STATES
(a)
(1) In a trial by court-martial in which a military judge presides and in which a punitive discharge may be adjudged, the United States may appeal an order or ruling of the military judge which terminates the proceedings with respect to a charge or specifications or which excludes evidence that is substantial proof of a fact material in the proceeding. However, the United States may not appeal an order or ruling that is, or amounts to, a finding of not guilty with respect to the charge or specification. (2) An appeal of an order or ruling may not be taken unless the trial counsel provides the military judge with written notice of appeal from the order or ruling within 72 hours of the order or ruling. Such notice shall include a certification by the
(b) An appeal under this section shall be forwarded by means prescribed under regulations of the President directly to the Court of Military Review and shall, whenever practicable, have priority over all other proceedings before that court. In ruling on an appeal under this section, the Court of Military review may act only with respect to matters of law, notwithstanding section 866(c) of this title (article 66(c)).
(c) Any period of delay resulting from an appeal under this section shall be excluded in deciding any issue regarding denial of a speedy trial unless an appropriate authority determines that the appeal was filed solely for the purpose of delay with the knowledge that it was totally frivolous and without merit.
863. ART. 63. REHEARINGS
Each rehearing under this chapter shall take place before a court-martial composed of members not members of the court-martial which first heard the case. Upon a rehearing the accused may not be tried for any offense of which he was found not guilty by the first court-martial, and no sentence in excess of or more than the original sentence may be imposed unless the sentence is based upon a finding of guilty of an offense not considered upon the merits in the original proceedings, or unless the sentence prescribed for the offense is mandatory. If the sentence approved after the first court-martial was in accordance with a pretrial agreement and the accused at the rehearing changes his plea with respect to the charges or specifications upon which the pretrial agreement was based, or otherwise does not comply with pretrial agreement, the sentence as to those charges or specifications may include any punishment not in excess of that lawfully adjudged at the first court-martial.
864. ART. 64. REVIEW BY A JUDGE ADVOCATE
(a) Each case in which there has been a finding of guilty that is not reviewed under section 866 or 869(a) of this title (article 66 or 69(a)) shall be reviewed by a judge advocate under regulations of the Secretary concerned. A judge advocate may not review a case under this subsection if he has acted in the same case as an accuser, investigating officer, member of the court, military judge, or counsel or has otherwise acted on behalf of the prosecution or defense. The judge advocate's review shall be in writing and shall contain the following:
(1) Conclusions at to whether-- (A) the court had jurisdiction over the accused and the offense; (B) the charge and specification stated an offense; and (C) the sentence was within the limits prescribed as a matter of law. (2) A response to each allegation of error made in writing by the accused. (3) If the case is sent for action under subsection (b), a recommendation as to the appropriate action to be taken and an opinion as to whether corrective action is required as a matter of law.
(b) The record of trial and related documents in each case reviewed under subsection (a) shall be sent for action to the person exercising general court-martial jurisdiction over the accused at the time the court was convened (or to that person's successor in command) if--
(1) the judge advocate who reviewed the case recommends corrective action; (2) the sentence approved under section 860(c) of this title (article 60(c)) extends to dismissal, a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge, or confinement for more than six months; or (3) such action is otherwise required by regulations of the Secretary concerned.
(c)
(1) The person to whom the record of trial and related documents are sent under subsection (b) may-- (A) disapprove or approve the findings or sentence, in whole or in part; (B) remit, commute, or suspend the sentence in whole or in part; (C) except where the evidence was insufficient at the trial to support the findings, order a rehearing on the findings, on the sentence, or on both; or (D) dismiss the charges. (2) If a rehearing is ordered by the convening authority finds a rehearing impracticable, he shall dismiss the charges. (3) If the opinion of the judge advocate in the judge advocate's review under subsection (a) is that corrective action is required as a matter of law and if the person required to take action under subsection (b) does not take action that is at least as favorable to the accused as that recommended by the judge advocate, the record of trial and action thereon shall be sent to Judge Advocate General for review under section 869(b) of this title (article 69(b)).A month ago, news came that revenue from streaming services had surpassed CD sales for the first time in history. Now, The Wall Street Journal is reporting that after securing $400 million in fresh funding, Spotify is now worth more than the entire US recorded music industry.
The deal pushed the streaming service up to a net value of $8.4 billion, more than double that of its nearest competitor Pandora, which sits at around $3.5 billion. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, the revenue of the entire industry as of 2014 was $6.97 billion, which accounts for physical sales, digital purchases, and yes, streaming.
Streaming income, which includes paid subscriptions and ad earnings, accounted for 27% of the recorded music industry’s $6.97 billion earnings. Yet Spotify, just one company that makes up that percentage, is actually worth more than every single US retail music revenue source combined. Given, Spotify is |
mountains to be climbed in winter. In the last two years, winter ascents of both Gasherbrum I and Broad Peak also have been completed, leaving only K2 and Nanga Parbat.
Also on the Rupal side will be a four-man Polish team, including Marek Klonowski and Tomek Mackiewicz, who have already attempted Nanga Parbat in winter three times, twice by the Kinshofer Route on the Diamir face, and then last season on the Schell Route, where Mackiewicz reached 7,400 meters (24,278 feet). This time, Pawel Dunaj and Jacek Teler are joining the team.
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Meanwhile, German climber Ralf Dujmovits is planning a bold solo ascent on the Diamir side of the peak. (The Diamir base camp is where 11 people were murdered by a Taliban-affiliated group of terrorists last spring.) Dujmovits acclimatized on Aconcagua, the Western Hemisphere's highest peak, spending six nights above 19,500 feet, including two nights on the 22,841-foot summit, and then flew immediately to Pakistan to begin his attempt on Nanga Parbat. The German climber aims to make a fast, lightweight ascent, without fixed ropes or stocked camps. Dujmovits climbed Nanga Parbat during the normal summer season in 2001.
The Italian climber Daniele Nardi is the latest to join the fray. Nardi, who attempted the Mummery Rib on Nanga Parbat's Diamir face last winter with Frenchwoman Elizabeth Revol, will return to the Diamir side for a solo attempt.
The Polish team has already begun climbing on the Rupal side of the mountain, and Dujmovits has arrived at base camp on the Diamir side. Moro and partners have just arrived in Pakistan. And Nardi is scheduled to go to Pakistan on January 20.
Sources: blogs.dw.de/adventuresports/, simonemoro.com, altitudepakistan.blogspot.com, nangadream.blogspot.com/, planetmountain.comA slew of new promos have come from across the world for AMC’s Season 4 of “The Walking Dead,” which premieres on Sunday, October 13 at 9/8c.
“In the highly anticipated new season, we find Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and the group fostering a thriving community in the safe haven of the prison. Sadly, in this brutal world, happiness is short-lived and walkers and outside threats are no match for danger brewing inside the fences. The group’s home and new way of life will be thoroughly tested, and their struggle to survive has never been so perilous. Season 4 also introduces several new characters including Bob Stookey (Lawrence Gilliard Jr.).”
Based on the comic book series written by Robert Kirkman and published by Image Comics, “The Walking Dead” stars Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan, Chandler Riggs, Scott Wilson, Melissa McBride, David Morrissey, Emily Kinney, Danai Gurira, Chad Coleman and Sonequa Martin-Green.The Bataan Death March (Filipino: Martsa ng Kamatayan sa Bataan; Japanese: バターン死の行進, Hepburn: Batān Shi no Kōshin) was the forcible transfer by the Imperial Japanese Army of 60,000–80,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war from Saysain Point, Bagac, Bataan and Mariveles to Camp O'Donnell, Capas, Tarlac, via San Fernando, Pampanga, where the prisoners were loaded onto trains. The transfer began on April 9, 1942, after the three-month Battle of Bataan in the Philippines during World War II. The total distance marched from Mariveles to San Fernando and from the Capas Train Station to Camp O'Donnell is variously reported by differing sources as between 60 and 69.6 miles (96.6 and 112.0 km). Differing sources also report widely differing prisoner of war casualties prior to reaching Camp O'Donnell: from 5,000 to 18,000 Filipino deaths and 500 to 650 American deaths during the march. The march was characterized by severe physical abuse and wanton killings, and was later judged by an Allied military commission to be a Japanese war crime.
Background [ edit ]
Prelude [ edit ]
When General MacArthur returned to active duty, the latest revision of plans for the defense of the Philippine Islands—called WPO-3—was politically unrealistic, assuming a conflict only involving the United States and Japan, not the combined Axis powers. However, the plan was tactically sound, and its provisions for defense were applicable under any local situation.[1]
Under WPO-3, the mission of the Philippine garrison was to hold the entrance to Manila Bay and deny its use to Japanese naval forces. If the enemy prevailed, the Americans were to make every attempt to hold back the Japanese advance while withdrawing to the Bataan Peninsula, which was recognized as the key to the control of Manila Bay. It was to be defended to the "last extremity."[1] General MacArthur assumed command of the Allied army in July 1941 and rejected WPO-3 as defeatist, preferring a more aggressive course of action.[2] He recommended—among other things—a coastal defense strategy that would include the entire archipelago. His recommendations were followed in the plan that was eventually approved.[1]
The main force of General Masaharu Homma's 14th Army came ashore at Lingayen Gulf on the morning of 22 December. The defenders failed to hold the beaches. By the end of the day, the Japanese had secured most of their objectives and were in position to emerge onto the central plain. Late on the afternoon of the 23rd Wainwright telephoned General MacArthur's headquarters in Manila and informed him that any further defense of the Lingayen beaches was "impracticable." He requested and was given permission to withdraw behind the Agno River. MacArthur decided to abandon his own plan for defense and revert to WPO-3, evacuating President Manuel L. Quezon, High Commissioner Francis B. Sayre, their families, and his own headquarters to Corregidor on the 24th. A rear echelon, headed by the deputy chief of staff, Brig. Gen. Richard J. Marshall, remained behind in Manila to close out the headquarters and to supervise the shipment of supplies and the evacuation of the remaining troops.[1]
On December 26 Manila was officially declared an open city and MacArthur's proclamation was published in the newspapers and broadcast over the radio.[1]
The Battle of Bataan began January 7, 1942, and continued until April 9, when the USAFFE commander, Maj. Gen. Edward King, Jr., surrendered to Col. Mootoo Nakayama of the 14th Japanese Army.[3]
Surrender [ edit ]
Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma and his staff encountered almost twice as many captives as his reports had estimated, creating an enormous logistical challenge: the transport and movement of over sixty-thousand starved, sick, and debilitated prisoners and over thirty eight thousand equally weakened civilian noncombatants that had been caught up in the battle. He wanted to move prisoners and refugees to the north to get them out of the way of Homma's final assault on Corregidor, but there was simply not enough mechanized transport to move the masses of wounded, sick, and weakened remainder of troops.[4]
March [ edit ]
[5][6] Route of the death march; the section from San Fernando to Capas was by rail cars.
Dead soldiers on the Bataan Death March
Following the surrender of Bataan on April 9, 1942, to the Imperial Japanese Army, prisoners were massed in Mariveles and Bagac town.[3][7]
As the defeated defenders were massed in preparation for the march, they were ordered to turn over their possessions. American Lieutenant Kermit Lay recounted how this was done:
They pulled us off into a rice paddy and began shaking us down. There [were] about a hundred of us so it took time to get to all of us. Everyone had pulled their pockets wrong side out and laid all their things out in front. They were taking jewelry and doing a lot of slapping. I laid out my New Testament.... After the shakedown, the Japs took an officer and two enlisted men behind a rice shack and shot them. The men who had been next to them said they had Japanese souvenirs and money.[8]
Word quickly spread among the prisoners to conceal or destroy any Japanese money or mementos, as the captors assumed it had been stolen from dead Japanese soldiers.[8]
Prisoners started out from Mariveles on April 10, and Bagac on April 11, converging in Pilar, Bataan, and heading north to the San Fernando railhead.[3] At the beginning of capture there were rare instances of kindness by Japanese officers and those Japanese soldiers who spoke English, such as sharing of food and cigarettes and permitting personal possessions to be kept. This was fast followed by unrelenting brutality, theft, and even knocking men's teeth out for gold fillings, as the common Japanese soldier had also suffered in the Battle for Bataan and had nothing but disgust and hatred for his "captives" (Japan did not recognize these people as POWs).[4] The first atrocity—attributed to Colonel Masanobu Tsuji[9]—occurred when approximately 350 to 400 Filipino officers and NCOs under his supervision were summarily executed in the Pantingan River massacre after they had surrendered.[10][11] Tsuji—acting against General Homma's wishes that the prisoners be transferred peacefully—had issued clandestine orders to Japanese officers to summarily execute all American "captives."[4] Although some Japanese officers ignored the orders, others were receptive to the idea of murdering POWs.[12]
During the march, prisoners received little food or water, and many died.[2][13][14] Prisoners were subjected to severe physical abuse, including being beaten and tortured.[15] On the march, the "sun treatment" was a common form of torture. Prisoners were forced to sit in sweltering direct sunlight, without helmets or other head covering. Anyone who asked for water was shot dead. Some men were told to strip naked or sit within sight of fresh, cool water.[8] Trucks drove over some of those who fell or succumbed to fatigue,[16][17][18] and "cleanup crews" put to death those too weak to continue, though some trucks picked up some of those too fatigued to continue. Some marchers were randomly stabbed by bayonets or beaten.[2][19] The Death March was later judged by an Allied military commission to be a Japanese war crime.[15]
Once the surviving prisoners arrived in Balanga, the overcrowded conditions and poor hygiene caused dysentery and other diseases to spread rapidly. The Japanese did not provide the prisoners with medical care, so U.S. medical personnel tended to the sick and wounded with few or no supplies.[13] Upon arrival at the San Fernando railhead, prisoners were stuffed into sweltering, brutally hot metal box cars for the one-hour trip to Capas, in 43 °C (110 °F) heat. At least 100 prisoners were pushed into each of the trains' unventilated boxcars. The trains had no sanitation facilities, and disease continued to take a heavy toll on the prisoners. According to Staff Sergeant Alf Larson:
The train consisted of six or seven World War I-era boxcars.... They packed us in the cars like sardines, so tight you couldn't sit down. Then they shut the door. If you passed out, you couldn't fall down. If someone had to go to the toilet, you went right there where you were. It was close to summer and the weather was hot and humid, hotter than Billy Blazes! We were on the train from early morning to late afternoon without getting out. People died in the railroad cars.[8]
Upon arrival at the Capas train station, they were forced to walk the final 14 km (9 mi) to Camp O'Donnell.[13] Even after arriving at Camp O'Donnell, the survivors of the march continued to die at rates of up to several hundred per day, which amounted to a death toll of as many as 20,000 Filipino and American deaths.[14][20] Most of the dead were buried in mass graves that the Japanese had dug behind the barbed wire surrounding the compound.[21] Of the estimated 80,000 POWs at the march, only 54,000 made it to Camp O'Donnell.[22]
The total distance of the march from Mariveles to San Fernando and from Capas to Camp O'Donnell (which ultimately became the U.S. Naval Radio Transmitter Facility in Capas, Tarlac; 1962-1989)[23] is variously reported by differing sources as between 96.6 and 112.0 km (60 and 69.6 mi).[3][22][24][25]
Casualty estimates [ edit ]
Credible sources report widely differing prisoner of war casualties prior to reaching their destination: from 5,000 to 18,000 Filipino deaths and 500 to 650 American deaths during the march.[10][13][22][24][26][27][28][29]
Wartime public responses [ edit ]
United States [ edit ]
News of the Bataan Death March sparked outrage in the US, as reflected in this propaganda poster.
It was not until January 27, 1944, that the U.S. government informed the American public about the march, when it released sworn statements of military officers who had escaped.[30] Shortly thereafter the stories of these officers were featured in a LIFE magazine article.[31][32] The Bataan Death March and other Japanese actions were used to arouse fury in the United States.[33]
General George Marshall made the following statement:
These brutal reprisals upon helpless victims evidence the shallow advance from savagery which the Japanese people have made.... We serve notice upon the Japanese military and political leaders as well as the Japanese people that the future of the Japanese race itself, depends entirely and irrevocably upon their capacity to progress beyond their aboriginal barbaric instincts.[34]
Japanese [ edit ]
In an attempt to counter the American propaganda value of the march, the Japanese had The Manila Times report that the prisoners were treated humanely and their death rate had to be attributed to the intransigence of the American commanders who did not surrender until the men were on the verge of death.[35]
War crimes trial [ edit ]
Portion of Bataan disinterment map highlighting the site of the 1942 Pantingan Massacre
In September 1945, General Masaharu Homma was arrested by Allied troops and indicted for war crimes.[36] Homma was charged with 43 different counts of crimes against humanity.[37] Homma was found guilty of permitting members of his command to commit "brutal atrocities and other high crimes".[38] The general, who had been absorbed in his efforts to capture Corregidor after the fall of Bataan, claimed in his defense that he remained ignorant of the high death toll of the death march until two months after the event.[39] Homma's verdict was predicated on respondeat superior but with the added liability standard, since the latter could not be rebutted.[40] On February 26, 1946, he was sentenced to death by firing squad, and was executed on April 3, 1946, outside Manila.[36]
Masanobu Tsuji, who directly ordered the killing of POWs, fled to China from Thailand when the war ended to escape the British authorities.[41]
Also in Japan, Generals Hideki Tōjō (later Prime Minister), Kenji Doihara, Seishirō Itagaki, Heitarō Kimura, Iwane Matsui, and Akira Mutō, along with Baron Kōki Hirota, were found guilty and responsible for the maltreatment of American and Filipino POWs. They were executed by hanging at Sugamo Prison in Ikebukuro on December 23, 1948. Several others were sentenced to imprisonment between 7 and 22 years.[citation needed]
Post-war commemorations, apologies, and memorials [ edit ]
U.S. Army personnel toiled to identify the charred remains of Americans captured at Bataan and Corregidor and burned alive on Palawan. Picture shows charred remains being interred in grave. March 20, 1945.
In 2012, film producer Jan Thompson created a film documentary about the Death March, POW camps, and Japanese hell ships titled Never the Same: The Prisoner-of-War Experience. The film reproduced scenes of the camps and ships showed drawings and writings of the prisoners, and featured Loretta Swit as the narrator.[42][43]
On September 13, 2010, Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada apologized to a group of six former American soldiers who, during World War II were held as prisoners of war by the Japanese, including 90-year-old Lester Tenney and Robert Rosendahl, both survivors of the Bataan Death March. The six, their families, and the families of two deceased soldiers were invited to visit Japan at the expense of the Japanese government.[44]
Dozens of memorials (including monuments, plaques, and schools) dedicated to the prisoners who died during the Bataan Death March exist across the United States and in the Philippines. A wide variety of commemorative events are held to honor the victims, including holidays, athletic events such as ultramarathons, and memorial ceremonies held at military cemeteries.
On April 3, 2002, the memorial "Heroes of Bataan" was dedicated at Veteran's Park,[45] Las Cruces, New Mexico. It depicts three soldiers assisting each other during the Bataan Death March. Two of the soldiers are modeled after the uncles of Las Cruces resident J. Joe Martinez, with the Filipino soldier modeled after a NCO stationed at WSMR (White Sands Missile Range) whose grandfather was killed during the March. Leading up to the statue is an area where footprints of survivors were cast in concrete.
Bataan Death March Memorial featuring Filipino and American soldiers, Las Cruces, New Mexico
Footprints of survivors of the Bataan Death March leading up to statue, "Heroes of Bataan", Veteran's Park, Las Cruces, New Mexico
The Bataan Death March had a large impact on the U.S. state of New Mexico,[46] given that many of the U.S. soldiers in Bataan were from New Mexico, specifically from the 200th/515th Coast Artillery of the National Guard.[47] The New Mexico National Guard Bataan Memorial Museum is located in the Armory where the soldiers of the 200th and 515th were processed before their deployment to the Philippines in 1941.[48] Every year, in early spring, the Bataan Memorial Death March, a 42.2 km (26.2 mi) march/run is conducted at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.[49][50] On March 19th 2017, over 6,300 participants queued up at the starting line for the 28th annual event, breaking not only all previous records of attendance but also the amount of non-perishable food collected for local food pantries and overall charitable goods donated. Out of all the veterans from New Mexico that survived the Bataan Death March, only four are still alive today.[51]
As of 2012, there were fewer than 1,000 survivors of the March still living.[52] The old state capitol building of New Mexico was renamed the Bataan Memorial Building and now houses several state government agency offices.[53]
Notable captives and survivors [ edit ]
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Notes
Further reading [ edit ]
By the grace of God... Author= Erwin Johnson. Survivor of the death martchCBS's THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT was the only late night program to grow its audience over a year ago, according to Nielsen live plus same day ratings for the week ending Nov. 11. Note: All programs were preempted Tuesday for election coverage.
THE LATE SHOW averaged 2.63 million viewers, up +11% compared to the same week last year. Wednesday's post-election broadcast averaged 2.81m, the show's largest audience since Oct. 21.
Across digital and social platforms, THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT experienced one of its best weeks ever. On CBS.com and the CBS App, unique users and visits were up triple digit percentage points over the show's weekly average, and full episode streams were up double digit percentage points over the season average.
In addition, total views across both Youtube and Facebook also increased by triple digit percentage points over the previous week, with clips including Don't Move to Canada Just Yet and Stephen Tries to Make Sense of All This on YouTube, as well as LIVE Election Night Screaming Booth on Facebook.
THE LATE SHOW with STEPHEN COLBERT, a production of The Late Show Inc., airs weeknights (11:35 PM-12:37 AM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Stephen Colbert, Chris Licht, Tom Purcell and Jon Stewart are the executive producers.
Image courtesy of CBS.
Related Articles View More TV StoriesThe New York Jets can at least call themselves champions in one category: ticket prices.
The Jets have the highest average, non-premium ticket price in the league at $117.94, according to Team Marketing Report's Fan Cost Index, which was released Thursday afternoon.
The Jets topped the Patriots, who have sold out every game since 1994, by 10 cents ($117.84).
In its annual survey, Team Marketing Report found that the average NFL ticket, purchased from a team, will cost $78.38 this season, up 2.5 percent from last year. The average cost to bring a family to the game and buy four regular tickets (not suite or club), two beers, four hot dogs, parking, program and two adult size hats is $443.93, up 3.9 percent from last year.
Besides the Jets and Patriots, three other teams have non-suite tickets that are selling for more than $100: New York Giants ($111.69), Chicago Bears ($110.91) and Dallas Cowboys ($110.20).
The teams with the cheapest average tickets: Cleveland Browns ($54.20), Buffalo Bills ($58.36) and Jacksonville Jaguars ($59.54).
TMR says 10 teams raised ticket prices by at least one percent this year, up from the nine that dared to make increases coming into the lockout last season. The largest increase? The Chicago Bears at 9.3 percent. The average cost of a beer at a game is up 15 cents from last year to $7.28, the study found.Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley says the country is experiencing a "constitutional crisis" as the controversy of Russia's meddling in the 2016 election swirls around President Donald Trump.
"We're going through a constitutional crisis, gentlemen, and we'll see how strong our institutions are and the rule of law are in the United States of America," O'Malley told CBS News Chief White House Correspondent Major Garrett and Political Director Steve Chaggaris on this week's episode of "The Takeout" podcast.
"I think that what we see here is a case with some pretty compelling circumstantial evidence and it abounds," he added. "Everyone agrees that the Russians were involved in this. The question is: what did Donald Trump know and when did he know it and what did members of his campaign know?"
6/15/17: Red and Blue
The former Democratic presidential candidate is convinced he knows the answer to those questions.
"I have no doubt that in the fullness of time, it will be revealed that Donald Trump, in fact, and his campaign were very much aware of what the Russians were doing."
For more from O'Malley's conversation with CBS News Chief White House Correspondent Major Garrett and CBS News Political Director Steve Chaggaris, including a spot-on Morgan Freeman-giving-Trump's-inauguration-speech impersonation, listen to "The Takeout" podcast, available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher,Spotify and CBSNews.com. And follow "The Takeout" on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: @TakeoutPodcast.
Producers: Arden Farhi, Nick Fineman, and Katiana Krawchenko
Facebook: Facebook.com/TakeoutPodcastSo here I am, Giving another update on my Game Dev financial status. Last we spoke was late Oct with my blog post How I Successfully Made $0.20 From My First App In A Month.. Since then I’ve abandoned that game (Crossy Bridge) and have built 2 more Androids apps from the ground up. One successful… at least by my standard… and a failure… which is pretty bad even to my standard. But lets start with what you all care about. Since I first released Crossy Bridge to Jan 31, 2017 I’ve made…. $53.83! Wow! Such money! Many Dollars!
Here’s a graph that shows weekly earnings, page views, impressions, clicks, etc.
As you can see a huge jump happened mid January. about $18 in a week! Abnormal? Yes! well… by my standard. But what brought me this money? 2 words. Niche App!
Crossy Bridge
Lets start with What Crossy Bridge has done since I released it.
That jump in late September/Early November correlates directly with views from my last blog post about making $.20. So thanks to that post I made another $5.00! Thanks everyone that took petty for me! (too bad the threshold to withdraw is $100…)
As far as downloads go…
You can see the jump from ~50 installs to almost ~150. This is from the article. (Remember kids, it pays to talk about your failures.) Since then downloads have tapered off, and I consider it all but lost. I pushed an election update that put Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton to the game… It didn’t increase downloads so I left the project. (I acctually never removed them and probably wont… For the rest of time it’s going to be the “election update…)
Bible Trivia – True or False
After I decided to move on from producing Crossy Bridge I began work on my second App. Bible Trivia – True or False. This game is a simple Trivia App that has a couple modes, leaderboards, achievements, and best of all. Ads! From starting your first game a banner ad is shown at the bottom of the screen. These bring in pennies. But those pennies are shiny. After each group of 10 questions an interstitial ad is shown. These are the shiny dimes and occasional quarter.
Here is a graph of my income from this Bible Trivia
As you can see most of my money came from this app. And the spikes of revenue comes from increased play time that day. Fun Fact: Most downloads happen on Sunday and Wednesday. Days that churches usually meet. But how many downloads do I have total???
Just about 120! So some quick calculations I can measure what every player brings me. 120 players / $40 earned = ~$.33 per player. Not bad. And I’d assume that this number would go down with more players. But well see!
The Alp Challenge
I released Bible Trivia Early November and It really “took off” (by my standard) in January increasing total installs by almost 100% in 1 month! But not everything is a victory. I also released The Alp Challenge. I released this guy on Dec. 1st and well…
It has 16 downloads. YAY! (and 3 current installs…. me, my wife, and some poor soul who has it filling his memory space… I’m sorry). This game never took off. Not that I expected it be awesome… but I expected it to do better than Crossy Bridge… so I set the standard pretty low.
I set two type of ads in this game. Reward and interstitial. Interstitial show after so many play through, and a reward will be shown to give coins to give you a restart where you died.
From this app I’ve made almost $6. Not bad, but as you can see, after the first “Whoohoo!” there was a long break… that was broken by the poor soul that clicked an ad on the 26th of January that probably led him to install Mobile Strike and he has has yet to uninstall my app.
So there you have it. My 3 apps, and how much I’ve made from them from Oct. 1st – Jan 31st. 4 months. $60. countless evenings and hours, busy lunch breaks, lots of google searches, hours of you tube tutorials, and a total of 287 downloads across all 3 apps.
I’m currently working on my fourth app. It’s a incremental game with a dinosaur theme… If you care you can read about it Here. It won’t be released until march probably. But until then I plan to keep monthly updates on my income for both record keeping for me and some insight for you!
Until Then,
Obvious Turtle Games
AdvertisementsSenator Rand Paul made a valiant effort to seize a copy of the House GOP’s Obamacare replacement bill from a room in the Capitol on Thursday, where it is being kept under lock and key, hidden away from even their own party’s lawmakers.
The bill is currently stored in a locked room in the Capitol, only available to members of the House Energy and Commerce committee. In response to an early version of the bill being leaked to the press, no one is allowed to remove a copy from the reading room. Party leaders claim that a copy will be made available after it has been finalized.
I have been told that the House Obamacare bill is under lock & key, in a secure location, & not available for me or the public to view. — Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) March 2, 2017
“This is unacceptable. This is the biggest issue before Congress and the American people right now,” Paul tweeted Thursday morning.
I am heading to the secure location where they are keeping the House obamacare bill. I will demand a copy for the American people. — Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) March 2, 2017
The Kentucky Senator, determined to make the information public, then stormed his way into the reading room, showing up at the door with his own photocopier and demanding that he be allowed to make a copy.
.@randpaul wasn't allowed to see the House GOP's Obamacare bill. Brought his own copy machine, just in case. pic.twitter.com/KpAXhfltsV — Eli Yokley (@eyokley) March 2, 2017
“I said I liked to get a copy and they said no go. She wouldn’t tell us anything really,” Paul told reporters after his thwarted attempt. “Even if I were allowed to look at it, which it didn’t look like I was, how is that democracy?”
.@RandPaul outside the "secret office for the secret bill." pic.twitter.com/fY8BAVqwvd — Eli Yokley (@eyokley) March 2, 2017
Paul asserted his belief that the healthcare-replacement document is being kept secret because it is “Obamacare-lite,” and not a full-scale repeal that conservatives have been hoping for.
“Renaming and keeping parts of Obamacare, new entitlements and extending medicaid expansion are not the #FullRepeal we promised,” he tweeted.
The Senator has vowed to fight for a full repeal-and-replace plan promised by President Donald Trump, but will not fight for less. He has also asserted that he has been told that the draft of the bill will be “take it or leave it.”
“Senator Paul believes the American people deserve to see this bill. He will fight for real repeal, not Obamacare lite,” the Senator chief strategist Doug Stafford told Sputnik News.
When asked if Paul had any additional plans to “free the documents for the American people,” Stafford told Sputnik News to “stay tuned.”
Democratic Representative Paul Tonko, a committee member, also stated that he was turned away from reading the bill, and was told that it is not yet available.
Originally published on Sputnik News.Photo
What is advice for? Should it reassure us, or shake us up? Should it encourage us to compare ourselves to the advice giver or to the rest of humanity? And can it really help us?
A wave of new advice, and advice on advice, invites us to consider such questions. One example is “Dear Mona,” a new column by Mona Chalabi at the data-journalism website FiveThirtyEight. In the introduction to her inaugural column, Ms. Chalabi takes a swipe at other advice columnists: “I’m not a fan of advice columns in which the writer dispenses ‘you shoulds’ based on her experience. Instead, I’ll offer data to contextualize your experience.” That is, she hopes to help readers answer the question “Am I normal?”
She goes on to consider the case of Micah Cohen, her editor at FiveThirtyEight, who is 32 but lives with a roommate. After examining demographic data and speaking with a sociologist, Ms. Chalabi concludes:
“It turns out that living alone at your age is a rarity in America. But taking into account your gender, where you live and your education level, it seems you’re … well, you’re still not normal, but you are a little less abnormal.”
She signs off, “Hope the numbers help.” Ester Bloom at The Nation, however, finds her advice unhelpful. She writes that statistics are a poor basis for advice:
“Living by the numbers is a daunting, if not impossible, task. Just because most people do it doesn’t mean you should. What is good counsel across the board can make no sense for a particular individual, because an abundance of data does not make for better personal decisions. Going into engineering or another STEM field might make sense for the average student based on the numbers; that is not terribly relevant information, however, for a graphic design major who detests math. Nor is it terribly relevant that living alone is abnormal for a thirtysomething if the right romantic partner, or roommate, hasn’t appeared.”
And she argues that the best advice columnists are those who “know to dig deeper,” who can see the question behind the question. She cites Carolyn Hax and Cheryl Strayed.
At The Cut, Ann Friedman delves more deeply into Ms. Strayed’s appeal (Emily Douglas, a senior editor at The Nation, flagged the connection between her piece and Ms. Bloom’s on Twitter). She notes that Ms. Strayed’s “Dear Sugar” column, and her book of collected advice, “Tiny Beautiful Things,” have built a devoted fan base, especially (though not exclusively) among women. And she sums up the column’s ethos:
“Her voice is both compassionate and authoritative, exactly the tone we hope to strike when our friends ask us how they should get over that guy or deal with their mom’s drama. Sugar doesn’t just provide an answer, she provides a model.”
In a 2011 “Dear Sugar” column, Ms. Strayed responded to five letters — four from women who were considering leaving their partners, and one from a woman who had been left — with a story about the breakup of her own marriage:
“There was in me an awful thing, from almost the very beginning: a tiny clear voice that would not, no matter what I did, stop saying go.
“Go, even though you love him.
“Go, even though he’s kind and faithful and dear to you.
“Go, even though he’s your best friend and you’re his.”
She finished:
“Go, because you want to.
“Because wanting to leave is enough.
“Get a pen. Write that last sentence on your palm, sweet peas — all five of you. Then read it over and over again until your tears have washed it away.”
This is as clear example as any of the kind of advice Ms. Chalabi calls out — the writer dispensing “you shoulds” based on her experience — but for Ms. Friedman and the women she talked to, it’s revelatory.
Ms. Strayed hasn’t written a “Dear Sugar” column since 2012, though an animated film may be in the works. In the meantime, the clearest heir to her brand of advice is Heather Havrilesky, who writes “Ask Polly” at The Awl. Like Ms. Strayed, Ms. Havrilesky tends toward long, personal replies. She also often addresses not just one specific problem but the advice-seeker’s entire mental state. In turn, readers seem to know they can come to her not just with questions about their bad roommates or mean mother-in-law but with their whole sprawling lives. This week’s letter writer, after discussing her lack of focus, her fears about her marriage and her tendency to compare herself to other people, says:
“I need someone to tell me what to DO, not to just listen to me whine all the time. Can you give me some insight? I feel like I will be this way forever!”
Ms. Havrilesky does give her some concrete suggestions (try meditation; talk to your husband), but she also offers a more complex and abstract prescription that ends thus:
“Stop repeating that same old story, and look around you. You are already free. This moment, in your messy apartment, in the heat, among your half-finished paintings, in the unnerving dusk, with the accumulated disappointments of years and years and years, puddling around you? This moment is yours, and it’s pure and miraculous and sad and sweet. Swim, slowly, calmly, through this sad, sweet moment, through this sad, sweet infinity. You are already free.”
It’s an answer but it’s also its own mini-philosophy, a discussion of anxiety and acceptance and life that’s applicable far outside one woman’s particular situation. Maybe that’s what seekers of advice — or at least readers of advice columns — are searching for, whether we find it in data or in personal anecdote. Maybe we want an answer not just to the question at hand but to a larger, more primal one: “Can you give me some insight? I feel like I will be this way forever!”Joining the list of celebrities endorsing Donald Trump for president is Happy Days star Scott Baio. The actor went on Fox News to |
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